cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Non-synonymous variants in Pre B-cell leukemia homeobox (PBX) genes are associated with congenital heart defects

Abstract Congenital cardiac malformations are one of the most common birth defects and most are believed to be multigenic/multifactorial in nature. Recently mice lacking Pre-B cell leukemia transcription homeobox (PBX) genes were created and found to have a range of ventricular outflow tract (OFT) malformations. Therefore, we screened 95 patients with congenital heart defects, including OFT malformations, for variants in genes encoding PBX proteins, as well as interacting proteins. The coding exons of PBX1-4, PKNOX1, PKNOX2, MEIS1-3, and PBXIP1 were amplified by polymerase chain reaction and the products analyzed on a lightscanner. Samples with abnormal melting profiles were analyzed by DNA sequencing. Seven non-synonymous variants (6 novel and 1 SNP) were identified in 5 proteins (Pbx3, Pbx4, Meis1, Meis3 and Pknox1). One Pbx3 variant, p.A136V, is located in a highly conserved polyalanine tract and predicted to be deleterious. This variant was present in 5.2% of heart defect patients compared with 1.3% of 380 race- and ethnicity-matched controls (P
Devitrification phase transformations in amorphous Al85Ni7Gd8 alloy

Abstract Non-isothermal devitrification phase transformations in amorphous Al85Ni7Gd8 over the temperature range from 100 to 1300 °C were systematically investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), differential thermal analysis (DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) techniques. Continuous heating DSC scans revealed that the crystallization proceeds through multiple stages. The only crystalline phase formed in the first two stages is fcc-Al, appearing exclusively as dendritic single crystals. A metastable phase (τn) is formed in the 3rd stage, and another metastable phase (τu) is formed in the 4th stage, together with the equilibrium ternary compound τ1. The equilibrium “binary” compound M3Gd (M=Al, Ni) with 0.4 at.% Ni solubility is formed only in the 5th stage. Further heating initiates eutectic melting at 635 °C, followed by other melting events at higher temperatures, until fully liquid when T>919 °C. Isothermal annealing at 260 °C readily induces formation of another metastable phase (τm) and fcc-Al. Fcc-Al nanocrystal development and interpretation of isothermal DSC technique is discussed.
Celiac disease: Obesity in celiac disease.

Obesity can be present in patients with celiac disease. Great concern exists that after diagnosis patients might gain weight and, instead of improving their health with the management of their condition, will substitute the problems of celiac disease for the increased health risks associated with weight gain and obesity.
Phoneme discrimination from MEG data

Abstract We treat magnetoencephalographic (MEG) data in a signal detection framework to discriminate between different phonemes heard by a test subject. Our data set consists of responses evoked by the voiced syllables /bae and /dae/ and the corresponding voiceless syllables /pae/ and /tae/. The data yield well to principal component analysis (PCA), with a reasonable subspace in the order of three components out of 37 channels. To discriminate between responses to the voiced and voiceless versions of a consonant we form a feature vector by either matched filtering or wavelet packet decomposition and use a mixture-of-experts model to classify the stimuli. Both choices of a feature vector lead to a significant detection accuracy. Furthermore, we show how to estimate the onset time of a stimulus from a continuous data stream.
Thermal reactions of 7-d- and 8-d-bicyclo[4.2.0]oct-2-enes.

The gas phase thermal reactions exhibited by bicyclo[4.2.0]oct-2-ene and 7-d and 8-d analogues at 300 °C have been followed kinetically through GC and 2H NMR spectroscopic analyses. In contrast to the pattern of transformations exhibited by bicyclo[3.2.0]hept-2-ene and deuterium-labeled analogues, no reactions initiated by C1−C6 bond cleavage are seen, epimerization at C8 is much faster than [1,3] shifts leading to bicyclo[2.2.2]oct-2-ene, and the ratio of rate constants for [1,3] carbon migration with inversion versus migration with retention is ∼1.4. Homolysis of C1−C8 to give a conformationally flexible diradical intermediate having a relatively long lifetime and multiple options for further reaction (re-formation of C1−C8 with or without net epimerization, fragmentation to 1,3-cyclohexadiene and ethylene, migration to the original C3 with inversion or retention) accords well with the observations. Clearly, orbital symmetry control does not govern stereochemistry for the [1,3] sigmatropic carbon shifts.
State Terror and the Reproduction of Imprisoned Dissent

(2003). State Terror and the Reproduction of Imprisoned Dissent. Social Identities: Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 183-203.
The succinic oxidase and DPNH oxidase systems of the bay mussel, Mytilus edulis

