cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Recurrent coarctation: is surgical repair of recurrent coarctation of the aorta safe and effective?

Background Persistence or recurrence of stenosis is a complication of coarctation repair and is associated with major long-term morbidity. The rate of recurrence varies significantly, depending on the age of the patient, technique at initial repair, and the arch anatomy. We reviewed our experience with surgical repair of recurrent coarctation of the aorta and compared it with our institutional experience with balloon aortoplasty. Methods We retrospectively reviewed our experience with 1,012 patients undergoing initial repair of coarctation between 1960 and 2008. During that time, 103 patients (10%) required reintervention. Median age at reintervention was 6.5 years (range, 2 weeks to 44 years) and median weight was 12 kg (range, 1.9 to 94 kg). Fifty-nine patients with recoarctation had surgical repair, and 44 patients were treated with balloon aortoplasty with or without stent placement. Results Ninety-five percent of patients have been followed up (median time, 14.2 years; range, 2 months to 42 years). There were 5 late deaths. Actuarial survival was 98% at 15 and 40 years in patients with surgical reintervention, and it was 91% (p = 0.001) at 15 years in patients with balloon aortoplasty reintervention. A second redo coarctation of the aorta reintervention was performed in 12 patients: 8 patients after percutaneous intervention (nonsurgical) and 4 patients after surgical recoarctation repair. The median interval between first and second reintervention was 3.5 years (range, 1 month to 14 years). One patient who had two dilations underwent a third and fourth reintervention: patch enlargement and pseudoaneurysm resection. Freedom from reintervention in the surgical group was 96% at 15 years and 94% at 40 years, which was compared with actuarial freedom from reintervention for patients with percutaneous intervention (balloon/stent) at 15 years (82%; p Conclusions Our study demonstrates that surgical repair of recurrent coarctation of the aorta can be performed safely and with excellent results. The recurrence after surgical reintervention is low, and most patients to date have not required further intervention. Balloon aortoplasty as an alternative method of managing recoarctation is efficient and less invasive than surgery; however, well-described complications may occur. Recurrence rates with angioplasty are significantly higher than with surgery.
Aeroelastic and Aerothermoelastic Analysis in Hypersonic Flow: Past, Present, and Future

H YPERSONIC flight began in February 1949 when a WAC Corporal rocket was ignited from a U.S.-captured V-2 rocket [1]. In the six decades since this milestone, there have been significant investments in the development of hypersonic vehicle technologies. The NASA X-15 rocket plane in the early 1960s represents early research toward this goal [2,3]. After a lull in activity, the modern era of hypersonic research started in the mid-1980s with the National Aerospace Plane (NASP) program [4], aimed at developing a single-stage-to-orbit reusable launch vehicle (RLV) that used conventional runways. However, it was canceled due mainly to design requirements that exceeded the state of the art [1,5]. A more recent RLV project, the VentureStar program, failed during structural tests, again for lack of the required technology [5]. Despite these unsuccessful programs, the continued need for a low-cost RLV, as well as the desire of the U.S. Air Force (USAF) for unmanned hypersonic vehicles, has reinvigorated hypersonic flight research. An emergence of recent and current research programs [6] demonstrate this renewed interest. Consider, for example, the NASA Hyper-X experimental vehicle program [7], the University of Queensland HyShot program [8], the NASA Fundamental Aeronautics Hypersonics Project [9], the joint U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Administration (DARPA)/USAF Force Application andLaunch fromContinentalUnited States (FALCON) program [10], the X-51 Single Engine Demonstrator [11,12], the joint USAF Research Laboratory (AFRL)/Australian Defence Science and Technology Organisation Hypersonic International Flight Research Experimentation project [13], and ongoing basic hypersonic research at the AFRL (e.g., [14–20]). The conditions encountered in hypersonic flows, combined with the need to design hypersonic vehicles, have motivated research in the areas of hypersonic aeroelasticity and aerothermoelasticity. It is evident from Fig. 1 that hypersonic vehicle configurations will consist of long, slender lifting body designs. In general, the body, surface panels, and aerodynamic control surfaces are flexible due to minimum-weight restrictions. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 2, these
A complete bridge technic utilizing the alginate hydrocolloids.

