cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cross-national information policy conflict regarding access to information: building a conceptual framework

This paper addresses cross-national information policy conflict regarding access to information. This type of information policy conflict appears more complex and controversial than conflicts within one country's territory. The paper attempts to explore the nature of this cross-national conflict. The responses of the US and Chinese governments and the practices of three multinational companies Yahoo, Microsoft and Google are studied and analyzed. Two frameworks, Galvin's typology of information policy issues and Rowlands' structure of information policy, are used as foundations for analysis. Based upon those analyses, the paper develops a conceptual framework to model cross-national conflict regarding access to information. The paper also discusses the implications for policymakers and raises a number of critical questions that practitioners and scholars need to consider. In the end, the paper concludes with calls for multi-disciplinary and multi-national approaches to tackle the issue.
Bacterial Antibiotic Resistance

Mechanisms of bacterial antibiotic resistance refer to the processes that enable bacteria to counter the harmful action of antibacterial agents against them. Keywords: antibiotics; drug resistance; multiresistance; MRSA
Radiative Heat Transfer in Porous Media

Publisher Summary Radiative heat transfer in porous media can be a significant mode of heat transfer in many applications, ranging from low-temperature insulation to combustion. A porous medium may be considered a collection of elements or particles. The shape and size of these particles may be obvious, or some approximations may have to be made to break the structure into a collection of particles. Different sizes of particles and the application of the Raleigh, Mie, and geometric scattering theories are examined. The chapter discusses those systems where a large number of porous-media applications lie in the large-particle range. The question of dependent versus independent scattering (or absorption) is also taken up in detail. Direct simulation methods are discussed as a technique for solving the class of problems that cannot be solved by continuum methods and to establish the range of validity of independent scattering and develop correlations to model-dependent scattering. The ray-tracing Monte Carlo method is used to examine the thermal radiative transfer through packed beds of large particles. Opaque, semitransparent, and emitting particles are considered. A technique for continuum modeling of dependent radiative heat transfer in beds of large spherical particles is presented. The scaling factor is found to depend mainly on the porosity and is almost independent of the emissivity. A novel method for modeling the effect of solid conductivity on radiative heat transfer is also presented. This method combines the Monte Carlo method of solving the radiation problem with a finite-difference solution for the temperature distribution in a spherical particle, to model the effect of solid conductivity on radiative heat transfer.
Soft-Collinear Factorization and the Calculation of the B->Xs+gamma Rate

Using results on soft-collinear factorization for inclusive B-meson decay distributions, a systematic study of the partial B->Xs+gamma decay rate with a cut E_gamma Xs+gamma branching ratio with E_gamma Xs+gamma)=(3.44+-0.53+-0.35)*10^{-4}, where the errors refer to perturbative and parameter uncertainties, respectively. The implications of larger theory uncertainties for New Physics searches are explored with the example of the type-II two-Higgs-doublet model.
In Situ Raman Spectroscopic Investigation of Nickel Hydrothermal Corrosion

Abstract A nickel coupon was exposed to air-saturated water at a pressure of 25.4 MPa and temperatures ranging from 21°C to 460°C in an optically accessible flow cell. In situ Raman spectra were collected at a number of temperatures as the coupon was heated and then cooled. The coupon also was characterized ex situ with Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectrometry, and x-ray diffraction. Corrosion species were observed in situ at temperatures >249°C during heating and under all conditions during cooling. The species were identified as nickel monoxide (NiO) and alpha chromium (III) oxide hydroxide (α-CrOOH). The α-CrOOH originated as a corrosion product released from the optical cell and/or flow system. The NiO Raman features were more intense during cooling than at the corresponding temperatures during heating, indicating that NiO was present in greater amounts and/or was more crystalline during cooling.
Depression Among Students with Learning Disabilities Assessing the Risk

Researchers have found that students with learning disabilities (LD) obtain statistically higher scores on measures of depression than their peers without LD. However, what is not known is whether students with LD display greater levels of clinical depression than their peers without LD. If they do, then special education services should address this area of concern. If they do not, then the current mental health system may be adequate to treat children and adolescents with depression regardless of whether they have concomitant LD. The purpose of this study was to meta-analyze the data-based literature and quantify mean differences in depression measure scores and levels of clinical depression between students with and without LD.
A comparison of patient dosage deviation reports with pill counts.

