cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ferreting Facts or Fashioning Fallacies? Factors in Rumor Accuracy

In some situations, rumors come to reflect reality quite well and in others they become fantastic. Why? This article summarizes research on rumor accuracy. It considers rumors as unverified statements in circulation, and rumor discussion as serving group sensemaking and threat-management functions. It also explores a complementary view of rumors as memes: adaptive statements that survive or die out. Conceptualizations of rumor accuracy, methods of investigation, prospects for future social psychological study, and accuracy rates are examined. The Percolation Model of rumor accuracy is reviewed: rumor distortions and errors that occur in part because of cognitive limitations and perceptual biases are either compounded by relationship- or self-oriented aims and a circumscribed ability to test the rumor, or countervailed by accuracy motivation, message checking, and veracity checking; rumor activity hastens these processes. The multivariate, interactive, and dynamical systems nature of rumor accuracy phenomena is highlighted. The implications of this research for social epistemics are discussed.
Electroweak Physics Results from the DZero Detector at Fermilab

We present electroweak physics results from the DZero experiment using data from collisions at \sqrt{s} = 1.8 TeV, concentrating on single W and Z production cross sections and the production of electroweak gauge boson pairs. The inclusive cross sections times branching ratios for W and Z production have been measured and are used to determine the inclusive width of the W boson. Direct tests of the WW\gamma and WWZ trilinear gauge boson couplings are derived from the study of diboson production. These measurements test the non-abelian self couplings of the W, Z and photon, one of the most direct consequences of the SU(2)_L \times U(1)_Y gauge symmetry. We present measurements of the WW\gamma coupling based on p pbar --> l \nu \gamma + X and limits on anomalous WWZ and WW\gamma couplings based on searches for p \pbar --> W^+ W^- + X --> l l' \nu \nubar + X and p \pbar --> WW / WZ + X --> e \nu + jets + X. We also present limits on the ZZ\gamma and Z\gamma\gamma couplings based on p pbar --> l^+ l^- \gamma + X events.
Malignant melanoma metastatic to the breast: a report of seven cases diagnosed by fine-needle aspiration cytology.

BACKGROUND. Metastases to the breast from extramammary primary tumors are uncommon. Malignant melanoma is one of the most common neoplasms to secondarily involve the mammary parenchyma. METHODS. Seven cases of malignant melanoma metastatic to the breast diagnosed by fine-needle aspiration biopsy are presented. RESULTS. The cytologic findings of malignant melanoma metastatic to the breast usually are straightforward on aspiration cytology. However, knowledge of a prior history of melanoma is crucial to make an accurate diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS. Malignant melanoma metastatic to the breast can be diagnosed reliably by fine-needle aspiration cytology, thus avoiding radical and unnecessary surgery.
Investment Spending,Equilibrium Indeterminacy and the Interactions of Monetary and Fiscal Policy

This paper investigates determinacy of equilibrium in a canonical New Keynesian model under different monetary and fiscal policy rules. It is shown that a simple monetary rule that responds aggressively to inflation is a necessary condition for equilibrium determinacy, when fiscal policy is accommodating. If there is a high degree of structural distortions in the economy, then the interesting possibility arises that both aggressive monetary and fiscal policies are required to guarantee existence. When investment adjustment costs are introduced, the monetary and fiscal policy dichotomy is in principle maintained. The determinacy region is, however, highly dependent on the degree of distortion in the economy. The more prices are sticky, and the less competitive firms are, the economy is likely to exhibit indeterminacy even if monetary policy is active.
Uncontrolled Markets and the Inflationary Process in a Centrally Planned Economy

This paper analyzes the inflationary process in a centrally planned economy which has an uncontrolled market where prices can move more freely. The maintenance of controls over prices and rationing in the economy leads to the emergence of forces that generate inflation in the uncontrolled market, and that cause shrinkage of the controlled economy as resources move into the uncontrolled market. Decontrol of prices and production of the controlled market is the optimal policy. The adoption of this policy facilitates an increase in income and aggregate demand, which raises the equilibrium prices and total production in the economy.
Catalysts by rational design: Prediction and confirmation of the properties of the Co/Ce/Br liquid -phase autoxidation catalyst based on the kinetic similarity to the Co/Mn/Br catalyst

1. Abstract The kinetics of m-chloroperbenzoic acid (MCPBA) with Co(II)/Mn(II)/Br(-I) and Co(II)/Ce(III)/Br(-I) mixtures in acetic acid is reported. MCPBA first reacts with Co(II) to give Co(III), then Co(III) oxidizes Ce(III) to Ce(IV), which is followed by Ce(IV) oxidizing Br(-I) to dibromine, see figure 1. This is similar to the observed reactions of MCPBA with the Co(II)/Mn(II)/Br(-I) combination. We therefore predicted that the Co/Ce/Br combination would be a similar autoxidation catalyst to Co/Mn/B, i.e., there is a synergistic interaction when either Mn or Ce is added to a Co/Br catalyst as well as a lowering of the rate of carbon dioxide formation. This was subsequently observed. The reaction of toluene with dioxygen, catalyzed by Co/Br, Mn/Br, Ce/Br, Co/Mn/Br, and Co/Ce/Br mixtures is reported. Problems encountered in determining a synergistic interaction are delineated and include 1) the co-oxidation of a number of intermediates, 2) having different compositions of intermediates at different times, and 3) that fact that a substantial amount of the initially added bromide exists as benzylic bromide. Hammett studies of the Co/Mn/Br and Co/Ce/Br catalysts give similar rho values of -1.2 and -1.4, respectively, indicative that both catalysts operate via a similar mechanism.
Relative dominance of hydrologic versus biogeochemical factors on solute export across impact gradients

