cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Frailty and stem cell transplantation in the older patient with cancer

Abstract Age, performance status, and single organ comorbidities have been typically used to assess the suitability of patients for stem cell transplantation (SCT). Until recently, these criteria, combined with poor outcomes, have excluded many older patients from SCT. Improvements in supportive care, reduced-intensity conditioning regimens, and more tolerable graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis have increased the number of older individuals now considered to be viable candidates for SCT. However, this raises concerns about the tolerability of SCT for older persons. Many SCT recipients present with fatigue, weakness, dyspnea, sleep disturbance, and anorexia in the post transplant period, symptoms consistent with a frailty syndrome. These observations, plus the fact that SCT is increasingly offered to older patients, suggest the need to use assessment tools that are appropriate for this population and able to assess frailty. Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) needs to be tailored specifically to the SCT patient. CGA may prove useful in identifying and risk stratifying those older SCT recipients most likely to become frail following transplantation. Such insight would allow the early use of pharmacologic and rehabilitative interventions that could be targeted to help minimize the toxicity associated with SCT. Frailty caused by SCT may also provide a model of accelerated frailty due to aging, as many similarities may exist in the two syndromes.
Desperately seeking structures: grammars of action in information systems research

Research grounded in a social science tradition tends to focus on people, while research grounded in an engineering tradition tends to focus on artifacts. However, as people and artifacts become increasingly intertwined in digitized processes and practices, these traditional disciplinary divisions sometimes seem a little outdated. So in this essay, I advocate an approach to research on information systems that focuses on actions, rather than people or artifacts. In particular, I examine the possibility of treating patterns of action as the object of inquiry. Grammatical models can be used to represent the space of possible action patterns in a given domain, and can be used to compare, and analyze the structural properties of action patterns. If so desired, these patterns can be tied back to traditional factors related to people (such as culture, habit, or learning?) or technology (such as features, constraints, or affordances?).
The Excluded Middle: Semantic Minimalism without Minimal Propositions

Insensitive Semantics is mainly a protracted assault on semantic Contextualism, both moderate and radical. Cappelen and Lepore argue that Moderate Contextualism leads inevitably, like marijuana to heroin or masturbation to blindness, to Radical Contextualism and in turn that Radical Contextualism is misguided. Assuming that the only alternative to Contextualism is their Semantic Minimalism, they think they’ve given an indirect argument for it. But they overlook a third view, one that splits the difference between the other two. Like Contextualism it rejects Propositionalism, the conservative dogma that every indexicalfree declarative sentence expresses a proposition. Unlike Contextualism, it does not invoke context to fill semantic gaps and, indeed, denies that filling those gaps is a semantic matter. In rejecting Propositionalism, it is more radical, indeed, more minimalist than Cappelen and Lepore’s brand of Semantic Minimalism. It does not imagine that sentences that intuitively seem not to express propositions at least express “minimal propositions.” Radical Semantic Minimalism, or simply Radicalism, says that the sentences in question are semantically incomplete – their semantic contents are not propositions but merely “propositional radicals.” [PPR commentary on Cappelen and Lepore, Insensitive Semantics] The Excluded Middle: Semantic Minimalism without Minimal Propositions
Discovery and Validation of a New Class of Small Molecule Toll-Like Receptor 4 (TLR4) Inhibitors

Many inflammatory diseases may be linked to pathologically elevated signaling via the receptor for lipopolysaccharide (LPS), toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). There has thus been great interest in the discovery of TLR4 inhibitors as potential anti-inflammatory agents. Recently, the structure of TLR4 bound to the inhibitor E5564 was solved, raising the possibility that novel TLR4 inhibitors that target the E5564-binding domain could be designed. We utilized a similarity search algorithm in conjunction with a limited screening approach of small molecule libraries to identify compounds that bind to the E5564 site and inhibit TLR4. Our lead compound, C34, is a 2-acetamidopyranoside (MW 389) with the formula C17H27NO9, which inhibited TLR4 in enterocytes and macrophages in vitro, and reduced systemic inflammation in mouse models of endotoxemia and necrotizing enterocolitis. Molecular docking of C34 to the hydrophobic internal pocket of the TLR4 co-receptor MD-2 demonstrated a tight fit, embedding the pyran ring deep inside the pocket. Strikingly, C34 inhibited LPS signaling ex-vivo in human ileum that was resected from infants with necrotizing enterocolitis. These findings identify C34 and the β-anomeric cyclohexyl analog C35 as novel leads for small molecule TLR4 inhibitors that have potential therapeutic benefit for TLR4-mediated inflammatory diseases.
Treatment of Cytomegalovirus Pneumonia

