cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Research and Application of the Advanced Treatment Technology of Heavy Oil Wastewater

With the development of thick oil,water cut is increasing,more and more thick oil wasted water is to be disposed and used again,and thick oil block need more clean water for thermal production.Besides,the waste water must be applied on thermal product boiler.The paper expounds the features of waste water and the commitment of this technology,analyzes the waste water quality and treatment,researches on the four technical problems of advanced treatment and recycling.Through the application in the first processing station in Xiaowa,the requirements of thermal production boiler are met;the project is estimated to be feasible and with good economic and social efficiency.
An ice age recorded in the polar deposits of Mars.

Layered ice deposits at the poles of Mars record a detailed history of accumulation and erosion related to climate processes. Radar investigations measure these layers and provide evidence for climate changes such as ice advance and retreat. We present a detailed analysis of observational data showing that ~87,000 cubic kilometers of ice have accumulated at the poles since the end of the last ice age ~370,000 years ago; this volume is equivalent to a global layer of ~60 centimeters. The majority of the material accumulated at the north pole. These results provide both a means to understand the accumulation history of the polar deposits as related to orbital Milankovitch cycles and constraints for better determination of Mars’ past and future climates.
The calcareous nannofossil species Nephrolithus frequens Górka (1957) and its morphotypes

A complete morphologic intergradation from biperforate to multiperforate specimens of Nephrolithus frequens Gorka (1957) occurs in the uppermost Maastrichtian chalk at southern high-latitude ODP Holes 750A (Kerguelen Plateau, southern Indian Ocean) and 690C (Maud Rise, Weddell Sea). Previous workers have assigned taxonomic importance to the number of pores of the central area. Two subspecies, N. frequens subsp. frequens and N. frequens subsp. miniporus, were recently differentiated (Pospichal and Wise, 1990) based on this character (four or more pores and two pores, respectively). The observation of specimens of Nephrolithus frequens with three pores in the central area indicates that there is no “natural” breaking point in a progression from two to numerous pores and that specimens of N. frequens with different pore numbers should be considered morphotypes of a single species exhibiting a high intraspecific variability. In addition, our observations using the scanning electron microscope and light microscope illustrate that in well-preserved specimens each pore in the central area is surrounded by two cycles of elements. The margin consists of two cycles, with the elements of the inner cycle extending proximally about twice as far as the elements of the outer cycle.
Experimental Studies of Organic Acid Decomposition

This chapter presents a brief review of the decarboxylation and oxidation modes of spontaneous decomposition of carboxylic acids with the main emphasis on the reactions of acetic acid. The kinetics of thermal decarboxylation of short-chain carboxylic acids are characterized by means of an isokinetic relationship into two general mechanistic classes: aliphatic monocarboxylic acids, which react via a heterogeneously catalyzed mechanism, and dicarboxylic acids, which undergo homogeneous C-C bond cleavage. In this chapter, emphasis is placed on the former class of reactions. A detailed critical discussion of the experimental techniques used to derive the rate constants is given together with suggestions for future experiments that in the authors’ view would serve to test the preliminary mechanistic assignments. Attention will also be focused on the need and methods used to characterize the solid surface component of heterogeneous catalysis. Specific mention is made of experiments involving oxidatrion reactions that may help to rationalize the correlations proposed in the literature on the basis of field data, as well as clarifying the nature and reversibility of these processes.
Public Cellphone Use Does Not Activate Negative Responses in Others'Unless They Hate Cellphones

Ostracism dramatically reduces psychosocial well-being. Many studies have examined ostracism within digital environments, but to our knowledge no one has examined ostracism as manifested through public cellphone use. Experimental data revealed that public texting or reading on a cellphone was less ostracizing to copresent others than face-to-face ostracism but more ostracizing than face-to-face inclusion. Though cellphone use was somewhat ostracizing it did not prompt negative psychological effects, supporting the notion of cellphone taken-for-grantedness. Exceptions were found for those reporting phone technostress; these individuals were negatively affected by exposure to someone reading on a cellphone. Findings extend the ostracism paradigm to a new context and support research on the importance of attitudes and norms in shaping the effects of public cellphone use.
SLIT2/ROBO2 signaling pathway inhibits nonmuscle myosin IIA activity and destabilizes kidney podocyte adhesion

