cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Diagnosis and treatment of connective tissue disease-associated interstitial lung disease

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is one of the most serious pulmonary complications associated with connective tissue diseases (CTDs), resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. Although the various CTDs associated with ILD often are considered together because of their shared autoimmune nature, there are substantial differences in the clinical presentations and management of ILD in each specific CTD. This heterogeneity and the cross-disciplinary nature of care have complicated the conduct of prospective multicenter treatment trials and hindered our understanding of the development of ILD in patients with CTD. In this update, we present new information regarding the diagnosis and treatment of patients with ILD secondary to systemic sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, dermatomyositis and polymyositis, and Sjogren syndrome. We review information on risk factors for the development of ILD in the setting of CTD. Diagnostic criteria for CTD are presented as well as elements of the clinical evaluation that increase suspicion for CTD-ILD. We review the use of medications in the treatment of CTD-ILD. Although a large, randomized study has examined the impact of immunosuppressive therapy for ILD secondary to systemic sclerosis, additional studies are needed to determine optimal treatment strategies for each distinct form of CTD-ILD. Finally, we review new information regarding the subgroup of patients with ILD who meet some, but not all, diagnostic criteria for a CTD. A careful and systematic approach to diagnosis in patients with ILD may reveal an unrecognized CTD or evidence of autoimmunity in those previously believed to have idiopathic ILD.
Murine Polycomb- and trithorax-group genes regulate homeotic pathways and beyond.

In recent years, molecular genetic studies of plant development, particularly flower development, have uncovered a number of homeotic gene.s 1,2. These genes specify cell fates. Are plant homeotic genes also regulated by the polycomb-trStborax group of genes? A recent Nature paper indicates that the answer is yes, at least for one floral homentic gene.
Diurnal host seeking of adult Pacific Coast ticks, Dermacentor occidentalis (Acari: Ixodidae), in relation to vegetational type, meteorological factors, and rickettsial infection rates in California, USA.

Diurnal host-seeking activities of Dermacentor occidentalis adults in chaparral and grassland were evaluated by flagging vegetation and with CO2 (dry ice)-baited traps in Mendocino Co., California, USA, in 1982–1983. Ecotonal chaparral yielded significantly more ticks by flagging than did chaparral on south-facing slopes, and tick abundance was higher on south-than on north-facing slopes. Ticks did not exhibit any specificity with regard to chaparral plants selected as questing sites. Regression analyses revealed that temperature, relative humidity, and solar radiation, either singly or in combination, usually did not explain a significant amount of the total daytime variation in tick numbers. Flagging demonstrated that adults were aggregated at the chaparral-grassland ecotone and that their numbers diminished markedly within 3–5 m on either side of it. Tick infection rates with rickettsia-like organisms and spotted fever group rickettsiae did not differ significantly by sex or exposure (north- vs. south-facing slopes). An evaluation of the drag method as to efficiency, drag size, and potential impact on localized populations in chaparral revealed that it was reasonably efficient, that drag sizes of 0.46 and 0.92 m2 produced comparable results, and that weekly flagging for 1.5 months did not consistently reduce tick numbers in ecotonal chaparral. In contrast, the CO2-trap method yielded relatively low numbers of ticks in chaparral, ecotone, and grassland (in descending rank), with much variation between samples. Mark-recapture experiments with CO2-baited pitfall traps demonstrated that the effective radius for collecting adults in chaparral was 4 m; 30.5% of 200 ticks released within 0.5–4.0 m of the trap were recovered in 4 h of trapping. Only 4 (2.5%) of 160 ticks released 5–12 m from the trap were recaptured in 12 h of trapping.
Characteristic of a canine submaxillary mucoid

Abstract A mucoid has been isolated from the submaxillary gland of the dog. It is electrophoretically homogenous at pH 8.6 and 10.3 with mobilities of −9.29 × 10−5cm2/V-sec and −11.68 × 10−5cm2/V-sec. The mucoid contains 11.8% sialic acid; 17.7% hexosamine; 12.0% fucose; 14.8% hexose and 38.1% protein in addition to a trace of uronic acid. The viscosity is 18.22 cP and 2.38 cP in water and buffer respectively.
The 63Cu(α, p)66Zn cross section and the corresponding thermonuclear reaction rate

Abstract Differential cross sections and excitation functions for the reaction 63Cu(α, p)66Zn have been measured over the energy range Eα = 6–10 MeV. Results of statistical model calculations are compared to the excitation functions for individual proton groups and are found to give good representations to within about a factor of two. The data and the calculated cross sections are used to determine the thermonuclear reaction rates for temperatures of astrophysical interest.
Design principles for technology-based statistics education

Statistics is widely recognized as a discipline well-suited to technology-based education. Despite the appearance of a number of innovative contributions to computer-based statistics teaching, there have been few clear statements of appropriate design principles. This article begins the process of codifying consistent principles for the design of computer-based materials for teaching statistics. The principles emerged as part of an ongoing effort to develop multimedia-based statistics materials for the ActivStats project. We draw from that project to illustrate the principles with specific examples.
The equivalent width as a figure of merit for XPS narrow scans

