cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A framework for monitoring-based commissioning: Identifying variables that act as barriers and enablers to the process

Abstract The practice of monitoring-based commissioning (MBCx) using energy management and information systems (EMIS) has been shown to enable and help sustain up to 20% energy savings in buildings. Despite research that has quantified the costs, benefits, and energy savings of MBCx, the process remains under-utilized. To understand why MBCx is not more frequently adopted and how to encourage its use, this research synthesizes qualitative data from over 40 organizations, currently engaging in MBCx. The outcome of this research is a framework containing variables that emerged from the qualitative data, marked as barriers or enablers, organized by phases of the MBCx process. The framework is comprised of 51 emergent variables that fall within 13 different categories. The variables that most frequently act as barriers are data configuration, measurement & verification (M&V), developing specifications for EMIS, and data architecture. Although some variables that act as barriers for one organization were identified as enablers for another. For example, payback/ROI was considered a barrier 7 times and an enabler 3 times. One organization had difficulty making the business case for the initial investment for MBCx due to lack of cost information, while another was able to justify large investments with documented savings of previously implemented measures identified through MBCx. The framework formally validates barriers found in previous research, and can be used by practitioners to better understand common experiences with MBCx. This research highlights the need for a similar collective data set to validate common enablers to MBCx and also the need for empirical research to determine relationships between variables.
Outcomes of repeat mitral valve replacement in patients with prior mitral surgery: A benchmark for transcatheter approaches.

Abstract Objectives With the emergence of transcatheter mitral valve-in-valve/ring replacement for deteriorated bioprostheses or failed repair, comparative clinical benchmarks for surgical repeat mitral valve replacement (re-MVR) are needed. We present in-hospital and survival outcomes of a 24-year experience with re-MVR. Methods From January 1992 to June 2015, 520 adult patients underwent re-MVR; 273 had undergone prior mitral valve repair (pMVP) and 247 had undergone prior MVR (pMVR). A benchmark cohort of isolated re-MVR was defined based on potential eligibility for transcatheter mitral valve-in-valve/ring replacement, resulting in 73 pMVPs with previous annuloplasty rings and 74 pMVRs with previous bioprosthetic valves for comparison. Results For the entire cohort, mean age was 64 ± 12 years for pMVP patients and 63 ± 15 years for pMVR patients (P = .281), which was similar for the benchmark cohort. Overall operative mortality was 14 out of 273 (5%) for pMVP versus 23 out of 247 (9%) for pMVR (P = .087). There were 3 operative deaths (4.1%) in both groups of the benchmark cohort (P = 1.0). For the benchmark cohort, median time to reoperation was 9.8 years for pMVP and 9.1 years for pMVR. Cox proportional hazard analysis showed that chronic kidney disease (hazard ratio [HR], 2.47; 95% CI, 1.77-3.44), endocarditis (HR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.07-2.07), pMVR (HR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.12-1.89), early reoperation ≤ 1 year (HR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.02-2.17), and age (HR, 1.04/y; 95% CI, 1.03-1.05) were associated with decreased survival after re-MVR. Conclusions A re-MVR is a high-risk operation, but in carefully selected patients such as our benchmark population, it can be performed with acceptable results. Patients undergoing pMVP also have better long-term survival compared with patients undergoing pMVR. These results will serve as a benchmark for transcatheter mitral valve-in-valve/ring replacement.
Concept Learning: Similarity and Number of Exemplars Category Number Information, and Description of Prototypical Features

College students classified the sex of day-old chicks from drawings of their genital eminences. Employing geometrie forms as one category of training stimuli increased errors on test stimuli. This between-category similarity outcome contrasts with others to some extent, and it also argues against the sufficiency of a template model of conceptual functioning. Training with only a single pair of exemplars also impaired transfer. Other research has confounded exemplar number with amount of training Informing subjects of the number of categories the drawings belong to failed to facilitate transfer significantly. A description of the prototypical features differentiating the two sex categories enhanced transfer. Several aspects of the communication may have been influential.
The Water for the Mill: Financing of Gülen-Inspired Service Projects

In order to build and sustain the numerous projects associated with the Gulen movement, financial resources are essential. Data presented in Chapter 4 “The Network of Local Circles” describe the mechanisms established within the local circles to generate substantial financial resources. Chapter 5 “The Turkish-Islamic Culture of Giving” presented Turkish-Islamic concepts of giving and hospitality that are deeply rooted in Turkish culture. This chapter focuses upon financial arrangements in relationship to the institutions that are associated with the Gulen movement.
Autonomic Neuroplasticity: Development

The autonomic nervous system has long served as a primary model for investigating developmental neuroplasticity. Autonomic neurons derive from multipotent neural crest cells, migrate extensively, and coalesce into peripheral ganglia. Postmitotic neurons elaborate axons that are guided to their targets by local signaling molecules within a defined developmental window. Once reaching the target, axons branch to establish optimal innervation density and compete for limited target-derived proteins, thus regulating neuronal survival. Target-derived factors also regulate the final mature neurochemical phenotype of their resident innervation. Perturbations to these processes can result in substantial reorganization, or plasticity, of the developing autonomic nervous system.
Metabolic effects of carnitine and carnitine analogs.

