cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Advanced Skeletal Muscle Mass Reduction (Sarcopenia) Secondary to Neuromuscular Disease.

We describe a young male patient chronically on a ventilator secondary to decreased mobility from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He had both a tracheostomy for breathing and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) for feeding. Using 24-hour urinary creatinine excretion data, we calculated an estimate of skeletal muscle (SM) mass. SM mass was indexed to height and weight to obtain the SM index. The SM index is used as a determinant to define sarcopenia. From the data, we found that this patient had the smallest SM index ever recorded at 2.2 kg/m2, consistent with extremely advanced sarcopenia. As a comparison, “severe” sarcopenia in a male is defined as a kg/m2. This method can be used in ICU patients to evaluate for sarcopenia which is a predictive marker for mortality.
Catalytic Enhancement of Inductively Heated Fe 3 O 4 Nanoparticles by Removal of Surface Ligands

Heat management in catalysis is limited by each material's heat transfer efficiencies, resulting in energy losses despite current thermal engineering strategies. In contrast, induction heating of magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) generates heat at the surface of the catalyst where the reaction occurs, reducing waste heat via dissipation. However, the synthesis of magnetic NPs with optimal heat generation requires interfacial ligands, such as oleic acid, which act as heat sinks. Surface treatments using tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAOH) or pyridine are used to remove these ligands before applications in hydrophilic media. In this study, Fe3 O4 NPs are surface treated to study the effect of induction heating on the catalytic oxidation of 1-octanol. Whereas TMAOH was unsuccessful in removing oleic acid, pyridine treatment resulted in a roughly 2.5-fold increase in heat generation and product yield. Therefore, efficient surfactant removal has profound implications in induction heating catalysis by increasing the heat transfer and available surface sites.
Abuse-deterrent properties and cytotoxicity of poly(ethylene oxide) after thermal tampering.

Abstract Poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) is the most common deterring agent used in the abuse-deterrent formulations (ADFs). In this study, we investigated the PEO's abuse-deterrent properties and its potential cytotoxicity after being heated at high temperatures (80 °C and 180 °C). The results indicated a significant loss in both crush and extraction resistance features of the polymer, which is primarily associated with the polymer degradation at the higher temperatures. The heat-treated PEO at the high temperature was also found to lose its controlled-release feature, upon which over 80% of the drug was released after one hour in the simulated gastric fluid. The cytotoxicity of the PEO was further assessed to evaluate the safety of the polymer following the thermal treatment. Our findings revealed a substantial loss in the viability of the cells exposed to the PEO treated at higher temperatures. Taken all, heating PEO at high temperatures can lead to a significant loss in both the crush/extraction resistance characteristics and the safety of the polymer. These findings reemphasize the fact that more appropriate and stricter test and regulations will be needed to assure that the abuse deterrent formulations are safe and effective under severe conditions of abuse.
Bioinspired fabrication of reconfigurable elastomeric cementitious structures using self-healing mechanical adhesives interfaces

Abstract Modern construction technologies are in high demand of new highly customizable and easy-to-assemble structural materials with enhanced mechanical performance and the capability to self-repair autonomously. This article describes the simple and cost-effective manufacturing of Self-Healing Elastomeric/Cementitious/Mechanical Adhesive Structures (SECMAS). SECMAS are comprised of cementitious bricks joined by mechanical adhesive interfaces and organized in nacre-inspired, brick-and-mortar structures. This scalable staggered design provides SECMAS with the capability to concentrate the formation and propagation of cracks along the mechanical adhesive interfaces, which efficiently distribute loading forces and accommodate deformation. The periodic distribution of elastomeric reinforcing layers inside the SECMAS facilitates its elastic self-recovery after severe deformation, restoring the interlocking of the mechanical adhesive interfaces and enabling SECMAS to autonomously recover their original mechanical properties at room temperature. Moreover, the rapid recovery of the mechanical adhesive interfaces enables repeated self-healing under cycling bidirectional loading forces. The modular structure of SECMAS and their easy-to-assemble and easy-to-disassemble mechanical adhesive interfaces facilitates the rapid exchange of damaged components for new ones, enlarging service life. Furthermore, the simple and scalable design rules derived for the construction of SECMAS facilitate their rapid reconfiguration into a variety of self-repairing structural elements, promoting sustainable construction.
The 'Refugee Clause' for Commercial Shipping Contracts

In recent years merchant ships have been called to assist distressed migrant vessels at unprecedented rates. Pursuant to moral and legal obligations arising under international law, merchant shipmasters and crews have courageously responded by rescuing thousands of migrant seafarers. These rescues unfortunately are very expensive undertakings affecting shipping interests both in the form of direct expenditures and indirect losses flowing from commercial delays. With these challenges as the backdrop, this Article examines the commercial implications of merchant vessel participation in large-scale humanitarian rescues. First, it outlines the scope of the legal obligations imposed on private shipmasters to render assistance to distressed vessels. Next, it surveys the language of popularly used shipping contracts, such as the New York Produce Exchange (NYPE) time charterparty forms, and evaluates problems of rescue cost allocation by analysing relevant court opinions and arbitration awards from both the United States and England. Finally, drawing from the shipping industry’s experience in modifying contracts in response to pressing challenges such as maritime piracy, it argues new contract clauses should be adopted by industry participants to more precisely address rescue risk.
WhatsApp Political Expression and Political Participation: The Role of Ethnic Minorities’ Group Solidarity and Political Talk Ethnic Heterogeneity

