cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Patterns in traumatic rupture of the bronchus

Abstract Some ruptures of the bronchus are diagnosed early but in many there is a long delay. This is because there are two distinct clinical patterns, one of which is not well recognized. In the first there is free communication between the bronchus and the pleura and the diagnosis is easily suspected when the lung fails to re-expand with adequate pleural suction. In the second there is little or no communication between the rupture site and the pleura. The peribronchial tissues maintain a conduit and ventilation of the lung continues until obstruction is produced by granulation tissue after a week or more. The lung then becomes airless and a mistaken diagnosis of retained secretions is easily made. The two types are illustrated by case reports.
On the robustness of the bowl phenomenon

Abstract The bowl phenomenon provides a way of increasing the throughput of some production line systems with variable processing times by purposely unbalancing the line in a certain manner. However, achieving this increase in throughput depends on correctly identifying the values of the system parameters to estimate the optimal amount of unbalance and then actually being able to assign work to stations according to the optimal bowl allocation. In this paper we study the robustness of the bowl phenomenon by examining the effect of inaccurately estimating the optimal amount of unbalance and the effect of deviating from the optimal bowl allocation. Our results show that the bowl phenomenon is relatively robust in the sense that fairly large errors (even 50%) in the amount of unbalance still provide most of the potential improvement in throughput over a perfectly balanced line. Moreover, the throughput still exceeds that of a perfectly balanced line in most cases even when the work allocation to each station deviates from the optimal bowl allocation by as much as 10%. We also address the question of whether the optimal bowl allocation or the balanced line provides a more robust ‘target’ when assigning work to stations. When the deviations from these two targets are of the same magnitude, we found that the optimal bowl allocation target yields the larger throughput in most cases, where the average difference between their throughputs is roughly the same as the difference between the optimal throughput and the throughput of a balanced line. Furthermore, for the same magnitude of deviation, the throughput depends more heavily on the direction of the deviation from the balanced line than that from the optimal bowl allocation, so that the risk of a substantially reduced throughput is much larger when using the balanced line as the target. Therefore, the optimal bowl allocation provides a much more robust target than the balanced line.
A longitudinal investigation of the effect of information perception and focus on attrition in online learning environments

To better understand causes of attrition from a limited residency doctoral program, this paper describes the results of a seven-year study wherein the author collected data reflecting a given student's preference for information perception and focus. These constructs, based on Jung's theory of psychological type, have been hypothesized to be directly related to academic achievement. While no statistically significant results were realized, the effect sizes clearly show that students with a preference for information perception via sensing (e.g., a preference for systematic goal-oriented work that is organized, steady and linear) are more likely to succeed in programs such as the one described in the paper.
Toxicity of sewage sludge toRhepoxynius abronius, a marine benthic amphipod

Relative toxicity of sewage sludges from six treatment plants was determined by the LC50 of sludge-sediment mixtures to the infaunal marine amphipod,Rhepoxynius abronius. LC50s were measured as the increase in the percent total volatile solids (TVS) of the mixture due to the addition of sludge required to kill 50% of the amphipods during a 10-day exposure. LC50s ranged from 2.83% TVS addition for sludge from the small, domestic community of Waldport, Oregon to <0.1% TVS addition for metropolitan, more industrialized sources in Los Angeles, California. The toxicity of the sludge-sediment mixtures is attributed primarily to chemical contamination rather than organic enrichment. Rank correlations between toxicity and specific chemicals were usually not statistically significant, indicating that different combinations of stresses involving multiple or unmeasured factors were probably responsible for observed effects. Integrative measures of contamination (oil/grease concentration; consensus ranking of contamination based on 15 parameters) were significantly correlated withR. abronius survival indicating that the more toxic sludges had a higher overall level of contamination.
FANGS: high speed sequence mapping for next generation sequencers

Next Generation Sequencing machines are generating millions of short DNA sequences (reads) everyday. There is a need for efficient algorithms to map these sequences to the reference genome to identify SNPs or rare transcripts and to fulfill the dream of personalized medicine. We present a Fast Algorithm for Next Generation Sequencers (FANGS), which dynamically reduces the search space by using q-gram filtering and pigeon hole principle to rapidly map 454-Roche reads onto a reference genome. FANGS is a sequential algorithm designed to find all the matches of a query sequence in the reference genome tolerating a large number of mismatches or insertions/deletions. Using FANGS, we mapped 50000 reads with a total of 25 million nucleotides to the human genome in as little as 23.3 minutes on a typical desktop computer. Through our experiments, we found that FANGS is upto an order of magnitude faster than the state-of-the-art techniques for queries of length 500 allowing 5 mismatches or insertion/deletions.
Snare retrieval of migrated ventriculoatrial shunt

Among the numerous complications of ventriculoatrial shunting, discontinuity and migration of a catheter fragment into the heart or pulmonary arteries is only rarely encountered. Percutaneous snare retrieval of shunt tubing from the pulmonary arteries is described in a patient presenting with signs of shunt malfunction.
Irreversible pulmonary artery hypertension during interferon-alpha therapy for HCV infection: a case report

