cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A second gene for peroxisomal HMG-CoA reductase? A genomic reassessment.

HMG-CoA reductase (HMG33338) catalyzes the conversion of HMG-CoA to mevalonate, the rate-limiting step of eukaryotic isoprenoid biosynthesis, and is the main target of cholesterol-lowering drugs. The classical form of the enzyme is a transmembrane-protein anchored to the endoplasmic reticulum. However, during the last years several lines of evidence pointed to the existence of a second isoform of HMGCR localized in peroxisomes, where mevalonate is converted further to farnesyl diphosphate. This finding is relevant for our understanding of the complex regulation and compartmentalization of the cholesterogenic pathway. Here we review experimental evidence suggesting that the peroxisomal activity might be due to a second HMGCR gene in mammals. We then present a comprehensive analysis of completely sequenced eukaryotic genomes, as well as the human and mouse genome drafts. Our results provide evidence for a large number of independent duplications of HMGCR in all eukaryotic kingdoms, but not for a second gene in mammals. We conclude that the peroxisomal HMGCR activity in mammals is due to alternative targeting of the ER enzyme to peroxisomes by an as yet uncharacterized mechanism.
Active site modification of factor VIIa affects interactions of the protease domain with tissue factor.

In the initiation of coagulation, tissue factor (TF) allosterically activates the serine protease factor VIIa (VIIa) through specific interactions with protease domain residues. These interactions, and consequently affinity for TF, may be influenced by conformational changes in the protease domain that result from zymogen-enzyme transition or occupancy of the active site by tight binding inhibitors. In functional competition and direct binding analysis, we determined affinities for zymogen and enzyme species of wild-type VII and of mutants at protease domain residues that contact TF. We demonstrate that TF binding is not influenced by zymogen activation, indicating that the protease domain of zymogen and enzyme dock similarly with TF. In contrast, active site occupancy enhanced the affinity for TF by predominantly decreasing the dissociation rate of the TF·VIIa complex. Of the three interface residues studied, only Met306 played a major role in the inhibitor-induced increase in affinity. Met306 is also important for transmitting the allosteric changes from TF to the active site, resulting in enhanced catalysis. This study thus provides evidence for a bidirectional conformational interdependence of the interface residue Met306 and the active site of VIIa.
Matrix effects on coupled chemical reactions in solid-state voltammetry: disproportionation of uranium(V) in a silica xerogel

Abstract The reduction of UO22+ in silica prepared by an acid-catalyzed sol-gel process was studied by cyclic voltammetry in the absence of a contacting liquid phase. The silica was prepared to have residual water on the order of 20% by weight. The UV that was generated electrochemically from UO22+ disproportionated rapidly in the xerogel matrix at pH values where it was stable on the time scale of the experiment in aqueous solution. The voltammetry was not altered when the silica was templated with Triton X-114 to increase the pore diameter; hence, electrostatic interaction between the anionic sites on the xerogel backbone and the cationic electrolysis products was postulated as the cause of the enhanced disproportionation rate. Comparison with the voltammetry of UO22+ in Nafion® supported the hypothesis of UIV formation by disproportionation of the UV. Doping the xerogel with La3+, which has a high affinity for anionic sites, blocked the formation of UIV; a quasi-reversible one-electron reduction of UO22+ was observed, thereby providing a positive test of the hypothesis.
Acute Catheterization and Urgent Intervention Triage strategY (ACUITY) trial: study design and rationale.

Abstract Background Patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS; unstable angina and non–ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction) are at significant risk for death and myocardial infarction. Early angiography followed by revascularization is considered the treatment of choice for moderate- to high-risk patients with ACS. However, despite the integration of newer therapies including stents, glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors, and thienopyridines, the rate of adverse ischemic events still remains unacceptably high, and the intensive pharmacologic regimens used to stabilize the disrupted atherosclerotic plaque and support angioplasty and surgical revascularization procedures elicit a high rate of bleeding complications. Pilot trials suggest that the thrombin-specific anticoagulant bivalirudin may improve clinical outcomes in ACS. Study design In the Acute Catheterization and Urgent Intervention Triage strategY (ACUITY) trial, 13,800 patients with moderate- to high-risk ACS are being prospectively randomly assigned at up to 600 centers to unfractionated heparin or enoxaparin + IIb/IIIa inhibition, versus bivalirudin + IIb/IIIa inhibition, versus bivalirudin + provisional IIb/IIIa inhibition. All patients undergo cardiac catheterization within 72 hours, followed by percutaneous or surgical revascularization when appropriate. In a second random assignment, patients assigned to receive IIb/IIIa inhibitors are subrandomized to upstream drug initiation, versus IIb/IIIa inhibitor administration during angioplasty only. The primary study end point is the composite of death, myocardial infarction, unplanned revascularization for ischemia, and major bleeding at 30 days. Clinical follow-up will continue for 1 year. Conclusions The ACUITY trial is the largest study yet performed in patients with ACS undergoing an invasive strategy. In addition to evaluating the utility of bivalirudin in ACS, this study will also provide important guidance regarding the necessity for and timing of IIb/IIIa inhibitor administration.
Double-least-significant-bits 2's-complement number representation scheme with bitwise complementation and symmetric range