Abstract Respiratory particles have been prepared from adductor muscles of four lamellibranch mollusks. Nearly a tenfold increase in specific activity for succinic oxidase has been obtained. The respiratory particles of posterior adductor muscles of bay mussel, Mytilus edulis, have been studied in more detail. They can catalyze the oxidation of succinate, malate and reduced diphosphopyridine nucleotide (DPNH) by molecular oxygen and by mammalian cytochrome c. The rate of succinate oxidation by oxygen is stimulated by exogenous cytochrome c and inhibited by antimycin A or cyanide. The rate of DPNH oxidation by oxygen is slightly inhibited by the addition of amytal, antimycin, or cyanide and greatly increased by cytochrome c. In the presence of cytochrome c, DPNH oxidation is potently inhibited by cyanide. The existence of cytochrome oxidase in mussel particles is demonstrated by their capability to oxidize ascorbate and reduced cytochrome c. The convergence of the succinate and the DPNH respiratory chains is demonstrated from the simultaneous oxidations of these substrates; rates of these oxidations are not additive. The existence of absorption bands similar to cytochromes c-c1, b, and a-a3 of sarcosomal components has been shown by direct spectroscopic examination of mussel particles.
Histidine button engineered into cardiac troponin I protects the ischemic and failing heart

The myofilament protein troponin I (TnI) has a key isoform-dependent role in the development of contractile failure during acidosis and ischemia. Here we show that cardiac performance in vitro and in vivo is enhanced when a single histidine residue present in the fetal cardiac TnI isoform is substituted into the adult cardiac TnI isoform at codon 164. The most marked effects are observed under the acute challenges of acidosis, hypoxia, ischemia and ischemia-reperfusion, in chronic heart failure in transgenic mice and in myocytes from failing human hearts. In the isolated heart, histidine-modified TnI improves systolic and diastolic function and mitigates reperfusion-associated ventricular arrhythmias. Cardiac performance is markedly enhanced in transgenic hearts during reperfusion despite a high-energy phosphate content similar to that in nontransgenic hearts, providing evidence for greater energetic economy. This pH-sensitive 'histidine button' engineered in TnI produces a titratable molecular switch that 'senses' changes in the intracellular milieu of the cardiac myocyte and responds by preferentially augmenting acute and long-term function under pathophysiological conditions. Myofilament-based inotropy may represent a therapeutic avenue to improve myocardial performance in the ischemic and failing heart.
Stable Equilibria of Satellites Containing a Momentum Wheel in a Controlled Gimbal

In this paper are presented all stable equilibrium states of rotation of a rigid body satellite containing a single gimbaled momentum wheel in a zero gravity field. For an arbitrary but fixed speed of the wheel relative to the satellite body, it is shown that there may be one, two or three stable rotational equilibrium states of the satellite depending on the value of the total angular momentum. In each of these states the satellite body spins at a constant rate about an axis which is fixed in satellite coordinates. The relative orientation of this axis in both satellite and inertia 1 coordinates can be determined from expressions in this paper. Expressions are also derived for the satellite angular velocities and angular position of the gimbal at each equilibrium state. The gimbal is actively controlled so that nutation damping occurs for all conditions of satellite unsteady rotation. In addition to extensive analog computer simulation studies, a prototype gimbal and momentum wheel system was designed and then tested on a spherical air bearing platform.
Palmitoylation-defective asialoglycoprotein receptors are normal in their cellular distribution and ability to bind ligand, but are defective in ligand uptake and degradation.

Abstract The hepatic asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGP-R) is an endocytic recycling receptor that mediates the endocytosis of desialylated glycoproteins. The human ASGP-R is composed of two homologous subunits, H1 and H2, and the cytoplasmic Cys residues in both subunits are palmitoylated. To study the effects of palmitoylation on ASGP-R activity and function, we generated four types of stably transfected cell lines in SK-Hep-1 hepatoma cells, expressing wild-type, or partially or completely palmitoylation-defective ASGP-Rs containing Cys-to-Ser mutations in either one or both subunits. Scatchard analysis showed that all four stable cell lines expressed a similar number of binding sites for asialo-orosomucoid, with comparable dissociation constants of ∼1–3 nM. Immunofluorescence confocal microscopy indicated a normal distribution of the palmitoylation-defective H1 and H2 subunits compared to the wild-type. However, cell lines expressing palmitoylation-defective ASGP-Rs had markedly reduced rates of ligand uptake and degradation compared to cells expressing wild-type ASGP-Rs. We conclude that failure to palmitoylate Cys residues in either or both subunits of human ASGP-Rs results in very inefficient uptake and degradation of ligands.
Growth Model for Sand Wavelets

Lower-flow regime sand waves emerge from flat sand beds under steady uniform flow conditions. The time variation of the sand-wavelet height and length from inception to equilibrium are derived from linear and nonlinear ordinary differential equation models. The nonlinear model predicts more reasonably time variations of the bed-form length than the linear model. The results of the model are supported by the laboratory experimental data of Bishop in 1977 and Melville and Coleman in 1994.
Effect of riboflavin deficiency on phenobarbital and 3-methylcholanthrene induction of microsomal drug-metabolizing enzymes of the rat.

