cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
BMP-2 induces cell migration and periostin expression during atrioventricular valvulogenesis

Atrioventricular (AV) endocardium transforms into the cushion mesenchyme, the primordia of the valves and membranous septa, through epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT). While bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2 is known to be critical for AV EMT, the role of BMP-2 in post-EMT AV valvulogenesis remains to be elucidated. To find BMP signaling loops, we first localized Type I BMP receptors (BMPRs), BMPR-1A (ALK3), -1B (ALK6) and ALK2 in AV cushion mesenchyme in stage-24 chick embryos. Based on the BMP receptor expression pattern, we examined the functional roles of BMP-2 and BMP signaling in post-EMT valvulogenesis by using stage-24 AV cushion mesenchymal cell aggregates cultured on 3D-collagen gels. Exogenous BMP-2 or constitutively active (ca) BMPR-1B (ALK6)-virus treatments induced migration of the mesenchymal cells into the collagen gels, whereas noggin, an antagonist of BMPs, or dominant-negative (dn) BMPR-1 B (ALK6)-virus treatments reduced cell migration from the mesenchymal cell aggregates. Exogenous BMP-2 or caBMPR-1B (ALK6) treatments significantly promoted expression of an extracellular matrix (ECM) protein, periostin, a known valvulogenic matrix maturation mediator, at both mRNA and protein levels, whereas periostin expression was repressed by adding noggin or dnBMPR-1B (ALK6)-virus to the culture. Moreover, transcripts of Twist and Id1, which have been implicated in cell migration in embryogenesis and activation of the periostin promoter, were induced by BMP-2 but repressed by noggin in cushion mesenchymal cell cultures. These data provide evidence that BMP-2 and BMP signaling induce biological processes involved in early AV valvulogenesis, i.e. mesenchymal cell migration and expression of periostin, indicating critical roles for BMP signaling in post-EMT AV cushion tissue maturation and differentiation.
Limitations on the Moral Permissibility of Employee Drug Testing

Ethical questions surrounding the issue of employee drug testing are not new. Thirteen years have passed since the educational and persuasive article on this subject by Joseph Desjardins and Ronald Duska appeared in this journal.2 Discussion has subsided recently, but the practice continues to be utilized by employers. Of particular ethical interest is the policy of using urine tests. On pain of termination or not being hired, employees and potential employees are required to produce a sample, often in the presence of a witness, which is then analyzed for the presence of unaccept able substances. My intention is to suggest that the scope of employees who may permissibly be tested is very small* smaller even than Desjardins and Duska seemed to think. The arguments for this claim do not involve new moral concepts or values, but instead utilize traditional values in a manner not previously described. In sorting out and clarifying the principal issues, I wish to make clear that the moral importance of privacy, a value central to this debate, has been understated, while other values relied on in an effort to defend the practice of employee drug testing have been overstated. Consequently, privacy can be overridden only in very rare circumstances, and the implication is that drug testing is morally unacceptable except for these rare circumstances.
Milk Production, Reproductive Performance, and Fecal Excretion of Phosphorus by Dairy Cows Fed Three Amounts of Phosphorus

Milk production was measured and phosphorus (P) excretion in feces was estimated in dairy cows fed three amounts of P. A basal diet was formulated to contain 0.31% P (DM basis). Sodium monophosphate replaced corn in the basal diet to give two additional diets containing 0.40 and 0.49% P. The diets were fed to eight, nine, and nine multiparous Holsteins from the beginning to the end of lactation. Milk yields for the 308-d lactation were 10,790, 11,226, and 11,134 kg for the three treatments, respectively. The lowest milk yield resulted from decreased milk production during late lactation with the 0.31% P group. Reproductive performance of the cows was not related to dietary P content. Fecal P concentration, determined in wk 2, 4, 6, 8, 23, and 40 of lactation, increased as dietary P intake was increased. Cows fed the lowest P diet conserved P by minimizing P excretion in feces and urine, whereas cows in the other two treatments excreted more P through these routes. A reduction in dietary P from 0.49 to 0.40% reduced fecal P excretion by 23%. Apparent P digestibilities of less than 40% are indicative of surplus dietary P. Feeding 0.40% P appeared sufficient to maintain P balance and the level of milk production achieved in this experiment. An example is given which illustrates the relationship between dietary and fecal P.
Endoluminal stent graft repair of aortobronchial fistulas.