Online political activity takes many forms. Most research has heavily focused on the effects of these online behaviors on political participation in platforms such as Facebook or Twitter. This article focuses instead on WhatsApp, and compares how self-effects and acculturation theories have different predictions with regard to the mechanisms that explain the relationship between Latinxs’ political expression on this mobile instant messaging application and political participation. Results showed that Latinxs’ political expression through WhatsApp is related to their offline political participation. However, the direct and mediated relationship through group solidarity is dependent on political talk ethnic heterogeneity. The relationship among self-effects on acculturation processes is discussed as one potential explanation for understanding the complex ways in which perceptions of ethnic group solidarity, political talk ethnic heterogeneity, WhatsApp political expression, and offline political participation interact.
Chapter 9: Writing as Capital: The Emancipatory Act of Writing for Profit, Advocacy, and Charity:

ContextWriting is an agentive act. Despite drastic improvements over the past few decades in writing instruction and the push for sharing with authentic audiences, the majority of writing students ...
Combining Remotely Sensed Imagery with Survival Models for Outage Risk Estimation of the Power Grid

Vegetation management of power grids is essential for reliable distribution of services, prevention of forest fires and disruption of electricity due to tree fall. In this paper, we introduce a vegetation analysis system that utilizes information from GIS data, aerial and satellite imagery to estimate vegetation profile within a buffer zone. This vegetation profile is further combined with operational parameters of the grid to develop a survival model which predicts the outage risk of a power-line in an electrical grid. Using historical data, we show that the risk scores thus obtained are significantly better at developing trimming schedules for grid power-lines, compared to existing available methods.
New York City and the Production of Sacred Space

Jon Butler's God in Gotham: The Miracle of Religion in Modern Manhattan affirms what historians of religion have long known and some urban historians have begun to discover—that few things in American history have survived so well as religion. Political moments and social movements have come and gone. Fashions have fallen out of favor; fads have faded. But that thing that we call “religion”—however defined, theologically, experientially, or institutionally—has survived, even thrived, particularly in American cities and perhaps most particularly in America's largest city, New York.
Disparities Associated With Patient Adherence of Post-Breast-Conserving Surgery Surveillance Imaging Protocols.

Abstract Objective Currently, national and international breast imaging practices utilize variable postsurgical surveillance protocols without uniform recommendations. Because of the innate differences between screening versus diagnostic mammography from scheduling flexibility to out-of-pocket costs, this creates the opportunity for lapses in patient adherence, which has the potential to impact clinical outcomes. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relationship between sociodemographic factors and postsurgical surveillance imaging protocols on patient adherence rates. Methods This retrospective study reviewed 3 years of surveillance imaging for all patients having breast-conserving surgery at our institution from January 2011 to December 2016. Follow-up adherence was defined as returning for all of the first 3 years of annual follow-up after breast-conserving surgery (institutional surveillance protocol). Associations between adherence to surveillance imaging and patient sociodemographic characteristics were evaluated using univariate and multivariate logistic regression. Results The study included 1,082 patients after breast surgery, 715 of whom adhered completely to the first 3 years of annual follow-up (66.1%). Black women were 1.36 times less likely to follow up annually compared with White women (95% confidence interval 1.02-1.80). Similarly, patients with Medicare were 1.84 times less likely to follow up annually compared with patients with private insurance (95% confidence interval 1.34-2.51). Women with benign breast disease after breast-conserving surgery were significantly less likely to adhere to annual surveillance than women with breast cancer. Conclusion Sociodemographic disparities exist as barriers for annual mammography surveillance in patients after breast-conserving surgery.
Power Delivery Design, Signal Routing and Performance of On-Chip Cobalt Interconnects in Advanced Technology Nodes

We assess the performance impact of cobalt interconnect metallization for both signal routing and power delivery in advanced logic technologies with a minimum metal pitch of 32 nm or less. While cobalt interconnects may enable lower line resistance in narrow signal lines than industry-standard copper interconnects below a threshold pitch, there is still a significant performance penalty associated with using cobalt in wide lines, including both signal and power. For wide signal lines at minimum-pitch metallization levels, we find a delay penalty as much as 60%-100% depending on signal run length for Co interconnects. For wide power lines at minimum-pitch metallization levels, we find a parasitic voltage (IR) drop penalty as high as 50% for Co interconnects. In light of these performance disadvantages, we discuss several design strategies to minimize the impact of Co metallization for both signal routing and power delivery. We also highlight critical differences between low-power and high-performance design points for power delivery.
Synergistic and Product Induction of the Enzymes of Tryptophan Metabolism in Pseudomonas acidovorans

