cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Toxicity and repair of DNA adducts produced by the natural product yatakemycin

Yatakemycin (YTM) is an extraordinarily toxic DNA alkylating agent with potent antimicrobial and antitumor properties and is the most recent addition to the CC-1065 and duocarmycin family of natural products. Though bulky DNA lesions the size of those produced by YTM are normally removed from the genome by the nucleotide-excision repair (NER) pathway, YTM adducts are also a substrate for the bacterial DNA glycosylases AlkD and YtkR2, unexpectedly implicating base-excision repair (BER) in their elimination. The reason for the extreme toxicity of these lesions and the molecular basis for the way they are eliminated by BER have been unclear. Here, we describe the structural and biochemical properties of YTM adducts that are responsible for their toxicity, and define the mechanism by which they are excised by AlkD. These findings delineate an alternative strategy for repair of bulky DNA damage and establish the cellular utility of this pathway relative to that of NER.
Truth and the Trial Lawyer

Lawyers routinely deal in fictions, so much so that they are sometimes criticized as professional liars. But can this proficiency with storytelling actually bring us closer to the truth?
Goal Setting and Action Planning for Health Behavior Change

Health behavior change is challenging for most individuals, but there are many strategies that individuals can use to facilitate their behavior change efforts. Goal setting is one such strategy that assists individuals to identify specific behaviors to change and how to go about doing so. For many, however, simply setting a goal seldom leads to actual behavior change. For some, identifying an appropriate goal is difficult, while for others, putting goals into action is the roadblock. Two strategies may be of assistance for setting and achieving goals. First, consideration of key goal characteristics (eg, approach vs avoidance goals, performance vs mastery goals, level of difficulty) may result in selection of more appropriate and feasible goals. Second, action planning can help individuals put goals into action. Clinicians can help patients utilize these strategies to set and achieve goals for health behavior change.
The Age-Related Effect of Nicotine on the Expression of Neuroprotective Genes in Ventral Tegmental Area and Substantia Nigra

Selective degeneration of dopaminergic neurons, which are predominantly located in the substantia nigra (SN) of the midbrain, is one of the hallmarks of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Large-scale microarray experimental data revealed several genes with significantly differential expression between the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and the SN dopamine (DA) neurons. Several epidemiological studies have additionally indicated nicotine-mediated neuroprotection in PD patients. Based on the strong evidence implicating lipoprotein lipase (LPL), pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide and gastrin-releasing peptide genes in neuroprotection, this letter investigates area- and age-specific nicotine regulation of these genes’ expression in the VTA and SN of different age groups (3 months, 12 months, and 24 months) in an in vivo animal model. Our in vivo rat model results suggest that out of these genes, only the LPL gene has significantly differential expression between the VTA and SN in the senior age group (24 months). Nicotine treatment did not upregulate the neuroprotective genes in adult and senior groups (12 and 24 months). Differential expression of the LPL gene in the senior population may contribute to the different survival rates of DA neurons within the VTA and SN. However, downregulation by nicotine suggests that these genes may not be related to the nicotine-mediated neuroprotection known to reduce the risks of PD. Our results suggest that nicotine may not play an important role in the regulation of neuroprotective gene expressions, while providing new insights into the role of nicotine in PD.
Innovations in Undergraduate Chemical Biology Education

Chemical biology derives intellectual vitality from its scientific interface: applying chemical strategies and perspectives to biological questions. There is a growing need for chemical biologists to synergistically integrate their research programs with their educational activities to become holistic teacher–scholars. This review examines how course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) are an innovative method to achieve this integration. Because CUREs are course-based, the review first offers strategies for creating a student-centered learning environment, which can improve students’ outcomes. Exemplars of CUREs in chemical biology are then presented and organized to illustrate the five defining characteristics of CUREs: significance, scientific practices, discovery, collaboration, and iteration. Finally, strategies to overcome common barriers in CUREs are considered as well as future innovations in chemical biology education.
Ageing perceptions and non-adherence to aromatase inhibitors among breast cancer survivors.

Abstract Purpose Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are a potentially life-saving treatment for breast cancer survivors, yet poor adherence to treatment is a prevalent problem. A common adverse effect of AI treatment is arthralgia, which is identified by survivors as a major reason for treatment discontinuation. Women who experience arthralgia on AIs often report feeling they have aged rapidly while on the treatment. In the present study, we examined whether arthralgia-associated ageing perceptions predicted non-adherence. Patients and methods We conducted a prospective cohort study among women with stage I–III breast cancer, who were on an AI and completed the Penn Arthralgia Aging Scale within 2 years of AI initiation. Adherence data were abstracted from medical charts by trained raters. Cox proportional hazard analysis was used to determine the relationship between ageing perceptions and time to non-adherence. All analyses included adjustments for joint pain severity. Results Among 509 participants, 144 (28.3%) were non-adherent. As hypothesised, women with high levels of ageing perceptions were at greater risk of non-adherence than women with low levels of ageing perceptions (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.71; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10–2.67; p = .02). High levels of depressive symptoms were also uniquely associated with increased risk of non-adherence (adjusted HR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.03–2.59; p = .04). Conclusion Perceptions of ageing related to arthralgia and depressive symptoms predicted non-adherence to AIs. These findings suggest that interventions that address negative beliefs about ageing due to AI-related arthralgia and depressive mood can potentially improve rates of adherence to AIs.
Liposclerosing Myxofibrous Tumor of the Cranial Vault: A Case Report.

