cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Isolation and characterization of a furfural degrading sulfate-reducing bacterium from an anaerobic digester

A sulfate-reducing bacterium (SRB) was isolated from a continuous anaerobic digester, which converted the furfural-containing wastewater to methane and CO2. This SRB isolate could use furfural, furfuryl alcohol, and 2-furoic acid as sole source of carbon and energy in a defined mineral sulfate medium. Acetic acid was the major end product of furfural degradation. This organism also used wide varieties of other carbon sources, including ethanol, pyruvate, lactate, succinate, propanol, formate, and malate. The SRB isolate contained the electron carrier desulfoviridin. It used SO4, NO3, and thiosulfate as electron acceptors. This isolate used ammonium chloride, nitrate and glutamate as nitrogen source. The characteristics of the SRB isolate were closely similar toDesulfovibrio sp.
Early lumen loss after repeat coronary intervention for in‐stent restenosis

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of balloon angioplasty versus repeat stenting on the early angiographic outcome in patients with in-stent restenosis. The treatment of in-stent restenosis using balloon angioplasty alone often yields excellent early results, but is associated with a high rate of late recurrence. In the SCRIPPS trial, patients with restenosis were treated either with balloon angioplasty alone or placement of additional stents to optimize angiographic results before randomization and exposure of the restenotic segment to gamma radiation or placebo. In patients undergoing repeat catheter based intervention for the treatment of in-stent restenosis, quantitative coronary angiography was used to compare the results of balloon angioplasty alone versus repeat stenting on early lumen loss. After a mean delay time interval of 71 min, the early loss was 0.35 +/- 0.34 mm in the balloon angioplasty alone group compared to 0.01 +/- 0.34 mm in the repeat-stenting group (P = 0.004). The early loss index in the balloon angioplasty alone group (12.8 +/- 12.9%) was significantly greater than in the repeat stenting group (0.7 +/- 12.1%; P = 0.003). Although balloon angioplasty for in-stent restenosis often provides excellent immediate angiographic results, luminal diameters are significantly reduced in the early time period after balloon dilatation. Repeat stenting nearly abolishes this early luminal loss.
Targeting oestrogen to kill the cancer but not the patient

The link between sex steroids and the development and growth of breast cancer has proved to be an invaluable clue for advances in the prevention and treatment of breast cancer. The identification of the oestrogen receptor (ER) not only allowed advances in the molecular endocrinology of oestrogen action, but also provided a target for antioestrogenic therapeutic agents. However, the application of long-term or indefinite treatment regimens has consequences for the breast cancer. New forms of resistance, based upon enhanced cellular survival networks independent of ER and the suppression of apoptotic mechanisms, develop and then evolve. Remarkably, low concentrations of oestrogen collapse survival pathways and induce apoptosis in completely antihormonally refractory breast cancer. However, recurrent oestrogen-stimulated disease is again sensitive to antihormonal therapy. The novel reapplication of the ER as a therapeutic target for apoptosis is emerging as a new strategy for the long-term targeted maintenance treatment of breast cancer, and in formulating a targeted strategy for endocrine independent cancer.
Deuteron NMR Study of Polyaniline and Polyaniline/Clay Nanocomposite

Different forms of solid polyaniline (Pani) and polyaniline intercalated into montmorillonite clay layers have been characterized by solid-state deuteron quadrupole echo and magic angle spinning NM...
Molecular concepts of heterogeneous catalysis

Abstract The causes of surface structure sensitivity and structure insensitivity of catalytic reactions have been explored on the molecular level by modern surface science. The scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) and sum-frequency generation (SFG), surface vibrational spectroscopy, were used to monitor metal substrate and adsorbate molecular structures during catalytic reactions of high pressures (atmosphere). There are two phenomena that dominate the surface chemistry on the molecular level. 1. (1) Absorbate induced restructuring of the metal catalyst is readily detectable. 2. (2) The strongly chemisorbed molecules are stagnant spectators during olefin hydrogenation while the weakly adsorbed π-bonded species that are present on the metal surface only at high pressures are the reactive intermediates that turn over rapidly. CO oxidation studies reveal a similar but somewhat more complex picture again indicating that the adsorbates present only at high reactant pressures are the reactive intermediates. The surface structure sensitivity/insensitivity of catalytic reaction can be explained based on the results of the molecular surface science studies.
The Effect of Pertussis Vaccine on the Insulin- Dependent Diabetes Induced by Streptozotocin in Mice

Protective effect of pertussis vaccine (PV) against the development of insulin-dependent diabetes (IDD) induced by streptozotocin (STZ) in young CD-1 male mice were studied. When PV at a dose of 1.2 X 10(10) microorganism was administered on -10, 0, or +4 d relative to a single injection of STZ (60 mg/kg body wt) on d 0, it completely aborted the development of IDD after 140 d. When PV was given on +30 d after STZ injection and followed by PV booster injections, 66% of mice reverted to normoglycemic state. Intact islet cells in the pancreas were confirmed by histologic findings and normal plasma insulin values. The effect of PV was compared with that of boiled PV in another model of IDD induced by multiple injections of STZ (40 mg/kg for five doses). In this model, 60% of mice either remained or reverted to normoglycemic state with PV and booster injections whereas boiled PV protected 40% of mice from developing IDD. The protective effect appeared to reside in the biologic property of both pertussigen and endotoxin of Bordetella pertussis.
Fluid flow and mass transport at the Valentine wollastonite deposit, Adirondack Mountains, New York State

