cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The impact of general accounting office program evaluations on government

Abstract General Accounting Office (GAO) audit reports have an impact on government operations by encouraging growth in the size and scope of the state and by encouraging the Congress and executive agencies to attend to the auditor's dominant values of economy, efficiency, and effectiveness in government. Through its financial, management, and program audits, the GAO program evaluators seek to rationalize agency management and programs so that more resources are required. The GAO's program evaluation efforts also serve Congress by providing for oversight of public policy, a bludgeon to coax agencies into pursuing activities preferred by congressmen, and a tool for electoral activities. In the end, the evaluation auditors are doomed to frustration in achieving their ideals for effective democratic government. This is so because “practical business policy” is irrelevant to government operations and inconsistent with the core values of a democratic state.
A new kinetic approach to modeling water-rock interaction: The role of nucleation, precursors, and Ostwald ripening

Abstract A new approach to water-rock interaction is developed which replaces the assumption of partial equilibrium with a complete calculation of the rates at which minerals form and dissolve. The evolution of reaction-flow systems towards equilibrium with respect to secondary phases is examined in terms of the important processes which generate and modify reactive surface areas of minerals: heterogeneous nucleation, crystal growth, dissolution, and crystal ripening. The widespread occurrence in surficial environments of metastable solid phases and waters supersaturated with the thermodynamically most stable minerals is attributed to the slow rates of reactive surface area generation of the latter. This is primarily because the high mineral-solution interfacial tensions of the stable minerals make it difficult to nucleate them directly. In many cases, a stable mineral circumvents direct nucleation by using as a template for its own growth a more soluble, metastable precursor. Continued growth will ultimately bring the solution composition towards equilibrium with respect to the stable secondary mineral. The common persistence of the precursor and/or intermediate phases halloysite and allophane in weathering profiles indicates that geologically significant periods of time may be required to achieve equilibrium with kaolinite. The reactive flow model presented explicitly calculates reactive surface areas of secondary minerals using crystal size distributions. The model includes rate expressions for heterogeneous nucleation, growth/ dissolution, and Ostwald ripening along with an expression describing the competition of a stable mineral and its precursor for the available growth sites at the precursor's surface. The model is used to simulate the weathering of a fresh granite by infiltrating rain water. The simulations provide a semi-quantitative picture of how a reaction front develops in time and space.
God's knowledge of the necessary

Focusing on (3) and (4) he poses, but does not answer, a number of questions which also can be directed to the relationship between (1) and (2): Can we see (4) as somehow (explanatorily) prior to (3)? Is there a sensible sense of 'explain' such that in that sense (4) is the explanation of (3) but (3) is not the explanation of (4)? Can we ever say of a pair of necessary propositions A and B that A makes B true or that A is the explanation of the truth of B1 Plantinga assesses these as good questions and closes his book by noting that an
Glucose-dependent hepatic membrane transport in nonbacteremic and bacteremic thermally injured patients.

Hepatic clearance of indocyanine green was measured in 106 studies in 25 thermally injured patients with an average total body surface burn of 59% and a mean age of 35 years. Seventeen patients subsequently developed positive blood cultures and were restudied. Fourteen serial measurements of dye concentration taken over a 70-min period were computer fitted to describe each disappearance curve, and the two rate constants, k1 and k2 were determined (all r2 > 0.94). ICG plasma disappearance was unimpaired in nonbacteremic patients when glucose or glucose plus amino acids were part of the parenteral regimen (−k1 = 0.241 ± 0.023 and 0.255 ± 0.009 min−1) but significantly decreased when near isocaloric amounts of glucose-free amino acid solutions were administered (−k1 = 0.150 ± 0.016 min−1, P < 0.001). Bacteremic patients had markedly impaired ICG hepatic clearance irrespective of the hypocaloric dietary regimen. Both exclusion of glucose from the nutrient infusates in nonbacteremic patients and bacteremia result in a marked reduction in the maximal velocity of the ICG dye transport reaction. Septic patients infused with glucose and insulin improved their clearance of the dye (from k1 = 0.169 ± 0.029 to 0.183 ± 0.028 min−1, P < 0.01). These alterations could not be related to changes in circulation or perfusion. Urea production varied inversely and endogenous insulin levels directly with the k1 suggesting that membrane transport is related to the ornithine cycle and/or is influenced by insulin. Optimal metabolic integrity of the hepatocyte is substrate specific and dependent upon the provision of exogenous energy. Hepatic transport function is limited in bacteremic patients as well as burn patients who are deprived of glucose. Restoration of hepatic transport processes may be achieved by providing sufficient energy in the form of glucose.
Relationship Between 24-Hour Ambulatory Blood Pressure and Cognitive Function in Community-Living Older Adults: The UCSD Ambulatory Blood Pressure Study

BACKGROUND Twenty-four-hour ambulatory blood pressure (BP) patterns have been associated with diminished cognitive function in hypertensive and very elderly populations. The relationship between ambulatory BP patterns and cognitive function in community-living older adults is unknown. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional study in which 24-hour ambulatory BP, in-clinic BP, and cognitive function measures were obtained from 319 community-living older adults. RESULTS The mean age was 72 years, 66% were female, and 13% were African-American. We performed linear regression with performance on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) as the primary outcome and 24-hour BP patterns as the independent variable, adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, and comorbidities. Greater nighttime systolic dipping (P = 0.046) and higher 24-hour diastolic BP (DBP; P = 0.015) were both significantly associated with better cognitive function, whereas 24-hour systolic BP (SBP), average real variability, and ambulatory arterial stiffness were not. CONCLUSIONS Higher 24-hour DBP and greater nighttime systolic dipping were significantly associated with improved cognitive function. Future studies should examine whether low 24-hour DBP and lack of nighttime systolic dipping predict future cognitive impairment.
Qualitative differences among cancer clinical trial explanations.

