cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Posterior Myocardial Infarction and Complete Right Bundle- Branch Block*

We describe two patients with posterior myocardial infarction (PMI) with unusually atypical clinical presentations and cardiac enzymatic profiles, but with the abrupt development of complete AV block in patient 1, and Mobitz II second-degree AV block with paroxysmal phases of higher degrees of AV block in patient 2, and mitral regurgitation leading to symptomatic pulmonary congestion. Also, both patients had complete right bundle-branch block (RBBB) [old in patient 1, new in patient 2], the pattern of which was altered due to the associated PMI. The alteration included tall R waves involving the early part of the QRS complex, and tall T waves, both noted in the right precordial leads. The mechanism of these ECG modulations of the RBBB pattern was believed to be a superimposition of the early depolarization and repolarization consequences of the PMI. The significance of this observation lies in the ECG detection of PMI, frequently underdiagnosed particularly in patients with an atypical presentation, and with the RBBB adding further to the complexity. Thus, it is gratifying to note the contribution of the ECG to diagnostics, the only modality that provided a pathophysiologic insight in these two patients who appeared to be abruptly deteriorating clinically without an apparent reason.
Cardiac troponins in the intensive care unit: Common causes of increased levels and interpretation

Background and Objectives:Clinical chemistry is an important component of the diagnosis of many conditions, and advances in laboratory science have brought many new diagnostic tools to the intensive care unit clinician, including new biomarkers of cardiac injury like troponin T and I. Interpretation
Interpretation and molecular validation of biomarker studies

The development and implementation of biomarkers for the diagnosis and classification of breast cancers and stratification of breast cancer patients into clinically meaningful groups are essential for the realisation of individualised medicine. The accurate, robust and reproducible assignment of patients into subgroups of therapeutic relevance is of utmost importance. Breast cancer patient treatment decision-making currently relies on the analyses of a few immunohistochemical markers (for example, oestrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and HER2), fluorescence and/or chromogenic in situ hybridisation, protein analysis of lysates, and quantitative real-time PCR. It has become clear, however, that these markers are not sufficient for the potential of individualised therapy to be fully realised. The advent of high-throughput technologies and their use in fundamental and translational research endeavours have led to the development of diagnostic markers, potential prognostic and predictive factors, and therapeutic targets, which ultimately will need to be incorporated in clinical practice. Some of the major challenges in this process are to determine the accuracy of the research hypothesis, the exclusion of potential biases, and to define whether the reagents and methodologies are fit for purpose. This requires not only a thorough assessment of the accuracy, robustness and reproducibility of the markers and the methods for their analysis, but also an adequate contextualisation of the validity of a given biomarker. For instance, immunohistochemistry has become one of the major tools for the identification of expression of potential markers in cancer tissues; albeit at first glance trivial to perform, immunohistochemical analysis can be affected by numerous parameters that can affect its accuracy. Likewise, several gene expression profiling approaches for the identification of molecular subtypes of breast cancer have been shown not to assign the same patients into the same molecular subgroups consistently. Interpretation of in situ hybridisation is also fraught with difficulties. Discrepancies in the assessment of biomarkers have often been attributed to intra-tumour heterogeneity, without exclusion of sources of technical variation. The challenges for the interpretation of biomarker studies and validation of biomarkers in human tissues will be discussed.
Muon decay in a laser field

We investigate the change in the decay rate of a muon caused by embedding it in the field of a laser. A previous paper found that the change could be large, as much as an order of magnitude. We find the more intuitive result that the change is small and give analytic expressions for the small corrections.
Arterial imaging with a new forward-viewing intravascular ultrasound catheter, II. Three-dimensional reconstruction and display of data.

BACKGROUND: Current intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) catheters provide transverse imaging at the level of the ultrasound transducer. This limits imaging to large-diameter segments without critical atherosclerotic narrowings. We have developed a prototype 20-MHz forward-viewing IVUS catheter that provides two-dimensional sector imaging distal to the catheter tip. A present limitation of this technique is that the catheter must be manually rotated to obtain multiple longitudinal views required to integrate the segment into a three-dimensional matrix. To overcome this, we have developed an algorithm that reconstructs these multiple two-dimensional forward-viewing IVUS images into a three-dimensional matrix for more complete depiction of the segment distal to the ultrasound catheter. This algorithm allows display and multidimensional slicing of the three-dimensional reconstruction. METHODS AND RESULTS. To test our algorithms, five arterial segments (three canine aortas, two human femoral arteries) were evaluated in vitro. In each segment, 36 forward-viewing longitudinal slices were collected, digitized, processed, and reoriented to produce a three-dimensional reconstruction (3DR) matrix. The matrix data were sliced into parallel transverse sections and compared with morphometric interpretation of histological sections (Histo). As a result, image data could be reconstructed for a distance of 2.0 cm ahead of the catheter. 3DR easily demonstrated wall and luminal morphology and provided transverse IVUS images comparable to the histological specimens. A good correlation was noted between Histo- and 3DR-determined luminal diameters (LD) and luminal areas: 3DR LD = 1.4 Histo LD-0.4, r = .86; 3DR LD = 0.7 +/- 0.20 cm (mean +/- SD); and Histo LD = 0.7 +/- 0.13 cm. CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary data demonstrate the feasibility of 3DR of forward-viewing IVUS data. This method allows rapid, detailed analysis of diseased arterial segments previously unavailable with standard IVUS and may permit better targeting of interventional techniques.
Relationship between age and haemoglobin-splitting activity in chicken muscle.