Abstract Objective: To describe our experience with endoluminal stent graft repair of aortobronchial fistulas. Methods: We reviewed the records of patients treated with endoluminal stent grafting of aortobronchial fistulas at a private teaching hospital. All patients underwent the following diagnostic studies: computed tomography, angiography, bronchoscopy, and transesophageal echocardiography. With standard endovascular techniques, two different devices were implanted. Results: Between March 1997 and October 2000, we treated four patients with postsurgical fistulas. The patients were diagnosed with hemoptysis between 3 and 23 years after aortic replacement grafting for thoracic aneurysms. Diagnostic studies varied in their ability to find the fistula. Transesophageal echocardiography most reliably demonstrated the fistula in the patients. All were successfully treated by exclusion with endoluminal stent grafting. The patients had no complications and no further episodes of hemoptysis. Conclusion: Endoluminal stent grafting of aortobronchial fistulas is feasible and may become the preferred method of management in patients at high risk. (J Vasc Surg 2002;35:387-91.)
Renin synthesis by canine aortic smooth muscle cells in culture

Abstract Angiotensin-I generating activity has been detected in homogenates of arterial tissue but it remains unclear whether this enzymatic activity results from the presence of renin itself or from the action of other proteases such as cathepsin D. In an assay system employing anephric dog plasma as substrate and buffered to pH 7.4, we detected angiotensin-I generating activity in homogenates of canine aortic smooth muscle cells. This enzymatic activity was in large part inhibitable by renin-specific antisera raised to pure canine renal renin. Immunofluorescent study of cultured arterial smooth muscle cells was also performed using renin specific antiserum. Granular cytoplasmic immunofluorescence was detected when specific antirenin serum was used but not when preimmune serum was employed. The addition of pure canine renin to the renin antiserum during staining suppressed the granular immunofluorescence confirming the specificity of staining. Finally, biosynthetic radiolabelling studies were performed. Immunoprecipitation of newly synthesized proteins with antirenin serum and staphylococcal protein A followed by gel electrophoresis and autoradiography demonstrated the synthesis of an immunoreactive protein with the molecular weight of renin. Pretreatment of the antirenin serum with pure canine renin resulted in the disappearance of this immunoreactive protein band. Thus these studies provide multiple lines of evidence to indicate the in situ synthesis of renin by vascular smooth muscle cells.
Laser polishing of niobium for superconducting radio-frequency accelerator applications

Interior surfaces of niobium cavities used in superconducting radio frequency accelerators are now obtained by buffered chemical polish and/or electropolish. Laser polishing is a potential alternative, having advantages of speed, freedom from noxious chemistry and availability of in-process inspection. We studied the influence of the laser power density and laser beam raster rate on the surface topography. These two factors need to be combined carefully to smooth the surface without damage. Computational modeling was used to estimate the surface temperature and gain insight into the mechanism of laser polishing. Power spectral density analysis of surface topography measurements shows that laser polishing can produce smooth topography similar to that obtained by electropolish. This is a necessary first step toward introducing laser polishing as an alternative to the currently practiced chemical polishing.
Note on optimal predictors of binary response

Abstract In a recent Economics Letters article, Terza [Terza, J.V., 2006. Optimal Discrete Prediction in Parametric Binary Response Models. Economics Letters 91, 72–75] shows that the optimal threshold is 1/2 for binary-response prediction under symmetric loss. We show that Terza's result is in fact a special case of a more general and simpler result by Manski and Thompson [Manski, C.F., Thompson, T.S., 1989. Estimation of Best Predictors of Binary Response. Journal of Econometrics 40, 97–123].
Hospitalized youth and child abuse: a systematic examination of psychiatric morbidity and clinical severity

Many children and adolescents who require psychiatric hospitalization have been physically or sexually abused, yet the association between reported histories of abuse and the complexity and severity of mental illness among psychiatrically hospitalized youth is poorly described with regard to current inpatient psychiatric practice. We sought to determine the association between histories of abuse and psychiatric complexity and severity in psychiatrically hospitalized youth including comorbidity patterns, psychotropic medication use, reason for admission and length of hospitalization. A systematic chart review was performed on 1433 consecutive psychiatric hospitalizations of children and adolescents that occurred over a 10-month period. Children with a history of abuse were more likely to be diagnosed with multiple DSM-IV-TR disorders than non-traumatized children. A history of sexual abuse was associated with more medication use than in their non-traumatized peers and a higher likelihood of treatment with antipsychotic medications, both at admission and discharge. Physical and sexual abuse were independently associated with increased length of stays, with exposure to both physical and sexual abuse associated with a 2-day increase in duration of hospitalization compared to non-traumatized patients. The findings from this study draw attention to the adverse impact of abuse on psychiatric morbidity and complexity and suggest the need for trauma-informed treatment in psychiatric hospital settings.
Gene-modified tumor cells as cellular vaccine

The identification and characterization of many tumor antigens and the parallel explosion of knowledge of the cellular and molecular mechanisms of antigen recognition by the immune system have given renewed hopes that immunogenetherapy could be a promising modality to treat certain tumors. Many different novel strategies have been developed to derive genetically modified tumor cells and use them as cellular vaccines to induce useful antitumor immunity in a variety of animal tumor models. This review discusses induction of tumor immunity by injecting tumor cells that are genetically engineered to secrete various cytokines and to express major histocompatibility complex molecules and/or costimulatory molecules. While there has been a great success in inducing excellent antitumor immunity in a variety of tumor models, there are some difficulties and limitations in the application of these gene-modified tumor cells for the treatment of preexisting tumors. A number of improvements and modifications are already underway to overcome some of these problems.
Why is Deinococcus radiodurans so resistant to ionizing radiation

