cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The ERK/MAPK Pathway Regulates the Activity of the Human Tissue Factor Pathway Inhibitor-2 Promoter

Human tissue factor pathway inhibitor-2 (hTFPI-2) is a 32-kDa serine protease inhibitor that is associated with the extracellular matrix. hTFPI-2 inhibits several extracellular matrix-degrading serine proteases and may play a role in tumor invasion and metastasis. To study the signal transduction pathway that leads to the activation of the hTFPI-2, we cloned the potential promoter region of this gene adjacent to a heterologous luciferase reporter gene. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) induced the luciferase reporter gene in HEK293 cells and other epithelial cell lines, such as the human lung carcinoma A549 cells, the breast carcinoma MCF7 cells, and the cervical HeLa cells. This PMA induction was blocked with the MEK inhibitor UO126, suggesting that the PMA-induced activation of the hTFPI-2 promoter is mediated through MEK. Furthermore, epidermal growth factor induced the luciferase reporter gene in HeLa cells. Cotransfection of the luciferase construct with constitutively active components of the Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK pathway in EcR-293 cells lead to a 7- to 92-fold induction of the luciferase reporter gene, indicating that regulation of hTFPI-2 is mediated through this pathway. A series of luciferase reporter gene constructs with progressive deletions of the 5'-flanking region suggested that the minimal basal promoter activity is located between nucleotide positions -89 and -384, whereas the minimal inducible promoter activity is between -89 and -222. We have used the computer program TFSEARCH and mutagenesis to analyze potential transcription factor binding sites. We identified an AP-1 binding site at nucleotide position -156 (inducible activity) and a Sp1 site at position -134 (basal activity) as potential cis-acting elements in the promoter region of the hTFPI-2.
Endocrine clinical practice guidelines in North America. A systematic assessment of quality.

Abstract Objective To assess the quality of endocrine guidelines developed in North America. Study Design and Setting A systematic review of the literature was conducted to identify all endocrine clinical practice guidelines developed in North America and published between January 1, 2007 and January 13, 2010. Two independent reviewers used the Appraisal of Guidelines, Research and Evaluation instrument to evaluate the quality of the guidelines in six domains: scope and purpose, stakeholder involvement, rigor of development, clarity and presentation, applicability, and editorial independence. Results One hundred eligible endocrine guidelines had high scores in the scope-and-purpose (mean pooled standardized score [MPSD] of 82 ± 14) and clarity domains (MPSD = 64 ± 17) and low scores in the stakeholder-involvement (MPSD of 36 ± 12) and editorial independence domains (MPSD = 36 ± 36). Only 29% of guidelines scored above 60% for more than three domains. Rigor-of-development domain score was significantly higher in guidelines using the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) approach, nondiabetes guidelines, and in published in-print vs. online publications. Conclusions The quality of endocrine guidelines published in 2007–2009 is moderate and can be improved by (1) using methodologically sound development frameworks, (2) increasing stakeholder involvement, and (3) paying more attention to resource implications of guideline implementation.
Nonlinear Dynamics and Interpersonal Correlates of Verbal Turn-Taking Patterns in a Group Therapy Session

Interpersonal processes and dynamics are ubiquitous topics in psychotherapy, yet they are difficult to study and are theoretically fragmented across therapeutic subdisciplines. The current study tests an integrative model of interpersonal dynamics in small groups using nonlinear dynamical systems theory. The conversation of one group therapy session (with six adolescent sex offenders) is analyzed using orbital decomposition, which allows for the identification of patterns in categorical time series data. The results show evidence of selforganizing social patterns, based on formal measures of turbulence (Lyapunov dimension), information novelty (Shannon's entropy), and complexity (fractal dimension). The degree of patterning in turn taking is significantly correlated with measurements of control, closeness, and conflict among group members. Clinical implications and directions for future research are discussed.
Development of Bacterium-Based Heavy Metal Biosorbents: Enhanced Uptake of Cadmium and Mercury by Escherichia coli Expressing a Metal Binding Motif

A gene coding for a de novo peptide sequence containing a metal binding motif was chemically synthesized and expressed in Escherichia coli as a fusion with the maltose binding protein. Bacterial cells expressing the metal binding peptide fusion demonstrated enhanced binding of Cd2+ and Hg2+ compared to bacterial cells lacking the metal binding peptide. The potential use of genetically engineered bacteria as biosorbents for the removal of heavy metals from wastewaters is discussed.
A Novel Method of Active Power Noise Cancellation in I/O Buffers

