cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Impact of Grain Orientation and Phase on Volta Potential Differences in an Additively Manufactured Titanium Alloy

This work introduces a method for co-localized multi-modal imaging of sub-μm features in an additively manufactured (AM) titanium alloy. Ti-6Al-4V parts manufactured by electron beam melting powder bed fusion were subjected to hot isostatic pressing to seal internal porosity and machined to remove contour–hatch interfaces. Electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy-based techniques (electron backscatter diffraction and scanning Kelvin probe force microscopy) were used to measure and categorize the effects of crystallographic texture, misorientation, and phase content on the relative differences in the Volta potential of α-Ti and β-Ti phases. Given the tunability of additive manufacturing processes, recommendations for texture and phase control are discussed. In particular, our findings indicate that the potential for micro-galvanic corrosion initiation can be regulated in AM Ti-6Al-4V parts by minimizing both the total area of {111} prior-β grains and the number of contact points between {111} β grains and α laths that originate from {001} prior-β grains.
Examining the Relationship Between Speech Recognition and a Spectral–Temporal Test With a Mixed Group of Hearing Aid and Cochlear Implant Users

Purpose Audiology clinics have a need for a nonlinguistic test for assessing speech scores for patients using hearing aids or cochlear implants. One such test, the Spectral-Temporally Modulated Ripple Test Lite for computeRless Measurement (SLRM), has been developed for use in clinics, but it, as well as the related Spectral-Temporally Modulated Ripple Test, has primarily been assessed with cochlear implant users. The main goal of this study was to examine the relationship between SLRM and the Arizona Biomedical Institute Sentence Test (AzBio) for a mixed group of hearing aid and cochlear implant users. Method Adult hearing aid users and cochlear implant users were tested with SLRM, AzBio in quiet, and AzBio in multitalker babble with a +8 dB signal-to-noise ratio. Results SLRM scores correlated with both AzBio recognition scores in quiet and in noise. Conclusions The results indicated that there is a significant relationship between SLRM and AzBio scores when testing a mixed group of cochlear implant and hearing aid users. This suggests that SLRM may be a useful nonlinguistic test for use with individuals with a variety of hearing devices.
Comparing two approaches to remote biochemical verification of self-reported cessation in very low-income smokers.

Abstract Little is known about the acceptability and use of remote biochemical verification of self-reported cessation among low-income and racially diverse smokers. We compared responses to an in-person carbon monoxide breath test and in-home urine cotinine test among 270 adults who reported 7-day continuous abstinence at 6-month follow-up in a community-based randomized cessation trial. Half of participants (50%) reported annual household income below $10,000, one in four (28%) had not completed high school, and 69% were Black or African American. Regardless of whether the two tests were offered separately, sequentially, or as a head-to-head choice, participants were more likely to accept an offer to take the urine test than the breath test (89% vs. 32%), and complete it (46% vs. 13%). The proportion of participants completing the urine test and returning a digital photo of the test result is comparable to several studies completed with less disadvantaged samples. Self-report was confirmed by urine test for 74% of participants with a conclusive test result, although a high percentage (39%) of test results were inconclusive. In-home urine testing appears both acceptable and feasible for many low-income smokers, but challenges with testing technology and response rates currently limit its value to increase confidence in self-reports.
In older adults, adding fall-risk screening with targeted interventions to mailed advice did not reduce fractures.

SOURCE CITATION Lamb SE, Bruce J, Hossain A, et al. Screening and intervention to prevent falls and fractures in older people. N Engl J Med. 2020;383:1848-59. 33211928.
Investigation of e-textile dipole antenna performance based on embroidery parameters:

E-textile antennas have the potential to be the premier on-body wearable sensor. Embroidery techniques, which can be applied to produce e-textile antennas, assist in large production volumes and fa...
Effect of Intramedullary Nailing Patterns On Interfragmentary Strain in a Mouse Femur Fracture: a Parametric Finite Element Analysis.

Delayed long bone fracture healing and nonunion continue to be a significant socioeconomic burden. While mechanical stimulation is known to be an important determinant of the bone repair process, understanding how the magnitude, mode, and commencement of interfragmentary strain (IFS) affect fracture healing can guide new therapeutic strategies to prevent delayed healing or non-union. Mouse models provide a means to investigate the molecular and cellular aspects of fracture repair, yet there is only one commercially available, clinically-relevant, locking intramedullary nail (IMN) currently available for studying long bone fractures in rodents. Having access to alternative IMNs would allow a variety of mechanical environments at the fracture site to be evaluated, and the purpose of this proof-of-concept finite element analysis study is to identify which IMN design parameters have the largest impact on IFS in a murine transverse femoral osteotomy model. Using the dimensions of the clinically relevant IMN as a guide, the nail material, distance between interlocking screws, and clearance between the nail and endosteal surface were varied between simulations. Of these parameters, changing the nail material from stainless steel (SS) to polyetheretherketone (PEEK) had the largest impact on IFS. Reducing the distance between the proximal and distal interlocking screws substantially affected IFS only when nail modulus was low. Therefore, IMNs with low modulus (e.g., PEEK) can be used alongside commercially available SS nails to investigate the effect of initial IFS or stability on fracture healing with respect to different biological conditions of repair in rodents.
Magic‐angle 13C NMR spectroscopy of chloral polymers