CATHEPTIC activity towards proteins has been found in extracts of kidney, spleen, liver, lung, muscle, brain and erythrocytes1–5; therefore, the cathepsins may be considered to be part of the general enzymatic apparatus of animal cells. The action of the cathepsins is evident during the autolysis of animal tissues at acid pH. Recently, considerable interest has been shown in the catheptic activity of beef and chicken muscle because of their suggested role in meat tenderization, preservation and flavour6–10.
The Rise of Like in Spontaneous Quotations

A comparison across spontaneous speech collected in the 1980s and the 2000s reveals a dramatic flip between the use of said versus like as enquoting devices. The greater use of like is reflected in a wide variety of quotation types including reported speech, thoughts, exclamations, and sounds. There is no evidence that like's increase in use corresponds to an increasing desire to explicitly indicate slippage between the words used in a report and those of the original source. Instead, like can substitute for said and be used in more environments, selectively depicting aspects of the original quote (Clark & Gerrig, 1990; Wade & Clark, 1993).
Using Social Justice Vignettes to Prepare Students for Social Action Engagement

One of the learning goals for social justice education courses is to prepare students for social action engagement. Teaching students about issues related to social justice is complex. Prior studies have found a positive relationship between student enrollment in social justice education courses and action-oriented outcomes. While these findings are promising, we as social justice educators need to know more about effective teaching strategies used in social justice education courses that prepare students for social action. In this article, the author describes one method she designed using social justice vignettes to help students recognize social oppression in their daily lives and practice interrupting various “isms” in a safe classroom environment.
The chemistry and mineralogy of phosphorus in excessively fertilized soils

Abstract Despite recent research and media attention on the environmental problems caused by nitrates, organics, and heavy metals, phosphorus (P) remains a significant pollutant of surface waters through its role in accelerated eutrophication processes. Excessively fertilized soils represent a major contributor to P loadings of surface waters. Several areas of research address the overall question of P bioavailability. The identification and characterization of P solid phases have been advanced by the application of electron optical techniques and 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Several new methods have been proposed for describing P sorption and desorption and each works well on a limited number of soils or under limited conditions. Phosphorus desorption is particularly important with respect to P bioavailability, and a generally accepted method to predict desorption does not currently exist. Some of the accumulated P in excessively fertilized soils is in organic forms. The use of 31P ...
Ocean Acidification's Effects on Marine Ecosystems and Biogeochemistry: Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry Scoping Workshop on Ocean Acidification Research; La Jolla, California, 9–11 October 2007

Rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration is causing global warming and ocean acidification. Nearly one third of the total anthropogenic CO2 produced in the past 200 years has been taken up by the oceans. While oceanic uptake of anthropogenic CO2 may lessen the extent of global warming, evidence suggests that effects of anthropogenic CO2 on ocean chemistry have profound consequences for marine organisms, potentially altering ecosystem structure, food webs, and biogeochemical processes. An assemblage of 93 scientists participated in a 3-day workshop to develop research strategies that address present and future ocean acidification impacts. The Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry program (http://www.us-ocb.org) sponsored this workshop, with support from the U.S. National Science Foundation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NASA, U.S. Geological Survey, and Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
On the interaction between a strong stellar wind and a surrounding disk nebula

The interaction between a strong stellar wind carrying no intrinsic angular momentum and a surrounding disk nebula is investigated. We analyze the shape and stability of the wind-nebula interface, the strength and direction of the ensuing mass motions and the time scales for nebular disruption. The resultant time scale is given by Equation (44). The dominant physical process is one of nebular accretion onto the central star due to turbulent viscosity in the disk. The turbulence will be driven in the upper layers of the disk by the wind. We note that if the accretion supplies mass for the wind (after the absorption of stellar energy), then the particle fluxes may undergo a runaway increase until the energy or momentum flux in the wind is limited by the total stellar luminosity. This may explain the origin of strong, pre-Main-Sequence winds.
Comparison of Free Abrasive Machining Processes in Wafer Manufacturing