The repulsive guidance cue SLIT2 and its receptor ROBO2 are required for kidney development and podocyte foot process structure, but the SLIT2/ROBO2 signaling mechanism regulating podocyte function is not known. Here we report that a potentially novel signaling pathway consisting of SLIT/ROBO Rho GTPase activating protein 1 (SRGAP1) and nonmuscle myosin IIA (NMIIA) regulates podocyte adhesion downstream of ROBO2. We found that the myosin II regulatory light chain (MRLC), a subunit of NMIIA, interacts directly with SRGAP1 and forms a complex with ROBO2/SRGAP1/NMIIA in the presence of SLIT2. Immunostaining demonstrated that SRGAP1 is a podocyte protein and is colocalized with ROBO2 on the basal surface of podocytes. In addition, SLIT2 stimulation inhibits NMIIA activity, decreases focal adhesion formation, and reduces podocyte attachment to collagen. In vivo studies further showed that podocyte-specific knockout of Robo2 protects mice from hypertension-induced podocyte detachment and albuminuria and also partially rescues the podocyte-loss phenotype in Myh9 knockout mice. Thus, we have identified SLIT2/ROBO2/SRGAP1/NMIIA as a potentially novel signaling pathway in kidney podocytes, which may play a role in regulating podocyte adhesion and attachment. Our findings also suggest that SLIT2/ROBO2 signaling might be a therapeutic target for kidney diseases associated with podocyte detachment and loss.
Percent depth doses and X-ray beam characterizations of a fluoroscopic system incorporating copper filtration.

Purpose In this investigation, we sought to characterize X-ray beam qualities and quantify percent depth dose (PDD) curves for fluoroscopic X-ray beams incorporating added copper (Cu) filtration, such as those commonly used in fluoroscopically guided interventions (FGI). The intended application of this research is for dosimetry in soft tissue from FGI procedures using these data. Methods All measurements in this study were acquired on a Siemens (Erlangen, Germany) Artis zeego fluoroscope. X-ray beam characteristics of first half-value layer (HVL), second HVL, homogeneity coefficients (HCs), backscatter factors (BSFs) and kVp accuracy and precision were determined to characterize the X-ray beams used for the PDD measurements. A scanning water tank was used to measure PDD curves for 60, 80, 100, and 120 kVp X-ray beams with Cu filtration thicknesses of 0.0, 0.1, 0.3, 0.6, and 0.9 mm at 11 cm, 22 cm, and 42 cm nominal fields of view, in water depths of 0 to 150 mm. Results X-ray beam characteristics of first HVLs and HCs differed from previous published research of fluoroscopic X-ray beam qualities without Cu filtration. PDDs for 60, 80, 100, and 120 kVp with 0 mm of Cu filtration were comparable to previous published research, accounting for differences in fluoroscopes, geometric orientation, type of ionization chamber, X-ray beam quality, and the water tank used for data collection. PDDs and X-ray beam characteristics for beam qualities with Cu filtration are presented, which have not been previously reported. Conclusions The data sets of X-ray beam characteristics and PDDs presented in this study can be used to estimate organ or soft tissue doses at depth involving similar beam qualities or to compare with mathematical models. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Abstract 5181: Targeted knockdown of MYC in AML cells using G-quadruplex interacting small molecules

Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is a disease that occurs when genomic changes alter expression of key genes, causing cells to resume an undifferentiated state, proliferate, and maintain tumor growth throughout the body. Recently, there has been an increase in efforts toward developing therapies that specifically target the protein products of these aberrantly expressed genes. However, many of the proteins are difficult to target because of structural challenges, protein overexpression that requires high drug doses, or mutations that confer resistance to therapy. One potential type of targeted therapy that circumvents these issues is the use of small molecules that stabilize DNA secondary structures called G-quadruplexes. G-quadruplexes are present in the promoters of many potential oncogenes, and have regulatory roles in their transcription. This study analyzes the therapeutic potential of compounds that target the regulatory G-quadruplex in the MYC oncogene, which is commonly misregulated in AML. Treatment of the MYC expressing AML cell lines KG-1 and UT-7epo with the compound GQC-05 resulted in decreased expression of MYC mRNA, as determined by qPCR. Moreover, GQC-05 treatment induced a more significant decrease in c-Myc protein expression than similar treatment with JQ-1(+), as shown by western blot analysis. Treatment of AML cells with GQC-05 also decreased cell viability and increased apoptosis. Concurrent treatment of AML cells with GQC-05 and JQ-1(+) showed an antagonistic effect, indicating potential competition in the silencing of MYC. These results demonstrate that targeting the MYC promoter G-quadruplex in AML cells leads to knockdown of MYC expression and induces apoptosis. These results further support the development of a novel mechanism for targeting key genetic drivers in AML, and lay the groundwork for advances in treatment of other cancers driven by G-quadruplex regulated oncogenes. Citation Format: Megan A. Turnidge, Apurvi Patel, Justin J. Montoya, David W. Lee, Daniel H. Wai, Vijay Gokhale, Laurence Hurley, Robert J. Arceci, David O. Azorsa. Targeted knockdown of MYC in AML cells using G-quadruplex interacting small molecules [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 5181. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-5181
Achieving a 15% Relapse Rate: A Review of Collegiate Recovery and Physician Health Programs