Abstract This paper examines how medical oncologists present to breast cancer patients the option of participating in experimental treatment trials. The investigation takes a case study approach, comparing two contrasting presentations of the clinical trial option. One presentation constructs the experimental trial as a locally organized, joint physician–patient effort to determine “best” treatments, and minimizes uncertainty by oversimplification of the randomization process; the second presentation situates the clinical trial within the larger national research effort, underscores the uncertainty created by randomization, and casts non-enrollment as a reasonable option. These observations provide initial evidence that physician presentation of the clinical trial varies substantially and provides the first detailed look at actual discourse practices used in the United States to recruit patients to experimental protocols.
ID2 Willingness to Pay For HIV Prevention: A Study of High‐And Low‐Risk Groups

OBJECTIVE: This purpose of this study was to estimate the value of HIV prevention using the contingent valuation methodology. METHODS: Two convenience samples of 452 high-risk individuals (homosexual) and 155 low-risk individuals (heterosexual) were collected from selected sites across the state of Missouri. Subjects completed a 60 item questionnaire on their knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and sexual behaviors. A series of willingness to pay (WTP) questions were asked to estimate the value of 98% protection (i.e., condom use) and 100% protection (i.e., abstinence) from HIV infection. Additionally, two willingness to be paid (WTBP) questions were asked to estimate the cost of behavior change. RESULTS: The results of the study showed high-risk individuals placed a greater value on the benefits of HIV prevention than did individuals at low-risk of HIV infection. The benefits of condom use against infection from HIV were valued at $261/month for subjects in the high-risk sample and $238/month for individuals in the low-risk sample. The average monetary benefits of abstinence against HIV infection were estimated at $305/month for high-risk individuals, compared to $249/month among individuals in the low-risk sample. Utility for each preventive behavior (condom use and abstinence) was calculated using a cost-to-benefit ratio (WTBP/WTP). Utilities were regressed on demographic and risk variables. a high-risk individual's utility for 98% protection was associated with greater exposure risk to HIV and knowledge of an AIDS-related death. The low-risk sample was not statistically significant, and no statistical relationships were found between independent variables. CONCLUSIONS: While subject to methodological limitations, the results from this research provide estimates of the value of HIV prevention strategies. Further research in the area of WTP and HIV prevention is advocated.
Issues in the Design of Ovarian Cancer Trials Evaluating Antineoplastic Agents Not Predicted to Cause Regression of Existing Tumor Masses

Abstract Despite the conduct of numerous randomized clinical trials in advanced ovarian cancer over the past decade, no new primary chemotherapeutic regimen has demonstrated a major improvement in overall survival (OS) compared with a program of a platinum agent plus a taxane. This suggests that a plateau in the effectiveness of cytotoxic chemotherapy regimens has been reached and that novel treatment paradigms are necessary. One approach is the use of maintenance therapy after an initial response to standard regimens has been achieved. This possibility is being explored with a number of targeted therapeutic strategies that focus on theorized unique molecular differences between tumors and normal tissue. By inhibiting or delaying tumor growth or spread, such agents delivered as maintenance therapy might extend the time to disease progression but might not necessarily be associated with improvements in objective response based on tumor shrinkage. Furthermore, these highly clinically relevant outcomes might not always be detectable in short-term trials oriented toward measurable tumor response, and longer treatment periods might be necessary to allow time for the identification of responder subsets or development of an immune response. Even defining the optimal regimen to undergo definitive testing could be problematic. As a result, innovative trial designs might be required to both detect potentially meaningful biologic activity and to identify patient subsets most likely to respond to treatment before largescale phase III trials are performed.
Apical surgery with the dental microscope

P eriapical .pathology due to the egress of toxins from infected or degenerative pulps has long been known to respond to endodontic therapy. Two forms of treatment may be employed. The first and most common has been termed the conventional or nonsurgical approach. Here, the operator strives to clean, shape, and then hermetically seal the root canal system. Various investigators have described the success rate to range between 82% and 95%.‘** In cases of failure with this first approach, or in instances in which canals have become obstructed by posts, broken instruments, calcifications, etc., or for some other reasons, the second form of treatment, surgical endodontics, is performed. Here great precision and accuracy are necessary to flap the tissue, remove as little bone as necessary, curette the periapical area, bevel the root tip, make an apical preparation, and seal the apex with amalgam (retrograde filling). In addition to performing thorough treatment, the dentist must take care to provide minimal trauma to the hard and soft tissues.
Critical temperature of layered highT c superconductors

