cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Behavior of Thermally Sprayed WC-Co Layers on 5086 Aluminum Alloy and 304 L Stainless Steel

Thermal spraying is a process for surface coating by projecting a material in powder or in wire form on a material with a previously prepared surface. The materials used in our study are 5086 aluminum alloy and 304 L stainless steel with various surface qualities: polished 120, mirror polished and sandblasted. The projection powder is a combination of "ceramic-metal" WC-Co whose average grain size is 30 microns. The layers thicknesses obtained after 3 passes vary between 90 and 120 microns depending on the operating conditions: gas protection, temperature and surface condition. Indentation tests at the substrate-layer interface and micrographic sections revealed the roughness importance to allow a better layers grip.
Perforated sigmoid diverticulitis with spreading peritonitis.

Summary The mortality in this series of nineteen patients with perforated sigmoid diverticulitis with spreading peritonitis was 47 per cent. Persistent peritonitis resulting in death and regional complications consisting of inflammatory bowel obstruction, fecal fistula, pelvic phlebitis, intraperitoneal abscess, and upper gastrointestinal bleeding are believed to be related to the therapeutic inadequacy of a proximal colostomy with drainage of the peritoneal cavity. In the presence of free communication between the perforation and the general peritoneal cavity, continued bacterial contamination occurs because of leakage of feces retained in the colon between the colostomy and the site of perforation. In consonance with other recent reports, encouraging results in three patients have been achieved by elimination of this source of continued contamination by exteriorization of the colon at the site of perforation or by resection with proximal end colostomy.
Patient Safety, Work Hour Regulations, and Resident Education

In this issue of Pediatrics , Drolet and coauthors report the opinions of pediatric residency program directors about the 2011 resident work-hour restrictions 1 year after implementation: “Resident education, quality of life, continuity of patient care have worsened, with no improvements in numerous areas including fatigue, patient safety, and supervision.”1 Do these opinions simply represent resistance to change? It is notable that the 2003 restrictions that caused an uproar when implemented are now considered “approved.” So should we take a “this, too, shall pass” attitude? Or do the opinions signal significant issues to be addressed? The past few years have been tumultuous in pediatric education, as programs coped with the 2011 restrictions, new 2013 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Review Committee for Pediatrics requirements, and, in many programs, the implementation of electronic medical record systems. Also, in many programs, aspects of supervision have changed, including a decrease in the duration of “on service” periods and an increase in the number of hospitalists. It may be difficult to attribute outcomes to individual changes affecting education, but the importance … Address correspondence to Kenneth B. Roberts, MD, 3005 Bramblewood Dr, Mebane, NC 27302. E-mail: kenrobertsmd{at}gmail.com
A Pragmatic Approach to Cooperative Communication

Cooperative communication represents an effective way of introducing spatial diversity in wireless networks. Full performance gain of an ideal cooperative communication system requires the cooperating transmitters to form their signals such that the destination receiver is able to coherently combine the desired signals. This encompasses multiple implementation challenges. We introduce a more pragmatic approach to cooperative diversity based on modern error correction coding working with phase dithering. Modulation constrained information rate analysis for this approach is presented, and we show that the loss relative to the ideal cooperative diversity scheme is minimal. By incorporating further practical constraints, we show performance of block-oriented phase dithering within a quasi-static Rayleigh fading channel.
Crystal structures of ThBr4 polymorphs

Abstract Thorium tetrabromide has two polymorphic forms with a transformation temperature of 426 ± 5 °C and a melting temperature of 678 ± 5 °C. The space group symmetry of the high-temperature form, β-ThBr4, has been confirmed as I41/amd by single-crystal X-ray diffraction techniques. The lattice parameters were measured as a = 8.934 ± 0.003 and c = 7.964 ± 0.001 A . The calculated X-ray density is 5.76 g/cm3 and the measured density is 5.70 g/cm3. The structure of the low-temperature form, α-ThBr4, has space group symmetry I41/a. A complete structure determination was made from single-crystal X-ray diffraction intensities. There are four molecules of ThBr4 per unit cell. With the origin at 1 the thorium atoms are in set (4a) with positions 0, 1 4 , 1 8 and the bromine atoms are in set (16f) with positions 0.3378, 0.4727, 0.1998. The lattice parameters are a = 6.737 ± 0.001 and c = 13.601 ± 0.003 A . The calculated X-ray density is 5.94 g/cm3 and the measured density is 5.84 g/cm3.
Substituted Tetrahydroisoquinolines as Selective Antagonists for the Orexin 1 Receptor

Increasing evidence implicates the orexin 1 (OX1) receptor in reward processes, suggesting OX1 antagonism could be therapeutic in drug addiction. In a program to develop an OX1 selective antagonist, we designed and synthesized a series of substituted tetrahydroisoquinolines and determined their potency in OX1 and OX2 calcium mobilization assays. Structure–activity relationship (SAR) studies revealed limited steric tolerance and a preference for electron deficiency at the 7-position. Pyridylmethyl groups were shown to be optimal for activity at the acetamide position. Computational studies resulted in a pharmacophore model and confirmed the SAR results. Compound 72 significantly attenuated the development of place preference for cocaine in rats.
Prevalence of infraorbital ethmoid (Haller's) cells on panoramic radiographs

