cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
TU-EE-A4-04: A New Antiscatter Grid for High-Resolution Region-Of-Interest (ROI) X-Ray Imaging

Purpose: A new custom‐designed antiscatter grid for high‐resolution angiographic detectors is presented that would improve the image quality without introducing substantial grid‐line artifacts. Method and Materials: The new antiscatter grid is a custom‐made, parallel‐focus, crisscross cellular grid that employs gold septa material (CREATV MicroTech, Potomac, MD). The prototype 4.25 cm × 4.25 cm field‐of‐view grid has 20 μm thick septa with interspace distance of 380 μm, height 1.95 mm, and grid‐ratio of 5. This study was performed with the Microangiographic detector (43 μm pixel, 1024×1024 pixel matrix, 4.5 cm × 4.5 cm field‐of‐view, 250‐μm‐thick structured CsI(Tl) scintillator coupled to a CCDcamera via minifying taper) in simulated neurovascular angiographic conditions, where a uniform head‐equivalent phantom was used as scattering media. The air‐gap between the phantom and the detector‐with‐grid was kept at 2.5 cm as used in clinical conditions for minimal blurring, but increased scatter. The standard lead‐beam‐stop technique was employed to determine the scatter‐fraction with and without the grid. In order to evaluate the low‐contrast imaging performance of the grid, phantoms with three different bone patterns of varying thickness and three different simulated iodinated vessel inserts in acrylic were imaged with and without‐grid at 70 kVp. Results: The grid demonstrated approximately 59% scatter reduction at 70 kVp for the uniform head‐equivalent phantom without introducing substantial grid‐line artifacts following flat‐field correction. The average contrast‐improvement‐factor for the low‐contrast vessel‐phantom was found to be 1.75, whereas for the relatively higher contrast bone‐phantom it was 1.5. The primary transmission factor was measured to be 66%. Conclusion: The grid demonstrated significant scatter reduction when used in simulated neurovascular angiographic conditions even for the small FOV. Use of this grid with the Micro‐angiographic detector with reduced air‐gap can provide substantially improved image quality. (Partial support: NIH R01‐NS43924, R01‐EB002873, Toshiba MedicalSystem Corp.)
Synthesis of PtCu3 bimetallic nanoparticles as oxygen reduction catalysts via a sonochemical method

We report a sonochemical synthesis of homogeneous PtCu3 nanoparticles. Ultra-sonication during reduction in a non-aqueous solution is compared with synthesis under identical conditions in the absence of sonication (to form a Rieke alloy). X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements suggest that the sonochemical procedure produces an amorphous, uniformly alloyed nanomaterial having a composition consistent with the PtCu3 stoichiometry, while the Rieke alloy is polyphasic. Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis indicates that the composition of the sonochemically prepared PtCu3 material reflects the nominal values. EDX and XRD analyses also provide evidence for the inhibition of oxide formation on sonochemically prepared PtCu3 nanoparticles, but oxide is readily apparent in the Rieke alloy. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images of the sonochemically prepared sample show particles with diameters of ∼2 to 3 nm. As-synthesized PtCu3 particles were activated using an electrochemical de-alloying procedure to prepare an oxygen reduction electrocatalyst. The de-alloyed catalyst consisted of a Pt-rich surface layer, over a core indicated as having a Pt3Cu composition. The de-alloyed sample exhibited ∼3 to 6 fold enhancements in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity when compared to commercial Pt catalysts.
Hydrologic alteration of the lower Rio Grande terminus: a quantitative assessment

The lower Rio Grande is one of several imperilled river reaches in North America. Drought and water withdrawals for agriculture and municipal use are acknowledged as primary sources of riverine degradation. We agree that these are critical components adversely affecting the river but also suggest disruption in the normal flood-pulse cycle of the lower Rio Grande, resulting from impoundment of Falcon Lake and poor management of releases from Falcon Lake Dam, have contributed substantially to decline in ecosystem integrity. We provide statistical evidence and real observations in support of the hypothesis that loss of the natural flood-pulse cycle of the lower Rio Grande has detrimentally affected the riparian ecosystem. Although the presence of adverse effects from disruption of the flood-pulse cycle is intuitive, this is the first report quantifying the degree of alteration in the lower Rio Grande. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Evolution of the Emergency Medical Services Profession: A Case Study of EMS Run Reports.