In a multicenter uncontrolled trial of ganciclovir therapy for well-documented cytomegalovirus (CMV) pneumonia in 21 patients following bone marrow transplantation, eight (38%) of 21 survived for more than 90 days. Two additional patients responded to ganciclovir therapy; one survived for 60 days before relapsing with fatal CMV pneumonia, and the other survived 79 days before dying with disseminated aspergillosis. No CMV disease was found in this latter patient at autopsy. The improved survival of patients in this trial may be due to a small number of patients (23%) who developed significant neutropenia during ganciclovir therapy, to the concurrent use of CMV immune globulin in three of the survivors, or to other variables affecting a positive outcome. Data on the use of CMV DNA-DNA hybridization assays to detect CMV DNA directly in patients' blood suggest that this method may be useful in following the clearance of CMV viremia in patients receiving ganciclovir. The results of treatment of CMV pneumonia in bone marrow transplant recipients are compared with those of previous studies, of CMV pneumonia in renal transplant recipients, and of CMV pneumonia in patients with AIDS. Suggestions for further, more definitive, studies of CMV pneumonia are presented.
Religious Activities, Strength from Faith, and Social Functioning Among African American and White Nursing Home Residents

ABSTRACT This study explored the effects of having a preference for religious activities in the nursing home, and of drawing strength from faith on social functioning in a random sample of 1,595 White and 172 African American residents from 270 nursing homes. Nurses assessed residents using the Minimum Data Set (MDS). Utilizing Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression, in the sub-sample of Whites we found that activities of daily living (ADL), cognitive, and vision impairments, depression, and no contact with family or friends were negatively related to social functioning, while being female, preferring religious activities, and drawing strength from faith were positively related to social functioning. Among African Americans, we found that ADL, cognitive impairment, and depression were negatively related to social functioning, while religious activity preference and strength from faith were positively related to social functioning. Among Whites, faith moderated the negative effects of having no contact wi...
Strategic Network Utilization in a Wireless Structural Control System for Seismically Excited Structures

The benefits associated with structural control include the mitigation of undesired structural responses and reduction in the probability of damage to structural components during seismic events. Structural control systems in current use depend on extensive wired communication systems to connect sensors and actuators with a centralized controller. While wired architectures are appropriate when control systems are small, the cost and installation complexity of tethered systems increases as the control system grows large (i.e., defined by hundreds of nodes). Alternatively, wireless sensors are proposed for use in large-scale structural control systems to keep costs low and to improve system scalability. Wireless sensors are capable of collecting state data from sensors, communicating data between themselves, calculating control actions, and commanding actuators in a control system. However, bandwidth and range limitations of the wireless communication channel render traditional centralized control solutions impractical for the wireless setting. While computational abilities embedded with each wireless sensor permit fully decentralized control architectures to be implemented, strategic utilization of the wireless channel can improve the performance of the wireless control system. Toward this end, this paper presents a partially decentralized linear quadratic regulation control scheme that employs redundant state estimation as a means of minimizing the need for the communication of state data between sensors. The method is validated using numerical simulations of a seismically excited six-story building model with ideal actuators. Additional experimental validation is conducted using a full-scale physical realization of the six-story building. A wireless sensor network commanding magnetorheological dampers is shown to be effective in controlling a multistory structure using the partially decentralized control architecture proposed.
Corrosion test plan to guide canister material selection and design for a tuff repository

Corrosion rates and the mode of corrosion attack form a most important basis for selection of canister materials and design of a nuclear waste package. Type 304L stainless steel was selected as the reference material for canister fabrication because of its generally excellent corrosion resistance in water, steam and air. However, 304L may be susceptible to localized and stress-assisted forms of corrosion under certain conditions. Alternative alloys are also investigated; these alloys were chosen because of their improved resistance to these forms of corrosion. The fabrication and welding processes, as well as the glass pouring operation for defense and commercial high-level wastes, may influence the susceptibility of the canister to localized and stress forms of corrosion. 12 references, 2 figures, 4 tables.
Strategy and imagination in a Mughal Sufi story of creation

This article examines a seventeenth-century text that attempts to reconcile Hindu and Muslim accounts of human genesis and cosmogony. The text, Mir’āt al-Makhlūqāt (‘Mirror of Creation’), written by a noted Mughal Sufi author Shaikh ‘Abd al-Rahman Chishti, purportedly a translation of a Sanskrit text, adopts rhetorical strategies and mythological elements of the Purāna tradition in order to argue that evidence of the Muslim prophets was available in ancient Hindu scriptures. Chishti thus accepts the reality of ancient Hindu gods and sages and notes the truth in their message. In doing so Chishti adopts elements of an older argument within the Islamic tradition that posits thousands of cycles of creation and multiple instances of Adam, the father of humans. He argues however that the Hindu gods and sages belonged to a different order of creation and time, and were not in fact human. The text bears some generic resemblance to Bhavishyottarapurāna materials. Chishti combines aspects of polemics with a deft u...
The Role of Seed and Vegetative Reproduction in Plant Recruitment and Demography in Tallgrass Prairie