Abstract X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) is a widely used surface analytical tool that provides information about the near surface regions of materials. And while indispensable for XPS data analysis, peak fitting of narrow scans is often a fairly subjective exercise. Herein we introduce the equivalent width (EW) as an additional and less subjective figure of merit for XPS narrow scans. We believe that this parameter will prove particularly useful for analyzing series of similar or nominally identical spectra, perhaps as a component of an expert software system for the machine interpretation of spectra. It also appears to be useful, shedding light on the chemical state of materials, when additional information about a sample is known. The EW XPS is simply defined as the area of a narrow scan divided by the height of the maximum of its peak envelope. To limit any ambiguity in EW XPS for a series of spectra, we may also list the peak position of the maximum of the envelope (PE max ). The potential usefulness and limitations of the EW XPS and PE max parameters are demonstrated by their application to the narrow scans of: (i) four sets of ozone-treated carbon nanotubes (EW XPS ∼ 2.11–2.16 eV for a Shirley background, and up to 2.88 eV for no background, PE max ∼ 284.4–284.5 eV), (ii) a series of silicon wafers with different oxide thicknesses (EW XPS ∼ 1.5–2.8 eV, PE max ∼ 99–103 eV), (iii) hydrogen-terminated silicon before and after derivatization with pentyl groups, and after annealing of the pentyl-modified material (EW XPS ∼ 0.7–1.0 eV, PE max ∼ 25.9–26.1 eV), and (iv) five nanodiamond samples, where three of the spectra showed charging (EW XPS ∼ 2.6–4.9 eV, PE max ∼ 272.7–293.9 eV). In this final example, EW XPS was plotted against PE max to identify the region corresponding to the materials that showed the least charging. EW XPS and PE max appear to correlate with the expected chemistries of all the systems studied. We calculate EW XPS using a Shirley baseline and with no baseline at all. In setting the baseline limits for EW XPS , we consider the derivative of C 1s narrow scans. We also show the application of EW XPS to single, fitted components within a narrow scan.
Stark quantum beat spectroscopy of single rotational levels of V 1B2 CS2

Abstract Stark quantum beats are observed in the fluorescence from individual rotational levels of the V 1 B 2 state of CS 2 . The beat frequencies depend quadratically on the electric field and determine Stark tuning coefficients for the excited levels. These coefficients depend both on the excited state dipole moments and on the energy separations between the excited levels and nearby field-connected levels that generate the Stark splittings. The magnitude of the coefficients indicates that the field-connected levels, which probably belong to another electronic state, lie within one wavenumber of the excited rotational levels.
Marsh Soils as Potential Sinks for Bacteroides Fecal Indicator Bacteria, Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge, Georgetown, SC, USA

A soil core collected in a tidal freshwater marsh in the Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge (Georgetown, SC) exuded a particularly strong odor of cow manure upon extrusion. In order to test for manure and determine its provenance, we carried out microbial source tracking using DNA markers for Bacteroides, a noncoliform, anaerobic bacterial group that represents a large proportion spectrum of the fecal population. Three core sections from 0–3 cm, 9–12 cm, and 30–33 cm were analyzed for the presence of Bacteroides. The ages of core sediments were estimated using 210Pb and 137Cs dating. All three core sections tested positive for Bacteroides DNA markers related to cow or deer feces. Because cow manure is stockpiled, used as fertilizer, and a source of direct contamination in the Great Pee Dee River/Winyah Bay watershed, it is very likely the source of the Bacteroides that was deposited on the marsh. The mid-points of the core sections were dated as follows: 0–3 cm, 2009; 9–12 cm, 1999, and 30–33 cm, 1961. The presence of Bacteroides at different depths/ages in the soil profile indicates that soils in tidal freshwater marshes are, at the least, capable of being short-term sinks for Bacteroides and, may have the potential to be long-term sinks of stable, naturalized populations.
Effects of fat supplementation and immature alfalfa to concentrate ratio on plasma progesterone, energy balance and reproductive traits of dairy cattle

Forty-six multiparous Holstein cows were assigned at 5 d postpartum to a completely randomized design employing a 2 x 3 factorial arrangement of treatments. Factors were 0 and 5% added prilled long-chain fatty acids (DM basis) and three forage to concentrate ratios (45:55, 64:36, 84:16). Diets consisted of immature alfalfa silage and a concentrate of shelled corn and soybean meal with or without fat replacing a portion of the corn. Mean plasma concentration of cholesterol was higher for cows fed 5% vs. 0% fat and increased over the first 100 d in milk for all animals regardless of treatment. There were no differences in reproductive performance due to either of the main effects. Mean plasma progesterone was higher due to fat treatment in the mid to late luteal phase of the second postpartum cycle as well as the metestrous to early luteal phase and mid to late luteal phase of the third cycle. Even though progesterone concentrations were higher in cows fed 5% fat during the luteal phase after breeding, the conception rates at this service were not different from those fed 0% fat. The biological significance of increased plasma progesterone concentration was not identified with any postpartum reproductive trait measured in this trial.
Rapid glacier sliding, reverse ice motion and subglacial water pressure during an autumn rainstorm