We present and investigate a model for layered superconductors with single-electron interlayer tunneling and a unit cell containing an arbitrary number of sheets. For an effective pairing of two-dimensional origin,T c is found to be independent of the layer spacings. However, pairing of three-dimensional nature, allowing for spacing dependent coupling strength, fits remarkably well the observed climb inT c for the Bi−O and Tl−O layered systems, as the number of CuO2 planes in the unit cell is increased from two to four and six. This agreement points to a weak coupling pairing mechanism of three-dimensional origin.
Star formation in small globules - Bart Bok was correct

A large sample of optically selected, small molecular clouds (Bok globules) has been probed using IRAS coadded images to search for associated young stellar objects. The IRAS images were examined for point sources located within the boundaries of the optical and infrared extents of 248 clouds. A total of 57 of the globules (23 percent of the sample) show evidence for associated point sources. From a comparison of the 12- and 25-micron fluxes of these objects, a distribution of spectral indices consistent with the presence of circumstellar dust is found. Similar analysis of other point sources within the IRAS images, but far from the globule boundaries, shows only normal stellar spectral indices. All young stars more massive than 0.7 solar masses were likely found. However, extrapolation of a Miller-Scalo (1979) initial mass function to the hydrogen-burning limit indicates that only about 20 percent of the total number of stars were found. It is therefore likely that almost every Bok globule harbors a young star. The inferred star formation efficiency is about 6 percent, again based on the Miller-Scalo initial mass function. Interestingly, this is the best test in 43 years of the conjecture made by Bok, that dust globules could represent the earliest stage of star formation. His conjecture was correct.
Identity Dynamics in Occupational Dirty Work: Integrating Social Identity and System Justification Perspectives

Ashforth and Kreiner (1999) documented how workers in so-called “dirty work” occupations were able to overcome threats to their social identities by engaging in the cognitive tactics of ideology manipulation and social weighting. This paper expands Ashforth and Kreiner's work in three ways. First, we move beyond an exclusive focus on intense dirty work occupations by mapping the broader landscape of stigmatized work. Second, we examine how system justification theory and social identity theory---typically cast as competing mechanisms by which individuals and groups perceive their places in a social structure---can complement each other to tell a more complete story of how individuals and groups deal with stigmatized identities. Third, we consider how stigmatized workers experience identification, disidentification, and ambivalence as a result of conflicting occupational and societal influences.
Profiles of Fecal Porphyrins in River Otters Following the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

Abstract Median levels of Coproporphyrin III (Copro III) in fecal samples of river otters ( Lontra canadensis ) collected from an oiled area in Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA, during 1990 were significantly higher than in samples collected from the same oiled area during 1996 ( p =0.011, one way analysis of variance), a nonoiled reference area in Prince William Sound during 1996 ( p =0.002) and a reference area in southeast Alaska during 1998 ( p =0.004). An overall test of significance that combined probabilities from the statistical analysis of this porphyrin study with those from other biomarker studies revealed a significant difference in physiological response of river otters between oiled and nonoiled areas of the Sound for 1990 ( p
Synergistic effects of bimetallic catalysis on the cycling behavior of NaAlH4 Co-Doped with Zr and Fe

Abstract Samples of NaAlH 4 co-metal catalyzed with Zr and Fe exhibited significant, synergistic and sustained catalytic activity during hydrogenation (charge) and dehydrogenation (discharge) cycling. Before cycling, the discharge rate more than doubled for the 1 mol% Zr–3 mol% Fe bimetallic catalyst system compared to the 1 mol% Zr single metal catalyst system, and it increased by nearly 30% for the 3 mol% Zr–1 mol% Fe bimetallic system compared to the 3 mol% Zr single metal system. After cycling, the synergistic effects were even more pronounced, with the 3 mol% Zr–1 mol% Fe bimetallic system exhibiting faster discharge kinetics than the 4 mol% Zr single metal system, and the kinetics of the 1 mol% Zr–3 mol% Fe bimetallic system improving so much that they were nearly as fast as the 4 mol% Zr single metal system. This synergistic behavior of the Zr–Fe system persisted even during the more important charge process, with charge rates of the bimetallic systems (3 mol% Zr–1 mol% Fe and 1 mol% Zr–3 mol% Fe) approaching those of 4 mol% Zr. These results were surprising, since up to 4 mol% Fe was essentially inactive as a single metal catalyst. It is speculated that this synergistic behavior of Zr–Fe bimetallic catalysis might be associated with the metal-metal bond polarity concept that relates co-metal catalytic activity to the relative location of early (Zr) and late (Fe) transition metals in the periodic table.
Tidepools as refuges: Predation and the limits of the harpacticoid copepod Tigriopus californicus (Baker)

Abstract An intertidal copepod, Tigriopus californicus (Baker), lives only in pools above mean high water. An observed abundance of predators in low pools was hypothesized to be the cause of this distributional pattern. Field transplants of two potential predators, tidepool sculpins ( n = 14 experiments) and anemones ( n = 6), into Tigriopus pools were carried out on San Juan Island, Washington. The fish were found to be voracious and efficient predators (consuming over 1000 copepods · g fish −1 · day −1 ), while the anemones are less effective due to their sessile nature and the presence of an escape response in the copepods. Transplants of Tigriopus ( n = 15) into pools below their normal range showed that they can survive and reproduce here, although waves and wandering predators reduce their numbers. It is concluded that Tigriopus use high pools as a refuge from predation, and the problems and advantages of this habitat are discussed.
Differential joint-specific corticospinal tract projections within the cervical enlargement.