The homopolymer of chloral and a copolymer of chloral and p-chlorophenyl isocyanate were studied by magic-angle 13C NMR spectroscopy. 13C NMR Measurements with magic-angle spinning and cross polarization show for the acetal carbon a chemical shift of 101, 4 p.p.m. downfield from tetramethylsilane. The observation of a symmetrical, reasonably sharp (3 p.p.m.) resonance suggests that the polychloral is stereoregular. Spectra of chloral copolymers with 5 moles percent p-chlorophenyl is steroregular. Spectrical of chloral copolymers with 5 moles percent p-chlorophenyl isocynate have additional peaks between 130 and 150 p.p.m. from the aromatic carbons of the p-chlorophenyl isocyanate moiety.
Telomere length and risk of Parkinson’s disease

We investigated whether telomere length was associated with the risk of Parkinson’s disease (PD) in a case-control study (96 cases and 172 age-matched controls) nested within the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Relative ratio of telomere repeat copy number to single-gene copy number in peripheral blood leukocytes was determined by quantitative real time PCR. Men with shorter telomeres had a lower PD risk (multivariate adjusted relative risk for the lowest vs. the highest quartile 0.33; 95% confidence interval: 0.12–0.90). Our results suggest that, contrary to telomere attrition observed in several aging-related diseases, shorter telomeres are not associated with an increased risk of PD.
Purification and structure of exendin-3, a new pancreatic secretagogue isolated from Heloderma horridum venom

An amino-terminal histidyl structure (His1) is characteristic of most peptides in the glucagon superfamily. An assay for His1 peptides performed by amino-terminal amino acid sequencing was used to screen venom from the Gila monster lizard, Heloderma horridum. Two His1 peptides were identified: helospectin and a new His1 peptide that has been named exendin-3 to indicate that it is the third peptide to be found in an exocrine secretion of Heloderma lizards which has endocrine activity, the first two being helospectin (exendin-1) and helodermin (exendin-2). In the lot of H. horridum venom tested, exendin-3 was 5-10-fold more abundant in molar concentration than helospectin. The structure of exendin-3 was analyzed by amino acid sequencing and mass spectrometry. Exendin-3 is a 39-amino acid peptide with a mass of 4200. It contains a carboxyl-terminal amide and has a strong homology with secretin at its amino-terminal 12 amino acids. The complete structure of exendin-3 is His-Ser-Asp-Gly-Thr-Phe-Thr-Ser-Asp-Leu-Ser-Lys-Gln-Met-Glu-Glu-Glu-Ala- Val-Arg - Leu-Phe-Ile-Glu-Trp-Leu-Lys-Asn-Gly-Gly-Pro-Ser-Ser-Gly-Ala-Pro-Pro-Pro- Ser- amide. It is 32 and 26% homologous with helospectin and helodermin, respectively. It has greatest homology with glucagon (48%) and human glucagon-like peptide-1 (50%). Exendin-3 (3 microM) stimulated increases in cellular cAMP and amylase release from dispersed guinea pig pancreatic acini.
Strength Enhancement of Cement Mortar with Carbon Nanotubes: Early Results and Potential

One of the most important areas of research in nanotechnology involves carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in commercial applications. Developing nanotechnology for cement and concrete has particular importance. The cement hydration chemistry and the physical behavior of hydration products have potential for manipulation through nanotechnology. A main objective of the development of cement-related nanotechnology is to produce stronger, tougher, lighter, and more durable products. Nanotubes were discovered in 1991 in Japan. They are available in single-wall and multiwall configurations. They have remarkable strength (>63 GPa) and a high Young's modulus. Nanotubes are applied in nanoscale, electrical, biotechnological, and composite materials and in enhancing physical properties. There is great potential for CNT use as reinforcement for concrete in compression and tension. This use would eliminate reinforced concrete corrosion problems, with significant expected gain in strength and ductility and improved dispersion of...
Using the matrix diagram method to build an organizational taxonomy for a developing multi-disciplinary center

The matrix diagram method was used to develop an organizational taxonomy for the Centre for Commercial Space Infrastructure (CCSI) at Old Dominion University. The matrix diagram will be used to study and analyze the relationships related to commercial space. The classification methodology recognizes the importance of system integration and the potential for future growth. >
Lab-on-a-Chip Biosensors

In the previous chapter, we learned that both optical and electrochemical immunosensors can be implemented in a microchannel to facilitate rinsing steps that are labor-intensive and require a skilled operator. In fact, there have been attempts to provide a higher level of automation and to increase ease of use for immunosensors (and certainly other biosensors as well), through fabricating more complicated microchannels. These attempts have usually been achieved by utilizing a concept known as lab-on-a-chip.
The Pertinence of the Periodic Selection Phenomenon to Prokaryote Evolution

