cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fear no colors? Observer clothing color influences lizard escape behavior

Animals often view humans as predators, leading to alterations in their behavior. Even nuanced aspects of human activity like clothing color affect animal behavior, but we lack an understanding of when and where such effects will occur. The species confidence hypothesis posits that birds are attracted to colors found on their bodies and repelled by non-body colors. Here, we extend this hypothesis taxonomically and conceptually to test whether this pattern is applicable in a non-avian reptile and to suggest that species should respond less fearfully to their sexually-selected signaling color. Responses to clothing color could also be impacted by habituation to humans, so we examine whether behavior varied between areas with low and high human activity. We quantified the effects of four T-shirt colors on flight initiation distances (FID) and on the ease of capture in western fence lizards (Sceloporus occidentalis), and we accounted for detectability against the background environment. We found no differences in lizard behavior between sites. However, lizards tolerated the closest approaches and were most likely to be captured when approached with the T-shirt that resembled their sexually-selected signaling color. Because changes in individual behavior affect fitness, choice of clothing color by people, including tourists, hikers, and researchers, could impact wildlife populations and research outcomes.
The Failure of"˜Sorry: An Empirical Evaluation of Apology Laws, Health Care, and Medical Malpractice

As part of the effort to contain the size and frequency of medical malpractice claims, many states have adopted apology laws. These laws make apologies from physicians to patients inadmissible in any subsequent court proceedings. The basic rationale behind apology laws is that meritless malpractice claims are less likely to be filed when a physician can apologize to his or her patient without risking those statements being used in court. Through the use of a unique dataset, this article corrects several misunderstandings concerning this new generation of tort reform. First, it shows that while apology laws may reduce the frequency and size of malpractice claims as intended, they may also have a perverse effect on patients’ propensity to litigate. If a physician knows more about whether a patient’s injury was caused by malpractice than the patient, an apology could alert the patient to that malpractice and encourage the filing of a claim. Second, the article provides the first empirical analysis of the effect of apology laws on clinical outcomes, investigating their ability to reduce the practice of defensive medicine. Examining over 1.6 million hospital stays for heart attack patients, the article finds no evidence that apology laws reduce defensive medicine. Apology laws do not decrease the intensity of treatment received by patients. In fact, they increase the medical resources used to treat heart attack patients, consistent with an increase in defensive medicine. Based on these empirical findings, the article concludes that apology laws are not effective tort reforms and that states should look to other policies if they wish to achieve the goals of apology laws.
Validating a Culturally-sensitive Social Competence Training Programme for Adolescents with ASD in a Chinese Context: An Initial Investigation

Previous studies on social skills training on ASD were done almost exclusively in the West with children as the main subjects. Demonstrations of the applicability of social interventions in different cultures and age groups are warranted. The current study outlined the development and preliminary evaluation of a CBT-context-based social competence training for ASD (CBT-CSCA) developed in Hong Kong for Chinese adolescents with ASD. Twenty-five adolescents (aged 12-17 years, with a FSIQ above 80) were recruited. Significant improvements in social competence, autistic symptoms and general psychopathology at post-training and 3-month follow-up were reported by the parents. The study provided initial evidence support to the applicability of social competence training for adolescents with ASD in a different culture.
In vivo mechanical anisotropy assessment in renal cortex using ARFI peak displacement

The kidney is an anisotropic organ, with higher elasticity along versus across nephrons. The degree of elastic anisotropy in kidney may be diagnostically relevant if properly exploited; however, if improperly controlled, anisotropy may confound stiffness measurements. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate a novel method for selectively exploiting or obviating elastic anisotropy in kidney using Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse (ARFI)-induced peak displacement (PD). The kidneys of three pigs were imaged in vivo at baseline, with venous ligation, and with arterial ligation, and then kidneys were extracted and imaged ex vivo. Imaging was performed with ARF excitation impulses having F/1.5 or F/5.0 focal configurations, and data were acquired with the transducer oriented along and across nephrons alignment in the renal cortex. In addition to ARFI PD, shear wave velocity was measured along and across nephrons to estimate longitudinal and transverse shear elastic moduli. Elastic anisotropy was then assessed as the ratio of PD across versus along nephrons, and as the ratio of shear moduli along versus across nephrons. PD ratio using the F/1.5 ARF linearly correlated with shear moduli ratio (R2 = 0.95). However, PD ratio using the F/5.0 ARF was approximately 1.0 and had weak correlation to shear moduli ratio (R2= 0.56). Further, the average difference in PD measured along versus across nephrons was 2.91 μm for the F/1.5 ARF but was 0.2 μm for the F/5.0 ARF. These results suggest that the F/1.5 ARF excitation exploited elastic anisotropy in the renal cortex, while the F/5.0 ARF excitation obviated it.
Drug resistance in a sarcoma xenograft model is overcome by schedule-dependent proteasome inhibition using Velcade™ (Bortezomib, formerly PS-341).

