cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Study of xanthan gum/waxy corn starch interaction in solution by viscometry

The objective of the study was to investigate the molecular interactions of xanthan gum and waxy corn starch in a ternary system. Solutions of xanthan gum/(waxy corn starch) blends dissolved in a mixed solvent of 90% DMSO/10% H2O (v/v) were studied by means of viscometry as a function of total polymer concentration and composition. The classical Huggins equation, ηsp/C=[η]+bC, which expresses the specific viscosity (ηsp) of a polymer as a function of the concentration C, was found to be suitable for all blends in the dilute system. The intrinsic viscosity ([η]) and Huggins parameter b of the blends increased with the increase of xanthan fraction in the blends. Meanwhile, the addition of xanthan gum also dramatically lowered the overlap concentration (C*) of the blends. The results indicate that xanthan gum is a good thickener, and xanthan gum and waxy corn starch are attracted to each other in the solution under study.
Haptic matching of directional force and skin stretch feedback cues

This paper presents a two degree-of-freedom (2-DOF) force feedback joystick with a 2-DOF skin stretch feedback device integrated into the top of its handle (where the user rests his/her thumb). An experiment is conducted to better understand how users interpret directional information from force and skin stretch cues. Results show that users exhibit significantly greater accuracy when responding to force cues, but have significantly greater precision when responding to skin stretch cues. Precision is further improved when these cue types are combined. Integrating skin stretch and low-magnitude force cues in this manner shows promise for applications where force information is beneficial, but cannot be presented due to the risk of creating feedback instabilities. Hence skin stretch feedback could be used to supplement lower, non-destabilizing levels of force feedback, or to augment underpowered force feedback systems. Skin stretch may also be used as a lower cost, more compact substitute to force feedback.
Social-cognitive responses to depression and physical stigma

Interpersonal models of depression have received mixed support in experimental studies. Investigations to date have not examined spontaneous subject social-cognitive processes that may mediate social responses to a depressed person. In this study, subjects viewed a videotaped interview of a target who behaved in either a depressed or nondepressed manner, and appeared either physically disabled or able-bodied. Self-report measures of interpersonal rejection and subject mood were collected. Subjects also completed a thought-listing procedure with instructions to write down any thoughts currently and recently experienced. Depressed targets elicited more negative evaluations and fewer positive evaluations from subjects. Additionally, subjects had more thoughts about supporting and offering assistance to the depressed-able-bodied target. Target depression did not elicit more thoughts indicative of social and interpersonal rejection, contrary to predictions. Results indicate that after brief exposure to a depressed person, subjects form many negative opinions about that person.
Inter-intraphase diffusion affected catalytic yield: The case involving finite external and internal area

Abstract Isothermal catalytic activity and yield alteration in a consecutive reaction are analyzed in terms of interphase (external) and intraphase (internal) diffusional intrusions for the general case of a porous catalyst of finite external as well as internal area. The point yield of intermediate in a consecutive reaction network is shown to pass through a minimum, then a maximum, before falling to zero as the Thiele modulus of the first reaction step increases. It is shown that under no realistic circumstance can yield become unity when the zone of reaction retreats to the external surface in a porous solid catalyzed reaction, save for the rather extraordinary circumstance in which the Mach number of the flowing fluid is far greater than unity (supersonic flow).
Nonlinear Motion of a Shallow Water Barotropic Vortex

Abstract Nonlinear motions of a shallow water barotropic vortex on a β plane differ substantially from the analogous linear motions. The nonlinear model described here, in which wavenumber 1–3 asymmetries interact with each other and the mean vortex, predicts that an initially completely cyclonic vortex will accelerate toward the NNW, reaching a speed of 2.5 m s−1 at 48 h. During the rest of the 240-h calculation, the speed varies by <0.5 m s−1 as the direction turns from NNW to NW. The vortex accelerations are in phase with temporal changes of vortex-relative angular momentum (LR). The turning of the track coincides with a transition of the wavenumber 1 asymmetry from a single dipole to a double dipole. The latter structure appears to be another orthogonal solution of the second-order radial structure equation for a neutral linear normal mode. The corresponding linear model, in which β forces only wavenumber 1, shows only the single dipole structure and straight NNW accelerating motion that reaches a spe...
Efficacy of Sinonasal Simulator in Teaching Endoscopic Nasal Skills