Background and importance Liposclerosing myxofibrous tumors (LSMFTs) are rare benign fibro-osseous tumors most frequently occurring in the proximal femur. We report the first case of this rare tumor occurring within the calvarium. Clinical presentation Our patient presented with a 2-yr history of enlarging, painless, fixed mass over the left forehead. She underwent surgical resection and the mass was histologically confirmed to be a LSMFT. Conclusion LSMFT is a rare tumor that should remain on the differential for lesions of the calvarium. When diagnosed, this lesion can be removed with the goal of gross total resection and excellent cosmesis can be achieved.
Reliability analysis and optimization of in-plane functionally graded CNT-reinforced composite plates

This paper focuses on the uncertainty quantification in the mechanical behavior of CNT-reinforced polymer composite and its effect on the reliability-based optimization of in-plane functionally graded plates. Random process representations were adopted to model the spatial randomness of the elastic properties. A plate under uniform pressure loading was optimized to maximize the plate stiffness using the minimum amount of the reinforcement by in-plane grading the CNT volume fraction. The functionally graded plate used 45% less reinforcement compared to the homogeneous plate. The First Order Second Moment method is used for the reliability analysis of the plate. The uncertainties led to an average increase of 48% in the CNT volume fraction compared to the deterministic design. The functionally graded plate showed the same uncertainty level in the overall stiffness as its equivalent homogeneous plate.
Kolsky Bar for Dynamic Tensile/Torsion Experiments

In addition to the compression version of the Kolsky bar, there are bars that subject the specimen under tension, torsion, and combined torsion/ axial loading conditions to explore the high-rate response of materials under more diversified stress states. The work principles of these bars are similar to that of Kolsky compression bar. However, the loading mechanisms are more complicated than the simple bar-to-bar impact seen in compression experiments. The specimens in both tension and torsion experiments must be attached to the bar ends, which brings in the complication of gage-section identification in strain-rate calculations. This chapter describes various designs of Kolsky bars to conduct dynamic experiments for the specimen stress-strain response under uniaxial tension, pure torsion, combined tension/torsion, or compression/torsion. The designs of specimens will also be described. Examples of high-rate uniaxial tension experiments on polymers, bones, and high-performance fibers are provided.
Another mHealth? Examining motorcycles as a distance demolishing determinant of health care access in South and Southeast Asia

Abstract Over the past 20 years, many of the low and middle-income countries (LMICs) of South and Southeast Asia have experienced dramatic increases in the number and availability of inexpensive motorcycles. Juxtapose this trend, unequal access to health care remains a significant concern, as people continue to die from treatable conditions. With calls to improve geographic accessibility, ongoing research continues to examine interventions (e.g., mHealth) that may help geographically isolated individuals access health care that is often located in more urbanized regions of LMICs. In this study, I examine motorcycles as a heretofore under recognized mode of transportation in LMICs that may function as a distance demolishing determinant of health care access. Results suggest that motorcycles substantially reduce the rural penalty in which both geographic distance and household finances are perceived as a major problems for accessing health care in these regions.
Examining the Association Between Emotional Availability and Mindful Parenting

This study examined the associations between emotional availability (EA) and mindful parenting (MP), as well as their independent and combined associations with indicators of adolescent well-being. EA is a well-established measure of parent-child relationship quality and conceptualized to be a life-span measure of emotional connection in relationships. Thus far, the EA literature spans pregnancy to middle childhood. The current study extends the concept into the adolescence. MP is a construct shown to be associated with both positive parent-child relationships and adolescent well-being. The current study tests the association among EA, MP, and indicators of adolescent well-being in a sample of 30 mother-adolescent dyads (adolescent ages 10-14 years). EA and MP were assessed through observational coding of parent-adolescent interactions. Results indicated significant associations between EA and MP, and between each construct and adolescent outcomes. The strongest correlations were found between global scores of MP and EA (.53), and between MP subscales and the EA Scales of sensitivity (0.44-0.56) and structuring (0.48-0.59). One EA scale, adult nonhostility, and one MP scale, nonjudgmental acceptance of self and child, were significant predictors of parent-reported adolescent externalizing problems, independently and after accounting for the other (p < 0.05). These results indicate there are significant relations between EA and MP and both constructs are related to adolescent outcomes, with some specific contributions to indicators of adolescent well-being.
Two Media Crossovers: Cinema and Television for Day of the Dead; Live Theater Versions of TV Shows

This chapter is based on two examples of on-site reportage and treats examples of transmedia crossover. In the first part, film and TV production is crafted to coincide with the Mexican calendar and its unique Day of the Dead festivities; in the second, live theater shows recreate TV successes in provincial Merida, Yucatan, and metropolitan Mexico City. The stars examined are veteran singer Angelica Maria and a telenovela juvenile with a controversial past, Polo Morin.
Fiber fractionation to understand the effect of mechanical refining on fiber structure and resulting enzymatic digestibility of biomass.