Recruitment, establishment and survivorship of seed- and vegetatively-derived shoots were quantified biweekly in annually burned and infrequently burned tallgrass prairie to investigate the contributions of seed and vegetative reproduction to the maintenance and dynamics of tallgrass prairie plant populations, the demography of seedlings and ramets, and the influence of fire on the demography of grasses and forbs. Clonally produced grass and forb ramets comprised >99%of all established shoots present at the end of the growing season, whereas established seedlings accounted for <1%,emphasizing the rarity of successful seedling establishment and the importance of vegetative reproduction in driving the annual regeneration and dynamics of aboveground plant populations in tallgrass prairie. Most recruitment from vegetative reproduction occurred early in the growing season and was higher in annually burned than infrequently burned sites, although low levels of new stem recruitment occurred continuously throughout the growing season. Peak recruitment on annually burned prairie coincided with peak recruitment of the dominant C4 grasses Andropogon gerardii and Sorghastrum nutans prior to prescribed spring fire, with a second peak in recruitment occurring following fire. On infrequently burned prairie, grass and forb recruitment was highest in early April and declined steadily through May. The naturalized C3 grass, Poa pratensis, was responsible for most of the early recruitment on unburned sites, whereas A. gerardii contributed most to recruitment later in May. Infrequently burned prairie was dominated by these two grasses and contained a larger forb component than annually burned prairie. The principal demographic effect of fire was on ramet natality rather than mortality. Fire regime, plant functional group, or timing of cohort emergence before or after fire did not affect ramet survivorship. C4 grass shoots that emerged early and were damaged by fire showed similar survivorship patterns to tillers that emerged after fire. Differences in species composition between annually burned and infrequently burned prairie are driven by fire effects on vegetative reproduction and appear to be related principally to the effect of fire and detritus accumulation on the development of belowground vegetative meristems of C4 grasses and their emergence dynamics.
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for Detection of Mold in Tomato Puree

A double-sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed for the detection of molds (Ahernaria alternata, Geotrichum candidum and Rhizopus stolonifer) in tomato puree by the use of antisera raised in rabbits injected with homogenates of the lyophilized boiled molds. Cross reactivity among the three species was less than 10%. Detection limits were approximately 1μg dried mold/g of sample, a sensitivity greater than that of most chemical methods. Positive relationships between ELISA readings and the amounts of mold added to puree were observed, while background ELISA values for puree controls were negligible.
Pharmocokinetics and pharmacodynamics of single-dose triazolam: electroencephalography compared with the Digit-Symbol Substitution Test.

Aims To investigate whether the electroencephalogram (EEG) directly reflects the CNS effects of benzodiazepines by evaluating the relation of the EEG to plasma drug concentrations and to Digit-Symbol Substitution Test (DSST) scores after a single dose of triazolam, a representative benzodiazepine agonist. Methods Thirteen healthy male subjects were given 0.375 mg triazolam or placebo in a double-blind crossover study. Plasma samples were collected during 8 h after dosage. Pharmacodynamic effects were measured by DSST and EEG at corresponding times. Results Pharmacokinetic parameters for triazolam were consistent with established values. Compared with placebo, triazolam significantly impaired psychomotor performance on the DSST (P < 0.001) and increased beta amplitude on the EEG (P < 0.002). DSST and EEG changes both closely tracked changes in plasma concentrations over time. The changes for the two measures were highly correlated with each other (r =–0.94, P < 0.001) based on aggregate values at individual time points. However, the variations in area under the curve of pharmacodynamic effect vs. time (AUCeffect) measured by either method did not reflect the variations in plasma AUC across individuals. The individual variability in AUCeffect from the EEG was similar to that measured by the DSST. Conclusions Both the EEG and the DSST reflect the central benzodiazepine agonist effects of triazolam. Intrinsic variability in both measures is similar.
Specific down-regulation of HER-2/neu mediated by a chimeric U6 hammerhead ribozyme results in growth inhibition of human ovarian carcinoma.

Abstract The U6 expression system was explored for efficient expression of a ribozyme against the human proto-oncogene c-neu. A hammerhead ribozyme (neuRz) and the control mutant ribozyme (MRz) were targeted to cleave c-neu mRNA at the tyrosine kinase domain. In vitro cleavage showed that neuRz was very active while MRz was not. Near-maximal target cleavage observed at a low ribozyme:target ratio (0.1) suggests that neuRz has good activity and turnover capability under physiological conditions, i.e., 2 and 37°C. Chimeric U6 ribozyme was expressed at about 5 × 10 6 copies/cell at 48 h in the ovarian carcinoma cell line SKOV-3.ip1. Partial down-regulation of c-neu mRNA and protein was observed in a dose-dependent manner in cells transiently transfected with U6neuRz- but not with MRz-containing plasmid. Sorted transient transfectants demonstrated dramatic growth inhibition with the neuRz-expressing cells. Our results demonstrate that the U6 expression system is very efficient and suitable for the expression of a hammerhead ribozyme. Moreover, nonviral delivery of the neuRz-expressing plasmid resulted in specific down-regulation of c-neu and, subsequently, growth inhibition of ovarian cancer cells overexpressing c-neu.
Twelve-hour nocturnal gastric secretion in uncomplicated duodenal ulcer patients; before and after healing.