The process of induction of tryptophan oxygenase in Pseudomonas acidovorans is typical of many microbial enzyme induction systems, in that it (i) requires cell multiplication and de novo protein synthesis, (ii) is subject to catabolite repression, (iii) results in the formation of a stable enzyme, whose level, upon removal of inducer, is diluted out by cell proliferation, and (iv) exhibits product induction. l-Kynurenine was more effective than l-tryptophan as an inducer of both tryptophan oxygenase and the second enzyme of the pathway, kynurenine formamidase. The occurrence of product induction of these two enzymes by their common metabolite eliminated the possibility of sequential induction of these enzymes. dl-5-Fluorotryptophan, nonmetabolizable and devoid of any inducing activity, resulted in a concentration-dependent inhibition of the l-tryptophan-mediated induction of tryptophan oxygenase; kynurenine formamidase induction, however, was not influenced by the presence of dl-5-fluorotryptophan. dl-7-Azatryptophan, also nonmetabolizable and completely inactive as an inducer, acted synergistically with l-tryptophan and superinduced tryptophan oxygenase levels. When induction was conducted in a medium containing only l-tryptophan and 7-azatryptophan as inducing agents, then tryptophan oxygenase induction was enhanced, whereas the kynurenine formamidase level was essentially unchanged. These data indicate that various inducing conditions affect the relative proportions of tryptophan oxygenase and kynurenine formamidase, and thus indicate noncoordinate regulation of these enzyme activities.
Brand X: LISP support for semantic networks

BRAND X is a simple representation language implemented as a pure extension of LISP. BRAND X provides the following additional facilities over LISP: Unique and canonical structures, property lists for all objects, labels for all objects, and a syntax to express each of these, supported by a reader and printer. BRAND X is intended as an "assembly language" for representation languages, attempting to provide facilities generally found useful in the simplest manner, without any strong commitment to specific representational conventions. The fundamental ideas of the language are described, an overview of its features and notation is given, and some inherent problems of implementation and semantics are presented.
Electrocyclic reactions : Stereochemistry of the triene electrocyclization

Abstract Four trienes of known stereochemistry have been prepared and their thermal cyclization studied to ascertain the general stereochemistry of thermal triene electrocyclic reactions. A mixture containing (Z)-1,2-dicyclohexenylethylene was obtained by semihydrogenation. Spectra evidence for thermal cyclization of the triene was obtained, but inability to isolate pure materials canceled plans for stereochemical study. A stereoselective synthesis for (E,Z,E)-2,4,6-octatriene was devised and a pure sample was cyclized thermally to give a 5,6-dimethylcyclohexadiene. Oxidative cleavage of this diene gave meso-2,3-dimethylsuccinic acid. Pure samples of (Z,Z,E)- and (Z,Z,Z)-2,4,6-octatrienes were prepared and found to interconvert thermally at 110°. Cyclization of the equilibrium mixture occurred at 178° to give a 5,6-dimethylcyclohexadiene which gave rac-2,3-dimethylsuccinic acid upon oxidative cleavage. Evidence is presented to suggest that the (E,Z,Z) isomer is the actual reactant undergoing cyclization. Both cyclohexadienes were shown to undergo a 1,5-hydrogen shift to form 1,6-dimethyl-1,3-cyclohexadiene. Rates of the electrocyclic reactions were measured in pentane solution, and thermodynamic activation parameters were ascertained. The results are: (E,Z,E) k(132°) = 4·45 × 10−5 sec−1, ΔH = 28·6 kcal/mole and ΔS = −7 eu; (E,Z,Z)+(Z,Z,Z) k(178°)= 1·53 × 10−5 sec−1 or (E,Z,Z) k(178°) = 2·13 × 10−5 sec−1, ΔH = 32 kcal/mole, ΔS = −9 eu; cis-5,6-dimethyl-1,3-cyclohexadiene (1,5-H shift), k(178°) = 1·77 × 10−5 sec−1, ΔH = 33 kcal/mole, ΔS = −7 eu; trans-5,6-dimethyl-1,3-cyclohexadiene (1,5-H shift), k(178°) = 7·7 × 10−6 sec−1, ΔH = 36 kcal/mole, ΔS = −3 eu.
Solubilization and Characterization of the Residual Proteins of the Cell Nucleus

Abstract The nuclear residual proteins of rat liver have been solubilized by treatment with sodium deoxycholate and separated into four major fractions. These residual proteins are acidic, highly heterogeneous, and contain different amounts of ribonucleic and deoxyribonucleic acid. Their amino acid compositions show that these are distinctly different protein fractions. Furthermore, these residual acidic proteins form complexes with histones to various degrees. The possible significance of these characteristics is discussed.
Control Group Studies of Suicide Survivors: A Review and Critique

Empirical studies of suicide survivors with designs that include control groups are reviewed. Investigations are discussed individually with respect to those in which participating survivors are friends or a combination of many different relationships to the deceased, parents of the deceased child, and spouses. Following the review is a brief discussion of the commonalities of the findings and the most frequent methodological difficulties. Concluding comments suggest methodological improvements as well as issues and groups for which additional investigations are needed.
Extracellular polysaccharide is not responsible for aluminum tolerance of Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. phaseoli CIAT899