[1] Many processes lead to variability of catchment concentration-discharge relationships, but exports of geogenic (weathering derived) solutes and nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus species) from agricultural basins display relatively constant concentrations despite large variations in streamflow. These “chemostatic” responses are hypothesized to arise when a large mass store, the parent material for geogenics or chemically recalcitrant legacies of fertilization in agricultural catchments, buffers concentration variability. This hypothesis implies that (1) chemostatic behavior should be a general response to elevated external inputs to a catchment and (2) chemostatic behavior should be predictable from theory. Data- and model-based analyses were used to explore these hypotheses. We evaluated concentration variability relative to discharge (expressed as the ratio of the coefficients of variation of concentration and flow, or CVC/CVQ) across a gradient of increasing exported load, as a proxy for an external impact gradient. The CVC/CVQ of multiple solutes declined with increasing exported load. Exceptions included the geogenic solutes, which showed chemostatic responses for all sites, phosphorus, and some nitrogen species. Nitrate showed a suggestive pattern in CVC/CVQ with export, but further data are needed to confirm its generality. A simple model of runoff generation and solute export suggested that the decline in CVC/CVQ arises if the internal mass store is distributed homogeneously in space and there is sufficient time for mass transfer to reach steady state between runoff events. Export from catchments may become more predictable in impacted watersheds, simplifying water quality prediction but inducing strong hysteresis in recovery and making restoration efforts challenging.
Telework research and practice: impacts on people with disabilities.

Advances in Information Communication Technologies (ICTs), particularly in the mobility of computing power and virtual private networking (VPN) capabilities, have provided unprecedented flexibility regarding how and where work is performed. Employees, particularly those in knowledge-based jobs, are no longer tethered to a specific location to complete work. While technological advances provide the capacity for work from remote locations, the motivations for doing so are broad, encompassing legislated environmental considerations and perceived benefits to the employer and employee alike. The 1990 Amendments to the Clean Air Act mandated a 25% reduction in employee commutes for large organizations, and similar trip reductions for major cities [1]. The Clean Air Act did not specifically mandate telework as a required form of trip reduction; however, its role in reducing traffic and air pollution was explicitly detailed in the National Telecommuting and Air Quality Act [2]. Among the employer benefits for telework are the ability to recruit and retain talented employees, increase productivity, and reduce operation and real estate expenses [3,4], while employee benefits include increased productivity, job satisfaction, and flexibility [5–8]. Telework has been defined as the “practice of substituting communications and/or computer technology for actual travel to work or a central office” [9]. This definition encompasses a broad range of work practices, including: those who work solely from home [9–15], those who work from home to supplement other work modes [9–15], home-based or self-employment [9,12,14], flexible workplaces [9,11], work from community-based telework centers [9–11, 13,15], and work conducted while traveling [9–11]. While all of these work modes are considered to be telework, there are inherent differences between them and relative advantages to each of them, particularly to individuals with disabilities. Telework has the potential to facilitate employment for people with disabilities by removing barriers presented in traditional work environments and replacing the need to be physically at a specific location with ICT [9]. This exchange removes architectural and transportation barriers for those with physical, sensory, and cognitive limitations by allowing them to work in their home environment which, ideally, has been optimized to their functional abilities [10,11,15]. Additionally, telework allows employees to control their own schedules, thereby accommodating fatigue, stamina, and pain-related barriers to traditional fulltime work [10,15,16]. It allows access to medicallyrelated personal care services during the workday [15, 16]. In many cases, these services are only covered by insurance if they are provided in the home. Finally, it is thought that telework may benefit employees with disabilities by reducing disability-related bias and discrimination [10].
Activation of the ras/raf-1 signal transduction pathway in carcinoid tumor cells results in morphologic transdifferentiation

