cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Feasibility of dobutamine stress cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging in children.

Purpose To evaluate the feasibility of dobutamine stress magnetic resonance (DSMR) in pediatric patients. Materials and methods The medical records of all DSMR studies performed on patients Results Thirty-two DSMR studies were performed in 28 patients (median age = 7.3 years; range = 0.8-22 years). Twenty of the studies were performed under general anesthesia. The protocol was completed in 26 studies, technical problems and interruptions were few, and image quality scores (1-5) for all ventricular wall segments were high (mean = 4.2). A heart rate > or =160 bpm was attained in 84% of the studies, a rate pressure product > or =20,000 beats . mm Hg in 87%, and a heart rate greater than or equal to the target heart rate in 19%. No serious adverse events occurred. One patient had an inducible wall motion abnormality. Interobserver agreement was 100% (kappa = 1.0) for test positivity and 92% (kappa = 0.72) for wall motion scores. Conclusion DSMR in pediatric patients is feasible and provides high-quality imaging of all ventricular wall segments with low interobserver variability. Further exploration of DSMR in pediatric patients is warranted, particularly for those children who are unable to cooperate sufficiently for exercise stress or have poor acoustic windows.
Effect of ranitidine on twenty-four-hour gastric acidity in infants.

L'acidite gastrique est mesuree durant 24 h chez 23 enfants a terme et 10 prematures traites pour reflux gastro-œsophagien selon des schemas posologiques differents: 2,3 ou 4 mg/kg toutes les 12h ou 2 mg/kg toutes les 8 h de ranitidine, en vue du meilleur effet anti-acide
Cytosolic Gαs Acts as an Intracellular Messenger to Increase Microtubule Dynamics and Promote Neurite Outgrowth

It is now evident that Gαs traffics into cytosol following G protein-coupled receptor activation, and α subunits of some heterotrimeric G-proteins, including Gαs bind to tubulin in vitro. Nevertheless, many features of G-protein-microtubule interaction and possible intracellular effects of G protein α subunits remain unclear. In this study, several biochemical approaches demonstrated that activated Gαs directly bound to tubulin and cellular microtubules, and fluorescence microscopy showed that cholera toxin-activated Gαs colocalized with microtubules. The activated, GTP-bound, Gαs mimicked tubulin in serving as a GTPase activator for β-tubulin. As a result, activated Gαs made microtubules more dynamic, both in vitro and in cells, decreasing the pool of insoluble microtubules without changing total cellular tubulin content. The amount of acetylated tubulin (an indicator of microtubule stability) was reduced in the presence of Gαs activated by mutation. Previous studies showed that cholera toxin and cAMP analogs may stimulate neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells. However, in this study, overexpression of a constitutively activated Gαs or activation of Gαs with cholera toxin in protein kinase A-deficient PC12 cells promoted neurite outgrowth in a cAMP-independent manner. Thus, it is suggested that activated Gαs acts as an intracellular messenger to regulate directly microtubule dynamics and promote neurite outgrowth. These data serve to link G-protein signaling with modulation of the cytoskeleton and cell morphology.
Degeneration of the costovertebral articulation: a cause of pulmonary pseudolesion

The objective was to report examples of degeneration of the costovertebral articulation producing a pulmonary pseudolesion. Three cases in which a nodular opacity seen on plain radiograph was determined to be secondary to degeneration of the costovertebral articulation were compiled, one of which was confirmed by CT. Pseudolesions produced by degenerative osteophytes of the vertebral spine and anomalous articulations between transverse processes are more commonly identified, but less well described is the pseudolesion produced by degeneration of the costovertebral articulation. Recognition of this etiology may prevent misconstruing the lesion as a significant finding.
Ultra-high-speed ring oscillators based on self-aligned-gate modulation-doped n+-(Al, Ga)As/GaAs FETs

Ultra-high-speed ring oscillator test circuits based on modulation-doped n+-(Al, Ga)As/GaAs field-effect transistors have been fabricated using a completely planar, self-aligned gate by an ion-implantation process. A gate propagation delay of 11.6 ps/gate at a power dissipation of 1.56 mW/gate was measured at room temperature. On cooling to 77 K the gate delay decreased to 8.5 ps/gate at a power dissipation of 2.59 mW/gate. These ring oscillator gate delay times are the fastest ever reported for any semiconductor digital circuit technology.
Delaunay sets and condensed matter: The dialogue continues

Since the discovery of quasicrystals began to percolate through the scientific community, thirty years ago, Delaunay sets have been the tool of choice for describing their structures geometrically. These descriptions have gradually evolved from tiling vertex models to random cluster models, as the structures of real and simulated quasicrystals have been clarified experimentally. In this paper I outline these developments and explain why this productive dialogue between mathematicians and materials scientists will continue.
Mini-Raman lidar system for stand-off in-situ interrogation of surface contaminants

