cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quantitation of in vitro coronary artery calcium using ultrafast computed tomography

Ultrafast computed tomography (UFCT) has the potential to quantify coronary hydroxyapatite (HAP). However, no definitive studies validating this technique are available. We constructed a human chest phantom model with coronary arteries represented by cylindrical holes containing: (1) calcium chloride solutions, (2) a block of HAP immersed in paraffin (without partial volume effect), and (3) HAP granules embedded in a gelatin matrix (with partial volume effect). We scanned this model to determine the relationship between measured CT number per voxel and density of the calcium per voxel. The relationships between CT number and concentration of calcium chloride was linear (r = 0.992 to 0.999). Using a commercially available standard bone mineral phantom, we were able to estimate the concentration of HAP to an accuracy from 94 to 97% when partial volume effects were absent. However, when partial volume effects were present, two methods of estimating HAP produced significant errors (1 to 384%, and 17 to 52%). We conclude that significant partial voluming errors degrade the accuracy of HAP quantitation and that further evaluation and corrections are needed before such quantitation is clinically applied. © 1994 Wiley-Liss,Inc..
Women living with HIV: Stories of powerlessness and agency

Synopsis Married monogamous women in India are now considered to be at higher risk from HIV/AIDS than previously considered. Gender inequalities rooted in an inherently patriarchal social system serves to marginalize women within the family unit, making them more susceptible to infection. Guided by postcolonial feminist theory, the study uses narrative methodologies to tell the stories of two women living with HIV/AIDS in India who were infected by their husbands. In particular, the study explores how culture and power inequities shape their unique experiences of stigma and how women demonstrate agency in their lives in a context of seeming powerlessness. The analysis reveals that stigma is inextricably linked to systemic patriarchy, but women demonstrate agency by articulating their own understanding of disease and illness, reflexively contesting cultural assumptions, and appropriating the courage to speak out for themselves and others.
Effect of maternal height and weight on risk of preterm birth in singleton and twin births resulting from in vitro fertilization: a retrospective cohort study using the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology Clinic Outcome Reporting System

Objective To examine the effect of height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) on the risk of preterm birth of singleton and twin pregnancies conceived by vitro fertilization (IVF). Design Retrospective cohort study using 2006–2008 data from the Society for Reproductive Technology Clinic Outcome Reporting System (SART CORS). Setting SART-associated assisted reproductive technology programs. Patient(s) 56,556 singleton and 23,804 twin live births resulting from fresh nondonor IVF cycles. Intervention(s) None. Main Outcome Measure(s) Rates of very early preterm (VEPTB; Result(s) In both singleton and twin births, increased maternal height was associated with a decreased risk of preterm birth. Maternal overweight and obesity were associated with significantly increased risk of VEPTB and VPTB in twin pregnancies. For very obese women (BMI > 35 kg/m 2 ) twins were associated with a threefold increased risk of VEPTB (6.1% vs. 2.0%) and a twofold increased risk of VPTB (11.5% vs. 5.9%) compared with women of normal weight (BMI 18.4–24.9 kg/m 2 ). Conclusion(s) Obesity and short stature significantly increase the risk of VEPTB and VPTB in twins conceived by IVF.
The origin of the oxygen-evolving complex

One of the key biochemical developments during the evolution of life was the invention of the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) of photosystem II, responsible for catalyzing the oxidation of water to molecular oxygen in plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. Though there have been a number of recent, key advances towards understanding how this remarkable chemistry is carried out, it remains a fundamental mystery how this complicated, four electron transfer process originated. Here we review some of these advances and resulting hypotheses on the origin and early evolution of the OEC. In addition, we present evidence suggesting that the four manganese-containing core of the OEC shares structural homology at the atomic level with the active sites of several distinct two manganese-containing enzymes, including manganese catalase, which carries out the oxidation of hydrogen peroxide. We discuss the implications for the plausible origin of oxygenic photosynthesis.
Relationship between urinary excretion of p-aminobenzoylglutamate and folate status of growing rats

Abstract This study was conducted to determine the relationship between the urinary excretion of p-aminobenzoylglutamate (pABG) and othe rindicators of folate nutritional status. Groups of rats (n=6 per group) were given free access to an amino-acid based folate-free diet supplemented with 0, 0.567, 1.13, 2.27, or 4.54 nmol folic acid per gram diet for 30 days. Urinary pABG was determined by reverse phase HPLC after deacetylation and fluorogenic derivatization. Daily food intake and body weight gain were lower for the folate-deficient group than for other groups. With increasing dietary content of folic acid, daily urinary pABG excretion and liver folate increased linearly, whereas plasma folate, erythrocyte folate and urinary folate increased quadratically. Daily urinary excretion of pABG was positively correlated linearly with dietary folic acid content (R 2 =0.58), plasma folate (R 2 =0.52) and liver folate content (R 2 =0.50), and quadratically with urinary folate (R 2 =0.56). These results indicate that urinary excretion of pABG reflects the folate status of growing rats.
Using Artificial Intelligence for Concurrent Design in the Steel Building Industry