The motor cortex represents muscle and joint control and projects to spinal cord interneurons and–in many primates, including humans–motoneurons, via the corticospinal tract (CST). To examine these spinal CST anatomical mechanisms, we determined if motor cortex sites controlling individual forelimb joints project differentially to distinct cervical spinal cord territories, defined regionally and by the locations of putative last-order interneurons that were transneuronally labeled by intramuscular injection of pseudorabies virus. Motor cortex joint-specific sites were identified using intracortical-microstimulation. CST segmental termination fields from joint-specific sites, determined using anterograde tracers, comprised a high density core of terminations that was consistent between animals and a surrounding lower density projection that was more variable. Core terminations from shoulder, elbow, and wrist control sites overlapped in the medial dorsal horn and intermediate zone at C5/C6 but were separated at C7/C8. Shoulder sites preferentially terminated dorsally, in the dorsal horn; wrist/digit sites, more ventrally in the intermediate zone; and elbow sites, medially in the dorsal horn and intermediate zone. Pseudorabies virus injected in shoulder, elbow, or wrist muscles labeled overlapping populations of predominantly muscle-specific putative premotor interneurons, at a survival time for disynaptic transfer from muscle. At C5/C6, CST core projections from all joint zones were located medial to regions of densely labeled last-order interneurons, irrespective of injected muscle. At C7/C8 wrist CST core projections overlapped the densest interneuron territory, which was located in the lateral intermediate zone. In contrast, elbow CST core projections were located medial to the densest interneuron territories, and shoulder CST core projections were located dorsally and only partially overlapped the densest interneuron territory. Our findings show a surprising fractionation of CST terminations in the caudal cervical enlargement that may be organized to engage different spinal premotor circuits for distal and proximal joint control.
Rapid in vitro tests of surfactant film formation: advantages of the Exerowa black film method.

Based on our research, the natural configuration of surfactant from birth through adulthood takes the form of intraalveolar bubbles. Thus, bubble film analysis would seem to be the specific in vitro testing method for lung surfactant. In the present study we report a battery of five in vitro tests for assessing structural and functional properties of surfactant bubbles and bubble films from hydrophobic extracts, namely, the therapeutic surfactants Survanta (SU) and Infasurf (IN) (full strength and diluted to 3 mg phospholipid/mL) and from aqueous extracts from rabbit lung lavage at 3 mg phospholipid/mL (SAM). Each substrate was assessed by: 1) Shake test: stable bubbles from SU, IN, and SAM (50/50, v/v in 95% ethanol) covered the peripheral surfaces, indicating positive response; bubble production by IN and SAM always exceeded SU; 2) Click test: bubble clicking began immediately in all preparations except for undiluted SU, in which the onset of clicking was delayed more than 40 sec; 3) Pattle's stability test: diameters of SU, IN, and SAM bubbles were unchanged for more than 20 min in aerated solution, indicating stable very low surface tension; 4) bubble generation by gas dispersion from a single capillary: full-strength concentration of SU and IN produced relatively large bubbles-bubble rate (number/min) and size were comparable; all SU bubbles rupture in 30 min; and 5) Exerowa black film method: in contrast with each of the preceding methods for studying intact bubbles, the Exerowa method focuses on the contact between bubble films and permits direct observation of film formation and determination of film structure. Stable black films were formed spontaneously by both IN (full strength and diluted) and SAM. Conversely, SU (full strength) formed no black films but stable rheological films. Diluted SU films ruptured in 50% of trials. Since methods 1, 2, and 3 were nondiscriminatory and method 4 produced unphysiologically large bubbles for most mammals, we concluded that the black film method of Exerowa is the most discriminating of the tests studied here. It provides a unique visual record of foam film formation and stability and clearly defines differences relative to both the nature and concentration of the preparations.
Effect of nonuniform zeta potential on particle movement in electric fields

Abstract The translational and rotational velocities of a colloidal particle in an applied electric field (E∞) are derived for the general case of a zeta potential (ζ) which varies with position on the particle surface. Analytical results which are correct to O(∇E∞) are presented. The particle is modeled as a rigid, nonconducting sphere of radius a, and the analysis assumes ϰa → ∞ where ϰ is the Debye screening parameter of the surrounding fluid. The electrophoretic mobility in a constant field depends on the quadrupole moment of ζ and is not just related to the area-averaged zeta potential through Smoluchowski's equation, as is commonly assumed. The dipole moment of ζ contributes to rotation in a constant field, tending to align the particle. Dielectrophoretic motion results from the dipole moment interacting with ∇E∞ for unpolarized charge distributions, and from induced dipole and quadrupole moments for particles whose surface charge is mobile.
H3K4 methyltransferase Set1 is involved in maintenance of ergosterol homeostasis and resistance to Brefeldin A