ABSTRACTEvidence from physician health programs (PHPs) suggest that long-term continuums of step-down care are effective at achieving at or near a 15% relapse rate. Parallel to the PHP model, evidence from collegiate recovery programs (CRPs) cite a relapse rate from year to year of 8%. The CRP and PHP models involve long-term, comprehensive components of care and ancillary services oriented toward highly transformative abstinence-based recovery. This article identifies factors between the two models that facilitate recovery and discusses the implications for future research.
Making Developmental Science Accessible, Usable, and a Catalyst for Innovation

ABSTRACTThe rapidly moving frontiers of neuroscience, molecular biology, and epigenetics—combined with extensive research in the behavioral and social sciences—are dramatically expanding our unders...
Role of Social Media in Public Accounting Firms

Social media has been widely used for both professional and personal communications. Businesses recognize the importance of social media and are using them to fulfill various business objectives. In this paper, we focus on analyzing the business objectives of public accounting firms that have both a firm-wide main page and a career page on Facebook. More specifically, we compare the business objectives they are achieving with their firm-wide main pages versus career pages. We not only find differences in the objectives that are being achieved, but also identify other objectives that are not actively being pursued on either page but may be considered in the future.
Maxillary Distraction Osteogenesis in Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate Patients with Rigid External Distraction System.

Aim: Distraction osteogenesis (DO) is a treatment option for patients with maxillary hypoplasia secondary to cleft lip and palate (CLP). Purpose: The aim of this study is to present a technique for maxillary DO using Le Fort I osteotomy with rigid external distraction (RED) system. Subjects and Methods: The patient presented in this paper was an Asian female with CLP aged 13 years and 6 months. She presented with severe midfacial deficiency with a Class III dental malocclusion with a negative overjet and concave facial profile. Cone-beam computed tomography images were recorded preoperatively and the operation performed involved a high Le Fort I osteotomy. The appliance fabricated was banded to upper first molars used for anchorage of the RED system. Distraction of the maxilla was initiated after 7-day latency period. Results: Postoperative cephalometric analysis showed maxillary advancement anteriorly and superiorly, the total distraction treatment period was 10 days. The maxillary advancement was 10.5 mm and the SNA angle increased from 67.5° to 77.9°. Furthermore, the ANB angle changed from −9.8° to 1.6° and the occlusion changed from Class III to Class I. The profile of the face changed from concave to convex and a much better esthetic result was achieved. Conclusion: The study suggests RED system to be a reliable alternative procedure for the treatment of midfacial hypoplasia with or without cleft. Furthermore, it minimizes the risk of the surgical procedure and shortens the operating time.
Deep Learning Retinal Vessel Segmentation from a Single Annotated Example: An Application of Cyclic Generative Adversarial Neural Networks

Supervised deep learning methods such as fully convolutional neural networks have been very effective at medical image segmentation tasks. These approaches are limited, however, by the need for large amounts of labeled training data. The time and labor required for creating human-labeled ground truth segmentations for training examples is often prohibitive. This paper presents a method for the generation of synthetic examples using cyclic generative adversarial neural networks. The paper further shows that a fully convolutional network trained on a dataset of several synthetic examples and a single manually-crafted ground truth segmentation can approach the accuracy of an equivalent network trained on twenty manually segmented examples.
The role of reward and effort over time in task switching

When multitasking in a demanding environment, operators strategically switch between tasks. Two influences on this multi-task management behaviour are the perceived rewards gained from performing a...
Political skill and outcomes in social life

Abstract The concept of political skill has been extensively studied in work and professional life but not yet in social life. To study how political skill relates to social life outcomes, participants engaged in a videotaped interaction in the laboratory that was rated for likeability and intelligence by naive perceivers and coded for behavior by trained coders. Participants also took the Political Skill Scale (PSI; Ferris et al., 2005) (with workplace references removed) and other personality questionnaires. Finally, ratings from participants' friends were gathered. Political skill was related to self-rated social life quality, perceiver-rated likeability, and friend-rated positive sociality. When controlling for extraversion, self-monitoring, and social self-efficacy, all relations stayed significant except ones with self-rated social life quality. Results were strongest for the PSI's subscales for networking ability and interpersonal influence. Sounding confident and initiating topics mediated relations between political skill and perceiver ratings.
Activation of the ISR mediates the behavioral and neurophysiological abnormalities in Down syndrome

Down syndrome (DS) is the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability. Protein homeostasis is essential for normal brain function, but little is known about its role in DS pathophysiology. In this study, we found that the integrated stress response (ISR)-a signaling network that maintains proteostasis-was activated in the brains of DS mice and individuals with DS, reprogramming translation. Genetic and pharmacological suppression of the ISR, by inhibiting the ISR-inducing double-stranded RNA-activated protein kinase or boosting the function of the eukaryotic translation initiation factor eIF2-eIF2B complex, reversed the changes in translation and inhibitory synaptic transmission and rescued the synaptic plasticity and long-term memory deficits in DS mice. Thus, the ISR plays a crucial role in DS, which suggests that tuning of the ISR may provide a promising therapeutic intervention.
Lost in Translation? A Comparative Analysis of Media and Women Workers' Rights in the United States and China