Conclusions1. In the same patient with duodenal ulcer the 12-hour nocturnal gastric secretion is usually unaltered with healing of the ulcer.2. The average 12-hour nocturnal gastric secretion of patients with active ulcer is not significantly different than in patients with healed duodenal ulcer.3. Twelve-hour nocturnal gastric secretion in patients with healed duodenal ulcer and who are without symptoms is significantly greater than that of normal healthy individuals.
Immunoassay labels based on chemiluminescence and bioluminescence.

Reagents required for reactions that produce chemiluminescence (CL) or bioluminescence (BL) may be coupled to antibodies or antigens and used as labels for immunoassay. Because methods based on CL and BL have very low detection limits, they have the potential to replace assays that currently employ radioisotopes as labels. The feasibility of several BL and CL labels has been demonstrated. To date, isoluminol derivatives have been most widely studied. Several steroid assays involving isoluminol labels have been reported, and labelled compound has been detected at levels approaching 10 17 moles. Acridinium ester-labelled compounds have also been detected at this level. In addition to systems in which the label is a reactant required for light, CL and BL can be used to analyze the amount of product generated by enzyme labels. This approach has also yielded very low detection limits. Systems have been developed using enzyme labels that catalyze formation of ATP which is then assayed by the firefly reaction or that catalyze formation of peroxide which is determined by either luminol or peroxyoxalate CL.
Public relations and cultural aesthetics: designing health brochures

Abstract Brochures continue to be one of the most common tools available to health public relations practitioners. However, few studies have focused on the best ways to design health brochures for minority publics. Yet statistics show that African Americans and members of other minority publics suffer higher incidences of mortality from many diseases than do Caucasians. This two-part study examines ways to better design brochures to appeal to African American women. The study reveals that African American women prefer designs that reflect their cultural aesthetics. Part one of this study identifies a number of preferred design characteristics. Part two of this study tests the effectiveness of a culturally tailored brochure that advocates mammography screening. Results indicate that the brochures promoted significant gains in knowledge about breast cancer and mammography screening, a positive shift in perceived benefits of mammography, and a reduction in perceived barriers to getting mammograms. The brochure was preferred over standard “off the shelf” brochures that are not culturally tailored.
Pilot Normative Database for the Wolf Motor Function Test

Abstract Wolf SL, McJunkin JP, Swanson ML, Weiss PS. Pilot normative database for the Wolf Motor Function Test. Objective To gather initial data on the Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT) from able-bodied participants. Design Cross-sectional cohort study. Setting Clinical research laboratory. Participants A convenience sample of 51 healthy able-bodied, right-hand dominant, adult participants, between the ages of 40 and 79 years. Intervention One-time administration of the WMFT. Main Outcome Measure The WMFT. Results Mean data are presented for all timed and strength tasks. For timed tasks on the WMFT, there were no significant differences among subjects for hand or sex nor was there a hand by sex interaction. Men were significantly stronger than women on the 2 strength tasks, however. Conclusions We provide preliminary normative data for the WMFT. More data are needed to produce precise estimates of norms and to explore relations among sex, age, and hand dominance.
Multiscale Coarse-Graining of Ionic Liquids†

A recently developed multiscale coarse-graining (MS−CG) approach for obtaining coarse-grained force fields from fully atomistic molecular dynamics simulation is applied to the challenging case of the EMIM+NO3- ionic liquid. The force-matching in the MS−CG methodology is accomplished with an explicit separation of bonded and nonbonded forces. While the nonbonded forces are adopted from this force-matching approach, the bonded forces are obtained from fitting the statistical configurational data from the atomistic simulations. The many-body electronic polarizability is also successfully broken into effective pair interactions. With a virial constraint fixing the system pressure, the MS−CG models rebuild satisfactory structural and thermodynamic properties for different temperatures. The MS−CG model developed from a modest atomistic simulation is therefore suitable for simulating much larger systems, because the coarse-grained models show significant time integration efficiency. This approach is expected to ...
Cardiac atria and ventricles contain different inducible adrenaline synthesising enzymes.