A scheme is proposed for representing 2's-complement binary numbers in which there are two least-significant bits (LSBs). Benefits of the extra LSB include making the number representation range symmetric (i.e. from -2 k-1 to 2 k-1 for k-bit integers), allowing sign change by simple bitwise logical inversion, facilitating multiprecision arithmetic and enabling the truncation of results in lieu of rounding. These advantages justify the added storage and interconnect costs stemming from the extra bit. Operation latencies show little or no change relative to conventional 2's-complement arithmetic, thus making double-LSB representation attractive.
Predicting Mammalian SINE Subfamily Activity from A-tail Length

Based on previous observations that newly inserted LINEs and SINEs have particularly long 3'A-tails, which shorten rapidly during evolutionary time, we have analyzed the rat and mouse genomes for evidence of recently inserted SINEs and LINEs. We find that the youngest predicted subfamilies of rodent identifier (ID) elements, a rodent-specific SINE derived from tRNA A 1 a , are preferentially associated with A-tails over 50 bases in the rat genome, as predicted. Furthermore, these studies detected a subfamily of ID elements that has made over 15,000 copies that is younger than any previously reported ID subfamily. We use PCR analysis of genomic loci to demonstrate that all subfamily members tested inserted after the divergence of Rattus norvegicus from Rattus rattus. We also found evidence that the rodent B 1 family of elements is much more active currently in mouse than in rat. These data provide useful estimates of recent activity from all of the mammalian retrotransposons, as well as allowing identification of the most recent insertions for use as population and speciation markers in those species. Both the current rat ID and mouse B 1 elements that are active have small, specific interruptions in their 3' A-tail sequences. We suggest that these interruptions stabilize the length of the A-tails and contribute to the activity of these subfamilies. We present a model in which the dynamics of the 3' A-tail may be a central controlling factor in SINE activity.
What School Nurses Need to Know about Cervical Cancer, HPV, and the New Vaccine.

At least 12,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year in the United States, accounting for at least 4,000 deaths. Worldwide, cervical cancer is the second most common type of cancer among women. The human papilloma virus (HPV) has been linked to at least 70% of all cervical cancer. HPV can be divided into 2 categories: (a) low risk, which is responsible for genital warts, and (b) high risk, which is responsible for cervical cancer. An effective new vaccine has been approved that will decrease the spread of infection caused by HPV, therefore decreasing the future incidence of cervical cancer and genital warts. Understanding the risks of acquiring HPV and the increased risk for cervical cancer may lead to enhanced vaccine acceptance.
UNSUPERVISED WORD SENSE DISAMBIGUATION RIVALING SUPERVISED METHODS

This paper presents an unsupervised learning algorithm for sense disambiguation that, when trained on unannotated English text, rivals the performance of supervised techniques that require time-consuming hand annotations. The algorithm is based on two powerful constraints---that words tend to have one sense per discourse and one sense per collocation---exploited in an iterative bootstrapping procedure. Tested accuracy exceeds 96%.
The Assessment of Patron-Initiated Collection Development via Interlibrary Loan at a Comprehensive University

Patron-initiated collecting via interlibrary has been examined regularly in the literature over the past decade, with articles examining the topic at public libraries, liberal arts colleges, and large doctoral institutions. This paper examines a patron-initiated collection development program at Grand Valley State University, a comprehensive university with an enrollment of 24,000 students. It compares Grand Valley State University’s experiences with those at other types of institutions. The paper also discusses the different models used to assess the success of these programs within the literature and how Grand Valley State University used WorldCat Collection Analysis, circulation statistics, and peer comparisons to assess its program.
Feature Tracking and Visualization of the Madden-Julian Oscillation in Climate Simulation

The Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO) is one of the less understood aspects of tropical meteorology. It plays a significant role in tropical intraseasonal variations in rain, temperature, and winds over the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Researchers have developed an integrated analysis and visualization tool for MJO episodes simulated by a high-resolution regional model. To distinguish the MJO from other weather phenomena, the tool uses domain knowledge to track the MJO and find the globally optimized properties in the data. To visualize large-scale events in space and time, the tool integrates different visualization components such as a Hovmoller diagram and virtual globe. By linking the visualization components on a Web-based interface, the tool lets scientists more easily identify cloud and environmental processes associated with the MJO's onset and eastward propagation.
Treatment with recombinant human tumor necrosis factor-alpha protects rats against the lethality, hypotension, and hypothermia of gram-negative sepsis.

