cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Aβ Amyloid Pathology Affects the Hearts of Patients With Alzheimer's Disease: Mind the Heart.

Abstract Background Individually, heart failure (HF) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are severe threats to population health, and their potential coexistence is an alarming prospect. In addition to sharing analogous epidemiological and genetic profiles, biochemical characteristics, and common triggers, the authors recently recognized common molecular and pathological features between the 2 conditions. Whereas cognitive impairment has been linked to HF through perfusion defects, angiopathy, and inflammation, whether patients with AD present with myocardial dysfunction, and if the 2 conditions bear a common pathogenesis as neglected siblings are unknown. Objectives Here, the authors investigated whether amyloid beta (Aβ) protein aggregates are present in the hearts of patients with a primary diagnosis of AD, affecting myocardial function. Methods The authors examined myocardial function in a retrospective cross-sectional study from a cohort of AD patients and age-matched controls. Imaging and proteomics approaches were used to identify and quantify Aβ deposits in AD heart and brain specimens compared with controls. Cell shortening and calcium transients were measured on isolated adult cardiomyocytes. Results Echocardiographic measurements of myocardial function suggest that patients with AD present with an anticipated diastolic dysfunction. As in the brain, Aβ40 and Aβ42 are present in the heart, and their expression is increased in AD. Conclusions Here, the authors provide the first report of the presence of compromised myocardial function and intramyocardial deposits of Aβ in AD patients. The findings depict a novel biological framework in which AD may be viewed either as a systemic disease or as a metastatic disorder leading to heart, and possibly multiorgan failure. AD and HF are both debilitating and life-threatening conditions, affecting enormous patient populations. Our findings underline a previously dismissed problem of a magnitude that will require new diagnostic approaches and treatments for brain and heart disease, and their combination.
Abstract A062: Sensitizing low BIM expressing breast cancers to targeted therapies

HER2 amplification is found in up to 20% of breast cancers and PIK3CA mutations occur in up to 30%. These cancers are susceptible to targeted therapies directed against oncogenic HER2 and PI3K. Emerging evidence from clinical trials has revealed a surprising heterogeneity in response to targeted therapies, for example within HER2 positive breast cancer patients, the efficacy of HER2 inhibitors has varied. We have previously shown in breast cancer cell lines and a small cohort of HER2 positive breast cancer patients that low levels of the pro-apoptotic BIM can confer intrinsic resistance to HER2 inhibitors, by repressing the apoptotic response following treatment. Here in, we investigated the ability of a BCL-2/Bcl-XL inhibitor to enhance the apoptotic response specifically in low BIM HER2 amplified and PIK3CA mutant breast cancers with intrinsic resistance to targeted therapies, by freeing up BIM from BCL-2:BIM and BCL-xL:BIM complexes. We found that in these cancers, the addition of BCL-2/BCL-xL inhibitors synergized with HER2 inhibitors and PI3K inhibitors to induce apoptosis, and to similar levels induced by targeted therapy alone in the high BIM expressing breast cancers. Biochemical analysis revealed that PI3K inhibition downregulated MCL-1 in PIK3CA mutants, which leads to a further increase in the amount of free BIM, further “maximizing” the otherwise low levels of cellular BIM in these cells. These results translated to tumor regressions in mouse xenografts treated with the combination, similar to what was seen with single-agent PI3K inhibitor in a high BIM expressing PIK3CA mutant breast cancer xenograft model. Thus, combining a BCL-2/BCL-xL inhibitor with the appropriate targeted therapy may overcome intrinsic resistance caused by low BIM expression in HER2 amplified and PIK3CA mutant breast cancer. Citation Format: Anthony C. Faber, Sadhna Vora, Jeffrey A. Engelman. Sensitizing low BIM expressing breast cancers to targeted therapies. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Breast Cancer Research: Genetics, Biology, and Clinical Applications; Oct 3-6, 2013; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Res 2013;11(10 Suppl):Abstract nr A062.
Patterns and Pedagogy: Exploring Student Blog Use in Higher Education

As social and collaborative technologies emerge, educators and scholars continue to explore and experiment with how these tools might impact pedagogy. For over a decade, educators experimented with the use of blogs in academic settings, a tool that allows for students and instructors to enter into a rich dialogue. With most technology tools, users often leave ‘digital footprints’ throughout the environment. These footprints, in combination with other sources of data, allow researchers to explore relationships between the tool itself and the different types of end users. This study examines two years of institutional blog data, combined with demographic data to help describe the users of a blog platform. Different clusters of users are uncovered, and various use cases are explored, illustrating how different instructors choose to leverage blogs in the flow of a course. Using analysis of variance (ANOVA) to compare different blogging groups, results show a strong correlation between entry-dominant bloggers and growth in Grade Point Average (GPA) over time. With the rise in popularity of learning analytics, the results of this study might influence future learning analytics tools and systems
Verifying Peak Power Optimizations Using SPIN Model Checker

