cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
IFNγ sensitizes for apoptosis by upregulating caspase-8 expression through the Stat1 pathway

Resistance of tumors to cytotoxic therapy may be due to disrupted apoptosis programs and remains a major obstacle in cancer treatment. Here, we report that IFNγ sensitizes resistant tumor cells with absent or low caspase-8 expression for apoptosis induced by death-inducing ligands or cytotoxic drugs by upregulating caspase-8 through a Stat1/IRF1 dependent pathway. Combined treatment using IFNγ with TRAIL, APO1, TNFα or cytotoxic drugs cooperated to trigger apoptosis in various resistant tumor cell lines derived from Ewing tumor, neuroblastoma or medulloblastoma, while single agents exerted only a minimal effect. Importantly, IFNγ induced caspase-8 expression also in cells with inactivation of the caspase-8 gene by hypermethylation, although no direct effect of IFNγ on the methylation status of regulatory sequences of the caspase-8 gene was found. IFNγ-mediated facilitation of apoptosis was inhibited by the caspase-8 specific inhibitor zIETD.fmk or in caspase-8 mutant Jurkat cells implying a prominent role of caspase-8 in mediating sensitization by IFNγ. Upregulation of caspase-8 and sensitization for apoptosis by IFNγ was blocked by overexpression of dominant-negative mutants of Stat1 or in Stat1-deficient U3A cells, while complementation of Stat1-deficient U3A cells with wild-type Stat1 restored the IFNγ effect. Moreover, ectopic expression of IRF1 induced caspase-8 expression thereby sensitizing cells for TRAIL-, APO1- or doxorubicin-induced apoptosis. These findings provide evidence that the Stat1/IRF1 pathway is involved in induction of caspase-8 expression and apoptosis initiated by IFNγ and indicate that IFNγ might be an effective strategy to sensitize various resistant tumor cells with deficient caspase-8 expression for chemotherapy- or death receptor-induced apoptosis.
The prosecution of Chinese organized crime groups: the Sister Ping case and its lessons

This article analyzes the investigation and prosecution of contemporary Chinese criminal organizations through the study of one major human smuggling case: the trial of “Sister Ping.” Data were obtained from media reports, court documents, and from interviews with parties familiar with the case. It is argued that modern human smuggling groups such as the one run by Sister Ping are informal and decentralized organizations against which the RICO statute may be of little use.
Characterization and quantitation of phospholamban and its phosphorylation state using antibodies.

Abstract Quantitative immunoassays to discriminate and quantitate phospholamban and its phosphorylation states in heart homogenates were developed using known amounts of protein determined by amino acid analysis. Synthetic 1-52 phospholamban, the hydrophilic 1-25 peptide, and 1-25 phosphopeptides containing P-Ser 16 , P-Thr 17 , and dually phosphorylated (P-Ser 16 , P-Thr 17 ) were used to calibrate immunoblot systems. In addition, synthetic 1-52 peptide was phosphorylated using cAMP-dependent protein kinase (P-Ser 16 ) or Ca 2+ -calmodulin protein kinase (P-Thr 17 ) and then separated from unphosphorylated 1-52 by HPLC prior to quantitation. Further, canine cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum was phosphorylated in vitro using [γ- 32 P]-ATP with cAMP-dependent protein kinase and/or Ca 2+ -calmodulin-dependent protein kinase as well as sequential phosphorylation in both orders to assess the veracity of antibody recognition of phosphorylated forms. Western blots proved useful in characterizing the reactivity of the different antibodies to phospholamban and phosphorylated phospholamban, but were inefficient for accurate quantitation and problems with antibody recognition of dually phosphorylated phospholamban were found. mAb 1D11 recognized all forms of phospholamban, polyclonal antibodies 285 and PS-16 were highly selective for P-Ser 16 phospholamban but had diminished reactivity to diphosphorylated (P-Ser 16 , P-Thr 17 ) phospholamban, and polyclonal antibody PT-17, although selective for P-Thr 17 phospholamban, generated very weak signals on Western blots and reacted poorly with diphosphorylated phospholamban. Results in quantitative immunodot blot experiments were even more compelling. None of the phosphorylation specific antibodies reacted with the diphospho 1-25 phospholamban peptide. Transgenic mouse hearts expressing varying levels of PLB and ferret heart biopsy samples taken before and after isoproterenol perfusion were analyzed. In all samples containing phospholamban, a basal level of Ser 16 phosphorylation (about 4% of the total PLB population) and a lesser amount of Thr 17 phosphorylation was observed. Upon isoproterenol perfusion, Ser 16 phosphorylation increased only to 17% of the total phospholamban population with a similar change in Thr 17 phosphorylation. This suggests that phospholamban phosphorylation may serve as an electrostatic switch that dissociates inactive calcium pump complexes into catalytically active units. Thus, direct correlations between phospholamban phosphorylation state and contractile parameters may not be valid.
Blow Up and Global Existence of Solutions to an Inhomogeneous Parabolic System

Abstract We study the critical phenomenon of a weakly coupled inhomogeneous parabolic system, which is largely unexplored even though the homogeneous problem has been widely studied. The conditions on the powers of the nonlinear terms are new compared with the well-known homogeneous case. The method appears to be different from the standard ones in the literature. An application to the Lame– Emden system is also given
A pH-rate determination of the activity-pH profile of enzymes. application to yeast pyruvate decarboxylase demonstrating the existence of multiple ionizable groups.

