cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
“Love's labours lost”: failure to implement mass vaccination against group A meningococcal meningitis in sub-Saharan Africa

Despite the availability of a safe effective polysaccharide vaccine group A meningococcal meningitis epidemics persist in sub-Saharan Africa. In October 1996 there were almost 150000 reported cases and 15000 deaths the majority of which involved children. At 3 months of age induction of protective group A meningococcal antibody levels requires 2 injections at least 1 month apart. Reinjection of 5-year-old children increases group A antibodies to long-term protective levels. During meningitis epidemics in Nigeria Mali and Rwanda fatality was significantly reduced in areas where scarce vaccine was administered selectively. Although effective on an individual basis selective vaccination is unable to control meningitis epidemics. In Chad mass vaccination of the entire population (excluding infants under 12 months) eliminated the disease. Successful mass vaccination against group A meningococcal epidemics also has been reported in Saudi Arabia China and refugee camps in Africa. Although cost is cited as an obstacle to routine mass vaccination to prevent meningococcal meningitis in South Africa prevention is the least expensive approach to disease control. It is recommended that the entire population of Africas meningitis belt receive group A meningococcal vaccine in accordance with the recommended age schedule in a mass vaccination program.
Subsolidus phase relations and transparent conductors in the cadmium-indium-tin oxide system

Subsolidus phase relations have been determined in the CdO–InO1.5–SnO2 system at 1175°C. A cubic-bixbyite solution In2−2x(Cd,Sn)2xO3 (0 < x < 0.34), a cubic spinel solution (1−x)CdIn2O4–xCd2SnO4 (0 < x < 0.75), and an orthorhombic-perovskite solution Cd1−xSn1−xIn2xO3 (0 < x < 0.045) having the GdFeO3 structure have been discovered. The CdO phase field exists over a small range of InO1.5 (<3%) and SnO2 (<1%). Orthorhombic Cd2SnO4 (Sr2PbO4 structure) and rutile SnO2 appear to be point compounds with negligible solubility. The vertical section between spinel CdIn2O4 and orthorhombic Cd2SnO4 was determined between 900° and 1175°C. The spinel phase field (1−x)CdIn2O4–xCd2SnO4 was found to extend between x= 0 and x= 0.75 at 1175°C or x= 0.78 at 900°C. All of the phases in this system appear to allow small excess quantities of the donors In and/or Sn (vs cation stoichiometry) which may be the source of the electrons that give these oxides their n-type character. The electrical and optical properties of bulk and thin-film specimens in this system are compared and contrasted with each other and the relative merits of each are assessed.
Alzheimer presenilin-1 mutations dramatically reduce trimming of long amyloid β-peptides (Aβ) by γ-secretase to increase 42-to-40-residue Aβ.

The presenilin-containing γ-secretase complex produces the amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) through intramembrane proteolysis, and >100 presenilin mutations are associated with familial early-onset Alzheimer disease (AD). The question of whether these mutations result in AD through a gain or a loss of function remains highly controversial. Mutations in presenilins increase ratios of 42- to 40-residue Aβ critical to pathogenesis, but other Aβs of 38–49 residues are also formed by γ-secretase. Evidence in cells suggests the protease first cleaves substrate within the transmembrane domain at the ϵ site to form 48- or 49-residue Aβ. Subsequent cleavage almost every three residues from the C terminus is thought to occur along two pathways toward shorter secreted forms of Aβ: Aβ49 → Aβ46 → Aβ43 → Aβ40 and Aβ48 → Aβ45 → Aβ42 → Aβ38. Here we show that the addition of synthetic long Aβ peptides (Aβ45–49) directly into purified preparations of γ-secretase leads to the formation of Aβ40 and Aβ42 whether the protease complex is detergent-solubilized or reconstituted into lipid vesicles, and the ratios of products Aβ42 to Aβ40 follow a pattern consistent with the dual-pathway hypothesis. Kinetic analysis of five different AD-causing mutations in presenilin-1 revealed that all result in drastic reduction of normal carboxypeptidase function. Altered trimming of long Aβ peptides to Aβ40 and Aβ42 by mutant proteases occurs at multiple levels, independent of the effects on initial endoproteolysis at the ϵ site, all conspiring to increase the critical Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio implicated in AD pathogenesis. Taken together, these results suggest that specific reduction of carboxypeptidase function of γ-secretase leads to the gain of toxic Aβ42/Aβ40.
Error assimilation as a mechanism in language learning

The present study tests the hypothesis that many of the grammatical errors that occur during the course of language development can serve as ‘auto-input’ leading directly to the acquisition of new expressive forms. A free-speech corpus of grammatically incorrect sentences was gathered from each of 4 four-year-old subjects. Three additional sets of sentences were constructed: sentences containing errors similar to those actually produced, sentences containing ‘baby errors’ and correct sentences. The children were asked to judge these sentences as correct or incorrect. Significantly fewer corrections were made in the sentences with subject-generated errors than in the sentences with similar errors or ‘baby errors’. These results can be explained by assuming that children learn their own errors.
ADRENERGIC RECEPTOR mRNA EXPRESSION IN NEONATAL RATS WITH CONGENITAL DIAPHRAGMATIC HERNIA. † 2023