The Valentine wollastonite skarn in the north-west Adirondack Mountains, New York, is a seven million ton deposit which resulted from channellized infiltration of HzO-rich, silica-bearing fluids. The wollastonite formed by reaction of these fluids with non-siliceous calcite marble. The skarn formed at the contact of the syenitic Diana Complex and was subsequently overprinted by Grenville-age granulite facies metamorphism and retrograde hydrothermal alteration during uplift. Calcite marbles adjacent to the deposit have generally high 6"O values (c. 21%0), typical of Grenville marbles which have not exchanged extensively with externally derived fluids. Carbon isotopic fractiona- tions between coexisting calcite and graphite in the marbles indicate equilibration at 675" C, consistent with the conditions of regional metamorphism. Oxygen isotopic ratios from wollastonite skarn are lower than in the marbles and show a 14% variation (-1% to 13%). Some isotopic heterogeneity is preserved from skarn formation, and some represents localized exchange with low4 ''0 retrograde fluids. Detailed millimetre- to centimetre-scale isotopic profiles taken across skarn/marble contacts reveal steep 8I8O gradients in the skarn, with values increasing towards the marble. The gradients reflect isotopic evolution of the fluid as it reacted with high 6"O calcite to form wollastonite. Calcite in the marble preserves high 6"O values to within <5 mm of the skarn contact. The preservation of high 6"O values in marbles at skarn contacts and the disequilibrium fractionation between wollastonite skarn and calcite marble across these contacts indicate that the marbles were not infiltrated with significant quantities of the fluid. Thus, the marbles were relatively impermeable during both the skarn formation and retrograde alteration. Skarn formation may have been episodic and fluid flow was either chaotic or dominantly parallel to lithological contacts. Although these steep isotope gradients resemble fluid infiltration fronts, they actually represent the sides of the major flow system. Because chromatographic infiltration models of mass transport require the assumption of pervasive fluid flow through a permeable rock, such models are not applicable to this hydrothermal system and, by extension, to many other metamorphic systems where low-permeability rocks restrict fluid migration pathways. Minimum time-integrated fluid fluxes have been calculated at the Valentine deposit using oxygen isotopic mass balance, reaction progress of fluid buffering reactions, and silica mass balance. All three approaches show that large volumes of fluid were necessary to produce the skarn, but silica mass balance calculations yield the largest minimum flux and are hence the most realistic.
Determination of all hamiltonian paths and circuits and the minimal feedback set in a graph through Petri nets

Abstract This paper utilizes the reachability concept of Petri nets for the determination of all Hamiltonian paths and circuits and the minimal feedback vertex or edge set in a graph. The proposed technique for the determination of all Hamiltonian paths and all circuits requires only vector additions on the columns of a single matrix as compared to the matrix multiplications required in the existing techniques. This alleviates the computational efforts. Further, the firing characteristics of Petri nets are used for obtaining the minimal feedback vertex or edge set present in a graph. The proposed techniques are simple, applicable to both directed and undirected graphs and are amenable to digital computer implementation.
The intertextuality of Tsai Ming-liang's Sinofrench film, Face

ABSTRACTThis article considers Tsai Ming-liang's second ‘Sinofrench’ film, Lian/Face (2009), as even more richly intertextual than Ni na bian ji dian/What Time is it There? (2001). The ‘Sinofrench’ entails crossover between France and the ‘sinophone world’, including Taiwan and the mainland. These interactions include intertextuality, adaptation, funding, casting and language. Face's intertextuality echoes What Time's homage to Francois Truffaut and his French New Wave feature debut, The 400 Blows (1959), starring Jean-Pierre Leaud. However, in Face, sponsored by the Louvre, Tsai expands the French cast beyond Leaud's cameo in What Time to Truffaut's ‘leading ladies’, thereby evoking other Truffaut films, and going beyond cinematic intertextuality to theatre (Oscar Wilde's Salome incarnated by French supermodel Laetitia Casta in the film mise-en-abyme), music (Zhang Lu's 1940s Shanghai popular music) and painting (Leonardo da Vinci's St. John the Baptist). Intertextuality facilitates the Sinofrenchness of...
Statistical Correction for Non‐parallelism in a Urinary Enzyme Immunoassay

Abstract Our aim was to develop a statistical method to correct for non‐parallelism in an estrone‐3‐glucuronide (E1G) enzyme immunoassay (EIA). Non‐parallelism of serially diluted urine specimens with a calibration curve was demonstrated in an EIA for E1G. A linear mixed‐effects analysis of 40 urine specimens was used to model the relationship of E1G concentration with urine volume and derive a statistical correction. The model was validated on an independent sample and applied to 30 menstrual cycles from American women. Specificity, detection limit, paral‐lelism, recovery, correlation with serum estradiol, and imprecision of the assay were determined. Intra‐and inter‐assay CVs were less than 14% for high‐ and low‐urine controls. Urinary E1G across the menstrual cycle was highly correlated with serum estradiol (r = 0.94). Non‐parallelism produced decreasing E1G concentration with increase in urine volume (slope = −0.210, p < 0.0001). At 50% inhibition, the assay had 100% cross‐reactivity with E1G and 83% ...
CDK6 binds and promotes the degradation of the EYA2 protein.