Media have arguably played a significant role in exposing human rights violations and raising human rights consciousness and hence shaping human rights movement. Through media, international human rights norms are transferred into local settings. That is, media serve as channels to localize international human rights norms. However, have media spoken the same language as used in the international human rights treaties that formally prescribe what constitutes as the international human rights norms? Is anything lost in translation? Drawing from the comparative analysis of the media representation of women workers’ rights in the United States and China, this article addresses two issues related to the media as mechanisms of localizing global human rights ideas: 1) the disjuncture between local representation of global human rights ideas and formal international human rights norms; 2) the considerable variation between local portrays of global human rights ideas. By examining the ways in which women workers’ rights are presented by the major leading newspapers in the United States and China and comparing them with what has been stipulated in the international legal documents on women workers’ rights such as International Labor Organization Convention No. 100 on Equal Pay and No. 111 on Discrimination and Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEADW), this article shows that media, the presumed channels to localize and promote global human rights ideas can also act as impediments to globalizing human rights. Through the deconstruction of the language of women workers’ rights used in those leading newspapers in both countries, the article reveals the extensive local variation in transferring global human rights norms. It argues that such local-global (dis) continuum could provide another perspective to consider in the long-lasting debate between universalism and cultural relativism. In more than one ways, universalism and cultural relativism are and should be two interdependent concepts that are not exclusive of each other.
Analysis on the human brucellosis surveillance in Dalian City in 2007

Objective To survey and analyze characteristics of brucellosis epidemic in Dalian City for the purpose of setting up prevention and control measures for the disease. Methods In 2007, the basic situation of people of 7-60 years old and in close contact with livestock was surveyed in Dalian according to the "Surveillance standard for brucellosis"(GB 16885-1997). Blood was collected in brucellosis suspicious or high-risk groups for the laboratory examination, using rose bengal test for qualitative detection and test-tube agglutination test(SAT) method for quantitative detection of serum antibodies; At the same time, brucellosis cases found in the routine monitoring and confirmed in and this survey in the department of endemic disease prevention in the center for disease control and prevention of Dalian City underwent questionnaire surveys. Results All 1563 people were epidemiologically surveyed of brucellosis, 1310 were male, 253 female,livestock care givers accounted for 56.05% (876/1563). 240 blood samples were serologically surveyed, the detection rate was 3.75%(9/240). This survey confirmed 2 cases of brucellosis patients, 3 cases confirmed in routine monitoring. 3 cases were infected via contacting infected brucellosis cows, and the 2 cases were imported. Conclusions To strengthen the quarantine of livestock and timely treat the infected livestock should be the key of control of brucellosis. At the same time, professionals of livestock should be educated to protect themselves. Key words: Brucellosis; Epidemiology; Outcome assessment
Thoughts on Optimizing Time & Attention in Virtual Trials

I’ve previously examined the logistical difficulties affecting virtual trials and hearings. Two as-yet unexamined aspects involve technology’s impact on: (1) judicial time management and, (2) juror and attorney attention. These questions, however, could not be more important, especially in the case of crucial monologues like a judge’s reading of jury instructions (the focus of this essay). Given the brain’s tendency to wander, what about their usual style should judges alter when conducting trials and hearings over platforms like Zoom? How can judges account for the differences between online and physical interaction?
Integrating emerging and existing renewable energy technologies into a community-scale microgrid in an energy-water nexus for resilience improvement

Abstract Rapid urbanization around the world, especially in developing countries, has resulted in a dramatic increase in the need for energy and water resources. This global trend calls for a sustainable shift in energy supplies for urban areas that can deliver robust, economic, environmental, and social benefits. This paper presents a novel planning strategy, along with an integrated system design of microgrids (MGs), to help realize sustainable energy supply patterns in a decentralized manner for improving community resilience and environmental sustainability. The exploration started with the screening of emerging and existing renewable energy technologies that can be integrated and deployed in a community-scale MG. Seamless integration of energy and water technology hubs was examined to develop a sustainable system design of MG in an energy-water nexus within the community under study. Then, a multi-objective programming model was formulated for decision analysis by systematically considering the cost, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and water consumption of the MG. In comparison with existing utility grids, the multi-objective decision analysis helps find a suite of tradeoffs among three economic and environmental indicators, i.e., cost, GHG emissions, and water consumption. Case studies show that the proposed system design of the MG for the urban community can cut more than 75.5% GHG and 75.6% water consumption, compared to the benchmark in a centralized utility system. Case studies also show that this planning strategy can harmonize environmental, economic, and social benefits, making the traditional wide-area synchronous grid greener, cheaper, and more reliable. It is indicative that the system design of MG in an energy-water nexus will improve the reliability of energy supplies and strengthen community resilience, thereby increasing overall economic benefits in the long run.
Tradeoffs for a viral mutant with enhanced replication speed