A quarter of a century ago, it was pointed out that evolution can act in an important conservative way, in addition to its normal progressive mode. Evolution to a fitter form via changes at one locus means that the descendants of an individual with an improved locus or set of loci will supplant the previous population and carry with them the bulk of the total genotype of that original individual in asexual populations. Inasmuch as that individual is most likely to be wild type at most other loci, neutral and even other positively selected mutations will be reduced or eliminated from the population, if they are rare at the time of the evolutionary advance. In the present paper this problem has been set up for a computer simulation. The computations show the limits within which this effect functions and the conditions under which it does not. The conclusion is that it is likely that evolution at a locus proceeds in the course of many population replacements or revolutions, mostly via the rare occasions when the revolution carries a previously infrequent mutational type into abundance.
Why do we have orthodontic failures

The foregoing surely offer a range so broad that one may choose to address you from a number of viewpoints, such as that of an art, a profession, or a business. Since our colleagues in general dentistry credit the orthodontist with being a good business man, I might have selected the third definition as my topic, because I believe that the misunderstanding by the general practitioner of the orthodontic problem is due in large part to the failure of the orthodontist really to acquaint him with the science underlying the specialty as a basis for the art of its practice. Were he fully informed, he would not think orthodontics simple, its practice easy, and its earnings large. We could soon point out to him that, unhappily, some orthodontists have failed to meet their obligations, have had to discontinue special practice, and seek employment in other fields. I might also have chosen the second application and elaborated on those temptat.ions that lure orthodontists so that they “fail by losing flesh and waste away.” I fear, however, that were I to attempt this I should, as a personal exhibit, be laughed from the platform. I shall, therefore, direct you to the first definition, “that which is deficient, inadequate, or anything done imperfectly or attempted unsuccessfully.” Orthodontics, like any division of the health services, cannot always be wholly successful. There are too many variables to permit this. But it can, with increased knowledge and its dissemination especially among its own practitioners, reduce the number and extent of its failures. This the specialty has always striven to do and, may I say, not without success. When one contemplates that it is only forty years since so-called modern orthodontics had its inception, and this in a most modest beginning, there is no just cause for selfcriticism. In fact, I know of no branch of dentistry in which so much collateral fundamental science has been garnered and assimila.ted. This has resulted largely from the interest of scientists outside the field of our practice while most valuable and practical contributions have also been, and are now being, made from within our own ranks. The foremost cause for failures in practice, I feel, comes as a result of the inadequate facilities for orthodontic education which have prevailed until quite recently.
Bone Marrow Transplantation Symposium: Bone Marrow Transplantation for Immunodeficiency Diseases

Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) was applied in 1968 to treat severe combined immunodeficiency disease (SCID). Almost simultaneously, marrow from an MHC-matched donor corrected the immunological deficiency of a patient with Wiscott-Aldrich Syndrome (WAS). In the first successful treatment of X-linked SCID the match was imperfect and, although SCID was cured, a graft vs. host reaction caused pancytopenia. A second BMT from the same donor successfully treated a complicating aplastic anemia. Subsequently, it has been possible to cure most patients with SCID who are in reasonably good condition at the time of BMT without other manipulation if a matched sibling donor is available. Successes are reported from Holland, France, Italy, England, Scandinavia, Japan, Germany, and from many centers in the United States. Similarly, BMT is used to correct SCID due to adenosine deaminase (ADA) deficiency or nucleoside phosphorylase (NP) deficiency, which underlie two forms of SCID. Bone marrow transplantation using HLA-matched sibling donors can now treat, successfully, at least eight genetically separable forms of SCID. Highly lethal defects of phagocytic function (including LFA-1, MO-1, CR-3 deficiencies, IL-2 and IL-1 receptor deficiencies), defects of killing after phagocytosis (as in chronic granulomatous disease, WAS, and Kostmann's Syndrome), and certain inborn errors of metabolism can be cured by BMT.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Region based /spl alpha/-semantics graph driven image retrieval

This work is about content based image database retrieval, focusing on developing a classification based methodology to address semantics-intensive image retrieval. With self organization map based image feature grouping, a visual dictionary is created for color, texture, and shape feature attributes, respectively. Labeling each training image with the keywords in the visual dictionary, a classification tree is built. Based on the statistical properties of the feature space we define a structure, called /spl alpha/-semantics graph, to discover the hidden semantic relationships among the semantic repositories embodied in the image database. With the /spl alpha/-semantics graph, each semantic repository is modeled as a unique fuzzy set to explicitly address the semantic uncertainty and the semantic overlap existing among the repositories in the feature space. A retrieval algorithm combining the built classification tree with the developed fuzzy set models to deliver semantically relevant image retrieval is provided. The experimental evaluations have demonstrated that the proposed approach models the semantic relationships effectively and outperforms a state-of-the-art content based image retrieval system in the literature both in effectiveness and efficiency.
Activation of AMP-activated protein kinase signaling pathway by adiponectin and insulin in mouse adipocytes: requirement of acyl-CoA synthetases FATP1 and Acsl1 and association with an elevation in AMP/ATP ratio

