cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nanoscale aggregation of cellular beta2-adrenergic receptors measured by plasmonic interactions of functionalized nanoparticles.

Adrenergic signaling that controls the contraction of cardiac myocyte cells and the beating of the mammalian heart is initiated by ligand binding to adrenergic receptors contained in nanoscale multiprotein complexes at the cellular membrane. Here we demonstrate that the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) of functionalized silver nanoparticles can be used to report on the receptor aggregation state of specifically label β2-adrenergic receptors on mouse cardiac myocyte cells. Furthermore, multimodal imaging including Raman, Rayleigh scattering, scanning electron microscopy, and luminescence imaging was combined to fully characterize the β2-adrenergic receptor-mediated aggregation of silver nanoparticles on the membrane of cardiac myocytes. Scanning electron microscopy analysis reveals distinct SERS active clusters of between 10 and 70 nanoparticles per signaling domain from ultra-high-resolution images of β2-adrenergic receptor clusters on the cellular membrane. These techniques can be generally appli...
Laparoscopic radiofrequency ablation provides local control of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients awaiting liver transplant

Abstract Introduction: Advanced cirrhotics with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who are not resection candidates are increasingly managed with radiofrequency ablation (RFA). Though commonly performed percutaneously to avoid laparotomy, many lesions are inaccessible via this route because they are too difficult to visualize or safely approach. Laparoscopic RFA overcomes these limitations and makes ablation available to nearly all patients regardless of disease severity or lesion location. Methods: 76 HCC lesions in 53 cirrhotic patients that were not candidates for resection or percutaneous RFA underwent attempted laparoscopic ablation. Feasibility and efficacy of this procedure was determined both as a means of local control and as a bridging therapy to liver transplantation. Results: Mean patient age was 56.8 +/− 9.6 years and nearly 80% were Child's B or C. On an intention to treat basis, ablation feasibility was 87% (66/76 lesions) and efficacy, as determined by complete tumor ablation, was 73% (48/66 lesions). Patients with recurrence had larger primary lesions than patients without recurrence (3.2 +/− 2.2 versus 2.3 +/− 0.8 cm, p Conclusions: In cirrhotics with HCC not amenable to resection or percutaneous RFA, laparoscopic RFA provides efficacious local control and can successfully bridge these patients to liver transplantation.
Determination of yield stress in surface films of lung extract

Abstract A simple apparatus based on the canal viscometer has been used to measure the yield stress in surface films. The apparatus is described and the two-dimensional flow is analyzed as a function of both the yield stress and the surface viscosity. The yield stress of surface films of lung extracts has been measured as a function of the age of extract solution, and the data show a decrease of both the yield stress and the surface viscosity with age. The experiments indicate that the surfactant present in normal lung has the ability to form a two-dimensional network quite rapidly and that this structure has a yield stress of about 3 dynes/cm.
Complete structure of p97/valosin-containing protein reveals communication between nucleotide domains

The ATPase p97/VCP affects multiple events within the cell. These events include the alteration of both nuclear and mitotic Golgi membranes, the dislocation of ubiquitylated proteins from the endoplasmic reticulum and regulation of the NF-κb pathway. Here we present the crystal structure of full-length Mus musculus p97/VCP in complex with a mixture of ADP and ADP–AlFx at a resolution of 4.7 A. This is the first complete hexameric structure of a protein containing tandem AAA (ATPases associated with a variety of cellular activities) domains. Comparison of the crystal structure and cryo-electron microscopy (EM) reconstructions reveals large conformational changes in the helical subdomains during the hydrolysis cycle. Structural and functional data imply a communication mechanism between the AAA domains. A Zn2+ occludes the central pore of the hexamer, suggesting that substrate does not thread through the pore of the molecule.
Understanding and managing the dynamics of linked crisis events

Presents a macro analysis of the dynamics of temporally linked crisis events and the non‐linear effects resulting from the linkage. The nature of crisis is explored as a singular conceptual construct, and four forms of linkage between crises are assessed. Specific emphasis is placed on how such linkages amplify the total damage upon society and lengthen the duration of the cumulative recovery effort. Based on the assessment, new points of strategic planning focus are identified to drive continued empirical research and to support the development of future operational plans in crisis response.
Acid Doping of Polyaniline: Spectroscopic and Electrochemical Studies

A detailed investigation of the acid doping behavior of polyaniline has led to a robust and reproducible procedure for controlled adjustment of the redox state of dry polyaniline films. The initial...
Origin of brine in the San Andres Formation, evaporite confining system, Texas Panhandle and eastern New Mexico

