cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A new species of Alloneuron (Melastomataceae) from northern Peru

Alloneuron glomeratum, a new species of Melastomataceae from the Maranon Valley in northern Peru, is described and illustrated. This new species can be quickly recognized and differentiated from other species in Alloneuron by the presence of pseudo-glomerulate inflorescences.
223 CHARACTERIZATION OF THE CYSTINE/GLUTAMATE EXCHANGER IN OLIGODENDROCYTE PRECURSORS.

Purpose of Study Periventricular leukomalacia is a pathological condition affecting developing oligodendrocytes. Developing oligodendrocytes are vulnerable to injury due to oxidative stress such as that caused by high extracellular glutamate. Glutamate is an excitotoxic amino acid. Glutamate transporters are used by many cells in the nervous system to regulate extracellular glutamate levels. To date no studies have investigated the mechanism by which oligodendrocyte precursors process glutamate. It is unclear if it is by the classic EAAT pathway or by the cystine/glutamate exchanger. Thus, the aim of this study is to help characterize glutamate transporters in oligodendrocyte precursors. Methods Mouse embryonic stem cells were ordered from American Tissue Culture Company (ATCC) and placed on a layer of 0.1% gelatin. Cells were grown for 5 days in the presence of 1x-beta-mercaptoethanol, 1x-leukemia inhibitory factor, and ES cell media (5% fetal bovine serum, 5% newborn calf serum). Cells were then trypsinized and plated again on 0.1% gelatin and treated with 5 micromolar cytosine arabinofuranoside (Ara-C). Cells were used for either RNA or immunocytochemistry. RT-PCR was performed using a Qiagen One-Step PCR kit. Routine protocols were used for immunocytochemistry. Forward and reverse primers were designed for the mouse cystine/glutamate exchanger, EAAT 1 and 2, and actin (control). Antibodies used for immunocytochemistry of oligodendrocytes were O1, O4, and NG2. CD98 antibody was used to recognize the amino acid transporter. Results Oligodendrocyte precursors possess the cystine/glutamate exchanger as determined by immunocytochemistry and RT-PCR. EAAT 1 and 2 are present in the oligodendrocyte precursors as determined by RT-PCR. Conclusions The EAATs are present in oligodendrocyte precursors. Oligodendrocyte precursors have the messenger RNA for the cystine/glutamate exchanger. The immunocytochemistry data suggest that the cystine/glutamate exchanger protein is also present. Future studies are under way to investigate the functionality of this exchanger in oligodendrocyte precursors and its role in glutamate metabolism.
The iodine status of population in Fenghua,Zhejiang province

Objective To understand the iodine status of residents in Fenghua and provide references for developing and improving scientific strategy of iodine supplementation.Methods 841 local permanent residents in 3 villages(communities) were sampled depending on the type of geography.841 urine samples,300 iodized salt samples and 16 water samples were tested respectively to measure their concentrations.Objects older than and equal to 6 years underwent the thyroid B ultrasonic examination.Results The median level of salt iodine and urinary iodine were 28.45 mg/kg and 171.26 μg/L,respectively.Urinary iodine among different area population was significant difference(χ2=57.972,P=0.000) and urinary iodine among population who regularly consumed seafood was higher than who did not regularly consume seafood.Conclusions Fenghua appeared to be an area where the environment was iodine deficient.The iodine status among the general population seemed to be safe and suitable,but median level of the urinary iodine among mountain area population was higher than 200 μg/L.
Analysis on characteristics of influenza in Wuxi from year 2005 to 2008

[Objective] To explore the characteristics and the changes of the dominant strains of influenza in Wuxi,to provide scientific basis for the prevention of influenza. [Methods] Data of influenza-like illness(ILI) from monitoring sites in outpatients and the outbreaks of influenza in year 2005-2008 were analyzed. [Results] From October 2005 to March 2008,there were 37 998 cases of ILI,which on average accounted for 3.67% of all the OPD patients.A total of 1 796 samples were collected,and 395 strains were identified for influenza virus with an average isolation rate of 21.99%.There were three peaks which occurred in December 2005,March 2006 and July 2007 respectively,and in these periods the number of ILI cases,the ratio of ILI in all outpatient visits and the isolation rates were higher than those in other periods.During the three high peak periods,the dominant strains changed accordantly.The percentage of ILI cases under 14 years was 91.03%.The main influenza outbreak place were schools. [Conclusion] Three peaks of influenza were shown in Wuxi from year 2005 to 2008.The influenza virus has tendency of switchover to dominant strain.Vaccination as the leading in comprehensive measures should be taken to prevent influenza before the peak came especially in those key sites such as schools.
Injection-extraction procedure for rapid determination of relative pungency in fresh Jalapeno peppers

Description d'une methode spectrophotometrique directe de dosage a 275 nm des capsaicinoides
Relational Experiences in School-Based Mentoring: The Mediating Role of Rejection Sensitivity.

