cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Heartland Virus Exposure in White-Tailed Deer in the Southeastern United States, 2001–2015

Abstract. Heartland virus (HRTV) is a North American phlebovirus suspected to be transmitted by the lone star tick Amblyomma americanum. White-tailed deer (WTD) have been shown to develop HRTV-neutralizing antibodies following experimental infection. To further define the geographic distribution of HRTV through retrospective sampling of WTD, sera from the WTD herd health serum archive at the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study between 2001 and 2015 were analyzed using serum neutralization. Of 783 serum samples tested, 57 (7.3%) were positive for HRTV-neutralizing antibodies. Deer with moderate to heavy tick burdens were more likely seropositive. Seropositive samples were obtained from deer originating from states with documented human cases of HRTV-associated disease. Seropositive samples were identified from years before the recognition of the first human case in 2009. Overall, this study indicates that WTD in the southeastern United States have been exposed to HRTV as early as 2001 and that the presence of seropositive animals corresponds roughly with reported human HRTV-associated disease.
Deciding to lead: a qualitative study of women leaders in emergency medicine

The aim of this study is to highlight career paths of senior women leaders in academic emergency medicine (EM) to encourage younger women to pursue leadership. This was a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with female EM leaders. We interviewed 22 recognized female leaders selected using criterion-based sampling and a standardized script of open-ended questions derived from the Intelligent Career Model. Questions were related to job purpose, skills, and networking. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and three trained reviewers analyzed transcripts following grounded theory principles and using Dedoose®. Researchers used an iterative process over several meetings to produce the final set of codes and themes. Our iterative process identified four themes: women leaders made an intentional decision to pursue opportunities to influence emergency medicine, women sought out natural mentors and sponsors to facilitate career development, women leaders intentionally planned their out of work life to support their leadership role, and an important focus for their work was to help others achieve excellence. Our study provides insights from senior female leaders in EM; supporting the value of women pursuing leadership. There is a widely acknowledged need to diversify leadership and support gender-specific needs to develop women leaders in medicine. Becoming a woman leader in EM means making intentional decisions and taking risks. Leaders found benefits in natural mentors and sponsors. Those relationships have power to change the trajectory of emerging women leaders by identifying and reinforcing potential. Work/life balance remains an area which requires intentional planning. Woman leaders encourage succession planning and corroborate the need for increasing the percentage of women leaders to benefit the organizational culture. Leadership in academic medicine is changing with reorientation of a largely autocratic, vertically oriented hierarchy into a more democratic, consensus-driven, and horizontally organized management structure which should complement the strengths women bring to the leadership table.
Initial Results of a Prospective Study of Adjuvant Pancreatic Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Close or Positive Margins

Abstract Purpose Patients with close or positive margins after surgery for pancreatic carcinoma are at a high risk for recurrence. Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) allows for safe dose escalation with great conformity and short duration of treatment. Herein, we report the initial results of a prospective observational study that evaluated the efficacy and safety of this treatment option. Methods and Materials Patients eligible for the study had pathologically proven T1-4N0-1M0 pancreatic adenocarcinoma with a positive margin (≤1 mm) or a close margin defined as Results From February 2013 to January 2018, 50 patients were enrolled with 49 patients treated on protocol and included in the analysis. The median age was 71 years. The median clinical target volume was 11.3 cc and median planning target volume 22.0 cc. The median overall survival was 23.7 months (95% confidence interval, 13.6-33.8). Local progression-free survival at 1 and 2 years was 85% and 77%, respectively. Regional progression-free survival at 1 and 2 years was 73% and 73%, respectively. Distant metastases-free survival was 57% and 49% at 1 and 2 years, respectively. Grade 3+ radiation toxicity was only 4.1% and occurred in 2 patients. Conclusions Adjuvant pancreatic SBRT was shown to be a safe and feasible treatment option for patients with high-risk pancreatic adenocarcinoma and close or positive margins. This is the first prospective study of SBRT in high-risk postoperative pancreatic cancer. Our results yielded significant local and regional control with low rates of acute toxicity. This technique does not interrupt the administration of systemically dosed multiagent chemotherapy and can be safely interdigitated between cycles because SBRT is only 1 week of treatment.
ORRIBLE: a computer program for flow and temperature distribution in 19- rod LMFBR fuel subassemblies

A computer program named ORRIBLE was written to predict the flow and temperature distribution for steady single-phase flow through a bundle of 19 heated rods spaced by helical wire wraps in a hexagonal duct. Any combination of flow subchannels can be blocked at the inlet. The section can have an unheated entrance length followed by a heated section and an unheated exit length. In the heated section, the linear heat rate of each of the rods can be individually specified. Turbulent interaction, sweeping crossflow due to the wire wrap, and transverse thermal conduction are considered. An approximate relationship for pressure-diversion crossflow in terms of local axial mass velocities is used to eliminate pressure as a variable. Hence, the computational procedure does not require iterative techniques.
Image Classification Using TensorFlow