This paper presents a scheme to reduce the on-die voltage noise that occurs due a buffer switching event. Both output and input buffer switch events are addressed. A generic power delivery network (PDN) model with parasitic inductance is assumed. A change in current ( di/dt) across the inductor is considered the primary cause of the voltage noise. On-die decoupling capacitance is traditionally added to the power delivery network to address this problem and to limit the droop. The method described in the paper shows a principally different approach. The maximum di/dt is managed to reduce the voltage noise. It is proposed to send to a buffer a current waveform from an external supply or to recycle charge from a locally charged capacitance when the di/dt occurs, thus substantially reducing the on-die voltage noise. Alternatively, at a given acceptable level of voltage noise the on-die capacitance can be reduced, providing significantly lower product cost. This paper provides theoretical and modeling background of the proposed schemes and includes simulation results on several performance characteristics.
The Future of Economic Integration within the Arab World

I. INTRODUCTION Like many other topics concerning the Middle East, intraregional trade will be greatly affected by the massive inflows of capital into the oil-producing states during the coming years. The history of such trade has been examined in detail before.' The region has even embarked on ventures designed to promote the move- ment of goods within the area, such as the erstwhile Syrian-Lebanese Customs Union and the Economic Unity Agreement of I964, which envisaged the develop- ment of an Arab Common Market. We believe, however, that the momentous changes occurring at this time throughout the region require that questions regard- ing the likely future of any Middle Eastern economic union be reconsidered. Spe- cifically, we propose to examine the prospects of economic integration in the region from Libya to the Persian (or Arab) Gulf. We begin by presenting a profile of the region's trade-dollar volume, principal commodities, and changes during recent years up to the increase in oil prices; then we project the data forward to consider the possible benefits and drawbacks of integration for individual nations. The formation and functioning of a successful customs union or common market is clearly dependent on each member country reaping some benefit. The likelihood of the survival and development of the union would also increase if such benefits or gains were more or less equally shared by all the member nations.2 As a result, it is important to explore the possible benefits of an Arab customs union and evaluate the chances and problems of its success in relation to the present and future eco- nomic situations of each of the likely members. In the normal textbook analysis of a customs union, several effects are con- sidered. First, following the elimination of trade barriers between the members, there will be an increase in trade. This increase in consumer surplus and the pro-
What does involving consumers in research mean

Consumers' concerns and priorities for research are different from those of clinical researchers.1–,3 That is not surprising, since consumers' and health professionals' concerns and priorities for treatment and care are also different.4–,6 So creating the means for trying to reach agreement between consumers and doctors is important.7,,8 For research, this is just beginning. Academic institutions and large medical charities have generally left the choice of topics and methodologies to their professional and scientific committees rather than including non‐professionals in making those decisions.9 Some consumer groups have long been concerned by what they see as the lack of investigation of certain topics, poorly designed or unsafe research, and a disregard of research evidence from other countries.10,,11 However, their lobbying of governments and professional bodies made little progress until the development of new flamboyant techniques by AIDS consumers.12 Their methods, ranging from wearing red ribbons to civil disobedience, led to the routine consultation of consumers in the design of AIDS research. This success influenced the approach of consumer groups for other diseases, including breast cancer, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and juvenile diabetes.12 Members of such consumer groups have pressed research organizations to include their members or other consumers on their research committees, or they have initiated research themselves, formulating their research questions and hypotheses and inviting clinicians and researchers to join them.13 Now consumers' active involvement in research is being promoted by some clinicians and researchers.14 Moreover, the government endorses it.15 So it is time to look at the meanings for research of consumers and their involvement. The term consumer here means patients, past patients, prospective patients, long‐term users of health services, relatives caring for patients or users, and people who speak for these …
Evidence to Support Tooth Brushing in Critically Ill Patients

Tooth brushing in critically ill patients has been advocated by many as a standard of care despite the limited evidence to support this practice. Attention has been focused on oral care as the evidence accumulates to support an association between the bacteria in the oral microbiome and those respiratory pathogens that cause pneumonia. It is plausible to assume that respiratory pathogens originating in the oral cavity are aspirated into the lungs, causing infection. A recent study of the effects of a powered toothbrush on the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia was stopped early because of a lack of effect in the treatment group. This review summarizes the evidence that supports the effectiveness of tooth brushing in critically ill adults and children receiving mechanical ventilation. Possible reasons for the lack of benefit of tooth brushing demonstrated in clinical trials are discussed. Recommendations for future trials in critically ill patients are suggested. With increased emphasis being placed on oral care, the evidence that supports this intervention must be evaluated carefully.
An all-digital PLL using frequency multiplying/dividing number with decimals in 0.18-μm digital CMOS

An all-digital PLL that generates arbitrary output clock frequencies with only one reference clock frequency is presented. The method adopted in this study uses multiplying/dividing numbers with decimals. A ring-delay-line (RDL) consisting of 32 stages makes it possible for both the frequency detector and digitally-controlled oscillator to have a common time base, resulting in this unique clock generator. Evaluation experiments were conducted using a 0.18-mum CMOS test chip of 0.096 mm2. In the case of a reference clock frequency of 60 kHz and multiplying number of 16.666, we confirmed a 999.96 kHz output clock with 11.6 ppm frequency error and 540 ps jitter standard deviation.
On the role of surface tension in the migration of melts and fluids