The interferons are a complex group of virally induced proteins produced by activated macrophages and lymphocytes, which have become the mainstay of therapy for hepatitis C infection. Sustained viral response rates with interferon therapy vary from 40–60% and along with transplantation have drastically changed the course of HCV infection. Numerous side effects associated with interferon therapy have been reported. Transient flu-like symptoms with fever, myalgias and weakness, to serious effects like cardiac arrhythmias, cardiomyopathy, renal and liver failure, polyneuropathy and myelosuppression have been described. Pulmonary side effects including pneumonitis, pulmonary fibrosis and reversible pulmonary hypertension have been reported. Here we present a patient who was treated with interferon-alpha and developed severe irreversible pulmonary hypertension.
Reliability of automated platelet counts: Comparison with manual method and utility for prediction of clinical bleeding

The 20 x 10(9)/L (20,000/microliters) threshold for prophylactic platelet transfusion may be unnecessarily high. The widespread use of this threshold may reflect lack of confidence in the reliability of low platelet counts. We evaluated the performance of automated platelet counts and their relation to clinical bleeding. First, we prepared serial blood dilutions with "target" platelet counts from 2 to 40 x 10(9)/L. For the 48 measurements on 2 x 10(9)/L "target" dilutions, values of 1 or 2 x 10(9)/L were obtained with the Sysmex NE-8000 analyzer (mean 1.44 x 10(9)/L; SD 0.31 x 10(9)/L). Similarly, for 5 x 10(9)/L "target" counts, automated counts were 3-6 x 10(9)/L (mean 4.42 x 10(9)/L; SD 0.18 x 10(9)/L). Similar results were observed with all other "target" levels, with coefficients of variation (CV) from 6.39% to 7.71% with 10-40 x 10(9)/L "target" values. Secondly, we compared triplicate automated and manual platelet counts on thrombocytopenic patients with platelet counts from 4-30 x 10(9)/L. The triplicate automated platelet counts differed by no more than 5 x 10(9)/L among themselves, whereas the manual counts varied by as much as 30 x 10(9)/L. Mean platelet counts: automated, 14.40 x 10(9)/L (CV 10.12%); manual, 16.48 x 10(9)/L (CV 30.39%) (P = 0.038 for counts; P < 0.001 for CV). Finally, we prospectively evaluated bleeding in thrombocytopenic patients (1,809 patient-days of observation). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed highly significant correlations between the automated platelet count and major and minor bleeding manifestations. Thus, automated platelet counts are highly reliable and accurately predict clinical bleeding. The use of automated analyzers should facilitate improved prophylactic platelet transfusion protocols.
Beyond Economism: Urban Political Economy and the Postmodern Challenge

ABSTRACT:Urban political economy has been prone to two errors: overgeneralizing to abstract theory and overemphasizing the role of economic interests. Drawing on postmodern philosophy, the author examines these two errors, which he labels economism, and suggests a more concrete culturally rooted approach to urban political economy. The author develops his argument through a critique of the conventional concept of urban economic restructuring. Far from being a unified global process, urban economic restructuring is, in fact, highly fragmented and rooted in particular political and cultural relations. Geographically rooted political and cultural loyalties are not drags on economic growth but are essential, the author argues, for a well-functioning economy. The paper concludes with some policy implications for the problem of concentrated urban poverty.
Poromechanics Response of Inclined Wellbore Geometry in Fractured Porous Media

This paper presents the poromechanics/poroelastic analytical solution for stress and pore pressure fields induced by the action of drilling and/or the pressurization of an inclined/horizontal wellbore in fractured fluid-saturated porous media, or naturally fractured fluid-saturated rock formations. The model which is developed within the framework of the coupled processes in the dual-porosity/dual-permeability approach accounts for coupled isothermal fluid flow and rock/fractures deformation. The solution to the inclined/horizontal wellbore problem is derived for a wellbore drilled in an infinite naturally fractured poroelastic medium, subjected to three-dimensional in situ state of stress and pore pressure. The dual-porosity analytical solution is first reduced to the limiting single-porosity case and verified against an existing single-porosity solution. A comparison between single-porosity and dual-porosity poroelastic results is conducted and displayed in this work. Finally, wellbore stability analyses have been carried out to demonstrate possible applications of the solution.
Influence of Attitude Similarity on Parole Recommendations

Summary An attitude questionnaire was filled out by 75 undergraduates who subsequently evaluated a hypothetical male convict's responses to the same survey—the convict's attitudes being either 10% or 90% similar to each S's own views. Ss then made judgments of the convict's emotional maturity, sense of personal responsibility, and control of violent impulses, as well as how much they would like him as a person and how willing they would be to recommend him for parole. The results indicated that attitudinal similarity to the convict was associated with significantly more positive evaluations of him on each of the five response measures. It was suggested that attitudinal similarity to a convict could be a biasing factor in judgments of whether or not the convict should be paroled.
Praying as a Plaintiff

Several biblical prayers include the speaker’s demand for judgment from God. Akkadian prayers contain similar language. Examination of plaintiffs’ statements in Neo-Babylonian lawsuit records substantiates the interpretation of these demands in prayers as a courtroom form of speech.
Effects of anisotropy and nonhomogeneity on left ventricular stresses in the intact heart.