Cirrhosis of the liver is a common and serious disease with a poor prognosis (1). Loss of liver perfusion and function compromises hepatic detoxification reactions and exposes the central nervous system (CNS) to amino acid imbalances and to multiple toxins including ammonia, mercaptans, short-chain fatty acids, and “middle” molecular weight molecules (2). Although all of these molecules contribute individually and perhaps synergistically to hepatic encephalopathy, there is abundant evidence that elevated CNS ammonia levels are a major factor. Ammonia concentrations are often high in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid of patients with liver disease, and ammonia infusion into patients with significant portacaval shunting evokes a reaction clinically indistinguishable from impending hepatic coma. In experimental animals, acute administration of ammonium salts causes convulsions, coma and death. Although several therapies directed at hepatic encephalopathy-associated ammonia intoxication have been devised, none is completely effective in reversing the morbidity and mortality of the disorder. Better methods for controlling ammonia metabolism and toxicity are clearly needed.
Cuphea Production and Management

The genus Cuphea (Lythraceae) is quite unique in that most of its 265 different species synthesize and store primarily medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA) in their seeds, and many flourish in temperate climates. Presently, the United States and other developed countries import millions of tons of tropical plant-related oils to provide MCFA for industrial chemical manufacturing. Cuphea can serve as an additional source for these fatty acids. Since about the early 1980s, a concerted effort in the United States has been made to domesticate cuphea as a commercial, temperate climate crop source of MCFA for the manufacturing of a myriad of industrial chemicals. The biggest breakthrough came in the 1990s when more agronomically friendly genotypes were developed through the interspecific hybridization of C. viscosissima and C. lanceolata. Since that time, significant strides have been made in developing best agricultural management practices for the commercial production of cuphea. Currently, small-scale seed production has taken place in the northern Corn Belt region of the United States for high-end value products such as those manufactured by the cosmetic industry. This review primarily focuses on advancements that have been made over the past decade in developing agricultural management for cuphea production.
Precursor Intermediates and Precursor-Mediated Surface Reactions: General Concepts, Direct Observations and Indirect Manifestations

A brief review is presented of precursor-mediated chemisorption on and desorption from solid surfaces. A heuristic concept of the precursor is put forward followed by a delineation of the rationale for the original proposal of die existence of these species. A number of cases where the direct experimental observation of precursor states has been presented are discussed, and a number of rate expressions describing precursor-mediated adsorption and desorption are presented, all of which are based either on “kinetic” or “statistical” models. The approximations and assumptions that are implicit in each case are delineated. The limitations that become evident in this description of the surface phenomena lead naturally to a discussion of recently developed time-dependent Monte Carlo simulations of precursor- mediated chemisorption, desorption and ordering of chemisorbed overlayers. Comparison with the large base of experimental data that are often available for particular gas-surface interactions render this approach both feasible and extremely pedagogic insofar as a microscopic understanding of the elementary surface reactions is concerned. Next, two examples are considered that demonstrate how recent experimental observations might have been interpreted in terms of the presence of a precursor state on the surface. In some cases, the inclusion of a precursor can result in a qualitatively different concept of the nature of the gas-surface interaction. Finally, a critical synopsis of the importance of precursor-mediated surface reactions is presented.
Neurophysiological monitoring during cervical spine surgeries: Longitudinal costs and outcomes.

Abstract Objectives Well-designed longitudinal studies assessing effectiveness of intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring (IONM) are lacking. We investigate IONM effects on cost and administrative markers for health outcomes in the year after cervical spine surgery. Methods We identified single-level cervical spine surgeries in commercial claims. We constructed linear regression models estimating the effect of IONM (controlling for patient demographics, pre-operative health, services during index admission) on total spending, neurological complications, readmissions, and outpatient opiate usage in the year following index surgery. Results IONM was associated with increased spending during index admission of $1229 (p = 0.001), but decreased spending post-discharge of $1615 (p = 0.010), for a net – $386 (p = 0.608) for the year after surgery. Shorter length of stay (0.116 days, p = 0.004) and fewer readmissions (20.5 per thousand, p = 0.036) accounted for some post-discharge savings. IONM was associated with decreased rates of nervous system complications (4/1000, p = 0.048) and post-discharge opiate use (17 prescriptions/1000, p = 0.050) in the year after index admission. Conclusions IONM was associated with administrative markers suggesting improved health outcomes after cervical spine surgery without greater costs for the year. Significance This study suggests IONM may have lasting health and cost benefits.
African-American Pediatric Pain Patient