The Mini-Raman Lidar System (MRLS) is a 'proof-of-principle' chemical sensor that combines the spectral fingerprinting of solar- blind UV Raman spectroscopy with the principles of lidar to open a new venue of short-range (meters to tens of meters), non-contact detection and identification of unknown substances on surfaces. The device has potential application to 'first responders' at the site of a chemical spill. The MRLS is portable and has been used both in the lab and in the field. Theoretical estimates and actual laboratory data suggest the possibility of detecting contaminants with a surface coverage of less than 1g/m2 at a distance of three meters for one second of signal integration. Increasing the optical throughput efficiency, integrating pattern recognition software, and incorporating a laser with a wavelength near 250 nm are the primary goals for the development of a prototype system.
The sociocultural factors that influence a novice teacher’s LGBT activism

Despite growing support of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in the United States, the Southeastern region continues to pass legislation that discriminates against those who do not fit normative notions of sexuality and gender. This opposition affects LGBT students and the teachers who identify as LGBT activists. This study of two years of data is an analysis of one novice teacher’s efforts to advocate on behalf of LGBT students despite the resistance that she faced from sociocultural factors influencing her students, classroom, and her teaching practices. An examination of the social, cultural, and political limitations she faced suggest that research advocating curricular changes and findings suggesting that teachers resist sexuality- and gender-based topics ignore the many sociocultural factors acting on educators in the Southeastern US as they strive to be LGBT activists.
Direct Observation of Ortho-Para Transitions in Methane

Ortho-para transitions have been observed directly in C${\mathrm{H}}_{4}$ for the first time. These normally forbidden transitions were observed in the ground electronic, ground vibrational, and $J=2$ rotational state by combining a simple level-crossing technique with the conventional molecular-beam magnetic-resonance method. It is shown how this spectrum can be used to measure, for certain tetrahedral molecules, the interaction constants which appear in the Zeeman, nuclear-hyperfine and rotational-distortion Hamiltonians.
Mechanism of inhibition of lipid peroxidation by γ-terpinene, an unusual and potentially useful hydrocarbon antioxidant

gamma-Terpinene (TH), a monoterpene hydrocarbon present in essential oils, retards the peroxidation of linoleic acid (LH). The peroxidation of TH has been shown to yield p-cymene as the only organic product in a chain reaction in which the chain carrier is the hydroperoxyl radical, HOO(.). The peroxidation of LH is well-known to be a chain reaction in which the chains are carried by linoleylperoxyl radicals, LOO., and the products are linoleyl hydroperoxides. The retardation of LH peroxidation by TH has been found to be due to rapid chain termination via a very fast cross-reaction between HOO. and LOO. radicals. This antioxidant mechanism is completely different from the mechanism of antioxidant action of vitamin E. Since vitamin E becomes a prooxidant at high concentrations, the addition of essential oils containing TH to edible lipids may provide an alternative or supplementary strategy for obtaining large increases in their oxidative stability and shelf life, something that cannot be achieved by simply adding more and more vitamin E.
Trying Hard: Interdisciplinary Programs at the Evergreen State College.

The Evergreen State College is a new, nontraditional, state-supported, open-admission, four-year liberal arts college in Olympia, Washington. Approximately one-third of the students at Evergreen are enrolled in a full-time interdisciplinary program of 40 to 90 students, staffed by two to five faculty. This paper gives a general account of what these interdisciplinary programs are like, and what, in general, helps them to succeed or makes them fail.
Conditional mutagenesis in mice with heat shock promoter-driven cre transgenes.

To explore the potential of a simple and rapid approach for ubiquitous conditional gene disruption, we have generated Cre-producer mouse transgenic lines (Hs-cre1, 6 and 7) expressing a recombinase transgene (cre) from a heat shock gene promoter and tested their performance in Cre-mediated excision of target DNA in crosses with Cre-responder strains carrying loxP-modified alleles of the genes encoding the Huntington's disease gene homolog (Hdh), the epidermal growth factor receptor (Egfr), and the type 1 insulin-like growth factor receptor (Igf1r). Analyses of progeny possessing various transgene/reporter combinations showed that cre expression can occur without heat shock in early embryos, but this constitutive transcription is stochastic and transgene dependent. Thus, Hs-cre1 behaves predominantly as a ``deleter'' strain, since the majority of progeny (∼70–85%) exhibit complete recombination, regardless of reporter locus. Lines Hs-cre6 and Hs-cre7, however, function successfully as ``mosaicking'' strains because, in addition to two extreme classes of progeny with 0% or 100% recombination, they generate an intermediate class of mosaics exhibiting various degrees of partial DNA excision. Notably, the frequency of offspring in each class varies between reporters, but mosaic embryos are consistently obtained in adequate numbers (∼30–60%). The Hs-cre6 transgene is also inducible and can be used to introduce mosaicism into adult tissues at preselected developmental times by heat shock treatment of mice with 0% recombination in tail DNA. By bypassing the lethality resulting from some gene knockouts, mosaic embryos and mice make particular mutational analyses possible and are also very useful for the identification of cell lineage-specific gene functions.
Intratesticular hematoma after blunt scrotal trauma: a case series and algorithm-based approach to management