Mechanical refining results in fiber deconstruction and modifications that enhance enzyme accessibility to carbohydrates. Further understanding of the morphological changes occurring to biomass during mechanical refining and the impacts of these changes on enzymatic digestibility is necessary to maximize yields and reduce energy consumption. Although the degree of fiber length reduction relative to fibrillation/delamination can be impacted by manipulating refining variables, mechanical refining of any type (PFI, disk, and valley beater) typically results in both phenomena. Separating the two is not straightforward. In this study, fiber fractionation based on particle size performed after mechanical refining of high-lignin pulp was utilized to successfully elucidate the relative impact of fibrillation/delamination and fiber cutting phenomena during mechanical refining. Compositional analysis showed that fines contain significantly more lignin than larger size fractions. Enzymatic hydrolysis results indicated that within fractions of uniform fiber length, fibrillation/delamination due to mechanical refining increased enzymatic conversion by 20-30 percentage points. Changes in fiber length had little effect on digestibility for fibers longer than ~0.5 mm. However, the digestibility of the fines fractions was high for all levels of refining even with the high-lignin content.
Betweenness Centrality of Sets of Vertices in Graphs: which Vertices to Associate

Betweenness centrality of a set of vertices can be seen as a measure of the control of flow of information that the set has within a network. We introduce the notion of saturated betweenness centrality set, which is defined as a set whose betweenness centrality will not increase by adding more members, but will decrease if any of its members is removed. We examine various properties of saturated betweenness centrality sets. These findings allow us to introduce an algorithm to optimally detect associations with high control of flow of information.
Advances in Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Gene Therapy.

AAT (alpha-1 antitrypsin) deficiency (AATD), characterized by low levels of circulating serine protease inhibitor AAT, results in emphysematous destruction of the lung. Inherited serum deficiency d...
Modularity versus Interactive Processing, Psychology of

Theories of modularity function to root the structural elements of language and thought in special purpose, neurologically hardwired, faculties of mind. Interaction accounts complement modularity stories about biologically produced structures with stories about external structures used during, and created by, activity. They also invite skepticism about the assumptions made in the modularity arguments. There are three points of contrast between the assumptions underlying modularity and interactionism. Modularity accounts assume as a basic unit of analysis a reduction of mind to what goes on in the head; interactionist accounts assume interaction, especially social interaction, as the basic unit of analysis. A second point of contrast concerns the difference between structures as biologically determined and external structures that emerge as a product of human activity. The final point concerns the historical aspects of cognition. These differences in assumption lead to some critical differences in viewpoint. Whether language and its structure can be reduced to an analysis independent of semantics and the social interaction in which language (and language learning) occurs is a point of debate. With regard to Fodor's version of modularity, the issue pivots around the difference between a ‘language of thought’ and the structure of thinking, which depends on the history of such an activity within a community of actors. Additionally, many interactionists argue against the notion of internal representations of the sort supported by a ‘language of thought’ argument.
Wissenschaft falsch gemacht: Betrug und andere Fehlschläge

Man konnte meinen, dass sich jeder mit einem Herz fur die wissenschaftliche Grundhaltung bisher eher fluchtig mit dem Thema Betrug auseinandergesetzt hat. Wer sich des Betrugs schuldig macht, ist ein Schurke und Lugner und ganz offensichtlich weit von den Wertvorstellungen der Wissenschaft entfernt – oder? Warum sollte man sich also mit derartigen Fallen langer aufhalten?
The influence of moisture on the insulation performance of epoxy resin impregnated paper

