cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Controlled mild hypothermia prolongs survival in a rat model of large scald burns.

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2011; 18:287–291 © 2011 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Abstract Objectives: Early surface cooling of burns reduces pain and depth of injury and improves healing. However, there are concerns that cooling of large burns may result in hypothermia and worsen outcomes. In contrast, controlled mild hypothermia improves outcomes after cardiac arrest and traumatic brain injury. The authors hypothesized that controlled mild hypothermia would prolong survival in a rat model of large scald burns. Methods: Thirty-six Sprague-Dawley rats (250–300 g) were anesthetized with 40 mg/kg intramuscular ketamine and 5 mg/kg xylazine, with supplemental inhalational isoflurane as needed. A single full-thickness scald burn covering 40% of total body surface area was created on each of the rats using a Mason-Walker template placed in boiling water (100°C) for a period of 10 seconds. The rats were then randomized to hypothermia (n = 18) or no hypothermia (n = 18). Core body temperature was continuously monitored with a rectal temperature probe. In the experimental group, mild hypothermia was induced by applying ice packs over the prone rats until their rectal temperature was reduced by 2°C for a period of 2 hours. After 2 hours of hypothermia, the rats were rewarmed back to their baseline temperature with a heating pad. The control rats were not cooled. The rats were monitored until death or for a period of 7 days, whichever was greater. The primary outcome was time to death. The difference in survival between the groups was determined using Kaplan-Meier analysis and the log-rank test. Results: Hypothermia was induced in all experimental rats within a mean of 22 minutes (95% confidence interval [CI] = 17 to 27). The numbers of nonhypothermic and hypothermic rats that were dead at each time point were as follows: 2 hours, five versus none; 18 hours, 16 versus five; 24 hours, 18 versus eight; and 48 hours, 18 versus 13 (p = 0.05). There were no additional deaths after 48 hours. The mean time to survival of the hypothermic rats was significantly greater than that of the nonhypothermic rats (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Induction of brief, mild hypothermia prolongs survival and increases the survival rate in nonresuscitated rats with large scald burns. ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2011; 18:1–5 © 2011 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
Fostering Agency and Artistry in Dancers

Returning to the classroom each year is an act of radical repositioning. Even as I return to the knowledge, experience, and accumulated memories of my teaching and creative practice, I look to ways to restructure how I deliver information and search for new methodologies of learning. Acknowledging the fluid conditions that define teaching movement as a meaning making language, one that is bodily written and subject to multiple translations and transcriptions, requires the ability and desire to tune into the moment while providing momentum and structure. Students need something to push against—either as a means to be propelled forward or to wrestle with the tension of uncertainty. This is what happens in a constructivist classroom. Embracing a constructivist approach means that the students' ideas and research can live and thrive alongside those of the teacher.
A nonlinear analysis of flow in an elastic artery model-steady streaming effects

An analysis of the nonlinear flow of a Newtonian fluid in a linearly elastic tube when subjected to an oscillatory pressure gradient is presented. Two parameters, alpha =a(w/ mu )/sup 1/2/ and epsilon =(D/sub max/-D/sub min/)/D/sub mean/, where mu is the kinematic viscosity, w is the angular frequency, a is the mean radius, and D is the artery diameter, are important to characterize this flow problem. The diameter variation is taken to be small so that the perturbation method is valid, and asymptotic solutions for two limiting cases of the steady-streaming Reynolds number, R/sub s/=( alpha epsilon )/sup 2/ (either small or large), are discussed. The nonlinear convective acceleration induces finite mean pressure gradient and mean wall shear rate even when no mean flow occurs. The magnitude of this effect depends on the oscillatory flow rate, the diameter variation, and the impedance phase angle. The impedance phase angle, which represents the degree of wave reflection, can even change the direction of induced flow. It is shown that the induced mean wall shear rate is approximately proportional to alpha when alpha is large. >
Nanostructure antennas for the LW-IR regime

We review our previous work demonstrating planar dipole antenna structures which operate in the LW-IR regime (30 THz). Integrated metal-oxide-metal tunnel diodes are used as the rectifying element. These nanoantenna structures exhibit a polarization and length dependence expected from classical dipole antennas. We measure specific detectivities of 2*106 cmHz1/2W-1. One way of increasing the detectivity of these antenna structures, which currently are fabricated on top of a silicon-silicon dioxide structure, is to place them on top of a cavity filled with a low-k dielectric to achieve higher antenna gain. We have explored the performance of cavity-backed dipoles for LW-IR operation by numerical simulations, and have experimentally verified the performance of these structures with a 1000-x scale model operating in Ka-band (30 GHz).
Preliminary study of high neutron flux fusion heating