Free abrasive machining (FAM) processes, such as slicing using slurry wiresaws, lapping, and polishing, are very important manufacturing processes in wafer production for microelectronics fabrication. Since the materials in semiconductor industry are usually brittle, such as silicon, gallium arsenide, ... etc., the FAM processed can provide more gentle machining than the bonded abrasive machining process. Various machining theories and models have been developed to understand those processes. In this paper, the free abrasive machining processes in wafer manufacturing will be discussed in conjunction with the brittle material cracking theory. The modern slurry wire-saw slicing process and lapping process in wafer production will be presented with comparison to abrasive grits, manufacturing process models, characterization of manufacturing mechanisms, and properties of processes.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Transient electrophoretic and velocity sedimentation analysis of lymphocytes

A new instrument system (trans-analyzer) and procedures are described for the separation and characterization of lymphocytes by transient-state electrophoresis (trans-el), isoelectric focusing (trans-if), and velocity sedimentation at 1g (trans-vels) in iso-osmolar density gradients. Monitoring of cell migration in the electrical and 1g gravitational fields is performed in situ and repetitively by “absorbance” (light extinction) and scattering measurements. Data acquisition, processing, and display are performed by a computer. Kinetic analysis of the cell distribution provides precise information on the electrophoretic mobility and sedimentation velocity of lymphocytes under standardized conditions. Selective applications of these methods to model systems involving mouse (C57BL6J) thymus and spleen lymphocytes and human peripheral lymphocytes are reported. The availability of these techniques provides a new approach to immunophysical studies concerning the surface charge and hydrodynamic properties of immunocompetent cells.
Nonuniform red cell distribution in 20 to 100 μm bifurcations

Several potentially important parameters influencing the disproportionate distribution of red cell flux and blood flow at a bifurcation are examined. These include parent vessel hematocrit, vessel diameter, suspending medium, cell distensibility, parent vessel blood flow rate, and local geometry. Measurements were performed on 20 to 100 micrometers bifurcations, fabricated such that all vessels of a given bifurcations have the same diameter. Suspensions of human red cells, hardened red cells, and mixtures of each in albumin-saline, Dextran 75, or plasma were flowed through the bifurcations and determinations of flow rates and discharge hematocrits were made for each of the channels. For the 20-micrometers channels, hematocrits were found using videophotometric techniques, and for the larger channels, hematocrits were measured directly from the exit streams. Flow rates for both were measured by meniscus travel downstream in small-diameter glass tubes. Within the limits of the present experiments, three of the variables proved to be of major importance: feed hematocrit, tube diameter, and flow-rate distribution. It was clearly demonstrated that red cell flux varies nonlinearly with fractional flow rate. Critical flow rates, at which all or none of the cells entered one of the branches, were found to vary with diameter and hematocrit as has been reported in other studies. The data were analyzed with a theoretical model which assumes that the parent vessel contains a core of uniformly distributed red cells surrounded by a marginal gap of suspending medium; in the parent vessel lumen, the flows to the two daughter branches were assumed to be separated by a chord. The marginal gap widths and tube hematocrits deduced from the data with this model are of reasonable magnitudes.
Dynamic site heterogeneity in amorphous maltose and maltitol from spectral heterogeneity in erythrosin B phosphorescence.

We have used phosphorescence from erythrosin B (tetraiodofluorescein) dispersed in thin films of either maltose or maltitol to investigate the physical properties of these amorphous pure sugar matrixes. Intensity decays collected as a function of emission wavelength over the range from 640 to 720 nm were analyzed using a stretched exponential kinetic model in which the lifetime (τ) and the stretching exponent (β) were the physically relevant parameters. The lifetimes varied systematically with emission wavelength in both matrixes. Analysis of the temperature dependence of the lifetime at each wavelength provided an estimate of the activation energy for nonradiative quenching of the triplet state; the activation energy also varied with emission wavelength. In addition, time-resolved emission spectra exhibited a blue shift with time following excitation. These data support a photophysical model in which probes are distributed among sites that vary in terms of overall molecular mobility and in which sites with lower rates of dipolar relaxation also have lower rates of collisional quenching of the erythrosin triplet state. The amorphous matrix of both maltose and maltitol in both the glass and the melt state is thus characterized by dynamic site heterogeneity in which different sites vary in terms of their overall molecular mobility.
Alcohol and caffeine consumption and decreased fertility

Abstract Objective: To examine the effects of alcohol and caffeine on conception. Design: Prospective observational study. Setting: Healthy volunteers in two manufacturing facilities. Patient(s): One hundred twenty-four women who provided daily urine samples for measurement of steroid hormones and hCG, and prospective information about alcohol and caffeine consumption. Main Outcome Measure(s): Probability of conception per 100 menstrual cycles. Result(s): There was >50% reduction in the probability of conception during a menstrual cycle during which participants consumed alcohol. Caffeine consumption did not independently affect the probability of conception but may enhance alcohol's negative effect. Women who abstained from alcohol and consumed less than one cup of coffee or its equivalent per day conceived 26.9 pregnancies per 100 menstrual cycles compared with 10.5 per 100 menstrual cycles among those who consumed any alcohol and more than one cup of coffee per day. Conclusions: This study revealed an independent dose-related negative effect of alcohol consumption on the ability to conceive. Our results suggest that women who are attempting to conceive should abstain from consuming alcohol.
Multiscale, hybrid mixture theory for swelling systems—II: constitutive theory