It is shown that surface tension can cause redistribution of melt in a partially molten medium, in accordance with a non-linear diffusion equation for the melt fraction. The associated diffusivity D depends on the surface energy and is positive (stable) for dihedral angle 60°. In the more likely stable case, D ∼ 10^(−7) cm^2 .s^(−1) is typical for mantle melts, but a value as high as 10^(−1) cm^2 .s^(−1) is conceivable for volatile-rich fluids. Surface tension may play an important role in creating pathways for meta-somatizing fluids in the Earth, but does not appear likely to affect substantially the existing estimates of large scale melt migration (e.g., beneath mid-ocean ridges).
Degradation of phytic acid in cereal porridges improves iron absorption by human subjects

Phytic acid in cereal-based and legume-based complementary foods inhibits iron absorption. Low iron absorption from cereal porridges contributes to the high prevalence of iron deficiency in infants from developing countries. The objective was to measure the influence of phytic acid degradation on iron absorption from cereal porridges. An exogenous phytase was used to fully degrade phytic acid during the manufacture of 9 roller-dried complementary foods based on rice wheat maize oat sorghum and a wheat-soy blend. Iron absorption from the phytate-free and native phytate porridges prepared with water or milk (wheat only) was measured in adult humans with an extrinsic-label radioiron technique. Ascorbic acid was added to some porridges. When the foods were reconstituted with water dephytinization increased iron absorption from rice porridge from 1.73% to 5.34% (P < 0.001) from oat from 0.33% to 2.79% (P < 0.0001) from maize from 1.80% to 8.92% (P < 0.0001) from wheat from 0.99% to 11.54% (P < 0.0001) from the wheat-soy blend without ascorbic acid from 1.15% to 3.75% (P < 0.005) and from the wheat-soy blend with ascorbic acid from 2.40% to 8.46% (P < 0.005). Reconstituting wheat porridge with milk instead of water markedly decreased or completely removed the enhancing effect of dephytinization on iron absorption in the presence and absence of ascorbic acid. Dephytinization did not increase iron absorption from high-tannin sorghum porridge reconstituted with water but increased iron absorption from low-tannin sorghum porridge by ˜ 2-fold (P < 0.01). Phytate degradation improves iron absorption from cereal porridges prepared with water but not with milk except from high-tannin sorghum. (authors)
"I have always felt different": the experience of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in childhood.

Childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most important psychiatric problems of our time. This study examined the experience of childhood ADHD within the contexts that are most significant to this age group––home, school, and friendships. The sample included 16 college-enrolled young adults (ages 18–25) with a self-reported history of ADHD. Participants revealed feelings of difference, misunderstanding, and struggle in all areas of their lives (home, school, and friendships). Nurses can use these findings to improve the care and long-term outcomes of children diagnosed with ADHD.
Differential effects of swimming versus weight-bearing activity on bone mineral status of eumenorrheic athletes.

To examine the role of skeletal loading patterns on bone mineral density (BMD), we compared eumenorrheic athletes who chronically trained by opposite forms of skeletal loading, intensive weight-bearing activity (gymnastics, n=13), and nonweightbearing activity (swimming, n=26) and 19 nonathletic controls. BMD (g/cm 2 ) of the lumbar spine, femoral neck, trochanter, and whole body was assessed by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Subregion analysis of the whole body scan permitted BMD evaluation of diverse regions. Swimmers were taller (p=0.0001), heavier (p<0.005), and had a greater bone-free lean mass (p<0.001) than gymnasts and nonathletic controls. When adjusted for body surface area, there was no difference in lean mass between swimmers and gymnasts, and both were higher than controls (p<0.01). Gymnasts had a lower (p<0.005) fat mass than swimmers and controls. There were no group differences for spine or whole body BMD, but gymnasts had higher spine BMD corrected for body mass than either swimmers or controls. Gymnasts (1.117±0.110) had higher femoral neck BMD than controls (0.974±0.105), who were higher than swimmers (0.875±0.105) (p=0.0001). This result still applied when BMD was normalized for body weight and bone size. Trochanter BMD of gymnasts (0.898±0.130) was also higher than controls (0.784±0.097) and swimmers (0.748±0.085) (p=0.0002), and remained higher when corrected for body mass. Whole body BMD normalized for body mass or bone size was significantly higher in gymnasts than in swimmers. Subregion analysis revealed arm BMD of gymnasts was greater than swimmers and controls (p<0.01), and gymnasts' leg BMD was higher than that of swimmers (p<0.05). These results suggest that the intensive weight-bearing activity characteristic of gymnastics is a powerful osteogenic stimulus and that long-term nonweightbearing training that incorporates forceful muscular contractions, as in swimming, confers no beneficial skeletal effects on bone mass of young women
Label‐free identification of bacterial microcolonies via elastic scattering