Abstract A heating scheme for nuclear fusion is proposed based on the availability of a high flux, low energy neutron source. The heat is derived in the reaction 6 Li (n, T) 4 He resulting from the incidence of a low energy neutron beam on a sample of 6 Li D. The energy release per reaction, Q = 4.6 MeV, is converted through electron Coulomb collisions thereby quickly dissociating the solid sample to the plasma state. For ⋍ 10 −3 eV neutrons it is estimated that this dissociation occurs in ⋍7 ms for an incident flux of ⋍ 10 17 cm −2 · s −1 . The possibility of further driving the heated fuel to fusion is also discussed.
Transport phenomena in the scale-up of hot filament-assisted chemical vapor deposition of diamond

Abstract Heat transfer and fluid flow in a diamond deposition reactor were examined to identify parameters important to reactor design and scale-up. Physical and mathematical modeling of hot filament-assisted diamond deposition reactors indicated that both ordinary and thermal diffusion are equally important in the transport of nutrient species to the substrate surface. The atomic hydrogen concentration field in the reactor is established mainly by diffusive mixing of the atomic hydrogen with molecular hydrogen and other species in the gas phase. Homogeneous chemical reactions in the gas phase do not significantly affect the atomic hydrogen concentration profiles. In hot filament reactors, in addition to convection, conduction and radiation, filament-to-substrate heat transfer takes place by dissociation of molecular hydrogen at or near the filament and recombination of atomic hydrogen at the substrate surface Computer simulation of the heat transfer and fluid flow in a typical hot filament reactor for diamond deposition indicated that system geometry, filament temperature and pressure are important parameters in the design of reactors for coating large areas. The investigation clearly indicates considerable promise of science-based design and scale-up of hot filament reactors for diamond deposition.
Calcium binding cyclic hexapeptide: crystal structure of cyclo-(L-prolyl-glycyl)3 calcium complex

The synthetic cyclic hexapeptide (L-prolyl-glycyl)3 forms a 2 : 1 complex with Ca2+ ion. The cation is sandwiched between the two peptide molecules. The gly-cyl carbonyls from each of the peptides are octahedrally coordinated to the cation with an average calcium oxygen coordination distance of 2.26A. Both the molecules coordinating to the calcium ion have three fold symmetry, but show significant conformational differences. In one of the peptides of the sandwich, the alternate carbonyls point to the opposite sides of the peptide ring while in the other, all the six carbonyls point to the same side of the ring. Three N-H…O hydrogen bonds between the peptides add to the stability of the sandwich.
Predictive methods for rain attenuation using radar and in-situ measurements tested against the 28-GHz Comstar beacon signal

A program to measure the rain attenuation of the Comstar beacon signal at 28.56 GHz has been in continuous operation since March of 1977 at Wallops Island, VA. During the summer of 1977 simultaneous radar and disdrometer measurements at the site were also made and used for predicting path attenuation. The best-fit values of a and b of the relation k = aZ^{b} were deduced for each rain period from the raindrop size measurements, where k is the attenuation coefficient [dB/km] and Z is the reflectivity factor [mm6/m3]. The measured k-Z relations and the simultaneous radar reflectivity measurements along the beacon path were injected into a computer program for estimating the path attenuation. Predicted attenuations, when compared with the directly measured ones, show generally good correlation on a case-by-case basis and very good agreement statistically after an empirical calibration adjustment is applied to the radar data. A method was also tested for predicting fade statistics at another frequency (e.g., 19 GHz) using simultaneous rain rate and fade distributions (28 GHz) in conjunction with disdrometer data. The predicted distributions showed good agreement with radar-predicted levels. The results demonstrate the utility of using radar in conjunction with disdrometer and rain gauge measurements for predicting fade events, long-term fade distributions, and establishing predictive criteria associated with earth-satellite telecommunications.
Dehydration of ethanol on filtrol and modified filtrols

Abstract The commercially available clay cracking catalyst filtrol (SR grade 63) and its heat treated forms have been characterized by chemical, spectral, X-ray and surface measurement methods. The decrease in pore volume of filtrol during heat treatment is accounted for by the phase transition in the system. The catalytic activity of filtrol and its heat modified forms towards dehydration of ethanol have been studied and the catalytic activity has been correlated to the H+ ion concentration. The decrease in the percentage conversion of ethanol for the calcined sample coincides with the decrease in surface acidity and loss of pores during calcination. The activation energy for ethanol dehydration reaction on filtrol has been determined.
Nylon 6 nanocomposites prepared by a melt mixing masterbatch process

