cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of annealing conditions on precipitate and defect evolution in oxygen implanted SOI material

Summary form only given. The effects of annealing temperature, time, and ambient on the evolution of defects and precipitates in the superficial silicon layer in SIMOX material are discussed. Precipitates and defects were studied with various electron microscopy techniques, including high-resolution imaging. Annealing temperatures from 1250 degrees C to 1300 degrees C for two hours in a nitrogen ambient produced qualitatively the same general structure in the samples. This consisted of a precipitate-free upper region of the superficial layer and a high density of precipitates in the lower region of the layer. Dislocations frequently ran laterally between adjacent precipitates, but some dislocations also ran upward to the wafer surface from precipitates closer to the surface of the superficial layer. The buried layer had a waviness of about the same size as the precipitates. >
AN EVALUATION OF COMPUTER-BASED PROGRAMMED INSTRUCTION FOR PROMOTING TEACHERS' GREETINGS OF PARENTS BY NAME

Although greeting parents by name facilitates subsequent parent-teacher communication, baseline measures revealed that 4 preschool teachers never or rarely greeted parents by name during morning check-in. To promote frequent and accurate use of parents' names by teachers, the effects of a fully automated computerized assessment and programmed instruction (CAPI) intervention were evaluated in a multiple baseline design. The CAPI intervention involved assessment and training of relations among parents' and children's pictures and names, and produced rapid learning of parent names. The CAPI intervention also resulted in substantial improvements in the classroom use of parents' names for 3 of the 4 teachers; however, a supervisor-mediated feedback package (consisting of instructions, differential reinforcement, and error correction) was necessary to maintain name use for 2 of those teachers. The practical strengths and limitations of computer-based teacher training are discussed.
Correction of aberrant splicing of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene by antisense oligonucleotides.

The CFTR splicing mutation 3849 + 10 kb C → T creates a novel donor site 10 kilobases (kb) into intron 19 of the gene and is one of the more common splicing mutations that causes cystic fibrosis (CF). It has an elevated prevalence among patients with atypically mild disease and normal sweat electrolytes and is especially prominent in Ashkenazi Jews. This class of splicing mutations, reported in several genes, involves novel splice sites activated deep within introns while leaving wild-type splice elements intact. CFTR cDNA constructs that modeled the 3849 + 10 kb C → T mutation were expressed in 3T3 mouse fibroblasts and in CFT1 human tracheal and C127 mouse mammary epithelial cells. In all three cell types, aberrant splicing of CFTR pre-mRNA was comparable to that reported in vivo in CF patients. Treatment of the cells with 2′-O-methyl phosphorothioate oligoribonucleotides antisense toward the aberrant donor and acceptor splice sites or to the retained exon-like sequence, disfavored aberrant splicing and enhanced normal processing of CFTR pre-mRNA. This antisense-mediated correction of splicing was dose- and sequence-dependent and was accompanied by increased production of CFTR protein that was appropriately glycosylated. Antisense-mediated correction of splicing in a mutation-specific context represents a potential gene therapy modality with applicability to many inherited disorders.
SVM decision boundary based discriminative subspace induction

We study the problem of linear dimension reduction for classification, with a focus on sufficient dimension reduction, i.e., finding subspaces without loss of discrimination power. First, we formulate the concept of sufficient subspace for classification in parallel terms as for regression. Then we present a new method to estimate the smallest sufficient subspace based on an improvement of decision boundary analysis (DBA). The main idea is to combine DBA with support vector machines (SVM) to overcome the inherent difficulty of DBA in small sample size situations while keeping DBA's estimation simplicity. The compact representation of SVM boundary results in a significant gain in both speed and accuracy over previous DBA implementations. Alternatively, this technique can be viewed as a way to reduce the run-time complexity of SVM itself. Comparative experiments on one simulated and four real-world benchmark datasets highlight the superior performance of the proposed approach.
Regulation of swelling-activated Cl(-) current by angiotensin II signalling and NADPH oxidase in rabbit ventricle.

Aims We assessed whether hypoosmotic swelling of cardiac myocytes activates volume-sensitive Cl− current (ICl,swell) via the angiotensin II (AngII)-reactive oxygen species (ROS) signalling cascade. The AngII-ROS pathway previously was shown to elicit ICl,swell upon mechanical stretch of β1D integrin. Integrin stretch and osmotic swelling are, however, distinct stimuli. For example, blocking Src kinases stimulates swelling-induced but inhibits stretch-induced ICl,swell. Methods and results ICl,swell was measured in rabbit ventricular myocytes by whole-cell voltage clamp. Swelling-induced ICl,swell was completely blocked by losartan and eprosartan, AngII type I receptor (AT1) antagonists. AT1 stimulation transactivates epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) kinase. Blockade of EGFR kinase with AG1478 abolished both ICl,swell and AngII-induced Cl− current, whereas exogenous EGF evoked a Cl− current that was suppressed by osmotic shrinkage. Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI-3K) is downstream of EGFR kinase, and PI-3K inhibitors LY294002 and wortmannin blocked ICl,swell. Ultimately, AngII signals via NADPH oxidase (NOX) and superoxide anion, •O2−. NOX inhibitors, diphenyleneiodonium, apocynin and gp91ds-tat, eliminated ICl,swell, whereas scramb-tat, an inactive gp91ds-tat analogue, was ineffective. •O2− rapidly dismutates to H2O2. Consistent with H2O2 being a downstream effector, catalase inhibited ICl,swell, and exogenous H2O2 overcame suppression of ICl,swell by AT1 receptor, EGFR kinase, and PI-3K blockers. H2O2-induced current was not blocked by osmotic shrinkage, however. Conclusion Activation of ICl,swell by osmotic swelling is controlled by the AngII-ROS cascade, the same pathway previously implicated in ICl,swell activation by integrin stretch. This in part explains why ICl,swell is persistently activated in several models of cardiac disease.
Parkin Binds to α/β Tubulin and Increases their Ubiquitination and Degradation