Chapter 8 presents an algorithm for peak power reduction of designs generated using CAOS. The proposed algorithm exploits the fact that for a CAOS-based design, disabling appropriate actions in a clock cycle for reducing its peak power should not alter the functional behavior of the design. This is because for well-written CAOS designs, re-scheduling of the actions of a design for reducing its peak power will enable appropriate set of actions for execution (in future clock cycles) based on various fairness constraints, thus maintaining the overall behavior of the design. However, re-scheduling of the actions can result in changing the behavior of those CAOS designs which do not model the fairness constraints (related to the execution of the actions of a design) appropriately. Such designs may fail to produce a correct output when re-scheduling of their actions occurs. This stresses the need for verification of a CAOS-based design in order to ensure that its behavior is maintained after re-scheduling of its actions as done by the peak power reduction algorithm described in Chapter 8. Note that such re-scheduling of the actions of a design can also be done for other reasons such as constraints on the number of resources available.
Insular and cingulate attenuation during decision making is associated with future transition to stimulant use disorder.

Author(s): Stewart, Jennifer L; Butt, Mamona; May, April C; Tapert, Susan F; Paulus, Martin P | Abstract: AimsTo understand processes placing individuals at risk for stimulant (amphetamine and cocaine) use disorder.DesignLongitudinal study.SettingUniversity of California, San Diego Department of Psychiatry, CA, USA.ParticipantsOccasional stimulant users (OSU; n = 184) underwent a baseline clinical interview and a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) session. On the basis of a follow-up clinical interview completed 3 years later, OSU (n = 147) were then categorized as problem stimulant users (PSU: n = 36; those who developed stimulant use disorders in the interim) or desisted stimulant users (DSU: n = 74; those who stopped using). OSU who did not meet criteria for PSU or DSU (n = 37) were included in dimensional analyses.MeasurementsfMRI blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) contrast percentage signal change from baseline collected during a Paper-Scissors-Rock task was examined during three decision-making conditions, those resulting in: (1) wins, (2) ties and (3) losses. These data were used as dependent variables in categorical analyses comparing PSU and DSU, as well as dimensional analyses including interim drug use as predictors, controlling for baseline drug use.FindingsPSU exhibited lower anterior cingulate, middle insula, superior temporal, inferior parietal, precuneus and cerebellum activation than DSU across all three conditions (significant brain clusters required g 19 neighboring voxels to exceed F(1,108) = 5.58, P l 0.01 two-tailed; all Cohen's d g 0.83). Higher interim marijuana use was linked to lower pre-central and superior temporal activation during choices resulting in wins (g 19 neighboring voxels to exceed t = 2.61, P l 0.01 two-tailed; R2 change g 0.11).ConclusionsIndividuals who transition from stimulant use to stimulant use disorder appear to show alterations in neural processing of stimulus valuation and outcome monitoring, patterns also evident in chronic stimulant use disorder. Attenuated anterior cingulate and insular processing may constitute a high-risk neural processing profile, which could be used to calculate risk scores for individuals experimenting with stimulants.
Clitoria (Leguminosae) of South Eastern Asia

A key and taxonomic treatment is provided for the ten species of Clitoria known from South-eastern Asia, Pakistan to Malaysia. Native species include C. annua, C. cordiformis, C. hanceana, C. javanica, C. linearis, C. mariana and C. macrophylla . The most commonly collected species, C. ternatea , is both cultivated and naturalized. Species known only from cultivation include C. fairchildiana and C. laurifolia . Excluded species, all reported from India, include C. arborescens, C. heterophylla, C. vaupelli and C. virginianum .
Concentration-Gradient Stabilization with Segregated Counter- and Co-Ion Paths: A Quasistationary Depletion Front for Robust Molecular Isolation or Concentration

Schneider famously noted that ``Nature abhors a gradient'', but interesting counterexamples can arise. This study shows a case from electrokinetics in which, to preserve electroneutrality, an ionic circuit with an ion-selective gate must approach a stationary state with an inhomogeneous concentration profile. Scaling theory verifies that the selected gate current is universal, being independent of ionic strength, channel dimension, and membrane material. Beyond allowing lab-on-a-chip separation of analytes, this generic membrane-gating mechanism may be how living cells maintain electroneutrality in the face of a cross-membrane concentration gradient.
FLIP: active learning for relational network classification

Active learning in relational networks has gained popularity in recent years, especially for scenarios when the costs of obtaining training samples are very high. We investigate the problem of active learning for both single- and multi-labeled relational network classification in the absence of node features during training. The problem becomes harder when the number of labeled nodes available for training a model is limited due to budget constraints. The inability to use a traditional learning setup for classification of relational data, has motivated researchers to propose Collective Classification algorithms that jointly classifies all the test nodes in a network by exploiting the underlying correlation between the labels of a node and its neighbors. In this paper, we propose active learning algorithms based on different query strategies using a collective classification model where each node in a network can belong to either one class (single-labeled network) or multiple classes (multi-labeled network). We have evaluated our method on both single-labeled and multi-labeled networks, and our results are promising in both the cases for several real world datasets.
Equation of state of sodium chloride up to 32 kbar and 500°C†☆