We present our experience with intratesticular hematoma (ITH) without rupture of the tunica albuginea following blunt scrotal trauma and present an algorithm for management. We reviewed the charts of 3 patients who presented between 2006 and 2013 with this finding. Time from the incident to presentation ranged from 5 hours to 4 days. All patients underwent at least one scrotal ultrasound reviewed by the same urologist. Two patients underwent surgical exploration and all patients had resolution of pain within one to two days. Management of ITH should be centered on the patient's pain severity as well as serial ultrasound findings.
Flicker and Pattern Detection: A Comparison of Thresholds*

Threshold amounts of light variation needed to see flicker and to see a flickering line, as functions of frequency of variation, are significantly different. Sensitivity to flicker increases between 0.4 and approximately 10 Hz, and shows a subsequent decrease at higher frequencies; sensitivity to spatial contrast decreases gradually between 3 and 30 Hz.
A Brief History of the End of Time

We face the end of an era of abundance. The world is running out of geological time. A generation ago, every person on the face of the Earth had a year of time on deposit in the geological column— 4.5 billion years of deep time for 4.5 billion people. No longer! Earth's population has been growing faster than time has been passing, and with 6.5 billion people afoot, the average person's share of the geological column has shrunk to 252 days. At this rate of population growth, the supply of unexplored strata may melt away before the glaciers disappear, threatening a mass extinction of Earth scientists. Dividing the geological column equitably among the geoscientists alive today would allow each scarcely a millennium's worth of strata as the focus of their life's work, yet most commence their careers with thesis titles that lay claim to whole periods and epochs—a million-to-one disparity between supply and demand.
Sleep, fatigue, and depressive symptoms in breast cancer survivors and matched healthy women experiencing hot flashes.

Janet S. Carpenter, PhD, RN, is an associate professor, and Julie L.Elam, MSN, RN, is a research nurse, both in the School of Nursing atIndiana University in Indianapolis; Sheila H. Ridner, PhD, RN, is apostdoctoral fellow in the School of Nursing, Pam H. Carney, BSN,RN, is a research nurse in the Clinical Trials Office, Gloria J. Cherry,BA, RN, is a research nurse for the Cancer Information Service, andHeather L. Cucullu, BSN, RN, is a research nurse in the Clinical Tri-als Office, all at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. Data from thebreast cancer survivors group were supported by National Institute forNursing Research grant R01 NR05261. Data from the healthy womengroup were supported by a grant from Merck & Co., Inc. (SubmittedApril 2003. Accepted for publication September 15, 2003.)
Information resources management: new era, new rules

CIOs must think strategically and formulate business strategies, build business relationships, and deeply understand the organization's culture-all on Internet time. With this broader job description and accelerated schedule has come a large set of risks, some of which have little to do with the technology. Ironically, the structured world of traditional IRM can help mitigate these risks, but the old rules need some updating. The new IRM requires a proactive CIO, an information systems infrastructure that emphasizes planning, security, and risk control; and IT governance that encourages due diligence.
Investigation of the Double-Y Balun for Feeding Pulsed Antennas

The double-y balun, transitioning from an unbalanced coplanar waveguide (CPW) to a balanced coplanar strip (CPS), was originally developed for use with balanced mixers. In this paper, the feasibility of this balun for feeding pulsed antennas was investigated via time-domain pattern measurements of a resistively loaded V-dipole. The need for a balun when feeding a symmetric antenna is illustrated via time-domain pattern measurements of the resistively loaded V-dipole with and without the double-y balun.
Probability surveys, conditional probability, and ecological risk assessment.

We show that probability-based environmental resource monitoring programs, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (U.S. EPA) Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program, and conditional probability analysis can serve as a basis for estimating ecological risk over broad geographic areas. Under certain conditions (including appropriate stratification of the sampled population, sufficient density of samples, and sufficient range of exposure levels paired with concurrent response values), this empirical approach provides estimates of risk using extant field-derived monitoring data. The monitoring data were used to prescribe the exposure field and to model the exposure–response relationship. We illustrate this approach by estimating risks to benthic communities from low dissolved oxygen (DO) in freshwater streams of the mid-Atlantic region and in estuaries of the Virginian Biogeographical Province of the United States. In both cases, the estimates of risk are consistent with the U.S. EPA's ambient water quality criteria for DO. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2011; 30:1488–1495. © 2011 SETAC
The consumption-based capital asset pricing model: International evidence

Abstract This paper modifies the consumption-based capital asset pricing model (CCAPM) to allow for the possibility that households have finite horizons. Introducing finite horizons into CCAPM does not enhance its ability to account for real-world data. Risk is priced identically whether horizons are finite or infinite. Furthermore, the finite-horizon CCAPM accounts less well than the infinite-horizon CCAPM for the coexistence of low real money-market interest rates and high consumption growth rates and for the coexistence of a wide cross-country variation in the means and variances of consumption growth with a relatively narrow cross-country variation in real money-market interest rates.
THE CONTROL OF FEEDING BEHAVIOR BY AN IMPRINTED STIMULUS1