In this study, we examined associations between mentoring relationship quality, rejection sensitivity, and youth outcomes. Participants (N = 446) were part of a national, random assignment evaluati...
Interlocutor accommodation on the variation of /tɾ/ in Chilean radio

Abstract This study examines linguistic and extra-linguistic factors that motivate the production of the affricated variant [tʃ] of the consonant cluster/tɾ/, as in otro ‘other’ produced as [o.tʃɾo], in Chilean Spanish, with a focus on the effect of speech accommodation. This study presents the results of a mixed-effects logistic regression analysis and two-population binomial tests that together expose multiple factors affecting /tɾ/ cluster variation in this speech community. Results of this study show that the sex and age of the immediate listeners influence variant selection, thus reinforcing the need for speech accommodation analyses in sociolinguistic research. This study updates the literature on Chilean /tɾ/ variation for middle and upper class speakers using a large dataset of professional public speech, suggesting that the affricated variant is also gaining linguistic prestige.
Is endocarditis prophylaxis for dental procedures necessary

Objectives Our purpose is to address whether antimicrobial prophylaxis is necessary before certain dental procedures for patients at increased risk for acquiring infective endocarditis (IE). Methods We reviewed recommendations for IE prophylaxis made by the American Heart Association (AHA) from 1995 to the present time. We also compared and contrasted the current recommendations from the AHA, European Society of Cardiology (ESC), United Kingdom’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and a consortium of French organisations. We further reviewed recent papers that have observed the incidence of IE since these current recommendations were published. Results Beginning in the 1990s, questions were raised about the advisability of using antimicrobial prophylaxis before certain dental procedures to prevent IE. Various groups in Europe and the US were increasingly aware that there were not any clinical trials showing the effectiveness, or lack thereof, of such prophylaxis. In the early to mid-2000s, the AHA, ESC and French consortium published guidelines recommending restriction of prophylaxis before dental procedures to patients with highest risk for developing IE and/or the highest risk for an adverse outcome from IE. The NICE guidelines eliminated recommendations for prophylaxis before dental procedures. Studies published after these changes were instituted have generally shown that the incidence of IE has not changed, although two recent reports have observed some increased incidence (but not necessarily related to an antecedent dental procedure). Conclusion A multi-national randomised controlled clinical trial that would include individuals from both developed and developing countries around the world is needed to ultimately define whether there is a role for antibiotic prophylaxis administered before certain dental procedures to prevent IE.
Immunotherapy Administration: Oncology Nursing Society Recommendations .

Abstract As the use of immunotherapeutic agents increases in single-agent and multimodality treatment regimens, oncology nurses face the challenge of administering and caring for patients receiving new and unique agents. Oncology Nursing Society clinical staff and clinical nurses collaborated to produce a set of recommendations to educate nurses involved with the monitoring of patients receiving immunotherapy on administration procedures and safe handling of these agents to ensure patient and staff safety and to reduce risk of error. The recommendations are meant to provide clinical nurses with a framework on which to build policies and procedures for administering new treatment modalities. .
Students with Learning Disabilities' Perceptions of Self-Determining Factors Contributing to College Success

This qualitative study identified the factors that contributed to the success experienced by students with learning disabilities in their first year of college. The primary factors that emerged from student interviews were their attitudes about higher education, and their personal attributes including motivation, maturity, and persistence. Additionally, students' adjustment to academic and campus life, and their use of supports and skills, such as college tutors, studying, managing time, and advocating for their needs were factors that led them to college persistence. Practical implications are proposed for secondary educators, postsecondary support staff and educators, students, and families.
Analyzing Liposomal Drug Delivery Systems in Three-Dimensional Cell Culture Models Using MALDI Imaging Mass Spectrometry.

Cancer chemotherapeutics often fail to reach all diseased cells. To help solve this problem, researchers are investigating novel drug delivery systems. Liposomes are an attractive option due to their low toxicity, high biocompatibility, and potential to carry a large amount of a drug to the tumor site, all while avoiding being eliminated from the body. This study evaluates the penetration of doxorubicin-encased liposomes into three-dimensional cell cultures, or spheroids. Liposomes composed of lipids containing head groups of phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), and cholesterol were created by extrusion. Doxorubicin is encapsulated within the hydrophilic core of the liposome. The drug is actively released in the spheroid as the lipids bind to cellular lipid bilayers. Spheroids were dosed with liposomal doxorubicin, free doxorubicin, or media control to assess drug distribution over the course of 72 h. Drug penetration was visualized by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization–Imagin...
An efficient metal catalyst free approach to synthesize 5-(4-(1,2,4,5 tetrazin-3-yl)benzylamino)-5-oxopentanoic acid

Abstract Despite the wide use of 1,2,4,5- tetrazines in biomaterials and materials science, currently there does not exist synthetic method(s) that can yield significant amount of 1,2,4,5- tetrazines without the use of potentially toxic metal catalysts. Here, we report a less energy intensive and more efficient metal catalyst free approach for the synthesis of an asymmetric tetrazine. A range of operating parameters such as extraction pH and temperature were regulated to achieve a practical yield nearly 1.5 times greater than the yields reported in the literature for similar synthetic procedures.
Ultrasound in the diagnosis of congenital anomalies