Abstract The length change of a 25mm long single crystal of NaCl has been determined as a function of hydrostatic pressure up to 32 kbar and temperatures up to 500°C using an electrical contact piezometer with tungsten carbide as a standard. The measurements were carried out in an end loaded piston cylinder apparatus. The length change of the tungsten carbide standard is small compared to that of NaCl and therefore reliable data are obtained. Compression data by Bridgman[1] and thermal expansion data by Kennametal Inc. were used for the equation of state of tungsten carbide. We estimated an absolute uncertainty in the length change measurement of NaCl of ±0.7%. The temperature was accurate within 0.3°C. The uncertainty in pressure is ±0.4%. The results are compared with Decker's [2] equation of state which is frequently used when NaCl is taken as a standard in high pressure work. At room temperature we find a smaller compression of NaCl than Decker and find excellent agreement with Bridgman's[3] data. At higher temperatures we find very good agreement between our data and Decker's equation of state.
Building capacity for continuous quality improvement (CQI): A pilot study.

Background and objective Little is known about the feasibility, effectiveness, and sustainability of CQI approaches in substance use disorder treatment settings.
The Problem of Smith’s Intention

Adam Smith is properly famous as the great expositor and advocate of the principle of free commercial society, or what we now speak of as capitalism; so much so that his name has passed into a byword, signifying liberalism. And yet there is contained in the interstices of his exposition such a critique of the system advocated as must raise in our minds the deepest questions as to the nature and meaning of his advocacy. Smith’s animadversions upon some aspects of commercialism have been noticed often enough,1 but they have too commonly been passed over without adequate explanation. In this chapter we shall attempt to account for their presence by reconciling them with the most general aspects of Smith’s teaching.
Employing a Fixed-Lean Multiple Schedule in the Treatment of Challenging Behavior for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder:

Despite its utility, there is limited applied research on employing fixed-lean (FL) schedules of reinforcement in treatment packages to address challenging behavior. One potential reason is that abrupt shifts to terminal schedules of reinforcement have been associated with immediate increases in challenging behavior before subsiding to clinically acceptable levels. The purpose of the present study was to (a) provide evidence demonstrating the utility of a FL multiple schedule (MS) in the treatment of challenging behavior in applied settings, (b) examine the potential effects of alternative stimuli on challenging behavior during a FL MS, and (c) assess the social validity of this treatment package with participants and caregivers. The results of this study showed low levels of challenging behavior and discriminated mands during the FL MS, but no evidence to support the inclusion of alternative stimuli. In addition, caregivers of both participants reported high levels of satisfaction with the treatment package. Implications for research and clinical practice are discussed.
Unproctored internet-based device-type effects on test scores: The role of working memory

Abstract Despite the burgeoning use of unproctored Internet-based testing (UIT) in employment-related assessments, there have been limited theoretical and empirical advancements to explain the effects of technology on test and assessment outcomes. Indeed, this issue is potentially germane to all researchers and practitioners who use UIT assessments in their research and practice. To address this gap, Arthur, Keiser, and Doverspike (2017) advanced the Structural Characteristics/Information Processing (SCIP) framework as a means for psychologically conceptualizing the effect of UIT device-types on test scores. The present study examined the working memory (WM) propositions advanced by the SCIP framework. Participants were randomly assigned to a desktop computer or smartphone condition to complete a general mental ability (GMA), and personality (i.e., agreeableness, conscientiousness) measure on either a desktop computer (n = 174) or smartphone (n = 173). All participants also completed a WM measure on a desktop computer. The results provide initial support for some of the SCIP framework propositions in that as hypothesized, the WM/GMA, and WM/completion time relationships were stronger for assessments completed on smartphones, compared to desktop computers; in contrast, the WM/personality relationships were weak and did not generally differ across device types. Consequently, this study offers an initial empirical test of the SCIP framework; however, further research is needed to examine additional aspects of the framework, including the role of the other information processing variables (i.e., perceptual speed and visual acuity, psychomotor ability, and selective attention) advanced by the framework.
Setting Up An Endobariatric Weight Loss Program.

INTRODUCTIONObesity has become a national epidemic and a consequential public health problem [1, 2]. The burden of obesity is staggering, severely impacting not only the quality of life of millions of individuals across the country, but also the national healthcare budget with an estimated annual co
The Effects of Prison-Based Programming

This chapter will investigate the benefits of prison-based rehabilitation, focusing on both educational and vocational programming. The effects of such programming on rehabilitative and reintegrative outcomes will be analyzed. Since female offenders, most who are responsible for minor children, will not be able to regain custodial rights until they have adequate housing, this chapter will highlight the importance of providing female offenders with employment skills that can actually help them to obtain stable jobs, and subsequently stable housing, once released.
Working with Racial Themes in Group Psychotherapy

Racial themes frequently emerge in group psychotherapy but are often unaddressed by therapists. Confusion about the relevance of race to the psychotherapeutic process, countertransferential responses, and a lack of training in how to address racial content contribute to therapists' reluctance. Approaches to addressing racial content in groups are examined. Case examples are used to demonstrate therapist characteristics and perspectives on the group process that create a climate where racial content can be explored. An exploration of the meaning of racial content provides an opportunity for deepened understanding of interpersonal relationships for patients and therapists.
Experimental Cobalt Epilepsy and the Cerebellum

