cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hierarchy of DNA damage recognition in Escherichia coli nucleotide excision repair.

DNA damage recognition plays a central role in nucleotide excision repair (NER). Here we present evidence that in Escherichia coli NER, DNA damage is recognized through at least two separate but successive steps, with the first focused on distortions from the normal structure of the DNA double helix (initial recognition) and the second specifically recognizing the type of DNA base modifications (second recognition), after an initial local separation of the DNA strands. DNA substrates containing stereoisomeric (+)- or (−)-trans- or (+)- or (−)-cis-BPDE-N2-dG lesions in DNA duplexes of known conformations were incised by UvrABC nuclease with efficiencies varying by up to 3-fold. However, these stereoisomeric adducts, when positioned in an opened, single-stranded DNA region, were all incised with similar efficiencies and with enhanced rates (by factors of 1.4−6). These bubble substrates were also equally and efficiently incised by UvrBC nuclease without UvrA. Furthermore, removal of the Watson−Crick partner ...
Doing it right the second time

Discusses the steps taken by Laser Inc. in the development and implementation of a statistical process control (SPC) system for two specific production lines. The SPC programme included a total of 16 steps. Explains each of these steps. Suggests that they are comprehensive in nature and can be used by any organization wanting to implement an SPC system.
Radiative impacts of clouds in the tropical tropopause layer

[1] We quantify the seasonal and spatial variations of cloud radiative impacts in the tropical tropopause layer (TTL) by using cloud retrievals from Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO), International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) and CloudSat. Over the convective regions including Western Pacific, Africa, South America, and South Asia, we find pronounced solar heating and infrared cooling in the lower part of the TTL (<∼16 km). The solar heating weakens above 16 km and nearly diminishes at 18 km, whereas the infrared cooling extends vertically throughout the TTL. The net cloud radiative forcing, which is the summation of cloud solar and infrared radiative forcing, has heating below ∼16 km and turns to mostly cooling above 17 km. The net cloud radiative heating over the convective regions is mainly contributed from solar radiation, whereas the weak net cloud radiative heating surrounding these regions is due to infrared heating. To further examine the impacts of different cloud types in the TTL, we classified TTL clouds in terms of cloud optical depths (τ) as thin cirrus (τ < 0.3), thick cirrus (0.3 ≤ τ < 3), and opaque clouds (τ ≥ 3). In the solar part, thin and thick cirrus play a relatively small role and the impact of cloud-free air above clouds is negligible. The solar heating is dominantly contributed from the solar absorption near the top of opaque clouds. In the infrared part, the thick cirrus heating is mainly confined over the convective regions in the lower part of TTL while the thin cirrus infrared heating is more prevalent both vertically and horizontally in the TTL, which is the dominant infrared heating source. The infrared cooling in cloud-free air above clouds is dominant above 17 km, whereas the infrared cooling near the top of opaque clouds is dominant below. Despite the infrared heating effects of thin and thick cirrus clouds, the infrared cooling from the opaque cloud top and cloud-free air above clouds outweighs the heating effects so that the ensemble mean cloud infrared radiative forcing is mostly cooling except outside the convective regions.
Model bulk Mo–V–Te–O catalysts for selective oxidation of propane to acrylic acid

Abstract The crystal structures and chemical compositions of the M1 and M2 phases proposed as active and selective in propane oxidation to acrylic acid over the bulk mixed Mo–V–Te–O catalysts were investigated by the transmission electron microscopy, coupled with energy dispersive analysis of X-rays. The results revealed that the crystal structure of the M1 phase is orthorhombic with space group Pbca, lattice parameters a=21.25 A, b=27.14 A, c=4.03 A and composition Mo0.64V0.32Te0.1O3.05 (Mo/V ∼2), whereas M2 is hexagonal with space group P6mm, lattice parameters a=7.10 A, c=4.05 A and composition Mo1.79V1.85Te0.1O11.36 (Mo/V ∼1). The M1 phase was dominant in the Mo–V–Te–O catalyst. The results obtained indicated that the bulk Mo–V–Te oxides represent a well-defined model catalytic system for the studies of the surface molecular structure-activity/selectivity relationships in propane oxidation to acrylic acid.
Face transplantation: psychological outcomes at three-year follow-up