Imprinted ducklings were trained to peck a pole using brief presentations of the imprinted stimulus as the response-contingent (reinforcing) event. Subjects were then permitted to spend extended periods with continuous access to food and the imprinted stimulus (via a pole peck). For other (control) subjects the experimental situation was restricted to either responding for the stimulus, or feeding in the absence of the stimulus. For subjects in the control conditions, both activities occurred in cyclic fashion. When, however, there was continuous opportunity to respond for the stimulus and food was available, the tendency to respond was related to the tendency to feed. Other experiments showed that independent presentations of the stimulus could initiate feeding in imprinted ducklings with no prior pairing of the stimulus with food and with no prior pole-peck training. The most consistent control over feeding, however, was exhibited by ducklings that were imprinted and also accustomed to periodic removals of the stimulus. It is concluded that in ducklings, imprinting procedures are sufficient to endow an arbitrary stimulus with the capacity to release feeding behavior.
Treatment of lupus with corticosteroids.

Through direct signals to the nucleus mediated by the glucocorticoid receptor, exogenous glucocorticoids impact a broad array of cellular functions. DNA binding of the glucocorticoid receptor, depe...
A sensitive enzymatic method for the determination of free and esterified tissue cholesterol

Abstract An enzymatic assay currently in use in clinical laboratories for quantitating total serum cholesterol has been modified for the determination of microgram quantities of tissue cholesterol. Two types of assays were developed. In the first, more generally useful method, lipids extracted with chloroform/methanol were solubilized by the addition of detergent and assayed for free and total cholesterol using laboratory prepared mixtures of reagents. Although different detergents were effective, it appears that Triton X-100 may be most universally applicable. In the second type of assay, commercially available reagent mixtures were employed for the determination of total cholesterol only. Results of both types of assays compare favorably with determinations using the colorimetric assay on 3β-hydroxysterols recovered from digitonides.
Correlation between low-temperature immunosuppression and the absence of unsaturated fatty acid synthesis in murine T cells.

Abstract 1. 1. Studies were performed to determine if the inability of murine T cells to provide primary helper function atlow temperature (27°C) could be correlated with their inability to synthesize unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs). 2. 2. In the absence of exogenous oleic acid (18:1), splenocytes responded to a T-dependent (TD) Ag (trinitrophenyl-keyhole limpet hemocyanin, TNP-KLH) at 37°C but not at 27°C. The addition of 150 μM 18:1 almost completely restored plaque-forming cell (PFC) responses to TNP-KLH at 27°C but markedly suppressed PFC responses to the TD Ag at 37°C. 3. 3. During incubation at 27°C, B cells converted 3- to 5-fold more steraic acid (18:0) to 18:1 and showed a greater accumulation of monounsaturated phospholipid molecular species than did T cells. 4. 4. Following incubation in the presence of a rescuing dose of 18:1 (150 μM), both B and T cells accumulated large amounts of dioleoyl PC. 5. 5. It is proposed that the absence of 18:1 synthesis in T cells is responsible for the unique low temperature susceptibility of this lymphocyte population.
Supergene families meet in the immune system

The organization of the immune system and its mobiliza- tion in response to foreign antigens are dependent on a network of transient cell-cell interactions. Two receptor- ligand pairs involved in these adhesive interactions have been defined to date, while many remain to be charac- terized (Table 1). The interaction between the CD2 and lymphocyte function associated antigen-3 (LFA-3) glyco- proteins permits T lymphocytes to interact with a number of other cells ~. More recently, it has been shown that LFA-1 mediates intercellular adhesion, at least in part, by binding to intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM- 1) 2-4. There are several aspects of ICAM-1 biology that are of interest, and the recent elucidation of the primary structure s.6 of ICAM-1 establishes an unexpected inter- section in the study of two supergene families s.7 ICAM-1 was identified independently as a putative LFA-1 ligand expressed on B-lymphoblastoid cells 2 and as a B-cell activation marker 8. ICAM-1 is a single chain glycoprotein of 76--1i4 kDa expressed on different cells 8.9. The core polypeptide has a molecular mass of 55 kDa (Ref. 9). Analysis of ICAM-1 expression reveals two major themes. (I) Whi{e !C,aM-1 is wea!~iy expressod on the surface of resting peripheral blood leukocytes 9.:°, its expression is incre3sed by activation of T and B lympho- cytes and monocytes 8-1°. (2) ICAM-1 expression on nonhematopoietic cells is variable (strongest on endo- thelium), but is up-regulated by certain cytokines
Nuclear Data Sheets for A = 146

Abstract The 1967 version of the Nuclear Data Sheets has been revised on the basis of experimental data received by January 31, 1974. Pertinent data received between January 31 and May 31, 1974, have been added in proof. The A = 146 chain consists of 11 nuclei (Cs through Tb). Four of these nuclei (Cs, Ba, La, and Tb) have been assigned since 1969. Tentative level or decay schemes have been assigned to three of these new nuclides (Ba, La, and Tb). Several discrepancies in the data and other problems associated with the construction of the present level schemes will be pointed out in the Comments. The present compilation should serve as a basis for further experiments.
Evolution of South American spiny rats (Rodentia, Echimyidae): the star-phylogeny hypothesis revisited