Study objective – The aim of the study was to investigate adrenaline synthesis in atrial and ventricular homogenates. Design – The study involved the use of a new assay which measures the rate at which tissue homogenates convert noradrenaline into adrenaline, or dopamine into N-methyldopamine. This was coupled with a sensitive assay for tissue catecholamines in an investigation of ventricular and atrial homogenates from rats exposed to adrenal demedullation and chemical depletion of cardiac catecholamines. Measurements and results – Atrial and ventricular homogenates from 12 male Sprague-Dawley rats were investigated. Atrial adrenaline forming activity resembled adrenal phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase (PNMT) in its relatively high affinity for noradrenaline, substrate specificity for noradrenaline over dopamine, and inhibition by the PNMT inhibitor SKF 29661. Ventricular tissue non-specifically methylated both noradrenaline and dopamine, and was less inhibited by SKF 29661. Adrenal demedullation induced activity of ventricular adrenaline forming enzyme. Conclusions – The cardiac atria and ventricles contain different inducible adrenaline forming enzymes. About one third of cardiac adrenaline may be synthesised by the heart itself. The ventricular enzyme can synthesise adrenaline from noradrenaline, and N-methyldopamine from dopamine.
Why Not the University of New Orleans? Social Disorganization and Sexual Violence Among Internally Displaced Women of Hurricane Katrina

Researchers have reported that natural disasters lead to an increase in sexual violence against women and this is echoed by the current situation in Haiti. This is a social pattern throughout the world during periods of war, as well as natural disasters such as tsunamis, famine, and hurricanes. This article examines the prevalence of sexual violence experienced by women students at the University of New Orleans (UNO) before and after Hurricane Katrina using the CORE Alcohol and Drug Survey. Two hundred and thirty seven women participated in the pre-Katrina study and 215 women participated in the post-Katrina study. We hypothesized that, due to the trauma of this disaster, there would be a higher prevalence of sexual aggression against women after Katrina than there was before Katrina. Our analyses yielded no significant differences in any of the measures of sexual violence toward women (nine CORE survey items) pre to post Katrina, so our hypothesis was not supported. We suggest that social organization and cultural attenuation—often indicators of sexual assault in FEMA Greenfield communities—were mitigated by social cohesion found on the UNO campus post-Katrina.
A higher order partial feedback linearization based method for controlling an underactuated hopping robot with a compliant leg

This paper considers control techniques for a planar model of an underactuated hopping robot. Our focus is on tracking trajectories for center of body and body angle, given a single point of support on the ground, with the goals of having stable and robust gaits and of switching among reference trajectories to achieve variable stride lengths on potentially rough terrain. Having a control framework capable of generating and tracking feasible body movements for an underactuated compliant hopper in the presence of ground collisions and uneven terrain is a challenging problem. In this work we provide a robust solution by extending partial feedback linearization (PFL) techniques. We investigate the problem of having a passive spring element in the leg and attempting partial feedback linearization based control, and show that while this cannot be achieved for instantaneous control of the CoM accelerations, it is possible to linearize the instantaneous CoM jerk and develop suitable control laws.
Proof test and fatigue of unnotched composite laminates

A comprehensive fatigue and residual strength degradation model has been used to predict the effect of proof loads (or high load) on the statistical fatigue behavior of composite laminates. The validity of the theoretical model is confirmed by the experimental test results. The correlation between the test results and the theoretical distributions of the fatigue life and the residual strength for composite specimens with or without the effect of proof loads is shown to be very good.
Preclinical assessment of fibroblast activation protein as a target for antitumor therapy

Evaluation of: Santos AM, Jung J, Aziz N, Kissil JL, Pure E: Targeting fibroblast activation protein inhibits tumor stromagenesis and growth in mice. J. Clin. Invest. 119(12), 3613–3625 (2009). Many human tumors develop a stromagenic response, involving activation of myofibroblasts, increased angoigenesis and changes in extracellular matrix deposition. Increased expression of the cell surface type II transmembrane serine protease fibroblast activation protein has previously been noted in such tumor-associated reactive stroma. The potential for stroma to modify tumor progression, both positively and negatively, has been experimentally demonstrated, although the underlying mechanisms are still only partially understood. Current developments in our understanding of stromal responses to tumors are starting to open the door to therapeutic approaches aimed at the stroma. This study by Santos et al. examines the role of stromagenic responseassociated fibroblast activation protein in tumor growth and demonstrates...
Modeling of fouling reduction by secondary membranes

Abstract The external cake of rejected particles plays an important role in filtration processes, often influencing the permeation rates of all species. It may have higher resistance to the permeate flow than the clean membrane itself, but it may also act as a secondary or dynamic membrane which screens the primary membrane from the more strongly fouling species of smaller size. The screening process due to the presence of the secondary membrane is modeled for filtration of a bidisperse suspension of large and small particles. The large particles form an external cake on the surface of the primary membrane, which then acts as a deep-bed filter and captures some of the small particles and prevents them from fouling the primary membrane. The theory predicts an optimum concentration of the large particles which maximizes the permeate volume for a given duration of filtration. To test the model, cross-flow microfiltration experiments were done with yeast suspensions, protein solutions, and yeast–protein mixtures using cellulose acetate membranes. During filtration of yeast–protein mixtures, protein aggregates were captured or screened by the yeast cake, which reduced fouling of the primary membrane by the protein aggregates. Under optimum conditions, the presence of yeast increased the total permeate volume by two fold.
Changing Lives, One Note at a Time Library Internships for Undergraduate Students