Deep learning (DL) is a process that consists of a set of methods which classifies the raw data into meaningful information fed into the machine. DL performs classification tasks directly from sound, text, and images. One of the famous algorithms for classification of images in DL is convolutional neural networks (CNN). In this research, we tested DL model for image recognition using TensorFlow from Dockers software. We received 99% accurate to identify the test image. The system configuration used for this research includes Ubuntu 16.04, Python 2.7, TensorFlow 1.9, and Google image set (Fatkun Batch Download Image: Google, Google, chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/fatkun-batch-download-ima/nnjjahlikiabnchcpehcpkdeckfgnohf).
Mapping industry standards and integration opportunities in business management curricula

AbstractIndustry standards have a significant impact on business. Despite the importance of standards, they are not universally integrated into the college and university curricula. Given the wides...
Bragg resonator for selective feedback in overmoded oscillators

The theory of a Bragg reflector composed of periodic cylindrically symmetric corrugations is presented. For a wave satisfying the Bragg condition the corrugations can provide a reflection of nearly unity through the principles of constructive interference resulting in a frequency selective resonator. It is found that a maximum allowable value exists for the corrugation amplitude. 1.© (1990) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The Influence of Time-Limited Immunity on a COVID-19 Epidemic: A Simulation Study

Abstract A series of spreadsheet simulations using SEIS, SEIR, and SEIRS models showed that different durations of effective immunity could have important consequences for the prevalence of an epidemic disease with COVID-19 characteristics. Immunity that lasted four weeks, twelve weeks, six months, one year, and two years was tested with pathogen R0 values of 1.5, 2.3, and 3.0. Shorter durations of immunity resulted in oscillations in disease prevalence. Immunity that lasted from three months to two years produced recurrent disease outbreaks triggered by the expiration of immunity. If immunity “faded out” gradually instead of persisting at full effectiveness to the end of the immune period, the recurrent outbreaks became more frequent. The duration of effective immunity is an important consideration in the epidemiology of a disease like COVID-19.
Hidden Liberalism: Burdened Visions of Progress in Modern Iran

Compared to rival ideologies, liberalism has fared rather poorly in modern Iran. This is all the more remarkable given the essentially liberal substance of various social and political struggles – for liberal legality, individual rights and freedoms, and pluralism – in the century-long period since the demise of the Qajar dynasty and the subsequent transformation of the country into a modern nation-state. The deeply felt but largely invisible purchase of liberal political ideas in Iran challenges us to think more expansively about the trajectory of various intellectual developments since the emergence of a movement for reform and constitutionalism in the late nineteenth century. It complicates parsimonious accounts of Shi'ism, secularism, socialism, nationalism, and royalism as defining or representative ideologies of particular eras. Hidden Liberalism offers a critical examination of the reasons behind liberalism's invisible yet influential status, and its attendant ethical quandaries, in Iranian political and intellectual discourses.
Teaching Video NeuroImages: Periodic Alternating Nystagmus in Paraneoplastic KLHL11 Rhomboencephalitis.

A 58-year-old man developed subacute gait instability, oscillopsia, and vertigo. Examination showed gait ataxia and periodic alternating nystagmus (PAN) (video). MRI revealed T2 hyperintensities in the left cerebellum and nodulus (figure). CSF was inflammatory. Autoantibody evaluation was positive for Kelch-like protein 11 (KLHL11) in serum and CSF by tissue-based immunofluorescence assay and cell-based assay, prompting identification of a retroperitoneal mass by CT imaging consistent with seminoma.1 PAN resolved after plasma exchange, corticosteroids, adjuvant chemotherapy, and symptomatic baclofen; downbeat nystagmus persisted.2 KLHL11 immunoglobulin G is associated with testicular germ cell tumor paraneoplastic rhomboencephalitis. Early identification is crucial as immunotherapy and cancer treatment can prevent neurologic dysfunction.2
One-Band Hubbard Model: DMFT Solution

In this chapter, we present the most important results for the infinite-dimensional one-band Hubbard model obtained with DMFT. In particular, we discuss the spectral, transport, magnetic, and superconducting properties of the model. We pay special attention to more exotic for DMFT topics—disordered Hubbard model and non-Fermi liquid (bad-metal) phenomena. The results of different groups discussed here were obtained in the cases of different lattices and by using different impurity solvers. This, together with the presented variety of properties, will help the reader to get a feeling about different physical properties of the Hubbard model and about how DMFT works in the cases of different types of the Hubbard model (lattices) and of different approximations.
A UCB-based dynamic CoAP mode selection algorithm in distribution IoT