Abstract The effect of riboflavin deficiency on the induction of hepatic microsomal enzymes by phenobarbital and 3-methylcholanthrene has been investigated. A decrease in microsomal flavin levels of 56 per cent was associated with a decrease in NADPH cytochrome c reductase (52 per cent), azoreductase (71 per cent) and benzpyrene hydroxylase (74 per cent). Microsomal cytochrome P-450 content and aminopyrine demethylase were not significantly affected by flavin deficiency. Phenobarbital or 3-methylcholanthrene pretreatment did not affect hepatic microsomal flavin levels in normal or deficient animals. In flavin-deficient animals, phenobarbital pretreatment significantly increased cytochrome c reductase, cytochrome P-450 content, aminopyrine demethylase and azoreductase. Thus the carbon monoxide-sensitive pathway (cytochrome P-450 mediated) of azoreductase was essentially unaffected by flavin deficiency. In deficient animals, the carbon monoxide-insensitive microsomal azoreductase pathway (non-cytochrome P-450 mediated) normally induced by 3-methylcholanthrene was unaffected. Thus, induction of azoreductase by 3-methylcholanthrene was found to be flavin dependent. However, 3-methylcholanthrene did increase cytochrome P-450 content and benzpyrene hydroxylase in flavin-deficient animals. The induction of benzpyrene hydroxylase by 3-methylcholanthrene increased with increasing microsomal flavin content. Part of the mechanism of azoreductase induction by 3-methylcholanthrene was due to an induced change in the structure or composition of microsomal flavoprotein. This interpretation is supported by the findings that: (1) induction by 3-methylcholanthrene in riboflavin-deficient rats required a minimal flavin level, (2) increased enzyme activity was not compensated by an increase in microsomal flavin and (3) induction by 3-methylcholanthrene augmented FMN-stimulation of microsomal azoreductase in vitro .
Urothelial-type adenocarcinoma of the prostate mimicking metastatic colorectal adenocarcinoma

Adenocarcinoma arising in urinary bladder or prostatic urethra is uncommon. When they occur, the tumor can be mistaken for metastatic lesions, especially from the colon. Here we report the fifth case of a primary urothelial-type adenocarcinoma arising in the prostate which showed enteric differentiation. The patient was a 55 year-old male whose prostatic needle core biopsy showed a high grade adenocarcinoma which was initially thought to be metastatic colon cancer. A follow-up colonoscopy was unremarkable. Subsequent prostatectomy revealed a high grade adenocarcinoma which was positive for cytokeratins 7 and 20, carcinoembryonic antigen, CDX2, and high molecular weight cytokeratin, and negative for prostate specific antigen, prostate specific acid phosphatase and AMACR. A diagnosis of urothelial-type adenocarcinoma of the prostate was rendered. We review the literature regarding this entity, and discuss the differential diagnosis, emphasizing utility of immunohistochemistry in making the diagnosis. Finally, we speculate on the behavior of these rare tumors.
Seeing the World in Black and White: The Effects of Perceptually Induced Mind-Sets on Judgment

Three experiments examined the notion that rudimentary perceptual experiences can serve as powerful guides to judgments under uncertainty. The results show that exposure to certain perceptual contrast patterns can influence the direction of bias without conscious awareness. In Experiment 1a, perception of alternating black and white squares, which served as orientation markers in a lexical decision task, resulted in a reduction of the well-known anchoring bias. Similar results were obtained when alternating high- and low-pitch tones were the orientation markers (Experiment 1b). Results of a final experiment provide evidence that perceptual contrast experiences can affect judgment-relevant representations across modalities.
In vitro reactions of 2-cyanoethylene oxide with calf thymus DNA

Abstract Acrylonitrile oxide (CEO) is a direct-acting mutagen and the postulated proximate carcinogenic form of acrylonitrile (AN). We have studied the reactions of CEO with 2′-deoxyribonucleosides and in vitro with calf thymus DNA at pH 7.0–7.5 and 37°C for 3 h. Reaction of CEO with dAdo gave 2 adducts, N6-(2-hydroxy-2-carboxyethyl)-dAdo (N6-HOCE-dAdo) (2% yield) and 1,N6-etheno-dAdo (e-dAdo) (11%); reaction with dCyd resulted in the isolation of 3-HOCE-dUrd (22%); reaction with dGuo gave 7-(2-oxoethyl)-Gua (7-OXE-Gua) (31%) and reaction with dThd yielded 3-OXE-dThd (3%). Structural elucidation of adducts was accomplished by ultraviolet spectroscopy, high-field proton NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Structural confirmation was provided by an accurate mass measurement technique where diagnostic ions in the electron impact mass spectra of trimethylsilyl derivatives were measured to within 0.0007 atomic mass units. The facile Dimroth rearrangement of 1-HOCE-dAdo to N6-HOCE-dAdo and hydrolytic deamination of a dCyd adduct to 3-HOCE-dUrd is postulated to be catalyzed by the hydroxyl group on the 3-carbon side chain of the adduct. Reaction of CEO with calf thymus DNA yielded (nmol/mg DNA) N6-HOCE-dAdo (2); e-dAdo (11); 3-HOCE-dUrd (80); 7-OXE-Gua (110) and 3-OXE-dThd (1). Thus CEO, like its metabolic precursor AN, directly alkylates DNA in vitro but at a much more rapid rate.
VISTAnet: radiation therapy treatment planning through rapid dose calculation and interactive 3D volume visualization

VISTAnet, an experimental gigabit network test bed, ties together a CRAY Y-MP, the Pixel-Planes 5 graphics engine, and an SGI host machine to create a metacomputer capable of real-time radiation therapy dose calculation and display. We report on the methods used to manipulate and examine the 3D radiation dose distribution, with emphasis on the visualization, which uses a parallel, interactive, multimodal renderer implemented on Pixel- Places 5. The real-time display is designed to facilitate comprehension of spatial relationships among the geometrically complex anatomy and radiation dose structures that characterize a 3D radiation treatment scenario. The currently ongoing clinical evaluation of VISTAnet has already yielded encouraging results.
Subtypes of family history and conduct disorder: effects on P300 during the stroop test.