Although regional hydrogeologic data and numerical models suggest that ground water flows downward through the evaporite-confining system in the Palo Duro Basin, new evidence of chemical and isotopic composition of brine from a carbonate bed in the Permian San Andres Formation suggests that post-Permian ground-water movement within the evaporite section has been negligible. Similarity between δD and δ 18 O of brine in San Andres carbonate rock and δD and δ 18 O of Permian fluid inclusions in halite beds implies that brine in the carbonate rock is connate and originated as Permian evaporatively concentrated sea water. Extensive rock-water reactions that account for chemical and isotopic composition of the brine by circulating meteoric ground water seem more complex and less substantiated than does diagenetic change of connate Permian brine. The conflict between hydrogeologic and chemical interpretations is reconciled if (1) there has not been enough time for flow of meteoric ground water to flush connate brine from the carbonate bed since a significant cross-formational gradient in hydraulic head developed, (2) present cross-formational flow of ground water is unevenly distributed between fractured and unfractured areas, and (3) composition of brine sampled at the test wells differs from that of brine in fractured zones that have not been sampled.
Immediate postabortion insertion of an IUD

Abstract Conception may occur as early as 10 days postabortion. Therefore, immediate postabortum insertion (IPI) of an IUD reduces the danger of exposure to an unwanted pregnancy in the interval and offers better protection against repeat abortion than delayed insertion. Patient motivation to use contraception appears to be highest at the time of termination of an unwanted pregnancy. Complication and pregnancy rates of IPI are comparable with postmenstrual insertion. No serious complications are on record in the world literature; particularly, no cases of infection or perforation have been reported. These facts make IPI not only an acceptable but a highly advisable technique of family planning. In 1977, the American Food and Drug Administration rescinded its earlier prohibition and approved the IPI method. Nulliparous women should be inserted with a copper device, parous women with a Lippes loop.
Beyond Lewin: Toward a Temporal Approximation of Organization Development and Change

We describe the new dialogic organization development (OD) fleshed out by Bushe & Marshak (2009). In comparing this approach with the old diagnostic OD, we explore the limitations of Lewin’s (1947) unfreeze-change-freeze model for depicting organizational change over time. We develop an approach that more fully approximates an adequate temporal model of change by incorporating attention to sequence, timing, pacing, rhythm, and polyphonic dimensions present in change. We use this approach to explore longitudinally how the new OD came to be, as well as how it is now entrained with the old OD, and show that our approach reveals a number of dimensions of change that are masked by Lewin’s model. We illustrate the use of our approach beyond OD to depict the temporal dimensions of Tushman & Romanelli’s (1985) model of convergence and reorientation. Finally, we suggest next steps for theory, research, and practice.
Diamond-metal composite coatings on cemented-carbide tools

Abstract The adhesion properties of diamond coatings on cemented-carbide tools have been improved by two approaches: a novel substrate pre-treatment method and a three-step process for making metal-reinforced diamond composites. 1. (1) Diamond powders are rubbed into the voids created by cobalt removal from the cemented carbides. During subsequent diamond deposition these diamond powders consolidate to form the “anchoring roots” of the deposited diamond films, resulting in strong mechanical bonding between the films and substrates. 2. (2) The adhesion can also be improved by adding reinforcing phases using a three-step process. The above two methods have effectively overcome the film delamination problems due to the considerable thermal stress associated with curvature effects.
Penny A. Weiss. Canon Fodder: Historical Women Political Thinkers

Penny A. Weiss. Canon Fodder: Historical Women Political Thinkers. University Park, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2009. ISBN 978–0–271–03519–2. Penny A. Weiss's Canon Fodder: Historical Wom...
Characterization of microsatellite loci in the dusky-footed woodrat, Neotoma fuscipes

Six moderately to highly polymorphic microsatellite loci were developed for dusky-footed woodrats (Neotoma fuscipes) using a modified enrichment protocol. Of the 149 clones sequenced, 33 (22%) contained inserts with greater than 10 repeat units. These loci are currently being used to study various aspects of the ecology and evolution of N. fuscipes ranging from their mating and social system to individual population histories and geographical differentiation.
Tinkering with the well-tempered MOSFET: Source-channel barrier modulation with high-permittivity dielectrics

Abstract The introduction of high permittivity (K) materials in the gate stack can change charge transport dynamics in the standard MOSFET. In this study, device simulation is used to focus on very high permittivity (K = 200) gate insulators and sidewall spacers. Examining both on- and off-state drain current in 50 nm devices, source-side barrier-lowering effects are seen that cause leakage current to rise several orders of magnitude and drive current to vary by ± 25 %. Asymmetric devices help to distinguish the competing effects when gate dielectric stacks are considered.
Dimethylaluminum Chloride Catalyzed Living Isobutylene Polymerization

The first examples of dimethylaluminum chloride catalyzed living isobutylene polymerizations are presented. The polymerizations are carried out with conventional tertiary alkyl chloride initiators and 60/40 v/v nonpolar/polar solvent mixtures, the most common solvent systems used for isobutylene triblock synthesis. Additives like proton traps and electron donors are not required. The “living” nature of these polymerizations is demonstrated at −75 to −80 °C in both 60/40 v/v hexane/methylene chloride and hexane/methyl chloride solvent systems using first-order rate plots, trends in Mn and Mw/Mn versus conversion, and delayed incremental-monomer-addition experiments. Polyisobutylenes are prepared with Mn = 150 kDa and Mw/Mn = 1.2. Since initiation from adventitious moisture is of minor concern in this system, experiments were also run in the presence of dimethyl phthalate. “Livingness” was preserved though polymerization rates are slower with dimethyl phthalate than in its absence.
High Spatial Resolution Sensing of Cytokine Secretion by Nano-Plasmonic-Resonator Array

