cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Aspergillus ficuum extracellular pH 6.0 optimum acid phosphatase: purification, N-terminal amino acid sequence, and biochemical characterization

An extracellular acid phosphatase, pH optimum 6.0 from crude culture filtrate of Aspergillus ficuum was purified to homogeneity using cation exchange chromatography and chromatofocusing steps. SDS-PAGE of the purified enzyme exhibited two stained bands at approximately 82-KDa and 70-KDa. The mobility of the active enzyme in gel permeation chromatography indicated the molecular mass to be about 85-KDa. In the concentrated form the enzyme appeared to be purple, the visible absorption spectrum shows a lambda max at 580 nm. On the basis of molecular mass of 82-KDa, the molar extinction coefficient of the enzyme at 280 nm and 580 nm was estimated to be 1.2 x 10(5) M-1 cm-1 and 1.3 x 10(3) M-1 cm-1 respectively. Judging by chromatofocusing, the isoelectric point of the enzyme was about 4.9. The purified enzyme was unstable at 70 degrees C. The enzyme was catalytically very active from 55 degrees to 65 degrees C with a maximum activity at 63 degrees C. The Michaelis constant of the enzyme for p-nitrophenylphosphate was 200 microM with a computed Kcat of 260 per sec. Although the enzyme was insensitive to fluoride, tartrate, and N-ethylmaleimide (NEM), it was competitively inhibited by phosphomycin (Ki = 1.00 mM) and inorganic orthophosphate (Ki = 165 microM). While the enzyme was relatively insensitive to Mn++, Cu++ and Zn++ inhibited the activity 540 fold at a concentration of 100 microM. The enzyme showed positive PAS staining and hence is a glycoprotein (28% glycosylation); the sugar composition suggests the presence of N-linked high mannose-oligosaccharides and galactose. A partial N-terminal amino acid sequence up to the thirty-fourth residue was elucidated.
Abstract 321: IL-6 in the tissue microenvironment plays a direct role in normal prostatic neoplastic transformation

Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL Increased elevated levels of serum IL-6, the major inflammatory mediator, has been shown to be associated with development of progressive diseases in many types of cancers. We have previously shown that chronic exposure of immortalized benign prostate epithelial cells to paracrine IL-6 can induce tumorigenic transformation and further EMT (epithelial-mesochymal-transition)-associated metastasis in xenografts through stimulating autocrine IL-6 signaling and transactivating type I Insulin-like Growth Factor Receptor (IGF-IR). Whether IL-6, as a result of inflammation, in the tissue microenvironment can solely initiate tissue-specific de novo tumorigenesis is unclear. To address this question, we have generated a novel line of prostate-specific IL-6 transgenic mouse, in which human IL-6 (hIL-6) was expressed under the prostate-specific probasin promoter. We found that enforced expression of hIL-6 transgene in normal mouse prostate epithelium is sufficient to induce neoplastic transformation of the prostate gland, demonstrated by disappearance of base cell layer of the prostate gland and loss of E-cadherin and increased proliferation of the epithelium. Expression of the hIL-6 transgene also induced autocrine mouse IL-6 secretion in the prostate gland and sustained activation of STAT3 pathway in the epithelium and the stroma. Strikingly, IL-6 transgenic mice have increased peri-prostatic adipose tissue in which STAT3 was highly phosphorylated in comparison to the wild-type littermate. There is no significant increase in infiltration of T cells or B cells in the prostate of IL-6 transgenic animals. However, significantly increased infiltration (P<0.01) of FoxP3+ lymphocytes was seen in the stroma of the prostate in the IL-6 transgenic animals in comparison to wild-type littermates. These data suggest that IL-6 as a pro-inflammatory cytokine alone can induce tissue-specific tumorigenesis through induction of autocrine IL-6 secretion and remodeling tissue microenvironment. Our finding suggests that inflammation may play a direct role beyond being the “stimuli” or “fuel” in tumorigenesis. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 321. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-321
Efficacy of duplex ultrasound surveillance after infrainguinal vein bypass may be enhanced by identification of characteristics predictive of graft stenosis development

Objective Controversy regarding the efficacy of duplex ultrasound surveillance after infrainguinal vein bypass led to an analysis of patient and bypass graft characteristics predictive for development of graft stenosis and a decision of secondary intervention. Methods Retrospective analysis of a contemporary, consecutive series of 353 clinically successful infrainguinal vein bypasses performed in 329 patients for critical (n = 284; 80%) or noncritical (n = 69; 20%) limb ischemia enrolled in a surveillance program to identify and repair duplex-detected graft stenosis. Variables correlated with graft stenosis and bypass repair included: procedure indication, conduit type (saphenous vs nonsaphenous vein; reversed vs nonreversed orientation), prior bypass graft failure, postoperative ankle-brachial index (ABI) Results Overall, 126 (36%) of the 353 infrainguinal bypasses had 174 secondary interventions (endovascular, 100; surgery, 74) based on duplex surveillance; resulting in 3-year Kaplan-Meier primary (46%), assisted-primary (80%), and secondary (81%) patency rates. Characteristics predictive of duplex-detected stenosis leading to intervention (PSV: 443 ± 94 cm/s; Vr: 8.6 ± 9) were: "abnormal" initial duplex testing indicating moderate (PSV: 180-300 cm/s, Vr: 2-3.5) stenosis (P Conclusions The efficacy of duplex surveillance after infrainguinal vein bypass may be enhanced by modifying testing protocols, eg, rigorous surveillance for "higher risk" bypasses, based on the initial duplex scan results and other characteristics (warfarin therapy, non- single segment saphenous vein conduit, redo bypass) predictive for stenosis development.
High-pressure/high-temperature studies in geophysics