Abstract In this second part of a three-part paper we derive constitutive theory for a multiphase, multicomponent, three-scale, swelling system which includes interfaces. In Part I, the governing field equations and the definitions of all mesoscopic and macroscopic variables therein were defined in terms of microscopic variables. In this paper, we choose the independent variables and derive constitutive restrictions for two cases of a dual-porosity multiple-component swelling media: one which assumes no interfacial effects, and one which includes interfacial effects. For each case, the entropy inequality is fully derived using a Lagrange multiplier technique. Novel definitions for macroscopic pressures and chemical potentials are given, and generalized Darcy's and Fick's laws are presented. Although these models are developed with a clay soil in mind, the results hold for any medium which assumes the same set (or subset of) independent variables as constitutive unknowns, e.g. swelling biopolymers.
Interspecies Polymorphisms Confer Constitutive Activity to theMastomys Cholecystokinin-B/Gastrin Receptor

The enteroendocrine hormone, gastrin, exerts trophic effects on the gastric mucosa through the CCK-B/gastrin receptor (CCK-BR). To varying degrees in different species, excess circulating gastrin leads to proliferation of enterochromaffin-like cells and to the development of gastric carcinoid tumors. The African rodent, Mastomys natalensis, is distinguished from other mammals by its propensity toward CCK-BR-mediated growth even in the absence of hypergastrinemia. Here, we report that the Mastomys CCK-BR, when expressed in COS-7 cells, differs from the respective human, canine, and rat receptor homologs by its ability to trigger ligand-independent (i.e., constitutive) inositol phosphate formation. To define the molecular basis of this observation, a series of Mastomys-human chimeric receptors was investigated. Functional characterization of these constructs revealed that a limited segment of the Mastomys CCK-BR, transmembrane domain VI through the C-terminal end, is sufficient to confer constitutive activity to the human protein. Mutagenesis studies within this CCK-BR region defined a combination of three Mastomys amino acids that, when introduced into the human receptor, together conferred a level of ligand-independent signaling comparable with the Mastomys CCK-BR. Complementing prior observations that single point mutations can lead to ligand-independent signaling, our findings suggest that multiple naturally occurring amino acid polymorphisms and/or mutations may together result in an enhanced basal level of receptor activity.
Formylmethionine codon AUG as an initiator of polypeptide synthesis

Oligonucleotide messengers containing the sequence AUG at or near the 5' end of the chain stimulate the incorporation of N-formylmethionine,but not of free (unformylated) methionine. AUG is considerably more active in this regard than UUG, the other N-formylmethionine codon. The coding activity of subsequent in-phase triplets in the 3' direction from AUG is markedly stimulated by this codon.
Bypass of telomere-dependent replicative senescence (M1) upon overexpression of Cdk4 in normal human epithelial cells

Many stimuli causing 'stress' or DNA damage in cells can produce phenotypes that overlap with telomere-based replicative senescence. In epithelial systems, the p16/RB pathway may function as a stress senescence-signaling pathway independent of telomere shortening. Overexpressing cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (Cdk4) in human epidermal keratinocytes and human mammary epithelial cells not only prevents the p16(INK4a)-associated premature growth arrest due to telomere-independent stress (e.g., inadequate culture conditions), but also bypasses the ensuing telomere-dependent senescence (M1). Overexpressed Cdk4 in epithelial cells induces a dramatic upregulation of p16(INK4a) and milder upregulation of p53 and p21(WAF1), which become unresponsive to UV irradiation. Despite the high levels of these checkpoint factors, Cdk4-overexpressing cells divide in an apparently normal regulated fashion, are able to respond to changes in calcium levels, retain the stem cell phenotype, and fully differentiate and stratify. These results suggest that the differentiation pathways in Cdk4-overexpressing cells remain intact.
Effects of varying focus and accenting of adjuncts on the comprehension of utterances

Abstract Six experiments investigated the combined influence of syntactic argument structure and pitch accent patterns on the acceptability and comprehension of spoken utterances. Linguistic analyses of intonational structure have indicated that some syntactic constituents, when accented, can “project” focus to an entire phrase, but other constituents, including adjuncts, cannot project focus. Listeners made judgments of prosodic appropriateness (Experiments 1, 3, and 5) and comprehensibility (Experiments 2, 4, and 6) regarding spoken dialogues in which focus requirements and accent patterns on adjuncts were manipulated. All six experiments supported the claim that adjuncts cannot project focus. Regarding the relation between focus and accenting, results from Experiments 1–4 generally indicated that new (focused) adjuncts must be accented, and given adjuncts must be deaccented. However, results from Experiments 5 and 6 indicated that the accent–focus relationship that held for other types of adjuncts does not seem to apply to prenominal adjectives. We suggest that contemporary semantic analyses can explain this observation by claiming that a prenominal adjective is not an adjunct of the noun it modifies, but rather, is a function that takes the noun as its argument.
Comparing macroalgal food and habitat choice in sympatric, tube-building amphipods, Ampithoe lacertosa and Peramphithoe humeralis