A s e a r c h of the dental literature shows A. wealth of material stressing the im­ portance of a complete roentgenographic examination prior to the con­ struction of a fixed partial denture or bridge. Much progress is also reported in esthetics, sanitation, abutment prepara­ tions, pontic design and in the technical procedures involved. The informed ob­ server, however, will readily note the absence of material on the application of the science of occlusion to bridgework. The standards by which a fixed par­ tial denture is judged have changed in recent years. Modem laboratory proce­ dures make the construction of a per­ fectly fitting crown or bridge common­ place; an artistically matched, shaded and stained facing or pontic is no longer a novelty. Harmony in function is the standard by which a restoration is judged today. No matter how perfect the mar­ gins are or how expertly matched the facings, if the occlusal surfaces of the new restoration are not shaped to function in harmony with the remainder of the teeth, the requirements of modern crown and bridgework have not been met. In the past, restorations have been made only to preserve a tooth or to fill a gap in the dental arch. Crowns and bridges were constructed to restore teeth individually or in small sections of the arch, but seldom did they transform it into a healthy functioning machine. All prospective bridge patients are den­ tal cripples in varying degrees, depending upon the number of missing teeth and other forms of dental pathosis present. A studied examination will usually reveal the presence of mobile and drifting teeth, elongated and malposed teeth, and vary­ ing degrees of cuspal interferences, all of which add up to a poorly functioning mouth. When treating these patients, it is fun­ damentally sound to assume that all the forces exerted by the muscles of masti­ cation should be as equally distributed throughout the remaining teeth as is mechanically possible. The correction of these forces or equilibration of occlusion must be accomplished before the abut­ ment preparations are begun and then must be maintained throughout the con­ struction of the prosthesis. If this pro­ cedure is not followed, some of the re­ maining teeth will be overloaded by poorly distributed stresses, resulting in a more rapid destruction of the supporting bony structures than otherwise would oc­ cur.
Comparison of FPS-16 radar/jimsphere and NASA's 50-MHz radar wind profiler turbulence indicators

Measurements of the wind and turbulent regions from the surface to 16 km by the FPS-11 radar/jimsphere system are reported with particular attention given to the use of these turbulence and wind assessments to validate the NASA 50-MHz radar wind profiler. Wind profile statistics were compared at 150-m wavelengths, a wavelength validated from 20 jimspheres, simultaneously tracked by FPS-16 and FPQ-14 radar, and the resulting analysis of auto spectra, cross-spectra, and coherence squared spectra of the wind profiles. Results demonstrate that the NASA prototype wind profiler is an excellent monitoring device illustrating the measurements of the winds within 1/2 hour of launch zero.
Circulating plasma cells with Russell bodies in osteosclerotic myeloma.

![Figure][1] A 58-year-old white female had severe bone pain for 1 week. Increased levels of free λ light chain (2423 mg/L) were present in the serum with decreased levels of all immunoglobulins. The complete blood count and differential were within normal limits. The peripheral blood smear
Contribution of Baroreceptors to the Control of Renal Function

Electrical stimulation of the left stellate ganglion of the dog is associated with an increase in urine flow, in electrolyte and total solute excretion, and in the renal clearance of inulin. These changes appear rapidly, are well maintained during prolonged stimulation, and stop soon after stimulation has ceased. The hemodynamic responses associated with these changes are an increase in arterial pulse pressure, an increase or no change in mean arterial blood pressure, and a decline in mean left atrial pressure. The diuretic response to stellate ganglion stimulation is diminished, but not abolished, by bilateral cervical vagotomy as are the changes in electrolyte excretion, total solute excretion, and the renal clearance of inulin. However, the hemodynamic responses are not greatly modified by cervical vagotomy. Vagotomy just above the diaphragm does not appear to modify these responses. The effect of vagotomy on the renal responses to stellate stimulation appears to be a result of sectioning baroreceptor afferent nerves which traverse the vagus nerves. The rapidity of the renal response to stellate stimulation, its temporal relation to the hemodynamic changes, and the effect of cervical vagotomy indicate that the diuresis is, to a large degree, secondary to withdrawal of renal sympathetic vasoconstrictor nerve discharge. The similarities between the renal responses to stellate stimulation and to intravenous infusions indicate that infusion diuresis may be mediated, at least in part, by the same mechanism. When renal blood flow is measured directly in the perfused kidney, carotid occlusion is associated with little change or with a decrease in renal blood flow at a time when renal arterial pressure increases. When renal blood flow is maintained constant in the perfused kidney, carotid artery occlusion is associated with an increase in renal arterial pressure. The intrarenal administration of the adrenergic blocking agent, phenoxybenzamine, can prevent the increase in renal vascular resistance during carotid occlusion indicating that it is due to an adrenergic mechanism. The renal pressure-flow curve is displaced down and to the right during carotid occlusion; autoregulation of renal blood flow is still observed, although at a lower level of blood flow. All these changes indicate that the primary renal response to carotid occlusion is vasoconstriction mediated by the renal sympathetic nerves. It is well-known that urine flow increases when renal arterial pressure is increased independent of a change in the activity of the renal vasoconstrictor nerves and independent of a change in renal blood flow. Consequently, the rise in arterial pressure associated with carotid occlusion can contribute directly to the response of the kidney to carotid occlusion. The variability of the changes in water and electrolyte excretion by the kidney during carotid occlusion may represent a varying contribution of direct and reflex mechanisms to the total response.
Studies of Jet Fuel Freezing by Differential Scanning Calorimetry and Cold-Stage Microscopy

Aircraft which fly at high altitude or encounter extremely cold environments have the potential for fuel freezing and, consequently, catastrophic failure of the fuel system. Thus, it is important to study the freezing of hydrocarbon jet fuels. In the current work, a differential scanning calorimeter is used to study thermal characteristics and phase transitions of freezing jet fuel. In addition, a cold-stage microscope is used to record images of the resulting crystalline microstructure. A kinetic representation for the freezing of jet fuel is presented. Kinetic mechanisms that describe the liquid-to-solid phase transformation in fuels are necessary for the development of computational fluid dynamics models that can be used by aircraft designers.
Implicit valuation of a blood-exclusion decision.