Summary Experimental studies of the properties of Earth materials at high pressures and temperatures similar to those that exist within the Earth's interior have played a vital role in our understanding of the interior of the Earth. The results of these experimental studies have made it possible for us to utilize geophysical measurements such as seismic velocities to better understand the nature and evolution of the Earth's interior.
Minimal link visibility paths inside a simple polygon

Abstract We show that it is NP-hard to find a polygonal path π with a minimum number of turns inside a simple polygon P such that every point of P is visible from at least one point on π. In proving this main result, we show two other related problems to be NP-hard as well. Specifically, given a set S of points (edges) in P , the problems of finding a tour witha minimum number of turns that visits each point (edge) in S exactly once are also shown to be NP-hard. An approximation algorithm that finds a suboptimal path with the number of turns no greater than 3 times that of an optimal solution is also presented.
Prevention of Hydrogen Assisted Damage in Sour Service

Hydrogen assisted cracking (HAC) could lead to catastrophic failures in oil and gas industry piping and pressurized equipment with consequences ranging from heavy financial impact to fatality. Wet sour hydrocarbon services could lead to catastrophic consequences ranging from loss of lives to a heavy financial impact. This paper provides effective measures on raw plate/coil and pipes manufacturing and testing processes to eliminate susceptibility to avoid the occurrence of HAC failures including hydrogen-induced cracking (HIC), stress oriented HIC and sulfide stress cracking. These techniques include the following measures: (1) Quality control of plate/coil (raw product) manufacturing process and testing requirements, (2) quality control of pipe (finished product) manufacturing process and testing requirements, and (3) pipe selection criteria and field application quality control. Implementation of these requirements will result in enhanced oil and gas plants’ safety/reliability, reduced maintenance/inspection costs, and unnecessary usage of corrosion mitigation methods, such as cladding, coating or inhibition systems. Case histories are included in this paper to illustrate the root causes of HAC.
How much can guided modes enhance absorption in thin solar cells

Absorption enhancement in thin metal-backed solar cells caused by dipole scatterers embedded in the absorbing layer is studied using a semi-analytical approach. The method accounts for changes in the radiation rate produced by layers above and below the dipole, and treats incoherently the subsequent scattering of light in guided modes from other dipoles. We find large absorption enhancements for strongly coupled dipoles, exceeding the ergodic limit in some configurations involving lossless dipoles. An antireflection-coated 100-nm layer of a- Si:H on Ag absorbs up to 87% of incident above-gap light. Thin layers of both strong and weak absorbers show similar strongly enhanced absorption.
Robust Morse Decompositions of Piecewise Constant Vector Fields

In this paper, we introduce a new approach to computing a Morse decomposition of a vector field on a triangulated manifold surface. The basic idea is to convert the input vector field to a piecewise constant (PC) vector field, whose trajectories can be computed using simple geometric rules. To overcome the intrinsic difficulty in PC vector fields (in particular, discontinuity along mesh edges), we borrow results from the theory of differential inclusions. The input vector field and its PC variant have similar Morse decompositions. We introduce a robust and efficient algorithm to compute Morse decompositions of a PC vector field. Our approach provides subtriangle precision for Morse sets. In addition, we describe a Morse set classification framework which we use to color code the Morse sets in order to enhance the visualization. We demonstrate the benefits of our approach with three well-known simulation data sets, for which our method has produced Morse decompositions that are similar to or finer than those obtained using existing techniques, and is over an order of magnitude faster.
SU(3) corrections to form factors at

Abstract We compute the O( 1 M , m s ) heavy quark and SU(3) corrections to B s → D s eν form factors. In the limit of vanishing light quark mass, B s → D s eν form factors are given in terms of the the B → Deν form factors, the leading order chiral parameter g , and two O( 1 M ) chiral parameters g 1 and g 2 . All the chiral parameters can be extracted, in principle, from other heavy meson decays. Analytic counterterms proportional to the strange quark mass are presented for completeness, but no predictive power remains when they are included. Anomalously large loop corrections warn of poor convergence of the heavy quark chiral symmetry expansion for these processes. This suggests that naive extrapolations of B → D form factors relying on heavy quark and chiral symmetries, as often used in monte carlo simulations of lattice QCD, may incur large errors.
The prolactin gene hypersensitive sites are present early in development and are not induced by estrogen administration.