With high-resolution ultrasound equipment, it is now possible to diagnose certain fetal anomalies in the third trimester and in some cases before the twentieth week of gestation. During a 27 month period 2,548 ultrasound scans were performed in high-risk patients. An anomaly was diagnosed in 10 of 122 second-trimester patients who were at risk for recurrent fetal defects. Fetal deformity was also found in 26 third-trimester patients. Of the 2.8% of patients found to have polyhydramnios 18% were associated with various types of anomaly. With ultrasound it was possible to examine internal fetal anatomy and to identify abnormalities of the fetal cranium, spine, chest, abdomen, and limbs. These anomalies are reviewed here in detail. Based on ultrasonically derived information, second-trimester patients can be offered Information concerning the status of their fetuses at risk genetically and physicians can better manage third-trimester patients with diagnosed fetal deformities.
Chapter 10 – Syndromes of Reduced Sensitivity to Thyroid Hormone

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses syndromes related to the reduced sensitivity to thyroid hormone which include a group of disorders with abnormalities in the level of serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and other thyroid hormone (TH) levels. Resistance to thyroid hormone (RTH) is stated to be a syndrome of reduced end-organ responsiveness to TH and is associated with mutations in TH receptors (TRs). An overview of described and putative defects of the syndromes is given and includes thyroid hormone cell transport defect, thyroid hormone metabolism defect and abnormal hormone transfer to the nucleus. The genetic pathophysiology of the syndromes is further discussed and in the case of RTH, mutations in TRβ gene located on chromosome 3 causes the syndrome. In thyroid hormone metabolism defect syndrome, a defect in the gene that codes for selenocysteine insertion sequence-binding protein 2 (SBP2) is involved and is manifested as a global deiodination defect giving rise to low triiodothyronine (T3) and high tetraiodothyronine thyroxine (T4) and reverse T3 (rT3). The treatment options for these syndromes are also mentioned.
Sickle Erythrocyte Adherence to Cultured Human Endothelial Cells

ABSTRACT Confluent monolayers of cultured human endothelial cells were exposed to suspensions of normal and sickle erythrocytes. The normal RBC were found to be nonadherent to endothelium. However, sickle RBC adhered rather tenaciously to endothelial cells, a behavior that required neither deoxygenation nor morphologic distortion of the RBC. Studies on manipulated RBC indicated that the presence of RBC membrane sialic acid is necessary for endothelial adherence to occur. Although sickle RBC were found to have normal amounts of sialic acid, electron microscopic localization of these residues by means of cationized ferritin labelling indicated that sialic acid is distributed abnormally on the sickle RBC surface. Further study of manipulated normal RBC implicated an abnormal accumulation of calcium (a property of sickle RBC) in the development of both propensity for endothelial adherence and abnormal sialic acid distribution observed for sickle RBC. We suggest that the abnormal adherence of sickle RBC to endothelium in the microvasculature may be an important pathogenetic factor in the development of microvascular occlusive phenomena characteristic of sickle cell disease.
STRATOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY TOPICS | Halogens

Halogen-containing compounds from Earth's surface that reach the stratosphere release their constituent atoms by exposure to ultraviolet light and oxidation. The halogen atoms, mainly chlorine and bromine, undergo a series of photochemical reactions that catalytically destroy ozone. Consequently, very small abundances of halogens produce dramatic losses of ozone, such as those observed over the polar regions in springtime and in the exhaust plumes of rockets fueled by chlorine-containing propellants. This article summarizes the interactions between the chemical substances that determine the abundances of the highly reactive halogen free radicals in the stratosphere and the catalytic reactions that destroy ozone.
IceCube: An overview of physics results

Cosmic rays and neutrinos are intimately related. And though TeVPeV astrophysical neutrinos have been observed, their sources and their relation to potential sources of cosmic rays remain unknown. Recently, the blazar TXS 0506+056 has been identified as a candidate neutrino source. In parallel, IceCube has conducted numerous searches for other potential neutrino neutrino sources. These proceedings are limited in scope, given the large breath of science results by IceCube: A description of the astrophysical neutrino flux; a review of the real-time program that enables multi-messenger follow-up of neutrinos; a summary of the observations of TXS 0506+056; a recap of the search for neutrino point sources with 7 years of IceCube data; an account of the tantalizing capabilities of IceCube and ANTARES to detect Milky Way neutrinos and a description of a method to identify Glashow resonance events.
The electronic structure of neodymium monoxide: Ligand field assignment of states in the range 0–3 eV