This paper presents an implicit valuation of Israel's decision to exclude blood donations from Ethiopian immigrants. The approach adopts assumptions that deliberately over state the public health effectiveness of this policy, for if such an analysis fails to justify exclusion on public health grounds, nothing will. Building on a recent (over)estimate of the number of infectious donations prevented by the ban, the analysis considers the cost of HIV-infectious donations entering the blood supply, the benefits of healthy do nations, and the cost of needlessly screening blood that will be discarded without regard to the test result. The analysis also highlights the social costs of excluding donors on the basis of ethnicity. The possibility of downstream HIV transmission from transfusion recipients infected from contaminated blood is also considered. All such calculations are made in a manner that deliberately favors the exclusion decision. In spite of such a one-sided analysis, the author concludes that the e...
Synthesis and Responsive Properties of Dibenzoylmethane Metallobiomaterials

Incorporation of ligands and metals into polymers by controlled methods yields multifunctional responsive materials. Dibenzoylmethane (dbm) is a beta-diketone ligand that binds metal and metalloid ions such as boron, iron or europium in a bidentate fashion producing complexes with one or more dbm chelates. Modification of dbm with biocompatible poly(lactic acid) (PLA) allows materials processing and leads to responsive metallobiomaterials. This is accomplished by modification of dbm with hydroxyl groups (e.g. dbmOH), that serve as initiators for lactide polymerization. Improved control is noted when dbm is protected as iron or boron complexes, namely Fe(dbmOH)3 or BF2(dbmOH). Furthermore, the iron center in iron tris(dbmOH) also functions as a catalyst for the polymerization; no tin catalyst is required. Redorange iron-centered three arm star polymers, Fe tris(dbmPLA), are obtained. Acid sensitivity of these materials provides a method for dbm ligand dissociation, demetalation and production of dbmPLA macroligands for coordination to other metals such as Eu. Currently, dbmPLA and its polymeric iron complexes are being fabricated as nanoparticles. Light emitting B and Eu dbm complexes are also under investigation. Progress in the synthesis, characterization and nanoscale fabrication of dbm ligand and metal based polymeric biomaterials is reported.
Multi-Vth Level Conversion Circuits for Multi-VDD Systems

Employing multiple supply voltages (multi-VDD) is attractive for reducing the power consumption without sacrificing the speed of an integrated circuit (IC). In order to transfer signals among the circuits operating at different voltage levels specialized voltage interface circuits are required. Two novel multi-threshold voltage (multi-Vth) level converters are proposed in this paper. The proposed level converters are compared with the previously published circuits for different values of the lower supply voltage. When the circuits are individually optimized for minimum power consumption in a 0.18mum CMOS technology, the proposed level converters offer significant power savings of up to 70% as compared to the previously published circuits. Alternatively, when the circuits are individually optimized for minimum propagation delay, speed is enhanced by up to 78% with the proposed circuits.
Code-switching and the optimal grammar of bilingual language use*

In this article, we provide a framework of bilingual grammar that offers a theoretical understanding of the socio-cognitive bases of code-switching in terms of five general principles that, individually or through interaction with each other, explain how and why specific instances of code-switching arise. We provide cross-linguistic empirical evidence to claim that these general sociolinguistic principles, stated as socio-cognitive constraints on code-switching, characterize multi-linguistic competence in so far as they are able to show how “local” functions of code-switching arise as specific instantiations of these “global” principles, or (products of) their interactions.
Front End Planning for Buildings

Front End Planning is arguably the single most important process in the building project life cycle. Known in architecture terms as programming, schematic design, and design development, this phase of the project is many times poorly performed leading to less than successful outcomes. Front End Planning is focused on creating a strong, early link between the business or mission need, project strategy, scope, cost, and schedule and maintaining that link unbroken throughout the project life. Anecdotally, many companies admit that good front end planning is rare, however it is required for every building project. This paper will focus on past and current front end planning research conducted by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin. The results of over a dozen case study evaluations will be presented from an ongoing research investigation from projects worth over $1.5 billion. Additionally, statistics on front end planning effectiveness, including the relationship between front end planning and cost and schedule growth, will be shown using a sample of projects worth several billion dollars. Key findings and advice from this study will be provided for industry practitioners.
Proteasome-Mediated Degradation of the Papillomavirus E2-TA Protein Is Regulated by Phosphorylation and Can Modulate Viral Genome Copy Number

