cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Shunted Hydrocephalus Has a Significant Impact on Quality of Life in Children With Spina Bifida

Objective To determine which clinical (health status) and nonclinical (demographic) factors may affect perceptions of quality of life in children with spina bifida and their parents. Design A prospective study by using a validated questionnaire. Setting A multidisciplinary spina bifida clinic at a pediatric tertiary referral center. Patients Thirty-three children with spina bifida aged 5-18 years and 41 parents of children with spina bifida aged 2-18 years completed questionnaires after informed consent was obtained. Methods The Peds QL 4.0 Short Form 15 questionnaire was administered to children with spina bifida and their parents. Additional data were collected, including socioeconomic status, self-reported ethnicity, insurance status, ambulatory status, presence of shunted hydrocephalus, and continence. All completed questionnaires were included in the final analysis. Results Self-reported physical and psychosocial health scores for patients in our study were lower than previously published scores from healthy children. Patients with a shunted hydrocephalus had significantly lower self-reported physical health scores compared with those without shunted hydrocephalus (61.4 versus 39.3; P = .015). Self-reported physical health score in those with shunted hydrocephalus improved with age (Spearman ρ = 0.42; P = .017). Shunted hydrocephalus remained significant on multivariate analysis. Ethnicity, insurance, socioeconomic status, ambulatory status, and urinary and fecal continence were not associated with self-reported physical or psychosocial scores. Parent-reported scores were not associated with any of the variables of interest. There was excellent correlation between parent-reported and self-reported psychosocial health scores (Spearman ρ = 0.636; P P = .905). Conclusions Shunted hydrocephalus has a negative impact on the perception of quality of life, an effect that may be attenuated by age. Further study and more-specific measurement tools are needed to better understand health-related quality of life in children with spina bifida.
A Dynamic Phantom for Radionuclide Cardiology

A flow-based phantom has been developed to verify analysis routines most frequently employed in clinical radionuclide cardiology. Ejection-fraction studies by first-pass or equilibrium techniques are simulated, as well as assessment of shunts and cardiac output. This hydraulic phantom, with its valve-selectable dysfunctions, offers a greater role in training than in quality control, as originally intended.
Theoretical considerations in the use of small passive-solar test-boxes to model the thermal performance of passively solar-heated building designs

Abstract Theoretical considerations are presented for the thermal modelling of passively solar-heated building designs with passive-solar text boxes. Multi-room passive solar buildings, passive solar buildings having realistically massive walls, thermocirculating passive-solar designs, air-infiltration effects, edge effect corrections, and microclimate shading effects are discussed.
Predicting Activity Energy Expenditure Using the Actical® Activity Monitor

This study developed algorithms for predicting activity energy expenditure (AEE) in children (n = 24) and adults (n = 24) from the Actical® activity monitor. Each participant performed 10 activities (supine resting, three sitting, three house cleaning, and three locomotion) while wearing monitors on the ankle, hip, and wrist; AEE was computed from oxygen consumption. Regression analysis, used to create AEE prediction equations based on Actical® output, varied considerably for both children (R 2 = .45-.75; p .05). The Actical® monitor may be useful for predicting AEE and time variables at the ankle, hip, or wrist locations.
The nature of change

There is little doubt that health care is facing change. The conventional view of change, based on evolution, is that it is slow, gradual, and generally an evenly paced system change. Unfortunately, it is much more uneven, being burstlike, unpredictable, and, in fact, steplike. This pattern is called punctuated equilibrium, which is well illustrated by the metaphorical picture of the Devil's Staircase. These features call for a reassessment of how to cope with change. In addition to detecting change, responding to it and preparing for it require some understanding of the role of experimentation because the evolution algorithm is simple: experimentation, selection, and replication. Experimentation in radiology forms a continuum ranging from modifying traits to developing variants of diagnostic, interventional, and even new integrated services. We often describe experiments by relating their motives (ie, adaptation and innovation), but complex systems see only experiments available for selection. Experiments generating new services and business models are the important ones because they create the "subspecies" of radiology, which offers a robust set of options capable of withstanding new health care selection forces. Experimentation and selection are the prerequisites of replication (i.e., survival). It behooves radiology to combine and concatenate diversified, reactive, and innovative experiments to explore adjacent domains to expand its set of options. Just as in Darwinian evolution, major changes on the health care landscape will be at the specialty, ie, species and subspecies levels, rather than at the individual specialty trait level. Radiology needs a strong set of "subspecies" to succeed in selection to enhance evolution and allow replication.
Teacher perceptions of stuttering

Abstract The attitudes of 521 teachers in the Tuscaloosa, Alabama City School (82% of the teacher population) toward stuttering were assessed using the Teachers' Perceptions of Stuttering Inventory (TPSI). The TPSI consists of five teacher identification questions and 10 attitudinal statements about which teachers are asked to indicate their strength of agreement. Results indicated that a significant number of teachers hold unsubstantiated beliefs concerning the etiology of stuttering and the personality characteristics of stutterers. Teachers having experience with stutterers or having had course work in speech disorders indicated more realistic attitudes toward stutterers and expressed more demanding attitudes toward stutterers in the classroom situation. In view of the potential positive role teachers can play in assisting stutterers, the results were interpreted as suggesting a need for teachers to receive either preservice or inservice instruction with respect to the problem of stuttering.
Crystallization Kinetics of Barium Strontium Titanate Glass-Ceramics