Label-free microcolony identification via elastic light scattering was investigated for three different genera: Salmonella enterica serovar Montevideo, Listeria monocytogenes F4244, and Escherichia coli DH5α. Microcolonies were defined as bacterial colonies in their late-lag phase to early-exponential phase with the diameter range of 100–200 µm. To link biophysical characteristics with corresponding scattering patterns, a phase contrast microscope and a confocal displacement meter were used to measure the colony diameter and its 3D height profile. The results indicated that the growth characteristics of microcolonies were encoded in their morphologies which correlated to the characteristic diffraction patterns. Proposed methodology was able to classify three genera based on comprehensive phenotypic map which incorporated growth speed, ring count, and colony diameter. While the proposed method illustrated the possibility of discriminating microcolonies in their early growth stage, more thorough biophysical understanding is needed to expand the technology to other species. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2011; 108:637–644. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Development and Suppression of Aerial Stem Rot in Commercial Potato Fields

The development of aerial stem rot of potato was quantified in relation to soil type, previous crop, and atmospheric temperature in the Columbia Basin. Incidence of bacterial stem rot was assessed for several weeks beginning before row closure in 18 commercial potato fields and once at the estimated peak of disease development in 38 fields over 4 years. Aerial stem rot was first observed between 25 to 36 days following row closure for 78% of the fields assessed multiple times per season. Slopes of disease progress curves initially increased very rapidly. The partial slope estimate for mean daily maximum temperature indicated an increase of disease with an increase of mean daily maximum temperature (P < 0.0001). Estimates of partial slopes for soil type (sandy loam versus silt loam) and previous crop (sweet or field corn versus other) were significant at P < 0.001 and P = 0.046, respectively, suggesting that cultivation of potato in sandy loam-type soils or following sweet or field corn as a previous crop increases the probability of aerial stem rot. Incidence of bacterial stem rot was significantly reduced in the sections of fields treated with famoxadone plus mancozeb and famoxadone plus mancozeb plus copper hydroxide mixtures.
A Comparison of the Validity of Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry and Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Urine Samples II: Amphetamine, Methamphetamine, (±)-3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine, (±)-3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, (±)-3,4-Methylenedioxyethylamphetamine, Phencyclidine, and (±)-11-nor-9-Carboxy-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol

On November 25, 2008, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services posted a final notice in the Federal Register authorizing the use of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) and other technologies in federally regulated workplace drug testing (WPDT) programs. To support this change, it is essential to explicitly demonstrate that LC-MS-MS, as a technology, can produce results at least as valid as gas chromatography (GC)-MS, the long-accepted standard in confirmatory analytical technologies for drugs of abuse. A series of manufactured control urine samples (n = 10 for each analyte) containing amphetamine, methamphetamine, (±)-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine, (±)-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, (±)-3,4-methylenedioxyethylamphetamine, phencyclidine, and (±)-11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ 9 -tetrahydrocannabinol at concentrations ranging from 10% to 2000% of federal cutoffs were analyzed with replication by five federally regulated laboratories using GC-MS and at RTI International using LC-MS-MS. Interference samples as described in the National Laboratory Certification Program 2009 Manual were analyzed by GC-MS and LC-MS-MS as well as previously confirmed urine specimens of WPDT origin. Matrix effects were assessed for LC-MS-MS. Results indicated that LC-MS-MS analysis produced results at least as precise, accurate, and specific as GC-MS for the analytes investigated in this study. Matrix effects, while evident, could be controlled by the use of matrix-matched controls and calibrators with deuterated internal standards.
PNEUMOCONIOSIS TRENDS IN THE US CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY: A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE COAL MINING AND CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRIES

AbstractThis paper presents a comparison between the construction and the coal mining industries in the USA relating to the different types of pneumoconiosis (i.e. silicosis, asbestosis, Coal Worker’s Pneumoconiosis (CWP), and byssinosis) in order to determine the relationships between each type of pneumoconiosis and the occupations in both industries that are mostly affected by the disease. In this study, regression models have been developed to determine the patterns of fatalities and Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL) due to each type of pneumoconiosis after 1968, and to identify the relationship between fatalities and potential life losses.The objective of the study is to provide construction researchers and relevant government agencies with information regarding the current state of the construction industry in fighting the disease and the outlook for the future. Many previous studies have focused on the details of treating and managing pneumoconiosis. This study provides a different and complementa...
Nutrient-Wide Association Studies: Another Road to the Same Destination

Apart from the specific findings of this analysis, the authors encourage the use of what they call a nutrient-wide association study (NWAS), analogous to a genome-wide association study (GWAS), to investigate dietary determinants of health outcomes1. Similar to the agnostic approach used in a GWAS, the features of their approach include: the inclusion of all available nutrient exposures; non-incorporation of prior knowledge; adjustment of statistical tests for multiple comparisons; division of the primary dataset into training and test subsets; and the use of a confirmatory dataset. The primary objectives are to analyze all possible nutrient-disease hypotheses and to avoid false positive conclusions.
Fine and ultrafine particle emissions from microwave popcorn

