cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clinical features associated with adverse events in patients with post-pericardiotomy syndrome following cardiac surgery.

Postpericardiotomy syndrome (PPS) may be associated with tamponade and pericardial constriction that may require procedural intervention. The aim of this study was to identify clinical features associated with adverse events requiring procedural intervention in patients with PPS. A total of 239 patients who developed PPS after cardiac surgery were monitored for 12 months. PPS was diagnosed if 2 of the 5 following findings were present: fever without infection, pleuritic pain, friction rub, pleural effusion, and pericardial effusion (<60 days after surgery). The primary end point was the development of pericardial effusion or pericardial constriction requiring procedural intervention. Among 239 patients with PPS, 75 (31%) required procedural intervention. In a univariate analysis, the odds of a procedural intervention were decreased with older age (odds ratio [OR] 0.98, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.96 to 0.99) and with colchicine used in combination with anti-inflammatory agents (OR 0.45, 95% CI 0.26 to 0.79). However, the odds were increased in patients with preoperative heart failure (OR 1.84, 95% CI 1 to 3.39) and early postoperative constrictive physiology (OR 5.77, 95% CI 2.62 to 12.7). After multivariate adjustment, treatment with colchicine along with anti-inflammatory agents was associated with lower odds of requiring intervention (OR 0.43, 95% CI 0.95 to 0.99). Independent positive predictors of procedural intervention included age (OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.95 to 0.99), time to PPS (OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.95 to 0.99), and early postoperative constrictive physiology (OR 6.23, 95% CI 2.04 to 19.07). In conclusion, younger age, early-onset PPS, and postoperative constrictive physiology were associated with the need for procedural intervention in patients with PPS, whereas colchicine was associated with reduced odds of adverse events and procedural intervention.
Do Executive MBAs Seek Further Management Development

One of the most important things for managers to realise is that there may be patterns to their behaviour after management development. A US survey of executive MBA students demonstrated two different patterns regarding further management development. Sometimes the managers′ behaviours appear to be forward looking and weighing alternatives about future outcomes. At other times, their behaviours seem to be backward looking and in justification of past behaviour.
Risk of Cerebrovascular Events in Elderly Patients After Radiation Therapy Versus Surgery for Early-Stage Glottic Cancer

Purpose: Comprehensive neck radiation therapy (RT) has been shown to increase cerebrovascular disease (CVD) risk in advanced-stage head-and-neck cancer. We assessed whether more limited neck RT used for early-stage (T1-T2 N0) glottic cancer is associated with increased CVD risk, using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare linked database. Methods and Materials: We identified patients � 66 years of age with early-stage glottic laryngeal cancer from SEER diagnosed from 1992 to 2007. Patients treated with combined surgery and RTwere excluded. Medicare CPT codes for carotid interventions, Medicare ICD-9 codes for cerebrovascular events, and SEER data for stroke as the cause of death were collected. Similarly, Medicare CPT and ICD-9 codes for peripheral vascular disease (PVD) were assessed to serve as an internal control between treatment groups. Results: A total of 1413 assessable patients (RT, nZ1055; surgery, nZ358) were analyzed. The actuarial 10-year risk of CVD was 56.5% (95% confidence interval 51.5%-61.5%) for the RT cohort versus 48.7% (41.1%-56.3%) in the surgery cohort (PZ.27). The actuarial 10-year risk of PVD did not differ between the RT (52.7% [48.1%-57.3%]) and surgery cohorts (52.6% [45.2%-60.0%]) (PZ.89). Univariate analysis showed an increased association of CVD with more recent diagnosis (PZ.001) and increasing age (PZ.001). On multivariate Cox analysis, increasing age (P<.001) and recent diagnosis (PZ.002) remained significantly associated with a higher CVD risk, whereas the association of RTand CVD remained not statistically significant (HRZ1.11 [0.91-1.37,] PZ.31). Conclusions: Elderly patients with early-stage laryngeal cancer have a high burden of cerebrovascular events after surgical management or RT. RT and surgery are associated with
Precessional climate cyclicity in Late Cretaceous—Early Tertiary marine sediments: a high resolution chronometer of Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary events

We report well-dated Late Cretaceous and Early Tertiary precessional climatic cycles, recorded by rhythmic carbonate maxima and minima in South Atlantic deep sea sites. Spectral analyses of digitized sediment color, a suitable carbonate proxy, show prominent regularities in the spacing marl-carbonate beds. Magnetostratigraphic dating over a number of magnetic chrons constrains the duration of the cycles, which can be detected over at least 20 Myr of sedimentation at 7 coring locations. Their mean absolute period of23.5 ± 4.4kyr agrees closely with the predicted late Cretaceous precessional period of 20.8 kyr. Because they can be matched to a physical forcing mechanism with a known repeat time, the cycles offer a new high-resolution tool to measure rates of climate change before and after the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K/T) boundary. From counts of carbonate cycles, we derive the position of the K/T boundary within C29R at 350 kyr after the base of the reversal. The constancy of cycle thickness (linearly related to sedimentation rate) and amplitude up to the “boundary clay” does not give evidence for climate instability preceding the boundary. Orbital chronometry records a step-function decrease in sediment accumulation rate at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary that is consistent with a geologically instantaneous event.
Corporate governance in the post Sarbanes–Oxley period: Compensation disclosure and analysis (CD&A)