For small tube-building amphipods that live on the algae they consume, food and habitat are tightly linked. This study compared two closely related amphipods to determine whether the species’ algal preferences are based on the food value of the algae or on some other aspect of their algal habitat. Ampithoe lacertosa and Peramphithoe humeralis are both abundant on Shannon Point beach (Anacortes, Washington, USA; 48°30.542′ N, 122°41.070′ W) but specialize on different algae. In observations and laboratory experiments conducted July–September 1997, 2007, and 2008, the two species exhibited markedly different choices of food and habitat when offered six common macroalgae. Ampithoe lacertosa ate all algae offered, but preferentially built tubes on the green alga Ulva lactuca. Survival was relatively low among juveniles maintained on single species diets, except when they were fed Mazzaella splendens. Conversely, P. humeralis consumed primarily the brown kelp Saccharina latissima, Alaria marginata, and Desmarestia ligulata and preferred those species for tube building. Juvenile P. humeralis could not survive on a diet of U. lactuca or M. splendens. While A. lacertosa builds simple, temporary tubes and relocates frequently, P. humeralis is a highly thigmotactic species that builds long-term, complex tubes on the alga it prefers to eat. Feeding and habitat preferences of the two species were not clearly linked to nitrogen content of the algae, C:N ratio, or toughness of the algal tissue. Instead, preferences of the species may be related to their mobility and the permanence of the tubes they build. Ampithoe lacertosa and P. humeralis also use different feeding strategies; the former appears to mix algae to produce a high-quality diet, while the latter is more selective and has a capacity for compensatory feeding. The species are abundant on the same protected rocky shores, but specialize on different algae for habitat and food. Results suggest that the nutritional requirements of these sympatric mesograzers differ considerably and even closely related species can exhibit divergent behavioral strategies.
Vibration Control of an Axially Moving String by Boundary Control

The stabilization of the transverse vibration ofan axially moving string is implemented using time-varying control of either the boundary transverse motion or the external boundary forces. The total mechanical energy of the translating string is a Lyapunov functional and boundary control laws are designed to dissipate the total vibration energy of the string at the left and/or right boundary. An optimal feedback gain determined by minimizing the energy reflected from the boundaries, is the ratio of tension to the propagation velocity of an incident wave to the boundary control. Also the maximum time required to stabilize all vibration energy of the system for any initial disturbance is the time required for a wave to propagate the span of the string before hitting boundary control. Asymptotic and exponential stability of the axially moving string under boundary control are verified analytically through the decay rate of the energy norm and the use of semigroup theory. Simulations are used to verify the theoretically predicted, optimal boundary control for the stabilization of the translating string.
Distribution of rutile in metamorphic rocks and implications for placer deposits

Pelitic units in the eastern Great Smoky Mountains of the North Carolina Blue Ridge contain rutile grains only in kyanite and higher zones. Adjacent non-pelitic rocks do not contain rutile at kyanite grade but commonly contain sphene. Detrital rutile breaks down at metamorphic grades lower than those at which metamorphic rutile forms. Similarly, pelitic rocks in southeastern Connecticut contain rutile grains above, but not below, the sillimanite isograd. Most non-pelitic rocks there contain rutile only in the hypersthene zone. The slight difference in behavior of rutile in the two terranes is attributed primarily to a slight difference in calcium content of the pelites. In both areas, rutile commonly appears first as inclusions in garnet. Geologic maps showing metamorphic and stratigraphic or compositional information should be useful as prospecting tools for placer deposits. A variety of rocks at granulite facies and pelitic rocks of the upper amphibolite facies contain rutile and these could provide an extensive source for rutile in rutile placer deposits.
Geodesic edge paths in nonpositively curved complexes