In addition to inhibiting the mitochondrial respiratory chain, toxins known to cause Parkinson's disease (PD), such as 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine and rotenone, also strongly depolymerize microtubules and increase tubulin degradation. Microtubules are polymers of tubulin alpha/beta heterodimers, whose correct folding requires coordinated actions of cellular chaperonins and cofactors. Misfolded tubulin monomers are highly toxic and quickly degraded through a hitherto unknown mechanism. Here we report that parkin, a protein-ubiquitin E3 ligase linked to PD, was tightly bound to microtubules in taxol-mediated microtubule coassembly assays. In lysates from the rat brain or transfected human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells, alpha-tubulin and beta-tubulin were strongly coimmunoprecipitated with parkin at 4 degrees C in the presence of colchicine, a condition in which tubulin exits as alpha/beta heterodimers. At the subcellular level, parkin exhibited punctate immunostaining along microtubules in rat brain sections, cultured primary neurons, glial cells, and cell lines. This pattern of subcellular localization was abolished in cells treated with the microtubule-depolymerizing drug colchicine. The binding between parkin and tubulin apparently led to increased ubiquitination and accelerated degradation of alpha- and beta-tubulins in HEK293 cells. Similarly ubiquitinated tubulins were also observed in rat brain lysates. Furthermore, parkin mutants found in PD patients did not ubiquitinate or degrade either tubulin. Taken together, our results show that parkin is a novel tubulin-binding protein, as well as a microtubule-associated protein. Its ability to enhance the ubiquitination and degradation of misfolded tubulins may play a significant role in protecting neurons from toxins that cause PD.
Computational structure of a performance assessment involving stochastic and subjective uncertainty

A recent performance assessment for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), which is being developed by the U.S. Department of Energy for the geologic disposal of transuranic waste, is used to illustrate the computational structure of a large analysis that maintains a separation between stochastic (i.e., aleatory) and subjective (i.e., epistemic) uncertainty. In this analysis, stochastic uncertainty arises from the many possible disruptions that could occur over the 10,000 yr regulatory period that applies to the WIPP, and subjective uncertainty arises from the imprecision with which many of the quantities required in the analysis are known. Important parts of the computational structure are (1) the use of Latin hyper cube sampling to incorporate the effects of subjective uncertainty, (2) the use of Monte Carlo (i.e., random) sampling to incorporate the effects of stochastic uncertainty, and (3) the efficient use of the necessarily limited number of mechanistic calculations that can be performed to support the analysis.
Will They Use What You Taught Them? Course-Embedded Assessment Of Accounting Students Information Technology Self-Efficacy

This paper provides a model of course-embedded assessment for use in an undergraduate Accounting Information Systems course, and reports the results obtained from implementation. The profession’s educational objectives are mapped to specific computer skills and assignments, to provide direct evidence of learning outcomes. Indirect evidence of learning is provided by data collected with computer self-efficacy instrumentation. The paper addresses an important issue for persons entering the profession, in that they may have learned to use specific computer applications, but may lack the confidence in their own ability to use these skills. This may impact their ability to gain employment, or to maintain employment in accounting. The data collected may be employed to assess how well an AIS course supports the mission of its school, by demonstrating the acquisition of IT skills and the necessary self-efficacy to use those skills.
Recent Progress in Reconfigurable Multi-band Antennas for Switchable and Fixed-Service Laptop Wireless Applications

Reconfigurable antennas have been developed to cover various services including (GSM/DCS/UMTS/IMT-2000/WLAN). These potential services cover seven different frequency bands (800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1.8 GHz, 2.1 GHz, 2.4 GHz WLAN, and 5.2 GHz frequency bands)-- and more to come. Developed antennas are compact and should have low profiles especially for laptop implementation. Previously developed antennas (by our group) included a mini-maze, and a mini-nested antenna structures and were reconfigured using MEMS, Here, we will focus on a recently developed one; a twin-folded dipole structure. It utilizes two-branches, and each branch has more than one-resonance. The twin dipole antennas are switchable to provide wider range of operating frequencies, i.e. services. The embedded switches, however, are strategically located next to the ground plane to ease their implementation, and reduce parasitics. The implemented design is described here in detail, and is aimed at simultaneously providing fixed services like Bluetooth at 2.4 GHz, and switchable services (like GSM or PCS for example) at all other frequencies.
Understanding employee social media chatter with enterprise social pulse