2135 Doxorubicin is an effective anti-breast cancer drug currently used as a first-line drug for patients with metastatic breast cancer. We have shown previously that the activity of PI3-K/Akt conferred an increased resistance on breast cancer cells to doxorubicin-induced toxicity. We furthered this study on modulation of doxorubicin toxicity by PI3-K/Akt in a panel of 9 breast cancer cell lines. Within 24-48 hours after exposure of the cells to doxorubicin, there was a transient drug dose-dependent (up to 1 μM) increase in the levels of phosphorylated Akt in MCF7, MDA468, MDA361 and T47D cells. In contrast, no such change was found in MDA157 and BT474 cells; and a drug dose-dependent decrease in the levels of phosphorylated Akt was found in SKBR3, MDA453 and MDA231 cells. This doxorubicin-mediated phosphorylation of Akt is correlated with increased Akt kinase activity, shown by in vitro kinase assays on two well-documented Akt substrates, Bad and GSK3, and by an increased nuclear translocation of Akt following the treatment. The doxorubicin-mediated Akt activation is mediated by the PI3-K because it was prevented in the presence of LY294002 (a PI3-K-specific inhibitor). Forced overexpression of HER2 or FAK in MCF7 cells, each of which elevated basal activity of PI3-K/Akt, led to an increased potential of Akt phosphorylation by doxorubicin. Treatment of MCF7HE2 cells with Herceptin (an anti-HER2 mAb) or expression of FRNK (a FAK dominant-negative vector) in MCF7 cells reduced the potential of doxorubicin-mediated Akt phosphorylation. Compared with regular culture medium, there was no change in the level of doxorubicin-mediated Akt phosphorylation of MCF7 cells cultured in estrogen-depleted medium or in medium supplemented with an estrogen antagonist (ICI 182,780), indicating a lack of hormone-mediated signaling in the event. Further study was conducted in SKBR3 cells, which in contrast showed a reduced phosphorylation of Akt following doxorubicin treatment. SKBR3 cells express high level of HER2 but have no detectable level of HER3. Forced expression of HER3 in SKBR3 cells prevented doxorubicin-mediated reduction in the level of phosphorylated Akt, indicating an important role of HER2/HER3 heterodimerization in determining cellular responses to doxorubicin treatment. Our data suggest that breast cancer cells may utilize HER (or FAK)/PI3-K/Akt pathways as a mechanism of resistance to doxorubicin-induced toxicity, and thus justify targeting PI3-K/Akt for enhancing the efficacy of doxorubicin.
Aldehyde dehydrogenase 3A1 activation prevents radiation-induced xerostomia by protecting salivary stem cells from toxic aldehydes

Xerostomia (dry mouth) is the most common side effect of radiation therapy in patients with head and neck cancer and causes difficulty speaking and swallowing. Since aldehyde dehydrogenase 3A1 (ALDH3A1) is highly expressed in mouse salivary stem/progenitor cells (SSPCs), we sought to determine the role of ALDH3A1 in SSPCs using genetic loss-of-function and pharmacologic gain-of-function studies. Using DarkZone dye to measure intracellular aldehydes, we observed higher aldehyde accumulation in irradiated Aldh3a1-/- adult murine salisphere cells and in situ in whole murine embryonic salivary glands enriched in SSPCs compared with wild-type glands. To identify a safe ALDH3A1 activator for potential clinical testing, we screened a traditional Chinese medicine library and isolated d-limonene, commonly used as a food-flavoring agent, as a single constituent activator. ALDH3A1 activation by d-limonene significantly reduced aldehyde accumulation in SSPCs and whole embryonic glands, increased sphere-forming ability, decreased apoptosis, and improved submandibular gland structure and function in vivo after radiation. A phase 0 study in patients with salivary gland tumors showed effective delivery of d-limonene into human salivary glands following daily oral dosing. Given its safety and bioavailability, d-limonene may be a good clinical candidate for mitigating xerostomia in patients with head and neck cancer receiving radiation therapy.
On the representation of a large integer as the sum of a prime and a square-free number with at most three prime divisors

In this paper we prove that every sufficiently large odd integer can be written as a sum of a prime and 2 times a product of at most two distinct odd primes. Together with Chen’s theorem and Ross’s observation, this shows every sufficiently large integer can be written as a sum of a prime and a square-free number with at most three prime divisors.
CHROMIUM REMOVAL AND RECOVERY FROM TANNERY WASTES: LABORATORY INVESTIGATION AND FIELD EXPERIENCE ON A 10 m3/d DEMONSTRATION PLANT

After extensive laboratory investigation of an ion exchange based process for selective removal, separation and recovery of Cr(III), AI(III) and Fe(III) from tannery wastes (spent chrome baths and leather washing waters), a 10 m3/d mobile pilot plant was assembled to demonstrate technical reliability and economic feasibility of the process. The IERECHROM (Ion Exchange REmoval of CHROMium) process is based on a weak electrolyte carboxyl resin, able to remove the metals from the liquid effluent followed by selective separation and recovery during a regeneration step. The resin is regenerated with alkaline hydrogen peroxide brines (0.15 M H2O2, 1M NaCl, O.1M NaOH, pH ≈ 11) through an internal oxidation of chromic species to chromate, whereas aluminium is co-eluted after hydrolysis as aluminate ion. Ferric species are not released by the resin in these conditions and are easily regenerated by subsequent acidic elution (1M H2SO4). Aluminate is thus separated from chromate ion in the alkaline spent regeneration eluate by pH adjustment to 8.5 and precipitation of aluminum hydroxide. In this paper the basic principles of the process are reported and the promising data obtained with a 10 m3/d mobile demonslration plant running at a tannery site in the Naples area.
Domain Ontology As Conceptual Model for Big Data Management: Application in Biomedical Informatics