This study characterized fine (PM2.5) and ultrafine particle (UFP, diameter < 100 nm) emissions from microwave popcorn and analyzed influential factors. Each pre-packed popcorn bag was cooked in a microwave oven enclosed in a stainless steel chamber for 3 min. The number concentration and size distribution of UFPs and PM2.5 mass concentration were measured inside the chamber repeatedly for five different flavors under four increasing power settings using either the foil-lined original package or a brown paper bag. UFPs and PM2.5 generated by microwaving popcorn were 150-560 and 350-800 times higher than the emissions from microwaving water, respectively. About 90% of the total particles emitted were in the ultrafine size range. The emitted PM concentrations varied significantly with flavor. Replacing the foil-lined original package with a brown paper bag significantly reduced the peak concentration by 24-87% for total particle number and 36-70% for PM2.5 .A positive relationship was observed between both UFP number and PM2.5 mass and power setting. The emission rates of microwave popcorn ranged from 1.9 9 10 10 to 8.0 9 10 10 No./min for total particle number and from 134 to 249 lg/min for PM2.5. Practical Implications Popcorn is frequently microwaved and consumed in households, schools, and businesses worldwide. Exposure to air pollutants generated from microwave popcorn may increase the burden of health risks. This study reported levels of fine and ultrafine particle emissions from microwave popcorn. The results can facilitate the estimation of total particle exposures in indoor environments.
Representative Functions and Hopf Algebras

This chapter introduces the basic algebraic machinery arising in the study of group representations. The principal notion of a Hopf algebra is developed here as an abstraction from the systems of functions associated with the representations of a group by automorphisms of finite-dimensional vector spaces. This leads to an initializing discussion of our main objects of study, affine algebraic groups.
Commodity trade between the US and Korea and the J-curve effect

ABSTRACTSeveral studies have investigated the impact of currency depreciation on Korean trade balance with the rest of the world and have found no significant effects. Suspecting that these studies could suffer from aggregation bias, another group has disaggregated the Korean trade flows by its trading partners and has investigated the response of the Korean trade balance to depreciation using bilateral trade data between Korea and each of its trading partners. Again, in most instances, they have found no significant effect. In this paper, we concentrate on the bilateral trade between Korea and the US and disaggregate their trade flows further by industry. We investigate the response of the trade balance of 69 industries to currency depreciation and find that the trade balance of 48 industries are affected significantly by changes in the real exchange rate in the short run. However, short-run effects translate to long-run favorable effects only in 24 industries.
Automated identification and predictive tools to help identify high-risk heart failure patients: pilot evaluation

Objective Develop and evaluate an automated identification and predictive risk report for hospitalized heart failure (HF) patients. Methods Dictated free-text reports from the previous 24 h were analyzed each day with natural language processing (NLP), to help improve the early identification of hospitalized patients with HF. A second application that uses an Intermountain Healthcare-developed predictive score to determine each HF patient’s risk for 30-day hospital readmission and 30-day mortality was also developed. That information was included in an identification and predictive risk report, which was evaluated at a 354-bed hospital that treats high-risk HF patients. Results The addition of NLP-identified HF patients increased the identification score’s sensitivity from 82.6% to 95.3% and its specificity from 82.7% to 97.5%, and the model’s positive predictive value is 97.45%. Daily multidisciplinary discharge planning meetings are now based on the information provided by the HF identification and predictive report, and clinician’s review of potential HF admissions takes less time compared to the previously used manual methodology (10 vs 40 min). An evaluation of the use of the HF predictive report identified a significant reduction in 30-day mortality and a significant increase in patient discharges to home care instead of to a specialized nursing facility. Conclusions Using clinical decision support to help identify HF patients and automatically calculating their 30-day all-cause readmission and 30-day mortality risks, coupled with a multidisciplinary care process pathway, was found to be an effective process to improve HF patient identification, significantly reduce 30-day mortality, and significantly increase patient discharges to home care.
Beyond the public hearing: citizen participation in the local government budget process

This study explores the use and effects of citizen participation in city budgeting. Interviews were conducted with budget directors in 28 midwestern cities. Participation was found to affect budget decisions, but the public hearing remains the primary formal opportunity for input in most cities. Technology is increasingly being used to expand the budget information available to the public. Budget complexity and citizen disinterest were cited as the major barriers to participation. However, a number of cities have successfully used participation mechanisms in the budget development process that can serve as models for other cities.
Development of a Model Scramjet Combustor

