cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Current and Future Trends in the Diagnosis of Periprosthetic Hip Infection

The challenge of confirming the diagnosis of prosthetic hip infection is two-fold. First, the presentation of the patient with a prosthetic hip infection often has limited or few subjective complaints and physical findings, nonconfirmatory inflammatory laboratory markers, and negative culture results. Second, there has not been consistent agreement of the definition of prosthetic join infection. Recent work by the Musculoskeletal Infection Society has created a new uniform definition for research and clinical use that may improve the ability to accurately diagnose prosthetic hip infections individually and share data among different sites for research collaboration.
Quality Trait Variation in Major Hard Red Spring Wheat Cultivars Released in North Dakota Since 1968

ABSTRACT Over the last 40 years, grain yield of hard red spring wheat (HRSW) (Triticum aestivum L.) has increased dramatically in North Dakota and neighboring regions. This yield increase has caused some concern that recent higher yielding cultivars might be released at the expense of quality performance. A two-year study was initiated in 2004 to examine the changes in quality performance of HRSW cultivars released by North Dakota State University (NDSU) over the past 40 years. The experiment was conducted in North Dakota at three and two sites in 2004 and 2005, respectively. The study included 33 HRSW genotypes laid out in a randomized complete-block design with four replicates. Grain protein content, flour-extraction yield, mixogram scores, Falling Number, glutograph scores, water absorption, dough character score, and loaf volumes did not vary significantly with year of release. Linear regression of cultivar means on year of release showed an annual increase in crumb color score of 0.4%/yr since 1968. ...
Reply to Elsila et al.: Large enantiomeric excesses in primitive meteorites, an analytical and computational supplement

We address here Elsila et al.’s criticism (1) regarding our recent article (2) and, in particular, their claim that our chiral analyses of isoleucine (ile)/alloisoleucine (allo) diastereomers were possibly flawed. We first remind the authors that these compounds’ enantiomeric excesses (ee) were already studied recently, validated by compound-specific 13C analyses (3), and their unambiguous meteoritic indigeneity remains the foundation for our new, expanded analyses (2).
Carson Pirie Scott: Louis Sullivan and the Chicago Department Store

Long recognized as a Chicago landmark, the Carson Pirie Scott Building also represents a milestone in the development of architecture. The last large commercial structure designed by Louis Sullivan, the Carson building reflected the culmination of the famed architect's career as a creator of tall steel buildings. In this study, Joseph M. Siry traces the origins of the building's design and analyzes its role in commercial, urban, and architectural history. Originally constructed to house the Schlesinger and Mayer Store, Sullivan's building was one of a number of large department stores built at the turn of the century along State Street in Chicago's burgeoning retail district. Replacing a generation of commercial architecture that had grown out of the Great Fire of 1871, these new buildings were tall and steel-framed, a construction that posed new aesthetic problems for designers. Handsomely illustrated with more than one hundred photographs and drawings, Carson Pirie Scott provides an illuminating history of a pivotal architectural work and offers an original, revealing assessment of how Sullivan, responding to the commercial culture of his time, created a fresh, distinctive American building.
Antimicrobial interference with bacterial mechanisms of pathogenicity: effect of sub-MIC azithromycin on gonococcal piliation and attachment to human epithelial cells.

The effects of subinhibitory concentrations of azithromycin (CP-62,993) on the piliation and attachment properties of Neisseria gonorrhoeae were examined. Subinhibitory concentrations of azithromycin significantly reduced the percentage of gonococci that expressed assembled pili on their surfaces by decreasing pilin subunit synthesis and substantially decreased gonococcal adherence to human mucosal cells. Images
STUDIES ON NATURAL IMMUNITY TO PNEUMOCOCCUS TYPE III I. THE CAPACITY OF STRAINS OF PNEUMOCOCCUS TYPE III TO GROW AT 41°C. AND THEIR VIRULENCE FOR RABBITS

1. A correlation appears to exist between the failure of certain strains of Pneumococcus Type III to grow at 41°C. and their lack of virulence for rabbits. 2. It is likely that the capacity to grow at 41°C.—an attribute constantly but not exclusively associated with strains of Pneumococcus Type III virulent for rabbits—is a prerequisite, but not the sole factor, in determining their virulence for these animals.
Asymmetric dimethylarginine and coronary artery calcium scores are increased in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus

Abstract Objective Patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have an increased risk for cardiovascular events and mortality. Elevated concentrations of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), an endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase, are associated with increased subclinical atherosclerosis and cardiovascular events. The objective of this study was to determine whether plasma ADMA levels are increased in patients infected with HIV and whether this is associated with cardiovascular risk factors, inflammatory/thrombotic biomarkers, and elevated coronary artery calcium scores (CACS). Methods HIV-infected patients and control patients were recruited in a case-control study. Medical history and laboratory measurements including plasma ADMA and biomarkers for inflammation and thrombosis such as C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen, and homocysteine were obtained in both cohorts. Using multidetector computed tomography, CACS were measured in Agatston Units (AU). Bivariate differences between HIV-infected and control patients were analyzed. Results HIV-infected patients ( n = 37, male = 27, age = 45 years) had significantly higher concentrations of ADMA (0.40 ± 0.10 μmol/l) compared to a similarly matched cohort of non-HIV-infected patients ( n = 43, male = 27, age = 45 years), (0.35 ± 0.07 μmol/l, p = 0.03). There were no significant differences in CRP, homocysteine, and fibrinogen between the two cohorts. However, HIV-infected patients had a higher CACS distribution compared to control patients [0.0 (8.5) vs. 0.0 (0.0) AU, p = 0.01]. In a multivariable regression analysis HIV-infected patients with a relative CACS of 75–90% for age and gender had the highest ADMA concentrations (0.48 ± 0.09 μmol/l, p = 0.04) among all CACS subgroups. Conclusion : HIV-infected patients have significantly higher ADMA concentrations compared to control patients. In addition, increased CACS was associated with elevated ADMA concentrations. Thus, increased ADMA levels appear to be associated with the presence of subclinical atherosclerosis in HIV-infected patients.
Existence and uniqueness of pseudo-almost periodic solutions to some classes of semilinear differential equations and applications

This paper is concerned with the existence and uniqueness of pseudo-almost periodic solutions to the class of semilinear differential equations of the form u'(t) + Au(t) = f(t, Bu(t)), (*), where - A is the infinitesimal generator of an analytic semigroup acting on a (complex) Banach space X, B : D(B) ⊂ X ↦ X is a densely defined closed linear operator, and f : R × X ↦ X is a jointly continuous function. Under some suitable assumptions on A, B, and f, the existence and uniqueness of a pseudoalmost periodic solution to (*) is obtained.
Historical overview: from ChildServ to Help Me Grow.

• Children and their families benefit from a coordinated, region-wide system of early detection and care coordination. • Extensive outreach is required to link at-risk children and their families to programs and services. • While expansion of developmental programs may fail to receive support, enhancement of such programs may be politically acceptable. • A single point of access facilitates referrals to developmental programs and services.
The Influence of Social Networks and Social Support on Violence by Persons With Serious Mental Illness

The authors examined the relationship between violent acts and threats by persons with serious mental illness, the size and composition of their social networks, and characteristics of the social support they received. Methods: A group of 169 respondents with serious mental illness and 59 of their significant others were interviewed using structured and semi-structured protocols to elicit data on demographic characteristics, clinical characteristics, characteristics of respondents' social networks and of the social support they received, and perceptions of threat within the social network. Data on acts and threats of violence by respondents over an 18-month period were collected from self-reports by respondents and significant others and from hospital and court records. Results: Fifty-six respondents either threatened violence or committed a violent act during the study period. Respondents with a diagnosis of schizophrenia were more likely to commit violent acts but were not more likely to threaten violen...
The Challenges of Plasma Modeling: Current Status and Future Plans

Successfully modeling X-ray emission from astrophysical plasmas requires a wide range of atomic data to be rapidly accessible by modeling codes, enabling calculation of synthetic spectra for fitting with observations. Over many years the astrophysical databases have roughly kept pace with the advances in detector and spectrometer technology. We outline here the basic atomic processes contributing to the emission from different types of plasmas and briefly touch on the difference between the methods used to calculate this data. We then discuss in more detail the different issues addressed by atomic databases in regards to what data to store and how to make it accessible. Finally, the question of the effect of uncertainties in atomic data is explored, as a reminder to observers that atomic data is not known to infinite precision, and should not be treated as such.
A Study of Step Coverage Morphologies of SiH4-WSix, and SiH2Cl2-WSix for Ulsi Technologies

Ultrathin refractory metal silicide films, such as tungsten silicide (WSix) offer a wide range of applications in VLSI and ULSI circuits such as local interconnects, bit lines and wordlines. One practical way of depositing WSix is by a CVD technique in which WF6, is reduced by either silane (SiH4) or dichlorosilane (SiH2 Cl2 ). In this investigation, step coverage characteristics of silane based and dichlorosilane based tungsten silicide films, deposited by low pressure chemical vapour deposition method will be compared. WSix films of various thicknesses (1200–2000 A) were deposited on topographies created by patterning poly-Si layers. WSix, step coverage was evaluated as a function of deposition temperature, poly-Si layer thickness and poly-Si line spacing. Field emisssion scanning electron microscopy was used to characterize step coverage profiles. It is clearly shown that, silane based WSix films deposited on poly-Si lines with sub 0.5 micron spacings result in poor step coverage which could lead to higher localized stress, cracking and higher line resistance. Dichlorosilane based WSix, on the other hand showed more conformal step coverage, which results in better process marhin for subsequent patterning steps. Finally, it was also observed that, the final silicide profile is highly dependent on the thickness of the underlying poly-Si layer, as well as poly patterning process margin.
Anomalous dispersive photonic bandgap fiber for ultra short pulse compression