Abstract Strain UHM-5, a pSym- Exo- derivative of the aluminum-tolerant Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. phaseoli strain CIAT899, was equally tolerant of aluminum (Al) as the parental culture. Dialyzed culture supernatants of the wild-type cells grown in YEM broth (109 cells ml-1) contained 185 μg of glucose equivalents ml-1 whereas UHM-5 culture supernatants yielded 2 μg of glucose ml-1. The Exo- derivative and the parental strain gave essentially similar growth in medium containing from 0 to 300 μM Al, indicating that the pSym of CIAT899, and extracellular polysaccharide, were not involved in the aluminum tolerance of this strain. However, increasing the level of Al from 80 to 150 μM increased the lag phase, induced a slight killing of the inoculum, and depressed the final populations by about fivefold. Doubling the aluminum concentration from 150 to 300 μM presented a severe aluminum stress to CIAT899 and UHM-5: the inoculum level dropped 10-fold, indicating killing of the inoculum, and remained depressed for ca. 4 days before continuing to grow slowly; the final population was decreased 15-fold relative to that of cultures grown in medium containing 80 μM Al. The production by CIAT899 of other extracellular or intracellular aluminum tolerance factors was investigated in culture by using aluminum-sensitive rhizobia as stress indicators. These experiments, conducted at 80 μM Al, demonstrated that CIAT899 produced neither extracellular nor intracellular products that could alleviate toxicity for the Al-sensitive indicator rhizobia.
Remarkably homogeneous population of adenovirus type 3 and 7 genome types.

A total of 270 frozen adenovirus isolates, obtained from January 1981 to December 1986, were grown in KB cells. DNA was successfully prepared from 248 of these isolates, and the prepared DNA was digested initially with SmaI restriction endonuclease and then analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis. Restriction fragment patterns showed that 68 of these DNAs were either adenovirus type 3 (Ad3) or Ad7. Further analysis by digestion with BamHI showed that 24 isolates were Ad3a and 44 isolates were Ad7b. When Ad3 isolates were digested with SmaI or PstI, the restriction fragment patterns of the 24 isolates were identical. Of these 24 isolates, 20 (83%) also gave identical patterns when digested with HindIII, and the patterns of the remaining 4 isolates were different from that of the 20 but identical to each other. All Ad3 isolates were obtained in 1982, 1983, and 1986. All the 44 Ad7b isolates gave identical fragment patterns when digested with BglI or PvuII, and 43 of 44 (98%) isolates gave identical patterns when digested with SstII. We obtained at least two Ad7 isolates during each of the 6 years studied. Although considerable genome heterogeneity within adenovirus serotypes and subtypes has been reported, our population of isolates is remarkably homogeneous. This homogeneous set of genome types was obtained from diverse anatomical sites and was associated with a broad spectrum of clinical syndromes. Images
POLITICAL CONFLICT OR PROFESSIONAL ADVANCEMENT

The departure of the city manager constitutes a major leadership change in city government. Two reasons for managerial turnover have been advanced: political factors which push managers out and per...
Mycoplasma Phosphoenolpyruvate-Dependent Sugar Phosphotransferase System: Purification and Characterization of Enzyme I

The Mycoplasma phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent sugar phosphotransferase system consists of three components: a membrane-bound enzyme II, a soluble phosphocarrier protein (HPr), and a soluble enzyme I. The soluble enzyme I was purified by ammonium sulfate fractionation; Bio-Gel P-10 gel filtration; acid precipitation; diethylaminoethyl-Bio-Gel A; and Bio-Gel HTP column chromatography. The enzyme I was shown to be homogeneous by electrophoresis in a pH 8.9 non-sodium dodecyl sulfate gel and by isoelectric focusing. Whereas the protein moved as a single component in both the non-sodium dodecyl sulfate gel and isoelectric focusing, on sodium dodecyl sulfate gels, it moved as three subcomponents. The molecular weights of the three subunits, alpha, beta, and gamma, were 44,500, 62,000 and 64,500, respectively. The holoprotein moved as a single component, in the region of 220,000 daltons, in a Bio-Gel A 0.5-agarose column. The molar ratio of subunits was estimated to be 2alpha:1beta:1gamma. The elution characteristics on a diethylaminoethyl column at pH 7.4 and 6.8, acid precipitation data, and amino acid composition indicated that the protein is acidic. Isoelectric focusing occurred at pH 4.8. N-terminal amino acids determined by the dansyl chloride method indicated that glycine, alanine, and tyrosine are N-terminal amino acids of the three subunits. Although the protein was stable for at least 14 months at -20 degrees C, it was irreversibly inactivated by the thiol reagent N-ethyl-maleimide.
Dynamics of CO in mesoporous silica monitored by time-resolved step-scan and rapid-scan FT-IR spectroscopy.