The bovine papillomavirus E2 proteins regulate viral transcription, replication, and episomal genome maintenance. We have previously mapped the major phosphorylation sites of the E2 proteins to serine residues 298 and 301 and shown that mutation of serine residue 301 to alanine leads to a dramatic (10- to 20-fold) increase in viral DNA copy number. In this study we analyzed how phosphorylation regulates E2 protein function. S301 is located in a PEST sequence; these sequences are often found in proteins with a short half-life and can be regulated by phosphorylation. We show here that the E2 protein is ubiquitinated and degraded by the proteasome. Mutation of serine 301 to alanine increases the half-life of E2 from approximately 50 min to 160 min. Furthermore, the A301 E2 protein shows greatly reduced ubiquitination and degradation by the proteasome. These results suggest that the E2 protein level is regulated by phosphorylation, which in turn determines viral episomal copy number.
The utility of office-based biopsy for laryngopharyngeal lesions: comparison with surgical evaluation.

Objectives/Hypothesis Advances in flexible endoscopy with working-channel biopsy forceps have led to excellent visualization of laryngopharyngeal lesions with capability for in-office awake biopsy. Potential benefits include prompt diagnosis without risk of general anesthesia, preoperative counseling, and avoiding an anesthetic should the lesion return benign. We evaluate the accuracy of these biopsies in order to determine their role and diagnostic value. Study Design Retrospective chart review. Methods Medical records were reviewed from January 1, 2010, through July 31, 2013, of patients who underwent office-based current procedural terminology code 31576 and were taken to the operating room for direct microlaryngoscopy with biopsy/excision. Clinical diagnoses and pathology reports were reviewed. For statistical analysis, we considered three groups: 1) malignant and premalignant, 2) lesions of uncertain significance, and 3) benign lesions. Results In the study period, 76 patients with an office biopsy had a clinical picture to warrant direct microlaryngoscopy and biopsy/excision. Kendall's coefficient for each group indicated moderate correlation only. When groups 1 and 2 were considered together, there was a substantial and statistically significant correlation. For malignant and premalignant lesions, the office biopsy analysis was as follows: sensitivity = 60%, specificity = 87%, positive predictive value = 78%, and negative predictive value = 74%. Conclusion Office biopsy may offer early direction and avoid operative intervention in some cases; however, for suspected dysplastic or malignant lesions, direct microlaryngoscopy should be the standard of care to ensure adequate full-thickness sampling and staging. For benign pathology, office biopsy is a safe and viable alternative to direct microlaryngoscopy and biopsy/excision. Level of Evidence 4. Laryngoscope, 125:909–912, 2015
"Sex Offender Treatment: Two Promising Approaches"

Copyright: © 2013 Mancini C. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. It is with great pleasure that I share the following editorial, “Sex Offender Treatment: Two Promising Approaches” published in the inaugural issue of Sociology and Criminology. This innovative openaccess journal promises to appeal to a wide range of audiences interested in criminology and criminal justice. The OMICS Group Special features of the journal ensure rapid dissemination of high quality studies in the discipline. This commentary focuses on an important and controversial public policy issue in our field—sex offender treatment. It argues that in conjunction with punishment, treatment efforts should also be considered for sex offender management in the U.S.
Effects of ethanol sipper and social opportunity on ethanol drinking in rats.

Aims: The present study evaluates the effects of pairing ethanol sipper conditioned stimulus (CS) with social opportunity unconditioned stimulus (US) on CS-directed ethanol drinking in rats. Subjects were Long-Evans male rats (n = 32) deprived of neither food nor water, and the concentration of unsweetened ethanol (3 to 16%) in the sipper CS was increased across sessions. Methods: Group Paired/Ethanol (n = 12) received the ethanol sipper CS for 10 s immediately prior to 15 s of social opportunity US. Control groups received water rather than ethanol in the sipper CS (Paired/Water), or ethanol sipper CS and US presentations randomly (Random/Ethanol), or ethanol sipper CS but no social opportunity US (Sipper Only). Results: Mean ethanol intake in the Paired/Ethanol and Random/Ethanol groups exceeded 1.0 g/kg when the sipper CS contained 12%, 14% and 16% ethanol, and higher fluid intakes were observed in the Paired/Ethanol and Random/Ethanol groups than in the Paired/Water and Sipper Only groups. Conclusions: Social opportunity increased ethanol drinking, and more so than water drinking; however, autoshaping did not induce additional ethanol drinking beyond that observed in random controls.
Documenting Molt-migration in Western Kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis) Using Two Measures of Collecting Effort

ABSTRACT. We used museum specimens to describe the timing and location of the postbreeding molt in Western Kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis), an insectivore that breeds in arid lowlands of western North America, where late summer conditions are exceedingly dry. Like many other western migrants, adult Western Kingbirds depart their breeding grounds and move to molt in the Mexican monsoon region. By contrast, juveniles stay on the breeding grounds in late summer, delaying their eccentric primary molt and body molt until after undertaking part of their fall migration. The high number of juvenile specimens collected on the breeding grounds in late summer confirms that the decrease in adults, measured as the percentage of all Western Kingbirds that are adults, is not an artifact of inactive collectors. We also demonstrate adult departure using museum databases to calculate the percentage of all passerines collected in breeding areas outside the southwestern molting grounds that were adult Western Kingbirds. The c...
Object manipulation for document conversion