ADRENERGIC RECEPTOR mRNA EXPRESSION IN NEONATAL RATS WITH CONGENITAL DIAPHRAGMATIC HERNIA. † 2023
Interannual climatic variation mediates elevated CO2 and O3 effects on forest growth

We analyzed growth data from model aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) forest ecosystems grown in elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide ([CO2]; 518?LL-1) and ozone concentrations ([O3]; 1.5 x background of 30-40 nL L-1 during daylight hours) for 7 years using free-air CO2 enrichment technology to determine how interannual variability in present-day climate might affect growth responses to either gas. We also tested whether growth effects of those gasses were sustained over time. Elevated [CO2] increased tree heights, diameters, and main stem volumes by 11%, 16%, and 20%, respectively, whereas elevated ozone [O3] decreased them by 11%, 8%, and 29%, respectively. Responses similar to these were found for stand volume and basal area. There were no growth responses to the combination of elevated [CO2+O3]. The elevated [CO2,] growth stimulation was found to be decreasing, but relative growth rates varied considerably from year to year. Neither the variation in annual relative growth rates nor the apparent decline in CO2 growth response could be explained in terms of nitrogen or water limitations. Instead, growth responses to elevated [CO2] and [O3] interacted strongly with present-day interannual variability in climatic conditions. The amount of photosynthetically active radiation and temperature during specific times of the year coinciding with growth phenology explained 20-63% of the annual variation in growth response to elevated [CO2] and [O3]. Years with higher photosynthetic photon flux (PPF) during the month of July resulted in more positive growth responses to elevated [CO2] and more negative growth responses to elevated [O3]. Mean daily temperatures during the month of October affected growth in a similar fashion the following year. These results indicate that a several-year trend of increasingly cloudy summers and cool autumns were responsible for the decrease in CO2 growth response.
Response of Subalpine Conifers in the Sierra Nevada, California, U.S.A., to 20th-Century Warming and Decadal Climate Variability

Abstract Four independent studies of conifer growth between 1880 and 2002 in upper elevation forests of the central Sierra Nevada, California, U.S.A., showed correlated multidecadal and century-long responses associated with climate. Using tree-ring and ecological plot analysis, we studied annual branch growth of krummholz Pinus albicaulis; invasion by P. albicaulis and Pinus monticola into formerly persistent snowfields; dates of vertical branch emergence in krummholz P. albicaulis; and invasion by Pinus contorta into subalpine meadows. Mean annual branch growth at six treeline sites increased significantly over the 20th century (range 130–400%), with significant accelerations in rate from 1920 to 1945 and after 1980. Growth stabilized from 1945 to 1980. Similarly, invasion of six snowfield slopes began in the early 1900s and continued into snowfield centers throughout the 20th century, with significantly accelerated mean invasion from 1925 to 1940 and after 1980. Rate of snowfield invasion decreased bet...
Talc Anti-Blocks for Maximized Lldpe Blown Film Performance:

Evaluations were made of anti-blocking agents with two linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) films. Diatomaceous earth (D-E) was com pared to untreated talc and coated talc regarding effectiveness as an anti-block agent and their interaction with fluorocarbon elastomer processing aids (PPA). Data showed that treated talc was slightly more effective in providing anti- block properties than the D-E. Although both talcs required higher levels of PPA than D-E to prevent melt fracture, the same levels were required of a modified PPA with treated talc as the regular PPA with D-E.
Lymphedema of the external genitalia.

ABSTRACTPurpose: This article presents a simple classification of lymphedema of the external genitalia, which is useful for selecting the appropriate therapy, and evaluates our experience with the various therapeutic options used to treat this disorder.Materials and Methods: The literature was reviewed and the records of patients treated for the disorder were analyzed.Results: A convenient classification of the disorder divides cases into congenital and acquired. Therapy is primarily dependent on whether the disease is self-limited and whether there has been any pathological change in the skin, lymphatics and subcutaneous tissue. For self-limited diseases in which no permanent pathological sequelae occur conservative therapy is appropriate. For most chronic conditions a surgical procedure is required. Excisional techniques are most effective for severe forms of the disease. In select cases subcutaneous tissue excision with preservation of the overlying skin is appropriate. However, for most patients excis...
Alcoholism and mortality kinetics

Gompertz plots of age-specific mortality rates versus age were compared in alcoholics and the general population. Alcoholism had a dual effect, apparently increasing vulnerability to death while slowing the aging rate (longevity is a two-dimensional function). It was hypothesized that the apparent slowing of the aging rate was an artifact, resulting from population heterogeneity in vulnerability. It is recommended that in future studies, attempts be made to categorize alcoholic subjects with respect to alcoholic habit. Longitudinal studies would also be useful.
Protein Structure Prediction