This is a report of a comparison between patient verbal reports of dosage deviation during a drug study and pill counts. Pill counts are much more reliable, but verbal reports are of some value, since when there are statements of major deviations they tend to be correct.
Diagonalizability of matrices over a principal ideal domain

A square matrix is said to be diagonalizable if it is similar to a diagonal matrix. We establish necessary and sufficient conditions for the diagonalizability of matrices over a principal ideal domain.
Update from recent blepharitis clinical trials: interview with James McCulley

McCulley speaks to Alice O’Hare, Commissioning Editor, about clinical research into blepharitis treatment. James McCulley is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at University of Texas Southwestern and is currently entering his 32nd year of chairmanship. He is a recognized expert in cornea, external disease, keratorefractive and cataract surgery. His research interests include more than 25 years of NEI/NIH supported evaluation into the pathophysiology and therapy of chronic blepharitis and associated ‘dry eyes.’ This work not only has led to understanding of chronic blepharitis but to a very thorough understanding of the lipid layer of the tear film. His work has allowed the development of a model for the structure of the lipid layer of the tear film and has led to the identification of the biochemical abnormality accounting for the ‘evaporative dry eye’. McCulley has published over 260 articles in peerreviewed literature. He also has received distinguished alumnus awards from Texas C...
The Base Substitution Fidelity of DNA Polymerase β-dependent Single Nucleotide Base Excision Repair

Damaged DNA bases are removed from mammalian genomes by base excision repair (BER). Single nucleotide BER requires several enzymatic activities, including DNA polymerase and 5′,2′-deoxyribose-5-phosphate lyase. Both activities are intrinsic to four human DNA polymerases whose base substitution error rate during gap-filling DNA synthesis varies by more than 10,000-fold. This suggests that BER fidelity could vary over a wide range in an enzyme dependent manner. To investigate this possibility, here we describe an assay to measure the fidelity of BER reactions reconstituted with purified enzymes. When human uracil DNA glycosylase, AP endonuclease, DNA polymerase β, and DNA ligase 1 replace uracil opposite template A or G, base substitution error rates are ≤0.3 to ≤2.8 × 10–4. BER error rates are higher when excess incorrect dNTPs are included in the reaction or when wild type DNA polymerase β is replaced by DNA polymerase β variants that fill single nucleotide gaps with lower fidelity. Under these conditions, the base substitution fidelity of polymerase β-dependent BER is 3–8-fold higher than is single nucleotide gap filling by polymerase β alone. Thus other proteins in the BER reaction may enhance the base substitution fidelity of DNA polymerase β during single nucleotide BER.
Bureaucrats, Planters, and Workers: The Making of the Tobacco Monopoly in Bourbon Mexico

A government monopoly provides an excellent case study of state-society relationships. This is especially true of the tobacco monopoly in colonial Mexico, whose revenues in the later half of the eighteenth century were second only to the silver tithe as the most valuable source of government income. This comprehensive study of the tobacco monopoly illuminates many of the most important themes of eighteenth-century Mexican social and economic history, from issues of economic growth and the supply of agricultural credit to rural relations, labor markets, urban protest and urban workers, class formation, work discipline, and late colonial political culture. Drawing on exhaustive research of previously unused archival sources, Susan Deans-Smith examines a wide range of new questions. Who were the bureaucrats who managed this colonial state enterprise and what policies did they adopt to develop it? How profitable were the tobacco manufactories, and how rational was their organization? What impact did the reorganization of the tobacco trade have upon those people it affected most--the tobacco planters and tobacco workers? This research uncovers much that was not previously known about the Bourbon government's management of the tobacco monopoly and the problems and limitations it faced. Deans-Smith finds that there was as much continuity as change after the monopoly's establishment, and that the popular response was characterized by accommodation, as well as defiance and resistance. She argues that the problems experienced by the monopoly at the beginning of the nineteenth century did not originate from any simmering, entrenched opposition. Rather, an emphasis upon political stabilityand short-term profits prevented any innovative reforms that might have improved the monopoly's long-term performance and productivity. With detailed quantitative data and rare material on the urban working poor of colonial Mexico, Bureaucrats, Planters, and Workers will be important reading for all students of social, economic, and labor history, especially of Mexico and Latin America.
Themes and debates in the study of human communication

Albert Silverstein, ed. Human Communication: Theoretical Explorations. Hillsdale, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates (Distributed by Halsted Press), 1974. vii + 264 pp. Figures, bibliography and index. $12.95.
An electrochemical method for the study of the flotation chemistry of sphalerite

Abstract When copper- or lead-activated sphalerite is mounted in carbon paste, an electrode is obtained which is suitable for use in dynamic electrochemical measurements. Voltammograms of copper-activated sphalerite in carbon paste show well-defined anodic and cathodic waves which respond in a complex manner to changes in experimental conditions. When the electrodes are contacted with solutions containing ethyl xanthate, two oxidation waves are observed. The first of these is a highly irreversible surface-area-limited adsorption process, and the second is a transport-controlled reaction. This work confirms the general belief that the flotation chemistry of sphalerite is essentially electrochemical in nature, and provides a tool which can be used to study the activation process as well as the reactions of collectors and other reagents with activated sphalerite, and perhaps in the control of the flotation process.
Identity Management, Privacy, and Price Discrimination

