cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Transferring Critically Ill Patients Out of Hospital Improves the Standardized Mortality Ratio: A Simulation Study

Abstract Background: Transferring critically ill patients to other acute care hospitals may artificially impact benchmarking measures. We sought to quantify the effect of out-of-hospital transfers on the standardized mortality ratio (SMR), an outcome-based measure of ICU performance. Methods: We performed a cohort study and Monte Carlo simulation using data from 85 ICUs participating in the acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) clinical information system from 2002 to 2003. The SMR (observed divided by expected hospital mortality) was calculated for each ICU using APACHE IV risk adjustment. A set number of patients was randomly assigned to be transferred out alive rather than experience their original outcome. The SMR was recalculated, and the mean simulated SMR was compared to the original. Results: The mean (± SD) baseline SMR was 1.06 ± 0.19. In the simulation, increasing the number of transfers by 2% and 6% over baseline decreased the SMR by 0.10 ± 0.03 and 0.14 ± 0.03, respectively. At a 2% increase, 27 ICUs had a decrease in SMR of > 0.10, and two ICUs had a decrease in SMR of > 0.20. Transferring only one additional patient per month was enough to create a bias of > 0.1 in 27 ICUs. Conclusions: Increasing the number of acute care transfers by a small amount can significantly bias the SMR, leading to incorrect inference about ICU quality. Sensitivity to the variation in hospital discharge practices greatly limits the use of the SMR as a quality measure.
Delivering quality care: adolescents' discussion of health risks with their providers.

Abstract Purpose: To compare adolescents' report of topics they wanted to discuss with their providers with what they actually discussed, and whether they talked to their providers about their self-reported health risks. Methods: We analyzed the 1997 Commonwealth Fund Survey of the Health of Adolescent Girls, a nationally representative sample of 6728 in-school adolescent boys and girls in 5th through 12th grade. Respondents reported on health risks, whether they believed their provider should discuss certain topics, and whether their provider did talk about health-related topics. Logistic regression was used to compare proportions and assess the associations among variables. Results: Adolescents most frequently discussed healthy dietary habits (49%), weight (43%), and exercise (41%) with their clinicians but most frequently wanted to discuss drugs (65%), smoking (59%), and healthy dietary habits (57%). Overall, 70.9% of the sample reported at least one of eight potential health risks, but 63% of these adolescents had not spoken to their doctor about any of these risks. Using logistic regression models, having a female provider (odds ratio [OR] 1.41), obtaining health care information from a doctor (OR 1.72) and from the Internet (OR 1.50), speaking privately with their provider (OR 1.45), and reporting more total risk factors (OR 1.59) were each associated with having discussed any risks. Conclusions: Adolescents want and need to discuss health care issues with their providers but often do not. Providing quality preventive care to adolescents will require increased physician screening and counseling about these issues.
Biopsy and personalized medicine.

Personalized medicine relies upon accurate biopsy. The Perspectives article by David C. Whitcomb (What is personalized medicine and what should it replace? Nat. Rev. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 9, 418–424 [2012]),1 mentions cancer, but we wanted to highlight an important area of personalized medicine that is relevant to hepatic and gastrointestinal malignancies. Personalized drugs found their origins in gastrointestinal malignancies with imatinib for gastrointestinal stromal tumours. The role of biopsy might expand beyond diagnosis to facilitate more accurate characterization of which targeted therapies will be effective. In the past 5 years, the emergence of fusion-guided biopsy technologies (Figure 1) has enabled multimodality biopsy, or referencing of the tissue to any image (CT, MRI or PET) in a prospective and accurate way.2–3 This ability might facilitate personalized characterization of tumour fingerprints during targeted drug selection or validation, whose success might depend on the presence or absence of specific biomarkers, receptors, mutations or ligands within the tumour. The ability to guide a biopsy needle with metabolic guidance from data from a 3D PET scan or from MRI-based vascular density or diffusion maps might have implications for drug sensitivities, metabolomics, prognosis or validation of intended drug effects.4–6 Sequential biopsy (before and after drug administration) has also had a role in drug discovery and validation7,8 and could have an enhanced role in the further personalization of gastrointestinal and hepatic cancers. Furthermore, the correlation of imaging features with specific genetic markers is in its infancy, and promises to enhance the importance of biopsy in the personalization of medicine, and highlight the role of imaging as a surrogate biomarker for tissue biology.9
The Princeton Large Torus (PLT)

In the PLT experimental programme, Ohmic, neutral-injection, and ion-cyclotron heating techniques have been studied and improved, resulting in record ion temperatures. In addition, non-inductive current drive with lower-hybrid waves has been demonstrated. These achievements were made possible by the continual development and deployment of advanced plasma diagnostics, high-power RF systems, and specially tailored materials and structures. The intermediate size of PLT has permitted flexible experimental operation and the separation of plasma core from plasma surface effects.
Effect of Silanization Film Thickness in Soft Lithography of Nanoscale Features

