cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Unusual presentation of a left atrial tumour prolapsing beyond the aortic valve

A 76-year-old female presented with a persistent cough for 2 months. A new cardiac murmur prompted echocardiography, which revealed a long, pedunculated, highly mobile mass attached to the anterior wall of the mid left atrium (LA) that prolapsed into the left ventricle (LV) in diastole and through the left ventricular …
Safety Profile of Antihemophilic Factor (Recombinant), Plasma/Albumin-Free Method (rAHF-PFM) from Post-Authorization Safety Surveillance (PASS) Program.

ADVATE rAHF-PFM was licensed by the FDA in 2003 and the EMEA in 2004 based on studies of previously treated patients (PTPs) with FVIII levels ≤2%. Subsequent to licensure, a PASS program was launched to document rAHF-PFM experience during the first year of routine therapy in subjects with FVIII baseline levels ≤5%, irrespective of prior FVIII exposure or inhibitor history. As of May 25, 2007, a total of 537 subjects (519 male, 2 female, 16 unreported) were enrolled. Of these 537 subjects, 67 were previously untreated or minimally treated patients (PUPs/MTPs) (≤50 exposure days [EDs]), 444 PTPs (>50 EDs), and 26 subjects had an unknown prior exposure status at study entry. Furthermore, 451 had FVIII ≤2%, 62 FVIII >2% to ≤5%, 5 FVIII >5%, 19 unreported. At enrollment, 421 reported switching from recombinant FVIII therapies (343 first generation FL-rFVIII, 38 second generation FL-rFVIII, and 12 BDD-rFVIII), and 76 from plasma-derived-FVIII (34 VWF-containing pdFVIII). Sixty-four subjects had a history of an inhibitor; 33 underwent immune tolerance induction (ITI). Age cohorts were as follows: 0–2 years (n=29), 2–16 years (n=184), and ≥16 years (n=297); 27 were unreported. A total of 417 subjects completed the one-year observation period; 42 withdrew. Twenty AEs were judged at least possibly related to rAHF-PFM; 11 (mostly inhibitors) were rated as serious. Among 387 PTPs with baseline FVIII ≤2%, 2 recurrent, low-titer (1.4 BU and 1.5 BU) and 1 de novo , low-titer (1.4 BU) inhibitors were reported, providing an interim inhibitor risk estimate of 0.78% (95% CI: 0.16–2.25%). In the remaining PTPs, 1 de novo , high-titer (23 BU) inhibitor was reported in a 60-year-old man (FVIII >5%) following surgery, and 1 de novo , low-titer (4 BU) inhibitor, which disappeared 12 months later, developed in a 4-year-old boy (baseline FVIII=5%). Two high-titer inhibitors were reported in PUPs; 1 successfully eradicated with 5 weeks of ITI using rAHF-PFM (100 IU/kg QD). Other related serious AEs included 2 allergic reactions, 1 ineffective drug response in a subject with an inhibitor and ITI history, and 1 hemarthrosis secondary to trauma. Overall, 2771 new bleeds were recorded. Annual bleed rates were 4.3 and 8.3 among subjects on prophylactic and on-demand therapy, respectively. Of 259 subjects with physician-rated prophylaxis efficacy, 91% had only excellent/good ratings. Of 369 subjects with physician-rated bleed treatment efficacy, 94% had only excellent/good ratings. Ratings were comparable among subjects with an inhibitor history. Interim PASS results indicate rAHF-PFM is safe and effective in the management of hemophilia A patients, including those typically excluded from controlled clinical trials.
Recovery Schools Rise to the Challenge: Shifting Alcohol Norms and Behaviors in Youth and Emerging Adults

Alcohol is a huge challenge for youth and therefore for the field of social work. The confluence of biopsychosocial factors place youth at risk. Early initiation to alcohol use is a serious risk factor for depression, anxiety, and suicide. The focus of this article is on the collaborative use of resources and evidence-based practices and innovative mechanisms for shifting youth mores around alcohol and providing alternative peer groups, especially in abstinence-hostile settings, such as high schools and college campuses. Recovery schools are drawing national attention and becoming a part of the fabric of the advancing recovery movement for youth. This article discusses the Recovery School movement; its impact on youth, families, and communities; and the impact it can have on the Social Work Grand Challenges. It culminates with a case study of a university community that demonstrates how lives and norms around alcohol can shift for youth and young adults.
The genetics of cattle.