The ability to communicate clearly is vital to any quality engineered project. Because of the high degree of interdependency among activities in the concurrent design of complex engineering systems, the ability to coordinate and synchronize communication among design team members is crucial. The computer-based tool, SteelTeam, is under development and integrates knowledge-based expert systems with a computer-aided design and drafting environment to create a system that helps bridge communication gaps in the steel building industry. SteelTeam makes design, fabrication, and construction knowledge available to each of the parties involved in the steel building design. In addition, SteelTeam provides a standard format for the design information that is passed between parties during the design process. The completeness of this information is crucial to the generation of design alternatives, which are necessary to ensure that the optimum product is developed. By looking at the issues involved in concurrent engi...
Pellet-model effects on simulation models for fixed-bed desulfurization reactors

Presentation d'un modele mathematique pour la description du comportement dynamique des reacteurs a lit fixe utilises pour la desulfuration de gaz de charbon a haute temperature. Application de ce modele a l'etude du comportement, a l'echelle du laboratoire, d'un reacteur garni avec des boulettes de ZnO. Utilisation de modeles structuraux de complexite variee bases sur les pores ou les grains afin de suivre l'evolution des proprietes de la structure de pore a l'interieur des boulettes de l'oxyde metallique. Une attention particuliere est apportee a l'etude des effets du modele structural utilise pour la representation de la structure de pore des boulettes ainsi qu'a l'etude des effets des caracteristiques structurales du solide poreux sur le comportement a la rupture du reacteur et sur l'utilisation du sorbant
Evaluation of phospholipase C and D activity in stimulated human neutrophils using a phosphono analog of choline phosphoglyceride

A phosphono analog of choline phosphoglyceride was used to examine the relative contributions of phospholipase C and D in the generation of diglycerides in fMLP- and A23187-stimulated human neutrophils. The phosphono analog, 1-O-[3H]alkyl-2-lyso-sn-glycero-3-phosphonocholine, contains a carbon-phosphorus bond adjacent to the base moiety and is resistant to phospholipase D hydrolysis, while remaining susceptible to phospholipase C hydrolysis. fMLP stimulated the production of [3H]phosphatidic acid and subsequently [3H]diglyceride from cells containing 1-O-[3H]alkyl-2-acyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, but not from cells prelabeled with the phosphono analog. Treatment with A23187 also resulted in the formation of these products from cells containing 1-O-[3H]alkyl-2-acyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine. Additionally, A23187 stimulated the conversion of the phosphono analog to phosphodiester-containing choline phosphoglyceride which then resulted in the generation of [3H]phosphatidic acid and subsequently [3H]diglyceride. This study demonstrates the use of a phosphono analog in assessing phospholipase C and D activity in cells and provides evidence that in fMLP- and A23187-stimulated human neutrophils, diglyceride is generated indirectly from choline phosphoglycerides by the combined activities of phospholipase D and phosphatidate phosphohydrolase.
A Geometric Analysis of When Fixed Weighting Schemes Will Outperform Ordinary Least Squares.

Many researchers have demonstrated that fixed, exogenously chosen weights can be useful alternatives to Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) estimation within the linear model (e.g., Dawes, Am. Psychol. 34:571–582, 1979; Einhorn & Hogarth, Org. Behav. Human Perform. 13:171–192, 1975; Wainer, Psychol. Bull. 83:213-217, 1976). Generalizing the approach of Davis-Stober, Dana, and Budescu (Psychometrika 75:521–541, 2010b), I present an analytic method to determine when a choice of fixed weights will incur less mean squared error than OLS as a function of sample size, error variance, and model predictability. Geometrically, I solve for the region of population β that favors a choice of fixed weights over OLS. I derive closed-form upper and lower bounds on the volume of this region, giving tight bounds on the proportion of population β favoring a choice of fixed weights. I illustrate this methodology with several examples and provide a MATLAB© (The MathWorks, Matlab software, version 2009b, 2010) programming implementation of the major results.
Comparative reactivity of carbamyl phosphate and glucose 6-phosphate with the glucose-6-phosphatase of intact microsomes.

The ability of glucose 6-phosphate and carbamyl phosphate to serve as substrates for glucose-6-phosphatase (D-glucose-6-phosphate phosphohydrolase; EC 3.1.3.9) of intact and disrupted microsomes from rat liver was compared at pH 7.0. Results support carbamyl phosphate and glucose 6-phosphate as effective substrates with both. Km values for carbamyl phosphate and glucose 6-phosphate were greater with intact than with disrupted microsomes, but Vmax values were higher with the latter. The substrate translocase-catalytic unit concept of glucose-6-phosphatase function is thus confirmed. The Km values for 3-O-methyl-D-glucose and D-glucose were larger when determined with intact than with disrupted microsomes. This observation is consistent with the involvement of a translocase specific for hexose substrate as a rate-influecing determinant in phosphotransferase activity of glucose-6-phosphatase.
Die Bildung von D88-Phasen zwischen 4a-Metallen und Al, Ga, In und Sb