We analyzed the phylogenetic relationships of echimyid genera based on sequences of the cytochrome b, 12S, and 16S mitochondrial genes. Our results corroborate the monophyly of Octodontoidea and the rapid diversification of echimyid rodents as previously proposed. The analyses indicate that the family Echimyidae, including Myocastor to the exclusion of Capromys, is paraphyletic, since Capromys and Myocastor are well-supported sister-taxa. We therefore suggest the inclusion of both Capromys and Myocastor in the family Echimyidae. Five other suprageneric clades are well supported: Dactylomys+Kannabateomys, Euryzygomatomys+Clyomys, Proechimys+Hoplomys, Mesomys+Lonchothrix, and Makalata+(Echimys+Phyllomys). Trinomys and Thrichomys have no clear close relatives, and Isothrix emerged as sister to Mesomys+Lonchothrix, but with no support. We suggest that most of the cladogenesis leading to the extant echimyid genera probably occurred during the Late Miocene, about eight million years ago.
Estradiol restores diabetes-induced reductions in sex steroid receptor expression and distribution in the vagina of db/db mouse model.

Abstract Sex steroid hormones and receptors play an important role in maintaining vaginal physiology. Disruptions in steroid receptor signaling adversely impact vaginal function. Limited studies are available investigating the effects of diabetic complications on steroid receptor expression and distribution in the vagina. The goals of this study were to investigate type 2 diabetes-induced changes in expression, localization and distribution of estrogen (ER), progesterone (PR) and androgen receptors (AR) in the vagina and to determine if estradiol treatment ameliorates these changes. Eight-week-old female diabetic (db/db) mice (strain BKS.Cg-m+/+ Lepr db /J) were divided into two subgroups: untreated diabetic and diabetic animals treated with pellets containing estradiol. Control normoglycemic littermates were subcutaneously implanted with pellets devoid of estradiol. At 16 weeks of age, animals were sacrificed, vaginal tissues excised and analyzed by Western blot and immunohistochemical methods. Diabetes produced marked reductions in protein expression of ER, PR, and AR. Diabetes also resulted in marked differences in the distribution, staining intensity and proportion of immunoreactive cells containing these steroid receptors in the epithelium, lamina propria and muscularis. Treatment of diabetic animals with estradiol restored receptor protein expression and distribution similar to those levels observed in control animals. This study demonstrates that type 2 diabetes markedly reduces steroid receptor protein expression and distribution in the vagina. Estradiol treatment of diabetic animals ameliorates these diabetes-induced changes.
Data Acquisition Software for the Holifield Heavy Ion Research Facility

A new computer system to perform data acquisition and analysis for the Holifield Heavy Ion Reseach Facility's Oak Ridge Isochronous Cyclotron (ORIC) and the newer 25 MV tandem accelerator has been under development. This paper presents the current implementation and discusses the design of the data acquisition/analysis software.
Distance Learning as a Tool for Poverty Reduction and Economic Development: A Focus on China and Mexico

This paper uses case studies to focus on distance learning in developing countries as an enabler for economic development and poverty reduction. To provide perspective, we first review the history of telecottages, local technology-equipped facilities to foster community-based learning, which have evolved into “telecenters” or “Community Learning Centers” (CLCs). Second, we describe extensive site visits to CLCs in impoverished portions of China and Mexico, the centers operated by premier universities in each respective country. These CLCs constitute the core of new emerging systems of distance education, and their newness poses challenges and opportunities, which are discussed. Finally, we offer 12 points to develop further the concept and reality of distance learning in support of economic development.
The Southern California Earthquake Data Center (SCEDC)

The SCEDC is the primary archive facility for seismic information for southern California earthquakes. The data archive consists of earthquake parameters and travel-time picks from 1932 to the present, waveform recordings from 1981 to the present recorded by the Southern California Seismic Network (SCSN) and Caltech-USGS TriNet, SAR satellite images of southern California, and some regional refraction profiles of the crust and mantle. Data from portable instrument deployments after the 1992 Joshua Tree and Landers earthquakes, and from the 1994 Northridge earthquake, are also stored in this facility. The Data Center is currently archiving nearly 3,000 data channels from 375 stations. An average of 20,000 earthquakes are processed and archived each year. The history of the SCEDC, the current state of data collection, the design of the database and archival system, user access to the system, and the plans for the future are outlined in this article. In particular, we discuss how the data from a large seismic array are stored, and we explain modern methods for accessing the data.
Questions about object structure during coding activities

Recent tools have been designed to help developers understand the potential runtime structure of objects in a system at compile time. Such tools let developers interactively explore diagrams of object structure. But do developers ask questions about object structure? If so, when?We conducted a small pilot study of developers working on coding tasks designed to require thinking about relationships between objects. Developers did indeed ask a number of questions about various types of relationships such as containment, ownership, object identities and aliasing. Finally, some of our results revealed usability challenges tools should address to more effectively answer these questions.
Label-free plasmonic immunosensing for plasmodium in whole blood