Set1 is a conserved histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4) methyltransferase that exists as a multisubunit complex. Although H3K4 methylation is located on many actively transcribed genes, few studies have established a direct connection showing that loss of Set1 and H3K4 methylation results in a phenotype caused by disruption of gene expression. In this study, we determined that cells lacking Set1 or Set1 complex members that disrupt H3K4 methylation have a growth defect when grown in the presence of the antifungal drug Brefeldin A (BFA), indicating that H3K4 methylation is needed for BFA resistance. To determine the role of Set1 in BFA resistance, we discovered that Set1 is important for the expression of genes in the ergosterol biosynthetic pathway, including the rate-limiting enzyme HMG-CoA reductase. Consequently, deletion of SET1 leads to a reduction in HMG-CoA reductase protein and total cellular ergosterol. In addition, the lack of Set1 results in an increase in the expression of DAN1 and PDR11, two genes involved in ergosterol uptake. The increase in expression of uptake genes in set1Δ cells allows sterols such as cholesterol and ergosterol to be actively taken up under aerobic conditions. Interestingly, when grown in the presence of ergosterol set1Δ cells become resistant to BFA, indicating that proper ergosterol levels are needed for antifungal drug resistance. These data show that H3K4 methylation impacts gene expression and output of a biologically and medically relevant pathway and determines why cells lacking H3K4 methylation have antifungal drug sensitivity.
Lung collapse in the diving sea lion: hold the nitrogen and save the oxygen

Lung collapse is considered the primary mechanism that limits nitrogen absorption and decreases the risk of decompression sickness in deep-diving marine mammals. Continuous arterial partial pressure of oxygen profiles in a free-diving female California sea lion ( Zalophus californianus ) revealed that (i) depth of lung collapse was near 225 m as evidenced by abrupt changes in during descent and ascent, (ii) depth of lung collapse was positively related to maximum dive depth, suggesting that the sea lion increased inhaled air volume in deeper dives and (iii) lung collapse at depth preserved a pulmonary oxygen reservoir that supplemented blood oxygen during ascent so that mean end-of-dive arterial was 74 ± 17 mmHg (greater than 85% haemoglobin saturation). Such information is critical to the understanding and the modelling of both nitrogen and oxygen transport in diving marine mammals.
A comparison of the rural-urban mortality differential for deaths from all causes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Using a nine category continuum of residence ranging from major metropolitan counties of one million or more to isolated rural counties with las than 2,500 residents, the data presented indicate that although ruralurban differentials in mortality narrowed over the decade of the 1970s, by 1980 non-metropolitan counties continuedto have crude death rates that were significantly higher than metropolitan counties for deaths from all causes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. A detailed examination of directly standardized rates reveals that virtually all of the rural-urban mortality differential is due not to residence per se, but to differences in demographic structure, particularly age composition. Rural areas have an age distribution more heavily skewed toward the older ages where the probability of death is higher. The implications of the findings for broad-based rural health care policy are discussed with an emphasis on the need to consider the special health and service needs ofan aging population.
Particle modeling of polymeric material indentation study

Abstract This paper presents a further application of a newly modified particle modeling (PM) for the simulation of dynamic fragmentation of another polymeric material, vinyl ester, subject to an impact of a rigid indenter after the previous study of nylon-6, 6 [Wang G, Al-Ostaz A, Cheng AH-D, Mantena PR. Particle modeling of a polymeric material (nylon-6, 6) due to the impact of a rigid indenter. Comput Mater Sci [in press]]. A two-layer particle interaction scheme (nearest-second neighboring particle interaction) is still adopted to eliminate a mesh bias in the direction of fracture propagation in a regular lattice model with uniform axial linkage technique. The effective bond stiffness with this new interaction network is addressed to preserve the associated material’s physical property, i.e., Young’s modulus. The modeling results compare favorably with the according experimental observations, in terms of the time-dependent load and energy profiles, the deflection value at the peak of the load, and the indenter drop speed versus time, etc. Failure strain is found to be a critical factor affecting the prediction accuracy. Via this study, it exhibits again that particle modeling can be used as an alternative tool for dynamic fracture problems.
Perioperative changes in cerebral blood flow after cardiac surgery: influence of anemia and aging

Abstract Background Stroke occurs in 2% to 5% and cognitive dysfunction occurs acutely in 60% to 80% of patients early after cardiac surgery. Both may have long-term consequences. Research into mechanisms behind these sequelae has been focused intraoperatively, although there is little reason to believe that injury is limited to this period. Aging prominently increases the incidence of these sequelae. Anemia with cardiac surgery is acute and severe, should cause an increase in cerebral blood flow (CBF), and may impact stroke and cognitive function in this setting. To better understand changes in perioperative CBF physiology we have measured changes in CBF and the influence of anemia and aging on these changes. Methods Cerebral blood flow was measured using the noninvasive continuous arterial spin labeling perfusion magnetic resonance imaging method. Cerebral blood flow, mean arterial pressure, hemoglobin, hemoglobin oxygen saturation, and cardiopulmonary bypass time were recorded in 12 subjects before and 6 ± 2 days after cardiac surgery. Results Cerebral blood flow increased from 44.6 ± 15.6 mL100 g −1 min −1 to 64.4 ± 20.1 mL100 g −1 min −1 after cardiac surgery, or 49.1% ± 26.7%, ( p Pre ) −3.3(ΔHgb); R 2 = 0.81; p = 0.003, where CBF Pre is the baseline preoperative CBF and ΔHgb is the change in hemoglobin from preoperative to postoperative periods. Conclusions Cerebral blood flow increases after cardiac surgery, and anemia appears to be an important cause. Age appears also to be an important covariate, with advancing age further increasing the magnitude of this hyperemia. The interrelationship of aging and anemia, in determining perioperative changes in CBF, and potentially cerebral oxygenation, may have important implications for the understanding of perioperative stroke and cognitive dysfunction after cardiac surgery.
The effects of ambient air pressure on oxygen consumption of resting and hovering honeybees