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a peptide secreted by macrophages in response to endotoxin that can produce many of the changes seen in septic shock. After cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) rats gradually develop tachycardia, hypotension, tachypnea, and hypothermia. At 5 h post-CLP, rats have a peak in serum levels of endotoxin and 60% of rats have blood cultures that grow Gram-negative rods (Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumonia). At 20 h post-CLP all rats develop positive blood cultures. Serum levels of TNF are not reproducibly measurable in rats following CLP. Rats undergoing CLP have a 50-80% mortality with deaths usually occurring 24-72 h postinjury. Repetitive (twice daily x 6 d) i.p. injection of sublethal doses of recombinant human TNF-alpha (100 micrograms/kg) to rats undergoing CLP 1 d after the treatment period resulted in a significant reduction in mortality compared to control rats previously unexposed to rTNF (P less than 0.03). Animals treated with rTNF had no hypotension or hypothermia after CLP and regained normal food intake faster than control rats. 12 h after CLP the gene expression for manganous superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), an inducible mitochondrial metalloenzyme responsible for cellular resistance to injury from toxic reactive oxygen species, was higher in livers of rats treated with rTNF suggesting that the TNF treatment augmented expression of this protective enzyme. Unlike MnSOD, expression of the gene for copper-zinc SOD was not affected by CLP or rTNF treatment. The results suggest that prior treatment with recombinant TNF can ameliorate the lethality, hypotension, hypothermia, and anorexia of Gram-negative sepsis in rats and that the mechanism may be related to enhanced hepatic expression of the gene for MnSOD. Repeated administration of recombinant TNF may be a strategy to minimize mortality and morbidity of Gram-negative sepsis.
Rheolytic thrombectomy and platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa blockade for stent thrombosis.

Conventional transcatheter-based strategies result in good procedural success but poor clinical outcome in the treatment of intracoronary stent thrombosis. A combined approach of mechanical thrombus burden reduction using AngioJet rheolytic thrombectomy with adjunctive glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa antagonists has not been studied. Between July 1998 and August 2000, 15 patients (17 procedures) underwent AngioJet thrombectomy for stent thrombosis at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Patients were followed clinically through 6 months following the AngioJet procedure. All patients presented with signs of acute myocardial infarction at a median of 6 days following the original stenting procedure. Most vessels (88%) were occluded at presentation. A GP IIb/IIIa inhibitor was administered during 16 of the 17 procedures. Rheolytic thrombectomy resulted in complete removal of filling defects in all reviewed cases and led to significant improvement in lumen diameter and TIMI flow with reduction in the thrombotic lesion length (all P values < 0.05). Angiographic success (< 30% residual stenosis, TIMI 3 flow) was attained in all but one procedure. No patient required emergent coronary bypass grafting, repeat coronary angioplasty, or died in-hospital. At 6 months, there were no deaths and repeat revascularization was performed in four patients (29%). A combined approach of rheolytic thrombectomy with adjunctive GP IIb/IIIa blockade was highly effective in resolving stent thrombosis and was associated with favorable acute and long-term outcomes.
Disembedded Democracy? Globalization and the `Third Way'

This article is an analysis of Anthony Giddens' attempt to articulate a globalization-friendly alternative to traditional social democracy (the 'old' Left) and neo-liberal market fundamentalism (the 'new' Right). Specifically, I focus on Giddens' insistence that globalization is not merely an economic phenomenon but also, and more profoundly, a political and cultural force of 'time-space distanciation'. Whereas Giddens conceives of a direct causal connection between the disembedding forces of globalization and outcomes of democratization, I argue that such a conception is deeply flawed. Indeed, rather than develop a politically useful explanatory social theory of the complex relationship between globalization and democracy, Giddens' 'third way' theorizing merely hypostatizes the former by invoking it as a cause of the latter. I provide a series of arguments designed to highlight the weaknesses of Giddens' position, and conclude by questioning the general thesis that underlies Giddens' account of globalization
Quantifying sink and source limitations on dry matter partitioning to fruit growth in peach trees

We describe an approach for determining the degree of sink and source limitations on peach (Prunus persica L. Batsch) fruit growth during several growth periods. Source limitations on fruit growth may be due to either a shortfall in assimilate supply within the tree (supply limitation) or to a deficiency in the capacity of the translocation system to deliver assimilates in sufficient quantity to support the maximum fruit growth rate (transport/competition limitation). To ascertain the potential maximum rate of fruit growth, fruit thinning treatments were used. One month after bloom, the number of fruits per tree was adjusted to between 50 and 700 on an early and a late maturing peach cultivar (cvs Spring Lady and Cal Red, respectively). Rates of potential sink demand, potential source supply and actual fruit growth were estimated from sequential harvests of all fruits on 42 trees on two (Spring Lady) and three (Cal Red) dates. These values were used to estimate the proportion of potential growth achieved, and the supply and transport/competition limitations on fruit growth. The results indicated that source limitations were significant on trees with moderate to high fruit numbers. These source limitations were due to supply limitations during all harvest intervals and to transport/competition limitations during the early harvest intervals. Sink limitations occurred to the greatest extent during the mid-period of fruit growth on the later maturing cultivar.
Damage Process Simulation of Damping Coating of Thin Plate