Sub-micron resolution quantitative mapping of endogenous cytokine secretion is realized by an in-situ immunoassay based on giant optical enhancement of a tunable-nano-plasmonic-resonator (TNPR) array fabricated by nano-imprint lithography (NIL).
Philosophy as falling: aiming for grace

Post–dualist philosophies of nursing acknowledge embodiment as a condition of human existence. Philosophical writing, however, remains abstract and disembodied. A philosophical framework that embraces embodiment needs to recover the materiality of language; its text needs to include language that is not only rational and clear but sensuous and ambiguous. I describe three cultural narratives of women's embodiment and compare them with an imaginative narrative, a nurse's poem about women in labour. I propose, not that philosophers become poets, but that they abandon a dualist position in which language is either literal or metaphorical, adopting instead the poet's approach in which any word or object has unlimited meanings. I argue that, without fixed reference points, language embodies rather than escapes contingency. Finally, I discuss two forms of philosophical writing – irony and motet – that savour contingency, illustrating philosophy as endless redescription, aiming not for finality but for the grace of a dancer's deliberate fall.
The temporal patterns of c-Fos and basic fibroblast growth factor expression following a unilateral anteromedial cortex lesion

Following a unilateral anteromedial cortex lesion, a critical period of 12 h to 6 days exists during which the recovery process is exquisitely vulnerable to manipulation. Certain anti-convulsant drugs, as well as convulsive seizures impede recovery when administered during, but not after, the critical period. The mechanisms underlying these behavioral phenomena have not been delineated. Thus, the present study was designed to determine potential mechanisms underlying and responsible for the critical period. To this end, we measured the immunoreactivity of two important markers of the post-injury response cascade, c-Fos and bFGF, at designated times after a unilateral anteromedial cortex lesion. These temporal patterns of expression in the perilesional cortex and ipsilateral dorsal striatum were mapped onto functional recovery patterns. Within the critical period, c-Fos was dramatically elevated through 48 h after the lesion, while bFGF peaked later, on day 6. Upregulation of these markers preceded recovery from somatosensory deficits, which was most dramatic after post-operative day 9 and complete by day 23. Early post-lesion expression of c-Fos may contribute to lesion-induced bFGF expression, which through its neurotrophic properties could be responsible for subsequent functional recovery. Gaining a similar understanding of the critical period following human traumatic brain injury could be an important first step toward improved treatment strategies and neurobehavioral outcome.
Microwave-assisted extraction of taxanes from Taxus biomass.

A method is presented for the extraction of the taxane class of natural products, including paclitaxel, from Taxus needles using microwave-assisted extraction (MAE). Various temperatures, times, and organic solvents for the MAE procedure were investigated to optimize the efficiency of the extraction. The effects of biomass to solvent ratio and the water content of the system on taxane recovery were also determined. Under appropriate MAE conditions using 95% ethanol, an extract of the needles was obtained which was equivalent to that produced by a conventional extraction method. The conventional method consisted of an overnight shake of 5 g of needles in 100 mL of methanol at ambient temperature. Thus, with optimized parameter settings, MAE was found to reduce considerably both extraction time and solvent consumption, while maintaining qualitative and quantitative taxane recovery relative to traditional solid/liquid extraction methods. Keywords: Taxanes; paclitaxel; microwave-assisted extraction; Taxus needles
Comparison between electrical and free space optical interconnects for fine grain processor arrays based on interconnect density capabilities.

Optically interconnected processor arrays are compared to conventional fully electronic processor arrays in terms of interconnect density capabilities. A complexity model is introduced that allows the calculation of the array area growth rate as an asymptotic function of the number of processing elements in the array. Lower bounds on the area growth rate of electrically interconnected processor arrays are compared to upper bounds for free-space optically interconnected circuits that employ computer generated holograms. Results indicate that for connection networks such as the hypercube, perfect shuffle and crossbar networks, that have a high minimum bisection width (a measure of the global nature of an interconnect topology) and contain some degree of spatial invariance, optically interconnected circuit area growth rates are below lower bounds on VLSI circuit growth rates.
EFFECTS OF VARIOUS CONCENTRATIONS OF SODIUM NITRITE AND POTASSIUM SORBATE ON Clostridium botulinum TOXIN PRODUCTION IN COMMERCIALLY PREPARED BACON