Dampness is one of the common failures of epoxy Resin Impregnated Paper (RIP) bushings. In order to study the influence of moisture on the insulation performance of RIP bushing, samples were made by cutting from the actual bushing. The moisture content was measured with a precise moisture tester which can dry and weigh the samples. The dielectric loss factor (tanδ), insulation resistance, dielectric absorption ratio, frequency domain dielectric spectrum and other parameters of the sample with different moisture content were measured in a three electrode system. The test results indicate that the insulation resistance and dielectric absorption ratio of the sample both decreases with the increase of moisture content. When the moisture content is less than 0.67%, the dielectric absorption ratio is above 1.5. The dielectric loss factor and the relative permittivity of the sample increase exponentially with the increase of the moisture content. The measurement results of frequency domain dielectric spectrum show that the tanδ in 1Hz-100Hz frequency band is more sensitive to the moisture content of the sample piece. When the moisture content is lower than 0.5%, the tanδ -f curve shows a V-shaped change trend in this frequency band, and the inflection point appears at 10Hz. The relationship between integral value of tanδ-f curve and moisture content can also be expressed by exponential function. And the real part of complex permittivity increases with the increasing of moisture content but decreases with the frequency increasing. The research results can provide reference for RIP bushing insulation diagnosis and operation maintenance.
Identification of Iron-Sulfur (Fe-S) and Zn-binding Sites Within Proteomes Predicted by DeepMind’s AlphaFold2 Program Dramatically Expands the Metalloproteome

DeepMind′s AlphaFold2 software has ushered in a revolution in high quality, 3D protein structure prediction. In very recent work by the DeepMind team, structure predictions have been made for entire proteomes of twenty-one organisms, with >360,000 structures made available for download. Here we show that thousands of novel binding sites for iron-sulfur (Fe-S) clusters and zinc ions can be identified within these predicted structures by exhaustive enumeration of all potential ligand-binding orientations. We demonstrate that AlphaFold2 routinely makes highly specific predictions of ligand binding sites: for example, binding sites that are comprised exclusively of four cysteine sidechains fall into three clusters, representing binding sites for 4Fe-4S clusters, 2Fe-2S clusters, or individual Zn ions. We show further: (a) that the majority of known Fe-S cluster and Zn-binding sites documented in UniProt are recovered by the AlphaFold2 structures, (b) that there are occasional disputes between AlphaFold2 and UniProt with AlphaFold2 predicting highly plausible alternative binding sites, (c) that the Fe-S cluster binding sites that we identify in E. coli agree well with previous bioinformatics predictions, (d) that cysteines predicted here to be part of Fe-S cluster or Zn-binding sites show little overlap with those shown via chemoproteomics techniques to be highly reactive, and (e) that AlphaFold2 occasionally appears to build erroneous disulfide bonds between cysteines that should instead coordinate a ligand. These results suggest that AlphaFold2 could be an important tool for the functional annotation of proteomes, and the methodology presented here is likely to be useful for predicting other ligand-binding sites.
COVID-19 Stress and the Health of Black Americans in the Rural South

Black Americans have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. To better understand changes in and predictors of their mental and physical health, in the current study, we used three waves of data (two prepandemic and a third during summer 2020) from 329 Black men and women in the rural South. Results indicated that health worsened after the onset of the pandemic, including increased depressive symptoms and sleep problems and decreased self-reported general health. Greater exposure to COVID-19-related stressors was significantly associated with poorer health. Prepandemic stressors (financial strain, racial discrimination, chronic stress) and prepandemic resources (marital quality, general support from family and friends) were significantly associated with exposure to COVID-19-related stressors and with health during the pandemic. Findings underscore how the pandemic posed the greatest threats to Black Americans with more prepandemic psychosocial risks and highlight the need for multifaceted interventions that address current and historical stressors among this population.
The Attribute-Grammar Model of Editing

As the example session of the previous chapter illustrates, a modification to one part of a program may introduce an error in some other part of the program and simultaneously correct an error in yet a third part. Detecting violations of language constraints may thus require a widespread analysis of the object being edited. This section gives a brief introduction to the analysis method that is employed in the Synthesizer Generator.
Analysis of Left Ventricular Motion Using a General Robust Point Matching Algorithm

In this paper we present a novel and fully automated approach for the estimation of non-rigid cardiac motion and deformation from sequences of three dimensional medical images. Our approach extends the robust point matching (RPM) algorithm to include shape-based information as inspired by our own previous work in this area. The resulting algorithm labeled as generalized robust point matching (G-RPM) is capable of accurately estimating left ventricular motion without the need of a prior, and often time-consuming, segmentation of the myocardium. We evaluate our approach on both synthetic data as well as using sequences of in-vivo cardiac magnetic resonance images. The approach can easily be adjusted for a number of applications to find the optimal non-rigid transformation.
Polymorphism in the 5'-flanking region of the insulin gene and its potential relation to cardiovascular disease risk: observations in a biracial community. The Bogalusa Heart Study.