Abstract Ligand field theory calculations of energy levels were performed for the neutral neodymium monoxide by treating the molecular electronic states as Nd2+ free-ion levels perturbed by the ligand field of O2–. Thirty six experimentally characterized NdO v = 0 energy levels were fitted using a single-atomic-configuration approximation LFT models that included Nd2+ molecular energy levels with the lowest (maximum Sc, maximum Lc) 4f-core atomic multiplet states of 4 f3(4I)6s, 4f3(4I)5d, 4f3(4I)6p, 4f4(5I), and 4f2(3H)6s2, configurations. Predictions from these calculations were used to provide tentative assignments for 50 NdO bands reported in the literature. Term energies for eight new electronic states of NdO have been determined based on these assignments. The dipole moment for NdO [16.7]3 state and magnetic ge factor determined in Linton et al. (2008) were used to assign this state to the 4f3(4I)6p electronic configuration. The integer valence, atomic-in-molecule, ionic bonding idea reveals atomic energy level patterns that are multiply replicated in the molecular energy level patterns of five Nd2+ O2– atomic ion configurations. This underlying atomic ion structure gives rise to the complex and seemingly erratic unassigned bands reported in the literature. A comparison with ab initio calculations is given. The state symmetries and energy values of 54 levels of NdO 4f3(4I)6s configuration from ab initio calculation reported in Allouche et al. (2006) coincide within accuracy of 8 cm−1 (1σ) with a LFT model when the LFT parameters were allowed to vary.
Circulating Tumor DNA Analysis for Detection of Minimal Residual Disease After Chemoradiotherapy for Localized Esophageal Cancer

Background & Aims Biomarkers are needed to risk stratify after chemoradiotherapy for localized esophageal cancer. These could improve identification of patients at risk for cancer progression and selection of additional therapy. Methods We performed deep sequencing (CAncer Personalized Profiling by deep Sequencing, [CAPP-Seq]) analyses of plasma cell-free DNA collected from 45 patients before and after chemoradiotherapy for esophageal cancer, as well as DNA from leukocytes and fixed esophageal tumor biopsy samples collected during esophagogastroduodenoscopy. Patients were treated from May 2010 through October 2015; 23 patients subsequently underwent esophagectomy, and 22 did not undergo surgery. We also sequenced DNA from blood samples from 40 healthy control individuals. We analyzed 802 regions of 607 genes for single-nucleotide variants previously associated with esophageal adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma. Patients underwent imaging analyses 6–8 weeks after chemoradiotherapy and were followed for 5 years. Our primary aim was to determine whether detection of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) after chemoradiotherapy is associated with risk of tumor progression (growth of local, regional, or distant tumors, detected by imaging or biopsy). Results The median proportion of tumor-derived DNA in total cell-free DNA before treatment was 0.07%, indicating that ultrasensitive assays are needed for quantification and analysis of ctDNA from localized esophageal tumors. Detection of ctDNA after chemoradiotherapy was associated with tumor progression (hazard ratio, 18.7; P Conclusions In an analysis of cell-free DNA in blood samples from patients who underwent chemoradiotherapy for esophageal cancer, detection of ctDNA was associated with tumor progression, metastasis, and disease-specific survival. Analysis of ctDNA might be used to identify patients at highest risk for tumor progression.
Mining the Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Crash Data: A Text Mining Approach

Railroad traffic safety is a major worldwide concern. Since 2000, there have been 48,083 crashes at highway-rail grade crossings in the US resulting in 6,103 fatalities, 18,851 injuries, and $302,065,336 cost of vehicle damages. Federal Railroad Administrator (FRA) seeks to improve safety and consolidate the grade crossing in risky areas. Towards the goal of better highway-rail cross safety, this paper aims to explore the reasons behind highway-rail crossing crashes by text mining within the narrative information in the crash data. The similarity of the extracted crash reasons between the 50 states and Washington DC in the USA is also calculated to create a comprehensive document for Departments of Transportation (DOTs) and railroad agencies. Important features are extracted from the FRA crash data along with two new features (geographical region and weight of narrative crash data) to classify the type of train-vehicle crashes into "train struck car" and "car struck train". The weight of narrative field was calculated using text mining techniques. Random Forest and Logistic Regression machine learning algorithms have been applied to build prediction models for the classification task. Experimental results indicate an overall accuracy of 0.86 and 0.74 for the proposed Random Forest and Logistic Regression models respectively.
Syndemic Health Disparities and Sexually Transmitted Infection Burden Among Black Men Who Have Sex with Men Engaged in Sex Work in the U.S.

Black men who have sex with men (MSM) engaged in sex work (BMSM-SW) experience elevated HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevalence. Further, BMSM-SW have been shown to have higher rates of syndemic psychosocial health conditions which contribute to HIV risk behavior and incidence, and poorer care outcomes than other groups of men who have sex with men. However, syndemic perspectives have not been applied to understanding past-year STI burden among BMSM-SW in the U.S. Sexually active Black MSM ≥ 18 years old were recruited from Black Pride events in six U.S. cities (n = 4421) between 2014 and 2017. Multivariable logistic regressions assessed correlates of past-year sex work engagement; whether BMSM-SW had higher odds of syndemic conditions; and whether BMSM-SW had higher odds of self-reported, past-year STI diagnoses. Structural equation models assessed relationships between sex work engagement, syndemic conditions, and STI controlled for sociodemographics and number of sexual partners. A total of 254 (5.7%) Black MSM reported past-year sex work, of whom 45.3% were HIV positive. BMSM-SW were significantly more likely to be Hispanic, to report past-year bisexual behavior, and to report annual income < $10,000. In multivariable models, BMSM-SW were significantly more likely to report intimate partner violence, assault victimization, polydrug use, and depression symptoms; they were also more likely to report past-year gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis. Syndemic conditions mediated the relationship between past-year sex work and past-year STI burden, constituting a significant indirect effect. BMSM-SW in the U.S. face severe biopsychosocial health disparities. Interventions developed for BMSM engaged in sex work are lacking. Our results suggest that interventions containing safer sex work education and sex-positive biobehavioral HIV/STI prevention alongside substance use, mental health, employment, and education components will be most effective.
Cost Analysis of Annual and Monthly Net Zero Energy Performance for Multifamily Buildings in the United States