Abstract Background. Recent studies of neuroendocrine tumor cell lines suggest that ras/raf-1 activation could be detrimental to tumorigenesis. The mechanism by which it alters neuroendocrine tumor cells is unclear. We hypothesize that activation of the ras/raf signal transduction pathway may alter gastrointestinal carcinoid cells by inducing morphologic transdifferentiation. Methods. Pancreatic carcinoid (BON) cells were transduced in a stable manner with an estrogen inducible raf-1 fusion protein (creating “BON-raf cells”). BON and BON-raf cells were then treated with either control or 1 μmol/L estradiol (E2). Western blots were used to confirm the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2. Morphologic changes were evaluated using light and electron microscopy. Results. Western blots using antibodies against phosphorylated and unphosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2. confirmed that phosphorylation was only present in the BON-raf E2 cells. BON cells treated with control and E2 and BON-raf cells treated with control all looked identical in culture. After treatment with E2 to induce raf-1, the BON-raf cells underwent dramatic morphologic changes. Under light and electron microscopy the cells became flatter and developed much sharper cellular borders mimicking cellular differentiation. Conclusions. Activation of the ras/raf-1 signal transduction pathway leads to prominent phenotypic changes that resemble differentiation of gastrointestinal carcinoid cells in vitro. (Surgery 2002;132:1035-9.)
Immersion lithography with numerical apertures above 2.0 using high index optical materials

The progress of optical lithography has approached the sub-30 nm regime using 193nm excimer lasers as the exposure sources. To increase the numerical aperture (NA) further, many issues, especially those related to materials, need to be addressed. In this paper, we present the analytical and experimental results of oblique two-beam lithography with sapphire (Al 2 O 3 ) as the optical material. At 193nm, the index of sapphire is 1.92 while the typical index of a photoresist is near 1.70. Classical theory predicts that, ignoring the absorbance in the photoresist, once the NA is greater than the photoresist refractive index, no energy will be transmitted across the sapphire/photoresist boundary due to total internal reflection. However, it can be shown that the absorbance in the resist prevents a "critical angle" and total internal reflection will not occur. Photoresist exposure can result even when NA is greater than the photoresist refractive index. The image profile is strongly affected by the real and imaginary parts of the photoresist refractive index. Optimization of photoresist optical properties is necessary for good image profile. Lutetium aluminum garnet (Lu 3 Al 5 O 12 or LuAG with an index 2.14 at 193 nm) is also investigated as an alternative lens material.
The Text in the Mosaic of Santa Pudenziana

La mosaique en question a ete executee entre 402 et 417. La seule inscription qui subsiste attribue au Dieu des chretiens le titre de " conservator " que les chretiens evitent comme trop lie au culte des dieux paiens et de l'empereur. Il pourrait bien y avoir la une allusion au sac de Rome, en 410, dont l'eglise de Pudens a ete " preservee ", avec une pointe apologetique contre les paiens qui attribuaient au christianisme les malheurs de la Ville
Atomic Absorption Analysis of Sodium, Potassium, and Calcium in Ringer's Solution

Abstract A method was developed for the analysis of sodium, potassium, and calcium in Ringer's solution based on atomic absorption spectroscopy. Interelemental interference effects were investigated and are discussed. The proposed method was compared to NF procedures and offers some advantage in terms of accuracy and convenience.
Effects of the phenothiazine analog, EN-313, on ventricular arrhythmias in the dog.

Abstract Effects of the phenothiazine analog, EN-313, on ventricular electrical activity were studied using isolated blood-superfused canine Purkinje fibers and conscious dogs with sustained ventricular arrhythmias following a 2-stage ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery. EN-313,
Selection of Subjects in Research on Learning Disabilities: A View from the Social Side

A series of arguments are put forward to convince colleagues that the selection of subjects for research on learning disabilities is a function of (a) con- temporary notions about learning disabilities, (b) purpose of the study and level of knowledge about the topic, and (c) practical constraints inherent in doing research on learning disabilities. While acknowledging the importance of setting high stan- dards for conducting good science on learning disabilities, the position is taken that denigrations of the extant database along with unaffordable demands for sub- ject selection and descriptions threaten the progress otherwise being made in the field. A growing database is the result of challenges to our stereotypes of learning disabilities, diagnostic assumptions and procedures, and teaching techniques. It is important to build upon the work that has been done, to continue this evolutionary process, to challenge public policies and their impact on children and families, and to advance our knowledge about the nature of learning disabilities.
Simulation of the tidal propagation in the Bay of Fundy using a hybrid model

Construction d'un modele hybride par couplage dynamique de modeles physique et dynamique en vue de prevoir l'influence de barrages sur le regime des mares de la baie de Fundy
Killifish opercular skin: a flat epithelium with a high density of chloride cells.

In teleosts the head region, particularly the gills, plays the key role in osmoregulatory NaCl transport, presumably by mechanisms located in the chloride cell. As interest has focused on specific mechanisms of chloride cell function, two classical preparations, the intact fish and the isolated, perfused gill, have continued to serve as the only available model systems. However, both of these preparations have severe limitations, e.g., as they are not flat sheets, they cannot be studied readily under the ideal thermodynamic conditions achieved with the short-circuit current technique. The present study describes the histology and ultrastructure of a particular area of skin in the head region of both killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) and sea raven (Hemitripterus americanus). This skin lies on the inside of the operculum and possesses a flat epithelium containing chloride cells. In the present study the identity of the chloride cell in this epithelium was definitively established with the electron microscope. Although the opercular epithelium from the marine sea raven contains few chloride cells, that from the euryhaline killifish adapted to pond water, 100%-, and 200% artificial seawater is predominately chloride cells. Significantly, the teleost gill has never been reported to contain more than 10% chloride cells. Thus the opercular skin of the killifish can serve as a model to study the adaptive role of chloride cells in euryhaline teleosts. A separate electrophysiological study has demonstrated that the short-circuit current technique can be applied to this skin.
Unexpected Conservation of the X-Linked Color Vision Gene in Nocturnal Prosimians: Evidence from Two Bush Babies