Barium strontium titanate has been targeted as one potential ferroelectric glass-ceramic for high energy density dielectric materials. Previous testing has shown that the dielectric constant of these materials was as high as 1000 and dielectric breakdown strength up to 800 kV/cm. This did not, however, result in exceptional energy density (~ 0.90 J/cm3). In order to increase overall energy density refining agents can be added to the melt, but the nucleation and growth of the ceramic particles can also play a role. Therefore, in this study the crystallization kinetics were observed to more fully understand how the barium strontium titanate (BST) phase forms so that the optimal energy density could be achieved. It was found that the activation energy was 400 -430 kJ/mol, while the average Avrami parameter was 2.2 -2.5 for BST 70/30 with various additives. The activation energy is close to the disassociation of the Si-O bonds, while crystallization most likely occurs in the bulk with the mechanism of growth being interface controlled.
Modeling and parametric studies of heat transfer in a direct-fired continuous reheating furnace

A mathematical system model of a direct-fired continuous reheating furnace has been developed. The furnace is modeled as several well-stirred gas zones with one-dimensional (1-D) heat conduction in the refractory walls and two-dimensional heat transfer in the load. The load travels either parallel or counterflow to the combustion gases which enter the furnace throughout its length. The convective heat-transfer rate to the load and refractory surfaces is calculated using existing correlations from the literature. Radiative heat exchange within the furnace is calculated using Hottel’s zone method by considering the radiant energy exchange between the load, the combustion gases, and the refractories. The nongray characteristics of the combustion gases are considered by using a four-gray gas model to treat the mixture as a radiatively participating medium. An extensive parametric investigation has been completed to determine the furnace design and operating characteristics that lead to optimum furnace efficiency. The parametric investigations included in this paper study the effects of the load and refractory emissivities and the height of the combustion space on the thermal performance of the furnace.
Studies on desglycinamide arginine vasopressin and scopolamine in a modified/lever-touch autoshaping model of learning/memory in rats

Abstract Vasopressin administration has been reported to improve acquisition and retard extinction of both conditioned avoidance and food-reinforced behavioral tasks. In the present experiment the effects of a vasopressin analog (DGAVP) and scopolamine (SCOP) were tested in an autoshaped lever-touch model of learning and memory. Rats were food-deprived to 80% of original body weights and tested in modular cages which contained a retractable lever that was presented on a random interval 48 sec schedule. The lever retracted after 15 sec or when it was touched, at which time one 45 mg food pellet was delivered. Subcutaneous injection of 10 μg/kg DGAVP 1 hr prior to acquisition and extinction sessions did not alter responding compared to saline controls. DGAVP at doses of 10, 20, and 30 μg/kg also failed to affect responding in a more difficult task which included an 8 sec delay between lever retraction and reinforcement. Homozygous Brattleboro rats, which are deficient in vasopressin, did not differ from normal heterozygous littermates in the acquisition of the lever-touch response. Intraperitoneal injection of SCOP (0.1–0.8 mg/kg) 30 min prior to testing caused a dose-related impairment of acquisition compared to saline controls, but did not alter responding in animals which had previously acquired the lever-touch response. These data suggest that manipulations of vasopressin do not affect, while SCOP impairs, the acquisition of a positively reinforced lever-touch response in rats.
Electron impact fragmentations of 1‐ and 3‐aryl‐3‐buten‐1‐ols

The electron impact fragmentation of 1- and 3-aryl-3-buten-1-ols show several distinguishing fragmentations. α-Cleavage predominates in the fragmentation of the 1-aryl-3-buten-1-ols to such an extent that molecular ions of only low intensity are observed. The ion resulting from α-cleavage fragments readily with the loss of the ring substituent to the phenyl ion. An intense molecular ion is observed in the 3-aryl series and a loss of 70 u is a major fragmentation in this series. Based on deuterium labeling studies, this unique fragmentation was explained by a hydroxylic hydrogen migration to the ring accompanied by the loss of allene and formaldehyde. Other major fragmentations observed in the 3-aryl series are: a McLafferty-type rearrangement (loss of formaldehyde), loss of 33 u (water + methyl radical), and the loss of 43 u (C2H3O and C3H7). The proposed mechanisms have been substantiated by deuterium labeling and high resolution mass spectrometry. Substituent effects play a major role in the 3-aryl series, but are insignificant in the 1-aryl series.
Rigid square inclusion embedded within an epoxy disk: asymptotic stress analysis