Background The advent of face transplantation has raised both ethical and psychological issues. Mortality of 18 existing face transplant recipients is 11.1% (2/18) through 2011. Objective Psychological outcomes are as important in face transplantation as is restoring the face physically. Little quantitative information has been published this area. Methods Data was systematically collected over 3 years with a face transplant recipient, including appearance self-rating, body image, mood changes, pain rating, perception of teasing, quality of life, self-esteem, and social reintegration. We identified a significant gap in rating instruments for use in the field, so we developed the Perception of Teasing-FACES, Facial Anxiety Scale-State, and the Cleveland Clinic FACES score, analogous to the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score for prioritizing patients for a face transplant registry. Results Appearance self-rating rose from 3/10 prior to transplantation to 7/10 now. Anxiety about body image and the Facial Anxiety score were halved by the end of the third year. Beck Depression Inventory fell from 16 (prior to transplant) to 8. Chronic daily pain was 6-7/10 prior to transplant and 0/10 by day 50. Perception of Teasing-FACES scores fell from 25 to 9 by the end of year 3. Quality of life improved on the Social Environment Domain of the psychological adjustment to illness scale-self-rated (PAIS-SR), where the score dropped from 15 to 1 by the end of year 3, indicating marked improvement in social reintegration. Conclusions Standardized data collection may help quantify psychological outcomes with facial transplantation to determine whether the risks of immunosuppression over time are offset by improved quality of life for recipients.
Evapotranspiration from a small Alaskan arctic watershed.

Imnavait Creek, a small 2.2 km 2 watershed underlain by continuous permafrost has been studied for 4 years. Evapotranspiration on a watershed scale has been calculated from water balance studies. These results are compared with point measurements of pan evaporation and daily estimates of ET by the energy balance and Priestley-Taylor methods
Traumatic atlantoaxial dislocation

Abstract In our series of traumatic atlantoaxial injuries we found a 21% incidence of dislocation without an associated fracture of the odontoid process (7 of 33 cases). Clinically these patients initially exhibited associated cranial trauma (5 cases), cervical pain and headache (5 cases), subjective neurological complaints (5 cases), and objective neurological abnormalities (4 cases); in 4 patients, diagnosis was delayed because diastasis of the atlantoaxial joint was not recognized on lateral cervical radiograms. The wide spectrum of clinical presentations is partially accounted for by the varying degrees of injury to the transverse atlantal ligament and other associated ligamentous injuries. The findings in this series emphasize the need for awareness of this disorder, which may represent a significant number of the injuries to the region.
Protein kinase A activity and anchoring are required for ovarian cancer cell migration and invasion.

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the deadliest of the gynecological malignancies, due in part to its clinically occult metastasis. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms governing EOC dissemination and invasion may provide new targets for antimetastatic therapies or new methods for detection of metastatic disease. The cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) is often dysregulated in EOC. Furthermore, PKA activity and subcellular localization by A-kinase anchoring proteins (AKAPs) are important regulators of cytoskeletal dynamics and cell migration. Thus, we sought to study the role of PKA and AKAP function in both EOC cell migration and invasion. Using the plasma membrane-directed PKA biosensor, pmAKAR3, and an improved migration/invasion assay, we show that PKA is activated at the leading edge of migrating SKOV-3 EOC cells, and that inhibition of PKA activity blocks SKOV-3 cell migration. Furthermore, we show that while the PKA activity within the leading edge of these cells is mediated by anchoring of type-II regulatory PKA subunits (RII), inhibition of anchoring of either RI or RII PKA subunits blocks cell migration. Importantly, we also show – for the first time – that PKA activity is up-regulated at the leading edge of SKOV-3 cells during invasion of a three-dimensional extracellular matrix and, as seen for migration, inhibition of either PKA activity or AKAP-mediated PKA anchoring blocks matrix invasion. These data are the first to demonstrate that the invasion of extracellular matrix by cancer cells elicits activation of PKA within the invasive leading edge and that both PKA activity and anchoring are required for matrix invasion. These observations suggest a role for PKA and AKAP activity in EOC metastasis.
Very Long O-antigen Chains Enhance Fitness during Salmonella-induced Colitis by Increasing Bile Resistance

Intestinal inflammation changes the luminal habitat for microbes through mechanisms that have not been fully resolved. We noticed that the FepE regulator of very long O-antigen chain assembly in the enteric pathogen Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) conferred a luminal fitness advantage in the mouse colitis model. However, a fepE mutant was not defective for survival in tissue, resistance to complement or resistance to polymyxin B. We performed metabolite profiling to identify changes in the luminal habitat that accompany S. Typhimurium-induced colitis. This analysis suggested that S. Typhimurium-induced colitis increased the luminal concentrations of total bile acids. A mutation in fepE significantly reduced the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of S. Typhimurium for bile acids in vitro. Oral administration of the bile acid sequestrant cholestyramine resin lowered the concentrations of total bile acids in colon contents during S. Typhimurium infection and significantly reduced the luminal fitness advantage conferred by the fepE gene in the mouse colitis model. Collectively, these data suggested that very long O-antigen chains function in bile acid resistance of S. Typhimurium, a property conferring a fitness advantage during luminal growth in the inflamed intestine.
Collective Trust: A Social Indicator of Instructional Capacity.