Often the first of many documents written about patients, the emergency medical service's run report is a preprinted form on which providers record the events of an emergency. These forms are important analytically because they represent the practices and interests of the multiple professions engaged in caring for critically ill or injured patients. This article examines the historical evolution of a shared medical form and its impact on the professionals who use it.
Occurrence of a regulatory deficiency in purine biosynthesis among purA mutants of Salmonella typhimurium

A defect in the repression of the de novo purine biosynthetic enzymes was detected among purA mutants of Salmonella typhimurium. We suggest that the defect is caused by an altered purine regulation gene (purR) which affects the response level of at least five of the de novo enzymes to repression by excess adenine. Thus the unlinked genes controlling these enzymes constitute a regulation controlled wholly or in part by a purR gene product. The regulation of the guanine operon is regulated by some other mechanism independent of purR.
Discovering Fine-grained Sentiment in Suicide Notes

This paper presents our solution for the i2b2 sentiment classification challenge. Our hybrid system consists of machine learning and rule-based classifiers. For the machine learning classifier, we investigate a variety of lexical, syntactic and knowledge-based features, and show how much these features contribute to the performance of the classifier through experiments. For the rule-based classifier, we propose an algorithm to automatically extract effective syntactic and lexical patterns from training examples. The experimental results show that the rule-based classifier outperforms the baseline machine learning classifier using unigram features. By combining the machine learning classifier and the rule-based classifier, the hybrid system gains a better trade-off between precision and recall, and yields the highest micro-averaged F-measure (0.5038), which is better than the mean (0.4875) and median (0.5027) micro-average F-measures among all participating teams.
Factors affecting adoption of hedgerows and other biodiversity-enhancing features on farms in California, USA

Although hedgerows, windbreaks, and other biodiversity-enhancing farm edge features offer the potential for ecosystem benefits without occupying much crop space, relatively few farms in California, USA include such features. Our study identified the practices currently used to manage non-cropped edges of fields, ponds, and watercourses in a case study area in California. We also identified social, economic, and agronomic incentives and constraints to installing biodiversity-enhancing edge features. More than one-third of the study farmers had installed native hedgerows, windbreaks, and/or grassed edges. Interviews demonstrated the importance of socially influential farmers working in tandem with public and private agencies to build initial interest in these practices. However, these features occupied less than four percent of all possible edge length. Constraints to increasing adoption included high costs, fear of harbouring weeds and rodents, and lack of certainty about ecosystems benefits, highlighting the need for cost-share programs and more regionally-focused agroecological research.
Gamma ray spectra and sensitivities for 14 MeV neutron activation analysis

The purpose of this study was to define experimentally the sensitivity of determination for 63 different elements by 14 MeV neutron activation, with a 150 kV Cockroft-Walton accelerator at a neutron flux of 2·108 n·cm−2·sec−1 on the sample. The obtained gamma ray spectra are given, and the origin of the photopeaks observed are explained. A maximum irradiation time of five minutes was used as a convenient experimental limit to obtain the maximum sensitivity, considering, however, that the tritium target life is limited, and that the time to perform an analysis has to be reasonable. The practical use of 14 MeV neutron activation analysis is demonstrated by the detection limits obtained.
Biofortification of plant-based food: enhancing folate levels by metabolic engineering.

Humans require a minimum daily intake of essential micronutrients, vitamins, and minerals to maintain optimal health. Micronutrient malnutrition, the dietary insufficiency of one or more micronutrients, has far-reaching negative health consequences at all stages of life and was a pervasive health issue for all countries at the turn of the 20th century. Micronutrient malnutrition has been significantly alleviated for those populations in developed countries as a result of programs established in the mid-20th century that fortified processed foods with the necessary micronutrients. Similar fortification efforts have had only modest success in developing countries because an industrial level of agriculture, food-processing, and distribution that is limited or lacking in many of the targeted countries is required. Micronutrient malnutrition thus has remained a widespread and persistent global health problem in developing countries where it continues to exact an enormous toll on individuals, populations, and society (1).
Statistical Consideration and Challenges in Bridging Study of Personalized Medicine

Applications of personalized medicine are becoming increasingly prominent. A well-characterized market-ready companion diagnostic assay (CDx) is often desired for patient enrollment in device-drug pivotal clinical trial(s) so that Food and Drug Administration can ensure that appropriate clinical and analytical validation studies are planned and carried out for CDx. However, such a requirement may be difficult or impractical to accomplish. A clinical trial assay (CTA) instead of CDx may be used for patient enrollment in the clinical trial. A concordance study (or bridging study) will be required to assess the agreement between CDx and CTA in order to bridge the clinical data (e.g. overall survival) from CTA to CDx and to evaluate the drug efficacy in CDx intended use population. In this article, we will discuss statistical challenges in study design and data analysis for bridging study. Particularly, we aimed to provide statistical methods on how to estimate the drug efficacy in CDx intended use population using results from bridging study and CTA-drug pivotal clinical trial.
A portable cell-based optical detection device for rapid detection of Listeria and Bacillus toxins