We have previously shown that two DNase Ihypersensitive sites are present upstream of the PRL gene in pituitary tumors of Fischer 344 rats. In this paper we present a method for examining hypersensitive sites in nontumorous pituitaries where PRL-producing lactotrophs comprise a small percentage of the total cell population. Using this method we are able to show that DNase I-hypersensitive sites in the PRL gene chromatin remain present even when estrogen is withdrawn from animals and PRL synthesis is markedly decreased. Furthermore, the hypersensitive sites appear before sexual development in female rats, and estrogen administration does not affect the appearance of the sites. (Endocrinology 117: 2098–2105, 1985)
The role of interfacial coatings on the high frequency fatigue behavior of nicalon/C/SiC composites

A significant number of researchers have shown that, under monotonic loading, a weak fiber/matrix interface is desirable in obtaining toughness and graceful failure in continuous fiber reinforced ceramic composites (CFCCs). Such an interface is usually accomplished by the insertion of a thin coating (typically 0.1--1 {micro}m thick) such as C or BN, which is compliant enough to relieve residual clamping stresses from processing, and whose structure consists of several weakly bonded basal planes. Holmes et al. showed that in a unidirectional Nicalon/CAS composite with a weak interface, increasing loading frequency caused a significant decrease in fatigue life. Due to repeated frictional sliding of fibers, a significant amount of heat is generated by the specimen, and a large temperature rise is observed. In fact, Sorensen and Holmes have shown that immersing specimens in oil, in order to create a lubricating layer at the fiber/matrix interface, can dramatically improve the fatigue life of the composite. Following this observation of Sorensen and Holmes, the authors have hypothesized that thicker interfacial coatings may improve the fatigue life of CFCCs. To this end, Nicalon/SiC composites were examined, with a carbon coating of 0.33 and 1.1 {micro}m. The samples were identical in nature, except for themore » interfacial coating thickness.« less
Operation, Design and Testing of Generator 100% Stator Earth Fault Protection Using Low Frequency Injection

This paper describes the development of a new 100% generator stator earth fault protection scheme, based on low frequency injection principle. The design of a new analogue input module and the digital filtering technique are presented. Results of the simulation and site testing are also discussed.
The maximum group delay in a resonator: an unconventional approach

We introduce a definition of group velocity for a system with a discreet spectrum and apply it to a linear resonator. We show that a positive, negative, or zero group velocity can be obtained for light propagating in the whispering gallery modes of a microspherical resonator. The associated group delay is practically independent of the ring-down time of the resonator. We demonstrate "stopped light" in an experiment with a fused silica microsphere.
Hematopoietic differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells from patients with mucopolysaccharidosis type I (Hurler syndrome)

Mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS IH; Hurler syndrome) is a congenital deficiency of α-L-iduronidase, leading to lysosomal storage of glycosaminoglycans that is ultimately fatal following an insidious onset after birth. Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is a life-saving measure in MPS IH. However, because a suitable hematopoietic donor is not found for everyone, because HCT is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, and because there is no known benefit of immune reaction between the host and the donor cells in MPS IH, gene-corrected autologous stem cells may be the ideal graft for HCT. Thus, we generated induced pluripotent stem cells from 2 patients with MPS IH (MPS-iPS cells). We found that α-L-iduronidase was not required for stem cell renewal, and that MPS-iPS cells showed lysosomal storage characteristic of MPS IH and could be differentiated to both hematopoietic and nonhematopoietic cells. The specific epigenetic profile associated with de-differentiation of MPS IH fibroblasts into MPS-iPS cells was maintained when MPS-iPS cells are gene-corrected with virally delivered α-L-iduronidase. These data underscore the potential of MPS-iPS cells to generate autologous hematopoietic grafts devoid of immunologic complications of allogeneic transplantation, as well as generating nonhematopoietic cells with the potential to treat anatomical sites not fully corrected with HCT.
A History Lesson for President Putin

Someone should inform Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is seeking to displace scientists and germ plasm at the Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry so federal bureaucrats can move into the space (“Prestigious plant institute in jeopardy,” News of the Week, 31 Jan., p. [641][1]), that 61 years ago, several Vavilov scientists sacrificed their lives in a truly heroic, unprecedented, and ultimately successful effort to preserve the Institute's invaluable seed collections ([1][2]). During the 880-day seige of Leningrad by the Germans during World War II, tens of thousands of city residents died of starvation. Fully understanding that the country's agricultural future depended on their ability to preserve the Institute's diverse gene stocks, the scientists knew that they must protect the collections, which were largely made up of seeds, fruits, and tubers, all very edible and nutritious. The scientists divided and dispersed some of the collections and guarded others around the clock. Despite being severely undernourished themselves and despite working within meters of a vast supply of food, the scientists chose death over depleting the country's genetic heritage. A total of eight of Vavilov's scientists died in 1942, and at least one, Alexander G. Stchukin, a peanut specialist, actually died at his desk ([1][2]). Putin should make sure these true Russian heroes did not die in vain. Rather than trying to supplant the Institute, Putin and his advisers should be taking steps to protect the underfunded and embattled gene bank (the second largest in the world), so that Russia's agricultural genetic diversity can be preserved and used to help feed Russia's future generations. 1. [↵][3]1. V. Krivchenko, 2. S. Alexanyan , Diversity 7, 10 (1991). [OpenUrl][4] [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.299.5607.641a [2]: #ref-1 [3]: #xref-ref-1-1 "View reference 1 in text" [4]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DDiversity%26rft.volume%253D7%26rft.spage%253D10%26rft.atitle%253DDIVERSITY%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx
Departing the safe harbor