The increasing capability and sophistication of biomedical instruments has led to rapid generation of large volumes of disparate data that is often characterized as biomedical “big data”. Effective analysis of biomedical big data is providing new insights to advance healthcare research, but it is difficult to efficiently manage big data without a conceptual model, such as ontology, to support storage, query, and analytical functions. In this paper, we describe the Cloudwave platform that uses a domain ontology to support optimal data partitioning, efficient network transfer, visualization, and querying of big data in the neurology disease domain. The domain ontology is used to define a new JSON-based Cloudwave Signal Format (CSF) for neurology signal data. A comparative evaluation of the ontology-based CSF with existing data format demonstrates that it significantly reduces the data access time for query and visualization of large scale signal data.
Computational Schemes for Quantitative X-Ray Analysis: On-Line Analysis with Small Computers

This chapter will deal primarily with rapid means to perform data reduction for quantitative electron probe microanalysis with the aid of small computational devices (desk calculator to 8K machine). Since the two basic correctional procedures—ZAF and hyperbolic approximation—have already been discussed in Chapter IX, the computational schemes will be emphasized. Included will be a complete discussion of a ZAF program packaged for on-line data reduction and the basis for use of the hyperbolic approximation on-line. For the laboratory that only does occasional quantitative analysis, a brief discussion is given of how to obtain an analysis with a desk calculator in a reasonable time—about 2 hr for a six-component system or 30 min for a binary is needed, starting from scratch.
Sleep duration and risk of cancer in the Mexican American Mano-a-Mano Cohort.

Summary Background To date, no study has investigated the association of sleep duration with cancer risk in Mexican Americans. Analysis Using data from the Mano-A-Mano Mexican American Cohort study, we analyzed the relationship between sleep duration and overall cancer risk among Mexican Americans. Results Of 10,802 subjects included in this study, 429 developed cancer during follow-up. Compared with study participants sleeping 8-9 hours per night, those sleeping less than 6 hours per night had significantly increased risk of overall cancer in both univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. After adjusting for social-demographic and lifestyle variables, sleeping less than 6 hours per night was associated with a 1.37-fold increased risk of overall cancer (hazard ratio = 1.37, 95% confidence interval: 1.01-1.97). In breast cancer alone, sleeping less than 6 hours per night was associated with a 1.86-fold increased risk of breast cancer (hazard ratio = 1.86, 95% confidence interval: 1.01-3.45) after adjustment for birthplace and language acculturation. In further stratified analysis, significant associations between sleeping less than 6 hours per night and overall cancer risk were evident among overweight participants, former drinkers, those with medium or high levels of physical activity, those married or living together, and those who had less than 2 hours of sitting time per day. In addition, increased cancer risk associated with long sleep duration (at least 9 hours per night) was observed among overweight participants and those with medium or high levels of physical activity. Conclusion Our results provide evidence to link sleep duration with cancer risk among Mexican Americans.
On a Spectrum: International Models of School Librarianship.

There is a reasonable degree of consensus on the role school libraries play in society; however, forms of implementing such libraries vary widely. On a national level, school library development can be seen as falling into two major models: the American model, which is implemented by the United States, Canada, Australia, and Denmark, and the British model, which is implemented to some degree by all other countries with measurable development. The primary distinguishing factor between these two models is the libraries' governing agency: in American-model countries, school libraries are funded and administered by school districts; in the British-model countries, school and public library systems are entwined. A third model can also be distinguished in some regions-the combined model, in which school and public libraries coexist. These models fall on a spectrum that begins with an early emphasis on supplementary reading and then progresses into a multifaceted educational support role in which the recreationa...
Provider and Staff Feedback on Screening for Social and Behavioral Determinants of Health for Pediatric Patients.

Introduction: Screening and referral for Social and Behavioral Determinants of Health (SDOH) are increasingly recommended in clinical guidelines and consensus statements. It is important to understand barriers and facilitators to implementation of standardized SDOH screening and referral practices, as well as the scope of current existing SDOH screening. Methods: We conducted a mixed-methods study to understand the current state of SDOH screening and to assess the barriers and facilitators to implementing a standardized SDOH screening and referral practice in Boston community health centers (CHCs) for pediatric patients. We requested all SDOH screening documents from 15 Boston CHCs and conducted provider and staff focus groups at intervention sites of an SDOH implementation pilot in Boston. Results: All CHCs screened in some form for SDOH, but there was no agreement on which domains to screen. Participating CHCs screened for a mean of 8 SDOH domains (range, 5 to 16). Overall, 16 SDOH domains emerged. From the focus groups, 5 themes emerged: 1) provider perspectives, 2) work flow, 3) prior experience, 4) site resources and staffing, and 5) sustainability. There was little agreement among participants within each theme, as all were seen as barriers and facilitators depending on the respondent. Discussion: This study highlights the various SDOH screening methods currently used in Boston CHCs, and the need for workflow and process individualization of SDOH screening and referral. Providers and clinical staff should be part of the discussion when implementing SDOH screening and referral procedures to ensure appropriate work flow, staff buy-in, and to maximize resources available.
Postoperative Bleeding Associated with Ibuprofen Use after Tonsillectomy: A Meta-analysis:

ObjectiveTo better quantify the risk of ibuprofen-associated posttonsillectomy hemorrhage (PTH).Data SourcesPUBMED/MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Clinical Trials Database.Review MethodLitera...
Effect of exercise in a desert environment on physiological and subjective measures.

Green exercise is beneficial to emotional and physiological measures, however, the US has large desert areas. We aimed to determine if exercise in a desert (brown) environment extends similar benef...
Septins organize endoplasmic reticulum-plasma membrane junctions for STIM1-ORAI1 calcium signalling

ORAI1 Ca2+ channels in the plasma membrane (PM) are gated by STIM1 at endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-PM junctions to effect store-dependent Ca2+ entry into cells, but little is known about how local STIM-ORAI signalling at junctions is coordinated with overall cellular architecture. Filamentous septins can specify cytoskeletal rearrangements and have been found recently to modulate STIM-ORAI signalling. Here we show by super-resolution imaging of ORAI1, STIM1, and septin 4 in living cells that septins facilitate Ca2+ signalling indirectly. Septin 4 does not colocalize preferentially with ORAI1 in resting or stimulated cells, assemble stably at ER-PM junctions, or specify a boundary that directs or confines ORAI1 to junctions. Rather, ORAI1 is recruited to junctions solely through interaction with STIM proteins, while septins regulate the number of ER-PM junctions and enhance STIM1-ORAI1 interactions within junctions. Thus septins communicate with STIM1 and ORAI1 through protein or lipid intermediaries, and are favorably positioned to coordinate Ca2+ signalling with rearrangements in cellular architecture.
Learning from Dynamic User Interaction Graphs to Forecast Diverse Social Behavior

Most of the existing graph analytics for understanding social behavior focuses on learning from static rather than dynamic graphs using hand-crafted network features or recently emerged graph embeddings learned independently from a downstream predictive task, and solving predictive (e.g., link prediction) rather than forecasting tasks directly. To address these limitations, we propose (1) a novel task -- forecasting user interactions over dynamic social graphs, and (2) a novel deep learning, multi-task, node-aware attention model that focuses on forecasting social interactions, going beyond recently emerged approaches for learning dynamic graph embeddings. Our model relies on graph convolutions and recurrent layers to forecast future social behavior and interaction patterns in dynamic social graphs. We evaluate our model on the ability to forecast the number of retweets and mentions of a specific news source on Twitter (focusing on deceptive and credible news sources) with R^2 of 0.79 for retweets and 0.81 for mentions. An additional evaluation includes model forecasts of user-repository interactions on GitHub and comments to a specific video on YouTube with a mean absolute error close to 2% and R^2 exceeding 0.69. Our results demonstrate that learning from connectivity information over time in combination with node embeddings yields better forecasting results than when we incorporate the state-of-the-art graph embeddings e.g., Node2Vec and DeepWalk into our model. Finally, we perform in-depth analyses to examine factors that influence model performance across tasks and different graph types e.g., the influence of training and forecasting windows as well as graph topological properties.
Murine M1 macrophages are among the direct responders to tumor-derived extracellular cGAMP and their human counterparts use SLC46A2 to import cGAMP

Administration of exogenous CDNs to activate the cGAMP-STING pathway is a promising therapeutic strategy to unleash the full potential of cancer immunotherapy. This strategy mirrors the role of endogenous extracellular cGAMP, which we recently described as an immunotransmitter exported by cancer cells and imported into local responder cells of unknown identities to promote anti-tumoral immunity, with irradiation enhancing this effect. Here, in low-dose irradiated murine tumors, we identified CD4+ T cells, M1 macrophages, and NKG2DLow NK cells as cGAMP responder cells that have decreased STING activation upon depletion of extracellular cGAMP. At higher doses of radiation, extracellular cGAMP promoted the death of T cells and macrophages. Furthermore, we identified the orphan protein SLC46A2 as the dominant importer of cGAMP and select bacterial CDNs in human macrophages and monocytes. Together, we provide the first cellular and molecular mechanisms of cGAMP as an immunotransmitter, paving the way for effective STING pathway therapeutics.
China’s Nation and Product Branding in New York’s Times Square in the Post-Beijing Olympics Era