Eine systematische Suche nach Verbindungen mit D88 (Mn5Si3)-Struktur in den Systemen von Ti, Zr und Hf mit Al, Ga, In und Sb ergab drei neue Phasen dieses Typs: Ti5Ga3, Hf5Ga3 und Zr5Sb3.
Far infra red circular dichroism and molecular dynamics

Abstract It is arguad that circular dichroism in the far infra red power absorption coefficient as determined by a combination of rotational and translational molecular diffusion. Dichroism in the far infra red provides information on the way the molecular dynamics respond to left and right circular by polarised probe radiation from an interferometer or laser, and reveals subtle detaile of the statistical cross correlations between molecular rotation and translation. The sample may be structurally chiral or structurally achiral in the presence of a magnetic field.
Perinatal outcome in the live-born infant with prenatally diagnosed omphalocele

We compared perinatal outcomes between live-born nonisolated and isolated omphaloceles diagnosed during a prenatal ultrasound. Fetuses (n = 86) with omphalocele were identified between 1995 and 2007 at a single institution. Inclusion criteria were an omphalocele >14 weeks' gestation, available fetal and/or neonatal karyotype, and a live-born infant (n = 46). Perinatal outcomes were compared in nonisolated (n = 23) and isolated omphaloceles (n = 23). For all omphaloceles, the majority delivered after 34 weeks by cesarean. Mean birth weight (2782 versus 2704 g), median length of stay (27 versus 25 days), and mortality (two deaths in each group) were not different between the nonisolated and isolated groups (p > 0.05). In the nonisolated group, seven major anomalies were not confirmed postnatally. Of the prenatally diagnosed isolated omphaloceles, 8 (35%) were diagnosed with a syndrome or other anomalies after birth. The outcomes were similar in nonisolated and isolated prenatally diagnosed omphaloceles, but ultrasound did not always accurately determine the presence or absence of associated anomalies.
Trouble with Korean Confucianism: Scholar-Official Between Ideal and Reality

This essay attempts a philosophical reflection of the Confucian ideal of “scholar-official” in Joseon Korea’s neo-Confucian context. It explores why this noble ideal of a Confucian public being had to suffer many moral-political problems in reality. It argues first that because the institution of Confucian scholar-official was actually a modus-operandi compromise between Confucianism and Legalism, the Confucian scholar-officials were torn between their ethical commitment to Confucianism and their political commitment to the state; and second, that because the Cheng-Zhu neo-Confucianism vigorously imported and indigenized by Joseon Koreans exalted the family over the state, Joseon neo-Confucian scholar-officials were torn between two competing moral obligations, filiality and loyalty. The essay concludes by discussing whether, given the problems with which the ideal of the Confucian scholar-official was frequently entangled, liberal individualism should be pursued as its normative alternative.
“Heretical Plagues” and Censorship Cordons: Colonial Mexico and the Transatlantic Book Trade

In the 1570s the Mexican Inquisition prosecuted high-profile heresy and piracy cases against John Hawkins and other English and French corsairs. These trials prompted a high alert for Lutheran and Calvinist books as well as vernacular Scripture reaching Mexico. Many of the accused were simply merchants while others were indeed pirates, but their foreign national and linguistic identities placed them in the crosshairs of a larger debate about the transatlantic diffusion and regulation of books and religious ideology. The issue of trade violations by Hawkins and others paled in comparison in the collective Catholic apprehension over the possibility that the newly conquered Mexico could become “infected” by the Lutheran and Calvinist “heretical plagues“—language used commonly by inquisitional and episcopal authorities to refer to the threat of these same sailors. Among the central concerns was the possibility that vernacular translations of the Bible or books by “heresiarchs” like Calvin, Melanchthon, or John Knox would reach Mexico, infiltrate Catholic homes and minds, and result in an ecclesiological disaster in which the unsuspecting faithful succumbed to the duplicitous charms of salvation by faith and the unapproved theological-linguistic renderings of the Gospels and Pauline letters.
Creating pharmacy staffing-to-demand models: Predictive tools used at two institutions

Purpose The creation and implementation of data-driven staffing-to-demand models at two institutions are described. Summary Predictive workload tools provide a guideline for pharmacy managers to adjust staffing needs based on hospital volume metrics. At Abbott Northwestern Hospital, management worked with the department’s staff and labor management committee to clearly outline the productivity monitoring system and the process for reducing hours. Reference charts describing the process for reducing hours and a form to track the hours of involuntary reductions for each employee were created to further enhance communication, explain the rationale behind the new process, and promote transparency. The University of Minnesota Medical Center—Fairview, found a strong correlation between measured pharmacy workload and an adjusted census formula. If the daily census and admission report indicate that the adjusted census will provide enough workload for the fully staffed department, no further action is needed. If the census report indicates the adjusted census is less than the breakeven point, staff members are asked to leave work, either voluntarily or involuntarily. The opposite holds true for days when the adjusted census is higher than the breakeven point, at which time additional staff are required to synchronize worked hours with predicted workload. Conclusion Successful staffing-to- demand models were implemented in two hospital pharmacies. Financial savings, as indicated by decreased labor costs secondary to reduction of staffed shifts, were approximately $42,000 and $45,500 over a three-month period for Abbott Northwestern Hospital and the University of Minnesota Medical Center—Fairview, respectively. Maintenance of 100% productively allowed the departments to continue to replace vacant positions and avoid permanent staff reductions.
Condom Use and HIV Risk Among US Adults