Objective To determine the prevalence of infraorbital ethmoid cells on panoramic radiographs. Infraorbital ethmoid (Haller's) cells are extensions of ethmoid air cells into the areas of the orbit and maxillary sinus and may be seen when present on panoramic radiographs. Study design In this retrospective study, 233 panoramic radiographs were examined for infraorbital ethmoid cells. A diagnostic criterion was developed to identify infraorbital ethmoid cells on panoramic radiographs. Results Sixty panoramic radiographs were discarded because the orbital outline was not seen. Of the 173 panoramic radiographs, the prevalence of infraorbital ethmoid cells was 38.2% (30.8% for men and 40.3% for women). Conclusions The prevalence on panoramic radiographs was within the range of prevalence on CT examinations reported by others.
Visual field mapping of visuomotor adaptation to prisms

Stratton (Psych. Rev., 1897) first described visuomotor adaptation to altered visual input by wearing inverting prism spectacles. A number of studies (e.g., Miyauchi et al., J. Physio., 2004) have tried to confirm his findings and further examine the question of how responses in visual cortex change during this adaptation process. There is evidence from these studies that changes occur in parieto-occipital cortex. Recently, several human visual field maps have been described in parietal cortex that are thought to be involved in visuomotor integration (Swisher et al., J. Neurosci., 2007). Here, we further investigate the adaptation of these cortical maps to an extreme alteration of visuomotor processing.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy after prolonged diazoxide therapy for hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia.

1. Witkop C J, White JG, Townsend D, et al. Ceroid storage disease in Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome: induction in animal models. In: Zs-Nagy I, ed. Lipofusion--1987: state of the art. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1988:413-36. 2. Takahashi A, Yokoyama T. Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome with special reference to lysosomal dysfunction: a case report and review of the literature. Virchows Arch [A] 1984;402:24758. 3. Witkop CJ Jr, Wolfe LS, Cal SX, White JG, Townsend D, Keenan KM. Elevated urinary dolichol excretion in the Hemansky-Pudlak syndrome: indicator of lysosomal dysfunction. Am J Med 1987;82:463-70. 4. GaraY SM, Gardella JE, Fazzini EP, Goldring RM. Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome: pulmonary manifestations of a ceroid storage disorder. Am J Med 1979;66:737-47. 5. Witkop C J, Babcock MN, Rao GHR, et al. Albinism and Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome in Puerto Rico (in press). 6. Schinella RA, Grego MA, Colbert BL, Denmark LW, Cox PR. Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome with granulomatous colitis. Ann Intern Med 1980;92:20-3. 7. Sherman A, Genuth L, Hazzi CG, Balthazar E J, Schinella RA. Perirectal abscess in the Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome. Am J Gastroenterol 1989;84:552-6. 8. Delpinho RA, Kaplan KL. The Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome: report of three cases and review of pathophysiology and management. Medicine 1985;64:192-202. 9. Markowitz J, Slepowitz G, Das K, Kochen J, Daum F. Effect Of sulfasalazine therapy on platelet aggregation studies in children with Crohn's disease [Abstract]. Am J Gastroenterol 1983;84:1240. 10. Markowitz J, Rosa J, Grancher K, Aiges H, Daum F. Longterm 6-mercaptopurine treatment in adolescents with Crohn's disease. Gastroenterology 1990;99:1347-55. 11. Hyams JS, Treem WR. Cyclosporine in treatment of fulminant colitis. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 1989;9:383-7. 12. Rao GHR, Gerrard JM, Witkop CJ, White JG. Platelet aggregation independent of ADP release or prostaglandin synthesis in patients with Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome. Prostaglandins Med 1981;6:459-72. 13. Gerritsen SM, Akkerman JWN, S!xma JJ. Correction of the bleeding time in patients with storage pool deficiency by infusion of cryoprecipitate. Br J Haernatol 1978;40:153-60. 14. Wijermans PW, Dorp DB. Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome: correction of bleeding time by 1-desamino-8D-arginine vasopressin. Am J Hematol 1989;30:145-57.
TH-C-352-02: From Licensing to QA, How to Implement HDR Brachytherapy Into Your Clinic

Brachytherapy has been utilized as a modality for treating cancer since shortly after the discovery of radium by Madame Curie in the early 1900's. Although radium was the workhorse for brachytherapy treatments in the first half of the 21st century, alternative sources began to emerge in the 1950's as mechanisms to produce radioactive isotopes were discovered. Cesium‐137, and a number of other low dose rate (LDR) sources were soon utilized clinically. However, it was not until the 1980's that high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy emerged as a possible alterative to LDR treatments. Although HDR had the advantage of delivering dose in a shorter time frame, there were several concerns regarding this transition, such as the radiological response of HDR versus LDR treatments, and staff safety. Prior to the era of HDR units, most sources were loaded manually resulting in occupational dose to staff participating in LDR procedures. However, before HDR programs could be utilized clinically, alternatives for manual loading were necessary as the resulting exposure to staff would be prohibitively high. In response, remote afterloading HDR units emerged, allowing sources to be delivered to patients remotely. However, along with this advancement in technology came increasing regulatory and quality assurance requirements. Although there are a number of similarities between LDR and HDR treatments, there are substantial differences in the clinical implementations of these treatment programs. During this presentation, we will discuss relevant federal regulatory requirements, NRC licensing, AAPM recommendations and task group reports, available HDR equipment, and logistical planning in order to develop a successful HDR program. Educational Objectives: 1. Discuss the necessary steps to prepare for the clinical implementation of a HDR brachytherapy program. a. NRC licensing b. Equipment purchase c. Room design and shielding d. Acceptance testing and commissioning e. Quality assurance 2. Discuss logistics for HDR workflow.
Reaction diffusion in the NiCrAl and CoCrAl systems

