cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Response to Letter Regarding Article, “A Regional System to Provide Timely Access to Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction”

We appreciate the kind words of Dr Melandri regarding the development of our regional system to provide timely access for primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).1 He raises 2 important points about the number of patients enrolled from the catchment data and the overall risk status of the population. The focus of our article1 was the development of a PCI-based standardized protocol for STEMI patients that included routine transfer from non–PCI-capable hospitals. The program began with a pilot at a single hospital and additional hospitals were then trained at increasing distances from the PCI center. The 1345 consecutive patients included all patients who presented to the …
A Supply-Side View of Suicide Terrorism: A Cross-National Study

The recent literature on the root causes of suicide terrorism yields several testable hypotheses, most notably that suicide attacks are a strategic response by terrorist groups confronting foreign occupation by democratic states. This study does not find empirical support for this and other common hypotheses and instead demonstrates that suicide terrorism is a product of political and organizational features of the terrorists themselves. While foreign occupation, religious diversity, and group typology do predict suicide attacks, democracies are not more likely to be targets of suicide terrorism. Terrorists, however, who are nationals of nondemocracies are significantly more likely to launch suicide attacks.
REVERSAL OF SEPSIS-ASSOCIATED NEONATAL NEUTROPENIA WITH RECOMBINANT HUMAN GRANULOCYTE COLONY STIMULATING FACTOR (rhGCSF). ▴ 1325

rhGCSF can increase the absolute neutrophil count (ANC) in persistent neutropenia (>3d) presumably by overcoming the effects of a putative inhibitory factor on the neonatal bone marrow (JPeds 126:457, 1995). In sepsis, neutropenia results from a low neutrophil storage pool, a near maximal WBC production rate and increased consumption; it is associated with a higher mortality. The aim of this series was to determine whether rhGCSF could also increase the ANC in septic neutropenic neonates in a clinically relevant time frame. From August 1994 to December 1995, 14 septic neonates were identified in our NICU with 3 or more of the following: positive blood cultures (10), hypotension (10), metabolic acidosis >5meq (11), ventilatory support (13), need for volume expansion & vasopressors (9). All had an ANC<1500/mm3 × 2 taken 12 h apart and received conventional antibiotic treatment. In addition, 10 neonates were treated with rhGCSF (10 ug/kg/d, IVx3d; IND#5616). The ANC (x ± SEM) was 490±135/mm3 in the rhGCSF group & 607±316/mm3 in the conventionally treated group. Following rhGCSF administration, the ANC increased by 9-fold (468±1703, ns) at 24h, 17-fold (8635±7583, p<0.05 ANOVA) at 48h, 24-fold (11963±3294, p<0.05) at 72h, & 28-fold (14196±4088, p<0.05) at 7d. The ANC in the conventionally treated group increased by 1.5-fold (960 ± 60, ns) at 24h, 1.8-fold(1141±37, ns) at 48h and to 2184 at 72h & 4386 at 7d in the only survivor. Platelets and RBC counts were unchanged in both groups yet monocytes increased 3-fold at 72h and 7-fold at 7d (p<0.05) after rhGCSF. At 28d after the septic episode, 9/10 neonates in the rhGCSF group & 1/4 neonates in the conventional group were alive. We conclude that rhGCSF could increase the ANC in septic neutropenic neonates and we suggest that the presumed limitation of bone marrow egress could be overcome in a therapeutically relevant time frame. A randomized trial is needed to confirm the efficacy of rhGCSF in septic neutropenic neonates on improved outcome. (See our related abstract, SPR `96).
Production of rosmarinic acid in high density perfusion cultures ofAnchusa officinalis using a high sugar medium

The most direct approach to enhancing the volumetric yield of secondary metabolites in plant tissue cultures is to operate the culture under high cell density. In this study, a cell suspension ofAnchusa officinalis was cultivated using a semi-continuous perfusion technique, i.e. batch cultivation with intermittent medium exchange. Using a perfusion medium containing sucrose concentration which was two times that in the normal growth medium, the final cell density and the final product concentration were increased by more than 2-fold compared with a batch culture without medium exchange. The high cell density obtained from the semi-continuous perfusion culture can be explained by the prevention of nutrient depletion, removal of toxic by-products, as well as the control of cell size by virtue of the high sugar medium osmolarity.
An Inter-Comparison of Two Black Carbon Aerosol Instruments and a Semi-Continuous Elemental Carbon Instrument in the Urban Environment

Aerosol absorption coefficients were obtained using two versions of the Magee Scientific Aethalometer and a Particle Soot Absorption Photometer (PSAP) in Riverside, California during July and August of 2005. These measurements were subsequently compared to each other and to hourly elemental carbon (EC) mass concentrations as determined by a Sunset Labs semi-continuous OCEC analyzer. Measurements from all four instruments were shown to be highly correlated (R 2 = 0.83 to 0.92). Differences between absorption values measured by the PSAP and the Aethalometer were found to be dominated by differences in the filter media used by the respective instruments. Comparison of optical and thermal measurements revealed that the specific attenuation cross section (σ ATN ) of light absorbing carbon (LAC) varied as a function of the time of the day, most notably during weekdays. Minimum σ ATN values were observed during morning rush hour when EC concentrations were at their greatest and maxima were seen in the late after...
INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS FOR RESEARCH INTEGRITY: AN IDEA WHOSE TIME HAS COME?