Abstract In recent years, the entire fabric of corporate governance, certainly in the United States, has dramatically changed. With the passage of what has colloquially become known as SOX (the Sarbanes–Oxley Act of 2002), US-based corporations have operated under stricter governance guidelines than at any previous time, especially as regards the structure of boards of directors and financial oversight of the corporation. A now perennial governance “hot button” issue not addressed by SOX is concern over continually rising executive compensation. Until the 2006 adoption of new compensation disclosure guidelines by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), it had been nearly 15 years since federal attention had been devoted to compensation guidelines or regulations. Beginning with 2007 filings, US corporations must now include a Compensation Disclosure and Analysis (CD&A) section. The intent behind the CD&A is to provide investors access to clear explanations of executive compensation and the philosophy that underlies compensation. As often happens, this good intent is accompanied by several unintended risks that may mitigate the effectiveness of the CD&A.
Optimal Integration of Lipschitz Functions with a Gaussian Weight

We study optimal integration over the infinite interval (?∞, +∞) for a Gaussian weight with variance ?. We consider functions satisfying a Lipschitz condition with constantL. We characterize the optimal information by a system of nonlinear equations, and show that (asymptotically) the solution is defined by the quantiles of the Gaussian weight with double variance 2?. We provide an optimal algorithm and prove that fornoptimal sample points the worst case error of the optimal algorithm is asymptotically equal to??/2L/n. Finally, we show that the worst case error for the set of sampling points defined by the zeros of Hermite polynomials is quadratically worse than for optimal sample points.
Isolation and characterization of lipophorin from Drosophila melanogaster larvae

The hemolymph lipoprotein lipophorin has been isolated from third-instar Drosophila melanogaster larvae by a technique that involves homogenization of whole larvae in a medium containing protease inhibitors and purification of the lipoprotein by density gradient centrifugation. Drosophila lipophorin has a density of 1.16 g/ml and is composed of 62.5% protein, 23.1% phospholipid, 7.4% diacylglycerol, 5.4% triacylglycerol, 0.9% hydrocarbon, and 0.7% sterol. As is the case with other insect lipophorins, Drosophila lipophorin contains two apolipoproteins, apolipophorin-I (Mr ≈ 275,000) and apolipophorin-II (Mr ≈ 76,000). Drosophila apolipophorin-I does not crossreact with antibodies prepared against apolipophorin-I from Manduca sexta.
Liposome encapsulated tetracaine lowers blood glucose

Tetracaine, a local anesthetic, was previously shown to block hormonal stimulation of gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis ( Friedmann , N. and Rasmussen, H. (1970) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 222, 41-52). In the present studies tetracaine incorporated into liposomes (phospholipid vesicles) was injected into intact rats and epinephrine was administered an hour later. Liposomal tetracaine blocked 50% of the hyperglycemic response. When tetracaine, incorporated into liposomes, was injected into diabetic rats it reduced transiently, but significantly, blood glucose levels. Equivalent doses of free tetracaine were toxic. These studies indicate that liposomal drug administration might be developed into a tool to influence hepatic metabolism and, consequently, blood glucose levels.
Prostaglandin E2 secretion by day-6 to day-9 equine embryos

Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) secreted by Day-6, Day-7, Day-8 and Day-9 equine embryos (ovulation = Day 0) during in vitro incubation was measured by radioimmunoassay. Embryonic PGE2 secretion (ng/embryo/24 hr) was detectable on Day 6 (0.27±0.39), tended to increase (P <0.1) on Day 7 (0.57±0.88), and increased significantly (P <0.05) on Day 8 (2.23±0.86) and Day 9 (4.13±0.71). Embryo diameter at the start of the incubation period was linearly correlated (P <0.01) to embryonic PGE2 secretion.
Safety control of piece-wise continuous order preserving systems

This paper is concerned with safety control of systems with imperfect state information and disturbance input. Specifically, we consider the class of systems whose dynamics preserve a partial ordering. We provide necessary and sufficient conditions under which a given set of initial states is steerable away from a specified bad set. Moreover, a control strategy is provided that guarantees that the bad set is avoided. Such characterization is achieved for order preserving systems while for general systems only an approximated solution is achievable. A method for implementation of the control strategy is provided and the effectiveness of the proposed method is illustrated via a numerical example and employed for obstacle avoidance of a ship.
Aberrant U Blood Group Accompanying Rhnull

The red cells of the second Rhnull LW negative female were found to be U negative although s positive. The titration score with anti-s was significantly less than the scores with the red cells of her parents who are presumed to be ss homozygotes. The patient's cells are strongly agglutinated by both anti-I and anti-i and this may represent the marrow stress phenomenon since she has a partially compensated hemolytic anemia. Since the Rh abnormalities are present in other members of the family, the entire picture may be one of a complex heritable structural abnormality of the red cell.
Identification of allelic loss on chromosome arm 6p in human astrocytomas by arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction

We employed the arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction (AP-PCR), which is a PCR-based genomic fingerprinting technique, to detect novel genetic alterations in human astrocytomas. DNA fingerprints generated by arbitrary primers were compared in normal lymphocytes and tumor tissues from the same individuals. We cloned and sequenced an AP-PCR band showing a greatly decreased intensity in tumor tissue DNA, relative to normal. Southern blot showed that this sequence was homozygously deleted in the tumor cell genome. Semiquantitative PCR analysis further showed significant decreases of signals in seven of 24 tumors, consistent with homozygous deletion of this sequence. The deleted sequence was localized to chromosome region 6p21.1 by the fluorescence in situ hybridization method. Microsatellite analysis also showed frequent allelic loss of this locus compared to neighboring loci in astrocytoma tissues. These results suggest the presence of a novel tumor suppressor gene at the 6p21.1 locus.
An overview of the forest products sector downturn in the United States.

In recent years, the forest products industry of the U.S. experienced a downturn in output to levels not seen in decades and employment losses in the hundreds of thousands — for instance, a number ...
Transport efficiency of the Argonne fragment mass analyzer

Abstract Absolute transmission efficiencies for the Argonne fragment mass analyzer (FMA) have been measured for ions of 184 W, 208 Pb, and 232 Th with energies in the range E = 20–45 MeV. These were obtained by Rutherford scattering of 32 S beams of 50, 80 and 100 MeV into backward angles. Measurements were performed for a range of settings for the FMA in order to determine the acceptance of the instrument as a function of energy and angle of the incident ion. The transport efficiency across the focal plane was also measured. The results are compared with predictions of the transport code GIOS [H. Wollnik et al., Nucl. Instr. and Meth. A 258 (1987) 408], which agree well with the data. With these data we conclude that the transport efficiency of the FMA is sufficiently well known to support measurements of absolute cross sections with an accuracy of ±10%.
Joint Source-Channel Rate Allocation and Client Clustering for Scalable Multistream IPTV

We design a system framework for streaming scalable internet protocol television (IPTV) content to heterogenous clients. The backbone bandwidth is optimally allocated between source and parity data layers that are delivered to the client population. The assignment of stream layers to clients is done based on their access link data rate and packet loss characteristics, and is part of the optimization. We design three techniques for jointly computing the optimal number of multicast sessions, their respective source and parity rates, and client membership, either exactly or approximatively, at lower complexity. The latter is achieved via an iterative coordinate descent algorithm that only marginally underperforms relative to the exact analytic solution. Through experiments, we study the advantages of our framework over common IPTV systems that deliver the same source and parity streams to every client. We observe substantial gains in video quality in terms of both its average value and standard deviation over the client population. In addition, for energy efficiency, we propose to move the parity data generation part to the edge of the backbone network, where each client connects to its IPTV stream. We analytically study the conditions under which such an approach delivers energy savings relative to the conventional case of source and parity data generation at the IPTV streaming server. Finally, we demonstrate that our system enables more consistent streaming performance, when the clients’ access link packet loss distribution is varied, relative to the two baseline methods used in our investigation, and maintains the same performance as an ideal system that serves each client independently.
Serotonin and the GI tract

Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) participates in several functions of the gastrointestinal tract. Receptors in seven families (5-HT1-5-HT7) were identified, many of which are present on enterocytes, intrinsic and extrinsic neurons, interstitial cells, and gut myocytes. Most 5-HT is released from enterochromaffin cells in response to physiologic and pathologic stimuli. Roles of 5-HT in health include control of normal gut motor activity, secretion, and sensation, and regulation of food intake and cell growth. Abnormalities of serotonergic function contribute to symptom genesis in functional bowel disorders, inflammatory and infectious diseases of the gut, emetic responses to varied stimuli, obesity, and dysregulation of cell growth. Therapies acting as agonists or antagonists of 5-HT receptors or that modulate 5-HT reuptake play prominent roles in managing these conditions, although use of many agents is hampered by cardiopulmonary complications. Novel agents are in testing, which may exhibit efficacy without significant toxicity.
Effect of purines on the oxidation of ascorbic acid induced by copper

Uric acid and other purines including 1-methyl-, 7-methyl-, and 1,7-dimethyluric acid, adenine, guanine, xanthine, hypoxanthine, purine, and the structurally similar compound allopurinol protected ascorbic acid from oxidation catalyzed by copper. If the hydrogen at either the 3 or 9 nitrogen of the uric acid was replaced by a methyl group, the compound did not protect ascorbate. 3-Ribosyluric acid, xanthosine, adenosine, and guanosine also failed to protect ascorbate. It was concluded that in order for purines to complex with copper to protect ascorbate from copper-catalyzed oxidation, the nitrogens at both positions 3 and 9 of the purine must be unsubstituted.
Changes in the Prevalence of Alcohol in Rap Music Lyrics 1979–2009