Abstract Lightweight constrained application protocol (CoAP) has emerged as a common communication protocol for resource-constrained equipment in distribution internet of things (IoT). CoAP introduces two modes for data transmission, i.e., non-confirmed mode for reducing transmission delay and confirmed mode for reducing packet-loss ratio, which can be dynamically selected to satisfy the service requirements. However, there are still some challenges in dynamic CoAP mode selection, including incomplete information and differentiated quality of service (QoS) requirements of distributed IoT services. In this paper, we propose a upper confidence bound (UCB)-based dynamic CoAP mode selection algorithm for data transmission to address these challenges. The simulation results validate that, compared with the fixed mode selection algorithm, the proposed algorithm can flexibly balance the tradeoff between packet-loss ratio and transmission delay as well as satisfy the differentiated QoS in distribution IoT.
The Effects of Group Therapeutic Singing on Cortisol and Motor Symptoms in Persons With Parkinson's Disease

The inclusion of music into the treatment plan for persons with Parkinson's disease (PD) may be a viable strategy to target multiple motor symptoms. However, potential mechanisms to explain why music has an impact on multiple motor symptoms in persons with PD remain understudied. The purpose of this study was to examine the acute effects of 1 h of group therapeutic singing (GTS) on physiological measures of stress and clinical motor symptoms in persons with PD. We posit that improvement in motor symptoms after GTS may be related to stress reduction. Seventeen participants with PD completed 1 h of GTS and eight participants completed 1 h of a quiet reading (control session). Cortisol was collected via passive drool immediately before and after the singing and control session. The Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) Part-III (motor examination) was also video-recorded immediately before and after the singing and control session and scored by two raters masked to time and condition. Secondary outcome measures for quality of life, depression, and mood were collected. Results revealed no significant change in cortisol or motor UPDRS scores, as well as no significant relationship between cortisol and motor UPDRS scores. There was a trend for the singing group to report feeling less sad compared to the control group after the 1-h session (effect size = 0.86), and heart rate increased in the singing group while heart rate decreased in the control group after the 1-h session. These results suggest that an acute session of GTS is not unduly stressful and promotes the use of GTS for persons with PD. Multiple mechanisms may underlie the benefits of GTS for persons with PD. Further exploring potential mechanisms by which singing improves motor symptoms in persons with PD will provide greater insight on the therapeutic use of music for persons with PD.
Basal cell carcinoma arising within a longstanding hemangioma

Basal cell carcinomas have been reported to arise within several different tumors. Without careful attention to detail, basal cell carcinomas may go unnoticed when presenting within or directly adj...
Pancreas transplantation considering the spectrum of body mass indices.

Afaneh C, Rich B, Aull MJ, Hartono C, Kapur S, Leeser DB. Pancreas transplantation considering the spectrum of body mass indices. Clin Transplant 2011: 25: E520–E529. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Abstract: Background: In kidney, liver, heart, and lung transplantation, extremes of body mass index (BMI) have been reported to influence post-operative outcomes and even survival. Given the limited data in pancreas transplantation, we sought to elucidate the influence of BMI on outcomes. Methods: We reviewed 139 consecutive pancreas transplants performed at our institution and divided them into four categories based on BMI: underweight (≤18.5 kg/m2), normal (18.6–24.9 kg/m2), overweight (25–29.9 kg/m2), and obese (≥30 kg/m2). Parameters analyzed included post-operative complications, early graft loss, one-yr acute rejection rate (AR), non-surgical infections, and survival. Results: Demographic data were similar between the groups. Compared with normal, only obese patients trended toward more post-operative complications (p = 0.06). Underweight and obese patients had significantly more post-operative infectious complications than normal (p = 0.0005 and p = 0.03, respectively). Obese patients had more complications requiring percutaneous drainage compared with normal (p = 0.03). Overweight and obese patients had significantly more complications requiring re-laparotomy (p = 0.03 and p = 0.048, respectively). Early graft loss, AR, non-surgical infections, and patient and graft survival rates were not different between normal and underweight, overweight, or obese patients (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Extremes of BMI were associated with increased morbidity. Donors and recipients should be carefully selected to maximize potential for successful outcomes.
Detection of ozone on Saturn's satellites Rhea and Dione

The satellites Rhea and Dione orbit within the magnetosphere of Saturn, where they are exposed to particle irradiation from trapped ions. A similar situation applies to the galilean moons Europa, Ganymede and Callisto, which reside within Jupiter's radiation belts. All of these satellites have surfaces rich in water ice. Laboratory studies of the interaction of charged-particle radiation with water ice predicted the tenuous oxygen atmospheres recently found on Europa and Ganymede. However, theoretical investigations did not anticipate the trapping of significantly larger quantities of O2 within the surface ice. The accumulation of detectable abundances of O3, produced by the action of ultraviolet or charged-particle radiation on O2, was also not predicted before being observed on Ganymede. Here we report the identification of O3 in spectra of the saturnian satellites Rhea and Dione. The presence of trapped O3 is thus no longer unique to Ganymede, suggesting that special circumstances may not be required for its production.
Large-basis no-core shell-model calculations and their application to10C →10B fermi beta decay