Abstract A pH-rate method, based on following the time dependence of hydroxide release by monitoring the pH drift as a funetion of time, is developed and applied to the construction of a detailed log activity vs pH profile for yeast pyruvate decarboxylase. In the pH range of 5 to 7 at 30°C this method reproduces the results of conventional initial rate studies but, in addition, produces a hitherto unreported pH independent activity region between pH 5.4–5.8. At least four pKs can be discerned in the pH-activity profile of this enzyme, instead of the two previously reported.
Simultaneous assessment of bone resorption and formation in cultures of 22-day fetal rat parietal bones: effects of parathyroid hormone and prostaglandin E2.

Abstract We have developed a method that allows us to measure bone resorption and formation simultaneously in the parietal bones from 22-day fetal rat calvaria. Parietal bones labeled with 45 Ca, by injection of the mother, were cultured for 72 h with parathyroid hormone (PTH, bovine 1–34, 1.56 nM) or prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 , 100 nM), in the presence or absence of indomethacin (Indo, 1 μM) or corticosterone (Cort, 1 μM). Two hours prior to the end of the culture, the bones were pulsed with [ 3 H]-proline or [ 3 H]-thymidine. Resorption was assessed as the percent of 45 Ca released into the medium. Incorporation of [ 3 H]-proline into collagenase digestible protein (CDP) and of [ 3 H]-thymidine into DNA (TDR) were measured to assess collagen and DNA synthesis, respectively. Basal % 45 Ca release was 16 ± 1% and was significantly decreased by Indo and Cort. Cort decreased TDR and CDP while Indo did not. PTH and PGE 2 significantly increased % 45 Ca release, and this was not blocked by Indo. However, in the presence of Cort, only PTH increased % 45 Ca release while PGE 2 did not. PGE 2 increased TDR under all culture conditions while PTH increased TDR only in the presence of Cort. While PTH and PGE 2 had the same effects on bone resorption, they had different effects on CDP. PGE 2 increased CDP in the presence of Indo or Cort but PTH did not. Thus, this model allows us to study bone resorption, collagen synthesis, and DNA synthesis simultaneously. We have also shown that PTH and PGE 2 differ in their sensitivity to inhibition of resorption by Cort and in their effects on bone formation.
The description of fragmentation as a critical phenomenon in high energy P-nucleus collisions

Abstract In an inclusive experiment, isotopically resolved fragments, 3 ⩽ Z ⩽ 13, produced in high-energy proton-nucleus collisions, have been studied using a low mass time-of-flight, gas delta E — silicon E spectrometer and the internal gas jet at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. Measurement of the kinetic energy spectra from 5 MeV to 100 MeV enabled an accurate determination of fragment cross sections from both xenon and krypton targets. The observed isobaric yield is given by Y α A−τf, where τ ∼ 2.6 for both targets. The power law is the signature of the fragment formation mechanism. We treat the formation of fragments as a liquid-gas phase transition at the critical point. The critical temperature Tc can be determined from the fragment isotopic yield provided one can set an energy scale for the fragment free energy. The high energy tails of the kinetic energy spectra provide evidence that the fragments originate from a common remnant system somewhat lighter than the target which disassembles simultaneously via Coulomb repulsion into a multibody final state. Fragment Coulomb energies are about 1 10 of the tangent sphere values. The remnant is characterized by a parameter To obtained from the high energy tails of the kinetic energy distributions. To is interpreted as reflecting the mean squared momentum of a nucleon in the remnant system.
The Specification and Power of the Sign Test in Measuring Security Price Performance: Comments and Analysis

In a 1980 paper, Brown and Warner claim that when applied to stock returns, the nonparametric sign test is misspecified and lacking in power. We show that this claim is incorrect and stems from confounding the mean and median of a distribution and from not correcting for the different natural levels of significance. After restating Brown and Warner's results, we find that in general the sign test appears as powerful and well-specified as the t-test; and when applied to market-adjusted returns and market- and risk-adjusted returns methodologies, the sign test appears more powerful than the t-test.
Transforming potential of deletion mutants of the SV40 T antigen coding gene in syrian hamster cells

Thymidine kinase-deficient syrian hamster cells were cotransfected with recombinant plasmids containing the thymidine kinase (TK) gene of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1, and either intact or partially deleted SV40 T antigen-coding genes. The transformants were selected by their ability to grow in gHAT medium. After selection and cloning, the TK-positive transformants that also expressed T antigen were tested for the extent of their transformation with respect to a number of characteristics, which included saturation density, ability to grow in soft agar, resistance to butyrate and to dibutyryl-cAMP, and plating efficiency. The combined results of these various tests indicate that cells containing partially deleted SV40 T antigen-coding genes are less transformed than cells containing an intact SV40 T antigen-coding gene. However, the amounts of T antigen are lower in cells transformed by deletion mutants than in cells transformed by wild-type T antigen-coding gene. Our data indicate that both the quantity and the quality of T antigen may be important in determining the degree of transformation in Syrian hamster cells.
Surface mounted devices: advantages and issues