ABSTRACT A mammalian cell-based optical biosensor was built to detect pathogenic Listeria and Bacillus species. This sensor measures the ability of the pathogens to infect and induce cytotoxicity on hybrid lymphocyte cell line (Ped-2E9) resulting in the release of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) that can be detected optically using a portable spectrophotometer. The Ped-2E9 cells were encapsulated in collagen gel matrices and grown in 48-well plates or in specially designed filtration tube units. Toxin preparations or bacterial cells were introduced and ALP release was assayed after 3-5 h. Pathogenic L. monocytogenes strains or the listeriolysin toxins preparation showed cytotoxicity ranging from 55% - 92%. Toxin preparations (~20 µg/ml) from B. cereus strains showed 24 - 98% cytotoxicity. In contrast, a non-pathogenic L. innocua (F4247) and a B. substilis induced only 2% and 8% cytotoxicity, respectively. This cell-based detection device demonstrates its ability to detect the presence of pathogenic Listeria and Bacillus species and can potentially be used onsite for food safety or in biosecurity application. Keywords : Listeria , Bacillus, toxin, cell-based sensor, optical sensor, cytotoxicity assay, Ped-2E9 hybridoma cells, collagen
The effects of local colleges on the quality of college attended

Abstract This paper measures the effects of living near a “high quality” college on the college attended. If local colleges provide information about postsecondary education or role models for youth, they may generate “spillover” effects that increase the quality of the college attended, even for individuals who do not attend college locally. Using data from the High School and Beyond Survey, I find that living near a good public university significantly increases the quality of the college attended, but only for low-income individuals. This effect persists even when we restrict the sample to non-local college enrollees.
Microimaging: Seeing the Unseen in Living Patients

Today’s gold standard for medical diagnosis is histology of excised biopsies or surgical specimens where tissue is taken out of the body, processed, sectioned, stained, and looked at under a light microscope by a pathologist. There are many limitations of this technique, including the fact that it is inherently invasive, time consuming, costly, and dangerous for some organs. Furthermore, oftentimes the diseased tissue is not readily seen by visual inspection and as a result the tissue is sampled at a random location, which can be highly inaccurate. If we could instead conduct microscopy inside the body, then we could provide tools for screening, targeting biopsies, making primary disease diagnosis, and guiding intervention on the cellular basis. This promise has motivated the development of a new field, termed in vivo microscopy, the goal of which is to obtain microscopic images from living human patients. Two in vivo microscopy technologies, confocal microscopy and optical coherence tomography, are currently available and in clinical use. Upcoming developments, including whole organ microscopy, swallowable microscopy capsules, molecular imaging, and very high resolution microscopic devices, are in the pipeline and will likely revolutionize how disease is diagnosed and how medicine is practiced in the future.
Conservation as a predictor of individual differences in children’s susceptibility to leading questions

The relationships between susceptibility to leading questions and several individual differences variables—namely number and mass conservation; self-rated social desirability; and teacher-rated assertive social skills, shyness-anxiousness, and acting out—were examined for 36 first graders. As predicted, children whose conservation skills were more advanced were least susceptible to leading questions. However, there was no reliable direct association with any of the four personality variables assessed. Results were interpreted as evidence that the ability to simultaneously consider multiple dimensions may be one general cognitive factor underlying developmental and individual differences in susceptibility to leading questions.
Secure multicast routing in wireless networks

We consider the problem of secure content distribution in multihop mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs), where a source disseminates data to a group of receivers. To ensure an efficient utilization of the network resources, multicast routing is the natural choice to be used at the network level. Although several multicast routing protocols have been proposed [1, 2], their security has only been explored under outsider attacks [3, 4] or under limited insider attacks [5]. Due to the lack of physical security and the susceptibility of devices to theft, it is necessary to design protocols resilient to both outsider and insider attacks.
Mass culture of the protozoa Colpoda steinii

Growth of the ciliate, Colpoda steinii, was studied in shake flasks, 30-l., stirred jars, and a conventional 50-gal. stainless-steel fermentor. This organism was growth with either washed or unwashed Escherichia coli cells as the sole food source. Generation times of 3–4 hr. were obtained at 30°C. With average yields of 78% (0.78 g. of protozoa/g. of bacteria). In a 100-l. fermentation, a dry weight concentration of 12.5 g./l. (1.04 × 107 protozoa/ml.) was reached by means of periodic addition of E. coli paste. The influence of bacterial concentration on the growth rate of the protozoa was also investigated. It was found that this relationship could be represented by a Michaelis-Menten equation with a maximum specific growth rate of 0.23 hr. −1 (3-hr. generation time) and a bacterial concentration for half-maximum growth rate of 6.0 mg. (dry wt.)/l.
Absolute intensities and self-, N2-, and air-broadened Lorentz halfwidths for selected lines in the nu3 band of (C-12)H3D from measurements with a tunable diode laser spectrometer

Absolute intensities and self-, air- and N2-broadened half-widths have been determined for the first time for individual lines in the nu3(A1) band of (C-12)H3D near 7.6 microns from measurements of individual vibration-rotation lines using a tunable diode laser spectrometer. The intensity measurements are believed to be accurate to within three percent. Within experimental uncertainties, equal broadening efficiencies are found for both air and nitrogen. Self-broadened half-widths determined for three transitions yield an average half-width value of 0.803 + or -0.0010/cm/atm at 296 K.
Exchangeable hydrogen in phycoerythrobilin