The molecular basis of life rests on the activity of large biomolecules, mostly nucleic acids(DNA and RNA), carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins. While each of these molecules has itsrole, there is something special about proteins, as they are the lead performers of cellular functions.This was dramatized by Jacques Monod, who stated that “C’est a ce niveau d’ organisation chimique que git, s’il y en a un, le secret de la vie,” i.e., that it is at this level of organization that lies the secret of life, if there is one [1]. To understand how these molecules function we first need to know their shapes; consequently, structural molecular biology has emerged as a new line of experimental research focused on revealing the structure of these biomolecules. This branch of biology has recently experienced a major uplift through the development of highthroughput structural studies, the structural genomics projects, aimed atdeveloping a comprehensive view of the protein structure universe. All these initiatives are expected to help us unravel the connections between the sequence, structure, and function of a protein. Experimental data at a molecular level are scarce, however; this has led to the development of many modeling initiatives to shed light on these connections. Probably the most famous is the study of the protein-folding problem — the “holy grail” for the structural biology community. Its elusive goal is to predict the detailed three-dimensional structure of a protein from its sequence as well as to decipher the sequence of events the protein goes through to reach its folded state. This chapter is dedicated to the first part of this task, namely the protein structure prediction problem. We structure prediction problem benefit from two different approaches to science, which differ in the importance they give to experimental data.
The culture of the USA venture capital industry

Venture capital is a form of "private risk capital". The United States pioneered the modern venture capital industry and is still the world's dominant venture investor with over $250 billion under active management. The American lead in developing many new technologies is due precisely to the investments in start-ups and early stage enterprises. This paper explores the structure of the US venture capital industry and its implication for other economies.
Medicaid managed care payment rates in 1998

ABSTRACT: This paper reports on a new survey of state Medicaid managed care payment rates. We collected rate data for Medicaid's Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC)/Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and poverty-related populations and made adjustments to make the data comparable across states. The results show a slightly more than twofold variation in capitation rates among states, caused primarily by fee-for-service spending levels and demographics. There is a very low correlation between the variation in Medicaid capitation rates among states and the variations in Medicare's adjusted average per capita cost. The data are not sufficient to answer questions about the adequacy of rates but should help to further policy discussions and research.
Changes in the distribution and abundance of Dreissena polymorpha within lakes through time

Dreissena polymorpha population densities and biomass were followed in three Belarusian lakes with different trophic status over a 12-year period subsequent to initial colonization. In all three lakes zebra mussel population densities did not change once they reached a maximum. Application of the Ramcharan et al. [1992. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 49: 2611–2620] model for predicting population dynamics of zebra mussels was accurate for two of the three lakes studied. Population density appears to depend on the time since initial colonization, relative abundance of substrate available for colonization, lake morphometry and trophic type. Zebra mussel distribution within lakes was highly patchy, but the degree of dispersion decreased over time after initial colonization, which may be a result of saturation of suitable substrates by zebra mussels as populations increase and reach carrying capacity. In lakes where submerged macrophytes are the dominant substrate for zebra mussel attachment, populations may be less stable than in lakes with a variety of substrates, which will have a more balanced age distribution, and be less impacted by year to year variation in recruitment. Dreissena polymorpha usually reach maximum population density 7–12 years after initial introduction. However, the timing of initial introduction is often very difficult to determine. Both European and North American data suggest that zebra mussels reach maximum density in about 2–3 years after populations are large enough to be detected.
Elovl3: a model gene to dissect homeostatic links between the circadian clock and nutritional status

The ELOVL3 protein is a very long-chain fatty acid elongase found in liver, skin, and brown adipose tissues. Circadian expression of the Elovl3 gene in the liver is perturbed in mutant CLOCK mice but persists in mice with severe hepatic dysfunction. A reliance on an intact clock, combined with the refractoriness to liver decompensation and the finding of a robust sexually dimorphic pattern of expression, evince a particularly complex mode of transcriptional control. The Elovl3 gene upstream region was repressed by RevErbalpha and activated by sterol-regulatory element binding protein-1 (SREBP1) transcription factors. We propose that the temporal coordination of RevErbalpha and SREBP1 activities integrates clock and nutrition signals to drive a subset of oscillatory transcripts in the liver. Proteolytic activation of SREBP1 is circadian in the liver, and because the cycle of SREBP1 activation was reversed after restricting meals to the inactive phase of the day, this factor could serve as an acute sensor of nutritional state. SREBP1 regulates many known lipogenic and cholesterogenic circadian genes; hence, our results could explain how feeding can override brain-derived entraining signals in the liver. This mechanism would permit a rapid adjustment in the sequence of key aspects of the absorptive and postabsorptive phases in the liver.
Human impacts on leaf economics in heterogeneous landscapes: the effect of harvesting non-timber forest products from African mahogany across habitats and climates