Adiponectin activates AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in adipocytes, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Here we tested the hypothesis that AMP, generated in activating fatty acids to their CoA derivatives, catalyzed by acyl-CoA synthetases, is involved in AMPK activation by adiponectin. Moreover, in adipocytes, insulin affects the subcellular localization of acyl-CoA synthetase FATP1. Thus, we also tested whether insulin activates AMPK in these cells and, if so, whether it activates through a similar mechanism. We examined these hypotheses by measuring the AMP/ATP ratio and AMPK activation on adiponectin and insulin stimulation and after knocking down acyl-CoA synthetases in adipocytes. We show that adiponectin activation of AMPK is accompanied by an ∼2-fold increase in the cellular AMP/ATP ratio. Moreover, FATP1 and Acsl1, the 2 major acyl-CoA synthetase isoforms in adipocytes, are essential for AMPK activation by adiponectin. We also show that after 40 min. insulin activated AMPK in adipo...
Electronic states at silicide-silicon interfaces

A capacitance-spectroscopy technique based on accurate phase detection has been developed to measure the unoccupied states at silicide-silicon contacts. For Pd and Ni silicides, a dispersed group of states was found to exist in the Si band gap with its peak at a level 0.63--0.65 eV above the valence-band edge. Silicide formation alters their density and distribution to reflect the changes in the structural perfection and barrier height. Observations on the epitaxial ${\mathrm{NiSi}}_{2}$-Si(111) interfaces reveal that the characteristics of these states are controlled by the degree of structural perfection of the interface instead of the specific epitaxy. This seems to be the first correlation of the structural and electronic properties of a silicide-silicon interface.
Evaluation Techniques for Individualized Instruction: Revision and Summative Evaluation

The initiation of an information delivery system that differs from the typical lecture-laboratory format of a course always presents concerns for both the instructor and students. The success of a new system can only be measured through a careful summative evaluation process. This article describes the process of the gathering and analysis of summative data for a slide/audio-tape self-instruction program on animal diversity in an introductory zoology course. Included also are some aspects of the continuing process of review and refined revision of the instructional delivery system as it applies directly to summative evaluation. The self-instruction program involves five individual units covering important topics in animal diversity. These topics are taxonomy, animal protists (protozoans), lower vs. higher invertebrates, and chordates.
Solubilization of glucagon and epinephrine sensitive adenylate cyclase from rat liver plasma membranes.

Abstract Hormonally sensitive adenylate cyclase has been solubilized from rat liver plasma membranes using Triton X-305 in Tris buffers containing mercaptoethanol and MgCl2. The solubilized enzyme was stimulated 5 fold by NaF, 7 fold by glucagon and 20 fold by epinephrine. Criteria for solubilization included lack of sedimentation at 100,000 × g for one hour, the absence of particulate material in the 100,000 × g supernatant when examined by electron microscopy, and inclusion of hormonally sensitive adenylate cyclase activity in Sephadex G 200 gels. The molecular weight of the solubilized, hormonally sensitive enzyme was approximately 200,000 in the presence of Triton X-305.
Non-random association of transposable elements with duplicated genomic blocks in Arabidopsis thaliana

The genome of Arabidopsis thaliana is known to contain numerous open reading frames apparently encoding transposases. In order to test the hypothesis that transposable elements have played a role in segmental duplication in this species, we compared the distribution of transposable elements with that of genomic windows that shared gene families to a greater extent than expected by chance. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that duplication of these segments occurred after the monocot-dicot divergence and probably after the eurosid I-eurosid II divergence. Known transposable elements were found to occur in putatively duplicated segments to a far greater extent than expected on the basis of their genome-wide distribution, suggesting that transposition may have played a role in segmental duplication in this species.
Breeding Bird Relationships to Landscape Metrics in Coastal Plain Georgia

Some avian species in the southeastern United States are declining, and population decreases may arise from changes in vegetation type area or structural condition. Our objective was to compare abundance of conservation priority bird species with landscape variables. We found, even in the highly forested Coastal Plain of Georgia, that areal extent and core area of cover types were related to abundance for certain bird species. Acadian flycatcher and field sparrow had models that incorporated positive area variables. Downy woodpecker, northern parula, orchard oriole, prairie warbler, and summer tanager had models that included positive area and edge associations with varying scales and vegetation types. Edge appeared in models for red-bellied woodpecker, blue jay, and brown-headed cowbird. More than half of all species did not have models that met prediction thresholds. Systematic assessment of area requirements for declining species provides information for management, conservation, and research.
Inverse method for interface problems