Bush babies have had a long history of nocturnal life and it would be interesting to know whether their color vision genes have become degenerate. Therefore, we used PCR techniques to sequence the X-linked pigment gene of two of these nocturnal prosimians: Galago senegalensis and Otolemur garnettii. Southern hybridization of genomic DNA of G. senegalensis showed a single X-linked pigment gene. Interestingly, the deduced pigment sequences of the two bush babies are identical. By comparing the X-linked pigments of bush baby, human, squirrel monkey, and marmoset, 38 variable positions were identified. At those positions that may cause a spectral shift, the bush baby pigment has identical or biochemically similar residues to those of the marmoset cone pigment with a spectral peak of 543 nm. This result is consistent with the estimate of 544–545 nm for the spectral peak of the X-linked pigment of Otolemur crassicaudatus, which is closely related to Otolemur garnettii. The neighbor-joining tree of mammalian X-linked pigments showed a significantly shorter branch in the bush baby lineage than in other primate lineages. A relative rate test showed that the nonsynonymous substitution rate of the bush baby X-linked pigment gene is about three times slower than that of the human red pigment gene, though the synonymous substitution rates of the two genes are similar. The slower nonsynonymous rate in the bush baby lineage suggests that the bush baby X-linked pigment gene is under functional constraints, in spite of its nocturnal life. Two radical changes at positions in the intradiskal surface next to the sixth transmembrane domain were observed in the X-linked cone pigment of bush babies but not in other primates. They are changes from Ala to Ser and from Asn to His, which are similar in function to the corresponding residues in rhodopsins. These two changes may be of importance for dim light sensitivity, which is consistent with our proposal that the evolution of the bush baby X-linked pigment gene is under selective pressure. In addition, the 2.5% divergence in introns 2 and 5 of the X-linked pigment gene between the two bush babies supports their classification into two separate genera.
Determination of the catalytic site of creatine kinase by site-directed mutagenesis

Abstract Site-directed mutagenesis was used to alter the amino-acid residues at the presumed catalytic site Cys-283 and ATP binding site Asp-340 of human creatine kinase B cDNA. In addition, a highly conserved arginine residue, Arg-292, was also mutated. Transfection of 0.1 to 1 μg of recombinant plasmid into COS cells produced increasing creatine kinase activity in the cell lysate. The expression of mutant Cys 283 -Tyr and Cys 283 -Ser resulted in complete abolition of homodimer BB isoform enzymatic activity without alteration of the capacity for dimerization. Expression of mutants Arg 292 -His, Arg 292 -Leu, and Arg 292 -Gln produced non-functional homodimers, whereas expression of mutant Arg 292 -Lys produced a homodimer with enzymatic activity that was 42% of the enzymatic activity of the wild type. Expression of the Asp 340 -Glu mutant creatine kinase did not alter enzyme activity as compared to the wild type. Following heterodimerization, there was inhibition of the normal subunit by the mutant subunit, for both the BB and the MB dimer. The results showed residues Cys-283 and Arg-292 are essential for enzyme catalysis. The best fit model for the dimer is one in which there is close apposition of the two catalytic sites. The interaction of the individual subunits during dimerization provides a molecular approach for dominant negative modulation of the creatine kinase isozyme system in future genetic manipulative experiments.
pH Sensitization of Phospholipid Vesicles via Complexation with Synthetic Poly(carboxylic acid)sa,b

Controlled release of vesicle-entrapped substances in response to changes in environmental conditions may provide a basis for new technologies in pharmaceutics, in imaging, in sensing, or in medical diagnostics. We describe in this paper a fundamentally new method of producing pH-sensitive vesicles from pH-insensitive amphiphiles, a method that consists of complexation of the amphiphile with a pH-sensitive polyelectrolyte.
Using static single assignment form in a code optimizer

Static single assignment form represents data dependences elegantly and provides a basis for powerful optimizations. Table-driven techniques for peephole optimization and code generation are straightforward and effective. it is natural to want to use both together in a code optimizer. However, doing so reveals that static single assignment form does not remove all antidependences, and that it conflicts with table-driven code generation for 2-address machines. This paper describes these problems and how to solve them.
Direct study of the proximity effect in the normal layer inside of the stacked SINIS device.