WE WISI-I to report here the presence of exchangeable hydrogen atoms in phycoerythrobilin (PEB) and to discuss the implications of this data for the structure of this bilin. A structure for PEB has recently been proposed by Chapman et aL 1 C-phycoerythrin was extracted from freeze-dried Fremyella diplosiphon 2 cells and purified by ammonium sulfate fractionation to a purity index (A565/A2s0) between 4 and 5. The phycoerythrin was then refluxed for 16 hr in 90 per cent methanol and phycoerythrobilin isolated according to the procedure described by Crespi et aL 3 for phycocyanobilin (PCB). TLC revealed, however, that this isolation procedure yielded phycoerythrobilin contaminated with a considerable amount of orange pigment. Consequently, the bilin was further purified by adsorption from pyridine solution onto a column of crystalline sodium acetate trihydrate. The orange pigment accompanied by some brown passed through the column. After washing the column with 3-4 bed volumes of pyridine saturated with sodium acetate, the column was drained and the deep purple adsorbent was dissolved in water. This solution was then acidified with glacial acetic acid and the phycoerythrobilin again isolated by the methods used for PCB. 3 Chromatography on Adsorbosil 5 (Applied Science Labs., State College, Pa.) in butanol-pyridine-water (3:1 : 1) and in butanol-acetic acid-water (4:1 : 1) showed a single pigment with only traces of other colored components visible at high loads. Table 1 gives the results of PMR (Varian HA-100 spectrometer) analysis of purified phycoerythrobilin. Our data, obtained with solutions of the free acid in pyridine-d 5 and in trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), are in essentially complete agreement with the PMR results of Chapman et aL 1 that were obtained with the dimethyl ester in deuteriochloroform. We have also examined PEB isolated by refluxing fully deuterated phycoerythrin with ordinary (1H) methanol. PMR analysis of this material dissolved in pyridine-d 5 showed protons at 1-57 and 5.86 ppm. If we assume complete exchange at the methine position, then 1.1 +0.3 protons are observed in the ethylidene methyl group. These two positions, then, are presumably exchanged during the isolation procedure. If similarly isolated deuterated PEB is analyzed in TFA solution, lines are observed at 1.79 and 5.95 ppm, as expected from the pyridine data. In addition to these lines, proton resonances appear at 3.31 ppm, apparently because of exchange of the hydrogen atom at carbon 1. In pyridine-d 5 there are resonance lines in the region of the spectrum at which the proton at carbon 1 would be expected to appear (about 3.15 ppm) but interpretation is made uncertain by the possible presence of small methoxy resonances. We also have observed that there is no further exchange at
Quantum Monte Carlo study of small hydrocarbon atomization energies

A benchmark study of atomization energies is reported for 22 hydrocarbons using single determinant trial functions in the diffusion Monte Carlo (DMC) variant of the quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) method. The DMC atomization energies are compared to experiment, a complete basis set approach (CBS-Q), density functional theory with the B3LYP functional, and coupled-cluster singles, doubles and perturbative triples, CCSD(T), methods. Comparison of the DMC results to experiment yields a mean absolute deviation of 1.9kcalmol−1, which is comparable to that of the B3LYP/cc-pVQZ (1.7kcalmol−1) level of theory, but less accurate than that of CBS-Q (1.1kcalmol−1). DMC performs similarly for both closed-shell and open-shell molecules with mean absolute deviations of 2.1kcalmol−1 for the former and 1.7kcalmol−1 for the latter systems. The use of experimental zero-point energies (ZPEs), rather than scaled B3LYP ZPEs, is found to have negligible effect on DMC atomization energies. The latter reported here provide a baseline ...
The anatomic extent and completeness of pelvic lymphadenectomy is what matters.

Purpose of reviewThere is an imperative need to improve the cure rates of patients diagnosed with invasive bladder cancer. The lymph node dissection performed at the time of radical cystectomy has an ability to improve locoregional disease control, assign pathologic nodal stage as well as cure some
Concern over the misidentification of sexual orientation: social contagion and the avoidance of sexual minorities.