This paper compares and contrasts how the Chinese government brands China and how Chinese advertisers market their products in the United States after the Beijing Olympics. I focus on China’s publicity campaign in 2011, and various Chinese companies’ outdoor ads in New York’s Times Square. New York City (NYC) is a quintessential symbol of global capitalism and modernity in China’s imagination. I situate the analysis in the broader context of China’s public diplomacy in terms of neoliberal economics, the dialectics of nationalism and cosmopolitanism, and the gendered advertising culture in China. The article ends by discussing implications of these campaigns and the challenges that China and Chinese companies face when attempting to go global.
Abstract P222: Progesterone Induced Blocking Factor Decreases Hypertension, Mitochondrial Dysfunction And Reactive Oxygen Species In Response To Elevated Sflt-1 During Pregnancy

Preeclampsia (PE) is characterized by new onset hypertension in association with placental ischemia, reduced fetal weight, elevated soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) and placental mitocho...
Curling ulcer in the setting of severe sunburn: A case report.

BACKGROUND While sunburns are very common, especially in pediatrics, curling ulcers secondary to sunburns are a very rare entity that has not been noted in the literature in over fifty years. This case is the first addition to the literature since the originally documented case. CASE SUMMARY A previously healthy 17 year old male presents to the emergency room with lethargy, shortness of breath on exertion, dark stools and nausea. His fatigue started to become significantly worse four days prior to admission. Approximately two weeks prior to admission, the patient was on a beach vacation with his family at which time he suffered severe sunburns. He had developed crampy epigastric abdominal pain, which was followed by dark, loose stools. On exam, he is non-toxic appearing, but with pallor and peeling skin on his face and chest with epigastric tenderness. Infectious stool studies were all negative including Helicobacter pylori. He denies use of any non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and also denies alcohol or recreational drug use. While admitted he is found to be significantly anemic with his hemoglobin as low as 6.3 requiring two units of packed red blood cells. Endoscopy revealed several severe and deep ulcerations in the antrum and body of the stomach indicative of stress or curling ulcers. CONCLUSION While the incidence of stress ulcers is not known, it is most common with severe acute illness, most commonly presenting as upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. It is essential to be aware of the risk of curling ulcers secondary to severe sunburns as patients with stress ulcer GI bleeding have increased morbidity and mortality compared to those who do not have GI bleed.
Circuit Determinants of Ventricular Tachycardia Cycle Length

Background: Fast ventricular tachycardias (VTs) have historically been attributed to shorter path lengths with smaller reentrant circuit dimensions in animal models. The relationship between the di...
Choices in a Crisis - Individual Preferences among SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines.

Choices in a Crisis As experience with SARS-CoV-2 vaccination accumulates, meaningful differences among vaccines may emerge, making the question of whether individual vaccinees should be able to ch...
Correction: Functionalized pyridine in pyclen-based iron(III) complexes: evaluation of fundamental properties

Correction for ‘Functionalized pyridine in pyclen-based iron(III) complexes: evaluation of fundamental properties’ by Magy A. Mekhail et al., RSC Adv., 2020, 10, 31165–31170. DOI: 10.1039/d0ra05756h.
Design Considerations for Distance Viewed Dot-Matrix Displays

Presented are the results of a systematic analysis and extension of the human design considerations for dot-matrix displays. A brief overview of some CRT literature is given and extended to address the design of distance viewed (large screen) displays. The results of some recent studies which address large screen display design are discussed. Recommendations are given for the research needed to improve large screen display design.
Genetic determinants in the development of sensitization to environmental allergens in early childhood

Sensitization to environmental allergens remains one of the strongest risk factors for asthma, and there is likely a genetic basis. We sought to identify genetic determinants for the development of allergic sensitization to environmental allergens, particularly cockroach allergen, in early childhood. A total of 631 children with the information about genotypic data on 895 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 179 candidate genes were selected from an existing dataset (Boston Birth Cohort). Genetic analysis was performed for allergic sensitizations among all subjects and sub-population, Black/African, respectively. Eight SNPs in seven genes showed significant association with allergic sensitization with P < 0.05, including two top SNPs, rs7851969 in JAK2 (P = 0.003) and rs11739089 in CNOT6 (P = 0.008). When analyses were specifically performed for cockroach sensitization, 16 SNPs in 13 genes showed P < 0.05, including five genes with SNPs at P < 0.01 (JAK1, JAK3, IL5RA, FCER1A, and ADAM33). Particularly, haplotype analyses demonstrated that multiple-haplotypes in FCER1A were significantly associated with cockroach sensitization with the strongest association for a 2-marker haplotype (rs6665683T-rs12136904T, P = 0.001). Furthermore, SNP rs6665683 was marginally associated with the levels of cockroach allergen specific IgE. When a similar analysis was performed for house dust mite, four SNPs in three genes (JAK2, MAML1, and NOD1) had P < 0.01. Of these, JAK2 appeared to be an only gene showing association across the sensitizations we analyzed. Some of findings were further validated when analysis was limited to black population. Our study identified several loci that may confer the susceptibility to allergic sensitization, and suggested that sensitization to allergens may depend on their unique loci.
Cryogenic processing of metal/InP/Schottky contacts