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to test the validity of using collective trust as a social indicator of instructional capacity.Design/methodology/approach – A hypothesized model was advanced for the empirical investigation. Collective trust was specified as a latent construct with observable indicators being principal trust in faculty (PTF), faculty trust in principal (FTP), faculty trust in colleagues (FTC), and faculty trust in students (FTS). It was hypothesized that enabling school structure is directly related to the latent collective trust construct and collective trust is directly related to school performance. Data were collected in the spring of 2010/11 from teachers and students in 85 schools in an urban school district in a southwestern state. A partially latent structural regression model was tested in AMOS 7.0.Findings – Results of the measurement model support the theoretical relationship among faculty trust in principal, faculty trust in colleagues, faculty trust in students, and pri...
Anisotropy of interband transitions in InAs quantum wires: An atomistic theory

The electronic and optical properties of [001]-oriented free-standing InAs cylindrical quantum wires (QWRs) with diameters 10--100 \AA{} are calculated using an atomistic, empirical pseudopotential plane-wave method. We analyze the effect of different degrees of mixing between valence bands on the optical properties of these nanostructures, by switching on and off the spin-orbit interaction. The fundamental transition in these QWRs exhibit a large anisotropy, with emission polarized prevalently along the wire axis $z$. The magnitude of such an anisotropy is found to depend on both degree of valence band mixing and wire size. In higher energy interband transitions, we find anisotropies close to 100% with emission polarized perpendicular to the wire axis. Furthermore, in large wires, transitions involving highly excited valence states show in-plane polarization anisotropies between the [110] and $[1\overline{1}0]$ directions. InAs wires can therefore switch between $z$-polarized to $xy$-polarized emission/absorption for different excitation energies. This makes them ideally suited for application in orientation-sensitive devices.
Abdominal pregnancy: to remove or not to remove the placenta.

Objective: The deleterious effect of abdominal pregnancy on the mother and fetus is in part related to the morbidity of the surgical interventions utilized in its treatment. The purpose of this study is to review outcome in abdominal pregnancy after surgical intervention. Study Design: Charts of patients diagnosed with abdominal pregnancy at our institution between 1984 and 1997 were reviewed. The identified cases were categorized as group I, placenta removed at surgery (n = 10), and group II, placenta left in situ (n = 4). Gestational age, maternal death, duration of hospital stay, blood transfusions, organ excisions, and postoperative readmissions were recorded. Student t test was used for statistical analysis with a P < .05 being significant. Results: Fourteen cases were identified ranging from 7 to 36 weeks of gestation. The diagnosis was made before laparotomy in 6 patients by imaging studies. There were no maternal deaths. Among the 9 in whom placenta was removed, 2 had salpingo-oophorectomy (S-O), 4 had total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral S-O, and 5 received blood transfusions. One developed DIC requiring massive transfusion after a 7-week placenta was excised from the mesentery. This patient was hospitalized postoperatively for 5 months. In contrast, the 4 patients in whom the placenta was left in situ had neither blood transfusions nor removal of pelvic organs. Their hospital stay was shorter, group II, mean 9 ± 6 days versus group I, 34 ± 64 days, P = .0007. This difference was accounted for by the one prolonged hospitalization in group I. No patients in either group were readmitted. Conclusion: The diagnosis of abdominal pregnancy is often not made until laparotomy. Regardless of gestational age, placental excision can cause hemorrhage. Leaving the placenta in situ is potentially less costly and less morbid, and appears to shorten operative time and hospital stay while lowering risk of blood transfusion and of surgical menopause.
Aspects of Abuse: Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children

Commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) and adolescents is a serious worldwide problem. It is, in essence, the sexual abuse of a minor for economic gain. In the United States, there is no uniform nationwide database to capture the incidence and prevalence of CSEC. Therefore, there is a great variation in the estimates, but the actual numbers are unknown. Given the clandestine nature of the practice, it is often underreported and underidentified. Healthcare providers will often encounter victims of commercial sexual exploitation due to mental health, physical health, and sexual health consequences, and therefore should be knowledgeable in the signs of possible sexual exploitation. The aim of this article is to educate healthcare providers on how vulnerable children may become sexually exploited, the health consequences involved with sexual exploitation, how to better identify possible victims, and the medical evaluation of a victim of sexual exploitation.
@GaddafisGhost: on the popular memoro-politics of a dead dictator

Qaddafi was widely lampooned in American popular culture before his death. This paper addresses this, together with representations after his death on Twitter and other social media sites, to explore the figure of the ‘dead dictator.’ It argues that the display of the gruesome body of a ‘dead dictator’ is enabled by the material and discursive construction of ‘dictators’ in contemporary narratives, which posit them as easily deposed with Western assistance and internal protests, thereby legitimating the triumph of democracy. It explores these constructions via a comprehensive analysis of Twitter accounts satirizing Qaddafi, which invoke a particular audience that ‘gets the joke.’ In this instance, jokes about Qaddafi’s death circulated in popular culture media enabled the display of his dead body, together constructing the figure of the dead dictator for a Western audience marked by being part of the in-group who were preconditioned to assume dictatorship as a form of political deviance. The paper seeks t...
Poverty-alleviation program participation and salivary cortisol in very low-income children