We propose an inverse method to extract effective couplings and the renormalization group flow for macroscopic dynamical systems. We applied it to discrete surface growth models in the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang universality class in 1+1 dimensions and obtain the first measurement of a universal coupling constant. It may also be applicable to analyze experimental data such as immiscible fluid displacement experiments.
Initiation of the ice phase by marine biogenic surfaces in supersaturated gas and supercooled aqueous phases

Biogenic particles have the potential to affect the formation of ice crystals in the atmosphere with subsequent consequences for the hydrological cycle and climate. We present laboratory observations of heterogeneous ice nucleation in immersion and deposition modes under atmospherically relevant conditions initiated by Nannochloris atomus and Emiliania huxleyi, marine phytoplankton with structurally and chemically distinct cell walls. Temperatures at which freezing, melting, and water uptake occur are observed using optical microscopy. The intact and fragmented unarmoured cells of N. atomus in aqueous NaCl droplets enhance ice nucleation by 10–20 K over the homogeneous freezing limit and can be described by a modified water activity based ice nucleation approach. E. huxleyicells covered by calcite plates do not enhance droplet freezing temperatures. Both species nucleate ice in the deposition mode at an ice saturation ratio, Sice, as low as ∼1.2 and below 240 K, however, for each, different nucleation modes occur at warmer temperatures. These observations show that markedly different biogenic surfaces have both comparable and contrasting effects on ice nucleation behaviour depending on the presence of the aqueous phase and the extent of supercooling and water vapour supersaturation. We derive heterogeneous ice nucleation rate coefficients, Jhet, and cumulative ice nuclei spectra, K, for quantification and analysis using time-dependent and time-independent approaches, respectively. Contact angles, α, derived from Jhetvia immersion freezing depend on T, aw, and Sice. For deposition freezing, α can be described as a function of Sice only. The different approaches yield different predictions of atmospheric ice crystal numbers primarily due to the time evolution allowed for the time-dependent approach with implications for the evolution of mixed-phase and ice clouds.
Mesopore measurement by physical adsorption utilizing chi theory

Abstract The chi theory of adsorption has been modified to yield the absolute value for the surface area. The modifications include the utilization of the van der Waal radius and the concept of allowing an adsorbate molecule to either roll-over or -under other adsorbate molecules. This yields the hard sphere model for adsorption. The hard sphere model is further modified by using a Lennard-Jones 6–12 potential and a energy averaging to obtain a closer approximation to the per molecule excluded area. The equation which yields the absolute value for the surface area for a flat homogeneous surface is given by: A s = fnA m Δ χ U Δ χ where f has a value between 1.83 and 1.93. The value of f depends upon the relative sizes of the adsorbent atoms or ions and the adsorbate molecules. Using this modification, an analysis of MCM-41 data by Qiao, Bhatia and Zhao was performed to yield the pore diameters by two methods. These methods were to calculate the pore diameters from (1) the surface areas and pore volumes determined and (2) the Kelvin equation for capillary filling with the starting film thickness also modified also by the factor f. The latter method yields the pore size distribution as also. Both methods yielded excellent result consistent with a pore wall thickness in the range of 0.50–0.90 nm. An additional conclusion of the calculation was that most of the hysteresis effect is attributed to a change in the adsorption energy between adsorption and desorption.
On generalized Bäcklund transformations for equations describing pseudo-spherical surfaces

Abstract It is shown that each one-parameter subgroup of SL(2, R ) gives rise to a local correspondence theorem between suitably generic solutions of arbitrary scalar equations describing pseudo-spherical surfaces. Thus, if appropriate genericity conditions are satisfied, there exist local transformations between any two solutions of scalar equations arising as integrability conditions of sl(2, R ) -valued linear problems. A complete characterization of evolution equations u t = K ( x , t , u , u x ,…, u x k ) which are of strictly pseudo-spherical type is also provided.
Computations of ESR coupling constants in organic radicals. I: General theory and applications to benzene and toluene

Abstract We discuss the removal of spin contamination from an unrestricted Hartree-Fock wavefunction and we use the theoretical expressions to calculate the ESR coupling constants of the benzene and toluene radicals and radical anions. We investigate the Jahn-Teller distortion in the benzene radical anion and the rotational motion of the methyl group in the toluene radical anion in order to study their effects on the corresponding ESR spectra. We also present some general predictions regarding the spin and the energy derived from unrestricted Hartree-Fock computations.
Myocardin-related transcription factor B is required for normal mouse vascular development and smooth muscle gene expression