In economics, privacy is usually discussed in the context of consumer preferences and price discrimination. But what forms of personal data privacy are compatible with merchants' interests in knowing more about their consumers, and how can identity management systems protect information privacy while enabling personalization and price discrimination?
A splitting algorithm for identifying qualitative variables related to a dichotomous dependent variable

Abstract A splitting algorithm based on Shannon measure of mutual information is presented. The algorithm is designed to select individual levels of qualitative variables that are significantly related to a skewed dichotomous dependent variable. The use of this technique in conjunction with a grouping algorithm based on similar principles is illustrated with an actual application.
Optical surface Bloch modes of complete photonic band gap materials

Surface Bloch resonance modes are analyzed for (001), (100), and (110) woodpile surface planes. Low-loss, high-sensitivity surface Bloch modes are also analyzed on a flat-top (001) woodpile planar surface for optical resonance sensing.
5-aminolevulinic acid in photodynamic diagnosis and therapy of urological malignancies

ABSTRACT Completeness and certainty of tumor detection are very important issues in clinical oncology. Recent technological developments in ultrasound, radiologic and magnetic resonance imaging diagnostics are very promising, but could not improve the detection rate of early stage malignancies. One of the most promising new approaches is the use of 5-aminolevulinic acid, a potent photosensitizer, in photodynamic diagnosis and therapy. 5-aminolevulinic acid is meanwhile a well-established tool in the photodynamic diagnosis of bladder cancer. It has been shown to improve the sensitivity of detection of superficial tumors and carcinoma in situ, which enables to reduce the risk of tumor recurrence related to undetected lesions or incomplete transurethral resection of the primary lesions. The use of 5-aminolevulinic acid is steadily expanding in diagnostics of urological malignancies. First clinical results are now reported in detection of urethral and ureteral lesions as well as in urine fluorescence cytology. Furthermore, due to the selective accumulation in transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder, 5-aminolevulinic acid may be an ideal candidate for photodynamic therapy in superficial bladder cancer. Summarizing the data of multiple clinical trials, 5-aminolevulinic acid is a promising agent in photodynamic diagnostics and treatment of superficial bladder cancer. Keywords: photodynamic diagnosis, photodynamic therapy, 5-aminolevulinic acid, protoporphyrin IX, bladder cancer, laser
Song types and their structural features are associated with specific contexts in the banded wren

We studied the use of song types and their acoustic features in different social contexts in the banded wren, Thryothorus pleurostictus, a resident tropical songbird in which males possess about 20 distinctive song types varying in duration, bandwidth, note composition and trill structure. We recorded six focal males intensively for 4 days each while we observed context information such as during versus after dawn chorus, presence of the female, countersinging versus solo singing, location at the edge versus centre of the territory, and proximity to the nest. All males used at least some song types differentially during each of these pairs of alternative contexts. Males also preferentially used the song types they shared with a given neighbour when interacting with that bird. Songs delivered during dawn chorus were significantly longer, wider in bandwidth, often compound (double songs), and more likely to contain a rattle or buzz and an up-sweeping trill, compared to songs delivered after dawn chorus. Similar features were also more commonly observed when birds were engaged in intense male–male interactions and boundary disputes after dawn chorus, especially when countersinging at the edge of the territory. In the presence of the female mate, males preferentially delivered a few particular song types that had narrower whole-song and trill bandwidths and lacked rattles and buzzes. Moreover, song-type diversity and fraction of compound songs were higher when the female was present than when she was absent. Thus, in addition to using type matching and variations in song-type switching and diversity to signal different levels of aggressive intention, male banded wrens also select song types based on their acoustic structure in different social contexts.
Quantitative studies of the immunoglobulin sequence in the response of the rabbit to a somatic antigen.

Employing a sensitive and immunoglobulin-specific assay method based upon antiglobulin augmentation, quantitative and qualitative aspects of the primary and secondary response of the rabbit to Salmonella typhimurium O antigens have been evaluated. These studies examine the validity of the method of assay for detecting and measuring γG- and γM-antibodies produced in response to whole organisms or its lipopolysaccharide. The results show that during the primary response γG-antibodies, not detectable by usual techniques, are produced in a pattern similar to that reported in animals stimulated by other classes of antigens. Moreover, the γG response following reinjection is characteristic of a secondary-type response. In contrast, γM-antibody levels after both primary and secondary stimulation rose equally to levels between 1 and 4 mg/ml. Despite increased sensitivity of detection and quantitative estimates of the actual molar concentration of each immunoglobulin, the minimal interval between γM and γG appearance in serum was not less than 1.5 days. The variable degree of augmentation of agglutination by antiglobulin reagent found during the immune response severely limits the quantitative usefulness of the methods developed. However, the data suggest that qualitative changes in anti-O antibodies interpretable as changes in avidity occur regularly during the immune response.
The emergence of learning objects: The reference librarian's role