1. The rate of oxygen consumption for honeybees hovering at normal air pressure was 94.3 ml O2 g−1 h−1. The rate of oxygen consumption declined for honeybees hovering at higher air pressures, and declined for bees hovering at pressures less than 600 Torr. 2. The rate of oxygen consumption by resting honeybees was slightly, but significantly, affected by air pressure. Mean resting rate of oxygen consumption at normal air pressure was 12.3 ml O2 g−1 h−1. 3. The rate of oxygen consumption for honeybees during a 30 min peroid after hovering was 3.0 ml O2 g−1 h−1 at normal pressure, and increased slightly but significantly, at lower pressures. 4. Thoracic temperature was maintained relatively constant at 31–33°C during hovering, and was slightly, but significantly, elevated at lower air pressures. 5. The decline in rate of oxygen consumption for honeybees hovering at high pressure is attributed to decreased power requirements for flight, whereas the decline in rate of oxygen consumption at low pressures is attributed to the limitation of low\(P_{O_2 } \) to oxygen transport capacity. 6. The rate of change in oxygen consumption at low air pressures suggests that the inertial power requirement for hovering flight is about 60 ml O2 g−1 h−1 whereas the aerodynamic power requirement is about 33 ml O2 g−1 h−1.
Controlled/“Living” Reverse Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization of a Monocyclic Olefin, Methyl 1-Cyclobutenecarboxylate

ATRP of the first cyclic olefin, methyl 1-cyclobutenecarboxylate (MCBE), by addition polymerization in a well controlled/“living” manner is described, along with a new practical method to synthesize MCBE. The polydispersity of poly(methyl 1-cyclobutenecarboxylate) (PMCBE) synthesized by a conventional ATRP initiation system was narrow (Mw/Mn = 1.1−1.4), but Mn was usually less than half of the theoretical number-average molecular weight. However, the polymerization of MCBE initiated by a reverse ATRP initiation system, AIBN/CuBr2/dNbpy, was well controlled; the rate of polymerization was first order in monomer, and the molecular weights of the polymers were close to the designed values with very narrow polydispersities (Mw/Mn = ∼1.15). The obtained polymer PMCBE can be used as a macroinitiator to further polymerize a second monomer, such as styrene.
Solubility of gold in aqueous sulfide solutions from 150 to 350°C

Abstract The solubility of gold was measured in aqueous sulfide solutions at pH from 3 to 8, 150° to 350°C, and at pressures determined by the liquid-vapor pressure of the solution, with oxidation state fixed or buffered by either sulfate-sulfide equilbria or H2(g). High solubilities were measured in solutions with near neutral pH with a maximum measured gold concentration of 0.036 m (7224 mg/kg) at 350°C in a solution containing 0.66 m H2S and 0.28 m NaHS. The results are consistent with the aqueous complex Au(HS)2−. Log equilibrium constants for the reaction Au + H 2 S ( aq ) + HS − = Au ( HS ) 2 − + 1 2 H 2 ( g ) at 150°, 200°, 250°, 300°, and 350°C were determined as −2.39 ± 0.2, −1.89 ± 0.2, −1.56 ± 0.3, −1.35 ± 0.3, and −1.22 ± 0.2, respectively. These values are in reasonable agreement with published data at both 25°C and elevated temperatures. The high stability of Au(HS)2− indicates that geologically significant quantities of gold can be transported in typical hydrothermal solutions. Calculated gold solubility for the Ohaaki geothermal system in New Zealand shows that Au(HS)2− can easily account for the measured hydrothermal gold concentration. Gold may be precipitated from solution by both pH and redox changes. In addition, decreasing the activity of sulfide in solution is an effective mechanism for gold deposition. Analysis of the effect of temperature on the solubility of gold shows that a decrease in temperature may increase or decrease solubility. Deposition by cooling depends upon the pH-oxidation state path of the solutions.
Rocuronium (Org 9426) for Caesarean section