Smooth muscle gene expression is required for the proper development and function of multiple organ systems. Expression of smooth muscle genes is critical for contractile function and tissue architectural integrity. One critical transcription factor for smooth muscle gene expression is the Serum Response Factor (SRF). SRF is expressed ubiquitously, but tissue-specific transcriptional regulation is conferred by its binding to cofactors such as myocardin. Myocardin-related transcription factor B (MRTF-B) is a member of a family of genes (Myocardin(Myocd),Myocardin-related transcription factor A(MRTF-A),MRTF-B) that provides tissue-specificity and potentiate SRF-dependent transcription. Unlike myocardin, which is expressed specifically in smooth and cardiac muscle, MRTF-B is expressed in a wide variety of tissues. To examine the function of MRTF-B, we generated mice containing an insertional mutation of MRTF-B. MRTF-B homozygous mutants die in late gestation with vascular defects and liver hemorrhage. At E9.5, MRTF-B is expressed strongly in the septum transversum mesoderm critical for development of the vitelline system that produces the liver sinusoids and portal venous system. MRTF-B deficiency results in defective smooth muscle gene expression in the liver sinusoids, vitelline veins, and yolk sac, which contributes significantly to the lethal phenotype. These data support our hypothesis that MRTF-B has a unique role in regulating smooth muscle genes important for liver, yolk sac, and portal vascular development. Developmental Dynamics 236:416–425, 2007. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Prospects for gene therapy for inherited cardiomyopathies

Abstract Over the last few years the genes responsible for a number of genetic diseases of the cardiovascular system have been identified. These have included X-linked and autosomal dominant dilated cardiomyopathy, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Genetic heterogeneity has been described in both of these diseases but a commonality of function has been apparent: defects in cytoskeletal proteins cause dilated cardiomyopathy and mutations in sarcomeric proteins cause hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. This led us to develop a ‘final common pathway’ hypothesis as a framework for selecting candidate genes for mutation screening in families with these diseases. The characterization of gene mutations has led to the development of therapies specifically targeting the defective protein or the pathway in which it is involved. These have included the use of pharmaceutical agents to replace or to antagonize the mutated protein, and replacement of the defective gene with a functional one (gene therapy). While early studies using gene therapy vectors were promising, translating studies in animals to viable therapeutic options for humans has remained problematic. There have been many publications describing the use of vectors to transduce target cells for the correction of gene defects, including recombinant retroviruses, adenoviruses, and adeno-associated viruses, as well as non-viral vectors. In this review we will discuss the identification of gene defects associated with cardiomyopathies, and the potential of gene therapy for the treatment of these diseases, as well as addressing some concerns related to the use of adenovirus-based vectors, a virus known to be an etiologic agent of acquired dilated cardiomyopathy.
Diffusion of cadmium in indium antimonide

Abstract The diffusion of cadmium in both single-crystal and polycrystalline indium antimonide has been studied using radio-tracer techniques. For the single-crystal material the diffusion was found to obey Kick's law. The diffusivity varied with temperature according to the relation D(T) = D 0 exp (-( Q kT )) . The value of D 0 found was 1 × 10 -9 cm 2 /sec, the activation energy Q was 0·52 electron volts. In the polycrystalline material the diffusion followed the relation expected for grain boundary diffusion.
GCC equity market indices integration

Integration linkages between the five financial equity market indices located in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are empirically analysed. Using methodologies that account for idiosyncratic factors in the data, evidence of linkages between the GCC countries are found. The findings have implications for hedging or diversification strategies, particularly in the long-run. For example, the presence of cointegration between the GCC countries provides opportunities for investor cross-hedging, especially if markets differ in liquidity.
How much information is lost during processing?: A case study of pediatric emergency department records

This is a retrospective study determining the completeness and accuracy of processed information of emergency department (ED) records of a busy urban children's hospital. The method of study was based on comparing computer processed information with that in the patient's medical chart. A total of 457 ED visits from April 5 to April 25 of 1992 were audited. Accuracy was found to differ with the type of data element and the setting. Among admissions, admitting diagnoses coding had the highest error rate (53.1%), followed by age (33.2%), admitting time (31.0%), and admitting ward (12.5%). Among discharges, time in had the highest error rate (76.0%), followed by area where seen (56.9%), physician name (48.4%), time out (37.8%), age (33.3%), mode of arrival (26.2%), diagnosis (20.1%), patient's condition (17.3%), and triage level (10.7%). Despite advances in computerized information systems, error rates of processed information remain unacceptably high. Future information systems should be interactive, recording rather than processing information flows between the provider and the patient.
“[Not] a Thin Dime:” Kansas Relief Politicsinthe Campaign of 1936

(2005). “[Not] a Thin Dime:” Kansas Relief Politicsinthe Campaign of 1936. The Historian: Vol. 67, No. 3, pp. 474-488.
Study on ESD/EMI Phenomena for Magnetic Reproducing Head

GMR heads, the most electrostatic discharge (ESD/EOS) sensitive device of all electric devices, are used for high density magnetic recording applications. A number of problems related to electrostatic discharge phenomena in GMR heads have been reported, including melting and diffusion caused by the Joule heating by ESD currents, pinning rotation and demagnetization resulting from high magnetic field strength, and dielectric breakdown induced by a high voltage. In recent years, there has been a growing concern about damaging GMR heads from Electro-Magnetic Interference (EMI). In this paper, we studied a relatively easy method for comprehending the basic characteristics of EMI using the instruments that are widely used in conventional ESD evaluation for GMR head manufacturing.
A Strategy for Clarifying Personal Views of Romance and Love for Adolescents

(1998). A Strategy for Clarifying Personal Views of Romance and Love for Adolescents. Journal of Health Education: Vol. 29, No. 1, pp. 33-35.
Linking pan-arctic human and physical data.