We use a 4ħΩ shell-model calculation with a two-body effective interaction derived microscopically from the Reid93 potential to calculate the isospin-mixing correction for the10C→10B superallowed Fermi transition. The effective interaction takes into account the Coulomb potential as well as the charge dependence ofT=1 partial waves. Our results suggest the isospin-mixing correctionδ c ≈ 0.1%, which is compatible with previous calculations obtained by other methods. The obtainedδ C correction is about a factor of four too small to obtain unitarity of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix with the present experimental data.
Fluoride damage to substrates during stripping of mirrors

Fluorides are useful low-index materials that can be used to enhance reflectivity of over-coated metallic films. In particular, YF3 has been suggested as a useful low-stress low-index material in the IR where film layers must be thicker, and it has also been found to enhance durability in silver-based mirrors. However, if these mirrors need to be stripped for recoating, care must be taken with the stripping process to avoid damaging a silica-based substrate through production of hydrofluoric acid. We present data that such damage can occur, and discuss empirically-derived alternative stripping processes in place of the normal acid-based approach to mitigate the danger.
Marching to the beat of the ring: polypeptide translocation by AAA+ proteases

ATP-dependent proteases exist in all cells and are crucial regulators of the proteome. These machines consist of a hexameric, ring-shaped motor responsible for engaging, unfolding, and translocating protein substrates into an associated peptidase for degradation. Here, we discuss recent work that has established how the six motor subunits coordinate their ATP-hydrolysis and translocation activities. The closed topology of the ring and the rigidity of subunit/subunit interfaces cause conformational changes within a single subunit to drive motions in other subunits of the hexamer. This structural effect generates allostery between the ATP-binding sites, leading to a preferred order of binding and hydrolysis events among the motor subunits as well as a unique biphasic mechanism of translocation.
Development of green suspension ironmaking technology based on hydrogen reduction of iron oxide concentrate: Rate measurements

AbstractA novel ironmaking technology is under development at the University of Utah. This technology produces iron directly from fine iron oxide concentrate by a gas–solid suspension reduction, utilising hydrogen as the main reducing agent for high reactivity, for the elimination of carbon dioxide release during ironmaking operations and also pursuing the direct use of concentrates to bypass the problematic pelletisation/sintering and cokemaking steps in the steel industry. This paper is mainly focused on the kinetic feasibility tests of the proposed process showing that the reduction rate was fast enough to obtain 90–99% reduction within 1–7 s at 1200–1500°C, depending on the amount of excess hydrogen supplied with the iron oxide. This indicates that the reduction rate of concentrate particles by hydrogen containing gases is sufficiently fast for a suspension reduction process and forms the most important basis for the new technology.
Effect of acute and repeated treatment with desipramine or methylphenidate on serial reversal learning in rats

Administration of stimulant and non-stimulant drugs that inhibit monoamine reuptake is known to improve cognitive and behavioral symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Although this may reflect acute actions of these drugs, clinical observations suggest that prolonged treatment with these agents may result in a better therapeutic outcome. In the current study, we compared the effects of acute and repeated treatment with the stimulant drug, methylphenidate (MPH), and the non-stimulant norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor desipramine (DMI) in rats performing a reversal learning task meant to study behavioral flexibility in rats. Furthermore, we tested the effect of an acute challenge administration with these agents or vehicle on reversal performance of rats repeatedly treated with the drug or vehicle. Our results suggest the acute and repeated treatment with DMI improves reversal learning performance in a qualitatively and quantitatively similar manner. Further repeated treatment with DMI seems to produce a reversal learning improvement that persists at least 24 h after drug administration. Repeated MPH treatment only improved performance in the first within session reversal administered, suggesting that its beneficial effects may depend upon the complexity of the reversal condition tested. The differential outcome produced by stimulant and non-stimulant medications in this study may be explained in light of their distinct actions on brain catecholaminergic systems.
Direct measurement of spin-lattice relaxation rates between triplet spin sublevels using optical detection of magnetic resonance

A method is described for the direct measurement of spin-lattice relaxation rates between the triplet spin sublevels of phosphorescent molecules. The method also yields the correct values (in the presence of spin-lattice relaxation) for the total sublevel decay rates and can be used in conjunction with standard optically detected magnetic resonance experiments to find correct values for relative populating rate constants, radiative rate constants and steady state populations of the triplet sublevels. The technique is applied herein to the study of indole and tryptophan molecules in several environments.
Influence of puromycin aminonucleoside on photoreactivation and pyrimidine dimer repair