Objectives/Hypothesis: To develop a nasal model (NM) wich accurately sumulates human texture and (NM) which accurately simulates human texture and anatomy and to study the effect of training with NM on performance of video rigid nasal endoscopy and video flexible laryngoscopy At the conclusion of this presentation, the participants should be able to demonstrate that training with nasal codoscopic simulation enhances efficiency and may improve comfort to the patient. Study Design: A randomized blinded control trial. Methods Twenty medical students without prior endoscopic experience, stratiffed by prior video game experience, were randomized to traimog or no training on NM. All participants viewed a 15 minute video instruction on endoscopy Students randomized to training then practired on the NM for 15 minutes. All students were tested within 90 minutes of the initial instruction with a timed identification of structures on NM followed by a timed flexible laringoscopy on a human volunteer who ranked comfort/discomfort on a visual analogue scale. Results: The students in the training group had a significantly shorter procedure time on NM using rigid nasal endoscopy compared with untrained students (61 seconds vs. 104 seconds, P =.025). The trained students showed a trend, which did not reach statistical significance, toward fastee flexible laryngoscopy on the model (28 seconds vs. 32 seconds, P =.085). The trained students had average lower discomfort scores (0.89 vs. 1.33) compared with untrained students, but this did not reach statiscal significance. Conclusions: Our NM accurately simulates human texture and anatomy and provides an opportunity for endoscopiec training without concern of bloodborne pathogens and expense of cadavers. Further development of the NM is warranted to expand the training utility.
Included but isolated: early intervention programmes provision for children and families with chronic respiratory support needs.

Purpose To measure enrolment of children with mechanical respiratory support needs within the Massachusetts early intervention programmes (EIP) and describe challenges in execution of individual family service plans (IFSPs). Methods Mixed methods provided a complementary assessment. Quantitative data were collected in 2005 from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts EIP administrative database as part of a cross-sectional state census. Qualitative data were retrieved from EIP regional coordinators in a key informant focus group. Descriptive statistics were used for quantitative survey data. Audio-recordings were transcribed verbatim and a qualitative, thematic analysis was undertaken. Results Four hundred and eighty children requiring mechanical respiratory support at the time of EIP enrolment were identified between 1 July 1997 and 1 January 2005. Focus group analysis revealed themes including: (1) barriers to community transition; (2) community expertise and training; (3) interface with medical providers; and (4) the role of web-based resources. Isolation of families emerged as a recurrent and resounding concept, relating to all of the themes. Conclusions Findings support the assumption that implementation of IFSPs for the cohort of children with chronic mechanical respiratory support needs in EIPs is challenging. Barriers reflect inconsistent care coordination and practical encumbrances, contributing to the physical and social isolation of these children and their families.
VALUE PREFERENCES AND INTERPERSONAL BEHAVIOR.

(1965). Value Preferences and Interpersonal Behavior. The Journal of Social Psychology: Vol. 66, No. 2, pp. 271-280.
Sensitive Ground Protection for Radial Distribution Feeders

THERE are three reasons for isolating or de-energizing grounded feeders: first, danger to life; second, danger to property; and third, to permit joint use of pole lines with the telephone companies. The first two are very difficult to evaluate, but in certain territories a means of isolation is very important. The third reason can be given a definite value, and the economies resulting from joint use of pole lines can more than justify this proposed scheme of sensitive ground protection for radial feeders.
Foreign Labor in the Post‐NAFTA Environment: Policy Responses in the Southeastern United States

Since NAFTA was ratified, the number of Hispanic workers in the Southeastern United States has increased, creating policy opportunities and concerns. The typical foreign worker is increasingly a skilled or semiskilled person in an urban environment. Social service support is also changing from the basic level of support of the past to support based on acculturation, allowing retention of culture, or a more traditional assimilation. Using North Carolina as the principle focus, we compare demographic distributions and policy parameters across North Carolina and its four neighbors. The performance among the states varies significantly. North Carolina, along with some local governments and NGOs, aggressively encourages foreign workers to come to their state using an acculturation policy model. Other governments are more reactive, using a basic support model or assimilation model to place the workers into an established context.
Hydrogeological modeling of porous flow in the Oregon accretionary prism

Venting of pore fluid was recently reported near the front of the Oregon accretionary prism and was directly measured at one of the venting sites during Alvin dives. In this study, the authors model the flow of pore fluid in the Oregon accretionaly prism. They use seismic reflection sections to constrain subsurface structures, drill-hole results from Deep Sea Drilling Project Leg 18 to constrain sediment properties, and regional tectonic information to constrain the timing and the rate of plate convergence and sediment imbrication and thickening. The results of two-dimensional, time-element, finite-element modeling show that high pore pressures are generated beneath the decollement due to the load of imbricated and thickened sediments. Diffusive flow at a rate of several millimetres per year is predicted within the accretionary prism if fault zone permeability is discounted. The presence of a decollement or permeable fault penetrating the accretionary prism, as imaged on the seismic reflection section, can drastically alter the patterns of fluid flow and produce focused venting of fluid, as observed. On the other hand, fluid venting along faults may not significantly alter the high pore pressures below the decollement.
Estimating the rate of plasmid transfer: an end-point method