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a description of the chromosome number, color inheritance, inbreeding, and other genetic characterestics of cattle. Information about the genetics of cattle has been acquired largely by studying the data that could be found concerning the resemblances between relatives. In cattle, it is sometimes possible, after a hypothesis has been devised, to make matings designed expressly to test this hypothesis and to interpret the results with no more elaborate statistical treatment than a χ 2 test. Most of the literature on cattle genetics interprets the results of matings made for some other purpose than as part of planned genetic experiments. The completeness of the findings and the validity of their interpretation are usually limited by one or more of the following circumstances: (1) the number of offspring that can be obtained from each mating is small, (2) the interval between generations is long– about five years, (3) the information on collateral relatives is often incomplete, (4) often the environmental conditions are not well controlled, either physically or statistically, (5) critical test matings are rarely conducted, although sometimes diligent search will reveal some already made, (6) only the more conspicuous characteristics and the more exceptional occurrences of the same characteristic among several close relatives are likely to be reported to the geneticist for his investigation, and (7) the number of chromosomes in cattle cells is large.
Themes in Agency Case Histories

Going beyond the structural characteristics of these agencies and the demographics of the 12 directors, we need one additional type of context--a sense of history. In my interviews with each director and the 79 executives from the various contact agencies, I explored a variety of historical issues. Upon reviewing this information, three broad clusters of ideas emerged that pertained to (1) agency changes; (2) alterations in interorganizational relationships; and (3) shifts in community support and perceptions of community vulnerability. Let’s examine each of these contextual qualities briefly.
Bifenthrin inhibits neurite outgrowth in differentiating PC12 cells.

Background: Bifenthrin is a third generation member of the synthetic pyrethroid family of insecticides. As a new pesticide within a relatively new class of pesticides, bifenthrin is considered relatively safe. Here, we used the PC12 neuronal cell line to examine the effect of bifenthrin on the formation of neurites and the potential developmental neurotoxicity of this pesticide. Material/Methods: PC12 cells were exposed to varying concentrations of technical grade bifenthrin or Ortho Home Defense®. Cell viability was determined using the AlmarBlue Toxicity Assay. Nontoxic concentrations of these chemicals were concomitantly with nerve growth factor and neurite outgrowth was assessed. Results: Ortho Home Defense® preparation reduced PC12 cell viability by approximately 50% and 70% at dilutions that correlate to bifenthrin concentrations of 10 -5 M and 10 -4 M, respectively. In contrast, technical grade bifenthrin, was not toxic to PC12 cells at 10 -3 M, which was the highest concentration tested that was soluble. At "nontoxic" concentrations of 10 -7 M and 10 -6 M, the Ortho Home Defense® inhibited nerve growth factor-mediated neurite outgrowth by 30% and 55% respectively. Furthermore the nontoxic concentrations of technical grade bifenthrin of 10 -6 M and 10 -3 M inhibited neurite outgrowth by approximately 35% and 75% respectively. Conclusions: These data suggest that the toxicity of the Ortho Home Defense® preparation was due to the "inert" additives in the preparation and not the bifenthrin itself. Further, these data suggest that, even in the absence of overt toxicity, bifenthrin may have deleterious effects to developing nervous system.
Transcriptional Signaling Hubs in Epithelial Cells During Pneumonia

The respiratory surface is composed of heterogeneous epithelial cells with diverse cell-specific functions (Franks et al. 2008). The epithelium constitutes a barrier between the ambient environment and the internal milieu, and as such the epithelial cells help protect the body from bacteria and other materials that are inhaled or aspirated into the air spaces of the lung. Epithelial cells have constitutive activities that are clearly essential to host defense, including the elaboration of a surface lining fluid with chemical and physical properties that enhance antibacterial defense. In the airways, the mucociliary escalator traps inhaled materials and propels them out of the lungs, transporting them up the airways and past the glottis until they become swallowed and eliminated. This defense is a product of the airway epithelium, including coordinated efforts of glandular, secretory, and ciliated cells. The common and severe lung infections in patients with genetic defects influencing mucociliary escalator function, such as primary ciliary dyskinesia (Bush et al. 2007) or cystic fibrosis (Boucher 2007), highlight the critical role of this constitutive host defense system. In the alveoli, the type II cells basally secrete the lipid and protein components of the surfactant lining fluid. The surfactant proteins A and D are collectins with diverse host defense roles against bacteria, and the significance of these constitutive defenses are highlighted by the susceptibility to lung infection of mice with genetic deficiencies of surfactant proteins A or D (Wright 2005). Thus, the epithelial cells of the lung constitutively function to protect the lung from bacterial infection. When bacteria are too numerous or too virulent to be eliminated by constitutive defenses, recruited innate immune defenses are needed. These innate immune responses involve the integrated functions of structural elements such as lung epithelial cells and immune cells such as macrophages and neutrophils. This chapter will focus on the innate immune responses of lung epithelial cells, including their molecular regulation and contributions to mucosal immunology and tissue homeostasis during acute bacterial pneumonia. Specifically, we will highlight knowledge about two transcription factor signaling hubs which appear to be especially important to epithelial responses during pneumonia, NF-κB, and STAT3.
Murine SEC24D Can Substitute Functionally for SEC24C in vivo