Minimizing the size of electronic components, so that more functions can be achieved in a given volume, has been a way of life since the early days of large vacuum tubes. This has been driven by a very competitive marketplace. It enables manufacturers to build better, smaller, and more reliable products. The one who is most successful at achieving this goal quickly gains a larger share in the marketplace. With the current slowdown in the electronic section of the economy, surface mount technology (SMT) is an excellent method to achieve new and better products for the future. Surface mount technology offers an excellent opportunity to reduce PWB size. A typical memory array can be designed 50% smaller with single-sided mounting, and reduced by another 2X to 25-30% of the original with double-sided mounting. Logic designs cannot achieve the same dramatic reductions, but decreases to 60% and 40%, respectively, of the original can be achieved. With these reductions come additional benefits in improved electrical performance, less weight, and potentially lower system cost. There are, however, a number of subtle details associated with a conversion to surface mount technology. In order to gain the fullest benefits, one must understand all the issues involved. This paper will discuss the major ones to help provide direction and understanding.
Anxiety-proneness and coronary heart disease.

Abstract This study reports results from a concurrent double-blind investigation of 142 patients referred for diagnostic coronary angiography at Duke University Medical Center. An attempt was made to determine whether anatomic coronary involvement was related to a number of psychological variables including a measure of “anxiety-proneness”. All patients underwent psychological assessment on the morning following the catheterization procedure, before clinical and laboratory data were made available. Although anxiety was not found to be statistically associated with significant coronary atherosclerosis, patients with a history of myocardial infarction (MI) were found to be significantly less anxious than patients without such history. The findings of this exploratory work suggest that high anxiety levels may serve a protective function and that anxiety in patients without a history of MI may be an important factor in the decision to have them referred for diagnostic coronary angiography.
A new method for improved hub height mean wind speed estimates using short-term hub height data

Abstract The estimation of the wind resource at the hub height of a wind turbine is one of the primary goals of site assessment. Because the measurement heights of meteorological towers (met towers) are typically significantly lower than turbine hub heights, a shear model is generally needed to extrapolate the measured wind resource at the lower measurement height to the hub height of the turbine. This paper presents methods for improving the estimate of the hub height wind resource from met tower data through the use of ground-based remote sensing devices. The methods leverage the two major advantages of these devices: their portability and their ability to measure at the wind turbine hub height. Specifically, the methods rely on augmenting the one year of met tower measurements with short-term measurements from a ground-based remote sensing device. The results indicate that the methods presented are capable of producing substantial improvements in the accuracy and uncertainty of shear extrapolation predictions. The results suggest that the typical site assessment process can be reevaluated, and alternative strategies that utilize ground-based remote sensing devices can be incorporated to significantly improve the process.
Treating Peace as Knowledge: UNHCR's Peace Education as a Controlling Process

This article reads the manual used by facilitators of the United Nation's High Commissioner for Refugees’ Community Peace Education Programme (PEP) to explore the controlling process of which this programme is a part. It argues that the manual encapsulates the many tensions and difficulties related to the protection of refugees’ safety in camps. It finds that PEP is not merely a peace education programme, but a reflection of both the problem of refugee protection and UNHCR's effort to contend with it by deflecting responsibility for security in camps to the refugees and making refugees accept their conditions by attributing conflicts both in the home country and in camps to their personal attitudes.
Analysis of a generalized Lebesgue identity in Ramanujan’s Lost Notebook

We analyze a two-parameter q-series identity in Ramanujan’s Lost Notebook that generalizes the product part of the fundamental one-parameter Lebesgue identity. From reformulations of this two-parameter identity, we deduce new partition theorems including variants of the Gauss triangular number identity and Euler’s pentagonal number theorem. We discuss connections with a partial theta identity of Ramanujan and with several classical results such as those of Sylvester and Gollnitz–Gordon.
Levels of allantoin and uric acid in dogs subjected to hemorrhagic shock

Abstract The changes in concentration of uric acid and of allantoin were studied in the blood and lymph of mongrel dogs in experimental hemorrhagic shock under sodium pentobarbital anesthesia. The object of the experiment was to determine whether the rise in uric acid concentration in experimental shock results from increased breakdown of adenosine and guanosine nucleotides or from failure of the hepatic conversion of uric acid to allantoin. The concentration of uric acid in serum and lymph was significantly higher in the dogs that were bled than in those serving as controls (Fig. 2). The rate of conversion of uric acid to allantoin during oligemia did not change significantly in these dogs (Fig. 3). After the return of reservoir blood to the animals, the concentration of allantoin in serum and lymph was significantly higher in these dogs than in the control animals that had not been bled (Fig. 3). The increase in the concentration of uric acid in serum and lymph thus results from an increased degradation of the adenosine and guanosine nucleotides, and not from failure of conversion of uric acid to allantoin in the liver.
Crystal chemistry and ion-exchange properties of the layered uranyl iodate K[UO2(IO3)3]