HIV prevention programs seek to increase the use of condoms among persons at risk for acquiring HIV.[1] In recent years, the importance of condoms for prevention has remained high as the epidemic has shifted to have more impact on women and persons subject to infection through heterosexual contact.[2] Data surveys indicate increasing condom use among adolescents[3-6] and adults[7-8] since the 1980s.
Decreased brain activation during a working memory task at rested baseline is associated with vulnerability to sleep deprivation.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To examine whether differences in patterns of brain activation under baseline conditions relate to the differences in sleep-deprivation vulnerability. DESIGN: Using blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging, we scanned 33 healthy young men while they performed the Sternberg working memory task following a normal night of sleep and again following 30 hours of sleep deprivation. From this initial group, based on their Sternberg working memory task performance, we found 10 subjects resilient to sleep deprivation (sleep deprivation-resilient group) and then selected 10 age- and education-matched subjects vulnerable to sleep deprivation (sleep deprivation-vulnerable group). SETTING: Inpatient General Clinical Research Center and outpatient functional magnetic resonance imaging center. PATIENTS OR PARTICIPANTS: Data from 10 young men (mean age 27.8 +/- 1.7 years) in the sleep deprivation-resilient group and 10 young men (mean age 28.2 +/- 1.9 years) in the sleep deprivation-vulnerable group were included in the final analyses. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: We compared functional magnetic resonance imaging BOLD signal at rested baseline and sleep deprivation states in the 2 groups. As hypothesized, following sleep deprivation, both groups showed significant decreases in global brain activation compared to their rested group baseline. At rested baseline and in the sleep-deprivation state, the sleep deprivation-resilient group had significantly more brain activation than did the sleep deprivation-vulnerable group. There were also differences in functional circuits within and between groups in response to sleep deprivation. CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary data suggest that patterns of brain activation during the Sternberg working memory task at the rested baseline and the sleep-deprivation state, differ across individuals as a function of their sleep-deprivation vulnerability. Language: en
Hypsometric analysis of Margaritifer Sinus and origin of valley networks.

[1] The formation of Martian valley networks has been debated since their discovery. The relative roles of groundwater sapping and fluvial runoff processes have different implications on Martian paleoclimate. This paper uses a hypsometric analysis technique that has been tested on terrestrial landforms to analyze the hypsometric attributes of watershed basins in the Margaritifer Sinus region on Mars using Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) gridded topographic data. On the basis of quantitative characteristics of their hypsometric attributes, the majority of the basins (covering ∼3/5 of the study area) look more like terrestrial basins of sapping origin, and a significant number of basins (covering ∼1/5 of the study area) are more fluvial like. The classification of the rest of the basin is less certain at the presently available resolution of the digital elevation model (DEM). Overlay with Viking photomosaic indicates that the classification is generally consistent with the morphology shown in Viking images. Although this analysis alone cannot make a sure determination of valley network origin, combined with other morphometric analysis, the results from this study are consistent with a valley network formation by precipitation-recharged groundwater sapping, suggesting a warm and wet climate for early Mars.
A Reexamination of a Childhood Cancer Stereotype

Objective: To examine whether young adults have stereotypical beliefs toward children who have been treated for cancer. Methods: Undergraduate participants read a vignette describing a child labeled either healthy (HL), in remission from cancer and no longer undergoing treatment (RCL), or in remission and still undergoing treatment (RCTL) and rated the child on the Ratings of the Child Questionnaire (ROCQ). Univariate and multivariate analyses of variance were conducted. Results: Participants rated the HL child more positively than the RCL or RCTL child; the RCL and RCTL child ratings did not differ. Females evaluated the child more positively than did males. Conclusions: These results support previous findings of a childhood cancer stereotype. However, effect sizes were small, which may indicate a weak stereotype with these specific participants.
Social encounters in two prosimian species: Galago crassicaudatus and Nycticebus coucang

Social encounters between all possible pairings of seven thick-tailed galagos (Galago crassicaudatus) and eight slow lorises (Nycticebus coucang) were observed in an observation cage. Neither species used facial displays or vocalization during the encounters. Both species possess special urination behaviors, but these patterns were not used extensively during the encounters. Reciprocal allogrooming and olfactory investigation were prominant behaviors displayed by both species. Agonsitic behavior was seen much more frequently in galagos than in lorises. Responses of a particular animal to others differed in type of behavior displayed and in the duration and intensity of the behavior; thus, individual recognition of specific species members is possible for both species.
Multistrategy Approach to Cross-Cultural Research The Case of Locus of Control