A model scramjet combustor has been developed to reproduce the main flow features that are present in a scramjet engine on a typical hypersonic vehicle; these flow features include shock/boundary layer interactions, shock/jet interactions, and supersonic mixing and combustion. The model combustor has been designed with optical access on three sides via fused-silica windows, and has a single fuel injector on the streamwise centerline capable of injecting fuel perpendicular to the bottom wall. The top wall of the inlet of the model combustor is ramped, with a turning angle of 10 ◦ , which generates a shock train in the model. We subject the model combustor to flows representative of the aerothermodynamic conditions expected in a scramjet combustor (Mach number, M ∼ 2.8, static pressure, P ∼ 40 kPa, temperature, T ∼ 1250 K) using the Stanford 6-inch Expansion Tube Facility. Fuel (hydrogen) is injected transversely into the freestream (air) with a momentum flux ratio J of 2.5, yielding an overall equivalence ratio φ of 0.25. Static pressure measurements on the top wall of the model have been made, and high-speed schlieren images have been acquired to characterize the flow. Additionally, OH* chemilluminescence images have been acquired to identify the burning region. We present the development, design, and features of the combustor, followed by an overview of measurements made thus far, and we conclude with a summary of our future plans.
Replacement of disulfides by amide bonds in the relaxin-like factor (RLF/INSL3) reveals a role for the A11-B10 link in transmembrane signaling.

The relaxin-like factor (RLF) also named insulin-like 3 (INSL3) consists of two polypeptide chains linked by two interchain and one intrachain disulfide bond. RLF binds to its receptor (LGR8 also n...
Analysis on severe cases of hand-foot-mouth disease in Baoding City

[Objective]To explore the pathogenic and epidemiological characteristics of the severe cases of hand-foot-mouth disease( HFMD),provide experimental evidence for prevention and control of HFMD.[Methods]The fluorescence RT-PCR was used to detect the nucleic acid of universal enterovirus,enterovirus 71( EV71) and coxsackievirus 16( CoxA16) in throat swabs from HFMD patients,and the software SPSS11. 5 was applied in the statistical analysis.[Results]The detection rate of enterovirus and the constituent ratio of EV71 in severe cases were significantly higher than those in common cases. The detection rate of EV71 in severe cases with pulmonary edema was highest,which accounted for 54. 84%. Among laboratory diagnosed cases,there was no significant difference in the constituent ratio of severe cases between males and females,but the constituent ratio of EV71 positive cases in boys was lower than that in girls. The younger children were prone to get severe HFMD,but there was no significant difference in the constituent ratio of EV71 positive cases among different age groups. Most of diagnosed severe cases occurred May to July,but the number of severe cases and the constituent ratio of EV71 positive cases reached the peak from August to September. The severe cases were mainly distributed in the southern and central regions. However,the constituent ratio of EV71 positive cases in northern region was highest,which accounted for 56. 61%.[Conclusion]EV71 is the major pathogen for severe cases of HFMD,but the epidemiological characteristics of laboratory-diagnosed severe cases is different from that of EV71 positive cases. To strengthen the control and prevention among younger children from May to September can effectively reduce the incidence of severe HFMD cases.
Gender, myth, and reality on the campaign trail

To be a woman running for office in the United States is to face bias, sexism, and discrimination at seemingly every turn. That, at least, is the impression that anyone paying attention to American politics in recent years would come away with. In February 2014, then-U.S. Representative Michele Bachmann told an interviewer that many voters “aren't ready” for a female president. Bachmann's comments were at least in part a thinly veiled attempt to undermine Democrat Hillary Clinton's second bid for the White House. But claims of sexism cross party lines. When Nancy Pelosi was asked in 2008 about Clinton's loss to Barack Obama in that year's presidential primaries, the Democratic Speaker of the House replied that it was partly because Clinton is a woman. “Of course there is sexism,” Pelosi said. “We all know that, but it's a given.” Allyson Schwartz, who lost the 2014 Democratic primary for governor of Pennsylvania, also blamed her defeat on discrimination: “The political pundits, the media, the Harrisburg establishment couldn't believe a woman could serve as governor – couldn't even imagine it.” Schwartz's swipe at the press is a popular move – even by journalists themselves. Following Clinton's 2008 loss, then- CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric told viewers that “one of the lessons of that campaign is the continued and accepted role of sexism in American life, particularly in the media.” Couric saw the tables turned in May 2015 when she asked Carly Fiorina if her uphill battle for the GOP presidential nomination was really just an attempt to grab the vice presidential spot. “Oh, Katie,” Fiorina responded, “would you ask a male candidate that question?” (Couric replied that she would, but more on that later.) Meanwhile, activist Jamia Wilson said in April 2015 that “sexist and misogynist coverage of women candidates is still a sad reality in our media culture.” The advocacy group “Name It. Change It.” noted in a recent report that “Widespread sexism in the media is one of the top problems facing women.” The root of the problem, according to these arguments, is that portrayals and assessments of female politicians are unfair – starkly and systematically different than what men experience. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who plays one of the country's most recognizable female politicians – Veep 's Selina Meyer – said that her HBO character's new hairdo was a case of art imitating life.
The Wigner-Seitz Cell; A Discussion and a Simple Calculational Method

Existing calculational methods for the Wigner-Seitz cell approximation for the determination of the thermal flux distribution in a fuel element and its associated moderator are discussed, and a new method is presented. The method employs a modified diffusion theory and appears to be quite accurate. The advantages of this method are discussed, and the results obtained are compared with existing methods. (C.E.S.)
High-Dose IV Steroids in Landau-Kleffner Syndrome

Intravenous therapy with methylpredisolone (20 mg/kg daily) was effective in two six-year-old children with Landau-Kleffner syndrome treated at Jichi Medical School, Tochigi, Japan.
Gastric intestinal metaplasia is associated with gastric dysplasia but is inversely correlated with esophageal dysplasia.

