cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Analysis of the monitoring results of the quality of disinfection in hospitals in Kunshan City

Objective The study aimed to assess the quality of disinfection in hospitals in Kunshan, so to improve the disinfection and infection control in hospitals. Methods On-site sampling and examination were performed to monitor the quality of disinfection of different objects in hospitals in the City. Results A total of 2101 samples were examined between 2010 and 2013, with an average overall compliance rate of 95.6%. The compliance rate of autoclaves, opened disinfectants, and medical devices were 100%; and that of objects surfaces, UV lamps, endoscopes, hands of medical staffs, indoor air, and water for hemodialysis were 99.3%, 95.7%,91.2%, 90.7%, 87.0%, and 85.7%, respectively. Conclusion The overall compliance rate of hospital disinfection was high in hospitals in the City. However, some issues still exist, especially on improving the quality of indoor air and water for hemodialysis.
Comparative genomic hybridization-array and real-time PCR reveals new candidate genes for breast cancers

B165 Genomic alterations are important pathogenic mechanisms to induce several cancers including breast cancer. In breast cancer, DNA copy number level was observed in several studies but limited to the cancer tissues not in bloods. Thus, we compared differences in genomic aberration of blood and breast cancer tissue. We used array-comparative genomic hybridization (array-CGH) compared differences for 30 beast cancer bloods and cancer tissues. Samples were staged correctly according to the TNM (tumor, nodes, and metastases) classification of malignant tumors. Array CGH was performed using MACArray™-Karyo 4K BAC-chip (Macrogen, Seoul, Korea) which contains 4,030 bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones on the whole human genome with a resolution of about 1Mbp. The data analyses were using a MAC Viewer v1.6.3 Software and the relative degree of chromosomal changes was analyzed using log2 ratios. For validation, we used real time PCR, the relative genomic copy number was calculated using the comparative CT method. A large number of regions in the entire genomes were altered. Genomic alterations were detected at 1q, 3q, 4p, 5p, 8q, 10q, 11p, 12p, 15q, 16p, 17p, 17q, 18q, 19p, 20q, and 22q. Generally, the genomic alterations were more frequent in cancer tissues than bloods. The most common gains were found in 5p (60% of bloods, and 80% of tumor tissues) and the most common losses were found in 22q (40% of bloods, and 30% of tumor tissues). The four genes including CDKN1C (11p15.4), HRAS1 (11p15.5), NTRK1 (1q23.1), and RPS5 (19q13.43) showed highly increased gain in copy number in both blood and cancer tissues. FGF8 (10q24.32), NKX3-1 (8p21.1), PPP2R1B (11q23.1), and SDHB (1p36.13) genes were up-represented , while under-represented in MUC17 (7q22.1) gene l in bloods. These data show the genomic alterations in blood and cancer tissues of breast cancer patients. The common and different expressions of copy number in blood and cancer tissues might be useful indicator for the prediction of cancer generation. Taken together, we concluded that array CGH could be useful for not only the identification of candidate genes for breast cancer pathogenesis but also the prediction of breast cancer.
Inhibition of nitric oxide synthase in the brain suppresses colonic motor activity

The effects of inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) synthase in the brain on colonic motor activity were investigated in conscious dogs. Intracerebroventricular (ICV) infusion of N omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) and N omega-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA) significantly suppressed colonic motor activity. The inhibitory effects occurred 1 h after the end of the infusion and lasted for at least 4 h. This suppression was blocked by a concurrent infusion of L-arginine but not D-arginine. The suppression of colonic motor activity was not blocked by bilateral truncal vagotomy or intravenous administration of phentolamine, an alpha-receptor antagonist, and propranolol, a beta-receptor antagonist. ICV infusion of L-NAME had no significant effect on the occurrence of giant migrating contractions in the colon. By contrast, intravenous administration of L-NAME at higher doses significantly enhanced colonic motor activity. We conclude that the inhibition of NO synthesis in the brain suppresses, whereas the inhibition of NO synthesis in peripheral neurons stimulates, colonic motor activity. The central effect may be mediated by a decrease in cerebral blood flow due to the inhibition of NO synthesis in cerebral arteries.
Recycle of enriched Mo targets for economic production of 99 Mo/ 99m Tc medical isotope without use of enriched uranium

A new recycle process for recovery of enriched 98Mo or 100Mo used for production of 99Mo/99mTc medical isotope was developed. In this process, Mo is precipitated from spent NorthStar Mo/Tc generator solution containing ~200 g/L Mo as K2MoO4 in 5 M KOH using acetic acid and then washed with nitric acid. High purification factors from potassium were achieved, and typical Mo recovery yields were ~95 %. The recycle process was performed with up to 260 g of Mo per batch and can be easily implemented for processing of up to 400 g of Mo.
Vowel Dispersion in English Diphthongs: Evidence from Adult Production