Correlational studies have shown associations between social class and salivary cortisol suggestive of a causal link between childhood poverty and activity of the stress-sensitive hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) system. Using a quasi-experimental design, we evaluated the associations between a family's participation in a large-scale, conditional cash transfer program in Mexico (Oportunidades, formerly Progresa) during the child's early years of life and children's salivary cortisol (baseline and responsivity). We also examined whether maternal depressive symptoms moderated the effect of program participation. Low-income households (income <20th percentile nationally) from rural Mexico were enrolled in a large-scale poverty-alleviation program between 1998 and 1999. A comparison group of households from demographically similar communities was recruited in 2003. Following 3.5 years of participation in the Oportunidades program, three saliva samples were obtained from children aged 2-6 years from intervention and comparison households (n=1197). Maternal depressive symptoms were obtained using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D). Results were that children who had been in the Oportunidades program had lower salivary cortisol levels when compared with those who had not participated in the program, while controlling for a wide range of individual-, household- and community-level variables. Reactivity patterns of salivary cortisol did not differ between intervention and comparison children. Maternal depression moderated the association between Oportunidades program participation and baseline salivary cortisol in children. Specifically, there was a large and significant Oportunidades program effect of lowering cortisol in children of mothers with high depressive symptoms but not in children of mothers with low depressive symptomatology. These findings provide the strongest evidence to date that the economic circumstances of a family can influence a child's developing stress system and provide a mechanism through which poverty early in life could alter life-course risk for physical and mental health disorders.
The Remarriage of Multiple Regression and Statistical Inference: A Promising Approach for Hypnosis Researchers

Abstract A multiple linear regression computer program is described as a general purpose procedure for the testing of hypotheses in hypnosis research. The claim is made, with supporting evidence, that virtually any hypothesis can be tested with the procedure, if the researcher's theory can be placed in the form of a predictive equation where one or more sources of information are used to predict some measure of hypnosis. The hypothesis, stated in the null form, is applied algebraically as a restriction upon the predictive equation, thus yielding a second restricted, predictive equation. The squared multiple correlation coefficients of the two equations are compared in testing the hypothesis. Certain advantages, pedagogical and logical, are claimed, among which is the thought that if science is genuinely concerned with the description, modification, and prediction of behavior, here is a technique which keeps these goals in sight as hypotheses are used to test theories.
The Predictive Value of Application Variables on the Global Rating of Applicants to a General Surgery Residency Program

Objective Selection of applicants to residency programs can involve a great deal of variability. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between different subjective and objective application variables and the global rating score (GRS) of applicants to a general surgery residency program. Design This was a retrospective analysis of data collected from the Electronic Residency Application Service on 188 applicants to a general surgery residency program from 2010 to 2013. Subjective variables including letters of recommendation (LORs), personal statements (PSs), and volunteer work were blindly assessed by raters using a literature-based method of evaluation. Objective data included several variables, such as United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) scores. Each applicant received a GRS, which was a faculty-given numerical value reflecting both interview performance and overall application strength. The effect of subjective and objective variables on the GRS was determined. Setting The Geisinger Medical Center, a rural moderate-sized general surgery residency program. Results Of all the application variables examined, bivariate analysis indicated that having no prior residency (p = 0.0023), prior medical work (p = 0.0329), higher USMLE Step II Clinical Knowledge scores (p = 0.0021), higher overall PS score (p = 0.0125) and PS Written Expression score (p = 0.0007), and LORs from surgeons in leadership positions (p = 0.0029) have a significant (p Conclusions Our analysis identifies specific surgical resident applicant variables that are predictive of the GRS. Interestingly, most of these factors were objective. This may allow for the development of a more quantitative tool for selection of applicants.
The Economic Socialization of Children: A Neo-Marxist Analysis.

The literature in social psychology is remarkably free of socialization research exploring how children acquire ideas about capitalism. In this paper, we report the results of such a study. Generally, we find strong empirical evidence suggesting that economic socialization progressively orients children to a favorable view of capitalism and structured social inequality.
An ion cooling and state characterization apparatus for studies of molecular ion dissociative interactions

An experimental capability is being developed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Multi-Charged Ion Research Facility (ORNL MIRF) to enable stored cooling and state characterization of molecular ions of essentially any mass. Ions selected from a variety of available sources are injected from the side into a 1.5 meter long electrostatic mirror trap, where excited internal states are cooled by radiative cooling. An electron beam target located near the middle of the ion-trap region, coupled with neutral fragment imaging detector systems at each end of the trap, permits state-specific studies of electron-molecular ion dissociation.
Basal plasma β-endorphin in prepubertal sons of alcoholics and drug addicts: lack of association with problem behaviors