Abstract When exponential-phase cultures of Deinococcus radiodurans are exposed to a 5000-Gray dose of γ radiation, individual cells suffer massive DNA damage. Despite this insult to their genetic integrity, these cells survive without loss of viability or evidence of mutation, repairing the damage by as-yet-poorly-understood mechanisms.
Thermal response of an unsteady laminar boundary layer on a flat plate due to step changes in wall temperature and in wall heat flux

Abstract The prediction of the entire time-history of the heat transfer process due either to a step change in plate surface temperature or to heat flux is studied for two-dimensional, incompressible laminar flows. The study utilizes a very efficient numerical method for solving the nonsteady energy equation. Numerical results for several Prandtl numbers are compared with analytical results obtained with the restriction of small and large time values, and the range of applicability of these analytical solutions is established.
Retaining African-American Students in Higher Education: An Integrative Review.

The primary objective of this article is to examine and synthesize the research literature conducted on the factors that influence African-American students' retention in higher education. Recommendations for future research were discussed. Programmatic implications of this integrative review for higher education personnel and student affairs professionals were also provided.
Are property rights enough? Re‐evaluating a big‐bang claim1

We investigate the claim made by proponents of the big-bang strategy that the establishment of property rights in an economy in transition creates its own demand for the enforcement of laws to protect those rights. Our model contains a government engaging in activities to accomplish objectives that depend on public support for the enforcement of the rule of law and agents who interpret the level of activities of the government as indications of the government's intent to enforce the rule of law. Agents, using the level of government activities as an input to their decisions, choose whether to support the government's objectives. We establish conditions under which the level of activities chosen by the government maximizes its benefits, and simultaneously induces the constituency to support enforcement of the rule of law. These conditions provide a basis for the argument for the implementation of the big-bang policy. When these conditions do not hold, however, we show that the level of activities that maximizes the government's benefits may have only a minor impact on support for the enforcement of the rule of law. Two characteristics play an important role in these conditions: the initial level of crime and the types of activities the government chooses to undertake. We present examples showing that the initial level of crime has the more dramatic effect on subsequent support for the rule of law.
Ab Initio Calculation of Amide Carbonyl Stretch Vibrational Frequencies in Solution with Modified Basis Sets. 1. N-Methyl Acetamide

Density functional theory DFT(BPW91) level calculations with modified 6-31G(d) basis sets are tested for a small amide, N-methyl acetamide (NMA), as an efficient way for calculating amide I and amide II frequencies that are directly comparable to those commonly measured in solution. The calculational results are compared to experimentally measured FTIR spectra in gas and solution phases. The 6-31G(d) basis set at the DFT level yields vibrational frequencies that have the best agreement with the gas-phase experiment, as compared to amide I and II frequencies calculated with the same basis at the HF, CASSCF, MP2, QCISD, and CCD levels. The DFT(BPW91)/6-31G(d) level calculation for the NMA·3H2O hydrogen-bonded complex with an Onsager or CPCM reaction field yields amide I, II, and III frequencies comparable to the experiment in aqueous solution. The amide I and, to a smaller degree, amide II frequencies are found to be sensitive to the exponent of the d function in the basis set. Use of more diffuse (smaller ...
Adhesion mapping of chemically modified and poly(ethylene oxide)-grafted glass surfaces

Two-dimensional mapping of the adhesion pull-off forces was used to study the origin of surface heterogeneity in the grafted poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) layer. The variance of the pull-off forces measured over the μm-sized regions after each chemical step of modifying glass surfaces was taken to be a measure of the surface chemical heterogeneity. The attachment of γ-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxy silane (GPS) to glass decreased the pull-off forces relative to the clean glass and made the surface more uniform. The subsequent hydrolysis of the terminal epoxide groups resulted in a larger surface heterogeneity which was modeled by two populations of the terminal hydroxyl groups, each with its own distribution of adhesion forces and force variance. The activation of the hydroxyls with carbonyldiimmidazole (CDI) healed the surface and lowered its adhesion, however, the force variance remained rather large. Finally, the grafting of the α,ω-diamino poly(ethyleneoxide) chains to the CDI-activated glass largely eliminated adhesion except at a few discrete regions. The adhesion on the PEO grafted layer followed the Poisson distribution of the pull-off forces. With the exception of the glass surface, a correlation between the water contact angles and the mean pull-off forces measured with the Si3N4 tip surfaces was found for all modified glass surfaces.
Validation of an interpretation bias assessment for body dissatisfaction