We have measured the effect of puromycin aminonucleoside (PAN) on photoreactivation of mutations and loss of pyrimidine dimers in structural gene Strep A in ultraviolet (UV)-irradiatedEscherichia coli B/r T-cells. Photoreactivating illumination between 3100 and 4000 A wavelengths for 45 min on brain-heart infusion (BHI) of B/r T-eliminated 55% of the pyrimidine dimers and 75% of the mutations in gene Strep A. When BHI-PAN medium was employed, there was a 45% loss of dimers and 73% reduction in mutations. Incubation for 3.5 on BHI or BHI-PAN prior to such treatment results in no loss of mutations. These results suggest that the photoreactivity of mutations in gene Strep A is related to the ability of the cells to repair pyrimidine dimers. However, no direct correlation has been made between the observed repair of mutations and repair of pyrimidine dimers. Further experiments on the kinetics of the repair process, designed to elucidate the mechanism of PAN action, show that slope increases with increasing concentration of the drug that follows an enzyme-like pattern.
Real-time measurements of DNA hybridization on microparticles with fluorescence resonance energy transfer.

When capture oligonucleotides are tethered on planar surfaces, mass transport limitations influence the kinetics of solid-phase nucleic acid hybridizations. By diffusion theory, however, hybridization of oligonucleotides on microparticles should be reaction-rate limited. In an initial effort to understand the kinetics of microparticle hybridization reactions, we developed a fluorescence resonance energy transfer method for monitoring oligonucleotide hybridization on microparticles. Microparticles were coated with a fluoresceinated oligomer at surface densities of 20, 40, and 80% saturation, hybridized to a complementary oligonucleotide labeled with tetramethylrhodamine, and monitored over time for quenching of the fluorescein signal as hybridization occurred on the particle surface. Association rate constants were compared for microparticle-based hybridization and solution-phase hybridization. Rate constants for hybridizations on the particle surface were about an order of magnitude less than those for hybridization in solution, but decreasing the surface density of the capture oligonucleotide to 20% saturation improved particle hybridization rates. Although a bimolecular reaction model adequately described solution-phase hybridization kinetics, oligonucleotide hybridization on microparticles did not fit this model but exhibited biphasic reaction kinetics. Based on two different lines of reasoning, we argue that microparticle-based oligonucleotide hybridization was indeed reaction-rate limited in our system and not diffusion-rate limited.
Women and Politics in Chile

Women and Politics in Chile. By Susan Franceschet. Boulder and London: Lynne Rienner. 2005. 203 pp. $49.95.This is a well-researched, well-written, and conceptually precise contribution to a thick field of books on the topic of women and politics in Chile. Susan Franceschet frames her book as an analysis of gendered citizenship in Chile from the 1930s to the present. In the individual chapters, she employs concepts and theories drawn from literature on social movements and women and the state. Specifically, she addresses four main areas of debate in the field of women and politics: the employment of a “politics of difference” as a movement frame, the tensions between “autonomous” or “double militant” activist positions, the factors that impede or facilitate women's access to electoral politics, and relations between women and women's state machineries.
Variation in enzyme activities of the American oyster (Crassostrea virginica) relative to size and season

Abstract 1. 1. The specific activities and subcellular distribution of eleven enzymes were determined in whole body homogenates of the American oyster, Crassostrea virginica . 2. 2. The activities of lactic dehydrogenase, cytochrome oxidase, and acid phosphatase were inversely proportional to organism weight. 3. 3. Seasonal fluctuations were observed for malic dehydrogenase, glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, glutamic pyruvic transaminase, acetylcholinesterase, alkaline phosphatase and acid phosphatase.
Effect of a high-palmitic acid fat supplement on milk production and apparent total-tract digestibility in high- and low-milk yield dairy cows

The effect of a high-palmitic acid fat supplement was tested in 12 high-producing (mean = 42.1 kg/d) and 12 low-producing (mean = 28.9 kg/d) cows arranged in a replicated 3 × 3 Latin square design. Experimental periods were 21 d, with 18d of diet adaptation and 3 d of sample collection. Treatments were (1) control (no supplemental fat), (2) high-palmitic acid (PA) supplement (84% C16:0), and (3) Ca salts of palm fatty acid (FA) supplement (Ca-FA). The PA supplement had no effect on milk production, but decreased dry matter intake by 7 and 9% relative to the control in high- and low-producing cows, respectively, and increased feed efficiency by 8.5% in high-producing cows compared with the control. Milk fat concentration and yield were not affected by PA relative to the control in high- or low-producing cows, although PA increased the yield of milk 16-C FA by more than 85 g/d relative to the control. The Ca-FA decreased milk fat concentration compared with PA in high-, but not in low-producing cows. In agreement, Ca-FA dramatically increased milk fat concentration of trans-10 C18:1 and trans-10, cis-12 conjugated linoleic acid (>300%) compared with PA in high-producing cows, but not in low-producing cows. No effect of treatment on milk protein concentration or yield was detected. The PA supplement also increased 16-C FA apparent digestibility by over 10% and increased total FA digestibility compared with the control in high- and low-producing cows. During short-term feeding, palmitic acid supplementation did not increase milk or milk fat yield; however, it was efficiently absorbed, increased feed efficiency, and increased milk 16-C FA yield, while minimizing alterations in ruminal biohydrogenation commonly observed for other unsaturated fat supplements. Longer-term experiments will be necessary to determine the effects on energy balance and changes in body reserves.
The BPV-1 E2 DNA-contact helix cysteine is required for transcriptional activation but not replication in mammalian cells.