Abstract A melt mixing masterbatch process for preparing nylon 6 nanocomposites that provides good exfoliation and low melt viscosities has been investigated. It is known that high molecular weight (HMW) grades of nylon 6 lead to higher levels of exfoliation of organoclays than do low molecular weight (LMW) grades of nylon 6. However, LMW grades of nylon 6 have lower melt viscosities, which are favorable for certain commercial applications like injection molding. To resolve this, a two-step process to prepare nanocomposites based on nylon 6 is explored here. In the first step, a masterbatch of organoclay in HMW nylon 6 is prepared by melt processing to give exfoliation. In the second step, the masterbatch is diluted with LMW nylon 6 to the desired montmorillonite (MMT) content to reduce melt viscosity. Wide angle X-ray scattering, transmission electron microscopy, and stress–strain analysis were used to evaluate the effect of the clay content in the masterbatch on the morphology and physical properties of the final nanocomposite. The melt viscosity was characterized by Brabender Torque Rheometry. The physical properties of the nanocomposites prepared by the masterbatch approach lie between those of the corresponding composites prepared directly from HMW nylon 6 and LMW nylon 6. A clear trade-off was observed between the modulus and melt processability. Masterbatches that have lower MMT content offer a significant decrease in melt viscosity and a small reduction in modulus compared to nanocomposites prepared directly from HMW nylon 6. Higher MMT concentrations in the masterbatch lead to a less favorable trade-off.
Bayesian availability using gamma distributed priors

Abstract Classical statistical estimation techniques have limited usage in predicting system availability when a system, e.g., a computer or telecommunications system, is highly reliable. A Bayesian solution is suggested in this paper. Gamma priors, which are rich in shapes, are assigned to the scale parameters of a gamma distributed component on-time and off-time. Estimation of the gamma priors follows engineer's past experiences for reliability modeling. Both steady-state and instantaneous availabilities are derived using Bayes Theorem. An illustration highlights the assessment and evaluation of the proposed availability measure.
The shape of growing crystals

Abstract The shape of growing crystals was analyzed in terms of three classes of normal modes of growth: (1) a uniform increase in size at constant shape, (2) a shape change and (3) a rigid body translation. These modes were calculated by diagonalizing a quadratic form for the crystal size. The evolution of the shape of a growing crystal was found by equating the change in energy of the surface with the dissipation of the non-equilibrium interface resistance. Calculations were made for rectangular, hexagonal and cubic crystals.
Locating object contours in complex background using improved snakes

An active contour model, called snake, can adapt to object boundary in an image. A snake is defined as an energy minimizing spline guided by external constraint forces and influenced by image forces that pull it toward features such as lines or edges. The traditional snake model fails to locate object contours that appear in complex background. In this paper, we present an improved snake model associated with new regional similarity energy and a gravitation force field to attract the snake approaching the object contours efficiently. Experiment results show that our snake model works successfully for convex and concave objects in a variety of complex backgrounds.
Acquired internal mammary-to-coronary artery communication.

An unusual case of spontaneous development of anastomosis between the right internal mammary artery and right coronary artery was discovered by internal mammary arteriography. This appeared to have been promoted by coronary occlusion. Perfusion was sufficient to preserve myocardial function of the inferior wall.
Determinants of delegation and consultation by managers

Few studies have identified determinants of delegation and consultation. To investigate this question further, we surveyed managers and subordinates in two samples and interviewed managers individually or in focus groups. The use of delegation and consultation with individual subordinates was determined in part by characteristics of the subordinates and the manager–subordinate relationship. More delegation was used for a subordinate who was competent, shared the leader's task objectives, had worked longer for the manager, was a supervisor also, and had a favorable exchange relationship with the manager. Consultation with a subordinate was predicted by goal congruence, subordinate job level, and quality of the leader–member exchange relationship. The managers acknowledged that developing subordinates and empowering them to do their work were important reasons for delegation, but many managers were reluctant to give up control over important decisions or assign an important task to an inexperienced subordinate. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Simulations of the summer hydrometeorological processes of Lake Kinneret

Abstract Lake Kinneret is a 168-km2 lake located in northern Israel. It provides about 50% of the drinking water consumed in this arid country. To manage correctly this vital water resource, it is essential to understand the various hydrometeorological processes that affect its water budget and, in particular, its evaporation. The complexity of the terrain in this region (varying from ≈2800 m to ≈−410 m within a short distance), combined with different types of soil and ground covers surrounding the lake, results in complicated microscale and mesoscale atmospheric motions, including sea, lake, and land breezes, as well as anabatic and katabatic winds. The Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS), a state-of-the-art nonhydrostatic model with two-way interactive multigrid nesting and four-dimensional data assimilation capabilities, was used, together with observations collected near the western and eastern shores of the lake, to study these processes. It was configured with two nested grids centered in t...
Spiral Flow in Rivers, Shallow Seas, Dust Devils, and Models

Spiral flow has been observed in meandering rivers, braided rivers, very shallow sea water, model experiments, and dust devils. Experimental work also produced standing spiral waves and spouts of water. Many observed spirals reversed direction from time to time. Geometry of the system, roughness, and turbulence are perhaps dominant in the control of spiral flow.
High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic Determination of Nitroglycerin in Sublingual, Sustained-Release, and Ointment Dosage Forms