In this paper, the element birth and death technique is used to simulate the damping stripping process of damping coating, and the interface of substrate and damping coating is simulated by contact elements or interface elements. The stress intensity factors and crack length are also calculated based on finite element method under different thicknesses and elastic modulus The simulation could provide reference for the design and optimize of damping coating.
Intrathecal Morphine Reduces the Visceromotor Response to Acute Uterine Cervical Distension in an Estrogen-independent Manner

Background Acute uterine cervical distension (UCD) forms the basis for obstetric and some gynecologic pain. Systemic morphine inhibits the visceromotor response to UCD in rats by an action in the central nervous system, but the effect of morphine is blocked by exposure to estrogen. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether this estrogen blockade of the action of morphine reflects a spinal mechanism. Methods Virgin Sprague-Dawley rats received estrogen or placebo treatment for 1 week after ovariectomy. Rats were then anesthetized, and the electromyographic response in the rectus abdominis muscle to UCD was recorded in the absence and presence of cumulative dosing with intrathecal morphine. Results Estrogen treatment did not alter the stimulus- response relationship between UCD and reflex muscle contraction. Intrathecal morphine reduced the visceromotor reflex response to UCD in a dose-dependent manner that was unaffected by estrogen treatment. Conclusions These data suggest that intrathecal morphine is effective in reducing the visceromotor response to UCD and that the reduction in efficacy of systemic morphine in this model is unlikely to reflect a reduction of the efficacy of morphine at the spinal level. These data agree with clinical studies that indicate that systemic morphine, in doses that reduce acute postoperative pain, have minimal to no effect in women in labor, yet intrathecal injection of opioids provides rapid, complete analgesia.
Promoting Awareness on Cerebrovascular Disease in Young Adults is a Work in Progress

Stroke events in individuals younger than 50 years of age are considered “strokes in young adults”. Based on the US Nationwide Inpatient Sample data from 1993-2008, hospital admissions among patients 14-44 years old with diagnosis of ischemic stroke have increased by ~50%. The same data show concurrent increase in prevalence of traditional stroke risk factors among young for obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension and smoking [3,4]. Due to popular belief that stroke is a disease of elderly, stroke symptoms among young are commonly misdiagnosed in the acute settings. The young stroke patients are also less likely to use pre-hospital stroke pathway systems [5]. However, the severity of ischemic stroke is milder [6], and the prognosis after stroke in young adults is more favorable then in the elderly [7]. Nevertheless, the long-term psychosocial consequences are greater and the risk for recurrence due to longer lifetime expectancy is much higher [1,8-10].
New multigrid smoothers for the Oseen problem

SUMMARY We investigate the performance of smoothers based on the Hermitian/skew-Hermitian (HSS) and augmented Lagrangian (AL) splittings applied to the Marker-and-Cell (MAC) discretization of the Oseen problem. Both steady and unsteady flows are considered. Local Fourier analysis and numerical experiments on a two-dimensional lid-driven cavity problem indicate that the proposed smoothers result in h-independent convergence and are fairly robust with respect to the Reynolds number. A direct comparison shows that the new smoothers compare favorably to coupled smoothers of Braess‐Sarazin type, especially in terms of scaling for increasing Reynolds number. Copyright q 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cavities of crystal light [photonic crystal microcavities]

This paper presents the characteristics of photonic crystal microcavity light sources. Microcavities with dimensions on the scale of the wavelength of light are being extensively investigated due to their ability to exhibit enhanced spontaneous emission, directional output, and single-mode operation. Photonic crystals, which are the optical analog of semiconductors in electronic devices, are capable of controlling the properties of light by confining photons in one, two, or three dimensions. The technology to fabricate photonic crystals at the optical-wavelength scale (i.e., feature sizes at the submicron scale) has only very recently been achieved. Single or multiple defects in the photonic crystals act as microcavities with dimensions on the order of the wavelength of light and have emerged as the preferred way to obtain defect-free optical microcavities. The authors have been investigating electrically injected photonic crystal microcavities, and these devices are described in this paper. Electrically injected microcavities offer the advantage of possible integration with current optoelectronic circuits and devices. Also, arrays of such devices can be fabricated when electrically controlled. Electrically injected photonic crystal microcavity light sources may also realize high-efficiency single-mode LEDs.
Placement Strategies for Internet-Scale Data Stream Systems

Optimally assigning streaming tasks to network machines is a key factor that influences a large data-stream-processing system's performance. Although researchers have prototyped and investigated various algorithms for task placement in data stream management systems, taxonomies and surveys of such algorithms are currently unavailable. To tackle this knowledge gap, the authors identify a set of core placement design characteristics and use them to compare eight placement algorithms. They also present a heuristic decision tree that can help designers judge how suitable a given placement solution might be to specific problems.
Correlation of ultrasound with postmortem neuropathologic studies in neonates