We simulate the pulse compression around 1550 nm using one stage highly anomalous dispersive photonic crystal fibers, including silica-core photonic crystal fiber with a dispersion value of 600 ps/nm/km and air-core photonic bandgap fiber with a dispersion value of 100 ps/nm/km. A 1.64ps pulse with peak power of 500kW is compressed down to 0.136 ps with a compression factor of 12 by 4.3 m photonic bandgap fiber. Experimental results show that a 1.64 ps pulse is compressed down to 0.357 ps with a compression factor of 4.6 by 1.7 m photonic crystal fiber.
A Locus Closely Linked to Mtv7 on Mouse Chromosome 1 Influences Development of Acute Versus Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease in a Murine Model

The relationship between acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is not well understood. A murine model of acute and chronic GVHD is the B6D2F1 parent → F1 model in which transfer of C57BL/6 parental strain lymphoid cells to B6D2F1 recipients results in development of Th1-mediated acute GVHD, whereas transfer of DBA/2 parental strain lymphoid cells to B6D2F1 recipients results in development of Th2-mediated chronic GVHD. Numerous studies have investigated the reason for the differential development of acute versus chronic GVHD in this model but have as yet failed to identify the factor that determines which type of T helper cell will predominate and thereby which type of GVHD will develop. In this report, we demonstrate, using congenic strains of mice, that a locus in the vicinity of the Mtv7 locus on Chromosome 1 of the mouse significantly influences development of acute versus chronic GVHD in the B6D2F1 model.
Voting for Play: The Democratic Potential of Progressive Era Playgrounds

For Massachusetts children, including those in the city of Lynn, December 8, 1908 was a date of particular importance. That day their fathers voted whether their city would accept the new state playground law. The law required cities and towns with over 10,000 residents to provide and maintain playgrounds for the “recreation and physical education of minors.” In Lynn, as in other cities, a high level of publicity surrounded the referendum. Editorials and front-page advertisements ran in the local papers, and posters hung in business windows. Even children participated. On election day, members of the Lynn Boys' Club paraded the streets wearing banners that proclaimed, “Vote for playgrounds for me.” The triumphant “yes” vote of 11,122 to 1,083 set a Lynn record for the first time the citizens had ever turned in a vote that reached five figures. By March 1909, thirty-nine Massachusetts cities and towns had held referendums; all but two agreed to impose the new law on themselves.
The chemical nature of surface point defects on MoO3(010): adsorption of hydrogen and methyl.

We report density functional theory calculations using the Adaptive Coordinate Real-space Electronic Structure (ACRES) method of the terminal oxygen vacancy on the (010) surface of MoO3, within a (2 × 2) ordered array of vacancies on the surface. Analysis of the electronic structure of this surface shows that there are unoccupied dangling dxz and dz2 orbitals perpendicular to the surface that are created by the removal of terminal oxygen. The Mo−oxygen bonds surrounding the vacancy contract; however, the overall morphology of the surface is not drastically distorted. The vacancies alter the chemical character of the surface, as shown by studies of hydrogen and methyl binding. On both the “perfect” and vacancy surfaces, hydrogen was most strongly adsorbed over the terminal oxygen and most weakly bound over the symmetric bridging oxygen. Hydrogen is bound over the Mo atom, with a slightly smaller binding energy than hydrogen over the asymmetric bridging oxygen. The most favorable binding site for methyl on ...
Application of an automated extractor/concentractor to the analysis of anticonvulsant drugs in blood serum by high-performance liquid chromatography

Abstract An automated extractor/concentrator has been used to extract a variety of anticonvulsant drugs from blood serum in a concentration range from 0.075 to 80 μg/ml. The volume of serum required varies from 0.1 to 2.0 ml, depending on the concentration of drug. The average absolute extraction recovery is 90% larger; recoveries relative to an internal standard are greater than 95%. The serum extracts were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography on a reversed-phase column with an acetonitrile and phosphate buffer mobile phase. Comparison of results with gas chromatographic and immunoassay techniques was excellent.
Stereoselective Synthesis of Dipeptide β-Turn Mimetics: 7-Benzyl and 8-Phenyl Substituted Azabicyclo[4.3.0]nonane Amino Acid Esters†

A stereoselective method has been developed for the synthesis of 7- and 8-substituted dipeptide beta-turn mimetic azabicyclo[4.3.0]nonane amino acid esters. The allyl groups were introduced in high diastereoselectivity, controlled by 3-phenyl or 4-benzyl groups in pyroglutamic acid derivatives 3 or 9, respectively. The precursors, dehydroamino acids 7 and 13 derived from 5 or 11, underwent asymmetric hydrogenations with Burk's DuPHOS Rh(I)-based catalysts to furnish alpha-amino acid derivatives in high stereoselectivity. The resulting amino acids 8 and 14 were converted to the beta-turn mimetics 6,5-bicyclic lactams 1a-d in high yields.
Perception of neighborhood problems, health behaviors, and diabetes outcomes among adults with diabetes in managed care: the Translating Research Into Action for Diabetes (TRIAD) study.