This chapter contains a case study on an African-American child who presents to a pediatric emergency department with burns. The child has boiling water burns to 25% of his body, and the first- and second-degree burns and related pain are overlooked in the triage process. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the enactments of unintentional, unconscious racial bias by clinicians during the provision of care.
Relationship of Specific Sexual Activities to Orgasmic Latency, Pleasure, and Difficulty During Partnered Sex

Abstract Introduction Specific sexual activities during partnered sex are likely to affect orgasmic parameters, such as latency, pleasure, and difficulty, but such relationships have not been examined in detail. Aim To ascertain whether specific kinds of sexual activities account for variation in orgasmic latency, pleasure, and difficulty during partnered sex. Method Participants were 2,068 women drawn from community-based samples in the United States and Hungary who completed an investigator-derived questionnaire regarding their sexual history and response, including items related to frequency of masturbation and partnered sex, sexual desire, sexual arousal, orgasmic response, orgasmic latency, distress, partner distress, and sexual satisfaction. Main Outcome Measures Self-reported orgasmic latency, pleasure, and difficulty during partnered sex were assessed. Results Orgasmic pleasure and orgasmic difficulty were related to the types of sexual activities incorporated into partnered sex. Nevertheless, relationship satisfaction played as large a role in both orgasmic parameters. Orgasmic latency, on the other hand, was less affected by the type of sexual activity during partnered sex, but it was also affected by relationship satisfaction and orgasmic difficulty. Clinical Implication Addressing relationship satisfaction and expanding the behavioral repertoire of activities during partnered sex may increase sexual satisfaction and mitigate orgasmic difficulty. Strength & Limitations The study, well powered and drawing from a multinational population, is 1 of the few to analyze specific types of sexual activity and stimulation during partnered sex. Major limitations were the younger age and self-selection of the sample. Conclusion Type and conventionality of sexual activities during partnered sex affect orgasmic pleasure and difficulty. Rowland DL, Kolba TN. Relationship of Specific Sexual Activities to Orgasmic Latency, Pleasure, and Difficulty during Partnered Sex. J Sex Med 2019;16:559–568.
An emerging perspective on sex differences: Intersecting S-nitrosothiol and aldehyde signaling in the heart

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of the death for both men and women. Although baseline heart physiology and the response to disease are known to differ by sex, little is known about sex differences in baseline molecular signaling, especially with regard to redox biology. In this review, we describe current research on sex differences in cardiac redox biology with a focus on the regulation of nitric oxide and aldehyde signaling. Furthermore, we argue for a new perspective on cardiovascular sex differences research, one that focuses on baseline redox biology without the elimination or disruption of sex hormones.
Stress and Distress: Mental Health Among Latinx Farmworkers in the Eastern United States

Migrant and seasonal farmworkers experience substantial stress resulting from their difficult work, low income, separation from family, experiences of discrimination, and poor housing. This chapter is centered on a stress/distress model. This model posits that stressors are both structural and situational. Stress levels can be countered by positive or negative coping behaviors. Distress results from chronic, unmitigated stress and may contribute to mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and alcohol use disorders. The chapter summarizes the current sparse literature on mental health research among farmworkers in the eastern United States. Symptom levels for anxiety and depression are highly variable, with studies reporting 0–23% prevalence for anxiety and 7–52% for depression. Alcohol use disorders are common, particularly among men, with most studies reporting more than 30% prevalence. Although variable, the evidence suggests that farmworkers in the eastern US have a substantial burden of mental distress that is untreated. Future directions for research, practice, and policy are suggested.
SPOCK, an R based package for high-throughput analysis of growth rate, survival, and chronological lifespan in yeast

Plate reader-based methods for high-throughput measurement of growth rate, cellular survival, and chronological lifespan are a compelling addition to the already powerful toolbox of budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae genetics. These methods have overcome many of the limits of traditional yeast biology techniques, but also present a new bottleneck at the point of data-analysis. Herein, we describe SPOCK (Survival Percentage and Outgrowth Collection Kit), an R-based package for the analysis of data created by high-throughput plate reader based methods. This package allows for the determination of chronological lifespan, cellular growth rate, and survival in an efficient, robust, and reproducible fashion.
Leveraging advanced preparation of oncology medications: Decreasing turnaround-times in an outpatient infusion center.

