cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Male circumcision as a preventive measure limiting HIV transmission

From population based studies and couple studies, the probability of HIV transmission and acquisition has been associated with the blood and genital viral load, male circumcision, STDs, stage of disease, genetic haplotype, viral subtype, and levels of mucosal immune response. This presentation will review the relationship between male circumcision and HIV transmission and discuss policy implications in promoting circumcision as a prevention modality. A systematic meta-analysis of 38 studies, mostly in Africa, found that circumcised men appear to have a 50% or more reduction in HIV infection as uncircumcised men. A sub-analysis of 16 of these studies found a 70% reduction in HIV infection among higher-risk men. Mapping of the HIV epidemic has demonstrated a strong correlation between regions with higher rates of HIV infection and those with lower circumcision rates. A two-year cohort study of male partners of HIV-positive women in Rakai, Uganda, found that 40 of 137 uncircumcised men became infected compared to 0 of 50 circumcised men over 2.1 years(p = 0.0004). Biological explanations include greater ability of the internal foreskin to absorb HIV more efficiently due to the greater presence of Langerhans and other HIV target cells and its greater susceptibility to tears, abrasions, and consequently infection by STDs and HIV. One RCT in South Africa demonstrated that circumcision afforded a 61% (95% CI: 34%–77%) reduction in HIV incidence even after controlling for behavioral factors (Auvert et al., PLoS Medicine 2005;298). Two other RCT trials of male circumcision in Uganda and Kenya are in progress. In summary, these epidemiologic, biological, and clinical trial results provide very strong evidence that male circumcision significantly lowers the risk of HIV acquisition. Mathematical models of implementing male circumcision in countries with high incident rates suggest marked reductions in HIV incidence in men with subsequent decreased transmission rates to women. Policy implications of recommending male circumcision to populations in high-risk countries need to take into consideration cultural norms, religious traditions, national and local laws. Circumcision may represent one important biological intervention to decreasing the acquisition of HIV, but will need to be carefully integrated into other HIV prevention and STD control programs in order to prevent subsequent behavioral disinhibition" among circumcised men.
Acellular pertussis trial.

In the supplement to Pediatrics entitled Report of the Nationwide Multicenter Acellular Pertussis Trial, Edwards et al1 describe the serologic responses to individual antigens in thirteen acellular pertussis vaccines which were evaluated in the phase I/II trials performed by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases-supported Vaccine Treatment and Evaluation Units. In that article, the authors comment that "postimmunization geometric mean (antibody) titers [against pertussis toxin] differed significantly among the acellular vaccine groups and did not seem to correlate with the pertussis toxin (PT) antigen content of the vaccines."
VITAMIN B12-DEPENDENT METHYLMALONICACIDURIA: AMINO ACID TOXICITY, LONG CHAIN KETONURIA, AND PROTECTIVE EFFECT OF VITAMIN B12

Methylmalonicaciduria is an inborn error of metabolism characterized by protein intolerance, neonatal or infantile ketoacidosis, long chain ketonuria, and by the accumulation of large amounts of methylmalonic acid (MMA) in blood and urine. The present study examines the metabolic basis for these features in a young boy with the vitamin B12-dependent variant of this disorder. A diet containing 5 gm of protein per kg body weight per day resulted in transient ketoacidosis, long chain ketonuria, and increased methylmalonicaciduria. Isoleucine, valine, methionine, and threonine, all known MMA precursors, were responsible for this protein intolerance. Oral loads of each of these amino acids resulted in equimolar 1,000 µg increases in urinary MMA. Valine and isoleucine also precipitated mild ketoacidosis and long chain ketonuria. Injections of vitamin B12 (1000 µg per day) promptly lowered urine MMA by 70% and partially corrected the defect in propionate or methylmalonate oxidation found in the patient9s leucocytes or platelets. While receiving vitamin B12, the clinical toxicity of a valine load was abolished and its biochemical effects significantly modified. These findings demonstrate that the observed protein intolerance and ketoacidosis in patients with methylmalonicaciduria are direct results of the primary block in methylmalonate catabolism and that vitamin B12 acts by overcoming, in part, this metabolic block. These conclusions imply that children with this disorder should respond to dietary protein restriction and/or vitamin B12 supplementation, a regimen on which our patient has thrived for over 2 years.
A new one-class SVM for anomaly detection