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to describe recent publications designed to assist librarians and other information professionals in understanding copyright law in an academic context.Design/methodology/approach – The article highlights some of the more important and/or contentious areas noted within the publications.Findings – The article focuses on fair use, and the variance of its interpretations.Originality/value – The article provides a broader understanding of the ways in which copyright law affects digitization efforts.
Head and Rod 1 Interactions in Vimentin: IDENTIFICATION OF CONTACT SITES, STRUCTURE, AND CHANGES WITH PHOSPHORYLATION USING SITE-DIRECTED SPIN LABELING AND ELECTRON PARAMAGNETIC RESONANCE*

We have used site-directed spin labeling (SDSL) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) to identify residues 17 and 137 as sites of interaction between the head domain and rod domain 1A of the intermediate filament protein vimentin. This interaction was maximal when compared with the spin labels placed at up- and downstream positions in both head and rod regions, indicating that residues 17 and 137 were the closest point of interaction in this region. SDSL EPR characterization of residues 120-145, which includes the site of head contact with rod 1A, reveals that this region exhibits the heptad repeat pattern indicative of α-helical coiled-coil structure, but that this heptad repeat pattern begins to decay near residue 139, suggesting a transition out of coiled-coil structure. By monitoring the spectra of spin labels placed at the 17 and 137 residues during in vitro assembly, we show that 17-137 interaction occurs early in the assembly process. We also explored the effect of phosphorylation on the 17-137 interaction and found that phosphorylation-induced changes affected the head-head interaction (17-17) in the dimer, without significantly influencing the rod-rod (137-137) and head-rod (17-137) interactions in the dimer. These data provide the first direct evidence for, and location of, headrod interactions in assembled intermediate filaments, as well as direct evidence of coiled-coil structure in rod 1A. Finally, the data identify changes in the structure in this region following in vitro phosphorylation.
The antibody responses to pneumococcal capsular polysaccharides in aged individuals.

AbstractA population of elderly individuals was studied following immunization with the pneumococcal capsular polysaccharides of types 3 and 8. The antibody responses, determined by indirect hemagglutination (IHA) and by radioimmunoassay (RIA), before and 2 weeks following immunization were compared to those in young adults. Immunoglobulin levels were measured prior to immunization. The numbers of individuals showing a significant increase in antibodies to the polysaccharides of pneumococcal types 3 and 8 were comparable in both age groups when assayed by IHA and RIA. In addition, the mean fold increases in levels of antibodies measured by IHA and by RIA were not significantly lower to either polysaccharide in the elderly group. Postimmunization levels of antibody in the elderly, determined by RIA, were lower to both polysaccharides studied than in young adults, but only those to pneumococcal polysaccharide type 3 differed at a stastically significant level. Comparison of immunoglobulin levels in elderly ...
A MIDRANGE ESTIMATOR OF LOCATION

ABSTRACT An introductory example shows that the sample mean is not always the best estimator for the population mean. The example is generalized and, by the use of ascending factorial moments, a best estimator is found. The results are good exercises in combinatorial mathematics. Some variations of the basic problem are also suggested.
Detection of Functional Complement Components in Gingival Crevicular Fluid from Humans with Periodontal Disease

Crevicular fluid was collected from patients with periodontitis and tested for the presence of a functional complement system. The effect of dental plaque on the first complement component (C1) was studied. Results indicated functional C1 and functional whole complement activities in gingival crevicular fluid are rapidly inactivated by dental plaque and possibly other host factors.
On a Representation of Friction in Configuration Space

This article provides a geometric representation of friction for a rigid planar part with two translational and one rotational degrees of freedom. The article constructs a generalized friction cone by imbedding into the part's configuration space the force constraints that define the classic Coulomb friction cone in real space. The resulting representation provides a simple geometric method for determining the possible motions of a part subjected to an applied force and torque. The representation has been used both for simulating part motions and for planning assem bly operations. The approach generalizes to the six-dimensional configuration space of a three-dimensional part.
A procedure for constructing dentures with interchangeable teeth.