A movement to promulgate international ethics standards covering areas of conduct other than research with human subjects has now begun to gain momentum. This commentary explains why it is important to develop international research integrity standards and some of the problems that must be overcome to bring them to fruition.
THREE COORDINATE COMPOUNDS OF COBALT AND ZINC, PREPARATION AND PROPERTIES

Die aus Co(II)-′taromid oder Zn(II)-chlorid und der Li-Verbindung von Hexame thyldisilazan nach bekannter Methode synthetisierten Bis-[disily1amino]-metall(II)-Produkte reagieren mit Pyridin und dessen Derivaten in Benzol unter Sauerstoff- und Feuchtigkeitsausschlus zu den hydrolyseempfindlichen, dreifach-koordinierten, monomeren Komplexen (I).
Use of 2,6-dinitro-4-trifluoromethylbenzenesulfonic acid as a novel derivatizing reagent for the analysis of catecholamines, histamines and relared amines by gas chromatography with electron-capture detection

We have found that 2,6-dinitro-4-trifluoromethylbenzenesulfonic acid reacts rapidly and specifically with primary amines at room temperature. We have used this reagent for derivatizing phenylethylamines, including catecholamines, and histamine and 1-methylhistamine. After the reaction, hydroxyl groups were derivatized to form the corresponding trimethylsilyl ethers, and the final derivatives were analyzed by gas chromatography with electron-capture detection. These derivatives are stable, possess excellent gas chromatographic properties and are detected with high sensitivity. We have applied this method to the analysis of histamine and 1-methylhistamine in human urine.
Cholangiography during laparoscopic cholecystectomy--cumulative sum analysis of an institutional learning curve.

The ability to perform intraoperative cholangiography during laparoscopic cholecystectomy is an essential skill for the laparoscopic biliary surgeon. The volume of experience required to be able to consistently obtain a cholangiogram during laparoscopic cholecystectomy has not been determined. Cumulative sum analysis is a statistical technique which generates a graphical display that identifies periods of performance that fell below a predetermined standard for a given task. The cumulative sum (Sn) for a series of observations is defined as: ie185-001 where X1 = 0 for a success, X1 = 1 for a failure, and X0 is the acceptable failure rate for the process under study. This function is plotted against the number of observations to create a curve. When the curve has a positive slope, the acceptable failure rate is being exceeded. When it reaches a plateau, the observed failure rate is equal to the acceptable failure rate. When the curve has a negative slope, the observed failure rate is lower than the acceptable failure rate. We performed a cumulative sum analysis of the first 97 intraoperative cholangiograms attempted during laparoscopic cholecystectomy at our institution. The results demonstrated that 46 cases were required to reach a level of proficiency where a cholangiogram could be obtained in 95% of attempts. Success rates of 85% and 90% were achieved at 16 and 25 cases, respectively. This form of analysis is a useful tool for estimating the number of attempts required to achieve a desired success rate when learning new procedures.
Carbonyls in oxidizing fat. V. The composition of neutral volatile monocarbonyl compounds from autoxidized oleate, linoleate, linolenate esters, and fats

The steam volatile monocarbonyl compounds in mildly autoxidized esters of oleic, linoleic, linolenic acids, and animal and vegetable fats were quantitatively estimated. The major aldehydes in oleate and linoleate were those that might be expected from the scission of reported monomeric hydroperoxide isomers. The predominance of hept-2,4-dienal and propanal in linolenate suggested that the major monomeric hydroperoxides were 12-and 16-hydroperoxy conjugated dienoic isomers. The number of minor aldehydes increased with degree of unsaturation of the fatty acid. The amounts of monocarbonyl compounds in the fats examined generally agreed with their average fatty acid composition. Appreciable amounts of heptanal in lamb and beef fat and heptanal and decanal in butterfat, under the conditions of oxidation, could not have come from the three unsaturated acids. Heating at 165°C. in all samples increased the proportions of the most unsaturated major aldehydes.
Photoaffinity reagents for use with pepsin and other carboxyl proteases.