Abstract Learning objects are beginning to draw much interest in higher education. They can be powerful teaching and learning tools that the instructor can use both in and outside the classroom. This article focuses on how reference and instruction librarians can play a critical role in locating appropriate learning objects to enhance their library instruction courses in addition to assisting faculty in locating learning objects for augmenting their courses.
Advanced Ultrasonic Testing Technologies with Applications to Evaluation of Steel Bridge Welding - An Overview

Non-destructive evaluation (NDE) methods are widely accepted for quality control of welding in steel bridges. Recent development of advanced ultrasonic testing technologies enriched the categories of NDE methods used for steel bridges and more importantly these enhanced techniques provided more effective flaw detection and characterization. No guidelines, however, is available in existing bridge welding code for their more widespread applications to bridges. In this study, we overview the state-of-the-art advanced ultrasonic testing technologies in welding inspection. Benefits of the enhanced ultrasonic testing technologies are summarized, aiming to pave the way for deciding methods need for various steel bridge welding inspections.
Cardiac and blink reflex concomitants of attentional selectivity: a comparison of adults and young children.

Selective attention, often considered less efficient in young children, was examined in adults and 5-yr-olds using a new, startle-probe technique. To investigate the allocation of preparatory attention at early stages of processing, we examined the modification of the startle blink reflex to irrelevant acoustic probes presented within the warning interval (WI) of a simple reaction time task. Attention was directed away from the acoustic probes and toward a vibrotactile GO signal during the 6-s WI. Heart rate decelerated prior to the GO signal in both children and adults, implying increased attention. The two groups showed opposite patterns of blink modification, however. In adults, startle blink to the WI probes was increasingly attenuated as the GO signal approached, suggesting a selective pattern of attentional allocation. In contrast, blink amplitude increased linearly across probe positions in children, implying that preparatory attention was allocated to a wider range of sensory input.
On Use of Coverage Metrics in Assessing Effectiveness of Combinatorial Test Designs

Combinatorial test suite design is a test generation technique, popular in part due to its ability to achieve coverage and defect finding power approximating that of exhaustive testing while keeping test suite sizes constrained. In recent years, there have been numerous advances in combinatorial test design techniques, in terms of efficiency and usability of methods used to create them as well as in understanding of their benefits and limitations when applied to real world software. Numerous case studies have appeared presenting practical applications of the combinatorial test suite design techniques, often comparing them with manually-created, random, or exhaustive suites. These comparisons are done either in terms of defects found or by applying some code coverage metric. Since many different and valid combinatorial test suites of strength t can be created for a given test domain, the question whether they all have the same coverage properties is a pertinent one. In this paper we explore the stability of size and coverage of combinatorial test suites. We find that in general coverage levels increase and coverage variability decreases with increasing order of combinations t; however we also find exceptions with implications for practitioners. In addition, we explore cases where coverage achieved by combinatorial test suites of order t applied to the same program is not different from test suites of order t-1. Lastly, we discuss these findings in context of the ongoing practice of applying code coverage metrics to measure effectiveness of combinatorial test suites.
Using dynamic low-coherence interferometry to image Brownian motion within highly scattering media.

Dynamic low-coherence interferometry was used to measure Brownian motion of submicrometer particles within highly scattering media. Strong rejection of multiply scattered light was obtained by combination of a coherence gate with a confocal microscope, thus allowing particle characterization methods generally reserved for optically dilute materials to be applied to optically concentrated suspensions. The Brownian diffusion coefficient of highly scattering media was determined with an accuracy better than 5%. Furthermore, we show that spatial variations in the Brownian diffusion coefficient can be imaged with an axial resolution determined by the coherence length of the light source ?30 µm. The experiments also show broadening of the power spectrum as a function of depth into the sample, most likely as a result of detecting multiply scattered light.
Automatic and semiautomatic methods for image annotation and retrieval in query by image content (QBIC)

Advances in technologies for scanning, networking, and CD-ROM, lower prices for large disk storage, and acceptance of common image compression and file formats have contributed to an increase in the number, size, and uses of on-line image collections. New tools are needed to help users create, manage, and retrieve images from these collections. We are developing QBIC (query by image content), a prototype system that allows a user to create and query image databases in which the image content -- the colors, textures, shapes, and layout of images and the objects they contain -- is used as the basis of queries. This paper describes two sets of algorithms in QBIC. The first are methods that allow `query by color drawing,' a form of query in which a user draws an approximate color version of an image, and similar images are retrieved. These are automatic algorithms in the sense that no user action is necessary during database population. Secondly, we describe algorithms for semi-automatic identification of image objects during database population, improving the speed and usability of this manually-intensive step. Once outlined, detailed queries on the content-properties of these individual objects can be made at query time.
On the Biosynthesis of Cantharidin