The paper assesses the effect of overlay coating and substrate composition on the kinetics of coating depletion by interdiffusion. This is accomplished by examining the constitution, kinetics and activation energies for a series of diffusion couples primarily of the NiCrAl/Ni-10Cr or CoCrAl/Ni-10Cr type annealed at temperatures in the range 1000-1205 C for times up to 500 hr. A general procedure is developed for analyzing diffusion in multicomponent multiphase systems. It is shown that by introducing the concept of beta-source strength, which can be determined from appropriate phase diagrams, the Wagner solution for consumption of a second phase in a semiinfinite couple is successfully applied to the analysis of MCrAl couples. Thus, correlation of beta-recession rate constants with couple composition, total and diffusional activation energies, and interdiffusion coefficients are determined.
On Determinism in Event-Triggered Distributed Systems with Time Synchronization

We study event processing in locally distributed realtime systems. The objective is to use event-triggered communication together with a time-synchronization protocol, in particular. IEEE 1588 over Ethernet, to achieve the similar level of determinism as in statically scheduled time-triggered systems. Given a distributed application with component properties and input event rate characterization, we discuss an analytic procedure that bounds performance parameters. These parameters are also necessary for deterministic implementation of the application. The procedure is experimentally evaluated on a setup with standard software and networking components.
Optical Modulation of Current in GeSi n—n Heterojunctions

The I–V, characteristics, the C—V characteristics and the photocurrent spectra of GeSi n—n heterojunctions are consistent with a model in which a depletion region exists in each material. The depleted electrons reside in interface states which result from the mis-match in lattice constants of the two materials. In this model, a notch exists in the valence band edge profile. Optically generated holes are trapped in the notch and the trapped holes modulate the device. The quantum efficiency of such a device compares favorably with that of a Si p—n homojunction. Die gemessenen Strom-Spannungs-Kennlinien, Kapazitats-Spannungs-Kennlinien und Photostromspektren an GeSi n—n- Heteroubergangen entsprechen den theoretischen Kurven, die sich nach einem Modell ergeben, nach dem in beiden Stoffen eine tragerverarmte Ubergangszone bestecht. Die aus der Ubergangszone entfernten Elektronen befinden sich in durch Gitterfehlanpassung hervorgerufenen Grenzflachenzustanden. Nach diesem Modell besteht eine Kerbe im Randprofil des Valenzbandes. Optisch erzeugte Defektelektronen fangen sich in der Kerbe und modulieren so den Stromflus. Die Quantenausbeute eines solchen Heteroubergangs ist groser als die eines Si-Monoubergangs.
Improving the house of quality with maximum difference scaling

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to put forth maximum difference scaling to more accurately identify importance scores for customer requirements, which will also allow need‐based segments to be recognized and utilized within the QFD process.Design/methodology/approach – An overview of research methods to explore customer requirements are discussed, followed by survey data analysis of customer requirements which compares and contrasts stated importance ratings to maximum difference scaling results.Findings – The results from this study suggest that maximum difference scaling offers some advantages compared to traditional stated importance ratings, as well as other traditional methods for determining importance ratings. Providing significantly more discriminating power among customer requirements, maximum difference scaling allows researchers to have a more accurate and valid view of the relative importance of customer requirements as well as the ability to form need‐based segments.Research limitation...
A STATE SPACE TIME SERIES MODELLING METHOD WITHOUT INDIVIDUAL DETRENDING

. A state space method for building time series models without detrending each component of data vectors individually is presented. The method uses the recent algorithm based on the singular-value decomposition of the Hankel matrix and a two-step sequential procedure suggested by the notion of dynamic aggregation. Some asymptotic properties of the estimators of the model parameter and error estimates are also presented.
Decreased Enteral Stimulation Alters Mucosal Immune Chemokines

Background: Migration of lymphocytes into and through the mucosal immune system depends upon adhesion molecules to attract circulating cells and chemokines to stimulate diapedesis into tissues. Decreased enteral stimulation significantly reduces mucosal addressin cellular adhesion molecule-1 (MAdCAM-1) levels, an adhesion molecule critical for homing of T and B cells to Peyer's patches (PP), which reduces PP and intestinal T and B cells. We studied the effect of type and route of nutrition on tissue specific chemokines in PP (CXCL-12, -13 and CCL-19, -20 and -21), small intestine (SI; CCL-20, -25 and -28) and lung (CXCL-12, CCL-28). Methods: Intravenously cannulated male Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) mice were randomized to chow or parenteral nutrition (PN) for 5 days. PP, SI, and lung chemokine mRNA levels were measured using real-time qRT–polymerase chain reaction, and analyzed semiquantitatively by the ΔΔCt method. Protein levels were quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tech...
Optimum transmission policies for energy harvesting two-way relay channels