Abstract Two compounds have been designed to serve as photoaffinity reagents for use with carboxyl proteases. 1,2-Epoxy-3-(4′-azido-2′-nitrophenoxy)propane has been synthesized and shown to react with porcine pepsin in the same fashion as the traditional inhibitor 1,2-epoxy-3-( p -nitrophenoxy)propane, while p -azidophenacyl bromide is similar to other phenacyl bromides in its reaction with pepsin. In combination with p -azido-α-diazoacetophenone , previously shown to resemble α-diazo carbonyl reagents in its reaction with pepsin, photoaffinity analogs are now available for all three of the widely-used carboxyl protease inhibitors.
Some factors influencing sporangium formation of a Phytophthora species isolated from lucerne in certain salt solutions

A Phytophthora species from lucerne, possibly P. megasperma , formed sporangia readily when disks of V-8 juice agar with mycelium were incubated in a shaken inorganic nutrient solution for 24 hr. at room temperature. Adding ethylene-diamine tetra-acetic acid stimulated sporulation markedly on V-8 juice CaCO 3 agar (pH 6·5) but only slightly on V-8 juice NaOH agar. Tap water, concentrated to one-fifth of its original volume by boiling, and aqueous soil extracts stimulated sporulation on V-8 juice NaOH agar. Sporulation was slight in tap or double-distilled water. Copper in the inorganic salt solution at concentrations as low as 0·2 p.p.m. Cu 2+ inhibited formation of sporangia, and at 0·1 p.p.m. induced formation of abnormal types.
Structure of the p53 tumor suppressor bound to the ankyrin and SH3 domains of 53BP2.

Mutations in the p53 tumor suppressor are among the most frequently observed genetic alterations in human cancer and map to the 200-amino acid core domain of the protein. The core domain contains the sequence-specific DNA binding activity and the in vitro 53BP2 protein binding activity of p53. The crystal structure of the p53 core domain bound to the 53BP2 protein, which contains an SH3 (Src homology 3) domain and four ankyrin repeats, revealed that (i) the SH3 domain binds the L3 loop of p53 in a manner distinct from that of previously characterized SH3-polyproline peptide complexes, and (ii) an ankyrin repeat, which forms an L-shaped structure consisting of a β hairpin and two α helices, binds the L2 loop of p53. The structure of the complex shows that the 53BP2 binding site on the p53 core domain consists of evolutionarily conserved regions that are frequently mutated in cancer and that it overlaps the site of DNA binding. The six most frequently observed p53 mutations disrupt 53BP2 binding in vitro. The structure provides evidence that the 53BP2-p53 complex forms in vivo and may have a critical role in the p53 pathway of tumor suppression.
Endoscope geometrical analysis and kinematic control

Endoscopes are used in medical practice to effect minimally invasive diagnostics and treatments through a natural or surgical orifice. The endoscope is a snakelike device with a two degree-of-freedom articulated tip that bends in any direction using internal cables actuated by knobs. In this paper we use a serial robot model of the tip to show that the tip motions are not decoupled with respect to the knob inputs nor do they have constant gains. Further in a geometrical analysis it is shown that the articulated tip always lies along a circle. A tip kinematic control strategy is developed based on small motions that is able to decouple the output motions from the input motions and provide a constant gain functions. This allows the surgeon to control the endoscope in an intuitive and efficient manner.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
POLITICS, MILITARY CONSCRIPTION, AND RELIGIOUS EDUCATION IN THE LATE OTTOMAN EMPIRE

Successive Ottoman governments excluded the religious colleges (medreses) from the ambitious educational policies they pursued beginning in the 19th century. Many historians and contemporary observers have seen this trend as an anomaly, because this was a period characterized by governmental activism and broad changes imposed from the top, including in the field of education. The inactivity of the government during the long reign of Abdulhamid II (r. 1876–1909) appears particularly intriguing. The Hamidian regime enunciated the ideological, social, and political importance of Islam and extended its patronage to the religious establishment and its institutions. Nevertheless, the Hamidian government kept medrese education outside the fold of its educational project. The medreses were left unchanged in terms of administration, pedagogy, and curricula, even as the Hamidian regime impressively expanded the state school system, initiated a series of educational reforms, and promoted state education as a vanguard of progress and modernity. Meanwhile, in other parts of the Islamic world, initiatives were taken to reform and modernize institutions of Islamic learning. In the Ottoman Empire, the government took similar steps to reorganize medrese education only after the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) came to power in the wake of Constitutional Revolution of 1908. However, the new regime also gradually, but consistently, diminished the former prominence of the religious establishment and its institutions and prepared the ground for the complete nationalization of religious education in 1924 by the fledgling Turkish Republic.
Recent Progress in Vaccines for Amebiasis

The persistence of amebiasis as a global health problem, despite the availability of effective treatment, has led to the search for vaccines to prevent this deadly disease. Recent clinical studies suggest that mucosal immunity could provide some protection against recurrent intestinal infection with E. histolytica, but there is contradictory evidence about protective immunity after amebic liver abscess. Progress in vaccine development has been facilitated by new animal models that allow better testing of potential vaccine candidates and by the application of recombinant technology to vaccine design. Oral vaccines utilizing amebic antigens either co-administered with some form of cholera toxin or expressed in attenuated strains of Salmonella or Vibrio cholera have been developed and tested in animals for mucosal immunogenicity. Although there has been significant progress on a number of fronts, there are unanswered questions regarding the effectiveness of immune responses in preventing disease in man and, as yet, no testing of any of these vaccines in humans has been performed.
Statistical Properties of Multivariate Distance Matrix Regression for High-Dimensional Data Analysis