This study examines the prevalence and context of alcohol references in rap music lyrics from 1979 through 2009. Four hundred nine top-ranked rap music songs released were sampled from Billboard magazine rating charts. Songs were analyzed using systematic content analysis and were coded for alcohol beverage types and brand names, drinking behaviors, drinking contexts, attitudes towards alcohol, and consequences of drinking. Trends were analyzed using regression analyses. The results of the study reveal significant increases in the presence of alcohol in rap songs; a decline in negative attitudes towards alcohol; decreases in consequences attributed to alcohol; increases in the association of alcohol with glamour and wealth, drugs, and nightclubs; and increases in references to liquor and champagne.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Nucleocapsid Zn2+ Fingers Are Required for Efficient Reverse Transcription, Initial Integration Processes, and Protection of Newly Synthesized Viral DNA

ABSTRACT Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) containing mutations in the nucleocapsid (NC) Zn2+ finger domains have greatly reduced infectivity, even though genome packaging is largely unaffected in certain cases. To examine replication defects, viral DNA (vDNA) was isolated from cells infected with viruses containing His-to-Cys changes in their Zn2+ fingers (NCH23C and NCH44C), an integrase mutant (IND116N), a double mutant (NCH23C/IND116N), or wild-type HIV-1. In vitro assays have established potential roles for NC in reverse transcription and integration. In vivo results for these processes were obtained by quantitative PCR, cloning of PCR products, and comparison of the quantity and composition of vDNA generated at discrete points during reverse transcription. Quantitative analysis of the reverse transcription intermediates for these species strongly suggests decreased stability of the DNA produced. Both Zn2+ finger mutants appear to be defective in DNA synthesis, with the minus- and plus-strand transfer processes being affected while interior portions of the vDNA remain more intact. Sequences obtained from PCR amplification and cloning of 2-LTR circle junction fragments revealed that the NC mutants had a phenotype similar to the IN mutant; removal of the terminal CA dinucleotides necessary for integration of the vDNA is disabled by the NC mutations. Thus, the loss of infectivity in these NC mutants in vivo appears to result from defective reverse transcription and integration processes stemming from decreased protection of the full-length vDNA. Finally, these results indicate that the chaperone activity of NC extends from the management of viral RNA through to the full-length vDNA.
Radioimmunoassay of prostaglandin A. Intrarenal PGA2 as a factor mediating saline-induced natriuresis.

A highly specific, sensitive (25 pg) radioimmunoassay for prostaglandin A is described; the assay is characterized by high reproducibility (coefficient of variation 1-2%) and low cross-reactivity with respect to PGE1 and PGE2 (10%), PGB2 (15%), and PGF2α (0.01%). High specificity for PGA was obtained by chromatographic separation of the prostaglandins. Since it has been suggested that PGA is a natriuretic "hormone," the concentration of PGA in the renal cortex, outer medulla, and papilla was determined in rabbits on low-sodium and high-sodium diets in the presence and the absence of the prostaglandin synthetase inhibitor indomethacin. In rabbits on the low-sodium diet (12 mEq/24 hours). PGA2 was 15 ± 4 pg/mg in the cortex, 502 ± 67 pg/mg in the outer medulla, and 3740 ± 640 pg/mg in the papilla. In rabbits on saline loading (56 mEq/24 hours), cortical and outer medullary PGA2 rose to 32 ± 6 pg/mg and 1275 ± 290 pg/mg, respectively, but papillary PGA decreased to 1842 ± 480 pg/mg. PGA concentration in the ...
Multiresponse optimization minimizes salt in natural cucumber fermentation and storage

Response surface methodology was used during natural cucumber fermentation and storage to quantitatively determine effects of NaCl (0-10%), CaCl 2 (0-0.4%) and potassium sorbate (0-0.4%) on brine pH, cucumber tenure and microbial (yeast/mold) contamination. Multiresponse optimization methods (conventional and improved graphical methods, extended response surface procedure and desirability function approach) were employed to minimize use of NaCl. Cucumbers fermented and stored in brines containing ≃3% NaCl, 0.28% CaCl 2 and 0.3% potassium sorbate were predicted to exhibit vigorous fermentation, be free of yeast/mold contamination, and maintain good firmness after 6 mo storage. Predicted results were experimentally confirmed
DYNAMIC TENSION AND ADSORPTION BEHAVIOR OF AQUEOUS LUNG SURFACTANTS

The dynamic tension behavior, at constant or at pulsating area conditions, of two commercial lung surfactants in saline is reported. The bubble method, at constant or pulsating area, at 37°C and the pendant drop method at 23°C were used. For Exosurf, a commercial synthetic lung surfactant consisting of dissolved tyloxapol and dispersed dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (or DPPC) and hexadecanol (H), the equilibrium and dynamic tensions are high (over 30 mN m−1) and similar to those of tyloxapol alone. Aqueous DPPC/H mixtures have lower tensions than Exosurf. Survanta, a commercial lung surfactant replacement drug consisting of DPPC, other lipids, and two hydrophobic lung surfactant proteins, produces dynamic surface tensions that are substantially lower than those of Exosurf. Diluted 10-fold, Survanta produces under pulsating area (at 20 cycles min−1) lower minimum tensions than undiluted Survanta (6 vs. 12 mN m−1), but higher maximum tensions. In addition, Survanta tension behavior is unusual, having three local maxima and three local minima per cycle, suggesting major variations of its surface composition in each cycle. Monolayer pressure-area isotherms and Fourier transform infrared-attenuated total reflection (FTIR-ATR) spectroscopy results on deposited Langmuir–Blodgett films support this suggestion. They also provide direct evidence of the presence of phospholipids (DPPC or others) on the surface, but only indirect evidence of the presence of other components, on the surface of aqueous Exosurf or Survanta.
Discretized Network Flow Techniques for Timing and Wire-Length Driven Incremental Placement With White-Space Satisfaction