We examined the correlation between cranial sonogram and postmortem examination neurodiagnoses in 51 infants (30 boys and 21 girls) who underwent cranial sonogram before death. The mean gestation of the infants at birth was 32 weeks 6 days; the mean birth weight, 1,992 gm; and the mean survival, 27 days. Most infants had several postmortem examination neurodiagnoses; therefore the postmortem examination diagnosis considered to be most significant in terms of clinical management and long-term neurologic function was chosen for each infant and designated as the primary diagnosis. The ability of the cranial sonogram to diagnose the primary diagnosis was then evaluated. The accuracy of the cranial sonogram in defining primary diagnoses was 59%. There were 21 cases (41%) in which cranial sonogram failed to define the primary diagnosis; nine of these could be explained on the basis of the timing of the ultrasound in relation to the age of the lesion or to the microscopic nature of the lesion. In 12 patients the factors causing the failure of cranial sonogram to define primary postmortem examination diagnoses could not be identified. The positive predictive value of a cranial sonogram diagnosis was 77%; the negative predictive value was 19%.
Portable Performance of Data Parallel Languages

A portable program executes on different platforms and yields consistent performance. With the focus on portability, this paper presents an in-depth study of the performance of three NAS benchmarks (EP, MG, FT) compiled with three commercial HPF compilers (APR, PGI, IBM) on the IBM SP2. Each benchmark is evaluated in two versions: using DO loops and using F90 constructs and/or HPF's Forall statement. Base-line comparison is provided by versions of the benchmarks written in Fortran/MPI and ZPL, a data parallel language developed at the University of Washington.While some F90/Forall programs achieve scalable performance with some compilers, the results indicate a considerable portability problem in HPF programs. Two sources for the problem are identified. First, Fortran's semantics require extensive analysis and optimization to arrive at a parallel program; therefore relying on the compiler's capability alone leads to unpredictable performance. Second, the wide differences in the parallelization strategies used by each compiler may require an HPF program to be customized for the particular compiler. While improving compiler optimizations may help to reduce some performance variations, the results suggest that the foremost criteria for portability is a concise performance model that the compiler must adhere to and that the users can rely on.
Isolated fallopian tube torsion with partial hydrosalpinx in a premenarcheal girl: a case report

Isolated fallopian tube torsion as a complication of a preexisting hydrosalpinx is a rare finding in pediatric patients. The obvious rarity of this condition, its subtle diagnostic features and dissonant previous reporting about the appropriate therapeutic approach according to age, future conception capacity and potential complications of possible pregnancies make the decision about which surgical approach to use very difficult. In this report, we describe the case of a patient with such a presentation and review the literature. Very few similar reports of neosalpingostomy in pediatric patients have been published to date. In our present report, we describe the case of an 11-year-old Caucasian prepubertal girl who presented to our hospital with complaints of abdominal pain in the right lower quadrant, nausea and vomiting. The diagnostic workup led us to conclude that she had a torsion of the right ovary, which was cystically altered. Exploratory surgery revealed a partial hydrosalpinx and consecutive isolated torsion of the fimbrial part. The proximal isthmic part of the fallopian tube was intact and vital. Restorative surgery was performed to create a neosalpingostomy on the viable isthmic part of the tube and remove the cystic and twisted fimbrial and infundibular parts. The surgical procedure described in this report is technically simple and feasible, but leaves doubts about the final outcome.
Applying formal methods to distributed algorithms using local-global relations

This thesis deals with the design and analysis of distributed systems in which homogeneous, autonomous agents collaborate to achieve a common goal. The class of problems studied includes consensus algorithms in which all agents eventually come to an agreement about a specific action. The thesis proposes a framework, called local-global, for analyzing these systems. A local interaction is an interaction among subsets of agents, while a global interaction is one among all agents in the system. Global interactions, in practice, are rare, yet they are the basis by which correctness of a system is measured. For example, if the problem is to compute the average of a measurement made separately by each agent, and all the agents in the system could exchange values in a single action, then the solution is straightforward: each agent gets the values of all others and computes the average independently. However, if the system consists of a large number of agents with unreliable communication, this scenario is highly unlikely. Thus, the design challenge is to ensure that sequences of local interactions lead, or converge, to the same state as a global interaction. The local-global framework addresses this challenge by describing each local interaction as if were a global one, encompassing all agents within the system. This thesis outlines the concept in detail, using it to design algorithms, prove their correctness, and ultimately develop executable implementations that are reliable. To this end, the tools of formal methods are employed: algorithms are modeled, and mechanically checked, within the PVS theorem prover; programs are also verified using the Spin model checker; and interface specification languages are used to ensure local-global properties are still maintained within Java and C# implementations. The thesis presents example applications of the framework and discusses a class of problems to which the framework can be applied.
Flexibility of DNA