Given n i.i.d. samples from some unknown nominal density f0, the task of anomaly detection is to learn a mechanism that tells whether a new test point ? is nominal or anomalous, under some desired false alarm rate a. Popular non-parametric anomaly detection approaches include one-class SVM and density-based algorithms. One-class SVM is computationally efficient, but has no direct control of false alarm rate and usually gives unsatisfactory results. In contrast, some density-based methods show better statistical performance but have higher computational complexity at test time. We propose a novel anomaly detection framework that incorporates statistical density information into the discriminative Ranking SVM procedure. At training stage a ranker is learned based on rankings R of the average k nearest neighbor (k-NN) distances of nominal nodes. This rank R(x) is shown to be asymptotically consistent, indicating how extreme x is with respect to the nominal density. In test stage our scheme predicts the rank R(η) of test point η, which is then thresholded to report anomaly. Our approach has much lower complexity than density-based methods, and performs much better than one-class SVM. Synthetic and real experiments justify our idea.
Recent progress in flexible OLED displays

Organic light emitting device (OLED) technology has recently been shown to demonstrate excellent performance and cost characteristics for use in numerous flat panel display (FPD) applications. OLED displays emit bright, colorful light with excellent power efficiency, wide viewing angle and video response rates. OLEDs are also demonstrating the requisite environmental robustness for a wide variety of applications. OLED technology is also the first FPD technology with the potential to be highly functional and durable in a flexible format. The use of plastic and other flexible substrate materials offers numerous advantages over commonly used glass substrates, including impact resistance, light weight, thinness and conformability. Currently, OLED displays are being fabricated on rigid substrates, such as glass or silicon wafers. At Universal Display Corporation (UDC), we are developing a new class of flexible OLED displays (FOLEDs). These displays also have extremely low power consumption through the use of electrophosphorescent doped OLEDs. To commercialize FOLED technology, a number of technical issues related to packaging and display processing on flexible substrates need to be addressed. In this paper, we report on our recent results to demonstrate the key technologies that enable the manufacture of power efficient, long-life flexible OLED displays for commercial and military applications.
Analytical solutions for the LMG model

Abstract Analytical solutions for the Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick (LMG) model for some nontrivial limits are derived by using an infinite-dimensional algebraic approach based on the Bethe ansatz. Analytical expressions for eigenvalues and the corresponding eigenfunctions of the Hamiltonian are obtained. Solutions for the associated Bethe ansatz equations are given.
Injury and physiological responses of Larrea tridentata (DC) coville exposed In situ to sulphur dioxide

The response of shrubs of Larrea tridentata (DEC) Coville (creosotebush) exposed to sulphur dioxide (SO2) was evaluated using in situ plants of the Majove Desert. Larrea was exposed to acute levels of 0·3 to 2·0 μl litre−1 SO2 for periods up to 13 days using field chambers or an open-air fumigation system. Plants exposed in the spring exhibited considerable leaf injury (necrosis and defoliation) when exposed to 2·0 μl litre−1 SO2, and in the autumn had leaf injury when exposed to > 0·4 μl litre−1 SO2. Injured plants had higher transpiration rates, less negative water pressure potentials, and/or lower photosynthetic rates than control plants. It is likely that Larrea would not be injured by the typically low SO2 concentrations and dry environmental conditions of the Mojave Desert. However, if injury were to occur, it would be accompanied by changes in plant-water relations and photosynthesis, followed by recovery after the SO2 stress was removed.
High-temperature liquid water: a viable medium for terephthalic acid synthesis.

We report new information concerning the effect of oxygen concentration and catalyst concentration and identity [MnBr2, CoBr2, ZrBr4, and Mn(OAc)2] on the partial oxidation of p-xylene in dense water from 250 to 380 °C. Water is a more environmentally benign replacement for the acetic acid solvent used commercially. We used a 440 mL Hastelloy batch reactor for all experiments and monitored O2 consumption and product (including COx) formation. Increasing the catalyst concentration at 300 °C significantly increased terephthalic acid yields. MnBr2 was the most active catalyst of those we assessed. Increasing the initial O2 concentration beyond a modest excess did not significantly alter the terephthalic acid yield, but it increased the CO2 yield. Injecting supplemental O2 midreaction, however, did cause the terephthalic acid yield to increase. The highest terephthalic acid yields (>80%) occurred at 300 °C, [p-xylene]0 = 0.02 M, [O2]0 = 0.10 M, [Br] = 0.014 M, and t = 5−15 min. These yields are the highest re...
A study of ozone-induced edema in the isolated rat lung in relation to arachidonic acid metabolism, mixed-function oxidases and angiotensin converting enzyme activities.