Abstract The asymptotically singular stress state found at the tip of a rigid, square inclusion embedded within a thin, linear elastic disk has been determined for both uniform cooling and an externally applied pressure. Since these loadings are symmetric, the singular stress field is characterized by a single stress intensity factor Ka, and the applicable Ka calibration relationship has been determined for both a fully bonded inclusion and an unbonded inclusion with frictionless sliding. A lack of interfacial bonding has a profound effect on inclusion-tip stress fields. When the inclusion is fully bonded, radial compression dominates in the region directly in front of the inclusion tip and there is negligible tensile hoop stress. When the inclusion is unbonded the radial stress at the inclusion tip is again compressive, but now the hoop tensile stress is of equal magnitude. Consequently, an epoxy disk containing an unbonded inclusion appears to be more likely to crack when cooled than a disk containing a fully bonded inclusion. Elastic–plastic calculations show that when the inclusion is unbonded, encapsulant yielding has a significant effect on the inclusion-tip stress state. Yielding relieves stress parallel to the interface and greatly reduces the radial compressive stress in front of the inclusion. As a result, the encapsulant is subjected to a nearly uniaxial tensile stress at the inclusion tip. For a typical high-strength epoxy, the calculated yield zone is embedded within the region dominated by the elastic hoop stress singularity. A limited number of tests have been carried out to determine if encapsulant cracking can be induced by cooling a specimen fabricated by molding a square, steel insert within a thin epoxy disk. Test results are in qualitative agreement with analysis. Cracks developed only in disks with mold-released inserts, and the tendency for cracking increased with inclusion size.
On Evidence: A Reply to Bar-Hillel and Margalit

In 'Concepts of Evidence' (Mind, January I978), I argue that both of these definitions, as well as a non-probability definition closely associated with Hanson's account of retroduction and with simple hypotheticodeductive views, are inadequate. I then propose what I take to be a more promising definition. With fervour, but not always with an accurate reading of my paper, Maya Bar-Hillel and Avishai. Margalit (Mind, October I979) defend the 'increase in probability' definition (i) above and jettison my account. (All of us seem to be agreed that definition (z) is not adequate.) They claim (p. 58I) that the reason I find that definition (i) does not provide a sufficient condition for evidence is that it fails to satisfy the requirements of my own definition. This is a misreading of my paper. What I do argue is that there are counter-examples to definition (I) construed as a sufficient condition. (The interested reader should consult pp. 28-29 of my paper for the 'lottery', 'Cadillac', and 'Mark Spitz' examples.) For some reason Bar-Hillel and Margalit do not mention these counterexamples or reply to them. I also argue, by appeal to Popper's 'paradox of ideal evidence', that (I) fails to provide a necessary condition for evidence. Here, again, the authors refrain from mentioning the particular example I employ, but instead use Popper's original example (which is not suitable for my purposes). In my example, b is the background information that in the first 5000 spins of this roulette wheel the ball landed on numbers other than 3 approximately 35 /36ths of the time; e is the information that in the second 5OOO spins the ball did the same thing; and h is the hypothesis that on the IO,OOIst spin the ball will land on a number other than 3. I claimed that e is evidence that h, despite the fact that p(h, e & b)p(h, b) = 35/36-which violates definition (i). Bar-Hillel and Margalit accuse me (and Popper in his different example) of failing to distinguish evidence that the probability of h is whatever it is from evidence that h (p. 582). Popper's example may be subject to this criticism, but the above example is not. I take e to be evidence that on the io,ooist spin the ball will land on a number other than 3. (Whether it is also evidence that the probability of this happening is 35/36 is not of concern to me in the
Cholesterol and bile acid synthesis: Utilization of D2O for metabolic studies

Human fibroblasts and hepatoma (Hep G2) cells were grown in media containing 25% D2O. Cholesterol extracted from the cells and bile acids obtained from the media were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Fibroblasts that were transferred serially in media containing D2O continued to grow and to synthesize cholesterol enriched in deuterium. The observed distribution of deuterium-enriched species of cholesterol corresponded to a distribution that was calculated based on C = 27, 13C = 1.107%, D2O/H2O = 0.25, hydrogen derived from water = 20, and is in agreement with the concept that deuterium incorporation occurs randomly and represents mostly the NADPD/NADPH ratio in the medium. The deuterium enrichment of cholesterol from hepatoma cells indicated a shift of the most abundant species from m/z 373 to m/z 375, which corresponds more closely to the derivation of 25 hydrogens from water and implies the formation of deuterated acetate in the medium. Analysis of chenodeoxycholic acid, the predominant bile acid synthesized by Hep G2 cells in vitro, indicates its derivation from both pre-formed and newly synthesized cholesterol and that A ring transformation from cholesterol utilizes deuterium derived from water. Analysis of the bile acids derived from hamster bile following the administration of D2O confirms that similar events occur in vivo.
Rolling horizon algorithms for a single-machine dynamic scheduling problem with sequence-dependent setup times

We present a family of rolling horizon heuristics to minimize maximum lateness on a single machine in the presence of sequence-dependent setup times. This problem occurs as a subproblem in a decomposition procedure for more complicated job shop scheduling problems. The procedures solve a sequence of subproblems to optimality with a branch and bound algorithm and implements only part of the solution obtained. The size and number of the subproblems are controlled by algorithm parameters. Extensive computational experiments show that these procedures outperform myopic dispatching rules by an order of magnitude, both on average and in the worst case, in very reasonable computation times.
Modern iron isotope perspective on the benthic iron shuttle and the redox evolution of ancient oceans