Gastric intestinal metaplasia is associated with gastric dysplasia but is inversely correlated with esophageal dysplasia
Social skills intervention guide: Systematic approaches to social skills training

Social skills training procedures that can be used in a group format are described. These procedures are contained in the Social Skills Intervention Guide (Elliott & Gresham, 1991) which is a systematic approach to teaching social skills to children between the ages of 6 and 16 years. A system for classifying social skills deficits based on acquisition performance deficits and presence(absence of interfering problem behaviors is described. Implementation issues such as selection and grouping of students, establishing group rules, and monitoring progress are also described as well as a means of monitoring student progress in social skills training groups.
Ensuring very shallow-water sediment properties: case study from Capo Granitola harbour, Sicily (Italy)

We present high-resolution Vp models of the Capo Granitola harbor, Sicily (Italy) obtained by first arrival traveltime tomography. Seismic data were collected along four hydrophone arrays on the sea-bottom and via a Watergun as seismic source, in order to plan dredging operations in the harbor. Using a hydrophone spacing of 2.5 m and shot spacing of 5 m, very high resolution quality data were recorded. Seismic tomography expands existing knowledge of the harbour subsoil with a penetration of about 20 m, illuminating the Lower Pleistocene bedrock (Marsala calcarenites) that corresponds to high-Vp regions (Vp > 4.5 km/s). Low Vp (1.8–4.5 km/s) deposits belonging to terraced calcarenites (Upper Pleistocene in age) are also well imaged; they are about 8 m thick and lie below loose sand deposits (Vp = 1.5 km/s). The substratum has an articulated morphology; Vp images unravel small steps in the basement probably related to structural discontinuities (e.g., faults). Processing data with 3D techniques enables images of the structure and the thickness of the lithotypes to be reconstructed, thus leading to large-scale, realistic estimates of the total quantity of material to be excavated or dredged. Tomographic profiles permit clear discrimination of the soft sediment above the basement and thus allow the determination of the total volume of sediment above the seismic bedrock, estimated at about 265,000 m3.
Preparing Campaigns Students for Group Work

Most educators who teach the advertising campaigns course require students to work as groups. A review of cooperative learning and group dynamics literature, however, suggests that unless students ...
EPCR: a novel marker of cultured cord blood HSCs.

In this issue of Blood , Fares et al 1 demonstrate that endothelial protein C receptor (EPCR) is a reliable marker of human cord blood (CB) hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), both from uncultured cells and those expanded with UM171, a pyrimidoindole derivative previously shown to expand CB HSCs. 2
Bandit solutions provide unified ethical models for randomized clinical trials and comparative effectiveness research.

As electronic medical records enable increasingly ambitious studies of treatment outcomes, ethical issues previously important only to limited clinical trials become relevant to unlimited whole populations. For randomized clinical trials, adaptive assignment strategies are known to expose substantially fewer patients to avoidable treatment failures than strategies with fixed assignments (e.g., equal sample sizes). An idealized adaptive case—the two-armed Bernoulli bandit problem—can be exactly optimized for a variety of ethically motivated cost functions that embody principles of duty-to-patient, but the solutions have been thought computationally infeasible when the numbers of patients in the study (the “horizon”) is large. We report numerical experiments that yield a heuristic approximation that applies even to very large horizons, and we propose a near-optimal strategy that remains valid even when the horizon is unknown or unbounded, thus applicable to comparative effectiveness studies on large populations or to standard-of-care recommendations. For the case in which the economic cost of treatment is a parameter, we give a heuristic, near-optimal strategy for determining the superior treatment (whether more or less costly) while minimizing resources wasted on any inferior, more expensive, treatment. Key features of our heuristics can be generalized to more complicated protocols.
AN ETHNOARCHAEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE ON GROUND STONE PRODUCTION AT THE SANTIAGO QUARRY IN THE CASAS GRANDES REGION OF CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO

Researchers have noted and studied the finely formed manos and metates of the Casas Grandes region of northern Mexico, but little is known about how and where they were produced. During a survey project in 2013, we located a quarry, the first discovered in this region, where grinding stones were manufactured using a suite of stone tools. We report the morphology of the site, the tool kit of the metateros (metate makers), and ethnoarchaeological implications resulting from the study of modern metateros that can aid in the interpretation of prehistoric ground stone quarries.
UTILITY OF AN ADDITIVE FRAILTY TESTS SCORE FOR MORTALITY RISK ASSESSMENT FOLLOWING TRANSCATHETER AORTIC VALVE REPLACEMENT