Summary 1. Non-timber forest products (NTFP) are harvested by millions of people for their livelihood. To define sustainable harvest limits it is critical to understand the biological impacts of harvest. In the last decade we have improved our understanding of the demographic mechanisms driving population level responses to harvest. Our understanding of the ecophysiological underpinnings for these processes is still limited. 2. We tested the effect of foliage harvest by indigenous Fulani people on leaf stoichiometry and economics in Khaya senegalensis (Meliaceae) in two vegetation types (fallows vs. forest) and in two ecological regions (dry vs. moist) in Benin, West Africa. 3. Leaf mass per area (LMA) increased with aridity. Across sites and treatments, LMA correlated negatively with nitrogen and phosphorus per mass (Nmass and Pmass respectively), more strongly than with concentrations per area (Narea and Parea respectively) consistent with world-wide trends in leaf economics. The effect of foliage harvest on foliar nutrient concentrations was dependent on plant size and habitat. Harvesting increased Nmass and Pmass in larger trees, and altered the LMA ) Nmass relationship between vegetation types and the LMA ) Parea relationship between ecological regions, but it did not affect stoichiometry (N:P or C:N ratios). 4. Synthesis and applications. The context-dependent effect of harvest on leaf economics emphasizes the importance of considering plant size and climate in predicting the biological consequences of NTFP harvest, and explains some of the ecophysiological mechanisms underlying demographic responses to harvest. The plant size- and climate-dependent effects of harvest on leaf composition suggest a different approach for assessing the impact of NTFP harvest on population dynamics. NTFP harvest should be modelled explicitly as a size dependent factor and integral projection models provide the framework for this. Our findings suggest that to reduce harvesting pressure on wild populations, it is important to encourage Fulani owned K. senegalensis plantations, especially in the dry region where harvest had greater effects.
Conversion of a Delayed Rectifier K+ Channel to a Voltage-Gated Inward Rectifier K+ Channel by Three Amino Acid Substitutions

Single, double, and triple mutations progressively shift Shaker activation to more hyperpolarized potentials, resulting in an increase in the fraction of inactivated channels at negative resting voltages. The most negatively shifted mutation, the triple mutant, behaves like an inward rectifier. What is usually considered activation of an inward rectifier is, for the triple mutant, recovery from inactivation, and what is usually considered deactivation is inactivation. This conversion from outward rectifier to inward rectifier does not rely on a difference in sign or direction of charge movement of the voltage sensor, since activation of the Shaker outward rectifier is due to a different gate than activation of the triple mutant inward rectifier. Other voltage-dependent inward rectifiers in the Shaker family may work by a similar mechanism.
A microfacet-based BRDF generator

A method is presented that takes as an input a 2D microfacet orientation distribution and produces a 4D bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF). This method differs from previous microfacet-based BRDF models in that it uses a simple shadowing term which allows it to handle very general microfacet distributions while maintaining reciprocity and energy conservation. The generator is shown on a variety of material types.
Influence of Pre- and Postdiagnosis Physical Activity on Mortality in Breast Cancer Survivors: The Health, Eating, Activity, and Lifestyle Study

Purpose To investigate the association between pre- and postdiagnosis physical activity (as well as change in prediagnosis to postdiagnosis physical activity) and mortality among women with breast cancer. Patients and Methods This was a prospective observational study of 933 women enrolled onto the Health, Eating, Activity, and Lifestyle Study who were diagnosed with local or regional breast cancer between 1995 and 1998 and observed until death or September 2004, whichever came first. The primary outcomes measured were total deaths and breast cancer deaths. The primary exposures were physical activity in the year before and 2 years after diagnosis and the pre- to postdiagnosis change in physical activity. Results Compared with inactive women, the multivariable hazard ratios (HRs) for total deaths for women expending at least 9 metabolic equivalent hours per week (approximately 2 to 3 h/wk of brisk walking) were 0.69 (95% CI, 0.45 to 1.06; P .045) for those active in the year before diagnosis and 0.33 (95% CI, 0.15 to 0.73; P .046) for those active 2 years after diagnosis. Compared with women who were inactive both before and after diagnosis, women who increased physical activity after diagnosis had a 45% lower risk of death (HR 0.55; 95% CI, 0.22 to 1.38), and women who decreased physical activity after diagnosis had a four-fold greater risk of death (HR 3.95; 95% CI, 1.45 to 10.50). Conclusion Moderate-intensity physical activity after a diagnosis of breast cancer may improve prognosis.
Rastreando Huellas: La Dinámica del Paisaje en la Paciencia, Tierra del Fuego

El valle de La Paciencia ha sido una zona de Tierra del Fuego donde han suscitado diferentes momentos culturales que caracterizan parte de esta isla. Realizar su reconstruccion historica fue uno de los objetivos principales de esta investigacion, siendo posible especialmente gracias al rescate de diferentes historias de vida complementadas con material bibliografico y fotografico. Una dinamica cultural que se refleja en su actual paisaje. Este articulo presenta un recorrido por un area poco conocida que de ser terreno nomada se transformo en uno de las factorias madereras mas importantes de Tierra del Fuego, para luego dar cavida a la ganaderia bovina y quedar actualmente bajo lineamientos de conservacion de su biodiversidad. TRACKING FOOTPRINTS LANDSCAPE DYNAMICS IN PACIENCIA, TIERRA DELFUEGO ABSTRACT The Paciencia Valley has been an area of Tierra del Fuego where different cultural moments have raised, characterizing part of this island. Making his historical reconstruction was one of the main objectives of this research, especially being possible thanks to the rescue of different life stories supplemented with bibliographic and photographic data. A cultural dynamic that is reflected in its current landscape. This paper presents a tour of an area little known that past from being a nomadic land to became one of the most important timber factories of Tierra del Fuego, and later becoming cattle territory and currently under guidelines to preserve its biodiversity.
College of American pathologists proposal for the oversight of laboratory-developed tests