The rise of social media in the enterprise has enabled new ways for employees to speak up and communicate openly with colleagues. This rich textual data can potentially be mined to better understand the opinions and sentiment of employees for the benefit of the organization. In this paper, we introduce Enterprise Social Pulse (ESP) -- a tool designed to support analysts whose job involves understanding employee chatter. ESP aggregates and analyzes data from internal and external social media sources while respecting employee privacy. It surfaces the data through a user interface that supports organic results and keyword search, data segmentation and filtering, and several analytics and visualization features. An evaluation of ESP was conducted with 19 Human Resources professionals. Results from a survey and interviews with participants revealed the value and willingness to use ESP, but also surfaced challenges around deploying an employee social media listening solution in an organization.
Noise reduction using a soft-decision sine-wave vector quantizer

Noise reduction is performed in the context of a high-quality harmonic zero-phase sine-wave analysis/synthesis system which is characterized by sine-wave amplitudes, a voicing probability, and a fundamental frequency. Least-squared error estimation of a harmonic sine-wave representation leads to a soft decision template estimate consisting of sine-wave amplitudes and a voicing probability. The least-squares solution is modified to use template-matching with nearest neighbors. The reconstruction is improved by using the modified least-squares solution only in spectral regions with low signal-to-noise ratio. The results, although preliminary, provide evidence that harmonic zero-phase sine-wave analysis/synthesis, combined with effective estimation of sine-wave amplitudes and probability of voicing, offers a promising approach to noise reduction. >
Pro: deep hypothermic circulatory arrest is preferable to low-flow bypass.

ORTALITY RATES in infants undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) for repair of complex congenital heart disease were unacceptably high until deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA) techniques began to be used extensively in the 1970s. During this time, there was a great deal of morbidity related to CPB in infants and an appreciable mortality. In several studies, mortality and morbidity in infants having cardiac operations using CPB were inversely related to the age and size of the child; younger and smaller children had more problems, especially in the infant age group.’ Although this may have been related in part to the severity of disease observed in young infants, activation of complement was greater in small infants; longer CPB times were directly related to the morbidity of CPB.’ Use of DHCA eliminated much CPB time, minimizing morbidity and dramatically improving mortality in small children undergoing cardiac surgical procedures. The mechanisms of CPB-related damage and morbidity are not yet well understood, particularly in the infant. However, cardiac morbidity related to inadequate myocardial protection during ischemia is decreased by using deep, whole-body hypothermia and circulatory arrest. With deep hypothermia there is less conductive heat transfer to the heart from the warmer surrounding tissues, and with circulatory arrest, washout of cardioplegia and cardiac rewarming by noncoronary collateral circulation does not occur. Given the dubious value of many cardioplegic solutions in the immature heart, improved myocardial protection with DHCA is an important consideration, particularly in defects such as hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), in which the use of conventional aortic root cardioplegia is technically impractical. Improvements in the technology of CPB and general care of infants with congenital heart disease have considerably lessened CPB-related morbidity and mortality in young cardiac patients. Although these developments make the rationale for use of DHCA less convincing, CPB-related morbidity remains a considerable problem in infants undergoing cardiac sur
Aurothionein formation from Zn, Cd-thionein and Et3PAuCl, but not Et3PAuSATg (auranofin)

Abstract Et 3 PAuCl reacts in vitro with horse-kidney zinc, cadmium-metallothionein (Zn, CdTh) to displace zinc, but not cadmium. The ratio of gold-bound to zinc displaced is larger than that observed for gold sodium thiomalate (AuSTm), suggesting a different mode of binding. Et 3 PAuSATg (Auranofin: 2,3,4,6- tetra- O -acetyl-1-thio-β-D-glucopyranosato(triethyl- phosphine)gold(I)), a new antiarthritic compound, does not react with Zn, CdTh. The significance of the nonreaction of Et 3 PAuSATg, in contrast to Et 3 PAuCl and AuSTm (previously studied), for the in vivo pharmacology of gold is discussed.
Cambodia. Buddhism in a dark age: Cambodian monks under Pol Pot By Ian Harris Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press, 2013. Pp. 242. Plates, Notes, Abbreviations and Glossary, Bibliography, Index.