Abstract The gene frequencies of a polymorphism in the 5′-flanking region of the insulin gene and its relationship to cardiovascular disease risk were studied in a well defined population of children (mean age 5.5 years) from a biracial community. The Bgl II endonuclease was used for digestion of the DNA around this polymorphic region. The risk factors studied included parental and grandparental self-reported histories of myocardial infarction and diabetes mellitus, fasting glucose and insulin levels, lipoprotein, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels, and skinfold thicknesses and weight. Four alleles were observed at this locus, with the class 2 allele being significantly more common among blacks than whites. Among white children, the class 3 allele was associated with increased risk for grandparental diabetes mellitus. White children with 2 copies of the class 3 allele had significantly higher levels of glucose. Black children with a copy of the class 3 allele had significantly higher levels of insulin. This study indicates that the class 3 allele is potentially associated with risk for diabetes mellitus and coronary heart disease that can be observed in childhood.
Facebook Privacy Management Simplified

Online social media such as Facebook has started transforming our lives in the past few years. One of the main user concerns in social media is the privacy of personal information. Although social media provides options to manage privacy, those user settings are often complicated, vague, and not user friendly. In this paper, we propose an automated and simple way to manage Facebook privacy by changing the privacy to three predefined levels: basic, medium, and advanced. For platform independence and wide usability, we discuss the development of the proposed application in two different flavors: a PHP application and Firefox add-on.
First heart sound and ejection sounds: Echocardiographic and phonocardiographic correlation with valvular events

Abstract To provide additional information on the relation of valvular events to the principal components of the first heart sound (S1), combined echocardiograms and phonocardiograms were recorded in 49 subjects, chosen because of audible splitting of S1 or a combination of S1 and an ejection sound. The subjects included 14 normal persons, 16 patients with a variety of predominantly right-sided heart conditions, 7 with mitral stenosis, 3 with pulmonary stenosis and 9 with aortic valve disease or systemic hypertension. A precise relation was found between completion of closure of the atrioventricular (A-V) valves manifested in the echocardiogram and the high-frequency components of S1 (M1 and T1. The average time from the Q wave of the electrocardiogram to M1 was 0.06 ± 0.003 second and the Q-T1, interval was 0.09 ± 0.002 second. In mitral stenosis the Q-M1 interval was delayed to 0.10 ± 0.005 second, resulting in some instances in reversed splitting of S1. In pulmonary stenosis, the ejection sound occurred 0.10 ± 0.003 second from the Q wave. In 7 of the 16 patients with various right-sided abnormalities, but without valvular stenosis, an ejection sound of pulmonary origin occurred 0.18 ± 0.012 second from the Q wave. In the nine patients with aortic valve disease or systemic hypertension, the time from the Q wave to the aortic ejection sound was 0.13 ± 0.004 second. With only two exceptions the ejection sounds of aortic and pulmonary origin coincided exactly with the achievement of a fully opened position of the respective semilunar valve. Our findings support the postulate that M1, T1 and the ejection sounds occur in association with closing or opening of valves with consequent sudden deceleration or acceleration of a column of blood that, in turn, results in vibrations of the cardiohemic system and audible sounds.
Transcriptional regulation of the apolipoprotein A-I gene. Species-specific expression correlates with rates of gene transcription.

Abstract Previous studies have shown that the abundance of apoA-I mRNA in liver and intestine correlates with a 2-3-fold species-specific difference in the plasma concentration of high density lipoprotein and apoA-I. In order to determine the role of gene transcription in regulating the tissue, steady state apoA-I mRNA abundance nuclear run-on assays were conducted using nuclei from two species of nonhuman primates. The transcriptional activity expressed as the ratio of apoA-I signal intensity to that for the constitutively expressed glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase was calculated for seven individual animals in each of the two nonhuman primate species. The African green monkey showed a ratio of 4.18 +/- 0.35, and the cynomolgus monkey showed 2.03 +/- 0.13 (n = 7, p less than 0.004). To identify possible cis-acting elements that may be involved in transcriptional regulation of the apoA-I gene, a portion of the apoA-I regulatory region, corresponding to nucleotides -231 to +263 (where +1 is the start site of transcription), was isolated from both species using the polymerase chain reaction. The nucleotide sequence of this region was compared between monkey species, as well as with the same region from the apoA-I gene isolated from human genomic DNA. In this region, the African green monkey apoA-I gene showed 95% similarity, whereas the cynomolgus monkey showed 94% similarity to the human sequence. Although a high degree of sequence similarity was observed among all species, numerous sequence specific differences were noted in the first intron between the two primate species and between nonhuman and human primate sequences. Results from studies measuring relative promoter strength indicated that the African green monkey 5'-regulatory region had a consistently higher level of activity (1.4-3.0-fold) than the same region from the cynomolgus monkey. Interestingly, the African green monkey promoter also showed a significantly higher transcriptional activity than the human or rabbit promoter, suggesting the presence of a nonhuman primate specific cis-acting element(s) regulating apoA-I gene expression. These results demonstrate that a portion of the species-specific difference in apoA-I gene expression may be explained by sequence divergence in the 5'-regulatory region including exon/intron 1 of the apoA-I gene.
The use of bubble chambers and spark chambers at electron accelerators

The large amount of physics presented at this conference obtained with H2 bubble chambers and spark chambers shows the usefulness of these devices at electron accelerators. The future use of enriched, polarized or tagged beams with bubble chambers, and of the new type of track spark chambers promises to bring additional understanding to the field of photon and electron interactions.
Race, region, and the new deal: reflections on Ira Katznelson's Fear Itself

Fear Itself is a masterful exercise in drawing historical connections. Ira Katznelson connects American social and economic policies during the 1930s and 1940s to the global Great Depression, to th...
Neutralization-sensitive epitopes are conserved among geographically diverse isolates of Cryptosporidium parvum.