Abstract RNA viruses exist as genetically heterogeneous populations due to high mutation rates and many of these mutations reduce fitness and/or replication speed. However, it is unknown whether mutations can increase replication speed of a virus already well adapted to replication in cultured cells. By sequentially passaging coxsackievirus B3 in cultured cells and collecting the very earliest progeny, we selected for increased replication speed. We found that a single mutation in a viral capsid protein, VP1-F106L, was sufficient for the fast-replication phenotype. Characterization of this mutant revealed quicker genome release during entry compared to wild-type virus, highlighting a previously unappreciated infection barrier. However, this mutation also reduced capsid stability in vitro and reduced replication and pathogenesis in mice. These results reveal a tradeoff between overall replication speed and fitness. Importantly, this approach— selecting for the earliest viral progeny—could be applied to a variety of viral systems and has the potential to reveal unanticipated inefficiencies in viral replication cycles. Significance Viruses have characteristic replication speeds within a given cell type. Many factors can slow the rate of viral replication, including attenuating mutations and host antiviral responses. However, it has been unclear whether it would be possible to “speed up” a virus that already replicates efficiently in a specific cell type. Here, we selected for a mutant coxsackievirus with enhanced replication speed by sequentially harvesting the very earliest progeny in multiple rounds of selection. A single mutation conferred the fast replication phenotype. While this mutant virus has enhanced replication in cultured cells due to faster genome uncoating, it was attenuated in mice. These results highlight selective pressures that shape viral populations in different environments.
How Grey's Anatomy Fooled Me into Thinking I Had Cancer: A Conversation on the Uses of Empathy and Misinformation in Medical Dramas

It's often hard to distinguish between fact and opinion, especially in today's age of media. This becomes a controversial topic once the media disperses information that could potentially be harmful to the public, particularly involving medicine. In this essay, a patient case is used as motivation to understand the complex relationship between medical misinformation in the media and empathy. Following is a discussion of how misinformation and empathy work with the human mind, and how medical dramas use them to their advantage. Then, Grey's Anatomy is used as a case study to see how the show implements empathy and misinformation. Finally, an analysis of the positives and negatives of the medical drama is presented along with suggestions of how to improve medical dramas – particularly looking at possible outcomes for positive change in this medium of communication. keywords: empathy, medical misinformation, Grey's Anatomy, health communication, medical drama
Passengers’ perceptions on the use of biometrics at airports: A statistical model of the extended theory of planned behavior

Abstract This study reviewed the factors which influence passengers' behavioral intentions on using biometrics at airports. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) served as the theoretical foundation and included perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. The study also examined the effect of passengers' privacy concerns on their behavioral intentions and assessed the moderating influence of privacy on the influencing factors. Following a quantitative method, 689 participants responded to an online survey while data analysis was conducted using structural equation modeling (SEM). Attitudes and subjective norms were found to significantly influence passengers’ behavioral intentions to use biometrics. However, perceived behavioral control (PBC), as well as perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use did not have a significant effect on intentions. Four of the six hypotheses involving privacy concerns were supported. Of the five hypotheses proposed to assess the moderating role of privacy, three were supported. However, since the effect sizes were small, the final model did not include the moderation effects. The final model was found to account for 80.2% of the variance in intentions and 35.2% of the variance in privacy concerns. The findings provide useful theoretical contributions and practical applications to support the adoption of biometric systems at airports, while recommendations for further study are presented.
Molecular Mimicry in the Pathogenicity of Microorganisms

In 1964 Damian coined the term “molecular mimicry.” (Damian, 1989) He used this term to refer to sharing of antigenically cross reactive groupings on microorganisms with those on host cells and other tissue elements. He pointed out that such mimicry might lead to a series of consequences. 1) The development of autoimmunity. An immune response directed at a microbial antigen that cross reacts with host antigens might lead to host tissue damage. 2) Failure to recognize and eliminate a microbial pathogen. In this case, tolerance to ones own antigens would preclude an adequate immune response directed at similar microbial antigens. 3) Pressure within the host species to generate polymorphic antigens and to select those that do not cross react with microbial antigens. The first experiments were performed with polyclonal antimicrobial antisera. With the advent of monoclonal antibodies it became possible to perform epitope mapping, carefully detailing areas of antigenic similarity between host and microbe. The revolution in molecular biology made it possible to compare the sequence of these antigenically, functionally cross reacting antigens and to determine whether the similarity between host and microbe extends to the genetic level.
An Empirical Method for the Spatial Interpolation of Monthly Precipitation within California