For over half a century there have been some clinical observations of a relationship between epilepsy and cerebellar pathology (Hodskins & Yakovlev, 1930) and a number of acute experiments which demonstrated seizures being arrested by cerebellar stimulation (Moruzzi, 1941a, b, c; Cooke & Snider, 1953, 1955; Iwata & Snider, 1959). However, no one had studied the influence of the cerebellum on a model of chronic epilepsy in the awake unanesthetized animal prior to work in our laboratory over 10 years ago. This work was done in collaboration with Dr. Fernandez- Guardiola and Prof. Ermanno Manni (Dow, Ferndndez-Guardiola, & Manni, 1962a, b).
Impact of Disgust on Intentions to Undergo Colorectal Surgery.

BACKGROUND Surgeons present patients with complex information at the perioperative appointment. Emotions likely play a role in surgical decision-making, and disgust is an emotion of revulsion at a stimulus that can lead to avoidance. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of disgust on intention to undergo surgical resection for colorectal cancer and recall of perioperative instructions. DESIGN This was a cross-sectional observational study conducted online using hypothetical scenarios with nonpatient subjects. SETTINGS The study was conducted using Amazon's Mechanical Turk. PATIENTS Survey respondents were living in the United States. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Surgery intention and recall of perioperative instructions were measured. RESULTS A total of 319 participants met the inclusion criteria. Participants in the experimental condition, who were provided with detailed information and pictures about stoma care, had significantly lower surgery intentions (mean ± SD, 4.60 ± 1.15) compared with the control condition with no stoma prompt (mean ± SD, 5.14 ± 0.91; p = 0.05) and significantly lower recall for preoperative instructions (mean ± SD, 13.75 ± 2.38) compared with the control condition (mean ± SD, 14.36 ± 2.19; p = 0.03). Those within the experimental conditions also reported significantly higher state levels of disgust (mean ± SD, 4.08 ± 1.74) compared with a control condition (mean ± SD, 2.35 ± 1.38; p < 0.001). State-level disgust was found to fully mediate the relationship between condition and recall (b = -0.31) and to partially mediate the effect of condition on surgery intentions (b = 0.17). LIMITATIONS It is unknown whether these results will replicate with patients and the impact of competing emotions in clinical settings. CONCLUSIONS Intentions to undergo colorectal surgery and recall of preoperative instructions are diminished in patients who experience disgust when presented with stoma information. Surgeons and care teams must account for this as they perform perioperative counseling to minimize interference with recall of important perioperative information. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/A776.
Isolation and Enrichment of Spermatogonial Stem Cells From Human Testis Tissues

This article describes a protocol for isolating human spermatogonial stem cells (hSSCs) from human testis tissues, which can be utilized for further characterization. Human testis tissues are first subjected to mechanical separation, enzymatic digestion, and physical filtering, yielding a single testicular cell suspension. SSCs or other cell types of interest can be sorted out via different enrichment approaches using selected cell surface markers (e.g., magnetic-activated cell sorting, MACS). Those enriched cells can further be used for different purposes, including cell culture, RNA sequencing, and other genomics-based profiling, which allow for further characterization of their properties. © 2019 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Universal free action for compact groups

Abstract For every compact metrizable group G there is a free G-action on the Hilbert space which is universal for free G-actions on compact metric spaces.
Recurrent Idiopathic Liver Allograft Failure.

Objectives Many transplant programs have had patients who develop idiopathic recurrent liver allograft failure, necessitating serial transplants, and are deemed to have refractory or recurrent rejection. The frequency and the etiology of this immunologic dysfunction have not been well characterized. Methods Herein, we illustrate the case of a patient who required three retransplants over a period of 20 years for recurrent liver allograft failure. By extensively compiling the patient's many liver biopsy specimens and explants over time, we demonstrate that antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) was a major contributing factor from the outset. We conducted a review of the Scientific Registry for Transplant Recipients database to estimate the potential frequency of AMR. Results As illustrated by this case, AMR has varied histologic findings in the setting of elevated donor-specific antibody titers. Conclusions The cause of recurrent allograft failure in this patient was likely a combination of acute cellular rejection and AMR, manifestations of likely underlying immune dysregulation. Pathologists and transplant physicians should recognize the variable histologic presentations of AMR, which is imperative for its timely intervention. This case demonstrates how difficult the diagnosis of AMR can be to make, highlighting the need for strong clinical suspicion in patients having difficult-to-treat rejection and recurrent allograft failure.
Minimally Invasive Burch Colposuspension - The Robotic Approach