In this paper, two-way relay channels with energy harvesting nodes are considered. In particular, short-term sum-rate maximization problem is solved for half-duplex and full-duplex channels under any relaying strategy. Instantaneous rates achieved with energy constraints are evaluated and compared for different relaying strategies, namely amplify-and-forward, decode-and-forward, compress-and-forward and compute-and-forward. A generalized iterative directional water-filling algorithm is shown to solve the sum-rate maximization problem for an arbitrary jointly concave achievable sum-rate, which is constructed by concavifying the rate achievable by a relaying scheme. Observing that optimal relaying scheme depends on the power vectors, a hybrid strategy switching between relaying schemes is proposed, and numerical results demonstrating the advantage of hybrid strategies in an energy harvesting setting are presented.
Resuscitations From Pulseless Electrical Activity and Asystole: How Big a Piece of the Survivors’ Pie?

Abstract [Cummins RO, Hazinski MF: Resuscitations from pulseless electrical activity and asystole: How big a piece of the survivors' pie? Ann Emerg Med October 1998;32:490-492.]
A restricted immigration and death process and its application to the distribution of polymorphonuclear granulocyte density in acute leukemia

Abstract Development of a restricted immigration and death process, and application of the process to the study of the natural pathological process of polymorphonuclear granulocyte formation in acute leukemia, are attempted. The probability distribution is derived for the number of polymorphonuclear granulocytes in the blood. The conditional distribution of polymorphonuclear granulocyte density, given the number of polymorphonuclear granulocytes at time t , is considered to follow a Poisson distribution. The unconditional distribution of the polymorphonuclear granulocyte density is derived.
Syntheses of C-14 labeled methyl malvalates

Abstract Malvalic acid, the principle cyclopropene acid in cottonseed oil, has been synthesized with carbon-14 at the 1-position, at the ring methano-position, and at the 10-position. A method for reaching malvalic-9- 14 C acid has also been worked out. These labeled compounds should prove useful in studies on the biochemical reactions and degradation of malvalic acid.
U.S. government information policy and the aids epidemic

Abstract The authors discuss the role of the United States government in disseminating information on Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) to the general public. They look at the history of AIDS-related information, its format, content, and scope. They assert that this information is essential for targeting and evaluating control and prevention efforts at all levels. It is concluded that libraries (in particular, the federal depository library program) have been underutilized in providing AIDS information to the public. Although this program may not reach all persons at high risk for contracting AIDS, libraries can serve as resource centers for educating the general public and preventing an irrational response to the disease.
Effects of chronic pulmonary overcirculation on pulmonary vasomotor tone.

Abstract Background . A model of shunt-induced pulmonary hypertension was used to study the effects of pulmonary overcirculation on endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and cytochrome P450-4A (cP450-4A) vasodilatory mechanisms and related hemodynamic responses. Methods . An aortopulmonary shunt was constructed in 6-week-old piglets (n = 7, sham-operated controls n=8). Hemodynamic measurements were made 4 weeks later under serial experimental conditions: baseline (fractional concentration of oxygen, 0.4); inhaled nitric oxide, 25 ppm (INO); hypoxia (fractional concentration of oxygen, 0.14); hypoxia + INO; N ω -nitro-L-arginine methylester (L-NAME 30 mg/kg intravenously, competitive NOS inhibitor); and L-NAME + INO. Lung protein levels of eNOS and cP450-4A and NOS activity were compared between groups. Results . Shunted animals had a higher baseline pulmonary artery pressure ( p p = 0.01). The INO administered during baseline conditions decreased pulmonary vascular resistance only in control animals ( p p = 0.02). Conclusions . The NO production was preserved in shunted animals but they demonstrated greater vasodilatory dependence on NO, evidenced by an exaggerated increase in pulmonary vascular resistance after NOS inhibition. Loss of the cP450-4A vasodilatory system may be the driving force for NO dependency in the shunted pulmonary circulation.
Current parental stress in maltreating and nonmaltreating families of children with multiple disabilities

Questionnaires were mailed to families of children with multiple disabilities to investigate whether differences in parental perception of stress and burden of care could be identified in those families who had previously been reported and substantiated as abusive or neglectful as compared to those families who had not been so reported. Two hundred and fifty-seven parents completed Friedrich's revised version of Holroyd's Questionnaire on Resources and Stress (QRS-F), an instrument designed to measure stress and burden of care in families of children with disabilities. Twenty-five (9.7%) had previously substantiated maltreatment reports. Results suggest that a history of maltreatment is not related to the family's currently perceived stress levels as measured by the Friedrich scale. Implications of the results are discussed.
Design and simulation of a slotted patch antenna sensor for wireless strain sensing