The COPII component SEC24 mediates the recruitment of transmembrane cargoes or cargo adaptors into newly forming COPII vesicles on the ER membrane. Mammalian genomes encode four Sec24 paralogs (Sec24a-d), with two subfamilies based on sequence homology (SEC24A/B and C/D), though little is known about their comparative functions and cargo-specificities. Complete deficiency for Sec24d results in very early embryonic lethality in mice (before the 8 cell stage), with later embryonic lethality (E 7.5) observed in Sec24c null mice. To test the potential overlap in function between SEC24C/D, we employed dual recombinase mediated cassette exchange to generate a Sec24cc-d allele, in which the C-terminal 90% of SEC24C has been replaced by SEC24D coding sequence. In contrast to the embryonic lethality at E7.5 of SEC24C deficiency, Sec24cc-d/c-d pups survive to term, though dying shortly after birth. Sec24cc d/c-d pups are smaller in size, but exhibit no obvious developmental abnormality. These results suggest that tissue-specific and/or stage-specific expression of the Sec24c/d genes rather than differences in cargo function explain the early embryonic requirements for SEC24C and SEC24D.
Lit up and left dark: Failures of imagination in urban broadband networks:

The design and deployment of urban broadband infrastructures inscribe particular imaginations of Internet access onto city streets. The different manifestations and locations of these networks, the...
Cyber Schooling and the Accumulation of School Time.

Full-time virtual schools problematize what it means to ‘attend’ school. Is it the length of time a child is logged on to the school’s software system (regardless of the amount of work done), or th...
Pathophysiology of Neurally Mediated Syncope: Peripheral and Central Mechanisms

The neurally mediated syncopal syndromes (especially the “common” or vasovagal faint) have long been recognized as being among the most frequent causes of syncope in humans (Table 1; 1–7). Nonetheless, it is only recently (as the availability of tilt-table testing has increased physician awareness) that the pathophysiology and treatment of these syndromes have become the subject of widespread clinical interest (8–11).
Regulatory Targets of the Response Regulator RR_1586 from Clostridioides difficile Identified Using a Bacterial One-Hybrid Screen.

ABSTRACT The Clostridioides difficile R20291 genome encodes 57 response regulator proteins that, as part of two-component signaling pathways, regulate adaptation to environmental conditions. Genomic and transcriptomic studies in C. difficile have been limited, due to technical challenges, to the analysis of either high-throughput screens or high-priority targets, such as primary regulators of toxins or spore biology. We present the use of several technically accessible and generally applicable techniques to elucidate the putative regulatory targets of a response regulator, RR_1586, involved in sporulation of the hypervirulent C. difficile strain R20291. A DNA-binding specificity motif for RR_1586 was determined using a bacterial one-hybrid assay originally developed for Drosophila transcription factors. Comparative bioinformatics approaches identified and in vitro experiments confirmed RR_1586 binding sites upstream of putative target genes, including those that encode phosphate ion transporters, spermidine/putrescine biosynthesis and transport pathways, ABC type transport systems, known regulators of sporulation, and genes encoding spore structural proteins. Representative examples of these regulatory interactions have been tested and confirmed in Escherichia coli-based reporter assays. Finally, evidence of possible regulatory mechanisms is also presented. A working model includes self-regulation by RR_1586 and phosphorylation-dependent and -independent DNA binding at low- and high-fidelity binding sites, respectively. Broad application of this and similar approaches is anticipated to be an important catalyst for the study of gene regulation by two-component systems from pathogenic or technically challenging bacteria. IMPORTANCEClostridioides difficile spores survive under harsh conditions and can germinate into actively dividing cells capable of causing disease. An understanding of the regulatory networks controlling sporulation and germination in C. difficile could be exploited for therapeutic advantage. However, such studies are hindered by the challenges of working with an anaerobic pathogen recalcitrant to genetic manipulation. Although two-component response regulators can be identified from genetic sequences, identification of their downstream regulatory networks requires further development. This work integrates experimental and bioinformatic approaches, which provide practical advantages over traditional transcriptomic analyses, to identify the putative regulon of the C. difficile response regulator RR_1586 by first screening for protein-DNA interactions in E. coli and then predicting regulatory outputs in C. difficile.
Should We Separate the Pulmonary Surveillance Protocol for Postsurgical T1a and T1b Renal Cell Carcinoma? A Multicenter Database Analysis.

Abstract Objective To investigate the incidence of pulmonary metastases (PM) and the utility of the surveillance chest radiography (CXR) in detecting PM after curative treatment to better define surveillance recommendations for T1a and T1b renal cell carcinoma. Materials and Methods A retrospective review of a multi-institutional database was performed to include patients with renal masses treated with partial nephrectomy or radical nephrectomy. Patients were excluded for ≥T2 disease, benign pathology, and metastases. The primary outcome was the incidence of asymptomatic pulmonary lesion concerning for PM detected by CXR within 3 years. Results Five hundred sixty-eight patients met criteria of which 384 had T1a and 184 had T1b at a mean follow-up of 45 and 43 months, respectively. Patients averaged 2.96 and 2.99 CXRs for T1a and T1b with 46.8% having surveillance beyond 3 years. Indeterminate lesions were found in 5.7% (22) of T1a and 5.4% (10) in T1b of which 0.01% (2) and 1.1% (2) were confirmed PM by chest computed tomography and biopsy. Three-year CXR surveillance period detected asymptomatic PM in zero and two patients for T1a and T1b, respectively. High risk pathological features were not present in patients with PM. There was no difference in the incidence PM for patients undergoing partial nephrectomy (3/290) or radical nephrectomy (1/278) (P = .62). Conclusion Our review suggests that post-treatment pulmonary surveillance should be reserved for T1b and may not be required for T1a given the low yield and false positives of CXR leading to unnecessary radiation and potential biopsies.
Implementation of High-Performance Correlation and Mapping Engine for Rapid Generation of Brain Connectivity Networks from Big fMRI Data

