cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Electrographically patterned thin-film silicon transistors

The authors made amorphous silicon thin-film transistors on glass foil using exclusively electrophotographic printing for pattern formation, contact hole opening and device isolation. Toner masks were applied by feeding the glass substrate through a photocopier, or from laser-printed patterns on transfer paper, This all-printed patterning is an important step toward demonstrating a low-cost large-area circuit processing technology.
Global Kinetic Analysis of Complex Materials

A variety of global kinetic models are reviewed, including first-order, nth-order, nucleation, and sequential models as well as models having Gaussian, Weibull, and discrete activation-energy distributions. The important characteristics of these various models are outlined, with guidance in how to select the correct model. Some of the models have similar characteristics, and the parameter relationships among similar models are discussed. The comparison includes the relationship between conversion-dependent parameters determined by modified Friedman and Coats−Redfern isoconversion methods and reactivity distribution parameters determined by nonlinear regression of rate or fraction-reacted profiles. A new method for deriving discrete activation-energy distribution parameters having ln(A) = a + bE is also presented. Data accuracy requirements are discussed briefly. Kinetic analyses are given for a variety of materials, including synthetic polymers (polyethylene, polystyrene, polydimethylenenaphthalene, polys...
Metabolism of toxaphene by aquatic sediment and a camphor-degrading pseudomonad.

The metabolism of14C- and36C1-labeled toxaphene (a complex insecticidal mixture of polychlorobornanes, C10H18−NClN, where N=6 to 10) has been studied under aerobic and anaerobic incubation conditions in aquatic sediments, enriched bacterial and washed cell cultures ofPseudomonas putida. An analysis of the production of water soluble metabolites as the major indicator of metabolism, showed that the aerobic route of toxaphene degradation was significant in all incubation conditions, and demonstrated that oxidative metabolism was important in the degradation of toxaphene.
Atmospheric Circulation Patterns Associated with Mortality Changes During the Transitional Seasons

Although much research has been done linking meteorological variables individually with various aspects of human health, few studies have considered the collective impact of weather. This study examines the relationship among ten synoptic-scale weather patterns and daily cause-specific human mortality rates for metropolitan areas in the central United States during the 1978 to 1998 autumn and spring seasons. The results show that distinctive changes in mortality rates are often associated with one or two of the more moderate synoptic types, displaying notable spatial and temporal variability. The occurrence of the Eastern Zonal (EZ) pattern during spring and the East Coast Trough (ECT) pattern during autumn seems to invoke the most significant increased mortality response across all causes of death and metropolitan statistical areas. For the EZ and ECT types, the largest adverse response occurs for locations influenced by cold, anticyclonic situations and atmospheric stability.
Ordinal and timed balance measurements: reliability and validity in patients with stroke

The aim of this study of 38 patients with stroke was to describe the intrasession and intersession reliability and validity of ordinally graded and timed balance tests. Patients had a mean age and time since stroke of 67 years and 21 days respectively. Balance and gait were both timed with a stop-watch and given an ordinal score. Balance was timed for four different task levels: feet apart, feet together and unilateral stance (either limb first). Subjects who demonstrated the ability to complete the task for 60 seconds proceeded to the next, more difficult, task level. Most subjects remained within an ordinal balance category during a session; 81.6% for session 1 and 86.8% for session 2. The distribution of ordinal balance scores between sessions revealed that 31 of the 38 subjects remained within the same ordinal balance score, with the remainder of subjects scoring higher during session 2. The weighted Kappa coefficient for these scores was 0.858, indicating excellent reliability. The magnitude of the i...
High incidence of lung cancer after non-muscle-invasive transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder: implications for screening trials.

Abstract PURPOSE Lung cancer screening trials depend on the selection of a sufficiently high-risk population. Because not all smokers develop cancer, we hypothesize that a history of tobacco-associated malignancy might more reliably predict for subsequent lung cancer. Because patients with early-stage bladder transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) often have a long survival, we considered whether they would constitute a suitable population for a screening study. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with Ta/is/1 N0 M0 TCC of the bladder and no history of previous cancer treated surgically between 1983 and 2002 were studied using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. The incidence and cancer-specific mortality of second nonurothelial solid organ cancers was determined. The standardized incidence ratio (SIR) and 15-year actuarial incidences were determined. RESULTS From 1983 to 2002, 8300 patients meeting the inclusion criteria were entered into the SEER-9 Registry. Among them, the SIR for a second solid organ malignancy was 1.25 (95% CI, 1.18-1.32). The SIR was significantly increased for tumors of the lung (1.71), head and neck (1.32), and prostate (1.28). The 15-year incidence of and mortality from lung cancer were 8.8% and 8.6%, respectively. Among all nonurothelial second malignancies, lung cancers accounted for 32.5% of the incidence and 53.4% of cancer-specific deaths. Moreover, lung cancer accounted for 12.2% of overall deaths in these patients. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with non–muscle-invasive bladder TCC suffer a high incidence of mortality from lung cancer and might constitute a suitable population for a lung screening trial. Other tobacco-related health events might add to smoking history in identifying high-risk populations.
Dysthymia and chronic depression: introduction, classification, risk factors, and course.