Abstract Single crystals of the potassium uranyl iodate, K[UO2(IO3)3] (1), have been grown under mild hydrothermal conditions. The structure of 1 contains two-dimensional ∞ 2 [ UO 2 ( IO 3 ) 3 ] 1 - sheets extending in the [ab] plane that consist of approximately linear UO22+ cations bound by iodate anions to yield UO7 pentagonal bipyramids. There are three crystallographically unique iodate anions, two of which bridge between uranyl cations to create sheets, and one that is monodentate and protrudes in between the layers in cavities. K+ cations form long ionic contacts with oxygen atoms from the layers forming an eight-coordinate distorted dodecahedral geometry. These cations join the ∞ 2 [ UO 2 ( IO 3 ) 3 ] 1 - sheets together. Ion-exchange reactions have been carried out that indicate the selective uptake of Cs+ over Na+ or K+ by 1. Crystallographic data (193 K, MoKα, λ = 0.71073 A ): 1, orthorhombic, Pbca, a=11.495(1) A, b=7.2293(7) A, c=25.394(2) A, Z=8, R(F)=1.95% for 146 parameters with 2619 reflections with I > 2 σ ( I ) .
hAG-2, the Human Homologue of the Xenopus laevis Cement Gland Gene XAG-2, Is Coexpressed with Estrogen Receptor in Breast Cancer Cell Lines

Abstract hAG-2, the human homologue of theXenopus laeviscement gland geneXenopusAnterior Gradient-2 (XAG-2), has been found to be coexpressed with estrogen receptor (ER) in breast cancer cell lines by using suppression subtractive hybridization. Sequence analysis of clones obtained from a human breast adenocarcinoma MCF7 cDNA library suggests that at least three mRNA transcripts, differing in their 3′-untranslated regions, are transcribed from the hAG-2 gene. Northern blot analyses identified two principal hAG-2 signals in all ER-positive breast carcinoma cell lines that were absent in cell lines not expressing, or minimally expressing, ER. Coexpression of hAG-2 with ER suggests that hAG-2 may be involved in the tumor biology specific to the well-differentiated phenotype of hormonally-responsive breast cancers.
UVCS/SOHO observations of a CME-driven shock: Consequences on ion heating mechanisms behind a coronal shock

We report the observation of a 1100 km s - 1 CME-driven shock with the UltraViolet Coronagraph Spectrometer (UVCS) telescope operating on board SOHO on March 3, 2000. The shock speed was derived from the type II radio burst drift rate and from UVCS observations that can yield the density profile just before the passage of the shock. A CME projected speed of 920 km s - 1 was deduced from the Large Angle Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) white light images, indicating that the CME leading edge was lagging behind at about 20% of the shock speed. The spectral profiles of both the O VI and Lya lines were Doppler dimmed and broadened at the passage of the shock by the emission from shocked material along the line of sight. The observed line broadening for both protons and oxygen ions was modeled by adopting a mechanism in which the heating is due to the nondeflection of the ions at the shock ramp in a quasi-perpendicular shock wave. This specific ion heating model was able to reproduce the observed spectroscopic properties of the shocked plasma.
Visualization and Spectroscopy of a Metal-Molecule-Metal Bridge

Artificial nanostructures, each composed of a copper(II) phthalocyanine (CuPc) molecule bonded to two gold atomic chains with a controlled gap, were assembled on a NiAl(110) surface by manipulation of individual gold atoms and CuPc molecules with a scanning tunneling microscope. The electronic densities of states of these hybrid structures were measured by spatially resolved electronic spectroscopy and systematically tuned by varying the number of gold atoms in the chains one by one. The present approach provides structural images and electronic characterization of the metal-molecule-metal junction, thereby elucidating the nature of the contacts between the molecule and metal in this junction.
Why the effectiveness of mathematics in the natural sciences is not surprising

The source of human applications of mathematics to natural phenomena is very likely to be found in the perceptual processes necessary for most animals to survive, either as prey, predator, or forager. Much of the resources of the brain are used to transform the patterns of energy that impinge on sensory nerve endings into representations more or less isomorphic to the structure of some portion of the world. It is one of the intellectual triumphs of Ancient Greek thought, especially by Aristotle, to have recognized for the first time systematically the centrality of such isomorphisms for perception. The move from visual perception to intuitive geometry, and then to systematic Euclidean geometry seems psychologically natural. The Greek application of this geometric viewpoint to the motion of the heavens constitutes the first great work in mathematical physics. The progress from the Stone Age to Ptolemy is surely a very much bigger step than the move from Ptolemy to Newton and Einstein.
Sand Body Created by Migration of Fire Island Inlet, Long Island, New York: ABSTRACT