An empirical method for interpolating monthly precipitation totals within California is described and evaluated. Using 120 monthly precipitation totals observed from 1961-1970 at each of 90 randomly selected stations in California and a P-mode principal components analysis of a co-variance matrix, four independent sources of precipitation variability were identified and quantitatively paraphrased. The four principal components were then linked to three representative stations by polynomial regression. From these relationships, monthly precipitation totals can be interpolated anywhere in the state by reversing the principal components computations. The required input includes: a monthly precipitation total, for the month of interest, from each of the three representative stations as well as isarithmically interpolated estimates of the component loadings and station means which were derived from the initial (1961-1970) data set. A major asset of the procedure is that it only requires three pieces of new inf...
Preservation of facial function during removal of acoustic neuromas: Use of monopolar constant-voltage stimulation and EMG

✓ The authors describe a modification in the way the facial nerve is stimulated electrically during operations to remove medium and large-sized (> 2 cm) acoustic tumors. This consists of monopolar stimulation with low internal impedance. Proper use of this modified stimulation technique together with acoustic monitoring of the electromyographic responses of facial muscles helps to preserve facial nerve function in patients undergoing these operations, and also decreases the duration of the operation.
Relativistic Calculation of Atomic Transition Probabilities

Most atomic inner-shell transitions are characterized by high transition energies and involve tightly bound electrons. The effects of relativity on these energetic transitions are, in general, more important than those due to electron-electron Coulomb correlation. Hence, independent-particle models are used in most of the atomic inner-shell transition calculations. In this chapter, we will review the theoretical calculations of atomic inner-shell transition probabilities from independent-particle models and explore some factors affecting the inner-shell transition rates, with special emphasis on the effects of relativity.
Takeover Regulation as a Wolf in Sheep's Clothing: Taking Armour & Skeel's Thesis to Continental Europe

Aesop was an optimist. In his cautionary fable that inspired the famous admonition about wolves in sheep's clothing, the predator intentionally dons a sheep's fleece in order to sneak up on a lamb. His disguise, it turns out, is so effective that he ends up being mistaken for the real thing and killed by another wolf. According to Aesop, even the most effective fraud can turn against its perpetrator, and justice be done. The results are not always so salutary with other clandestine predators, including legal rules that appear aimed at protecting vulnerable groups, but instead provide valuable tools to be exploited by other, and more powerful, lobbies. The thesis of this Article is that some of the takeover regulations that have proven so successful at protecting minority shareholders in the U.K., and have been incorporated into European takeover regulation, may operate in Continental systems as a deceptive guise that instead ensures protection for entrenched controlling shareholders.
Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy/attenuated total reflection studies of protein adsorption in flowing systems: Approaches for bulk correction and compositional analysis of adsorbed and bulk proteins in mixtures

Abstract We have been investigating the usefulness of Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy coupled with attenuated total reflection (ATR) optics as a method for monitoring blood-surface interactions. These studies have included the determination of the kinetics of the plasma protein adsorption process, the description of the adsorbed film composition on various biopolymers, and interpretation of the structural features of the adsorbed protein layer. This paper describes some of our most recent results of studies with two of the important plasma proteins, albumin and the γ-globulins. Algorithms are presented for the correction of the FT-IR/ATR spectra for the protein in the bulk (nonadsorbed) solution and for the analysis of the composition of the adsorbed protein layer. The real-time kinetics of adsorption of albumin and the γ-globulins from both single-component systems and from mixtures is described. Results of flow experiments with physiological concentrations of albumin and γ-globulins onto a commercial polyurethane, while preliminary and somewhat variable, illustrate the data analysis algorithms and suggest a higher affinity for albumin compared to control germanium surfaces.
Cryptococcal sepsis diagnosed by bone marrow examination

Abstract:Disseminated cryptococcal disease is often associated with immunodeficient states. The diagnosis is usually made using standard antigen tests on serum and cerebrospinal fluid in patients with known immunodeficiency. Often, blood and cerebrospinal fluid cultures also yield Cryptococcus neofo
Event-related potential assessment of information processing after closed head injury.

We evaluated alterations in information processing after closed head injury as a function of task demands and stimulus modality- Visual and auditory discrimination tasks were administered to 1 survivors of a head injury and 16 matched healthy controls. In auditory tasks, compared with controls, the survivors had smaller N100s, smaller rind later N200s, a more posterior scalp distribution of N200, and longer P300 and response latencies. Auditory N200 and P300 correlated highly with duration of unconsciousness. In contrast, in visual tasks, only a reduced N200 in the survivors differentiated the groups. Our results indicate that processing of auditory stimuli, including the perception and discrimination of stimulus features and the evaluation and categorization of stimuli, may be impaired after heat trauma. Visual sensory processing may be spared, but higher-order visual processing involved in stimulus classification may be compromised.
Intimate Partner Violence and Breastfeeding in Africa