Soft lithography was used to replicate nanoscale features made using electron beam lithography on a polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) master. The PMMA masters were exposed to fluorinated silane vapors to passivate its surfaces so that polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) did not permanently bond to the master. From scanning electron microscopy, the silanization process was found to deposit a coating on the master that was a few hundreds of nanometers thick. These silane films partially concealed the nanoscale holes on the PMMA master, causing the soft lithography process to produce PDMS features with dimensions that were significantly reduced. The thickness of the silane films was directly measured on silicon or PMMA masters and was found to increase with exposure time to silane vapors. These findings indicate that the thickness of the silane coatings is a critical parameter when using soft lithography to replicate nanoscale features, and caution should be taken on how long a master is exposed to silane vapors. [DOI: 10.1115/1.4005665]
Relationship between tropical upper tropospheric moisture and eastern tropical Pacific Sea surface temperature at seasonal and interannual time scales

Water vapor in the tropical upper troposphere, above the altitudes ordinarily sampled by radiosonde humidity elements, is important in controlling atmospheric infrared energy loss to space, both by its dominance of infrared transmission and its role in cloud formation. Much of the water vapor arrives in the upper troposphere above about 12 km in plumes associated with cumulonimbus complexes; values at 215 and 147 hPa have recently been estimated from the Microwave Limb Sounder on the NASA Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite. In equatorial regions, time changes of upper troposphere moisture over a three year period, 1991-1994, are closely related to sea surface temperature changes in the eastern tropical Pacific, including seasonal and non-seasonal variations. Maps of the annual and semi-annual components at 215 and 147 hPa show maxima over the eastern hemisphere land masses and the maritime continent, as well as over Central and South America.
Final-state interactions and $s^-$ quark helicity conservation in $B \to J/\psi K^{*}$

The latest BaBar Collaboration measurement has confirmed substantial strong phases for the $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{B}J/\ensuremath{\psi}{K}^{*}$ decay amplitudes, implying violation of factorization in this decay mode. In the absence of a polarization measurement of a lepton pair from $J/\ensuremath{\psi},$ however, the relative phases of the spin amplitudes still have a twofold ambiguity. In one set of the allowed phases the s-quark helicity is conserved approximately despite final-state interactions. In the other set, the s-quark helicity is badly violated by long-distance interactions. We cannot rule out the latter since the validity of perturbative QCD is questionable for this decay. We examine the large final-state interactions with a statistical model. Toward a resolution of the ambiguity without a lepton polarization measurement, we discuss the relevance of other $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{B}{1}^{\ensuremath{-}}{1}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ decay modes that involve the same feature.
Putative role of neuronal 5-lipoxygenase in an aging brain

Aging is associated with increased incidence and/or severity of neurodegenerative pathologies. Oxygen-mediated events are being considered as possible mechanisms responsible for the increasing neuronal vulnerability. Lipoxygenases are enzymes that, as cyclooxygenases (COX), can insert oxygen into the molecule of arachidonic acid and thereby synthesize inflammatory eicosanoids: leukotrienes [due to 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) activity] and prostaglandins (via COX activity). It appears that 5-LOX is expressed in central nervous system neurons and may participate in neurodegeneration. 5-LOX-triggered cell death may be initiated by the enzymatic activity of 5-LOX but could also occur via the nonenzymatic actions of the 5-LOX protein; new data point to the possibility that 5-LOX protein exerts actions such as interaction with tyrosine kinase receptors, cytoskeletal proteins, and the nucleus. The expression of neuronal 5-LOX is susceptible to hormonal regulation, presumably due to the presence of hormone-responsive elements in the structure of the 5-LOX gene promoter. The expression of the 5-LOX gene and the activity of the 5-LOX pathway are increased in elderly subjects. One possible mechanism of such 5-LOX up-regulation implies the contribution of aging-associated hormonal changes: relative melatonin deficiency and/or hyperglucocorticoidemia. Thus, the 5-LOX pathway could become a promising target of neuroprotective therapies for the aging brain.
Haematozoa of Fishes in Humboldt Bay, California

Five hundred seven fish representing 45 species from Humboldt Bay, California (USA) were examined for blood parasites. Four fish (< 1 %) from two species were infected. Haemogregarina leptocotti sp. n. is described from one of 33 staghorn sculpin (Leptocottus armatus). Haemogregarina roelofsi sp. n. is described from three of 15 black rockfish (Sebastes melanops). Gametocytes of H. leptocotti sp. n. averaged 6.1 × 2.1 μm with a 2.7 × 1.7 μm oval nucleus; those of H. roelofsi sp. n. averaged 5.5 × 2.7 μm with a 2.5 × 2.2 μm rectangular nucleus. Neither species of parasite had distinct chromatin granules, a polar cap, or more than one gametocyte in an infected cell. Haematozoa are relatively rare in fishes of the northeastern Pacific Ocean.
The childhood leukemias

Advances in treatment and prognosis of childhood leukemia are considered a remarkable success of modern medicine. Childhood leukemia, once considered a universally fatal disease, now boasts overall cure rates ranging from 75% to 85% for acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) and cure rates approaching 40% to 50% for acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). Inherent to this success is the expertise nurses provide when caring for children with leukemia. Understanding the classifications of leukemia and the specific therapies help direct the specialized care children with leukemia need. This article provides an overview of childhood leukemias, diagnostic and classification methods used to differentiate and evaluate childhood leukemias, and treatment strategies applied toward various forms of childhood leukemias.
Supersymmetry and Other Scenarios

In this talk, I survey the merits and demerits of Supersymmetry, as well as other approaches to the gauge hierarchy problem.
Diagnosis of Hirschsprung's disease: a prospective, comparative accuracy study of common tests.