We have observed a striking anisotropy in the electrical transport of layered multiterminal SINIS structures [where S, I, and N denote a superconductor (Nb), an insulator (${\mathrm{AlO}}_{x}$), and a normal metal (Al), respectively]. We find that the lateral conductivity of the N layer is dissipative, but a superconducting current can flow normal to the structure, suggesting a direct Josephson coupling between the external S electrodes. A small coherent contribution to the lateral conductivity of the N layer is observed near zero voltage.
Tapping the US Sweet Sorghum Collection to Identify Biofuel Germplasm

The narrow genetic base in sweet sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] breeding programs is limiting the development of new varieties for biofuel production. Therefore, the identification of genetically diverse sweet sorghum germplasm in the U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) collection is imperative for biofuel breeding programs as biofuel production expands to new regions. Nine-hundred twenty-five sweet sorghum accessions from the NPGS collection were agronomically evaluated and a subset of 56 accessions selected for further evaluation. A 2 year replicated trial of this subset together with 17 U.S. sweet sorghum varieties were evaluated for agronomic and biofuel traits flowering time, plant height, fresh and dry weight, brix, juice volume, percent of moisture, and fermentable sugars [dinitrosalicylic (DNS) method] and disease response [anthracnose (Colletotricum sublineolum) and rust (Purcina purpurea)]. Nine accessions from the NPGS collection originally from South Africa, Ethiopia, Sudan, Zimbabwe, and the U.S. showed brix values ranging from 10 to 14, with five accessions having a higher amount of fermentable sugars than U.S. references accessions (DNS = 9.86–11.42). Likewise, the total dry matter content of three accessions originally from Ethiopia and U.S. were higher than the U.S. reference accessions (>156.87 g/plant). Multiple new sources of anthracnose and rust resistance were identified; being PI 156424 from Tanzania resistant to both diseases. The results demonstrated that accessions in the NPGS sorghum collection enclose valuable genes/alleles for biofuel traits that are not being used in U.S. biofuel breeding programs. Thus, the integration of these accessions into these programs will aid to increase genetic diversity and development of new biofuel varieties.
Protecting the myocardium: A role for the β2 adrenergic receptor in the heart

ObjectiveThe sympathetic nervous system enhances cardiac muscle function by activating β adrenergic receptors (βARs). Recent studies suggest that chronic βAR stimulation is detrimental, however, and that it may play a role in the clinical deterioration of patients with congestive heart failure. To e
Strukturelle Charakterisierung pseudoenantiomerercis-Dioxoosmium(VI)-Komplexe mit chiralen Diolen und Cinchona-Alkaloid-Liganden

In such a conformationally nonrigid system, it is dangerous to ascribe too much significance to any particular solidstate structural feature; nevertheless, the spectral data are consistent with a similar conformation in solution. The structures therefore, provide a starting point for the development of a structure-activity correlation for the ADH reaction
Some comparative personality traits of the mildly retarded.

A selected sample of 38 mildly retarded teenagers and young adults from two institutions in Western Kentucky was administered the California Psychological Inventory and the MMPI to compare personality traits. The mean profiles on each test were interpreted and some broad recommendations and cautions made for improving personality function among the retarded.
All-Terminal Network Reliability Optimization in Fading Environment via Cross Entropy Method

This paper presents a new algorithm that can be readily applied to solve all-terminal network reliability optimization problem of a wireless network in a fading environment. The optimization problem solved considers finding the optimal topological layout of links at which the all-terminal network reliability is maximized by controlling the nodes' transmission powers. To that end, a link probabilistic model is developed to relate fading, attenuation, interference and nodes' transmission powers to link reliability. Then, the proposed algorithm utilized this probabilistic model to control nodes' transmission power to maximize links reliabilities and hence all-terminal network reliability. The proposed algorithm is based on two major steps that use a global stochastic optimization technique, Cross Entropy (CE) to generate the optimal network topology and control nodes transmission powers such that all-terminal network reliability is maximized. An illustrative example is used to illustrate the proposed algorithm.
Specific depression of delayed hypersensitivity to purified proteins, with relation to production of circulating antibody

Abstract In guinea pigs sensitized in the footpads with a purified protein, such as hen egg albumin or diphtheria toxoid, in incomplete Freund's adjuvant, delayed hypersensitivity precedes the appearance of circulating antibody. This expression of delayed hypersensitivity by skin-test declines sharply the day before circulating antibody is detected. Adoptive transfer of spleen and peritoneal exudate cells from guinea pigs showing this decline suppresses the expression of delayed hypersensitivity in already sensitized recipients. This suppression of delayed hypersensitivity is immunologically specific. The intensity of this suppression does not correlate directly with the dose of sensitizing antigen, nor does it depend directly on the amount of circulating antibody.
Desmoglein 2 is a substrate of kallikrein 7 in pancreatic cancer