The increase in atmospheric oxygen ca. 2.4 Ga had a significant impact on the geochemical cycling of Fe. The history of environmental oxygenation may be recorded in the Fe isotope composition of Archean and Proterozoic sediments, but this record cannot be interpreted accurately until we understand the mechanisms causing isotope variations. Here we present Fe isotope data and iron/aluminum ratios from the Black Sea oxic shelf and euxinic basin. The isotope data demonstrate that shelf Fe is depleted in the lighter isotope compared to both the detrital weathering input and the sediments of the euxinic basin. We propose that there is net transport of isotopically light Fe from sediments of the shelf to those of the distal, anoxic basin, consistent with enrichments in reactive Fe seen in the deep basin. The low δ 56 Fe benthic Fe flux is generated during the coupling of microbial Fe(III) reduction or sulfidization with Fe 2+ aq oxidation. Low δ 56 Fe values reported previously from Late Archean sedimentary pyrites may be an isotopic fingerprint of analogous Fe redox cycling in the Late Archean oceans. This interpretation implies shallow-water Fe redox recycling in the Late Archean. We predict that the light isotopic compositions of the Late Archean will prove to be distinct from those of the Early Archean, before Fe redox cycling became an important process, and we infer that this difference may be related to the presence of oxygen in the surface ocean.
Fluorathene induces programmed cell death and alters growth of immature B cell populations in bone marrow cultures

Abstract Many studies have demonstrated that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons adversely affect mature mammalian immune systems. However, little is known about the cellular mechanism(s) mediating this immunosuppression or the potential for these ubiquitous environmental chemicals to similarly compromise lymphocyte development (lymphopoiesis). Murine bone marrow cultures were exploited in the present studies to evaluate the potential for fluoranthene, a mutagenic, cocarcinogenic, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, to modulate B cell lymphopoiesis. In this well characterized system, interactions between immature bone marrow-derived precursor B (preB) cells and bone marrow-derived stromal cells closely mimic preB-stromal cell interaction in vivo and resemble interactions between other bone marrow-derived hematopoietic cells and their supporting stroma. Data presented herein indicate that: (i) fluoranthene suppresses B lymphopoiesis within 2 days in bone marrow cultures; (ii) fluoranthene suppresses lymphopoiesis at least in part by direct interactions with preB cells; (iii) fluoranthene lymphotoxicity is mediated by rapid induction of DNA fragmentation characteristic of programmed cell death (apoptosis) and (iv) preB cell populations surviving the initial death signal or preB cell populations exposed to lower doses of fluoranthene (0.5–5 μg/ml) exhibit altered growth and survival characteristics. The data suggest several levels at which fluoranthene could compromise B lymphopoiesis.
Screening for venous thromboembolism in traumatic brain injury: limitations of D-dimer assay.

Abstract Meythaler JM, Fisher WS, Rue LW, Johnson A, Davis L, Brunner RC. Screening for venous thromboembolism in traumatic brain injury: limitations of D-dimer assay. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2003;84:285-90. Objectives: To assess whether 2 different D-dimer fibrin degradation assays[mdash ]a second-generation latex immunosorbent agglutination (LIA) and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)[mdash ]are predictive for the development of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) at the currently accepted level of 500[mu ]g/L of D-dimer assay during the first weeks after traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to correlate over 8 weeks the second-generation LIA assay with the ELISA assay after acute TBI. Design: A case series of persons with TBI were screened for DVT at 2 weeks ([plusmn]3d) using real-time, spectral Doppler ultrasound, as well as D-dimer fibrin split products. All persons were rescreened at 4, 6, and 8 weeks ([plusmn]3d) after injury using D-dimer LIA and ELISA assays. Setting: A university hospital with a directly connected comprehensive in- and outpatient rehabilitation center that are part of the Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems. Participants: Over 3 years, 35 TBI subjects with a mean Glasgow Coma Scale score of 6.5 were consecutively enrolled into the trial while on acute care. Persons were at least 16 years of age with no history of treatment for DVT. Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures: Data were analyzed for the levels of D-dimer and risk as established by a predictive value of 500[mu ]g/L. Changes in D-dimer values over time and within subjects were assessed by analysis of variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures, and the methods were correlated. Results: The mean LIA level at 2 weeks was 4.3mg/L and averaged 1.6mg/L at 8 weeks from injury ( P =.012, ANOVA), and the ELISA dropped from 4748[mu ]g/L to 1695[mu ]g/L ( P =.0022, ANOVA). Except for 1 ELISA value in 1 patient, D-dimer levels were elevated beyond 500[mu ]g/L at 2 weeks. There was a very good correlation between the LIA and the ELISA at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks after TBI ( P [lt ].0001). In individual cases, there were only occasional discrepancies between the LIA and ELISA methods. There were no positive DVTs at 2 weeks using ultrasound, so prediction of the sensitivity and the specificity of D-dimer with DVT was not possible. Conclusion: Using the currently recommended levels of D-dimer to predict DVT is not clinically useful in the acute TBI population. [copy ] 2003 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
918-22 Effect of Non-target Lesion Events on the Predictive Value of 6-Month Angiography for Late (12 Month) Clinical Outcome After PTCA