SUMMARY: We describe a method for determining the rate parameter of conjugative plasmid transfer that is based on single estimates of donor, recipient and transconjugant densities and the growth rate in exponential phase of the mating culture. The formula for estimating the plasmid transfer rate, γ, was derived from a mathematical model describing cell growth and plasmid transfer in batch culture. Computer simulations were used to explore the sensitivity of this method to the realities of bacterial life, such as growth rate differences, plasmid segregation and transitory derepression of pilus synthesis. As predicted by the theory, mating experiments with the plasmid R1 in Escherichia coli K12 demonstrated that the estimate γ is unaffected by cell density, donor:recipient ratio and mating time. Unlike previous techniques, our method allows us to investigate the effect of environmental factors on plasmid transfer rates when these factors also influence population growth rates. To illustrate this, we examined the effect of temperature on the rate of plasmid transfer.
Comparative effects of p, p′-DDT and pentobarbital on hepatic microsomal enzymes in young quail, chicks and ducklings

Abstract 1. 1. Pentobarbital (PB) and DDT effects on microsomal mixed function oxidases of ducklings, quail and chicks were studied. 2. 2. DDT and PB exerted variable effects on body weight gain, liver to body weight ratio and hepatic microsomal protein concentration in the three species. 3. 3. PB did not affect the enzyme activities, while dietary DDT increased aniline hydroxylase, aminopyrine N-demethylase activities and cytochrome P-450 concentration in ducklings. In contrast, DDT inhibited aniline hydroxylase and aminopyrine N-demethylase activities in quail and suppressed aniline hydroxylase activity in chicks. 4. 4. Additional data showed that aniline hydroxylase was competitively inhibited by DDT in the chick.
On anomalous departures from a linear relation between the polar cap index and its controlling factors in solar wind and magnetotail

[1] The polar cap (PC) index has been found to respond linearly to both the solar wind direct driving and the magnetotail energy unloading. The influence of the solar wind direct driving is quantified by the electric field (EK-R) proposed by Kivelson and Ridley (2008). Here, EK-R is representative of models in which the electric field imposed on the ionosphere by magnetopause reconnection saturates for extreme solar wind driving. The influence of the magnetotail energy unloading is described by the modified AL index (ALU). The model generally describes the variation of the PC index quite well at times of strong geomagnetic activity, but, occasionally, there are large discrepancies. In this study, I investigate 18 events in which the model predictions deviate substantially from the measured PC indices and, in the process, identify limitations on the use of the PC index. For southward oriented interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), sources other than EK-R and ALU may contribute to the PC index significantly. The effect is equivalent to altering the baseline values of magnetic field H and D components when deriving the PC index. For northward oriented IMF, the high-latitude reconnection can drive antisunward convection and excursions of the auroral oval that can dramatically influence the PC index but are not captured by the linear model.
The Importance of Continuous Quality Assessment: A Lesson from Antiemetic Guidelines for Preventing Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting:

At the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center, we noticed that patients did not routinely receive a guideline recommended antiemetic regimen for the prevention of chemotherapy induced emesis. To achieve better compliance, treatment guidelines were incorporated into chemotherapy preprinted orders. The purpose of this study is to evaluate outcomes in the delayed period following highly emetogenic chemotherapy in patients receiving a guideline recommended antiemetic regimen. Outcomes were compared to a historical cohort of patients who did not receive a guideline recommended regimen.This prospective, observational, quality-assessment study enrolled patients receiving highly emetogenic chemotherapy who received a standard delayed antiemetic regimen of dexamethasone for 5 days plus dolasetron for 3 days. Patients documented the number of emesis episodes, breakthrough nausea with medication use, and adverse effects. Quality of life was measured using the Modified Functional Living I...
Three strategies for interdisciplinary teaching: contextualizing, conceptualizing, and problem‐centring

This paper distinguishes among contextualizing, conceptualizing, and problem‐centring as three basic approaches to interdisciplinary curriculum. This typology is based on the type of inquiry that takes place in the classroom. For example, if the guiding epistemology in the interdisciplinary work is that of the humanities, the mode of connecting disciplinary material is likely to be contextualizing, or embedding the facts and ideas in the cultural, historical, or ideological fabric. If the scientific method guides and sets the standard for integration, conceptualizing work typically takes place. Finally, if the spirit and mode of inquiry is that of the applied sciences or creative product‐development, the integrative process will take the form of problem‐based investigation of urgent or tangible issues. Using empirical data from exemplary university, pre‐university, and professional programmes in the US, I describe three integrative strategies and comment on their strengths. This basic typology provides al...
Robustness for protection envelopes with respect to human task variation

Safety critical systems can suffer severe and even fatal consequences due to aberrant behavior of human operators. Human operators are unique in their decision making capability, judgment and nondeterminism. There is a need for analyzing the interactions among computer systems and human operators where the operators are allowed to deviate from their prescribed behaviors for executing a task. In this paper we wish to examine the ability of a system to remain safe under broad classes of variations of the prescribed human task. To facilitate this concept we consider the concept of a protection envelope giving a wider class of behaviors than strictly prescribed by the human task while providing guarantees of restrictions on human operator to the system. We develop methods for addressing two issues. The first issue is: given a human task specification and a protection envelope, will the protection envelope properties still hold under standard variations as described by Hollnagel [10]. The second issue is: in the absence of a protection envelope, can we approximate a protection envelope that will at least have the property of being robust against the aforementioned variations. We present methodology and tool for assisting in this regard.
Education block grants: Introduction to the debate