□ A rapid, precise, sensitive, and specific assay for nitroglycerin in sublingual, sustained-release, and ointment dosage forms using high-performance liquid chromatography is described. The nitroglycerin dosage forms were dissolved in methanol, filtered, and injected directly into the liquid chromatograph. A variable-wavelength UV detector operated at 220 nm and a C18 microporous silica column were employed. The mobile phase was methanol–water (40:60).
Mapping the Functional Domains within the Carboxyl Terminus of α-Tropomyosin Encoded by the Alternatively Spliced Ninth Exon

Tropomyosins are highly conserved, coiled-coil actin binding proteins found in most eukaryotic cells. Striated and smooth muscle alpha-tropomyosins differ by the regions encoded by exons 2 and 9. Unacetylated smooth tropomyosin expressed in Escherichia coli binds actin with high affinity, whereas unacetylated striated tropomyosin requires troponin, found only in striated muscle, for strong actin binding. The residues encoded by exon 9 cause these differences (Cho, Y.-J., and Hitchcock-DeGregori, S. E. (1991) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 88, 10153-10157). We mapped the functional domains encoded by the alpha-tropomyosin exon 9a (striated muscle-specific) and 9d (constitutively expressed), by measuring actin binding and regulation of the actomyosin MgATPase by tropomyosin exon 9 chimeras and truncation mutants expressed in E. coli. We have shown that: 1) the carboxyl-terminal nine residues define the actin affinity of unacetylated tropomyosin; 2) in the presence of Ca2+, the entire exon 9a is required for troponin to promote fully high affinity actin binding; 3) the first 18 residues encoded by exon 9a are critical for the interaction of troponin with tropomyosin on the thin filament, even in the absence of Ca2+. The results give new insight into the structural requirements of tropomyosin for thin filament assembly and regulatory function.
Work in progress — Using a “cigar box” guitar to teach waves and sound in a high school physics program

NASA-Threads is a full length high school physics program developed by Louisiana Tech University faculty with support from NASA. NASA-Threads is a partnership between K-12 schools and Louisiana Tech University that aims to improve high school student achievement in mathematics and science. This partnership will result in better prepared students entering science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs at the university level. Our previous experiences with K-12 program development have shown that long-term impact on students comes through close collaborative relationships between their teachers and university faculty. This paper presents how mathematics and science fundamentals are shown through the construction of a cigar box guitar. Tuning the guitar further develops the physics concepts of sounds, frequency, and waves.
Effect of chilling injury on windrowed peanuts.

Quantitative gas chromatographic analysis of peanut volatiles showed ethanol concentrations in chilled seed with diameters 5.95 and 6.75 mm to be higher than in chilled seed with diameters between 6.75 and 7.94 mm. Normal ethanol concentrations were observed for both large and small seed in the control. Specific conductivity of leachates from the small diameter chilled seed was two to three times higher than the control. Only small differences were observed in the specific conductivity of leachates from the large diameter seed for the chilled treatment and the control. Results suggest that, when exposed to chilling temperatures, respiration in the small seed changed from an aerobic to an anaerobic process. The changes may be caused by modifications in the cell membrane structures of relatively immature seed as a result of exposure to chilling temperatures, with less effect in larger, more mature seed. peratures in the daytime, damage to the quality of the fruit occurs. The chilling temperature, exposure time, and subsequent warming rate determine the extent of damage (5). The indeterminate flowering characteristic of the peanut plant predisposes it to the presence of seed of different size and maturity at any given harvest date. Immature seed have a higher moisture content (16) and because of their immature development are more susceptible to chilling injury. This study was initiated to assess the effect of chilling injury on the chemical composition of peanuts exposed to chilling temperatures in the windrow.
Alterations in the Saccharomyces MAL-activator cause constitutivity but can be suppressed by intragenic mutations.

The Saccharomyces MAL-activator regulates the maltose-inducible expression of the MAL structural genes encoding maltose permease and maltase. Constitutive MAL-activator mutant alleles of two types were identified. The first were truncation mutations deleting C-terminal residues 283–470 and the second contained a large number of alterations compared to inducible alleles scattered throughout the C-terminal 200 residues. We used site-directed in vitro mutagenesis of the inducible MAL63 and MAL63/23 genes to identify the residues responsible for the negative regulatory function of the C-terminal domain. Intragenic suppressors that restored the inducible phenotype to the constitutive mutants were identified at closely linked and more distant sites within the MAL-activator protein. MAL63/mal64 fusions of the truncated mutants suggest that residues in the N-terminal 100 residues containing the DNA-binding domain also modulate basal expression. Moreover, a transcription activator protein consisting of LexA(1–87)-Gal4(768–881)-Mal63(200–470) allowed constitutive reporter gene expression, suggesting that the C-terminal regulatory domain is not sufficient for maltose-inducible control of this heterologous activation domain. These results suggest that complex and very specific intramolecular protein–protein interactions regulate the MAL-activator.
Gilbert and Descartes: the science of conserving the compound body.