Chronic forms of depression are more common and impairing than is generally recognized. This article introduces an In Session issue devoted to dysthymic disorder and chronic depression, and it reviews current knowledge about these disorders. First, we discuss nosological issues, followed by a summary of potential risk factors. Finally, the naturalistic course of chronic depression is described and implications for clinical practice are discussed.
The Metabolic Syndrome: What’s in a Name? Reply to: Meisinger et al. Metabolic Syndrome: Older than Usually Assumed, But Still Too Young to Die

To respond to the letter by Meisinger et al., it is necessary to make a distinction between metabolic syndrome as a diagnostic category and metabolic syndrome as a pathophysiologic entity designating a cluster of related metabolic abnormalities; a differentiation that Meisinger and colleagues either did not discern or thought not important enough to make. The metabolic syndrome as a diagnostic entity, with specific components and cut points, was introduced by the WHO in 1998 (1); therefore, it is less than 10 years old. My suggestion that there was no reason for it to live any longer (2), a point of view that stimulated the letter by Meisinger and colleagues, may be considered excessively cruel, but it was echoed in the recent joint report from the American Diabetes Association and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes(3). …
Radiation Dose from DXA Scanning to Reproductive Tissues of Females

Abstract The objective of this study was to use an anatomically arrayed whole-body phantom to measure radiation exposure to the ovaries and uterus during standard dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scanning. DXA instrument manufacturers' published entrance skin exposure is about 3mR (0.77 μC/kg), which is equivalent to the radiation exposure received during a transcontinental plane trip. Nonetheless, since DXA scanning is used more frequently with very young females, the need for pregnancy testing has become an issue that requires attention and formulation of research guidelines. We attached thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) to anatomically arrayed balloon models for ovaries and the uterus, and placed these in the appropriate sites within a small human skeleton along with appropriate amounts of aqueous and fat soft tissue equivalents. Whole-body scanning with a Hologic QDR-2000W was performed 10 times with the pencil beam mode and, using separate TLD detectors, 10 times with the fan beam mode. Overall, the average exposures at skin entrance were 0.89 mR (0.23 μC/kg) with doses for the ovaries of 0.52 mrad (5.2 μgy) and 0.59 mrad (5.9 μgy) for the uterus. These doses are equivalent to 2 d of ambient background radiation in central Pennsylvania or 1 h of flying at 39,000 ft. Although different DXA models by Hologic and DXA instruments by other manufacturers will have different radiation outputs, we believe that these low radiation levels do not require pregnancy testing or questioning of whether the scan subject might be pregnant.
Potential for spread of plant pathogens by presence of red velvet mite (Balaustium sp.) in an Ohio landscape site

We identified 12 different genera of fungi indicating a widespread diversity on the body surface of Balaustium sp. in each of its mobile stages. Penicillium sp., Aspergillus sp., Cladosporium sp. and Stigmella sp. were the most prevalent. Less frequent fungi were Alternaria sp., Beauveria sp., Fusarium sp., Mucor sp., Paecilomyces sp., Scopulariopsis sp., Trichoderma sp. and Verticillium sp. All of these fungi are heavy spore (conidia)‐producing soil saprobes (all are saprobes except Trichoderma sp., which is mycoparasitic), featuring high rates of growth (K r), and were presumably acquired by the mites from the soil and leaf litter where they live. The absence of any fungi internally within the mite body contents for any stage implies that these mites are not fungivores (they are predatory, mostly on scale insects) and there is no infection, so it is unlikely that these fungi serve as natural regulators of the Balaustium population at this Springfield, Ohio site. Most of these fungi are classified as pat...
The importance of the third dimension on transport through saturated porous media: case study based on transport of particles

Abstract The present study involves transport experiments in a three-dimensional, heterogeneous porous medium. Latex particles and chloride are utilized as tracers in an artificially constructed porous medium consisting of a heterogeneous mixture of glass beads. Data collected include chloride breakthrough, particle breakthrough, and particle concentrations remaining within the medium (determined through destructive sampling at the end of the experiment). The chloride breakthrough curve showed substantial dispersion, an indication of mixing among a number of different flow lines (the mixing occurred in the outflow reservoir). The outflow counts of latex particles showed that particles were successfully transported across the length of the medium. The destructive samples showed a complex distribution of particles remaining within the medium which was correlated with the structure of the medium, particularly with the high-permeability pathways. Comparison of the results from this experiment with results from previously published results from two-dimensional media demonstrate that the successful transport of particles across the medium is a direct result of connectivity of high-permeability paths in the third dimension. This observation is consistent both with the distribution of trapped particles and with numerical analysis of the flow field.
The Effect of Magnus Force on the Scale Deposition in Geothermal Systems