Library internships can be valuable learning opportunities for undergraduate students and excellent examples of the rich learning environment of college and university campuses. This article examines undergraduate academic library internships through the lens of an internship for music majors and discusses ways to create engaging, high-impact educational experiences that complement traditional academic settings and programs. Examples are taken from the internship programs in music, reference, and special collections and include former interns' reflections on the life-changing nature of their experiences.
Chronotopes of story and storytelling event in interviews

Narratives in interviews involve the alignment of two chronotopes (Bakhtin's term, literally ‘time-space’) or what has traditionally been termed the narrated and narrating events. While narrators are expected to separate the there-and-then narrated-event chronotope from the here-and-now narrating-event chronotope, tropic forms of coeval alignment exist that erase or blur the line between the two events, as if they were occurring in the same time and place. In this article I argue for the need to map these shifting alignments in interviews. This article begins with, but then moves beyond, the familiar case of the “historical present,” where narrators shift into using nonpast temporal deixis for past events. Drawing first on an oral narrative from Italy, I show how resources besides the historical present can produce similar alignment effects. In order to demonstrate more extreme forms of coeval alignment, I then compare these data with those from a Senegalese narrator in Dakar who transposes participants “into” his stories. Through this comparison I illustrate how cross-chronotope alignment reveals the way narrators manage the relationship between story and event in interviews. Mapping these shifting alignments can help illuminate the emergent relations between interviewer and interviewee and hence show how stories reflect and shape the interview context in which they occur. (Narrative, interview, chronotope, historical present, Italian, Senegal)*
Value of melanocytic-associated immunohistochemical markers in the diagnosis of malignant melanoma: a review and update

Since the identification of S100 protein as an immunohistochemical marker that could be useful in the diagnosis of melanoma in the early 1980s, a large number of other melanocytic-associated markers that could potentially be used to assist in the differential diagnosis of these tumors have also been investigated. A great variation exists, however, among these markers, not only in their expression in some subtypes of melanoma, particularly desmoplastic melanoma, but also in their specificity because some of them can also be expressed in nonmelanocytic neoplasms, including various types of soft tissue tumors and carcinomas. This article reviews the information that is currently available on the practical value of some of the markers that have more often been recommended for assisting in the diagnosis of melanomas, including those that have only recently become available.
Exciton formation statistics under electrical injection in organic semiconductor thin films

Abstract A central question in understanding the electroluminescent properties of organic thin films is the ratio of radiative singlet to triplet Frenkel excitons that are formed by electrical injection. In this paper, we review the physics of the formation process, and describe a simple method for accurately measuring the singlet formation ratio in fluorescent semiconductor thin films. This method eliminates many assumptions and approximations required in previous measurement methods. Following the experimental description, we show that measurements of the singlet–triplet exciton formation ratio in both polymers and small molecular weight organic materials suggest a purely statistical formation ratio of 25% singlets to 75% triplets by electrical injection.
Production and export of metabolites from liver and heart mitochondria and anaplerosis.

A method to study the export of citric acid cycle intermediates from rat liver mitochondria supplied with various individual substrates or combinations of substrates was designed to focus on the role of mitochondria in anaplerosis and cataplerosis. Under most conditions malate, citrate, and aspartate were exported in far higher amounts than isocitrate and α-ketoglutarate. In the presence of pyruvate alone or pyruvate in combination with most other substrates, citrate export equaled or was only slightly less than malate export. This contrasts with pancreatic islet mitochondria where citrate export is unaffected by many substrates. Malate and succinate potentiated pyruvate-induced citrate export and succinate caused massive malate export from liver mitochondria. Heart mitochondria, which possess very little or no pyruvate carboxylase, unlike liver and pancreatic islet mitochondria, did not produce malate from pyruvate. Heart mitochondria produced malate, but not citrate, from succinate. The results indicate that liver mitochondria export a larger number of metabolites from a wider range of substrates than do islet or heart mitochondria. This may reflect the multiple roles of the liver in body metabolism versus the specialized roles of the islet cell and heart.
Synthesis and crystal structure study of 2′-Se-adenosine-derivatized DNA