Cambodia Buddhism in a dark age: Cambodian monks under Pol Pot By IAN HARRIS Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2013. Pp. 242. Plates, Notes, Abbreviations and Glossary, Bibliography, Index. Ian Harris passed away in late December of 2014, just as I finished this review. His passing is a loss to Buddhist Studies, and especially to Cambodian Buddhist Studies. Harris's early training was in Buddhist studies; his research into the political aspects of Buddhism led him to realise the dearth of scholarly attention paid to Cambodian Buddhism, and specifically to the impact of the Khmer Rouge revolution on Cambodian Buddhist monks and institutions. This book focuses on that problematic. This book is an important contribution as a resource, collection, and chapter-by-chapter analysis of how Buddhist monks in Cambodia fared under Democratic Kampuchea (Khmer Rouge) and their successor socialist regime, the People's Republic of Kampuchea. The highlights are the painstaking work of collection and narration, rather than a single sustained argument. Undoubtedly this is in part a result of the way in which the book relies on a vertiginous archive of documents of various sorts, from various perspectives, in addition to Harris's own interviews. To the extent that Harris makes an argument throughout the book, it is that 'some elements of Buddhist belief and practice were subsumed into the Khmer Rouge worldview' (p. 139). The finest contributions in the book are those in which Harris sorts through a monumental amount of material to construct several narratives of how Buddhism and Buddhist monks fared before and after Democratic Kampuchea. Although much of this material has been available in other sources, it has been scattered, episodic, and largely in specialist documents, many of which are hard to obtain. As Harris notes in his final chapter, he hopes in part to aid the process of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal (Extraordinary Chambers of the Courts of Cambodia) through this effort. Harris's treatment is excellent, and these chapters will help readers understand the complex and diverse ways in which Cambodian Buddhist monks interacted with --and sometimes were--Cambodian communists. Chapter 3, where the book-length argument is first presented, is less successful. As noted earlier, Harris argues that there was a subsumption of Buddhist beliefs and practices into the Khmer Rouge worldview, but it is unclear what this subsumption means, or what Buddhism Harris refers to. If he means that the previously hegemonic worldview, ritual practices, and moral discourse influenced Khmer communism and its discourse, he makes a good case: certainly the Khmer Rouge leadership employed (a distinctly Buddhist discursive tactic of) redefining words with moral values so that true morality was re-coded to mean the new moral and practical norms of Democratic Kampuchea. …
A Theoretical Investigation of the Selective Oxidation of Methanol to Formaldehyde on Isolated Vanadate Species Supported on Titania

The selective oxidation of methanol to formaldehyde occurring on titania-supported vanadate species has been analyzed theoretically with the aim of understanding why the activity of VOx/TiO2 is ∼103 faster than that of VOx/SiO2. The active site was represented by a [(O)3V═O] group located at the corner of a cubic TiOx cluster, a model similar to that used successfully to describe the oxidation of methanol on isolated vanadate species supported on silica. Density functional theory was used to calculate the geometry, vibrational frequencies, and energy of all ground state and transition state structures. The equilibrium constants and rate coefficients for each elementary reaction step were calculated using statistical mechanics and absolute rate theory. Methanol oxidation to formaldehyde was taken to proceed via two key steps: the reversible adsorption of methanol across a V−O−Ti bond followed by the transfer of a hydrogen atom from an adsorbed methoxy group to a vanadyl O atom. The rate parameters and the ...
Assessing tumor hypoxia in cervical cancer by positron emission tomography with 60Cu-ATSM: relationship to therapeutic response-a preliminary report.

Abstract Purpose Tumor hypoxia is associated with poor response to therapy. We have investigated whether pretreatment tumor hypoxia assessed by positron emission tomography (PET) with Cu-60 diacetyl-bis(N 4 -methylthiosemicarbazone) ( 60 Cu-ATSM) predicts responsiveness to subsequent therapy in cervical cancer. Methods and materials Fourteen patients with biopsy-proved cervical cancer were studied by PET with 60 Cu-ATSM before initiation of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. 60 Cu-ATSM uptake was evaluated semiquantitatively by determining the tumor-to-muscle activity ratio (T/M) and peak slope index of tumor tracer uptake. All patients also underwent clinical PET with F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) before institution of therapy. The PET results were correlated with follow-up evaluation (14–24 months). Results Tumor uptake of 60 Cu-ATSM was inversely related to progression-free survival and overall survival (log–rank p = 0.0005 and p = 0.015, respectively). An arbitrarily selected T/M threshold of 3.5 discriminated those likely to develop recurrence; 6 of 9 patients with normoxic tumors (T/M 3.5) have already developed recurrence. Similar discrimination was achieved with the peak slope index. The frequency of locoregional nodal metastasis was greater in hypoxic tumors ( p = 0.03). Tumor FDG uptake did not correlate with 60 Cu-ATSM uptake ( r = 0.04; p = 0.80), and there was no significant difference in tumor FDG uptake between patients with hypoxic tumors and those with normoxic tumors. Conclusion 60 Cu-ATSM-PET in patients with cervical cancer revealed clinically relevant information about tumor oxygenation that was predictive of tumor behavior and response to therapy in this small study.
Induction of pulmonary matrilysin expression by combustion and ambient air particles

The molecular mechanism(s) by which chemically complex air pollution particles mediate their adverse health effects is not known. We have examined the ability of combustion and ambient air particles to induce pulmonary matrilysin expression due to the well-documented role of matrix metalloproteinases in tissue injury and repair responses. Rats were exposed to saline, residual oil fly ash (2.5 mg/rat), or ambient air particles (2.5 mg/rat) via intratracheal instillation and examined 3-72 h after exposure. Saline-exposed animals had low levels of matrilysin mRNA, whereas the animals exposed to either complex particle showed an early induction of pulmonary matrilysin gene expression as well as of the 19-kDa activated form of matrilysin. Immunocytochemistry and in situ hybridization analyses identified the alveolar macrophages and monocytes as primary sources of air pollution particle-induced matrilysin expression. Matrilysin gene induction and protein activation by combustion and ambient air particles correlated with the early histopathological changes produced by these particles. These results demonstrate the ability of combustion and ambient air particles to induce pulmonary matrilysin expression and suggest a role for this matrix metalloproteinase in the initiation of lung injury produced by these particles.
Wave Propagation in Porous Media—A Review