In a previous report we have demonstrated that the chymotryptic-like serine protease kallikrein 7 (KLK7/hK7) is overexpressed in pancreatic cancer. In normal skin, hK7 is thought to participate in skin desquamation by contributing in the degradation of desmosomal components, such as desmogleins. Thus, the ability of hK7 to degrade desmogleins was assessed and the effect of hK7 expression on desmoglein 2 was examined in cultured pancreatic cancer cells. The expression of Dsg1, Dsg2, and Dsg3 in pancreatic tissues was examined by immunohistochemistry and their expression in two pancreatic cancer cell lines, BxPC-3 and Panc-1, was determined by western blot analysis. The ability of hK7 to degrade Dsg1 and Dsg2 was investigated using in vitro degradation assays. BxPC-3 cells stably transfected to overexpress hK7 were used to examine the effect of hK7 on cell-surface resident Dsg2. The levels of immunoreactive Dsg1 and Dsg2 were reduced in pancreatic adenocarcinomas compared with both normal pancreatic and chronic pancreatitis tissues. Among the desmosomal proteins examined, Dsg2 exhibited robust expression on the surface of BxPC-3 cells. When hK7 was overexpressed in this cell line, there was a significant increase in the amount of soluble Dsg2 released into the culture medium compared with vector-transfected control cells. A reduction in the amount of the cell adhesion components Dsg1 and Dsg2 in pancreatic tumors suggests that loss of these desmosomal proteins may play a role in pancreatic cancer invasion. Using in vitro degradation assays, both Dsg1 and Dsg2 could be readily proteolyzed by hK7, which is overexpressed in pancreatic adenocarcinomas. The enforced expression of hK7 in BxPC-3 cells that express significant amounts of Dsg2 resulted in a marked increase in the shedding of soluble Dsg2, which is consistent with the notion that aberrant expression of hK7 in pancreatic tumors may result in diminished cell-cell adhesion and facilitate tumor cell invasion.
Use of Medicare’s Diabetes Self-Management Training Benefit

Medicare began reimbursing for outpatient diabetes self-management training (DSMT) in 2000; however, little is known about program utilization. Individuals diagnosed with diabetes in 2010 were identified from a 20% random selection of the Medicare fee-for-service population (N = 110,064). Medicare administrative and claims files were used to determine DSMT utilization. Multivariate logistic regression analyses evaluated the association of demographic, health status, and provider availability factors with DSMT utilization. Approximately 5% of Medicare beneficiaries with newly diagnosed diabetes used DSMT services. The adjusted odds of any utilization were lower among men compared with women, older individuals compared with younger, non-Whites compared with Whites, people dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid compared with nondual eligibles, and patients with comorbidities compared with individuals without those conditions. Additionally, the adjusted odds of utilizing DSMT increased as the availability of providers who offered DSMT services increased and varied by Census region. Utilization of DSMT among Medicare beneficiaries with newly diagnosed diabetes is low. There appear to be marked disparities in access to DSMT by demographic and health status factors and availability of DSMT providers. In light of the increasing prevalence of diabetes, future research should identify barriers to DSMT access, describe DSMT providers, and explore the impact of DSMT services. With preventive services being increasingly covered by insurers, the low utilization of DSMT, a preventive service benefit that has existed for almost 15 years, highlights the challenges that may be encountered to achieve widespread dissemination and uptake of the new services.
Effects of nutrient amendments on fine root biomass in a primary successional forest in Hawai'i.

We determined the effect of fertilization treatments (control (C), complete nutrient amendment without nitrogen (PT), nitrogen only (N) and a complete nutrient amendment (NPT)) on fine root biomass in a tropical montane forest in Hawai'i. Fertilization significantly decreased root biomass; live fine root mass (<2 mm diameter) for the C, PT, N and NPT treatments were 335, 145, 110 and 105 g·m-2, respectively. Nutrient availability appears to control fine root mass in this primary successional forest.
Characterization of tin dioxide interphase coating in alumina/glass composite

Abstract The purpose of this investigation was to study the microstructure of tin dioxide (SnO2) coating formed by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) as an interphase between alumina and glass. Different temperatures and times were used to obtain coatings of this material by CVD. Hydrogen iodide (57% concentration) was used to etch the samples. Low temperature (500°C) CVD resulted in a uniform columnar growth, while the high-temperature (750°C) CVD showed an irregular, lateral growth of the SnO2 grains. At 500°C, a longer CVD time resulted in much more extended columnar growth. Uniformity in thickness and low surface roughness obtained in the SnO2 deposit at 500°C and 5 min would appear to offer an ideal interphase for the alumina/glass composite system. The effects of the deposition time and temperature on the growth rate of the SnO2 grains are discussed.
A model-based approach to monitor complex road-vehicle interactions through first principles

The increasing availability of portable computing devices and their interaction with physical systems ask for designing compact models and simulations to understand and characterize such interactions. For instance, monitoring a road's grade using accelerometer stationed inside a moving ground vehicle is an emerging trend in city administration. Typically the focus has largely been to develop algorithms to articulate meaning from that. But, the experimentation cannot provide with an exhaustive analysis of all scenarios and the characteristics of them. We propose an approach of modeling these interactions of physical systems with gadgets through first principles, in a compact manner to focus on limited number of interactions. We derive an approach to model the vehicle interaction with a pothole on a road, a specific case, but allowing for selectable car parameters like natural damped frequency, tire size etc, thus generalizing it. Different road profiles are also created to represent rough road with sharp irregularities. These act as excitation to the moving vehicle and the interaction is computed to determine the vertical/ lateral vibration of the system i.e vehicle with sensors using joint time-frequency signal analysis methods. The simulation is compared with experimental data for validation. We show some directions as to how simulation of such models can reveal different characteristics of the interaction through analysis of their frequency spectrum. It is envisioned that the proposed models will get enriched further as and when large data set of real life data is captured and appropriate sensitivity analysis is done.
Assessing the relationship between central corneal thickness and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in healthy subjects.