The Magnus lift force acts on solid particles present in vertical flows. The action of this force facilitates the mechanism of deposition. In upward flow (production wells), the turbulent fluctuations are necessary for the mechanism of deposition since they bring the particle into the laminar sublayer. In the downward flow, the Magnus force consistently acts toward the wall and turbulent fluctuations are no longer necessary for the mechanism of deposition. If the particle reaches the laminar sublayer, the forces acting on it will keep it near the wall until it is deposited. 10 refs.
Cardiac arrest on the day following surgery in children with unrecognized rhabdomyolysis

Abstract We present two male children who experienced cardiac arrest secondary to unrecognized rhabdomyolysis on the day following an uneventful general anesthetic and recovery room course for adenotonsillectomy. Neither child exhibited hypermetabolism typical of malignant hyperthermia or appeared to have a dystrophinophy, prompting the authors to search for other etiologies of childhood rhabdomyolysis infrequently associated with anesthesia. In this report, we review the heritable metabolic myopathies caused by enzyme deficiencies (enzymopathies) that can lead to life-threatening rhabdomyolysis following certain triggering conditions, and we offer suggestions for avoiding these triggers in the perianesthetic period. We also describe hey symptoms and signs that postanesthetic caregivers should be aware of, and briefly comment on follow-up diagnostic studies.
An investigation of state population characteristics that moderate the relationship of state seat belt law and use in the United States

Abstract Objectives Primary enforcement laws have been shown to be effective methods for increasing seat belt use at the state level. Method This study investigates state differences in the effectiveness of primary enforcement laws by assessing whether a state's academic achievement, health ranking, economic prosperity, violent crime rates, government effectiveness, gender distribution, or proportion of rural roads moderate the relationship between those laws and seat belt compliance rates. Results Aggregate state-level academic achievement, health ranking, government effectiveness, and proportion of rural roads uniquely moderated the seat belt use differences between primary and secondary enforcement states. Conclusions This evidence suggests that cultural, social, and demographic differences among regions may be important factors in explaining state-level differences in the effectiveness of primary enforcement of seat belt laws.
Definability in the Recursively Enumerable Degrees

§1. Introduction. Natural sets that can be enumerated by a computable function (the recursively enumerable or r.e. sets) always seem to be either actually computable (recursive) or of the same complexity (with respect to Turing computability) as the Halting Problem, the complete r.e. set K. The obvious question, first posed in Post [1944] and since then called Post's Problem is then just whether there are r.e. sets which are neither computable nor complete, i.e., neither recursive nor of the same Turing degree as K? Let be the r.e. degrees, i.e., the r.e. sets modulo the equivalence relation of equicomputable with the partial order induced by Turing computability. This structure is a partial order (indeed, an uppersemilattice or usl)with least element 0, the degree (equivalence class) of the computable sets, and greatest element 1 or 0′, the degree of K. Post's problem then asks if there are any other elements of . The (positive) solution of Post's problem by Friedberg [1957] and Muchnik [1956] was followed by various algebraic or order theoretic results that were interpreted as saying that the structure was in some way well behaved: Theorem 1.1 (Embedding theorem; Muchnik [1958], Sacks [1963]). Every countable partial ordering or even uppersemilattice can be embedded into . Theorem 1.2 (Sacks Splitting Theorem [1963b]). For every nonrecursive r.e. degree a there are r.e. degrees b, c < a such that b ∨ c = a. Theorem 1.3 (Sacks Density Theorem [1964]). For every pair of nonrecursive r.e. degrees a < b there is an r.e. degree c such that a < c < b.
Retention of pediatric bag-mask ventilation efficacy skill by inexperienced medical student resuscitators using standard bag-mask ventilation masks, pocket masks, and blob masks

Abstract Objective To measure the ventilation efficacy with three single-sized mask types on infant and child manikin models. Methods Medical students were recruited as study subjects inasmuch as they are inexperienced resuscitators. They were taught proper bag-mask ventilation (BMV) according to the American Heart Association guidelines on an infant and a child manikin. Subjects completed a BMV attempt successfully using the adult standard mask (to simulate the uncertainty of mask selection), pocket mask, and blob mask. Each attempt consisted of 5 ventilations assessed by chest rise of the manikin. Study subjects were asked which mask was easiest to use. Four to six weeks later, subjects repeated the procedure with no instructions (to simulate an emergency BMV encounter without immediate pre-encounter teaching). Results Forty-six volunteer subjects were studied. During the first attempt, subjects preferred the standard and blob masks over the pocket mask. For the second attempt, the blob mask was preferred over the standard mask, and few liked the pocket mask. Using the standard, blob, and pocket masks on the child manikin, 39, 42, and 20 subjects, respectively, were able to achieve adequate ventilation. Using the standard, blob, and pocket masks on the infant manikin, 45, 45, and 11 subjects, respectively, were able to achieve adequate ventilation. Conclusions Both the standard and blob masks are more effective than the pocket mask at achieving adequate ventilation on infant and child manikins in this group of inexperienced medical student resuscitators, who most often preferred the blob mask.
Validity of the closure approximation in multiple scattering theory