Dated maps show that Fire Island inlet, with a present channel maximum depth of 10 m, migrated 8 km WSW between 1825 and 1940 (when a jetty was built to stop migration). During those 115 years a substantial sand body, lying entirely below modern sea level, and hence having a high probability for preservation, was created by filling of the shifting inlet channel. The dimensions of this sand body are: length, 8 km; width, ~500 m; and maximum thickness, ~10 m. Assuming a triangular cross section with flat top at modern sea level the volume is 2 × 107 cu m. If average porosity is 25%, the pore space of the inlet filling would accommodate 3.3 × 106 bbl of fluids. Study of the modern inlet from the bottom of the active channel to the spit at Democrat Point permits recognition of 3 major environments of sedimentation having 10 subdivisions; sediments of each subdivision display distinctive structures. The channel environment extends from 10.0 to 3.75 m below modern sea level. Its subdivisions are: (a) channel floor (-10.0 m), (b) deep channel (-10.0 to -4.5 m), and (c) shallow channel (-4.5 to -3.75 m). The spit-platform environment (-3.75 to -0.6 m) consists of bottomset, foreset, and topset subdivisions. The spit environment (-0.6 to +2 m) includes washover delta, bay (to -2 m), berm, and beachface subdivisions. Despite the fact that the basal gravel layer is overlain by large sand waves (60-100 m long and 0.5-2 m high), the only large-scale cross-strata occur on washover deltas that occur locally at the top of the inlet sequence. In sands from the deep parts of the channel, where large-scale cross-strata might be expected because of the large sand waves, only small-scale, lenticular cross-strata occur. This absence of large-scale cross-strata results from the effect on the sand waves of reversing tidal currents. End_of_Article - Last_Page 634------------
The evolving role of testing in open systems standards

Open systems standards are developed through a consensus building process for the purpose of promoting portability and interoperability of software and hardware. Clearly, the ability to achieve such goals is directly related to the ability to enforce adherence to a standard. Perhaps less obvious is the impact of developing test specifications concurrently with the development of the standards. As the standards development process matures, lessons learned through experience will likely demonstrate that both these roles of testing are crucial to the success of a standard. >
Effects of Sub-Lethal Heat-Shock, β-Alanine, and L-Alanine on Germination and Subsequent Destruction of Bacillus Spores by Pasteurization

Abstract The purpose of this investigation was to stimulate the germination of Bacillus cereus and Bacillus licheniformis spores with sub-lethal heat-shock and chemical germinants so the germinated spores might be destroyed by conventional pasteurization. Heat-shock was at 65, 75, and 85C with no hold. Effects of L-alanine, β -alanine, and a combination of heat-shock plus either amino acid were also determined. β -Alanine alone stimulated germination of some spores of both organisms in skim milk, but its effectiveness was much less than that of L-alanine. Heat-shock alone was more effective as a germination stimulant than was β -alanine, and a combination of the two produced no more germination than either alone. L-Alanine alone or combined with heat-shock caused almost complete germination and subsequent destruction of the spores by pasteurization, especially if the treated product was held 15min at 37C.
Prognosis in Clostridium difficile infection complicating inflammatory bowel disease

Since the earliest descriptions of Clostridium difficile as a cause of pseudomembranous colitis,1 clinicians have been familiar with the typical clinical setting in which infection can arise. It is well recognised that, classically, infection follows exposure to antibiotics targeting gut anaerobes and that transmission occurs nosocomially from one host to another.2 Yet, it has also been appreciated that the role that this Gram-positive bacillus plays in the colonic flora is complex and the circumstances that promote infection are variable. Early on, for instance, the term C difficile -associated disease (CDAD) came into use as it became apparent that positive stool testing failed to distinguish between an asymptomatic carrier state and true infection. Adoption of this term is an example of how physicians have had to adjust to the knowledge that has accumulated about this opportunistic organism. Over time, our understanding of C difficile has continued to expand and it is now known that infection can occur under a variety of conditions, in disparate settings, with a wide spectrum of severity and can recur despite treatment.3 In the past several years, some disturbing reports about C difficile have compelled the health care community to revisit its epidemiological and clinical importance. For one, several studies indicate a dramatic increase in the incidence of CDAD. Incidence has doubled in 10 years or less, and this has been demonstrated within various different patient populations and health care settings.4 5 Emergence of an epidemic strain of C difficile , characterised by greater virulence and conferring higher morbidity, explains part of this trend.6 7 Furthermore, clinicians increasingly recognise that CDAD may occur without prior antibiotic exposure. Controversy persists as to whom to treat and how best to treat, particularly given the development of increasing resistance to metronidazole.8–10 Even …
Non-fecalith-induced appendicitis: etiology, imaging, and pathology

This study aims to document the imaging and pathology findings in non-fecalith-induced appendicitis. We reviewed the imaging and pathologic findings in 40 patients with histologically proven purulent appendicitis seen over a 2-year period. Findings documented were (1) total appendiceal involvement, (2) predominant appendiceal tip involvement, (3) presence of a fecalith, and (4) presence of lymphoid hyperplasia. There were a total of 40 patients, 28 males and 12 females. The age range was 2-18 years with a mean of 11.5 years. Twenty-two (55 %) patients demonstrated classic purulent appendicitis of the whole appendix, 20 (91 %) of these appendices had a fecalith. Eighteen (45 %) patients demonstrated purulent appendicitis confined to or predominately involving the tip of the appendix, and all 18 (100 %) patients demonstrated marked lymphoid hyperplasia. Only two (11 %) of these appendices had a fecalith. Overall, a fecalith was found in only 55 % of our cases, while 45 % demonstrated no fecalith, but rather marked lymphoid hyperplasia. Lymphoid hyperplasia appeared to be the underlying predisposing cause of purulent appendicitis in these cases.
The Effects of Teacher Discourse in Computer-Mediated Discussion

This study investigated the effects of teacher discourse in a computer-mediated discussion. Three different styles of discourse were established: questions only; statements only; and conversational. Results supported the hypothesis that a conversational style of discourse produced higher levels of student participation with a more complex interaction pattern. In addition, there was a higher frequency of peer-peer interaction with more complex responses. This study suggests that a conversational style of discourse is both possible and desirable within a computer-mediated discussion. Further research is needed on the effects of a conversational style and newer interface designs on student participation and achievement.
Insurance disparities in the outcomes of spinal cord stimulation surgery.