We present a novel incremental placement methodology called FlowPlace for significantly reducing critical path delays of placed standard-cell circuits without appreciable increase in wire length (WL). FlowPlace includes: 1) a timing-driven (TD) analytical global placer TAN that uses accurate pre-route delay functions and minimizes a combination of linear and quadratic objective functions; 2) a discretized network-flow-based detailed placer DFP that has new and effective techniques for performing TD/WL-driven incremental placement while satisfying row-width (white space) constraints; 3) new and accurate unrouted net delay models that are suitable for an analytical placer; and 4) an effective probability-based WL-cost function in detailed placement for reducing WL deterioration while performing TD-incremental placement. We ran FlowPlace on three sets of benchmarks with up to 210 K cells. Starting from WL-optimized placements done by Dragon 2.23, and using purely timing-driven incremental placement, we are able to obtain up to 33.4% and an average of 17.3% improvement in circuit delays at an average of 9.0% WL increase. When incorporating both timing and WL costs in the objective functions of global and detailed placement, the average WL increase reduces to 5.8%, a 35% relative reduction, while the average delay improvement is 15.7%, which is only relatively 9% worse. The run time of our incremental placement method is only about 10% of the run time of Dragon 2.23. Furthermore, starting from an already timing-optimized placement done by TD-Dragon, we still obtain up to 10% and an average of 6.5% delay improvement with a 6.1% WL deterioration; the run time is about 6% of TD-Dragon's.
The Pantothenic Acid Content of Royal Jelly.

SummaryIt has been found that royal jelly is the richest known source of pantothenic acid. On a dry basis it contains an average of 511 μg per g which is between 2.5 and 6 times as much pantothenic acid as is present in yeast or liver.
Intussusception after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass for morbid obesity.

550-7289/08/$ – see front matter © 2008 American Society for Metabolic and B oi:10.1016/j.soard.2007.12.014 Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) is one of the surgical reatments for morbidly obese patient after other weight loss herapies have failed. RYGB can be done as open or lapaoscopic surgery. A sustained weight reduction occurs in all atients, with a mean weight loss of about one third of the ody weight [3,4]. Long-term follow-up data have shown hat 80% of patients with adult-onset diabetes are cured y RYGB [5,6]. Complications of gastric bypass occur in 3–20% of atients [7] and include anastomotic leak, stricture, pulonary embolism, and small bowel obstruction. Small
Selective molecular sieving through porous graphene

Membranes act as selective barriers and play an important role in processes such as cellular compartmentalization and industrial-scale chemical and gas purification. The ideal membrane should be as thin as possible to maximize flux, mechanically robust to prevent fracture, and have well-defined pore sizes to increase selectivity. Graphene is an excellent starting point for developing size-selective membranes because of its atomic thickness, high mechanical strength, relative inertness and impermeability to all standard gases. However, pores that can exclude larger molecules but allow smaller molecules to pass through would have to be introduced into the material. Here, we show that ultraviolet-induced oxidative etching can create pores in micrometre-sized graphene membranes, and the resulting membranes can be used as molecular sieves. A pressurized blister test and mechanical resonance are used to measure the transport of a range of gases (H(2), CO(2), Ar, N(2), CH(4) and SF(6)) through the pores. The experimentally measured leak rate, separation factors and Raman spectrum agree well with models based on effusion through a small number of angstrom-sized pores.
Divergent functions of hematopoietic transcription factors in lineage priming and differentiation during erythro-megakaryopoiesis

Combinatorial actions of relatively few transcription factors control hematopoietic differentiation. To investigate this process in erythro-megakaryopoiesis, we correlated the genome-wide chromatin occupancy signatures of four master hematopoietic transcription factors (GATA1, GATA2, TAL1, and FLI1) and three diagnostic histone modification marks with the gene expression changes that occur during development of primary cultured megakaryocytes (MEG) and primary erythroblasts (ERY) from murine fetal liver hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. We identified a robust, genome-wide mechanism of MEG-specific lineage priming by a previously described stem/progenitor cell-expressed transcription factor heptad (GATA2, LYL1, TAL1, FLI1, ERG, RUNX1, LMO2) binding to MEG-associated cis-regulatory modules (CRMs) in multipotential progenitors. This is followed by genome-wide GATA factor switching that mediates further induction of MEG-specific genes following lineage commitment. Interaction between GATA and ETS factors appears to be a key determinant of these processes. In contrast, ERY-specific lineage priming is biased toward GATA2-independent mechanisms. In addition to its role in MEG lineage priming, GATA2 plays an extensive role in late megakaryopoiesis as a transcriptional repressor at loci defined by a specific DNA signature. Our findings reveal important new insights into how ERY and MEG lineages arise from a common bipotential progenitor via overlapping and divergent functions of shared hematopoietic transcription factors.
Adjustable multi-tesla permanent magnet field sources