The goal of the present study was to identify neurophysiological differences associated with a family history of substance dependence, and its subtypes (paternal alcohol, cocaine, or opiate dependence), and with conduct disorder, and its subtypes (aggression, deceitfulness/theft, and rules violations). P300 event-related brain potentials were recorded from 210 males and females, aged 15–20 years while they performed the Stroop color-word compatibility test. Analyses revealed no significant effects of familial substance dependence on P300. However, an elevated number of conduct disorder problems was associated with a statistically significant reduction in P300 amplitude. The P300 amplitude reduction was related to the severity of the “rules violation” subtype, but was unrelated to aggression or deceitfulness and theft. It is concluded that conduct disorder can explain many of the P300 findings previously attributed to a family history of alcohol dependence. Furthermore, it appears that conduct disorder may be a heterogenous classification comprised of neurophysiologically different subtypes.
Analysis of stage-specific transcripts of the Plasmodium falciparum serine repeat antigen (SERA) gene and transcription from the SERA locus.

Abstract We evaluated the stage-specific transcription and processing of serine repeat antigen (SERA) messenger RNA to further examine mechanisms regulating gene expression in Plasmodium falciparum . SERA mRNA was expressed exclusively in trophozoite and schizont stages. Transcription from the SERA gene was first detected between 24 and 29 h following erythrocyte invasion. The transcript mapping data revealed heterogeneity of the SERA mRNA 5′ and 3′ ends. RNA sequencing revealed that SERA transcripts were not generated by a trans -splicing mechanism. A new SERA gene, SERA3, was identified 1,8 kb upstream of SERA. The direction of transcription of the SERA locus genes, SERA3, SERA, and SERA2, was mapped relative to the location of other chromosome 2 genetic markers. The SERA locus and the closely lined MSA2 locus were found to be transcriptionally regulated in a coordinate fashion. Collectively, the results of these experiments show that parallel and coordinately controlled transcription units reside on chromosome 2. These results implicate a novel mechanism of transcriptional control in Plasmodium .
Nitroglycerin-induced desensitization of vascular smooth muscle may be mediated through cyclic GMP-disinhibition of phosphatidylinositol hydrolysis

The purpose of this study was to investigate the hypothesis that nitroglycerin-induced desensitization of vascular smooth muscle is mediated through cyclic GMP-disinhibition of phosphatidylinositol hydrolysis. Norepinephrine-induced contraction and increased levels of inositol monophosphate, a measure of phosphatidylinositol hydrolysis, in rat aorta. Prior treatment with nitroglycerin inhibited both the norepinephrine-induced contraction and the elevated levels of inositol monophosphate to the same relative magnitude. The nitroglycerin-induced inhibition of contraction and inositol monophosphate formation were prevented in tissues desensitized with nitroglycerin. These results suggest that: 1) nitroglycerin may inhibit vascular smooth muscle contraction through cyclic GMP-inhibition of phosphatidylinositol hydrolysis and 2) desensitization to the relaxant effects of nitroglycerin may be due to disinhibition of the hydrolysis.
Self and Peer Ratings and Evaluations of Group Process in Mixed‐Sex and Male Medical Training Groups

Medical students randomly assigned to mixed-sex or male anatomy dissection groups completed two questionnaires assessing self and peer evaluations and perceptions of group functioning. Results indicated that women and men respondents from mixed-sex groups had similar perceptions of group functioning. Respondents from both groups had similar self-evaluations and perceptions of leadership and role determinants. Significant differences were found between respondents from mixed-sex and male groups for peer evaluations, perceptions of certain aspects of group functioning (e.g., quality of communication), and for causal explanations of problems in group functioning. These differences were associated with significant differences in cohesiveness as indicated by desire for and actual change of group.
Inverter Motor Drive Ride-Through Schemes for Continuous Process Applications

In continuous process manufacturing, process downtime resulting from electric variable speed drive equipment shutdown due to momentary power line dips or outages can incur heavy cost penalties brought about by loss of product or long process-restart times. In the case of ac adjustable speed inverter drives, the continuous process industries involved in this problem are presently synthetic textile manufacturing and thin-film products processing industries. Existing momentary voltage dip ride-through techniques as applied to adjustable speed inverter motor drives are reviewed with reference to the requirements of continuous process applications. Configurations considered are the variable voltage, input, the pulsewidth modulated, and the current source inverter types. Emphasis is placed on electrical ridethrough techniques as opposed to electromechanical techniques. The advantages and disadvantages of each method are discussed, and basic design and application considerations are outlined.
Against Autonomy: Justifying Coercive Paternalism