We shall proceed as follows: In section ii, we shall give a brief over-view of the literature on Gilbert, more to indicate general directions of interest than to present any in-depth analysis. Then, in the main body of this presentation, section iii, we will present three ways in which we think it is accurate to claim that Gilbert influenced Descartes. These are: (1) Gilbert gave Descartes a new definition of an organ; (2) Gilbert gave Descartes a new definition of what constitutes life and animation; (3) Gilbert gave Descartes a new view of natural motion.
Packaging of AeDNV-GFP transducing virus by expression of densovirus structural proteins from a sindbis virus expression system.

Abstract Genetic recombination resulting in the production of wild-type infectious virus is an obstacle in the current system for producing densovirus transducing particles. In order to eliminate this problem, a double subgenomic Sindbis virus (TE/3′2J/VP) was engineered that expresses the structural proteins (VPs) of Aedes densonucleosis virus (AeDNV) from the second subgenomic promoter. Expression of AeDNV VPs from TE/3′2J/VP was confirmed by Northern analysis of RNA from infected C6/36 ( Aedes albopictus ) cells and by indirect immunofluorescence in infected C6/36 cells and BHK-21 cells. TE/3′2J/VP was used to infect C6/36 cells transfected with p7NS1–GFP, a plasmid expressing the nonstructural genes of AeDNV and green fluorescent protein (GFP) as a reporter gene. This infection resulted in the production of AeDNV–GFP transducing virus, which is infectious to C6/36 cells and Aedes aegypti larvae, as determined by GFP expression. The TE/3′2J/VP packaging system produced titers of transducing virus comparable to those produced by the standard two-plasmid method. The possibility of recombination resulting in wild-type infectious virus in transducing densovirus stocks was eliminated by employing an RNA virus expression system to supply AeDNV structural proteins.
Acute effects of intravenous glucocorticoid on cat spinal motor neuron electrical properties

The acute effects of a single large intravenous dose of methylprednisolone were examined on the resting membrane potentials and the antidromic action potentials characteristics in cat lumbar spinal motor neurons via intracellular recording. A 30 mg/kg glucocorticoid dose was found to cause a 3.5 mV hyperpolarization of the resting membrane potential. An examination of the effects of the single dose on the conduction and generation of an antidromic action potential revealed an increased conduction velocity along the myelinated motor axon, a decreased conduction rate through the unmyelinated initial axon segment, an increased threshold for antidromic soma-dendritic activation, a decreased action potential zero overshoot and a faster repolarization. All of these effects were greatest after the 30 mg/kg methylprednisolone dose except for the increase in the antidromic soma-dendritic threshold which was even greater after 60 mg/kg. The 30 mg/kg dose also caused a stimulus-bound repetitive discharge in a third of the motor neurons which appeared to arise in the myelinated motor axon or initial axon segment. The neurophysiological implications of these acute glucocorticoid actions are discussed.
Study of precipitation and deformation characteristics of the aluminium-lithium alloy by X-ray double crystal diffractometry

The X-ray double crystal diffractometry technique was utilized to follow the ageing and deformation characteristics in the aluminium-lithium (Al-Li) alloy. This non-destructive method is extremely sensitive to measure the strain and dislocation density within individual grains through X-ray rocking curves. For ageing at 200 ° C, optimum ageing needed for maximum hardness was 32 h. Dislocation multiplication was responsible for reduction of hardness beyond 32 h ageing. In addition, when the specimen was deformed in tension, both compressive and tensile residual strains were found within individual grains.
The ultraviolet photoelectron spectrum of free-base porphyrin revisited. The performance of local density functional theory

Abstract The performance of the local density functional (LDF) method in calculating the ultraviolet photoelectron spectra (UPS) of extended conjugated systems has been explored by a case study of free-base porphyrin, for which an experimental UPS is available. Four of the lowest ionization potentials (IPs) have been computed. The LDF IPs are in significantly better agreement with experiment than large-basis ab initio IPs obtained by Koopmans' theorem or ΔSCF calculations.
Rehabilitation after hip fracture—equal opportunity for all?

Abstract Objectives: To determine whether factors unrelated to clinical appropriateness affect use of physical and occupational therpay (PT/OT) in elderly Medical patients with acute hip fracture. Design: Bivariate and multivariate analysis of detailed clinical data retrospectively gathered from medical records and of nonclinical variables obtained through linkage with the American Hospital Association data base. Setting: 297 randomly selected hospitals from 5 states. Pateints: 2,762 elderly Medicare patients hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of acute hip fracture who were hospitalized during 1981–1982 or 1985–1986. Interventions: Observational study. Main Outcome Measures: Initiation and intensity of PT/OT while in the acute hospital. Results: We found evidence that factors not relevant to clinical appropriateness, such as race, hospital size, and state, significantly affect whether patients receive any PT/OT after acute fracture, as well as the intensity of PT/OT. For example, after controlling for patient clinical characteristics, we found that 63% of African-American patients received low-intensity PT/OT in comparison to 43% among son—African-Americans, and we found threefold differences among states both in initiation of PT/OT and in the intensity of its use. Overall, clinical characteristics had relatively greater influence on whether patients started PT/OT, whereas factors not relevant to clinical appropriateness had relatively greater influence on how much rehabilitation was provided. Concusion: There are significant disparities in use of rehabilitation after hip fracture, only partially explained by patient clinical characteristics. Factors without obvious relevance to the clinical appropriateness of PT/OT exert a significant influence on use of rehabilitation services, particularly on the intensity of their use.
Sex differences in antiplatelet response in ischemic stroke