Abstract Studies that compare different types of complete denture teeth have repeatedly emphasized the importance of standardizing all denture factors, except the type of teeth. Within-subject comparisons have also been recommended to avoid personal differences between patients. For optimum results, one denture should be constructed for each patient with interchangeable teeth. This article describes a simple and accurate procedure for constructing dentures with interchangeable posterior teeth. (J Prosthet Dent 1997;78:609-13.)
Crafting educational intervention research that's both credible and creditable

Pressley and Harris' concerns about the current quality of educational intervention research are applauded. They are also extended to distinguish between research credibility (scientific believability) and research creditability (educational commendability). A “best possible” design philosophy is introduced to enable intervention researchers to craft research that is both credible and creditable.
Subcellular distribution of phospholipid-sensitive calcium-dependent protein kinase in guinea pig heart, spleen and cerebral cortex, and inhibition of the enzyme by Triton X-100.

The subcellular distribution of phospholipid-sensitive Ca2+-dependent protein kinase in guinea pig heart was found to be: cytosol, 73%; microsome, 18%; plasma membrane, 9%; nuclei and mitochondria, < 0.1%. The enzyme in spleen and cerebral cortex was distributed nearly equally in the cytosolic and total (unfractionated) particulate fractions. The particulate enzyme in heart was released by EGTA (2.5 mM) alone but not by Triton X-100 (0.3%) alone, although a combination of the two was most effective. On the other hand, the particulate enzyme in spleen and cerebral cortex was released only by a combination of Triton X-100 and EGTA. Triton X-100 inhibited the enzyme, and this inhibition was reversed by phosphatidylserine (a phospholipid cofactor for the enzyme). The detergent, however, was without effect on cyclic AMP-dependent and cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinases.
A gas ionization counter for particle identification

Abstract A method is described for the identification of products from nuclear reactions. A gas ionization counter is used as a thin (0.8 mg/cm2) transmission detector in a counter telescope particle-identification system. The response of the system is approximately linear in Z for the ions produced by heavy-ion-induced fission of medium-Z targets. Reaction products with Z up to ∽ 30 can be well resolved. Methods of fabrication of entrance windows for the counter are discussed and a procedure for determination of the window thickness is presented. Generally entrance windows were either Formvar or VYNS with a thickness of 40–60μg/cm2.
Universal Memcomputing Machines

We introduce the notion of universal memcomputing machines (UMMs): a class of brain-inspired general-purpose computing machines based on systems with memory, whereby processing and storing of information occur on the same physical location. We analytically prove that the memory properties of UMMs endow them with universal computing power (they are Turing-complete), intrinsic parallelism, functional polymorphism, and information overhead , namely, their collective states can support exponential data compression directly in memory. We also demonstrate that a UMM has the same computational power as a nondeterministic Turing machine, namely, it can solve nondeterministic polynomial (NP)-complete problems in polynomial time. However, by virtue of its information overhead, a UMM needs only an amount of memory cells (memprocessors) that grows polynomially with the problem size. As an example, we provide the polynomial-time solution of the subset-sum problem and a simple hardware implementation of the same. Even though these results do not prove the statement NP = P within the Turing paradigm, the practical realization of these UMMs would represent a paradigm shift from the present von Neumann architectures, bringing us closer to brain-like neural computation.
Concentration and management of Bemisia tabaci in cantaloupe as a trap crop for cotton

A greater settling and retention of Bemisia tabaci adults on cantaloupes over cotton was the basis for examining the potential of cantaloupes to serve as a trap crop and reduce infestations of B. tabaci in cotton. The preference of adults for leaves of cantaloupe compared to cotton in caged cylindrical arenas in the greenhouse was greater than 67% on average. However, when adults had access to whole plants rather than individual leaves in uncaged bench-top experiments, the preference for cantaloupe was greater than 90%. In field trials conducted in central Arizona over two seasons, much higher numbers of B. tabaci adults infested cantaloupes compared to cotton with egg and small nymph densities more than 10-fold greater on 9 of 12 sampling dates in 1998. The difference between trap crop-protected cotton and unprotected cotton was relatively small, although lower densities consistently occurred in protected cotton through the season. An improved field design in 1999 that provided greater separation between protected and unprotected cotton and completely surrounded the protected cotton with the trap crop yielded larger differences in B. tabaci densities that favored the protected cotton. Although densities in the protected cotton were reduced relative to unprotected cotton, the managed trap crop was unable to prevent economic thresholds from being exceeded in the protected cotton.
Relative frequency of health care-associated pathogens by infection site at a university hospital from 1980 to 2008.

Background We describe the relative frequency of health care-associated pathogens by infection site over 29 years using hospital-wide surveillance data from a large academic hospital. Methods Comprehensive hospital-wide surveillance was provided by trained infection preventionists using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention definitions. Five 5-year blocks and one 4-year block were created for each site: bloodstream infections (BSI), urinary tract infections (UTI), respiratory tract infections (RTI), and surgical site infections (SSI). The blocks of relative frequency of health care-associated pathogens were compared by χ 2 analysis, and trends for each pathogen were estimated by regression analysis. Results At least 1 pathogen was isolated from 28,208 (83.5%) of 33,797 health care-associated infections (HAI). Staphylococcus aureus , coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS), Enterococcus species, and Clostridium difficile and other anaerobes significantly increased, whereas Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Klebsiella species, Enterobacter species, and other streptococci significantly decreased in the relative proportion of pathogens during the study period. By infection site, results showed significant increasing trends of S aureus in UTI, RTI, and SSI; CoNS in BSI and SSI; Candida in SSI; and Enterococcus in BSI and UTI. Conclusion Significant changes in relative frequency of health care-associated pathogens by infection site occurred over the 29-year period. These findings have implications for implementation of infection prevention strategies.
eComment. Balancing the pulmonary circulation in tricuspid atresia with an aortopulmonary window.