Abstract Currently, research on interpretation bias and body dissatisfaction is limited. The few experimental paradigms that have been used to explore this phenomenon utilized a method that may not accurately capture the nature of interpretation bias as explained by cognitive theory. The present study investigated the reliability and validity of a novel computerized assessment of interpretation bias (WSAP) for body dissatisfaction, which may more accurately reflect the cognitive processing involved in such bias by implementing the Word Sentence Association Paradigm (WSAP), a previously established method of measuring interpretation bias in other clinical populations. Undergraduate females ( n = 214) completed the WSAP and other measures. Results indicate initial support for the WSAP as a valid, reliable measure of interpretation bias for body dissatisfaction. Although preliminary, this study contributes to the minimal research in this area and serves as the first psychometric investigation of the WSAP to measure such interpretation bias for body dissatisfaction.
Regional landslide susceptibility: spatiotemporal variations under dynamic soil moisture conditions

Quantification of landslide susceptibility variability in space and time in response to static and dynamic conditions is a fundamental research challenge. Here, we identify and apply new modeling and remote sensing observation techniques to statistically characterize susceptibility distributions under dynamic moisture conditions. The methods are applied at two study regions: Cleveland Corral, California, US and Dhading, Nepal. The results show that the temporal variability of safety factors is lower during the wet season than the dry season, but this variability, when scaled by mean seasonal stability, is constant annually. Relative variability differs by region with lower variability in Nepal, the highly susceptible region. L-Moment evaluations indicate that Nepal has a consistent, regional probability distribution, but that California has two distinct distributions. The variability in time is not normally distributed for either region. For both regions, transitional characteristic of safety factors show a strong power law relationship between the average duration and number of periods during which sites are highly susceptible. Because the mapped landslide locations typically had frequent crossings with brief unstable conditions, a consistent physical mechanism is pointed to as a possible cause of slope failure.
Clustering data by melting

We derive a new clustering algorithm based on information theory and statistical mechanics, which is the only algorithm that incorporates scale. It also introduces a new concept into clustering: cluster independence. The cluster centers correspond to the local minima of a thermodynamic free energy, which are identified as the fixed points of a one-parameter nonlinear map. The algorithm works by melting the system to produce a tree of clusters in the scale space. Melting is also insensitive to variability in cluster densities, cluster sizes, and ellipsoidal shapes and orientations. We tested the algorithm successfully on both simulated data and a Synthetic Aperture Radar image of an agricultural site with 12 attributes for crop identification.
Arterial embolization in the management of posterior epistaxis

OBJECTIVES: Treatment of severe epistaxis can encompass many modalities. Control rates with all treatments are good. Morbidity among treatment groups varies. Angiographic embolization is one such method that has a very low complication rate. Over the last 10 years, it has become the preferred treatment at our institution.STUDY DESIGN: Tertiary medical referral centers: OHSU, Portland VAMC.MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective review of 70 patients transferred or admitted with posterior epistaxis and treated with selective angiographic embolization from 1993 to 2002.RESULTS: Patients had bleeding for a median of 4.5 days prior to admission. 79% were unilateral. Etiology of bleeding was: idiopathic (61%), previous surgery (11%), anticoagulants (9%), trauma (7%), and other causes (12%). 30% required blood transfusions prior to admission to OHSU (average 4.4 units). No patient required a transfusion postoperatively following angiographic embolization or during their hospitalization. The internal maxillary arte...
The contribution of computed tomography to the evaluation of the obstructed ureter.

Computed tomography (CT) has been found to make a valuable contribution to the diagnosis of the etiology of ureteral obstruction when routine urography and pyelography have not been diagnostic. We believe CT can replace more invasive techniques such as antegrade pyelography and even retrograde pyelography in the evaluation of many of these cases. This presentation will summarize our experience with the use of CT to evaluate the etiology of ureteral obstruction, indicate those disease processes likely to be encountered, emphasize the limitations of the technique, and indicate the place CT has in the study of these patients.
Lasker Basic Medical Research Award. Dendritic cells: versatile controllers of the immune system.

The author is at The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, New York 10065-6399, USA. e-mail: steinma@rockefeller.edu Published online 17 September 2007; doi:10.1038/ nm1643 The immune system has multiple pathways for recognizing and responding to microbial components and other disease-related stimuli. The dendritic-cell lineage of white blood cells controls this intricate system (Fig. 1). After nearly 35 years of research, there are many perspectives from which to appreciate the powerful influence of dendritic cells within the broad reach of immunology. From the perspective of natural selection, dendritic cells help the immune system defend against more than a thousand different forms of infection. They capture microbial proteins and lipids, and present them to lymphocytes, thereby launching lymphocyte responses. From a physiological perspective, resistance to infection is not a single automatic response. Instead, dendritic cells select from a host of rapid, short-lived innate reactions and from the more slowly acquired and longer-lived adaptive responses (Box 1). From a cellular perspective, dendritic cells are best known for their role in initiating Tcell immunity, a role that I will emphasize in this Commentary. Nevertheless, dendritic cells can influence all types of lymphocytes, and, I suspect, they will eventually be found to affect some non-immune cells as well. From a medical perspective, dendritic cells influence many clinical conditions. In addition to providing resistance to some diseases, dendritic cells can instigate autoimmune inflammation and allergy and transplant rejection, and they can be exploited by several infections and tumors. Owing to their pervasive role in immune responsiveness1–5, dendritic cells are emerging as key targets for developing new therapies that are disease specific, whether the goal is to enhance resistance or silence unwanted responses. What led to the discovery of these cells 35 years ago?
Changes in the Demand for Skilled Labor within U. S. Manufacturing: Evidence from the Annual Survey of Manufactures