We present a core algorithm for handling two dimensional graphical objects in document image conversion systems. This algorithm was developed specifically for handling objects during image conversion tasks arising out of the real-world constraints and limits we had experienced. The algorithm references all objects as rectangles, allowing for dynamic insertion, deletion and access in O (log n) time. In addition, range queries can also be performed in sub-linear time. Given space requirements of O (n), we believe that we have achieved the best performance reported to date for dynamic data structures.
Evolving mobile robots able to display collective behaviors

We present a set of experiments in which simulated robots are evolved for the ability to aggregate and move together toward a light target. By developing and using quantitative indexes that capture the structural properties of the emerged formations, we show that evolved individuals display interesting behavioral patterns in which groups of robots act as a single unit. Moreover, evolved groups of robots with identical controllers display primitive forms of situated specialization and play different behavioral functions within the group according to the circumstances. Overall, the results presented in the article demonstrate that evolutionary techniques, by exploiting the self-organizing behavioral properties that emerge from the interactions between the robots and between the robots and the environment, are a powerful method for synthesizing collective behavior.
Optimal scheduling of electric vehicle charging and vehicle-to-grid services at household level including battery degradation and price uncertainty

It is expected that electric vehicles (EVs) will soon represent a large share of the demand for electricity. Several research works have extolled the advantages of these devices as flexible demands, not only to charge their batteries when it is cheaper to do so, but also to provide services in the form of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) power injections to the system. These services, however, could reduce the useful life of the battery and thus introduce a cost that needs to be taken into account when scheduling the charging of these vehicles. This study presents a scheduling algorithm for EVs under a real time pricing scheme with uncertainty. The objective function explicitly takes into account the cost of battery degradation not only when used to provide services to the system but also in terms of the EV utilisation for motion. The results show that the scheduling of the V2G services is sensitive to the electricity prices uncertainty and to the degradation costs derived from the energy arbitrage. Also, the optimal energy state of charge of the batteries is highly dependent on whether the cost of battery degradation is taken into account or not.
Good prognosis of mid-temporal epilepsy.

UMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS The age distribution of 739 patients with epileptic seizures and with spike seizure activity in the mid-temporal area (and with no other localized or generalized spikes) revealed that this type of epilepsy is confined almost exclusively to children 5 to 12 years of age. It is rare in infants and adults. Follow-up studies on 120 children whose seizures began after the age of 5 and who had a spike focus in the mid-temporal region and no seizure activity elsewhere revealed that by the age of 18 years, 85% of such children had no symptoms clearly identifiable as epileptic. In 55% of the 18 year olds the electroencephalogram had normalized and all epileptic symptoms had ceased. Thirty percent developed 14 and 6/sec positive spikes by the age of 18; half of these were asymptomatic and half complained of headaches, dizzy spells, paresthesia, or visceral and vegetative symptoms. Ten percent developed a negative spike focus in the anterior temporal region, and 5% continued to have negative spikes in the mid-temporal region. All patients with negative spikes continued to have convulsions or, in the case of patients with an anterior temporal spike focus, trance-like attacks or confusional episodes. Only this last mentioned group (the 10% with an anterior temporal spike focus) had a residual, seriously handicapping disorder, which can be considered more or less permanent. RESUME ET CONCLUSIONS La repartition des âges de 739 malades souffrant de crises epileptiques et de crises avec activite en pointes dans la region du temporal moyen (sans autres pointes localisees ou generalisees) revele que ce type d'epilepsie se rencontre presque exclusivement chez des enfants de 5 a 12 ans. Il est rare chez les nourissons et les adultes. L'etude suivie de 120 enfants dont les crises avaient debute apres la cinquieme annee, et chez qui se trouvait un foyer de pointes dans la region du temporal moyen, sans activite dans d'autres regions, a demontre qu'a l'âge de 18 ans 85% des enfants de cette categorie ne presentaient pas de symptomes epileptiques nettement determinables. Chez 55% des jeunes individus de 18 ans, l'electroencephalogramme etait devenu normal et tous les symptomes d'epilepsie avaient disparu. Chez 30% il s'est developpe des pointes positives de 14 et 6 sec a l'âge de 18 ans; la moitie de ces derniers ne manifestaient point de symptomes et l'autre moitie souffrait de maux de tete, periodes de vertiges, paresthesies ou symptomes visceraux et vegetatifs. Il s'est ddveloppe en 10% des cas un foyer de pointes negatif dans la region temporale anterieure tandis qu'en 5% des cas, il y a eu continuation des pointes negatives dans la region temporale moyenne. Les convulsions ont persiste chez tous les malades presentant des pointes negatives et, dans les cas ou il y avait un foyer de pointes temporal anterieur, il s'est produit des attaques du genre trance ou des episodes confusionnels. Seul le dernier groupe (les 10% qui presentaient un foyer de pointes temporal anterieur), conserve un trouble residuel constituant un handicap plus ou moins permanent.
In-situ formed nanoparticles on 3C-SiC film under femtosecond pulsed laser irradiation