To determine whether the observed discordance between late angiographic and clinical outcomes in clinical restenosis studies (European angiopeptin: clinical but not angiographic benefit; CAVEAT: angiographic but not clinical benefit) is affected by the occurrence of late non-target lesion events (death, myocardial infarction [MI], or remote-site revascularization), we reviewed the outcomes of 1061 successfully-treated patients (l50% stenosis and no death, MI, CABG or repeat PTCA l14 days) enrolled in the American Angiopeptin restenosis study, a randomized restenosis trial of placebo vs bolus subcutaneous angiopeptin (no effect). During the 12-month follow-up period, major cardiac events (death [1.2%], Ml [2.7%], or any revascularization [31.9%]) occurred in 34.4% of patients. Target-lesion revascularization (TLRI (PTCA or CABG based on clinical sites assessment of symptom status and angiography) was required in 25.4% patients; non-TLR (remote sitesl was performed in 12.3%. Angiographic follow-up (FUI was obtained ≤6 months after PTCA and quantitative analysis (ImageComm) was performed. A Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve was constructed to determine the predictive value of the FU % stenosis for TLR and any late cardiac event (Figure). The predictive value of FU % stenosis was higher for TLR (≤50%: sensitivity, 87%; specificity, 78%) than for any cardiac event(≥50% stenosis: sensitivity, 72%; specificity, 79%). attributable to the occurrence of non-TLR events. We conclude that: 11 clinical and angiographic outcomes are correlated when TLR is used as an endpoint for clinical restenosis; and 21 nontarget lesion events may contribute to the observed discordance between angiographic and clinical outcomes within the 12 months following PTCA.
Disparolone, a novel tumor inhibitor derived from the gypsy mothPortheria dispar (L.)

Disparolon, als neue tumorhemmende Verbindung von Weibchen des Schwammspinners,Porthetria dispar L., wurde isoliert und als 7-Oxohexadec-cis-10-enol-(1) identifiziert und synthetisch dargestellt. Die Verbindung ist gegen Walker Karzinosarkom 256 in Ratten aktiv.
Uptake of (-) 3H-norepinephrine by storage vesicles prepared from whole rat brain: properties of the uptake system and its inhibition by drugs.

Abstract Neurotransmitter storage vesicles were isolated from rat brain by differential centrifugation and the uptake of (−) 3H-norepinephrine was determined in vitro . Uptake showed a marked temperature dependence, an absolute requirement for ATP-Mg2+, and was inhibited in vitro by reserpine. Uptake was linear for 5 min at 30°, but not at 37°. The uptake was saturable and displayed a single Km value of 4 × 10−7 M. Other phenylamines and indoleamines displayed competitive inhibition of norepinephrine uptake; the affinities followed the rank order: reserpine>harmaline>serotonin>epinephrine> dopamine>norepinephrine>metaraminol. Uptake was reduced in vesicles isolated from rats treated intracisternally with 6-hydroxydopamine but not from rats treated with 5,6-dihydroxytryptamine, suggesting that most of the uptake occurs in catecholaminergic, and not serotonergic, vesicles. This method provides a ready characterization of pharmacologic effects on rat brain storage vesicle properties, as demonstrated by the prompt and complete inhibition of uptake in vitro after administration of reserpine in vivo .
Factors Influencing the Higher Education Decisions of Criminal Justice Professionals

Criminal justice professionals are a potential source of students for many criminal justice programs, especially those in metropolitan areas. This study explored factors that influenced the higher education decisions of 480 Northwestern Ohio criminal justice employees (e.g., municipal police officers, sheriff deputies, jail staff, and prison staff). Most indicated a desire to pursue higher education. Among those indicating an interest in earning a degree, cost and convenience were the most significant factors in their choice. The availability of evening and weekend classes, availability of a part-time curriculum, availability of financial aid/tuition reimbursement, total credit hours required for the degree, the field experience of faculty, and flexibility in admission requirements were all significant factors. Location was also very significant. Most respondents indicated that they would not travel more than thirty minutes to attend classes.
Is public discourse about language policy really public discourse about immigration? A corpus-based study

The pluralist narrative of language policies suggests that language policies are influenced by public perceptions of immigrants (Darder 2004; Gonzalez 2000; Pavlenko 2002; Valdes 1997). This paper investigates the relationship between newspaper discourse about language policies and newspaper discourse about immigration. It asks how much key, lexical overlap exists between the discourses. This study compared Arizona newspaper corpora representing discourse about language policies and discourse about immigration to evaluate the degree of similarity in discourses. Keyword analysis, identifying unusually frequent words, was used to assess the degree of important semantic overlap across topic-based corpora. Four topic-based corpora were constructed from the newspapers published between January 1999 and October 2007. Surprisingly, little key, lexical overlap was found between language policy corpora and immigration corpora. In light of the findings, advantages and limitations of various methodologies for language policy questions are discussed—corpus-based methods in particular.
Dynamics and unexpected localization of the plakin binding protein, kazrin, in mouse eggs and early embryos