This paper investigates the shift in demand away from unskilled and toward skilled labor in U. S. manufacturing over the 1980s. Production labor-saving technological change is the chief explanation for this shift. That conclusion is based on three facts: (1) the shift is due mostly to increased use of skilled workers within the 450 industries in U. S. manufacturing rather than to a reallocation of employment between industries, as would be implied by a shift in product demand due to trade or to a defense buildup; (2) trade- and defense-demand are associated with only small employment reallocation effects; (3) increased use of nonproduction workers is strongly correlated with investment in computers and in R&D.
Solitons as Particles, Oscillators, and in Slowly Changing Media: A Singular Perturbation Theory

In this article, we develop a singular perturbation theory for describing the long time cumulative effects of weak perturbations on solitons. In all cases, the solitons behave in a similar fashion to either relativistic or Newtonian particles or nonlinear oscillators under the influence of external forces. We show how the ubiquitous nonlinear Schrodinger soliton can become synchronized to a periodic external field and how it moves in gradual field gradients. We examine how the kink of the sine-Gordon equation acts both as a relativistic particle and a Newtonian particle in the presence of a general impurity and demonstrate the relaxation of a kink-antikink pair to a breather under the influence of damping. Finally, we discuss the motion of a soliton of the Korteweg de Vries equation under various perturbations and discover that while the soliton remains dominant, the continuous spectrum is excited and plays a crucial role in balancing the ‘mass’ and ‘energy’ depletion rates. In each case, we briefly discuss the result in the context of a physical situation.
A temperature-dependent model for the complex dielectric function of GaAs

In this work, we discuss a temperature-dependent model for the complex dielectric function for GaAs valid for the temperature range 31°C ≤ T ≤ 634°C. We describe our model, which is an extension of the critical point parabolic band method. This is a phenomenological method which is based on the physical processes occurring in the semiconductor, and has been previously demonstrated for composition-dependent models of the dielectric function for lattice-matched materials systems. We demonstrate the quality of the model in fitting optical data for individual temperatures, and compare our results to other established models. The data used for each fitting ranges from 1.25 to 4.5 eV. Using results obtained from the individual fits, we generate a temperature-dependent model that is valid for the range of temperatures given above. Also, we show how this model can be used to accurately determine the temperature (±2.3°C) of a material whose dielectric response has been obtained but was not included when generating the model.
A mapping approach to rate-distortion computation and analysis

In rate-distortion theory, results are often derived and stated in terms of the optimizing density over the reproduction space. In this paper, the problem is reformulated in terms of the optimal mapping from the unit interval with Lebesgue measure that would induce the desired reproduction probability density. This results in optimality conditions that are "random relatives" of the known Lloyd (1982) optimality conditions for deterministic quantizers. The validity of the mapping approach is assured by fundamental isomorphism theorems for measure spaces. We show that for the squared error distortion, the optimal reproduction random variable is purely discrete at supercritical distortion (where the Shannon (1948) lower bound is not tight). The Gaussian source is thus the only source that produces continuous reproduction variables for the entire range of positive rate. To analyze the evolution of the optimal reproduction distribution, we use the mapping formulation and establish an analogy to statistical mechanics. The solutions are given by the distribution at isothermal statistical equilibrium, and are parameterized by the temperature in direct correspondence to the parametric solution of the variational equations in rate-distortion theory. The analysis of an annealing process shows how the number of "symbols" grows as the system undergoes phase transitions. Thus, an algorithm based on the mapping approach often needs but a few variables to find the exact solution, while the Blahut (1972) algorithm would only approach it at the limit of infinite resolution. Finally, a quick "deterministic annealing" algorithm to generate the rate-distortion curve is suggested. The resulting curve is exact as long as continuous phase transitions in the process are accurately followed. >
Structure of the Gene Encoding Mouse Adipose Differentiation-Related Protein (ADRP)