The closure approximation is necessary for the evaluation of the double scattering term, for the reduction of the multiple scattering from a dynamic nuclear system to the scattering from fixed scattering centers, and for the derivation of the Glauber formalism from the Watson multiple scattering formalism. If closure is valid, there should be no double scattering term in the optical potential for an uncorrelated target nucleus: A simple Gaussian model, in which the intermediate nuclear states are scattering states, is used to calculate the binary scattering term in the optical potential for such a nucleus. The nonlocal binary potential is used, together with the local single-scattering potential, to predict the differential scattering cross section of 1 GeV protons incident on /sup 4/He and /sup 40/Ca. The results confirm the validity of the closure approximation for the heavier nucleus at all scattering angles. The results for the lighter nucleus confirm its use for small scattering angles but cast doubt on its use in the region of the first diffraction minimum. In the case of /sup 4/He, the results also show that double scattering may improve the optical model fits to the scattering data.
Cognitive disturbance in outpatient depressed younger adults: evidence of modest impairment

Abstract Background: Investigations of cognitive disturbances among patients with mood disorders have yielded inconsistent results. Although marked neuropsychologic deficits have been reported in elderly patients and in midlife patients with severe depression, the severity of cognitive impairments in medically healthy younger ambulatory adults with depression has not been well characterized. Methods: A comprehensive battery of standard neuropsychologic tests and experimental computerized measures of cognitive functioning were administered to unmedicated ambulatory younger adults with mild to moderate nonbipolar depression and to a group of age- and gender-equated healthy subjects. Results: Patients demonstrated a notable absence of widespread cognitive impairment. Deficits in executive functions were observed on the Wisconsin Card Sort Test but not on several other tests. Despite the absence of significant impairment on tests of attention, memory, and motor performance in the total sample, symptom severity and age of illness onset were correlated with poorer performance on some tests of cognitive functioning even after correction for age. Conclusions: These findings, derived from a large sample of unmedicated depressed outpatients, indicate that major depressive disorder in healthy younger ambulatory adults does not cause appreciable impairments in cognitive functioning in the absence of clinical and course-of-illness features.
Intramuscular penicillin epilepsy in the cat: Effects of chronic cerebellar stimulation

Abstract Experiments were performed on chronically prepared cats to determine the effect of cerebellar stimulation on generalized “centrencephalic” epilepsy produced by large intramuscular injections of penicillin. Diffuse epileptiform activity developed approximately 1 hr after penicillin injection. Recording of electrical activity from cerebellar structures indicated prominent paroxysmal activity to be present during cortical epileptiform activity. Cerebellar stimulation at 10 and 100 Hz resulted in prompt and significant decrease in the number and amplitude of paroxysmal events. Mesencephalic reticular formation stimulation also reduced the amount of abnormal activity, but, in contrast to cerebellar stimulation, this reduction did not outlast the stimulus period. Inhibition by cerebellar stimulation is attributed to activation of fastigial bulbar pathways.
Diffusion of Polystyrene Probes in Semidilute Poly(vinyl methyl ether) Solutions Confined in a Porous Glass Bead

Tracer diffusion processes were studied using dynamic light scattering for polystyrene (PS) probe molecules in semidilute solutions of a poyl(vinyl methyl ether) (PVME) matrix confined in a porous glass bead. The porous silica medium was equilibrated with the ternary solution containing PS, PVME, and the common solvent 2-fluorotoluene. Three-way refractive index-matching between the PVME, the solvent, and the silica facilitated the extraction of diffusion data from the light-scattering autocorrelation functions. Unlike the less miscible system of PS, poly(tetrahydrofuran), and 2-fluorotoluene reported earlier, the tracer diffusion coefficient in the porous medium decreased monotonically as the concentration of PVME increased in the exterior solution. The decrease in the tracer diffusion coefficient at high matrix concentrations was similar in form between the interior of the porous medium and the exterior solution for three different molecular weight fractions of PS. The results of the center of mass trac...
Th17 cell based vaccines in mucosal immunity