In this paper, I address the problem of including diphthong vowels into a Dispersion Theory (Flemming 2004) framework. First, I review the main aspects of Dispersion Theory in Flemming (2004), which gives an analysis of vowel inventories using a perception-based account of contrast, but noticeably omits diphthongs, which–while different from monophthongs–are highly productive, contrastive members of vowel inventories. Next, in order to correctly represent and incorporate diphthongs, I discuss acoustic properties of diphthongs and their presence in vowel inventories cross-linguistically. Diphthongs are compared to the monophthong inventory using production data to assess their relative positions in the vowel space. The English vowel production data should reflect the language-specific constraint ranking of *Effort with the maximum contrast and minimum distance constraints as predicted in Flemming's theory. To derive diphthongs, Flemming (2004)’s constraints as well as additional constraints from Minkova & Stockwell (2003) are used to account for the distance between the two offset targets. An additional constraint is proposed to account for the strong preference in the English production data to centralize the onset targets. Derivations for individual diphthong productions compared to possible surrounding candidates are provided in the analysis.
The material and cognitive dimensions of creolization in nineteenth-century Jamaica

Creolization is defined as a special form of ethnogenesis that in plantation contexts was a process through which social and material worlds were defined. Using colonial Jamaica as an example, ethnohistorical sources to suggest how creole identities were emically defined by and negotiated between populations of both European and African descent, and suggests how the process of creolization was manifested in the use of space, foodways, and general health of creole populations of both European and African descent.
Adolescent Bariatric Surgery: Quality, Outcomes, and Debates

To provide an updated evaluation of the literature regarding safety and outcomes in pediatric bariatric surgery and to explore associated controversies related to surgical timing and age concerns, as well as other ethical issues. Nonsurgical management of pediatric patients with obesity becomes less effective with increasing age and severity of disease. For carefully selected adolescent patients, bariatric surgery has been shown to provide sustained weight loss, reduction in comorbidities, and improved quality of life; however, high-level evidence is limited. Current data support surgical intervention in obese adolescents prior to adulthood, as several comorbidities and cardiovascular risk factors appear to be increasingly responsive to weight loss at a younger age. There is inadequate information available in pediatric patients to support one type of surgical intervention over another, or weight loss surgery in preadolescent patients. Large trials have begun to more clearly delineate the risks and benefits of adolescent bariatric surgery. As the use of this important intervention increases, it is important that standards of care are agreed upon and that continuing study helps define appropriate patient selection and method of intervention.
The mortal animal and the techno-animated life – Chen Qiang's experimental zooetic animation trilogy, Cut off

This article revisits animation's commonly recognized life-endowing techniques via the example of a stop-motion animation trilogy, Cut off (2007, 2008, 2010), by a Chinese experimental artist, Chen...
Markers of impaired motor and cognitive volition in Parkinson's disease: Correlates of dopamine dysregulation syndrome, impulse control disorder, and dyskinesias.

Abstract Introduction Dopaminergic therapy in Parkinson's disease (PD) can be associated with both motoric (e.g., dyskinesias) and neuropsychiatric adverse effects. Examples of the latter include Dopamine Dysregulation Syndrome (DDS) and impulse control disorder (ICD), which are separate but related behavioral/psychiatric complications of treatment in PD. Dysregulation of volition characterizes both dyskinesias and DDS/ICD; thus, we analyzed potential disease-related correlates in a large PD cohort. Methods We analyzed cross-sectional data from 654 participants collected through the NINDS Parkinson's Disease Biomarkers Program. DDS/ICD symptoms and dyskinesias were assessed using the Movement Disorders Society (revised) Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale. Potential associated variables were selected from PD-validated or PD-specific scales of neuropsychiatric or motoric status. Multivariable models with DDS/ICD or dyskinesia presence outcomes were produced with backward stepwise regression to identify factors independently associated with DDS/ICD and/or dyskinesias. Results Fifty-three (8.1%) participants endorsed DDS and/or ICD symptoms and 150 (22.9%) were dyskinetic. In multivariable analysis, psychosis was independently associated with both dyskinesias (p = 0.006) and DDS/ICD (p Conclusions Our findings suggest that psychosis may be an important marker of impaired volition across motor and cognitive domains. Unpredictable motor fluctuations, psychosis, and depression may together comprise a phenotypic profile of patients at increased risk for DDS/ICD. Similarly, dyskinetic PD patients should be closely monitored for psychotic symptoms and treated appropriately.
Introduction to the Varieties of Orthographic Knowledge II: Relationships to Phonology, Reading, and Writing

One of the reasons for the lack of consensus on how to measure orthographic processing is that orthographic processing involves multiple kinds of orthographic knowledge and different investigators are focusing on different kinds of orthographic knowledge (see Introduction to Volume I). Table 1 from that introduction is reproduced on page 2 to provide a conceptual framework for discussing the kind(s) of orthographic knowledge considered by the author(s) of each of the chapters in Volume II.
Bringing Work Stress Home