Context.—The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it will exercise authority over laboratory-developed tests (LDTs). Laboratory-developed tests have traditionally been developed and offered in laboratories as a service to patients and regulated under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (Clinical Laboratory Improvements Act). Laboratories now face potential dual regulatory oversight from both the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the FDA. The College of American Pathologists (CAP) constructed a proposal to minimize redundancy of agency oversight and burden to laboratories. Modifications to the proposal continue while the laboratory community awaits release of the guidance documents that will stipulate FDA requirements. Objective.—To describe the historical context framing the entry of FDA into the oversight of LDTs and outline the CAP LDT Proposal in its current form. Data Sources.—PubMed review of published literature; United States Constitution; and online...
American Brachytherapy Society consensus guidelines for locally advanced carcinoma of the cervix. Part III: low-dose-rate and pulsed-dose-rate brachytherapy.

Abstract Purpose To develop a guideline for quality practice of low-dose-rate (LDR) and pulsed-dose-rate (PDR) brachytherapy for locally advanced cervical cancer. Methods Members of the American Brachytherapy Society (ABS) with expertise in cervical cancer brachytherapy formulated updated guidelines for LDR and PDR brachytherapy for locally advanced (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics [FIGO] Stages IB2–IVA) cervical cancer based on literature review and clinical experience. Results The ABS strongly recommends the use of brachytherapy as a component of the definitive treatment of locally advanced cervical carcinoma. Precise applicator placement is necessary to maximize the probability of achieving local control without major side effects. The ABS recommends a cumulative delivered dose of approximately 80–90 Gy for definitive treatment. Dosimetry must be performed after each insertion before treatment delivery. The dose delivered to point A should be reported for all intracavitary brachytherapy applications regardless of treatment planning technique. The ABS also recommends adoption of the Groupe Europeen de Curietherapie-European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology guidelines for contouring, image-based treatment planning and dose reporting. Interstitial brachytherapy may be considered for a small proportion of patients whose disease cannot be adequately encompassed by intracavitary application and should be performed by practitioners with special expertise in these procedures. Quality management measures must be performed, and follow-up information should also be obtained. Conclusions Updated ABS guidelines are provided for LDR and PDR brachytherapy for locally advanced cervical cancer. Practitioners and cooperative groups are encouraged to use these guidelines to formulate their clinical practices and to adopt dose-reporting policies that are critical for outcome analysis.
Factors Related to Occupancy of Breeding Wetlands by Flatwoods Salamander Larvae

The flatwoods salamander (Ambystoma cingulatum) was listed as federally threatened in 1999. Alteration of habitat was considered the main threat to the species, especially the loss of habitat for larval flatwoods salamanders that develop in isolated, seasonally flooded wetlands. Our objectives were to evaluate a suite of within-pool factors (i.e., vegetation structure, water level, and an index to presence of fish) that could influence occupancy of breeding wetlands by larval flatwoods salamanders on Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, USA. We dip-netted for larval salamanders from January through March 2003–2006 and we measured a suite of vegetation characteristics in 2006–2007. Further, in 2006 we measured the level of water and relative presence of fish over the salamander breeding season. Site occupancy over the four year period was best described by a model that incorporated high herbaceous vegetation cover and open canopy cover. Detection probability was assessed, but it varied among years and was not included in the model. Our study suggests that managing the breeding habitat of flatwoods salamander for open canopies and dense herbaceous vegetation may contribute to this species’ recovery.
Energy-efficient cache design using variable-strength error-correcting codes

Voltage scaling is one of the most effective mechanisms to improve microprocessors' energy efficiency. However, processors cannot operate reliably below a minimum voltage, Vccmin, since hardware structures may fail. Cell failures in large memory arrays (e.g., caches) typically determine Vccmin for the whole processor. We observe that most cache lines exhibit zero or one failures at low voltages. However, a few lines, especially in large caches, exhibit multi-bit failures and increase Vccmin. Previous solutions either significantly reduce cache capacity to enable uniform error correction across all lines, or significantly increase latency and bandwidth overheads when amortizing the cost of error-correcting codes (ECC) over large lines. In this paper, we propose a novel cache architecture that uses variable-strength error-correcting codes (VS-ECC). In the common case, lines with zero or one failures use a simple and fast ECC. A small number of lines with multi-bit failures use a strong multi-bit ECC that requires some additional area and latency. We present a novel dynamic cache characterization mechanism to determine which lines will exhibit multi-bit failures. In particular, we use multi-bit correction to protect a fraction of the cache after switching to low voltage, while dynamically testing the remaining lines for multi-bit failures. Compared to prior multi-bit-correcting proposals, VS-ECC significantly reduces power and energy, avoids significant reductions in cache capacity, incurs little area overhead, and avoids large increases in latency and bandwidth.
Parallel Mapping Approaches for GNUMAP