Abstract As the United States continues its progress toward sustainable construction, net zero building design is becoming an increasingly important and popular topic. Two definitions of net zero e...
A Subjective Approach to Contracts?: How Courts Interpret Employee Handbook Disclaimers

Although employment law in America generally operates under the presumption that employment for an unspecified term is at-will, recently courts have been creating exceptions to this rule in order to afford employees more legal protections. This paper will focus on the judicially created handbook exception under which courts find that an employee handbook can be contractually binding on an employee and, therefore, may transform an employment relationship from one that is at-will to one that is for-cause. Specifically, the paper will examine cases where courts have analyzed employee handbooks which include a disclaimer enunciating that the handbook is, indeed, not a contract, despite the fact that the handbook, itself, contains terms seemingly creating an employment contract. American courts handling such cases have come to very different conclusions as to the legal effect of these disclaimers. This paper will focus on six pairs of matched cases with similar fact patterns, but which ultimately conclude differently on the issue. I will try to parse out what I believe to be the courts' underlying rationales in these cases in an attempt to see if there is any unifying theory under which courts either decide in favor of the employee or employer in such cases. Ultimately, I will conclude that courts whose decisions favor employers seem to focus on the intent of the employer in including the disclaimer in the handbook, while courts who find for employees seem to focus on the reasonable expectations of the employee as influenced by the entirety of the handbook. I will conclude by discussing recent studies on employee understanding of the at-will regime and how employees' apparent misunderstanding of the concept of employment at will may necessarily have to affect the courts' future reasoning in these cases.
Growing the Talent Pool: How Sponsorship of Professional Sales Programs Enhances Employer Branding:

Increasingly, professional sales programs receive financial support from company sponsors in exchange for varying types of branding and recruiting opportunities. This study builds on the literature...
Generation of three induced pluripotent stem cell lines from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patients carrying TNNI3 mutations.

Abstract Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a common inherited heart disease with a prevalence of about 0.2%. HCM is typically caused by mutations in genes encoding sarcomere or sarcomere-associated proteins. Here, we characterized induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines generated from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of three HCM patients each carrying c.433C > T, c.610C > T, or c.235C > T mutation in the TNNI3 gene by non-integrated Sendai virus. All of the three lines exhibited normal morphology, expression of pluripotent markers, stable karyotype, and the potential of trilineage differentiation. The cardiomyocytes differentiated from these iPSC lines can serve as useful tools to model HCM in vitro.
The relativistic blackbody spectrum in inertial and non-inertial reference frames

Abstract By invoking inverse temperature as a van Kampen-Israel future-directed timelike 4-vector, this paper derives the Relativistic Blackbody Spectrum, the Relativistic Wien's Displacement Law, and the Relativistic Stefan-Boltzmann Law in inertial and non-inertial reference frames.
Pharmaceutical Process Scale-Up, 3rd edition

The development of pharmaceutical products generally begins in a research laboratory where quantities of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) are limited and quantities of product needed are ...
Performance analysis of structured gradient algorithm

The structured gradient algorithm uses a structured estimate of the array correlation matrix to estimate the gradient required for the constrained LMS (least-mean-square) algorithm. This structure reflects the structure of the exact array correlation matrix for an equispaced linear array and is obtained by spatial averaging of the elements of the noisy correlation matrix. In its standard form the LMS algorithm does not exploit the structure of the array correlation matrix. The gradient is estimated by multiplying the array output by the receiver outputs. An analysis is presented of the two algorithms to show that the covariance of the gradient estimated by the structured method is less sensitive to the look-direction signal than that estimated by the standard method. >
Impulsive Noise Cancellation of ECG signal based on SSRLS

Abstract In this paper, an enhanced adaptive impulsive noise cancellation technique based on State Space Recursive Least Square (SSRLS) algorithm is proposed. The technique is applied to the Electrocardiogram (ECG) signal, where impulsive noise affects the ECG analysis. Due to state space model-dependent recursive parameters, the presented scheme does not require the reference signal and exhibits better impulsive noise cancellation in ECG signal when compared with existing Normalized Least Mean Square (NLMS) and, Recursive Least Square (RLS) techniques. The fastest convergence and excellent tracking characteristics of proposed scheme demonstrated by the simulation results in mean square error (MSE) sense proved it to be the effective solution of impulsive noise cancellation in ECG signals.
Measuring unsaturated soil deformations during triaxial testing using a photogrammetry-based method