Several reports have speculated that variations in beta-endorphin functioning may actually proceed the development of alcoholism and other drug use disorders, and is consequently a genetic mechanism of some etiologic importance. The goal of this investigation was to determine whether differences in basal plasma beta-endorphin concentrations could be confirmed in prepubertal children naive to alcohol and drugs, yet at parental risk for alcoholism, or drug dependence. Consequently, we have examined fasting basal plasma beta-endorphin concentrations in a sample of prepubertal sons of alcoholic fathers and compared them to both our existing sample of sons of drug dependent fathers and normal control boys. In addition, we examined the relationship between plasma beta-endorphin concentrations and maternal reports of problem behaviors posited to be related to the liability for alcoholism or drug abuse. The results reveal no differences in fasting basal plasma beta-endorphin concentrations. Although the at-risk groups differ significantly from normal boys having elevated scale scores for internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors, no association between plasma beta-endorphin and these behavioral risk factors could be found. Overall, the results fail to support an inherited 'opioid deficiency hypothesis' for the development of alcoholism or drug dependence.
Hydrology of the Forest City basin, Mid-Continent, USA: implications for CO2 sequestration in the St. Peter Sandstone

The central United States contain numerous coal-burning electric power plants that emit large amounts of CO2 for which a nearby suitable disposal site would be desirable. The results of a reconnaissance study reported here indicate that the St. Peter Sandstone in the Forest City basin has potential large-scale CO2 sequestration capacity, despite the basin’s overall relatively shallow depth. A three-dimensional stratigraphic model of the basin constructed from published well logs reveals that about 59 % of the St. Peter in the basin lies below a depth of 750 m, where CO2 would exist in a supercritical state for increased storage efficiency. Based on a porosity of 15 % and a storage efficiency factor of 5.4 %, the St. Peter in the basin could potentially sequester upto ~830 M tonnes of CO2, equating to upto 23,500 tonnes of CO2 per km2. A three-dimensional hydrologic model coupling groundwater flow, heat transport, and salinity transport provided insights into how CO2 might be transported in the basin. The results show a consistent pattern of predominantly southwestward groundwater flow in the northern part of the basin and predominantly eastward flow in the southern part of the basin. Groundwater average linear velocities are known with much less confidence, but in the St. Peter are mostly under 10 m/year and lack a strong vertical component. Mineralogical analysis shows the St. Peter to be composed almost entirely of quartz, suggesting that the St. Peter would be resistant to dissolution by CO2-enriched fluids and accompanying increases in porosity and permeability.
Rees valuations and asymptotic primes of rational powers in Noetherian rings and lattices

We extend a theorem of D. Rees on the existence of Rees valuations of an ideal A of a Noetherian ring to Noetherian multiplicative lattices L. This result also extends a result of D.P. Brithinee. We then apply this to projective equivalence and asymptotic primes of rational powers of A. In particular, it is shown that if L is a Noetherian multiplicative lattice, A∈L, {P1,…,Pr} is the set of centers of the Rees valuations v1,…,vr of A and e is the least common multiple of the Rees numbers e1(A),…,er(A) of A, then Ass(L/An/e)⊆{P1,…,Pr}, where Aβ=⋁{x∈L|v¯A(x)⩾β}. Further, if A⩽q for each minimal prime q∈L, then Ass(L/An/e)⊆Ass(L/An/e+k/e) for each n∈N, where k/e is in a certain additive subsemigroup of Q+ which is naturally associated to the set of members of L which are projectively equivalent to A. These latter results are new even in the case of rings and extend results of L.J. Ratliff who gave them for rings in the case that the n/e and k/e are integers.
The chemical state of chlorine-36 in neutron-irradiated minerals†

Abstract The oxidation state assumed upon solution by 36 Cl formed by thermal neutron irradiation of chlorine-containing minerals was determined. Except for about 0·2 and 0·9 per cent as ClO 3 − in carnallite and chlorapatite, respectively, all the 36 Cl radioactivity was found in the chloride state. The 36 Cl radioactivity in the chloride state in carnallite and chlorapatite was reduced by thermal annealing.
Investigation of Dual-Frequency Excitation and the Influence of Excitation Phase on a Constrained Cantilevered Beam System

Many types of nonlinear phenomena have been studied in atomic force microscopy (AFM). As a tool for performing topographical measurements and material characterizations at the micro- and nano-scales, improving the understanding of the dynamic AFM system will impact many areas of research. The authors’ previous studies have shown that in dynamic AFM, with dual-frequency excitation, influence of attractive and repulsive interaction forces can be revealed by the presence of specific frequency components in the response. Motivated by the phenomenon predicted in the AFM system, a macro-scale test platform is used in this effort in order to qualitatively investigate the relationships between the dual-frequency excitation, interaction conditions, and the specific frequency components observed in the response. The experimental setup includes a base driven cantilever with a tip, a soft material as the sample and an electromagnet behind the sample to provide attractive interaction forces. The components in the experimental setup are characterized and the system is studied by using numerical and experimental methods. A thorough numerical and experimental study of the influence of the phase difference between the two frequency components in the excitation signal is investigated in this work.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
The Concepts of Tolerance and Contraculture as Applied to Delinquency