Abstract Chapter 2 of the education Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981 (ECIA) represented the introduction of block grants into the field of education Although it comprised an insignificant proportion of total federal education allocations it was nonetheless a very meaningful piece of legislation Chapter 2 s importance lay in its implicit assumptions about the role of central government educdtion in society the meaning of equity and the locus of authority in federal-state relations Additiontally Chapter 2 was in effect a pilot study which might indicste the appropriateness of this kind of grant for future educational policy. Here the authors endeavored to set the stage for the case studies which follow An mtroduction to the act itself as well as the issues surrounding its passage and an overview of the findings are presented Questions regarding the impact and ramifications of Chapter 2 are suggested.
Molecular control of myogenesis: antagonism between growth and differentiation

Insight into the molecular mechanisms that control establishment of the skeletal muscle phenotype has recently been obtained through cloning of a family of muscle-specific regulatory factors that can activate myogenesis when transfected into non-muscle cells. This family of factors, which includes MyoD, myogenin, myf-5, and MRF4, can bind DNA and transactivate muscle-specific genes in collaboration with ubiquitous cellular factors. Growth factors play an antagonistic role in myogenesis by suppressing the actions of the myogenic regulatory factor family. This review will focus on the regulation and mechanism of action of this family of myogenic regulatory factors and on the central role of peptide growth factors in modulating their expression and biological activities.
Ability of non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and calculated intermediate-density lipoprotein to identify nontraditional lipoprotein subclass risk factors in dialysis patients

Abstract Background: Non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) and calculated intermediate-density lipoprotein cholesterol (IDL-C) have been proposed as surrogate markers to estimate apolipoprotein B-containing lipoproteins. The purpose of this study was to determine the validity of non-HDL-C and calculated IDL-C to predict nontraditional lipoprotein risk factors among dialysis patients and to compare the prevalence of these nontraditional risk factors between dialysis modalities. Methods: The authors performed a cross-sectional analysis comparing standard lipid profile with lipoprotein analysis via nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy among 186 hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients on modern lipid-lowering therapy. Results: The PD group had a significantly higher low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particle concentration ( P P P P 2.26 mmol/L) to predict nontraditional risk was 13% and increased to 20% if TG values were excluded. A negative correlation was observed between LDL particle size and HDL-C (r 2 = 0.269; P 2 = 0.005; P = 0.69). Conclusion: Non-HDL-C greater than 130 mg/dL (3.4 mmol/L) independent of TG values and HDL-C lower than 40 mg/dL (1.0 mmol/L) may predict nontraditional lipoprotein risk factors among dialysis patients. This is especially applicable to patients on PD, a modality associated with a more atherogenic lipoprotein profile.
Molecular characterization of two types of 22 kilodalton α-zein genes in a gene cluster in maize

Five genes of the α-zein subfamily four (SF4) are located in a 56 kb genomic region of the maize inbred line W22. Their nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences have been determined. The sequences define two types of α-zein SF4 genes — type 1 (T1) and type 2 (T2). The single T1 α-zein SF4 gene codes for an α-zein protein with a Mr of about 22 000. This is the first α-zein SF4 gene sequenced that contains no early in-frame stop codons in its coding sequence. The four T2 α-zein SF4 genes in this cluster contain one or two early in-frame stop codons. In addition, our T1 and T2 genes differ markedly in the base sequences of their distal 5′ non-translated flanking regions. The nucleotide and the deduced amino acid sequences of these two types of α-zein SF4 genes are similar ( > 90 %) to one another and to all known α-zein SF4 genes and cDNAs. Of the known W22 α-zein SF4 genes, only one in six does not contain an early in-frame stop codon. If the number of α-zein SF4 genes is 15–20, then we estimate that only about 4 of the W22 α-zein SF4 genes are without in-frame early stop codons.
The influence of oral contraceptives on the postmolar human chorionic gonadotropin regression curve