Membership in a valued group can provide an individual with a variety of benefits. As a result, people should be motivated to avoid being misidentified as a member of an outgroup, particularly a stigmatized outgroup. We argue that when group membership is not readily identifiable, concern over potentially being mistaken for a member of the outgroup (i.e., social contagion concerns) can be potent and can lead to avoidance of the outgroup. The current work shows that after controlling for negative attitudes toward homosexuality, social contagion concerns independently predict anxiety and avoidance in response to imagined, anticipated, and actual contact with a lesbian or gay individual. Results from these studies suggest that concern over misclassification of sexual orientation is an important and unique predictor of responses to contact with lesbian and gay people. Implications for intergroup contact and responses to other stigmatized groups are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
Correlating lignin structure to aromatic products in the catalytic fast pyrolysis of lignin model compounds containing β–O–4 linkages

Lignin model compounds, phenethoxybenzene, 1-methoxy-2-phenethoxybenzene, and 1-phenethoxy-4-propylbenzene were reacted over various zeolites in the vapor phase at 600 °C to elucidate the role of the zeolite type during the catalytic fast pyrolysis (CFP) of molecules containing β–O–4 linkages. The goal was to determine how different zeolites including hierarchical zeolites upgrade lignin fragments, ultimately for converting the lignin portion of lignocellulosic biomass to chemicals or fuels. Using three different catalysts, HZSM-5, H-beta, and HY, the model lignin compounds were upgraded by catalytic fast pyrolysis at 600 °C. The total acidity or Bronsted acidity of the catalysts were held similar when comparing the three different zeolite types to understand the role of each zeolite on the product distribution. The optimal catalyst for the production of benzene from all three model compounds was H-beta, but the least amount of coke was produced with HZSM-5. Compared with the analogous microporous HZSM-5 catalyst, the hierarchical materials resulted in increased liquid carbon molar yields. Although H-beta produced the highest amount of benzene with 1-methoxy-2-phenethoxybenzene, HZSM-5 was able to produce more liquid products from this model lignin fragment. To analyze the catalysts with intact model compounds, vaporization studies were conducted to prevent the thermal cleavage of the Cβ–O bond in the β–O–4 linkages. These vaporization studies resulted in lower liquid yields and higher coke yields. Thus, it is important for CFP to generate fragments of the β–O–4 linkages before catalyst interaction, and catalyst selection for the conversion of lignin should greatly depend on feed compositions.
Mechanical hyperesthesia and cold perception hypoesthesia in distal residual limbs of amputees

In this prospective study, we report that the distal residual limbs (DRL) of amputee subjects are hyperesthetic/allodynic for pressure pain thresholds (large fibers) and hypoesthetic for cold perception threshold (small fibers) in comparison with the contralateral unaffected extremities. We prospectively assessed twenty-two subjects (18 with pain, 4 without) with a unilateral upper or lower limb amputation. We utilized the Fischer algometer to compare pressure pain thresholds (PPT) and the Medoc peltier type device to compare thermal perception thresholds. The Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test was used to analyze the affected limb versus the unaffected limb of these psychophysical tests. Our results revealed decreased perceptual threshold values for pressure pain threshold(p <0.016) and an elevated threshold for cold perception (p<0.017) There were no significant difference in thresholds for cold pain or hot perception or pain. There were no differences detected between subjects with and without pain. These results suggest a possible peripheral pathological processes in superficial tissue of the residual limb, such as a differential dying back phenomena of small (cold perception) or peripheral sensitization of large fiber output; or a central phenomena such as sensitization or disinhibition.
Early Cardiovascular Mortality in Professional Football Players: Fact or Fiction?

Present data about the increased incidence of early cardiovascular disease and mortality in National Football League (NFL) players is conflicting. These findings are particularly concerning given the escalating weight of current football players at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels. Recent studies have confirmed that heavier former NFL linemen have an increased prevalence of cardiovascular disease compared with an age- and sex-matched reference population. Former linemen had a higher prevalence of obesity, lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, increased left ventricular mass and left atrial area, and the metabolic syndrome, compared with nonlinemen. There have been sparse data on the cardiovascular health of current players. A recent analysis of one team demonstrated that the cardiometabolic syndrome and its individual components were significantly more common in linemen versus nonlinemen. Because current heavier NFL players already have evidence of the cardiometabolic syndrome and its individual markers, careful medical evaluation of former and active players is warranted to reduce their risks. This medically and ethically indicated intervention, however, might limit interpretation of future longitudinal studies designed to assess mortality endpoints.
Electrooptic response during switching of a ferroelectric liquid crystal cell with uniform director orientation

We present calculations of the light intensity transmitted through a uniform ferroelectric liquid crystal light valve during electrooptic switching. We discuss the calculated delay time and rise time of the optical response, and show how they depend on spontaneous polarization, dielectric anisotropy, applied electric field, and initial director orientation. Our calculations also yield the ferroelectric polarization-reversal current.
Defective aldosterone synthesis associated with hyperkalemic periodic paralysis.