Abstract This paper concerns three classes of geometric 2-complexes of nonpositive curvature: one in which all of the 2-cells are squares, one in which they are all equilateral triangles, and one in which they are all regular hexagons. (These cases correspond to the three regular tessellations of the euclidean plane.) These three classes of 2-complexes, while highly restrictive, are nevertheless useful because they include the Cayley complexes of group presentations satisfying the small cancellation conditions C″(p)− T (q) for (p,q)∈{(3,6),(4,4),(6,3)} (and satisfying the additional condition that all the relators have length exactly p ). These three cases are of particular interest because such groups are not necessarily word-hyperbolic in the sense of Gromov (all other classes of C″(p)− T (q) groups are, see S.M. Gersten, H. Short, Small cancellation theory and automatic groups, Invent. Math. 102 (1990) 305–334). Moreover, they include presentations of alternating link groups (under free product with the infinite cyclic group; see C. Weinbaum, The word and conjugacy problem for the knot group of any tame prime alternating knot, Proc. Math. Soc. 22 (1971) 22–26). This paper is a study of geodesic edge paths in the geometric complexes described above, and consequently, of geodesic words in C″(p)− T (q) group presentations. The most fundamental theorem on this topic, namely that an edge path in the complex (or equivalently, a word on the group generators) that fails to be geodesic can be replaced via an efficient algorithm with an equivalent one that is geodesic, is well-known; but careful proofs of this fact, as well as related facts, are difficult or impossible to find in the literature. This paper is intended to provide rigorous proofs of some useful facts about the geodesics in these complexes and group presentations. Some embedding and minimality sufficiency conditions for disks are shown, together with an algorithm for finding all geodesics in an equivalence class. Some useful implications are mentioned K. Johnsgard, Two automatic spanning trees in small cancellation group presentations, Int. J. Algebra. Comput. 6 (1994) 429–440, K. Johnsgard, The conjugacy problem for groups of alternating prime tame links is polynomial-time, Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 349 (1997) 847–901.
Endoscopic septostomy through a standard precoronal ventricular access: feasibility and effectiveness

Background Although endoscopic septostomy is widely adopted in the treatment of unilateral or specific types of hydrocephalus, there is no consensus on surgical indications, technical aspects and postoperative outcome. In particular, the choice of the ventricular access has been recently debated. We investigated the results of endoscopic septostomy performed through a standard precoronal ventricular access using a rigid endoscope.
Docking and Fast Fusion of Synaptobrevin Vesicles Depends on the Lipid Compositions of the Vesicle and the Acceptor SNARE Complex-Containing Target Membrane

The influence of the lipid environment on docking and fusion of synaptobrevin 2 (Syb2) vesicles with target SNARE complex membranes was examined in a planar supported membrane fusion assay with high time-resolution. Previously, we showed that approximately eight SNARE complexes are required to fuse phosphatidylcholine (PC) and cholesterol model membranes in ∼20 ms. Here we present experiments, in which phosphatidylserine (PS) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) were added to mixtures of PC/cholesterol in different proportions in the Syb2 vesicle membranes only or in both the supported bilayers and the Syb2 vesicles. We found that PS and PE both reduce the probability of fusion and that this reduction is fully accounted for by the lipid composition in the vesicle membrane. However, the docking efficiency increases when the PE content in the vesicle (and target membrane) is increased from 0 to 30%. The fraction of fast-activating SNARE complexes decreases with increasing PE content. As few as three SNARE complexes are sufficient to support membrane fusion when at least 5% PS and 10% PE are present in both membranes or 5% and 30% PE are present in the vesicle membrane only. Despite the smaller number of required SNAREs, the SNARE activation and fusion rates are almost as fast as previously reported in reconstituted PC/cholesterol bilayers, i.e., of 10 and ∼20 ms, respectively.
Characterizing electronic properties of low and high conductivity materials in the THz regime

We present a combined experimental and computational study on effective electrical conductivity at terahertz frequencies. A high-Q quasi-optical resonator is used to experimentally verify the results of a novel EMC/FDTD/MD numerical model.
In a prospective observational study, influenza vaccination prevented hospitalization among older home care patients

Abstract Objective The aim of the study is (1) to describe the prevalence of vaccination against influenza in older home care patients and (2) to investigate the protective effect of influenza vaccination for hospitalization events. Study Design and Setting This is an observational study conducted in four large cohorts of elderly patients in home care during the 1998–1999, 1999–2000, 2000–2001, and 2001–2002 influenza seasons. We analyzed data from the Italian Silver Network Home Care project. A total of 2,201 patients were enrolled in the present study. The main outcome measures were prevalence of vaccination against influenza and the rate of hospitalization according to vaccination status and influenza season. Results The rate of influenza vaccination was around 48% of the studied sample. During the follow-up including the peak of influenza and the total influenza season, 412 subjects (40%) were hospitalized among vaccinated compared to 610 subjects (59%) among not vaccinated ( P Conclusions Vaccination against influenza has an important prognostic implication for frail geriatric patients living in the community.
Strengths of 13C16O2 lines at 4.3 μm

Abstract Strengths of single lines in the ν 3 fundamental and the ν 2 + ν 3 − ν 2 “hot” band of 13 C 16 O 2 have been measured at low pressure using a vacuum grating infrared spectrometer. The measured strengths have led to values for the total band strengths of 2130 ± 210 cm −2 atm −1 for ν 3 and 184 ± 18 cm −2 atm −1 for ν 2 + ν 3 − ν 2 at 300 K.
Ablation of transplanted HTLV-I Tax-transformed tumors in mice by antisense inhibition of NF-kappa B

Mice transgenic for the human T cell leukemia virus (HTLV-I) Tax gene develop fibroblastic tumors that express NF-kappa B-inducible early genes. In vitro inhibition of NF-kappa B expression by antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) inhibited growth of these culture-adapted Tax-transformed fibroblasts as well as an HTLV-I-transformed human lymphocyte line. In contrast, antisense inhibition of Tax itself had no apparent effect on cell growth. Mice treated with antisense to NF-kappa B ODNs showed rapid regression of transplanted fibrosarcomas. This suggests that NF-kappa B expression may be necessary for the maintenance of the malignant phenotype and provides a therapeutic approach for HTLV-I-associated disease.
Changes in prepregnancy body mass index between the first and second pregnancies and risk of large-for-gestational-age birth.