Purpose To determine the relationship between central corneal thickness (CCT) and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness obtained by scanning laser polarimetry (GDx-VCC; Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, California, USA), confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (HRT II; Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany), and optical coherence tomography (Stratus OCT; Carl Zeiss Meditec). Design Multicenter clinical trial, retrospective cross-sectional study. Methods One hundred and nine healthy subjects from the Advanced Imaging in Glaucoma Study were enrolled in this study. All subjects had a standard clinical examination, including visual field (VF) and good-quality scans from all three imaging devices. CCT was measured using an ultrasonic pachymeter. A linear mixed-effects model was used to assess the relationship between RNFL thickness and CCT, accounting for clustering of eyes within subjects, testing site, ethnicity, family history of glaucoma, axial length intraocular pressure, and VF global indices. Results For OCT and GDx, there was a slight nonstatistically significant positive relationship between CCT and RNFL thickness. For HRT, there was a slight nonstatistically significant negative relationship between CCT and RNFL thickness. Relationships for each device were found to differ between sites. Conclusions CCT was not statistically significantly related to RNFL thickness in healthy eyes.
Schwarzschild microscope for carbon Kα radiation

A Schwarzschild objective (magnification, ×32; numerical aperture, 0.2), which has a 0.1-µm resolution within 30 µm of the object height, was designed and fabricated. We have developed new normalincidence multilayer mirrors for carbon Kα radiation (wavelength, 44.8 A), NiCr (80-20 wt. %)/C multilayers (thickness period, 22.5 A; number of layers, 50), which are deposited by ion-beam sputtering with the thickness distribution corrected by deposition masks. Magnified images were taken on photographic film with the Schwarzschild objective by using an electron impact carbon Kα radiation source, and a resolution of < 0.5 µm was confirmed.
Sophistry and circumstance at the end of life.

When life-threatening illness robs a patient of the ability to express their desires, medical personnel must work through the issues of management and prognosis with relatives. Management decisions are guided by medical judgement and the relatives’ account of the patient’s wishes, but difficulties occur when distance grows between these two factors. In these circumstances the counselling process may turn into a doctor-led justification of the medical decision. This article presents two strands of dialogue, in which a doctor, counselling for and against continuation of supportive treatment in two patients with liver failure, demonstrates selectivity and inconsistency in constructing an argument. The specific issues of loss of consciousness (with obscuration of personal identity), statistical ‘futility’ and removal of autonomy are explored and used to bolster diametrically opposed medical decisions. By examining the doctor’s ability to interpret these issues according to circumstance, the author demonstrates how it is possible to shade medical facts depending on the desired outcome.
Clinical evaluation of the Welch Allyn SureBP algorithm for automated blood pressure measurement.

Objectives To clinically evaluate an inflation-based algorithm incorporated into a new automated blood pressure monitor manufactured by Welch Allyn, Inc. Methods Device evaluation was performed according to the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation standard. An overabundance of patients with hypertension (32) were part of the 110 total participants. The data were also analyzed as described in the British Hypertension Society protocol. Results The mean error and standard deviation for systolic blood pressure were -0.9 mmHg+/-7.2; for diastolic blood pressure -2.2 mmHg+/-6.7. These passed the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation standard requirements. By British Hypertension Society data analysis, the device achieved an AA grading. Over 90% of the cycles' blood pressure values were obtained during inflation. Conclusions The SureBP inflation-based algorithm successfully passed the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation standard requirements and achieved an AA rating by British Hypertension Society data analysis. The monitor has great advantages for patient comfort and speed of readings (average 15 s per reading). As the population studied was skewed by including a much larger than needed number of patients with hypertension, clinicians can have added confidence in this new technology.
Copies of proteins L7 and L12 and heterogeneity of the large subunit of Escherichia coli ribosome

Abstract The total number of copies of protein L12 and its α-N-acetylated form L7 in Escherichia coli ribosome has been determined and is found to be four. The previously reported variation of L12 to L7 ratio in ribosomes during the growth cycle can now be analyzed in terms of changes in the pattern of heterogeneity of the large ribosomal subunit. There must exist in E. coli at least two, but a maximum of five, subspecies of the large subunit with regard to the L 7 L 12 content. The observed variation in L 12 L 7 ratio would reflect continuous changes in the relative abundance of these subspecies in vivo during the growth cycle.
Michaelis-Menten speeds up tau-leaping under a wide range of conditions.