OBJECTIVE —Recent data suggest that residential environment may influence health behaviors and outcomes. We assessed whether perception of neighborhood problems was associated with diabetes behaviors and outcomes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS —This cross-sectional analysis included 7,830 diabetic adults enrolled in Translating Research Into Action for Diabetes, a study of diabetes care and outcomes in managed care settings. Perception of neighborhood problems was measured using a summary score of participants’ ratings of crime, trash, litter, lighting at night, and access to exercise facilities, transportation, and supermarkets. Outcomes included health behaviors and clinical outcomes. Hierarchical regression models were used to account for clustering of patients within neighborhoods and to adjust for objective neighborhood socioeconomic status (percentage living in poverty) and potential individual-level confounders (age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, income, comorbidity index, and duration of diabetes). RESULTS —After adjustment, residents of neighborhoods in the lowest tertile (most perceived problems) reported higher rates of current smoking (15 vs. 11%) than those in the highest tertile and had slightly lower participation in any weekly physical activity (95 vs. 96%). In addition, their blood pressure control was worse (25 vs. 31% P CONCLUSIONS —Neighborhood problems were most strongly associated with more smoking and higher blood pressure, both of which have significant implications for cardiovascular risk. Potential mechanisms that explain these associations should be further explored in longitudinal studies.
Luteinizing hormone in premenopausal women may stimulate uterine leiomyomata development.

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) has proliferative effects on uterine smooth muscle and leiomyoma tissue in vitro. We hypothesized that luteinizing hormone (LH) would have the same effect by activating the LH/hCG receptor, and it would follow that premenopausal women with higher basal LH levels would be more likely to have leiomyomata. Randomly selected women, aged 35 to 49 years, from a prepaid health plan were screened for leiomyomata with pelvic ultrasound. Urine samples collected during the first or last 5 days of the menstrual cycle were analyzed for LH by immunofluorometric assay, and concentrations were corrected for creatinine (n = 523). Logistic regression and Bayes analyses were used to evaluate the association of LH with presence and size of leiomyomata, adjusting for age, and other risk factors. Women with higher LH were more likely to have leiomyomata (adjusted odds ratios for second and third tertiles were 1.7 and 2.0 compared with lower tertile; 95% confidence intervals, 1.0 to 2.7 and 1.2 to 3.4, respectively). The association was stronger for large leiomyomata. Bayes analyses designed to estimate LH effects on tumor onset separately from tumor growth showed significantly accelerated tumor onset but little evidence of effects on tumor growth. Age, an independent risk factor for leiomyomata, was not affected by inclusion of LH in the logistic models. As hypothesized, women with higher LH were more likely to have leiomyomata, but this did not explain the age-related increase in leiomyomata during perimenopausal ages. Determining whether LH is causal or a marker for susceptibility will require further research. (J Soc Gynecol Investig 2006;13:130-5) Copyright © 2006 by the Society for Gynecologic Investigation.
Ventilation imaging with Kr-81m. A comparison with Xe-133.

Sixty-five patients with suspected pulmonary embolism were studied prospectively with both Kr-81 m and Xe-133 ventilation imaging and Tc-99m MAA perfusion imaging. The krypton images, perfusion scintigrams and chest radiographs were read independently of the xenon images, perfusion scintigrams and chest radiographs by three observers. The studies of 53 patients were interpreted as normal or as indicative of a low or intermediate probability for pulmonary embolism with both gases. One study indicated intermediate probability with Xe-133 due to diffuse, severe xenon retention but low probability with Kr-81 m because of close ventilation-perfusion correspondence. The studies of 9 patients indicated a high probability of embolism with both gases, while those of two additional patients (one with emboli at angiography) indicated a high probability only with Kr-81m. While essential agreement between Xe-133 and Kr-81m ventilation imaging was found in most patients, the significant difference in interpretation in 2 of 11 patients with probable pulmonary embolism suggests that a controlled, prospective trial with pulmonary angiography is warranted before Kr-81m is employed for routine clinical use.
Online Traveling Salesman Problems with Rejection Options

In this paper we consider online versions of the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) on metric spaces for which requests to visit points are not mandatory. Associated with each request is a penalty (if rejected). Requests are revealed over time (at their release dates) to a server who must decide which requests to accept and serve in order to minimize a linear combination of the time to serve all accepted requests and the total penalties of all rejected requests. In the basic online version of the problem, a request can be accepted any time after its release date. In the real-time online version, a request must be accepted or rejected at the time of its release date. For the basic version, we provide a best possible 2-competitive online algorithm for the problem on a general metric space. For the real-time version, we rst consider special metric spaces: on the non-negative real line, we provide a best possible 2.5-competitive polynomial time online algorithm; on the real line, we prove a lower bound of 2.64 on any competitive ratios and give a 3-competitive online algorithm. We then consider the case of a general metric space and prove a ( p lnn) lower bound on the competitive ratio of any online algorithms. Finally, among the restricted class of online algorithms with prior knowledge about the total number of requests n, we propose an asymptotically best possible O( p lnn)-competitive algorithm.
Iron Oxides in Red Beds