When characterizing an unsaturated soil using the triaxial test apparatus, it is required to measure the soil deformation during loading. Recently, a photogrammetry-based method has been developed ...
Imaging findings of structural causes of epilepsy in children: a guide for the radiologist in the emergency room

Evaluation of the child with epilepsy is a relatively common indication for imaging in the emergency room setting. This room outlines some of the more important imaging features of causes of epilepsy in children.
Splitter Theorems for 4-Regular Graphs

Let \({\Phi_{k,g}}\) be the class of all k-edge connected 4-regular graphs with girth of at least g. For several choices of k and g, we determine a set \({\mathcal{O}_{k,g}}\) of graph operations, for which, if G and H are graphs in \({\Phi_{k,g}}\), G ≠ H, and G contains H as an immersion, then some operation in \({\mathcal{O}_{k,g}}\) can be applied to G to result in a smaller graph G′ in \({\Phi_{k,g}}\) such that, on one hand, G′ is immersed in G, and on the other hand, G′ contains H as an immersion.
Repair deficient human disorders and cancer

The analysis of the repair of damage to DNA in mammalian cells leads not only to a knowledge of which environmental agents are deleterious to living creatures, but also to an understanding of which reaction products in DNA are potentially carcinogenic and which tissues are the more sensitive.
Chest deformities in congenital heart disease

Summary The chest deformity associated with the A.S.D. differs clinically and radiologically from that of the V.S.D. In A.S.D. there is a unilateral bulge which lies directly over the right ventricle and is considered to be due directly to the pressure of this enlarged chamber. In V.S.D. there is a bilateral upper sternal protuberance, the antero-posterior diameter of the chest is increased, and there is a tendency for the lower ribs to be drawn in on inspiration. The “V.S.D. type” deformity was found, on a radiological basis, in one-half of 45 cases of V.S.D. in whom an adequate lateral X-ray of the chest was available, together with cardiac catheterisation data. Thus, the incidence of the “V.S.D. type” deformity in cases of V.S.D. is approximately the same as that of the “A.S.D. type” deformity in cases of A.S.D. In the V.S.D., the deformity, which is similar to a pigeon-breast deformity, was associated in most cases with pulmonary hypertension. It is considered to be much commoner when the pulmonary vascular resistance is raised than when it is not. It occurs in the “Eisenmenger syndrome” in only a minority of cases. It is suggested that the deformity of the V.S.D. may be due to changes in the mechanical properties of the lungs, and that the combination of increased pulmonary vascular resistance and increased pulmonary blood flow increases the stiffness of the lungs.
Adult mammalian hepatocyte as target cell for retroviral gene transfer: a model for gene therapy.

Gene therapy models have recently been developed based on the repopulation of a major organ, such as mammalian bone marrow, with cells genetically modified in vitro by infection with retroviral vectors (1-4). Another important target organ for therapeutically useful gene transfer is the liver. Unfortunately, the murine leukemia viruses (MLV) used to construct most retroviral vectors do not infect newborn, adult, or regenerating liver cells in vivo (5-8), although fetal liver can be infected and continues to express retrovitally transduced genes postnatally (7, 8). We now show that adult primary rat hepatocyte cultures (9, 10) are in fact susceptible to infection with MLV-based retroviral vectors during a period of transient dedifferentiation in vitro. Primary hepatocyte cultures exhibit many adult liver-specific functions--including gluconeogenesis and the expression of albumin, alcohol dehydrogenase, and type I pyruvate kinase--during their early lag (days 0-2) and late stationary (after day 11) phases of culture (10 16). During the intervening phase of logarithmic growth, these mature liver-specific functions are transiently but markedly decreased, and fetal hepatocyte functions such as alphal-fetoprotein and type III pyruvate kinase are expressed (12). Hepatocyte cultures were exposed at varying times during their growth cycle to a retroviral vector expressing a mutagenized but fully functional human hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HPRT) (Fig. 1, LSAPALM) (J.-K. Yee et al., in preparation). Human HPRT enzymic activity was detected in isoelectric focusing polyacrylamide gels (17) under conditions that distinguish it from the endogenous rat enzyme by its altered isoelectric point. Twoto three-dayold cultures infected with 5 x 1 0 6 infectious units of the HPRT vector exhibited human HPRT enzymic activity on day 14 postplating, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2A (lane a). The transduced human HPRT activity was at least 10-25% of the endogenous rat HPRT enzymic activity, equivalent to the high levels achieved in primary rat fibroblasts (Fig. 2, lane c) and human lymphoblasts (18). Since the upper bands in Fig. 2A (lanes a and c) may also contain human HPRT multimers (17), the actual transduced levels of human HPRT enzymic activity may be even higher. Figure 2B shows that human HPRT activity was present only when the hepatocyte cultures were infected during the early proliferative, dedifferentiated period of growth (days 2-3). Very low levels of human HPRT expression, not evident in Fig. 2B, were also detected on days 1 and 5, but not at any other times of infection. In addition, quiescent hepatocytes on day 1 1 can also be stimulated to reinitiate DNA synthesis and undergo additional cell division by exposure to fresh medium containing rat serum or polypeptide mitogens, mimicking the regenerating adult liver following partial hepatectomy (9, 19).
A rare case of inferior venacaval type of atrial septal defect in an adult: Echocardiographic features