IntroductionMany oncology infusions are provided in hospital-based infusion centers. With hospital-based infusion centers seeing increased volumes, patient wait times continue to be a priority. Ext...
A Service-Oriented Memory Architecture for FPGA Computing

Memory access is an essential aspect of FPGA compute accelerator design. Current development environments pay much more attention to high-level compute abstraction while holding on to the familiar basic load-store memory paradigm. This paper proposes a service-oriented memory architecture where, instead of operating in terms of loads, stores and addresses, a compute accelerator design interacts with abstracted memory services that present high-level, semantic-rich operations—both compute and data transfers—on encapsulated data objects. The support for a memory service, realized as a soft-logic module or a composition of modules, is developed by domain experts and available to the accelerator design in a reusable catalog collection. This paper sets forth a service-oriented memory architecture and provides a development framework to specify and generate a customized service-oriented memory system. We evaluate the proposed abstraction and design framework through a case study of a breadth-first search accelerator. We demonstrate that a service-oriented memory paradigm increases development convenience while simplfiying an accelerator design without negatively impacting performance or resource utilization.
Ultra-transparent nanostructured coatings via flow-induced one-step coassembly

Abstract Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/laponite (LP) nanocomposite coatings were fabricated via a facile one-step coassembly process. The formed nanocoatings contain a high concentration of LP nanosheets, which can be well aligned along the substrate surface during the coassembly process. Due to the highly orientated structure, the flexible nanocoatings exhibit ultra-high transparency and superior mechanical properties, and can also act as excellent gas barriers. Such nanocoatings can be exceptional candidates for a variety of applications, such as food packaging.
Recognizing and Breaking the Cycle of Trauma and Violence Among Resettled Refugees.

The number of refugees across the globe continues to grow, leaving a large proportion of the global population in a vulnerable state of health. However, the number of robust clinical interventions has not kept apace. This paper provides a general review of literature on the trauma and violence that refugees face, the impact on health outcomes, and some of the promising models for clinical intervention. Refugees experience a cycle of trauma, violence, and distress that begins before migration and continues during migration and after resettlement. It has been challenging to develop robust clinical interventions due to the cumulative and cyclic effects of trauma, as well as the unique experiences of trauma that each refugee community and each refugee individual faces. Trauma-informed care is a critical component of health care. Developing stronger guidelines for trauma-informed care will help clinicians better provide inclusive and equitable care for refugee patients.
Using concept mapping as a planning tool: Child welfare citizen review panels

Abstract Citizen Review Panels (CRPs) are groups of citizen volunteers authorized by U.S. federal law to examine state child welfare agencies. These groups inspect policies and practices related to child protection responsibilities and are tasked with making recommendations for systemic improvement. Despite the federal mandate for each state to develop a CRP and the potential of these groups to positively impact child welfare practices, there is a dearth in the literature related to CRPs. Consequently, planning and evaluation processes of these groups vary widely. This study reports on the use of concept mapping (CM) to outline a framework for planning and subsequently evaluating the CRP in one southeastern state. CM is a mixed-method research approach that uses multi-dimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analyses to explore an area of study. Through these analyses, the method creates visual depictions of conceptual relationships between ideas. Data yielded a seven cluster concept map that CRP members ( N = 36) utilized for planning processes, and subsequently for developing an internal evaluation tool. Results from this study offer a unifying framework by which CRPs, and similar groups in other areas can utilize for planning and evaluation purposes. After a review of pertinent literature on CRPs, this article explicates CM processes utilized in this study, describes results, discusses lessons learned, and outlines apposite areas for future CRP research.
The Discourse of Enlightenment in Eighteenth-Century France: Diderot and the Art of Philosophizing

List of illustrations Acknowledgments Note on the text Introduction 1. Representing knowledge: reading the Encyclopedie 2. Enlightenment critique and Diderot's art of philosophizing 3. The matter of judgment and the art of phrasing sensation 4. Critical narratives: Diderot's Salons 5. Embodying knowledge 6. Portraying Diderot: the aftermath 7. Interpreting Diderot: critical values, critical violence Notes Index.
E.J. Curran, M.D., D. Ophth.

An historical vignette recounting the life of E.J. Curran, M.D., from his beginnings in Australia to his medical education at some of the most prestigious institutions of that era. His significant contributions as chairman of the University of Kansas Department of Ophthalmology are discussed. He became a national figure in ophthalmology when he elucidated the pathophysiology behind pupillary block glaucoma and the reason peripheral iridotomy would permanently relieve this condition.
Short Term Paid Leave: A New Approach to Social Insurance and Employee Benefits

In this Article I propose an entirely new approach to income maintenance for employees who are off work for temporary periods, ranging from one day up to six months, for whatever reason, including disability (from illness or injury), leisure (vacation and public holidays) and unemployment. In lieu of the variety of existing arrangements for temporary income replacement, I advocate a new mandatory employee benefit that I call "Short Term Paid Leave." Part I describes the Short Term Paid Leave plan and argues that it would be a substantial improvement upon existing arrangements for several reasons. Part II compares the Short Term Paid Leave plan with the present arrangements, using hypothetical employees to demonstrate why the overwhelming majority of employees would be significantly better off under my proposal. I OVERVIEW OF SHORT TERM PAID LEAVE This Part first briefly describes the key features of the Short Term Paid Leave plan. I then present three broad objections to existing arrangements and explain how my plan would respond to them. Following that I address who would pay for Short Term Paid Leave. Finally, I discuss why it is appropriate for government to adopt programs that assure people reasonable levels of income protection during periods when they temporarily are not working.
Comparison of nucleic acids from microorganisms: sequencing approaches.