We examined the associations of maternal intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization with early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding in eight African countries. For mothers 15-49 years with an infant aged less than 6 months from national Demographic and Health Surveys since 2007 for Ghana (n = 173), Kenya (n = 449), Liberia (n = 313), Malawi (n = 397), Nigeria (n = 2007), Tanzania (n = 549), Zambia (n = 454), and Zimbabwe (n = 480), logistic regression was used to estimate the unadjusted and adjusted associations of lifetime maternal emotional, physical, and sexual IPV victimization with early initiation (less than 1 hour of birth) and exclusive breastfeeding in the prior 24 hours. Maternal lifetime IPV victimization often was adversely associated with optimal breastfeeding practices. Physical IPV in Zimbabwe (aOR 0.40, p = 0.002), sexual IPV in Zambia (aOR 0.42, p = 0.017), and emotional IPV in Kenya (aOR 0.54, p = 0.050) and Tanzania (aOR 0.57, p = 0.088) were associated with lower adjusted odds of early initiation. Sexual IPV in Liberia (aOR 0.09, p = 0.026), Ghana (aOR 0.17, p = 0.033), and Kenya (aOR 0.34, p = 0.085) were associated with lower adjusted odds of exclusive breastfeeding. Atypically, physical IPV in Tanzania (aOR 2.11, p = 0.042) and sexual IPV in Zambia (aOR 2.49, p = 0.025) were associated with higher adjusted odds of early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding, respectively. Across several settings, maternal IPV victimization may adversely influence breastfeeding practices. Longitudinal research of these relationships is warranted. Screening for IPV victimization and breastfeeding counseling in prenatal and postpartum care may mitigate the potential intergenerational effects of IPV.
Industrial Applications of a Capillary Gas Chromatography/Fourier Transform Infrared System:

In this work, we describe the interfacing of a high-resolution chromatographic system featuring narrow bore gas chromatographic columns to a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. Excellent chromatographic resolution, low nanogram sensitivity, and compound identification are demonstrated. Applications to the analysis of a petroleum distillation fraction and to a polymer sample, analyzed after pyrolysis, are presented. A vapor-phase library search system is used to identify compounds in both samples.
Mutants of Escherichia coli integration host factor: DNA-binding and recombination properties

Abstract Integration host factor (IHF) is a protein encoded by Escherichia coli which was first discovered as a requirement for bacteriophage λ site-specific recombination. In this study, we characterized mutants of IHF for their ability to bind to varoous IHF binding sites in vivo and to promote recombination of λ in vitro. DNA-binding in vivo was monitored using the challange-phage system. If IHF binds to its DNA-binding site that has been placed into the Pant region of bacteriophage P22, it acts as a repressor of the ant (antirepressor) gene, leading to the formation of lysogens of Salmonella typhimurium. If IHF cannot bind to its site, antirepressor is made leading to cell lysis. Challenge phages containing chimeras of different λ IHF binding sites were constructed to test the contribution to the binding of a dA+dT-rich region, found in the sequence of the H′ site but not in the Hl site. In one case, the binding of mutant IHF proteins was enhanced by the presence of the dA+dT-rich region, indicating that IHF may be affected by neighboring bases and local DNA structure when it binds to its site. A subset of the mutant proteins retained the ability to form a looped attL complex in vivo, representing part of a higher-order protein-DNA complex (the ‘intasome’). Additionally, this same subset of proteins also promoted the integration and excision of bacteriophage λin vitro. Thus, these mutant proteins not only retain their DNA-bending ability but make any protein-protein contacts necessary to form a recombination-proficient intasome.
Design and Testing of a 10B4C Capsule for Spectral-Tailoring in Mixed-Spectrum Reactors

A boron carbide capsule highly enriched in 10B has been designed and used for spectral-tailoring experiments at the TRIGA reactor at Washington State University. New experiments show that enriching the boron to 96% B-10 results in additional absorption of neutrons in the resonance region thereby producing a neutron spectrum that is much closer to a pure 235U fission spectrum than measured previously with a natural boron carbide capsule. A cadmium outer cover was used to reduce thermal alpha heating. The neutron spectrum calculated with MCNP was found to be in very good agreement with measured activation rates from neutron fluence monitors.
Widespread use of non-productive alternative splice sites in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been used as a model system to investigate the mechanisms of pre-mRNA splicing but only a few examples of alternative splice site usage have been described in this organism. Using RNA-Seq analysis of nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) mutant strains, we show that many S. cerevisiae intron-containing genes exhibit usage of alternative splice sites, but many transcripts generated by splicing at these sites are non-functional because they introduce premature termination codons, leading to degradation by NMD. Analysis of splicing mutants combined with NMD inactivation revealed the role of specific splicing factors in governing the use of these alternative splice sites and identified novel functions for Prp17p in enhancing the use of branchpoint-proximal upstream 3′ splice sites and for Prp18p in suppressing the usage of a non-canonical AUG 3′-splice site in GCR1. The use of non-productive alternative splice sites can be increased in stress conditions in a promoter-dependent manner, contributing to the down-regulation of genes during stress. These results show that alternative splicing is frequent in S. cerevisiae but masked by RNA degradation and that the use of alternative splice sites in this organism is mostly aimed at controlling transcript levels rather than increasing proteome diversity.
Modeling daytime F layer patches over Sondrestrom