Carbon monoxide molecules generated in the channels ofmesoporous MCM-41 silica sieve from a precursor (diphenyl cyclopropenone)by photodissociation with a nanosecond laser pulse were monitored by timeresolved FT-infrared spectroscopy using the step-scan and rapid-scanmethods. A very broad absorption of CO is observed in the region 2200 to2080 cm-1 at room temperature that decays in a biphasic mode. Two-thirdsof the band intensity decays on the hundreds of microsecond scale(lifetime 344 + 70 ?s). The process represents the escape of themolecules through the mesopores into the surrounding gas phase, and adiffusion constant of 1.5 x 10-9 m2/sec is derived. The broad profile ofthe absorption is attributed to contact of the random hopping CO withsiloxaneand silanol groups of the pore surface. Measurements usingMCM-41 with the silanols partially capped by trimethyl silyl groups gavefurther insight into the nature of the infrared band profile. These arethe first observations on the diffusion behavior of carbon monoxide in amesoporous material at room temperature. The residual carbon monoxideremains much longer in the pores and features distinct peaks at 2167 and2105 cm-1 characteristic for CO adsorbed on SiOH groups C end on and Oend on, respectively. The bands decrease with time constants of 113 + 3ms (2167 cm-1) and 155more » + 15 ms (2105 cm-1) suggesting that CO in thesesites is additionally trapped by surrounding diphenyl acetyleneco-product and/or precursor molecules.« less
Endoscopic management of anastomotic colon strictures with electrocautery and balloon dilation

regarding colonic dilation. l ,3,8 Previously, the treatment of benign stenosis was a matter for surgery, and only strictures of the distal rectum and anal region were successfully treated by Regar dilating tubes. Fiberoptic endoscopy allows a conservative alternative approach if the stenosis is benign, cicatricial, and short, even in segments distant from the anus. Nevertheless, the procedure is not without risk and requires technical skill. Moreover, we believe that in some cases it should be complementary rather than an alternative to surgery. In fact, dilation can sometimes be diagnostic, showing a recurrent neoplasia above the stricture which was believed to be cicatricial by biopsy. In these cases dilation may be the first step of a second look operation. In conclusion, we believe that endoscopic dilation can become a routine technique in the diagnosis and treatment of colonic stenosis. With more experience its limits will be better defined, but in our early
Control of a planar arm by nonlinear feedback gains

The control of a three-link planar robot, whose parameters roughly match a small commercially available arm, is considered. The end effector of the arm moves along a specified trajectory on a surface with dry friction while maintaining a prespecified constant pressure against the surface both with and without force sensors at the tip. A control strategy is presented with nonlinear position and velocity error feedback gains which are state dependent. Digital computer simulations of the motion are provided for comparison purposes and for demonstrating the effectiveness of this strategy.
Observing Fluorescent Probes in Living Cells using a Low-Cost LED Flashlight Retrofitted to a Common Vintage Light Microscope

While the application of molecular biological techniques based upon fluorescent probes has rapidly expanded over recent decades, the equipment cost of fluorescent microscopy has largely prevented its adoption in the college and high school classroom. We offer a simple solution to this problem by describing in detail how to build with simple tools, a fluorescent microscope using a common brand of colored LED flashlights and second-hand components of vintage Nikon microscopes. This extremely low cost solution is qualitatively compared to an expensive modern Zeiss system.
Interactions between hospital admissions, cost per day and average length of stay

Hospital cost per day (COST), annual admissions per capita (ADMIT), and average length of stay (ALOS) are important health policy variables because each variable provides important information about hospital industry performance. This study uses country-level data to explore the empirical relationships between COST, ADMIT, and ALOSin three steps: OLS estimation, application of the Wu-Hausman endogeneity test, and re-estimation with two-stage least squares. The major results are (i) ADMITand ALOSexert exogenous influences on COSTand (ii) ADMITand ALOSare endogenously related with possible one-way casuality from ADMITto ALOS.
Alice in Wired World: wonderland or wasteland?

As the global consumer continues to pour money into PC and Internet-based businesses, content providers are quickly falling behind in providing good programming. There are very few creative, interesting, or innovative Web pages on the Internet and even fewer clever uses of intranetworked computers. The paper considers how transaction costs for Internet purchases must come down.
Robot applications supported by CAD simulation

Abstract Employing a CAD simulation system to assist with the processing of robotics projects enables the detection of many problems at a significantly earlier stage than previously, i.e. before the start of production and assembly. The first section of this paper explains the requirements to be met by the simulation system. A description of the system employed at KUKA follows. Finally, a report is given of practical applications of the simulation system which have been carried out within the company.
PFEIFFER'S BACILLUS AND INFLUENZA : A SEROLOGICAL STUDY.

It has been shown that the sera of patients convalescent from influenza yield reactions for agglutinins, precipitins, and complement-binding bodies with antigens of Pfeiffer's bacillus. These reactions appear constantly at the end of the 1st week, increase in intensity during the 2nd week, and remain demonstrable for a period of 2 to 4 months. They were most complete in the sera of patients suffering from postinfluenzal pneumonia. It has also been demonstrated that the strains of Pfeiffer's bacillus isolated during the epidemic were morphologically and biologically similar to the strains isolated from influenza cases in other years, and antigenically they differed from them only quantitatively. The patients' serological reactions indicate the parasitic nature of the bacillus, but are not sufficiently stable and clean-cut to signify that Pfeiffer's bacillus is the specific inciting agent of epidemic influenza. They do, however, indicate that the bacillus of Pfeiffer is at least a very common secondary invader in influenza, and that its presence influences the course of the pathological process.
Development and Application of a Streamline Micellar/Polymer Simulator