Publisher Summary This chapter provides an overview of existing nucleic acid sequencing approaches and indicates areas of rapid technical development. Current practitioners of nucleic acid sequencing are divided into two camps: the old and the new. Newer technology is primarily concerned with automation and increased throughput. The demands and resources available to large sequencing projects, most notably bacterial and eukaryotic genome projects, have fostered automation. Most sequences are determined in the study of the biology of well-circumscribed biochemical or genetic systems (eukaryotic or prokaryotic), the question of what or which molecule(s) to analyze is generally not an issue. However, in addition to the selection of an appropriate biopolymer, the choice of sequencing method may be less straightforward in more strictly comparative studies. Here, the need for rapid sequence determination, issues of fidelity of technique, or modification of DNA sequence associated with posttranscriptional processing events may be primary considerations in deciding sequencing strategy.
A mechanism controlling the characteristics of T-wave alternans measurements in the setting of myocardial ischemia

T-Wave alternans (TWA) is a variation in the morphology of the T wave of the electrocardiogram (ECG) that repeats on an every other beat basis. In recent clinical studies, its presence has shown to be highly predictive of the occurrence of lethal ventricular arrhythmias. Measurements of TWA using power spectral analysis of the ECG signals have shown that the power at the alternans frequency (0.5 cycles per beat) increases with heart rate following onset at a patient-specific heart rate threshold. The mechanisms underlying these phenomena have not been fully established. In this paper, we report a mechanism that can account for these two phenomena in the setting of myocardial ischemia.
Ultraviolet Radiation Studies of Filamentous Escherichia coli B

Kantor, George J. (The Pennsylvania State University, University Park), and R. A. Deering. Ultraviolet radiation studies of filamentous Escherichia coli B. J. Bacteriol. 92:1062–1069. 1966.—Small ultraviolet (UV) doses cause Escherichia coli B to grow into long filamentous single cells. A large fraction of these filaments can recover their division ability and can form colonies under appropriate conditions. Preformed filaments can be irradiated with UV, and their ability to still produce colonies can be compared with that of irradiated normal cells. In this regard, filaments are more sensitive to UV than normal cells. Filaments can still host-cell reactivate UV-irradiated T1 phage and can regain their own deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthetic ability after it has been blocked by UV. This indicates that these filaments still retain mechanisms for repairing UV-damaged DNA. Pantoyl lactone, an agent that stimulates cell-division recovery in UV-irradiated E. coli B, causes increased UV resistance for both normal and filamentous cells, with the filaments becoming more resistant than normal cells. In the absence of pantoyl lactone, irradiated filaments grow to a length of about 50 times normal and then stop growing. These long filaments cannot subsequently divide and give colonies. We conclude that the UV dose given to the preformed filaments causes an additional division lag beyond that of unirradiated filaments, and that some critical length is reached after which division recovery and colony formation is impossible. Irradiated normal cells recover before reaching this critical length.
Use of a mechanistic uptake model for evaluating phosphate fertilizer materials

Abstract A mechanistic nutrient uptake model that predicts nutrient uptake using values for root growth and morphology, uptake kinetics and nutrient supply to the root by mass flow and diffusion has given close agreement between predicted uptake and observed uptake. The model can be used to evaluate availability of fertilizer materials added to the soil without plant growth experiments. The model also indicates the reason for differences between fertilizers. A study was made to evaluate the P uptake from monocalcium phosphate (MCP), diammonium phosphate (DAP), applied to 13 soils. In a second experiment P uptake from MCP, DAP, rock phosphate and partially acidulated rock phosphate were compared at soil pH's of 5.0 and 5.7. Increasing soil pH reduced P availability from rock phosphate and partially acidulated rock phosphate and MCP but not from DAP. The results indicate the usefulness of the model for evaluating fertilizers.
Using client positions as a technique for increasing the acceptability of marriage therapy interventions

Abstract This study investigated the use of intervention rationales that matched the participant's positions or beliefs in marriage therapy. Positions were conceptualized as the implementation of a constructivist stance by making use of the participant's beliefs. Positions were investigated by comparing 3 rationale conditions. The rationales either matched a participant's positions or mismatched his or her positions, or no rationale was provided. Couples were instructed to role play a marital problem. The participants completed a questionnaire that allowed the experimenters to identify their positions, that is, their beliefs and feelings about their identified problem. Experimenters designed individualized treatment rationales that matched and mismatched the participants' positions. Three standard interventions were paired with an individually constructed matching rationale, a mismatching rationale, and a no-rotionale control condition to form 3 treatment recommendations. Participants rated each treatment...
The polymerization of propylene oxide