Work is the sector of life most productive of stress for middle-aged men in administrative and managerial occupations. Although marital problems and troubles with children can produce stress as intense as any stress produced at work, marriage and parenthood only infrequently give rise to stress at all. Administrative and managerial work, in contrast, foster stress so regularly that most men doing such work report at least one experience at work within the preceding month that led to persisting preoccupation and irritability, and many report at least one in the preceding year that resulted in difficulties in sleeping.
Multiple Regression I

In this chapter we will apply the matrix algebra of the previous chapter to multiple regression. We assume that the reader has had at least a beginning exposure to the idea of multiple regression. In multiple regression we explore the relationship of a single dependent variable to a set of p independent variables. The reasons for exploring this relationship may be to predict future or unknown values of the dependent variable from known or assumed values of the independent variables or to explain variations in the dependent variable. Explanation proceeds by specifying how each independent variable affects the dependent variable. Sometimes we are interested in specifying which of the independent variables are more important than the others.
Exchange-based communication training has some benefits, but additional research is needed to develop interventions to specifically target the development of pure mands1

Q What is the role of the presence or absence of the preferred stimulus on mands among individuals with autism spectrum disorder who were taught to communicate with exchange-based communication?Des...
Visualizing and Improving Service Processes with PCN Analysis

This chapter introduces the service design and improvement tool known as PCN Analysis. PCN Analysis focuses on the ways in which processes can be strategically designed to leverage interaction between firms and their customers. PCN Analysis visualizes and optimizes along elements of customer value, provider value, customer-provider interactions, customer roles and responsibilities, provider and customer resources, and interconnectivity of service networks. Potential objectives of PCN Analysis include improving process control, leveraging expertise and other economies of scale, improving process efficiency, and increasing the potential for customization. These objectives are achieved through a method of “strategic process positioning,” where processes alternatives are explored and design implications are considered.
Generational Exchange and Transition in Women’s Writing

As the organizers of the 25th annual meeting of the Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century British Women Writers Association (BWWA), held at the University of North Carolina in June 2017, we wished to ...
Rubin biopsy tube entrapped in duodenum. An unusual complication.

A Rubin biopsy tube became trapped in the third portion of the duodenum, because the tissue was incompletely severed. Vigorous attempts to dislodge the tube failed. A day later it was removed easily and without complication.
The Bimetallic Question in the Valley of Fear

The vicissitudes of post-Civil War currency policy are reflected in variations in the text of Arthur Conan Doyle's novel, "The Valley of Fear."
Trifluralin (Preen) Dissipation from the Surface Layer of a Soilless Plant Growth Substrate

Abstract Southeastern U.S. container nursery crop production relies upon frequent applications of preemergence herbicides for broad-spectrum weed control. An experiment was conducted to determine t...
Coherent Domains of Transcription Coordinate Gene Expression During Bacterial Growth and Adaptation

Recent studies strongly suggest that in bacteria, both the genomic pattern of DNA thermodynamic stability and the order of genes along the chromosomal origin-to-terminus axis are highly conserved and that this spatial organization plays a crucial role in coordinating genomic transcription. In this article, we explore the relationship between genomic sequence organization and transcription in the commensal bacterium Escherichia coli and the plant pathogen Dickeya. We argue that, while in E. coli the gradient of DNA thermodynamic stability and gene order along the origin-to-terminus axis represent major organizational features orchestrating temporal gene expression, the genomic sequence organization of Dickeya is more complex, demonstrating extended chromosomal domains of thermodynamically distinct DNA sequences eliciting specific transcriptional responses to various kinds of stress encountered during pathogenic growth. This feature of the Dickeya genome is likely an adaptation to the pathogenic lifestyle utilizing differences in genomic sequence organization for the selective expression of virulence traits. We propose that the coupling of DNA thermodynamic stability and genetic function provides a common organizational principle for the coordinated expression of genes during both normal and pathogenic bacterial growth.
Existence of late-effects instruments for cancer survivors: A systematic review.