Objectives The Affordable Care Act aims to expand health insurance and to help narrow existing health care disparities. Medicaid patients have previously been noted to be at an increased risk for impaired access to health care, delayed medical treatment, and the receipt of substandard care. Conversely, those with commercial insurance may be subject to overtreatment. The goal of this study was to evaluate how Medicaid versus commercial insurance status affects outcomes following spinal cord stimulation (SCS) surgery. Materials and Methods A retrospective cohort study of 13,774 patients underwent either percutaneous or paddle permanent SCS implantation, selected from the Thomson Reuter's MarketScan database between 2000 and 2009. Patients were characterized by age at initial procedure, gender, baseline comorbidity burden, procedure-associated diagnosis code, follow-up, and type of insurance (Medicaid vs. commercial insurance). Outcome measures included probability of reoperation, timing and type of reoperation, presence of postoperative complications (immediate, 30 days, and 90 days), and overall utilization of health resources postoperatively. Multivariate analysis was performed comparing the relative effect of insurance status on outcomes following initial surgery. Results Medicaid patients had greater healthcare resource utilization as measured by medications prescribed, emergency department visits, and length of stay; however, commercially insured patients had significantly higher overall costs ($110,908 vs. $64,644, p < 0.0001). Commercial and Medicaid patients did not significantly differ in their complication rates during the index hospitalization or at 30 days or 90 days postoperatively. The group were also not significantly different in their two-year reoperation rates (7.32% vs. 5.06%, p = 0.0513). Conclusions There are substantial insurance disparities that affect healthcare utilization and overall cost following SCS. Efforts for national healthcare reform should examine system factors that will reduce socioeconomic disparities in outcomes following SCS.
Nonimpact printers as low end hardcopy printout devices

Low-end nonimpact printers are either impulse ink-jet or thermal printers. The impulse printers are either piezoelectric impulse or the thermal-bubble types. The thermal printers also fall into two categories. In one type heating occurs in one or more of a matrix of heating elements in a head and the head in term contacts a ribbon which contains a thermally sensitive ink in contact with paper. Alternatively the thermal head may be in direct contact with a thermally sensitive paper. In the second type of thermal printer the head is an array of electrodes which inject current into a resistive ribbon. The ribbon is the transducer which heats a thermally sensitive ink which is in contact with paper. The paper describes the principles of operation of these technologies, and their capabilities as well as their advantages and disadvantages. >
Seized natural-history collections and the redefinition of scientific cosmopolitanism in the era of the French Revolution

In order to recast scholarly understanding of scientific cosmopolitanism during the French Revolution, this essay examines the stories of the natural-history collections of the Dutch Stadholder and the French naturalist Labillardiere that were seized as war booty. The essay contextualizes French and British savants' responses to the seized collections within their respective understandings of the relationship between science and state and of the property rights associated with scientific collections, and definitions of war booty that antedated modern transnational legal conventions. The essay argues that the French and British savants' responses to seized natural-history collections demonstrate no universal approach to their treatment. Nonetheless, it contends that the French and British approaches to these collections reveal the emergence in the 1790s of new forms of scientific nationalism that purported to be cosmopolitan – French scientific universalism and British liberal scientific improvement.
Power demodulation of local field potential recordings.

Local field potentials (LFPs) are used to monitor the activity of large groups of neurons with macroelectrodes. Historically traditional linear statistical analysis techniques based on second order moments have been used to analyze these signals. We describe a new method based on power demodulation for estimating the instantaneous firing rate that is common to the neural activity of the most prominent neurons sensed by the electrodes. Correlated firing rates among neigh- boring neurons are common in many neurological structures and pathologies such as tremor. We validate our estimator with a Monte Carlo simulation based on a novel statistical model of LFPs. Our results show that the power demodulation approach can achieve a correlation of >0.80 with the common firing rate. This suggests that it may be possible to estimate the common intensity of a group neurons in recordings which are too noisy or contain too many neurons to apply spike detection or spike sorting algorithms. 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
Using Community-Level Correlates to Evaluate Nonresponse Effects in a Telephone Survey