Too often, we as individuals do things that harm us, that seriously interfere with our being able to live in the way that we want. We eat food that makes us obese, that promotes diabetes, heart failure and other serious illness, while at the same time, we want to live long and healthy lives. Too many of us smoke cigarettes, even while acknowledging we wish we had never begun. We behave in ways that undercut our ability to reach some of our most valued goals, despite education and despite incentives to choose the right thing. What should be done? If I were to try to harm someone else in a way that alters his future seriously and perhaps irrevocably for the worse, I would be stopped. When it comes to hurting myself, though, we have a common belief that it is wrong to interfere, even if I foresee that I will very much regret what I have done, often when it is too late to fix what I have let happen. I think this makes no sense. If it is permissible, even obligatory, to stop me when I do something that seriously interferes with someone else's chances of achieving the life he wants, I think …
Relation of Frequency to Perception of Gender-Appropriateness in Personal Names:

Sttmmay.- In a study of the relationship between the frequency of personal names and their perceived gender-appropriateness, 101 college students rated the perceived masculinity of 60 boys' names or femininity of 60 girls' names. The names on each list of 60 were divided equally into common, less common, dated, and rare names. Over-all analyses of variances indicated that the frequency with which a name appeared related to its perceived gender-appropriateness. Subsequent analyses indicated that rare boys' names were perceived as less mascuhe, and rare girls' names were perceived as less feminine. Also, dated boys' names were perceived as less masculine than were common and less common boys' names. Apparencly a simple frequency principle seems to apply to the perception oE gender-appropriateness in personal names. A persistent topic of study has been the relationship between the frequency with which a name occurs and how it is perceived. Previous research has indicated that the frequency with which a name occurs in the culture affects its preference value. Allen, Brown, Dickinson, and Pratt (1941) reported that men tended to have and prefer common names while women were more &ely to have and prefer less common ones. Finch, Kilgren, and Pratt (1944) noted that young children tended to prefer common names but college women tended to prefer those that were unusual. Both Colrnan, Hargreaves, and Sluckin (1981) and West and Schults (1976) reported that common or more familiar names were better hked. Busse and Seraydarian (1978) and Mehrabian (1992) observed that more frequently occurring names were viewed as being more desirable. Busse and Helfrich (1975) provided evidence that the shift in name preferences tended to occur around adolescence for girls: shorter, traditional names were replaced then by longer, trendier names. There are, however, some social class differences: Lieberson and Bell (1992) noted that more highly educated mothers tended to give their children more traditional or conventional names. While there has been only limited research of the effects of name frequency on other perceptions, recently Joubert (1994) observed a relationship between name frequency and the perception of the social class of the bearer: the names of both boys and girls which were rarer tended to be judged as belonging to a lower social class. Also, girls' names that were dated tended to be rated as being of lower class.
One way delay trend detection for available bandwidth measurement

Available bandwidth (AB) defined as a minimum spare capacity of links constituting a network path is an important QoS characteristic of the path. We propose to improve a whole range of "probe-rate" AB measurement tools that send sequences of measurement packets (called "trains") across the network path. If transmission times of packets in the train, called one way delays (OWD), show an increasing trend as packet sequence number in the train increases, then AB is believed to be lower than the rate at which the train was sent. In contrast, an absence of a trend indicates that AB is higher than the rate of the train. We propose an algorithm for efficient OWD trend detection and compare it to widely used OWD trend detection tests.
Pharmacist use of social media.

Introduction The rapid emergence and exploding usage of social media (also called Web 2.0) present pharmacists with new professional, ethical and time management challenges. Objectives To describe social media use among pharmacists in West Virginia, USA. Methods A survey was administered during the West Virginia Pharmacist Association 102nd Annual Convention held in October 2009. The meeting participants were pharmacists practising in the different regions of West Virginia. All conference attendees were eligible to participate. Results The survey was completed by all 50 pharmacists in attendance, yielding a response rate of 100%. Social media use was found to be common among West Virginia pharmacists, with the most frequently used applications including: YouTube (74%), Wikipedia (72%), Facebook (50%), and blogs (26%). However, there were some tools that pharmacists barely used such as Bebo, Hi5, Flickr and Friendster. Given the widespread use of Facebook by respondent pharmacists, it is noteworthy that they indicated the main purposes for using it were for chatting, uploading pictures and keeping touch with friends rather than for professional and educational purposes. Discussion Presently, pharmacists utilize social media primarily for personal purposes. As social media becomes more sophisticated and widely adopted in the healthcare arena, it is probable that pharmacists will also increasingly utilize it for professional and educational purposes.
Dynamic esophageal scintigraphy

Esophageal scintigraphy was developed in order to quantitatively evaluate esophageal transit in patients with a variety of esophageal disorders. The study is performed with orally administered technetium-99m sulfur colloid in water, using a gamma camera on-line to a digital computer. Esophageal transit is expressed as the percent emptying for each of the first 15-sec intervals for 10 min after an initial swallow and at 15-sec intervals after serial swallows. Esophageal transit is significantly decreased in patients with motor disorders of the esophagus, compared to normal controls. In patients with reflux esophagitis, esophageal transit was abnormal when the reflux disease was accompanied by abnormal motor function. The technique we describe is the first quantitative test of esophageal function; it is a useful, sensitive, scintigraphic technique for evaluation of esophageal transit.
Upper-crustal orogenic lid and mid-crustal core complexes: signature of a collapsed orogenic plateau in the hinterland of the Grenville Province 11This article is one of a series of papers published in CJES Special Issue: In honour of Ward Neale on the theme of Appalachian and Grenvillian geology.