A large-scale, two-dimensional, multicomponent, multiphase, compositional simulator for micellar/polymer flooding has been developed and applied. It can be used to calculate the areal sweep with any well pattern and any irregular reservoir boundary. The model involves both streamline and finite-difference techniques. In order to demonstrate that this model is capable of handling large field problems, a large-scale simulation of the north lease of the Kansas' El Dorado micellar/polymer pilot test was made. The simulated final oil recovery and the production histories of each producer are illustrated. 28 refs.
EXAFS investigation of superionic conduction in CuI

Abstract EXAFS results on the three solid phases of CuI support an excluded volume model for the CuI pair correlation function. The Cu ion density in the superionic α-phase peaks at the tetrahedral locations but is also substantial in the octahedral voids. The indicated Cu ion conduction path is in 〈111〉 directions through the faces shared by the tetrahedra and octahedra in the FCC iodine lattice with an energy barrier of roughly 0.16 eV in the superionic phase.
LONG TERM PERFORMANCE OF EXISTING PORTLAND CEMENT CONCRETE PAVEMENT SECTIONS - CASE STUDY

This paper presents the performance of seventeen rigid pavements made of Portland Cement Concrete (PCC) located in the State of Ohio, USA. The Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) testing method was used in a total of 58 km of PCC pavement sections to assess the pavement structural condition. Each section is classified as excellent, good, fair, or poor based on the normalized deflections obtained from FWD tests, spreadability, load transfer, and joint support ratio parameters. The overall performance of the analyzed sections is from good to excellent. The field testing methodology along with the performance data analyses presented in this publication are a valuable tool to evaluate the actual structural condition of pavements and as a result short or medium term rehabilitation programs can be issued to ensure the serviceability of the pavement.
SU‐FF‐J‐109: Preliminary Study of Deformable Image Registration Using ALE Mesh

Purpose: It is desirable to preserve mass and topology at every element during deformable image registration. We present some preliminary results using an ALE mesh for deformable image registration of head and neck tumors.Method and Materials: Arbitrary Lagrangian‐Eulerian (ALE) moving mesh is a finite‐element based technique that preserves mass and topology during deformation. The displacement of the moving boundary can propagate to the interior nodes throughout the domain. A smooth mesh deformation can be obtained by solving partial‐differential equations(PDEs) for the mesh displacements. We adopted this technique in deformable image registration. The idea of our image registration, currently contour‐based, is to generate ALE mesh in a reference image, move the external boundary (or surface) to match the boundary in a target image, and track the contours of the interior organs or tumors, which are deformed by the ALE mesh movement. The software COMSOL Multiphysics (Comsol, Inc., MA) was used. Results: The image registration was tested with two‐dimensional images, using structure contours of head and neck tumors. Two sets of CTimages and structure contours taken before and after chemotherapy, respectively, were used. The external contour obtained before the chemotherapy was moved to match the external contour obtained after the chemotherapy. Displacement vectors of the domain enclosed by the external contour were derived from the moving mesh, which were then examined with the deformation of gross target volume (GTV) contour. A warped GTV contour was obtained by applying the displacement vectors to the GTV obtained before the chemotherapy. The result showed that the warped GTV nearly agreed with the GTV obtained after the chemotherapy, except a small part. Conclusion: The preliminary study shows promising application of deformed mesh in image registration. Further studies in three dimensions and comparing the agreements between our methods and elastic‐mechanical modeling will be included.
Theory of tunneling into interface states

Abstract A theory of electron tunneling from the metal through the insulator and into the semiconductor of a MIS-structure is developed. Using a square well model, the interface states are represented by a distribution of δ-function potentials, and their wave functions calculated. Following the method of Bardeen, the tunneling matrix element and current are found and used with an extension of Shockley-Read recombination theory to determine a tunnelling time constant, τ To , similar to the surface recombination time constant, τ. Small signal solutions are calculated and presented in the form of equivalent circuits. For a single level state the equivalent circuit consists of the thick insulator, non-tunneling MIS-capacitor plus a tunneling current, j 1 , injected from the metal into the midpoint of the recombination RC circuit. j 1 is made up of three terms caused by modulation of the effective barrier height, and by modulation of the metal and trap occupancy functions. For τ To ⪡ τ , the case of an ideal Schottky barrier, the tunneling current is controlled by the recombination time, τ. If τ To > τ , the tunneling limited case, j 1 is controlled by τ To . This case is discussed in detail. The model's current and conductance characteristics are numerically calculated and graphically presented as a function of interface state density and distribution, interface potential, insulator thickness, and a.c. frequency.
Effect of Indomethacin on Alteration of ATPase-Positive Langerhans Cell Density and Cutaneous Sunburn Reaction Induced by Ultraviolet-B Radiation