The study consisted of five treatments including formulations with or without sodium nitrite (120 ppm) or potassium sorbate (0.26%) or both nitrite (40, 80 ppm) and sorbate (0.26%). Packages (300 per treatment) of commercially prepared bacon were inoculated with Clostridium botulinum spores from 10 strains (5 type A and 5 type B) and temperature abused at 27°C. Uninoculated packages (100 per treatment) were also abused. The packages were visually checked for gas production during a 60-day incubation period and tested for botulinal toxin. Spore and vegetative cell counts, aerobic total plate counts, product pH, residual nitrite depletion, and sorbate levels were also monitored. Toxic samples frequently occurred without gas, and many samples showing gas were nontoxic. Added sorbate or added nitrite extended the time to detection of first gas-containing and first toxic samples. A combination of sorbate (0.26%) with reduced nitrite levels (40, 80 ppm) extended this time further. Nitrite or sorbate used singly in the formulation also decreased the rate of toxin production. None of the uninoculated packages was toxic, while the total number of toxic inoculated packages decreased with nitrite or sorbate in the formulations. Ninety percent of the samples from the control treatment became toxic during the 60-day incubation period; 58.8% from the treatment with 0.26% sorbate; 22.0% from the treatment with 40 ppm nitrite and 0.26% sorbate; none from the treatment with 80 ppm nitrite and 0.26% sorbate; and 0.4% from the treatment with 120 ppm nitrite. Low nitrite-sorbate combinations were thus effective in delaying botulinal toxin production in temperature abused bacon.
Association of Incident Dementia With Hospitalizations

Context Dementia is associated with increased rates and often poorer outcomes of hospitalization, including worsening cognitive status. New evidence is needed to determine whether some admissions of persons with dementia might be potentially preventable. Objective To determine whether dementia onset is associated with higher rates of or different reasons for hospitalization, particularly for ambulatory care–sensitive conditions (ACSCs), for which proactive outpatient care might prevent the need for a hospital stay. Design, Setting, and Participants Retrospective analysis of hospitalizations among 3019 participants in Adult Changes in Thought (ACT), a longitudinal cohort study of adults aged 65 years or older enrolled in an integrated health care system. All participants had no dementia at baseline and those who had a dementia diagnosis during biennial screening contributed nondementia hospitalizations until diagnosis. Automated data were used to identify all hospitalizations of all participants from time of enrollment in ACT until death, disenrollment from the health plan, or end of follow-up, whichever came first. The study period spanned February 1, 1994, to December 31, 2007. Main Outcome Measures Hospital admission rates for patients with and without dementia, for all causes, by type of admission, and for ACSCs. Results Four hundred ninety-four individuals eventually developed dementia and 427 (86%) of these persons were admitted at least once; 2525 remained free of dementia and 1478 (59%) of those were admitted at least once. The unadjusted all-cause admission rate in the dementia group was 419 admissions per 1000 person-years vs 200 admissions per 1000 person-years in the dementia-free group. After adjustment for age, sex, and other potential confounders, the ratio of admission rates for all-cause admissions was 1.41 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.23-1.61; P Conclusion Among our cohort aged 65 years or older, incident dementia was significantly associated with increased risk of hospitalization, including hospitalization for ACSCs.
Whose Death Is It, Anyway?

As medicine has increasingly gained the power to prolong life in the face of devastating illness, patients have increasingly become concerned about maintaining some control over how and when death arrives. Competent patients have the legal right to refuse treatment, but critically ill patients are frequently unable to participate in decision making. Advance directives were designed to help patients establish the level of care they would receive if they were to be rendered incompetent; yet, as the case discussed in this essay shows, even a valid advance directive does not guarantee that unwanted medical interventions will not be forced on us. The problem of physicians ignoring their patients' wishes goes beyond issues of communication and reflects an ongoing ambivalence about power and control in the physician-patient relationship. Unfortunately, many physicians find it easier to define success in terms of life and death than to try to determine what sort of existence is meaningful to an individual patient.
Futher Reflections on the Isimila Acheulian

Abstract Uranium series dates on bone from the Isimila Prehistoric Site, Tanzania, indicate that this East African Acheulian site may be older than originally estimated. They raise the possibility that the Middle Pleistocene sediments containing Acheulian occurrences span a longer range of time than had been supposed. This could add to the plausibility of a contention by Hansen and Keller that differences between artifacts in the uppermost Acheulian horizon and in lower-lying beds are primarily a reflection of change through time rather than a result of different human activities. A summary of the artifact content and associations of the several archeological stratigraphic units is given, and, although a sort of “developmental sequence” can be seen, the existence of discrepant occurrences suggests that an interpretation of directional change as a “function of time” does not, in fact, well accommodate the evidence. Quantitative changes in artifact class proportions in aggregates seem just as likely to be related to local exploitation potentials for early man which were produced during the process of basin in-filling, while observed qualitative differences in the lower-lying horizons may be due to samples biased because of limited exposures which are restricted to a single sedimentary environment.
A CBAL™ SCIENCE MODEL OF COGNITION: DEVELOPING A COMPETENCY MODEL AND LEARNING PROGRESSIONS TO SUPPORT ASSESSMENT DEVELOPMENT