Abstract This article reports a retrospective analysis of 149 evaluable cases of molar pregnancy managed at Women's Hospital, Los Angeles County/University of Southern California Medical Center, from January 1977, through June, 1983. In the 84 cases prior to 1981, the patients received estrogen-progestogen oral contraceptives after evacuation while the 55 patients seen after that used nonhormonal contraceptives. The frequency of abnormal regression of the serum β-subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin in the two groups was not significantly different (22.6% in the hormonal contraception group versus 34.5% in the nonhormonal contraception group). The groups were compared for known and potential risk factors and were nearly identical with respect to patient age, parity, maternal blood type, and race. There were also no significant differences with respect to uterine size, preevacuation β-subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin serum titer > 100,000 mIU/ml, and frequency of theca-lutein cysts. Gestational age was significantly shorter and the frequency of cases with a preevacuation β-subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin serum titer > 250,000 mIU/ml significantly higher in the nonhormonal contraception group, indicating that the nonhormonal contraception group had a higher risk for abnormal human chorionic gonadotropin regression than the hormonal contraception group. We conclude that this study provides no evidence that the use of estrogen-progestogen oral contraceptives prior to human chorionic gonadotropin remission increases the risk for invasive mole or choriocarcinoma following molar pregnancy.
Western Summitry in the 1990s: American Perspectives

(1994). Western summitry in the 1990s: American perspectives. The International Spectator: Vol. 29, The Future of the G‐7 Summits, pp. 81-93.
Approach to “Aspirin Allergy” in Cardiovascular Patients

Aspirin (ASA), by irreversibly inhibiting platelet cyclooxygenase-1 enzyme (COX-1), prevents platelet aggregation and is the mainstay of pharmacotherapy of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Long-term ASA therapy reduces mortality in CAD patients after an initial coronary event. Periprocedural ASA therapy significantly reduces major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) after percutaneous coronary interventions.1,2 Despite a plethora of clinical data showing marked efficacy of ASA therapy in cardiovascular patients, ASA use continues to be less than optimal in real-world registries.3,4 A history of adverse reactions to ASA may prevent long-term use in a cardiovascular patient, thereby reducing optimal event protection. Most adverse reactions to ASA, such as gastrointestinal intolerance, are predictable and are dose and host related.5 However, ASA can also cause a hypersensitivity reaction, of which there are 3 types: respiratory sensitivity (asthma and/or rhinitis), cutaneous sensitivity (urticaria and/or angioedema), and systemic sensitivity (anaphylactoid reaction).6 Various terms have been used to describe the hypersensitivity reactions to ASA, including ASA intolerance, ASA idiosyncrasy, pseudoallergic reactions, and ASA sensitivity.7 The prevalence of ASA sensitivity in cardiovascular patients is not well known. Besides substitution with an alternative class of antiplatelet agents such as thienopyridines, ASA desensitization is an option for ASA-allergic patients who require long-term therapy for cardiovascular diseases.7 In this article, we review various hypersensitivity reactions to ASA and discuss desensitization protocols to allow ASA therapy in ASA-sensitive cardiovascular patients. ### ASA-Exacerbated Respiratory Disease ASA-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD) is a triad of asthma, ASA sensitivity, and rhinitis/nasal polyps. Patients with AERD have aggressive mucosal inflammation and suffer from precipitation of asthma and rhinitis after ingestion of ASA and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).8 AERD is also commonly referred to as ASA-sensitive, ASA-induced, or ASA-intolerant asthma. AERD is the cause of 10% to 15% of all cases of asthma,8 is usually …
Can interpectoral nodes be sentinel nodes

Abstract Background: This study was designed to determine if interpectoral nodes could be sentinel nodes for some breast cancers. Methods: Thirty-five consecutive breast cancer patients undergoing axillary node dissection had a dissection of the interpectoral nodes. These were sent to pathology as a separate specimen. Results: Three patients were identified with isolated interpectoral nodal metastasis. Conclusion: In upper quadrants or deep breast cancers the interpectoral nodes may be the earliest site of nodal metastasis. This may lead to false negative results in some sentinel node biopsies.
Commentary: “Ethical dimensions of informed consent”

T he phrase "informed consent" entered American law in 1957, in a medical negligence case. What Jay Katz calls this "charmed new phrase" was ambiguous from the start. In discussing risk with patients, the judge wrote, "a certain amount of discretion must be employed consistent with the full disclosure of facts necessary to an informed consent." As Katz evaluates it, this position "going in two opposite directions--discretion and full d i s c l o s u r e . . , went nowhere. Y e t . . . at least it stimulated a great debate. ''1 Thirty-five years of debate have edged ethics, practice, and the law ever more toward disclosure. The ACOG committee opinion is one more step in that direction. The opinion is gratifyingly full: It grounds its tenets in ethical principle, defines them carefully, and places them historically. The committee talks about the particular context of obstetrics and gynecology, and it is attentive to the difference between law and ethics. It tries to place informed consent as a means to the end of better human relationships; this discussion is not completely satisfactory, but it is an interesting and important start. Perhaps the opinions's most important point is the centrality of communication: with the patient, with the patient's family, and among the health care providers. Communication is more than talking; it involves active listening, rephrasing, and reconsidering. Given this, in the committee's words, "informed consent involves a process." This document repays rereading. Yet it, too, is part of the historical process it documents. In a few decades there will doubtless be another version of it. I'd like to suggest a few areas that seem to me to need further thought.
Comparative Analysis of Power System Architectures: The Case of Human Mars Surface Missions