With the emergence of the dynamic functional connectivity analysis, and the studies relying on real-time neurological feedback, the need for rapid processing methods becomes even more critical. Seed-based Correlation Analysis (SCA) of fMRI data has been used to create brain connectivity networks. With close to a million voxels in a fMRI dataset, the number of calculations involved in SCA becomes high. This work aims to demonstrate a new approach which produces high-resolution brain connectivity maps rapidly. The results show that HPCME with four FPGAs can improve the SCA processing speed by a factor of 40 or more over that of a PC workstation with a multicore CPU.
A steady-state thermoreflectance method to measure thermal conductivity

We demonstrate a steady-state thermoreflectance-based optical pump-probe technique to measure the thermal conductivity of materials using a continuous wave laser heat source. The technique works in principle by inducing a steady-state temperature rise in a material via long enough exposure to heating from a pump laser. A probe beam is then used to detect the resulting change in reflectance, which is proportional to the change in temperature at the sample surface. Increasing the power of the pump beam to induce larger temperature rises, Fourier’s law is used to determine the thermal conductivity. We show that this technique is capable of measuring the thermal conductivity of a wide array of materials having thermal conductivities ranging from 1 to >2000 W m−1 K−1, in excellent agreement with literature values.
Immobilization of Isocitrate Dehydrogenase on Mesoporous Silica Foam for Carbon Dioxide Capture

Carbon capture can be realized effectively through isocitrate dehydrogenase reaction and the reaction rate was strongly affected by the environmental parameters such as pH and temperature. Enzyme immobilization was conducted to improve the enzyme stability during the capture process. By simply adsorbing enzyme on the surface of mesoporous silica foam, enzyme stability against temperature, pH and shear stress was improved. The immobilization process can be completed in 5 mins, and 0.87 U enzyme activity was kept for each gram of immobilization material. After 10 cycles, more than 50 percent of enzyme activity remained. The reusability and improved stability made immobilized ICDH a better candidate for large-scale application of carbon capture.
Reducing Road Wear While Ensuring Comfort and Charging Constraints for Dynamically Charged Passenger Vehicles Through Noise-Shaped Path Variations

Dynamically charged vehicles suffer from power loss during wireless power transfer due to receiver and transmitter coil misalignment while driving. Autonomous, dynamically charged vehicles can maximize wireless power transfer by minimizing the misalignment, but the repeated high-precision driving increases road wear. To avoid unnecessary road wear and rutting, a noise shaping filter is proposed that adds variability to a vehicle's trajectory that complies with passenger acceleration and position constraints. However, introducing variability into an optimal charging path also risks depleting battery life prior to destination arrival. Therefore, a path planner is proposed that guarantees average charge within a specified probability and ensures rider comfort while reducing road wear.
Use of laser capture microdissection to derive poor prognosis gene expression signatures of epithelial abdominal malignant mesothelioma

e22098 Background: Prior work in abdominal malignant mesothelioma (AMM) has established a poor prognosis profile of biphasic AMM when compared to more favorable prognosis epithelial AMM. It is evid...
Clinicopathologic Characteristics, Treatment Outcomes, and Acquired Resistance Patterns of Atypical EGFR Mutations and HER2 Alterations in Stage IV Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer.

Abstract Background The clinicopathologic characteristics, acquired resistance patterns, and outcomes among patients with atypical EGFR mutations and HER2 alterations remain underexplored. Patients and Methods A single-center retrospective review was conducted. Oncogenes assessed include typical EGFR (t-EGFR; exon 19 del and L858R), atypical EGFR (a-EGFR; G719X, exon 20, L861Q), HER2 (exon 19, exon 20, amplifications), gene fusions (ALK, ROS1, RET), RAS (KRAS, NRAS), and RAF (BRAF V600E). Progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), disease control rate, and objective response rate (Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors 1.1) were collected. Results Among 570 patients, we found 55 a-EGFR mutations (13 G719X, 38 exon 20, 4 L861Q) and 31 HER2 alterations (2 exon 19 mutations, 27 exon 20 insertions, 2 amplifications). Patients with EGFR and HER2 alterations had increased lung and bone metastases relative to patients with gene fusions, RAS/RAF mutations, and no identified driver oncogenes (P Conclusion EGFR and HER2-mutated NSCLC have a high rate of synchronous lung and bone metastases. Patients with a-EGFR mutations have inferior responses to EGFR-directed therapies with lower rates of acquired T790M and MET amplification. Responses to ICIs are uniformly poor. Novel therapeutic approaches are needed.
Superjunction Power Transistors With Interface Charges: A Case Study for GaN