The purpose of this report is to describe a science competency model and 3 related learning progressions, which were developed by applying the CBAL™ approach (Bennett & Gitomer, 2009) to the domain of middle school science. The Cognitively Based Assessment of, for, and as Learning (CBAL) science competency model and its related learning progressions were developed by reviewing existing literature on learning sciences and science education, which have placed increasing emphasis on learners' knowledge and ability to apply scientific knowledge to conduct evidence-based reasoning. In this report, we present the 5 competencies in our science competency model that reflect current efforts in the Next Generation Science Standards and the recent reform-based curriculum to promote integrated and generative understanding. In addition, we report 3 hypothesized learning progressions related to our competency model to define the increasing sophistication of both content understanding and the capacity to carry out scientific inquiry. Then we discuss features of assessment prototypes developed under the guidance of the competency model and the learning progressions, by illustrating parts of 1 sample formative assessment task prototype.
Inhibition of ehrlich ascites cell anion transport by 1-isothiocyanate-4-benzenesulfonic acid

The effects of 1-isothiocyanate-4-benzene sulfonic acid on steady state Cl− and SO42− transport in Ehrlich mouse ascites tumor cells were investigated. At 10 mM, 1-isothiocyanate-4-benzenesulfonic acid reduced SO42− exchange by 94% but Cl− exchange was reduced by only 37%; Cl− exchange was not further inhibited by as much as 60 min of preincubation with 1-isothiocyanate-4-benzenesulfonic acid. Inhibition of Cl− exchange was completely reversible following 30–45 min of contact with 1-isothiocyanate-4-benzenesulfonic acid whereas under the same conditions, inhibition of SO42− exchange was irreversible. The effect of 1-isothiocyanate-4-benzenesulfonic acid on SO42− transport could be reversed, however, when exposure to 1-isothiocyanate-4-benzenesulfonic acid lasted for only 2 min. In these respects the action of 1-isothiocyanate-4-benzenesulfonic acid resembles that of 4-acetamido-4′-isothiocyanostilbene-2,2′-disulfonic acid and 4,4′-diisothiocyano-1,2-diphenylethane-2,2′-disulfonic acid; the results are compatible with separate membrane sites for Cl− and SO42− transport. The Ki for reversible inhibition of SO42− transport, determined from a Dixon plot, was 4.8 mM and the inhibition appeared to be noncompetitive.
Hepatitis C and glomerulonephritis

Summary: Several systemic viral infections have been associated with the development of glomerular lesions. of the viruses that cause liver disease hepatitis B was the first to be recognized. the recent availability of serologic tests for the hepatitis C virus (HCV) has uncovered an association between HCV infection and renal disease. the principal glomerular lesion that develops is that of a membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN), usually in association with antigenaemia and circulating immune complexes that have the characteristics of mixed cryoglobulinaemia represented by polyclonal IgG and monoclonal IgM with rheumatoid factor activity. the presence of a very high percentage of anti-HCV seropositivity in cryoglobulinaemic forms of MPGN suggests that the virus plays an important role in the pathogenesis of the associated immune complex glomerulonephritis. Precipitates containing HCV-RNA and circulating anti-HCV IgG and IgM have been found in the majority of such cases. the course of the renal disease that develops is progressive. Treatment with interferon alpha appears to attenuate the progression of the renal lesions, and the response to treatment appears to be closely related to the clearance of hepatitis C viraemia. Renal lesions also occur in the absence of clinical evidence of liver disease or mixed cryoglobulinaemia. In addition to MPGN, membranous glomerulonephropathy, IgA nephropathy and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis have been reported in these cases of HCV infection. the prevalence of glomerular lesions in patients with HCV infection remains to be determined. the available serologic tests for HCV are still in evolution. In the meantime, all patients presenting with glomerular disease should be screened for HCV.
Malfunction in the Peterson-Gorenstein-Zierler decoder

Most versions of the Peterson-Gorenstein-Zierler (PGZ) decoding algorithm are not true bounded distance decoding algorithms in the sense that when a received vector is not in the decoding sphere of any codeword, the algorithm does not always declare a decoding failure. For a t-error-correcting BCH code, if the received vector is at distance i, i/spl les/t from a codeword in a supercode with BCH distance t+i+1, the decoder will output that codeword from the supercede. If that codeword is not a member of the t-error-correcting code, then decoder malfunction is said to have occurred. We describe the necessary and sufficient conditions for decoder malfunction, and show that malfunction can be avoided in the PGZ decoder by checking t-/spl nu/ equations, where /spl nu/ is the number of errors hypothesized by the decoder. A formula for the probability of decoder malfunction is also given, and the significance of decoder malfunction is considered for PGZ decoders and high-speed Berlekamp-Massey decoders. >
Herbal remedies: The natural approach to combating stress

Nurses working in high-pressure situations encounter an inordinate degreeof work-related stress in addition to the daily stress experienced in everyday living. A current trend in health care is to utilize natural substances to decrease stress. This article provides an overview of stress and its impact on health. Common herbal remedies, as well as other helpful aids for decreasing stress and promoting health, are identified and discussed. A few guidelines are offered for those who are considering the use of herbs in alleviating the prevailing symptoms of stress. Generally speaking, therapeutic herbs are, for the most part, safe and effective and result in general good health. A few exceptions and warnings are noted.
Measurements Of The Scattering Profile Of Fibers