The cell uses the cytoskeleton in virtually every aspect of cell survival and function. One primary function of the cytoskeleton is to connect to and stabilize intercellular junctions. To accomplish this task, microtubules, actin filaments, and intermediate filaments utilize cytolinker proteins, which physically bind the cytoskeletal filament to the core proteins of the adhesion junction. The plakin family of linker proteins have been in the spotlight recently as critical components for embryo survival and, when mutated, the cause of diseases such as muscular dystrophy and cardiomyopathies. Here, we reveal the dynamics of a recently discovered plakin binding protein, kazrin (kaz), during early mouse development. Kaz was originally found in adult tissues, primarily epidermis, linking periplakin to the plasma membrane and colocalizing with desmoplakin in desmosomes. Using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, Western blots, and confocal microscopy, we found kaz in unfertilized eggs associated with the spindle apparatus and cytoskeletal sheets. As quickly as 5 min after egg activation, kaz relocates to a diffuse peri-spindle position, followed 20-30 min later by clear localization to the presumptive cytokinetic ring. Before the blastocyst stage of development, kaz associates with the nuclear matrix in a cell cycle-dependent manner, and also associates with the cytoplasmic actin cytoskeleton. After blastocyst formation, kaz localization and potential function(s) become highly complex as it is found associating with cell-cell junctions, the cytoskeleton, and nucleus. Postimplantation stages of development reveal that kaz retains a multifunctional, tissue-specific role as it is detected at diverse locations in various embryonic tissue types.
Assuring Access to Data for Chemical Evaluations

Background: A database for studies used for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) pesticide and chemical reviews would be an excellent resource for increasing transparency and improving systematic assessments of pesticides and chemicals. There is increased demand for disclosure of raw data from studies used by the U.S. EPA in these reviews. Objectives: Because the Information Quality Act (IQA) of 2001 provides an avenue for request of raw data, we reviewed all IQA requests to the U.S. EPA in 2002–2012 and the U.S. EPA’s responses. We identified other mechanisms to access such data: public access databases, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), and reanalysis by a third party. Discussion: Only two IQA requests to the U.S. EPA were for raw data. Both of these were fulfilled under FOIA, not the IQA. Barriers to the U.S. EPA’s proactive collection of all such data include costs to the U.S. EPA and researchers, significant time burdens for researchers, and major regulatory delays. The U.S. EPA regulatory authority in this area is weak, especially for research conducted in the past, not funded by the U.S. government, and/or conducted abroad. The U.S. EPA is also constrained by industry confidential business information (CBI) claims for regulatory testing data under U.S. chemical and pesticide laws. The National Institutes of Health Clinical Trials database systematically collects statistical data about clinical trials but not raw data; this database may be a model for data from studies of chemicals and pesticides. Conclusions: A database that registers studies and obtains systematic sets of parameters and results would be more feasible than a system that attempts to make all raw data available proactively. Such a proposal would not obviate rights under the IQA to obtain raw data at a later point.
Remembering the Destruction of Muoroto: Slum Demolitions, Land and Democratisation in Kenya

‘Displacement is only a symptom of deeper causes …’ (Francis Deng) Since colonial times, violent urban displacements have been part of politics in Africa. As ‘Operation Sweep up the Rubbish’, the m...
Idiopathic cardiomyopathy in children.

This report describes 27 cases of a clinical cardiomyopathic syndrome in clinically well children. Physical findings regularly observed include an abnormal left ventricular impulse, a prominent X and Y descent in the jugular venous pulse, and a characteristic, acquired, systolic murmur. These are associated with the laboratory findings of an enlarged left ventricle by electrocardiogram and x-ray. This syndrome may be the earliest manifestation of cardiomyopathic states, such as idiopathic myocardial hypertrophy or hypertrophic outflow tract obstruction, which usually appear in the third decade of life and beyond. The frequency of cases found suggests that the latter diseases, which are relatively rare, are possibly only the more malignant representatives of a broad spectrum of cardiomyopathic states.
Hydrostatic Pressure in Articular Cartilage Tissue Engineering: From Chondrocytes to Tissue Regeneration

Cartilage has a poor intrinsic healing response, and neither the innate healing response nor current clinical treatments can restore its function. Therefore, articular cartilage tissue engineering is a promising approach for the regeneration of damaged tissue. Because cartilage is exposed to mechanical forces during joint loading, many tissue engineering strategies use exogenous stimuli to enhance the biochemical or biomechanical properties of the engineered tissue. Hydrostatic pressure (HP) is emerging as arguably one of the most important mechanical stimuli for cartilage, although no optimal treatment has been established across all culture systems. Therefore, this review evaluates prior studies on articular cartilage involving the use of HP, with a particular emphasis on the treatments that appear promising for use in future studies. Additionally, this review addresses HP bioreactor design, chondroprotective effects of HP, the use of HP for chondrogenic differentiation, the effects of high pressures, and HP mechanotransduction.
Effect of pH and Layer Charge on Formation Damage in Porous Media Containing Swelling Clays

The effect of pH and layer charge on the swelling, migration of clay particles, and resulting permeability reduction due to changes in salt concentration has been studied. Porous media containing swelling clays exhibit a drastic decrease in permeability when subjected to salinity changes under acidic conditions. Experiments suggest that this reduction in permeability is caused by macroscopic swelling and release of clay aggregates. The critical salt concentration of sodium chloride at which the transition from crystalline to osmotic swelling regimes occurs is shown to be independent of pH for Wyoming montmorillonite. The layer charge of the clays is also shown to influence the critical salt concentration at which the transition occurs. A 30% reduction in layer charge of Wyoming montmorillonite is sufficient to collapse the clays irreversibly. These effects of pH and layer charge on the critical salt concentration are explained using a surface complex model that predicts the diffuse layer charge as a funct...
Enzyme-etching technique to fabricate micropatterns of aligned collagen fibrils

A technique to tailor-make pre-coated, pre-aligned bovine collagen fibrils, derived from neonatal cardiomyocytes, on the surface of a glass slide into a designated pattern is reported. The unwanted collagen-coated area was erased by a collagenase solution and the tailored area was retained by attaching a microfabricated polydimethylsiloxane stamp directly to the collagen-coated surface. Using this technique, collagen patterns with designated orientations and with clear pattern boundaries and defined shapes were fabricated.
Binding of insecticides to serum proteins in mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis).