Vaccination is proven to be effective in controlling many infections including small pox, influenza and hepatitis, but strain-specific factors may limit vaccine efficacy. All of these vaccines work through the generation of neutralizing antibodies but for some pathogens there may be roles for serotype-independent immunity. Recently several groups using murine vaccine models have shown that induced T helper cell responses including Th17 responses have shown the potential for CD4+ T-cell dependent vaccine responses. Th17 mediated protective responses involve the recruitment of neutrophils, release of anti-microbial peptides and IL-17-driven Th1 immunity. These effector mechanisms provide immunity against a range of pathogens including the recently described antibiotic-resistant metallo-beta-lactamase 1 Klebsiella pneumoniae. Continued elucidation of the mechanism of Th17 responses and identification of effective adjuvants for inducing robust non pathogenic Th17 responses may lead to successful Th17 based vaccines. Here we summarize the recent advances in understanding the role of Th17 in vaccine induced immunity. We also discuss the current status and future challenges in Th17-based mucosal vaccine development.
Externalities and School Enrollment Policy: A Supply-Side Analysis of School Choice in New Zealand

This article is an in-progress examination of the current landscape of school choice in a well-known case of universal decentralization: New Zealand's public school system. Using a supply-side analysis of the implications of a specific policy—school enrollment schemes—this author seeks to test hypotheses about zoning and self-preservation using theoretical frameworks from the political economy literature of metropolitan areas. The author used a sample of 656 state and state-integrated schools in 4 urban areas: Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Nelson. The collective action dilemma and a model of negative externalities forms the basis for how the author investigated the determinants of whether the schools in this sample have adopted an enrollment scheme—which includes a catchment area known as a home zone. Using spatial analysis to link 2006 Census mesh block data with specific school characteristics, the author explores the “democratic dilemma” of balancing the competing interests of localized acces...
The Art of Longevity

Photographer Sussman presents portraits of really long-lived organisms from around the world.
Path-specific velocity structure of Western China from surface-wave dispersion

We develop one-dimensional (1-D) path-specific velocity models in western China using new Rayleigh and Love wave group and phase velocity dispersion measurements for 20 events in the region. The earthquakes were grouped into three geographic clusters from which we compute the average phase and group velocity dispersion. We invert the average dispersion curves simultaneously for 1-D shear-velocity models appropriate for the three central Asian paths, using three previous shear-velocity models as initial models. The models are validated by forward modeling waveforms of recent events. The crustal thickness beneath western China in the vicinity of the Lop Nor test site is 50–60 km and our velocity models are consistent with major geologic features (e.g., basins and mountain ranges) and previous structural models for this region.
Ultrasonic studies of phase transitions in stage-4 antimony pentachloride intercalated graphite

Abstract The c -axis shear elastic constant C 44 and transverse sound attenuation α T for stage-4 SbCl 5 intercalated graphite from 4 to 300 K are studied with ultrasonic pulse-echo techniques. No transverse sound echo is observable above 230 K. At constant temperatures between 230 and 200 K, both C 44 and α T drift spontaneously toward lower bounds over a period of hours. A decrease in C 44 by a factor of ∼ 2 is observed. Below 195 K, the sample becomes metastable. From 195 to 4 K, C 44 increases by 60% for the quenched sample, and by 30% for the annealed sample. This abnormal behavior of the elastic property can be interpreted by a disordered-liquid to incommensurate-solid phase transition of the intercalant layer at 230 K. The time-dependence of C 44 and α T is attributed to the growth of islands with a slightly incommensurate solid structure.
Condition de l’auteur dramatique dans l’espace théâtral contemporain : des textes en trop ?

A qui s’adresse l’auteur dramatique quebecois? Et quelle est la portee de cette adresse? L’auteur, en mode essai, pose ces questions, a la lumiere d’une pratique et d’un milieu en pleine transformation ou l’auteur perd de son autorite et ou il doit peut-etre repenser son rapport avec l’objet de creation.
Laser Compression of Matter to Super-High Densities: Thermonuclear (CTR) Applications

Hydrogen may be compressed to more than 10,000 times liquid density by an implosion system energized by a high energy laser. This scheme makes possible efficient thermonuclear burn of small pellets of heavy hydrogen isotopes, and makes feasible fusion power reactors using practical lasers.
Biological reference materials for assaying human albumin in urine

To assess the interlaboratory variation in the results of albumin measurements, we prepared albumin solutions in human urine at various concentrations within the normal range. Since some investigators have reported that albumin is unstable in some human urine samples stored at −20°C, we screened urine samples from 21 persons to identify samples that were stable under these conditions and that had low native albumin content. The urine of two donors met these criteria, and they provided urine, which we prefiltered, sterile-filtered, and spiked with commercially available human serum albumin. The albumin was characterized as pure by a Lowry assay of protein content with National Institute of Standards and Technology bovine serum albumin (standard reference material 926) as the standard and by the appearance of one band on agarose gel electrophoresis. To evaluate the necessity for additional stabilization when urine samples are stored at −20°C, a surfactant was included in one set of materials and not included in another. The materials with surfactant have been evaluated for 10.5 months and those without surfactant for 5 months. The preserved materials showed no significant loss of activity during this period. The unpreserved materials remained stable for 2 months, and then the two higher level materials appeared to loose activity. The negative slope of the highest level of unpreserved material was statistically significant (p=0.01) during this period. In our laboratory, the albumin recovered by enzyme immunoassay was 106.7% and 115.9% in two preserved normal-range materials and 102.2% and 106.3% in similar unpreserved materials.
The kinetics of CO dissociation on Mo(001)