It was interesting to read the article by Peer et al. on "Tricuspid atresia with aortopulmonary window: challenges in achieving a balanced circulation" [1]. The authors are commended in dealing with a difficult situation of tricuspid atresia with an aortopulmonary window, as there are no established treatment guidelines, given the extreme rarity of this condition. Tricuspid atresia with pulmonary over-circulation is known with a 30% incidence. The present case represents such a situation. While every attempt was made to keep the procedure extracardiac to balance pulmonary circulation, simple ligature of the aortopulmonary window was feasible in this case due to a favourable anatomy. However, simple suturing, besides not definitely treating the condition, carries a risk associated with the distortion of the left coronary ostia or the right pulmonary artery. The child had three consecutive procedures to address the whole problem. An alternative strategy would have been to leave the aortopulmonary window intact with restricting the pulmonary over-circulation with bilateral branch pulmonary artery banding. A similar approach with an univerticular physiology has been described for hypoplastic left heart syndrome [2]. Even if the ventricular septal defect would have become restrictive, as it happened in this case, pulmonary circulation via the aorto-pulmonary window would have been maintained. This may have potentially saved an extraoperative procedure of creating a systemic to pulmonary shunt. The child could then be palliated finally with a definitive repair of the aorto-pulmonary window and tracked along a modified Fontan pathway. Conflict of interest: none declared
Abstract C71: DEAR1 orchestrates selective control over the epithelial-mesenchymal transition axis of TGFβ's function

Little is known about the cellular mechanisms that govern the context dependent roles of the critical cytokine TGFβ, which functions in breast cancer as either a tumor suppressor to restrict proliferation in early stage disease or a master driver of epithelial-mesenchymal transition during invasion and metastasis. We previously reported the discovery of the TRIM protein DEAR1(annotated as TRIM62) as a gene that is mutated and homozygously deleted in early onset breast cancers and functions as a dominant regulator of acinar morphogenesis in three dimensional (3D) culture, suggesting that DEAR1 is a novel tumor suppressor that regulates both polarity and tissue architecture. Herein we demonstrate that loss of function of DEAR1 in immortal mammary epithelial cells (HMECs) resulted in a failure of acinar morphogenesis in the presence of TGFβ and was required for TGFβ-induced cell migration, invasion and anoikis resistance, all of which key indicators of TGFB-driven EMT. However, DEAR1 loss did not affect TGFβ-induced proliferation suppression, indicative that DEAR1 exerts a selective negative control over TGFβ-mediated EMT oncogenic functions while preserving TGFβ9s growth suppressive functions. These results indicate that the mechanisms governing the dual functions of TGFβ are separable and that it is possible to selectively block the deleterious arm of TGFβ9s function. In addition, DEAR1 suppressed TGFβ-SMAD3 signaling by binding to and ubiquitinating SMAD3, the major effector of TGFβ-meditated EMT. Furthermore, treatment of DEAR1 knockdown HMECs with a SMAD3 inhibitor or SMAD3 shRNA rescued the DEAR1 loss of function phenotype as evidence by the downregulation of expression of EMT markers and inhibition of migration induced by TGFβ in strong support that DEAR1 specifically blocks TGFβ-induced EMT through the regulation of SMAD3 protein levels and suggestive that results could have clinical significance for stratifying breast cancers for targeted therapies aimed at the oncogenic arm of this pathway. These data demonstrate a significant role for DEAR1 in the control of TGFβ-induced EMT as well as present a novel paradigm for regulation of one of the most important pathways aberrant in human breast cancer. Citation Format: Nanyue Chen, Ret., Seetharaman Balasenthil, Yu Cao, Ann M. Killary. DEAR1 orchestrates selective control over the epithelial-mesenchymal transition axis of TGFβ9s function. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Tumor Invasion and Metastasis; Jan 20-23, 2013; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(3 Suppl):Abstract nr C71.
Stock market risk and dollarization in Ecuador

We study the impact of dollarization and related economic liberalization of Ecuador in January 2000 on the distribution of stock returns in Ecuador. While the mean dollar return of investing in Ecuadorian stocks changed from large and negative to large and positive, traditional measures of volatility such as the SD of returns actually increased after dollarization. However, focusing on the tails of the distribution and extreme events, we find that the tail thickness of the distribution of Ecuador stock returns increased for positive returns but decreased for negative returns. Thus, while the SD may have increased, it is because of a greater probability of large positive returns. The probability of large negative returns decreased post dollarization. Value at Risk estimates illustrates this phenomenon.
A Variational Asymptotic Method for Unit Cell Homogenization of Elastoplastic Heterogeneous Materials