This study focuses on: (1) grains of black oxides, (2) pigment in matrix and cement, and (3) natural remanent magnetization in red beds. Black oxides in 13 samples of soils, 26 samples of alluvium in transit and Recent nonmarine deposits, 103 red and drab units in red bed sequences ranging in age from Precambrian to Pleistocene, and in 9 ancient nonmarine drab sequences, were identified by X-ray analysis, supplemented by polished-surface microscopy. These data and pertinent published information support the following conclusions: (1) Magnetite and ilmenite and their various intergrowths predominate in igneous and metamorphic source rocks, and they are delivered relatively unaltered to nonmarine and paralic environments. In oxidizing areas, inherited grains of oxide begin to alter to black hematite and leucoxene. Oxidation continues long after burial, so that successively older red beds contain relatively more hematite. In reducing environments, inherited oxide grains begin to dissolve. Loss of more easily destroyed magnetite increases the relative amounts of ilmenite and black hematite. The latter apparently developed en route or in a preceding oxidizing episode. (2) Muddy alluvium commonly contains brown amorphous and hydrated ferric oxide pigment which begins to age and also dehydrated to red hematite in oxidizing environments. Sandy alluvium with little matrix, after having accumulated in desert basins, acquires hematite pigment largely by postdepositional in situ alteration of iron-bearing silicates. (3) Most detrital red beds possess chemical remanent magnetization (CRM) which was imposed on some of the black grains of hematite after their postdepositional oxidation. Any detrital remanent magnetization (DRM) initially lodged in inherited black oxide grains is destroyed by small-scale organic and inorganic disturbance, as well as by the intrastratal hematitization. Red pigment in matrix and cement may also acquire CRM as the developing hematite grows through critical crystal sizes; in hematite-cemented quartz arenites this is the principal component of natural remanent magnetization (NRM).
Phase Transition in Rigid QED

We present a new model of QED which exhibits two distinct phases. The model emerges in the first-quantized formalism where it is possible to generalize QED by adding the curvature of the world line to the usual kinetic term, the arc length action of the point particle. The Boltzmann factor associated with the curvature term favors rigid paths. The curvature term is not only scale-invariant and hence renormalizable but it is also the unique reparametrization-invariant term with second derivatives with this property. The new term transforms a single electron of mass m into an infinite number of particles with masses varying inversely with the spin (Majorana mass spectrum). The value of the bare curvature coupling determines which phase the theory is in. For bare curvature coupling α0 less than a certain critical coupling αc, we recover conventional QED as one phase where the curvature term is absent at large distance scales in the continuum theory. For α0 greater than αc, we have a new phase characterized by a curvature law. Using mean field theory methods, we determine αc to be of the order of one. We argue that the positronium spectrum in the strong curvature phase is approximately described by a Majorana mass formula. Even though the GSI experiments might not survive further experimental tests, we nevertheless examine the Majorana spectrum with the three observed narrow e+ e− peaks observed in the GSI experiments and make some possible new predictions.
Radiation safety program for the cardiac catheterization laboratory

The Society of Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions present a practical approach to assist cardiac catheterization laboratories in establishing a radiation safety program. The importance of this program is emphasized by the appropriate concerns for the increasing use of ionizing radiation in medical imaging, and its potential adverse effects. An overview of the assessment of radiation dose is provided with a review of basic terminology for dose management. The components of a radiation safety program include essential personnel, radiation monitoring, protective shielding, imaging equipment, and training/education. A procedure based review of radiation dose management is described including pre-procedure, procedure and post-procedure best practice recommendations. Specific radiation safety considerations are discussed including women and fluoroscopic procedures as well as patients with congenital and structural heart disease.
I. A. Richards' rhetorical theories in the classroom

(1980). I. A. Richards' rhetorical theories in the classroom. Rhetoric Society Quarterly: Vol. 10, No. 4, pp. 240-253.
Chant research at the turn of the century and the analytical programme of Helmut Hucke

The end of a century, like the end of any era, is a time to take stock and lay plans. This is no less true of plainsong and medieval music than of any field of human endeavour. So it comes as no surprise to encounter in our professional literature exhortations to re-envision our subject and to contemplate its direction in the twenty-first century. Richard Crocker has been particularly cogent in recommending the abandonment of lost causes and the adoption of new or neglected research methods.1 The attempt to read the oldest melodic texts of plainchant as the trace of the sumptuous oral tradition that preceded them, however tantalizing, is ultimately unsatisfying in his view, perhaps even vain. In its place he urges us to cultivate a critical, evaluative understanding of chants composed in the era of musical notation, that is, as authoritative compositions of the time when they were copied rather than as witnesses to an obsolescent oral tradition. Putting this advice into practice would require more listening, performing and remembering of chants as they are and less speculation about how they got that way.
Microstructural evolution and tensile properties of Sn–Ag–Cu mixed with Sn–Pb solder alloys