Objective The objective of our study was to determine whether changes in prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) between the first 2 pregnancies is associated with increased risk for large-for-gestational-age (LGA) birth in the second pregnancy. Study Design A population-based, retrospective cohort analysis was performed using the Missouri 1989-1997 longitudinally linked data. Women with the first 2 consecutive singleton live births (n = 146,227) were analyzed. BMI (kilograms per square meter) was categorized as underweight (less than 18.5), normal (18.5 to 24.9), overweight (25 to 29.9), and obese (30 or greater), and LGA was defined as gestational age-specific birthweight greater than the 90th centile. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Population attributable fraction for LGA births was calculated. Results Compared to women with normal BMI in their first and second pregnancies, overweight-overweight (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.6, 1.8) and obese-obese (OR 2.3, 95% CI 2.2, 2.4) women in their first and second pregnancies were at increased risk of LGA births. Any increase in BMI from normal to obese between pregnancies increased LGA risk (OR 1.6 to 2.0), whereas any decrease in BMI from obese to normal attenuated the risk (OR 1.3 to 1.7). 17.1%, 13.2%, and 7.6% of LGA births are likely preventable had BMI not increased from first pregnancy underweight, normal, and overweight, respectively. Conclusion In comparison with women with normal BMI in both pregnancies, any increase or decrease in prepregnancy BMI between normal and obese is associated with increased risk of LGA birth. A modification in the risk of LGA births by long-term maternal BMI status or maternal genetic factors appears likely.
Penile Myofibroma Occurring in a Dorsal Hood Prepuce

Dorsal hood prepuce is a common congenital anomaly of the penis. Neoplasms of the prepuce are very rarely seen in children. We present an interesting case of a penile myofibroma encountered during circumcision of a dorsal hood foreskin in an 8-month-old infant.
The Gut Is No Place for Freedom of Expression

Whereas Americans prize individual freedom, including the freedom of expression, gene expression must be carefully coordinated in tissues and cells if they are to function appropriately and survive. This is particularly true in the gut, where intestinal epithelial cells must work together as a continuously regenerating interface with billions of commensal bacteria. To coordinate gene expression, individual tissues and cells have enzymes that chemically modify histones and DNA to regulate chromatin structure and transcription—switching genes and pathways on and off in response to inherited and environmental cues. Among these enzymes, histone deacetylases (HDACs) have emerged as some of the most important because of their aberrant expression in many types of cancer and chronic disease and potential as therapeutic targets. Alenghat and colleagues wanted to determine the functional role of HDAC3, a common HDAC subtype, in intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) in vivo. To do this, they generated mice with an IEC-specific HDAC3 deficiency and compared IEC gene expression, survival and proliferation, barrier function, and response to injury in HDAC3-deficient mice with wild-type mice. HDAC3 deletion was associated with altered gene expression involving multiple core cellular and IEC-specific pathways and abnormal IEC survival and proliferation. IEC barrier function was also impaired in HDAC3-deficient mice, and the response to injury was more prolonged and severe versus wild-type mice with normal HDAC3 expression. However, most effects of HDAC3 deficiency went away when HDAC3-deficient mice were rederived under germ-free conditions. This study reveals a role for HDAC3 in coordinating the intestinal epithelial cell response to signals from the commensal microbiota and suggests that HDAC3 functions may be necessary to maintain normal host-microbiota relationships. Additional studies are needed to investigate the role and expression of HDAC3 in normal intestinal epithelial cells and the development of intestinal disease states plus the therapeutic response to natural and synthetic HDAC inhibitors. T. Alenghat et al ., Histone deacetylase 3 coordinates commensal-bacteria-dependent intestinal homeostasis. Nature , published online 3 November 2013 (10.1038/nature12687). [[Abstract]][1] [1]: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/nature12687.html
Engineers improve recycling system used in fracking to save water and energy

In the USA, chemical engineers at The University of Texas at Austin have developed high-efficiency, durable filters to improve mobile water-recycling systems used in hydraulic fracturing – the oil and gas drilling process known as fracking. According to the researchers, the filters may significantly reduce the amount of water and energy that fracking requires.
Colonoscopy: The Current King of the Hill in the USA

Colonoscopy is the dominant colorectal cancer screening strategy in the USA. There are no randomized controlled trials completed of screening colonoscopy, but multiple lines of evidence establish that colonoscopy reduces colorectal cancer incidence in both the proximal and distal colon. Colonoscopy is highly operator dependent, but systematic efforts to measure and improve quality are impacting performance. Colonoscopy holds a substantial advantage over other strategies for detection of serrated lesions, and a recent case–control study suggests that once-only colonoscopy or colonoscopy at 20-year intervals, by a high-level detector, could ensure lifetime protection from colorectal cancer for many patients.
Market Failure in Incentive-Based Regulation: The Case of Emissions Trading*