Introduction The number of cancer survivors is projected to increase to 22.1 million by 2030. Late effects incorporate the full domains of cancer survivorship (e.g., physiologic, psychosocial, economic). They are numerous, complex, and potentially alter the life trajectories of cancer survivors. Currently, research is missing on the impact of late effects (e.g., cardiomyopathy, fertility, lymphedema, anxiety) on cancer survivors. Objective The goal of this study is to present a systematic review of existing instruments for identifying, diagnosing, and managing late effects within cancer survivors. Methods Using PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search was conducted using the electronic databases of PubMed and Web of Science to identify relevant papers. Articles considered eligible for this review met the following criteria: 1) written in English, 2) published until September 30, 2019, and 3) containing instruments with questions on late effects. Hypothesis, study design, study sample, questionnaire domains, details of late effects, results, conclusions, and advantages/disadvantages of each article were assessed using a modified version of the NHLBI quality assessment tool. Results An exhaustive literature review revealed 576 publications in PubMed, 628 in Web of Science, and 260 from additional sources. After removing duplicates, articles without late-effects questionnaires, and publications using identical questionnaires, 11 studies fulfilled the eligibility criteria. Study quality assessment was measured on a scale of 0-6 (0 = poor quality; 6 = highest quality). Only one study was rated with a score of 5 (Rocque). Conclusions Taken in totality, none of the studies adequately addressed the prevalence, etiology, characteristics, management, and prevention of late effects. There is currently no comprehensive questionnaire that captures all of the relevant details of late effects across the cancer survivorship continuum nor that tracks the interrelatedness of multiple late effects. Hence, it is difficult to identify, diagnose, manage, and ultimately prevent late effects.
Virtue, Volition, and Judgment

In this chapter, I address what might seem like a formidable challenge to Descartes’s account of virtuous judgment. The challenge goes as follows: Descartes’s account of virtuous judgment requires a commitment to doxastic voluntarism, but doxastic voluntarism is false; therefore, Descartes’s account of virtuous judgment is false. My response to this challenge is twofold. First, I clarify the kind of doxastic voluntarism to which Descartes’s is committed. Specifically, I argue both (1) that there is strong textual evidence that Descartes’s endorses a version of negative direct doxastic voluntarism and (2) that there is insufficient textual evidence that he endorses a version of positive direct doxastic voluntarism. Second, I argue that neither of the most common types of arguments against doxastic voluntarism succeeds Descartes’s position. Hence, I conclude, Descartes’s account of virtuous judgment does not fall prey to the challenge that it requires a commitment to a false version of doxastic voluntarism.
Alterations in Violinists’ Practice Behaviors in Response to Differing Technical Demands in the Material

The pedagogical literature strongly suggests that when a musician works on a specific piece of repertoire, one should choose practice strategies tailored to the challenges presented by that materia...
Self-Standardized Central Limit Theorems for Trimmed Lévy Processes

We prove under general conditions that a trimmed subordinator satisfies a self-standardized central limit theorem (SSCLT). Our basic tool is a powerful distributional approximation result of Zaitsev (Probab Theory Relat Fields 74:535–566, 1987). Among other results, we obtain as special cases of our subordinator result the recent SSCLTs of Ipsen et al. (Stoch Process Appl 130:2228–2249, 2020) for trimmed subordinators and a trimmed subordinator analog of a central limit theorem of Csorgő et al. (Probab Theory Relat Fields 72:1–16, 1986) for intermediate trimmed sums in the domain of attraction of a stable law. We then use our methods to prove a similar theorem for general Levy processes.
A Mid-Ventricular Variant of Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy: A Case Study and Review of Literature.

Different variants of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC) have been described recently. In the present case, we report a post-menopausal woman who had been experiencing significant emotional distress, admitted with typical chest pain, electrocardiographic changes, and elevated troponin levels. She underwent left heart catheterization that demonstrated mild non-obstructive coronary disease and mid-ventricular focal wall motion abnormality, consistent with the mid-ventricular variant of TC. One month after her discharge, a repeated echocardiogram showed preserved ejection fraction and no wall motion abnormalities. In the mid-ventricular variant, we usually observe a unique end-systolic appearance that resembles a Greek vase. It is possible that atypical patterns of left ventricle (LV) dysfunction related to TC are being underrecognized. Therefore, this case study highlights the importance of recognizing less frequent variants of TC.
The Effect of Depressor Anguli Oris Muscle Block on Facial Symmetry in Synkinetic Facial Paralysis Patients and Its Role in Preoperative Assessment.

BACKGROUND Depressor anguli oris muscle hypertonicity in synkinetic facial paralysis patients may have an overpowering antagonistic effect on facial symmetry. Depressor anguli oris muscle block is a crucial diagnostic test before any treatment planning. Presented is the largest patient cohort analysis to date on static and dynamic facial symmetry changes after depressor anguli oris muscle block. METHODS Unilateral synkinetic patients with depressor anguli oris muscle hypertonicity were included. Resting symmetry and smile modiolus angle, excursion, and exposure of teeth were measured on both synkinetic and healthy hemifaces before and after depressor anguli oris muscle block using Emotrics and FaceGram photographic analyses. RESULTS Thirty-six patients were included. Before depressor anguli oris block, resting modiolus height was elevated on the synkinetic side (p = 0.047). During open-mouth smile, reduced modiolus angle (p < 0.0001), modiolus excursion (p < 0.0001), and exposure of teeth (p < 0.0001) were observed on the synkinetic hemiface. After depressor anguli oris block, resting modiolus height became symmetric (p = 0.64). During open-mouth smile, modiolus angle and exposure of teeth significantly increased (both p < 0.0001); excursion did not improve on the synkinetic side (p = 0.13) but unexpectedly improved in open-mouth smile on the healthy side (p = 0.0068). CONCLUSIONS Depressor anguli oris muscle block improved resting symmetry and modiolus angle and exposure of teeth during smile, demonstrating the inhibitory mimetic role of a hypertonic depressor anguli oris muscle in synkinesis. It is a critical diagnostic and communication tool in the assessment and treatment planning of depressor anguli oris muscle hypertonicity, suggesting the potential effects of future depressor anguli oris myectomy. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Therapeutic, IV.
Viscoelasticity and Adhesion Signaling in Biomaterials Control Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Morphogenesis in 3D Culture.