Wave propagation in porous media is of interest in various diversified areas of science and engineering. The theory of the phenomenon has been studied extensively in soil mechanics, seismology, acoustics, earthquake engineering, ocean engineering, geophysics, and many other disciplines. This review presents a general survey of the literature within the context of porous media mechanics. Following a review of the Biot’s theory of wave propagation in linear, elastic, fluid saturated porous media which has been the basis of many analyses, we present various analytical and numerical solutions obtained by several researchers. Biot found that there are two dilatational waves and one rotational wave in a saturated porous medium. It has been noted that the second kind of dilatational waves are highly attenuated and are associated with a diffusion type process. The wave having the highest velocity (the first kind) represents the compression wave in the water phase. The dilatational wave in the elastic soil matrix is the second kind wave. The influence of coupling between two phases has an increasing effect on the first kind wave and a decreasing effect on the second wave. The shear wave in the elastic wave travels at the lowest velocity and is not affected by coupling. Procedures to predict the liquefaction of soils due to earthquakes have been reviewed in detail. Extension of Biot’s theory to unsaturated soils has been discussed, and it was noted that, in general, equations developed for saturated media were employed for unsaturated media by replacing the density and compressibility terms with modified values for a water-air mixture. Various approaches to determine the permeability of porous media from attenuation of dilatational waves have been described in detail. Since the prediction of acoustic wave speeds and attenuations in marine sediments has been extensively studied in geophysics, these studies have been reviewed along with the studies on dissipation of water waves at ocean bottoms. The mixture theory which has been employed by various researchers in continuum mechanics is also discussed within the context of this review. Finally, we present an alternative approach to obtain governing equations of wave propagation in porous media from macroscopic balance equations.
Confidence intervals for correlations when data are not normal

With nonnormal data, the typical confidence interval of the correlation (Fisher z') may be inaccurate. The literature has been unclear as to which of several alternative methods should be used instead, and how extreme a violation of normality is needed to justify an alternative. Through Monte Carlo simulation, 11 confidence interval methods were compared, including Fisher z', two Spearman rank-order methods, the Box-Cox transformation, rank-based inverse normal (RIN) transformation, and various bootstrap methods. Nonnormality often distorted the Fisher z' confidence interval-for example, leading to a 95 % confidence interval that had actual coverage as low as 68 %. Increasing the sample size sometimes worsened this problem. Inaccurate Fisher z' intervals could be predicted by a sample kurtosis of at least 2, an absolute sample skewness of at least 1, or significant violations of normality hypothesis tests. Only the Spearman rank-order and RIN transformation methods were universally robust to nonnormality. Among the bootstrap methods, an observed imposed bootstrap came closest to accurate coverage, though it often resulted in an overly long interval. The results suggest that sample nonnormality can justify avoidance of the Fisher z' interval in favor of a more robust alternative. R code for the relevant methods is provided in supplementary materials.
Intrinsic Surface defects on 4H SiC substrates

We have investigated a point defect, common to all SiC substrates, that is thought to be a broken carbon bond. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy performed in combination with three different etching methods using p -type, n -type, and semi-insulating substrates demonstrate that the center lies near the surface of a wafer. The results suggest that on the order of 10 13 cm -2 defects are removed within the first micron of the surface of a wafer.
Using ChIPMotifs for De Novo Motif Discovery of OCT4 and ZNF263 Based on ChIP-Based High-Throughput Experiments

DNA motifs are short sequences varying from 6 to 25 bp and can be highly variable and degenerated. One major approach for predicting transcription factor (TF) binding is using position weight matrix (PWM) to represent information content of regulatory sites; however, when used as the sole means of identifying binding sites suffers from the limited amount of training data available and a high rate of false-positive predictions. ChIPMotifs program is a de novo motif finding tool developed for ChIP-based high-throughput data, and W-ChIPMotifs is a Web application tool for ChIPMotifs. It composes various ab initio motif discovery tools such as MEME, MaMF, Weeder and optimizes the significance of the detected motifs by using bootstrap re-sampling error estimation and a Fisher test. Using these techniques, we determined a PWM for OCT4 which is similar to canonical OCT4 consensus sequence. In a separate study, we also use de novo motif discovery to suggest that ZNF263 binds to a 24-nt site that differs from the motif predicted by the zinc finger code in several positions.
Class Not Mass: Special-Interest Publications and Pseudo-Individualized Consumption