Sex differences exist in the occurrence, treatment and outcome of ischemic stroke. Compared with men, women have more stroke events and are less likely to fully recover from a stroke. Given the rapidly aging population, stroke incidence and mortality among women are projected to substantially rise by 2050. This has important public health consequences. Mitigating the burden of stroke among women will require a fundamental understanding of sex differences and sex-specific issues including cerebrovascular disease pathophysiology, treatment and outcome. An aspect of stroke treatment receiving increasing but insufficient attention involves possible interactions between estrogen levels, antiplatelet drugs and stroke outcome. Emerging evidence suggests that antiplatelet therapy may provide primary stroke protection but not primary myocardial infarction prevention in women, while the opposite may be true among men. Understanding sex-specific issues related to women who experience stroke is critical to clinicians who treat women with antiplatelet medications as part of a secondary stroke prevention regimen; however, the ideal antiplatelet medication, and dose, in women requires further research. In this article we present a conceptual framework for sex differences in antiplatelet treatment response in ischemic stroke, thrombus formation and the mediating role of estrogen, sex differences in antiplatelet treatment response in clinical trials, and sex differences in antiplatelet treatment use in ischemic stroke.
THE WEAK INTERACTION

A historical sketch of the weak interaction is presented. From beta ray to pion decay, the V-A theory of Marshak and Sudarshan, CVC principle of equivalence, universality as an algebraic condition, PCAC, renormalized weak Hamiltonian in the rehabilitation of field theory, and some current issues are considered in this review. 47 references. (JFP)
INDUCTION OF OSTEOBLAST AGGREGATION, DETACHMENT, AND ALTERED INTEGRIN EXPRESSION BY BEAR SERUM

Animal models have long been used to elucidate the mechanisms responsible for osteoporosis in humans. The American black bear, an animal that does not experience extensive bone loss normally associated with long-term immobilization (when hibernating), may provide an insight into the nature of the pathogenesis of the disease. Circulating growth and differentiation factors present in the serum may facilitate continued proliferation of bone-forming cells. The aim of our study was to determine the effects of bear serum on human osteoblasts when cultured for extended periods of time. Unexpectedly, exposure to the bear serum in vitro led to the detachment of osteoblasts from the surface of the culture plate after 3 d of incubation. The osteoblasts pulled off the polystyrene surface in sheets and aggregated into floating conglomerations of viable cells. In contrast, osteoblasts cultured in fetal calf serum maintained adherence to the surface of the culture plate. Detachment of osteoblasts propagated in bear serum was time dependent and was associated with an increased expression of integrins compared with osteoblasts propagated in fetal calf serum, as indicated by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and immunostaining.
Tina Theory: Notes on Fierceness

Touching Queerness Everything I know about being queer I learned from Tina Turner. More specifically, you might say that Ike and Tina’s cover of “Proud Mary”— the soundtrack of my childhood—taught me, through camp performance, how to be a “Mary.” During the holiday parties at my great-grandmother Lucille “Big Momma” Jones’ house, for as long as I can remember, we kids ended up in the “Children’s Room” so the grown folks could curse, drink whiskey, smoke, laugh, and be as loose as they felt. The “Children’s Room” was not that special. It was usually a bedroom with a computer or television and a few board games, located next to the food which was always laid out buffet style. My favorite moments were when we would lip sync for our lives by doing drag karaoke, where my cousins and I would lock ourselves away and perform great popular music hits for an invisible audience. We pulled songs from Christina Aguilera or Britney Spears’ latest album to older joints that circulated long before our time, songs like “Stop! (In the Name of Love)” by Diana Ross and The Supremes and Patti LaBelle’s “Lady Marmalade.” But one song we kept in our catalog and that we seemed to have the most fun with was the Ike and Tina Turner cover of “Proud Mary.” Whenever we did “Mary” I insisted in being Tina. But what was it that drew me—a black gay boy rooted, like Tina, in Saint Louis, which is either the South or the Midwest depending on who you ask—into her style of performance? And why “Proud Mary” in particular? Was it Tina’s way with sequins and fringe that turned me on? Or did it have to do with the way she instinctively knew how to work a stage? Gay men idolize many kinds of divas, as the cultural critic Wayne Koestenbaum has revealed.1 But perhaps the one commonality they share among them is the virtuosic styling of the body: the use of sequins, fringe, sunglasses, big shoulder pads, and bedazzled hats—accessories that help transform the diva from a mere mortal into a fantastical image, or what Guy Debord might describe as “capital accumulated to the point where it becomes image” even if the pearls are fake (24).
Tuning the metal-insulator crossover and magnetism in SrRuO3 by ionic gating