Abstract Adipose differentiation-related protein (ADRP) is a novel 50-kDa membrane-associated protein whose message levels are induced rapidly and maximally after triggering adipocyte differentiation. The gene encoding mouse ADRP has been isolated and characterized from four overlapping λ phage clones. The gene spans 14 kb and contains 8 exons and 7 introns. Exons range in size from 50 to 696 bp and intron sizes range from 87 bp to 4.3 kb. Major and minor transcription initiation sites were determined 76 and 78 bp, respectively, upstream of the initiator methionine. A TATTTTA sequence is centered 30 bp upstream of the major transcription start site, and within the 5′-flanking region there are several putative transcription factor binding sites. ADRP has been mapped to chromosome 4, specifically between the b and Ifa loci. A second ADRP-like gene was isolated and partially characterized. This second locus is not expressed in 12 different mouse tissues and shares 87% sequence similarity to ADRP over exon and intron regions analyzed. Finally, this is the first reported genomic structure of ADRP.
Graphite pre-treatment for deposition of platinum catalysts

Abstract The pre-treatment of graphite supports with tin-palladium chloride solutions is shown to be advantageous for subsequent catalyst deposition because of multifold effects. In several instances, electrocatalytic platinum dispersion is increased. Specific electrocatalytic activity of deposited catalyst for alcohol oxidation also increases significantly. It appears that this pre-treatment will enhance catalyst deposition for a variety of uses.
Extended Hückel and Slater’s rule initial guess for real space grid-based density functional theory

Abstract The Extended Huckel method is commonly used as an initial guess for Gaussian basis set quantum chemistry calculations. In this work, we combine the Extended Huckel method and Slater’s rules to form an initial guess of the electron density and molecular orbitals for all-electron real-space finite element Kohn–Sham density functional theory (FE-KSDFT). With this approach, the first SCF iteration is close in energy to the converged solution, and a factor of two speedup is obtained vs. a naive initial electron density composed of a superposition of atomic densities. In addition, because the guessed molecular orbitals are already partially self-consistent with the guess density, we can now employ less robust, but fast, block eigensolvers such as Chebyshev-filtered subspace iteration even in the first SCF iteration to achieve 2–10× further gains vs. a conventional Jacobi–Davidson eigensolver.
Treating Ethnic Others: Cultural Sensitivity and Minority Stereotypes at a German Fertility Clinic

As Germany has become progressively more cosmopolitan, the concrete effects of increased migration and greater ethnic diversity have surfaced in clinical settings. This ethnographic article examines the impact of a cultural competence initiative at a fertility clinic serving patients of foreign heritage, particularly German Turks. While the acknowledgement of culture as a clinical variable raises awareness of the differential needs of minorities, it also inadvertently reifies Otherness, perpetuates formulaic approaches to ethnicity, and compromises medical treatment. Despite these flaws, many minority patients preferred culturally sensitive care to standard clinical care. I argue that the social contradictions embedded in these culturally competent care practices reflect Germany's enduring ambivalence toward "foreigners" in its multicultural society. As this case study illustrates, it is challenging to craft culturally appropriate health care programs which adhere to biomedical efficiency and practice nor...
Nonantibiotic-associated enterocolitis caused by Clostridium difficile in an infant

THE ROLE of toxin-producing strains of Clostridium dijficile in the pathogenesis of pseudomernbranou s colitis has been firmly established, l:' In both adults and children this disease is generally observed in the setting of recent antibiotic exposure. 1-~ Several reports have appeared describing adults with pseudomembranous colitis without prior antibiotic therapy? .~ ~ This report describes an infant with severe enterocolitis associated with C. difficile toxin in the stools and in whom there was no prior antibiotic exposure. CASE REPORT A 4-month-old female infant was admitted to Hartford Hospital because of bloody diarrhea. She had been born after an uneventful term pregnancy and delivery. Feedings had consisted solely of breast milk for the first three months. The mother had been taking no medication. At three months of age a cow milk formula (Enfamil, Mead Johnson & Company) was introduced, and the patient developed watery diarrhea within several days. Treatment with an oral glucose-electrolyte solution (Pedialyte, Ross Laboratories) and then a soy formula (ProSobee, Mead Johnson & Company) was followed quickly by return of the stools to normal. Re-introduction of the cow milk formula at age 31/2 months was attempted, and the patient rapidly developed diarrhea which prompted admission to a local hospital.
Characteristics related to family involvement in youth residential mental health treatment

Abstract This study examined family involvement among youth in residential mental health treatment facilities in Florida. Data were obtained from the provider reports from January 2005 through December 2007. Treatment episodes were divided into 30-day periods with family involvement measured by the number of contacts by all family members, the mother, and the father. In addition, we examined contacts by all family members for in-person treatment, treatment-related phone contacts, treatment planning, campus visits, and therapeutic home passes. Families averaged 3.4 contacts per 30 days for the 1333 treatment episodes. Sixty-seven percent of the contacts included mothers, while 22% of the contacts involved fathers. A majority of contacts were for family therapy, either by phone (29% of contacts) or in person (43%). Nearly twenty percent of residential stays had no family contact. After the first 30 days of treatment, contacts did not vary significantly over the course of the treatment episode, although there was some evidence that youth with longer treatment episodes had fewer contacts throughout the residential stay. Total contacts were lower for girls than boys, for blacks than whites, and for older youth, and were higher when the youth lived in the same county as the residential treatment provider. Outreach programs could target specific demographic groups with low involvement, and the alternative methods for involvement that use internet conferencing tools should be explored for parents that live far from the treatment provider.
Democracy’s New Discipline: Public Deliberation as Organizational Strategy