Multivariate distance matrix regression (MDMR) analysis is a statistical technique that allows researchers to relate P variables to an additional M factors collected on N individuals, where P>>N. The technique can be applied to a number of research settings involving high dimensional data types such as DNA sequence data, gene expression microarray data and imaging data. MDMR analysis involves computing the distance between all pairs of individuals with respect to P variables of interest and constructing an N x N matrix whose elements reflect these distances. Permutation tests can be used to test linear hypotheses that consider whether or not the M additional factors collected on the individuals can explain variation in the observed distances between and among the N individuals as reflected in the matrix. MDMR analysis is an excellent complement to cluster analysis and other traditional multivariate analysis techniques. Despite its appeal and utility, properties of the statistics used in MDMR analysis have not been explored in detail. In this paper we consider the level accuracy and power of MDMR analysis assuming different distance measures and analysis settings. We also describe the utility of MDMR analysis in assessing hypotheses about the appropriate number of clusters arising from a cluster analysis.
Crisis in the Eye of the Beholder: Economic Crisis and Partisan Politics in Latin American and East European International Monetary Fund Programs

This article analyzes the interaction between economic crises and partisan politics during International Monetary Fund program initiation in Latin America in the 1980s and Eastern Europe in the 199...
Formoffa: An automated formant, moment, fundamental frequency, amplitude analysis of normal and disordered speech

A system for semi-automatic, multi-parameter acoustic analysis is described. The system, called FORMOFFA (For = FORmants, Mo = MOments, FF = Fundamental Frequency, A = Amplitude), operates on a PC microcomputer by adaptations of commercially available software. Data displays include a deterministic time record of instantaneous values, and an ergodic time-compressed distribution. In this report the technique is developed with a one-word example, and some measurement and reliability issues are described. The analysis possibilities are then illustrated with several applications: (1) segmental analysis of normal speech, (2) acoustic assessment of the effects of a progressive neurological disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) on sentence production, (3) acoustic study of palatal lift management of a patient with traumatic brain injury, and (4) phonetic assessment of word production by a subject with dysarthria. Although the current technique is recommended as a research tool, this kind of analysis promises s...
Contemporary Diagnosis and Management of Unstable Angina

Unstable angina (UA) is one of the acute coronary syndromes, a group of conditions that also includes non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (MI) and ST elevation MI. The underlying pathogenic substrate of all these entities is the unstable coronary plaque with an overlying intracoronary thrombus. Initial management for the patient with suspected UA includes a resting electrocardiogram and oral administration of aspirin. ST-segment elevation indicates acute MI with the need for urgent reperfusion therapy. Patients without ST-segment elevation commonly have a mixture of VA and non-ST elevation MI; initial management is similar with assessment of near-term risk of MI or death as the next step. Features of UA indicating high risk include persistent ST-segment depression, persistent ischemic pain, elevated troponin level, or features of heart failure. Such patients undergo intensive medical therapy with heparin (unfractionated or low-molecular-weight), β-blockade, and IIb/IIa antiplatelet agents, usually followed by coronary angiography and percutaneous intervention. The timing of intervention depends on the patient's response to therapy. Intermediate- or low-risk patients (including those presenting to the emergency department) can be managed with a chest pain unit strategy, and those with normal results on serial electrocardiograms, cardiac marker studies, and functional testing can be safely discharged home. Others are admitted for elective angiography, intensive medical therapy, or both. Assessment of coronary risk factors and their modification is an important component of long-term therapy for both high-risk and low-risk patients with UA, as well as those determined to have had non-S I'elevation MI.
A Maize Database Resource that Captures Tissue-Specific and Subcellular-Localized Gene Expression, via Fluorescent Tags and Confocal Imaging (Maize Cell Genomics Database)

Maize is a global crop and a powerful system among grain crops for genetic and genomic studies. However, the development of novel biological tools and resources to aid in the functional identification of gene sequences is greatly needed. Towards this goal, we have developed a collection of maize marker lines for studying native gene expression in specific cell types and subcellular compartments using fluorescent proteins (FPs). To catalog FP expression, we have developed a public repository, the Maize Cell Genomics (MCG) Database, (http://maize.jcvi.org/cellgenomics), to organize a large data set of confocal images generated from the maize marker lines. To date, the collection represents major subcellular structures and also developmentally important progenitor cell populations. The resource is available to the research community, for example to study protein localization or interactions under various experimental conditions or mutant backgrounds. A subset of the marker lines can also be used to induce misexpression of target genes through a transactivation system. For future directions, the image repository can be expanded to accept new image submissions from the research community, and to perform customized large-scale computational image analysis. This community resource will provide a suite of new tools for gaining biological insights by following the dynamics of protein expression at the subcellular, cellular and tissue levels.
FALCON: seamless access to meeting data from the inbox and calendar