Cryogenic processing has been shown to provide a simple way to greatly enhance the Schottky barrier height for Pd/n-InP diodes. Because of the reduction of the surface disruption and the improvement of the uniformity of the metal coverage, the room temperature barrier height of the Pd/n-InP diodes was increased from 0.48 to 0.96 eV with the substrate temperature decrease from 300 to 77 K. The leakage current density was also reduced by more than six orders of magnitude. It is obvious that the interface Fermi-level position lies well outside the variance associated with the Fermi-level pinning. This may be attributed to the formation of an insulator-like structure at the interface and the uniform metal coverage as confirmed by Raman studies. The stability of the low-temperature diode was revealed in this study. >
Bases intelectuales de un programa en estudios socioculturales

espanolEste articulo esboza los antecedentes y el potencial del campo de los Estudios Socioculturales y su interrelacion con el lenguaje. Su origen seda en la convergencia de diversas disciplinas que tienen como objeto de reflexion el mismo lenguaje y que ponen en tela de juicio los tratamientos tradicionales de la Linguistica y las Ciencias Sociales y Humanas en general. Las innovaciones que este enfoque representa permiten nuevas concepciones del sentido y de la experiencia, entendidos en su mas amplio alcance como cultura. EnglishThis article outlines the background and the potential of the new field of language-oriented socio-cultural studies. The field develops out of convergent tendencies to focus on culture, linguistics, the humanities and the social sciences. It can bring useful innovation to the study of social meaning and experience, understood in the broadest sense as culture.
A Model of FTE Footprints in the Polar Cap

The present investigation of the mapping of flux-transfer events (FTEs) onto the polar cap using the Toffoletto and Hill (1989) open version of Voigt's (1981) closed magnetic field model assumes that the magnetic flux associated with FTEs crosses the magnetopause through small regions of large normal components, whence these small flux tubes proceed to map to the polar cap ionosphere. It is found that while the footprint of a circular hole in the magnetopause of an otherwise closed magnetosphere becomes progressively distorted as the hole moves from the day to the night side, a similar region of enhanced open flux in an otherwise open magnetosphere retains an approximately circular footprint. Such regions, moving through the magnetosphere at a slower rate than the background, would generate the dipolar-electric field and current structures predicted by Southwood (1987).
Soluble syndecan-1 (sCD138) as a prognostic factor independent of mutation status in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Syndecan-1 (sCD138) is a transmembrane heparan sulfate-bearing proteoglycan expressed in epithelial cells as well as hematopoietic cells that demonstrate plasmacytoid differentiation. Higher levels of sCD138 correlate with poor outcome in myeloma. We examined the association of circulating sCD138 levels in plasma with clinical behavior in 104 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. sCD138 levels were significantly higher in patients (median, 52.8 ng/ml; range, 13.4-252.7 ng/ml) than in healthy control subjects (median, 19.86; range, 14.49-33.14 ng/ml) (P median, 52.8 ng/ml) was associated with significantly shorter survival (P = 0.0004); this association was independent of IgVH mutation status, beta2-microglobulin (beta2-M) level, and treatment history. Patients with mutated IgVH but high sCD138 levels (>52.8 ng/ml) had significantly shorter survival than those with mutated IgVH and lower levels of sCD138. Similarly, patients with unmutated IgVH but high sCD138 levels had significantly shorter survival than those with lower sCD138 levels and unmutated IgVH (P = 0.007). In a multivariate Cox regression model, only Rai stage, beta2-M, and sCD138 remained predictors of survival. These data suggest that sCD138 when combined with beta2-M and Rai stage, may replace the need for testing IgVH mutation status.
Defining heart failure in adult congenital heart disease

Abstract As the adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) population expands and ages, the incidence and prevalence of heart failure will rise. This poses several challenges, all complicated by our nascent understanding of heart failure epidemiology, pathophysiology and management in adults with congenital heart disease. Current definitions extrapolated from acquired heart failure often disregard the unique pathophysiology of heart failure in adults with congenital heart disease. Others have suggested that congenital heart disease is the ‘original heart failure syndrome’ implying that all ACHD patients are destined to manifest heart failure. Neither the adoption of acquired heart failure definitions nor the belief that heart failure is the common ultimate manifestation of ACHD has advanced the care of ACHD patients. The absence of a comprehensive definition that focuses on common themes while recognizing the unique manifestations of heart failure in ACHD stifles research progress and has translated to a paucity of ACHD specific recommendations in existing heart failure guidelines. Since many ACHD heart failure patients do not meet standard definitions of heart failure their access to potentially beneficial interventions such as cardiac rehabilitation is restricted by payers and regulators taking a narrow view of acquired heart failure guidelines. ACHD heart failure definitions that can be applied in the clinical and research setting are needed to guide treatment, facilitate communication between specialists, determine the prevalence and incidence of heart failure in AHCD, and improve ACHD patients' access to heart failure treatments. The purpose of this review is to understand how heart failure has been considered and defined in the existing ACHD literature and to highlight the need for a definition of heart failure applicable to ACHD.
Enzymatic production of the lignin precursor trans-[U-14C]cinnamic acid from l-[U-14C]phenylalanine using l-phenylalanine ammonia-lyase

Abstract An enzymatic method using phenylalanine ammonia-lyase ( l -phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, EC 4.3.1.5) for the rapid conversion of l -[U-14C]phenylalanine to the deaminated lignin precursor trans-[U-14C]cinnamic acid is described. The method produces an experimentally useful 14C-labelled deaminated lignin precursor unavailable from radiochemical supply companies.
Student veterans: A national survey exploring psychological symptoms and suicide risk.