Understanding the relationship between nonresponse processes and key research variables is central to evaluating if and how nonresponse introduces bias into survey estimates. In most tele- phone surveys, however, little information is available with which to estimate these effects. We report a procedure for examining the potential effects of nonresponse via analyses that (1) investigate the linkages between community-level (zip code) variables and survey nonresponse and (2) examine the associations between these community-level variables and key survey measures. We demon- strate these procedures using hierarchical modeling to analyze data from a state-wide telephone survey in Illinois. One zip code-level indicator of concentrated disadvantage—the percentage of the popu- lation below poverty level—was found to be positively associated with nonresponse and, among respondents, with both current physi- cal disability status and lack of health insurance coverage, suggest- ing that both may have been underestimated in this survey. This inexpensive approach has the potential of enabling researchers to routinely evaluate nonresponse effects in their survey data.
Audit Sampling Research: A Synthesis and Implications for Future Research

SUMMARY: While research has influenced auditing standards for audit sampling, academic research provides limited insights into the current use of audit sampling. We synthesize relevant research based on a sampling decision framework and suggest areas for additional research. Important judgments include determining if sampling applies, what type of sampling to apply (e.g., attribute or monetary sampling), whether to use statistical or nonstatistical techniques, appropriate inputs to determine sample size, and evaluation of results, particularly when errors are observed in the sample. Several of these judgments may be influenced by environmental factors, such as regulation, litigation, competition, culture, and technology, and there are a number of research opportunities available in exploring how these environmental factors influence audit sampling decisions. Research indicates that auditors may underestimate risks and required assurance in order to reduce the extent of testing, although some of this resea...
Erratum to: Chronic cocaine-regulated epigenomic changes in mouse nucleus accumbens

The online version of the original article can be found under doi:10.1186/gb-2014-15-4-r65.
Genome-wide linkage analysis of severe, early-onset chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: airflow obstruction and chronic bronchitis phenotypes

Familial aggregation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has been demonstrated, but linkage analysis of COPD-related phenotypes has not been reported previously. An autosomal 10 cM genome-wide scan of short tandem repeat (STR) polymorphic markers was analyzed for linkage to COPD-related phenotypes in 585 members of 72 pedigrees ascertained through severe, early-onset COPD probands without severe alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency. Multipoint non-parametric linkage analysis (using the ALLEGRO program) was performed for qualitative phenotypes including moderate airflow obstruction [forced expiratory volume at one second (FEV(1)) < 60% predicted, FEV(1)/FVC < 90% predicted], mild airflow obstruction (FEV(1) < 80% predicted, FEV(1)/FVC < 90% predicted) and chronic bronchitis. The strongest evidence for linkage in all subjects was observed at chromosomes 12 (LOD = 1.70) and 19 (LOD = 1.54) for moderate airflow obstruction, chromosomes 8 (LOD = 1.36) and 19 (LOD = 1.09) for mild airflow obstruction and chromosomes 19 (LOD = 1.21) and 22 (LOD = 1.37) for chronic bronchitis. Restricting analysis to cigarette smokers only provided increased evidence for linkage of mild airflow obstruction and chronic bronchitis to several genomic regions; for mild airflow obstruction in smokers only, the maximum LOD was 1.64 at chromosome 19, whereas for chronic bronchitis in smokers only, the maximum LOD was 2.08 at chromosome 22. On chromosome 12p, 12 additional STR markers were genotyped, which provided additional support for an airflow obstruction locus in that region with a non-parametric multipoint approach for moderate airflow obstruction (LOD = 2.13) and mild airflow obstruction (LOD = 1.43). Using a dominant model with the STR markers on 12p, two point parametric linkage analysis of all subjects demonstrated a maximum LOD score of 2.09 for moderate airflow obstruction and 2.61 for mild airflow obstruction. In smokers only, the maximum two point LOD score for mild airflow obstruction was 3.14. These observations provide suggestive evidence that there is a locus on chromosome 12p which contributes to susceptibility to early-onset COPD.
A eficiência de um benefício compulsório de grupo específico: evidência baseada em benefícios de seguro de saúde para maternidade

Considero aqui os efeitos de "beneficios compulsorios para grupos especificos", tais como licenca-maternidade, que elevam os custos de empregar-se um grupo demograficamente identificavel. A eficiencia dessas politicas, em relacao ao financiamento mais amplo de expansoes de beneficios, sera em grande parte funcao da valorizacao do beneficio compulsorio pelo grupo alvo. Essa valorizacao deve refletir-se na transferencia substancial do custo do beneficio para os salarios de grupo especifico; contudo, pode haver barreiras ao ajustamento de salarios relativos que impecam tal transferencia. Examinei varias leis estaduais de 1976 que estipularam que a gestacao fosse coberta amplamente pelos planos de seguro de saude, aumentando assim o custo de se segurarem mulheres em idade de ter filhos em ate 5% de seus salarios. Constatei transferencia substancial dos custos dessas leis para os salarios do grupo alvo. Da mesma forma, constatei haver pouco efeito sobre o total de insumo de mao-de-obra para o grupo que se beneficiava de tais leis; o numero de horas aumenta e o nivel de emprego cai, como seria de se esperar de um aumento dos custos fixos do emprego. Esses resultados sao confirmados usando-se uma regulacao federal de 1978 como "experiencia inversa".
PSR extraction kicker system improvements