Abstract 1. Incubation of various organochlorine insecticides with mosquitofish serum leads to their association with, primarily, the vitellogenin/lipoprotein and albumin fractions. 2. A significant variation in the quantity of each insecticide bound in the particular fractions was observed. Binding appeared to increase with compounds of increasing polarity, suggestive of protein binding. 3. Preincubation of serum with endrin or aldrin significantly reduced the quantity of [ 3 H]DDT subsequently bound while the reverse was not observed. 4. Although the reason for the apparent quantitative decrease in binding is unknown, the reduction in binding of a particular xenobiotic, due to the presence of a second, has serious toxicological implications.
Breast cancer cell growth inhibition by phenethyl isothiocyanate is associated with down‐regulation of oestrogen receptor‐α36

The dietary isothiocyanates (ITCs) exhibit strong chemopreventive activities for a variety of neoplasms including breast cancer. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying ITC function in breast cancer cells have not been well established. Here, we found that phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) acted more potently than the ‘pure’ anti-oestrogen ICI 182,780 to inhibit the growth of oestrogen receptor (ER)+ breast cancer MCF7 and H3396 cells and ER– MDA-MB-231 and SK-BR-3 cells. PEITC reduced the steady state levels of ER-α and its novel variant, ER-α36 in a dose-and time-dependent manner and inhibited oestrogen-induced activation of the mitogen activated protein kinase/ERK 1/2 signaling pathway. However, ICI 182,780 that is potent in destabilization of ER-α protein, failed to down-regulate ER-α36. Our results thus demonstrated that PEITC functions as a more potent ER-α‘disruptor’ than the well-known ICI 182,780 to abrogate ER-mediated mitogenic oestrogen signaling in breast cancer cells, which provides a molecular explanation for the strong growth inhibitory activity of ITCs in breast cancer cells, and a rational for further exploration of ITCs as chemopreventive agents for human mammary carcinogenesis.
The mechanism of solubilization in detergent solutions

Abstract The kinetics of the solubilization of lauric acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, and monopalmitin have been studied in detergent solutions as a function of concentration, temperature, and fluid flow. The detergents used were sodium dodecyl sulfate (an anionic surfactant), decyltrimethylammonium bromide (a cationic surfactant), sodium taurocholate (a trihydroxy bile salt), sodium taurodeoxycholate (a dihydroxy bile salt), and Triton X-100 (a nonionic surfactant). At low temperature, solubilization can be described by a five-step mechanism in which micelle desorption and diffusion are rate controlling. At temperatures above the fatty acid penetration temperature, solubilization is governed by formation of a liquid crystalline phase at the fatty acid-detergent solution interface.
Acute VEGF Effect on Solute Permeability of Mammalian Microvessels in Vivo

Abstract To investigate the effect of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) on solute permeability of mammalian microvessels, we measured the apparent permeability ( P ) of various-sized solutes on the postcapillary venules of rat mesentery in vivo. Exposure to 1 nM VEGF transiently increased P from a mean of 1.4 (±0.11 SE, n = 17) to a peak of 2.8 (±0.28 SE) × 10 −5 cm/s, a 2.4-fold increase for small solute sodium fluorescein (Stokes radius 0.45 nm), from a mean of 0.44 (±0.05 SE, n = 16) to a peak of 1.5 (±0.19 SE) × 10 − 5 cm/s, a 3.6-fold increase for intermediate-sized solute α-lactalbumin (Stokes radius 2.01 nm), from a mean of 0.049 (±0.0032 SE, n = 16) to a peak of 0.36 (±0.032 SE) × 10 −5 cm/s, a 7.9-fold increase for large solute bovine serum albumin (Stokes radius 3.55 nm), within 30 s. In approximately 2 min, all increased P returned to the baseline values. The response pattern of P to VEGF and the ratios of the peak to control values for rat mesenteric microvessels are similar to those of frog mesenteric microvessels [Am. J. Physiol.: Heart Circ. Physiol. 284 (2003) H2124]. Instead of considerable heterogeneity in the frog mesenteric microvessels, the acute response to 1 nM VEGF is homogeneous in the rat mesenteric microvessels.
Gain-of-Function Mutations in the Caenorhabditis elegans lin-1 ETS Gene Identify a C-Terminal Regulatory Domain Phosphorylated by ERK MAP Kinase