A multistrategy approach in cross-cultural research was used to refine 24 of Collins's (1974) locus of control items for use among mainstream and Hispanic subjects. Use of informants in the selection of items, a multidimensional scaling method, factor analysis, and a nomological validation were performed. The Collins Difficult-Easy World factor was the only item cluster that was clearly cross-culturally equivalent. The mainstream subjects and the Hispanics were not different on this factor. Two other item clusters may be cross-culturally equivalent (they passed one test but failed the other). Finally, the Politically Responsive-Unresponsive World cluster of items was found to be cross-culturally nonequivalent.
A knowledge representation model for multiuser knowledge-based systems

A description is given of a multiuser knowledge-based system (MKBS) model. In this system, knowledge is represented in a collection of interlinked, largely autonomous user knowledge bases (UKBs) and supports use of the system by multipole heterogeneous users. The UKBs are defined so that while each user's view of the knowledge base is limited to the local UKB, problem solving can be achieved using knowledge from multiple UKBs. Different ways of sharing knowledge, including rules, are discussed. A method for rule translation that enables a rule to be used in multiple UKBs is presented. Issues relating to consistency maintenance and explanation in MKBS are addressed. >
An Analysis of the Relationship Between the Utilization of Physical Therapy Services and Outcomes for Patients With Acute Stroke

Background and Purpose. Little research has been conducted on the outcomes of care for people who have had a stroke. In this study, the relationship between physical therapy utilization and outcomes of care for patients with acute stroke was examined. Subjects. The sample consisted of 6,342 patients treated in US academic health center hospitals in 1996 who survived their inpatient stay and received physical therapy. Methods. The primary data source was the University HealthSystem Consortium Clinical Data Base. Physical therapy use was assessed by examining physical therapy charges. Outcomes of care were assessed in terms of the total cost of care (ie, whether the cost of care was more costly or less costly than expected, taking into account patient characteristics) and in terms of discharge destination (ie, whether the patient was discharged home or elsewhere). Regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between physical therapy use and outcomes. Results. Physical therapy use was directly related to a total cost of care that was less than expected and to an increased probability of discharge home. Conclusion and Discussion. The results of this study provide preliminary evidence to support the use of physical therapy in the acute care of patients with strokes and indicate the need for further study of this topic.
Investor valuation of tax avoidance through uncertain tax positions

This paper examines equity investor valuation of tax avoidance achieved through uncertain tax positions. New financial reporting standards require firms to separately disclose their contingent liabilities for tax positions that may be disallowed upon tax return audit. This disclosure provides investors with information about the magnitude of firms' tax avoidance activity through uncertain tax positions, or uncertain tax avoidance. I find evidence consistent with investors on average positively valuing uncertain tax avoidance, suggesting that tax-related contingent liabilities are viewed very differently from other liabilities. Additional analysis reveals that uncertain tax avoidance that gives rise to permanent (as opposed to temporary) tax savings in firms more likely to retain their uncertain tax positions is driving this positive relation. My findings are consistent with investors interpreting managers' past uncertain tax avoidance as an indicator of future uncertain tax avoidance where the economic benefit of avoidance (i.e., cash tax savings) is expected to be retained, and/or a positive reputation effect associated with uncertain tax avoidance activity.
Tonsillar lesions in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) naturally infected with Mycobacterium bovis.

andCell Biology 77, 364-372MACKINTOSH,C., WALDRUP, K., LABES, R., BUCHAN,G. &GRIFFIN,F.(1995) Intra-tonsil inoculation: an experimental modelfor tuberculosis indeer. In Tuberculosis in Wildlife andDomesticAnimals. Eds F. Griffin, G.deLisle. Dunedin,OtagoUniversity Press. pp 121-122O'BRIEN, D. J., FITZGERALD,S. D, LYON,T. J., BUTLER,K. L., FIERKE,J.S., CLARKE,K. R., SCHMITT,S. M.,COOLEY,T. M.&BERRY,D. E. (2001)Tuberculouslesions in free-rangingwhite-taileddeerin Michigan.Journal
Designing and optimizing microsensor arrays for recognizing chemical hazards in complex environments

A generic approach to designing microsensor arrays for complex chemical sensing tasks is described and demonstrated for the problem of recognizing chemical hazards at sublethal concentrations, under varying ambient conditions, and in the presence of interfering chemicals. We present statistical methods to systematically assess the analytical information obtained from the conductometric responses of chemiresistive elements at different operating temperatures, test their reproducibility, and determine an optimal set of material compositions to be incorporated within an array for individual species recognition. These advances are critical to the production of pre-programmed microsensors for non-invasive trace analyte detection relevant to homeland security, medical diagnostics, and other applications.
Human Lens High-Molecular-Weight α-Crystallin Aggregates