Measurements of basal water pressure from 15 boreholes located at both local (tens of meters) and regional (kilometers) length scales were used to elucidate the pressure/sliding relationship during an autumn rapid motion event on Bench Glacier, Alaska, USA. The 8 day event had two distinct phases, each with a ten-fold speed-up with respect to winter velocity. The water pressure in all 15 boreholes varied synchronously during the speed-up. The first phase of rapid sliding began after a peak in basal water pressure and continued while the pressure was elevated and stable, or decreasing. The second phase of rapid sliding occurred when the basal water pressure was low but increasing, and terminated before the pressure peaked. Pressure and velocity do not appear unrelated, but the pressure/sliding relationship was not consistently linked to increasing, decreasing or a critical water pressure. The pressure variations and sliding accelerations are a response to a warm rainstorm, although equally large input events occurred in weeks prior with no apparent response. Drainage system evolution therefore appears to play a key role in both the acceleration and the pressure/velocity relationship. Basal cavity dynamics are likely responsible for three episodes of reverse (up-valley) motion observed after enhanced sliding.
Phytophthora Blight Caused by Phytophthora capsici on Pumpkin and Winter Squash in Texas

Phytophthora blight of pumpkin and squash (Cucurbita spp.) has increased in importance in many production areas of the United States in recent years. This disease was seen on a 36-ha commercial field of several cultivars of pumpkin and winter squash (including Cucurbita maxima cvs. Prizewinner, Atlantic Giant, and Casper and C. pepo cvs. Howden, Festival, Sweet Dumpling, and Magic Lantern) in Yoakum County in the High Plains of Texas during August of 2006. At that time, 2% of the field was affected. A month later, after unusually frequent rain showers and higher-than-average precipitation, 78% of the field was lost in spite of an aggressive fungicide program following the initial diagnosis. Symptoms consisted of white, velvety growth on fruit, fruit rot, leaf blight, and wilt. Sporangia on fruit were papillate, ovoid to ellipsoid, and measured 37 to 40 × 21 to 23 μm. Isolations were made from tissue onto water agar and two isolates used for further study were maintained on corn meal agar. When isolates we...
Intraventricular hemorrhage in blunt head trauma: an analysis of 43 cases.

ABSTRACTBEFORE THE ADVENT of computed tomography, intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) from any source was thought rare and invariably fatal. Although intraventricular blood is readily identifiable with computed tomography, there has been little systematic study of its significance in blunt head trauma
Apparent warmth as a function of thermal irradiation

The skin of the back was periodically exposed to a source of radiant heat. In Experiment 1, 20 Ss matched numbers to the apparent warmth aroused by various levels of irradiant flux (method of magnitude estimation). In Experiment 2, 15 Ss matched the loudness of a white noise to the apparent uwmth aroused by the same levels used in Experiment I (method of cross-modality matching). Both experiments showed that apparent warmth is related to absorbed irradiance by a power function whose exponent is approximately 0.7.
Effect of Basic Dyes on Host-cell Reactivation of Ultra-violet-irradiated Phage

Bacteriophages from bacterial hosts E. coli strains B, B/r, Bs-2, (host-cell reactivation positive-hcr+), and Bs-1 (host-cell reactivation negative-hcr-) were irradiated and then exposed to crystal violet and acriflavine in the plating media. A decrease in the fraction of the damage that can be repaired was found. Presumably the dyes reduce the accessibility of damage regions to the repair enzyme. Besides this effect, the fraction cells that cand repair also decreased. This suggests that bacterial DNA is also necessary for repair and that its action is impaired by the dyes. The results imply that repair by genetic exchandge between phage and bacterial DNA occurs and is mediated by a recombinase enzyme.
Developing an Effective Project: Planning and Team Building Combined:

In this article, the process of developing the project plan and the project planning and control (PP&C) is analyzed and compared to the process of developing the project team to identify opportunities for integrating these actions to produce more successful projects. Results of structured research across some 137 different organizations and representing a wide range of approaches to establishing projects are reported. The results of this cross-organizational research strongly support the proposed integration of project planning, PP&C development, and project team building. A recommended process for accomplishing this integration is proposed.
Presbyesophagus: Do modern data support the concept?

The gastrointestinal tract undergoes change with aging, and the esophagus is not exempt from those changes. Failure of peristalsis in the older esophagus was labeled “presbyesophagus” over 35 years ago. Modern manometric techniques and classification systems have challenged this concept, yet there are clearly age-related changes in the esophagus. The lower esophageal sphincter changes little. Peristalsis in the esophageal body is more likely to fail in older patients, but some of this effect may be due to damage from gastroesophageal reflux disease. The pharynx and upper esophageal sphincter also undergo age-related changes in health and disease. The ability to sense events in the esophagus fails with aging, which may cause patients with severe mucosal disease to present with less severe symptoms. Failure of the esophagus does not appear to be an inevitable consequence of aging, but the esophagus does change with aging, and these changes should be considered when evaluating older patients with esophageal complaints.
Constrained optimum generator dispatch for fuel consumption minimization