Video Objective To demonstrate a minimally invasive technique to the Burch procedure for treatment of stress urinary incontinence as an alternative therapeutic modality for women who do not want or cannot have mesh products. Setting Surgical intervention for a 68 yo G12 P10-0-2-10 with prolapse and stress urinary incontinence (SUI). After undergoing appropriate counseling and discussion regarding risks, benefits and alternatives the patient and family declined use of mesh products for any portion of the repair. The decision was made to proceed with a hysterectomy, uterosacral colpopexy and Burch colposuspension. Preoperative optimization of her health and multiple co-morbidities required a multidisciplinary approach. Blood pressure control, diabetes and thyroid management as well as topical estrogen treatment of vaginal epithelium for 3 months prior to surgery. Interventions Robotic colposuspension for genuine SUI following a robotic hysterectomy and uterosacral colpopexy. The procedure took 62 minutes to complete, the blood loss was minimal and there were no complications. She was observed overnight, had a successful voiding trial in the morning and was discharged shortly after. Follow up at 2 and 6 weeks after surgery she reported no pain and no complications. She reports significant improvement in bladder function and bladder control. Conclusion The Burch procedure is well known as an effective treatment for SUI but generally not frequently performed due to morbidity associated with laparotomy requiring procedures and the availability of less invasive approachesmsuch as a transvaginal suburethral sling. With the minimally invasive surgery evolution being inclusive of nearly all gynecologic procedures, a robotic or laparoscopic Burch colposuspension as an alternative to transvaginal suburethral sling with mesh should be considered. This videos demonstrates a reproducible, safe and efficient approach to this procedure.
Reduction and Cessation of Alcohol, Cannabis, and Stimulant Use: Prospective Associations With Changes in Depressive Symptoms Across Two Cohort Studies of Sexual and Gender Minorities.

Objective:Sexual and gender minorities (SGM) are at increased risk for substance use and depression. However, little research has examined the directionality of associations between substance use a...
Estimation Of Fuel Moisture Content by Integrating Surface and Satellite Observations Using Machine Learning

Fuel moisture content (FMC) is an important fuel property and an important parameter controlling the rate spread of a wildland fire. Currently the dead FMC is estimated based on relatively sparse observations over Conterminous United States while the live FMC is sampled manually and infrequently. An effective operational wildland fire prediction requires real-time, high-resolution fuel moisture content data set. We have therefore developed a fuel moisture content data set by combining satellite and surface observations as well as National Water Model output using a machine learning model. The new FMC data set is integrated in the Colorado Fire Prediction System (CO-FPS) for operational wildland fire prediction.
Association between Periodontal Disease and Systemic Inflammatory Conditions Using Electronic Health Records: A Pilot Study.

Aims: To investigate the association between periodontal disease and systemic inflammatory conditions and examine the link between medical conditions and the extent of missing teeth in a large population. Methods: In this retrospective study, a total of 4890 randomly selected patients who had attended the University of Minnesota dental clinics were analyzed. Severity of periodontal disease was determined based on the percentage of bone loss, evaluated through the examination of a full-mouth intraoral series of radiographs. The number of missing teeth was calculated from the examined radiographs, while ten systemic inflammatory conditions were extracted from patients’ self-reported medical histories. Results: Moderate bone loss was observed in 730 (14.9%) and severe in 323 (6.6%) patients of the total population, while the mean number of missing teeth was 3.54 ± 3.93. The prevalence of systemic conditions and tobacco use were gender-dependent (p < 0.05). Regression analysis showed that hypertension, arthritis, asthma, diabetes and HIV were associated significantly with the severity of bone loss, while diabetes and lupus with the extent of missing teeth. Conclusions: The findings reported in our study add to this body of knowledge, strengthening the association between periodontal disease with systemic inflammatory conditions.
The aging general surgeon of rural America.

PURPOSE Nonmetropolitan communities are faced with health care professional shortages and prior reports suggest that general surgeons are no exception. The purpose of this brief is to evaluate the age difference and distribution of rural versus urban general surgeons to highlight the growing need to recruit medical students and residents for rural practice. METHODS A secondary data analysis of residency graduated general surgeon demographics at the county level was performed using data from the Area Health Resource File. General surgeon demographic data were compared between nonmetropolitan and metropolitan areas. FINDINGS The number of general surgeons practicing in rural communities is decreasing by a rate of approximately 0.5%-1.0% annually. Moreover, the entry of younger (<35 years of age) general surgeons into rural counties (8.7%) was less than urban regions (12.1%). Rural general surgeons tended to be older than their urban peers, and on average, rural general surgeon age exhibits a negative skewed, platykurtic distribution. CONCLUSIONS Immediate action must be taken to generate more surgeons for rural practice. A failure to increase recruitment and retention of rural surgeons may have severe consequences on the health status of rural communities.
The effect of two ribonucleases on the production of Shiga toxin and stx-bearing bacteriophages in Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli

Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) comprise a group of intestinal pathogens responsible for a range of illnesses, including kidney failure and neurological compromise. EHEC produce critical virulence factors, Shiga toxin (Stx) 1 or 2, and the synthesis of Stx2 is associated with worse disease manifestations. Infected patients only receive supportive treatment because some conventional antibiotics enable toxin production. Shiga toxin 2 genes (stx2) are carried in λ-like bacteriophages (stx2-phages) inserted into the EHEC genome as prophages. Factors that cause DNA damage induce the lytic cycle of stx2-phages, leading to Stx2 production. The phage Q protein is critical for transcription antitermination of stx2 and phage lytic genes. This study reports that deficiency of two endoribonucleases (RNases), E and G, significantly delayed cell lysis and impaired production of both Stx2 and stx2-phages, unlike deficiency of either enzyme alone. Moreover, scarcity of both enzymes reduced the concentrations of Q and stx2 transcripts and slowed cell growth.
Cosserat Elasticity of Lattice Solids

We discuss a model of fibrous solids composed of three families of continuously distributed Kirchhoff rods embedded in a matrix material. This is a special case of Cosserat elasticity in which the basic kinematic descriptors are a single deformation field and three rotation fields, one for each fiber family. The fibers are assumed to convect with the underlying continuum deformation as material curves. Various kinds of internal connectivity, imposing restrictions of the fiber rotations fields, are considered.
Monad factory: type-indexed monads

Monads provide a greatly useful capability to pure languages in simulating side-effects, but implementations such as the Monad Transformer Library [1] in Haskell prohibit reuse of those side-effects such as threading through two different states without some explicit workaround. Monad Factory provides a straightforward solution for opening the non-proper morphisms by indexing monads at both the type-level and term-level, allowing 'copies' of the monads to be created and simultaneously used within even the same monadic transformer stack. This expands monads' applicability and mitigates the amount of boilerplate code we need for monads to work together, and yet we use them nearly identically to non-indexed monads.
Aging is associated with slowed vasodilator kinetics in dynamically contracting muscle: role of nitric oxide (1106.10)

We tested the hypothesis that aging would be associated with slowed vasodilator kinetics in contracting muscle in part due to a reduced nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability. Young (n=10; 24 ± 2 yr) an...
Vertebral Artery Reconstruction

Vertebrobasilar insufficiency is a somewhat uncommon manifestation of cerebral vascular disease. Symptomatic patients present with the hallmark signs of posterior fossa hypoperfusion: these symptoms are cranial nerve, pontine or cerebellar ischemia. Typically patients present with diplopia, dysarthria, ataxia, perioral numbness or drop attacks. Oftentimes patients will lose the ability to stand or ambulate but remain fully conscious during these drop attacks. The circle of Willis provides good collateral circulation to the posterior fossa in most patients. The posterior communicating arteries provide collateral flow from the carotid arteries to the vertebral basilar distribution. Most patients with vertebrobasilar insufficiency and carotid stenosis are easily treated by repairing the anterior (carotid artery) lesion first, allowing collateral flow to alleviate any posterior brain arterial insufficiency. In patients who have concomitant anterior and posterior lesions, 10–40% remain symptomatic after anterior revascularization (Berguer et al. 2000; Blaisdell et al. 1969; Humphries et al. 1965). These patients require vertebral artery reconstruction.
Talking Culture: Ethnography and Conversational Analysis

Talking Culture: Ethnography and Conversational Analysis. Michael Moerman. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1988. 211 pp. $15.95 (paper).
Interaction of type 1 plasminogen activator inhibitor with the enzymes of the contact activation system.

Abstract The interaction between type 1 plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1), a serine protease inhibitor, and the three serine proteases generated during contact activation of plasma was studied using functional and immunologic approaches. Incubation of Factor XIIa, Factor XIa, and plasma kallikrein with either purified PAI-1 or platelet-derived PAI-1 resulted in the formation of sodium dodecyl sulfate-stable complexes as revealed by immunoblotting techniques. Functional assays indicated that Factor XIa and, to a lesser extent, Factor XIIa and plasma kallikrein neutralized the ability of purified PAI-1 to bind to immobilized tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA). Immunoblotting demonstrated that these enzymes also neutralized the ability of PAI-1 to form complexes with fluid-phase t-PA. Clot lysis assays employing purified proteins and 125I-fibrinogen were used to investigate the profibrinolytic effect of these contact activation enzymes. At enzyme concentrations that did not result in direct activation of plasminogen, only Factor XIa was capable of stimulating the lysis of clots supplemented with both t-PA and PAI-1. As a consequence of their interactions with PAI-1, the amidolytic activity of Factor XIIa, Factor XIa, and plasma kallikrein was neutralized by this inhibitor in a time-dependent and concentration-dependent manner. Minimum values estimated for the apparent second-order rate constant of inhibition were 1.6 x 10(4), 2.1 x 10(5), and 6.0 x 10(4) M-1 s-1 for Factor XIIa, Factor XIa, and plasma kallikrein, respectively. These data define new reactions between coagulation and fibrinolysis proteins and suggest that a major mechanism for stimulation of the intrinsic fibrinolytic pathway may involve neutralization of PAI-1 by Factor XIa.
Perfect Path Phylogeny Haplotyping with Missing Data Is Fixed-Parameter Tractable