Abstract α-Crystallin high-molecular-weight (HMW) aggregates can be formed in vitro by many mechanisms, but the mechanism of in vivo aggregation has not been clearly established. HMW and LMW (low-molecular-weight) α-crystallins were isolated from human lenses 50–60 years of age and some spectroscopic measurements were performed. Conformational differences were suggested based on data of increased bis-ANS (4,4′-dianilino-1,1′-binaphthalene-5,5′-disulfonic acid) and ThT (thioflavin T) fluorescence as well as increased far-UV and decreased near-UV circular dichroism (CD). These results indicated that HMW α-crystallin was more hydrophobic than LMW α-crystallin, possibly resulting from partial unfolding of α-crystallin. On the other hand, the increased ThT fluorescence and far-UV CD intensities indicate that an increased amount of β-sheet conformation was involved in aggregation. These data, along with little difference in chaperone-like activity between the LMW and HMW α-crystallins, strongly suggest that HMW α-crystallin aggregates resulted from partial unfolding and disassembling–reassembling of LMW α-crystallin caused by posttranslational modification rather than chaperone complex formation.
Gastrocolostomy: clinical observations and experimental studies.

Summary A patient survived 66 days after removal of the entire small intestine, half of the colon and the pyloric end of the stomach, being maintained by near total parenteral alimentation. More than an adequate volume of fluid had to be prescribed daily as a vehicle of caloric intake and as a means of maintaining the patency of the veins. Phlebitis and the usual discomfort associated with prolonged infusions occurred, and, when an additional liter of saline was added to the regimen, pulmonary edema resulted. Two separate instances of hypokalemic, hypochloremic alkalosis were treated, and inferential evidence obtained that the concurrent restriction of sodium along with potassium administration expedites the correction of this type of alkalosis. There was no correlation between serum and gastric concentrations of potassium. The nitrogen balance studies revealed only a small amount of nitrogen excretion despite an inadequate caloric intake and the presence of stress. Several facts and theories are offered as an explanation for this finding. Potassium was given intermittently to test its effect on nitrogen balance but no definitive conclusions were reached. Some gastric absorption of glucose, Aminosol solution, methionine, and glycine was demonstrated but there was no evidence of absorption of glucose or Aminosol from the rectum. The difficulties in supplying an adequate caloric intake by present-day methods were demonstrated and reemphasized.
The Art and Science of Targeted Grazing—A Producer’s Perspective

On the Ground Targeted grazing is an increasingly popular tool for managing vegetation over large landscapes. While the principles of targeted grazing are scientifically based, the successful practice of targeted grazing requires site-specific knowledge of plant growth, animal nutrition and grazing behavior, ecosystem function, and public relations. Targeted grazing requires significant producer investment—in livestock, infrastructure and equipment, and knowledge.
Identification of a high-mannose ICAM-1 glycoform: effects of ICAM-1 hypoglycosylation on monocyte adhesion and outside in signaling

Endothelial adhesion molecules are critical effectors of inflammation ensuring coordinated interactions that allow leukocytes to home to sites of injury. These adhesion molecules are often extensiv...
Corporate Philanthropy as a Cooptive Relation

Corporate philanthropy is analyzed as a cooptive relation, akin to advertising, directed at persons collectively as a consumer sector of the American economy. The strength of this cooptive relation is predictedfrom a network definition of the extent to which corporations in an economic sector have a market incentive to institutionalize their relations with people as consumers. As predicted, the proportion of corporate net income donated to charity covaries with the extent to which firms in a sector are dependent on consumption by people and able to do something about eliminating uncertainty in the demand for their product. In fact, the specified structural effect of the market on the rate of corporate giving is stronger than the income and tax incentive effects typically specified in a microeconomic model. Methodologically, the discussion illustrates a strategy by which network analysis is often used to inform analyses of individuals: social context constraints on an actor are captured in a network model of the context and then specified as parameters in a microeconomic decision model. In the context of the often strained relation between people and corporations as classes of actors in American society, corporate philanthropy offers a dual satisfaction. Corporate philanthropy, that is to say, tax deductible gifts from corporations to charitable activities, provides the direct material benefit of improved public health, education, and welfare. It is a further satisfaction to know that corporate actors, as preeminently rational, profitseeking bastions of power, have acted in the interests of persons rather than themselves. To be sure, corporate philanthropy is a cost effective allocation of corporate income. But it is also a social setting in which the interests of persons and corporate actors come together in an intimate way. Accordingly, the corporate decision to make charitable donations provides
‘STEALING THE WAY’ TO MECCA: WEST AFRICAN PILGRIMS AND ILLICIT RED SEA PASSAGES, 1920s–50s*

West African participation in the pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj) grew considerably throughout the first half of the twentieth century. This article examines the causes and consequences of failed British and Saudi efforts to channel, regulate, and control the trans-Sahelian flow of pilgrims and enforce a regime of mobility along the Sahel and across the Red Sea. Focusing specifically on Red Sea ‘illicit’ passages, the study recovers the rampant and often harrowing crossings of dozens of thousands of West African pilgrims from the Eritrean to the Arabian coasts. It examines multiple factors that drove the circumvention of channeling and control measures and inscribes the experiences of West African historical actors on multiple historiographic fields that are seldom organically tied to West Africa: Northeast African regional history, the colonial history of Italian Eritrea, and the Red Sea as a maritime space connecting Africa with Arabia.
Does Neighborhood Risk Explain Racial Disparities in Low Birth Weight among Infants Born to Adolescent Mothers