Feeding experiments have eliminated two obvious possible routes of cantharidin biosynthesis: the tail-to-tail condensation of two isoprene units and the head-to-tail condensation of two isoprene units followed by a methyl shift.
Ambient Sexual Harassment: An Integrated Model of Antecedents and Consequences☆☆☆

Abstract Research on sexual harassment as a prevalent job stressor has focused primarily on outcomes for the direct targets of harassment; the antecedents and consequences of indirect exposure to sexual harassment have not been explored. Ambient Sexual Harassment is proposed as an assessment of indirect exposure to sexual harassment. Ambient Sexual Harassment is defined as the general or ambient level of sexual harassment in a work group as measured by the frequency of sexually harassing behaviors experienced by others in a woman's work group. The integration of Ambient Sexual Harassment into the model of sexual harassment developed by Fitzgerald, Drasgow, Hulin, Gelfand, and Magley (1997) proposes that indirect exposure to sexual harassment will have similar antecedents and job-related, psychological, and health outcomes as direct exposure. An empirical test of the model, using samples of female employees from a public utility company ( N = 455) and a food processing plant ( N = 194), generally supports predictions.
A front-tracking method for viscous, incompressible, multi-fluid flows

Abstract A method to simulate unsteady multi-fluid flows in which a sharp interface or a front separates incompressible fluids of different density and viscosity is described. The flow field is discretized by a conservative finite difference approximation on a stationary grid, and the interface is explicitly represented by a separate, unstructured grid that moves through the stationary grid. Since the interface deforms continuously, it is necessary to restructure its grid as the calculations proceed. In addition to keeping the density and viscosity stratification sharp, the tracked interface provides a natural way to include surface tension effects. Both two- and three-dimensional, full numerical simulations of bubble motion are presented.
The dead donor rule and the concept of death: Severing the ties that bind them

One goal of the transplant community is to seek ways to increase the number of people who are willing and able to donate organs. People in states between life and death are often medically excellent candidates for donating organs. Yet public policy surrounding organ procurement is a delicate matter. While there is the utilitarian goal of increasing organ supply, there is also the deontologic concern about respect for persons. Public policy must properly mediate between these two concerns. Currently the dead donor (dd) rule is appealed to as an attempt at such mediation. I argue that given the lack of consensus on a definition of death, the dd rule is no longer successful at mediating utilitarian and deontologic concerns. I suggest instead that focusing on a particular person's history can be successful.
Group B streptococcus exploits lipid rafts and phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt signaling pathway to invade human endometrial cells.

Objective We sought to determine the role lipid rafts and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) in invasiveness of group B streptococci (GBS) to endometrial cells. Study Design Antibiotic protection assay and electron microscopy were used to evaluate the invasion of GBS to human endometrial Ishikawa cells cholesterol-depleted by using methyl-beta-cyclodextrin or treated with PI3K inhibitors: wortmannin or LY294002. Immunoblotting analysis of Akt phosphorylation and cellular imaging of GFP-Akt-PH probe were used to assess PI3Ks activation in infected cells. Results Infected Ishikawa cells streptococci are associated to membrane ruffles with morphological features of undergoing internalization. GBS remained attached but completely failed to invade to cholesterol-depleted human endometrial cells or displayed decreased invasiveness in the presence of PI3K inhibitors. Cholesterol depletion resulted in loss of membrane ruffling and dispersion of raft-associated molecules: monosialoganglioside GM1 and PI3K. Conclusion This work provides the evidence that lipid rafts and raft-associated PI3K are implicated in GBS invasion to human endometrial cells.
BETWEEN‐METHOD TRIANGULATION IN ORGANIZATIONAL DIAGNOSIS

Organizational consultants employ scientific methodologies to collect data and generate an organizational diagnosis. Between‐method triangulation is a means of leveraging the strengths of several methods while mitigating weaknesses. This article briefly reviews common scientific data collection methodologies and provides an illustration of between‐method triangulation in organizational diagnosis. Interpretations of organizational social reality were based on the triangulation of data from interviews, systematic observation, observer‐as‐participant observation, and archival data. Between‐method triangulation resulted in a more complete assessment of organizational problems than any lone method.
VORTEX: Video Retrieval and Tracking from Compressed Multimedia Databases—Multiple Object Tracking from MPEG-2 Bit Stream