(1961). The Concepts of Tolerance and Contraculture as Applied to Delinquency. The Sociological Quarterly: Vol. 2, No. 4, pp. 243-258.
Stool examination: Culture versus gram stain

Presented is a methodology for efficient, cost-effective collection, transport, culture, and microscopic examination of infectious diarrhea. A critical review of the literature is included, as are guidelines for workup and management of the disease complex in the emergency department.
Solvent-Induced Frequency Shifts: Configuration Interaction Singles Combined with the Effective Fragment Potential Method

The simplest variational method for treating electronic excited states, configuration interaction with single excitations (CIS), has been interfaced with the effective fragment potential (EFP) method to provide an effective and computationally efficient approach for studying the qualitative effects of solvents on the electronic spectra of molecules. Three different approaches for interfacing a non-self-consistent field (SCF) excited-state quantum mechanics (QM) method and the EFP method are discussed. The most sophisticated and complex approach (termed fully self consistent) calculates the excited-state electron density with fully self-consistent accounting for the polarization (induction) energy of effective fragments. The simplest approach (method 1) includes a strategy that indirectly adds the EFP perturbation to the CIS wave function and energy via modified Hartree-Fock molecular orbitals, so that there is no direct EFP interaction with the excited-state density. An intermediate approach (method 2) accomplishes the latter in a noniterative perturbative manner. Theoretical descriptions of the three approaches are presented, and test results of solvent-induced shifts using methods 1 and 2 are compared with fully ab initio values. These comparisons illustrate that, at least for the test cases examined here, modification of the ground-state Hartree-Fock orbitals is the largest and most important factor in the calculated solvent-induced shifts. Method 1 is then employed to study the aqueous solvation of coumarin 151 and compared with experimental measurements.
Comparison of photorefractive index change in proton-exchanged and Ti-diffused LiNbO(3) waveguides.

A quantitative comparison of the photorefractive effect in proton-exchanged (PE), annealed-proton-exchanged (APE), and Ti-diffused LiNbO3 waveguides in the visible region is reported. In the low-intensity region, the optically induced index change in PE/APE waveguides is almost 3 orders of magnitude smaller than that of Ti-diffused waveguides for a given intensity, primarily as a result of the increased dark conductivity owing to proton exchange. However, the photorefractive index change at higher intensities is almost the same for all the waveguides. Our results indicate that the optically induced space-charge field is relatively independent of the concentration or the valence state of iron impurities and the waveguide fabrication process.
High Stability Frequency And Timing Distribution Using Semiconductor Lasers And Fiber Optic Links

Modern frequency standards, such as hydrogen masers, generate very stable frequency references for various applications in communications and metric tracking systems. The frequency stability of some standards currently exceeds 1 X 10-15 for 1000 second averaging times.1 For various reasons of redundancy and cost efficiency there is a need to distribute stable reference signals to remote users without significantly degrading their frequency stability. However, distribution systems generally degrade the frequency stability of transmitted signals by degrading the Signal-to-Noise-Ratio (SNR) of the signal and causing group delay variations in the signal path with respect to time. Thus achieving the required frequency stability in frequency distribution systems has become a difficult technical challenge. The ability to distribute precise frequency references over distances of tens of kilometers will result in considerable cost savings, improved performance and better reliability in the NASA/JPL Deep Space Network (DSN). This ability, for instance, will enable the use of a centralized frequency and timing facility and therefore reduce the number of expensive frequency standards needed in a Deep Space Communications Complex (DSCC). To this end, fiber optic frequency reference distribution system development is an ongoing task at JPL. The present goal is to achieve a transmission stability of 1 X 10-18 for 1000 seconds averaging times over a distance of 29 kilometers. This paper will describe the mechanisms in a distribution system that cause degradation of frequency stability of a transmitted signal. In particular instabilities that result from the use of a semiconductor laser transmitter will be discussed. Finally, it will describe the fiber optic frequency reference distribution systems developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and now in use at the Goldstone DSCC.
Mediation of cell-substratum adhesion by RasG in Dictyostelium.

Previous studies on the functions of the RasG gene in the cellular slime mold, Dictyostelium discoideum, have revealed that it is required for normal motility and cytokinesis. To further understand how the RasG gene regulates various cellular processes, we transformed an activated form of RasG, that is, RasG (G12T), a mutation from glycine to threonine at amino acid position 12 into wild type KAX-3 cells. This produced moderate but constitutive RasG(G12T) protein expression, which causes cells to become significantly more adherent to the substratum than are wild type cells. The RasG(G12T) transformants also grow slowly on bacterial plates, and engulf fewer bacteria on filter surfaces, indicating a defect in phagocytosis when cells are adhered. The expression of the activated RasG also dramatically reduces the number of filopodia on the cell surface. Tyrosine phosphorylation on a 43 kDa protein (most likely actin) of the RasG (G12T) transformants is highly elevated. Taken together, our observations suggest that RasG is crucial for Dictyostelium cell-substratum adhesion during growth and that RasG may play a role in adhesion-mediated phagocytosis. Our results also suggest that RasG is important in filopodial formation and that RasG is involved in the signal pathway that is regulated by tyrosine phosphorylation.
Frictional strength heterogeneity and surface heat flow: Implications for the strength of the creeping San Andreas fault