The United States Marine Corps (USMC) utilizes Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) which employ multiple generation units, typically ranging from 2-200 kW in size, and primarily powered by JP-8 (similar to diesel fuel). It is often true that logistical support to deliver fuel is both expensive and dangerous. In typical deployment scenarios today, generation units are attached to a small group of loads, and are frequently operated far from their optimum efficiency. Future plans include combining multiple generators into a single microgrid. Since the generators have different fuel consumption curves, the dispatch of load to generation must account for unit capabilities, fuel consumption, and additional constraints, such as upper and lower operating limits. In addition, provision must also be made to handle fast load transients, typically with the use of “swing” generators. Furthermore, spinning reserve must also be available to cope with unanticipated load variations. This paper utilizes the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) conditions to develop a scheme for economic dispatch of load to generators. The swing generator(s), base load generator upper and lower operating limits, and spinning reserve form constraints on the dispatch algorithm. The goal is to dispatch generators to minimize fuel consumption, while maintaining operating constraints for reliability.
Molecular characterization of the ldmdr1 multidrug resistance gene from Leishmania donovani

Abstract The ldmdr1 gene that confers resistance to multiple structurally dissimilar hydrophobic drugs in Leishmania donovani has been isolated within a 5.4-kb Xmal fragment from a genomic library of L. donovani DNA and its protein coding region sequenced. The longest open reading frame within ldmdr1 encodes a 146.5-kDa protein of 1341 amino acids, designated LDMDR1. The primary structure and predicted membrane topology of LDMDR1 indicates that it is a member of the P-glycoprotein superfamily with the greatest homology to the mammalian multidrug resistance P-glycoproteins. A 2.3-kb Sal I fragment derived from a second ldmdr1 allele was also cloned from the L. donovani library. Nucleotide sequence analysis of a portion of the Sal I insert revealed 5 single base differences from its counterpart within the 5.4-kb Xma I fragment, one of which created a Pvu restriction site polymorphism. Southern blots of Pvu I-digested DNA divulged that the amplified ldmdr1 gene copies in a multidrug-resistant L. donovani strain were all derived from the single ldmdr1 allele whose protein coding segment was sequenced in its entirety.
Optimal fault-tolerant signal detection

G.G.L. Meyer and H.L. Weinert (see ibid., vol.ASSP-34, p.973-8, Aug. 1986) use the majority rule for fault-tolerant detection. The authors extend this and examine a redundant system with a general voting rule. They present an optimal design for each individual processor and the optimal selection of the k-out-of-M voting rule. They give an analytic solution to the optimal voting policy for the special case of low false alarm rate, with arbitrary failure probabilities and receiver operating characteristics (ROCs). Performance is improved significantly by using the optimal voting rule instead of the majority voting rule, especially in the tail regions of the ROC. >
Expression of a Chlamydia anticarbohydrate single-chain antibody as a maltose binding fusion protein

A single-chain antibody fragment has been constructed for an antibody that binds to theChlamydia specific carbohydrate structure of the lipopolysaccharide. Single-chain protein was expressed and secreted into the periplasmic space ofE. coli as a fusion protein with the maltose binding protein. The fusion protein was purified in one step by virtue of its ability to bind to maltose. In a sandwich ELISA, the eluted protein boundChlamydia lipopolysaccharide, which demonstrates that the single-chain protein domain will function as part of a fusion protein. The expression of maltose binding fusion proteins into the periplasmic space could be used for production of other single-chain antibodies or protein fragments requiring appropriate folding and disulfide bond formation.
Juvenile Granulosa Cell Tumor of the Testis: A Comparative Immunohistochemical Study with Normal Infantile Gonads

This study concerns the nature of two different cell populations in a juvenile granulosa cell tumor (GCT) of the infantile testis. Immunohistochemical features of the tumor were compared with those of normal infantile testes (six cases) and ovaries (six cases). The testicular neoplasm showed follicles, cysts and solid nodules composed of an internal layer of polyhedral cells that expressed cytokeratin and vimentin. Most of the follicles and nodules were surrounded by an external layer of spindle cells that reacted to muscle-specific actin, vimentin, and focally to desmin. A neoplastic rather than reactive origin of the spindle cell population is favored by their concentric arrangement in a peritubular-like or theca-like fashion and by their immunohistochemical correlation with normal peritubular-myoid and theca externa cells. Sertoli and granulosa cells of normal infantile gonads were positive for cytokeratin and vimentin; peritubular myoid and theca externa cells expressed muscle-specific actin, vimentin...
Noninfectious Pulmonary Complications of Liver, Heart, and Kidney Transplantation

Because of their chronically immunosuppressed status, solid organ transplant recipients are continually at risk for infectious pulmonary complications. In addition, however, a number of noninfectious pulmonary complications plague the transplant recipient. These complications arise because of numerous factors, including the underlying conditions that preceded transplantation, the transplant surgery itself, and toxicity of post-transplantation medications. This article focuses on noninfectious pulmonary complications in the three largest recipient populations: liver, kidney, and heart.
Parkinson’s disease biomarker: a patent evaluation of WO2013153386