The Arctic Observing Network–Social Indicators (AON-SI) project, building upon earlier work, developed an approach for linking social with physical science data across the Northern pan-Arctic. The first iteration of social data involves time series of demographic indicators in more than 100 separate regions, such as boroughs of Alaska, census divisions of Northern Canada, and oblast or autonomous regions of Northern Russia. Its geographical scope covers all of Alaska, Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Norway, Sweden, and Finland, along with Northern parts of Canada and Russia. Administrative subdivisions within these areas define the regions. Key features of this data framework are (1) the list of region names, (2) a unified system of numerical identification codes, and (3) a region-year organization. We approximated the geographical area of each region as a particular set of 25 × 25 km grid cells, following the Equal-Area Scalable Earth Grid (EASE-Grid) scheme widely used in high-latitude natural sc...
Water in red blood cells and plasma of mesenteric blood.

The red blood cell, by virtue of its ability to gain or lose water, quickly buffers changes in plasma osmolality, solute concentration, and hematocrit of portal venous blood produced by placing hypotonic or hypertonic fluid in the lumen of the small bowel.
Intravascular ultrasound is a critical tool for accurate endograft sizing in the management of blunt thoracic aortic injury

Background Accurate measurement of true aortic luminal diameter (ALD) is critical for endograft sizing in endovascular treatment of blunt thoracic aortic injury (BTAI), but ALD is dynamic and changes with respect to patients' hemodynamic status. This study aimed to characterize how ALD at the time of diagnosis of BTAI compares with ALD at the time of endovascular repair and later at follow-up. Methods This is an Institutional Review Board-approved, single-institution retrospective analysis of prospectively obtained data. Patients were included who presented between July 2007 and December 2012 with computed tomography angiography (CTA)-diagnosed BTAI; who underwent thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR); and who underwent preoperative CTA, intraoperative intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), and postimplantation CTA. Comparison measurements of the ALD were made among CTA and IVUS images at the level of the left subclavian artery (LSCA) and between initial CTA and postimplantation CTA at 10, 15, and 20 cm distal to the LSCA. Theoretical endograft sizes were determined and compared for each ALD at the LSCA. Results Twenty-two patients were included in the analysis. Mean age was 38 ± 14 years (range, 17-61 years), with 82% men and mean Injury Severity Score of 43 ± 11 (range, 24-66). Mean time from emergency department admission to initial CTA was −1.2 ± 5 hours (range, −13 to 11.5 hours; negative time implies imaging at an outside facility before admission). Mean time from initial CTA to IVUS was 1.2 ± 1.4 days (range, 2.5 hours-5.7 days) and from IVUS to postimplantation CTA 33 ± 45 days (range, 17 hours-169 days). Overall, ALD measured by IVUS was significantly larger than that by initial CTA (Δ2.5 ± 3.1 mm; P P Conclusions The ALD of patients with BTAI is significantly larger when it is measured by IVUS at the time of TEVAR compared with at the time of initial CTA. This difference in ALD may translate to undersizing of endografts used in TEVAR for BTAI. IVUS at the time of TEVAR provides a more accurate measurement of the actual ALD and should be used for endograft sizing for patients with BTAI.
ONTOGENY OF GASTRIC DIGESTIVE FUNCTION: DIFFERENT PATTERN OF LIPASE AND PEPSIN DEVELOPMENT. † 703

ONTOGENY OF GASTRIC DIGESTIVE FUNCTION: DIFFERENT PATTERN OF LIPASE AND PEPSIN DEVELOPMENT. † 703
A randomized prospective multicenter trial of pancreaticoduodenectomy with and without routine intraperitoneal drainage

Objective To test by randomized prospective multicenter trial the hypothesis that pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) without the use of intraperitoneal drainage does not increase the frequency or severity of complications. Background Some surgeons have abandoned the use of drains placed during pancreas resection. Methods We randomized 137 patients to PD with (n = 68, drain group) and without (n = 69, no-drain group) the use of intraperitoneal drainage and compared the safety of this approach and spectrum of complications between the 2 groups. Results There were no differences between drain and no-drain cohorts in demographics, comorbidities, pathology, pancreatic duct size, pancreas texture, baseline quality of life, or operative technique. PD without intraperitoneal drainage was associated with an increase in the number of complications per patient [1 (0-2) vs 2 (1-4), P = 0.029]; an increase in the number of patients who had at least 1 ≥grade 2 complication [35 (52%) vs 47 (68%), P = 0.047]; and a higher average complication severity [2 (0-2) vs 2 (1-3), P = 0.027]. PD without intraperitoneal drainage was associated with a higher incidence of gastroparesis, intra-abdominal fluid collection, intra-abdominal abscess (10% vs 25%, P = 0.027), severe (≥grade 2) diarrhea, need for a postoperative percutaneous drain, and a prolonged length of stay. The Data Safety Monitoring Board stopped the study early because of an increase in mortality from 3% to 12% in the patients undergoing PD without intraperitoneal drainage. Conclusions This study provides level 1 data, suggesting that elimination of intraperitoneal drainage in all cases of PD increases the frequency and severity of complications.
From Asia to the Americas by boat? Paleogeography, paleoecology, and stemmed points of the northwest Pacific