• Objective. —To describe defective aldosterone biosynthesis (corticosterone methyl oxidase type II [CMO-II] deficiency) in a kindred with hyperkalemic periodic paralysis. Setting. —Tertiary care hospital in Madison, Wis. Patients. —Individuals studied included a female infant with failure to thrive, hyponatremia, and hyperkalemia; the infant's asymptomatic mother and father; and a maternal aunt and grandmother with hyperkalemic periodic paralysis. Interventions. —Mineralocorticoid synthetic pathways were analyzed with synthetic adrenocorticotropin stimulation. In one patient with hyperkalemic periodic paralysis, acetazolamide sodium therapy was discontinued and replaced with fludrocortisone acetate therapy. Measurements/Main Results. —Impaired aldosterone synthesis with marked accumulation of mineralocorticoid precursors 18-hydroxycorticosterone and corticosterone indicated severe CMO-II deficiency in the infant. In her relatives and parents, baseline aldosterone levels (74 to 111 pmol/L) were low (reference range, 194 to 830 pmol/L, a nonstricted sodium diet). Serum 18-hydroxycorticosterone levels (442 to 1021 pmol/L) were normal (reference range, 138 to 1270 pmol/L), but ratios of 18-hydroxycorticosterone to aldosterone were abnormally elevated (4.5 to 13.7; reference range, 2.65±1.86), indicating deficient CMO-II enzyme activity. Acetazolamide therapy was substituted with fludrocortisone therapy in the maternal aunt without return of paralytic symptoms. Conclusion. —This association of hyperkalemic periodic paralysis with CMO-II deficiency and resolution of paralytic episodes with fludrocortisone therapy suggests a contribution of defective mineralocorticoid-mediated potassium homeostasis to the pathogenesis of hyperkalemic periodic paralysis.
Stimulation of macrophage TNFα production by orthopaedic wear particles requires activation of the ERK1/2/Egr-1 and NF-κB pathways but is independent of p38 and JNK

Bone loss that causes aseptic loosening of orthopaedic implants is initiated by pro-inflammatory cytokines produced by macrophages in response to implant-derived wear particles. MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways are activated by the particles; however, it is not clear which of the signaling pathways are important for the initial response to the wear particles and which are only involved at later steps in the process, such as osteoclast differentiation. Here, we show that the ERK1/2, p38, JNK, and NF-κB pathways are rapidly activated by the wear particles but that only the ERK1/2 and NF-κB pathways are required for the initial response to the wear particles, which include increases in TNFα promoter activity, TNFα mRNA expression, and secretion of TNFα protein. Moreover, ERK1/2 activation by wear particles is also required for increased expression of the transcription factor Egr-1 as well as Egr-1’s ability to bind to and activate the TNFα romoter. These results, together with our previous studies of the PI3K/Akt pathway, demonstrate that wear particles coordinately activate multiple signaling pathways and multiple transcription factors to stimulate production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as TNFα. The current study also demonstrates that the signaling pathways are activated to a much greater extent by wear particles with adherent endotoxin than by “endotoxin-free” wear particles. These results, together with those demonstrating the requirement for ERK1/2/Egr-1 and NF-κB, show that activation of these signaling pathways is responsible for the ability of adherent endotoxin to potentiate cytokine production, osteoclast differentiation, and bone loss induced by wear particles.
Human calcitonin radioimmunoassay: Characterization and application

Abstract A radioimmunoassay of human calcitonin (HCT) has been developed, employing antibodies formed in response to a HCT-bovine gamma globulin conjugate. The assay is sensitive (lower limits of detection 30 pg/ml serum), reproducible, and specific for intact HCT and carboxyl-terminal fragments of HCT. Serum HCT was detected in 76% of 63 normal subjects (mean ± S.E.M. = 72 ± 7 pg/ml), and was increased in cord sera, as well as sera from patients with chronic renal disease and medullary thyroid cancer. Increased levels were observed during calcium infusions into normal subjects, but not in sera from pregnant women or subjects with chronic hypercalcemia. No significant correlation was observed between serum ionized calcium and HCT in sera from 147 hospitalized patients. These findings suggest the usefulness of this assay for further studies of conditions affecting calcitonin homeostasis.
Naked city: the death and life of authentic urban places/Culture works: space, value, and mobility across the neoliberal Americas

Naked city: the death and life of authentic urban places, by Sharon Zukin, New York, Oxford University Press, 2010, 312 pp., US$35 (hardcover), US$18.95 (paperback) Culture works: space, value, and...
School and Community-Based Childhood Obesity: Implications for Policy and Practice

This introduction to a special issue of the Journal of Prevention and Intervention in the Community on the topic of childhood obesity prevention lays some of the basis for the state of affairs of the childhood obesity epidemic in the United States as of 2012 and the need for and types of existing prevention and intervention efforts underway. At the intersection of public health and community psychology, each of the five articles presents some insights into how prevention and intervention efforts currently underway are fairing and offers some implications for program developers and policy makers to start to turn around the epidemic. Given the key role schools play, successful strategies for engaging schools are presented in the introduction. The authors of this special issue also emphasize the need to involve whole communities in order to attain the intended changes of reductions in overweight and obesity rates and increases in positive health outcomes.
Characterizing the subjectivity of topics