We present a system that supports seamless access to information contained in recorded meetings from the cornerstone points of a knowledge worker's daily life: mailbox and calendar. The solution supports granular search of meeting content from an enterprise email system and automatically displays recordings of meetings related to the message the user is currently viewing. Additionally thumbnail summaries of the meetings are added to the user's calendar entries after the meetings have taken place. Lastly our system supports easy sharing of videos associated with recorded meetings through the use of hot-linked thumbnail summaries which can be sent via email.
Feedback mechanisms in chemo-mechanical multi-scale modeling of soil and sediment compaction

Abstract Geomaterials respond to some environmental circumstances through generation of a series of feedback mechanisms of damage, deformation, erosion, and chemical processes or reactions: e.g. osmosis, dissolution and precipitation, mineral transformations. These mechanisms are coupled at different scales. Several natural geomechanical processes, as sediment compaction, rock weathering or landsliding appear to include such sequences of mechanisms. A multi-physics model of sediment compaction is examined from the point of view of feedbacks and feedforwards for the phenomena involved at micro- and meso-scale. Two types of feedback are identified: constitutive feedbacks and boundary condition feedbacks. A numerical sensitivity study points out which feedbacks and feedforwards are strong and which are weak.
Colonization from divergent ancestors: Glaciation signatures on contemporary patterns of genomic variation in Collared Pikas (Ochotona collaris)

Identifying the genetic structure of a species and the factors that drive it is an important first step in modern population management, in part because populations evolving from separate ancestral sources may possess potentially different characteristics. This is especially true for climate-sensitive species such as pikas, where the delimitation of distinct genetic units and the characterization of population responses to contemporary and historical environmental pressures are of particular interest. We combined a restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (RADSeq) data set containing 4156 single nucleotide polymorphisms with ecological niche models (ENMs) of present and past habitat suitability to characterize population composition and evaluate the effects of historical range shifts, contemporary climates and landscape factors on gene flow in Collared Pikas, which are found in Alaska and adjacent regions of northwestern Canada and are the lesser-studied of North America's two pika species. The results suggest that contemporary environmental factors contribute little to current population connectivity. Instead, genetic diversity is strongly shaped by the presence of three ancestral lineages isolated during the Pleistocene (~148 and 52 kya). Based on ENMs and genetic data, populations originating from a northern refugium experienced longer-term stability, whereas both southern lineages underwent population expansion – contradicting the southern stability and northern expansion patterns seen in many other taxa. Current populations are comparable with respect to generally low diversity within populations and little-to-no recent admixture. The predominance of divergent histories structuring populations implies that if we are to understand and manage pika populations, we must specifically assess and accurately account for the forces underlying genetic similarity.
Intergenerational Coresidence of Older Adults in Japan: Conditions for Cultural Plasticity

Objectives This study investigated individual-level conditions and prefecture-level contextual factors that enable and/or restrict intergenerational coresidence arrangements between older parents and adult children. Methods We implemented multinomial logistic regression within a hierarchical approach to compare traditional and nontraditional styles of intergenerational coresidence arrangements. Individual data (N = 3,565) came from the Nihon University Japanese Longitudinal Study of Aging. We supplemented these with information on socioeconomic and welfare characteristics of Japanese prefectures. Results Whereas the traditional pattern of coresidence was primarily a value-driven arrangement, nontraditional coresidence was both a value-driven and a need-driven arrangement for older parents with limited physical abilities. Relatively strong economic conditions at the prefecture level were enabling factors for coresidence, whereas the greater per capita utilization of local welfare resources had both enabling and inhibiting effects on coresidence arrangements. Discussion The differences between the two types of coresidence are consistent with a shift of intergenerational living arrangements in Japan from a preventive arrangement to a contingent arrangement for older parents in need. We suggest that intergenerational family traditions contain a great amount of plasticity to accommodate societal modernization by adapting to the changing cultural and socioeconomic contexts of the society.
The Diffusion of the Legitimate and the Diffusion of Legitimacy

This paper models the implications of innovations ‐c oncrete products and behaviors ‐ being nested within institutions ‐a bstract cognitive schema for evaluating the legitimacy of innovations. In effect, social actors assess the legitimacy of innovations vis-a-vis conformity to institutions such that a sufficiently legitimate innovation may be adopted without direct reference to the behavior of peers. However when innovations lack institutional legitimacy actors default to proximately peer-oriented heuristics like information cascades. Eventually if enough similarly aberrant innovations achieve widespread popularity, their conventions will become institutionalized as legitimate. Thus density creates legitimacy but this density can be at the level of the particular innovation or of the institution within which it is embedded.
Measuring thermal and mechanical stresses on optical fiber in a DC module using fiber Bragg gratings

Fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) can be used as sensors to monitor stress and test temperature during the processing and handling of optical fiber. As the FBG experiences a combination of mechanical and thermal loading, the return Bragg wavelength will shift proportionately to the magnitude of the load. This paper discusses the use of these sensors in quantifying induced stress on fiber during the packaging of a dispersion-compensating module (DCM) and the ensuing environmental exposure. There are two potential fiber-failure modes for fiber wound in DCMs, namely microbend-induced attenuation and fiber failure from fatigue. The ability to quantify fiber stress provides a useful feedback tool in the design phase of these modules that can aid in reducing the risk of mechanical and optical failure modes. A practical characterization process was developed to decouple thermal and stress effects on FBGs based on results from current literature and from this study. Uncoated Bragg sensors were found to respond linearly between -40 to 80/spl deg/C. Gratings with a protective polymer recoat departed from the linear behavior of the uncoated gratings below -5/spl deg/C. It was determined that the recoat material places less than 25 MPa (3.6 klbf/in/sup 2/) of axial compression on the fiber at -40/spl deg/C. Four gratings with different Bragg wavelengths were spliced into 10 km of fiber and wound into a DCM. The wind-induced stress on all four gratings quickly relaxed. The module was then thermal cycled between -40 and +75/spl deg/C. The overall stress on each grating was acceptably low for reliability purposes. The maximum stress of 17 MPa (2.5 klbf/in/sup 2/) was observed at the lowest temperature.
Mobile search with text messages: designing the user experience for google SMS

SMS (Short Message Service) is already a hugely popular communication technology for mobile phones, with users sending billions of text messages to each other every year. The goal of the Google SMS service is to provide this large existing base of users with access to the types of information they are most likely to need when mobile. Users simply send their query as a text message and receive their results in the reply. This enables users to search for information without having to upgrade their phone or subscribe to specialized mobile data services. In this paper we describe how we worked with the Google SMS team on the iterative design of the service's user experience. In particular, we focus on how we attempted to overcome two major constraints: the technical limitations of the SMS standard, and users' current conceptual models of both SMS and Google search.
Expanding the Known Diversity and Environmental Distribution of an Uncultured Phylogenetic Division of Bacteria

Culture-independent molecular phylogenetic methods were used to explore the breadth of diversity and environmental distribution of members of the division-level “candidate” phylogenetic group WS6, recently discovered in a contaminated aquifer and with no cultivated representatives. A broad diversity of WS6-affiliated sequences were cloned from 7 of 12 environments investigated: mainly from anaerobic sediment environments. The number of sequences representing the WS6 candidate division was increased from 3 to 60 in this study. The extent of phylogenetic divergence (sequence difference) in this candidate division was found to be among the largest of any known bacterial division. This indicates that organisms representing the WS6 phylogenetic division offer a broad diversity of undiscovered biochemical and metabolic novelty. These results provide a framework for the further study of these evidently important kinds of organisms and tools, the sequences, with which to do so.
DES (Distributed Energy Simulation): a tool for modeling railgun performance

Distributed Energy Simulation [DES] is a computer code designed to model an electromagnetic projectile launcher and power supply, commonly referred to as a railgun. The simulation was required to support the expansion of the Thunderbolt railgun project from the current breech fed implementation to a multiple power supply, distributed energy configuration. The main focus of the simulation was to determine the feed locations that would provide a maximum acceleration without exceeding operational limits of the barrel containment. A secondary focus of the simulation was to make railgun performance predictions that could be used to set attenuation values for railgun b-dot probes. A generalized set of equations was derived, that closely resembles the breech-fed configuration equations, due to the multiple current loops associated with the multiple power supply configuration. The generalized multiple power supply equations are a set of vector equations with a simple mathematical form that allow for an infinite number of power supplies. This technique provides flexibility for theoretical configurations. The simulation code was tested against experimental results from the breech fed configuration of the Thunderbolt railgun. The results confirm the usefulness of the code as a tool for predicting and modelling railgun performance.
Description of a Standardized Nutrition Classification Plan and its Relation to Nutritional Outcomes in Children with Cystic Fibrosis

Objective Better nutrition enhances lung function and increases survival for children with cystic fibrosis (CF). Therefore, we developed a standardized strategy to evaluate nutritional status and create individualized treatment plans to ensure that all patients received the same high-quality care in a busy CF Center. Methods A quality improvement approach was undertaken to develop a novel nutrition classification strategy to identify and treat children with subtle manifestations of nutritional deficits in addition to those with obvious nutritional issues. Results During the 15-month study period, the median body mass index (BMI) percentile increased from 35.2 (0–95.9) to 42.0 (0–97.7), p < .005. Additionally, the number of children with a BMI 50th percentile increased by 11.8%. Conclusions Adoption of a standardized approach to nutritional assessment and treatment led to significant improvement in nutritional outcomes of CF patients, demonstrating that systematic changes in clinical practice can improve clinical outcomes substantially over a short period of time.
Transportation Implications of Land Development in a Transitional Economy: Evidence from Housing Relocation in Beijing

This research reveals and quantifies the transportation impacts of the changing workplace-residence relationship stemming from land and housing reforms in Chinese cities, with Beijing as the study case. Evidence from a 1996 housing relocation survey indicates that commuting time increases by 30% as households move away from previous housing locations and from central districts to suburban districts. This finding partially explains the demand for motorized transportation and the congestion in today's Chinese cities. The research also reveals the importance of urban growth strategies in preventing congestion from worsening as urban growth continues.
A MECHANISM OF CONSERVATION IN THE KIDNEYS OF THE WINTER FROG