In this work, a slotted patch antenna is employed as a wireless sensor for monitoring structural strain and fatigue crack. Using antenna miniaturization techniques to increase the current path length, the footprint of the slotted patch antenna can be reduced to one quarter of a previously presented folded patch antenna. Electromagnetic simulations show that the antenna resonance frequency varies when the antenna is under strain. The resonance frequency variation can be wirelessly interrogated and recorded by a radiofrequency identification (RFID) reader, and can be used to derive strain/deformation. The slotted patch antenna sensor is entirely passive (battery-free), by exploiting an inexpensive offthe- shelf RFID chip that receives power from the wireless interrogation by the reader.
Sleep Characteristics, Body Mass Index, and Risk for Hypertension in Young Adolescents

Inadequate sleep has been identified as a risk factor for a variety of health consequences. For example, short sleep durations and daytime sleepiness, an indicator of insufficient sleep and/or poor sleep quality, have been identified as risk factors for hypertension in the adult population. However, less evidence exists regarding whether these relationships hold within child and early adolescent samples and what factors mediate the relationship between sleep and risk for hypertension. Using data from the Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, the present study examined body mass index (BMI) as a possible mediator for the effects of school-night sleep duration, weekend night sleep duration, and daytime sleepiness on risk for hypertension in a sample of sixth graders. The results demonstrated gender-specific patterns. Among boys, all three sleep characteristics predicted BMI and yielded significant indirect effects on risk for hypertension. Oppositely, only daytime sleepiness predicted BMI among girls and yielded a significant indirect effect on risk for hypertension. The findings provide clarification for the influence of sleep on the risk for hypertension during early adolescence and suggest a potential need for gender-specific designs in future research and application endeavors.
Luminescence Blinking of a Reacting Quantum Dot

Luminescence blinking is an inherent feature of optical emission from individual fluorescent molecules and quantum dots. There have been intense efforts, although not with complete resolution, toward the understanding of the mechanistic origin of blinking and also its mitigation in quantum dots. As an advance in our microscopic view of blinking, we show that the luminescence blinking of a quantum dot becomes unusually heavy in the temporal vicinity of a reactive transformation. This stage of heavy blinking is a result of defects/dopants formed within the quantum dot on its path to conversion. The evolution of blinking behavior along the reaction path allows us to measure the lifetime of the critical dopant-related intermediate in the reaction. This work establishes luminescence blinking as a single-nanocrystal level probe of catalytic, photocatalytic, and electrochemical events occurring in the solid-state or on semiconductor surfaces.
Chimeras for mutations induced in dormant tomato seeds

Genetic chimeras of the VFNT cherry tomato line (Lycopersicon esculentum) were produced by mutagenizing seeds with ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS). The chimeras thereby produced were evaluated by progeny-testing the fruits of the genetically mosaic tissue. A total of 2011 M1 plants was grown from treated seeds and evaluated by screening their 95175 (M2) progeny for mutations affecting seedling phenotype. Three vigorous and fertile M1 plants bearing mutant progeny with definitive phenotypes were selected for systematic harvesting and analysis. The specific location of each fruit was noted at harvest time, enabling the mutated sporogenous tissue of the mosaic M1 plants to be traced. Sectoring appeared in both branch and floral tissues. In several cases, mutant progenies were restricted to individual branches or parts thereof. True-breeding recessive mutants whose monogenic mode of inheritance was later established occasionally segregated within M1 fruit progenies at frequencies that indicate a non-homogeneous floral meristem origin. The data emphasize the necessity of making a well-distributed harvest of mosaic plants in order to detect as many variants as possible, as mosaic sectors may or may not recur late in ontogeny and may not contribute to sporogenous tissue early in development.
Improved fibrin plate method for fibrinolytic activity measurements: Use of bentonite precipitation and agar solidification

Abstract A modification of the fibrin plate method to assure sterility and fibrin stability is described. Bovine fibrinogen is precipitated with bentonite to remove the plasminogen and agar is added to assure stability. Storage of the plates up to 7–10 days has resulted in no bacterial growth. This rapid, sensitive method is useful in the isolation of plasminogen or its activators by chromatographic separation.
Structure of a bacterial homologue of vitamin K epoxide reductase

Vitamin K epoxide reductase (VKOR) generates vitamin K hydroquinone to sustain γ-carboxylation of many blood coagulation factors. Here, we report the 3.6 A crystal structure of a bacterial homologue of VKOR from Synechococcus sp. The structure shows VKOR in complex with its naturally fused redox partner, a thioredoxin-like domain, and corresponds to an arrested state of electron transfer. The catalytic core of VKOR is a four transmembrane helix bundle that surrounds a quinone, connected through an additional transmembrane segment with the periplasmic thioredoxin-like domain. We propose a pathway for how VKOR uses electrons from cysteines of newly synthesized proteins to reduce a quinone, a mechanism confirmed by in vitro reconstitution of vitamin K-dependent disulphide bridge formation. Our results have implications for the mechanism of the mammalian VKOR and explain how mutations can cause resistance to the VKOR inhibitor warfarin, the most commonly used oral anticoagulant. Mammalian vitamin K epoxide reductase (VKOR) catalyses the generation of vitamin K hydroquinone, a decisive step in the vitamin K cycle that is required to sustain blood coagulation. The X-ray crystal structure of a bacterial homologue of VKOR has now been determined. It shows VKOR in a complex with its redox partner, a thioredoxin-like domain, and corresponds to an arrested state of electron transfer. This points to a possible mechanism by which VKOR uses electrons from newly synthesized proteins to reduce the quinone. This work may help explain how mutations to VKOR cause resistance to warfarin, the ubiquitous anticoagulant that acts by inhibiting VKOR. The γ-carboxylation of many blood coagulation factors relies on the generation of vitamin K hydroquinone by the enzyme vitamin K epoxide reductase (VKOR), of which the anticoagulant warfarin is an inhibitor. Here, the X-ray crystal structure of a bacterial homologue of VKOR is presented; the results have implications for the mechanism of action of mammalian VKOR and explain how mutations can cause warfarin resistance.
Tailoring trusted semantic information