Introduction: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative movement disorder resultant from the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the brain. There is an urgent need for effective biomarkers that can be used in the early diagnosis of PD. Mitochondrial dysfunction plays a significant role in PD pathology, which has led to the evaluation of mitophagy markers, PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1), and PARKIN as possible biomarkers for the early diagnosis of PD.Areas covered: The current patent describes the use of phosphorylation of PINK1 and PARKIN as a diagnostic measure. Specifically, Ser65 on PARKIN, which is phosphorylated by PINK1, and the autophosphorylation of PINK1 at Thr257 are described.Expert opinion: This patent describes a much needed methodology that can easily be adapted in the clinical setting by which a biological sample, such as serum or cerebrospinal fluid, is collected and analyzed for the phosphorylation markers. Here, the phosphorylation activity seen in PINK1 and PARKIN can differen...
Inside quality reform: early results on using outcomes for improvement

This article offers evidence on ways in which assessment of student learning outcomes made a difference for some academic institutions in the United States. It offers perspectives on the internal changes that took place, especially within academic programmes. Even after the capacity for assessment was developed, challenges remained in evaluating evidence and deciding what changes will lead to improved outcomes for students. In response to assessment results, many programmes improved course content, pedagogy and the sequencing of courses. Advising was also strengthened to give greater clarity on requirements and deadlines that students found confusing. Some academic institutions introduced new reviews of student progress at significant mid-points in their studies.
The Role of the β1 Subunit of the Na,K-ATPase and Its Glycosylation in Cell-Cell Adhesion

Based on recent data showing that overexpression of the Na,K-ATPase β1 subunit increased cell-cell adhesion of nonpolarized cells, we hypothesized that the β1 subunit can also be involved in the formation of cell-cell contacts in highly polarized epithelial cells. In support of this hypothesis, in Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells, the Na,K-ATPase α1 and β1 subunits were detected as precisely co-localized with adherens junctions in all stages of the monolayer formation starting from the initiation of cell-cell contact. The Na,K-ATPase and adherens junction protein, β-catenin, stayed partially co-localized even after their internalization upon disruption of intercellular contacts by Ca2+ depletion of the medium. The Na,K-ATPase subunits remained co-localized with the adherens junctions after detergent treatment of the cells. In contrast, the heterodimer formed by expressed unglycosylated Na,K-ATPase β1 subunit and the endogenous α1 subunit was easily dissociated from the adherens junctions and cytoskeleton by the detergent extraction. The MDCK cell line in which half of the endogenous β1 subunits in the lateral membrane were substituted by unglycosylated β1 subunits displayed a decreased ability to form cell-to-cell contacts. Incubation of surface-attached MDCK cells with an antibody against the extracellular domain of the Na,K-ATPase β1 subunit specifically inhibited cell-cell contact formation. We conclude that the Na,K-ATPase β1 subunit is involved in the process of intercellular adhesion and is necessary for association of the heterodimeric Na,K-ATPase with the adherens junctions. Further, normal glycosylation of the Na,K-ATPase β1 subunit is essential for the stable association of the pump with the adherens junctions and plays an important role in cell-cell contact formation.
Structural requirements for intestinal absorption of peptide drugs

The clinical development of orally active peptide drugs has been restricted by their unfavorable physicochemical characteristics, which limit their membrane permeation, and their lack of stability against enzymatic degradation. Successful oral delivery of peptides will depend, therefore, on strategies designed to alter the physicochemical properties of these potential drugs, without changing their biological activity, in order to circumvent the barrier properties of the intestinal epithelial cells. This manuscript will focus on the physical and metabolic barrier functions of the intestinal mucosa, the structural features of peptides which influence their passive diffusion and carrier-mediated transport, including efflux mechanisms, and various approaches used to prevent enzymatic degradation of the peptides and increase their permeability across the intestinal mucosa.
Guiding and transmission of ultrashort high-intensity laser pulses in discharge-ablated LiF microcapillaries

We present guiding measurements of 0.8-μm, 100-fs pulses through LiF microcapillaries using discharge plasma. We inspect the transmission at conditions fit for soft-x-ray lasing. While up to 45% transmission is observed for input intensities of 1×1018 W/cm2, only ∼2% of the energy is contained in the small guided mode of 25 μm (FWHM). We investigate the dependence of the guiding on input intensity and focusing geometry. The transmission decreases for unmatched focal spots and as the intensity increases.
Coastal erosion and the cape hatteras lighthouse

The famous Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is threatened with destruction by an eroding coastline. Recent attempts to control the erosion have reduced but not stopped it The natural erosion trend for 41 km of coast from Rodanthe to Cape Hatteras was determined, based on 94 years of survey records from 1852 to 1946 At the lighthouse, the natural erosion rate is 7 5 m/yr In 2005, if no further human interference with coastal processes occurs, 190 m of coast will have eroded since 1980, leaving the shoreline nearly 90 m west of the lighthouse Considering the expensive effort being undertaken to protect the lighthouse from destruction, an inventory of property along the Atlantic coast should be made, before other similar projects are initiated We can afford to protect only the most valuable property.
ADP-ribosylation by the extracellular fibrils of Myxococcus xanthus