Objective To compare the diagnostic accuracy of contrast enema (CE), anorectal manometry (ARM), and rectal suction biopsy (RSB) for the detection of Hirschsprung's disease (HD). Study design Following a prospective protocol, infants suspected of HD underwent all 3 index tests. Children with positive results on 2 or more index tests or who continued to have severe bowel problems underwent a full thickness biopsy as reference standard. Clinical follow-up was the reference standard in all other children. Results Between 2000 and 2003, 111 consecutive patients (67 boys; median age, 5.3 months) in whom HD was suspected were enrolled. HD was found in 28 patients. RSB had the highest sensitivity (93%) and specificity (100%) rates, but values were not significantly different from CE (sensitivity, 76%; specificity, 97%) or from ARM (sensitivity, 83%; specificity, 93%). Inconclusive test results occurred in 8 infants with CE, in 15 infants with ARM because of agitation, and in 2 infants with RSB. Conclusion RSB is the most accurate test for diagnosing HD, and it has the lowest rate of inconclusive test results.
Effect of structure on the rate of the mixed function oxidase catalyzed metabolism of a series of parathion analogs

Abstract Various concentrations of a series of phenyl substituted diethyl phosphorothionates were incubated with rabbit liver microsomes and the rates of formation of the corresponding phenyl substituted diethyl phosphates and of diethyl phosphorothioic acid were determined. From these data the K m and V max values for the formation of these mixed function oxidase catalyzed metabolites were calculated. A plot was made of the log of the V max values for the formation of the phenyl substituted phosphates or diethylphosphorothioic acid against the Hammett σ constants for the substituents on the phenyl ring of the various phenyl substituted diethyl phosphorothionates. These plots indicated that there was no linear relationship between the rates of formation of these metabolites and the electron withdrawing or donating properties of the substituted phenyl groups. A statistical comparison of the K m and V max values for the formation of the phenyl substituted diethyl phosphates and diethyl phosphorothioic acid from the corresponding phenyl substituted diethyl phosphorothionates reveals some differences. These differences are discussed.
Intact hindquarter vascular responses of young spontaneously hypertensive rats to norepinephrine and tyramine.

Abstract Intact hindquarter vascular responses to abdominal aortic injections of subpressor doses of norepinephrine (0.01, 0.02, 0.03 μg) or tyramine (5, 10, 15 μg) were examined in young ( 2 1 2 –3 months ) spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and age-matched Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) normotensives to ascertain whether altered vascular response to catecholamines in SHR could be detected in the presence of relatively constant systemic arterial perfusion pressure. Increases in vascular resistance (Δ mmHg. min/ml) and total decreases in blood flow volume (Δ ml) were determined by using electromagnetic flowmetry and blood flow integration techniques. Under a resting condition the abdominal aortic flow rate (ml/min) was similar between the SHR (8.7 ± 0.5) and WKY control (9.1 ± 0.5), whereas hindquarter vascular resistance was greater (73.8%) in SHR than in WKY normotensives (P
An individual-tree diameter growth model for managed uneven-aged oak-shortleaf pine stands in the Ozark Highlands of Missouri, USA

Abstract The Pioneer Forest encompasses more than 60,000 ha in the Ozark Highlands of Missouri, USA and has been managed using single-tree selection since the early 1950s. This paper quantifies the influence of tree size and competitive position, stand density, species composition, and site quality on ten-year (1992–2002) diameter increment within oak (Quercus spp.) and shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata Mill.) stands on the Pioneer Forest. An individual-tree model was developed for each species using mixed-effects regression and 290 inventory plots. Model efficiency (R2) ranged from 0.26 to 0.57 and fit was generally better for oak species. Basal area in larger trees (BAL) and tree diameter were significant predictors for all species and crown competition factor improved prediction for shortleaf pine and hickory (Carya spp.). Effect of species composition and site quality on diameter growth was not consistent across species. Models were evaluated using a subset of data not included in model fitting and the effect of single tree and standwise (1, 3, or 5 sample trees) calibration on model predictions were evaluated. Inclusion of random effects through calibration improved model prediction for all species and fit was best following single tree and 3 tree calibration.
Low‐pressure thermal decomposition of ONBr and ONCl in shock waves