Recent progress in p-GaN trench-filling epitaxy has shown promise for the demonstration of GaN superjunction (SJ) devices. However, the presence of n-type interface charges at the regrowth interfaces has been widely observed. These interface charges pose great challenges to the design and performance evaluation of SJ devices. This work presents an analytical model for SJ devices with interface charges for the first time. In our model, two approaches are proposed to compensate interface charges, by the modulation of the SJ doping or the SJ geometry. Based on our model, an analytical study is conducted for GaN SJ transistors, revealing the design windows and optimal values of doping concentration and pillar width as a function of interface charge density. Finally, TCAD simulation is performed for vertical GaN SJ transistors, which validated our analytical model. Our results show that, with optimal designs, interface charges would only induce small degradation in the performance of GaN SJ devices. However, with the increased interface charge density, the design windows for pillar width and doping concentration become increasingly narrow and the upper limit in the pillar width window reduces quickly. When the interface charge density exceeds $\sim 3\times 10^{12}$ cm -2 , the design window of pillar width completely falls into the sub-micron range, indicating significant difficulties in fabrication. Vertical GaN SJ transistors with interface charges retain great advantages over conventional GaN power transistors, but have narrower design windows and require different design rules compared to ideal GaN SJ devices.
Diagnostic workup of acute leukemias of ambiguous lineage

Acute leukemias of ambiguous lineage (ALAL) comprise acute undifferentiated leukemias (AUL) and mixed-phenotype acute leukemias (MPAL). In the revised fourth edition of the World Health Organization (WHO) classification provided further refinements to the diagnostic criteria for ALAL. Molecular characterization of MPALs using comprehensive next-generation sequencing (NGS) has provided insights into their underlying biology and enabled a deeper understanding of ALAL classification. This review addresses the various components of pathologic assessment to establish a diagnosis of ALAL, and to further subclassify individual cases as AUL or MPAL, with an emphasis on the most up-to-date revisions to diagnostic criteria. In addition, key issues related to the detection of minimal residual disease (MRD) in ALALs and MPALs, and recently uncovered novel molecular diagnostic findings that may be helpful in better distinguishing various types of MPALs from each other, and from their "non-mixed" phenotypic correlates, are also discussed.
Alternative lengthening of telomeres: from molecular mechanisms to therapeutic outlooks

To escape replicative senescence, cancer cells have to overcome telomere attrition during DNA replication. Most of cancers rely on telomerase to extend and maintain telomeres, but 4–11% of cancers use a homologous recombination-based pathway called alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT). ALT is prevalent in cancers from the mesenchymal origin and usually associates with poor clinical outcome. Given its critical role in protecting telomeres and genomic integrity in tumor cells, ALT is an Achilles heel of tumors and an attractive target for cancer therapy. Here, we review the recent progress in the mechanistic studies of ALT, and discuss the emerging therapeutic strategies to target ALT-positive cancers.
Closing the Knowledge Gap: How Issue Priming Before Presidential Debate Viewing Encourages Learning and Opinion Articulation:

One mechanism by which citizens learn about candidates and issues is through watching presidential debates. Some scholars have raised concerns that these events, however, disproportionately benefit...
Evaluation of E. coli in sediment for assessing irrigation water quality using machine learning.

Abstract Fresh produce irrigated with contaminated water poses a substantial risk to human health. This study evaluated the impact of incorporating sediment information on improving the performance of machine learning models to quantify E. coli level in irrigation water. Field samples were collected from irrigation canals in the Southwest U.S., for which meteorological, chemical, and physical water quality variables as well as three additional flow and sediment properties: the concentration of E. coli in sediment, sediment median size, and bed shear stress. Water quality was classified based on E. coli concentration exceeding two standard levels: 1 E. coli and 126 E. coli colony forming units (CFU) per 100 ml of irrigation water. Two series of features, including (FIS) and excluding (FES) sediment features, were selected using multi-variant filter feature selection. The correlation analysis revealed the inclusion of sediment features improves the correlation with the target standards for E. coli compared to the models excluding these features. Support vector machine, logistic regression, and ridge classifier were tested in this study. The support vector machine model performed the best for both targeted standards. Besides, incorporating sediment features improved all models' performance. Therefore, the concentration of E. coli in sediment and bed shear stress are major factors influencing E. coli concentration in irrigation water.
Justicia social de medios: el caso del movimiento Ocupa

Using a research rubric drawn from autonomist Marxism, this article takes the Occupy movement as a case study, and examines its historical antecedents, composition of social actors, communications repertoires and strategies of social change. My findings suggest that the Occupy movement was significant, not for its contribution to political change, but for its contribution to democratic communications. Occupy represented a new watershed in social justice communications, in which the movement itself directed its own media, reducing, for a time, the dependency of social justice groups on the dominant commercial media. Using a transmedia approach, beginning with the creation of communications commons in reclaimed public space, the Occupy movement converged many different social justice groups who employed a panoply of old and new communications repertoires.
Omega algebra, demonic refinement algebra and commands