This paper provides a re-interpretation of the crustal architecture of the Ottawan hinterland of the Grenville Province in light of published empirical and numerical models of orogenic collapse. It...
Beyond connectors: The construction of cause in history textbooks

Abstract This paper explores patterns of language that construct causal reasoning in history textbooks used in the U.S. Two representative passages are analyzed to show how causality can be realized both explicitly and implicitly, and how the resources of the language contribute to highlighting some causal factors and downplaying others, particularly focusing on how lexico-grammatical and discourse-semantic features interact. We show how, in constructing causal reasoning, historians use a wide range of linguistic resources that go beyond connectors, and we suggest that teachers and students need to engage in discussion that raises awareness about how language constructs knowledge in history as a means of highlighting both what is available in the historian's presentation and what needs further explication.
Towards ubiquitous RF electronics based on graphene

The emerging field of ubiquitous electronics has placed new requirements and challenges on the design and fabrication of RF systems. Graphene electronics, with its extremely flexible surface and excellent transport properties, has the potential to play a key role in such applications, especially for building analog IC on highly flexible and transparent substrates. This paper discusses our recent progress in developing the basic device technology, the novel circuit design, and the new fabrication process towards making graphene flexible analog IC for applications in ubiquitous electronics.
Policies for patient access to clinical data via PHRs: current state and recommendations.

Objective Healthcare delivery organizations are increasingly using online personal health records (PHRs) to provide patients with direct access to their clinical information; however, there may be a lack of consistency in the data made available. We aimed to understand the general use and functionality of PHRs and the organizational policies and decision-making structures for making data available to patients. Materials and methods A cross-sectional survey was administered by telephone structured interview to 21 organizations to determine the types of data made available to patients through PHRs and the presence of explicit governance for PHR data release. Organizations were identified based on a review of the literature, PHR experts, and snowball sampling. Organizations that did not provide patients with electronic access to their data via a PHR were excluded. Results Interviews were conducted with 17 organizations for a response rate of 81%. Half of the organizations had explicit governance in the form of a written policy that outlined the data types made available to patients. Overall, 88% of the organizations used a committee structure for the decision-making process and included senior management and information services. All organizations sought input from clinicians. Discussion There was considerable variability in the types of clinical data and the time frame for releasing these data to patients. Variability in data release policies may have implications for PHR use and adoption. Conclusions Future policy activities, such as requirement specification for the latter stages of Meaningful Use, should be leveraged as an opportunity to encourage standardization of functionality and broad deployment of PHRs.
THE PROCESS AND SIGNIFICANCE OF POLITICAL SCANDALS: A COMPARISON OF WATERGATE AND THE "SEWERGATE" EPISODE AT THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY*

Purposeful scandalmongering is a familiar and particularly dramatic feature of the American political process. If successful, it embarrasses one's political opponents, blocks their policies, and perhaps even drives them from office. This paper compares Watergate, the most important recent example of political scandal, and “Sewergate,” the 1983 episode at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Based on this comparison, I develop a conceptual framework that describes the course or trajectory of scandal. I then evaluate what effects the two episodes had on substantive policy and on mass political attitudes. I find that neither Watergate nor Sewergate had much enduring impact and conclude by discussing the significance of scandals in light of their rather modest long-term consequences.
Center of cancer systems biology second annual workshop--tumor metronomics: timing and dose level dynamics.

Metronomic chemotherapy, the delivery of doses in a low, regular manner so as to avoid toxic side effects, was introduced over 12 years ago in the face of substantial clinical and preclinical evidence supporting its tumor-suppressive capability. It constituted a marked departure from the classic maximum-tolerated dose (MTD) strategy, which, given its goal of rapid eradication, uses dosing sufficiently intense to require rest periods between cycles to limit toxicity. Even so, upfront tumor eradication is frequently not achieved with MTD, whereupon a de facto goal of longer-term tumor control is often pursued. As metronomic dosing has shown tumor control capability, even for cancers that have become resistant to the same drug delivered under MTD, the question arises whether it may be a preferable alternative dosing approach from the outset. To date, however, our knowledge of the coupled dynamics underlying metronomic dosing is neither sufficiently well developed nor widely enough disseminated to establish its actual potential. Meeting organizers thus felt the time was right, armed with new quantitative approaches, to call a workshop on “Tumor Metronomics: Timing and Dose Level Dynamics” to explore prospects for gaining a deeper, systems-level appreciation of the metronomics concept. The workshop proved to be a forum in which experts from the clinical, biologic, mathematical, and computational realms could work together to clarify the principles and underpinnings of metronomics. Among other things, the need for significant shifts in thinking regarding endpoints to be used as clinical standards of therapeutic progress was recognized. Cancer Res; 73(10); 2949–54. ©2013 AACR.
Supercooling in hypersonic nitrogen wind tunnels