The papillomavirus E2 protein contains an amino-terminal region thought necessary and sufficient to support transcriptional activation and a carboxy-terminal region shown to direct sequence-specific DNA binding and dimerization. A cysteine residue in the center of the E2 DNA recognition helix is highly conserved among papillomavirus E2 proteins. Mutations of this cysteine in bovine papillomavirus type 1 E2 to serine and glycine resulted in proteins which failed to activate E2dependent promoters in mammalian cells. These E2 mutants were DNA-binding competent, dimeric, and nuclear. When fused to the VP16 transactivation domain, C-terminal regions of E2 containing the mutations at 340 supported transcriptional activation, indicating that the heterologous trans-activation domain did not require cysteine in the DNA-binding helix as did the full-length E2 transactivating protein. Although cysteine-340 was required for transcriptional activation it was not required for DNA replication in vivo. Together, these results suggest that the E2 DNA-binding domain may directly contribute to functions of transcriptional activation previously thought limited to the N-terminal domain. q 1996 Academic Press, Inc.
The effects of red cell and tissue exchange on the evaluation of capillary permeability from multiple indicator data.

The two phase (vascular-extravascular) Sangren-Sheppard (SS) model is often used to estimate capillary permeability-surface area product (PS) from multiple indicator data. Our objective was to identify conditions where erroneous estimates of capillary PS or extravascular volume (VE) result from the application of this model to data obtained from non-homogeneous capillary units. We used a 4-phase capillary-tissue model (plasma, erythrocytes, interstitial fluid and extravascular cellular fluid) to simulate data collected from a heterogeneous capillary unit. A moment-matching technique was used to compute the parameters of the simpler SS model which would adequately describe the 4 phase tracer concentration-time (c(t)) curve. Deviations of computed values of VE and PS from the PS and extravascular volume specified in the 4-phase model were determined as functions of dimensionless red cell permeability αRC, hematocrit value, plasma-to-red cell velocity ratio, dimensionless extravascular cellular volume and permeability, capillary permeability αcap, and the fraction of indicator orginally deposited in the plasma at the capillary inlet. Our results indicate that application of the SS model to simulated low capillary permeability data produces underestimates in both VE and PS. Equations are presented which correct for this effect so long as the SS and 4-phase model c(t) curves are similar. Application of the whole blood-tissue SS model in situations where red cells are only slightly permeable or use of the plasma-tissue SS model when red cells admit tracer can lead to significant errors in VE and PS estimates. When αcap is relatively large neither SS model yields an accurate estimate of PS in the intermediate αRC range (i.e., near unity). Less than 10% error will result, regardless of αRC, if the blood-tissue SS model is used (αcap ≤ .30, Hct≤.50) and the tracer is equilibrated with a blood sample before injection.
Wafer-level processing for polymer-based planar micro cryogenic coolers

In this paper, we present the fabrication and testing of a novel polymer-based Joule-Thomson (J-T) micro cryogenic cooler (MCC). Techniques including monolithic fabrication of high pressure polymer channels and 3-D interconnect for fluid channels including a flow resistance are developed to fabricate a planar MCC. The MCC contains a polymer heat exchanger and a silicon/glass J-T valve. A low temperature of 233 K was achieved under an operation pressure ratio of 0.7:0.15 MPa by using a custom designed mixed refrigerant. It is the first demonstration ever reported for J-T MCCs fabricated and assembled based on wafer-level processes.
Barbiturates and alcohol consumption

Abstract Studies on the effects of sodium phenobarbital on the ingestion of various sapid solutions in rats are reviewed and discussed. In the first three studies reported, the effects of phenobarbital on forced consumption of alcoholic and nonalcoholic solutions in water deprived rats were examined. The results of these studies indicated that phenobarbital can produce a taste aversion to ethanol solutions but not to nonalcoholic solutions in animals previously acclimated to these solutions. These data suggested a specific pharmacological interaction between this barbiturate and alcohol and a series of experiments on the effects of phenobarbital on voluntary alcohol consumption in rats was performed. The results of these studies indicate that chronic administration of certain doses of phenobarbital decreases preference for sweetened and nonsweetened 3% and 6% ethanol solutions but does not affect preference for non-alcoholic glucose and saccharin solutions. Similar administration of 30 mg/kg amobarbital, 80 mg/kg barbital, 2.5 mg/kg diazepam, 1.0 mg/kg methyprylon, and 10.0 mg/kg methaqualone did not alter intakes and preference for a 6% ethanol solution. The apparent specificity of phenobarbital in reducing ethanol consumption is discussed.
Mucinous epithelial neoplasms of the appendix and pseudomyxoma peritonei