The evidence regarding the method of frailty assessment and its impact on outcomes in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate the individual effect of each frailty test, and the utility of an additive frailty index score, on
Status Consumption in the Context of Co-branding

This paper proposes a conceptual model developed to examine status consumption in the context of co-branding. It focuses on consumers need to create, enhance, and alter the self through status consumption. Theories used to examine the self are situational self, self-completion, and self-enhancement. The context of co-branding suggests that the customer-brand relationship (value congruity and consumer identification) is created through self-image congruency that consumers develop with status brands due to his/her relationship with the mass-market brand. Further, the model examines the influence of others due to susceptibility of interpersonal influences, in an attempt to arrive at a complete self through status consumption (i.e., impression management). Race and income are used in the model as external factors. The model provides the foundation for future research, leading to managerial and theoretical contributions examining status consumption in the context of co-branding. Propositions are derived and the research implications of the model are presented.
Delayed, Reversible Cervical Paralysis After Scoliosis Corrective Surgery in a Child with Osteogenesis Imperfecta: A Case Report.

Case A 12-year-old girl with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) underwent posterior spinal arthrodesis (from T2 to the sacrum) for double major-curve scoliosis. She developed complete paralysis of all of the extremities 24 hours after surgery, without evidence of ischemia or infarction. The rods were removed, and the neurologic status improved; there was full restoration of strength within 1 week. She then underwent in situ fixation. At the 2-year follow-up, there had been no lapse in neurologic function. Conclusion Reversible, distraction-induced neurologic deficits can occur outside of the instrumented spinal segment after corrective scoliosis surgery, particularly in patients with ligamentous laxity, as seen with OI.
Some Effects That Mycoplasmas Have Upon Their Infected Host

Mycoplasma contamination of cultured cells was first reported in 1956 (1). A multitude of reports have followed this original observation, illustrating the frequent occurrence of these contaminants (reviewed in 2). Although mycoplasmas are common contaminants of tissue cultures many investigators regard them merely as a nuisance and have ignored their presence in experimental procedures since these organisms often exert no obvious effect upon the well-being of the infected cell population.
Everything Old Is New Again: Revisiting a Historical Symposium on Zinc Oxide Paint Films

On June 6, 1949, members of the Victorian Branch of the Oil and Colour Chemists’ Association gathered in Melbourne, Australia, to share their concerns regarding a sudden increase in problems associated with zinc oxide oil paints, problems which Association members posited were tied to industry-wide changes in processing methods for the zinc oxide pigment. The issues raised during this meeting inform and parallel current studies regarding metal soap behavior. This paper reviews the topics discussed at the 1949 symposium, distilling the historical research and its relationship to modern conservation and scientific inquiry. Topics include existing research literature, pigment processing methods and observed relationships between particle morphology and paint film behavior, and zinc oxide paint film failure patterns. Related metal soap research from the period is also discussed, including investigations of zinc oxide soap formation, the effect of environment on soap formation and film failure in zinc oxide oil paints, and the impact of zinc oxide-specific failure mechanisms on single- and composite-paint systems.
Acute coffee ingestion with and without medium-chain triglycerides decreases blood oxidative stress markers and increases ketone levels.

Ingestion of ketone supplements, caffeine, and medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) may all be effective strategies to increase blood levels of the ketone body beta-hydroxybutyrate (D-BHB). However, a...
Measuring Cross-Track Thermal Gradient in Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording

The areal density achievable with heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) is directly related to the temperature gradient produced in the recording media by the near-field transducer. The thermal gradient in the down track direction affects the linear density, while the thermal gradient in the cross-track direction determines the achievable track density. While characterizing the cross-track thermal gradient (CTTG) is critical to understanding recording performance in HAMR, to date few details on how to accurately measure this quantity have appeared in the literature. Here, we describe a method to determine the CTTG in HAMR that avoids common distortions such as the cross-track variation in reader sensitivity. It also allows the thermal gradient produced on each side of the head to be measured separately and can measure the pure thermal gradient (without the effect of the magnetic field produced by the pole) or the effective gradient produced by the combination of the thermal gradient and the magnetic field.
Approximate Weight of 1:1000 Topical Epinephrine on Wrung-Out Epinephrine-Soaked Pledgets.

ObjectiveTopical 1:1000 epinephrine solution is commonly applied intranasally with cottonoid pledgets in endoscopic sinonasal surgery for local vasoconstriction and hemostasis. Pledgets are typical...
Prevalence of depressive symptoms and associated factors in an urban, ophthalmic population.

Objective:To determine the prevalence of depressive symptoms in an adult ophthalmic patient population and to delineate correlates.Design:Cross-sectional study.Participants:Adult patients (⩾18 year...