The isolated, extracellular fibrils of the myxobacterium, Myxococcus xanthus, are capable of carrying out ADP-ribosylation. The substrate for the ADP-ribosylation is reactive with monoclonal antibody 2105, which has been shown to be directed specifically against the integral fibril proteins. The extracellular fibrils thus contain both the ADP-ribosyl transferase and the substrate for the ribosylation. This process may play a role in the contact-mediated cell-cell interactions that are an important part of the social behaviour of M. xanthus.
Premigration persecution, postmigration stressors and resources, and postmigration mental health: a study of severely traumatized U.S. Arab immigrant women.

Background: Competing theories exist regarding the importance of premigration trauma as compared with postmigration stressors and resources with respect to the risk to immigrant mental health. Objective: To examine how type of premigration trauma, postmigration stressors, and postmigration resources differentially predict posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) symptomatology in Arab immigrant women who have been exposed to premigration trauma. Design: Descriptive, using multinomial logistic regression to explain membership in one of four groups: (a) PTSD only (n = 14), (b) MDD (n = 162), (c) comorbid PTSD-MDD (n = 148), and (d) subclinical symptoms (n = 209). Results: Parameter estimates for postimmigration-related stressors (as measured by the Demands of Immigration [DI]) indicated that a unit increase in DI scores was associated with a nearly 16-fold increase in the likelihood of being in the comorbid relative to the subclinical group, and a nearly 2.5-fold increase in the likelihood of being in the comorbid relative to the MDD-only group (p
Donor and recipient outcomes after adult living donor liver transplantation.

Key points 1. When looking at outcomes after adult living donor (LD) liver transplantation, both donor and recipient outcomes must be examined. 2. The estimated risk for mortality after right-lobe donation is 0.5%. The risk for complications is approximately 10% to 20%. 3. Current national data show slightly inferior patient and graft survival rates with LD versus deceased donor transplantation. The difference may be caused by a greater incidence of surgical complications after LD liver transplantation. 4. The main surgical complication in the donor and recipient remains biliary leak.
Experimental Observation of the Effect of Crystallographic Orientation on Mechanical Behavior of Single Crystal Cu6Sn5 Intermetallic

Solder joints in electronic packages and devices serve as mechanical and electrical connections as well as thermal paths for heat dissipation. Due to the miniaturization of electronic packaging, nowadays solder joints contain large volume fraction of IMCs. It has been observed that solder joint strength is controlled largely by intermetallic strength at higher strain rate. Macroscopic properties such as tensile and shear strength, creep, ductility depend on Intermetallic layer’s properties of solder joints. This study is carried out to determine elastic-plastic properties of Cu6Sn5 intermetallic in Sn-3.5Ag/Cu system with reflow soldering by nanoindentation. Elastic properties such as elastic modulus and hardness were determined from the load-depth curve. A widely used reverse analysis model described by Dao et al. [1] was considered to extract plastic properties such as yield strength and strain hardening exponent using nanoindentation results. Anisotropy of Cu6Sn5 was taken into consideration to see if that has any effect on the mechanical properties. Our study considered crystallographic grain orientation along normal to the growth axis of Cu6Sn5 IMC which was extracted using Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) mapping. Statistically indistinguishable properties were observed for Cu6Sn5 IMC. Average elastic-plastic properties of Cu6Sn5 were than compared with already published results in literatures.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Middle Holocene Taphonomy and Paleozoology at the Prairie-Forest Border, the Itasca Bison Site, MN

The Itasca Bison site near the prairie-forest border in central Minnesota is important to understanding the cultural and ecological role of bison in the upper Midwest during the middle Holocene. Recent reanalyses of this assemblage support the original interpretation of a taphonomically complex, fluvially modified site. Despite this taphonmic complexity, the role of humans in the butchering and possible accumulation of some of the bison fauna is also supported, although not as the only mechanism of accumulation. The bison assemblage is slightly biased toward males, and seasonality estimates are spread throughout the year. New direct accelerator mass spectrometry dates indicate a minimum of two highly mixed depositional events: one at 7970–7790 cal B.P. and an earlier event between 8520 and 8180 cal B.P.
Endodontic Implications of Bisphosphonate-Associated Osteonecrosis of the Jaws: A Report of Three Cases

Bisphosphonates are commonly used in medicine to maintain bone density in patients with certain nonneoplastic diseases or cancers. A serious adverse effect of bisphosphonates that has substantial dental significance is osteonecrosis that appears to uniquely affect the mandible and maxilla without occurring in other bones of the skeleton. Patients with bisphosphonate associated osteonecrosis of the jaws may present with pain and exposed necrotic bone. This has substantial clinical implications because surgical procedures (including extractions or endodontic surgical procedures) are contraindicated in the jaws of these patients and the presenting pain may mimic pain of odontogenic origin. This report describes three patients with bisphosphonate associated osteonecrosis and emphasizes the endodontic implications of managing these patients.
A simple apparatus for the evaluation of air infiltration through building envelope components