Rate constants for the low-pressure unimolecular decomposition of ONBr and ONCl in an argon bath have been determined at temperatures in the vicinity of 1000°K. Both molecules exhibit the usual depression of the observed activation energy below the bond dissociation energy. The Arrhenius expressions obtained are (units of cc mole−1 sec−1): Treatment of the data by the classical RRK theory yields s ≅ 2.7 ± 1 for ONCl and 3.0 ± 0.6 for ONBr. Coupling the shock tube results for ONCl with lower-temperature data from Ashmore and Burnett [3], one obtains s ≅ 2.5 ± 0.5 and λ ≈ 1. If it is assumed that s is also 2.5 for ONBr, then one finds the surprising (but tentative) result that λONClAr/λONBrAr ≈ 3 to 4.
Laparoscopic versus open Ladd’s procedure for intestinal malrotation in adults

Intestinal malrotation results from errors in fetal intestinal rotation and fixation. While most patients are diagnosed in childhood, some present as adults. Laparoscopic Ladd’s procedure is an accepted alternative to laparotomy in children but has not been well-studied in adults. This study was designed to investigate outcomes for adults undergoing laparoscopic Ladd’s repair for malrotation. We performed a single-institution retrospective chart review over 11 years. Data collected included patient age, details of pre-operative work-up and diagnosis, surgical management, complications, rates of re-operation, and symptom resolution. Patients were evaluated on an intent-to-treat basis based on their planned operative approach. Categorical data were analyzed using Fisher’s exact test. Continuous data were analyzed using Student’s t test. Twenty-two patients were identified (age range 18–63). Fifteen were diagnosed pre-operatively; of the remaining seven patients, four received an intra-operative malrotation diagnosis during elective surgery for another problem. Most had some type of pre-operative imaging, with computed tomography being the most common (77.3 %). Comparing patients on an intent-to-treat basis, the two groups were similar with respect to age, operative time, and estimated blood loss. Six patients underwent successful laparoscopic repair; three began laparoscopically but were converted to laparotomy. There was a statistically significant difference in hospital length of stay (LOS) (5.0 ± 2.5 days vs 11.6 ± 8.1 days, p = 0.0148) favoring the laparoscopic approach. Three patients required re-operation: two underwent side-to-side duodeno-duodenostomy and one underwent a re-do Ladd’s procedure. Ultimately, three (two laparoscopic, one open) had persistent symptoms of bloating (n = 2), constipation (n = 2), and/or pain (n = 1). Laparoscopic repair appears to be safe and effective in adults. While a small sample size limits the power of this study, we found a statistically significant decrease in LOS and a trend toward decreased postoperative nasogastric decompression. There were no significant differences in complication rates, re-operation, or persistence of symptoms between groups.
Supermassive black holes: Together at last

The X-ray light curve of the debris from a star torn apart by a supermassive black hole provides the best evidence yet for two such black holes orbiting close to each other.
The effect of action potential propagation on a numerical simulation of a cardiac fiber subjected to secondary external stimulus

Computer simulations have been performed on a particular model of propagating cardiac action potentials (AP), over a large enough strand (15 mm) and a long enough time (500 msec) that the complete AP can develop free of end effects. External stimuli of either polarity of transmembrane current are applied in the plateau phase of the AP to a position midway in the strand. In our case, stimuli of either polarity can produce increases in action potential duration (APD), whereas repolarizing stimuli produce decreases in APD for space-clamped calculations. An analysis of the ion fluxes allows us to characterize these events within the parameters of the model. For repolarizing stimuli in our long fiber case, we obtain an APD increase, whereas a decrease might be expected. The APD increase is due to a local deep drop in potential, which resets the fast sodium channels so that subsequent diffusional return of charge from regions of positive potential fires JNa at the stimulus site.
Land Use and Society in Manchuria and Inner Mongolia during the Qing Dynasty

In 1990, Manchuria and eastern Inner Mongolia accounted for nearly one-tenth of the population and one-fifth of the cultivated land in China as a whole.' But it was not always this way. Whereas most of China proper was settled by around the twelfth century, prior to 1700, the Chinese made limited inroads into the territories north of the Great Wall. The occupation and cultivation of Manchuria and eastern Inner Mongolia marks the single greatest expansion of Chinese population and agriculture in modern times. By the Qing Dynasty (1644-19ii), the greatest settlement and cultivation had occurred in the areas directly north of Peking, in southern and central Manchuria, and on the adjacent steppe, whereas the more remote areas of northern and eastern Manchuria were settled during the twentieth century. Moreover, Manchuria, which enjoyed higher precipitation and less immediate access to migrants from northern China suffered less environmental damage than the area directly north of Peking, which was subject to heavy impacts, and the mid-grass steppe, where moderate rainfall could not support intensive cultivation. Manchuria and eastern Inner Mongolia (see Map i) form a huge basin, surrounded by a horseshoe of mountains-the Changbaishan along the Korean and Russian borders in the east, the Xiaoxing'anling (Lesser Khingan) in the northeast, the Daxing'anling (Greater Khingan) in the west, and a complex block of ranges, known collectively as the Yanshan, in the southwest-with the bottom of the horseshoe opening into the Gulf of Bohai in the south. Topographical and climatic features divide the region into three parts. First are the mountain ranges and alluvial plain of eastern and central Manchuria. The high elevations and generous rainfall at the eastern end of the monsoon system produce heavy forest cover and swift-flowing rivers: the Sungari (Songhua)-Nonni (Nenjiang) system, which drains the central plain via the Amur (Heilongjiang) River in the northeast, and the Liao, which emerges from the Yanshan Mountains, crosses the southern Manchuria plain and
The Identity Image of the College Student