Haplotyping via perfect phylogeny is a method for retrieving haplotypes from genotypes. Fast algorithms are known for computing perfect phylogenies from complete and error-free input instances—these instances can be organized as a genotype matrix whose rows are the genotypes and whose columns are the single nucleotide polymorphisms under consideration. Unfortunately, in the more realistic setting of missing entries in the genotype matrix, even restricted forms of the perfect phylogeny haplotyping problem become NP-hard. We show that haplotyping via perfect phylogeny with missing data becomes computationally tractable when imposing additional biologically motivated constraints. Firstly, we focus on asking for perfect phylogenies that are paths, which is motivated by the discovery that yin-yang haplotypes span large parts of the human genome. A yin-yang haplotype implies that every corresponding perfect phylogeny has to be a path. Secondly, we assume that the number of missing entries in every column of the input genotype matrix is bounded. We show that the perfect path phylogeny haplotyping problem is fixed-parameter tractable when we consider the maximum number of missing entries per column of the genotype matrix as parameter. The restrictions we impose are met by a majority of the problem instances encountered in publicly available human genome data.
Induction of a mycoplasma gallisepticum pMGA gene in the chicken tracheal ring organ culture model.

Genetic and molecular methods to investigate the pathogenesis of the poultry respiratory pathogen Mycoplasma gallisepticum are quite limited. Therefore, the objective of this study was to design and evaluate a functional genomics approach to identify M. gallisepticum genes involved in colonization of the poultry respiratory tract. To serve as a transcriptional reporter, a promoterless lacZ gene from Escherichia coli was cloned into the Tn4001 transposon. The transposon was used to randomly mutagenize the chromosome of the M. gallisepticum S6 strain, and a bank of 1386 transposon mutants containing lacZ fusions to mycoplasma chromosomal DNA was assembled. Each mycoplasma clone containing the lacZ reporter was independently screened in the chicken tracheal ring organ culture (TROC) model system for increased production of β-galactosidase. A twofold or greater increase in β-galactosidase was consistently observed for eight mutants. In one of the mutants, the transposon was inserted in a pMGA gene encoding a cell surface adhesin involved in hemagglutination. Therefore, these data indicate that screening of a M. gallisepticum transposon reporter bank with a chicken TROC model is useful for the identification of genes induced during poultry colonization and virulence.
A Data-Centric Approach to Optimize Time in Workflow-Based Business Process

Business process optimization can provide directbenefits to achieve business goals by improving predeterminedobjectives. In this paper, we study the properties of time performanceand develop approaches to optimize it in workflowbasedbusiness processes. By applying our data-centric businessprocess modeling techniques, we explore the possibility of reconstructingbusiness process that is realized by modifying theexecution order of business activities. Accordingly, we developefficient algorithms to approach optimal time performance forboth a single subprocess and an overall business process.
Variational bounds in positron-atom scattering.

First order adiabatic correlation function for determining variational bounds in positron-atom scattering
On the ‘Resolute’ Reading of the Tractatus

It is customary to divide Wittgenstein’s work into two broad phases, the first culminating in the Tractatus, and the second comprising the writings that began upon his return to philosophy in 1929 and culminating in the Investigations. It is also commonly assumed that the Tractatus propounds various doctrines concerning language and representation, doctrines which are repudiated in the later work, and often criticized explicitly. One problem with this view of the Tractatus is Wittgenstein’s claim in 6.54 that its propositions are “nonsensical,” a claim which on its face is at odds with the idea that they present substantive philosophical theories. The usual way of handling this problem is to assume that the claim is not to be taken literally, that the sentences of the Tractatus are not nonsense in the sense of mere gibberish, but are intended somehow to engender in the attentive reader a grasp of certain important aspects of the relationship between language and the world. Beginning with her seminal paper “Throwing Away the Ladder,” Cora Diamond has proposed reading the Tractatus in a way that takes literally 6.54’s claim of the book’s nonsensicality, and rejects the idea that its sentences represent a kind of elevated nonsense intended to
The significance of dynamic strain aging in titanium

Abstract Tensile tests were conducted at a 0.02 in./min cross head speed on high purity and commercial purity titanium specimens between 77 and 1026°K to determine if dynamic strain aging is of practical importance in titanium. The data show that reducing the total impurity concentration from approximately 3300 to 300 ppm has a very strong effect on the strain aging characteristics of titanium between about 500 and 900°K. It removes the rate dependent work hardening phenomena, lowers the magnitude of the strain aging component of the yield stress by a factor of probably four, eliminates the Portevin-Le Chatelier effect, largely suppresses the “blue brittle” phenomena and greatly reduces the strong and variable effect of temperature and strain rate upon the shapes of the stress-strain curves. While the discontinuous yield phenomena in titanium are weaker than those in steel, the rate dependent work hardening in these two metals are almost comparable.
Optimizing Yield and Grain Protein in Soft White Winter Wheat with Split Nitrogen Applications