Organoids are lumen-containing multicellular structures that recapitulate key features of the organs, and are increasingly used in models of disease, drug testing, and regenerative medicine. Recent work has used 3D culture models to form organoids from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) in reconstituted basement membrane (rBM) matrices. However, rBM matrices offer little control over the microenvironment. More generally, the role of matrix viscoelasticity in directing lumen formation remains unknown. Here, viscoelastic alginate hydrogels with independently tunable stress relaxation (viscoelasticity), stiffness, and arginine-glycine-aspartate (RGD) ligand density are used to study hiPSC morphogenesis in 3D culture. A phase diagram that shows how these properties control hiPSC morphogenesis is reported. Higher RGD density and fast stress relaxation promote hiPSC viability, proliferation, apicobasal polarization, and lumen formation, while slow stress relaxation at low RGD densities triggers hiPSC apoptosis. Notably, hiPSCs maintain pluripotency in alginate hydrogels for much longer times than is reported in rBM matrices. Lumen formation is regulated by actomyosin contractility and is accompanied by translocation of Yes-associated protein (YAP) from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. The results reveal matrix viscoelasticity as a potent factor regulating stem cell morphogenesis and provide new insights into how engineered biomaterials may be leveraged to build organoids.
Glutose and the Unfermentable Reducing Substances in Cane Molasses

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses glutose and the unfermentable reducing substances. The two 3-ketohexoses, present in the unfermentable reducing material obtained on the treatment of D-glucose or D-fructose with mild alkali, have not been found, and their existence under such conditions is doubtful. Glutose is the unfermentable reducing substances obtained either from simple sugars or cane molasses and is ambiguous and misleading. The products that have been isolated from such unfermentable reducing substances include anhydro sugars and minor amounts of simpler organic compounds. The latter are formed as a result of thermal decomposition or fermentation and have structures that enable them to react with Fehling solution. All of these compounds are capable of reacting with amino acids or their derivatives, giving rise to complex substances that are unfermentable but behave as reducing sugars during analysis with Fehling solution.
Scholarship and Research in Social Work: Emerging Challenges

Abstract One of the defining elements of a profession is its capacity to generate and transmit knowledge about practice. This paper reviews and assesses the state of scholarship and research in social work through diverse perspectives, among them research methods found in the core literature, the scholarly productivity of faculty and doctoral graduates, the research curricula in graduate programs, and the use of scholarship by practitioners. Finally it posits challenges for improving the profession's research training, scholarly production, and knowledge transmission.
Spatial stability over time of brain areas generating fast ripples in the epileptic rat.

Summary: Purpose: Fast ripples (FRs) are interictal, pathological, high-frequency oscillations in the 200- to 600-Hz range, which can be recorded from limbic regions capable of generating spontaneous seizures in rodent models of epilepsy and in human mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. To evaluate the spatial stability of FR-generating brain areas over long periods, we monitored interictal FR oscillations in rats with chronic recurrent spontaneous seizures. Methods: After unilateral intrahippocampal injection of kainic acid, 22 rats were video monitored until spontaneous behavioral seizures occurred, and then implanted with multiple hippocampal, dentate gyrus, and entorhinal cortex microelectrodes. Electrophysiological monitoring of microelectrode sites was carried out during daily 8-h recordings for periods ranging from 6 to 98 days. Results: Interictal FRs were recorded from discretely localized areas, adjacent to non–FR-generating areas in dentate gyrus and entorhinal cortex. The location of interictal FR oscillations remained fixed, and the electrophysiological pattern of FRs remained the same over the time of our study. For the duration of monitoring, sites initially recording interictal FRs continued to display FR oscillations, and sites that initially did not record FRs never demonstrated FR activity. A direct relation was seen between the total number of electrode contacts recording interictal FRs and the frequency of spontaneous seizure generation (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: These results suggest that interictal FRs reflect abnormal discharges from a fixed pathologic substrate imbedded within less-epileptogenic tissue, and that spontaneous seizure frequency is dependent on the extent and distribution of this pathologic substrate.
An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to measure Helicobacter pylori adherence to cell lines in vitro