Scholars of politics have studied deliberative events as political processes aimed at empowering citizens, a perspective that frames organizational subsidies of public deliberation as civil society sponsorship. Based on multi-method fieldwork, this article investigates deliberation as a strategic tool marketed by an emerging industry of professional consultants to contemporary organizations facing resistance to retrenchment, redevelopment, and reorganization. This field-level organizational perspective reveals that deliberative solutions are sold to public, private, and third-sector managers in terms of their potential to cultivate stakeholder empathy for decision-makers, downsize public expectations for administrative problem-solving, and produce behavioral alignment and positive attitudes toward austerity measures. The simultaneous framing of deliberation as civic renewal and as a preemptive strategy for reducing contention demonstrates how sponsors have leveraged the ambiguities enabled by the reconfig...
Meta-analysis of genome-wide linkage scans for renal function traits

Background. Several genome scans have explored the linkage of chronic kidney disease phenotypes to chromosomic regions with disparate results. Genome scan metaanalysis (GSMA) is a quantitative method to synthesize linkage results from independent studies and assess their concordance. Methods. We searched PubMed to identify genome linkage analyses of renal function traits in humans, such as estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR), albuminuria, serum creatinine concentration and creatinine clearance. We contacted authors for numerical data and extracted information from individual studies. We applied the GSMA nonparametric approach to combine results across 14 linkage studies for GFR, 11 linkage studies for albumin creatinine ratio, 11 linkage studies for serum creatinine and 4 linkage studies for creatinine clearance. Results. No chromosomal region reached genome-wide statistical significance in the main analysis which included all scans under each phenotype; however, regions on Chromosomes 7, 10 and 16 reached suggestive significance for linkage to two or more phenotypes. Subgroup analyses by disease status or ethnicity did not yield additional information. Conclusions. While heterogeneity across populations, methodologies and study designs likely explain this lack of agreement, it is possible that linkage scan methodologies lack the resolution for investigating complex traits. Combining family-based linkage studies with genomewide association studies may be a powerful approach to detect private mutations contributing to complex renal phenotypes.
Multiple levels of security in support of highly mobile tactical internets-ELB ACTD

Tactical internets (TI) present security challenges both consistent with and simultaneously unique to terrestrial based networks. Few large-scale TI demonstrations have occurred where security was a primary concern, and fewer yet have achieved Classified Type 1 and Sensitive But Unclassified (SBU) enclave connectivity to significant numbers of highly mobile Marine Corp squads, Army units, and ships at sea simultaneously. The Extending the Littoral Battlespace (ELB) Advanced Concept Technology Development (ACTD) demonstrated such a TI in 2001. ELB's overarching direction was to provide robust, reliable, and secure wireless, highly mobile TI. The TI focuses on providing a common tactical picture as well as other functions between shipboard command and control systems and the ground force end user, comprising Maine Corps and Army units. To meet the security challenges, ELB developed an unique security architecture and concepts to insure both data integrity and security. The security architecture included COTS and DoD type 1 wireless encryption, hardened Windows NT workstations, on-the-fly hard disk encryption, firewalls, and intrusion detection systems. This paper discusses the security concepts employed as a component of the ELB TI demonstration.
Implementation issues of a multi-class flow control algorithm

Various implementations that could support the optimal flow control algorithms using the Pareto optimal criterion are explored. The performance of the Pareto algorithms for flow control is analyzed. Simulation results suggest that the convergence is better when the observation windows are maintained at the node level and are packet count based. The window size has to be sufficiently long. The relaxation techniques are useful with the right choice of relaxation factors. The greedy algorithms which use estimation techniques to achieve complete decentralizability are found to be very appealing. >
“Stuff Happens”: Donald Rumsfeld and the Iraq War

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld exercised great influence over U.S. policies in the invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq. The Secretary’s leadership presents a puzzle—accounts agree that Rumsfeld was a masterful bureaucratic infighter who ruthlessly gained control over the major decisions and marginalized colleagues, yet, having secured that control, was remarkably blase about events on the ground in Iraq. I argue that Rumsfeld’s paradoxical performance was rooted in key aspects of his worldview—measured through systematic content analysis of his verbal output on the principle that the words individuals say are related to the way they see the world—and his bureaucratic style, identified through interviews with Bush administration insiders. Rumsfeld’s worldview centers on a low perception of the control of self in relation to macro-political events, and a very high conceptual complexity, indicating a nuanced view of issues. This low perception of control and heavily contingent worldview is the discursive, “stuff happens” side of Rumsfeld which so frustrated critics of the U.S. occupation. His bureaucratic style, however, was controlling, suspicious, and overbearing. I suggest that this approach offers a more complete explanation of Rumsfeld’s actions, and so contributes to understanding of the Iraq story, as it is rooted in consideration of the basic dispositions that condition how individuals approach their roles.
MR susceptibility misregistration correction