The selenium derivatization of nucleic acids is a novel and promising strategy for 3D structure determination of nucleic acids. Selenium can serve as an excellent anomalous scattering center to solve the phase problem, which is one of the two major bottlenecks in macromolecule X-ray crystallography. The other major bottleneck is crystallization. It has been demonstrated that the incorporated selenium functionality at the 2′-positions of the nucleosides and nucleotides is stable and does not cause significant structure perturbation. Furthermore, it was observed that the 2′-Se-derivatization could facilitate crystallization of oligonucleotides with fast crystal growth and high diffraction quality. Herein, we describe a convenient synthesis of the 2′-Se-adenosine phosphoramidite, and report the first synthesis and X-ray crystal structure determination of the DNA containing the 2′-Se-A derivatization. The 3D structure of 2′-Se-A-DNA decamer [5′-GTACGCGT(2′-Se-A)C-3′]2 was determined at 1.75 A resolution, the 2′-Se-functionality points to the minor groove, and the Se-modified and native structures are virtually identical. Moreover, we have observed that the 2′-Se-A modification can greatly facilitate the crystal growth with high diffraction quality. In conjunction with the crystallization facilitation by the 2′-Se-U and 2′-Se-T, this novel observation on the 2′-Se-A functionality suggests that the 2′-Se moiety is sole responsible for the crystallization facilitation and the identity of nucleobases does not influence the crystal growth significantly.
The role of the clinical psychologist in acute pain management

Psychological factors are associated with difficulties in the management of acute pain. Extension of the model of multidisciplinary management of chronic pain to the management of acute pain can enhance patient care. This article describes the role of the clinical psychologist on the Acute Pain Service (APS) team. The psychologist as a consultant to the anesthesiologist, rather than as a care provider, will be emphasized. It will address (1) the current knowledge of psychological issues that influence the measurement and management of acute pain, (2) types of patient care situations that are likely to benefit from psychological consultation, (3) specific psychological issues that create problems in acute pain management, (4) practical matters related to defining a consultation question, preparing the patient to meet the psychologist, choosing a psychologist, and (5) psychological consultation financial issues.
Managing Complexity in High Technology Organizations

The article reviews the book “Managing Complexity in High Technology Organizations,” edited by Mary Ann Von Glinow and Susan Albers Mohrman.
Ets Transcription Factors Control Epithelial Maturation and Transit and Crypt-Villus Morphogenesis in the Mammalian Intestine

Members of the Ets transcription factor family are widely expressed in both the developing and mature mammalian intestine, but their biological functions remain primarily uncharacterized. We used a dominant repressor transgene approach to probe the function of epithelial Ets factors in the homeostasis of the crypt-villus unit, the functional unit of the small intestine. We show that targeted expression in small intestinal epithelium of a fusion protein composed of the Engrailed repressor domain and the Erm DNA-binding domain (En/Erm) results in marked disruption of normal crypt-villus homeostasis, including a cell-autonomous disturbance of epithelial maturation, increased epithelial transit, severe villus dysmorphogenesis, and crypt dysmorphogenesis. The epithelial maturation disturbance is independent of the regulation of TGFβRII levels, in contrast to Ets-mediated epithelial differentiation during development; rather, regulation of Cdx2 expression may play a role. The villus dysmorphogenesis is independent of alterations in the crypt-villus boundary and inappropriate β-catenin activation, and thus appears to represent a new mechanism controlling villus architectural organization. An Analysis of animals mosaic for En/Erm expression suggests that crypt nonautonomous mechanisms underlie the crypt dysmorphogenesis phenotype. Our studies thus uncover novel Ets-regulated pathways of intestinal homeostasis in vivo. Interestingly, the overall En/Erm phenotype of disturbed crypt-villus homeostasis is consistent with recently identified Ets function(s) in the restriction of intestinal epithelial tumorigenesis.
Using the Delphi Process To Reach Consensus between Taiwanese Teachers and Professors about Possible Competencies for Use in a Simulated Teaching Performance Test Used To Determine Licensure.

The purpose of this study was to determine if a consensus could be reached between professors and teachers about the desired competencies for kindergarten teachers that could be examined during a simulated teaching performance test. By an extensive analysis of the Kindergarten Curriculum Standards and related Taiwanese literature, 22 possible competencies were determined. A modified Delphi approach was chosen as the methodology to use in attempting to reach consensus between the two groups. Twenty professors and 20 kindergarten directors were selected through purposive sampling to comprise the panelists. Twenty‐eight panelists completed round Two (14 of each). Findings included: Professors and teachers reached consensus and agreed 17 of 22 competencies and all agreed that the 22 competencies could be assessed in a simulated teaching performance test.
Effect of Congo red on plasma prothrombin.

Summary and ConclusionsThe level of plasma prothrombin of mice can be lowered by the addition of mineral oil to the diet. The diminished level of plasma prothrombin can be raised significantly by Congo red and restored to normal by the parenteral administration of 2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone. The hemostatic action of Congo red may be explained in some cases, at least in part, by its Vitamin K-like action in raising the plasma prothrombin level.
Type II twins in self-accommodating martensite plate variants in a CuZnAl shape memory alloy