Abstract Helicobacter pylori adherence to gastric tissue plays an important role in pathogenesis. Studies of H. pylori adherence mechanisms have utilized continuous cell lines grown in vitro. This creates a demand for a simple and reliable in vitro technique for measuring H. pylori adherence. We developed a new monoclonal antibody enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique and measured H. pylori adherence to three cell lines. The monoclonal antibody was specific for the H. pylori urease, an enzyme characteristic to H. pylori. The ELISA was an accurate, semiquantitative technique for measuring adherent H. pylori to continuous cell lines in culture. The ELISA was easy to perform and required 4 h from start to finish. ELISA data were compared with microscopic evaluation of parallel cultures grown in slide–well chambers and immunostained with biotinylated monoclonal antibody. The ELISA proved more sensitive than microscopic quantitation. H. pylori isolate-to-isolate differences in urease expression and its effect on the ELISA were investigated. The antibody reactivities with different isolates of H. pylori were evaluated by dot-blot immunoassay and gold stain for total protein. The results showed that the ELISA assay was prone to error due to differences in urease expression among H. pylori isolates. However, the dot-blot technique proved effective in predicting this error and can be used to adjust raw data for isolate-to-isolate comparisons.
Searching gamma-ray bursts for gravitational lensing echoes - Implications for compact dark matter

The first available 44 gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) detected by the Burst and Transient Source Experiment on board the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory have been inspected for echo signals following shortly after the main signal. No significant echoes have been found. Echoes would have been expected were the GRBs distant enough and the universe populated with a sufficient density of compact objects composing the dark matter. Constraints on dark matter abundance and GRB redshifts from the present data are presented and discussed. Based on these preliminary results, a universe filled to critical density of compact objects between 10 exp 6.5 and 10 exp 8.1 solar masses are now marginally excluded, or the most likely cosmological distance paradigm for GRBs is not correct. We expect future constraints to be able either to test currently popular cosmological dark matter paradigms or to indicate that GRBs do not lie at cosmological distances.
The 1996 CDC and HICPAC isolation guidelines: A pediatric perspective

Julia Garner and her Hospital Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) colleagues are to be congratulated for this timely revision of the Isolation Guideline.’ HICPAC invited ICPs and health care epidemiologists with pediatric expertise to review and comment on a working draft of this guideline. The guideline allows for several differences unique to the pediatric population, particularly in the area of viral respiratory infections and gastroenteritis. Clinical syndromes commonly seen in pediatrics and isolation issues have been included in the 1996 guideline. On page 25 of the guideline, the following statement is made, “HICPAC recognizes that the goal of preventing transmission of infections in hospitals can be accomplished by multiple means, and that hospitals will modify the recommendations according to their needs and circumstances.” In adapting previous isolation guidelines to the pediatric setting, many children’s hospitals have modified isolation policies and signage. These modifications were made as a result of prior experiences at the particular hospital, previous experience of the ICP or epidemiologist, and in response to published reports addressing pediatric infection prevention and control issues. In addition to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) isolation guidelines, pediatric ICPs have referred to the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Redbook or other pediatric infectious diseases textbooks for the development and revision of isolation policies.2 Even though this guideline addresses pediatric infection control issues more comprehensively than previous guidelines, pediatric facilities
Integrated reverse engineering and machining system

This paper deals with the integration of reverse engineering with CAM for duplicating an existing part without a CAD model quickly and accurately. Two commercial packages, SURFACER and SmartCAM, were selected as the software tools for reverse engineering and NC code generation respectively. By utilizing the open architecture environment provided by SURFACER, a machining-oriented feature model can be constructed during the model creation phase. This model consists of not only the part's geometric entities but also all the machining information required for toolpath generation. Upon a knowledge-based process planning, this machining-oriented feature model is converted into a process model, which will then be used to create a job file and a macro file, both in the SmartCAM format. The execution of these two files inside SmartCAM can automatically generate the toolpaths and NC codes required for part machining.
Emergency Management of Status Asthmaticus in Children

Life-threatening status asthmaticus in children is sufficiently common so that all emergency departments receiving children must have a management strategy prepared for this disease. The strategy encompassing both the prehospital and the emergency department phases relies on frequent inhalation of nebulized bronchodilators (typically albuterol and ipratropium), intravenous steroids, and prompt endotracheal intubation in children with obtundation, hypoxia, or inaudible breath sounds. Death should be preventable in this disease if the child receives aggressive medical attention before respiratory arrest has developed. However, the best therapy involves prevention by ensuring that children with a history of severe asthma receive adequate anti-inflammatory therapy usually with inhaled steroids before life-threatening status asthmaticus develops.
SELF-REPORTED VARIABILITY AND ENHANCEMENT OF PREDICTION