Nanoparticles in-situ formed on single crystalline SiC films under femtosecond pulsed laser irradiation were characterized by SEM, AFM, AES, and Raman scattering. The size, shape, composition and internal stress of nanoparticles were investigated with respect to energy fluences. Femtosecond laser induced Coulomb explosion is most likely responsible for synthesis of highly oriented nanoparticles within a certain range of energy fluences.
Abnormalities of the corpus callosum in non-psychotic high-risk offspring of schizophrenia patients

Abstract Alterations in the structure of the corpus callosum (CC) have been observed in schizophrenia. Offspring of schizophrenia parents have 10–15 times higher risk for developing schizophrenia. We examined CC volume in offspring at genetic high-risk (HR) subjects. Since the sub-regions of the CC are topographically mapped to cortical brain regions, we hypothesized that HR subjects may show a decrement in total volume and differential volume decreases in sub-regions of the CC. The offspring of schizophrenia parents (HR; n = 70; 36 males) and healthy volunteers with no family or personal history of psychotic disorders (healthy controls (HC); n = 73; 37 males) matched for age, gender and education were selected for the study. Magnetic resonance images were collected using a GE 1.5 T scanner and processed using FreeSurfer image analysis software. The CC was divided into five neuroanatomically based partitions. The volume of total CC and the five sub-regions were measured blind to clinical information. With covariation for intracranial volume, HR subjects had significantly reduced total CC, more prominently observed in the anterior splenium. An age-related increase in CC volume was found in the anterior and posterior splenium of healthy controls but not in HR subjects. The volume reduction was greater in male than female HR subjects. The volume reduction in the CC may reflect a reduction in axonal fibers crossing the hemispheres and/or myelination between the left and right temporo-parietal cortices. The absence of an age-related volume increase suggests an abnormal developmental trajectory that may underlie susceptibility to schizophrenia.
SAT-solving approaches to context-aware enterprise network security management

Enterprise network security management is a complex task of balancing security and usability, with trade-offs often necessary between the two. Past work has provided ways to identify intricate attack paths due to misconfiguration and vulnerabilities in an enterprise system, but little has been done to address how to correct the security problems within the context of various other requirements such as usability, ease of access, and cost of countermeasures. This paper presents an approach based on Boolean satisfiability solving (SAT solving) that can reason about attacks, usability requirements, cost of actions, etc. in a unified, logical framework. Preliminary results show that the approach is both effective and efficient.
Analysis of midgut proteinases from Bacillus thuringiensis-susceptible and -resistant Heliothis virescens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Insects with altered proteinases can avoid intoxication by Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins. Therefore, proteinase activities from gut extracts of Bt-susceptible (YDK) and -resistant (YHD2-B, CXC and KCBhyb) Heliothis virescens strains were compared. The overall pH of gut extracts from YDK and CXC were statistically similar (9.56 and 9.62, respectively), while the pH of extracts from KCBhyb and YHD2-B were significantly more alkaline (9.81 and 10.0, respectively). Gut extracts from YHD2-B and CXC larvae processed Cry1Ac and Cry2Aa protoxin slower than extracts from YDK larvae, suggesting that differences in proteolysis contribute to resistance in these strains. Casein zymogram analysis of gut extracts revealed both qualitative and quantitative differences in caseinolytic activities among all strains, but the overall caseinolytic activity of YHD2-B gut extract was lower. Kinetic microplate assays with a trypsin substrate (l-BApNA) demonstrated that proteinases in YDK gut extract had increased alkaline pH optima compared to resistant strains YHD2-B, CXC and KCBhyb. Gut extracts from YHD2-B had reduced trypsin-like activity, and activity blots indicated that YHD2-B had lost a trypsin-like proteinase activity. In assays with a chymotrypsin substrate (SAAPFpNA), enzymes from all Bt-resistant strains had increased pH optima, especially those from KCBhyb. Activity blots indicated that CXC had lost a chymotrypsin-like proteinase activity. Because serine proteinases are a critical component of Bt toxin mode of action, these differences may contribute to decreased toxicity in the Bt-resistant strains.
Levels of nicotine in dust from homes of smokeless tobacco users