Study ObjectiveTo test associations and interactions between racial identification, neighborhood risk, and low birth weight disparities between infants born to African-American and white adolescent mothers.DesignRetrospective cross-sectional study. Birth cases were geocoded and linked to census tract information from the 2010 US Census and the 2007-2011 American Community Survey. A “neighborhood risk” index was created using principal component analysis, and mothers were grouped into 3 neighborhood risk levels (low, medium, high). Multilevel models with cross-level interactions were used to identify variation in racial differences in low birth weight outcomes across neighborhood risk levels when controlling for maternal demographic characteristics and pregnancy behaviors (smoking, prenatal care use).SettingNorth Carolina, United States.ParticipantsSingleton infants (n = 7923 cases) born to non-Hispanic African American and white adolescent mothers from the North Carolina State Center of Health Statistics for 2011.Main Outcome MeasuresLow birth weight.ResultsAfrican American mothers were significantly more likely to have infants of low birth weight than white mothers in this sample (odds ratio = 1.89; 95% confidence interval, 1.53-2.34). Mothers that resided in areas of high neighborhood risk were significantly more likely to have infants of low birth weight than mothers residing in areas of low neighborhood risk (odds ratio = 1.55; 95% confidence interval, 1.25-1.93). Even when controlling for confounding factors, racial disparities in low birth weight odds did not significantly vary according to neighborhood risk level.ConclusionRacial disparities can remain in low birth weight odds among infants born to adolescent mothers when controlling for maternal characteristics, pregnancy behaviors, and neighborhood risk.
Coastal Futures and Ocean Observing Initiatives

The Coastal Module has become the bottleneck in completing the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS). The complexity of the coast as a socialecological system demands nurturing a bottom-up collaborative process. At the scale of GOOS Regional Alliances (GRAs), member states need to take a few yet decisive steps to initiate this process. They must identify minimum core sets of priority coastal observations, for which competence, assets and commitments for sustained measurements exist. They will need to evolve a data sharing policy that is open, transparent and free or at minimum cost. A sustained capacity building program in modelling and planning by in-country scientists, and in the use of data products by user communities, should be established. Progress may proceed at incremental pace, focusing on one or few variables at a time, and building trust and experience as milestones of scientific collaboration. The long-standing impasse that has rendered developing country GRAs nonor minimally functional may then be broken. Smart coastal planning has to begin soon so resilience, not vulnerability, would underpin the fate of the planet’s most productive ecotone.
Nanoscale Chemical Patterns on Gold Microplates

To generate nanoscale biochemical patterns for fundamental biophysical studies as well as practical biosensors, there remains a need for a high quality and versatile substrate. We show that chemically synthesized gold microplates on indium tin oxide are an ideal substrate that combines several desirable characteristics, including low cost, single crystallinity, optical transparency, electrical conductivity, and ease in chemical functionalization. We have developed a convenient one-pot method that allows us to synthesize plates of desired dimensions and surface coverage directly on indium tin oxide. We have used electrochemical desorption to strip the capping agents, allowing reliable functionalization with alkanethiol self-assembled monolayers. These plates can serve as nanoscale “lab benches” that allow high-resolution scanning probe lithography, high-resolution imaging, and electrical manipulation. Two applications are demonstrated here: nanoshaved self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on the single crystalline microplates serve as a high-resolution etching resist; AFM nanografting on the plates generates SAM patterns with tailored terminal chemical functionalities. [The original abstract for this article contains (characters/images) that cannot be displayed here. Please click on the link below to read the full abstract and article.]
The Place of the Dog in the Family

This paper explores how perspectives on the appropriate place of the dog in the family shape the practice and experience of dog adoption. This research is based on a comparative case study of a traditional shelter and an independent animal rescue organization. The data were collected through participant observation and interviews with directors and volunteers at these organizations, and with people who adopted dogs through shelter or independent animal rescue organizations. The independent rescue organizations tended to use “dog-centric” discourse to describe the relationship between the dog and its prospective family, while the traditional animal shelter and some adoptive families used “human-centric” discourse. These perspectives were tied to the adoption practices of the organizations and individuals’ experiences while adopting a dog. The implications of these findings for the practice of dog adoption are discussed, and suggestions for shelters and animal rescue organizations are presented.
A comparison and test of various site-response estimation techniques, including three that are not reference-site dependent