-The present study examined the role of self-reported variability in facilitating the prediction of txhavior. Anxiety and extraversion scores based on the 16 PF were obtained for 100 (50 male and 50 female) students in introductory psychologg. Each participant also was asked to judge how variable he was in each trait and to judge how anxious he would be in each of 18 situations and how extraverted he would behave in each of 17 situations. Multiple regression analyses showed that self-reported variability enhanced prediction of experiences of anxiety in 13 of 18 situations but had minimal impact on enhancing prediction of extravertive behavior. The results, in contrast with other research, suggest that self-reported variability need not undermine prediction of behavior and support the use of aggregate criteria and predictors to facilitate prediction.
Is ischemia the most powerful indicator of myocardial viability

Chronic symptomatic ischemic heart failure remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the adult. Recently, the utility of coronary revascularization in early management of patients with stable ischemic heart failure has come into question by several randomized clinical trials. Some of these studies have also challenged the notion that determination of the predominant state of the dysfunctional left ventricular myocardium (viable or scarred) may facilitate identification of patients who would benefit the most from revascularization. These prospective, randomized, multi-center trials have also exposed many of the practical impediments to conducting an ideal clinical investigation particularly in the context of increasingly recognized need for goal-directed and personalized approaches to management of ischemic heart disease. This review summarizes the present evidence for an ischemia-guided approach to evaluation and treatment of chronic ischemic heart disease with left ventricular systolic dysfunction.
Convenient Preparation of B-Trichloro-N-Trimethylborazine

Abstract The interaction of boron trichloride with methylamine can be directed to yield B-tris(methylamino)-N-trimethylborazine. The latter compound reacts with additional boron trichloride to form B-trichloro-N-trimethylborazine in excellent yield
Growth Factor mRNA Expression in Human Head and Neck Malignant Tumors

Objective: Growth factor overexpression has been shown to be an integral part of the growth promotion of a number of tumors, including breast carcinoma, colon carcinoma, and sarcomas. The role of peptide growth factors in the regulation of growth of head and neck cancers has not been extensively investigated, however. In this study, we present our preliminary results of the pattern of expression of four growth factors: insulinlike growth factor II, transforming growth factor–α, basic fibroblast growth factor, and platelet-derived growth factor A chain in human head and neck tumors. Design: We examined eight benign and 27 malignant human head and neck surgical specimens for the expression of growth factor messenger RNAs using the polymerase chain reaction technique. Results: Our preliminary data demonstrate that growth factor messenger RNA is expressed by most of our malignant head and neck cancer specimens and by all eight benign head and neck tissue specimens. However, we were not able to show any distinction in the pattern of growth factor RNA expression among the malignant head and neck surgical specimens for the four growth factors studied to date. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that the expression of specific biologically active genes can be studied in routine surgical specimens using the polymerase chain reaction. The clinical prognostic significance of the overexpression of growth factors in head and neck malignancy as well as future therapeutic implications are discussed. (Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1993;119:1247-1252)
Approximate analysis of complex reliability problems

Abstract Reliability is approximated for problems involving linear and nonlinear limit states and independent or dependent basic variables from estimators of the distribution of a scalar control variable that depends on the input random parameters and the safety condition. The estimators de developed for the distribution of the control variable can be obtained from moments or simulated values of the basic variables. They have provided most satisfactory approximations for the distribution of sums of independent and correlated, non-Gaussian basic variables and the reliability of a portal frame.
Hope for the Technological Solution

The pollution crisis forecast by a well publicized “world model” has been traced to a typographical error in the program. The corrected, slightly revised model shows growth being limited before the year 2100 if the appropriate technology is introduced before the year 2000. Affluence without restrictive social policies is apparently attainable.
A Two-Site kinetic model simulating apparent deactivation during photocatalytic oxidation of aromatics on titanium dioxide (TiO2)

Abstract Continuous photocatalytic oxidation of aromatic contaminants at 10 ppm or above generally leads to apparent catalyst deactivation. This deactivation has been attributed to the accumulation of recalcitrant intermediate species on the catalyst surface. In the present study, two variations of a simple kinetic model for the transient photocatalytic oxidation of an aromatic contaminant are considered. Modeling results are compared to our experimental data for the gas-phase photocatalytic oxidation of benzene, toluene, and m-xylene. A kinetic model using a single type of adsorption site is unable to replicate the experimental results. A second model, using a Two-Site arrangement, was developed based upon studies addressing multi-site binding of alcohols and other oxygenated hydrocarbons. This Two-Site kinetic model was able to produce results consistent with experimental data.
Comment on Frank Gannon's EMBO reports editorial "address bias".