Both microscopic and macroscopic models of DNA flexibility should lead to the same quantitative description of the elastic properties of the DNA helix. This belief is reinforced by the fact that essentially all experimental (solution) studies to date support the macroscopic, elastic model. The performance of microscopic models can therefore be checked by their ability to produce the correct macroscopic quantities (P and C). To most carefully address the influence of such factors as base sequence, DNA damage, and drug or protein interaction on the flexibility of DNA, methods are required that are most sensitive for DNA molecules of less than 500-1000 bp. The use of molecules in this size range will maximize the signal due to the structural alteration as well as facilitate the construction of DNA sequences of any desired arrangement. I have emphasized three such methods and summarized their strengths and weaknesses; however, their concurrent application to the determination of DNA flexibility provides an important check of self-consistency. These studies have indicated that the persistence length of DNA in buffers of moderate salt concentration is 450-500 A. Synthetic DNA is now readily available, and many procedures for the construction and cloning of DNA molecules of defined length and sequence (107-108a) are in common use. The availability of restriction fragments of precisely defined length has transformed the study of the physical (particularly hydrodynamic) properties of such molecules, since the hitherto pervasive problem of length polydispersity has been eliminated. Sheared, sonicated, or otherwise abused calf thymus (or other) DNAs should no longer be considered acceptable materials for physical studies. Many studies of bending and torsional fluctuations in DNA have been excluded from this discussion because the DNA samples used were not precisely defined. The torsional elastic constant of DNA has been fairly well established as approximately 3.0 x 10(-19) erg-cm, mainly through a combination of elegant theoretical and experimental studies of topoisomer distributions in circular DNA molecules. The other general approach to the determination of the torsional elastic constant, luminescence decay, is still burdened by the poor characterization of the DNA used in many of the experimental studies as well as by some continued theoretical uncertainties.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Latrine Foraging Strategies of Two Small Mammals: Implications for the Transmission of Baylisascaris procyonis

Abstract The raccoon parasite Baylisascaris procyonis is implicated in the decline of the Allegheny woodrat (Neotoma magister). Baylisascaris procyonis is highly pathogenic in non raccoon hosts and is transmitted by eggs which are passed in raccoon feces. Granivorous species foraging for seeds in raccoon latrine areas risk exposure to the parasite. Various granivores exhibit different foraging behaviors, which may affect their probability of consuming B. procyonis eggs. To investigate the effects of species specific foraging strategies on the likelihood of B. procyonis transmission, I compared the latrine foraging behaviors of the white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) and the Allegheny woodrat during 1997 and 1998. The species use different foraging strategies, which result in differential risks of consuming embryonated B. procyonis eggs. Specifically, Allegheny woodrats carried whole feces to food caches, whereas white-footed mice primarily extracted seeds from the feces. Thus, woodrats run a greater ...
Thankfully, back to basics.

From the Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Tex. Disclosures: Author has nothing to disclose with regard to commercial support. Received for publication July 25, 2015; accepted for publication July 27, 2015; available ahead of print Sept 5, 2015. Address for reprints: Todd K. Rosengart, MD, Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plaza, MS 390, Houston, TX 77030 (E-mail: todd.rosengart@bcm.edu). J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2015;150:1278-9 0022-5223/$36.00 Copyright 2015 by The American Association for Thoracic Surgery http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcvs.2015.07.081
4D cone beam CT-based dose assessment for SBRT lung cancer treatment

The purpose of this research is to develop a 4DCBCT-based dose assessment method for calculating actual delivered dose for patients with significant respiratory motion or anatomical changes during the course of SBRT. To address the limitation of 4DCT-based dose assessment, we propose to calculate the delivered dose using time-varying ('fluoroscopic') 3D patient images generated from a 4DCBCT-based motion model. The method includes four steps: (1) before each treatment, 4DCBCT data is acquired with the patient in treatment position, based on which a patient-specific motion model is created using a principal components analysis algorithm. (2) During treatment, 2D time-varying kV projection images are continuously acquired, from which time-varying 'fluoroscopic' 3D images of the patient are reconstructed using the motion model. (3) Lateral truncation artifacts are corrected using planning 4DCT images. (4) The 3D dose distribution is computed for each timepoint in the set of 3D fluoroscopic images, from which the total effective 3D delivered dose is calculated by accumulating deformed dose distributions. This approach is validated using six modified XCAT phantoms with lung tumors and different respiratory motions derived from patient data. The estimated doses are compared to that calculated using ground-truth XCAT phantoms. For each XCAT phantom, the calculated delivered tumor dose values generally follow the same trend as that of the ground truth and at most timepoints the difference is less than 5%. For the overall delivered dose, the normalized error of calculated 3D dose distribution is generally less than 3% and the tumor D95 error is less than 1.5%. XCAT phantom studies indicate the potential of the proposed method to accurately estimate 3D tumor dose distributions for SBRT lung treatment based on 4DCBCT imaging and motion modeling. Further research is necessary to investigate its performance for clinical patient data.
A Challenging Time for International Tax Policy