Weak omega algebra and demonic refinement algebra are two ways of describing systems with finite and infinite iteration. We show that these independently introduced kinds of algebras can actually be defined in terms of each other. By defining modal operators on the underlying weak semiring, that result directly gives a demonic refinement algebra of commands. This yields models in which extensionality does not hold. Since in predicate-transformer models extensionality always holds, this means that the axioms of demonic refinement algebra do not characterise predicate-transformer models uniquely. The omega and the demonic refinement algebra of commands both utilise the convergence operator that is analogous to the halting predicate of modal μ-calculus. We show that the convergence operator can be defined explicitly in terms of infinite iteration and domain if and only if domain coinduction for infinite iteration holds.
Frequency stability of 1/spl times/10/sup -13/ in a compensated sapphire oscillator operating above 77 K

We report on tests of a frequency-stable temperature compensated sapphire oscillator (CSO) at temperatures above 77 K. Previously, high stability in sapphire oscillators had only been obtained with liquid helium cooling. Recent improvements include a more careful analysis of the ac frequency-lock "Pound" circuitry that now enables the oscillator to reliably attain a stability 6 million times better than its fractional resonator linewidth. The frequency stability of the current resonator with a quality factor of Q/spl ap/2/spl times/10/sup 6/ is approximately the same as for the very best available quartz oscillators. The apparent CSO flicker floor is 7.5/spl times/10/sup -14/ for measuring times between 3 and 10 seconds, with stability better than 2/spl times/10/sup -13/ for all measuring times between 1 and 100 seconds. We project a stability of 2/spl eta/10/sup -14/ for a resonator Q of 10/sup 7/, a value about one third of the intrinsic sapphire Q at this temperature.
Potential role of the donor in hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence after liver transplantation.

A subset of liver transplant (LT) recipients who undergo transplant for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) will develop post-operative recurrence. There has yet to be a thorough investigation of donor factors influencing recurrence. Data regarding adult, primary LT recipients with HCC (n=5002) transplanted between January 1, 2006 and September 30, 2010 were extracted from United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) database, with subsequent estimation of the cumulative incidence of post-LT recurrence by donor factors. Of the HCC LT recipients, 324 (6.5%) developed recurrence. Analysis of donor characteristics demonstrated a higher cumulative incidence of recurrence within 4 years of transplant among recipients of donors ≥60 years old (versus donors <60 years old) (11.8% versus 7.3%, respectively; p<0.001), and donors from non-local share distribution (versus local share distribution) (10.6% versus 7.4%, respectively; p=0.004). The latter two findings held true on multivariable analysis with HCC recurrence risk increased by 70% for recipients of donor livers ≥60 years old (SHR=1.70, 95% CI 1.31–2.20, p<0.001) and by 42% for recipients of non-local share distribution (SHR=1.42, 95% CI 1.09–1.84, p=0.009) after adjusting for clinical characteristics. In conclusion, consideration of certain donor factors may reduce the cumulative incidence of post-transplant HCC recurrence, and thus improve long-term survival following LT.
The motivation to care: application and extension of motivation theory to professional nursing work.

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to describe a model of nurses' work motivation relevant to the human caring stance of professional nursing work.Design/methodology/approach – The model was derived from selected theories of behavioral motivation and work motivation. Evidence‐based theory addressing nurses' work motivation and nurses' motivational states and traits in relation to characteristics of organizational culture and patient health outcomes is suggested in an effort to make a distinct contribution to health services research. An integrated review of selected theories of motivation is presented, including conceptual analyses, theory‐building techniques, and the evidence supporting the theoretical propositions and linkages among variables intrinsic to nurses' work motivation.Findings – The model of the Motivation to Care for Professional Nursing Work is a framework intended for empirical testing and theory building. The model proposes specific leadership and management strategies to support a...
A short, eclectic history of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency and chronic pancreatitis

T he first volume of GASTROENTEROLOGY contained one article on the exocrine pancreas.’ Fifty years later the journal has a separate section devoted to the liver and pancreas. A further indication of the explosion of information about the pancreas is the appearance of two journals devoted to the pancreas within the last several years, Pancreas and the Intemational Journal of Pancreatology. For this essay I used an approach that is eclectic (selecting “what appears to be best from the variousdoctrines, methods, or styles”‘) because it was difficult to assign primacy, particularly when I did not have all of the original work available and had to rely on secondary sources or translations. Therefore, I’m certain I made errors that can only be corrected by more research, but this is what breathes life into all endeavors: the search for truth. Secondary sources are identified in the text and are enclosed in brackets in the text and in the reference list. My focus was to develop a chronological, historical perspective of research and clinical aspects of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency and chronic pancreatitis and to show how scientific knowledge was and is applied to solve clinical problems. I have not discussed anomalies, acute pancreatitis, or cystic fibrosis because these topics have been covered in recent reviewsV5 Space limitations prevented discussion of many important and unresolved problems (such as the control of pancreatic secretion) except those related to chronic pancreatitis and most issues related to the endocrine pancreas, pancreatic cancer, and surgery. These subjects, and more detailed discussions of topics in this review are included in another publication.’
Platelet Transfusion Therapy and Circulating Immune Complexes