Abstract The effect of incorporating eutectic Sn–Pb solder with Sn–3.0Ag–0.5Cu (SAC) Pb-free solder on the microstructure and tensile properties of the mixed alloys was investigated. Alloys containing 100, 75, 50, 25, 20, 15, 10, 5 and 0 wt% SAC, with the balance being Sn–37Pb eutectic solder alloy, were prepared and characterized. Optical and scanning electron microscopy were used to analyze the microstructures while “mini-tensile” test specimens were fabricated and tested to determine mechanical properties at the mm length scale, more closely matching that of the solder joints. Microstructural analysis indicated that a Pb-rich phase formed and was uniformly distributed at the boundary between the Sn-rich grains or between the Sn-rich and the intermetallic compounds in the solder. Tensile results showed that mixing of the alloys resulted in an increase in both the yield and the ultimate tensile strength compared to the original solders, with the 50% SAC–50% Sn–Pb mixture having the highest measured strength. Initial investigations indicate the formation and distribution of a Pb-rich phase in the mixed solder alloys as the source of the strengthening mechanism.
Oral medroxyprogesterone in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer.

In 47 postmenopausal women with evaluable breast cancer, oral medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) was given at a daily dose level of 400 mg. Patients with negative estrogen receptors, poor performance status, or nonresponse to previous endocrine therapy were excluded from this study. There were 25 (53%) responders to this agent. Periods of remission ranged from 5-26 months with a median of 10 and a mean of 12+ months. Higher rates of response were noted in women over 50 years of age, in patients with osseous metastasis, and in patients with a longer disease-free interval. Adverse effects included weight gain, Cushingoid appearance, skin rash, and vaginal discharge. in this selected group of patients, oral medroxyprogesterone at a dose level of 400 mg/day appeared to provide a significant frequency of tumor response.
Desire for antibiotics and antibiotic prescribing for adults with upper respiratory tract infections.

OBJECTIVE: Prior studies have shown that 60% to 75% of adults with upper respiratory tract infections want antibiotics. More recent research indicates declines in antibiotic prescribing for upper respiratory tract infections. To investigate whether there has been a comparable decrease in patients’ desire for antibiotics, we measured the proportion of adults with upper respiratory tract infections who wanted antibiotics in the winter of 2001–2002. We also sought to identify factors independently associated with wanting antibiotics and antibiotic prescribing. DESIGN: Prospective survey of adults with upper respiratory tract infections prior to visiting an acute care clinic from November 2001 to February 2002. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Thirty-nine percent of 310 patients wanted antibiotics. Many patients wanted relief from symptoms (43%) or pain (24%) and many patients expected to receive a diagnosis (49%) or reassurance during the visit (13%). In multivariable modeling, independent predictors of wanting antibiotics were prior antibiotic use (odds ratio [OR], 2.4; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.3 to 4.7) and current smoking (OR, 3.1; 95% CI, 1.3 to 7.3). Physicians prescribed antibiotics to 46% of patients who wanted antibiotics and 29% of patients who did not want antibiotics (P=.01). In multivariable modeling, wanting antibiotics was an independent predictor of antibiotic prescribing (OR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.1 to 4.4). CONCLUSIONS: Only 39% of adults seeking care for upper respiratory tract infections wanted antibiotics, less than in previous studies. In continuing efforts to break the cycle of inappropriate antibiotic use, physicians should not assume that most patients with upper respiratory tract infections want antibiotics.
Myocardial Infarction and Left Ventricular Hypertrophy Seen on an Infant's Electrocardiogram

The clinical and electrocardiographic features of anomalous left coronary artery from the pulmonary trunk, ALCAPA, a frequently fatal congenital cardiac malformation, are described in an 8 1/2-month-old female.
What is the proper workup of a patient with hypertension

Because hypertension is common and many tests are available, an uncritical approach to laboratory and radiologic evaluation leads to unnecessary expenses. However, in most patients, accurate blood pressure measurement, a focused history and physical examination, and a handful of basic tests are enough. In this review we address the key questions in the evaluation of the patient with an elevated pressure reading, ie, does the patient have sustained high blood pressure? And if so, is the hypertension primary or secondary, are other cardiovascular risk factors present, and is there evidence of target organ damage?
Ventilator Settings Can Substantially Impact Patients' Comfort.