Contemporary magazines reach “class” audiences both by limiting their readerships and by focusing on special-interest topics; the concentrated groups of readers that attract advertisers can be constituted both economically and thematically. The redesigned House & Garden, for example, focuses on monied consumers, while a magazine such as Weight Watchers concentrates its audience thematically, addressing women interested in losing weight. Magazines such as Bride’s and Parents seek different classes but limit their audiences thematically and temporally, in conjunction with key life events. Some magazines concentrate their readers both economically and by topic: Cuisine and Gourmet focus on expensive food preparation, House & Garden on upscale home decoration, and Ms. on feminist topics viewed primarily from a white, middle-class perspective.
Dielectric surface charge continuity

The purpose of this report is to discuss from the point of view of charge continuity the current-voltage characteristics of a system in which charges are transported both parallel and normal to a surface. Observed characteristics of an interdigital array coated with a thin film of dielectric are compared with numerical experiments designed to model simultaneous bulk and surface currents. The overall objective of the investigation from the materials science viewpoint is to characterize the influence of ambient humidity on charge transport in dielectrics.
Clinical Anatomy of the Lingual Nerve: A Review

Purpose Knowledge of lingual nerve anatomy is of paramount importance to dental practitioners and maxillofacial surgeons. The purpose of this article is to review lingual nerve anatomy from the cranial base to its insertion in the tongue and provide a more detailed explanation of its course to prevent procedural nerve injuries. Materials and Methods Fifteen human cadavers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine's Anatomical Donor Program were reviewed. The anatomic structures and landmarks were identified and confirmed by anatomists. Lingual nerve dissection was carried out and reviewed on 15 halved human cadaver skulls (total specimens, 28). Results Cadaveric dissection provides a detailed examination of the lingual nerve from the cranial base to tongue insertion. The lingual nerve receives the chorda tympani nerve approximately 1 cm below the bifurcation of the lingual and inferior alveolar nerves. The pathway of the lingual nerve is in contact with the periosteum of the mandible just behind the internal oblique ridge. The lingual nerve crosses the submandibular duct at the interproximal space between the mandibular first and second molars. The submandibular ganglion is suspended from the lingual nerve at the distal area of the second mandibular molar. Conclusion A zoning classification is another way to more accurately describe the lingual nerve based on close anatomic landmarks as seen in human cadaveric specimens. This system could identify particular areas of interest that might be at greater procedural risk.
Platelet Factor VIII-Induced Megakaryocyte Apoptosis: Implications for Hemophilia A Gene Therapy

Abstract 2051 Hemophilia A is an X-chromosome-linked bleeding disorder due to a deficiency in clotting factor (F) VIII, affecting ∼1:5000 males. Inhibitor development to circulating FVIII is not an uncommon complication for patients receiving protein replacement therapy. We had proposed that the ectopic expression of FVIII in platelet alpha-granules will be targeted to sites of vascular injury, and be protected from circulating FVIII inhibitors. We and others have confirmed that this platelet (p)FVIII is in fact effective in a number of hemostatic models and is protected from circulating inhibitors. However, pFVIII has different temporal and spatial availability from plasma FVIII that may underlie the limited efficacy of pFVIII observed in some hemostatic models using FVIIInull mice. No group has been able to achieve levels greater than the equivalent of ∼200 mU/ml of whole blood pFVIII levels using standard human (h) B-domainless FVIII (hBFVIII). We therefore sought to improve pFVIII efficacy by expressing higher levels and/or by using pFVIII species with increased activity. We tested canine (c) BFVIII because of its reported higher efficacy in vitro and in mice, and because it is secreted at 1.5–2 fold HIGHER levels than hBFVIII in cell lines. We found that the level of pcBFVIII protein in Megs was actually ∼3-fold LOWER than phBFVIII. In spite of this lower level, pcBFVIII corrected the bleeding diathesis in FVIIInull mice more effectively than phBFVIII. Using Megs from transgenic FVIIInull mice that expressed pcBFVIII or phBFVIII, we found that mRNA levels of the FVIIIs were comparable. However, compared to littermate pFVIIInull mice, FVIIInull mice that expressed either pFVIII had lower ploidy Megs and these Megs showed higher levels of apoptosis. This apoptosis was enhanced by increasing the pFVIII level in the Megs by exposure to sodium butyrate. These effects were more marked in the pcBFVIII- than phBFVIII-expressing Megs. We then tested whether this phenomenon was limited to murine Megs, but found that lentiviral expression of pBFVIII increased Meg apoptosis whether the Megs were derived from mice, canine or human marrow, and that in each, levels of pcBFVIII were ∼3-fold lower than phBFVIII. In vivo studies support these in vitro apoptotic effects of pFVIII on Megs: In transgenic mice, steady-state platelet counts were normal in pFVIII mice, but TPO levels were 4-times higher in the phBFVIII and 8-times higher in the pcBFVIII compared to littermate controls (p 12% of the platelets were recipient-derived at 4 weeks compared to Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Introduction and Overview of Supramolecular Receptor Types