Polypropylene ether glycol synthesized by the base-catalyzed polymerization of propylene oxide contains two monofunctional species: one is acetoxyl-terminated, the other allyl or propenyl ether-terminated. The presence of ester function is indicated by a sharp absorption peak at 5.75 μ, characteristic of ester carbonyl, in the infrared spectra of the glycols. The ester is readily removed by alkaline hydrolysis. It was identified as an acetoxyl endgroup, arising from anionic attack on vinylidene chloride, a minor impurity in the propylene oxide from which the glycols were prepared. The unsaturated ether functions result from two base-catalyzed rearrangements. Propylene oxide is converted to allyl alcohol which, in the polymerization system, initiates polyether chains bearing allyl ether groups on one end. Some of these are subsequently rearranged to propenyl ethers in the basic medium. This latter reaction is an equilibrium in which the propenyl ether is the favored specie.
Platinum drug delivery and radiation for locally advanced prostate cancer

Combined therapies of cisplatin and radiation have resulted in clinical reports of apparent efficacious control of locoregional cancer and enhanced survival. Mechanisms of interaction between platinum and radiation that may explain these clinical observations all have in common the prediction that higher concentrations of platinum in all tumor cells close in time to irradiation should lead to greater potentiation of radiation-induced killing of those cells. Cisplatin is thus viewed as providing some radiation-equivalent, or a radiation dose-effect factor, for sterilization of tumors. One disease site that has not been well investigated for response to cisplatin plus radiation therapy, but that could benefit from it, is locally advanced prostate cancer. A body of literature now supports the view that local control of stage C (T3, NO, MO) prostate cancer is correlated with disease-free survival. This correlation makes prostate cancer a candidate for potentially achieving improved cure rates following local tumor sterilization by combining cisplatin with radiation therapy. The need and approaches to optimize delivery of cisplatin within tumor tissue is explored. Increasing cisplatin concentration to all the cells of a tumor, i.e., homogeneously delivering systemic high-dose cisplatin, should benefit the efficacious response otherwise expected for cisplatin combined with radiation. Strategies to increase the homogeneity of cisplatin delivery to a tumor are considered to be those that increase perfusion to that tumor. Vasoactive agents used in anticancer protocols are especially considered for their potential value in serving to increase tumor perfusion. These protocol-inclusive agents include certain cytokines and L-arginine antagonists, and should be better managed and accepted in practice compared to other vasoactive agents that need to be developed as specific additives to protocol designs.
3α-Hydroxy-5α-pregnan-20-one levels and GABAA receptor-mediated 36Cl- flux across development in rat cerebral cortex

Despite considerable evidence showing dramatic changes in the plasticity of GABAA receptors during neuronal development and studies showing a direct link between neurosteroid concentrations and alterations in GABAA receptor expression, little is known about the role of neurosteroids in GABAA receptor plasticity early in development. The relationship between changes in brain concentrations of 3α-hydroxy-5α-pregnan-20-one (allopregnanolone, 3α,5α-THP) and GABAA receptor function in the brain during early development was investigated in rats. The concentration in fetal forebrain of the pregnane metabolite 3α,5α-THP declined precipitously prior to parturition, before returning to normal (adult male) values on the day of birth (P0). Postnatal cortical 3α,5α-THP levels remain quite low (<2 ng/g) until postnatal day 10 (PD10) and PD14 when we found elevated cortical 3α,5α-THP levels (3.3±0.8 and 3.8±0.9 ng/g, respectively). These levels reverted to basal values by PD15 (0.56±0.4 ng/g). We examined GABAA receptor-mediated 36Cl− flux in cortex of PD7, PD12 and PD16 rat brain. We found a 32% reduction in the stimulation (apparent Emax) of 36Cl− uptake by muscimol in PD12 tissue relative to adult. The potentiating effects of 3α,21-dihydroxy-5α-pregnane-20-one (tetrahydrodeoxycorticosterone, THDOC) and flunitrazepam were decreased in PD12 tissue. These data provide a better understanding of potential contributions endogenous GABAergic neurosteroids may make to normal neuronal development.
Superconductivity by quantum size effect III. The role of contacts and defect scattering

Abstract The influence of realistic contacts and defects on the superconductivity caused by the quantum size effect, which was discussed on the basis of idealized geometries only in parts I and II, is studied. The introduction of tunneling barriers at the ends of the wire or in a cross-section of the mesoscopic ring results in a Josephson coupling energy. Electric defect scattering still admits a current carrying ground state, but with a reduced critical current. Inelastic defect scattering does not lead to current dissipation at finite and sufficiently low temperatures.
Evidence for Porphyrin (π)−Chlorine (p) Orbital Overlap in the π-Cation Radicals of Zinc(II) and Magnesium(II) Tetrakis(o-dichlorophenyl)porphyrin