Background:With increasing realization that sedatives may complicate care of mechanically ventilated patients, greater emphasis might turn to promoting comfort by titration of ventilator settings.H...
Assessment of the ability of the topical skin protectant (TSP) to protect against contact dermatitis to urushiol (Rhus) antigen

Background: Military personnel have a need for effective protection against cutaneous exposure to chemical warfare agents (CWA). Topical Skin Protectant (TSP) is being developed to supplement chemical warfare protective garments. TSP protects against CWA exposure in animals, but does it work for humans? Because humans should not be tested with live CWA, urushiol (poison ivy) extract was used as a surrogate substance in place of CWA for human efficacy testing of TSP. Objective: Determine whether TSP protects human skin against experimentally-induced urushiol dermatitis. Methods: Open urushiol patch testing of 50 rhus-sensitive subjects comparing the 96-hour dermatitis severity scores between TSP protected and TSP unprotected sites. There were 4 paired sites (i.e., protected versus unprotected) per subject. Test sites were scored using a 9-point dermatitis scale of 0.0 to 4.0 (using 0.5 increments). Results: Analysis of variance of the dermatitis scores from 192 paired sites on 48 evaluable subjects showed that TSP protected sites had mean dermatitis scores about 2 points lower than TSP unprotected sites (P < .001). Conclusion: Although this study does not provide direct scientific evidence that TSP protects humans against the percutaneous absorption of CWA, it does provide circumstantial evidence that this is the case. The fact that TSP is so highly effective against a lipophilic substance like urushiol and that most common vesicant CWAs are lipophilic and are weaponized in oleaginous vehicles, makes the effectiveness of TSP in preventing absorption and dermatitis from CWA seem likely.
Continuity properties of the solution map for the generalized reduced Ostrovsky equation

Abstract It is shown that the data-to-solution map for the generalized reduced Ostrovsky (gRO) equation is not uniformly continuous on bounded sets in Sobolev spaces on the circle with exponent s > 3 / 2 . Considering that for this range of exponents the gRO equation is well posed with continuous dependence on initial data, this result makes the continuity of the solution map an optimal property. However, if a weaker H r -topology is used then it is shown that the solution map becomes Holder continuous in H s .
Diabetes in NOD mice does not require T lymphocytes expressing Vβ8 or Vβ5

The incidence of destructive pancreatic infiltrates and overt diabetes in animal models of insulin-dependent (type I) diabetes mellitus can be greatly reduced by inactivating or eliminating most T lymphocytes early in life. Because of theoretical and practical concerns about inducing long-term pan-T-lymphocyte inactivation for prevention or treatment of type I diabetes in humans, we hoped that more selective suppression of only the diabetogenic T lymphocyte population might be possible. To this end, two groups suggested that diabetogenic subpopulations of T lymphocytes in NOD mice could be identified by the protein sequence of their T-lymphocyte receptors. This assertion was based on experimental elimination of candidate T-lymphocyte subpopulations in two different short-term models of diabetes induction in NOD mice. For these experiments, identification and elimination of T-lymphocyte subsets were accomplished with monoclonal antibodies that bind specifically to the variable region of the beta-chain (V beta) of the T-lymphocyte antigen receptor and divide the T-lymphocyte pool of the NOD mouse into approximately 20 V beta subsets. To test the relationship between the two T-lymphocyte V beta subsets implicated in these studies and pancreatic beta-cell destruction in unmanipulated animals, both T-lymphocyte subpopulations identified were genetically eliminated from NOD-derived mice by introduction of a mutant T-lymphocyte receptor V beta gene, from which these sequences are genomically deleted. Histological evidence of severe beta-cell destruction and overt diabetes was found in mice homozygous for the deleted V beta gene, indicating that neither V beta gene segment identified in previous studies is required for diabetogenesis in unmanipulated diabetes-prone mice.
Lysosomal and mitochondrial enzymes in avian muscle.

Abstract 1. 1. The distribution of lysosomal and mitochondrial enzymes in various parts of Gallus gallus was determined. 2. 2. The effect of stress and frozen storage on the total and specific activity of the enzymes was studied. 3. 3. The bone marrow and skin tissue had the highest level of lysosomal enzymes. 4. 4. Adipose tissue had a very high RNase activity. 5. 5. Mechanical stress on the tissues increased the lysosomal and mitochondrial activity. 6. 6. The activity of lysosomal enzymes was not affected by frozen storage for 1 year at −15°C.
Induction of the murine class-II antigen-associated invariant chain by TNF-α is controlled by an NF-κB-like element

The murine class-II antigen-associated invariant chain (Ii) is a glycoprotein whose synthesis is co-regulated with the major histocompatibility class-II antigens. The Ii mRNA is inducible by tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). An NF-kappa B protein-binding site (NBS), located in the Ii promoter at bp -121 to -111, confers TNF-alpha inducibility on chimeric reporter constructs expressing the human growth hormone-encoding gene. A distal NF-kappa B-like protein-binding site (NBLS) located at bp -167 to -157 is not required for TNF-alpha inducibility, and deletion of this distal NBLS results in increased constitutive, as well as TNF-alpha-induced, expression of the reporter gene. The NBS is well protected during DNase I footprinting assays and specifically binds proteins in electrophoretic mobility shift assays. A distinct protein-DNA complex is observed when nuclear extracts from TNF-alpha-treated L-cells are used; this complex is not seen in extracts from untreated cells.
Arguing on the computer in scientific and non-scientific domains