Cyclin-dependent kinase 6 (Cdk6) is a D-Cyclin-activated kinase that is directly involved in driving the cell cycle through inactivation of pRB in G1 phase. Increasingly, evidence suggests that CDK6, while directly driving the cell cycle, may only be essential for proliferation of specialized cell types, agreeing with the notion that CDK6 also plays an important role in differentiation. Here, evidence is presented that CDK6 binds to and promotes degradation of the EYA2 protein. The EYA proteins are a family of proteins that activate genes essential for the development of multiple organs, regulate cell proliferation, and are misregulated in several types of cancer. This interaction suggests that CDK6 regulates EYA2 activity, a mechanism that could be important in development and in cancer.
Electrode studies for the long-term ambulatory ECG.

Noise and motion artefacts interfere with ambulatory ECG recording. In the paper the hypothesis that proper skin preparation and electrode design and placement could reduce the artefact levels is tested. The comparison of four commercial electrodes shows differences in adhesive strength and levels of skin irritation but does not indicate significant differences in the artefact levels produced by the electrodes. Four treatments are compared—no skin preparation, rubbing with alcohol, abrasion and puncturing—for their effectiveness in reducing motion artefact. Skin preparations do not reduce the motion artefact significantly but cause much discomfort. Therefore, skin preparation is not recommended. We recorded the signal (QRS complex) to-noise (artefact at the electrode site) ratio at 15 thoracic locations and recommend two pairs for ambulatory ECG recording. The statistical experimental design procedures used can also be adopted for comparison and testing for improvement of other electrode properties and designs.
Effect of Light and Chilling Temperatures on Chilling-sensitive and Chilling-resistant Plants. Pretreatment of Cucumber and Spinach Thylakoids in Vivo and in Vitro

The effects of chilling temperatures, in light or dark, on the isolated thylakoids and leaf discs of cucumber (Cucumis sativa L. "Marketer") and spinach (Spinacia oleracea L. "Bloomsdale") were studied. The pretreatment of isolated thylakoids and leaf discs at 4 C in the dark did not affect the phenazine methosulfate-dependent phosphorylation, proton uptake, osmotic response to sucrose, Ca(2+)-dependent ATPase activity, or chlorophyll content. Exposure of cucumber cotyledon discs and isolated thylakoids of cucumber and spinach to 4 C in light resulted in a rapid inactivation of the thylakoids. The sequence of activities or components lost during inactivation (starting with the most sensitive) are: phenazine methosulfate-dependent cyclic phosphorylation, proton uptake, osmotic response to sucrose, Ca(2+)-dependent ATPase activity, and chlorophyll. The rate of loss of proton uptake, osmotic response to sucrose, Ca(2+)-dependent ATPase activity and chlorophyll is similar for isolated cucumber and spinach thylakoids, whereas spinach thylakoids are more resistant to the loss of phenazine methosulfate-dependent phosphorylation. The thylakoids of spinach leaf discs were unaffected by exposure to 4 C in light. The results question whether the extreme resistance of spinach thylakoids treated in vivo is solely a function of the chloroplast thylakoid membranes and establish the validity of using in vitro results to make inferences about cucumber thylakoids treated in vivo at 4 C in light.
Spatial variability and downscalling of precipitation

Abstract To fully take advantage of regional climate forecast information for agricultural applications, the relationship between regional and station scale precipitation characteristics must be quantified. The spatial variability of precipitation within a region is defined by differences between station and regional standardised values. The spatial variability is quantified at the monthly, seasonal and yearly time scales for the central Oklahoma “super climate division” and the four “climate divisions” included in. For the super climate division, the standard deviation of the differences between station and regional standardised values ranges from minimum values during the winter around 0,55 to maximum values during the summer around 0,80. The decrease of the spatial variability associated with the increase of the time scale is of about 35% from month to season, of about 45% from season to year. Whereas the decrease of spatial variability associated with the decrease in space scale is of about 35% from super-climate division to climate division. An analysis of the distribution of the differences allows to define confidence envelope for local precipitation around the regional value. This study clearly demonstrates the critical influence of the spatial variability of precipitation and the additional uncertainty it introduces in the downscaling of regional information to local applications.
Numerical propagator through PIAA optics

In this communication we address two outstanding issues pertaining the modeling of PIAA coronagraphs, accurate numerical propagation of edge effects and fast propagation of mid spatial frequencies for wavefront control. In order to solve them, we first derive a quadratic approximation of the Huygens wavelets that allows us to develop an angular spectrum propagator for pupil remapping. Using this result we introduce an independent method to verify the ultimate contrast floor, due to edge propagation effects, of PIAA units currently being tested in various testbeds. We then delve into the details of a novel fast algorithm, based on the recognition that angular spectrum computations with a pre-apodised system are computationally light. When used for the propagation of mid spatial frequencies, such a fast propagator will ultimately allow us to develop robust wavefront control algorithms with DMs located before the pupil remapping mirrors.
ESCA: A theoretical intensity model based on the plane-wave approximation