The classification of appendiceal mucinous neoplasms has been controversial, largely focused on a particular subset of low-grade mucinous tumors that, despite their innocuous appearance, can disseminate to the peritoneal cavity as pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP). Recent WHO classification of these tumors as low-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasms acknowledges their unique morphologic appearance and biologic behavior. Still, debate about the use of this term and its parameters continues to impede the adoption of consensus classification for appendiceal mucinous neoplasms. The classification of PMP has also been the subject of debate, with international authorities advocating for the use of malignant terminology to describe all grades of PMP, even though some authorities consider low-grade PMP to be dissemination of adenomatous epithelium in the peritoneum. Recent data also emphasize the importance of histologic grade of the peritoneal tumors in defining prognosis of these patients.
Controversies in staging of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary cancer of the liver. As the natural history of HCC is better delineated, treatment strategies are in constant evolution. Classic staging systems based on histopathology following resection are often inadequate because the majority of patients present with advanced disease. The dissatisfaction with anatomic staging systems has resulted in the emergence of several new clinical staging systems, which attempt to integrate tumor biology and the underlying function of the nondiseased liver. Tragically, the byproduct of multiple staging strategies is confusion for physicians, patients, and clinical researchers; this undermines the principles on which staging systems are created. To address this issue, a consensus conference was organized in 2002 to identify the best staging strategy for HCC. The purpose of this article is to review the current clinical and pathologic staging strategies and to highlight the recommendations from the consensus conference.
Growth, structure and stress of sputtered TiB2 thin films

Abstract Thin hexagonal TiB 2 films were deposited using d.c. magnetron sputtering. The structure of films with different thicknesses was evaluated by X-ray diffractometry and transmission electron microscopy. It was found that the microstructure of TiB 2 films depends on thickness. Films below approximately 1000 A are made up of randomly oriented fine grains. A (001) texture starts to develop above this thickness. More detailed study of the texture reveals that the textured crystallites align more ideally as the thickness of films increases. The residual stresses in all films are compressive and increase slightly with increasing film thickness. After 400 °C annealing, the film stress systematically shifts toward the tensile direction with the thinner films exhibiting larger changes. This is attributed to the elimination of a larger density of defects and more pronounced grain growth in thinner films.
Promises and Challenges: Exploring a collaborative telementoring programme in a preservice teacher education programme

Telementoring offers many promises for collaborative opportunities in a teacher education programme. Unbounded by time and location, telementoring provides a forum for collaboration and collegiality between primary stakeholders in teacher preparation: preservice teachers, cooperating teachers, and university professors. This article explores a vision of telementoring that went unrealised. Through challenging lessons learned, the authors offer a plan for setting up an effective mentorship triad, utilising the World Wide Web as the medium to implement the telementoring context. Our triad of mentorship has the capacity to be expanded to include successive groups of novice teachers, creating a web of mentorship that will help inform all of our practices. It indeed holds great promise for the future.
The Impact of Anonymity in Online Communities

The scale of participation on social news sites has challenged community managers, leaving them unable to detect and remove all inappropriate content by hand. Automated insult and profanity detection systems have helped, but have failed to address the problem of why this content is contributed in the first place. That is, what implications do interface design choices have on the content being generated? One such design choice is whether or not a site allows anonymous comments. What impact does allowing anonymity have on the quality or quantity of participation on a site? This case study analyses the impact of anonymity on a technology social news site, TechCrunch.com. TechCrunch is ideal for this study in that it underwent a shift from allowing anonymous comments (using the Disqus commenting platform) to disallowing them (using the Facebook commenting platform) in March of 2011. We compare the quality of anonymous and real identity comments through measures of reading level, relevance to the target article, negativity and presence of swear words and anger words. We couple this qualitative analysis with a quantitative analysis of the change in participation to give a complete picture of the impact of anonymity in this online community, with the end goal of informing design on similar social news sites.
The acetylcholine receptor. Isolation of a brain nicotinic receptor and its preliminary characterization in lipid bilayer membranes.