30 platelet transfusions were administered to 9 thrombocytopenic patients with acute leukemias. Using the Raji cell radioimmunoassay, the serum concentration for circulating immune complexes (CIC) were determined immediately before and 10--12 h after each transfusion therapy. Elevated serum concentrations for CIC were present in 14 of the pretransfusion samples. After platelet transfusion therapy, a significant (p p > 0.05) than the mean for the 16 transfusion studies in which the pretransfusion values for CIC were normal. These results show that CIC probably play an important role in removing transfused platelets from the circulation. Conversely, platelets are able to remove CIC from the circulation.
Cross-Category Friendships and Postformal Thought among College Students

Theories of postformal thought (PFT) suggest that cognitive development is enhanced by social interactions where differences must be negotiated. Friendships provide the potential for complex social interactions and are an ideal context in which to explore the relation between cognitive development and the negotiation of social differences. The present research is the first to directly explore the relation between close cross-category friendships and level of postformal cognitive reasoning among college students. Participants from two universities completed questionnaires assessing PFT and friendship characteristics. Results indicate that individuals reported more same-category versus cross-category friendships. This was true for sex, ethnicity, social class, sexual orientation, and age. In addition, individuals high in PFT had more social category differences in their existing close friendships than individuals low in PFT.
Gearbox Reliability Collaborative (GRC) Description and Loading

This document describes simulated turbine load cases in accordance to the IEC 61400-1 Ed.3 standard, which is representative of the typical wind turbine design process. The information presented herein is intended to provide a broad understanding of the gearbox reliability collaborative 750kW drivetrain and turbine configuration. In addition, fatigue and ultimate strength drivetrain loads resulting from simulations are presented. This information provides the bases for the analytical work of the gearbox reliability collaborative effort.
ON THE MECHANISM OF BLUFF BODY FLAME STABILIZATION AT LOW VELOCITIES

Abstract Previous workers on bluff body laminar flame stabilization have observed, under a wide variety of circumstances, flame sheets that were wrinkled into ‘nodal’ waves with well-defined wavelengths and velocities of propagation. In this paper, experiments are described that explain the observed wave forms. It is believed that they are forced, unstable, propagating, interfacial waves—forcing being caused by the oscillation of the point of attachment of the flame in the boundary layer and wake surrounding the flameholder. Spark shadowgraphs are presented to support this conclusion. Data are presented to show the dependence of the frequency of oscillation of flow velocity, air/fuel ratio, and sphere diameter. Flameholding phenomena and the formation of ‘envelope’ flames are also discussed.
High speed locomotion for a quadrupedal microrobot

Research over the past several decades has elucidated some of the mechanisms behind high speed, highly efficient, and robust locomotion in insects such as cockroaches. Roboticists have used this information to create biologically inspired machines capable of running, jumping, and climbing robustly over a variety of terrains. To date, little work has been done to develop an at-scale insect-inspired robot capable of similar feats due to challenges in fabrication, actuation, and electronics integration for a centimeter-scale device. This paper addresses these challenges through the design, fabrication, and control of a 1.27 g walking robot, the Harvard Ambulatory MicroRobot (HAMR). The current design is manufactured using a method inspired by pop-up books that enables fast and repeatable assembly of the miniature walking robot. Methods to drive HAMR at low and high speeds are presented, resulting in speeds up to 0.44 m/s (10.1 body lengths per second) and the ability to maneuver and control the robot along desired trajectories.
Charged fullerenes as high-capacity hydrogen storage media.

Using first-principles calculations within density functional theory, we explore systematically the capacity of charged carbon fullerenes C(n) (20 <= n <= 82) as hydrogen storage media. We find that the binding strength of molecular hydrogen on either positively or negatively charged fullerenes can be dramatically enhanced to 0.18-0.32 ell, a desirable range for potential room-temperature, near ambient applications. The enhanced binding is delocalized in nature, surrounding the whole surface of a charged fullerene, and is attributed to the polarization of the hydrogen molecules by the high electric field generated near the surface of the charged fullerene. At full hydrogen coverage, these charged fullerenes; can gain storage capacities of up to similar to 8.0 wt %. We also find that, contrary to intuitive expectation, fullerenes containing encapsulated metal atoms only exhibit negligible enhancement in the hydrogen binding strength, because the charge donated by the metal atoms is primarily confined inside the fullerene cages. These predictions may prove to be instrumental in searching for a new class of high-capacity hydrogen storage media.
Global Interests among First-Year Civil and Environmental Engineering Students

AbstractStudent attitudes about the importance of global issues, their interest in global issues, and their interest in working abroad were evaluated using surveys and content analysis of homework assignments from first year civil and environmental engineering students from 2008 to 2011. Civil engineering students ranked globalization as having the lowest importance among 20 ABET and Body of Knowledge skills; environmental engineers ranked its importance significantly higher at fifteenth. International projects were popular among civil engineering students on two course assignments. Final reflective essays revealed that 20% of the civil engineering and 37% of the environmental engineering students, respectively, were interested in working abroad. In a 2011 survey, all civil engineering students indicated at least some level of interest in working on engineering projects outside the U.S. during their careers, either using distance collaboration or via other assignments abroad. Global work interests were hi...
Position reversal learning as affected by occipital, posterior thalamic, and rubral lesions in the white rat