Light-scattering profiles were measured for small circular fibers. In particular, two fused silica fibers of different diameter were measured at both 10.6 and 0.6328-μm wavelengths, with a range in size parameter (circumference to wavelength ratio) from 1/2 to 20. Data were obtained for incidence normal to the fiber axis and for almost 360 degrees of rotation in the plane of incidence. The measurements were taken with an instrument designed for the optical surface evaluation of the bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) In addition, the measured scattering profiles were compared, with good agreement, to the Mie theory prediction for scattering from an infinite cylinder.
Thermal Characterization of Liquid Core Optical Ring Resonators

We have investigated experimentally and theoretically the temperature dependence of the liquid core optical ring resonator (LCORR) for development of label-free lab-on-a-chip optical bio/chemical sensors
Implications of the Exact Bradford Distribution

The exact Bradford distribution fits data on the scatter of articles in a given specialty among journals remarkably well, perhaps better than the approximate form of the distribution. This implies certain tendencies of authors in the specialty to distribute their future articles among the journals, on the basis of the past productivity (the number of articles previously published) of the journals. In particular it is shown that if this tendency follows a Bradford law for each group of journals with a given past productivity, then the distribution of papers among all the journals active in the specialty must also follow the exact Bradford distribution. Conversely, since this distribution does fit the data, it implies that the authors' tendencies also are Bradford. The consequences, when the statistical situation is fairly constant with time, are explored. Applications to citation scattering also are discussed.
Dynamic Scaling near the Percolation Threshold in Thin Au Films

We report on measurements of both the ac conductivity ($\ensuremath{\sigma}$) and the ac dielectric constant ($\ensuremath{\epsilon}$) of thin Au films near their percolation threshold for frequencies between 100 Hz and 10 MHz. In the critical regime, $\ensuremath{\sigma}\ensuremath{\simeq}{\ensuremath{\omega}}^{x}$ and $\ensuremath{\epsilon}\ensuremath{\simeq}{\ensuremath{\omega}}^{\ensuremath{-}y}$. We obtain $x=0.95\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.05$ and $y=0.13\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.05$, in agreement with a general relation $x+y=1$. These results are significantly different from predictions based on finite size scaling of the dc conductivity or diffusion on independent percolation clusters, providing evidence for the importance of electron-electron interaction effects.
Changing Intraoperative Parathyroid Hormone Collection Sites from Peripheral to Central Does Not Affect Predictive Accuracy during Minimally Invasive Parathyroidectomy

Intraoperative parathyroid hormone (ioPTH) monitoring (IPM) is vital to minimally invasive parathyroidectomy. Techniques vary in assay sampling, potentially affecting predictive accuracy of operative success. Initial guidelines were established using peripheral sites, but central sites may be preferred or necessary when peripheral access is not feasible. We hypothesize that changing collection sites from preexcision peripheral sites to postexcision central sites would not affect IPM accuracy. Analysis of 64 consecutive patients who underwent parathyroidectomy for primary hyperparathyroidism was undertaken. PTH assays were collected simultaneously from a peripheral vein (PV) and central vein (CV) preexcision and at a 10-min interval after initial parathyroid excision. IPM success was defined as PTH decrease ≥50% 10 min after initial excision. Predictive accuracy was determined by the need to resect another abnormal gland and biochemical normalization in the postoperative clinic. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) method with area under the curve (AUC) compared diagnostic accuracy of different assay approaches. Centrally, a statistically higher mean pre- and postexcision ioPTH of 391 pg/ml and 58 pg/ml was found compared with peripheral means of 156 pg/ml and 49 pg/ml, respectively (p < 0.001). The AUC when changing from a PV preexcision to a CV postexcision ioPTH was 0.89, comparable to AUC for peripheral or central assay collections alone (AUC = 0.83 and 0.85, respectively). This study suggests that altering collection sites does not alter assay validity. In cases where peripheral sampling is compromised, changing from a peripheral to central sites will not likely alter the predictive accuracy of IPM significantly.
USE OF THE PROJECTION-OPERATOR METHOD IN NUCLEAR REACTION THEORY.

Feshbach has shown how the introduction of the projection operator onto the bound states of a system of nucleons can facilitate the calculation of the transition amplitude for a nuclear scattering reaction. Feshbach's method is based on the relationship of the transition amplitude to the $T$ matrix. In this paper we show how the projection-operator method can be applied to the generalized $R$-matrix expression for the transition amplitude. In order to test the validity of the approximations customarily employed in applications of the projection-operator formalism, we have applied the method to a simple soluble model. We find that the method works quite well provided that all second-order terms are retained. The generalized $R$-matrix method is found to work better than the $T$-matrix method, but the $R$-matrix method depends sensitively on the choice of the value of the boundary radius.
Radical scapulectomy with limb salvage for shoulder girdle soft tissue sarcoma