The EPR spectra of the porphyrin π-cation radicals ZnII(DCPP•)+ and MgII(DCPP•)+ (DCPP = tetrakis(o-dichlorophenyl)porphyrin)) have been examined in detail. The low-temperature EPR signals from these complexes exhibit a significant g-anisotropy. The introduction of angular momentum into the electronic ground state is attributed to overlap between the porphyrin a2u and chlorine p-orbitals. Overlap occurs because the bulky o-chloro-substituents force the aryl rings to be nearly perpendicular to the porphyrin ring.
Towards a multi-level framework for supporting systematic review — A pilot study

As part of the forefront of evidence-based medicine, a systematic review (SR) identifies, appraises, and synthesizes all the available literature relevant to a question of interest in a transparent and systematic way. A time-consuming step in conducting systematic review (SR) is the manual article screening from a list of potentially relevant articles retrieved by librarians. In this study, we propose a multi-level SR supporting framework including three levels: Level 1 — ranking with multiple metrics aiming to assist the screening process by increasing the efficiency without compromising the validity; Level 2 — topic analysis for discovering distributed semantics; and Level 3 — network analysis on relation extracted for comprehensive semantic summarization. The sensitivities in two case studies for relevance ranking reached above 80%, while the screening burdens were lowered to 25% based on a crude relevance ranking approach. Topic analysis based on Latent Dirichlet Allocations (LDAs) showed high consistency among the domain experts' selection of articles. The predicate relation network summarized important predicate relations between medical concepts.
What exactly has age got to do with it? My life in critical age studies

Abstract By sidesteps and accidents, by reading in too many genres and fields at the same time, by being irritable about certain tics of theory, by trying as a freelance independent scholar to overcome my lack of training as a gerontologist or a historian or an anthropologist, I slowly moved beyond literary criticism toward a more satisfying literary-cultural criticism and inter-disciplinarity. The article describes my move from analyzing the midlife alone to a more inclusive age studies, from naive devotee of the progress narrative to a critic of both positive aging and decline ideology, from wielding a high style to a more personal voice appropriate for a broader audience. Becoming more political has been an important aspect of this development. The arc of my age critique has been toward a greater sense of urgency in combating the forces that produce contemporary ageism.
Leaching of cadmium, lead and mercury from fresh and differently preserved edible mushroom, Xerocomus badius, during soaking and boiling

Many mushroom species are known as cadmium, lead or mercury accumulators. A possibility to decrease the metal levels was therefore investigated. Leaching of the metals from fresh, freeze-dried, air-dried and frozen slices of widely consumed Xerocomus badius was tested in three experiments. Common culinary treatments, soaking in 0.3% table salt solution at ambient temperature for 5, 10 or 15 min or repeatedly for 3×5 min and boiling in the same solution for 15, 30 or 60 min, were investigated. Short-time boiling was observed as a more efficient operation than soaking. The metals were leached to the greatest extent from the most destroyed tissues of frozen mushroom slices, but less so from fresh or freeze-dried tissues. The most extensive leaching was observed for cadmium and the lowest for mercury.
Evidence Against Linguistic Relativity in Chinese and English: A Case Study of Spatial and Temporal Metaphors

To talk about time, English speakers often use horizontal spatial metaphors whereas Chinese speakers use both vertical and horizontal spatial metaphors. Boroditsky (2001) showed that while Chinese-English bilinguals were faster to verify a temporal target like June comes earlier than August after they had seen a vertical spatial prime rather than a horizontal spatial prime, English monolinguals showed the reverse pattern, thus supporting the linguistic relativity hypothesis. This finding was not conceptually replicated in January and Kako's (2007) six experiments for English monolinguals. In the current experiment, we failed to conceptually replicate her English monolinguals' findings: both Chinese-English bilinguals and English monolinguals were faster to verify the sentences after seeing a vertical spatial prime than a horizontal spatial prime. While we replicated Boroditsky's findings, in part, for our Chinese-English bilinguals, the similarity in the pattern of findings for both Chinese-English bilinguals and English monolinguals argues against the linguistic relativity hypothesis.
Novel transformations in the quassin series

Abstract A series of remarkable rearrangement reactions involving (1β,9β)-1-methoxypicras-11-en-16-one and related derivatives are described.
The Anatomic Variability of Coronary Arterial Fistulae Termination in the Right and Left Atria

Ten cases of fistulae between a coronary artery and either the right or left atrium have been studied. Pertinent material from a review of the literature supplements the clinical analysis. The major finding is the anatomic variability of the fistula site, with three primary patterns of communication evident for both right and left atrial termination. These anatomic findings become relevant to (a) the proper diagnostic interpretation of arteriograph, and (b) the proper selection of a surgical approach.
Gluconeogenesis and insulin in the ketotic variety of childhood hypoglycemia and in control children