The variational asymptotic method for unit cell homogenization (VAMUCH) is a unified micromechanical numerical method that is able to predict the effective properties of heterogeneous materials and to recover the microscopic stress/strain field. The objective of this paper is to incorporate elastoplastic material behaviors into the VAMUCH to predict the nonlinear macroscopic/microscopic response of elastoplastic heterogeneous materials. The constituents are assumed to exhibit various behaviors including elastic/plastic anisotropy, isotropic/kinematic hardening, and plastic non-normality. The constitutive relations for the constituents are derived and implemented into the theory of VAMUCH. This theory is implemented using the finite element method, and an engineering code, VAMUCH, is developed for the micromechanical analysiso of unit cells. The applicability, power, and accuracy of the theory and code of VAMUCH are validated using several examples including predicting the initial and subsequent yield surfaces, stress-strain curves, and stress-strain hysteresis loops of fiber reinforced composites. The VAMUCH code is also ready to be implemented into many more sophisticated user-defined material models.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Teacher Efficacy and Bias in Special Education Referrals

Abstract This study investigated teachers' sense of efficacy and biases in their decisions to refer students to special education. Teachers (N = 240) read a case study about a student with academic difficulties and judged the appropriateness of the student's regular class placement and whether they would refer the student. Teachers were randomly assigned to one of six conditions, in which student socioeconomic status (SES) and etiology of the learning problem were varied. Findings revealed that teachers who perceive themselves as ineffectual consider regular education inappropriate for underachieving students from low-SES families; teachers who believe that they are effective do not differentiate students by SES. Further, teachers referred students whose learning problems had an unspecified etiology more than those whose problems were medically or environmentally based. Thus, teachers' referral decisions appear to be biased by variables unrelated to the specific academic difficulties of the student.
Genomic Profiling of Kidney Ischemia-Reperfusion Reveals Expression of Specific Alloimmunity-Associated Genes: Linking "Immune" and "Nonimmune" Injury Events

Increased organ ischemia time leads to delayed graft function (DGF), increased acute rejection (AR), enhanced chronic allograft nephropathy (CAN), and reduced long-term allograft survival. The mechanisms by which IRI predisposes to AR and CAN are unknown. We hypothesized that gene expression profiling of ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI)-affected kidney would identify how IRI predisposes to AR and CAN. Furthermore, we examined how current immunosuppressive drug molecular targets are altered by IRI. C57BL/6J mice were exposed to 30 (n = 3) or 60 (n = 3) minutes of bilateral kidney ischemia or sham surgery (n = 5). At 36 hour kidney tissue was collected and analyzed using Affymetrix 430MOEA (22626 genes) array and GC-RMA-SAM pipeline. Genes with the false discovery rate (q < 1%) and +/-50% fold change (FC) were considered affected by IRI. Genes coding for histocompatibility and antigen-presenting factors, calcineurin, and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway-associated proteins were selected using Gene Ontology (GO) analysis. GO analysis identified 10 and 17 alloimmunity-related genes affected by IRI induced by 30 and 60 minutes of ischemia, respectively, including Traf6 (FC = 2.99) and H2-D1 (FC = 2.58). We also detected significant IRI genomic responses in calcineurin and mTOR pathways represented by Fkbp5 (FC = 4.18) and Fkbp1a (FC = 2.0), and Eif4ebp1 (FC = 16.8) and Akt1 (FC = 3.64), respectively. These data demonstrated that IRI up-regulates expression of several alloimmunity-associated genes, which can in turn enhance alloimune responses. Our discovery of IRI-induced up-regulation of genes associated with calcineurin and mTOR pathways are consistent with clinical observations that FK506 and Rapamycin can alter the course of DGF. Further validation and dissection of these pathways can lead to novel approaches by which improved management of early "nonimmune" transplant events can decrease susceptibility to more classic "immune" changes and CAN.
Spatial Variability of Soil Properties at Capulin Volcano, New Mexico, USA: Implications for Sampling Strategy

Abstract Non-agricultural lands are surveyed sparsely in general. Meanwhile, soils in these areas usually exhibit strong spatial variability which requires more samples for producing acceptable estimates. Capulin Volcano National Monument, as a typical sparsely-surveyed area, was chosen to assess spatial variability of a variety of soil properties, and furthermore, to investigate its implications for sampling design. One hundred and forty one composited soil samples were collected across the Monument and the surrounding areas. Soil properties including pH, organic matter content, extractable elements such as calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), potassium (K), sodium (Na), phosphorus (P), sulfur (S), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu), as well as sand, silt, and clay percentages were analyzed for each sample. Semivariograms of all properties were constructed, standardized, and compared to estimate the spatial variability of the soil properties in the area. Based on the similarity among standardized semivariograms, we found that the semivariograms could be generalized for physical and chemical properties, respectively. The generalized semivariogram for physical properties had a much greater sill value (2.635) and effective range (7 500 m) than that for chemical properties. Optimal sampling density (OSD), which is derived from the generalized semivariogram and defines the relationship between sampling density and expected error percentage, was proposed to represent, interpret, and compare soil spatial variability and to provide guidance for sample scheme design. OSDs showed that chemical properties exhibit a stronger local spatial variability than soil texture parameters, implying more samples or analysis are required to achieve a similar level of precision.
GP VERSUS GLS SPATIAL INDEX MODELS TO FORECAST SINGLE-FAMILY HOME PRICES