The qualitative effects of anisotropy and nonhomogeneity are considered in the evaluation of left ventricular stresses in the intact heart. Maximum stresses and their location are significantly dependent on the nonhomogeneity factors and to a lesser degree on anisotropy of the ventricular wall material. If the circumferential elastic modulus is assumed to vary in a parabolic manner through the wall thickness, maximum stresses occur within the endocardial layers, a result in qualitative agreement with experimental studies.
Indian and Anglo Adolescent Alcohol Use and Emotional Distress: Path Models

Anonymous surveys of alcohol use and emotional distress of 11th and 12th grade students were administered to 327 reservation Indian adolescents and 524 Anglo adolescents. Path models based on peer cluster theory were developed and tested. Results argue against a self-medication theory of adolescent alcohol use. Emotional distress variables had little effect on alcohol involvement, with the exception of anger which operated in opposite directions for the two groups. The highest relationship with alcohol involvement in both groups was with peer alcohol associations, confirming the a priori hypothesis that much of adolescent alcohol use is linked to peer associations. Those relationships, however, were much stronger in Anglo youth, suggesting that alcohol may be used more frequently in nonpeer situations by Indian youth, or at least in situations where the peers are not those close friends who have very similar patterns of alcohol use. The most important difference between Indian and Anglo youth, however, ma...
Predictors of antihypertensive medication adherence in two urban health-care systems.

BACKGROUND Most studies on patient-related predictors of adherence used self-reported measures or pharmacy databases to measure adherence. We identified predictors of antihypertensive medication adherence measured by Medication Event Monitoring System (MEMS), the gold standard for adherence assessment, in uncontrolled, predominantly African-American (AA) hypertensives from large urban public and private primary care clinics. METHODS As part of the baseline data collection of a cluster-randomized trial for hypertension control, we measured adherence in a random sample of 124 participants using MEMS caps. We also included the data of 52 patients in intervention clinics who subsequently completed MEMS monitoring on referral from their provider. Participants were classified as adherent if they took ≥ 80% of all prescribed doses. Multivariate logistic regression was used to predict adherence. RESULTS Of 176 patients monitored, 61 (34.6%) took <80% of prescribed doses. AA ethnicity (odds ratio (OR) AA vs. Hispanic = 0.36; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.15-0.86), female sex (OR = 0.38; 95% CI 0.15-0.91), and public clinics as source of care (OR public clinics vs. private clinics = 0.45; 95% CI 0.20-0.97) were independently associated with lower adherence. Higher adherence was seen in patients monitored by clinician order in the intervention clinics (OR intervention sample vs. random baseline sample = 2.15; 95% CI 0.96-4.81) and diabetic patients (OR = 2.05; 95% CI 1.01-4.15). All analyses were adjusted for education, employment status, and other potentially confounding factors. CONCLUSIONS AA ethnicity, female gender and attending a publicly funded primary care clinic were associated with lower adherence. Whether targeting these groups for special interventions would improve overall adherence needs further study.
A murine model of opioid-induced hyperalgesia

Controversies surround the possible long-term physiological and psychological consequences of opioid use. Analgesic tolerance and addiction are commonly at the center of these controversies, but other concerns exist as well. A growing body of evidence suggests that hyperalgesia caused by the chronic administration of opioids can occur in laboratory animals and in humans. In these studies we describe a murine model of opioid-induced hyperalgesia (OIH). After the treatment of mice for 6 days with implanted morphine pellets followed by their removal, both thermal hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia were documented. Additional experiments demonstrated that prior morphine treatment also increased formalin-induced licking behavior. These effects were intensified by intermittent abstinence accomplished through administration of naloxone during morphine treatment. Experiments designed to determine if the mu-opioid receptor mediated OLH in our model revealed that the relatively-selective mu-opioid receptor agonist fentanyl induced the thermal hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia characteristic of OIH when administered in intermittent boluses over 6 days. In complimentary experiments we found that CXBK mice which have reduced mu-opioid receptor binding displayed no significant OIH after morphine treatment. Finally, we explored the pharmacological sensitivities of OIH. We found that the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist MK-801, the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) and the heme oxygenase (HO) inhibitor tin protoporphyrin (Sn-P) dose-dependently reduced OIH in this model while the NSAID indomethacin had no effect. Thus we have characterized a murine model of OIH which will be useful in the pursuit of the molecular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon.
THE DECISION-MAKER AND EXPORT ENTRY AND EXPANSION

This paper examines the varied empirical findings of the relationship between firm, individual characteristics, and foreign entry expansion behavior. The results support the view that such activity is neither exclusively determined by structural or managerial factors and is really the result of interaction between both types of variables. The paper proposes that foreign entry and expansion can best be understood as an adoption of innovation-type behavior.
Soft tissue changes of the upper lip associated with maxillary advancement in obstructive sleep apnea patients.