We present the first experimental demonstration of label-free malaria pathogen detection in whole blood lysate using plasmon nanostructures. Previous studies on plasmonic biosensing have measured antibody-antigen binding, proteinprotein interactions, and detection of bacteria. However, unlike our sensor, many of these works rely on complex optical setups to excite surface plasmon waves. The demonstrated plasmon sensor is a compact, highly sensitive, cost effective, selective diagnostic tool for many portable biosensing applications such as point-of-care diagnostics. To achieve malaria pathogen detection, we utilized a highly site-directed and stable antibody immobilization process on the nanostructure's surface. The measured refractive index sensitivity of the nanostructured sensor is 378 nm/RIU in the visible range.
A Frame-Free Formulation of Elasticity

As I pointed out at the end of Sect. 4 in [6] of my booklet Five Contributions to Natural Philosophy, it should be possible to make the principle of material frame-indifference vacuously satisfied by using an intrinsic mathematical frame-work that does not use an external frame-space at all when describing the internal interactions of a physical system. Here I will do just that for the classical theory of elasticity and also for the theory of hyperelasticity, i.e., elasticity based on a strain-energy function. I will also comment on possible restrictions on the corresponding intrinsic response functions.
The future of general tendencies in translation: Explicitation in web localization

Explicitation has long been considered a tendency in translation and has been empirically investigated by a number of scholars. This paper responds to Chesterman´s (2004a:47) call to test explicitation phenomena on different translation modalities and types, and tests the explicitation hypothesis against a comparable web corpus containing 40m words. The fast evolving field of web localization was selected given that (1) if explicitation is a potential universal or general tendency, it should be equally present in current and future translation types; (2) localization is a specific case of translation in which explicitation might not be expected due to space constraints and web usability guidelines; (3) research using comparable web corpora has produced evidence contradicting other proposed general tendencies, such as conventionalization (Jimenez-Crespo 2009a; Kenny 2001). The results of the study confirm that despite specific constraints, localized texts show explicitation if contrasted with non-translated web texts belonging to the same digital genre.
Diabetes mellitus disease management in a safety net hospital system: translating evidence into practice.

Abstract The Louisiana State University Health Care Services Division system assessed the effectiveness of implementing a multisite disease management program targeting diabetes mellitus in an indigent patient population. A population-based disease management program centered on evidence-based clinical care guidelines was applied from the system level. Specific clinic modifications and models were used, as well as ancillary services such as medication assistance and equipment subsidies. Marked improvement in process goals led to improved clinical outcomes. From 2001 to 2008, the percentage of patients with a hemoglobin A1c < 7.0 increased from 45% to 55% on the system level, with some sites experiencing a more dramatic shift. Results were similar across sites, which included both small provider groups and academic health centers. In order to achieve these results, the clinical environment changed to promote those evidence-based interventions. Even in complex environments such as academic health centers wi...
Assessing Forecast Skill through Cross Validation

Abstract This study explains the method of cross validation for assessing forecast skill of empirical prediction models. Cross validation provides a relatively accurate measure of an empirical procedure's ability to produce a useful prediction rule from a historical dataset. The method works by omitting observations and then measuring “hindcast” errors from attempts to predict these missing observations from the remaining data. The idea is to remove the information about the omitted observations that would be unavailable in real forecast situations and determine how well the chosen procedure selects prediction rules when such information is deleted. The authors examine the methodology of cross validation and its potential pitfalls in practical applications through a set of examples. The concepts behind cross validation are quite general and need to be considered whenever empirical forecast methods, regardless of their sophistication are employed.
Opposite effects of ethanol on the activation of adenylyl cyclase in human corpus luteum membranes

The influence of an acute exposure to ethanol on adenylyl cyclase activity in membrane fractions prepared from human corpus luteum was investigated. Ethanol up to a concentration of 5% (v/v) was without effect on basal luteal adenylyl cyclase activity, but markedly potentiated stimulation of NaF and hCG in a dose-dependent manner. In contrast, ethanol progressively inhibited forskolin stimulation at the same range of ethanol concentrations. Maximal NaF and hCG responsiveness of adenylyl cyclase activity was observed at 5% ethanol and reached values 80% and 100% higher than controls without ethanol, respectively. However, at the same ethanol concentration, forskolin-stimulated enzymatic activity was reduced by 40% relative to controls. Equilibrium binding studies involving [125I]hCG interaction with luteal membranes in the presence of the concentration of ethanol showing maximal hCG responsiveness indicated that ethanol slightly affected (15% increase) the hCG binding compared to controls, without any appreciable change on the Kd for the hormone. This minor effect of ethanol on gonadotropin binding sites contrasted greatly with the extent at which ethanol maximally potentiated the gonadotropin-stimulated adenylyl cyclase. GTP was found to be less effective than GMP-P(NH)P in sustaining ethanol potentiation, suggesting that ethanol is unlikely to act by inhibiting GTPase activity. These data indicate that the acute effects of ethanol inhibit forskolin-stimulated adenylyl cyclase at concentrations potentiating stimulatory effects of NaF and of hCG, and that the synergistic interaction of ethanol and gonadotropin stimulation of adenylyl cyclase is, at least in part, due to an increase in the functional coupling of the occupied hCG-receptor complex with the components of the enzyme system.
Commonsense Morality and the Consequentialist Ethics of Humanitarian Intervention