Tailored trusted spaces (TTS) need to identify data sensitive to user context and ensure sensitive data is not leaked. This task is similar to Data Leak Prevention (DLP) solutions, which monitor and control corporate data flow. Current DLP techniques find data that matches user defined syntactic patterns [1, 2]. However, user context is usually described by information semantics, rather than data syntax. In this paper, we propose a method which extracts semantic features from a small number of training documents describing user context, and use the presence of these semantic features to decide whether an input document contains sensitive information or not. Test results from three document sets show the proposed method giving 96%, 90%, 75% true positive and 3%, 14%, 26% false positive rates.
Objectivity and elites: A creation science trial

The recent controversy over “scientific creationism” represents an intriguing case study of the interpenetration of the paradigm discourses of science, religion, politics, and law and public motive structures. Despite nearly unanimous judicical rejection, creationist claims for “balanced treatment” with evolution in the public schools have received an inexplicably favorable public response. Our analysis of journalistic accounts of a pivotal trial in the creationism controversy suggests that the journalistic commitment to objectivity produced a journalistic leveling which rhetorically transformed competing discourses into equivalent ones. We argue that the elite discourse of science found resonance in the elite discourse of law, while the populist discursive commitments of journalism indirectly legitimated the populist discourse of creationism.
Edge-disjoint spanning trees and depth-first search

This paper presents an algorithm for finding two edge-disjoint spanning trees rooted at a fixed vertex of a directed graph. The algorithm uses depthfirst search and an efficient method for computing disjoint set unions. It requires O (e?(e, n)) time and O(e) space to analyze a graph with n vertices and e edges, where ? (e, n) is a very slowly growing function related to a functional inverse of Ackermann's function.
Chapter 2. Participatory action research as a strategy for studying self‐help groups internationally

Summary Cultural phenomena in which individuals and groups develop their own meaning systems and practices are vitally implicated in considering research on self‐help groups internationally or interculturally. Qualitative participatory action research (PAR) is described as an appropriate research strategy for gaining indepth knowledge and insight into cultural phenomena associated with self‐help groups. PAR as defined here draws on the traditions of action science (used by William Foote Whyte and others) in studying industrial organizations and on participatory research (used by L. David Brown and Rajesh Tandon and others) hi studying communities in Third World countries. PAR involves a form of applied social research. The participants share at least some power and ownership of the research with the researcher through their involvement in the design, data collection, analysis and action phases. The characteristics of PAR are described. A case study that illustrates the use of PAR in studying the experient...
An alkaline phosphatase reporter for use in Clostridium difficile.

Abstract Clostridium difficile is an anaerobic, Gram-positive pathogen that causes severe gastrointestinal disease in humans and other mammals. C. difficile is notoriously difficult to work with and, until recently, few tools were available for genetic manipulation and molecular analyses. Despite the recent advances in the field, there is no simple or cost-effective technique for measuring gene transcription in C. difficile other than direct transcriptional analyses ( e.g. , quantitative real-time PCR and RNA-seq), which are time-consuming, expensive and difficult to scale-up. We describe the development of an in vivo reporter assay that can provide qualitative and quantitative measurements of C. difficile gene expression. Using the Enterococcus faecalis alkaline phosphatase gene, phoZ , we measured expression of C. difficile genes using a colorimetric alkaline phosphatase assay. We show that inducible alkaline phosphatase activity correlates directly with native gene expression. The ability to analyze gene expression using a standard reporter is an important and critically needed tool to study gene regulation and design genetic screens for C. difficile and other anaerobic clostridia.
Calcium Dyshomeostasis in β-Amyloid and Tau-bearing Skeletal Myotubes