Abstract Among the existing evaluations of the US EPA's emissions trading program, a consensus has emerged. While the program has resulted in significant cost savings, it has not even approximately achieved a cost-effective allocation of the control responsibility. The cost savings have been smaller and the trades fewer than might have been expected at the outset of the program. In this article we explore one hypothesis which purports to explain the divergence between the cost-minimizing and the observed pattern of trades for nonuniformly mixed pollutants. The “trading process hypothesis” attributes some significant proportion of this divergence to the nature of the process by which emission reduction credits are traded under the bubble policy. An examination of actual bubble trades reveals that the actual trading process is sequential and bilateral and, hence, differs considerably from the implicit process modeled in the existing empirical studies. Simulations of this more realistic trading process suggest that the resulting equilibria deviate considerably from cost-effective allocations of the control responsibility.
Automatic mapping of C to FPGAs with the DEFACTO compilation and synthesis system

Abstract The DEFACTO compilation and synthesis system is capable of automatically mapping computations expressed in high-level imperative programming languages as C to FPGA-based systems. DEFACTO combines parallelizing compiler technology with behavioral VHDI, synthesis tools to guide the application of high-level compiler transformations in the search of high-quality hardware designs. In this article we illustrate the effectiveness of this approach in automatically mapping several kernel codes to an FPGA quickly and correctly. We also present a detailed example of the comparison of the performance of an automatically generated design against a manually generated implementation of the same computation. The design-space-exploration component of DEFACTO is able to explore a large number of designs for a particular computation that would otherwise be impractical for any designers.
Negotiating the indistinct: reflections of a Korean Adopted American working with Korean Born, Korean Americans

The article addresses the ambiguities around my researcher role and racial/ethnic identity as a Korean Adopted American qualitative researcher working with Korean Born, Korean American high school ...
Community Organizing for Social Justice: Grassroots Groups for Power

Social justice, community organizing, and task-oriented groups are inextricably connected. Collective action through community organizing can generate the requisite power to overcome unjust social relations and achieve changes that further human rights, participatory democracy, and distributive justice. Most community-organizing work is conducted through task-oriented groups that enable organizational activists to engage directly in collective action for social change. This article presents examples of the use of task groups by a variety of constituencies, in multiple arenas, employing citizen participation, community development, and social action community-organizing approaches and strategies.
Selective brain dopamine depletion in developing rats: an experimental model of minimal brain dysfunction

Administration of 6-hydroxydopamine to neonatal rats produces a rapid and profound depletion of brain dopamine. Total activity of treated animals is significantly greater than that of controls between 12 and 22 days of age, but then declines, an activity pattern similar to that seen in affected children. This suggests a functional deficiency of brain dopamine in the pathogenesis of minimal brain dysfunction.
The State of Public Management Research: An Analysis of Scope and Methodology

ABSTRACT In this article we examine the state of public management research, specifically focusing on the scope of research and variety of methodologies pursued in the field. We use a sample of manuscripts from three successive meetings of the Public Management Research Association to explore these issues. Our analysis is organized along four themes that have been central to public management's identity as a field of research: (1) the link between theory and practice; (2) focus on prescription and performance; (3) debate over empirical and nonempirical approaches; and (4) preferences for quantitative or qualitative data. We find that public management research has not yet bridged the gap between theory and practice, although substantive areas of research appear to reflect current trends in the public sector. There is moderate but slightly declining interest in performance. Empirical methods appear to be the norm, with an even mix of qualitative and quantitative data.
Adaptive opportunistic fair scheduling over multiuser spatial channels

We consider the problem of opportunistic fair scheduling (OFS) of multiple users in downlink time-division multiple-access (TDMA) systems employing multiple transmit antennas and beamforming. OFS is an important technique in wireless networks to achieve fair bandwidth usage among users, which is performed on a per-frame basis at the media access control layer. Multiple-transmit-antenna beamforming provides TDMA systems with the capability of supporting multiple concurrent transmissions, i.e., multiple spatial channels at the physical layer. Given a particular subset of users and their channel conditions, the optimal beamforming scheme can be calculated. The multiuser opportunistic scheduling problem then refers to the selection of the optimal subset of users for transmission at each time instant to maximize the total throughput of the system subject to a certain fairness constraint on each individual user's throughput. We propose discrete stochastic approximation algorithms to adaptively select a better subset of users. We also consider scenarios of time-varying channels for which the scheduling algorithm can track the time-varying optimal user subset. We present simulation results to demonstrate the performance of the proposed scheduling algorithms in terms of both throughput and fairness, their fast convergence, and the excellent tracking capability in time-varying environments.