Erickson's concept of identity-image and some of the crises in its development are applied to college students. Environmental presses of different colleges as researched by Pace and Stern are seen as pertinent to the growth of the college student's identity-image.
Stage I stress corrosion cracking behavior

Abstract Stage I stress corrosion cracking usually exhibits a very strong stress intensity ( K ) dependence with Paris Law exponents ( m ) of up to 24. Existing stress corrosion cracking models do not adequately describe the stage I regime, but a recently developed salt film dissolution model was found to give an excellent correlation with experimentally determined stage I behavior for Ni. Model calculations indicate that the crack velocity in this regime is controlled by transport through a salt film and that the K dependence results from crack opening controlled salt film dissolution. In many materials there is a suggestion that the value of m is a function of the local crack tip chemistry and crack opening displacement or crack angle.
Magnitude of Sarcomere Extension Correlates with Initial Sarcomere Length during Lengthening of Activated Single Fibers from Soleus Muscle of Rats

A laser-diffraction technique was developed that rapidly reports the lengths of sarcomeres (Ls) in serially connected sectors of permeabilized single fibers. The apparatus translates a laser beam along the entire length of a fiber segment within 2 ms, with brief stops at each of 20 contiguous sectors. We tested the hypothesis that during lengthening contractions, when maximally activated fibers are stretched, sectors that contain the longer sarcomeres undergo greater increases in Ls than those containing shorter sarcomeres. Fibers (n = 16) were obtained from the soleus muscles of adult male rats and the middle portions (length = 1.05 ± 0.11 mm; mean ± SD) were investigated. Single stretches of strain 27% and a strain rate of 54% s−1 were initiated at maximum isometric stress and resulted in a 19 ± 9% loss in isometric stress. The data on Ls revealed that 1), the stretch was not distributed uniformly among the sectors, and 2), during the stretch, sectors at long Ls before the stretch elongated more than those at short lengths. The findings support the hypothesis that during stretches of maximally activated skeletal muscles, sarcomeres at longer lengths are more susceptible to damage by excessive strain.
Half Fourier Single-shot Turbo Spin-echo Magnetic Resonance Urography for the Evaluation of Suspected Renal Colic in Pregnancy

Objective To report our experience with magnetic resonance urography (MRU) in pregnant women suspected of having obstructing upper tract calculi. The diagnosis of an upper tract calculus in the pregnant woman can be challenging. Recent evidence suggests that MRU can be used to effectively evaluate renal colic. Methods From 2008-2011, 9 pregnant women were referred for evaluation of suspected renal colic caused by an obstructing upper tract stone. All patients underwent MRU with a half Fourier single-shot turbo spin-echo (HASTE) protocol. Medical records and imaging studies were reviewed for demographic and clinical data as well as outcome measures. Results The mean age of the subjects was 25 years (range 20-34); average gestational age of the fetus was 23 weeks (range 9-36). In all cases, a renal ultrasound was the initial imaging study obtained, with nondiagnostic findings. HASTE MRU detected 4 ureteral stones and 4 cases of physiological hydronephrosis of pregnancy. In one case, interpretation of the MRU was limited as a result of patient motion. Of the patients with obstructing stones, 1 required endourologic management during her pregnancy and 3 were followed conservatively. No adverse events related to MRU occurred. Conclusion HASTE MRU is an informative imaging study for pregnant women with suspected upper tract stone disease. Information gathered from this study augments that gained from alternative modalities, and aids in medical decision-making. The lack of ionizing radiation exposure, coupled with the capture of detailed anatomic imaging, makes HASTE MRU a particularly useful study in this setting.
Policy transformation for learning from demonstration

Many different robot learning from demonstration methods have been applied and tested in various environments recently. Representation of learned plans, tasks and policies often depends on the technique due to method-specific parameters. An agent that is able to switch between representations can apply its knowledge to different algorithms. This flexibility can be useful for a human teacher when training the agent. In this work we present a process to convert learned policies with two specific methods, Confidence-Based Autonomy (CBA) and Interactive Reinforcement Learning (Int-RL), to each other. Our finding suggests that it is possible for an agent to learn a policy with either CBA or Int-RL method and execute the task with the other with the benefit of previously learned knowledge.
Coexistence of ferromagnetism and superconductivity in Ni/Bi bilayers.