Abstract Crystallographic relations between A and B martensite plates, i.e. between the two martensite variants which have respective habit planes ( hkl ) and ( hlk ) in an (011) β 1 plate group, and their equivalents in other plate groups, were investigated in detail by transmission electron microscopy and diffraction in a CuZnAl shape memory alloy which forms an 18R, B′ 1 , martensite. A new orientation relationship between martensite plate variants, (128)[210]β′ 1 , A ¦| (128)[292]β′ 1 B, was confirmed where the two variants are related by a rotation of π about the [01l]β′ 1 , direction which is parallel to [1091]β′ 1 , and form a type II twin orientation with each other, with an irrational boundary between. The twinning mode of this A:B variant combination was found to be the conjugate of the type I twinning on the (128)β′ 1 plane, this latter mode defining the twin relationship of another fundamental variant pair, the C pair, which combines the two martensite variants which have respective habit planes ( hkl ) and (hlk) in an (011)β′ 1 , plate group. The atomic arrangement across the irrational A:B boundary was also considered and it is shown that the atoms match very well when the boundary is modeled as a series of stepped rational (128)β′ 1 , planes with a step direction along [1091]β′ 1 and a facet plane of (1010)β′ 1 .
Comment on the value of vision by Knauer et al..

s Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmol-ogy (2008) 246:477-482 entitled “The value of vision.” Theauthors use, as the basis for their commentary, work that hasbeen done to evaluate how much patients with ophthalmicdiseases are concerned about their visual loss. One methodof estimating this is to use the technique discussed by theauthors, “the time trade-off method,” in which patientsdecide how many years of their life they would give up toachieve the desired outcome [6]. Knauer and Pfeiffercomment correctly that some of the studies that have beendone on ophthalmic disease indicate that vision is of greatimportance to patients [1–3].They compare the valuesobtained for other conditions such as AIDS and stroke, andconclude that the relative value of the patient’s vision is trulyextraordinarily great [ 4, 5].The authors, however, do not consider an extremelyimportant issue, which may well invalidate their conclu-sion. Time trade-off studies related to the value of visionask the question, “What is the maximum number of years—if any—you would be willing to give up if you could have anormal vision in both of your eyes for the remainder ofyour life?” Note, the question has to do with recoveringvision. But in contrast, in the standard time trade-offmethodology patients are asked, “What is the maximumnumber of years—if any—you would be willing to give upif you could have perfect health for the remainder of yourlife?”“Vision ” and “health” arenotthesamething.Presumably, vision influences a person’s health. It may bethat some individuals consider vision the most importantaspect of their health. It may also be that some individualsconsider vision an unimportant aspect of their health. But itis not proper to compare the results of those studies done bythe Browns, in which they are asking patients aboutrecovering vision, with those of the great majority of timetrade-off studies, in which subjects are asked aboutrecovering health.As an ophthalmologist, I would love to believe that theBrowns, and Knauer and Pfeiffer are correct in commentingthat patients value vision ahead of being hospitalized withtuberculosis for 3 months, or having a stroke that results ina level of disability causing the person to be unable to walkand unable to wash himself or herself; however, that this isthe case is speculation, and cannot be supported bycomparing two different methodologies, one studyingvision, and the other studying health.References
Incipient Fault Location Algorithm for Underground Cables

Cable failure process is gradual and is characterized by a series of single-phase sub-cycle incipient faults with high arc voltage. They often go undetected and eventually result in a permanent fault. The objective of this paper is to develop a robust yet practical incipient fault location algorithm taking into account the fault arc voltage. The algorithm is implemented in the time-domain and utilizes power quality monitor data to estimate the distance to the fault in terms of the line impedance. It can be applied to locate both sub-cycle as well as permanent faults. The proposed algorithm is evaluated and proved out using field data collected from utility distribution circuits. The average absolute error in locating incipient faults for three underground cable failures analyzed in this paper was found to be 7.37%, 4.69% and 3.58%, respectively.
The social determinants of mental health

Ninety percent of the determinants of our health derive from our lifetime social and physical environment-not from the provision of health care. The author describes behaviors, such as poor eating, excessive drinking and abuse of drugs, smoking, and physical inactivity, and social factors, such as adverse childhood experiences, poor education, food insecurity, poor housing quality, unemployment, and discrimination, that contribute to ill health and early demise. Better health and mental health can be achieved by understanding and responding to these determinants of health.
Research policy and review 18. Losing ground - or losing credibility? An examination of a recent policy debate in the United States.

This policy review is an examination of Charles Murray's Losing Ground, which is an investigation of the progress made by US blacks since 1950. The author purports to show that blacks have made little headway in terms of educational progress and income expectations, and are ‘losing ground’ within US society. A critical evaluation of Murray's research shows that he has focused on microeconomic issues at the expense of a consideration of wider structural changes, and that the book is thus flawed in a number of ways. This notwithstanding, the book has been successful, in that it has engendered academic analysis and political debate. It is inferred that, as an exercise in policy development, Murray has had a major impact exactly because he has offered a simplistic approach to his material. It is argued that this challenges what is regarded as the typical practice of scholarly research, publication, and discussion. The book constitutes an important yet distressing example for those who have aspirations for inf...