This article describes the emergence of supramolecular chemistry from its diverse origins. After a brief history and a look backward at what may now be recognized as precursors, a range of weak force interactions are described along with an array of receptors that are the foundation of the modern field. Crown ethers and cryptands provided alkali metal binders. Lariat ethers and podands enhanced and simplified crown ethers, respectively. Calixarenes and cyclodextrins (CDs) were already being explored for their unique chemistries, but supramolecular chemistry encouraged stunning elaborations. Cucurbiturils have followed the tradition of CDs. The calixarenes, in particular, led to the resorcinanarenes, the pyrogallolarenes, to spherands, and to various cavitands. Articles dealing with basic interactions and structural types are the theme of volume 1.
Inhibition of spore germination, growth, and toxin activity of clinically relevant C. difficile strains by gut microbiota derived secondary bile acids

The changing epidemiology of Clostridium difficile infection over the past decades presents a significant challenge in the management of C. difficile associated diseases. The gastrointestinal tract microbiota provides colonization resistance against C. difficile, and growing evidence suggests that gut microbial derived secondary bile acids (SBAs) play a role. We hypothesized that the C. difficile life cycle; spore germination and outgrowth, growth, and toxin production, of strains that vary by age and ribotype will differ in their sensitivity to SBAs. C. difficile strains R20291 and CD196 (ribotype 027), M68 and CF5 (017), 630 (012), BI9 (001) and M120 (078) were used to define taurocholate (TCA) mediated spore germination and outgrowth, growth, and toxin activity in the absence and presence of gut microbial derived SBAs (deoxycholate, isodeoxycholate, lithocholate, isolithocholate, ursodeoxycholate, ω-muricholate, and hyodeoxycholate) found in the human and mouse large intestine. C. difficile strains varied in their rates of germination, growth kinetics, and toxin activity without the addition of SBAs. C. difficile M120, a highly divergent strain, had robust germination, growth, but significantly lower toxin activity compared to other strains. Many SBAs were able to inhibit TCA mediated spore germination and outgrowth, growth, and toxin activity in a dose dependent manner, but the level of inhibition and resistance varied across all strains and ribotypes. This study illustrates how clinically relevant C. difficile strains can have different responses when exposed to SBAs present in the gastrointestinal tract.
Cardiac Allograft Rejection, Surveillance and Treatment

Since the early days of cardiac transplantation, allograft rejection has remained the main barrier to favorable long term outcomes until the introduction of effective immunosuppression, as detailed in. With the introduction of calcineurin inhibitors rejection rates have sharply declined and improvement in survival rates has permitted cardiac transplantation to become an increasingly practical therapeutic option for end-stage heart disease. While rejection rates continue to decline, the risk of rejection remains significant particularly in the early period following transplantation, necessitating routine surveillance for both acute cellular and antibody-mediated rejection. Left unchecked, acute rejection is known to lead to cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV), one of largest barriers to long-term survival, making surveillance and prompt treatment of acute rejection episodes even more crucial. This chapter intends to discuss the major forms of cardiac allograft rejection, methods of diagnosis, surveillance and its treatment.
Emotional Clarity, Anxiety Sensitivity, and PTSD Symptoms Among Trauma-Exposed Inpatient Adolescents

Although several investigations—on primarily adult samples—demonstrate a potential role of emotion dysregulation in the etiology and maintenance of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), investigations into the mechanisms that may underlie these associations in general and among adolescents in particular are lacking. The present study examined associations among emotional clarity (i.e., the extent to which individuals are confused about the specific emotions they are experiencing), (Gratz, Journal of Psychopathology Behavioral Assessment 26(1):41–54, 2004) anxiety sensitivity, and DSM-IV PTSD symptom cluster severity (i.e., re-experiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal symptoms) in a diverse sample of trauma-exposed inpatient adolescents. It was hypothesized that anxiety sensitivity would underlie association between emotional clarity and PTSD symptoms. Participants (N = 50; 52.0% female; M age = 15.1 years, SD = 0.51; 44% White) completed measures of emotion dysregulation, anxiety sensitivity, and PTSD. Lower emotional clarity was significantly associated with greater total PTSD symptoms, as well as re-experiencing, avoidance, and arousal symptoms. Additionally, there were indirect effects for lack of emotional clarity via anxiety sensitivity in relation to total PTSD symptoms [B = 0.17, SE = 0.08, BC 95% CI (0.04, 0.35)], re-experiencing symptoms [B = 0.15, SE = 0.08, BC 95% CI (0.03, 0.36)], avoidance symptoms [B = 0.12, SE = 0.07, BC 95% CI (0.02, 0.29)], and hyperarousal symptoms [B = 0.17, SE = 0.08, BC 95% CI (0.04, 0.36)]. Reversed models were violated, supporting the direction of hypothesized effects. Difficulties recognizing and accurately understanding emotions may increase risk for PTSD symptoms among trauma-exposed youth. Furthermore, anxiety sensitivity may be a promising intervention target among youth at risk for PTSD, especially among those demonstrating poorer emotional clarity.
A pilot randomised controlled trial of a periodised resistance training and protein supplementation intervention in prostate cancer survivors on androgen deprivation therapy.