Following deprivation of carbohydrate and of calories, children with ketotic hypglycemia and control children exhibited equally low levels of glucose and of insulin. Gluconeogenesis from glycerol was unimpaired. In comparison with adults, children readily develop hypoglycemia when deprived of food, possibly due to the relatively greater mass of the brain and its greater need for fuel.
The use of mineral interfaces in sand-sized rock fragments to infer ancient climate

The kinds of mineral interfaces preserved in rock fragments of modern plutoniclastic sand are closely correlated with. climate and topography in the source area. Stepwise linear-regression analysis of the relationship among environmental and petrographic parameters for sand collected from 16 drainages of varying morphology developed on five granodiorite plutons demonstrates that sand composition varies systematically with temperature and precipitation, and drainage steepness and area, for small drainages in temperate climates. The durability of each kind of mineral interface in sand-sized rock fragments derived from the plutons depends on mechanical, chemical, and textural factors. Interfaces are mechanically stressed by differential expansion of minerals during unroofing; interfaces between minerals of similar expansibility/compressibility are more likely to remain uncracked and thus survive weathering. The rate and extent of chemical dissolution of interfaces depends on the crystallography and chemistry of adjoining minerals; interfaces between minerals of similar structure that have short atomicbond lengths are more likely to survive. Mineral inclusions are texturally isolated from rock-disaggregating processes and thus more likely to survive. Interfaces of opaque with tectosilicate minerals are enriched relative to other interfaces by progressive disaggregation, the rate and extent of which increase with increasing temperature. Interfaces of biotite with tectosilicates are depleted relative to other interfaces with increasing precipitation. Regression analysis yields statistically plausible, testable models of the dependence of modem sand composition on modern climate. Such models can be used to quantitatively estimate ancient mean annual air temperature and precipitation based on ancient sand composition.
New Results and Research Needs on Sediment Movement in Urban Drainage

The Environmental and Water Resources Institute of ASCE has established a task committee to study the problem of sediment movements in urban drainage systems and to make recommendations for new research and for design and modeling improvements. This paper is an initial part of this effort; it addresses a review of related publications within the past 7 years. Sediments can cause sewer blockage, surcharge, early overflows, and large pollutant discharges; their removal is costly. The review of the recent literature shows that much progress on this problem has been made in Europe and that fundamental and applied research and development in the United States is urgently needed.
Global Periodic-Solutions for a Differential Delay System Modeling a Microbial Population in the Chemostat

Abstract We show that nonconstant periodic solutions of the delay-differential system modeling a microbial population in the chemostat S (t) = 1 − S(t) − p(S(t))u(t) u (t) = u(t)[−1 + p(S(t − τ))] exist whenever the positive equilibrium is unstable.
Commentary on Cartilage Hinge Flap for the Repair of Antihelical Defects

Andrew J. Kaufman, MD, FACP, has indicated no significant interest with commercial supporters.
Erroneous interpretation of difference scores: Application to a recent example

Abstract The hypothesis that coping with novelty is a key aspect of intelligence is not supported by the data of Sternberg and Gastel (1989). The authors committed a common error by interpreting correlations involving difference scores without reference to the properties of the components of the difference. When the variances and correlations of the components of their difference score are analyzed, the major effect of coping with novelty, as they have defined it, is to increase and to make more variable the reaction times of examinees. There appears to be no dependable increase in the proportion of common variance of intelligence with their novel task as compared to the nonnovel. Research workers should always interpret correlations involving difference scores, or other linear composites, in terms of the properties of the components.
Management of New‐Onset Congestive Heart Failure in a Patient With Complex Congenital Heart Disease

The authors describe a 37-year-old African American female patient with congenital tricuspid stenosis, a secundum atrial septal defect, a ventricular septal defect, and subpulmonic stenosis whose only surgical intervention was a Glenn shunt procedure at the age of 11. She had been in reasonably good health for 26 years, but developed congestive heart failure. Her deteriorating clinical course was difficult to manage with only medical treatment, and cardiopulmonary transplantation is now being considered for the management of her complicated clinical condition.
Architecture/algorithm codesign of molecular dynamics processors

Molecular Dynamics is notable in High Performance Computing in that it is both sufficiently critical, and not well-enough served by off-the-shelf processors, that it has been continually targeted with domain-specific architectures. These range from the common, i.e., use of accelerators, to FPGA-centric servers describe here, to full-scale ASIC-based systems (e.g., the Anton processor). The strict constraints on achieving strong scaling leads to novel designs, which in turn suggest restructurings of the underlying algorithms. These in turn suggest some changes to the hardware. We discuss the technological issues involved, the implications of various approaches on architecture/algorithm codesign, and how these are likely to affect future high-end processors, both domain-specific and off-the-shelf.