Purpose: This retrospective study evaluated the horizontal and vertical soft tissue changes that occur with maxillary advancement surgery with a Le Fort I osteotomy with concomitant anatomic reorientation of the nasolabial musculature. Subjects and Methods: Fifteen OSA patients who underwent maxillary advancement with a Le Fort I osteotomy without adjunctive nasal soft tissue procedures were studied after a minimum of 8 months of follow-up. The V-Y technique was used to close the maxillary vestibular incision. Only cases with minimal vertical movement (< 3.5 mm) in which no orthodontics were used were included. The average maxillary advancement was 8.0 ± 2.5 mm, measured at the upper incisor (UPI) and the average vertical movement was 0.7 ± 1.8 mm. The horizontal and vertical soft tissue change in subnasale (SN), labrale superiorus (LS), superior stomion (SS), nasal tip (NT), nasolabial angle (NLA), and lip length were measured in each patient and correlated with hard tissue measurements at anterior nasal spine (ANS) and UPI. The effect of lip thickness on these soft tissue changes also was evaluated. Results: Using mean data, the horizontal soft-to-hard-tissue ratio for LS to UPI was 0.80:1, with a concomitant vertical (superior) soft tissue change to hard tissue advancement of 0.16:1. Lip length did not change significantly. All patients except 1 showed a slight decrease in nasolabial angle. The average decrease was 5° (range, −10° to +7°). There was no statistically significant correlation between the degree of change in NLA and the amount of maxillary advancement. Conclusion: This study showed that advancement of the maxilla when controlling vertical movement resulted in the a hard-to-soft-tissue ratio of LS:UPI of 0.80:1. NLA did not change significantly. © 2001 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
Modeling λ-Invariants by p-adic Random Matrices

How often is the p-adic λ-invariant of an imaginary quadratic field equal to m? We model this by the statistics of random p-adic matrices, and test these predictions numerically. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes in young adolescent parturients in an inner-city hospital.

Abstract Objective: Our purpose was to determine the relationship between adolescence and pregnancy-related outcomes. Study Design: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in a population of adolescents delivered in a large inner-city hospital. The study population consisted of 14,718 adolescents and 11,830 nonadolescent controls. Pregnancy outcomes were compared in young adolescents (n = 2930) and mature adolescents (n = 11,788) versus controls. Results: Adolescents were significantly more likely than controls to be African American, single, diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease during pregnancy, and reside with others ( P Conclusion: Young adolescents are at increased risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2002;186:918-20.)
Progress on readout electronics for far-infrared arrays

The far-infrared is a key wavelength regime for astronomical observations. Until recently, however, development of useful large format arrays at these wavelengths has been hampered by the lack of suitable readouts that operate well at the very low temperatures required by these detectors. We report on the initial characterization of CRC-696 readouts fabricated at the Hughes Technology Center (Carlsbad CA) specifically built to operate at 4 K and lower. These devices have been optimized to work with extrinsic germanium photoconductors. At these low temperatures, the fully multiplexed 32-channel readouts has a read noise below 30 electrons at a power dissipation of 1 (mu) W per channel. We also report on the testing of the first complete focal plane module fabricated with these devices. This module is operating at a level of performance (dark current, noise, stability, and power dissipation) that make arrays built with this technology suitable candidates for the next generation of space infrared observatories.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Radiation-induced band bending on GaAs(110)

Abstract UHV cleaved GaAs(110) surfaces were irradiated by unmonochromatized UV — radiation from gas discharge sources and by X-rays. A band bending up to 0.6 eV was observed after irradiation with He II, Ne II and Mg Kα, whereas no such effect occurred after He I and Ne I irradiation. The band bending increases with time to a saturation level that depends on the irradiation intensity. The effect occurred for n- and p-type samples with different doping materials and concentrations.
Patterned stimuli in disinhibition and backward masking

Different theories purporting to account for the disinhibition effect assume that masking and disinhibition are representative of the same class of phenomenon. This study provided one test of an alternative Gestalt-like hypothesis free of the assumption that disinhibition is a special case of masking. Although the results of this study did not support the hypothesis that Gestalt-like processes account for disinhibition, it was demonstrated that a disinhibition effect can be obtained using patterned stimuli for both targets and masks. A major implication of using patterned stimuli in disinhibition-type research is that it provides a methodology that minimizes or eliminates such extraneous cues as apparent movement, brightness reversals, and Mach bands.
More Practice, Less Preach? The Role of Supervision Processes and Therapist Characteristics in EBP Implementation

Identifying predictors of evidence-based practice (EBP) use, such as supervision processes and therapist characteristics, may support dissemination. Therapists (N = 57) received training and supervision in EBPs to treat community-based youth (N = 136). Supervision involving modeling and role-play predicted higher overall practice use than supervision involving discussion, and modeling predicted practice use in the next therapy session. No therapist characteristics predicted practice use, but therapist sex and age moderated the supervision and practice use relation. Supervision involving discussion predicted practice use for male therapists only, and modeling and role-play in supervision predicted practice use for older, not younger, therapists.
Do firm and state antitakeover provisions affect how well CEOs earn their pay