Genetic analysis of lin-1 loss-of-function mutations suggests that lin-1 controls multiple cell-fate decisions during Caenorhabditis elegans development and is negatively regulated by a conserved receptor tyrosine kinase-Ras-ERK mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase signal transduction pathway. LIN-1 protein contains an ETS domain and presumably regulates transcription. We identified and characterized six gain-of-function mutations that define a new class of lin-1 allele. These lin-1 alleles appeared to be constitutively active and unresponsive to negative regulation. Each allele has a single-base change that affects the predicted C terminus of LIN-1, suggesting this region is required for negative regulation. The C terminus of LIN-1 was a high-affinity substrate for Erk2 in vitro, suggesting that LIN-1 is directly regulated by ERK MAP kinase. Because mpk-1 ERK MAP kinase controls at least one cell-fate decision that does not require lin-1, our results suggest that MPK-1 contributes to the specificity of this receptor tyrosine kinase-Ras-MAP kinase signal transduction pathway by phosphorylating different proteins in different developmental contexts. These lin-1 mutations all affect a four-amino-acid motif, FQFP, that is conserved in vertebrate and Drosophila ETS proteins that are also phosphorylated by ERK MAP kinase. This sequence may be a substrate recognition motif for the ERK subfamily of MAP kinases.
A sampling-based approach to probabilistic pursuit evasion

Probabilistic roadmaps (PRMs) are a sampling-based approach to motion-planning that encodes feasible paths through the environment using a graph created from a subset of valid positions. Prior research has shown that PRMs can be augmented with useful information to model interesting scenarios related to multi-agent interaction and coordination.
An Examination of Version-5 Rainfall Estimates from the TRMM Microwave Imager, Precipitation Radar, and Rain Gauges on Global, Regional, and Storm Scales

An evaluation of the version-5 precipitation radar (PR; algorithm 2A25) and Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Microwave Imager (TMI; algorithm 2A12) rainfall products is performed across the Tropics in two ways: 1) by comparing long-term TRMM rainfall products with Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC) global rain gauge analyses and 2) by comparing the rainfall estimates from the PR and TMI on a rainfall feature-by-feature basis within the narrow swath of the PR using a 1-yr database of classified precipitation features (PFs). The former is done to evaluate the overall biases of the TMI and PR relative to ‘‘ground truth’’ to examine regional differences in the estimates; the latter allows a direct comparison of the estimates with the same sampling area, also identifying relative biases as a function of storm type. This study finds that the TMI overestimates rainfall in most of the deep Tropics and midlatitude warm seasons over land with respect to both the GPCC gauge analysis and the PR (which agrees well with the GPCC gauges in the deep Tropics globally), in agreement with past results. The PR is generally higher than the TMI in midlatitude cold seasons over land areas with gauges. The analysis by feature type reveals that the TMI overestimates relative to the PR are due to overestimates in mesoscale convective systems and in most features with 85-GHz polarization-corrected temperature of less than 250 K (i.e., with a significant optical depth of precipitation ice). The PR tended to be higher in PFs without an ice-scattering signature of less than 250 K. Normalized for a subset of features with a large rain volume (exceeding 10 4 mm h21 km2) independent of the PF classification, features with TMI. PR in the Tropics tended to have a higher fraction of stratiform rainfall, higher IR cloud tops, more intense radar profiles and 85-GHz ice-scattering signatures, and larger rain areas, whereas the converse is generally true for features with PR . TMI. Subtropical-area PF bias characteristics tended not to have such a clear relationship (especially over the ocean), a result that is hypothesized to be due to the influence of more variable storm environments and the presence of frontal rain. Melting-layer effects in stratiform rain and a bias in the icescattering‐rain relationship were linked to the TMI producing more rainfall than the PR. However, noting the distinct characteristic biases Tropics-wide by feature type, this study reveals that accounting for regime-dependent biases caused by the differing horizontal and vertical morphologies of precipitating systems may lead to a reduction in systematic relative biases in a microwave precipitation algorithm.
Sol-gel Template Synthesis and Liquid CO2 Developed TiO2/CdS Composite Nanowire Arrays

TiO2/CdS composite nanowire (∼ 200 nm diameter and ∼ 50 μm length) arrays were successfully prepared by the sol-gel template method. An anticipated good nanowire arrays was obtained by using liquid or supercritical CO2 to develop the target materials in purification process. The morphology, crystallinity, and composition of the product was characterized by SEM, XRD, and EDX.
Emergency Subtotal Colectomy in a Jehovah’s Witness With Massive Lower Gastrointestinal Bleeding: Challenges Encountered and Lessons Learned

A 66-year-old woman who was a Jehovah's Witness had massive lower gastrointestinal bleeding and subsequent hypovolemic shock, necessitating a subtotal colectomy. During the postoperative period, her hemoglobin level decreased to a low of 2.6 g/dL, prolonging her dependence on mechanical ventilation. Prudent perioperative care resulted in a successful outcome. Blood-conserving techniques are indispensable in the management of Jehovah's Witnesses who have massive blood loss. Maximizing oxygen transport, minimizing blood loss, using a cell saver when permissible, providing optimal ventilatory support, performing tracheostomy early if prolonged mechanical ventilation is expected, and augmenting hemoglobin production with administration of iron and erythropoietin are techniques that can facilitate successful outcome in patients who refuse blood transfusion.