Abstract Air infiltration through building envelope is very important in the design of buildings and in the evaluation of building performance. A simple, small apparatus has been designed, fabricated, calibrated and tested for the determination of the air leakage through building envelope components such as simple and composite walls. The device consists of two identical, controllable chambers with test specimens installed and sealed between them. Extensive measures have been taken to reduce the air leakage through chamber walls and joints. Such a leakage can be determined using a procedure developed specifically for the unique design of the simple apparatus, and then subtracted from the total measurements for accurate results of actual air infiltration through building envelope. The study has shown that this small apparatus is capable of measuring air infiltration accurately and efficiently for engineering purposes. This may be a potential low cost alternative to the current ASTM procedure for a particular set of materials. Experimental results of air flow through and static pressure difference across building envelope have been found in good agreement with literature information. The test apparatus and procedures have been developed according to the existing standards. The paper presents results for air leakage through impregnated brick walls as well as composite wall sections.
Effects of colpocleisis on bowel symptoms among women with severe pelvic organ prolapse.

Introduction and hypothesis Our objective was to evaluate bowel symptoms after colpocleisis.
3,4-Didehydro-β,β-caroten-2-one, a new carotenoid from the eggs of the stick insect Anisomorpha buprestoides

Abstract An investigation into the deep-red pigmentation of eggs of the stick insect Anisomorpha buprestoides revealed the presence of a new carotenoid, 3,4-didehydro-β,β-caroten-2-one, and four minor pigment components.
The reduction of germanium dioxide with graphite at high temperatures

Abstract The reaction of germanium dioxide with carbon, at temperatures up to 1450 °K in vacuo, has been investigated. A reaction starts at ~980 °K in which germanium is transported from the hot zone of the reaction system as germanium monoxide. A reaction scheme consistent with the results is proposed in which germanium dioxide is reduced by carbon to germanium metal which then reacts further with germanium dioxide to produce germanium monoxide. At the lower temperatures, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide are the other major products, whereas at the higher temperatures, i.e., above 1375 °K, carbon monoxide only is important. The results are discussed in terms of the available thermodynamic data for the system.
Do antidromic latency jumps indicate axonal branching in nigrostriatal and hypothalamo-neurohypophysial neurons?

Abstract Neurons in many brain regions exhibit discontinuous decreases in antidromic latency with small increases in stimulating current. We used an electrophysiological test requiring a single stimulating electrode to determine whether these ‘latency jumps’ are due to shifts in the site of spike initiation to the same or different axon branches. Latency jumps in response to stimulation of the striatal terminal fields of substantia nigra, pars compacta neurons represent spike initiation on different branches while those seen in paraventricular neurons with pituitary stalk stimulation usually reflect a change in site on a single branch.
Natural radionuclides 210Po and 210Pb in the Delaware and Chesapeake Estuaries: modeling scavenging rates and residence times

During the spring and summer months of 2012, 210Po and 210Pb activity were measured in the dissolved and particulate phases from the Delaware and upper Chesapeake estuaries. The upper Delaware estuary, near the freshwater end member, was characterized by high-suspended matter concentrations that scavenged dissolved 210Po and 210Pb. Box models were applied using mass balance calculations to assess the nuclides residence times in each estuary. Only 60% of the dissolved 210Po and 55% of the dissolved 210Pb from the Delaware estuary were exported to coastal waters. A large fraction of soluble 210Po and 210Pb within the estuary was either reversibly adsorbed onto suspended particles, trapped in sediment accumulation zones (such as intertidal marshes), bioaccumulated into phytoplankton and discharged to the coastal ocean. The upper Chesapeake estuary was largely characterized by sub-oxic bottom waters that contained higher concentrations of dissolved 210Po and 210Pb, hypothesized to be subjected to redox cycling of manganese. The Delaware and Chesapeake estuary mean residence times for 210Po differed significantly at 86 ± 7 and 126 ± 10 days respectively, while they were similar for 210Pb (67 ± 6–55 ± 5 days). The difference in residence times corresponds to the greater extent of biogeochemical scavenging and regeneration processes within the upper Chesapeake.
Inhibition of human polymorphonuclear leukocyte respiratory burst activity and aggregation by 6-ketocholestanol.

6-ketocholestanol. a naturally occurring oxygenated sterol, when incubated with human neutrophils (PMN), can inhibit superoxide and hydrogen peroxide generation in a dose-dependent fashion. This is accompanied by inhibition of stimulated PMN aggregation without alteration in cellular viability. This inhibitory effect is not affected by washing of the cells, and cannot be blocked by the addition of free cholesterol to the medium. These data are consistent with prior observations which showed an inhibitory effect on PMN chemotaxis by certain oxygenated sterol compounds. and support the hypothesis that certain oxygenated sterols can affect a variety of human PMN functions by a mechanism that may involve perturbation of the plasma membrane.
SynthAssist: an audio synthesizer programmed with vocal imitation

While programming an audio synthesizer can be difficult, if a user has a general idea of the sound they are trying to program, they may be able to imitate it with their voice. In this technical demonstration, we demonstrate SynthAssist, a system that allows the user to program an audio synthesizer using vocal imitation and interactive feedback. This system treats synthesizer programming as an audio information retrieval task. To account for the limitations of the human voice, it compares vocal imitations to synthesizer sounds by using both absolute and relative temporal shapes of relevant audio features, and it refines the query and feature weights using relevance feedback.
Fully automated targeting using nonrigid image registration matches accuracy and exceeds precision of best manual approaches to subthalamic deep brain stimulation targeting in Parkinson disease.