Abstract In this paper, we first of all present a rather simple and convenient theoretical equation, based upon the plane-wave approximation, for the differential cross-section for photoionization of a polyatomic molecule. Next, we derive an intensity model specific for X-ray photoelectron spectra of a general molecule containing first-row atoms. Applications of the model to CH4, H2O, N2, CO, CF4, and CH3OH give very satisfactory results compared with experimental ESCA relative intensities. Similarities and differences between our theoretical model and Gelius' semiempirical model are pointed out and discussed.
Pre-exposure persuasion as a result of commitment to pre-exposure effort

In two recent experiments, Wicklund, Cooper, and Linder (1967) have shown that commitment to perform an effortful task in order to hear a counterattitudinal communication will induced attitude change toward the position espoused in the communication prior to both task performance and exposure. Two formulations within dissonance theory lead to opposing predictions about the effect of obtaining commitment to exposure while introducing the effortful pre-exposure task as a fait accompli. Three conditions successfully replicated the findings of Wicklund et al. The fourth condition demonstrated that attitude change does not occur in this setting unless the subject is informed of both the nature of the communication and the effortful pre-exposure task before commitment.
Tolerance of juvenile black sea bass Centropristis striata to acute ammonia and nitrite exposure at various salinities

Experiments were conducted to determine the acute tolerance of juvenile (mean weight±standard error, 9.9±0.9 g) black sea bass Centropristis striata to environmental un-ionized ammonia-nitrogen (NH3−N) and nitrite-nitrogen (NO2−N) exposure at various salinities. Specifically, median lethal concentrations (LC50 values) of NH3−N and NO2−N at 24, 48 and 96 h of exposure were determined at salinities of 10, 20 and 30 g/L at 22°C. With the exception of LC50 values determined at 48 h, median lethal concentrations of NH3−N to black sea bass were not influenced by environmental salinity; 24, 48, and 96 h LC50 values ranged from 0.81 to 0.85, 0.65–0.77, and 0.46–0.54 mg−NH3−N/L, respectively. In contrast, tolerance of black sea bass to environmental NO2−N was compromised at reduced salinities. Median lethal concentrations of NO2−N to fish at 24, 48 and 96 h of exposure ranged from 288.3 to 429.0, 258.4 to 358.8 and 190.0 to 241.9 mg−NO2−N/L, respectively. Results indicate that while juvenile black sea bass are relatively sensitive to acute NH3−N exposure, they are highly resistant to NO2−N exposure.
Synthesis and properties of polythienylenes

Although polymerization of 2,5-dibromothiophene via coupling of the Grignard reagent with organonickel salts was reported in two earlier communications, a detailed examination of reaction variables was not done. This report provides results from variation in the following: time, amount of magnesium, amount of iodine, dilution, and variation in the halide of the monomer. The highest yield was obtained for reactions with 1:1 molar ratio of monomer to magnesium in more concentrated solutions of tetrahydrofuran for a reaction time of 4 h. For variation in the halogen of the monomer the following yield sequence was obtained: I > Br > Cl. The results are compared with the corresponding benzenoid system investigated by Yamamoto. In addition, polymerization studies were carried out with other brominated thiophene monomers. Use of an organic promoter (cis-1,4-dichloro-2-butene) in place of a nickel salt proved successful in the generation of poly(2,5-thienylene).
A Critical Path Analysis of Scientific Productivity.

Critical path analysis is proposed as a framework for problems of scientific productivity. Scientific productions are critical path problems because a single failed step in a project is sufficient to ruin an experiment or keep a paper from being published. For critical path processes, the probability of failure is a power function of the number of steps. Thus, project success is nonlinearly related to both the skill level and the number of sequential or critical path steps. A queuing model simulation of scientific production is presented. Results for short and long productions are shown to match documented lifetime publication rates of the most prolific (high skill level) and of average scientists (lower skill level). In this model creativity may decrease productivity by shifting the focus to more time consuming problems, increase productivity if the creativity resolves bottlenecks or eliminates problem steps, or have no effect if technique (e.g., observational skill) dominates the project's time budget. Sociological factors affecting productivity can also be integrated into the model. The model has the advantage that it can be tested against scientific diaries and by constructing time budgets and failure analyses of ongoing projects.
Personal Heroes, Religion, and Transcendental Metanarratives

With the increased sociological interest in popular culture, many studies have examined the hero types lauded by the media from situation comedies to movies, books, and magazines. Few studies, however, have examined who, if anybody, actual individuals identify as personal heroes. To the extent that the hero identification of individuals has been examined at all, it has generally been the hero identification of children and adolescents that has been studied. The study of heroes is important because heroes are one indicator of who we are and what we stand for. That is partly what motivates the recent attention to the media's identification of heroes. Yet while the media represent a very visible aspect of culture, who individuals privately cite as their heroes is, although less visible, just as much a part of who we are as a culture. Accordingly, this paper reports on findings from two telephone surveys conducted in Philadelphia that, among other questions pertaining to the meaning of life, asked adults over 18 whether they had any heroes and if so who those heroes were. The tendency to identify with heroes was found to be related to transcendental concerns with the meaning of life and to religiosity. Overall, the pattern of findings discloses an unstudied dimension of cultural disenchantment.
Methylation of unique sequence DNA during spermatogenesis in mice