Permanent magnet flux sources of the enhanced magic ring/magic sphere types with an outer to inner radium ratio of six can be made to be mechanically field adjustable from 0.0+or-4.0 T in working gaps transverse to the applied field. In adjustable sources of similar size with gaps longitudinal to the field, the somewhat smaller field range of 3.0 to 3.4 T is attainable. The cylindrical sources pose no difficulties of access or adjustability. Ways of providing these for the spheres as well are discussed. >
A comparison of three neural network classifiers for remote sensing classification

This paper evaluates the use of neural network classifiers for the pattern classification problem in remote sensing. The performance of multi-layer perceptron (MLP), radial basis function, and fuzzy ARTMAP networks is evaluated using a Landsat-5 TM scene of the northern section of the city of Vienna, Austria. Classification accuracies obtained from the neural network classifiers are compared with a benchmark, the maximum likelihood classifier. In addition to the evaluation of classification accuracy, the neural networks are analyzed for their generalization capability and stability of results. Best overall results (in terms of accuracy and convergence time) are obtained using fuzzy ARTMAP followed by MLP (with weight elimination). Their classification error on the training data set are zero and 7.87% respectively; classification error on the testing data set are 10.24% and less than 2 percent. Simulation results serve to illustrate the properties of the various classifiers in general, as well as the stability of the result with respect to various critical control parameters, initial parameter conditions, training time, and different training and testing data sets.
Retention of upper limb function in stroke survivors who have received constraint-induced movement therapy: the EXCITE randomised trial

Summary Background The aim of constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) is to promote use of a limb that is functionally impaired after a stroke. In one form of CIMT to treat upper limb impairment, use of the less severely affected arm is restricted for many hours each weekday over 2 consecutive weeks. The EXCITE trial has previously shown the efficacy of this intervention for patients 3–9 months poststroke who were followed-up for the next 12 months. We assessed the retention of improvements 24 months after the intervention. Methods In the EXCITE trial, 106 of 222 participants who had mild to moderate poststroke impairments were randomly assigned to receive CIMT rather than usual and customary care. We assessed this group of patients every 4 months for the primary outcome measure of impaired upper limb function, as measured with the Wolf motor function test (WMFT) and the motor activity log (MAL). Health-related quality of life, measured with the stroke impact scale (SIS), was a secondary outcome measure. Analysis was per protocol. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00057018. Findings The effects at 24 months after treatment did not decline from those at 12 months for time taken to complete the WMFT (−0·32 s, 95% CI −3·70 to 3·06), for weight lifted in the WMFT (−1·39 kg, −2·74 to −0·04), for WMFT grip strength (−4·39 kg, −6·91 to −1·86), for amount of use in the MAL (−0·17, −0·38 to 0·04), or for how well the limb was used in the MAL (−0·14, −0·34 to 0·06). The additional changes were in the direction of increased therapeutic effect. For the strength components of the WMFT, p Interpretation Patients who have mild to moderate impairments 3–9 months poststroke have substantial improvement in functional use of the paretic upper limb and quality of life 2 years after a 2-week CIMT intervention. Thus, this intervention has persistent benefits.
A Virtualization Assurance Language for Isolation and Deployment

Cloud computing and virtualized infrastructures are often accompanied by complex configurations and topologies. Dynamic scaling, rapid virtual machine deployment, and open multi-tenant architectures create an environment, in which local misconfiguration can create subtle security risks for the entire infrastructure. This situation calls for automated deployment as well as analysis mechanisms, which in turn require a cloud assurance policy language to express security goals for such environments. Where possible, configuration changes should be statically checked against the policy prior to implementation on the infrastructure. We study security requirements of virtualized infrastructures and propose a practical tool-independent policy language for security assurance. Our policy proposal has a formal foundation, and still allows for efficient specification of a variety of security goals, such as isolation. In addition, we offer language provisions to compare a desired state against an actual state, discovered in the configuration, and thus allow for a differential analysis. The language is well-suited for automated deduction, be it by model checking or theorem proving.
Mothers' Remembrances of Newborn Intensive Care: A Predictive Study

Six months after discharge, 94 mothers described their memories of their infant's hospitalization on an NICU. Mothers of sicker infants, those who had claimed difficulties with NICU staff, and those who felt less attached to their infant more often described painful reminders of this crisis. Pleasurable reminders were reported more often by mothers who had perceived greater personal control over their infant's recovery and had construed a purpose in this crisis. Mothers described several benefits of their memories and were more likely to do so when they had perceived a purpose in their misfortune.
Comparison of agar dilution, microdilution, E-test, and disk diffusion methods for testing activity of cefditoren against Streptococcus pneumoniae.