This was a prospective, non-randomized, multi-centre study of rocuronium (Org 9426) in 40 elective Caesarean section patients at full term without fetal distress. Anaesthesia was induced with thiopentone 4–6 mg kg−1 i.v. and rocuronium 0.6 mg kg−1 and maintained with isoflurane and nitrous oxide in oxygen. Monitors included ECG, arterial pressure, pulse oximeter and train-of-four (TOF) produced by ulnar nerve stimulation. In all patients, full neuromuscular block at the hand indicating the maximum effect of rocuronium (T1 = 0) occurred at a mean time of 98.1 (SE 9.4) s. However, after 79.3 (2.9) s, excellent to good intubating conditions were achieved in 90% of patients. Injection to delivery time was 12.7 (0.9) min and the surgical procedure tasted 53.1 (3.5) min. After administration of rocuronium, T2 appeared after 32.7 (1.8) min (indicating duration of effect). At the end of the surgical procedure in 39 patients, glycopyrronium 0.2 mg and neostigmine 1 mg were given every 5 min to antagonize residual neuromuscular effect. The mean dose of neostigmine required was 1.54 (0.1) mg. Rocuronium had no clinically significant effect on maternal heart rate or arterial pressure. After administration of thiopentone and rocuronium in two patients, temporary erythema occurred, one along the site of injection and the other on the chest wall. Rocuronium had no untoward effects on the neonates, evaluated by 1- and 5-min Apgar scores, time to sustained respiration, total and muscular neuroadaptive capacity scores, acid-base status and blood-gas tensions in umbilical arterial and venous blood. At delivery in 32 patients, concentrations of rocuronium in maternal venous (MV) and umbilical venous (UV) plasma were 2412 (180) ng ml−1 and 389.6 (27.8) ng ml−1, respectively (UV/MV ratio 0.16). In 12 patients, the mean concentration of rocuronium in umbilical arterial (UA) plasma was 271.2 (34.7) ng ml−1 with a UA/UV ratio of 0.62. 17-Desacetylrocuronium (Org 9943), the main metabolite of rocuronium, was below the sensitivity level (25 ng ml−1) in umbilical venous and arterial plasma; the maternal venous plasma concentration was 178 (31) ng ml−1.
Aqueous Suspension and Characterization of Chemically Modified Graphene Sheets

We report the production of aqueous suspensions of chemically modified graphene sheets, and electrically conductive “paperlike” material made from filtering such suspensions.
Radiation dosimetry using planar waveguide sensors

Planar waveguides fabricated from triphenylmethane cyanide dyes doped into polymer films, Ag+ diffusion, and GaFChromicTM dosimetry media are evaluated as sensors for real-time radiation monitoring. Filtered 100 keV x rays are used as a model source to compare the attenuation response of these waveguide sensors to ionizing radiation. Preliminary results indicate that all three waveguides demonstrate an increase in sensitivity over conventional dosimetry films using UV-VIS photometric detection. The fabrication, characterization, and response of each sensor are discussed.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Model of collective modes in three-band superconductors with repulsive interband interactions

Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439(Dated: May 15, 2012)I consider a simple model of a three-band superconductor with repulsive interband interactions.The frustration, associated with the odd number of bands, leads to the possible existence of anintrinsically complex time-reversal symmetry breaking (TRSB) order parameter. In such state theﬂuctuations of the diﬀerent gaps are strongly coupled, and this leads to the development of novelcollective modes, which mix phase and amplitude oscillations. I study these ﬂuctuations using asimple microscopic model and derive the dispersion for two physically distinct modes, which aregapped by energy less than 2∆, and apparently present for all values of interband couplings.I. INTRODUCTION
Numerical simulation of incinerator overfire mixing

Abstract Recognizing the benefits of optimizing the design and operation of the overfire processes in mass burn incinerators, the potential for numerical simulation of overfire mixing using 2-D isothermal flow studies is explored. A finite difference method (FD) and a finite element method (FEM) are applied to the solution of model equations incorporating simplifications typically employed in utility furnace simulations. Mesh stability of the FD and the FEM solutions is studied. The FEM appears better equipped to deal with the discretization challenges posed by incinerator configurations than FD. Sensitivity of the FEM solutions to boundary conditions as well as artificial stability enhancing measures is studied. The effect of jets on flow characteristics such as separation and size/strength of the recirculation zones is studied using the FEM simulations. Lastly, the interaction between jet streams and grate streams as well as the interaction of opposing jets is studied using tracers to mark individual st...
The varieties of human dignity: a logical and conceptual analysis

The word 'dignity' is used in a variety of ways in bioethics, and this ambiguity has led some to argue that the term must be expunged from the bioethical lexicon. Such a judgment is far too hasty, however. In this article, the various uses of the word are classified into three serviceable categories: intrinsic, attributed, and inflorescent dignity. It is then demonstrated that, logically and linguistically, the attributed and inflorescent meanings of the word presuppose the intrinsic meaning. Thus, one cannot conclude that these meanings are arbitrary and unrelated. This categorization and logical and linguistic analysis helps to unravel what seem to be contradictions in discourse about dignity and bioethics, and provides a hierarchy of meaning that has potential normative implications.
Reduced Application Time for Prophylactic Mitomycin C in Photorefractive Keratectomy