Abstract Isolates of Cryptosporidium parvum from New York, Florida, Brazil, Mexico, and Peru were examined for the presence of two sporozoite surface epitopes originally identified in an Iowa isolate by neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) 18.44 and 17.41. Immunofluorescence microscopy and immunoblotting demonstrated the presence of both epitopes on all isolates. Incubation of DEAE-cellulose-purified sporozoites of the New York, Florida, Brazil, and Mexico isolates with MAb 18.44 or 17.41 significantly neutralized their infectivity for 4- to 6-day-old BALB/c mice. The results indicate that two neutralization-sensitive epitopes are conserved on geographically diverse C. parvum isolates.
The Relationship Between Patient Safety Culture and Patient Outcomes: A Systematic Review.

Context In the past 13 years since the Institute of Medicine report, To Err is Human, was published, considerable attention was placed on the relationship between patient safety culture and patient outcomes. Research to understand this relationship has been conducted; however, now, it is important to systematically review these studies to determine if there are tools, levels of measure and outcomes that have been shown to result in significant correlations. Objective The purpose of this review is to evaluate the state of research connecting patient safety culture and patient outcomes to determine nurse-sensitive patient outcomes that have been significantly correlated to culture of safety and commonly used tools to measure culture of safety in the studies with significant correlations. Data sources Published English only research articles were considered for the review. Only studies that directly measured patient outcomes in relationship to patient safety culture in hospitals involving registered nurses as a participant were included. Results Evidence of relationships between patient safety culture and patient outcomes exist at the hospital and nursing unit level of analysis; however, the number of studies finding statistically significant correlations particularly using nurse-sensitive outcomes is limited. Conclusions The findings from this review suggest that there are emerging trends indicating that the specific patient safety culture measurement tools, the level of analysis, and selection of outcome measures are important considerations in study design. More research is needed to determine interventions that improve patient safety culture and outcomes.
Behavioral treatments for sleep problems in autism: empirically supported or just universally accepted?

With health maintenance organizations and insurance companies requiring proof of treatment efficacy, clinicians must determine whether research supports commonly used treatment methods. To determine the effectiveness of applied behavior analysis (ABA) for treating sleep problems in children with autism, a computer search of all relevant literature was conducted. The resulting articles revealed four basic themes of behavioral techniques for treating sleep disorders for children with autism: bedtime routines, extinction, stimulus fading, and faded bedtimes. Research on each technique was evaluated based on the Chambless criteria of treatment efficacy (Chambless and Hollon, 1998; Lonigan, Elbert, and Johnson, 1998). Of the ABA methods, only research on extinction provided sufficient evidence for a possibly efficacious intervention for sleep problems in children with autism. However, the lack of available research indicates significantly more research must be conducted before endorsing other ABA methods. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Specifications for calculation of risk-adjusted odds of death using trauma registry data

Background Logistic regression models, with coefficients developed from normative populations, can be applied to a trauma registry cohort to predict the risk-adjusted frequency of death. Quality of care is judged based on differences between predicted and observed mortality frequency. The goal of these analyses was to determine if decedents who died in the emergency department had independent variables associated with risk of death identical to those who died after hospital admission. Methods This case-control study is based upon decedents in a trauma registry matched to survivors. Backward stepwise linear logistic regression models contained independent variables selected to reflect patients' status before treatment. Results Beta coefficients and independent variables selected for models of expired emergency department patients were different from those of hospital death patients. Conclusions To achieve a more precise determination of risk-adjusted mortality for injured patients at a trauma center, two separate analyses are appropriate: death in emergency department and death after hospital admission.
Teaching and Learning for a Just Society

Sylvia Hurtado, Professor and Director, Higher Education Research Institute UCLA. Sylvia Hurtado was a featured speaker at the 2007 Institute on College Student Values.
Potential controls of alluvial bench deposition and erosion in southern Piedmont streams, Alabama (USA)