[1] Heat flow measurements along much of the San Andreas fault (SAF) constrain the apparent coefficient of friction (μapp) of the fault to 0.2 should be detectable even with the sparse existing observations, implying that μapp for the creeping section is as low as the surrounding SAF. Because the creeping section does not slip in large earthquakes, the mechanism controlling its weakness is not related to dynamic processes resulting from high slip rate earthquake ruptures.
Addiction Severity Index Recent and Lifetime summary indexes based on Nonparametric item response theory methods

Baseline Addiction Severity Index (5th ed.; ASI-5) data of 2,142 substance abuse patients were analyzed with two nonparametric item response theory (NIRT) methods: Mokken scaling and conditional covariance techniques. Nine reliable and dimensionally homogeneous Recent Problem indexes emerged in the ASI-5's seven areas, including two each in the Employment/Support and Family/Social Relationships areas. Lifetime Problem indexes were derived for five of the areas--Medical, Drug, Alcohol, Legal, and Psychiatric--but not for the Employment/Support and Family/Social Relationships areas. Correlational analyses conducted on a subsample of 586 patients revealed the indexes for the seven areas to be largely independent. At least moderate correlations were obtained between the Recent and Lifetime indexes within each area where both existed. Concurrent validity analyses conducted on this same subsample found meaningful relationships, except for the Employment/Support area. NIRT-based methods were able to add to findings produced previously by classical psychometric methods and appear to offer promise for the psychometric analysis of complex, mixed-format instruments such as the ASI-5.
Control of enzymatic browning in raw fruit juice by filtration and centrifugation

Filtration and centrifugation were investigated as means of preventing enzymatic browning in minimally processed fruit juices. the capacity of raw apple, grape and pear juices to undergo browning was associated with particulate fractions that could be removed by filtration with Bentonite and/or diatomaceous earth, microfiltration or ultrafiltration, depending on the commodity and cultivar. Centrifugation prevented browning in pear juice and in Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, and Red Delicious but not McIntosh apple juice, provided that foam was excluded and the relative centrifugal force was sufficient. A method for the preparation of nonbrowning, cloudy juices by recombination of juice supernatant or ultrafiltration permeate with particulates, heat-treated to inactivate polyphenol oxidase, was investigated.
The conceptual ambiguity of community in community policing – Filtering the muddy waters

Community policing, which appears to have captured the interest of many criminal justice professionals and scholars, places strong emphasis on police/community relations. To date, however, little attention has focused on the underlying theoretical foundation of this evolving policing strategy. This paper attempts to contribute to the ongoing discourse by examining the parallels between communitarianism and community policing, and by doing so, assist in refining the current definitional ambiguity surrounding the concept of community. In the end, the author works toward a moderating resolution to the inherent tensions of the rights‐based and community‐seeking presuppositions.
International Market‐Entry Decision Models: How Important are they?

The delineation of the different international market‐entry decision models serves to inform international managers of the different alternative courses of action open to them. The entire spectrum of decisions emerging from short‐term to long‐term considerations, in addition to micro‐related decisions, are discussed. This paper evaluates the importance of these alternative courses of action and their decision criteria.
Stable aqueous suspension and self-assembly of graphite nanoplatelets coated with various polyelectrolytes

Exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets (xGnPs) with an average thickness of 1-10 nm present an inexpensive alternative to carbon nanotubes in many applications. In this paper, stable aqueous suspension of xGnP was achieved by noncovalent functionalization of xGnP with polyelectrolytes. The surfactants and polyelectrolytes were compared with respect to their ability to suspend graphite nanoplatelets. The surface charge of the nanoplatelets was characterized with zeta potential measurements, and the bonding strength of the polymer chains to the surface of xGnP was characterized with Raman spectroscopy. This robust method opens up the possibility of using this inexpensive nanomaterial in many applications, including electrochemical devices, and leads to simple processing techniques such as layer-by-layer deposition. Therefore, the formation of xGnP conductive coatings using layerby-layer deposition was also demonstrated.
Perivascular nitric oxide gradients normalize tumor vasculature

Normalization of tumor vasculature is an emerging strategy to improve cytotoxic therapies. Here we show that eliminating nitric oxide (NO) production from tumor cells via neuronal NO synthase silencing or inhibition establishes perivascular gradients of NO in human glioma xenografts in mice and normalizes the tumor vasculature, resulting in improved tumor oxygenation and response to radiation treatment. Creation of perivascular NO gradients may be an effective strategy for normalizing abnormal vasculature.
A chipless sensor tag-based RFID technology for cyber-oriented environmental sensing applications