Abstract The thermal dissociation of molecular CO adsorbed on the Mo(001) surface has been studied using ultraviolet photoemission methods. Results derived from isothermal measurements indicate that the conversion to atomic β-CO does not obey simple first order kinetics. The observed rate behavior can be explained, however, by an activation energy which increases with adsorbate coverage from a value of 0.60 eV near half coverage. Adsorbate-induced rearrangement of Mo atoms may be responsible for the coverage-dependent changes in the reaction rate.
Water in metal-organic frameworks: structure and diffusion of H2O in MIL-53(Cr) from quantum simulations

The structural and dynamical properties of water in the nanopores of the MIL-53(Cr) metal-organic framework are examined using classical and quantum molecular dynamics simulations. The results indi...
Radiative lifetimes and quenching rate coefficients for directly excited rotational levels of OH (A 2Σ+,v′=0)

A narrow-bandwidth pulsed dye laser was used to excite OH X 2Pi i radicals to the A 2Sigma(+) state by pumping in the (0, 0) vibrational band around 308 nm. The radiative lifetimes of specific (K-prime, J-prime) rotational levels in v-prime = 0 were measured at low pressures (not greater than 1 mtorr), which yielded a mean lifetime of 0.71 + or - 0.009 microsec (2 sigma). Electronic quenching rate constants for N2, O2, H2O, and H2 were measured for a range of initially excited rotational levels. A strong dependence of this rate constant on the initially excited rotational level was found for N2, and less markedly for O2, with the rate constant tending to increase for the lowest rotational levels K-prime not greater than 3. The implications of these results for the laser-induced fluorescence detection of atmospheric OH are discussed.
Do autologous peripheral blood cell transplants provide more than hematopoietic recovery

Bone marrow damage caused by mye-loablative radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy can be repaired by intravenously infusing viable stem/progenitor cells collected from either blood or bone marrow. The hematopoietic graft product contains both stem/progenitor cells and populations of hematopoietic and nonhematopoietic (accessory) cells. The frequency of accessory cell types varies with the source of the graft product; marrow or blood. Reinfusion of these accessory cells causes effects other than the hematopoietic restoration provided by the stem/progenitor cells such as graft versus host disease and graft versus leukemia effect after allogeneic transplants. Effects of infused accessory cells in the autologous setting are less well studied and could provide ancillary advantages and/or disadvantages to the patient. Do these additional effects actually occur, and, if they do, are they more likely to appear following peripheral blood cell transplants (PBCT) or after autologous bone marrow transplants (ABMT)? Preliminary data are beginning to accumulate which suggest that reinfusion of occult tumor cells is less likely with PBCT, that immune reconstitution is different depending on the source of the autograft and that, for certain diseases, patient event-free survival following PBCT rather than ABMT may be better. However, infusion of occult tumor cells may result in re-establishment of the malignancy. If the accessory cells (including potential occult tumor cells) are eliminated from the product before transplant, will the patient have a better clinical outcome, or would benefits provided by infused accessory cells outweigh the risks of infused occult tumor cells? These controversial issues are in the very early stages of investigation.
Quantitation of DNA and RNA in crude tissue extracts by flow injection analysis.

Abstract An automated two-dye flow injection analysis system to quantitate DNA and RNA in curde extracts of tissues is described. The method uses the fluorochrome dyes ethidium bromide and Hoechst 33258. DNA concentration is determined directly from its fluorescence in Hoechst dye. RNA is estimated from fluorescence in ethidium bromide after subtraction of the fluorescence due to DNA. This method has several advantages: a simple extraction procedure, a low detection limit (0.01 μg DNA and 0.10 μg RNA), automation, and a high sample throughput.
A controlled study of the effect of oral contraceptives on migraine.

Most patients do not discontinue the contraceptive pill because of minor cyclic migraine headaches. Physicians should determine which class of medication the patient is taking. Oral contraceptives may increase both the frequency and intensity of established migraine and sometimes also precipitate vasomotor or depression headaches. The incidence of headache varies from 0.2 to 60% depending on estrogen and progesterone ratio of pills. It might initiate headache in previously headache-free individuals. The incidence of attack is greater when the patient is beyond 30 years of age. Patients with the history of menstrual cycle longer than 28 - 30 days attack of migraine during the early trimester of pregnancy or during menstruation and parity influence the incidence of headache. A controlled study was conducted to observe headache frequency and index in migraine patients both on and off oral contraceptives with 20 patients in each category. Three distinct groups of patients were identified. One group improved while on the pill in a 2nd group headaches were aggravated by the pill and a 3rd group showed no influence of oral contraceptive on headache. Most women fell in the last two groups. Psychological factors play a role in the incidence of headache.
A Critical Evaluation of the Impact of Leapfrog's Evidence-Based Hospital Referral