Limb-sparing surgical procedures, such as the Tikhoff-Linberg resection, have gradually replaced the forequarter amputation as the surgical treatment of choice for soft tissue tumours in and around the shoulder girdle. Although the Tikhoff-Linberg procedure provides limb salvage, it leaves a significant functional and cosmetic deficit in many patients. Scapular resections combined with radical excision of the soft tissues allows wide margins of resection, limited excision of uninvolved bone and excellent physical rehabilitation in treating soft tissue tumours of the shoulder girdle. The case of a young woman with Stage IVA malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the left shoulder girdle who underwent a radical scapulectomy with limb salvage and adequate surgical margins, while preserving a functional and cosmetically acceptable extremity, is reported. A historical review of scapular resections is also presented.
Non-perturbative calculations of single and double ionization of He by swift U92+ projectiles

We present non-perturbative calculations for single and double ionization of He atoms by 1 GeV amu−1 U92+ projectiles. We employ the time-dependent close-coupling method based on an expansion of a one-electron three dimensional wavefunction, for the single ionization, and an expansion of a two-electron six dimensional wavefunction, for the single and double ionization processes. The results are compared with experimental data and very good agreement is achieved. For this particular highly charged and swift projectile we include monopole, dipole, quadrupole, octopole and hexadecapoles for the projectile–atom interaction and we have made additional tests adding up superior multipole terms (triakontadipole and beyond). In order to obtain single differential cross sections for double ionization that are in very good agreement with experimental data, over 100 coupled channels are needed.
Wheel running exercise attenuates vulnerability to self-administer nicotine in rats

Abstract Background Preventing or postponing tobacco use initiation could greatly reduce the number of tobacco-related deaths. While evidence suggests that exercise is a promising treatment for tobacco addiction, it is not clear whether exercise could prevent initial vulnerability to tobacco use. Thus, using an animal model, we examined whether exercise attenuates vulnerability to the use and reinforcing effects of nicotine, the primary addictive chemical in tobacco. Methods Initial vulnerability was assessed using an acquisition procedure wherein exercising (unlocked running wheel, n = 10) and sedentary (locked or no wheel, n = 12) male adolescent rats had access to nicotine infusions (0.01-mg/kg) during daily 21.5-h sessions beginning on postnatal day 30. Exercise/sedentary sessions (2-h/day) were conducted prior to each of the acquisition sessions. The effects of exercise on nicotine's reinforcing effects were further assessed in separate groups of exercising (unlocked wheel, n = 7) and sedentary (no wheel, n = 5) rats responding for nicotine under a progressive-ratio schedule with exercise/sedentary sessions (2-h/day) conducted before the daily progressive-ratio sessions. Results While high rates of acquisition of nicotine self-administration were observed among both groups of sedentary controls, acquisition was robustly attenuated in the exercise group with only 20% of exercising rats meeting the acquisition criterion within the 16-day testing period as compared to 67% of the sedentary controls. Exercise also decreased progressive-ratio responding for nicotine as compared to baseline and to sedentary controls. Conclusions Exercise may effectively prevent the initiation of nicotine use in adolescents by reducing the reinforcing effects of nicotine.
Gender Differences in Sex-Risk Behaviors, Economic Livelihood, and Self-Concept Among Drug Injectors and Crack Smokers

The authors compared male and female substance abusers and found that female substance abusers were at increased risk for HIV, relative to males, through sex-risk behaviors. Specifically, women were more likely to have had sexual relations with a drug injector and greater involvement in prostitution, including exchanging sex for drugs or money, than men. Women had fewer legitimate employment opportunities and were less likely to have support through illegal sources, excluding prostitution, than men. Women bad significantly lower perceived self-concept, greater depression, and more anxiety than men. Gender, economic means of support, and self-concept were highly interrelated. These findings underscore the need for interventions that address the economically marginalized position of addicted women and their low self-concept.
Ischaemic preconditioning: therapeutic implications for stroke?

Ischaemic preconditioning (IPC), also known as ischaemic tolerance (IT), is a phenomenon whereby tissue is exposed to a brief, sublethal period of ischaemia, which activates endogenous protective mechanisms, thereby reducing cellular injury that may be caused by subsequent lethal ischaemic events. The first description of this phenomenon was in the heart, which was reported by Murry and co-workers in 1986. Subsequent studies demonstrated IPC in lung, kidney and liver tissue, whereas more recent studies have concentrated on the brain. The cellular mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of IPC remain largely unknown. This phenomenon, which has been demonstrated by using various injury paradigms in both cultured neurons and animal brain tissue, may be utilised to identify and characterise therapeutic targets for small-molecule, antibody, or protein intervention. This review will examine the experimental evidence demonstrating the phenomenon termed IPC in models of cerebral ischaemia, the cellular mecha...
Effects of predation risk on group size, vigilance, and foraging behavior in an African ungulate community