In spite of a lack of superconductivity in bulk crystalline Bi, thin film Bi deposited on thin Ni underlayers are strong-coupled superconductors below $\ensuremath{\sim}4\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{K}$. We unambiguously demonstrate that by tuning the Ni thickness the competition between ferromagnetism and superconductivity in the $\mathrm{N}\mathrm{i}/\mathrm{B}\mathrm{i}$ can be tailored. For a narrow range of Ni thicknesses, the coexistence of both a superconducting energy gap and conduction electron spin polarization are visible within the Ni side of the $\mathrm{N}\mathrm{i}/\mathrm{B}\mathrm{i}$ bilayers, independent of any particular theoretical model. We believe that this represents one of the clearest observations of superconductivity and ferromagnetism coexisting.
Diabetes education and home health care: A natural combination

Home health care nurses are diabetes educators. They are able to assess the educational needs of patients and families in the home environment and provide education that will affect the diabetic's life. This article presents important aspects of the assessment process, presents teaching plans, and provides the home health care team with resource informa tion for diabetes education standards and certification.
Finding Out: An Introduction to LGBT Studies by Deborah T. Meem, Michelle A. Gibson, and Jonathan F. Alexander

This review essay discusses the textbook Finding Out: An Introduction to LGBT Studies, which I used in my class at Texas A&M University for a course on Contemporary Queer Culture.
Alteration by protein a of the distribution of immune complexes containing antigen of retrovirus

Abstract Protein A (PA) altered significantly the clearance rate and tissue uptake of 125 I-p30-anti-p30 immune complexes (IC). 125 I-labeled IC formed at equivalence and injected iv into normal Brown Norway rats were localized in the spleen and liver at 10 min and 1 hr, but were sequestered primarily in the spleen thereafter. IC mixed with PA were cleared from the liver by 4 hr and the amount localized in the spleen at 24 hr was reduced 10-fold. PA exerted this effect even if injected 1 min before or after IC. An effect of PA could be observed as early as 4 hr and as late as 8 days after injection. PA also enhanced the whole body elimination of IC during the first 24 hr. In vitro , PA did not inhibit binding of antigen to antibody, but did inhibit binding of IC to lymphoid and phagocytic cells.
Authentic delay bounded event detection in heterogeneous wireless sensor networks

When using wireless sensor networks for real-time event alarming, it is critical to ensure event notification in a timely manner. Additionally, it is extremely important to ensure the alarms generated by the sensors propagate securely through the network to the sink. Another important factor to consider is energy, as it is a limited resource in wireless sensor networks. Accordingly, maximizing network lifetime is always an optimization goal. To address the aforementioned concerns, in this paper we present the Authentic Delay Bounded Event Detection System (ADBEDS). ADBEDS works in rounds, and in each round an event detection tree is responsible for simultaneously detecting events, routing packets to a gateway node, and detecting injection of false packets. The ADBEDS can support k-watching composite events to allow event detection in a redundant manner. Additionally, the corresponding event alarm can be delivered within a user-specified bounded delay. The use of energy-based keying allows smaller, more efficient keys as input to security mechanisms, allowing further reduction in energy consumption of the ADBEDS. We evaluate the energy efficiency and reliability of ADBEDS using theoretical analysis and simulation.
Issues in Publishing an Online, Open-Access CALL Journal

The article presents the authors' personal views and reflections regarding the status and trends of applied linguistics scholarship as of the Winter of 2010, drawing on their experiences as editors of an open access research journal hosted in the Internet. Details are given describing the features of their journal, outlining its accomplishments along with mentioning the challenges they faced in managing it.
A high performance 64Gb MLC NAND flash memory in 20nm CMOS technology

A 64Gb MLC NAND flash memory on 20nm CMOS technology has been developed. 135mm2 chip size is realized by 1-sided All-Bit-Line architecture and 128 cells in a string. 25MB/s program throughput with 2-bit/cell is achieved by reducing BL resistance and pump output loading using new BL control method and multi-split block decoder. This device also supports 400MB/s high speed interface.
Immigration and living arrangements: moving beyond economic need versus acculturation.

Prior research seeking to explain variation in extended family coresidence focused heavily on the potentially competing roles of cultural preferences and socioeconomic and demographic structural constraints. We focus on challenges associated with international immigration as an additional factor driving variation across groups. Using 2000 census data from Mexico and the United States, we compare the prevalence and age patterns of various types of extended family and non-kin living arrangements among Mexican-origin immigrants and nonimmigrants on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. Additionally, we use the Survey of Income and Program Participation to examine the stability of extended family living arrangements among Mexican-origin immigrants and natives in the United States. We find that newly arrived immigrants to the United States display unique patterns in the composition and stability of their households relative to nonimmigrants in both Mexico and the United States. Recent immigrants are more likely to reside in an extended family or non-kin household, and among those living with relatives, recent immigrants are more likely to live with extended family from a similar generation (such as siblings and cousins). Further, these households experience high levels of turnover. The results suggest that the high levels of coresidence observed among recently arrived Mexican immigrants represent a departure from “traditional” household/family structures in Mexico and are related to the challenges associated with international migration.
Tigaran (Point Hope, Alaska) tooth drilling