Abstract Multimedia data are generally stored in compressed form in order to efficiently utilize the available storage facilities. Access to multimedia archives is thus dependent on our ability to browse compressed information. In this paper, a novel approach to multiple object tracking from compressed multimedia databases is presented. This approach is intended to operate in a distributed environment, where users initiate video searches and retrieve relevant video information simultaneously from multiple compressed video archives. The system operates on the compressed video to find and track objects of interest and determine their positions in the image. This enables more complex query formulations in terms of the relative positions of the target objects in the image. The filtering and analysis of motion information (motion vectors) is used to track objects in the video bit stream. Once the search has terminated, the system may decompress and display the query-relevant video sequences upon request.
Aging into exclusion and social transparency: Undocumented immigrant youth and the transition to adulthood

This ethnographic study, conducted between 2007 and 2011, examines the various pathways that undocumented Latina/o immigrant youths take upon graduation from high school in a new migrant destination. This research expands the scope of the 1.5 and second-generation incorporation literature that remains dominated by research in traditional migrant-receiving urban areas. Contextualizing the transition to adulthood within a small Southern community, I focus my ethnographic observations and in-depth interviews with 75 community members on the distinct opportunity structures available to youths in a small-town setting. In spite of a reactive political climate on a local level and inertia regarding immigration policy reform on a federal level, undocumented youths in this North Carolina community benefit from extremely supportive teachers, coaches, family employers and other community members. The findings of this study demonstrate how small towns can facilitate networks of social support. Even with the opportunities created by small-town social capital, however, the undocumented youths in this sample remained acutely aware of their legal exclusion.
Hypochlorous Acid Generated by Neutrophils Inactivates ADAMTS13 AN OXIDATIVE MECHANISM FOR REGULATING ADAMTS13 PROTEOLYTIC ACTIVITY DURING INFLAMMATION

ADAMTS13 is a plasma metalloproteinase that cleaves large multimeric forms of von Willebrand factor (VWF) to smaller, less adhesive forms. ADAMTS13 activity is reduced in systemic inflammatory syndromes, but the cause is unknown. Here, we examined whether neutrophil-derived oxidants can regulate ADAMTS13 activity. We exposed ADAMTS13 to hypochlorous acid (HOCl), produced by a myeloperoxidase-H2O2-Cl− system, and determined its residual proteolytic activity using both a VWF A2 peptide substrate and multimeric plasma VWF. Treatment with 25 nm myeloperoxidase plus 50 μm H2O2 reduced ADAMTS13 activity by >85%. Using mass spectrometry, we demonstrated that Met249, Met331, and Met496 in important functional domains of ADAMTS13 were oxidized to methionine sulfoxide in an HOCl concentration-dependent manner. The loss of enzyme activity correlated with the extent of oxidation of these residues. These Met residues were also oxidized in ADAMTS13 exposed to activated human neutrophils, accompanied by reduced enzyme activity. ADAMTS13 treated with either neutrophil elastase or plasmin was inhibited to a lesser extent, especially in the presence of plasma. These observations suggest that oxidation could be an important mechanism for ADAMTS13 inactivation during inflammation and contribute to the prothrombotic tendency associated with inflammation.
A rationalized approach to the treatment of patients infected with hepatitis B.

It is estimated that there are 350–400 million individuals with chronic hepatitis B virus infection (HBV) worldwide. The natural course of HBV infection is variable with a number of individuals developing no or only mild disease, while others will die from liver-associated complications if left untreated. It is estimated that 25 % of individuals with HBV infection will eventually die from the complications of HBV-associated liver disease. Several viral and host variables including hepatitis B e antigen status, HBV genotype, viral load, hepatitis B surface antigen and transaminase levels, and viral mutations have been identified as determinants of disease outcomes. The personalized approach to the treatment of chronic hepatitis B might include mere monitoring of the disease in some patients but aggressive treatment in others. Individuals who require treatment should have close monitoring to help ensure maximum medication compliance, to watch for adverse events, and to monitor virologic and biochemical responses. Therefore, management of patients with chronic HBV infection requires a practical setting to demonstrate the relevance of personalized medicine, the roles and limitations of genetic and non-genetic factors, and the risks and benefits of individualized patient care. This article provides an overview of the viral and host genetics of chronic HBV and reviews the clinical utility of serum quantitative hepatitis B surface antigen in the management of patients with chronic HBV infection.
Nature and Extent of Domestic Construction Program Outsourcing

The sourcing of a construction program has always been a fluid process for many construction owners. A construction owner must balance the performance of all construction functions between internal staff and external service providers. Described herein are recent sourcing trends of construction programs identified through a survey of nonresidential construction owners. The survey data is representative of 170 respondents with varying demographic characteristics that account for about $72 billion in annual construction spending. Included are outsourcing trends of specific functions across the construction lifecycle and the sourcing strategy employed for each. A comparison of the outsourcing volume reported and the sourcing strategy employed is presented. A clear relationship between the amount of outsourcing and the sourcing strategy employed for the performance of construction is shown. The paper provides the academic community with new outsourcing data for construction lifecycle functions. It also provid...
A speciation model of essential trace metal ions in phloem.