The authors present a new in vivo method to correct the nonlinear, object-shape-dependent and material-dependent spatial distortion in magnetic resonance (MR) images caused by magnetic susceptibility variations. This distortion across the air/tissue interface before and after the correction is quantified using a phantom. The results are compared to the distortion-free computed tomography (CT) images of the same phantom by fusing CT and MR images using fiducials, with a registration accuracy of better than a millimeter. The distortion at the bone/tissue boundary is negligible compared to the typical MRI (MR imaging) resolution of 1 mm, while that at the air/tissue boundary creates displacements of about 2 mm (for G/sub x/ 3.13 mT/m). This is a significant value if MRI is to provide highly accurate geometric measurements, as in the case of target localization for stereotaxic surgery. The correction scheme provides MR images with accuracy similar to that of CT: 1 mm. A new method to estimate the magnetic susceptibility of materials from MR images is presented. The magnetic susceptibility of cortical bone is measured using a SQUID magnetometer, and is found to be -8.86 ppm (with respect to air), which is quite similar to that of tissue (-9 ppm). >
End-of-Life Nursing Care: Statewide Survey of Nurses' Education Needs and Effects of Education

Research suggests persistent deficiencies in end-of-life nursing care practice and the education to support that care. Inadequate numbers of nurses have received this education, either as a component of undergraduate education or as professional development in the form of continuing education. Minimal information exists on specific end-of-life care education needs of practicing nurses, and few end-of-life care education initiatives have been systematically evaluated. The need for additional outcome evaluation persists. In this study, nurses in one state were surveyed ( n = 567) to explore end-of-life care attitude/belief, knowledge/skill, and prior education. Results revealed that a majority of respondents had neither formal end-of-life education nor continuing education in this area, and significant knowledge deficiencies appeared on 21 of 23 end-of-life care topics. Nurses having formal end-of-life nursing care instruction during initial nursing education failed to score better on objective knowledge/skill questions. Nurses with end-of-life nursing care continuing education scored significantly better across survey subsections. To identify and respond to persistent shortfalls in end-of-life care nursing practice and education needs, nurse educators must continue to investigate and systematically evaluate outcomes associated with end-of-life education initiatives.
Experimental Observation of Strong Photon Localization in Disordered Photonic Crystal Waveguides

1We demonstrate experimentally that structural perturbations imposed on highly dispersive photonic crystal-based waveguides give rise to spectral features that bear signatures of Anderson localization. Sharp resonances with effective Q’s of over 30000 are found in scattering spectra of disordered waveguides. The resonances are observed in a � 20-nm bandwidth centered at the cutoff of slowly guided Bloch modes. The origin of the spectral features can be explained by the interference of coherently scattered electromagnetic waves which results in the formation of a narrow impurity (or localization) band populated with spectrally distinct quasistates. Standard photon localization criteria are fulfilled in the localization band. DOI:
Observations of Accelerated High Current Low Emittance Beams in the SLC Linac

The Linac of the SLAC Linear Collider (SLC) is required to accelerate several intense single electron and positron bunches to high energy while not enlarging their small transverse emittances. The improvements needed by the SLAC Linac to meet these goals have very stringent design criteria. As partial systems have become available, beam tests have been performed to confirm the designs. The results of those beam tests are discussed. Future plans of the improvement program are described.
Building DMAD: a distributed mathematics assessment database for WME

Assessment of student understanding and performance is important in education. Hence we are building a DMAD for our WME (Web-based mathematics education) system. DMAD consists of databases located at individual WME websites. Each local DMAD database collects assessment questions contributed by teachers to be shared with others. Teachers can search and import assessment questions, edit and revise them to use in tests and assignments. They can also author new assessment questions and contribute them to DMAD to be shared locally or widely. DMAD supports true-false, multiple-choice, short-answer, and essay questions. Correct answers are stored. DMAD provides online tests, immediate grading of student answers, realtime feedback, and statistics of student performance. Questions in a test can be displayed in various permutations automatically to enable test taking by students at close proximity, for example. Incorrect answers for questions can be connected, by the assessment author, to common misconceptions or missing background knowledge. DMAD can help correlate such diagnostic information with WME topics lesson pages that can help students overcome difficulties exposed by assessments. DMAD is easy to use and allows questions to contain text, pictures, graphs, and formulas.