This paper investigates use of genetic programming regression models to forecast home values. Neighborhood prices in a city are represented by a quarterly index. Index values are ratios of each local neighborhood to the global city average real price of homes sold. Relative average neighborhood home attributes, local socioeconomic characteristics, spatial measures, and real mortgage rates explain spatiotemporal variations in the index. To examine efficacy of model estimation, forecasts obtained using genetic programming are compared with those obtained using generalized least squares. Out-of-sample genetic programming predictions of home prices obtained using spatial index models deliver reasonable forecasts of home prices.
Antibacterial nanoparticle monolayers prepared on chemically inert surfaces by Cooperative Electrostatic Adsorption (CELA)

Cooperative electrostatic adsorption (CELA) is used to deposit monolayer coatings of silver nanoparticles on relatively chemically inert polymers, polypropylene, and Tygon. Medically relevant components (tubing, vials, syringes) coated by this method exhibit antibacterial properties over weeks to months with the coatings being stable under constant-flow conditions. Antibacterial properties of the coatings are due to a slow release of Ag+ from the particles. The rate of this release is quantified by the dithiol-precipitation method coupled with inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES) analysis.
Design issues for ultracompact multimode interference-based 3dB power splitters

Optical power splitters are important components in the design of optoelectronic systems and optical communication networks such as Mach-Zehnder mterferometric switches [1], in WDM filters, for flattening the wavelength response [2], ring lasers [3] and Sagnac interferometers [4]. The ease of fabrication, compactness, low-loss, wide bandwidth and low polarization dependence of the Multimode Interference (MMI)-based devices have established them for use in several wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) systems. Deeply etched semiconductor waveguides are more tolerant to fabrication process and less polarization dependent and widely used in the design of multiplexers/demultiplexers, optical modulators and compact bend design. Recently, compact tapered MMI-based 3dB splitters [5], and also another novel ultra-compact that can also be fabricated in photonic gap materials [6], have been proposed, however, this later one is still a new concept and it may take some time fore their commercial implementation, and therefore further investigation of their properties and fabrication tolerances are required. In the present work such tapered MMI-based 3dB splitters have been considered and the access waveguide junction and MMI region propagation losses, the dispersion and wavelength tolerance of the above devices have been examined.
Solving methods of combinatorial geometric problems

There is considerable experience of organization and management of mathematical contests and interest groups in Latvia. It is necessary to analyse solutions of different mathematical challenges in out-door activities for to develop students' skills of solving non-standard problems. For this reason collections of thematically related problems with references to applicable methods are useful as valuable manuals for teachers and also as a source of original ideas for the students' independent work. Frequently students' attention is attracted by problems which do not require complicated mathematical formulae. For instance the combinatorial geometric problems deal with systems of geometric objects requiring to estimate dimensional quantities, or to investigate the features of decomposition as well as covering or colouring of geometric figures. Although these problems seem rather simple, various methods are used in their solutions, where general geometric regularities are supplemented with results from different fields of mathematics in combination with general thinking methods such as mathematical induction, the method of invariants and the mean value method. An effective auxiliary in problem solution is the mean value method, which allows making qualitative estimates of given objects by dealing with their quantitative properties.
Defects in hydrogenated SrO

The paramagnetic V/sub OH/ and V/sub F/ defects generated by ..gamma.. irradiation at 77 K have been observed in hydrogenated SrO crystals. These defects are not stable at room temperature. EPR and electron-nuclear double-resonance measurements have been performed at low temperature in order to identify the impurity nucleus. In both cases, the defect is axially symmetric about a crystalline axis. An analysis of the anisotropic hyperfine coupling constants of these centers in MgO, CaO, and SrO shows that there is an approximate linear dependence between the distance from the trapped hole (oxygen-fluorine for the V/sub F/ and oxygen-oxygen for the V/sub OH/) and the crystal lattice parameter. A complex structure in the vicinity of g approx. = 2, probably due to aggregate defects, is shown to be associated with hydrogen. (AIP)
Substitutable Protections: Credible Commitment Devices and Socioeconomic Insulation

Scholars have argued that credible commitment institutions have important impacts on political outcomes as diverse as economic growth and social order. If commitment institutions function as theori...
Cationic iron complexes containing the η2-Butatriene ligand

Abstract Cationic iron complexes of the type Fp(alkene) + (Fp =η 5 -C 5 H 5 (CO) 2 Fe) containing an unsubstitutedη 2 -butatriene ligand are synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic and analytical data.