The relative scarcity of inclusion-affected muscle cells or markers of cell death in inclusion body myositis (IBM) is in distinction to the specific and early intracellular deposition of several Alzheimer's Disease (AD)-related proteins. The current study examined the possible correlation between myotube beta-amyloid and/or Tau accumulations and a widespread mishandling of intracellular muscle calcium concentration that could potentially account for the unrelenting weakness in affected patients. Cultured myogenic cells (C(2)C(12)) expressed beta-amyloid-42 (Abeta(42)) and fetal Tau peptides, as human transgenes encoded by herpes simplex virus, either individually or concurrently. Co-expression of Abeta(42) in C(2)C(12) myotubes resulted in hyperphosphorylation of Tau protein that was not observed when Tau was expressed alone. Resting calcium concentration and agonist-induced RyR-mediated Ca(2+) release were examined using calcium-specific microelectrodes and Fluo-4 epifluorescence, respectively. Co-expression of Abeta(42) and Tau cooperatively elevated basal levels of myoplasmic-free calcium, an effect that was accompanied by depolarization of the plasma membrane. Sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) calcium release, induced by KCl depolarization, was not affected by Abeta(42) or Tau. In contrast, expression of Abeta(42), Tau, or Abeta(42) together with Tau resulted in enhanced sensitivity of ryanodine receptors to activation by caffeine. Notably, expression of beta-amyloid, alone, was sufficient to result in an increased sensitivity to direct activation by caffeine. Current results indicate that amyloid proteins cooperate to raise resting calcium levels and that these effects are associated with a passive SR Ca(2+) leak and Tau hyperphosphorylation in skeletal muscle.
Integrins regulate the intracellular distribution of eukaryotic initiation factor 4E in platelets. A checkpoint for translational control.

Recent evidence from our laboratory demonstrates that platelets synthesize numerous proteins in a signal-dependent fashion (Pabla, R., Weyrich, A. S., Dixon, D. A., Bray, P. F., McIntyre, T. M., Prescott, S. M., and Zimmerman, G. A. (1999) J. Cell Biol. 144, 175–184; Weyrich, A. S., Dixon, D. A., Pabla, R., Elstad, M. R., McIntyre, T. M., Prescott, S. M., and Zimmerman, G. A. (1998) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 95, 5556–5561). Protein synthesis in platelets is controlled at the translational level; however, the mechanisms of regulation are not known. Here we demonstrate that translation initiation factors are redistributed to mRNA-rich areas in aggregated platelets, an event that induces protein synthesis. Interrogation of cDNA arrays revealed that platelet-derived mRNAs are primarily associated with the cytoskeletal core. In contrast, eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E), the essential mRNA cap-binding protein that controls global translation rates, is localized in the membrane skeleton and soluble fraction of platelets, physically separated from most mRNAs. Platelet activation redistributes eIF4E to the cytoskeleton and increases interactions of eIF4E with mRNA cap structures. Redistribution of eIF4E to the mRNA-rich cytoskeleton coincides with a marked increase in protein synthesis, a process that is blocked when intracellular actin is disrupted. Additional studies demonstrated that β3integrins are the primary membrane receptor that distributes eIF4E within the cell. These results imply that integrins link receptor-mediated pathways with mRNA-rich cytoskeletal domains and thereby modulate the organization of intracellular translational complexes. They also indicate that the functional status of eIF4E is regulated by its intracellular distribution.
Racial disparities in infant mortality: what has birth weight got to do with it and how large is it?

Background It has been hypothesized that birth weight is not on the causal pathway to infant mortality, at least among "normal" births (i.e. those located in the central part of the birth weight distribution), and that US racial disparities (African American versus European American) may be underestimated. Here these hypotheses are tested by examining the role of birth weight on racial disparities in infant mortality.
Investigating the viability of electrodeposited vanadium pentoxide as a suitable electrode material for in vivo amperometric hydrogen sulfide detection

Abstract A vanadium pentoxide (V 2 O 5 ) film was electrodeposited onto the end of a PtIr wire ( d = 125 μm) via potential cycling in order to preliminarily assess its viability as a prospective material for in vivo H 2 S monitoring. The deposited oxide film exhibited catalytic activity towards the oxidation of H 2 S in a physiologically relevant pH buffer solution, which resulted in a large increase in peak current compared to that exhibited by the bare PtIr surface. The modified electrode exhibited a linear response over a total sulfide concentration range of 0.5–15 μM. The catalytic activity of the V 2 O 5 -modified wire towards the oxidation of upper physiological levels of NO and CO, two gaseous interferences found in vivo , was investigated using amperometry. While the electrode demonstrated some activity towards NO, it exhibited significant activity towards CO in the potential region of interest. However, the response towards NO and CO was much slower than the response towards H 2 S and the linear range remained unchanged despite the presence of the interfering gases.
Children's behavior in a two-choice task as a function of patterned reinforcement following forced-choice trials☆

After 40 forced-choice trials to acquaint Ss with the reinforcement schedules, 120 children between the ages of 3.7 and 5.4 were presented with a two-choice, partial reinforcement situation to test the hypothesis that they would prefer predictable to unpredictable schedules. Choices of one of the alternatives were reinforced on either a 50% alternating or a 50% random schedule, while choices of the other alternative were reinforced on either a 50, 60, or 70% random reinforcement schedule. A significant preference for the predictable schedule was found, but only in groups for which both alternatives paid off with an equal percentage of reinforcement. The effects of a predictable schedule were apparently weak enough to be overcome by a discrepancy in percentage of reinforcement of 10%. The relevance of this finding for theories of cognitive development stressing the importance of predictability, or congruity, are discussed.
Effects of Wall Rotation on Heat Transfer to Annular Turbulent Flow: Outer Wall Rotating