Introduction Prostate cancer survivors (PCS) receiving androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) experience deleterious side effects such as unfavourable changes in cardiometabolic factors that lead to sarcopenic obesity and metabolic syndrome (MetS). While loss of lean body mass (LBM) compromises muscular strength and quality of life, MetS increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and may influence cancer recurrence. Exercise can improve LBM and strength, and may serve as an alternative to the pharmacological management of MetS in PCS on ADT. Prior exercise interventions in PCS on ADT have been effective at enhancing strength, but only marginally effective at enhancing body composition and ameliorating cardiometabolic risk factors. This pilot trial aims to improve on existing interventions by employing periodised resistance training (RT) to counter sarcopenic obesity in PCS on ADT. Secondary aims compare intervention effects on cardiometabolic, physical function, quality of life and molecular skeletal muscle changes. An exploratory aim examines if protein supplementation (PS) in combination with RT elicits greater changes in these outcomes. Methods and analysis A 2×2 experimental design is used in 32 PCS on ADT across a 12-week intervention period. Participants are randomised to resistance training and protein supplementation (RTPS), RT, PS or control. RT and RTPS groups perform supervised RT three times per week for 12 weeks, while PS and RTPS groups receive 50 g whey protein per day. This pilot intervention applies a multilayered approach to ameliorate detrimental cardiometabolic effects of ADT while investigating molecular mechanisms underlying skeletal muscle changes in PCS. Ethics and dissemination This trial was approved by the University of Southern California Institutional Review Board (HS-13–00315). Results from this trial will be communicated in peer-reviewed publications and scientific presentations. Trial registration number NCT01909440; Pre-results.
Alternative Payment Models Should Risk-Adjust for Conversion Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Propensity Score-Matched Study.

Abstract Background For Medicare beneficiaries, hospital reimbursement for nonrevision hip arthroplasty is anchored to either diagnosis-related group code 469 or 470. Under alternative payment models, reimbursement for care episodes is not further risk-adjusted. This study’s purpose was to compare outcomes of primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) vs conversion THA to explore the rationale for risk adjustment for conversion procedures. Methods All primary and conversion THAs from 2007 to 2014, excluding acute hip fractures and cancer patients, were identified in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. Conversion and primary THA patients were matched 1:1 using propensity scores, based on preoperative covariates. Multivariable logistic regressions evaluated associations between conversion THA and 30-day outcomes. Results A total of 2018 conversions were matched to 2018 primaries. There were no differences in preoperative covariates. Conversions had longer operative times (148 vs 95 minutes, P Conclusion Compared with primary THA, conversion THA is associated with more complications, longer length of stay, and increased discharge to continued inpatient care, implying greater resource utilization for conversion patients. As reimbursement models shift toward bundled payment paradigms, conversion THA appears to be a procedure for which risk adjustment is appropriate.
Earthquake Damage Estimation and Rehabilitation Prioritization of Buried Lifelines

Publisher Summary This chapter provides a scheme/guideline showing the priority for rehabilitation of buried pipelines of any existing system. The strategy is based on various several important factors such as pipeline damage probability, rehabilitation cost, and rehabilitation rate (e.g. km/day), pipeline importance factor, and total funds available. Buried water, sewer, and gas pipelines have been damaged heavily by earthquakes including the Northridge earthquake of January 17, 1994. Many of them were built several decades ago without seismic consideration; hence, are unsafe even under moderate earthquakes. However, pipeline rehabilitation is costly and it is impossible to rehabilitate all pipelines in a system in a short time with insufficient manpower, equipment, materials, and funds. Seismic rehabilitation or retrofit is a cost-effective way to prevent pipeline damage caused by future earthquakes. The strategy to establish priorities for rehabilitating buried pipelines requires the following tasks: (1) Evaluating the damage probability of buried pipe links using a probability-based earthquake damage estimation model (EDEM); (2) calculating the node weights of the system; (3) calculating the pipe link weights of the network based on a cost or a time factor; (4) generalizing the source expansion tree; and (5) setting the priorities based on the generalized link weight, which is defined as the summation of node weights for the nodes served by the pipe link.
Fiduciary Principles in Family Law

Family members bear primary responsibility for the care of dependent and vulnerable individuals in our society, and therefore family relationships are infused with fiduciary obligation. Most importantly, the legal relationship between parents and their minor children is best understood as one that is regulated by fiduciary principles. Husbands and wives relate to one another as equals under contemporary law, but this relationship as well is subject to duties of care and loyalty when either spouse is in a condition of dependency. Finally, if an adult is severely intellectually disabled or becomes incapacitated and in need of a guardian, a family member is often preferred to serve in this role. This chapter examines the application of fiduciary principles and doctrine to close family relationships. The chapter explains that while the parent-child and spousal relationships are governed by fiduciary principles and duties, enforcement of these duties [at least when family relationships are intact] is largely accomplished through informal bonding and monitoring mechanisms. In contrast, when family members become guardians of adult relatives, including elderly parents and disabled adult children, obligations are formally enforced under fiduciary law with minimal recognition of the family bond. The chapter examines the rationales for these contrasting approaches and questions whether adjustments are indicated. It concludes that modest relaxation of formal fiduciary obligations in the context of close family relationships might sometimes serve the interests of the incapacitated adult by supporting her relationship with the family guardian.