Abstract In order to study whether changes in methylation of unique sequence DNA were related to meiosis, DNA was purified from F9 embryonal carcinoma (a "primordial germ cell" equivalent), germ cells from immature testes (containing germ cells up to early spermatocytes), sperm, and appropriate somatic tissues. Restriction was performed with the isoschizomers Msp I and Hpa II, and Eco RI as a control. Electrophoresis and Southern transfers were followed by hybridization to a mouse major beta-globin clone (f7), a mouse pancreatic amylase clone (pMPa21), a type I, histocompatibility-2 clone (pH-2D-4), and a spermatid cDNA clone (pPM 459). The variably methylated sites were all hypomethylated in the embryonal carcinoma DNA and hypermethylated in DNA from immature testes and sperm, irrespective of the transcription state of the gene. The pattern in control tissues generally conformed to an inverse correlation of methylation with transcription. These results suggest that hypermethylation of sperm DNA persists from hypermethylation of these sequences early in testicular development, independent of gene expression.
Estimation of myocardial ischemic injury during ventricular fibrillation with total circulatory arrest using high-energy phosphates and lactate as metabolic markers

Study objective: To define the time course of myocardial ischemic injury using high-energy phosphate (HEP) depletion and the cessation of lactate production as metabolic markers. Setting: Data were collected in a laboratory animal model. Type of participants: Ten immature mixed breed swine weighing 23.2 ± 3.5 kg. Design: After thoracotomy transmural myocardial biopsies were taken in vivo during normal sinus rhythm and at designated times during ventricular fibrillation with total circulatory arrest (VF-TCA). Measurements and main results: Frozen tissue samples were analyzed for adenine nucleotides, by high-performance liquid chromatography, and lactate by enzymatic assay. At five minutes of VF-TCA, myocardial adenosine triphosphate averaged 50% of control. At 15 minutes of VF-TCA, 89% of animals had myocardial adenosine triphosphate levels above 20% of control and adenylate charge ratio above 0.60. With more than 30 minutes of VF-TCA, all animals had adenosine triphosphate levels below 10% of control and adenylate charge ratio below 0.30. In addition, myocardial lactate levels plateaued after 30-minutes of VF-TCA, indicating the cessation of lactate production. Conclusion: These results suggest that the myocardium can tolerate VF-TCA for as long as 15 minutes without irreversible injury; however, postischemic myocardial dysfunction may occur after as little as five minutes of VF-TCA. With more than 30 minutes of VF-TCA, myocardial injury is likely to be irreversible.
Neural bases of event knowledge and syntax integration in comprehension of complex sentences

Comprehension of complex sentences is necessarily supported by both syntactic and semantic knowledge, but what linguistic factors trigger a readers' reliance on a specific system? This functional neuroimaging study orthogonally manipulated argument plausibility and verb event type to investigate cortical bases of the semantic effect on argument comprehension during reading. The data suggest that telic verbs facilitate online processing by means of consolidating the event schemas in episodic memory and by easing the computation of syntactico-thematic hierarchies in the left inferior frontal gyrus. The results demonstrate that syntax-semantics integration relies on trade-offs among a distributed network of regions for maximum comprehension efficiency.
Natural Convective Boundary-Layer Flow Over a Vertical Cylinder Embedded in a Porous Medium Saturated With a Nanofluid

In this paper, a boundary layer analysis is presented for the natural convection past a vertical cylinder in a porous medium saturated with a nanofluid. Numerical results for friction factor, surface heat transfer rate, and mass transfer rate have been presented for parametric variations of the buoyancy ratio parameter Nr, Brownian motion parameter Nb, thermophoresis parameter Nt, and Lewis number Le. The dependency of the friction factor, suiface heat transfer rate (Nusselt number), and mass transfer rate on these parameters has been discussed. The results indicate that as Nr, Nb, and Nt increase, the friction factor and heat transfer rate (Nusselt number) decrease. The mass transfer rate (Sherwood number) increases with Le, Nb, and Nt.
Global seismicity of 2002: centroid–moment-tensor solutions for 1034 earthquakes

Abstract Centroid–moment-tensor solutions are presented for 1034 earthquakes that occurred during 2002. The solutions are obtained using the method of Dziewonski et al. [Dziewonski, A.M., Chou, T.-A., Woodhouse, J.H., 1981. Determination of earthquake source parameters from waveform data for studies of global and regional seismicity. J. Geophys. Res. 86, 2825–2852] and applying corrections for aspherical Earth structure represented by the whole-mantle shear-velocity model SH8/U4L8 of Dziewonski and Woodward [Dziewonski, A.M., Woodward, R.L., Acoustic imaging at the planetary scale, in: Emert, H., Harjes, H.-P. (Eds.), Acoustical Imaging, vol. 19. Plenum Press, New York, 1992, pp. 785–797]. The model of anelastic attenuation of Durek and Ekstrom [Durek, J.J., Ekstrom, G., 1996. A radial model of anelasticity consistent with long-period surface wave attenuation. Bull. Seism. Soc. Am. 86, 144–158] is used to predict the decay of the waveforms. The focal mechanisms of the largest, or otherwise significant, earthquakes of 2002 are reviewed.
Molecular Imaging: Current Status and Emerging Strategies