It is a welcome sign that Frank Gannon discussed the problem of ‘address bias’ in his recent editorial (Gannon, 2007). Clearly, few active scientists could claim to be totally immune to this prejudice against lesser‐known research centres, which subtly influences the review processes for publications, grants and fellowships. I remember once reading a letter to Nature from a researcher who, after a productive post‐doc in Europe, had taken up a position in Brazil. In his new post, he was dismayed to discover that it was much harder to get his papers published, even though he felt they were equal to or better than anything he had published in England (Rumjanek, 1996). If we believe that science is best served by distributing resources and recognition on the basis of ability as demonstrated through productivity, rather than by following the prestige of …
The impact of tier level on attitudinal and behavioral loyalty of hotel reward program members

Abstract The purpose of hotel reward programs is to cultivate customer loyalty, yet most studies on hotel loyalty do not consider reward programs, and even fewer evaluate reward tier. The current study investigated the influence of reward tier on attributes that have been established as key loyalty indicators in the hospitality and marketing literature. A sample of 800 hotel loyalty program members completed an online survey on which they rated their preferred brand on measures of attitudinal loyalty, behavioral intentions, and loyalty behaviors. There were significant differences between tiers on all measures, with the highest scores for elite members, followed by middle and base/entry level members. Effect size measures revealed that emotional commitment and program evaluation were core attributes differentiating tier levels. Behavioral loyalty increased as a function of tier level, with base, middle and elite members spending 53%, 66% and 78% of their hotel nights at a preferred program brand.
Phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate regulates sorting and processing of amyloid precursor protein through the endosomal system

Defects in endosomal sorting have been implicated in Alzheimer's disease. Endosomal traffic is largely controlled by phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate, a phosphoinositide synthesized primarily by lipid kinase Vps34. Here we show that phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate is selectively deficient in brain tissue from humans with Alzheimer's disease and Alzheimer's disease mouse models. Silencing Vps34 causes an enlargement of neuronal endosomes, enhances the amyloidogenic processing of amyloid precursor protein in these organelles and reduces amyloid precursor protein sorting to intraluminal vesicles. This trafficking phenotype is recapitulated by silencing components of the ESCRT (Endosomal Sorting Complex Required for Transport) pathway, including the phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate effector Hrs and Tsg101. Amyloid precursor protein is ubiquitinated, and interfering with this process by targeted mutagenesis alters sorting of amyloid precursor protein to the intraluminal vesicles of endosomes and enhances amyloid-beta peptide generation. In addition to establishing phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate deficiency as a contributing factor in Alzheimer's disease, these results clarify the mechanisms of amyloid precursor protein trafficking through the endosomal system in normal and pathological states.
N-Heterocyclic Carbenes of the Late Transition Metals: A Computational and Structural Database Study

A computational chemistry analysis combined with a crystallographic database study of the bonding in late transition metal N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes is reported. The results illustrate a metal-carbon bond for these complexes, approximately 4% shorter than that of a M-C single bond found in metal alkyl complexes. As a consequence of this result, two hypotheses are investigated. The first hypothesis explores the possibility of multiple-bond character in the metal-carbon linkage of the NHC complex, and the second, considers the change in the hybridization of the carbenoid carbon to incorporate more p character. The latter hypothesis is supported by the results. Analysis of these complexes using the natural bond orbital method evinces NHC ligands possessing trans influence.
Prediction of benignity of solid adnexal masses.

The aim of this study was to identify the sonographic features of solid ovarian masses and to determine whether they may be managed conservatively. Sixty-three patients from September 1999 to September 2008 with solid adnexal masses demonstrating acoustic attenuation, absent Doppler vascularity and minimal or no cystic component were retrospectively reviewed. 20 patients without pathologic results or follow-up studies were excluded. The remaining 43 patients had follow-up imaging studies and/or surgical treatment. The median age of the study group was 52 years (range 16–80 years). Twenty-nine patients with solid adnexal masses were managed non-surgically. Their age range was 26–80 years (median 56). The size of the masses ranged from 0.7 to 8.3 cm (median 2.2). The follow-up time ranged from 3 to 76 months (median 30). 19 masses (65.5%) showed no change on the follow-up exam. Two masses showed an increase in size (6.9%), and eight masses (27.6%) showed a decrease in size or complete resolution. All these masses had well-circumscribed margins, were homogeneous, with increased attenuation, and had minimal or no vascular flow or cystic component. Normal ovarian tissue was detected in the margins of 24 of the masses (85.7%). These patients exhibited no subsequent evidence of malignancy, such as development of metastases, local invasion, or ascites. 14 patients with solid adnexal masses underwent surgical treatment. Their age range was 16–72 years (median 40). The size of the excised masses ranged from 1.8 to 12.3 cm (median 3.2 cm). Normal ovarian tissue was sonographically demonstrated in ten of these masses (71.4%). All 14 patients (100%) had benign results at pathology. Four patients showed no ovarian neoplasm. Ten patients had benign ovarian neoplasms, including four fibromas, three fibrothecomas, one Brenner tumor, one granulosa cell tumor, and one mature teratoma. We present a retrospective study of both surgical and nonsurgical management of solid ovarian masses. None of the sonographically diagnosed benign-appearing solid adnexal masses were subsequently proved to be malignant either at pathology or by clinical course, suggesting that ultrasound can accurately predict benignity in these masses and that conservative management is an option in these patients.