This note shares a perspective on the current debate regarding a territorial tax system. One sentence of text has been revised to avoid confusing language in a prior draft.
Rooting New Communities in Tanzania's Sleeping Sickness Concentrations

Resettlement sites known as sleeping sickness ‘concentrations’ in Tanzania were arenas whose meaning and structure were hotly contested by Ha people who lived in them and colonial officials who administered them. Colonial officials envisioned concentrations not only as a health measure to combat epidemic trypanosomiasis by changing the relationship between Africans and tsetse fly environments, but they also intended that concentrations would contain all of the hallmarks of an area transformed by colonial rule. Due to lack of resources, few of these changes materialized and officials begrudgingly acknowledged that residents of concentrations were “‘in cold storage.’” In sharp contrast to this characterization of concentrations as in stasis, Ha elders’ memories establish the dynamism of resettlements, one in which men and women created new social and economic geographies. Torn from their homes and placed among strangers, people in resettled communities made re-forming spiritual relationships, adjusting economic practices, and forming new social relationships clear priorities. All three of these were accomplished by the spatial arrangements of new homesteads, especially by planting mirumba trees. Planted from cuttings from their original homes, mirumba created the spiritual and social space necessary to produce a variety of relationships.
Uncovering the complex relationships between political risk and MNE firm legitimacy: Insights from Libya

Using the before–after natural experiment occasioned by the Arab Spring in Libya, we explore how market and non-market activity affect foreign firm legitimacy in times of political turmoil. Although all MNEs in Libya had to cultivate strong ties to Qadhafi to succeed during his 40 years of rule, we found that those that also invested in social-benefit projects and in social ties with families with few ties to the Qadhafi family earned a broad-based legitimacy that helped them survive Qadhafi’s overthrow. Our findings contribute to the political risk and political behavior literature the notion that the pursuit of firm legitimacy in general, and especially in the eyes of social-sector actors, is an effective hedge against political risk. More theoretically, our findings support the addition of a social-sector-based path to firm legitimacy in the host country that complements and may at times substitute for, the government-based path to foreign firm legitimacy. Practically, our findings suggest that MNEs’ facing severe political risk can improve their prospects for survival by investing in relationships with influential social groups and by offering goods or services that are perceived as socially valuable.
Direct Calculation of Wave Implosion for Detonation Initiation in Pulsed Detonation Engines

By using implosion, Shepherd and coworkers have successfully developed an efficient detonation initiator for pulsed detonation engines. They used an array of small channels to generate and merge multiple shock waves for a single collapsing front, leading to a high-temperature and high-pressure focal region for detonation initiation. The present paper reports one- and two-dimensional numerical analyses of imploding waves by using the space-time CESE method. One-dimensional calculations show that a Mach 1.3 converging shock is capable to initiate the detonation in a 2:1:7 H2/O2/Ar gas mixture, initially at 0.2 atm. Results also clearly show a two-shock implosion system, resulting from interactions between the reflected main shock and the contact discontinuity wave. Implosion of the second shock pushes pressure and temperature at the focal region to be more than 5000 times higher than its initial values. Two-dimensional solutions focus on imploding polygonal shock fronts. Corners of the polygon are the source of complex Mach reflection. In each polygonal section, the flow field is analogous to a planar shock wave entering a channel with converging walls. Numerical images show complex and spectacular shock structure. Similar to that in one-dimensional results, histories of pressures at the focal point also show a multiple-implosion system.
Paclobutrazol Pre-plant Bulb Dips Effectively Control Height of ‘Nellie White’ Easter Lily

The influence of pre-plant bulb dips in paclobutrazol solutions on final plant height, days to flower, and flower bud number were evaluated for easter lily (Lilium longiflorum). ‘Nellie White’ easter lily bulbs were placed in solutions of paclobutrazol containing 0, 30, 60, or 120 mg L for 15 min preceding planting. Days to flower and flower bud number were unaffected by paclobutrazol. Plant height at flowering for bulbs dipped in paclobutrazol solutions was 15% to 26% shorter compared with untreated bulbs. Additionally, dipping bulbs in 120 mg L paclobutrazol resulted in plants that met target height specifications for commercially grown easter lily. Based on these results, dipping easter lily bulbs in paclobutrazol solutions can be an effective strategy for reducing stem elongation without negatively impacting days to flower or flower bud number for commercially grown easter lily.
Sentinel Surveillance of Influenza-Like Illnesses in Mianyang during 2010-2011