In vivo molecular imaging has a great potential to impact medicine by detecting diseases in early stages (screening), identifying extent of disease, selecting disease- and patient-specific treatment (personalized medicine), applying a directed or targeted therapy, and measuring molecular-specific effects of treatment. Current clinical molecular imaging approaches primarily use positron-emission tomography (PET) or single photon-emission computed tomography (SPECT)-based techniques. In ongoing preclinical research, novel molecular targets of different diseases are identified and, sophisticated and multifunctional contrast agents for imaging these molecular targets are developed along with new technologies and instrumentation for multi-modality molecular imaging. Contrast-enhanced molecular ultrasound (US) with molecularly-targeted contrast microbubbles is explored as a clinically translatable molecular imaging strategy for screening, diagnosing, and monitoring diseases at the molecular level. Optical imaging with fluorescent molecular probes and US imaging with molecularly-targeted microbubbles are attractive strategies as they provide real-time imaging, are relatively inexpensive, produce images with high spatial resolution, and do not involve exposure to ionizing irradiation. Raman spectroscopy/microscopy has emerged as a molecular optical imaging strategy for ultrasensitive detection of multiple biomolecules/biochemicals with both in vivo and ex vivo versatility. Photoacoustic imaging is a hybrid of optical and US techniques involving optically-excitable molecularly-targeted contrast agents and quantitative detection of resulting oscillatory contrast agent movement with US. Current preclinical findings and advances in instrumentation, such as endoscopes and microcatheters, suggest that these molecular imaging methods have numerous potential clinical applications and will be translated into clinical use in the near future.
Preparation of hollow glass microspheres from sol–gel derived glass for application in hydrogen gas storage

Abstract Hollow glass microspheres are produced from a sol–gel derived sodium borosilicate glass with a composition suitable for photo-enhanced hydrogen diffusion for application in hydrogen storage. The heat treated xerogel is suspended and doped with iron sulfate or iron chloride to introduce the transition metal and blowing agent and is spray dried. The spray dried granules are then flame sprayed in an oxy-propane flame to produce glass microspheres. N-Hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride is added to selected suspensions prior to spray drying to produce hollow spray dried particles, which shows promise for improved HGMS. Current spray drying parameters are given, although adjustments are still being made to improve results. Agglomeration of the spray dried granules causes reduced flowability of the granules and decreases the efficiency and quality of the HGMS production. Although microspheres can readily be made of correct composition, many contain numerous small bubbles rather than a single, hollow cavity.
Sodium Nitrite Blocks the Activity of Aminoglycosides against Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms

Sodium nitrite has broad antimicrobial activity at pH 6.5, including the ability to prevent biofilm growth by Pseudomonas aeruginosa on the surfaces of airway epithelial cells. Because of its antimicrobial activity, nitrite is being investigated as an inhaled agent for chronic P. aeruginosa airway infections in cystic fibrosis patients. However, the interaction between nitrite and commonly used aminoglycosides is unknown. This paper investigates the interaction between nitrite and tobramycin in liquid culture, abiotic biofilms, and a biotic biofilm model simulating the conditions in the cystic fibrosis airway. The addition of nitrite prevented killing by aminoglycosides in liquid culture, with dose dependence between 1.5 and 15 mM. The effect was not blocked by the nitric oxide scavenger CPTIO or dependent on efflux pump activity. Nitrite shifted the biofilm minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC-biofilm) from 256 μg/ml to >1,024 μg/ml in an abiotic biofilm model. In a biotic biofilm model, the addition of 50 mM nitrite decreased the antibiofilm activity of tobramycin by up to 1.2 log. Respiratory chain inhibition recapitulated the inhibition of aminoglycoside activity by nitrite, suggesting a potential mechanism of inhibition of energy-dependent aminoglycoside uptake. In summary, sodium nitrite induces resistance to both gentamicin and tobramycin in P. aeruginosa grown in liquid culture, as an abiotic biofilm, or as a biotic biofilm.
Synthesis and Crystal Structure of MnII(OAc)2[15-MCMnIII(N)shi-5](Im)3(EtOH)3 (shi3− = salicylhydroximate, −OAc = acetate, Im = imidazole, and EtOH = ethanol)

The metallacrown complex MnII(OAc)2[15-MC Mn III (N)shi-5](Im)3(EtOH)3 has been synthesized and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy. The compound crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/c with a = 24.3326(15) A, b = 24.0354(15) A, c = 27.0531(17) A, α = 90.00°, β = 100.3883(11)°, γ = 90.00°, V = 15562.5(17) A3, Z = 4, and Z′ = 2. Four of the five manganese(III) ions of the metallacrown ring adopt a distorted octahedral coordination geometry, and the fifth manganese(III) ion is five coordinate and exhibits a distorted square pyramidal environment. The configuration of the manganese(III) ions about the ring follows a pattern of ΔΛΔPP, with P representing planar. In addition, the imidazole units are bound to three separate ring manganese(III) ions, and the imidazole units are directed to the outside of the molecule. A manganese(II) ion is encapsulated in the central core of the molecule, and the central ion is seven coordinate with a face-capped trigonal prismatic geometry. The metallacrown complex MnII(OAc)2[15-MC Mn III (N)shi-5](Im)3(EtOH)3 was synthesized and characterized by FT-IR and single-crystal X-ray diffraction.
Inhalant Use, Inhalant-Use Disorders, and Antisocial Behavior: Findings From the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC)*