This study evaluated the susceptibility of pneumococci to cefditoren by agar dilution and microdilution methods (both in air) and by E-test (AB Biodisk, Solna, Sweden) and disk diffusion methods (both in CO(2)). By the three MIC tests, the MICs at which 50 and 90% of isolates were inhibited (MIC(50)s and MIC(90)s) were, respectively, as follows (in micrograms per milliliter): for the 65 penicillin-susceptible strains tested, 0.016 and 0.03 (by agar dilution), 0.016 and 0.03 (by microdilution), and 0.016 and 0.03 (by E test); for the 68 penicillin-intermediate strains tested, 0.125 and 0.5 (by agar dilution), 0.125 and 0.5 (by microdilution), and 0. 25 and 0.5 (by E test); and for the 67 penicillin-resistant strains tested, 1.0 and 1.0 (by agar dilution), 0.5 and 1.0 (by microdilution), and 1.0 and 1.0 (by E test). With tentative cefditoren breakpoints (in micrograms per milliliter) of /=8.0 (resistant), all strains were susceptible to cefditoren by agar, microdilution, and E-test results; with breakpoints of /=4.0 microg/ml, 97% of strains were cefditoren susceptible by agar dilution results, 98% were susceptible by microdilution results, and 99% were susceptible by E-test results. When microdilution and E-test results were compared to those from the reference agar dilution method, 191 (95.5%) and 183 (91.5%) of strains gave essential agreement (+/-1 log(2) dilution); 8 (2.7%) minor discrepancies were found for both methods with a breakpoint of /=20 (susceptible), 17 to 19 (intermediate), and /=16 mm (susceptible). All three methods for testing the MIC of cefditoren showed excellent correlation.
Escharotic and other botanical agents for the treatment of skin cancer: A review

A growing era of alternative medicine is upon us. All who practice medicine have a small population of patients who eschew Western medicine and prefer alternative approaches, including botanical remedies, to treat their medical problems. Many alternative practitioners advertise and sell products on the Internet. Indeed, this trend now includes a growing number of topical treatments for skin cancer, including escharotic agents. Self-treatment of skin cancer requires a substance that will destroy tissue, usually indiscriminately. Escharotic agents are caustic, corrosive substances that produce a thick coagulated crust (an eschar) and subsequently a scar. The following case illustrates one representative situation.
Physical pathways of nutrient supply in a small, ultraoligotrophic arctic lake during summer stratification

During the ice-free period in the Arctic, the thermal structure and mixing dynamics of small lakes change with the passing of air masses. In Toolik Lake, Alaska, stable warm air masses during the ice-free season were associated with lake warming, daily winds were maximally 4‐7 m s 21 for less than 12 h duration, lake numbers (LN) varied daily between 2 and 80, and values of the coefficient of vertical eddy diffusivity ranged from molecular to 10 26 m 2 s 21 . For the 3-week warming period following ice-off, vertical mixing, which occurred primarily near the lake’s sloping boundaries, supplied inorganic nitrogen only to phytoplankton in the chlorophyll maxima and only at rates sufficient to support 10‐22% of their daily needs. In the upper water column, chlorophyll concentrations and primary productivity decreased by a factor of three relative to the maximum at ice-off. In contrast, during transitions between warm and cold air masses or the converse, wind speeds exceeded 5 m s 21 for over 1 d and LN decreased to values of 3 or lower for periods of 1‐2 d. In consequence, turbulence increased by one to two orders of magnitude, dispersing the chlorophyll maximum into multiple layers and increasing solute concentrations in hypolimnetic waters. Increased precipitation accompanied cold air masses, and in one case stream discharge of ;30 times base flow led initially to an overflow and subsequently to a metalimnetic intrusion with loading of inorganic nitrogen 10 times the daily needs of phytoplankton. Overall, the frequency with which frontal systems moved through the region determined the temporal variance in nutrient supply. Spatial variability within the lake was generated by the degree of penetration of incoming streams and the vertical layering of intrusions. These temporal events and the layers induced are hot spots of activity important for sustaining growth in oligotrophic lakes.
Step Ahead A Worksite Obesity Prevention Trial Among Hospital Employees

Background The worksite represents a promising venue in which to address the issue of obesity. Design Pair-matched, cluster-RCT. Data were collected from 2005 to 2008 and analyzed in 2008. Setting/participants A random sample of 806 employees was selected to represent the workforce of six hospitals in central Massachusetts. Intervention The 2-year ecologic intervention sought to prevent weight gain through changes in worksite weight-related norms using strategies targeted at the organization, interpersonal environment, and employees. Main outcome measures The primary outcome was change in BMI at the 12- and 24-month follow-ups. Change in perceptions of organizational commitment to employee health and normative coworker behaviors were secondary outcomes. Results There was no impact of the intervention on change in BMI from baseline to 12 (β=0.272; 95% CI=−0.271, 0.782) or 24 months (β=0.276; 95% CI=−0.338, 0.890) in intention-to-treat analysis. When intervention exposure (scale=0 to 100) was used as the independent variable, there was a decrease of 0.012 BMI units (95% CI=−0.025, 0.001) for each unit increase in intervention participation at the 24-month follow-up. Employees in intervention sites reported significantly greater improvements in perceptions of organizational commitment to employee health at 12 and 24 months compared to control sites, but there was no impact on perceptions of normative coworker behaviors. Conclusions The intervention had a dose–response relationship with BMI, with positive effects proportional to extent of participation. Although the intervention was able to change organizational perceptions, successfully improving changes in actual and perceived social norms may be needed to achieve population-level impact in complex worksite organizations.
Concept maps as a heuristic for science curriculum development: Toward improvement in process and product