Human missions to the surface of Mars have inspired engineers, scientists, and the wider public for generations. The 20th century has seen these dreams become attainable, with numerous realistic missions proposed, starting with the architecture proposed by Wernher von Braun in his 1953 book “The Mars Project” (von Braun 1961). Many architectures and concepts for carrying out surface missions have since been proposed, culminating in the Mars design reference missions developed by NASA in the 1990s (Hoffman 1997, Drake 1998, Hoffman 2001, Portree 2001, Drake 2007) and associated follow-on studies as part of the US Vision for Space Exploration (NASA 2005, Drake 2007). Two main motivations for carrying out Mars surface missions have been described in these architecture studies: (1) the scientific exploration of Mars, in particular with regard to extraterrestrial life, and (2) the investigation of the habitability of Mars in the context of establishing a long-term human presence there someday in the future.
In Vitro and In Vivo Characterization of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa Cyclic AMP (cAMP) Phosphodiesterase CpdA, Required for cAMP Homeostasis and Virulence Factor Regulation

Cyclic AMP (cAMP) is an important second messenger signaling molecule that controls a wide variety of eukaryotic and prokaryotic responses to extracellular cues. For cAMP-dependent signaling pathways to be effective, the intracellular cAMP concentration is tightly controlled at the level of synthesis and degradation. In the opportunistic human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, cAMP is a key regulator of virulence gene expression. To better understand the role of cAMP homeostasis in this organism, we identified and characterized the enzyme CpdA, a putative cAMP phosphodiesterase. We demonstrate that CpdA possesses 3′,5′-cAMP phosphodiesterase activity in vitro and that it utilizes an iron-dependent catalytic mechanism. Deletion of cpdA results in the accumulation of intracellular cAMP and altered regulation of P. aeruginosa virulence traits. Further, we demonstrate that the cAMP-dependent transcription factor Vfr directly regulates cpdA expression in response to intracellular cAMP accumulation, thus providing a feedback mechanism for controlling cAMP levels and fine-tuning virulence factor expression.
Resistance to Change in Surgical Residency: An Ethnographic Study of Work Hours Reform

Background Although the practical challenges to work hour restrictions have been the focus of much discussion, cultural resistance to such change has received less attention. Surgical residency has its own unique social structure, and we hypothesized that challenges to this would provide impediments to successful implementation of duty hours reform. Study design We used ethnographic research methods to study the efforts at work hour restriction over a 15-month period before the introduction of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education regulations. These methods, validated for studying institutional change, build on intense periods of observation. Records of observations are then analyzed and coded to uncover cultural and political challenges. The frequency of successful hand-offs in sign-out situations between day and night float residents was measured as an objective index of success. Results Practical issues were addressed initially by scheduling adjustments including creating a night float system. The hand-offs that this system required, however, were successful only 14% of the time. Subsequent steps to address the challenge to resident identity by top-down support of a new definition of professionalism increased the number of successful hand-offs to 39%. Finally, a reduction in a noted hierarchy violation led to successful hand-offs 79% of the time. Conclusions These results demonstrate that practical solutions alone may not be a sufficient basis for change in surgical residency. While we face other challenges to the traditional surgical culture, attention to social and political issues may enhance the success of our efforts.
Impaction of Solid Aerosol Particles on Fine Wires

The results of an initial study of the collection of 3-μm-diameter latex microspheres, dispersed in a laminar jet stream, on wires with diameters ranging from 0.001 and 0.010 in. (25.4 to 254 μm) are presented. The measured total collection efficiency based on the Stokes and Reynolds numbers and the interception parameter in regions on the wire where particles were collected are compared with previous experimental and theoretical results. For all cases examined, this efficiency is found to be significantly less than that predicted by theory. This difference is correlated with the particle's incident velocity. Particles below a critical velocity do not reach the wire's surface, and particles above another critical velocity always rebound from it. The probability of adhesion for these cases is assessed in terms of particle incident kinetic energy and is found to agree with the results of other similar experiments.
Optimization of the zinc oxide electron transport layer in P3HT:PC61BM based organic solar cells by annealing and yttrium doping

Zinc-oxide and yttrium-doped ZnO films were fabricated by a sol–gel processing technique and were incorporated as an electron transport layer in inverted organic solar cells (with an active layer comprising a blend of P3HT and PC61BM). First, the annealing conditions for the pure sol–gel ZnO layers were optimized. An interesting observation was that the annealing temperature of the ZnO layer significantly influenced the overall organic solar cells performance. Annealing the ZnO film at temperatures of ∼150 °C provided the highest device performance. The physical and surface properties of these ZnO films were examined by X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy and UV-vis transmittance measurements. Utilizing the optimized annealing conditions, we further fabricated high-efficiency organic solar cells by doping yttrium in the zinc-oxide (YZO) electron transport layers. The efficiency of YZO based devices was improved by 30% when compared to that of the undoped zinc oxide based devices.
Indicators to support environmental sustainability of bioenergy systems