Abstract Benches are bank-attached channel deposits occurring at an elevation between the channel bed and top of banks. Their occurrence in a variety of geologic and hydrologic settings has led to confusion about the mechanisms driving their formation, which in turn contributes to difficulty identifying the active floodplain, bankfull stage, and the determination of environmental flows in some rivers. Hydrodynamic modeling software (River 2D), in combination with sediment particle size analysis and total station topographic surveys, was used to simulate flow conditions needed to erode and deposit the D84, D50, and D15 particle sizes of concave and lateral benches in two rivers (Talladega and Hillabee creeks) in Alabama. Results suggest that bench erosion requires flows at least 150% larger than benchfull stage at the Talladega site, while the Hillabee site experienced erosion at all discharges meeting and exceeding benchfull flow stage, likely owing to its overall smaller sediment particle sizes. At both sites, the presence of vegetation increased the bench area subjected to deposition but, somewhat counterintuitively, also helped influence the location of erosion by limiting flow vectors. In contrast with previous research findings, the occurrence of reverse flow was neither sustained nor widespread at either site. These findings provide new insight into alluvial benches, suggest that the study benches are relatively stable features under the prevailing hydrologic regime, and that in some temperate climate settings, such as the southern Piedmont, localized hydraulic controls on bench formation can be superseded in importance by hydrologic flow regime, even in the case of concave benches and where flow regulation is not a factor.
Angiotensin-converting enzyme DD genotype in patients with ischaemic or idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy

Polymorphism in the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene has been shown to correlate with circulating ACE concentrations, and also to be an independent risk factor for the development of myocardial infarction, particularly in men thought to be at low risk by standard criteria. We determined the genotypes of individuals with end-stage heart failure due to either ischaemic dilated cardiomyopathy (102) or idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (112) and compared these to organ donors with normally functioning hearts (79). Genotypes were determined by the polymerase chain reaction with oligonucleotide primers flanking the polymorphic region in intron 16 of the ACE gene to amplify template DNA isolated from patients. Compared with the DD frequency in the control population, the frequency of the ACE DD genotype was 48% higher in individuals with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (p = 0.008) and 63% higher in subjects with ischaemic cardiomyopathy (p = 0.008), suggesting that an ACE gene variant may contribute to the pathogenesis of both types of cardiomyopathy.
The Power and Collapse of Paternalism: The Ford Motor Company and Black Workers, 1937–1941

In this comparative historical analysis, I examine the significance of paternalism in two interracial labor organizing drives at the Ford Motor Company's River Rouge plant during the Great Depression. The first drive resulted in ongoing interracial antagonism among Ford workers and the union's failure. The second drive generated interracial labor solidarity and led to the union's recognition. One of the distinctive aspects of the setting was Henry Ford's paternalistic relations with the black community of Detroit. Drawing from Mary Jackman's (1994) research, I examine the dimensions of paternalism and how it contributes to split labor market dynamics, in particular, and power relationships, in general. This analysis suggests that a split labor market based on paternalism can only be overcome by workers when another political actor intervenes in ways that challenge the stratification (whether by design or not).
Segway Rider Behavior: Speed and Clearance Distance in Passing Sidewalk Objects

The Segway Human Transporter is becoming more prevalent on urban sidewalks. This experiment investigated the approach speed and passing clearance that Segway devices exhibit on encountering a variety of obstacles on the sidewalk. The experiment was conducted with a sample of 20 Segway operators: 10 experienced operators and 10 novices. For the given experimental course and procedures, the results of the study revealed that (a) Segway riders approach obstacles at a mean speed of about 4.5 mph (7.2 km/h) with a range from 2.7 mph (4.3 km/h) to 6.8 mph (10.9 km/h); (b) Segway riders pass obstacles with a mean clearance of about 14.5 in. (36.7 cm) with a range from 3.3 in. (8.4 cm) to 43.2 in. (110 cm); (c) Segway riders pass moving pedestrians at an average speed of about 5 mph (8.1 km/h) and with an average clearance of 35.9 in. (91.2 cm); (d) Segway riders pass obstacles more slowly by about 0.5 mph (0.8 km/h) on average and closer by about 17.6 in. (44.7 cm) on average on a narrow as opposed to a wide sid...
La Pistola y El Corazon: Protest and Passion in Mexican-American Popular Music

La musique americano-mexicaine a trouve ses racines chez les Indiens, les Espagnols et les Noirs d'Afrique. Pendant la guerre d'independance, les Mexicains rejeterent la culture espagnole et adopterent valse, polkas et operas dont le melange donna naissance a la « cancion mexicana », ancetre de la musique ranchera (chansons de passion accompagnees par des trompettes, des accordeons). Le « corrido », ballade epique et politique vehiculant des protestations sociales, se developpa au 19 eme siecle. Aujourd'hui on redecouvre cette musique d'emotion, porteuse de l'identite americano-mexicaine.
Picture semantics for integrating text and diagram input

The saying ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ exemplifies the great value of pictures in describing a scenario. Pictures convey spatial information in a compact form, allowing textual descriptions to concentrate on the non-spatial (henceforth, contextual) properties of objects. The difficult task in integrating text and diagrammatic input to a system is to establish coreference — matching object references in the text to objects in the diagram.
A Message Board Client for handheld devices