The relationship between CEO pay-adjusted firm performance and firm-specific antitakeover amendments and state antitakeover laws is examined. The findings suggest that the potential entrenchment resulting from the reduced threat of external control provided by antitakeover provisions may allow the CEO to deliver a lower level of firm performance relative to their compensation. At first glance, the state antitakeover provisions appear to be insignificant in the presence of firm-specific amendments. However, further analysis reveals they can play an important role, in some cases reinforcing the effects of the firm-specific amendments. With respect to the firm-specific amendments, the negative relation is associated with the presence of blank check preferred stock and poison pill amendments. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Molecular cloning of gene sequences transcriptionally regulated by retinoic acid and dibutyryl cyclic AMP in cultured mouse teratocarcinoma cells.

Abstract F9 mouse teratocarcinoma stem cells differentiate into primitive endoderm cells in response to retinoic acid (RA). A cDNA library, synthesized from RA and dibutyryl cyclic AMP-treated F9 teratocarcinoma cells, has been screened for gene sequences regulated by RA. By hybridization-selection and in vitro translation, the pcJ6, pcJ31, and pcF117 homologous mRNAs encode polypeptides of 40,000; 35,000–37,000; and 24,000 Da respectively. The pcI56 and pcI5 homologous mRNAs encode laminin B and collagen IV ( S-Y. Wang and L. J. Gudas, 1983 , Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 80, 5880–5884). Prior to RA addition, these gene sequences correspond to low-abundance mRNAs (less than 0.05% of total cellular mRNAs.). Within 24 hr after the addition of RA (5 × 10 −7 M ) to F9 cells, the expression of these sequences increases dramatically, and at 72 hr after drug addition, a 5- to 30-fold induction of these genes can be attained. Addition of lower concentrations of RA results in a smaller increase in the expression of these genes. If the F9 cells are treated with both RA (5 × 10 −7 M ) and dibutyryl cyclic AMP (but 2 cAMP), the levels of mRNA specific for these five inducible genes are further increased by approximately 30- to 110-fold over those in the stem cells; but 2 cAMP alone does not induce the expression of these genes. The expression of J6 and J31, but not I56 (laminin) and I5 (collagen IV), is also regulated by RA in the P19 teratocarcinoma stem cell line, which differentiates into a fibroblastic cell type in response to RA. In vitro transcription experiments demonstrate that laminin and collagen IV are transcriptionally regulated by RA; but 2 cAMP also enhances the rate of transcription of these genes in F9 cells.
Chronic Hepatitis B and Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer in the world and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths. More than 80% of HCC cases are from the Asian and African continents, and more than 50% of cases are from mainland China. Approximately 350 million to 400 million persons are chronically infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV), and this virus is the most common cause of HCC worldwide. It is estimated that more than 50% of liver cancers worldwide are attributable to HBV and up to 89% of HBV-related HCC are from developing countries. Recently, increasing trends in HCC incidence have been reported from several Western countries, including France, Australia, and the United States.
Processing ofcrambe abyssinica seed in commercial extraction facilities

Crambe abyssinica seed was processed in four commercial oilseed crushing facilities, two utilizing prepress solvent extraction and two utilizing straight solvent extraction techniques. Mill capacities ranged from several T/day to 200 T/day. Crambe throughput in the larger facilities ranged from 30 to 150 T/day. Seed, press cake, flakes and finished meal samples were collected and analyzed during and following the runs. On-site testing included measurements of moisture, oil, glucosinolate and temperature and estimates of thioglucosidase enzyme activity. Three to 7 T of defatted meal were produced for each of four beef cattle feeding studies, and oil produced was blended into commercial erucic acid production streams. Except for one run, thioglucosidase inactivation had to be completed in the desolventizing/toasting (DT) unit, and the high temperatures required resulted in destruction of glucosinolate and the formation of aglucon product, 1-cyano-2-hydroxy-3-butene, and glucose in the finished meals. Protein solubility and lysine levels decreased with excessive heat. Regression analysis was used to examine some of the data for relationships between temperature, moisture, glucosinolate, nitrogen solubility and aglucon products. The results of these runs further demonstrate the feasibility of processing Crambe in commercial oilseed facilities.
Rotating temperature pulse during hydrogen oxidation on a nickel ring.