Indicators are needed to assess environmental sustainability of bioenergy systems. Effective indicators will help in the quantification of benefits and costs of bioenergy options and resource uses. We identify 19 measurable indicators for soil quality, water quality and quantity, greenhouse gases, biodiversity, air quality, and productivity, building on existing knowledge and on national and international programs that are seeking ways to assess sustainable bioenergy. Together, this suite of indicators is hypothesized to reflect major environmental effects of diverse feedstocks, management practices, and post-production processes. The importance of each indicator is identified. Future research relating to this indicator suite is discussed, including field testing, target establishment, and application to particular bioenergy systems. Coupled with such efforts, we envision that this indicator suite can serve as a basis for the practical evaluation of environmental sustainability in a variety of bioenergy systems.
Donor Cell-Derived Leukemias/Myelodysplastic Neoplasms in Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Recipients A Clinicopathologic Study of 10 Cases and a Comprehensive Review of the Literature

We report 10 cases of donor cell leukemia (DCL). All cases except the case of chronic lymphocytic leukemia had anemia, neutropenia, and/or thrombocytopenia when DCL was diagnosed. Eight cases with sex-mismatched hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HCT) showed donor gonosomal complements, suggesting DCL. Clonal cytogenetic abnormalities were detected in 8 cases: 6 were monosomy 7/del(7q). In all 10 cases, engraftment studies confirmed donor cell origin. Retrospective fluorescence in situ hybridization in archived donor cells in 4 cases showed a low level of abnormalities in 2. Of 7 patients with clinical follow-up of 5 months or more, 1 (with acute myeloid leukemia) died of disease; 6 are alive, including 1 with myelodysplastic syndrome with spontaneous remission. Similar to reported cases, we found disproportional sex-mismatched HCTs, suggesting probable underdetection of DCL in sex-matched HCTs. The latency between HCT and DCL ranged from 1 to 193 months (median, 24 months), in keeping with the literature. Analyzing our cases, pooled with reported cases, with survival models showed much shorter latency for malignancy as primary disease, for T-cell large granular lymphocyte leukemia as type of DCL, and for umbilical cord blood as stem cell source.
Children's Peer Relations and Their Psychological Adjustment Differences between Close Friendships and the Larger Peer Group

In a longitudinal study that followed children from fourth through sixth grades, we tested whether problems in children’s peer relations preceded psychological maladjustment and whether adjustment difficulties paved the way for poor social relationships. Both close friendships and peer group acceptance were examined. Our findings indicated that less peer acceptance predicted more internalizing and externalizing symptoms and less global self-worth two years later but that psychological adjustment did not predict future peer acceptance. Conversely, the lack of a supportive close friendship did not predict worse psychological functioning; however, depressive symptoms and low self-worth did predict less close friend support two years later. These findings highlight the importance of distinguishing the different kinds of social bonds that children form with peers.
On the issues surrounding economic voting

This is an analysis of the effects of economic factors on voting behavior in the United Kingdom. Aggregate- and individual-level data are used. When the results are compared to findings generated by the United States case, some intriguing differences appear. To mention just two examples, unemployment and inflation seem to be much more important in the United Kingdom than in the United States, and changes in real per capita income are positively related to election results in the United States and negatively related in the United Kingdom. More generally, while the aggregate results are strong and the individual-level results weak in the United States, in the United Kingdom the situation is practically reversed.
A histometric analysis of chronically rejected human liver allografts: Insights into the mechanisms of bile duct loss: Direct immunologic and ischemic factors

Conspicuous pathologic features of chronic liver allograft rejection include bile duct loss and chronic obliterative arteriopathy. A quantitative histometric analysis was performed to document the extent of bile duct loss, the size of the “vanished” ducts and the extent of chronic obliterative arteriopathy and to determine whether there was any relationship between chronic obliterative arteriopathy and bile duct loss. All failed liver allograft specimens with chronic rejection were reviewed and categorized according to the degree of chronic obliterative arteriopathy, assessed by the degree of luminal narrowing of hilar hepatic artery branches. Histometric analysis of the grafts revealed: (i) there was a loss of small portal arterioles (<35 μm); (ii) bile ducts which should accompany arteries <35, 35 to 54 or 55 to 74 μm in diameter were missing, with the greatest decrease occurring among the smallest ducts; (iii) bile duct loss was seen in the absence of significant large vessel chronic obliterative arteriopathy, and (iv) the severity of arteriole and bile duct loss, as well as the size of the vanished ducts, was directly proportional to the degree of chronic obliterative arteriopathy. Furthermore, the size of the “vanished” bile ducts in liver allografts appeared to differ from the size of ducts destroyed in primary biliary cirrhosis. These studies offer indirect, but suggestive proof that two mechanisms are operative in the bile duct loss seen in chronic rejection: direct lymphocytotoxicity and ischemic damage.
Development and application of an absorptionline blackbody distribution function for CO2