This paper examines the benefits of Michaelis–Menten model reduction techniques in stochastic tau-leaping simulations. Results show that although the conditions for the validity of the reductions for tau-leaping remain the same as those for the stochastic simulation algorithm (SSA), the reductions result in a substantial speed-up for tau-leaping under a different range of conditions than they do for SSA. The reason of this discrepancy is that the time steps for SSA and for tau-leaping are determined by different properties of system dynamics.
Viscosities of solutions of electrolytes and nonelectrolytes inN-methylacetamide at 35° and 55°C

The viscosities of dilute solutions of a number of tetraalkylammonium and alkali metal halides, tetraphenylarsonium chloride, sodium tetraphenylborate, and tetrabutylammonium tetrabutylborate, as well as several nonelectrolytes have been measured in the high dielectric constant solvent N-methylacetamide (NMA) at 35 and 55°C. The relative viscosities were fitted to the extended Jones-Dole equation, ηГ = 1 + AηC1/2 + BηC + DηC2. The pattern of behavior of the Bη coefficients is roughly similar to that observed in H2O. However, the small ions have exceptionally large Bη values in this solvent due to strong solvation effects, while the large organic ions do not display the sharp crossing of the Einstein law, Bη=2.5 φV, characteristic in H2O of hydrophobic interaction. The Dη coefficients roughly parallel the Bη behavior and display remarkably regular ionic trends. This suggests that they arise largely from hydrodynamic origins. Nonelectrolytes have small or negative Bη coefficients showing that the Einstein law is not applicable at the molecular level and that nonelectrolytes are poor models for structurally similar ions. A simple mixture law is presented as an alternative to the Einstein law to explain the Bη coefficients.
Strand invasion of mixed-sequence B-DNA by acridine-linked, gamma-peptide nucleic acid (gamma-PNA).

Peptide nucleic acid (PNA) is a synthetic mimic of DNA and RNA that can recognize double-stranded B-DNA through direct Watson−Crick base-pairing. Although promising, PNA recognition is presently limited to mostly purine- and pyrimidine-rich targets, because mixed-sequence PNA, in general, does not have sufficient binding free energy to invade B-DNA. In this Article, we show that conformationally preorganized γ-peptide nucleic acid (γ-PNA) containing an acridine moiety covalently linked at the C-terminus can invade mixed-sequence B-DNA in a sequence-specific manner. Recognition occurs through direct Watson−Crick base-pairing. This finding is significant because it demonstrates that the same principles that guide the recognition of single-stranded DNA and RNA can also be applied to double-stranded B-DNA.
The use of polymer heteronuclei for crystalline polymorph selection

A method for the production of crystalline polymorphs from solution is described which utilizes a diverse set of polymer heteronuclei. Application to crystalline polymorph selection for the important pharmaceuticals acetaminophen and carbamazepine is demonstrated. This method provides a new paradigm for polymorph selection, where solvent and temperature conditions can be chosen on the basis of process considerations and the polymer heteronucleus can be varied for specific polymorph production.
Sewage Filtrate As a Source of Bacteriophage

In many studies of the bacteriophage, much time and energy has been spent obtaining suitable lytic principle. The adaption of a bacteriophage strain to a nonsusceptible organism is often a tedious and unsuccessful procedure. There is, in addition, the feeling that adapted bacteriophage is inferior to one which is active when isolated. Judging from recent articles on bacteriophagy, the isolation of active native bacteriophage has been one of the chief problems with which to contend, so that adaption, despite its drawbacks, has been the method of choice. The dysentery bacteriophage is one of the well known exceptions. Despite the difficulty of isolation, active bacteriophage seems ubiquitous. It occurs in the gastrointestinal tract of man and many animals, in soil and surface waters, in the lesions and exudates of many diseases and is even carried in stock cultures through many transplants. Because these lytic principles are often of low virulence; or are specific, so that their action is limited to only one or two species or strains of bacteria, many sources may be searched before a virulent strain can be found for the organism to be studied. In addition to these difficulties, certain erroneous conclusions are being introduced into the literature of the bacteriophage concerning the frequency and nature of resistent strains of a given bacterial species. If absence of lysis is to be considered one of the chief characteristics of a resistant strain, one of two conditions must be fulfilled: either the bacterial species must be homogeneous ; or the lytic principle used should have a constant activity against all types of the bacterial species. The latter necessity should be kept constantly in mind when one is dealing with the so-called heterogeneous groups. A heterogeneous bacterial species has been denied by d'Herelle 1 as one in which certain strains are nonsusceptible to bacteriophage activity while others are attacked. But the susceptible strains will differ when various bacteriophage strains are used. He states that this natural immunity is limited, not absolute; so that one would expect the evidence of resistance to be a difficulty in lysing but seldom a failure to lyse, if a sufficiently polyvalent filtrate is available for these heterogeneous groups. Bacillus coli is probably the best illustration of a heterogeneous species. D'Herelle calls it the "most heterogeneous of all bacterial species." This, he states, is largely because it is so frequently found as a mixed culture with the bacteriophage, as in the intestinal tract. A recent detailed article on the bacteriophage in urinary infections illustrates the fallacy of drawing conclusions concerning the frequency of resistant strains of B. coli. Larkum,2 using a single anticolon bacteriophage finds only 25% of the strains from 109 urines, susceptible; while with sewage filtrate the author in a short series recently undertaken, finds 95^0 of the organisms susceptible to lysis. These strains show a great variety of growth characteristics and peculiarities and vary considerably in the readiness with which