Mapping short next-generation reads to reference genomes is an important element in SNP calling and expression studies. A major limitation to large-scale whole-genome mapping is the large memory requirements for the algorithm and the long run-time necessary for accurate studies. Several parallel implementations have been performed to distribute memory on different processors and to equally share the processing requirements. These approaches are compared with respect to their memory footprint, load balancing, and accuracy. When using MPI with multi-threading, linear speedup can be achieved for up to 256 processors.
WS13 Antibiotic ban in the European Union: a Pyrrhic victory?

Objective This Workshop offers a forum to colleagues from academia and industry. It will present a critical re-appraisal on the rational of the EU ban, and the overall economic impact of this measure as well as regulatory attempts to stimulate licensing of new products. Additional contributions are devoted to current RD activities within the industry, and new targets and strategies in product development will be presented and discussed.
Reevaluating spells initially identified as cataplexy

Abstract Background and purpose Cataplexy, transient episodes of bilateral muscle weakness with areflexia provoked by emotions, is a state highly specific to narcolepsy. Cataplexy is diagnosed based on clinical interview. Two screening tools have been developed recently but their usefulness has been limited because of length or current lack of psychometric data. Used effectively even these screening tests require the interpreting physician to have an understanding of the typical features of cataplexy. Most physicians encounter patients with cataplexy fairly infrequently, making it difficult to gain proficiency in detecting cataplexy based on clinical interview alone. Relatively little attention has been given to the differential diagnosis of cataplexy, which increases the likelihood of unnecessary sleep testing or false positive diagnosis. Patients and methods This case series describes six cases where cataplexy was initially diagnosed. In all cases the weakness spells were eventually not attributed to cataplexy. The presentation and characteristics of these cases will be presented as a means to discuss the differential diagnosis of cataplexy. Results These cases represent a diverse set of medical disorders including bradycardia, migraine, delayed sleep phase syndrome, conversion disorder, malingering and a chronic psychotic disorder. Conclusions A more in-depth understanding of the classic features of cataplexy should improve recognition of this fascinating state. Improved cataplexy recognition will enhance the appropriate usage of sleep tests and eventually increase the timeliness and accuracy of the diagnosis of narcolepsy with cataplexy.
Rendezvous without coordinates

We study minimalism in sensing and control by considering a multi-agent system in which each agent moves like a Dubins car and has a limited sensor that reports only the presence of another agent within some sector of its windshield. Using a simple quantized control law with three values, each agent tracks another agent (its target) assigned to it by maintaining that agent within this windshield sector. We use Lyapunov analysis to show that by acting autonomously in this way, the agents will achieve rendezvous given a connected initial assignment graph and the assumption that an agent and its target will merge into a single agent when they are sufficiently close. We then proceed to show that, by making the quantized control law slightly stronger, a connected initial assignment graph is not required and the sensing model can be weakened further. A distinguishing feature of our approach is that it does not involve any estimation procedure aimed at reconstructing coordinate information. Our scenario thus provides an example in which an interesting task is performed with extremely coarse sensing and control, and without state estimation. The system was implemented in computer simulation, accessible through the Web, of which the results are presented in the paper.
Refashioning Chieftaincy in Ghana: Festival Dress, Corporate Sponsorship and New Logics of Value

Annual festivals in Ghana celebrate the agricultural harvest and commemorate the political authority of local chiefs. Today, multinational corporations such as Guinness, MTN and Vodafone sponsor almost all aspects of festival production. Sponsor participation has transformed festivals into sites saturated with images of commodities and corporate brands. While some chiefs support corporate participation, others deplore sponsors, who they perceive as threatening chiefs’ control over the festival arena. A critical medium through which chiefs police and participate in discourses about cultural and political legitimacy is dress: chiefs clothe members of their entourages alternatively in T-shirts with corporate logos and T-shirts with images of chiefs. During festivals, chiefs orchestrate embodied practices to assert new claims to their political authority based on the nobility of their lineage or their participation in global economic networks. Through an exploration of contemporary dress practices, I argue that what is at stake in corporate-sponsored festivals is the emergence of new logics of value that challenge people to reassess the social and economic relations that underlie the production of political power in Ghana. RESUME: Chaque annee au Ghana, des festivals celebrent les moissons et commemorent l’autorite politique des chefs locaux. Des entreprises multinationales comme Guinness, MTN ou Vodafone parrainent aujourd’hui la quasi-totalite des aspects de la production de ces festivals. Cette participation a transforme les festivals en lieux satures d’images de marchandises et marques commerciales. Tandis que certains chefs soutiennent la participation des entreprises, d’autres deplorent ce parrainage qu’ils percoivent comme une menace au controle des chefs sur les festivals. Pour maintenir l’ordre et participer aux discours sur la legitimite culturelle et politique, les chefs utilisent comme moyen critique la tenue vestimentaire : ils habil-lent les membres de leur entourage tantot de tee-shirts au logo de l’entreprise, tantot de tee-shirts a l’effigie du chef. Pendant les festivals, les chefs orchestrent des pratiques incarnees pour revendiquer a nouveau leur autorite politique sur la base de la noblesse de leur lignage ou leur participation aux reseaux economiques mondiaux. A travers l’exploration de pratiques vestimentaires contemporaines, l’auteur soutient que ce qui est en jeu dans les festivals parraines par les entreprises est l’emergence d’une nouvelle logique de la valeur qui pousse les personnes a reevaluer les relations sociales et economiques qui sous-tendent la production du pouvoir politique au Ghana.
The role of GATA3 in breast carcinomas: a review