Abstract An absorption-line blackbody distribution function for CO2 is presented which permits efficient and accurate calculation of total heat transfer rates. The model allows the local absorption coefficient to be the basic radiative property, permitting its use in arbitrary solution methods of the radiative transfer equation (RTE). A mathematical correlation is presented to approximate the function for use in computer codes. Total emissivities calculated with the correlation agree well with Hottel data. Excellent agreement is also demonstrated with line-by-line solutions of the RTE.
Genes and Hereditary Characteristics

This appraisal of ideas about genetic determination is based on Dr Hershey's report in the sixty-eighth Year Book of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, issued last February.
Hostile-Helpless states of mind mediate relations between childhood abuse severity and personality disorder features

Objective : The present study assessed whether the often reported relation between childhood abuse and the extent of borderline personality disorder (BPD) and antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) features would be mediated by Hostile–Helpless (HH) and/or Unresolved (U) states of mind on the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). Method : One hundred and three young adults from low- to moderate-income families were assessed for HH and U states of mind on the AAI, psychopathology on the SCID I and II, and childhood abuse experiences on three validated measures of abuse. Results : As expected, childhood abuse was related to extent of both BPD and ASPD features and to HH states of mind. In addition, BPD and ASPD features were significantly related to HH states of mind on the AAI, and those states of mind mediated the relations between severity of childhood abuse and later BPD and ASPD features. Contrary to predictions, scores for lack of resolution of loss or trauma on the AAI were not found to mediate the relations between childhood abuse and either BPD or ASPD. Conclusions : Findings indicate that pervasively contradictory and unintegrated states of mind regarding attachment experiences play an important role in linking past abuse to current personality pathology. Keywords: Hostile–Helpless; attachment; borderline personality disorder; antisocial personality disorder; abuse; adult attachment interview (Published: 4 November 2015) Citation: Translational Developmental Psychiatry 2015, 3: 28785 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/tdp.v3.28785
The Role of Natural Vegetative Disturbance in Determining Stream Reach Characteristics in Central Idaho and Western Montana

We evaluated the relationship between natural vegetative disturbance and changes in stream habitat and macroinvertebrate metrics within 33 randomly selected minimally managed watersheds in central Idaho and western Montana. Changes in stream reach conditions were related to vegetative disturbance for the time periods from 1985 to 1993 and 1993 to 2000, respectively, at the following three spatial scales; within the stream buffer and less than 1 km from the evaluated reach, within the watershed and within 1 km of the stream reach, and within the watershed. Data for stream reaches were based on field surveys and vegetative disturbance was generated for the watershed above the sampled reach using remotely sensed data and geographical information systems. Large scale (>100 ha) vegetative disturbance was common within the study area. Even though natural vegetative disturbance rates were high, we found that few of the measured attributes were related to the magnitude of vegetative disturbance. The three physical habitat attributes that changed significantly were sinuosity, median particle size, and percentage of undercut bank; each was related to the disturbance in the earlier (1985-1993) time frame. There was a significant relationship between changes in two macroinvertebrate metrics, abundance and percent collectors/filterers, and the magnitude of disturbance during the more recent time period (1993-2000). We did not find a consistent relationship between the location of the disturbance within the watershed and changes in stream conditions. Our findings suggest that natural vegetative disturbance within the northern Rocky Mountains is complex but likely does not result in substantial short-term changes in the characteristics of most stream reaches.
Challenges Conducting Clinical Trials with Herbal Products in Oncology

Patients with cancer are increasingly using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies. As many as 90% of patients with cancer might use some form of CAM therapy [1]; over 50% initiate these treatments after the diagnosis of cancer [2]. Patients use these treatments despite substantial advances in conventional medicine and lack of evidence of efficacy of many CAM treatments. This ‘return to nature’ movement that is largely consumer driven is primarily directed to help relieve symptoms, improve quality of life, and prevent recurrence of the cancer and not for the cure of the primary tumor [3–5]. Because most natural cancer cures investigated in clinical trials to date have either shown no benefit (e.g., shark cartilage [6]) or have shown a potential for harm (e.g., Laetrile [7]), the use of these products as alternative treatments seems inappropriate; their use as complementary treatments should be judicious and individualized until further research data are available [8].
Semantic Neighborhoods as Hypergraphs

Ambiguity preserving representations such as lattices are very useful in a number of NLP tasks, including paraphrase generation, paraphrase recognition, and machine translation evaluation. Lattices compactly represent lexical variation, but word order variation leads to a combinatorial explosion of states. We advocate hypergraphs as compact representations for sets of utterances describing the same event or object. We present a method to construct hypergraphs from sets of utterances, and evaluate this method on a simple recognition task. Given a set of utterances that describe a single object or event, we construct such a hypergraph, and demonstrate that it can recognize novel descriptions of the same event with high accuracy.