The current study explored psychological symptoms, symptom severity, and suicide risk in a national sample (N 628) of student veterans. We hypothesized that the rates, types, and severity of problems experienced by student veterans on campus would in many ways mirror those reported by active duty service members as well as the Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom veteran population. Almost 35% of the sample experienced “severe anxiety,” 24% experienced “severe depression,” and almost 46% experienced significant symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. Of particular concern, there were significant numbers of participants thinking about suicide (46%), with 20% having a plan, 10.4% thinking about suicide “often or very often,” 7.7% making an attempt, and 3.8% believing that suicide is either “likely” or “very likely.” Implications of the findings are discussed, with a particular focus on college and university campuses.
THE GEOMETRY AND COMPUTATION OF THE DYNAMICS OF COUPLED PENDULA

In this paper, we analyze the dynamics of a system consisting of two torsionally coupled pendula with dissipation and with external forcing. In addition to several general results about the periodic solutions of the system, we prove that a family of homoclinic solutions exists in part of the parameter space, and give computational evidence that part of this family is the type considered by Shil'nikov. The existence of such orbits generates rich dynamics, which we describe qualitatively and illustrate with computed solutions.
Mixing characteristics of submerged and surface wastewater outfalls at McMurdo Station

The mixing characteristics of the existing surface wastewater discharge and a proposed submerged wastewater outfall at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, are compared. The wastewater is a combination of sanitary sewage and brine from a desalination plant. Dispersion from a proposed submerged (15 m-deep) outfall was simulated using the CORMIX1 computer model. The mixing characteristics of the surface discharge were estimated from visual observations and a conceptual analysis. The wastewater was found to be less dense than ambient seawater. From the submerged outfall, the effluent is predicted to be diluted by ratios ranging from 80:1 to 450:1 between the point of discharge and the point where the effluent plume begins to spread out underneath the sea ice. The variation in dilution depends mostly on tidal current speed, and dilution of the wastewater with desalinator brine is predicted to provide only minor reductions in concentrations of the effluent. The heat content of the discharge plume from a submerged outfall is expected to cause at least partial melting of the sea ice from underneath. A surface discharge provides much less mixing with ambient water before the effluent spreads along tidal cracks and underneath the sea ice. The submerged discharge is expected to confine settleable wastewater solids to a benthic area near the outfall, but a surface discharge allows solids to settle over a wider area.
Legionnaires' Disease Presenting with Empyema

Legionnaire's disease presenting as empyema has not been previously described, although pleural effusions are not uncommon. A 56-year-old woman had a ten-day history of pleuritic chest pain and a large loculated empyema. Legionnaires' disease was documented by serum indirect fluorescent antibody studies.
Thalidomide and metabolites: indications of the absence of 'genotoxic' carcinogenic potentials.

Abstract Because of the reintroduction into human therapeutics of thalidomide, a recognized developmental toxicant in humans, there has been concern about its potential for inducing other health effects as well. The present study is concerned with the possible mutagenicity and carcinogenicity of this chemical. Using the expert system, META, a series of putative metabolites of thalidomide was generated. In addition to the known or hypothesized metabolites of thalidomide (N=12), a number of additional putative metabolites (N=131) were identified by META. The structures of these chemicals were subjected to structure–activity analyses using predictive CASE/MULTICASE models of developmental toxicity, rodent carcinogenicity and mutagenicity in Salmonella. While thalidomide and some of its putative metabolites were predicted to be developmental toxicants, none of them were predicted to be rodent carcinogens. Putative metabolites containing the hydroxamic acid or hydroxylamine moieties were predicted to be mutagens. None of the `known' metabolites of thalidomide contained these reactive moieties. Whether such intermediates are indeed generated or whether they are generated and are either unstable in the presence of oxygen or react rapidly with nucleophiles is unknown.
Correlates of Sexual Abuse and Subsequent Risk Taking

Correlates of sexual abuse among female participants in the California Latino Couples Study were examined in two sets of comparisons: (a) nonabused women versus women reporting any sexual abuse and (b) among sexually abused women, those reporting forced intercourse versus those with no forced intercourse. Women who reported any sexual abuse (n = 208) differed from women who reported no abuse (n = 363) in their age at first voluntary sexual intercourse, risk-taking scores, and sexually transmitted infection (STI) history. Among the abused women, those who experienced forced intercourse (n = 101) were more likely to report sexual intercourse with an injection drug user, a history of STIs, unhappy intimate relationships, depression, and elevated stress scores compared wth women who had been touched inappropriately but not forced to have sexual intercourse.
Summer meeting 2013 – when the sleepers wake: the germination of spores of Bacillus species