Reaction-diffusion interactions generate spatiotemporal patterns in a variety of uniformly active chemical media. It is of interest to know how these patterns are affected by media nonuniformity. Here, we report the first observation of a rotating temperature pulse on a nonuniformly active (i.e., polycrystalline) surface of a nickel ring during atmospheric hydrogen oxidation. The pulse had an amplitude of about 100 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C and completed one cycle around the ring every 565 s. Its width, velocity, and maximum temperature changed during each cycle, but were constant at a given position.
X-linked anhidrotic ectodermal dysplasia disruption yields a mouse model for ocular surface disease and resultant blindness

X-linked anhidrotic/hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (EDA) is caused by mutations in the (EDA) gene, which is required for the morphogenesis of ectoderm-derived tissues. Although EDA function in skin appendage development has been studied in Eda mutant “Tabby” mice, we have recently identified characteristic abnormalities in the ocular surface, an ectoderm-derived tissue. Histology of eyes of Tabby males revealed that 1) as previously reported, mice lacked meibomian glands; 2) >80% developed corneal lesions such as neovascularization, keratitis, ulceration, and keratinization identifiable from 9 weeks of age; and 3) > 80% showed ocular surface inflammation (blepharitis and conjunctivitis) when housed in a standard environment. Strikingly, both corneal defects and inflammation were prevented in Tabby mice bearing a transgene for the Eda-A1 isoform, but meibomian glands were restored little if at all. These findings suggest that intact ocular surface health is EDA dependent and that Tabby corneal abnormalities are not solely dependent on meibomian gland lipid secretion. Alternatively, susceptibility to inflammation and other phenotypes could result from failure of the usual EDA receptor to activate nuclear factor-κB transcription factors. This can be further tested in Tabby and Tabby-EDA transgenic mice, which provide unique models of severe ocular surface disease.
The effect of differentiation inducers on the sensitivity of two myeloid cell lines to natural killer (NK) cell-mediated lysis☆

Abstract The effects of differentiation inducers on the sensitivity of two human myeloid cell lines, K562 and HL-60, to natural killer (NK) cell lysis were examined. K562 cells treated with 12- O -tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) and HL-60 cells treated with either TPA or dimethylsulsulfoxide (DMSO) not only became less sensitive NK targets, but also became less competitive in cold target inhibition experiments. Target binding cell assays revealed that TPA-treated target cells bound fewer NK effector cells than did untreated targets. TPA treatment renders K562 and HL-60 target cells more susceptible to hypotonic lysis, indicating that the decreased NK sensitivity is not due to altered osmotic fragility. The observed reduction in sensitivity to NK lysis was not apparently mediated by interferon (IFN) released by the target cells, as neither alpha nor gamma IFN were detected in culture supernatants. Furthermore, the effects of TPA were additive to the known protective effect of IFN on NK target cells. In contrast to the parent line, a subclone of HL-60 resistant to chemically induced differentiation did not become a less sensitive target after exposure to TPA. These observations with myeloid and erythroid target cells imply that the reduced killing of the TPA-treated cells was secondary to impaired recognition of the target by the effector, and that the state of cellular differentiation is a major determinant of susceptibility to NK cell-mediated lysis.
Microbial Detection with Low Molecular Weight RNA

The need to monitor microorganisms in the environment has increased interest in assays based on hybridization probes that target nucleic acids (e.g., rRNA). We report the development of liquid-phase assays for specific bacterial 5S rRNA sequences or similarly sized artificial RNAs (aRNAs) using molecular beacon technology. These beacons fluoresce only in the presence of specific target sequences, rendering as much as a 27-fold fluorescence enhancement. The assays can be used with both crude cell lysates and purified total RNA preparations. Minimal sample preparation (e.g., heating to promote leakage from cells) is sufficient to detect many Gram-negative bacteria. Using this approach it was possible to detect an aRNA-labeled Escherichia coli strain in the presence of a large background of an otherwise identical E. coli strain. Finally, by using a longer wavelength carboxytetramethylrhodamine beacon it was possible to reduce the fraction of the signal due to cellular autofluorescence to below 0.5%.
Black-White College Student Attitudes and Expectations in Paying for Dates.

This study examined a black-white sample (N= 173) of university students to ascertain if there is a protocol related to paying for dates. The sample was comprised of 97 blacks and 76 whites. Most of the blacks were from a historically black university and most of the whites were from a predominantly white university, both located in the southeast. Blacks had a slightly lower mean family income when compared with whites. Both racial and gender role related attitudes and expectations related to paying for dates were also explored. African Americans have generally been noted to enact more flexible or nontraditional gender role attitudes and behaviors in some areas. This study sought to ascertain if this pattern followed in the economic dimension of dating. Findings showed race differences on several variables related to paying for dates. Blacks were found to be less flexible or more traditional than whites on several aspects of dating related attitudes and expectations. Whites were more likely to endorse more flexible role patterns and seemed less concerned with a dating protocol. Other important background variables related to more flexible gender role attitudes and expectations were classification, age, and total income of respondents' family of origin respectively.
Computer simulations of effects of disk tilt and lens tilt on push-pull tracking error signal in an optical disk drive

We quantify the effects of disk tilt and objective lens tilt on the push-pull tracking error signal of an optical disk data storage system. For a grooved disk, such as a recordable compact disk that operates at a laser wavelength of lambda, it is found that disk tilt produces a tracking offset of 0.05lambda per degree of tilt, whereas objective lens tilt produces an offset of 0.012lambda per degree of tilt. The amplitude of the tracking error signal decreases by 2.5% at the disk tilt angle of 0.3 degrees and by 5% at the objective lens tilt of 0.3 degrees . We achieved these simulations with the computer program Diffract, which performs a combination of diffraction and ray-tracing calculations through the entire optical path, from the light source to the detectors.
The effects of the quinone type drugs on hydroxyl radical (OH.) production by rat liver microsomes.