In order to elucidate the role of arachidonic acid in the pathogenesis of ozone-induced pulmonary edema, isolated rat lungs were exposed to 14C-arachidonic acid in the presence or absence of ozone and the incorporation of radiolabelled arachidonate into pulmonary cell lipids was studied. The perfusates from these studies were also subjected to differential extraction and thin layer chromatography (t.l.c.) to determine synthesis of both cyclo-oxygenase and lipoxygenase products. In the presence of an edemagenic concentration of ozone, isolated lungs incorporated significantly less exogenous arachidonic acid into phosphatidyl choline and phosphatidyl ethanolamine, whereas incorporation into phosphatidyl inositol or serine was not affected. The edemagenic concentration of ozone also increased production of a variety of arachidonic acid metabolites via cyclo-oxygenase and lipoxygenase pathways. In separate studies, a similar ozone exposure did not affect 14CO2 production, resulting from the metabolism of 14C-antipyrine by mixed function oxidases (MFO). Similarly, an edemagenic concentration of ozone did not affect pulmonary angiotensin converting enzyme activity (ACE) as determined by the rate of formation of 14C-hippuric acid from 14C-hippuryl-histidyl-leucine (14C-HHL). Thus, acute ozone exposure is specifically associated with a reduced incorporation of arachidonate into phospholipids and with an increased conversion of arachidonate into bio-active metabolites.
An experimental analysis of the recessive yellow coat color mutant in the mouse.

Abstract In the mouse, the extension locus determines whether eumelanin or pheomelanin is synthesized by the melanocytes of the hair follicle. To establish whether this locus acts autonomously within the melanocyte or within the follicular milieu, the kind of pigment produced by various dermal-epidermal combinations of e e (recessive yellow) and E + E + (nonyellow) embryonic skin has been investigated. The results are in complete accord with the extension locus acting within the melanocyte.
Changes in weight bias and perceived employability following weight loss and gain.

Background The present weight stigma study examined whether attitudes toward and employability of a normal weight person can change after learning that the person had been obese.
Electronic coupling in covalently-linked MM quadruple bonds: M2δ to ligand π conjugation

Abstract Dimetal tetracarboxylates, M 2 (O 2 CR) 4 , where R=alkyl and M=Mo or W, can be linked in a perpendicular or parallel manner through the agency of a variety of ligands to give ‘dimers of dimers’ [M 2 (O 2 CR) 3 ] 2 (bridge), or extended chains. A ring of formula [M 2 (O 2 CR) 2 (bridge)] 4 is an alternative to a chain [M 2 (O 2 CR) 3 ] 2 (bridge) 2 ] ∞ and ‘molecular squares’ of formula [(RNCHNR) 2 M 2 (bridge)] 4 have recently been reported by Cotton and Murillo, where M=Mo and Rh and R= p -MeOC 6 H 4 . The electronic coupling between the M 2 units manifests itself in electrochemical data and in the electronic spectra of the compounds. The electronic coupling occurs by M 2 δ to ligand π-conjugation and specific examples are illustrated for the bridging ligands oxalate, perfluoroteraphthalate, 1,8-anthracenedicarboxylate and 2,7-dioxynaphthyridine. Correlations of a variety of spectroscopic data and computations employing density functional theory are presented.
Half-Lives and Healthy Bodies: Discourses on Contaminated Food and Healing in Postchernobyl Ukraine

In Ukraine, the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident lives on in the collective memory as both a conscious and unconscious element of everyday life. Radiation, contaminated, and dirty are words that one...
Wireless vibration monitoring for damage detection of highway bridges