Background Smokeless tobacco products, such as chewing tobacco or moist snuff, contain many of the same constituents as tobacco smoke and are also known to cause cancer; however, little attention has been paid to indirect exposure of children to tobacco constituents via parental smokeless tobacco use. Methods As part of the California Childhood Leukemia Study, we collected dust samples from 6 residences occupied by smokeless tobacco users, 6 residences occupied by active smokers, and 20 tobacco-free residences. Children's potential for exposure to tobacco constituents was assessed using nicotine concentrations in vacuum dust measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Results Median nicotine concentrations for residences with smokeless tobacco users were significantly greater than median nicotine concentrations for tobacco-free homes and similar to median nicotine concentrations in homes of active smokers. Using generalized estimating equations derived from a multivariable marginal model to adjust for a history of parental smoking, income, residence construction date, and mother's age and race/ethnicity, we found nicotine levels from homes of smokeless tobacco users to be 21-fold higher than nicotine levels from tobacco-free homes. Based on mass balance equations, we hypothesize that nicotine is transferred to floors in homes of smokeless tobacco users primarily as a constituent of tobacco that is spilled or expectorated. Conclusions Based on our findings, we conclude that children living with smokeless tobacco users may be exposed to nicotine and other constituents of tobacco via contact with contaminated dust and household surfaces.
Review 2: The Problem of “The People” in Progressivism

Few obituaries have been more premature than Peter Filene's 1970 requiem for the progressive movement.1 The pronouncement that there was no "movement" to be found sent historians off in frantic efforts to explain the wave of reform that characterized the period from the 1890s through World War I. For a time definitions proved elusive. But since Daniel Rodgers's 1982 identification of three social languages as the defining fea tures of progressivism, there has been a revival in the study of early twenti eth-century reform that treats it as a reasonably coherent phenomenon. The culmination of this resurgence has been a recent series of surveys and syn theses, a list on which Shelton Stromquist's Reinventing 'The People": The Progressive Movement, the Class Problem, and the Origins of Modern Eiberalism now assumes an important place.2 Stromquist directly challenges Filene's rejection of the concept of a movement by adopting Rodgers's emphasis on rhetoric. He presents pro gressivism as a coherent whole defined by a common language that depict ed a united, monolithic public and left little room for conceptualizing, let alone undertaking, class-driven politics. It was this tendency to speak in terms of the whole community or nation, Reinventing 'The People" contends, that linked the diverse array of reform campaigns that constituted progres sivism. That common rhetorical ground provides Stromquist with his justi fication for treating the period's multiplicity of reform campaigns as a sin gle movement. The result is an engaging book that illuminates an important, if not necessarily the defining, aspect of progressivism. A noted historian of American labor, Stromquist's central claim is that progressive reform prevented the development of aggressive working-class politics. As he surveys the social and political reform activity of the first two decades of the twentieth century, he points to the common and repeated emphasis on social harmony and unity that characterized these efforts. He also identifies a minority reform strand that embraced class conflict but that was ultimately rendered impotent by the dominant strain's insistence on
Sinorhizobium meliloti Phage ΦM9 Defines a New Group of T4 Superfamily Phages with Unusual Genomic Features but a Common T=16 Capsid

Relatively little is known about the phages that infect agriculturally important nitrogen-fixing rhizobial bacteria. Here we report the genome and cryo-electron microscopy structure of the Sinorhizobium meliloti-infecting T4 superfamily phage ΦM9. This phage and its close relative Rhizobium phage vB_RleM_P10VF define a new group of T4 superfamily phages. These phages are distinctly different from the recently characterized cyanophage-like S. meliloti phages of the ΦM12 group. Structurally, ΦM9 has a T=16 capsid formed from repeating units of an extended gp23-like subunit that assemble through interactions between one subunit and the adjacent E-loop insertion domain. Though genetically very distant from the cyanophages, the ΦM9 capsid closely resembles that of the T4 superfamily cyanophage Syn9. ΦM9 also has the same T=16 capsid architecture as the very distant phage SPO1 and the herpesviruses. Despite their overall lack of similarity at the genomic and structural levels, ΦM9 and S. meliloti phage ΦM12 have a small number of open reading frames in common that appear to encode structural proteins involved in interaction with the host and which may have been acquired by horizontal transfer. These proteins are predicted to encode tail baseplate proteins, tail fibers, tail fiber assembly proteins, and glycanases that cleave host exopolysaccharide. IMPORTANCE Despite recent advances in the phylogenetic and structural characterization of bacteriophages, only a small number of phages of plant-symbiotic nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria have been studied at the molecular level. The effects of phage predation upon beneficial bacteria that promote plant growth remain poorly characterized. First steps in understanding these soil bacterium-phage dynamics are genetic, molecular, and structural characterizations of these groups of phages. The T4 superfamily phages are among the most complex phages; they have large genomes packaged within an icosahedral head and a long, contractile tail through which the DNA is delivered to host cells. This phylogenetic and structural study of S. meliloti-infecting T4 superfamily phage ΦM9 provides new insight into the diversity of this family. The comparison of structure-related genes in both ΦM9 and S. meliloti-infecting T4 superfamily phage ΦM12, which comes from a completely different lineage of these phages, allows the identification of host infection-related factors.
On the Equilibrium Thickness of Intergranular Glass Phases in Ceramic Materials