In a sample of 48 adult Tigarans (1300–1700 A.D.) from Point Hope, Alaska, 33 exhibited various degrees of periodontal disease, which, in 25, resulted in tooth loss (Schwartz, unpublished data). Although extreme examples of tooth wear were prevalent in the sample, carious infection was noted in only one individual, in whom the lower central incisors (I1s) had been affected. In the left I1 infection had spread through the root's apex into the alveolar bone, causing an abscess. The buccal (labial) side of the root of this tooth, just below the crown, bears a shallow, relatively flat-bottomed depression, with a small perforation into, as well as a second hole that fully penetrates, the root canal. Both of these features appear to have been produced by an implement, and, as they are associated with a diseased tooth, and ritualistic tooth shaping or drilling of any sort was, and is, not practiced among Arctic groups, their purpose was probably therapeutic. As such, this specimen appears to represent a case of precontact New World Arctic dentistry. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Preparation and Characterization of [2Ga-2S] Anabaena 7120 Ferredoxin, the First Gallium−Sulfur Cluster-Containing Protein

The preparation and characterization of the [2Ga-2S] analog of the [2Fe-2S] ferredoxin from vegetative cells of the cyanobacterium Anabaena 7120, a prototypical plant-type ferredoxin, is described. The novel metal-substituted analog was obtained through constitution of the apoprotein with Ga(III) and sulfide anion in argon-saturated aqueous buffer. The replacement product migrated identically with the diferric protein on a 15% native PAGE gel and contained 2 atom equiv of gallium and sulfide per mole of protein, according to inductively coupled plasma and colorimetric analysis, respectively. The EXAFS spectrum of the gallium−sulfide constituted protein indicated the presence of a [2Ga-2S] cluster with structural features similar to those of [2Fe-2S] clusters. Cross peaks from nuclei that were not affected by the paramagnetism of the iron−sulfur cluster in two-dimensional 1H NMR spectra of the [2Fe-2S] ferredoxin appeared at chemical shifts essentially equivalent to those arising from analogous nuclei in t...
Evaluation of dodecylmaltoside as a permeability enhancer for insulin using human carcinoma cells.

Abstract Dodecylmaltoside (DDM), an alkylglycoside showing tissue-permeability-enhancing properties, has been successful in improving nasal and ocular transport of poorly absorbed drugs. It was hypothesized that optimization of DDM concentration would improve the transport of insulin across epithelial monolayers without causing cell damage. Samples of markers and insulin were collected over a 6-h period and transepithelial electrical resistance was measured at concurrent time points to ascertain the effect of DDM on tight junctions. Samples were analyzed for lucifer yellow and insulin using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and for 3 [H]-mannitol by scintillation counting. A significant increase in the transport of markers and insulin was recorded in DDM-treated cells compared with controls. DDM enhanced the transport of markers and insulin in a concentration-dependent manner. Decreased transepithelial electrical resistance values confirmed that enhanced transport is caused by loosening of tight junctions. Cell recovery was >95% in 8h indicating the potential of DDM as a penetration enhancer for clinical administration of insulin and other poorly absorbed drugs without causing cell damage.
LA GEOMETRIA NEL ROMANZO: I “GRAFICI NARRATIVI” DI FRANCESCA DURANTI

Nothing in my life corresponds with anything in this room — my life has always been crude, unfinished, raw, tentative … it occurred to me looking at this room that the raw, unfinished quality in my life was precisely what was valuable in it and I should hold on fast to it.
The Role of HR in Achieving a Sustainability Culture

An organization’s Human Resource function can be instrumental in facilitating a comprehensive approach for creating a culture of sustainability and environmental stewardship. As such, it is recommended that an organization’s Sustainability Coordinator work more closely with the organization’s Human Resource executive. This idea might be considered a new area of focus for the practical implementation of sustainable development in a company. The strategy involves making significant changes to the organization’s systems for: recruiting applicants, selecting new employees, conducting new employee orientation, conducting performance evaluations, determining employee compensation, creating a succession planning process, providing employees with training and development, and mentoring employees and managers. It also involves creating a win-win-win collaboration among multiple stakeholders who are in conflict with each other. Numerous examples are provided demonstrating how a focus on each of the HR systems has helped organizations to create a sustainability culture.
Women science faculty at MIT.

A quote from me in an article by A. Lawler (“Progress on hiring women science faculty members stalls at MIT,” News of the Week, 21 Apr., p. [347][1]) may have left an incorrect impression about tenure rates for female versus male faculty in the School of Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Over many years, women faculty in the school have received tenure at the same rate as men. The reason that the number of women faculty in science at MIT did not increase from 2001 to 2005, following a rapid increase from 1997 to 2000, was due to normal attrition rates combined with a difference in the rate of hiring. In the 3-year period between 1997 and 2000, women were hired at a rate of nearly four per year among the six departments in the School of Science; in contrast, in the 5 years from 2001 to 2005, women were hired at a rate of about two per year. A further correction to the article is in the number of women joining the MIT faculty in the two 5-year periods before and after 2000: 15 joined between 1996 and 2000, and 11 joined between 2001 and 2005, not 13 and 12, as stated in the article. [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.312.5772.347a
Agent-based and phylogenetic analyses reveal how HIV-1 moves between risk groups: injecting drug users sustain the heterosexual epidemic in Latvia.