Summary Spores of Bacillus species can remain dormant and resistant for years, but can rapidly ‘come back to life’ in germination triggered by agents, such as specific nutrients, and non-nutrients, such as CaDPA, dodecylamine and hydrostatic pressure. Major events in germination include release of spore core monovalent cations and CaDPA, hydrolysis of the spore cortex peptidoglycan (PG) and expansion of the spore core. This leads to a well-hydrated spore protoplast in which metabolism and macromolecular synthesis begin. Proteins essential for germination include the GerP proteins that facilitate germinant access to spores' inner layers, germinant receptors (GRs) that recognize and respond to nutrient germinants, GerD important in rapid GR-dependent germination, SpoVA proteins important in CaDPA release and cortex-lytic enzymes that degrade cortex PG. Rates of germination of individuals in spore populations are heterogeneous, and methods have been developed recently to simultaneously analyse the germination of multiple individual spores. Spore germination heterogeneity is due primarily to large variations in GR levels among individual spores, with spores that germinate extremely slowly and termed superdormant having very low GR levels. These and other aspects of spore germination will be discussed in this review, and major unanswered questions will also be discussed.
Biliary obstruction secondary to hepatic vascular ligation in fetal sheep

Abstract It is possible to operate on fetal sheep from 100 to 110 days of gestation, and perhaps earlier, with survival. It is possible that biliary atresia may result from a vascular anomaly or catastrophe. Fetal operations on fourteen lambs were undertaken, including three sham procedures. Four animals expelled a macerated fetus. Five lambs were born jaundiced. Two lambs were born not jaundiced following vessel ligation. Two lambs who underwent sham operation and delivered at term were not jaundiced.
Effects of lower extremity muscle fatigue on the outcomes of slip-induced falls

Slip-induced fall accidents continue to be a significant cause of fatal injuries and economic losses. Identifying the risk factors causing slip-induced falls is key to developing better preventive measures to reduce fall accidents. Although epidemiological studies suggest localised muscle fatigue may be one of the risk factors for slip-induced falls, there has been no documented biomechanical study examining the relationship between fatigue and fall accidents. As such, the overall objective of the current study was to investigate the effects of localised muscle fatigue of the quadriceps on the slip initiation and slip recovery phases of slip-induced falls. Sixteen healthy, young participants were recruited to walk across a vinyl floor surface in two different sessions (fatigue and no fatigue). Kinematic and kinetic data were collected using a 3-D motion analysis system and force plates during both sessions. Results suggest that localised muscle fatigue of the quadriceps affected various kinematic and kinetic gait variables that are linked with a higher risk of slip-induced falls. Additionally, the results indicated that localised muscle fatigue of the knee extensor muscle caused a delayed response in producing an effective joint moment and base of support using the trailing limb to recover from a fall. The findings from this study indicate that localised muscle fatigue is a potential risk factor causing slip-induced falls.
Electroluminescence from blend films of poly(3-hexylthiophene) and poly(N-vinylcarbazole)

Electroluminescence (EL) is reported from blends of head-to-tail poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and poly(N-vinylcarbazole) (PVK); light-violet color emission is observed (a mixture of blue and red). Since P3HT and PVK are soluble in common organic solvents, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) can be fabricated by spin-casting films of the polymer blends from solution without subsequent processing or heat treatment. Calcium and indium-tin oxide (ITO) were used as the electron-injection and hole-injection electrodes, respectively. The EL quantum efficiency was enhanced by blending, with an optimized value of 0.2% photons/electron in blend films with about 2 wt.% P3HT; i.e. greater than in pure PVK by approximately a factor of four and greater than in pure P3HT by more than two orders of magnitude.
A note on rearrangement of Fourier series

We give an example of a permutation of integers which preserves all convergent Fourier series and makes some divergent Fourier series converge.
Vascular access for cardiac catheterization of patients with congenital heart disease

Abstract Pediatric cardiac catheterization has progressed over the past 50+ years into a sub-specialty with numerous diagnostic and interventional procedures for the care of children with congenital heart disease. There are increasing numbers of patients who are surviving with complex congenital heart lesions, as well as more therapeutic interventional procedures being performed in the catheterization laboratory. Obtaining vascular access in infants and children with multiple prior catheterizations can pose a significant challenge to the pediatric interventional cardiologist. In the early years of cardiac catheterization, cutdown procedures and direct puncture methods were utilized to perform diagnostic cardiac evaluations. These procedures have fallen out of favor as newer, less invasive methods of vascular access have developed. The cutdown procedures of the arterial and venous vessels have gradually given way to percutaneous procedures for vascular access. We have found that standard percutaneous methods can be augmented with cutdown procedures of the vessels used in catheterization. In addition, numerous unique methods for vascular access have developed. These include carotid, translumbar and transhepatic. With adequate experience, these procedures can be performed safely and effectively when routine vascular access for catheterization is not an option. Vascular access for catheterization is dependent on patient characteristics, operator skills, and the procedure being performed.