Albino rats with bilateral lesions, involving the occipital cortex, nucleus posterior thalami, or red nucleus, and sham-operated controls were trained on a series of position-reversal problems. All brain-damaged animals performed more poorly than the controls, and the occipitalectomized animals were inferior to the other operated groups. These results fail to support the notion that damage to the occipital cortex, posterior diencephalon, or ventral mesencephalon produce visual discrimination retention deficits by heightening responsiveness to spatial cues.
Swimming Performance of Five Warmwater Stream Fish Species

Abstract Swimming ability of fish species may help explain their persistence or absence in flood-disturbed streams. We used two artificial stream channels with low-complexity (smooth Plexiglas) and high-complexity (rocks glued onto Plexiglas) substrates to determine critical swim speeds (U crit, cm/s) and examine flood resistance behavior of central stonerollers Campostoma anomalum, cardinal shiners Luxilus cardinalis, orangethroat darters Etheostoma spectabile, green sunfish Lepomis cyanellus, and longear sunfish L. megalotis. In the low-complexity treatment, central stonerollers and cardinal shiners had significantly higher U crit than the other species, and orangethroat darters had significantly higher U crit than the sunfish species did. In the high-complexity treatment, the U crit of central stonerollers was significantly higher than that of green sunfish, whereas those for all other species did not differ significantly. Flood resistance behavior was measured using relative velocity (i.e., a fish's c...
Cellulosomes: plant-cell-wall-degrading enzyme complexes

Cellulose, the main structural component of plant cell walls, is the most abundant carbohydrate polymer in nature. Although abundant, it is extremely difficult to degrade, as it is insoluble and is present as hydrogen-bonded crystalline fibres. Anaerobic microorganisms have evolved a system to break down plant cell walls that involves the formation of a large extracellular enzyme complex called the cellulosome, which consists of a scaffolding protein and many bound cellulases. Cellulosomes have many potential biotechnological applications as the conversion of cellulosic biomass into sugars by cellulosomes could result in the production of high-value products such as ethanol or organic acids from inexpensive renewable resources. Rapid advances in cellulosome research are providing basic information for the development of both in vitro and in vivo systems to achieve such goals.
Comparative Penetration and Development of Meloidogyne Naasi in Wheat and Oat Roots

Direct observations of root penetration by Meloidogyne naasi larvae into 'Pawnee' wheat and 'Wintok' oats were made using micro-observation chambers. Effects of inoculum density, exposure time, and temperature on larval penetration and nematode development were investigated in wheat and oats. The maximum number of larvae penetrated the wheat and oat roots at the 2000 level of inoculum density, but the maximum percent penetration was at the 500 level for wheat and at the 200 level for oats. In both wheat and oats an ascending trend in larval penetration was more discernible during the first 96 hours than during 96 to 192 hours. Maximum penetration occurred at 25°C in both wheat and oat roots. Cell necrosis in association with larvae was common in oats. Three times as many larvae matured and laid eggs in wheat as in oat roots. Analysis of hostparasite relationships suggests that 'Pawnee' wheat is highly susceptible, and 'Wintok' oats tolerant or moderately resistant to M. naasi.
Novel Therapeutic Approaches for Hepatitis C

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection afflicts a reported 170 million people worldwide and is often complicated by cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Morbidity and mortality are decreased with the successful treatment of chronic HCV infection. The current standard of care in the treatment for genotype 1 chronic HCV is pegylated interferon (IFN)-alfa, termed PEG, and ribavirin (RBV) in conjunction with a protease inhibitor, either telaprevir or boceprevir, which results in 67-75% sustained viral response rates. Increased understanding of the HCV has allowed further development of new direct-acting antiviral (DAA) agents against the HCV and has also allowed the development of IFN-free oral treatment regimens. We anticipate the approval in late 2013 of the first nucleotide polymerase inhibitor regimen with RBV alone for genotypes 2/3 and in combination with a 12-week regimen of PEG+RBV for genotypes 1, 4, 5, and 6. Most of the promising new DAA regimens are discussed herein.
Hydrophobicity of Amino Acid Residues in Globular Proteins

During biosynthesis, a globular protein folds into a tight particle with an interior core that is shielded from the surrounding solvent. The hydrophobic effect is thought to play a key role in mediating this process: nonpolar residues expelled from water engender a molecular interior where they can be buried. Paradoxically, results of earlier quantitative analyses have suggested that the tendency for nonpolar residues to be buried within proteins is weak. However, such analyses merely classify residues as either "exposed" or "buried." In the experiment reported in this article proteins of known structure were used to measure the average area that each residue buries upon folding. This characteristic quantity, the average area buried, is correlated with residue hydrophobicity.