GATA3 is a zinc-binding transcription factor that regulates the differentiation of many human tissue types, including the mammary gland. In surgical pathology, immunohistochemistry for GATA3 is largely used to support urothelial or breast origin in a carcinoma of unknown origin. GATA3 is sensitive but not entirely specific in this setting. Although GATA3 labeling is highest in estrogen receptor-positive carcinomas, it also labels estrogen receptor-negative carcinomas and thus has particular diagnostic utility in the setting of triple-negative breast carcinomas, which are typically negative for other mammary-specific markers.
Random walks with different directions

As an extension of Polya’s classical result on random walks on the square grids (\({\mathbf {Z}}^d\)), we consider a random walk where the steps, while still have unit length, point to different directions. We show that in dimensions at least 4, the returning probability after n steps is at most \(n^{-d/2 - d/(d-2) +o(1) }\), which is sharp. The real surprise is in dimensions 2 and 3. In dimension 2, where the traditional grid walk is recurrent, our upper bound is \(n^{-\omega (1) }\), which is much worse than in higher dimensions. In dimension 3, we prove an upper bound of order \(n^{-4 +o(1) }\). We find a new conjecture concerning incidences between spheres and points in \({\mathbf {R}}^3\), which, if holds, would improve the bound to \(n^{-9/2 +o(1) }\), which is consistent to the \(d \ge 4\) case. This conjecture resembles Szemeredi-Trotter type results and is of independent interest.
Do your pediatric patients drink alcohol? Are they heavy or binge drinkers?

The results from an extended series of national and local studies on alcohol use and abuse by youngsters is reviewed. One in four eighth graders report binging on alcohol. Six million twelve to seventeen-year-olds indicate they are heavy alcohol drinkers. Dentists caring for youngsters need to be aware that their patients may be drinking alcohol, may have been drunk the previous night and may still be "hung over." Language: en
Um exame crítico da evolução da educação de doutorado em enfermagem nos Estados Unidos

;A graduacao em enfermagem nos Estados Unidos esta passando por grandes transformacoes, como resultado de fatores, tanto dentro da enfermagem como na sociedade em geral. ;;;OBJETIVO:; ; Neste trabalho os autores examinam as tendencias e fatores que estao influenciando as mudancas, especialmente na educacao de doutorado, tanto para o cientista em enfermagem como para a preparacao pratica avancada. ;;;;CONCLUSAO:; ; O documento fornece um fundo que serve de contexto e apresenta uma visao geral dos titulos em PhD e DPE (Doutor na Pratica de Enfermagem), com foco nas mudancas recentes, identificando as questoes e preocupacoes mais interessantes, terminando com uma serie de recomendacoes. ;;
Oral Fixation or Oral Corrective? A Response to Larry Hurtado

Over the last several decades, performance criticism has made significant headway as an interpretive method. However, in a recent issue of this journal, Larry Hurtado argues that the key assumptions of the movement ignore various historical realities regarding the use of texts in the ancient world. The following discussion offers a brief response to what Hurtado suggests are several ‘oversimplifications’. The essay argues that rather than being a ‘fixation’ as Hurtado maintains, the renewed focus on orality and performance is a corrective that helps to provide a broader understanding of how biblical texts were typically experienced in the ancient world.
Territorial Behaviour in Certain Horned Ungulates, With Special Reference to the Examples of Thomson's and Grant's Gazelles