We report a rare type of atrial septal defect with communication between the left atrium and the inferior vena cava. This type of defect has been referred to as a low sinus venous type of atrial septal defect because of its developmental origin, and possibly is caused by defective absorption of the left venous valve of the sinus venosus into the septum secundum. Detailed echocardiographic features are discussed.
Mechanisms of protein precipitation for two tannins, pentagalloyl glucose and epicatechin 16 (4 leads to 8) catechin (procyanidin)

The precipitates that form when purified pentagalloylglucose or a purified procyanidin [epicatechin16 (4→8) catechin; EC16-C] are mixed with bovine serum albumin were quantitatively analyzed. EC16-C is a more efficient protein precipitating agent than pentagalloylglucose on a molar or a mass basis. EC16-C precipitates protein independently of temperature and presence of organic solvent. Precipitation by pentagalloylglucose increases as temperature is increased and decreases when alcohols are present. When tannin is in excess, up to 40 mol of pentagalloylglucose is bound per mole of protein precipitated, but only 20 mol of EC16-C is bound per mole of protein precipitated. The data support different models of precipitation for the two types of tannin: pentagalloylglucose, which is very nonpolar, precipitates by forming a hydrophobic coat around the protein, whereas the much more polar EC16-C forms hydrogen-bonded cross-links between protein molecules. Keywords: Polyphenol−protein interaction; tannin; penta...
Horus: fine-grained encryption-based security for high performance petascale storage

Data used in high-performance computing (HPC) applications is often sensitive, necessitating protection against both physical compromise of the storage media and "rogue" computation nodes. Existing approaches to security may require trusting storage nodes and are vulnerable to a single computation node gathering keys that can unlock all of the data used in the entire computation. Our approach, Horus, encrypts petabyte-scale files using a keyed hash tree to generate different keys for each region of the file, supporting much finer-grained security. A client can only access a file region for which it has a key, and the tree structure allows keys to be generated for large and small regions as needed. Horus can be integrated into a file system or layered between applications and existing file systems, simplifying deployment. Keys can be distributed in several ways, including the use of a small stateless key cluster that strongly limits the size of the system that must be secured against attack. The system poses no added demand on the metadata cluster or the storage devices, and little added demand on the clients beyond the unavoidable need to encrypt and decrypt data, making it highly suitable for protecting data in HPC systems.
Frequency of loss of hMLH1 expression in colorectal carcinoma increases with advancing age.

BACKGROUND The correlation between age at diagnosis and loss of expression of hMLH1 protein in patients with colorectal carcinoma (CRC) has not been evaluated systematically. METHODS Immunohistochemistry was performed for hMLH1 protein in tumor samples from 867 patients with CRC. The authors defined tumors arising in the cecum, ascending colon, and transverse colon as right-sided and tumors arising in the descending colon, sigmoid colon, and rectum as left-sided. Patients' gender, tumor location (side), and hMLH1 expression were analyzed by age groups. RESULTS The percentage of tumors with hMLH1 expression loss increased significantly with advancing age (P 90 years. Loss of hMLH1 expression occurred more often in patients with right-sided tumors (32.7% vs. 5.2% of patients with left-sided tumors; P < 0.0001) and in tumors from female patients (24.3% vs. 11.5% of tumors from male patients; P < 0.0001). There was no evidence of interaction between gender and tumor location. CONCLUSIONS Loss of hMLH1 expression in patients with CRC was associated strongly with increasing age. hMLH1 expression loss was more pronounced in tumors from female patients and in tumors that originated on the right side of the colon. Loss of hMLH1 expression in right-sided tumors occurred in nearly 50% of patients age > 90 years. This age-related trend also was observed for males and in tumors that originated in the left colon. Cancer 2003;97:1421–7. © 2003 American Cancer Society. DOI 10.1002/cncr.11206
Pharmacologic Elevation of Blood Pressure for Acute Brain Ischemia

Introduction Several studies demonstrated that patients with low blood pressure upon presentation with acute ischemic stroke have worse outcomes. Elevated mean arterial pressure (MAP) directly improves cerebral perfusion. Phenylephrine is a selective alpha-1 agonist with peripheral vasoconstrictive effect, raising the blood pressure without constricting brain vessels.
Notched fatigue behavior and stress analysis under multiaxial states of stress