Abstract Injecting drug users (IDUs) are a driving force for the spread of HIV-1 in Latvia and other Baltic States, accounting for a majority of cases. However, in recent years, heterosexual cases have increased disproportionately. It is unclear how the changes in incidence patterns in Latvia can be explained, and how important IDUs are for the heterosexual sub-epidemic. We introduce a novel epidemic model and use phylogenetic analyses in parallel to examine the spread of HIV-1 in Latvia between 1987 and 2010. Using a hybrid framework with a mean-field description for the susceptible population and an agent-based model for the infecteds, we track infected individuals and follow transmission histories dynamically formed during the simulation. The agent-based simulations and the phylogenetic analysis show that more than half of the heterosexual transmissions in Latvia were caused by IDU, which sustain the heterosexual epidemic. Indeed, we find that heterosexual clusters are characterized by short transmission chains with up to 63% of the chains dying out after the first introduction. In the simulations, the distribution of transmission chain sizes follows a power law distribution, which is confirmed by the phylogenetic data. Our models indicate that frequent introductions reduced the extinction probability of an autonomously spreading heterosexual HIV-1 epidemic, which now has the potential to dominate the spread of the overall epidemic in the future. Furthermore, our model shows that social heterogeneity of the susceptible population can explain the shift in HIV-1 incidence in Latvia over the course of the epidemic. Thus, the decrease in IDU incidence may be due to local heterogeneities in transmission, rather than the implementation of control measures. Increases in susceptibles, through social or geographic movement of IDU, could lead to a boost in HIV-1 infections in this risk group. Targeting individuals that bridge social groups would help prevent further spread of the epidemic.
Dual-controlled drug delivery across biodegradable copolymer. I. Delivery kinetics of levonorgestrel and estradiol through (caprolactone/lactide) block copolymer.

ABSTRACTFour block copolymers of caprolactone (CL) and dl-lactide (LA) with varying weight fractions were synthesized by living polymerization in the presence of Al/Zn bimetallic alkoxide complex. The solubility of levonorgestrel (LNG) and estradiol (E2) in the copolymers was evaluated and found to increase exponentially with CL mole fraction. Their aqueous solubilities were also studied and observed to increase linearly with the concentration of benzalkonium chloride (BAC), a solubilizer. The kinetics of LNG and E2 permeation through the copolymer membranes were studied and observed to follow a zero-order kinetics, and the permeation rates obtained were noted to be a function of copolymer composition. The release kinetics through the copolymer matrix were also studied and noted to follow a matrix-diffusion process, and the release flux was found to be dependent on copolymer composition. Permeation rates and release fluxes at steady state as well as the permeability and solubility of LNG and E2 in the cop...
Glycoprotein from Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus (IHNV) Induces Protective Immunity against Five IHNV Types

Abstract Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) is a fish pathogen that kills young salmon and trout. Outbreaks of the disease among hatchery-reared fish are a problem in the northwestern USA from northern California to Alaska. At least five biochemical types and several strains of differing host specificity of IHNV exist. Any vaccine developed to immunize fish must be able to elicit a response that will neutralize all strains of IHNV. This report shows that a single type of IHNV can induce a protective immune response in vivo to the five biochemical types of IHNV and indicates that, of the IHNV isolates examined, there is at least one common major neutralization epitope. Therefore, a vaccine developed against this common neutralization epitope will provide cross-protective immunity against these IHNV variants.
Concurrent Design of Product Families and Assembly Systems

In order to gain competitive advantage, manufacturers require cost effective methods for developing a variety of products within short time periods. Product families, reconfigurable assembly systems and concurrent engineering are frequently used to achieve this desired cost effective and rapid supply of product variety. The independent development of methodologies for product family design and assembly system design has led to a sequential approach to the design of product families and assembly systems. However, the designs of product families and assembly systems are interdependent and efficiencies can be gained through their concurrent design. There are no quantitative concurrent engineering techniques that address the problem of the concurrent design of product families and assembly systems. In this paper, a non-linear integer programming formulation for the concurrent design of a product family and assembly system is introduced. The problem is solved with a genetic algorithm. An example is used to demonstrate the advantage of the concurrent approach to product family and assembly system design over the existing sequential methodology.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Letter to the Editor: Chemical shift assignments of the (poly)ubiquitin-binding region of the proteasome subunit S5a

Biological context Ubiquitin recognition is essential for numerous cellular processes including protein degradation, endocytic sorting, transcriptional control, intranuclear localization, and DNA repair. Indeed the biological impact of ubiquitylation has recently been realized to be comparable to phosphorylation. Ubiquitylation as a signal for targeted protein degradation by the proteasome has been well studied due to its biological prominence. Among the duties of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway is controlling the lifespan of regulatory proteins, removing improperly folded proteins that would otherwise aggregate, and producing immunocompetent peptides. Indeed failure of proteasome-mediated protein degradation is associated with numerous neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and poly