The fundamental question as to whether thin intergranular films can adopt an equilibrium thickness in polycrystalline ceramics is addressed. Two continuum approaches are presented, one based on interfacial energies and the other on the force balance normal to the boundary. These indicate that there will exist a stable thickness for the intergranular film and that it will be of the order of 1 nm. The origin of an equilibrium thickness is shown to be the result of two competing interactions, an attractive van der Waals-disperson interaction between the grains on either side of the boundary acting to thin the film and a repulsive term, due to the structure of the intergranular liquid, opposing this attraction. As both of these interactions are of short range (<lo nm), it is a natural consequence that the equilibrium thickness is of the order of 1 nm, a value commensurate with that observed experimentally in a wide range of ceramics. Two further consequences of importance are indicated. The first is that thin intergranular liquid phases can support a normal stress. The second is that the dielectric constants of the adjacent grains play an important role in determining the thicknesses of the intergranular phase. This leads to the conclusion, consistent with observations, that the thickness of the intergranular phase in polyphase ceramics is expected to be different at boundaries between dissimilar phases than that between like phases. NE of the most revealing findings produced during the ex0 amination of ccramic microstructures using the techniques of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy has been the fact that many of these materials contain a thin intergranular (generally siliceous) glass phase. The thickness of the intergranular glass phase can be quite small, being =0.5 to =2 nm in some silicon nitride and zirconia ceramics and upward of =5 nm in some alumina-based materials. In the majority of materials the intergranular phase is both continuous throughout the microstructure and, significantly, located at the two-grain junctions. As presently understood, the presence of a remnant intergranular glass phase can be produced by a number of different processes. In many ceramics, the phase results from the liquid-phase sintering process used to densify them. Examples of these include the silicon nitride alloys, the zinc oxide varistor materials, and alumina substrate materials. In others, such intergranular films are present because the materials are prepared by the controlled but incomplete crystallization of a glass (glass-ceramics). A third, but practically important, category is that in which the phase forms from the impurities present in the starting materials. For instance, a number of the ceramics developed for nuclear waste encapsulation4 and certain of the polycrystalline, tetragonal zirconia ceramics’ contain such intergranular films.
Plasmonic monopole antenna arrays for biosensing, spectroscopy and nm-precision optical trapping

We propose surface plasmon polariton driven plasmonic monopole antenna array system for biosensing, nanospectroscopy and optical trapping. The structure exhibits high refractive index sensitivities, nearfield resolution and optical gradient force.
Transient Error Detection and Recovery in Processor Pipelines

Transient errors, due to cosmic radiations, are a major reliability barrier for modern processors. The vulnerability of processor cores to transient errors grows exponentially with technology scaling. To meet reliability constraints in a cost-effective way, it is critical to localize the effects of these errors and prevent them from propagating to other parts of the system. In this paper, we present a methodology to provide low-cost transient error detection and recovery in processor pipelines. Using the approach transient errors can be detected and the processor can recover from the effects without adding additional structures outside the pipeline. In this technique, we use error control coding for detection and correction of error in pipeline stages. We also reuse the hazard detection mechanisms commonly used in modern processor pipelines for efficient and transparent error recovery. Experimental results confirm the efficiency of the proposed technique in terms of reliability (100% error detection, correction and recovery) and overhead (15% area and 25% delay overhead).
Loss of succinate dehydrogenase subunit B (SDHB) expression is limited to a distinctive subset of gastric wild-type gastrointestinal stromal tumours: a comprehensive genotype-phenotype correlation study.

Doyle L A, Nelson D, Heinrich M C, Corless C L & Hornick J L (2012) Histopathology 61, 801–809 Loss of succinate dehydrogenase subunit B (SDHB) expression is limited to a distinctive subset of gastric wild-type gastrointestinal stromal tumours: a comprehensive genotype–phenotype correlation study Aims: Gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs) typically harbour KIT or PDGFRA mutations; 15% of adult GISTs and >90% in children lack such mutations (‘wild-type’ GISTs). Paediatric and occasional adult GISTs show similar, distinctive features: multinodular architecture and epithelioid morphology, indolent behaviour with metastases, and imatinib resistance. Recent studies have suggested that these tumours can be identified by loss of succinate dehydrogenase subunit B (SDHB) expression. The aim of this study was to validate the predictive value of SDHB immunohistochemistry in a large genotyped cohort. Methods and results: SDHB expression was examined in GISTs with known genotypes: 179 with KIT mutations, 32 with PDGFRA mutations, and 53 wild type. Histological features were recorded without knowledge of genotype or SDHB status. SDHB was deficient in 22 (42%) wild-type GISTs. All other tumours showed intact SDHB expression. All SDHB-deficient GISTs with known primary sites arose in the stomach, and had multinodular architecture and epithelioid or mixed morphology. None of the wild-type GISTs with intact SDHB showed multinodular architecture, and only four (13%) had epithelioid morphology. Conclusions: SDHB-deficient GISTs are wild-type gastric tumours with distinctive histology. Immunohistochemistry for SDHB can be used to confirm the diagnosis of this tumour class. SDHB expression is retained in all GISTs with KIT and PDGFRA mutations.