Recent experimental observation of supercooling in large hypersonic wind tunnels using pure nitrogen identified a broad range of non-equilibrium metastable vapour states of the flow in the test cell. To investigate this phenomenon a number of real-gas effects are analysed and compared with predictions made using the ideal-gas equation of state and equilibrium thermodynamics. The observed limit on the extent of supercooling is found to be at 60% of the temperature difference from the sublimation line to Gibbs’ absolute limit on phase stability. The mass fraction then condensing is calculated to be 12–14%. Included in the study are virial effects, quantization of rotational and vibrational energy, and the possible role of vibrational relaxation and freezing in supercooling. Results suggest that use of the supercooled region to enlarge the Mach–Reynolds number test envelope may be practical. Data from model tests in supercooled flows support this possibility.
Advancing Nursing Home Quality Through Quality Improvement Itself

The traditional approaches to improving the quality of care at U.S. nursing homes—regulation, inspection, and accountability through public reporting—have produced modest results. Greater progress could be made by focusing incentives on broader processes related to improving quality. This could foster a culture of upstream identification and solving of problems that would supplement existing downstream requirements to meet specific safety and care standards.
The Effect of Telemedicine on Access to Acute Stroke Care in Texas: The Story of Age Inequalities

Background. Ischemic stroke is a time sensitive disease with the effectiveness of treatment decreasing over time. Treatment is more likely to occur at Primary Stroke Centers (PSC); thus rapid access to acute stroke care through stand-alone PSCs or telemedicine (TM) is vital for all Americans. The objective of this study is to determine if disparities exist in access to PSCs or the extended access to acute stroke care provided by TM. Methods. Data from the US Census Bureau and the 2010 Neilson Claritas Demographic Estimation Program, American Hospital Association annual survey, and The Joint Commission list of PSCs and survey response data for all hospitals in the state of Texas were used. Results. Over 64% of block groups had 60-minute ground access to acute stroke care. The odds of a block group having 60-minute access to acute stroke care decreased with age, despite adjustment for sex, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, urbanization, and total population. Conclusion. Our survey of Texas hospitals found that as the median age of a block group increased, the odds of having access to acute stroke care decreased.
Multi-agent probabilistic smart terrain

Our previous work has added probabilistic reasoning to the “smart terrain” algorithm commonly used for goal-based navigation in games, allowing targets to have a given probability of meeting a character's goals and navigating based on expected distances until goals are met. We now extend it to enable cooperative behavior by a set of characters seeking the same goal (such as a group of guards searching for the player). Each agent computes a global expected distance until goals are met, in terms of its distance to targets it is moving towards and the distances from other agents to targets it is moving away from, and chooses the direction that minimizes this measure. We demonstrate that the algorithm produces plausible cooperative behavior on a set of benchmark examples.
Production of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and furfural by dehydration of biomass-derived mono- and poly-saccharides

Furan derivatives, such as 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and furfural, obtained from renewable biomass-derived carbohydrates have potential to be sustainable substitutes for petroleum-based building blocks used in production of fine chemicals and plastics. We have studied the production of HMF and furfural by dehydration of fructose, glucose and xylose using a biphasic reactor system, comprised of reactive aqueous phase modified with DMSO, combined with an organic extracting phase consisting of a 7 : 3 (w/w) MIBK–2-butanol mixture or dichloromethane (DCM). Experiments with the MIBK–2-butanol mixture were conducted at a temperature of 443 K using mineral acid catalysts (HCl, H2SO4 and H3PO4) at a pH from 1.0 to 2.0, whereas experiments with DCM as the extracting solvent were conducted at 413 K and did not require the use of an acid catalyst. The modifiable nature of the biphasic system allowed us to identify preferred DMSO and pH levels for each sugar to maximize the HMF selectivity at high sugar conversions, leading to selectivities of 89%, 91%, and 53% for dehydration of fructose, xylose, and glucose, respectively. Using these reaction conditions for each monosaccharide unit, we can process the corresponding polysaccharides, such as sucrose (a disaccharide of glucose and fructose), inulin (a polyfructan), starch (a polyglucan), cellobiose (a glucose dimer) and xylan (a xylose polysaccharide), with equally good selectivities at high conversions. In addition, we show that the biphasic reactor system can process high feed concentrations (10 to 30 wt%) along with excellent recycling ability. By processing these highly functionalized polysaccharides, that are inexpensive and abundantly available, we eliminate the need to obtain simple carbohydrate molecules by acid hydrolysis as a separate processing step.
PALM: parallel architecture-friendly latch-free modifications to B+ trees on many-core processors