Abstract Phloem sap is the nutrient rich fluid that transports sugars, amino acids and metal ions from leaves to other parts of the plant. A computer model for the speciation of the trace elements Fe 3+ , Fe 2+ , Cu 2+ , Zn 2+ , and Mn 2+ in phloem sap has been developed. The literature on phloem has been reviewed to determine the appropriate concentrations for the metal ions, amino acids and carboxylic acids in phloem sap. Stability constants for the metal complexes with these ligands have been selected from the literature. These data have been used with the program ECCLES to calculate the speciation of the trace elements in the phloem sap. The macronutrients Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ were also included in the model. The model indicates that the hexadentate chelating agent nicotianamine is the most important chelating agent in phloem. This ligand binds almost all the Fe 2+ , but it binds only 20 to 50% of the other trace elements. The remainder of each trace element is bound primarily by a combination of several amino acids, most importantly glutamic acid (Fe 3+ ), cysteine (Zn 2+ ) and histidine (Cu 2+ ). The carboxylic acids, including citrate, play a minor role in binding Mn 2+ and Fe 3+ , but have almost no impact on the speciation of the other trace elements.
Social cognitive neural networks during in-group and out-group interactions

Several functionally connected networks of activity have now been identified in the resting human brain that may be amplified or attenuated by specific goal-directed tasks. However, it is not known whether there exists a particular network that becomes more active when a person is engaged in a social interaction. fMRI was used to measure brain activity in subjects as they completed a social interactive task and a non-social control task sharing many of the same features. Comparison across the two tasks revealed a network of functionally connected areas that was consistently more active in the social task. This network included default mode network areas, raising the possibility that activity previously observed in default mode regions at rest is related to social cognition. Within this network, information appears to flow from regions involved in salience detection (e.g. anterior insula) to regions involved in mentalizing (dorsomedial prefrontal cortex) to regions involved in executive control (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex). In a second experiment, subjects played the same social interactive task with alleged members of both an experimentally induced in-group and out-group. The default mode network was again active during the task, and several noteworthy differences distinguished interactions with in-group and out-group partners, providing a potential neural substrate for the human tendency to more readily identify with in-group members and more readily distrust, fear and discriminate against out-group members.
Academic and industry research progress in germanium nanodevices

Silicon has enabled the rise of the semiconductor electronics industry, but it was not the first material used in such devices. During the 1950s, just after the birth of the transistor, solid-state devices were almost exclusively manufactured from germanium. Today, one of the key ways to improve transistor performance is to increase charge-carrier mobility within the device channel. Motivated by this, the solid-state device research community is returning to investigating the high-mobility material germanium. Germanium-based transistors have the potential to operate at high speeds with low power requirements and might therefore be used in non-silicon-based semiconductor technology in the future.
Abstract 894: Genetic variations in the angiogenesis pathway modulate clinical outcomes of bladder cancer

Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC Bladder cancer is the fourth most common cancer in men in the United States. There is compelling evidence suggesting that a patient's genetic background contributes to bladder cancer clinical outcome. Angiogenesis is an essential process required for tumor development, growth, and metastasis. We hypothesized that genetic variations in the angiogenesis pathway may affect the overall survival of bladder cancer patients. We conducted a follow-up study of 397 non-muscle invasive and 320 muscle-invasive bladder cancer patients to systematically evaluate 458 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 24 angiogenesis pathway genes as predicators of prognosis and BCG response. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression adjusting for age, gender, stage, grade, and treatment regimen. In non-muscle invasive bladder cancer patients, no significant SNPs were identified after correction for multiple comparisons. When stratified by BCG treatment, variant KIT rs11735550 was significantly associated with recurrence in patients who did not receive BCG treatment (HR=2.84, 95%CI: 1.67-4.83). In muscle-invasive bladder cancer patients, variant FLT4 rs11750142, rs2447737, rs13168072, and rs11739750 genotypes, and wild-type rs11957360 were significantly associated with increased risk of dying. These SNPs are not in linkage disequilibrium suggesting that each one independently modulates survival. In addition, a significant gene dosage effect was observed for increased risk with increasing number of unfavorable genotypes (P for trend<0.001). Compared to the low-risk group (0-1 unfavorable genotypes), median-risk group (2-3 unfavorable genotypes) and high-risk group (4-5 unfavorable genotypes) showed 1.34- (95%CI: 0.86-2.11) and 2.60-fold (95%CI: 1.66-4.09) increased risk of dying, respectively. In Kaplan-Meier estimates, the low-, median-, and high-risk groups had significantly different median survival time (MST) of 81.9, 67.9, and 31.3 months, respectively (logrank P <0.01). These results support the hypothesis that genetic variations in the angiogenesis pathway modulate clinical outcomes for bladder cancer patients. These findings warrant further replication in independent populations, and could be useful in disease management and the development of targeted therapies for bladder cancer. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 894.
CHARACTERIZATION OF THE LAMINAR BOUNDARY LAYER IN SOLID ROCKET MOTORS