The need to develop portable applications for hand-held devices is growing rapidly. The proliferation of handheld devices such as cellular telephones and Personal Digital Assistants is driving this demand. As a case study, this paper examines the use of Sun Microsystems's Java 2 Micro Edition to develop a Message Board Client for the Palm operating system. This paper highlights lessons learned in developing a communications application for handheld devices. The lessons learned include an examination of tool support, limited communications support and human-computer interaction issues.
Carbon monoxide poisoning: Mechanisms, presentation, and controversies in management

Carbon monoxide (CO) remains the leading cause of death due to poisoning in the United States. CO produces toxicity by binding to hemoglobin, thereby reducing oxygen-carrying capacity, and by binding to myoglobin, which may impair cardiac output and result in cerebral ischemia. Severe CO poisoning results in coma or encephalopathy, but milder intoxication may occur with nonspecific symptoms suggestive of hysteria, hyperventilation, psychosis, or viral syndrome. Survivors of severe CO poisoning may have permanent neurologic or neuropsychiatric sequelae. Subtle memory deficits or personality changes may not be readily apparent to the examining physician. Administration of 100% oxygen at ambient pressure remains convenient, safe, and inexpensive. Hyperbaric oxygen can shorten the half-life of carboxyhemoglobin and can carry oxygen independent of hemoglobin. However, it is not known if either 100% oxygen or hyperbaric oxygen can actually alter mortality or improve neurologic outcome in survivors. Carefully controlled prospective studies should be carried out to assess the potential value of hyperbaric oxygen in CO poisoning.
MODIFICATION OF RIBONUCLEASE STRUCTURE BY GAMMA IRRADIATION

Abstract Ribonuclease A (polyribonucleotide 2-oligonucleotidotransferase, EC 2.7.7.16), in aqueous solution, has been irradiated with γ-rays, and 80–90% inactivated samples were selected for chemical studies. Titrations of freshly irradiatedsamples with p -hydroxymercuribenzoate indicated 2 SH groups per molecule of enzyme. Irradiated samples were also alkylated with [1- 14 C]iodoacetic acid, and the alkylated proteins were purified, hydrolyzed, and analyzed for constituent amino acids; 2 residues of radioactive S -carboxymethylcysteine were found per molecule of enzyme. The results are evidence that rupture of disulfide bridges is one of the molecular changes caused by irradiation. Unlike the native enzyme, irradiated ribonuclease A is digested by trypsin; the amount of proteolysis obtained was about half of that observed in the tryptic digestion of fully reduced ribonuclease A. Complete amino acid analyses of several irradiated samples showed the consistent loss of only a few residues, namely, histidine, tyrosine, methionine, and lysine.
Syndromic surveillance: a local perspective.

The promise of syndromic surveillance extends beyond early warning for bioterrorist attacks. Even if bioterrorism is first detected by an astute clinician, syndromic surveillance can help delineate the size, location, and tempo of the epidemic or provide reassurance that a large outbreak is not occurring when a single case or a small, localized cluster of an unusual illness is detected. More broadly, however, as public health and medicine proceed in our information age, the use of existing electronic data for public health surveillance will not appear to be an untested experiment for long. The challenge is to allow these systems to flower without burdening them with unrealistic expectations, centralized control, and unbalanced funding. To help syndromic surveillance systems reach their full potential, we need data standards, guidance to the developers of clinical information systems that will ensure data flow and interoperability, evaluations of best practices, links to improved laboratory diagnostics, regulations that protect privacy and data security, and reliable sustained funding for public health infrastructure to ensure the capacity to respond when the alarm sounds.
Bay of Islands ophiolite suite, Newfoundland: Petrologic and geochemical characteristics with emphasis on rare earth element geochemistry

Abstract Characteristic geochemical features of the ophiolite suite from the Bay of Islands Complex have been determined by major and trace element analyses of 13 rocks. Based on elements, such as rare earth elements (REE), whose abundances are relatively immobile during alteration and metamorphism, we find that (1) the pillow lavas and diabases are relatively depleted in light REE similar to most tholeiites occurring along spreading oceanic ridges, in back-arc basins and comprising the early phases of volcanism in island arcs; (2) the gabbros, composed of cumulate plagioclase and olivine with poikilitic clinopyroxene, have REE contents consistent with formation as cumulates precipitated from magmas represented by the overlying pillow lavas and diabases; (3) as in most harzburgites from ophiolites, the Bay of Islands harzburgite and dunite have relative REE abundances inconsistent with a genetic relationship to the overlying basic rocks — this inconsistency may be primary or it may result from late-stage alteration, contamination and/or metamorphism; (4) some Bay of Islands lherzolites have major and trace element abundances expected in the mantle source of the overlying basic rocks. Overall, the geochemical features of this Bay of Islands ophiolite suite are similar to those from Troodos and Vourinos, but these data are not sufficient to distinguish between different tectonic environments such as deep ocean ridge, small ocean basin or young island arc.