A document or web page in isolation may appear completely reasonable, but may represent a biased perspective on the topic being discussed. Given the topic of a document, we propose new metrics provocativeness and balance that suggest when the topic could be controversial. We explore the use of these metrics to characterize the subjectivity of the topics in the TREC Blog Track.
A new type of contact halftone screen

Abstract The development of an improved type of contact screen is described. By using a transparent dye for the screen image, and also in some cases for a continuous-tone negative for use with the screen, contrast control is obtained with color filters, and increased resolution of detail results. Improved tone reproduction is incorporated in the gradation of the screen dots. The greatest improvement in quality is obtained in deep-etch offset printing, where it is convenient to make a highlight screen positive from a magenta negative by contact through an orange-red contact screen.
A Simple Proof of Rankin's Campanological Theorem

Change ringing is the traditional English method of ringing church bells. The basic idea is to ring a set of bells in all possible orders (the changes) with no repetition until the initial position recurs. The sequence of changes is usually grouped into blocks, known as 'leads,' of a standard form, and one considers the sequence consisting of the last change in each lead (the 'lead ends'). Each lead end is obtained from the previous one by a permutation depending on the type of lead, and one tries to choose the sequence of leads so that all possible changes occur. The mathematical problem involved in doing this can be formulated more generally as follows. Given a finite group G with a set of generators, E, one attempts to enumerate the elements of G as x1, ... , x,, (with n = I G I) in such a way that for each i, xi,1 = xiei for some ei in E (including xl = xne). Many explicit solutions have been given in particular cases, often by quite ingenious methods [5], [6], but few general results seem to be known about the possibility of constructing such a sequence. Aside from the obvious requirement that E generates G, the only necessary condition known to me is a theorem of Rankin [4], which generalizes an earlier result of W. H. Thompson for a special case. This theorem asserts that if E = {a, b} has at most 2 elements and if c = ab-1 has odd order, then I G: (a) I and IG: (b) I must be odd. In fact, Rankin proved a more general result in which E is not required to generate G. By a cyclically ordered set I mean a sequence xl, .. ., xn of distinct elements, two such sequences (x1, ... , xn) and (Y1, .. ',Yi) being regarded as the same if they differ by a cyclic permutation, i.e., m = n and Yi = Xi+k for some fixed k (indices being taken mod n). If G is a finite group and E is a subset of G, an E-cycle in G is a cyclically ordered subset x1 ... ., xn of G such that the ratios x-1xi+l all lie in F (including x-lxl).
Joseph Chamberlain and Workmen's Compensation

The British Workmen's Compensation Acts of 1897 and 1899 were “astonishing” to contemporaries and have not been adequately explained by historians. Although passed under a Conservative-Liberal Unionist Cabinet, these acts put heavy burdens upon industry and agriculture, interests that were very influential in both of these parties. “It was no wonder that Tories asked themselves what they were coming to, nor that the usual answer to the question was that they were being swallowed by Mr. Chamberlain.”
Develop SOA applications using rational SCA tools

This workshop provided a general review of the value to businesses in adopting a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA). Additionally, the workshop explored the origins and technological nature of the Open Service Component Architecture (SCA), an open set of specifications for the deployment of SOA solutions based on the assembly of reusable service components from new or existing business IT assets.
Judicial review in the Republic of Korea: an introduction

En la Republica de Corea, tras casi cuarenta anos de disposiciones de rango constitucional en las que se consagraba el control constitucional, la Constitucion de 1987 establecio un sistema efectivo de poderes de control constitucional otorgados a la Corte Constitucional. Ademas de revisar la constitucionalidad de las leyes, la Corte tiene la autoridad para decidir sobre la disolucion de partidos politicos, la destitucion de altos funcionarios, conflictos de competencia, y recursos de proteccion de derechos individuales. Los poderes antes enunciados han dado a la Corte una posicion especial dentro del sistema democratico de Corea del Sur, habilitandola para ampliar el significado de la Constitucion y extender su proteccion respecto de la cotidianidad de los ciudadanos
FGF23: Is It Ready for Prime Time?