Predators alter prey dynamics by direct killing and through the costs of antipredator responses or risk effects. Antipredator behavior includes proactive responses to long-term variation in risk (e.g., grouping patterns) and reactive responses to short-term variation in risk (e.g., intense vigilance). In a 3-year field study, we measured variation in antipredator responses and the foraging costs of these responses for 5 ungulates (zebra, wildebeest, Grant’s gazelle, impala, and giraffe) that comprised more than 90% of the prey community available to the 2 locally dominant predators, lions and spotted hyenas. Using a model-selection approach, we examined how vigilance and group size responded to attributes of the predator, prey, and environment. We found that 1) the strength of antipredator responses was affected by attributes of the predator, prey, and environment in which they met; 2) grouping and vigilance were complementary responses; 3) grouping was a proactive response to the use of dangerous habitats, whereas vigilance was a reactive response to finer cues about predation risk; 4) increased vigilance caused a large reduction in foraging for some species (but not all); and 5) there was no clear relationship between direct predation rates and the foraging costs of antipredator responses. Broadly, our results show that antipredator responses and their costs vary in a complex manner among prey species, the predators they face, and the environment in which they meet.
Mode of hydrogen attack during the hydrogenation of olefinsHydrogenation and isomerization of cis- and trans-cyclodecene

Hydrogenation and isomerization of cis- and trans-cyclodecene were studied at 3 atm and room temperature. Trans isomerizes to cis during hydrogenation and both compete for the same surface sites. After trans is consumed, hydrogenation of remaining cis is poisoned and proceeds at a rate only 60% that of cis which is originally devoid of trans. Trans hydrogenates almost as fast as this latter cis. Lower hydrogen pressures slow both hydrogenation and isomerization of trans but affect hydrogenation most. Results are explained in terms of the classical mechanism with hydrogen attacking from the surface to the “bottom side” of the chemisorbed molecules.
A readily synthesized and highly active epoxide carbonylation catalyst based on a chromium porphyrin framework: expanding the range of available beta-lactones.

Catalytic carbonylation of epoxides to β-lactones was effected by a highly active and selective bimetallic catalyst comprised of a chromium(III) porphyrin cation and a cobalt tetracarbonyl anion. The complex is readily synthesized from commercially available compounds in high yield. Carbonylation of numerous linear epoxides, as well as bicyclic epoxides derived from 8- and 12-membered hydrocarbons, proceeded with high activity, selectivity, and yield.
Cholesterol Oxidase: A Potent Insecticidal Protein Active Against Boll Weevil Larvae

Abstract The discovery of proteins that control insects is critical for the continued growth of the agricultural biotechnology industry. A highly efficacious protein that killed boll weevil (Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman) larvae was discovered in Streptomyces culture filtrates. The protein was identified as cholesterol oxidase (E.C 1.1.3.6). Purified cholesterol oxidase was active against boll weevil larvae at a concentration (LC50 = 20.9 μg/ml) comparable to the bioactivity of Bacillus thuringiensis proteins against other insect pests. Histological studies demonstrated that cholesterol oxidase lysed the boll weevil midgut epithelium, suggesting that this is the primary mechanism of lethality.
A bistatic polarimeter calibration technique

A procedure for calibrating a bistatic polarimeter system without using reference scattering targets is described. Transmitter and receiver subsystem distortion matrices are determined via transmission link measurements in conjunction with an inexpensive test source and a linearly polarized test antenna. >
Interhemispheric observations of dayside convection under northward IMF

[1] The reverse convection potential and electric field under northward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) has been shown to saturate at a larger value in the summer than in the winter. Previous studies of reverse convection under northward IMF have suggested that in the winter hemisphere, much of the reconnection involves “internal reconnection” with over-draped field lines from the summer hemisphere. We present a case study in which reverse convection was simultaneously visible in the northern and southern hemispheres near the northern winter solstice. We use SuperDARN radar velocity measurements to demonstrate that the sunward (reverse) convection along the noon meridian is significantly faster in the summer hemisphere. We also use DMSP energetic particle data to demonstrate that in the winter hemisphere, some of the convection circulates on closed field lines, which is a signature of internal reconnection. These results suggest that internal reconnection is much less effective in transmitting the interplanetary electric field (IEF) into the ionosphere.
Initial management of patients with acute heart failure.

More than 80% of patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) present to the emergency department (ED), and significant pressures exist to manage these patients efficiently in the acute-care environment. Most patients with ADHF present to the ED with worsening of chronic heart failure (HF); some may present with undifferentiated dyspnea and new-onset HF, whereas others have significant comorbidities that complicate diagnosis and treatment. Although physical examination, electrocardiography, chest radiography, natriuretic peptides, and necrosis markers remain the cornerstones of diagnosis, the role of bedside ultrasonography will continue to expand. Treatment of patients with ADHF is prioritized based on vital signs and presenting phenotype. Vasodilators and loop diuretics remain the mainstay in initial therapy, although newer vasoactive compounds may be available soon. Risk stratification of patients, particularly those who may show low-risk features, is the subject of ongoing evaluation. Disposition of patients to areas other than a monitored inpatient bed, such as an ED-based observation unit, may prove effective in the ever-changing health care climate.