Objective To investigate the epidemical status of influenza in Mianyang during 2010-2011,so as to provide evidence for formulating prevention and control strategies.Methods Surveillance data,ILI etiological results,outbreak and epidemic situation of the influenza-like illnesses(ILI) in Mianyang during 2010-2011 were collected for analysis.Results There were 12 100 ILI cases reported in 2010,accounted for 2.72% of the total outpatients.While 8 364 ILI cases accounted for 1.83% of the total outpatients were reported in 2011,reduced by 32.47% compared with 2010.The temporal distribution of doctor-visiting ratio in those two years was in an increased bimodal pattern.Most cases were children aged 0-5 years,accounted for 46.24%.Most ILI cases were treated in the department of fever,accounted for 88.56%.A total of 788 ILI specimens were collected for the detection of Real time RT-PCR,of which 34 specimens showed positive strains(4.31%) including 5 influenza A/H1N1(0.63%),8 influenza A(1.02%),1 seasonal influenza A/H3(0.13%) and 20 influenza B(2.54%).No outbreak and epidemic situation in Mianyang during 2010-2011.Conclusion The influenza activity is relatively stable without large-scale outbreak in Mianyang during 2010-2011.The reporting quality of surveillance hospitals should be improved and the lab of flu surveillance network should actively prepare to do the isolation and identification of influenza virus.It is necessary to enhance flu surveillance so as to prevent and control influenza prevalence.
Research on New Seawater Desalination Technology Using Waste Heat Recycled From Washing Slag Water

This paper briefly introduced the waste heat distribution and utilization of iron and steel industry in our country,and mainly described the utilization and existing problems of washing slag water's waste heat,as well as the main method for seawater desalination and heat usage.It was also pointed out that replacing the heat source can effectively reduce the desalination cost.A new ideal was put forward about using waste heat from washing slag water for seawater desalination.Its feasibility and great benefits was analyzed,providing a reference about solving water shortage,reducing energy consumption and seawater desalination cost for coastal iron and steel industry.
Recent approaches and strategies in the generation of antihuman cytomegalovirus vaccines.

Human cytomegalovirus is the largest human herpesvirus and shares many core features of other herpesviruses such as tightly regulated gene expression during genome replication and latency as well as the establishment of lifelong persistence following infection. In contrast to stereotypic clinical syndromes associated with alpha-herpesvirus infections, almost all primary HCMV infections are asymptomatic and acquired early in life in most populations in the world. Although asymptomatic in most individuals, HCMV is a major cause of disease in hosts with deficits in adaptive and innate immunity such as infants who are infected in utero and allograft recipients following transplantation. Congenital HCMV is a commonly acquired infection in the developing fetus that can result in a number of neurodevelopmental abnormalities. Similarly, HCMV is a major cause of disease in allograft recipients in the immediate and late posttransplant period and is thought to be a major contributor to chronic allograft rejection. Even though HCMV induces robust innate and adaptive immune responses, it also encodes a vast array of immune evasion functions that are thought aid in its persistence. Immune correlates of protective immunity that prevent or modify intrauterine HCMV infection remain incompletely defined but are thought to consist primarily of adaptive responses in the pregnant mother, thus making congenital HCMV a potentially vaccine modifiable disease. Similarly, HCMV infection in allograft recipients is often more severe in recipients without preexisting adaptive immunity to HCMV. Thus, there has been a considerable effort to modify HCMV specific immunity in transplant recipient either through active immunization or passive transfer of adaptive effector functions. Although efforts to develop an efficacious vaccine and/or passive immunotherapy to limit HCMV disease have been underway for nearly six decades, most have met with limited success at best. In contrast to previous efforts, current HCMV vaccine development has relied on observations of unique properties of HCMV in hopes of reproducing immune responses that at a minimum will be similar to that following natural infection. However, more recent findings have suggested that immunity following naturally acquired HCMV infection may have limited protective activity and almost certainly, is not sterilizing. Such observations suggest that either the induction of natural immunity must be specifically tailored to generate protective activity or alternatively, that providing targeted passive immunity to susceptible populations could be prove to be more efficacious.
Percutaneous pelvic lymph node aspiration in carcinoma of the prostate.

AbstractWe report on 121 patients with adenocarcinoma of the prostate who underwent lymphangiography and, when indicated, subsequent fine needle aspiration biopsy of lymph nodes. The clinical staging correlation with this procedure reveals an assumed falsely negative rate of 5 to 15 per cent. The falsely positive rate is O. This procedure is essentially without morbidity and has allowed us to stage more confidently prostatic cancer and make appropriate therapeutic recommendations.
Medical liability and unintentional offenses in professional practice

Malpractice and negligence lawsuits against physician have significantly increased lately. Therefore, the legal and ethical setting of this problem in our country must be specified. There are multiple causes that lead to attribute the responsibility of a determinate damage to medical practice, but the most important is an inadequate medical-patient-family relationship. Lawsuits are transcendental for physicians and affect them in several ways. Several measures are proposed to reduce them. Considering the increasing importance of solidarity and shared compensations, the responsibility of institutions and other professionals, besides physicians, is analyzed.