Background Evidence-based hospital referral (EBHR) is a Leapfrog group quality metric based primarily on hospital procedural volume. It has yet to be determined if EBHR has led to regionalized surgical care and whether it has improved patient outcomes. Study Design We conducted a before and after cohort study of 13,157 adults (1994 to 2007) who underwent pancreatic or esophageal resection or abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair in Washington State. Adjusted mortality, readmission, and complication rates were assessed before and after EBHR was introduced. Results Hospitals meeting an EBHR volume metric in any year ranged from 2 to 6. Comparing before and after 2001 (2004 for pancreatic resection), the proportion of patients treated at hospitals meeting the EBHR volume metric for a given procedure increased for pancreatic (59.4% vs 75.7%, p Conclusions Although a greater proportion of pancreatic or esophageal resections were performed at hospitals meeting a given EBHR volume metric in the 7 years after Leapfrog, this shift had a negligible impact on outcomes across Washington State. It remains to be determined why regionalization for AAA repair has not occurred and why regionalization trends in pancreatic and esophageal surgery have not had the intended impact of improving overall safety outcomes.
Hypothesis: the aging paradox and autoimmune disease.

The demographic imperatives of the 1990s and the coming decades point to a growing need for research on aging. Investigations of the mechanisms underlying age-related decrease in host defenses have been the focus of many clinical studies on immune function of the elderly1-3. Moreover, it is now estimated that 5% of the elderly population suffer from some form of autoimmune disease contributing to increased morbidity and, at times. to increased mortality in the aged population4-10 and that 10-15% of seemingly healthy individuals over the age of 60 have a significant level of autoantibodies in their serum11,12. The incidence of autoimmunity tends to increase in the aged population as compared with race- and sex-matched young adults4,11,12. Some immunological explanations of this phenomenon may include (i) a repeated or prolonged insult by endogenous auto-antigen, or (ii) molecular mimicry with environmental antigens, or (iii) decrease in the generation of suppressor cells.
Overview of strangeness production at the STAR experiment

We present an overview of recent STAR results on strangeness production in p+p and heavy-ion collisions at the RHIC. In both Cu+Cu and Au+Au collisions we show the centrality dependences of bulk yield and mid-pT spectrum measurements with new comparisons to theory. The latest v2 results for strange particles are presented and prospects for strangeness production in the low-energy scan program will be outlined. Finally, we report new measurements of strangeness fragmentation functions for jets in p+p collisions.
A state event detection algorithm for numerically simulating hybrid systems with model singularities

This article describes an algorithm for detecting the occurrence of events, which signify discontinuities in the first derivative of the state variables, while simulating a set of nonsmooth differential equations. Such combined-discrete continuous systems arise in many contexts and are often referred to as hybrid systems, switched systems, or nonsmooth systems. In all cases, the state events are triggered at simulated times which generate states corresponding to the zeros of some algebraic “event” function. It has been noted that all existing simulators are prone to failure when these events occur in the neighborhood of model singularities---regions of the state space where the right-hand side of the differential equation is undefined. Such model singularities are often the impetus for using nonsmooth models in the first place. This failure occurs because existing algorithms blindly attempt to interpolate across singular regions, checking for possible events after the fact. The event detection algorithm described here overcomes this limitation using an approach inspired by feedback control theory. A carefully constructed extrapolation polynomial is used to select the integration step size by checking for potential future events, avoiding the need to evaluate the differential equation in potentially singular regions. It is shown that this alternate approach gives added functionality with little impact on the simulation efficiency.
The Good Behavior Game: An Investigation of Teachers' Acceptance.

Although shown to be effective, group contingency procedures have been assessed for their acceptability by individuals responsible for implementation in only one empirical study to date (Elliott, Turco, & Gresham, 1987). The present investigation assessed teachers' acceptance of the Good Behavior Game (GBG), an interdependent type of group contingency, in two analogue studies. The GBG was found to be as acceptable as individually based procedures (positive reinforcement and response cost). Neither age of target children, severity of behavior problem, nor the stated rationale for the procedure affected teachers' ratings of acceptability. A positive relationship was found between acceptability and usage for positive reinforcement and the GBG, and between acceptability and effectiveness for all procedures. The results of the present investigations are compared to those of other studies of intervention acceptability.
Verification of the ages of supercentenarians in the United States: results of a matching study.