Grain protein of soft white winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) produced in eastern Washington has increased above market-desired levels over the past decade, when subnormal precipitation and overfertilization contributed to excessive residual soil N levels. A field study was conducted over four site-years to (i) examine N effects on the yield-protein relationsbip of soft white winter wheat under high soil N conditions, (ii) determine if split N applications can maintain yield and reduce grain protein, and (iii) evaluate midseason grain analysis as a predictor of final grain protein. Nitrogen rates ranged from 0 to 140 kg N ha −1 ; timing treatments were fall preplant N and spring topdressed or point-injected N. High yields (> 5900 kg ha −1 ) were produced witbout fertilizer N, and yield responses to N ranged from 0 to 22%. Fall N > 56 kg N ha −1 increased yield in only one site-year; yields were reduced due to excess N fertilization in another site-year in conjunction with shallow N depletion and poor water extraction from deeper soil layers. In two of four site-years, yield increased with a 50% fall-50% spring point-injected N compared with 100% fall application at 84 kg total N ha −1 . Protein > 100 g kg −1 was produced in site-years where most soil N was depleted below the 90-cm depth; shallow N depletion was associated with lower protein. Grain N concentration at maturity was highly correlated with grain N concentration at the late milk and soft dough stages. Preharvest predictions of final grain protein may be useful in segregating grain at harvest for marketing purposes. Under high residual soil N levels, reduced N rates and split N applications between fall and spring can maintain high yields and reduce grain protein
Visual vein-finding for robotic IV insertion

This paper presents a new algorithm for selecting the optimal needle insertion point in images of hand veins for robotic IV insertion. The 3D coordinates and orientation of the vein that the algorithm detects would eventually be fed to a robot for insertion of the IV needle. The goal of the algorithm is to identify venous bifurcations and determine an insertion point and approach angle for the needle in between their branches. The algorithm uses an annular tracking window that tracks along the veins and searches for bifurcations. We describe methods for centering the initial bifurcation estimates, error-checking, and positioning the needle exactly in between the bifurcation branches. We conclude with an experimental study of 50 subjects that shows a 32.4% success rate at detecting all bifurcations and a 82.6% success rate at finding at least one bifurcation in each image that contains bifurcations.
Fabrication and Mechanical Properties of Al2O3-WC-Co Composites by Vacuum Hot Pressing

Al2O3-WC-Co composites were fabricated by vacuum hot-pressing mixtures of Al2O3, WC, and cobalt powders. The phases formed with WC additions of up to 40 wt% were α-Al2O3, WC, Co3W3C, and small amounts of f-Co (face-centered cubic cobalt) and carbon (graphite); no cobalt or carbon phases formed at >40 wt% WC. A more-uniformly distributed and connected WC matrix formed as the WC content increased. The 10Al2O3-80WC-10Co (in wt%) composite exhibited high bending strength (1250 MPa), fracture toughness (9 MPam1/2), and hardness (20.6 ± 0.5 GPa) simultaneously. The high bending strength was mainly attributed to fewer fracture origins due to the uniformly distributed and connected WC matrix together with a lower porosity. Increased fracture toughness was caused mainly by crack deflection and crack bridging in a uniformly connected WC matrix. High hardness resulted from finer WC metallic compounds and Co3W3C precipitation in almost all ranges.
The influence of phosphorus oxides and acids on the rate of H + OH recombination

Abstract The addition of small amounts of phosphine combustion products (phosphorus oxides and acids) to water vapor resulted in a large increase in the relaxation rate of OH to equilibrium concentrations following H2O photolysis. The thermochemical properties of 17 simple phosphorus species were assembled and the equilibrium densities of the phosphorus species were calculated under typical test conditions. The thermochemical properties of many of the phosphorus species have not been determined but for the purposes of this analysis they were estimated from the results of ab initio quantum chemical calculations available in the literature. Of the phosphorus species examined, eight were selected for construction of a reaction set. Thirteen species (7 HxOy species and 6 HxOyPz species) were ultimately used to assemble a set of 33 reactions which comprise all of the bimolecular reactions (including recombination reactions) likely to participate in the overall reaction chemistry. Rate constant values were estimated using standard methods for the metathesis reactions and using simplified RRKM calculations to estimate the rates of recombination reactions. The increase in the observed rate of OH recovery was well described by this reaction set at the experimental conditions of 1970 K and 532 Torr. The two reaction mechanisms OH + PH 2 → HOPO 2 , H + HOPO 2 → H 2 O + PO 2 , and H + PO 2 → HOPO, OH + H 2 → H 2 O + H, H + HOPO → H 2 O + PO 2 appear to be the predominant pathways for recombination of H and OH radicals to form H2O and for reestablishment of chemical equilibrium when phosphine combustion products are present in the reaction mixture.
A model potential for vibrational excitation of diatomic molecules

Abstract A model interaction potential for the vibrational excitation of H 2 by Li + of the form C exp(−α x +β y ) is studied using non-iterative integral techniques. The results show that vibrational excitation is sensitive to small quantitative change in qualitatively similar surfaces.
Termolecular reactions of alkali metal atoms with O2 and OH

Calculations of low-pressure limit, third-order rate constants are presented for the association reactions A + O2 + N2 and A + OH + N2 (A = Li, Na, K) over the temperature range 200–2000 K and a comparison is made with the available experimental data.