We have investigated the effect of ultraviolet-B (UVB) irradiation on the density of epidermal ATPase-positive Langerhans cells, and the modulation of this effect by indomethacin (IND). Depilated backs of albino guinea pigs were exposed to varying doses of UVB (10–550 mJ/cm 2 ). Skin biopsies were taken serially. There was an UVB dose-dependent decrease in the density of dendritic epidermal Langerhans cells, as identified by their membrane ATPase activity. This was accompanied by thinning and shortening, or disappearance of dendritic processes. Such changes were followed by a gradual recovery of the cell density to preirradiation level by day 21. Despite the high doses of UVB given, the maximal decrease in the density of ATPase-positive cells was only 58%. Topical application of IND, a prostaglandin-synthetase inhibitor, after irradiation resulted in a decrease of the erythema; however, the decrease in the density of ATPase-positive cells was still observed. In contrast, guinea pigs that received IND topically prior to irradiation showed a decreased erythemal response, but failed to show any decrease in the density of ATPase-positive cells. Administration of IND orally for 3 days prior to UVB exposure did not prevent the decrease in the cell density. The protective effect of topical IND, applied prior to irradiation, may be explained by its in vitro absorbance at both the UVB and UVA ranges. Topical application of IND 20 min prior to exposure to UVB in 2 human subjects resulted in an increase in the minimal erythema dose, giving a sun protection factor of 1.6, which is comparable to that produced by an equimolar concentration of para-aminobenzoic acid solution. The sun-protective property of IND, together with its activity as a prostaglandin synthetase inhibitor, indicate that it potentially could be a useful sunscreen agent. Its clinical safety and efficacy, however, remain to be determined.
Efficient intensity map splitting algorithms for intensity-modulated radiation therapy

In this paper, we study several interesting intensity map splitting (IMSp) problems that arise in Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), a state-of-the-art radiation therapy technique for cancer treatments. In current clinical practice, a multi-leaf collimator (MLC) with a maximum leaf spread is used to deliver the prescribed intensity maps (IMs). However, the maximum leaf spread of an MLC may require that a large intensity map be split into several abutting sub-IMs each being delivered separately, which results in prolonged treatment time. Few IM splitting techniques reported in the literature have addressed the issue of treatment delivery efficiency for large IMs. We develop a unified approach for solving the IMSp problems while minimizing the total beam-on time in various settings. Our basic idea is to formulate the IMSp problem as computing a k-link shortest path in a directed acyclic graph. We carefully characterize the intrinsic structures of the graph, yielding efficient algorithms for the IMSp problems.
Pliocene-Pleistocene Biogeographic History of Prairie Dogs, Genus Cynomys (Sciuridae)

The genus Cynomys and both of its subgenera, Cynomys ( Cynomys ) or black-tailed prairie dogs and Cynomys ( Leucocrossuromys ) or white-tailed prairie dogs, have their earliest fossil occurrences on the Great Plains (late Blancan for the genus and early Irvingtonian for both subgenera). However, the fossil record of prairie dogs is poor prior to the late Irvingtonian. Geographic distributions of the two subgenera during the late Irvingtonian and Ranchola-brean were consistently different from Recent distributions. Cynomys ( L .) niobrarius was widely distributed across the northern and central Great Plains and commonly co-occurred with the Cynomys ( C .) new sp.- C . ( C .) ludovicianus lineage on the latter. In contrast, the Cynomys ( C .) new sp.- C . ( C .) ludovicianus lineage lived in the central and southern Great Plains, but never further north. Both subgenera, represented by C . ( L .) gunnisoni and C . ( C .) ludovicianus , lived in the southern highlands of New Mexico during Wisconsin time. The Mexican black-tailed prairie dog, C . ( C .) mexicanus , also may have lived in southern New Mexico during Wisconsin time. Biogeographic stability on the Great Plains throughout the late Irvingtonian and Rancholabrean suggests that glacial-interglacial fluctuations in climate and habitat were not sufficient to disrupt characteristic Pleistocene distribution patterns of Cynomys prior to the Holocene.
Design of GFRP reinforced CRCP and its behavior sensitivity to material property variations

Abstract Non-corrosiveness, light weight, and high strength-to-weight ratio of Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) rebars would have favorable impacts on the Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavements (CRCPs), in terms of lowering the maintenance cost and extending the longevity of the pavement. To examine the viability of GFRP rebars as CRCP’s reinforcement, the U.S.’s first GFRP-CRCP test section was constructed on Route 9 in Martinsburg, West Virginia, together with a conventional steel-CRCP test section for comparison purpose. In this paper, we introduce overall design methodology of these CRCP test sections, which involves mechanistic and numerical analyses. The reinforcement design of #7 longitudinal rebars at 6 in. (15.24 cm) spacing (1.0% ratio) is proposed to be mechanically and economically feasible for the GFRP-CRCP, when applied with 6500 psi (44.82 MPa) concrete on the cement-stabilized subbase. For the GFRP-CRCP design, shrinkage and thermal properties of concrete appear to be the most influential design parameters to the performance of the proposed GFRP-CRCP. Even though the actual field performance of the CRCP test sections shows appreciable discrepancy with its prediction, it still remains within the allowable limit for structural integrity. The properties of subbase and concrete deviating from their proposed design is presumably the cause of the discrepancy.
Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty in Nonagenarians