A comprehensive, time-dependent, high-latitude, one-species F region model has been developed to study the various physical processes which are believed to affect the polar cap plasma density distributions as a function of altitude, latitude, longitude, and local time. These processes include production of ionization by solar extreme ultraviolet radiation and particle precipitation; loss through charge exchange with N 2 and O 2 ; and transport by diffusion, neutral winds, and convection E×B drifts. In our initial calculations we have modeled highly structured plasma densities characterized by digisonde observations at Sondrestrom using both a time-dependent global convection pattern and spatially localized regions of transient high-speed flow
Pano-presence for teleoperation

Telepresence and teleoperation are immersive viewing and control by a user from a remote location. Usual implementations use a standard narrow field of view (FOV) camera and a communications link, and a head mounted display (HMD). Teleoperating a robotic vehicle or surveying a scene with such system and a computer monitor is difficult for human operators due to the narrow FOV of standard cameras, the unintuitive interface for directing the camera, and the loss of directional sense. For this reason these systems often use a head mounted display (HMD) instead of a monitor, however this introduces the HMD pose latency problem of latency and slow update due to the mechanical motion of the camera and the communications link. Even with good equipment, the experience is disorienting and slow. This paper proposes a pano-presence architecture for telepresence for applications such as teleoperation based on panoramic cameras, a communications link, and an HMD. The panoramic camera, capable of capturing light from all azimuth directions, provides a panorama which is be transported over the communications link to a panorama frame buffer for viewing in the HMD screen(s). The panorama viewing rate is decoupled from the communications latency so the user can look around freely without experiencing HMD pose latency problem, the delay in the HMD's image alignment with the head position. A panorama frame format of an image cube is chosen since it can be viewed at full frame rate with the acceleration in consumer graphics cards. Two prototype systems, one telepresence and one teleoperation, using this architecture are described.
Players in the sandbox of childhood ITP

Comment on Musaji et al, page [2102][1] A new study examines how platelets, antiplatelet antibodies, and infection interact clinically to manifest as acute childhood ITP. Viral infections often predate the onset of childhood or acute immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), and thus they are
Reference-aided distributed transmit beamforming with mobile radios

This paper describes a method to localize and synchronize a network of mobile radios and to localize a transceiver position so that the radios can steer a transmit beam to the transceiver. To achieve this, the radios must (a) synchronize their independent clocks, (b) estimate their positions relative to each other, and (c) estimate the range and angular orientation of their constellation to the steering direction. These parameters are estimated from GPS measurements and measurements of time-difference of arrival of inter-radio messages and of the transceiver emissions. A Kalman filter is used to blend the measurements and propagate the transmit node and transceiver states through the beamforming phase. In contrast with other distributed transmit beamforming methods, this technique does not require a cooperative transceiver or knowledge of its location.
Bone marrow-derived cells do not engraft into skeletal muscle microvasculature but promote angiogenesis after acute injury.

The skeletal muscle is supported by a vast network of microvessels with the capacity to regenerate in response to injury. However, the dynamics of microvascular repair and the origin of reconstituted endothelial cells in the skeletal muscle are poorly understood. A growing body of literature exists to indicate bone marrow (BM)−derived cells engraft into regenerating vascular endothelium and muscle macrovasculature. Therefore, we investigated the extent of BM contribution to skeletal muscle microvasculature after acute injury. Because reporters and markers commonly used to trace donor BM cells are not endothelial specific but are also expressed by leukocytes, we generated novel BM chimeras utilizing Tie2-green fluorescent protein BM cells transplanted into CD31 and Caveolin-1 knockout recipients. In turn, we surveyed BM vascular contribution, not just by the presence of green fluorescent protein, but also CD31 and Caveolin-1, respectively. After stable BM reconstitution, chimera limb muscles were cardiotoxin (CTX) injured and examined 21 days post-injury for the presence of green fluorescent protein, CD31, and Caveolin-1. Acute muscle injury by CTX is characterized by initial microvasculature death followed by rapid endothelial regeneration within 14 days post-damage. Histological analysis of injured and uninjured contralateral limb muscles revealed a complete absence of BM engraftment in the muscle vasculature of wild-type and CD31/Caveolin-1 knockout chimeras. In contrast, F4/80 + cells isolated from CTX-injured muscle, expressed endothelial-related markers and promoted angiogenesis in vitro. Therefore, despite the absence of BM engraftment to regenerated skeletal muscle microvasculature, macrophages recruited after injury promote angiogenesis and, in turn, vascular regeneration.