The quinone drugs are known to be metabolized to semiquinone free‐radical intermediates and to enhance NADPH oxidation in microsomal system. The effect of adriamycin and mitomycin C on the decarboxylation of [14C] carboxyl benzoate via hydroxyl radical (OH·) production in the microsomal system was examined. The activity of these drugs was compared to 5‐fluorouracil, cyclophosphamide, and methotrexate, which are inactive in oxygen consumption experiments and are non‐quinone‐type drugs. Adriamycin and mitomycin C stimulated decarboxylation of benzoate 100 and 50% above the controls, respectively, while 5‐fluorouracil, cyclophosphamide, and methotrexate were not different from controls. Addition of superoxide dismutase increased benzoate decarboxylation with or without the drugs present, while catalase was inhibitory in both circumstances. These results suggest that the quinone drugs enhanced hydroxyl radical (OH·) production by liver microsomes, and offer a possible mechanism of cellular toxicity by these a...
α-Isopropylmalate synthase from Salmonella typhimurium—Amino acid composition, NH2-terminal analysis, and fingerprint analysis

Abstract α-Isopropylmalate synthase was purified from Salmonella typhimurium and shown to be homogeneous by gel filtration, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and a method involving 14C-labeled amino acids. The amino acid composition of the enzyme was determined. The number of free sulthydryl groups estimated by Kohlhaw (Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 212 (1970) 58) is equal to the number of half-cystine residues, suggesting that the enzyme has no disulfide bridges. Treatment of the enzyme with potassium cyanate released 1.25 moles of amino-terminal serine per 47 500 g of protein. The number of spots on a fingerprint chromatogram prepared from trypsin-digested enzyme was similar to the number of basic amino acids in 47 500 g of protein. These data, together with genetic and electrophoretic evidence, indicate that α-isopropylmalate synthase is composed of only a single type of polypeptide chain.
Properties of the Estrogen Receptor in the Human Oviduct and Its Interaction with Ethinylestradiol and Mestranol in Vitro

Biochemical properties of estrogen binding are investigated in the cytosol and nuclear fractions of the human Fallopian tube. Sucrose density ultracentrifugation and dextrancoated charcoal adsorption techniques are used for characterization of [3H]estradiol uptake in the human oviduct. There is indirect evidence for the presence of protease which can be inhibited by diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP). When DFP is present in buffer of low ionic strength, the cytosol receptor sediments at 8S and 4S peaks. In the absence of DFP, the 4S peak alone is demonstrated. The proteolytic inhibitor does not alter the estrogen-binding capacity in the human oviduct. The dissociation constant (Kd) for [3H]estradiol in cytosol is 2 × 10−10 M without DFP and 1.5 × 10−10 M with DFP. The presence of protease in cytosol of human oviducts is confirmed by hydrolysis of benzoyl-arginine nitroanalide. The enzymatic activity is iinhibited by DFP. Nuclear estrogen receptor sediments at 4S after extraction with 0.4 M KCL buffer. A rap...
Influence of several environmental factors on the initiation of germination and inactivation of Bacillus cereus by high hydrostatic pressure

The influence of pH, aw, L-alanine, and fat concentration of milk on the initiation of germination and inactivation by high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) (250 mPa at 25 degrees C for 15 min and 690 mPa at 40 degrees C for 2 min) of Bacillus cereus sporulated at 20, 30 and 37 degrees C was investigated. B. cereus sporulated at the lowest temperature was found to be the most resistant to the initiation of germination and inactivation by HHP. At ambient pressure, the rate and extension of germination induced by L-alanine were also lower in B. cereus sporulated at 20 than 30 or 37 degrees C. The optimum pH for the germination and inactivation of B. cereus depended on the sporulation temperature. At 250 mPa the extent of germination for the three suspensions increased with higher pH. At 690 mPa, the pH barely affected the germination of B. cereus sporulated at 20 degrees C (3 log cycles), but the inactivation increased as the pH of the medium was lowered. After the same treatment, pressure optimally initiated the germination of B. cereus sporulated at 30 and 37 degrees C (6-7 log cycles) around neutral pH. Higher inactivation was obtained at pH 6. High concentrations of sucrose protected the spores from the germinating and inactivating effect of HHP. At aw 0.92, no germination was detected when the spores were pressurized at 250 mPa, and only 1 log cycle of B. cereus sporulated at 20 and 30 degrees C and 2 log cycles of B. cereus sporulated at 37 degrees C were germinated at 690 mPa. In addition, no inactivation was observed at aW 0.92 even at 690 mPa. The presence of L-alanine in the medium of pressurization increased the germination initiated by HHP at 250 mPa, but not at 690 mPa. A combination of 250 mPa at 25 degrees C with L-alanine (100 mM) was found to give an additive response. The initiation of germination and inactivation by HHP were not affected by the fat concentration of the milk.
Hydraulic Fracture Production Optimization With a Pseudo-3D Model in Multi-layered Lithology