A program to improve the reliability of the hardware required to operate the Los Alamos Proton Storage Ring (PSR) is under way. The extraction kicker system for the PSR was identified as one candidate for improvement. Pulse modulators produce 50-kV pulses 360 ns in length at up to a 24-Hz pulse repetition rate and drive two 4-m-long stripline electrodes. Sources of difficulty with this system included short switch tube lifetime, drive cable electrical breakdown, high-voltage connector failure, and occasional electrode breakdown. A discussion is presented of modifications completed on this system to correct these difficulties. >
Haemophilus ducreyi Secretes a Filamentous Hemagglutinin-Like Protein

We have identified two extremely large open reading frames (ORFs) in Haemophilus ducreyi 35000, lspA1 and lspA2, each of which encodes a predicted protein product whose N-terminal half is approximately 43% similar to the N-terminal half of Bordetella pertussis filamentous hemagglutinin (FhaB). To the best of our knowledge, lspA1 (12,500 nucleotides [nt]) and lspA2 (14,800 nt) are among the largest prokaryotic ORFs identified to date. The predicted proteins, LspA1 and LspA2, are 86% identical overall to each other and also have limited amino acid sequence similarity at their N termini to other secreted bacterial proteins, including certain hemolysins. Southern blot analysis indicated that lspA1 and lspA2 sequences were present in 15 other geographically diverse H. ducreyi strains. Reverse transcriptase PCR analysis of total RNA isolated from H. ducreyi 35000 grown in liquid medium, grown on solid agar medium, and isolated from lesions of H. ducreyi-infected rabbits indicated that lspA1 and lspA2 were transcribed both in vitro and in vivo. A 260-kDa protein present in culture supernatant from eight virulent H. ducreyi strains reacted with both polyclonal serum from rabbits infected with H. ducreyi 35000 and a monoclonal antibody predicted to bind both LspA1 and LspA2. This 260-kDa protein in H. ducreyi 35000 culture supernatant was shown to be the protein product of the lspA1 ORF based on its reactivity with a monoclonal antibody specific for LspA1. Four H. ducreyi strains, previously shown to be avirulent in the temperature-dependent rabbit model for chancroid, did not produce either LspA1 or LspA2 in vitro. This finding raised the possibility that LspA1, LspA2, or both may be involved in the ability of H. ducreyi to cause lesions in this animal model.
Regulation of Sterol Synthesis in Eukaryotes

Cholesterol is an essential component of mammalian cell membranes and is required for proper membrane permeability, fluidity, organelle identity, and protein function. Cells maintain sterol homeostasis by multiple feedback controls that act through transcriptional and posttranscriptional mechanisms. The membrane-bound transcription factor sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP) is the principal regulator of both sterol synthesis and uptake. In mammalian cells, the ER membrane protein Insig has emerged as a key component of homeostatic regulation by controlling both the activity of SREBP and the sterol-dependent degradation of the biosynthetic enzyme HMG-CoA reductase. In this review, we focus on recent advances in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of the regulation of sterol synthesis. A comparative analysis of SREBP and HMG-CoA reductase regulation in mammals, yeast, and flies points toward an equilibrium model for how lipid signals regulate the activity of sterol-sensing proteins and their downstream effectors.
Manufacturing integration through EBI

Manufacturing ownership of mature products and processes remains a priority at IBM's semiconductor fabrication facility in Essex Junction, Vermont. The objective of ownership is to make the manufacturing organization as self-sufficient as possible. The program established to achieve this objective is known as engineering build-in (EBI). Through EBI, process control responsibilities are integrated into the manufacturing organization. The program provides the skills and training necessary to achieve the key elements of ownership, that is, maintaining process, tool, and product performance, while providing long-term improvements. >
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease: Diagnosis And Management

Background Acute pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a major gynecologic health problem in the United States, afflicting more than 1 million women each year and generating annual direct and indirect costs estimated at $4.2 billion. Family physicians can play an important role in the prevention, as well as diagnosis and treatment, of PID. Methods A MEDLINE search for articles published from 1985 to the present was made using the key words "pelvic inflammatory disease," "endometritis," "salpingitis," "tubo-ovarian abscess," "adnexitis," "pelvic abscess," "parametritis," and "oophoritis." The bibliographies of these articles and the author's personal files were also sources of information. Results and conclusions A number of risk factors have been linked to PID, including young age, age at first intercourse, multiple sex partners, the presence of bacterial vaginosis, vaginal douching, the use of an intrauterine contraceptive device, and a history of a sexually transmitted disease. The diagnosis of PID represents a major clinical challenge that requires a careful history and physical examination coupled with selective and knowledgeable use of the diagnostic tests and procedures currently available. Broad-spectrum antibiotics, which represent the cornerstone of therapy, must adequately cover the polymicrobial spectrum of pathogens implicated in this infection, which includes Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, and specific cervicovaginal anaerobic and aerobic bacteria. The numerous sequelae associated with PID, which include infertility, ectopic pregnancy, and chronic pelvic pain syndromes, underscore the need for effective measures for preventing pelvic inflammatory disease.
A Modified Iterative Closest Point Algorithm for 3D Point Cloud Registration

In this article, an accurate method for the registration of point clouds returned by a 3D rangefinder is presented. The method modifies the well-known iterative closest point ICP algorithm by intro...