Simulations were conducted for air flowing upward in a vertical annular pipe with a rotating outer wall. Simulations concentrated on the occurrence of laminarization and property variations for high heat flux heat transfer. The compressible filtered Navier-Stokes equations were solved using a second-order accurate finite volume method. Low Mach number preconditioning was used to enable the compressible code to work efficiently at low Mach numbers. A dynamic subgrid-scale stress model accounted for the subgrid-scale turbulence. When the outer wall rotated, a significant reduction of turbulent kinetic energy was realized near the rotating wall and the intensity of bursting appeared to decrease. This modification of the turbulent structures was related to the vortical structure changes near the rotating wall. It has been observed that the wall vortices were pushed in the direction of rotation and their intensity increased near the nonrotating wall. The consequent effect was to enhance the turbulent kinetic energy and increase the Nusselt number there.
Contexts of Knowing: Their Shape and Substance

Contexts of knowing are differentiated into four types through the constructs of "regulativeness" and "constitutiveness." The strength of these constructs is suggested through their tacit or explicit use in the social study of science. The value of the differentiation is noted through the consequences of the model for our understanding of scientific misconduct.
Mammary ductal epithelial cell hyperproliferation and hyperplasia induced by a nutritional stress diet containing four components of a Western-style diet

We have studied effects of several nutrients on the proliferation of mammary ductal epithelial cells in C57BL/6J virgin female mice, using morphometry and [3H]dT in vivo labeling. A nutritional stress diet was given based on the AIN-76A semi-synthetic diet modified to contain four significant risk factors of a Western-style diet: high fat and phosphate and decreased calcium and vitamin D. The numbers of large, intermediate and terminal ducts and proliferating epithelial cells in mammary glands were assayed in control and stress diet groups. An increased number of mammary ducts and increased number of proliferating cells were found at the level of the small terminal ducts, a cancer-prone region in the mammary gland in the stress diet group compared to the control group after 20 weeks of diet administration. Thus, mammary terminal ductal hyperproliferation, expansion in the size of the proliferative epithelial cell compartment and excessive duplication of mammary ductal epithelial cells were found after this Western-style diet containing decreased dietary calcium and vitamin D. These changes are similar to those developing in colonic epithelium of mice maintained on the same diets and during chemically induced colonic carcinogenesis.
Morphology of Cell Calcium Homeostasis

Calcium levels in the blood and in cells are maintained within narrow limits in normal animals, although variations occur in dietary constituents and absorption. This blood balance is maintained primarily by using the calcium reserves in skeletal tissues and modulating its loss in the kidney (15). It is thus essential to understand the underlying role of the cells of these tissues in effecting selective ion distribution, as calcium plays a major role in physiologic processes, and maintenance of appropriate distribution and concentration is mandatory (16). All cells regulate and utilize calcium in some activity, and the means employed by different cell types may be used to give clues to the mechanisms involved in regulating calcium ion distribution in mineralized systems. The following examples are selected to illustrate the diverse distribution and mechanisms of regulation that may by employed.
Patient-and Family-Centredness: Growing a Sustainable Culture

Elements of a sustainable culture that nourishes patient- and family-centredness (PFC) in healthcare are elegantly simple, but achieving PFC poses profound challenges for healthcare systems and policy. Healthcare organizations and policy makers often identify tactics and tools that they believe enhance PFC, but they fail to involve the very people who use healthcare services: patients, their families and community members. A way of viewing the journey to a sustainable PFC culture is by examining those elements of leadership, partnership and infrastructure that are necessary for its achievement.
Role of the orbitofrontal cortex and dorsal striatum in regulating the dose-related effects of self-administered cocaine.

Abstract Little is known regarding which neural systems regulate dose-related changes in responses maintained by self-administered cocaine. This empirical question is important because elucidating neural systems engaged in this process could provide clues for effectively treating cocaine addiction. It has been suggested that different cocaine doses represent reinforcers of differing magnitudes, implicating the dorsal striatum or orbitofrontal cortex as important. Rats were trained to self-administer 1.0 mg/kg cocaine under a fixed-interval based second-order schedule. Next, cocaine unit doses (0.1–3.0 mg/kg) were each non-systematically available for a 5-day block of sessions. Tests (1 h) were conducted on day 3 (vehicle) and day 5 (100 μg lidocaine) of each block. Lidocaine inactivation of the lateral dorsal striatum had no effect on dose-related responding or cocaine intake. In contrast, when doses along the ascending limb were available for self-administration, lidocaine inactivation of the lateral orbitofrontal cortex caused reductions in responding and cocaine intake, resulting in overall flattening of dose–response curves. This included reductions during the entire 1-h test sessions and during the interval immediately following the first cocaine infusion of test sessions. Lidocaine inactivation of the lateral orbitofrontal cortex did not alter responding during the first cocaine-free interval of test sessions, but increased the latency to the first infusion. Collectively, the findings suggest that when the amount of experience with different cocaine unit doses is limited to a few sessions, the lateral orbitofrontal cortex regulates the dose-related effects of self-administered cocaine, likely by processing information pertaining to the reinforcing value of each unit dose.