Since the identification of fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23)2 more than a decade ago, interest in this hormone has grown dramatically among both nephrologists and endocrinologists. FGF23, initially identified in patients with rare forms of hypophosphatemia, is also increased in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). A handful of studies have suggested that increased circulating concentrations of FGF23 not only play an important role in the development of secondary hyperparathyroidism but also are associated with adverse systemic effects, including increased mortality and deterioration of renal function—associations that have definitively been confirmed in a new prospective study of 3879 adult patients with CKD (1). Isakova et al. reported that circulating FGF23 concentrations were an independent predictor, over a 5-year period, of both ( a ) progression to end-stage renal disease in patients with a baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate >30 mL · min−1 · (1.73 m2)−1 and ( b ) mortality in patients with predialysis CKD. These findings highlight the systemic importance of FGF23 and raise the question of whether FGF23 measurements should now be considered a clinically useful biomarker for diagnosing and managing CKD mineral and bone disorder (CKD-MBD). Current algorithms for the diagnosis and treatment of CKD-MBD recommend periodic measurement of creatinine, calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, parathyroid hormone, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations in the plasma of patients at all stages of CKD. These biochemical variables are markers of altered mineral, bone, and/or vascular metabolism. FGF23 measurements, however, are not currently recommended by any guidelines, nor are they available in most clinical laboratories. Although the report by Isakova et al.(1) suggests that increased circulating FGF23 concentrations do predict mortality in patients with CKD, several major hurdles …
Comparisons between bicycle ergometry and treadmill walking maximum capacity tests.

Measurements of aerobic capacity by three different work tests, namely two cycling tests with pedal frequencies of 60 and 50 rpm respectively and a treadmill walk test, were carried out on 8 male Japanese students studying at the University of California at Santa Barbara. The maximal oxygen uptake (max Vo2) for all three tests was not significantly different (P>0.05). However, ventilatory parameters reflected differing patterns by which the max Vo2 was obtained. The study data indicated that cycling exercises at a pedaling frequency of 60 rpm produced excessive hyperventilation leading to syncope during recovery from exercise.
Children's Grammar of Null Subjects: Evidence from Comprehension

The null subject (NS) stage is one of the best-described hallmarks of first language development. We present a series of experiments assessing children’s interpretation of NS sentences, as a way of testing the two main competing analyses of the phenomenon: grammatical accounts, under which young children’s grammars license NSs in declarative sentences; and performance accounts, which hold that children have an adult grammar, but omit subjects in production for extrasyntactic reasons. Overall, we find evidence of an NS stage in comprehension, just as in production. This suggests that child and adult grammars differ, in line with grammatical accounts.
Education and Training in Two Nations: Sri Lanka and the United States

This article grounds international education in the vision of the Fulbright Exchange Program. The personal, professional, and community impact of completing degrees in a home country and in the Uni...
Emotional Problems among Children with Same-Sex Parents: Difference by Definition

Aims: To test whether small non-random sample findings that children with same-sex parents suffer no disadvantage in emotional well-being can be replicated in a large population sample; and examine the correlates of any differences discovered.Methodology: Using a representative sample of 207,007 children, including 512 with same-sex parents, from the U.S. National Health Interview Survey, prevalence in the two groups was compared for twelve measures of emotional problems, developmental problems, and affiliated service and treatment usage, with controls for age, sex, and race of child and parent education and income. Instruments included the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the Kessler Scale of Psychological Distress (SPD). Bivariate logistic regression models tested the effect of parent psychological distress, family instability, child peer stigmatization and biological parentage, both overall and by opposite-sex family structure.Results: Emotional problems were over twice as prevalent (minimum risk ratio (RR) 2.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.7-3.0) for children with same-sex parents than for children with opposite-sex parents. Risk was elevated in the presence of parent psychological distress (RR 2.7, CI 1.8-4.3, p (t) Conclusion: Joint biological parentage, the modal condition for opposite-sex parents but not possible for same-sex parents, sharply differentiates between the two groups on child emotional problem outcomes. The two groups are different by definition. Intact opposite-sex marriage ensures children of the persistent presence of their joint biological parents; same-sex marriage ensures the opposite. However, further work is needed to determine the mechanisms involved.SSRN version includes errata at the end of the paper.
The zone of proximal teacher development

Abstract Toward the end of his short life, Lev Vygotsky found himself teaching teachers in a remote part of the USSR. Though his influence as a developmental psychologist is well-established, little is known about his approach to teacher development. This article applies the researcher’s core concept, the zone of proximal development to teacher education. The resulting model for educating teaching candidates within zones of proximal teacher development (ZPTD) integrates Vygotskyan theory into Western models of teacher education. Recommendations are offered with regard the four stages of the ZPTD and implications for the content and sequence of the teacher preparation curriculum.
Mineralogical heterogeneity of ore particles and its effects on their interfacial characteristics

Abstract A significant proportion of the U.S. hematitic ores contain silica and other impurities in a very finely dispersed form. The mineralogical heterogeneity of the particle surface and sub-surface regions of such natural hematite and the effect of desliming treatments, are examined in this work using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive analysis of X-rays and Auger spectroscopy techniques. The implications of the observed mineralogical heterogeneity on interfacial properties such as zeta potential and adsorption, and on the validity of prior interpretations of results obtained for such properties are discussed. Specifically, the reasons for a lower isoelectric point of natural hematites than that of the synthetic hematite, and for the adsorption of anionic collectors on natural hematite above their isoelectric point, are explained on the basis of the concentration of impurities, as in this case silica and clay, in the surface region.