This article outlines the use of concept maps as a tool for science curriculum development and discusses the changes that occur in the teacher's view of the curriculum with successive revisions of the maps. Although we have used concept mapping in curriculum development with teachers from grades 4–8, we describe in detail the maps created by sixth-grade teachers. We analyzed the maps using three criteria: hierarchical structure, progressive differentiation, and integrative reconciliation. Changes made to the maps during the revision process, including additions and deletions, show increased clarification of both the concepts to be learned and the connections between them. Consecutive map revisions show the development of a cohesive conceptual grade-six science curriculum. The use of concept maps can help science teachers develop science curriculum that is hierarchically arranged, integrated, and conceptually driven.
Divorce Law Practices and the Origins, Myths, and Realities of Judicial “Mediation” in China:

Using archival records of 216 court cases, this article argues that divorce law practices lie at the core of the tradition of “Maoist justice” that remains profoundly influential in the present-day...
ER stress disrupts Ca2+-signaling complexes and Ca2+ regulation in secretory and muscle cells from PERK-knockout mice

Disruption of protein synthesis and folding results in ER stress, which is associated with the pathophysiology of diverse diseases affecting secretory and muscle cells. Cells are protected against ER stress by activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR) that is regulated by the protein kinase PERK, which phosphorylates the translation initiation factor 2 eIF2alpha to attenuate protein synthesis. PERK-/- cells are unable to modulate ER protein load and experience high levels of ER stress. In addition to its role in protein synthesis, the ER also orchestrates many signaling events essential for cell survival, prominent among which is Ca2+ signaling. It is not known, however, whether there is a relationship between ER stress and the function of the Ca2+-signaling pathway in muscle and non-muscle cells. To directly address this question we characterized Ca2+ signaling in the secretory pancreatic and parotid acinar cells and in urinary bladder smooth muscle (UBSM) cells obtained from PERK-/- and wild-type mice. Deletion of PERK that results in high levels of ER stress, and distention and fragmentation of the ER slowed the rate of agonist-mediated Ca2+ release from the ER and reduced Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release, although IP3 production, localization of the IP3 receptors, IP3-mediated Ca2+ release, Ca(v)1.2 current and RyRs activity remained unaltered. On the other hand, ER stress disrupted the integrity of the Ca2+-signaling complexes in both secretory and UBSM cells, as revealed by markedly reduced co-immunoprecipitation of plasma membrane- and ER-resident Ca2+-signaling proteins. These findings establish a relationship between the unfolding protein response, ER stress and Ca2+ signaling and highlight the importance of communication within the terminal ER-plasma membrane microdomain for propagation of the Ca2+ signal from the plasma membrane into the cell.
Black-box testing using flowgraphs: an experimental assessment of effectiveness and automation potential

A black-box testing strategy based on Zweben et al.’s specification-based test data adequacy criteria is explored. The approach focuses on generating a flowgraph from a component’s specification and applying analogues of white-box strategies to it. An experimental assessment of the fault-detecting ability of test sets generated using this approach was performed for three of Zweben’s criteria using mutation analysis. By using precondition, postcondition, and invariant checking wrappers around the component under test, fault detection ratios competitive with white-box techniques were achieved. Experience with a prototype test set generator used in the experiment suggests that practical automation may be feasible.
On modeling impact of sub-wavelength lithography on transistors

As the VLSI technology marches beyond 65 and 45 nm process technologies, variation in gate length has a direct impact on leakage and performance of CMOS transistors. Due to sub-wavelength lithography, the shape of the transistor often differs from idealized rectangles. In silicon, the effective channel length of a transistor varies across its width. This is a modeling problem. The average effective channel length is different for ON current and OFF currents, making it difficult, if not impossible for a single Leff to accurately represent both. In this paper, we report an accurate post-litho non-rectangular transistor modeling methodology. We further studied the impact of focus and dose variations in lithographic process on transistor parameters. The resulting transistor models were applied for standard cell characterization in successive steps of lithographic simulation of layout and device characterization. Results show that the new models can improve the accuracy of estimation of leakage current by 40% or more over a nominal model that is primarily tuned for ON current.
A Rural-Urban Comparison Of Prehospital Emergency Medical Services In Nebraska

BllellgtYJIIllll: Provision of emergency medical senices (EMS) in dte rural United States presen1s a unique challenge. Wbile rural and urban EMS outcomes have been compared, differing urban-rural population characteristics and roles for rural ambulance teams can confound such comparisons. Methods: A year-long study of the prehospital EMS was conducted in rural Richardson County, Nebraska. Data were collected on the age, sex, and nM:e of patients, response time, 1ransport dis1ance, medical problems encountered, and trea1ment rendered enroute. These da1a were compared with 1hose from an urban Lancaster County comparison group and statistical da1a from dte Nebraska S1ate Healdt Department. Results: In dte rural county, 70 percent of calls involved dte elderly, whereas 38 percent of dte urban adls and 36 percent of dte Nebraska S1ate calls involved dte elderly. The rural ambulance senice was more likely to provide for routine transfers, to involve patients with a 4:313-8.)