Background Finding the optimal location for the implantation of the electrode in deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery is crucial for maximizing the therapeutic benefit to the patient. Such targeting is challenging for several reasons, including anatomic variability between patients as well as the lack of consensus about the location of the optimal target. Objective To compare the performance of popular manual targeting methods against a fully automatic nonrigid image registration-based approach. Methods In 71 Parkinson disease subthalamic nucleus (STN)-DBS implantations, an experienced functional neurosurgeon selected the target manually using 3 different approaches: indirect targeting using standard stereotactic coordinates, direct targeting based on the patient magnetic resonance imaging, and indirect targeting relative to the red nucleus. Targets were also automatically predicted by using a leave-one-out approach to populate the CranialVault atlas with the use of nonrigid image registration. The different targeting methods were compared against the location of the final active contact, determined through iterative clinical programming in each individual patient. Results Targeting by using standard stereotactic coordinates corresponding to the center of the motor territory of the STN had the largest targeting error (3.69 mm), followed by direct targeting (3.44 mm), average stereotactic coordinates of active contacts from this study (3.02 mm), red nucleus-based targeting (2.75 mm), and nonrigid image registration-based automatic predictions using the CranialVault atlas (2.70 mm). The CranialVault atlas method had statistically smaller variance than all manual approaches. Conclusion Fully automatic targeting based on nonrigid image registration with the use of the CranialVault atlas is as accurate and more precise than popular manual methods for STN-DBS.
Stratification of patients with metastatic prostate cancer based on extent of disease on initial bone scan

Most patients with metastatic prostate cancer will have metastasis to bone. Such patients are best monitored by serial radionuclide bone scans. One hundred sixty six men with bone metastasis from prostate cancer who received androgen deprivation therapy had their pretreatment bone scans reviewed using a semiquantitative grading system based upon the extent of disease (EOD) observed on the scan. The EOD on the scan correlated with survival. The 2-year survival rates for EOD I to IV were 94%, 74%, 68%, and 40%, respectively. The survival of patients in categories EOD I and IV significantly differed from the other categories. Men with metastatic prostate cancer entered into trials designed to evaluate the impact of treatment on survival should be stratified based upon the EOD on the bone scan. This analysis also indicates that patients in the EOD IV category have a particularly poor prognosis and may be candidates for alternative treatments.
Correlation among soil test values and elemental composition of chrysanthemums

Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat. plants were grown in a soil mix fertilized daily with a balanced solution containing N, P, K, Ca, and Mg at 4 rates which were 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 times. At the end of 4 weeks of vegetative growth, the above-ground portions of the plants were analyzed for elemental content, and the soil mix was analyzed by 3 soil testing procedures. The N, P, and K contents of chrysanthemum were positively correlated with the reported values of these nutrients in the soil as determined by the Spurway, Penn State, and Intensity-Balance soil tests. Magnesium, as in the Penn State and Intensity-Balance soil tests, was negatively correlated with plant Mg content; however, Ca was not significantly correlated with plant Ca in the Penn State test and negatively correlated in the Intensity-Balance test. The magnitude of the correlation coefficients between nutrient content of the plants, and the soil test value of the nutrient by all three soil tests were similar indicating that all three soil tests can be used.
Example-based wrinkle synthesis for clothing animation

This paper describes a method for animating the appearance of clothing, such as pants or a shirt, that fits closely to a figure's body. Compared to flowing cloth, such as loose dresses or capes, these types of garments involve nearly continuous collision contact and small wrinkles, that can be troublesome for traditional cloth simulation methods. Based on the observation that the wrinkles in close-fitting clothing behave in a predominantly kinematic fashion, we have developed an example-based wrinkle synthesis technique. Our method drives wrinkle generation from the pose of the figure's kinematic skeleton. This approach allows high quality clothing wrinkles to be combined with a coarse cloth simulation that computes the global and dynamic aspects of the clothing motion. While the combined results do not exactly match a high-resolution reference simulation, they do capture many of the characteristic fine-scale features and wrinkles. Further, the combined system runs at interactive rates, making it suitable for applications where high-resolution offline simulations would not be a viable option. The wrinkle synthesis method uses a precomputed database built by simulating the high-resolution clothing as the articulated figure is moved over a range of poses. In principle, the space of poses is exponential in the total number of degrees of freedom; however clothing wrinkles are primarily affected by the nearest joints, allowing each joint to be processed independently. During synthesis, mesh interpolation is used to consider the influence of multiple joints, and combined with a coarse simulation to produce the final results at interactive rates.