Systematic design and optimization procedures for hydraulic fracturing are available using two-dimensional (2D) (with constant fracture height) and pseudo-three-dimensional (p-3D) models to maximize well production by optimizing fracture geometry, including fracture height, half-length and width. A multi-layered p-3D approach to design is proposed integrating Unified Fracture Design (UFD), fracture propagation models and Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics (LEFM) relationship to generate optimized fracture geometry, including fracture height, width and half-length to achieve the maximized production. Containment layers are discretized to allow for plausible fracture heights when seeking convergence of fracture height and net pressure. UFD sizes the fracture geometry to physically optimize the hydraulically fractured well performance. The Proppant Number is a correlating parameter, which in turn provides the maximum dimensionless productivity index (JD) corresponding to the optimum dimensionless fracture conductivity, CfD. Once the latter is determined, the optimum fracture dimensions, i.e., fracture length and width, are set. However, UFD in its original form needs the ability to calculate the Proppant Number and that is possible only if fracture height is an input parameter and hence fraction of proppant ending up in the pay can be determined before the optimization. PKN or KGD fracture propagation models in design mode provide basic treatment parameters to achieve a known target length and also associated net pressure. Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics (LEFM) relationship can be used to obtain fracture height associated to a given vertical pressure distribution via vertical stress profile and fracture toughness profile. This study considers the contributions of all layers to the stress intensity factor at the fracture tips to find the potential equilibrium height defined by the condition where the stress intensity factor minus fracture toughness difference changes sign (but not necessary becomes zero.) After an equilibrium height and the corresponding net pressure are found, an optimization is carried out to find target length and a 2D design model is used to calculate treatment parameters, first of all net pressure. The ultimate goal is to find a consistent pair of these two different sub-models; when the assumed pressure condition in the LEFM part coincides with the resulting pressure condition from the UFD/2D part. Parts of this work also allows for determining conditions to avoid propagating into unintended layers (i.e. gas cap and/or aquifer) or to assure coverage of intended layers (such as a non-perforated layer with recoverable hydrocarbon.)
Deletion mutants of F, FΔ(8.5–17.6) and the mechanism of their formation

Abstract Heteroduplex analysis shows that a cryptic plasmid extracted from the male phage-sensitive strain, RP42, is a deletion mutant of F and lacks the segment with F-coordinates 8.5F to 17.6F. Consideration of the sequence deleted in F shows that the molecular recombination event between γδ and ϵζ DNA sequences actually occurs only between specific short segments at the ends.
Prenatal alcohol exposure among Alaska Native/American Indian infants.

Background. Recent reports indicate a decline in rates of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) among Alaska Native and American Indian (AN/AI) infants. Nevertheless, AN/AI infants remain disproportionately impacted by the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure. Methods. AN/AI pregnant women in their 3rd trimester completed a questionnaire on demographic data and the amount and frequency of their alcohol consumption in the month prior to conception and during pregnancy. Differences across demographics and trimesters were tested with the Chi-square, Fisher’s exact or McNemar’s test as appropriate. Results. Of the 125 participants, 56% (n=71) reported no alcohol consumption in the 1st through 3rd trimesters of pregnancy; 30% (n=38) of the 125 participants also reported no alcohol consumption in the month before pregnancy. Of the 43% (n=54) who reported consuming alcohol during pregnancy (1st, 2nd and/or 3rd trimester), most (35%) reported alcohol use only in the 1st trimester. Binge drinking in the 1st or 2nd trimester was reported amongst 20% (n=25) of participants with an additional 18% (n=29) reporting binge drinking in the month prior to pregnancy. Women who reported pre-conception binge drinking were significantly more likely to report binge drinking during their 1st trimester (p<0.0001) and 2nd trimester (p<0.0001). A history of tobacco use (p=0.0403) and cigarette smoking during pregnancy (p<0.0001) were also associated with binge drinking during pregnancy. Conclusion. Among study participants, reported use of alcohol was primarily limited to pre-conception and the 1st trimester, with a dramatic decrease in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters. Prevention programmes, such as the Alaska FAS Prevention Project, may have contributed to observed decreases in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters. Additional study and focus on pre-conception, the 1st trimester and binge drinking, as well as tobacco use might augment Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder prevention efforts. Keywords: prenatal alcohol exposure; fetal alcohol syndrome; fetal alcohol spectrum disorder; Alaska Native/American Indian infants (Published: 5 August 2013) This paper is part of Supplement 1, 2013, ICCH15 Proceedings . More papers from this Supplement can be found here . Citation: Int J Circumpolar Health 2013, 72 : 20973 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/ijch.v72i0.20973