Abstract Finding a moral justification for humanitarian intervention has been the objective of a great deal of academic inquiry in recent years. Most of these treatments, however, make certain arguments or assumptions about the morality of humanitarian intervention without fully exploring their precise philosophical underpinnings, which has led to an increasingly disjointed body of literature. The purpose of this essay, therefore, is to suggest that the conventional arguments and assumptions made about the morality of humanitarian intervention can be encompassed in what is essentially a consequentialist framework. After a brief examination of consequentialist ethics, this essay reveals a number of morally relevant factors concerning humanitarian intervention, wherein I suggest that the general consensus in the literature on these factors constitutes ‘commonsense morality’. In doing so, I argue that consequentialism as a theory of the right provides the best fit with commonsense morality on humanitarian in...
Convergent-beam techniques in transmission electron microscopy☆

Abstract The power of transmission electron microscopy for the characterization of crystalline materials has been greatly increased by the technique of convergent-beam electron diffraction. The technique is simple to use on modern microscopes, without modification of the instrument. A diffraction pattern is obtained while the specimen is illuminated with a focused probe. The resulting patterns contain a wealth of detail which can be used to obtain several kinds of information about the sample. The most widely used applications are: phase identification, specimen thickness measurement, symmetry determination, and the measurement of strain and lattice parameter variation.
Morphology, ecophysiology, and seedling establishment for Fouquieria splendens in the northwestern Sonoran Desert

Abstract Seedling establishment for Fouquieria splendens required shading provided by a nurse plant or rock and local water accumulation; an establishment pulse apparently occurred 7 years before this study. It prefers east- or northeast-facing slopes, underscoring the importance of water availability. The mean depth for young roots was only 19 cm. Its leaves had a high mesophyll surface area per unit leaf area (64) and a moderate stomatal frequency (153 mm −2 ), leading to a net CO 2 uptake rate that increased with light level and was up to 13 μmol m −2 s −1 . The number of plants per 0.5-m height interval was fairly constant up to 5 m, with the maximum height over 6 m. Stem decay, which was accelerated by termites, removed dead plants in 5–6 years. F. splendens was highly sensitive to low temperatures, which affects its upper elevational limit, but was extremely tolerant of high temperatures, especially its stems. Although leaves were produced multiple times per year in response to rainfall, nodal extension of stems does not occur every year and was highly correlated with the number of stem rings. Based on the number of nodes along the longest stems and years with adequate rainfall, its maximal age was about 100 years, consistent with photographs taken 27 years apart.
Laser ablation from Lithium niobate

Laser ablation of lithium niobate was studied using a nitrogen laser, scanning electron microscopy and absorption spectroscopy. At the 337 nm nitrogen laser line, the absorption coefficient of lithium niobate is extremely sensitive to temperature. Ablation occurred even at room temperature where calculation strongly suggests that melting should not occur. At higher sample temperature the ablation rate is greater, but not in proportion to the enormous increase in absorption coefficient. Evidence of surface processing is observed in shot number dependence and probably accounts for the low temperature ablation. No effect of repetition rate was observed in contrast to reported dependencies in desorption and fluorescence. Previous work has suggested a relationship between polaron formation and ablation. A crystal was thermally reduced at 850°C leaving it colored dark brown due to formation of polarons and/or bipolarons. No effect of this thermal reduction on the ablation process was observed. Ablation seems to be due to light first processing the surface into a more opaque material possibly by driving out lithium and oxygen. Once any significant absorption begins, the feedback between temperature rise and increased absorption coefficient leads to surface melting.
Risky adolescent sexual behaviors and reproductive health in young adulthood.

CONTEXT: Little research links adolescent risk behaviors to reproductive health outcomes beyond adolescence, although young adults—men and women in their early 20s— bear a disproportionate burden of STDs and unintended childbearing. METHODS: To assess whether individuals who engaged in risk behaviors during adolescence had increased risk of negative reproductive health outcomes in young adulthood, data from Waves 1–4 of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health on 5,798 sexually active respondents were analyzed. Logistic and multinomial logistic regressions examined associations between risk behaviors (cumulatively and individually) and each of three outcomes. RESULTS: Four in 10 youth reported at least three risk factors during adolescence. Women who were exposed to an increasing number of risks had an elevated likelihood of having had multiple sex partners in the last year, rather than none (relative risk ratio, 1.3); having had an STD (odds ratio, 1.1); and having had an intended or unintended birth, as opposed to no birth (relative risk ratio, 1.1 for each). Inconsistent contraceptive use and having had multiple partners, a nonmonogamous partner or a nonromantic partner were associated with reporting multiple partners in the last year; inconsistent use, sexual debut after age 16 and not discussing contraception with a partner were associated with having any birth. CONCLUSIONS: Teenagers’ sexual behaviors have both short-term and long-term consequences, and interventions that focus on multiple domains of risk may be the most effective in helping to promote broad reproductive health among young adults.
Sequence polymorphism can produce serious artefacts in real-time PCR assays: hard lessons from Pacific oysters