A method is employed to promote development of argumentation skills utilizing instant-messaging software as the medium of discourse. A major question investigated is transfer of argumentation skills across content domains. Forty sixth graders engaged in electronic discourse on a controversial topic, for half dinosaur extinction (the science topic) and for the other half homeschooling (the social topic). Participants collaborated with a sameside peer in arguing against successive pairs of peers on the opposing side of an issue; in addition they engaged in some reflective activities. Another 18 sixth graders served in a control condition. Although transfer occurred in both directions, science condition participants exhibited transfer of skills to the social topic to a greater extent than did social condition participants to the science topic. Results show the transfer of developing skills but also suggest the importance as well as feasibility of fostering argument skills in physical as well as social science domains.
Modulation of the ventilatory rhythm of the hellgrammite Corydalus cornutus by mechanosensory input

1. Rhythmic and non-rhythmic sensory inputs during ventilation were recorded from nerves innervating mechanoreceptors on or near the gills. Removal of sensory input by dissection did not alter the frequency of the rhythmic, metachronal retractions of the seven pairs of abdominal gills. 2. Bursts of motor impulses were recorded extracellularly from the gill retractor motor neuron at the same time that movement of water around the gills was produced by delivering a puff of air to the saline covering them. Mechanical stimulation of the gills usually advanced the next burst of impulses to the gill retractor muscle, thereby shortening one cycle of the rhythm. Stimulation advanced the next retraction of all gills as opposed to a single gill or pair of gills. 3. In some animals, a continuous stream of air delivered for 60s to the saline covering the gills increased the ventilatory frequency during that 60-s period. Removal of the stimulus was followed immediately by a return to the unstimulated frequency. 4. A single electrical pulse to the nerve innervating mechanoreceptors on abdominal segment 3 advanced the next burst of motor impulses, as did an air puff, but only if delivered during the last 70% of the expected cycle. A stimulus administered earlier in the cycle had no effect. A shortened cycle was followed by a cycle of average or slightly longer duration; thus the stimulus probably reset the oscillator that generates the rhythm. 5. Rhythmic electrical stimulation of ganglion 3 afferents at a frequency between 100% and 135% of the mean unstimulated ventilatory frequency entrained all segments to the administered frequency of stimulation. The entrainment occurred such that each stimulus was followed at a constant latency by one ventilatory burst. These results suggest that each pulse in the rhythmic series of pulses shortened one cycle in the same way that a single electrical pulse shortened a cycle. 6. Electrical stimulation of afferents in segments other than abdominal segment 3 had little effect on the rhythm. Phasic input is better able to modulate the ventilatory rhythm if it is delivered to the dominant oscillator in abdominal ganglion 3 than if it is delivered to a subordinate oscillator elsewhere.
Chemosignals, hormones and mammalian reproduction.

Many mammalian species use chemosignals to coordinate reproduction by altering the physiology and behavior of both sexes. Chemosignals prime reproductive physiology so that individuals become sexually mature and active at times when mating is most probable and suppress it when it is not. Once in reproductive condition, odors produced and deposited by both males and females are used to find and select individuals for mating. The production, dissemination and appropriate responses to these cues are modulated heavily by organizational and activational effects of gonadal sex steroids and thereby intrinsically link chemical communication to the broader reproductive context. Many compounds have been identified as “pheromones” but very few have met the expectations of that term: a unitary, species-typical substance that is both necessary and sufficient for an experience-independent behavioral or physiological response. In contrast, most responses to chemosignals are dependent or heavily modulated by experience, either in adulthood or during development. Mechanistically, chemosignals are perceived by both main and accessory (vomeronasal) olfactory systems with the importance of each system tied strongly to the nature of the stimulus rather than to the response. In the central nervous system, the vast majority of responses to chemosignals are mediated by cortical and medial amygdala connections with hypothalamic and other forebrain structures. Despite the importance of chemosignals in mammals, many details of chemical communication differ even among closely related species and defy clear categorization. Although generating much research and public interest, strong evidence for the existence of a robust chemical communication among humans is lacking.
A divide and conquer deformable contour method with a model based searching algorithm

A divide and conquer deformable contour method is presented with an initial inside closed contour being divided into arbitrary segments, and these segments are allowed to deform separately preserving the segments' connectivity. A maximum area threshold, A/sub max/, is used to stop these outward contour segments' marching. Clear and blur contour points are then identified to partition the whole contour into clear and blur segments. A bi-directional searching method is then recursively applied to each blur segment including a search for contour-within-contour segment to reach a final close contour. Further improvements are provided by a model based searching algorithm. It is a two-step process with step 1 being a linked contour model matching operation where landmarks are extracted, and step 2 being a posteriori probability model matching and correction operation where large error segments are fine tuned to obtain the final results. The experiments include ultrasound images of pig heart, MRI brain images, MRI knee images having complex shapes with or without gaps, and inhomogeneous interior and contour region brightness distributions. These experiments have shown that the method has the capability of moving a contour into the neighboring region of the desired boundary by overcoming inhomogeneous interior, and by adapting each contour segment searching operation to different local difficulties, through a contour partition and repartition scheme in searching for a final solution.