Objective:Few studies have explored the topography of antisocial behavior in a nationally representative sample of inhalant users. We examined (a) the lifetime prevalence of 20 childhood and adult antisocial behaviors in inhalant users with inhalant-use disorders (IUD+) and without IUDs (IUD−); (b) the nature and strength of associations between inhalant use, IUDs, and specific antisocial behaviors in multi-variate analyses; and (c) the relationships between inhalant use, IUDs, and antisocial behaviors in a national sample of adults with antisocial personality disorder. Method:The National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions was a multistage national survey of 43,093 U.S. residents. Respondents completed a structured psychiatric interview. Results:IUD+ and IUD− respondents were significantly younger and more likely to be unemployed, to be male, to have never married, and to report family and personal histories of alcohol and drug problems than inhalant nonusers. Family histories of alco...
An Experimental Investigation of Hobbesian Jungles

Abstract Hobbes's state of nature serves as the analytical starting point for much of what economists have written on anarchy and the formation of government. Unfortunately little historical evidence exists about how men behaved in a “state of nature”, if such a situation ever even existed. We conducted a laboratory experiment to create a Hobbesian state of nature and observe the level of economic efficiency subjects achieve. We also investigate Buchanan's conjecture that people would unanimously agree to a social contract against theft.
The effect of time synchronization errors on the performance of cooperative MISO systems

We consider a wireless sensor network scenario where closely packed nodes can he grouped into clusters. Although each node might have only a single antenna, nodes within a cluster can cooperate during transmission or reception, thereby forming a cooperative multiple input multiple output (MIMO) system. Much of the work in the area of cooperative MIMO has assumed perfect synchronization between the nodes in the network and the associated benefits have been investigated. We examine this assumption in a system where a cluster of nodes cooperatively transmits to a single receive node over a flat fading channel. We evaluate the effect of clock jitter between nodes on the performance of this cooperative multiple input single output (MISO) system. The clock jitter at the transmit nodes results in the lack of a reference clock at the receive node and causes inter-symbol interference (ISI). This leads to a performance degradation in the system. However, simulation results indicate that jitters as large as 10% of the bit time do not have much effect on the BER performance of the system. We also show that when the channel is not undergoing fading, the power penalty due to the clock jitter is independent of the number of transmit nodes and the penalty increases as the SNR increases.
Integrity Verification of Outsourced XML Databases

Recent years have witnessed an increasing trend of enterprises outsource their IT services to third parties. A major concern in database outsourcing paradigm is integrity verifcation. Two important issues of integrity verifcation are correctness and completeness. In this paper, we consider these two issues for outsourced XML databases. We propose a novel auditing mechanism that provides the guarantees for both of them. Our experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of our approaches.
Highly accurate non-intrusive speech forensics for codec identifications from observed decoded signals

The ability to detect a particular speech codec from only the decoded audio has several useful forensic and system performance improvement applications. This paper presents a novel scheme for non-intrusive identification of speech codecs. The identification approach is based upon comparing a profile of a set of noise spectra and a time-domain histogram from the decoded speech to those from the candidate codecs. The presented results show a very high accuracy in identifying speech contemporary codecs from a diverse set of types and encoding rates. The presented codec identification scheme has a very low misidentification rate, including in the high coding rate regime where it improves on previous works by achieving perfect identification. This performance is achieved while reducing the duration of the analysis window of speech from 2 minutes to only 4 seconds.
Establishing Connectors as Integration Services

A "pure" service-oriented architecture (SOA) is an architectural style with a loose-coupling of services (components) that interact via message passing (connectors) through the standards based and WSDL defined service interfaces regardless of the interacting components heterogeneity.
Morbidity and mortality associated with accidentally entrapped pulmonary artery catheters during cardiac surgery : A case series

ULMONARY ARTERY CATHETERS (PACs) are commonly used in patients undergoing cardiac surgery to guide hemodynamic management in the perioperative period. Although some early studies suggested that the PAC may provide valuable information that cannot be acquired in less invasive ways, 1,2 the routine use of the PAC for cardiac surgery remains controversial, especially in the light of 2 large studies with more than 1,300 randomized cardiac surgical patients that failed to show improvements in morbidity or mortality. 3,4 This lack of benefit is echoed in more recent studies pertaining to critically ill, noncardiac surgical patients, which imply that the use of the PAC may even increase morbidity and risk of hospital death. 5-7 Numerous complications associated with PACs have been described, 8,9 including entrapment. 10-21 The authors report a series of eight cases collected over a five-year period at a single institution in which the PAC was inadvertently sutured to cardiac structures during the course of the cardiac surgical procedure, leading to serious morbidity in seven patients and death in one patient.
Achieving a polio free world

Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the spread of polio is an international public health emergency, and a coordinated international response is sought. Although the importance of such a response is recognized, there are challenges to stopping the spread of polio and achieving a polio free world. The most important issue is directing limited national resources to the specific areas where polio is endemic. In an article published in BMC Medicine, Upfill-Brown and his colleagues recognized this problem and successfully identified the potential risk areas in Nigeria using a validated spatial predictive model of wild poliovirus circulation. They also showed that a lower vaccine-derived population immunity is associated with the probability of a higher number of wild poliovirus cases within a district. Identification of the potential risk areas and understanding the magnitude of risk may help direct limited resources of the endemic countries to areas most at risk to maximize the impact of interventions and motivate the people to participate in the intervention program. These efforts are crucial if these endemic countries hope to eradicate polio.
Incidence of Venous Thromboembolism After Bariatric Surgery: A Population-Based Cohort Study

The incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) after bariatric surgery is uncertain. Using the resources of the Rochester Epidemiology Project and the Mayo Bariatric Surgery Registry, we identified all residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota, with incident VTE after undergoing bariatric surgery from 1987 through 2005. Using the dates of bariatric surgery and VTE events, we determined the cumulative incidence of VTE after bariatric surgery by using the Kaplan–Meier estimator. Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to assess patient age, sex, weight, and body mass index as potential predictors of VTE after bariatric surgery. We identified 396 residents who underwent 402 bariatric operations. The most common operation was an open Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (n = 228). Eight patients had VTE that developed within 6 months (7 within 1 month) after surgery; five events occurred after hospital discharge but within 1 month after bariatric surgery. The cumulative incidence of VTE at 7, 30, 90, and 180 days was 0.3, 1.9, 2.1, and 2.1 %, respectively (180-day 95 % confidence interval (CI), 0.7–3.6 %). Patient age was a predictor of postoperative VTE (hazard ratio, 1.89 per 10-year increase in age; 95 % CI, 1.01–3.55; P = 0.05). In our population-based study, bariatric surgery had a high risk of VTE, especially for older patients. Because most VTE events occurred after hospital discharge, a randomized controlled trial of extended outpatient thromboprophylaxis is warranted in patients undergoing open Roux-en-Y gastric bypass for medically complicated obesity.
General surgery program directors' perceptions of the match.

To identify expectations of general surgery program directors (PDs) for recruitment behavior, and to document the experiences, perceptions, and ethical dilemmas they experienced with the 1998 National Resident Matching Program (NRMP).Two hundred sixty-five general surgery PDs were asked to complete a 30-item written questionnaire. Questions inquired about PD perceptions of students' interviewing practices, how communication with applicants is conducted and interpreted, and overall perceptions of the match.A total of 77.7% of PDs responded. A total of 44% of PDs found nothing wrong with students interviewing in multiple specialties and conceded legitimate reasons for doing so; yet, 75% of PDs felt this practice negatively affected students' rank order. A total of 46.6% of programs told students to keep in touch to be ranked; only 8.7% of PDs believed students' stated interest, and 76.6% of PDs said these affirmations had no effect on students' rank. A total of 36.5% of PDs felt students made informal commitments to them, and 90.4% felt students at least sometimes lied to them. A total of 51.7% of PDs felt the match was a reasonable process that needed no changes.As long as the stakes are high and there are no repercussions for unethical behaviors and practices during residency recruitment, gamesmanship will continue to be the accepted culture.
A study on the influencing factors of urinary iodine concentration and the relationship between iodised salt concentration and urinary iodine concentration

The aim of the present study was to explore the influencing factors of urinary iodine concentration (UIC) and the relationship between iodised salt concentration and UIC in order to give suggestions for the surveillance of iodine nutrition status. For this purpose, a multi-stage cluster sampling technique was employed in the present cross-sectional study. Correlations between UIC and salt iodine concentration were evaluated by Spearmen's correlation analysis. Risk factors of having a lower UIC were identified by logistic regression analysis, and the equations of UIC and salt iodine concentration were fitted by curve regression analysis. The median UIC was found to be 162·0 (25th-75th percentile 98·2-248·6) μg/l. The UIC was correlated with salt iodine concentration (Spearman's ρ = 0·144, P< 0·05). The multiple logistic regression analysis found the following influencing factors for having a lower UIC: age (OR 0·98, 95% CI 0·98, 0·98, P< 0·05); sex (OR 0·81, 95% CI 0·71, 0·92, P< 0·05); education level (OR 0·87, 95% CI 0·83, 0·90, P< 0·05); status of occupation (OR 0·91, 95% CI 0·86, 0·96, P< 0·05); occupation (OR 1·03, 95% CI 1·00, 1·05, P< 0·05); pickled food (OR 1·24, 95% CI 1·08, 1·42, P< 0·05); salt iodine concentration (OR 1·03, 95% CI 1·02, 1·03, P< 0·05). The curve regression analysis found that UIC (y) and salt iodine concentration (x) could be expressed by the following equation: y= 1·5772x 1·4845. In conclusion, the median UIC of individuals in Zhejiang Province falls within optimal status as recommended by the WHO/UNICEF/International Council for Control of IDD. To maintain optimal iodine nutrition status, salt iodine concentration should be in the range of 16·4 to 34·3 mg/kg.