Concurrency control on B+ trees is primarily achieved with latches, but serialization and contention can hinder scalability. As core counts on current processors increase, it is imperative to develop scalable latch-free techniques for concurrency control.We present PALM, a novel technique for performing multiple concurrent queries on in-memory B+ trees. PALM is based on the Bulk Synchronous Parallel model, which guarantees freedom from deadlocks and race conditions. Input queries are grouped and processed in atomic batches, and work proceeds in stages that preclude contention. Transitions between stages are accomplished with scalable point-to-point communication. PALM exploits data-and thread-level parallelism on modern many-core architectures, and performs 40M1 updates/second on trees with 128M keys, and 128M updates/second on trees with 512K keys on the latest CPU architectures. Our throughput is 2.3X--19X that of state-of-the-art concurrent update algorithms on in-memory B+ trees. PALM obtains close to peak throughput at very low response times of less than 350μs, even for large trees. We also evaluate PALM on the Intel® Many Integrated Core (Intel® MIC) architecture, and demonstrate a speedup of 1.5--2.1X for out-of-cache tree sizes on an Intel® Knights Ferry over a pair of Intel® Xeon® processors DP X5680 (Westmere-EP) in a dual-socket configuration.
Myocardin-Related Transcription Factor A and Yes-Associated Protein Exert Dual Control in G Protein-Coupled Receptor- and RhoA-Mediated Transcriptional Regulation and Cell Proliferation

The ability of a subset of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) to activate RhoA endows them with unique growth-regulatory properties. Two transcriptional pathways are activated through GPCRs and RhoA, one utilizing the transcriptional coactivator myocardin-related transcription factor A (MRTF-A) and serum response factor (SRF) and the other using the transcriptional coactivator Yes-associated protein (YAP) and TEA domain family members (TEAD). These pathways have not been compared for their relative levels of importance and potential interactions in RhoA target gene expression. GPCRs for thrombin and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) on human glioblastoma cells robustly couple to RhoA and induce the matricelluar protein CCN1. Knockdown of either MRTF-A or YAP abrogates S1P-stimulated CCN1 expression, demonstrating that both coactivators are required. MRTF-A and YAP are also both required for transcriptional control of other S1P-regulated genes in various cell types and for S1P-stimulated glioblastoma cell proliferation. Interactions between MRTF-A and YAP are suggested by their synergistic effects on SRE.L- and TEAD-luciferase expression. Moreover, MRTF-A and YAP associate in coimmunoprecipitations from S1P-stimulated cells. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analysis of the CCN1 gene promoter demonstrated that S1P increases coactivator binding at the canonical transcription factor sequences. Unexpectedly, S1P also enhances MRTF-A binding at TEA sites. Our findings reveal that GPCR- and RhoA-regulated gene expression requires dual input and integration of two distinct transcriptional pathways.
Examining the Intersection between Task-Based Learning and Technology

Less than two decades ago most of the activities in Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) were created with a “one-size-fits-all” understanding of how computers could enhance language learning. Across the board, the sole rationale for using technology, mostly computerbased, was that it was useful and motivating for learners. The obvious lack of a solid research base for such practice gradually led both CALL researchers to approach the use of technology in language teaching and learning more empirically. Only recently has the field of CALL begun to undergo self-evaluation (Gonzalez-Lloret & Ortega, 2014), and researchers are now claiming that in order for the field to progress, it is necessary to look to SLA principles that make language teaching effective (Chapelle, 1998; Levy, 1999).
Aflatoxigenic Potential of Dried Figs, Apricots, Pineapples, and Raisins

Spores from 3 aflatoxigenic strains were applied to the surface of dried figs, pineapple slices, apricots, and raisins. Half of the samples of each foodstuff was autoclaved (cooked) before inoculation. All 3 strains produced some toxin but not in all of the foodstuffs. No aflatoxins were found in any of the raisin cultures. The overall potential for toxin production in the dried fruit was apricot greater than fig greater than pineapple greater than raisin. Among the cooked substrates, the order was apricot greater than pineapple greater than fig=raisin. For the raw dried fruits, the ranking was fig greater than pineapple greater than apricot greater than or equal to raisin. Pineapple was considered the best broad spectrum substrate of the foodstuffs evaluated in the study.
Impact of end-of-life discussions on the reduction of Latino/non-Latino disparities in do-not-resuscitate order completion

BACKGROUND Compared with non-Latino, white patients with advanced cancer, Latino patients with advanced cancer are less likely to sign do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders, which is a form of advance care planning associated with better quality of life at the end of life (EOL). Latinos' completion of DNR orders may be more sensitive to clinical discussions regarding EOL care. The current study examined differences between Latino and white terminally ill patients with cancer with regard to the association between EOL discussions and DNR order completion. METHODS A total of 117 participants with advanced cancer (61 of whom were Latino and 56 of whom were non-Latino white individuals) were recruited between 2002 and 2008 from Parkland Hospital (a public hospital in Dallas, Texas) as part of the Coping with Cancer study, which is a large, multiinstitutional, prospective cohort study of patients with advanced cancer that is designed to examine social and psychological influences on EOL care. In structured interviews, patients reported if they had EOL discussions with their physicians, and if they completed DNR orders. RESULTS The association between EOL discussions and DNR order completion was significantly greater in Latino compared with white patients, adjusting for potential confounds (interaction adjusted odds ratio, 6.64; P = .041). Latino patients who had an EOL discussion were >10 times more likely (adjusted odds ratio, 10.91; P = .001) to complete a DNR order than those who had not, and were found to be equally as likely to complete a DNR order as white patients. CONCLUSIONS Differences in the impact of EOL discussions on DNR order completion may explain Latino/non-Latino ethnic disparities in DNR order completion in EOL care, and point to a means to eliminate those disparities. Cancer 2016. © 2016 American Cancer Society.