1. A method of conservation has been demonstrated in the kidneys of winter frogs. 2. The mechanism of this conservation is an increase in the absorptive function and a decrease in the excretory activity of the tubular epithelium. 3. The excessive absorptive process may be depressed by various means. Such a depression in the tubular activity is followed by large increases in the rate of excretion of water, salts and, if present in the urine, phenol red. 4. Further evidence is thus obtained which supports the theory that phenol red is excreted chiefly through the glomeruli.
On the Designation of Race in Clinical Pharmacology Reports

Food and Drug Administration guidelines require that sponsors of new drugs in the United States prepare case report forms that identify the race of individual patients, and that clinical pharmacology and other summary reports compile such racial data as part of the demographic profile. Complying with these requirements is difficult, since the FDA offers neither a definition of race nor a model method for classifying subjects into racial categories. The resulting classification of Americans into so-called races, such as white, black, Hispanic, and Oriental, suffers from semantic, logical, and scientific flaws. While the analysis of demographic factors, including genetic factors, is of unquestioned importance for understanding the actions of drugs, the concept of race as a classification scheme warrants scrutiny. The gain from attempting to classify people based on this culturally determined concept may be outweighed by the harm.
Recurrent pleomorphic adenoma of the parotid gland.

Objectives To assess the long-term results in the management of 42 patients with recurrent pleomorphic adenoma of the parotid gland. Study design A retrospective analysis of 42 patients who underwent parotidectomy for recurrent pleomorphic adenoma was performed to study presenting clinicoradiographic features, surgical technique, facial nerve management, and the long-term risk of recurrence. Results All 42 patients had multi-focal, nontender recurrent nodules following one to four prior surgical procedures and 6 patients underwent prior radiotherapy. Surgical procedures included subtotal parotidectomy in 12 patients, total parotidectomy in 18 patients, parotidectomy with facial nerve resection in 7 cases, and subtotal petrosectomy with facial nerve resection in 5 individuals. The 2 patients with malignant transformation died of disseminated lung and bone metastasis. Twenty-nine of the remaining 40 patients had no recurrent disease. Seven patients developed local parotid bed or cutaneous recurrent disease, 2 patients died of unrelated causes, and 2 patients were lost to follow-up. Conclusions All 7 patients with recurrent disease underwent subtotal parotidectomy with “negative” surgical margins. Total parotidectomy or subtotal petrosectomy with facial nerve resection in selected cases may reduce the risk of multiple episodes of pleomorphic adenoma recurrence. Two of 42 patients were found to have carcinoma ex–pleomorphic adenoma, both of these patients underwent prior radiotherapy, and both died of metastatic disease.
On the number of determining nodes for the 2D Navier-Stokes equations

Abstract It is known that the solutions of the 2D Navier-Stokes equations, in bounded domains, are determined by a finite discrete set of nodal values. That is if the large time behavior of the solutions to the Navier-Stokes equations is known on an appropriate finite discrete set, then the large time behavior of the solution itself is totally determined. Here, an upper-bound is rigorously established for the number of nodes needed to determine the solutions of the Navier-Stokes equations in two dimensions with periodic boundary conditions.
Chromium Speciation and Mobility in a High Level Nuclear Waste Vadose Zone Plume

Radioactive core samples containing elevated concentrations of Cr from a high level nuclear waste plume in the Hanford vadose zone were studied to asses the future mobility of Cr. Cr(VI) is an important subsurface contaminant at the Hanford Site. The plume originated in 1969 by leakage of self-boiling supernate from a tank containing REDOX process waste. The supernate contained high concentrations of alkali (NaOH ≈ 5.25 mol/L), salt (NaNO3/NaNO2 >10 mol/L), aluminate [Al(OH)4− = 3.36 mol/L], Cr(VI) (0.413 mol/L), and 137Cs+ (6.51 × 10−5 mol/L). Water and acid extraction of the oxidized subsurface sediments indicated that a significant portion of the total Cr was associated with the solid phase. Mineralogic analyses, Cr valence speciation measurements by X-ray adsorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy, and small column leaching studies were performed to identify the chemical retardation mechanism and leachability of Cr. While X-ray diffraction detected little mineralogic change to the sediments from waste reaction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that mineral particles within 5 m of the point of tank failure were coated with secondary, sodium aluminosilicate precipitates. The density of these precipitates decreased with distance from the source (e.g., beyond 10 m). The XANES and column studies demonstrated the reduction of 29–75% of the total Cr to insoluble Cr(III), and the apparent precipitation of up to 43% of the Cr(VI) as an unidentified, non-leachable phase. Both Cr(VI) reduction and Cr(VI) precipitation were greater in sediments closer to the leak source where significant mineral alteration was noted by SEM. These and other observations imply that basic mineral hydrolysis driven by large concentrations of OH− in the waste stream liberated Fe(II) from the otherwise oxidizing sediments that served as a reductant for CrO42−. The coarse-textured Hanford sediments contain silt-sized mineral phases (biotite, clinochlore, magnetite, and ilmenite) that are sources of Fe(II). Other dissolution products (e.g., Ba2+) or Al(OH)4− present in the waste stream may have induced Cr(VI) precipitation as pH moderated through mineral reaction. The results demonstrate that a minimum of 42% of the total Cr inventory in all of the samples was immobilized as Cr(III) and Cr(VI) precipitates that are unlikely to dissolve and migrate to groundwater under the low recharge conditions of the Hanford vadose zone.
Thermal metamorphism of Si2O3 - (A circumstellar dust analog)