Abstract Rising postglacial seas have flooded the world’s continental shelves, limiting our ability to reconstruct human migrations, the history of settlement along Pleistocene coastlines, and the antiquity of coastal shell middens. This includes the southern coast of Beringia, where dramatic landscape changes make it difficult to test the coastal migration theory, which proposes that Upper Paleolithic peoples followed Pacific shorelines from northeast Asia to the Americas. To help overcome such problems, this paper discusses the paleogeography and paleoecology of Late Pleistocene North Pacific coastlines, then examines Pacific Rim technologies for possible evidence of a coastal migration. By ∼16,000 ± 1000 cal BP, the Pacific Rim was a plausible migration route, entirely at sea level, with rich and diverse resources from both marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Within this vast region, scattered Late Pleistocene technological assemblages that include leaf-shaped bifaces and stemmed projectile points found in coastal or peri-coastal sites from Japan and Kamchatka to western North America, and much of South America may support the idea that a coastal migration contributed to the peopling of the Americas.
The proteins of mutants of TMV: Classification of spontaneous and chemically evoked strains

The amino acid compositions of several natural strains of TMV were determined, and the results were compared with new as well as with previously reported analyses of other natural and chemically evoked strains. On the basis of these data the known TMV strains were classified into four grossly differing groups which contained 0, 1, 2 or 3 methionine residues. Members of each group differed from one another by no more than three substitutions. Analyses and partial sequential studies on the tryptic peptides derived from members of each group indicated that both the minor differences within each group and the major differences from one group to another occurred scattered throughout the molecule, but with lesser frequency in the middle of the peptide chain than in the distal segments.
Changing Issue Agendas of Women Clergy

Using data from separate studies conducted in 1988-89 and 1998, we explore changes in the issue agendas of women clergy. Rosenstone and Hansen (1993) argue persuasively that mobilization often occurs due to a commitment to a particular political issue. Our data allow us to test three separate hypotheses about the evolution of women clergy's issue agendas over the course of a decade that saw an unprecedented number of women enter the ministry. Shifts in the issue agendas of women clergy suggest a model of issue agenda evolution including four possible explanations for change: public agenda shifts, changes resulting from the growing number of women clergy, or ideological stability.
Stimulus Generalization as Signal Detection in Pigeons

Pigeons that were reinforced for pecking at a single-wavelength responded to nearby wavelengths with lower rates. Response rates indicated the pigeons' certainty that the reinforced stimulus was present. The ratings yielded receiver operating characteristic functions that approximated straight lines on a double probability plot.
Differentiation of 3T3-L1 fibroblasts to adipocytes. The effect of indomethacin, prostaglandin E1 and cyclic AMP on the process of differentiation.

Summary In the presence of insulin, resting 3T3-L1 fibroblasts differentiate into adipocytes after a lag period of 12 to 20 days. Indomethacin shortens the lag period dramatically and increases the rate of expression of lipogenic activity. In the presence of 1.74 × 10 −7 M insulin and indomethacin, cells become fully differentiated before any increases in the lipogenic activities of insulin plates became apparent. Cyclic AMP and Prostaglandin E 1 potentiate the effect of insulin on the induction of lipogenic activities at the very early stages of differentiation. At the later stages both compounds become inhibitory. The extent of inhibition depends both on the concentration of insulin and of PGE 1 or cAMP. PGE 1 (4.32 × 10 −6 M) or cAMP (5 × 10 −4 M) completely block differentiation beyond the initial stages in tile presence of insulin alone but they only slow down the rate of increase of lipogenic activities in the presence of insulin plus indomethacin.
An Improved Free Energy Formulation and Implementation for Kinetostatic Protein Folding Simulation

Protein structure prediction remains one of the significant challenges in computational biology. We have previously shown that our kinetostatic compliance method can overcome some of the key difficulties faced by other de novo structural prediction methods, such as the very small time steps required by the molecular dynamics approaches, or the very large number of samples required by the sampling based techniques. In this paper we extend the previous free energy formulation by adding the solvent effects, which contribute predominantly to the folding phenomena. We show that the addition of the solvation effects, which complement the existing Coulombic and van der Waals interactions, lead to a physically effective energy function. Furthermore, we achieve significant computational speed-up by employing efficient algorithms and data structures that effectively reduce the time complexity from O(n2) to O(n), n being the number of atoms. Our simulations are consistent with the general behavior observed in protein folding, and show that the hydrophobic atoms tend to pack inside the core of the molecule in an aqueous solvent, while a vacuum environment produces no such effect.Copyright © 2013 by ASME