Unprecedented declines in mortality among the very old have led to the emergence of “true” supercentenarians (persons aged 110 and over). The ages of these individuals have been welldocumented in European countries with a history of birth registration, but have not been systematically studied in the United States, which lacks similar documentation and where the inaccuracy of age reporting has been an issue. To verify age, we linked records from the Social Security Administration for close to 700 individuals who died from 1980 to 1999 purportedly at ages 110 and older to records of the U.S. censuses of 1880 and 1900, conducted when these individuals were children. This group was a residual group from an earlier file that was reduced by the SSA after data checks that eliminated incorrect records. The results of the matched records for the residual file indicate that over 90% of the whites were accurately reported as supercentenarians, but only half of the blacks appeared to have attained age 110. The verification of age shows that the United States has more “true” supercentenarians than do other nations
A study of room-temperature LixMn1.5Ni0.5O4 solid solutions

Understanding the kinetic implication of solid-solution vs. biphasic reaction pathways is critical for the development of advanced intercalation electrode materials. Yet this has been a long-standing challenge in materials science due to the elusive metastable nature of solid solution phases. The present study reports the synthesis, isolation, and characterization of room-temperature LixMn1.5Ni0.5O4 solid solutions. In situ XRD studies performed on pristine and chemically-delithiated, micron-sized single crystals reveal the thermal behavior of LixMn1.5Ni0.5O4 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) cathode material consisting of three cubic phases: LiMn1.5Ni0.5O4 (Phase I), Li0.5Mn1.5Ni0.5O4 (Phase II) and Mn1.5Ni0.5O4 (Phase III). A phase diagram capturing the structural changes as functions of both temperature and Li content was established. The work not only demonstrates the possibility of synthesizing alternative electrode materials that are metastable in nature, but also enables in-depth evaluation on the physical, electrochemical and kinetic properties of transient intermediate phases and their role in battery electrode performance.
Sex differences in the number of synaptic junctions in the binocular area of the rat visual cortex

We had found that the binocular area of the visual cortex is larger in volume and has more neurons in male than in female rats. The present study examined whether the number of synaptic junctions in this area is sexually dimorphic. Ten littermate pairs of 90-day-old (socially housed) Long-Evans hooded rats were used. Synaptic junctions were counted and their lengths were measured on electron micrographs taken from layers 11-111 of the binocular visual cortex. There were no sex differences in the numerical density of synaptic junctions, the number of synaptic junctions per neuron, or the length of synaptic junctions within any synaptic category or of all synapses combined. Sex differences were found in the total number of synaptic junctions and in several categories (asymmetric synapses, spine synapses, asymmetric spine synapses): male rats had more synaptic junctions than female rats because of the larger volume of layers 11-111 in the binocular area of male rats. These data indicate that neurons in the binocular visual cortex of both male and female rats receive a characteristic number of synaptic junctions, but the greater number of neurons in the binocular area of male rats results in more synaptic junctions in the area.
Method for the Rapid Estimation of Undenatured Whey Proteins in Nonfat Dry Milk

Summary A simple spot-color test is described for use with nonfat dry milk, to estimate the amount of undenatured protein present and the baking quality. This method consists of precipitating casein and denatured whey proteins with 0.5% acetic acid and spotting the supernatant on filter paper. The paper is dried, stained with 0.1% bromphenol blue in ethanol saturated with mercuric chloride, washed with water, and dried. The intensity of the blue stain is used to estimate undenatured whey protein. The undenatured whey protein content of 17 samples was estimated by this technique. Samples of good baking quality and low undenatured whey-protein contents give pale spots, with characteristic diffuse edges. Results from 20 samples of nonfat dry milk show that this method is also satisfactory for estimating baking quality.
The role of MRI in the conservative management of endometrial cancer.

Background. Young patients with endometrial cancer who desire to preserve their fertility often decline hysterectomy in favor of conservative progestin therapy. Proper candidates should have disease confined to the uterus and a well-differentiated tumor. One of the evolving techniques to evaluate the extent of the disease and myometrial or cervical invasion is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Case. A young patient with early-stage endometrial cancer initially declined surgery and was treated with megestrol. MRI suggested myoinvasion, and the patient consented to surgical staging. The final pathology revealed no residual carcinoma. Conclusions. The accuracy of MRI in detecting myoinvasion is limited, and as such results should be interpreted with caution when this information is used in counseling a young patient regarding surgical staging for endometrial cancer.
The Black Market for Dollars in Brazil

The model of the black market for dollars focuses on the interaction of portfolio decisions relevant to the holding of asset stocks and the determinants of net flows of dollars associated with tourism and smuggling. A partial-equilibrium model of the black market shows that the level of the premium is determined by the official real exchange rate and the official, depreciation-adjusted interest differential, as well as seasonal factors associated with tourism. Expectations of future exchange rate changes, under rational expectations, are shown to affect the current level of the black market premium. The empirical evidence provides ample support for the role of the key determinants of the premium as well as for an important seasonal pattern. The magnitude of the seasonal variation is evidence of the imperfect substitutability between black dollars and cruzeiro assets in portfolios.