Abstract We compare various site-response estimation techniques using after-shock data of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake collected in Oakland, California. Because of recent interest in comparing results from weak and strong motion (to infer any nonlinearity) and between direct S and coda waves, we pay particular attention to the uncertainties. First, sediment to bedrock spectral-ratio estimates between pairs of sites are compared with those obtained from various generalized-inversion approaches where the source and site effects of multiply recorded events are solved for simultaneously. We find that the site amplification factors are very similar among these approaches, but that the uncertainties can be significantly different depending on how the data are weighted. We also examine and test three site-response estimation techniques that do not rely on a reference site to estimate source and path effects. The first involves a parameterized source- and path-effects inversion. Even when the bedrock data are excluded from consideration, this approach is found to reveal the frequency dependence of site response at each of the sediment sites. The second technique involves taking horizontal- to vertical-component spectral ratios (receiver-function-type estimates) of shear-wave aftershock data. These are also found to reveal the frequency dependence of site response at the sediment sites, and the results for the bedrock site are relatively flat and near unity. the third estimate is formed by taking horizontal-to vertical-component ratios of ambient seismic noise, and these are shown to reveal the fundamental resonant frequency of the sediment sites. Unfortunately, discrepancies exist among all of the site-response estimates (and with one-dimensional predictions) with respect to a frequency-independent scaling factor. Nevertheless, the highly frequency-dependent character of site response is well constrained, and the fact that non-reference-site-dependent methods are capable of revealing this is promising for site-specific hazard assessments in regions that lack adequate reference sites.
Bilateral arcs using “averaged beam's eye views”: A simplified technique for delivering 3-D based conformal radiotherapy

The purpose of this study is to describe a conformal radiotherapy technique for treating only the prostate with bilateral 120 degrees arcs using "averaged beams-eye-views" (A-BEV). For this study a CT scan from a patient with a large prostate but with a low risk for seminal vesicle involvement was chosen for comparing several different treatment techniques. Dose volume histograms (DVHs) of the prostate, femoral heads, bladder, and rectum were compared for plans using "standard" bilateral 120 degree unblocked arcs (8 x 8 and 9 x 9 cm), similar sized arcs with "generic" (small corner) blocks applied, arcs using hand drawn "semi-conformal" blocks added, and arcs using the A-BEV. The A-BEV was generated by averaging the shapes of fixed lateral and oblique BEVs from a six-field plan. These arc techniques were compared to four-field conformal (4-FC) and six-field conformal (6-FC) techniques. The addition of generic corner blocks to a 9 x 9 field resulted in a more favorable dose distribution than using open unblocked 9 x 9 arcs. The technique employing the A-BEV resulted in an improvement in the DVHs compared to other arc techniques and to 4-FC techniques. The dose volume histograms associated with using this technique approached those associated with using a 6-FC technique. Treating only the prostate with blocked arcs generated using an A-BEV results in an improved dose distribution compared to unblocked arcs and 4-FC techniques. This blocked arc technique also results in a DVH that is comparable to using a more complex 6-FC technique. Blocks that are drawn on manually reduce the dose to the surrounding normal tissues but are associated with a greater risk of underdosing the target volume. This problem is diminished when computer generated conformal blocks are used.
A review of the status of magnesium and related minerals in the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Le syndrome de mort subite inexpliquee du nourrisson (MSIN) correspond a la mort subite d'un nourrisson de moins d'un an qui demeure inexpliquee apres une etude approfondie y compris autopsique. En depit de reductions recentes du taux de MSIN attribuees a la regle de faire dormir le bebe sur le dos, la MSIN demeure la cause la plus commune de mortalite infantile de 1 mois a 1 an dans les pays developpes. Cette revue concerne l'etat actuel des connaissances vis-a-vis de l'hypothese de 1972 selon laquelle une deficience magnesique capable de declancher une mort subite chez divers jeunes mammiferes serait la cause majeure de la MSIN. De nombreux chercheurs ont compare la concentration du magnesium et d'autres mineraux dans les tissus mous et l'os de nourrissons morts soit de MSIN soit de causes connues comme par exemple un traumatisme. En raison des echanges rapides des mineraux au stade initial du developpement, MSIN et temoins doivent etre regroupes selon l'âge gestationnel et postnatal. Pres de 95% des MSIN s'observent a l'âge de 1 a 6 mois avec un pic d'incidence de 2 a 4 mois lorsque le magnesium du vitre est eleve. Il n'y a que peu de changement dans le magnesium du vitre relativement inerte en depit de larges modifications dans l'apport alimentaire de magnesium. Toutes les valeurs chutent a des taux faibles et disperses. Avec l'ossification de l'os, le magnesium augmente rapidement dans le cartilage foetal. Precocement dans la deficience magnesique le magnesium hepatique peut augmenter ou demeurer inchange mais il ne s'accroit pas dans la surcharge magnesique. L'accumulation du Pb est accrue par la deficience magnesique. Chez les nourrissons exposes a une pollution saturnine, les taux eleves de plomb sont plus eleves chez les nourrissons morts de MSIN que ceux non-MSIN. Il existe une liaison entre eau douce pauvre en Mg et Ca et riche en Na et taux eleves de MSIN, qu'on a pu attribue au taux faible du magnesium. Ainsi l'hypothese de 1972 sur la MSIN n'est ni infirmee ni confirmee.