Abstract The effect of notches on multiaxial fatigue behavior was studied using thin-walled tubular 2024-T3 aluminum specimens with a circular transverse hole. Constant amplitude fully reversed axial, torsion, and in-phase and 90° out-of-phase axial–torsion tests were performed in load control. Stress analysis was performed using both Neuber’s rule and FEA to study local stress distributions. Neuber’s rule was found to be in reasonable agreement with FEA results for all loading conditions considered. Fatigue crack initiation for all loading cases examined was experimentally observed to occur on planes of maximum shear. For the same equivalent nominal stress, experimental lives in pure torsion were longer than those for pure axial loading. In-phase fatigue lives were also longer than out-of-phase lives at the same equivalent stress. The nominal stress–life approach, applied by considering the fatigue notch factor along with both maximum principal stress and von Mises equivalent (or effective) stress, produced mostly non-conservative fatigue life predictions that varied by as much as a factor of 10 from experimental results. The local stress and strain–life approaches, based on von Mises effective stress or strain, resulted in reasonable correlation of test data at shorter fatigue lives, but became increasingly less accurate in the mid to high cycle fatigue regime, where predictions were in error by more than a factor of 10. The Fatemi–Socie critical plane parameter correlated all test data reasonably well (typically within a factor of 3) and is consistent with the experimentally observed damage mechanism for the tested material.
Comparison of the Breeding of Hand‐ and Wild‐Reared Snowy Plovers

The release of captive-reared birds has led to the reestablishment or augmentation of wild populations of several avian species threatened by extinction (Kear 1972; Barclay & Cade 1983; Shepard 1986). Shorebirds should be very suitable candidates for captive-rearing projects because of their strongly developed innate behavior and offspring precocity. More specifically, hand-reared birds, raised without parents or foster parents, could prove valuable for augmenting coastal snowy plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) populations, which have been eliminated from sizable sections of their former breeding range (Page & Stenzel 1981). Consequently, we compared survival and initial breeding success of handand wild-reared released snowy plovers to evaluate the potential of a captive-rearing program for plovers.
“The Reality of Today Has Required Us to Change”: Negotiating Gender Through Informal Work in Contemporary Argentina

Within Argentina and beyond, the characteristics of work are changing as work becomes increasingly informal and precarious. Drawing on interviews conducted with informal workers in Buenos Aires in 2002, this article analyzes the ways that the informalization of work during the economic crisis in Argentina shaped the interplay between normative and practiced manifestations of gender, including masculinity and femininity. I argue that although normative understandings of gender in Argentina remain largely uncomplicated by economic restructuring and crisis, the activity of informal work interacts very differently with the performances of these norms, depending on the class and sex of the worker. In particular, I demonstrate that among workers in the popular classes, the characteristics of informal work serve to mediate tensions resulting from women's engagement in paid work, while constituting an obstacle to men's performance of the hegemonic masculinity of the provider. Among middle-class workers, however, ...
Acquisition and Clustering in Multiple-Trial Free Recall as a Function of Meaningfulness of Dissyllables

This experiment wss designed to test the hypothesis chat meaningfulness of dissyllables should facilitate learning and increase clustering in a free recall task. More meaningful items are learned faster probably because they are better integrated (Mandler, 1954). It is assumed that highly meaningful items already possess complete or partii integration at the start of list learning due to prior experience with the items. Items of low meaningfulness do not and require integration during the learning trials. Since the high items possess unicy earlier than the low items, they can be recalled sooner. Meaningfulness is also a function of familiarity and number of associations (Noble, 1963). Therefore, a list of high meaning should contain words that are more familiar and thus that require less exposure to learn or retain. Furthermore, words with morc associations are easier to learn because they provide more cues to use to facilitate retention. Postman, Adams, and Phillips (1955) compared recall at four levels of association value for CVCs using a mixed-list design and found recall significantly higher for the two upper levels of meaningfulness. In another experiment using CVCs of three levels of meaningfulness, Abramczyk (1971 ) found faster and better recall for high kerns than those of low or medium meaningfulness. By the same reasoning, meaningfulness should also contribute to clustering. If the high items are already well integrated, they can enter into associations with other items sooner than can the low items which first must be integrated before forming interitem associations. The facilitation for the high items is furthered by the fact that meaningfulness is a product of the frequency with which that word has been experienced in the past and is a function of the extent to which the word has entered into associations with other words and concepts. The more past associatigns one has to items, the more likely it is he will find interitem associations in a list because it is more likely that the associations to the items are themselves associated. This idea is consistent with Deese's (1959) concept of interitem-associative strength and Bousfield's (1953) habit strength. Deese reported that lists with high amounts of interitem-associative strength were easier to learn, while Bmsfield noted that prior experience with items facilitated their recall by increasing their habit strength. Furthermore, Abramczyk
Asymmetric Imaging of a Linear Diode Bar for an Optical Cell Stretcher

To simplify optical cell stretcher implementation, we demonstrate a novel anamorphic imaging technique for linear diode laser sources. With this, observed red blood cell stretch is comparable to values found with traditional high-NA optics.
Microwave-optical double resonance in NO2

Abstract A series of experiments performed to establish the nature of the previously reported microwave optical double resonance signals in electronically excited nitrogen dioxide are reported. The DC stark effect, hyperfine spectrum, and microwave saturation behavior of the double resonance signals observed by exciting NO 2 with the 4880 A line of an argon ion laser have been studied. The data presented support the assignment of this double resonance signal as occurring within the rovibronic manifold of the 2 B 2 electronic state. The observation of a number of new excited state microwave transitions is also reported.
The Readability Controversy: A Technical Writing Review.

The author reviews recent articles from the technical writing literature focusing on the controversy surrounding the appropriateness of readability formulas for technical writing, an issue of immed...