A chipless sensor tag-based radio frequency identification (RFID) technology that allows wireless collection of information from the environment, and the monitoring and accessing of the given information through cyberspace is presented. The developed system consists of a cyber enabled RFID reader and passive chipless RFID sensor tags. The reader is comprised of an analog part that wirelessly communicates with the sensor tags, and a single board computer (SBC) part. Each passive chipless sensor tag consists of a microstrip antenna and a sensor. The sensor information is amplitude modulated in the backscattered signal of the tag. The analog reader part receives the backscattered signal and feeds it to the SBC, which computes the sensor information into a 96 bit serialized global trade item number (SGTIN-96) electronic product code (EPC). Moreover, the SBC makes the information available on a cyberspace-accessible secure user interface. The reported system has been applied for temperature sensing, where the change in temperature at the tag ranging from 27°C to 140°C resulted in a 28% amplitude change at the analog part of the reader. The temperature at the tag has been monitored by accessing the reader through cyberspace using a web-based user interfaces developed for the SBC.
Optical characteristics of beam steerable semiconductor fan laser array

A detailed characterisation of beam steerable fan laser arrays is presented. The near field of the fan arrays is imaged to show that the device has a single common effective aperture. The threshold statistics indicate that facet reflectivity is independent of crystal orientation. Further, the output angle is pump current independent.
Code critical airway teams improves patient safety

It takes an experienced multiprofessional team to handle emergent airway situations. We created a Code Critical Airway team to manage airway emergencies. Critical (difficult) airway emergencies are increasing due to advances in medical treatments, obesity and sleep apnea. Difficult airway events are low volume and high risk, requiring expert skill and communication. In the United States a leading level I adverse patient safety event is 'death or serious disability associated with airway management' [1].
Cytoplasmic and ciliary connections between the inner and outer segments of mammalian visual receptors

Abstract Examination of the ultrastructure of the visual receptors of several mammals (monkey, rat, guinea pig, and ground squirrel) shows that in addition to the well-known ciliary connection between the inner and outer segments, there is also a cytoplasmic bridge through which the cytoplasm of the inner segment comes into direct contact with the basal discs of the outer segment. Several new features of the connecting cilium are also described.
Effect of timolol on exercise-induced reduction in regional ejection fraction in patients with coronary artery disease.

In order to evaluate the effects of timolol, a new beta-adrenergic blocking agent, on exercise-induced left ventricular wall motion abnormalities, we studied nine patients with chronic, angiographically-documented coronary artery disease. A computerized technique for determining apical, anteroseptal and inferoposterior regional ejection fractions during gated radionuclide ventriculography was used to assess left ventricular dysfunction. During exercise prior to the administration of timolol, the apical regional ejection fraction fell from 0.62 ± 0.08 to 0.51 ± 0.08 (p
Routing on butterfly networks with random faults

We show that even if every node or edge in an N-node butterfly network fails independently with some constant probability, p, it is still possible to identify a set of /spl Theta/(N) nodes between which packets can be routed in any permutation in O(logN) steps, with high probability. Although the analysis as complicated, the routing algorithm itself is relatively simple.
A Multilevel Analysis of Registered Sex Offender Violation Status: The Role of Neighborhood Disadvantage and Social Services

This research attempted to clarify the determinants of registered sex offender violations using individual-level and contextual characteristics under social disorganization theory. Data on registered sex offenders in Fresno County, CA and census data were analyzed to examine the influences of offender characteristics, neighborhood disadvantage, and accessibility to social services on violation risks. Multilevel logistic regression models indicated that those offenders living in disadvantaged neighborhoods faced a higher risk of registration violations, while such an effect was mitigated by the accessibility to social services. Based on the findings, policy implications of social services as a protective factor and strategic management of the registration policies were discussed.
Pericardial fat volume is associated with clinical recurrence after catheter ablation for persistent atrial fibrillation, but not paroxysmal atrial fibrillation: an analysis of over 600-patients.

Abstract Background Although pericardial fat volume (PFV) has been suggested to be associated with atrial fibrillation (AF), only a few studies have reported the association between pericardial fat and clinical outcome after radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA). The purpose of this study was to explore the factors associated with PFV and its prognostic significance after catheter ablation for AF, depending on the types of AF. Methods We included 665 patients (76.7% male, 57.3±11.1years of age, 67.7% with paroxysmal AF [PAF] and 32.3% with persistent AF [PeAF]) who underwent RFCA for AF, and compared PFV with clinical variables. The factors associated with clinical recurrence of AF were evaluated. Results 1. PFV (10cm 3 ) was independently correlated with age (B=0.09, 95% CI 0.06–0.13, p Conclusions PFV was independently associated with old age, greater LA dimension, and high BMI and BSA, and a significant predictor for AF recurrence after catheter ablation for PeAF.