Objective To determine whether the duration of mitomycin C (MMC) 0.02% application affects visual outcome or the incidence of subepithelial haze in patients undergoing photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) with prophylactic administration of MMC. Design Retrospective, comparative case series. Participants Two hundred sixty-nine eyes undergoing PRK. Methods This was a retrospective comparative case series that included 269 eyes that underwent PRK with prophylactic MMC application for 120 seconds (group 1, n=74), 60 seconds (group 2, n=36), or 12 seconds (group 3, n=159). The mean preoperative spherical equivalent was –6.49 diopters (D) in group 1, –6.77 D in group 2, and –7.10 D in group 3. Photorefractive keratectomy was performed using a modified nomogram. All eyes received a single intraoperative application of MMC (0.02%) after laser ablation for the above specified durations. Main Outcome Measures Best-corrected visual acuity and corneal haze score. Results Best-corrected visual acuity was 20/23 in group 1, 20/20 in group 2, and 20/21 in group 3. The mean haze score±standard deviation (scale, 0.00–4.00) was 0.11±0.31 in group 1, 0.14±0.28 in group 2, and 0.07±0.20 in group 3 throughout a mean follow-up of 31 months in group 1, 16 months in group 2, and 10 months in group 3. No eyes had a haze score of more than 1.00. Conclusions There was no statistically significant difference in postoperative best-corrected visual acuity or haze scores among the 3 groups. Administration of prophylactic MMC 0.02% for 12 seconds after PRK seems to be equally efficacious for haze prophylaxis when compared with longer application times of 60 and 120 seconds. Financial Disclosure(s) The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.
Designing a Kanban manufacturing system using the server network generator (SNG) CASE tool

The absence of CASE tools for software-development of distributed cooperative systems is the major roadblock to effective use of concurrent processing. This paper presents a manufacturing engineering application, a concurrent cooperative processing model of this application, and the Server Network Generator (SNG) CASE tool that was used to design and implement it as a distributed software system in APL2, using inter-user shared variables. The application is a Japanese manufacturing control strategy called the "Kanban System."
Many-body effects in the electromodulation spectra of modulation-doped quantum wells: Theory and experiment.

We have performed a theoretical (first-principles) and experimental (contactless electroreflectance) investigation of the temperature dependence (17T351 K) of the electric-field-modulated interband transitions in a pseudomorphic ${\mathrm{Ga}}_{0.81}$${\mathrm{Al}}_{0.19}$As/${\mathrm{In}}_{0.20}$${\mathrm{Ga}}_{0.80}$As/GaAs modulation-doped quantum well that contains a two-dimensional electron gas. We find that many-body effects are a factor at all temperatures although they are most pronounced for T=152 K. Because of the derivativelike nature of our approach, both theoretical and experimental, the weak Fermi-edge transition is still visible up to at least 152 K, as a complement to the results of previous theoretical and experimental investigations.
Effects of maternal vanadate treatment on fetal development

Oral vanadate treatment is effective in normalizing blood glucose in both Type I and Type II diabetics. Using Sprague Dawley rats we examined the effectiveness of such treatment in amelioration of hyperglycemia in diabetic pregnancy and its effect on fetal growth in both normal and diabetic pregnant dams. Initiation of vanadate treatment to diabetic and normal pregnant dams increased blood vanadium levels in both groups, but this concentration in the diabetic pregnant group reached approximately twice the value present in the normal group. Despite this high blood vanadium level in the diabetic pregnant dams, oral vanadate treatment was not effective in normalizing blood sugar in this group. Additionally, vanadate treatment was found to be toxic during diabetic pregnancy, causing death to 45% of the test animals. Maternal blood vanadium had a negative effect on fetal development, markedly reducing the number of live fetuses per pregnancy. In summary, oral vanadate treatment is toxic and ineffective during diabetic pregnancies and interferes with fetal growth and development in both normal and diabetic pregnancy.
Biological characterization of a Southeast Kansas mining site

Soils from a heavy metal contaminated southeast Kansas mining site were characterized for microbial resistance to zinc, cadmium, and lead. Plant availability indices (DTPA-extractable) for zinc were very high in the waste material (610 Μg g−1), while levels of lead and cadmium were more moderate, 45 and 4.3 Μg g−1, respectively. Soil contamination decreased with distance from the mine tailings or ‘chat’. In the rhizosphere, bacterial resistance to zinc and cadmium increased as the DTPA-extractable plant availability indices increased. Mycorrhizal root colonization was not affected by the heavy metal concentration in the soil. The established vegetation in the contaminated area included warm- and cool-season grasses as well as forbs and sedges.
RENDERING AESTHETIC IMPRESSIONS OF TEXT IN COLOR SPACE

What is an artwork and how could a machine become artist? This paper addresses the provocative question by theorizing a computational model of aesthetics and implementing the Aesthetiscope|a computer program that portrays aesthetic impressions of text and renders an abstract color grid artwork reminiscent of early twentieth century abstract expressionism. Following Dewey’s psychological interpretation of \aesthetic" and Jung’s ontology of fundamental psychological functions, we theorize that a viewer flnds an artwork moving and satisfying because it seduces her into rich evocations of thoughts, sensations, intuitions, and feelings. The Aesthetiscope embodies this theory and aims to generate color grids paired with inspiration texts (a word, a poem, or song lyrics), which can be received as aesthetic and artistic by a viewer. The paper describes flve Jungian aesthetic readers which are together capable of creative narrative understanding, and three color-logics that employ psycho-semantic principles to render the aesthetic readings in color space. Evaluations of the Aesthetiscope revealed that the program is best at portraying intuition and feeling, and that overall, the Aesthetiscope is capable of creating the aesthetic of art based on an inspiration text in a non-arbitrary way.