An attempt has been made to distinguish between action area, home range, and territory in the Bovidae. The establishing of subjective boundaries is considered to be the most important criterion of territoriality. The existence of such boundaries becomes evident from certain behavioural symptoms; “defence” or better, localized dominance which may lead to intolerance, is one of them. Not all bovids are territorial. Within the territorial species, there seem to be at least two types: (a) The animals, usually in pairs, may, under favourable conditions, stay in their territories permanently; (b) Only the males are territorial and stay in temporary territories, usually for several weeks or months. This last type is obviously more common in horned ungulates than the first one. Within this second type (b), there are species-specific differences. For example, in Grant's gazelle ( Gazella granti ), under certain environmental conditions, this type of territoriality is combined with harem behaviour, but in the co-inhabiting Thomson's gazelle ( Gazella thomsoni ), the females roam through the territories of the males and stay together with the same buck only for a few hours per day. Even within one and the same species, there can be variations, apparently linked with differences in environmental conditions. This is discussed, using the examples of the Uganda kob (Adenota kobj , the wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus ), and Grant's gazelle. Finally, there can be differences in the territorial behaviour of the same individual according to the phases of territoriality (beginning, peak, end) which is shown by the example of Thomson's gazelle.
Dynamical evolution of angular momentum in damped nuclear reactions: (I). Accumulation of angular momentum by nucleon transfer

Abstract The dynamical accumulation of angular momentum in the course of a damped nuclear reaction is studied within the framework of the nucleon exchange transport model. The dinuclear spin distribution is described by the mean values and the covariances of the two prefragment spins and their orbital angular momentum L . Using an intrinsic coordinate system aligned with the fluctuating direction of L , the equations of motion for the spin distribution are derived and discussed. The ultimate transformation to an externally defined reference frame is also discussed. The evolution of other observables and their coupling to the spin variables are included and, by integrating conditional distributions over all impact parameters, results are obtained for differential cross sections corresponding to a specified loss of relative kinetic energy. The characteristic features of the evolution of the spin distribution is discussed in detail. First the stationary solution of the equations of motion is considered and its different appearance in the various relevant coordinate systems is exhibited. The dynamical evolution is discussed in terms of the time-dependent relaxation times associated with the six different intrinsic modes of rotation in the disphere. Due to the relative smallness of the window size the positive modes will dominate (for not too long times), resulting in a predominantly positive correlation between the fragment spin fluctuations. Illustrative applications to cases of experimental interest are made and a critical discussion is given of other models addressing angular momentum in damped nuclear reactions.
Bryostatin 1 enhances paclitaxel-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis in human leukemia cells (U937) ectopically expressing Bcl-xL.

The effects of the protein kinase C (PKC) activator and down-regulator bryostatin 1 were examined with respect to paclitaxel-induced apoptosis and antiproliferative activity in human myeloid leukemia cells (U937) displaying enforced expression of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-xL. Overexpression of Bcl-xL blocked various aspects of paclitaxel-mediated apoptosis, including caspase-3 activation, degradation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (Δ Ψm), and release of cytochrome c. However, subsequent (but not prior) exposure of paclitaxel-treated U937/Bcl-xL cells (500 nM; 6 h) to bryostatin 1 (10 nM; 15 h) restored the extent of apoptosis, caspase activation, and mitochondrial damage to levels approximating those in paclitaxel-treated empty-vector control cells (U937/Neo). Potentiation of paclitaxel-induced apoptosis by bryostatin 1 in U937/Bcl-xL cells occurred primarily in the G2M cell population, and was associated with alterations in Bcl-xL gel mobility and a reduction in paclitaxel-mediated stimulation of CDK1 activity. Enhancement of paclitaxel-induced apoptosis by bryostatin 1 in Bcl-xL overexpressors was accompanied by a corresponding reduction in clonogenic potential. In contrast to its effects on apoptosis, bryostatin 1 failed to restore paclitaxel-mediated increases in free Bax levels in U937/Bcl-xL cells. Lastly, the actions of bryostatin 1 were mimicked by a pharmacologic inhibitor of the MEK1/MAP kinase pathway (PD98059), but not by SB203580, an inhibitor of p 38 MAP kinase. Moreover, sequential exposure of both U937/Neo or/Bcl-xL cells to paclitaxel followed by bryostatin 1 or PD98059 was associated with a net reduction in MAP kinase activity. Collectively, these findings indicate that protection against paclitaxel-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis in human U937 leukemia cells conferred by Bcl-xL overexpression can be substantially overcome by bryostatin 1 and possibly other agents that interrupt the MAP kinase signal transduction pathway.
Systematic Domain Swaps of Iterative, Nonreducing Polyketide Synthases Provide a Mechanistic Understanding and Rationale For Catalytic Reprogramming

Iterative, nonreducing polyketide synthases (NR-PKSs) are multidomain enzymes responsible for the construction of the core architecture of aromatic polyketide natural products in fungi. Engineering these enzymes for the production of non-native metabolites has been a long-standing goal. We conducted a systematic survey of in vitro “domain swapped” NR-PKSs using an enzyme deconstruction approach. The NR-PKSs were dissected into mono- to multidomain fragments and recombined as noncognate pairs in vitro, reconstituting enzymatic activity. The enzymes used in this study produce aromatic polyketides that are representative of the four main chemical features set by the individual NR-PKS: starter unit selection, chain-length control, cyclization register control, and product release mechanism. We found that boundary conditions limit successful chemistry, which are dependent on a set of underlying enzymatic mechanisms. Crucial for successful redirection of catalysis, the rate of productive chemistry must outpace ...