Reversible control of charge transport and magnetic properties without degradation is a key for device applications of transition metal oxides. Chemical doping during the growth of transition metal oxides can result in large changes in physical properties, but in most of the cases irreversibility is an inevitable constraint. Here we report a reversible control of charge transport, metal-insulator crossover and magnetism in field-effect devices based on ionically gated archetypal oxide system - SrRuO3. In these thin-film devices, the metal-insulator crossover temperature and the onset of magnetoresistance can be continuously and reversibly tuned in the range 90–250 K and 70–100 K, respectively, by application of a small gate voltage. We infer that a reversible diffusion of oxygen ions in the oxide lattice dominates the response of these materials to the gate electric field. These findings provide critical insights into both the understanding of ionically gated oxides and the development of novel applications.
A three‐dimensional finite element method with arbitrary polyhedral elements

The ‘variable-element-topology finite element method’ (VETFEM) is a finite-element-like Galerkin approximation method in which the elements may take arbitrary polyhedral form. A complete development of the VETFEM is given here for both two and three dimensions. A kinematic enhancement of the displacement-based formulation is also given, which effectively treats the case of near-incompressibility. Convergence of the method is discussed and then illustrated by way of a 2D problem in elastostatics. Also, the VETFEM's performance is compared to that of the conventional FEM with eight-node hex elements in a 3D finite-deformation elastic–plastic problem. The main attraction of the new method is its freedom from the strict rules of construction of conventional finite element meshes, making automatic mesh generation on complex domains a significantly simpler matter. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Political economy, cultural hegemony, and mixes of traditional and modern medicine

Abstract An attempt is made to place the medical public health system of societies essentially in the political economic, rather than, cultural contexts of those societies. The ambiguity of efficacy is recognized both for modern (M) and traditional (T) medicine. Thus the definition of the medical public health situation is placed largely within the power structure of the nation state. In this structure, a medical public health cultural hegemony is seen as paralleling the overall hegemony which maintains social control and otherwise fosters the interests of the ruling class. The mix of M and T elements, their degree of integration, and their availability and use by different classes is seen as related to resource levels and whether a country is socialist or capitalist oriented. Whatever the medical mix, a set of social control functions are suggested: take over; system maintenance; control of actual or potential dissidents; and cooling out. In support of the liberation struggle, the medical public health system passes into new hands and takes on a new mix of T and M with a new emphasis. With the question of efficacy still open. it is suggested that the mix of T and M may not matter as much for health as the control and distribution of resources in society.
Evaluation of a novel colorimetric assay for free oxygen radicals as marker of oxidative stress

Abstract Background Free oxygen radicals play an important role in the pathogenesis of many diseases including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, cancer and aging. Several methods were developed for the direct or indirect measurement of oxygen free radical and its byproducts. The free oxygen radicals monitor (FORM) is a novel point-of-care system for the rapid measurement of free oxygen radicals (FORT) in blood. We have carefully evaluated the use of this assay for batch analysis of plasma samples in a research environment with respect to factors affecting its performance, including storage temperature and duration. Methods We determined the effect of storage, hemolysis, variability and reproducibility of the FORT in blood and plasma. Results Plasma FORT correlated significantly with hsCRP (P Conclusions The day to day variability of FORT, as assessed by multiple measures in a group of controls over time, is minimal. FORT assay isstable when stored at − 80 °C for a couple of months or at 4 °C for a few weeks. FORT correlation with hsCRP and other lipid markers provides an interesting insight and a novel link between oxidative stress, inflammation and lipid metabolism.
A p -version finite element gas bearing program for pivoted calculations based on false transient response

Abstract An efficient finite element program for pivoted gas bearing design calculations, called p -GAS, is presented. The program is constructed based on the modified, steady-state, compressible lubrication Reynolds equation and static equilibrium equations. p -GAS provides pivoted solutions by tracking false transient responses. The present gas bearing finite element program yields accurate numerical solutions. It conveniently provides higher-order solutions since this program utilizes a hierarchical finite element formulation, and it requires less computing time than does even the most efficient known-to-date factored implicit finite difference scheme. The success of p -GAS rests on three factors, namely, the hierarchical p -version finite element method, which reduces the total degrees of freedom needed for modeling the bearing systems; the artificial transient approach which rapidly brings the bearing attitude to the correct attitude; and the Gaussian frontal solver which accelerates the matrix solving time by reducing the in-core storage requirement. Experiments with reduced integrations, which save the computing effort, yield acceptable results. Directions on further reduction of the computations are briefly discussed.
Debating Beta: Considerations for Libraries