Since it was first described in the mid-1990s, quantitative real time PCR (Q-PCR) has been widely used in many fields of biomedical research and molecular diagnostics. This method is routinely used to validate whole transcriptome analyses such as DNA microarrays, suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH) or differential display techniques such as cDNA-AFLP (Amplification Fragment Length Polymorphism). Despite efforts to optimize the methodology, misleading results are still possible, even when standard optimization approaches are followed. As part of a larger project aimed at elucidating transcriptome-level responses of Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) to various environmental stressors, we used microarrays and cDNA-AFLP to identify Expressed Sequence Tag (EST) fragments that are differentially expressed in response to bacterial challenge in two heat shock tolerant and two heat shock sensitive full-sib oyster families. We then designed primers for these differentially expressed ESTs in order to validate the results using Q-PCR. For two of these ESTs we tested fourteen primer pairs each and using standard optimization methods (i.e. melt-curve analysis to ensure amplification of a single product), determined that of the fourteen primer pairs tested, six and nine pairs respectively amplified a single product and were thus acceptable for further testing. However, when we used these primers, we obtained different statistical outcomes among primer pairs, raising unexpected but serious questions about their reliability. We hypothesize that as a consequence of high levels of sequence polymorphism in Pacific oysters, Q-PCR amplification is sub-optimal in some individuals because sequence variants in priming sites results in poor primer binding and amplification in some individuals. This issue is similar to the high frequency of null alleles observed for microsatellite markers in Pacific oysters. This study highlights potential difficulties for using Q-PCR as a validation tool for transcriptome analysis in the presence of sequence polymorphism and emphasizes the need for extreme caution and thorough primer testing when assaying genetically diverse biological materials such as Pacific oysters. Our findings suggest that melt-curve analysis alone may not be sufficient as a mean of identifying acceptable Q-PCR primers. Minimally, testing numerous primer pairs seems to be necessary to avoid false conclusions from flawed Q-PCR assays for which sequence variation among individuals produces artifactual and unreliable quantitative results.
Intermittency of single molecule reaction dynamics in fluctuating environments.

Individual activated events in slowly fluctuating environments are now accessible to study by single molecule spectroscopies. The statistics of such events should exhibit intermittency and will not always obey the Poisson law. For short times, the high order moments are of the corresponding power of the average survival probability. For long times, the high order moments decay much more slowly than the Poisson statistics indicate. A simple example illustrates the ideas when both the environmental variables relax exponentially or follow a stretched exponential law as in glasses or biomolecules.
Efficient discriminative training of long-span language models

Long-span language models, such as those involving syntactic dependencies, produce more coherent text than their n-gram counterparts. However, evaluating the large number of sentence-hypotheses in a packed representation such as an ASR lattice is intractable under such long-span models both during decoding and discriminative training. The accepted compromise is to rescore only the N-best hypotheses in the lattice using the long-span LM. We present discriminative hill climbing, an efficient and effective discriminative training procedure for long-span LMs based on a hill climbing rescoring algorithm [1]. We empirically demonstrate significant computational savings as well as error-rate reduction over N-best training methods in a state of the art ASR system for Broadcast News transcription.
LOT-based adaptive image watermarking

A robust, invisible watermarking scheme is proposed for digital images, where the watermark is embedded using the block-based Lapped Orthogonal Transform (LOT). The embedding process follows a spread spectrum watermarking approach. In contrast to the use of transforms such as DCT, our LOT watermarking scheme allows larger watermark embedding energy while maintaining the same level of subjective invisibility. In particular, the use of LOT reduces block artifacts caused by the insertion of the watermark in a block-by-block manner, hence obtaining a better balance between invisibility and robustness. Moreover, we use a human visual system (HVS) model to adaptively adjust the energy of the watermark during embedding. In our HVS model, each block is categorized into one of four classes (texture, fine-texture, edge ,a ndplain-area) by using a feature known as the Texture Masking Energy (TME). Blocks with edges are also classified according to the edge direction. The block classification is used to adjust the watermark embedding parameters for each block.
Particle saturation of the outer zone: a nonlinear model

Properties of the steady state and transient behavior of geomagnetically trapped radiation are analyzed by means of phenomenological equations that concisely summarize the operative dynamical processes. The equations provide for a realistic coupling between electromagnetic wave energy, particle intensity, and pitch-angle anisotropy in the context of the outer zone. Applications include magnetospheric enforcement of a limit on stably trapped particle flux. the smooth transition between weak pitch-angle diffusion and strong diffusion, parasitic particle precipitation by natural and man-made radio signals, natural and artificial injections of trapped radiation, and the consequences of magnetospheric cold-plasma injection.