Among 25 patients of mean age 91.5 years (range, 90-96 years) who received a total hip or knee arthroplasty at the authors' institution, 8% experienced surgical complications, 56% experienced at least 1 medical complication, and 80% received perioperative blood transfusions. At a mean follow-up of 4.1 years, patients were experiencing pain reduction and somewhat higher functional capacity and had slightly better survival characteristics than age-matched controls. Total hip and knee arthroplasty patients in this cohort should be told that they have a higher likelihood of experiencing perioperative medical complications and of receiving a blood transfusion than younger individuals; at the same time, they can expect pain relief as well as equal or better survival than their age-matched peers.
Solvophobically Driven Folding of Nonbiological Oligomers

In solution, biopolymers commonly fold into well-defined three-dimensional structures, but only recently has analogous behavior been explored in synthetic chain molecules. An aromatic hydrocarbon backbone is described that spontaneously acquires a stable helical conformation having a large cavity. The chain does not form intramolecular hydrogen bonds, and solvophobic interactions drive the folding transition, which is sensitive to chain length, solvent quality, and temperature.
186 Erythropoietin is Neuroprotective in 10 Day Old Mice Subjected to Hypoxia Ischemia (USA)

Erythropoietin (Epo) is neuroprotective in many models of brain injury. We developed a model of hypoxia-ischemia (HI) in P10 mice that results in consistent, moderate, brain injury with minimal acute mortality. Our objectives were to determine whether Epo is neuroprotective by comparing the degree of injury in sham, Epo and placebo-treated animals, and to catalog the time course of HI-induced changes in gene expression. We hypothesized that early changes in gene expression will mediate Epo neuroprotection. The right carotid artery of anesthetized P10 BALB/c mice was cauterized under direct visualization (n=100 total). Animals were then exposed to alternating hypoxia (8% oxygen x 15 minutes) and hyperoxia (100% oxygen x 10 minutes) for a total of 45 minutes of hypoxia, 20 minutes of hyperoxia at 34 C. Shams underwent anesthesia and visualization of the carotid artery only. After injury, mice were treated with either daily rEpo (5000 U/kg) SQ x 3, or placebo. RNA was extracted from the right hippocampus, cortex and diencephalon 1, 2, or 7 days after injury. The Code-link platform was used to compare gene expression. Triplicate RNA samples from each condition were pooled for analysis. Results: 18 of 33 rEpo-treated animals were grossly normal (55%), as compared to 8 of 35 placebo-treated animals (23%), p<0.01. The brain injury scores of Epo-treated animals were lower than placebo controls (1.76 vs 2.83, p < 0.001), indicating less severe injury. There were differences in the magnitude, timing and nature of the injury response across brain regions at all time points. Changes in gene expression included apoptosis, angiogenesis, and inflammatory genes. We conclude Epo is neuroprotective in this mouse model, that Epo significantly alters gene expression when compared to placebo control, and that acute changes in gene expression in response to neonatal HI differ across brain regions. NIH - R21 HD042213–01
The National Cancer Data Base report on carcinoma of the gallbladder, 1989-1995.

BACKGROUND Reports utilizing data from the Commission on Cancer's National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) have previously contained evaluations of time trends for stage of disease at diagnosis, treatment, and survival for multiple tumor sites. Data collected from 1989, 1990, 1994, and 1995 for carcinoma of the gallbladder are presented herein. METHODS The data presented in this review were collected from hospital cancer registries from across the U.S. Seven calls for data yielded a total of 5,850,000 cases for the years 1985-1995, including 2574 gallbladder carcinoma cases from 1989-1990 and 2914 cases from 1994-1995 from hospital cancer registries across the U.S. These data represent approximately 8.8% and 8.4% of the estimated cases of liver and biliary track cancers diagnosed in the U.S. during the two respective time periods. RESULTS There were no changes in patient demographics between 1989-1990 and 1994-1995. Most gallbladder carcinoma patients were white women. The documentation of tumor stage improved noticeably between the two study periods. There was no increased frequency in the occurrence of early stage tumors between the two reporting times, an era that saw the development and widespread application of laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Treatment differed according to stage of disease. Surgery alone, particularly nonradical surgery, was performed more frequently in the initial treatment of gallbladder carcinoma. A large percentage of gallbladder carcinoma patients received no definitive therapeutic intervention because of the advanced stage of disease at presentation and the lack of effective treatments for these cancers. Multimodality treatment was utilized more often for young patients. Survival was closely related to tumor stage, with 60% 5-year survival for Stage 0 patients, 39% for Stage I patients, and 15% for Stage II patients, but only 5% for Stage III patients and 1% for Stage IV patients. Patient outcome was not demonstrably affected by more aggressive therapy, nor was an adverse effect in results seen in early stage cancers between 1989-1990 and 1994-1995. CONCLUSIONS The NCDB data are valuable in the evaluation of trends in malignant diseases, treatments, and patient survival. No substantial differences were apparent in the diagnosis, treatment, and survival of patients during this 7-year study period. The data do not support any adverse effect on outcome results with the introduction of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the U.S. Cancer 1998;83:2618-2628. © 1998 American Cancer Society.