For libraries beta testing new products, technical knowledge, staff time, and patience are key but often difficult to muster in tough economies. However, for those libraries that can manage the logistics, beta testing can provide tangible benefits. Early beta testers influence vendors to build products the customers really need, not merely what vendors think is needed. Time spent on beta testing can result in saved staff time later, forging beneficial relationships with vendors, and pushing market forces towards mutual goals. This article details the University of Southern California's (USC) Norris Medical Library's beta experience with Pubget's PaperStats and addresses issues libraries should consider before committing to beta testing products.
Distortion-optimal receiver grouping for MD-FEC coded video streaming

Multiple Description with Forward Error Correction (MD-FEC) coding provides the flexibility, easy adaptivity and distortion-rate optimality that are desirable for delivering streaming video in a network environment with time-varying bandwidth fluctuations and random packet losses. In this paper, we consider the issue of how diverse receivers of a video stream should be grouped — where each group receives a MD-FEC coded bitstream optimized for that group — so that the average video distortion is minimized across all receivers. We show that a sequential grouping solution is optimal for linear distortion-rate functions. For non-linear distortion-rate functions, while the optimal grouping structure may not be sequential in general, we observe that the approximation factor attained by the best sequential solution can be characterized in terms of the “degree of convexity” of the distortion-rate function. Numerical experiments with realistic distortion-rate functions reveal that the difference between the globally optimal grouping solution and the best sequential solution, is typically small. We provide a dynamic programming based polynomial-time algorithm to compute the best sequential solution.
Minban education: the planned elimination of the “people-managed” teachers in reforming China

Abstract Minban (“people-managed”) schooling was used as a very important instrument to deliver educational and political values in China in Mao's era. Originating in the Yan'an Period in the middle 1940s, minban education experienced radicalized and hyperpoliticized development during the Great Leap Forward in 1958 and the Cultural Revolution during 1966–1976. In the reform era since 1979, since China's national development policies required education to target educational quality and economic modernization, the Chinese government planned to eliminate minban schools and minban teachers by the year 2000. The elimination of minban schools was achieved easily through closing and merging schools. However, the minban-teacher elimination policies, including differentiating minban teachers' payroll, admitting a very small proportion of them into the public teacher force and dismissing the majority, have created a variety of problems in rural basic education expansion. The elimination of minban teachers has been a drawn out and painstaking process, which continues into the new millennium.
Modification of theroy on the relation of suspended to bed‐material in rivers

Using a statistical approach together with recently developed theory on turbulent flow, LANE and KALINSKE [see 1 and 2 of “References” at end of paper] arrived at a functional equation relating the amount of suspended material in a stream to the physical characteristics of the bed and channel. They obtain Figure 1. where tc is defined by the expression tc = (c/√γo/ρ) and No is the number of particles per unit-volume of suspended material characterized by a velocity of fall c at the zero-level of suspension; Nb is the concentration of this material in the top layer of the bed-load, γ0 is the bottom shear per unit-area, ρ is the water-density, and ϕ means a “function of”.
Racial disparities in all-cause mortality among veterans with type 2 diabetes.

BACKGROUND Racial differences in mortality among veterans with diabetes are less well characterized than those in the general population.
Microsphere size, precipitation kinetics and drug distribution control drug release from biodegradable polyanhydride microspheres

A thorough understanding of the factors affecting drug release mechanisms from surface-erodible polymer devices is critical to the design of optimal delivery systems. Poly(sebacic anhydride) (PSA) microspheres were loaded with three model drug compounds (rhodamine B, p-nitroaniline and piroxicam) with a range of polarities (water solubilities). The drug release profiles from monodisperse particles of three different sizes were compared to release from polydisperse microspheres. Each of the model drugs exhibited different release mechanisms. Drug distribution within the polymer was investigated by laser scanning confocal microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Rhodamine, the most hydrophilic compound investigated, was localized strongly toward the microsphere surface, while the much more hydrophobic compound, piroxicam, distributed more evenly. Furthermore, all three compounds were most uniformly distributed in the smallest microspheres, most likely due to the competing effects of drug diffusion out of the nascent polymer droplets and the precipitation of polymer upon solvent extraction, which effectively "traps" the drug in the polymer matrix. The differing drug distributions were manifested in the drug release profiles. Rhodamine was released very quickly independent of microsphere size. Thus, extended release profiles may not be obtainable if the drug strongly redistributes in the microspheres. The release of p-nitroaniline was more prolonged, but still showed little dependence on microsphere size. Hence, when water-soluble drugs are encapsulated with hydrophobic polymers, it may be difficult to tailor release profiles by controlling microsphere size. The piroxicam-loaded microspheres exhibit the most interesting release profiles, showing that release duration can be increased by decreasing microsphere size, resulting in a more uniform drug distribution.