The thermal behavior of Si2O3, the metastable condensate from SiO vapor,has been studied experimentally. Si2O3 and its successor, amorphous quartz, have previously been shown to have infrared spectral features similar to some that appear in the spectra of grains in oxygen-rich circumstellar regions. Thermal annealing experiments show that only one Si2O3 decay process operates over the range between 750-1000 K. This process is a unimolecular disproportionation. The rate of this transformation can be expressed as k/hr = 10 to the 9th exp (-40 kcal/mole/RT). By using this rate constant, it is found that a significant fraction of freshly nucleated circumstellar grains can survive passage through a typical circumstellar shell virtually unaltered in structure. It is emphasized that this is only the first in a series of laboratory experiments intended to study the metamorphism of newly condensed circumstellar material ejected into the interstellar medium. Grains similar to these might have been incorporated into the primitive solar nebula, provided that they could also survive passage through the general interstellar medium.
What’s Old and What’s New in Concepts of Induced Systemic Resistance in Plants, and its Application

Though resistance and susceptibility to pathogens are often specific and biochemicals determining this specificity have specific structures and receptors, nonspecific agents and multiple signals and pathways for their transduction can also induce resistance to unrelated pathogens and toxicants. This makes the possibility of finding additional effective agents for ISR and disease control highly promising. The agents need not be patented, expensive, or complex. Much more research is needed on the use of ISR agents to reduce dependence on chemical pesticides and enhance utilization of high-yielding plants that presently have a level of resistance that is inadequate for disease control under high pathogen pressure. ISR does not depend upon introducing genes into the plants, and it would not meet the resistance from the public engendered by genetically modified plants. ISR should be increasingly incorporated into integrated pest management practices. Increased funding and information exchange is needed to better utilize and direct the rapidly emerging information concerning signals, receptors, signal transduction, and gene expression for the practical control of plant disease.
Stability of food neophobia from infancy through early childhood.

The purpose of the present study was to examine whether rejection of novel foods during infancy predicted child behavioral and parent-reported neophobia at 4.5 years of age. Data for the present study were drawn from a longitudinal study following individuals (n = 82) from infancy through early childhood. At 6 and 12 months of age, the infants tasted a novel food (green beans, hummus, or cottage cheese) and their reactions were coded for rejection of the food (i.e. crying, force outs, or refusals). The children returned to the laboratory at 4.5 years of age and participated in a behavioral neophobia task where they were offered three novel foods (lychee, nori, and haw jelly) and the number of novel foods they tasted was recorded. Mothers also reported their own and their children's levels of food neophobia. Regression analyses revealed that rejection of novel foods at 6 months interacted with maternal neophobia to predict parent-rated child neophobia. Infants who exhibited low levels of rejection at 6 months showed higher levels of parent-rated neophobia when their mothers also showed high compared to low levels of neophobia. At 12 months of age, however, infants who exhibited high levels of rejection tended to have high levels of parent-rated neophobia regardless of their mothers' levels of neophobia. These results provide preliminary evidence that rejection of novel foods during infancy does predict neophobia during early childhood, but the results vary depending on when rejection of new foods is measured.
Handwashing and nail clipping reduce risk of intestinal parasite infection in school-age children

Commentary on : Mahmud MA, Spigt M, Bezabih AM, et al. Efficacy of handwashing with soap and nail clipping on intestinal parasitic infections in school-aged children: a factorial cluster randomized controlled trial. PLoS Med 2015;12:e1001837.[OpenUrl][1][CrossRef][2][PubMed][3] Previous studies have highlighted the association between basic hygiene and childhood infections in developing countries,1 but no previous randomised controlled trials (RCTs) have focused on parasitic infections. Mahmud and colleagues sought to assess the impact of handwashing with soap and water and weekly nail trimming on infection or reinfection with protozoan or helminthic diseases. The secondary measure was anaemia, which is often an effect of these infections. Mahmud and … [1]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DPLoS%2BMed%26rft.volume%253D12%26rft.spage%253De1001837%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1371%252Fjournal.pmed.1001837%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F26057703%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [2]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=10.1371/journal.pmed.1001837&link_type=DOI [3]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=26057703&link_type=MED&atom=%2Febnurs%2F19%2F2%2F49.atom