This paper investigates the structure of the boundary layer in cylindrical rocket motors in light of two recent analytical solutions to the timedependent axisymmetric flowfield that have been shown to agree with numerical and experimental predictions in the forward portions of the motor where the flow remains laminar. To that end, closed form expressions that define the character of the oscillatory boundary layer are obtained in order to bring physical details into focus. The short flowfield solution published recently (Majdalani, J., and Van Moorhem, W.K.,
Heterogeneity and probabilistic binding contributions to receptor-mediated cell detachment kinetics.

Biospecific cell adhesion is mediated by receptor-ligand bonds. Early theoretical work presented a deterministic analysis of receptor-mediated cell attachment and detachment for a homogeneous cell population. However, initial comparison of a deterministic framework to experimental detachment profiles of model "cells" (antibody-coated latex beads) did not show qualitative or quantitative agreement (Cozens-Roberts, C., D.A. Lauffenburger, and J.A. Quinn. 1990. Biophys. J. 58:857–872). Hence, we determine the contributions of population heterogeneity and probabilistic binding to the detachment behavior of this experimental system which was designed to minimize experimental and theoretical complications. This work also corrects an error in the numerical solution of the probabilistic model of receptor-mediated cell attachment and detachment developed previously (Cozens-Roberts, C., D.A. Lauffenburger, and J.A. Quinn. 1990. Biophys J. 58:841–856). Measurement of the population distribution of the number of receptors per bead has enabled us to explicitly consider the effect of receptor number heterogeneity within the cell-surface contact area. A deterministic framework that incorporates receptor number heterogeneity qualitatively and quantitatively accounts in large part for the model cell detachment data. Using measured and estimated parameter values for the model cell system, we estimate that about 90% of the observed kinetic detachment behavior originates from heterogeneity effects, while about 10% is due to probabilistic binding effects. In general, these relative contributions may differ for other systems.
Analyses of Slope and Runoff Factors Based on the WEPP Erosion Model

Under process-based erosion model development, the source of sediment transported off a field is separated into that from interrill and rill areas, and separate detachment equations are developed. Limitation of this spatial separation is that, in many conditions, rill and interrill areas are not clearly defined a priori. We interpreted the erosion and deposition equations used in the current Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) in an alternative fashion such that spatial separation of rill and interrill areas is no longer required. Analytic solutions were derived for the WEPP erosion and deposition equations under general conditions. Simplified solutions for a specific case, uniform rain on uniform slope, were examined closely for slope and runoff effects on sediment delivery. Under both erosion and deposition conditions, analytic solutions show a linear relationship between sediment yield, q, and slope, S. The dependency of q, on runoff, qw, is either linear or quadratic depending on whether the system is dominated by an erosion or deposition regime. These analytic findings explain results obtained from laboratory studies in which sediment yield was collected under variable slope and rain intensities. View complete article To view this complete article, insert Disc 5 then click button8
Residual move-out analysis with 3-D angle-domain common-image gathers

We describe a method to update the velocity model from the residual move-out information contained in 3-D angle-domain common-image gathers. The 3-D angle-domain common-image gathers computed after wave-equation migration are functions of the aperture angle and the reection azimuth angle. We perform a velocity error analysis by semblance using 2-D and 3-D residual move-out functions. Both functions enable us to update the velocity model. The 3-D function leads to a better estimation of the velocity error in the case of 3-D events.
Child protection as surveillance of African American families

The over-representation of black children in US out of home care results from racial bias in placement decisions and a political choice to address startling rates of child poverty by investigating parents instead of tackling poverty's societal roots. The impact of state disruption and supervision of African American families is intensified when it is concentrated in inner-city neighbourhoods – the system's ‘racial geography.’ A small case study of a black neighbourhood in Chicago with high rates of out of home placement found profound effects on both family and community social relationships, as well as reliance on child protective services for financial assistance, linking surveillance of black families to the neoliberal shrinking of public programmes. The surveillance of African American women by the child welfare system is also intensified by these women's disproportionate involvement in the prison system. Acknowledging racial bias in child welfare reveals the need to radically transform the system fro...