The technique of affinity chromatography with the curarizing neurotoxins of Naja naja venom has been employed to extract nicotinic acetylcholine receptors from the brain tissues of mouse and hog. Both carbochol and hexamethonium were used as linear or step gradients to elute the receptor and its properties were investigated in lipid bilayer membranes. Of particular interest is the observation that discrete quanta of conductance could be observed across an NaCl gradient of 1.0:0.1 M. By switching the voltage-clamp across the bilayer between a positive and negative 80 mV, the separate Na+ and Cl− conductances of these quanta could be estimated and the following conductances of the smallest discrete quanta were observed: 3.7 · 10−11 Ω−1 (Na+) and 5.9 · 10−11 Ω−1 (Cl−) for mouse brain receptors; 3.8 · 10−11 Ω−1 (Na+) and 4.7 · 10−11 Ω−1 (Cl−) for hog brain receptors. Large aggregates of receptors appeared to activate and deactivate as multiples of a basic conductance size, although there is evidence that they may not represent the actual gating of ion channels. A “background noise” that is not within the temporal capability of the recording system is also present at an intensity that seems to parallel the number of activated receptors, and in view of recent electrophysiological evidence that the relaxation lifetime of the open channel state is of a millisecond duration, it may be that this “noise” actually represent the channel gating.
Numerical simulations of island formation in a coherent strained epitaxial thin film system

Three dimensional finite element computations are used to predict the formation of quantum dot arrays in a strained epitaxial thin film system. The film is idealized as an initially planar, isotropic elastic layer with isotropic surface energy, which is coherently bonded to an elastic, lattice mismatched substrate. A small, doubly sinusoidal variation in film thickness, intended to represent the dominant wavelength of surface roughness, is introduced to trigger island formation. The film continues to roughen due to strain induced surface diffusion and eventually breaks up into arrays of discrete islands. The conditions necessary for island formation are identified, and are shown to differ significantly from the conditions necessary for spontaneous roughening of a strained layer. A detailed parametric study is conducted to determine the influence of the properties of film and substrate, film thickness, and surface roughness on the resulting island morphologies. In particular, our simulations show that there exists a critical range of surface roughness wavelength which leads to the formation of perfectly periodic island arrays. Finally, our predictions are compared with existing experimental measurements.
Language-Related Episodes in an Assessment Context: A 'Small-Group Quiz'

Based on the construct of ‘language-related episodes’ (Swain & Lapkin, 1998) and Vygotsky's (1934/1986) notions of scaffolding and private speech, this investigation explores student interaction during a formalized assessment task. The purpose of this qualitative study was twofold: first, to analyze the small-group quiz interaction that took place among 20 intermediate students of Spanish and, second, to highlight students' perceptions of this experience. Triangulated data include students' recorded small-group interactions, written quizzes (graded individually), and questionnaires that elicited their perspectives on the use of small-group quizzes. The analysis exposed language-related episodes in which students collaboratively formed quiz responses, challenged each other's answers, and discussed test-taking strategies and beliefs. These findings cast doubt on the claim that positive interdependence (i.e., ‘group grading’) is necessary to foster promotive interaction as well as expand current understandin...
2.15 Micron Laser Welding Of Gallbladder Tissue

Laser welding of biliary tissues would be a valuable technique in conventional and endoscopic surgery. Laser welding would allow the avoidance of potentially lithogenic suture material as a sequela to biliary tract surgery. Laser welding would be compatable from the surgical technical standpoint with fiberoptic endoscopic intrumentation. The 2.15 micron thulium-holmium-chromium laser offers tissue penetration on the order of a few hundred microns. We have hypothesized that this laser might be well suited to performing biliary tissue welding. We evaluated this laser in vitro using canine gallbladder tissue and we were able to achieve histologically satisfactory tissue fusion and immediate bursting strengths above physiologically encountered biliary pressures.
Effect of hyperosmolality on alkaline phosphatase and stress-response protein 27 of MCF-7 breast cancer cells.

MCF-7, a continuous cell line derived from a human breast carcinoma, exhibits very low alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. The enzyme is heat-stable and is inhibited by L-phenylalanine and L-phenylalanylgly-cylglycine, but not by L-homoarginine, 1-bromotetramisole, or levamisole. These data indicate that MCF-7 produces term-placental ALP, the oncodevelopmental enzyme form inappropriately expressed by a variety of human tumors. In contrast to human cancer cells that produce this enzyme monophenotypically, ALP activity of MCF-7 cells is not significantly increased by glucocorticoids or sodium butyrate. By comparison, exposure to hyperosmolality causes a striking increase in enzyme activity. Cycloheximide blocks this effect. The results obtained with cell-free assays were confirmed by cytochemical and immunocytochemical assays on whole cells. Because some of the agents tested in the enzyme modulation experiments affect cell proliferation, their possible effect on two stress-response proteins (srp 27 and srp 72) was also examined; specific immunocytochemical assays were used. These tests revealed that neither protein is affected by glucocorticoids; that sodium butyrate has no effect on srp 27, but alters the intracellular distribution of srp 72; and that hyperosmolality, while not significantly affecting srp 72, causes an increase in srp 27.