The development of low-cost wireless sensor networks has resulted in resurgence in the development of ambient vibration monitoring methods to assess the in-service condition of highway bridges. However, a reliable approach towards assessing the health of an in-service bridge and identifying and localizing damage without a priori knowledge of the vibration response history has yet to be formulated. A two-part study is in progress to evaluate and develop existing and proposed damage detection schemes. The first phase utilizes a laboratory bridge model to investigate the vibration response characteristics induced through introduction of changes to structural members, connections, and support conditions. A second phase of the study will validate the damage detection methods developed from the laboratory testing with progressive damage testing of an in-service highway bridge scheduled for replacement. The laboratory bridge features a four meter span, one meter wide, steel frame with a steel and cement board deck composed of sheet layers to regulate mass loading and simulate deck wear. Bolted connections and elastomeric bearings provide a means for prescribing variable local stiffness and damping effects to the laboratory model. A wireless sensor network consisting of fifty-six accelerometers accommodated by twenty-eight local nodes facilitates simultaneous, real-time and high-rate acquisition of the vibrations throughout the bridge structure. Measurement redundancy is provided by an array of wired linear displacement sensors as well as a scanning laser vibrometer. This paper presents the laboratory model and damage scenarios, a brief description of the developed wireless sensor network platform, an overview of available test and measurement instrumentation within the laboratory, and baseline measurements of dynamic response of the laboratory bridge model.
Point cloud culling for robot vision tasks under communication constraints

In this paper, we present two real-time methods for controlling data transmission in a robotic network that utilizes a remote computing infrastructure. The proposed algorithms use information and communication theory concepts to perform a highly efficient transfer of RGB-D data from a client (robot) to a server (cloud). We show that this approach makes it possible to conserve bandwidth and reduce network latency while allowing a mobile robot to perform vision tasks.
Integration and Reuse in Cognitive Skill Acquisition

Previous accounts of cognitive skill acquisition have demonstrated how procedural knowledge can be obtained and transformed over time into skilled task performance. This article focuses on a complementary aspect of skill acquisition, namely the integration and reuse of previously known component skills. The article posits that, in addition to mechanisms that proceduralize knowledge into more efficient forms, skill acquisition requires tight integration of newly acquired knowledge and previously learned knowledge. Skill acquisition also benefits from reuse of existing knowledge across disparate task domains, relying on indexicals to reference and share necessary information across knowledge components. To demonstrate these ideas, the article proposes a computational model of skill acquisition from instructions focused on integration and reuse, and applies this model to account for behavior across seven task domains.
Experimental error for permeability and specific storage from pulse decay measurements

Abstract The equations describing pressure decay in the transient pulse method for measuring permeability and specific storage have been used to obtain error estimates. Experiment design is aided by using the sensitivity coefficients of pressure with respect to the two physical parameters. Permeability is relatively insensitive to the ratio of sample storage to upper reservoir storage, but specific storage becomes more sensitive as this ratio increases. Permeability is measured, in general, significantly more accurately than specific storage by the pulse decay method.
Effects of Age, Sex, and Marital Status on Person Perception

96 female and 96 male college students evaluated a briefly described stimulus person on 20 7-point bipolar scales which described personality traits and professional performance characteristics. Each subject rated one of 16 adults who was described as either female or male, either young or middle-aged, and either never-married, divorced, widowed, or married. Females and males were perceived similarly on nearly all characteristics. Married individuals were evaluated more favorably on several traits than were all groups of unmarried individuals, regardless of sex or age. Middle-aged women were perceived more positively than young women on some characteristics, whereas men were rated similarly regardless of age.
Laser writing on metal‐silicon bilayers for optical storage. I. Optical properties

Various bilayer structures consisting of metal and silicon were investigated as possible candidates for the optical recording medium. The silicon‐on‐metal bilayers offer tunability with a reasonable thickness of Si in the visible spectrum with a typical reflectivity less than 5%. Of the two possible writing processes, the low‐power process of silicide formation has a threshold power of 30 mW for a Rh‐Si bilayer which provides a reflectivity change in excess of 40%. The absence of raised rims around the written spots offers a smooth morphology that is compatible with encapsulation.
New Micromechanics Formulations for the Assessment of Elastic Moduli of Granular Assemblies

The elastic moduli of granular assemblies are sensitive to the confining conditions as well as the volume fractions of each of its constituents (i.e. solid, fluid, gas). Theoretical estimations using granular mechanics are based on assumed distributions of contact normals and branch vectors using idealized particle shapes and therefore cannot quantitatively predict the moduli. This paper presents a new method to use the moduli of the granular skeleton and those of the matrix to estimate the moduli of the composite and makes it possible to back-calculate the moduli of the skeleton from the moduli of the composite and the matrix.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Empirically-derived Knowledge on Adolescent Assent to Pediatric Biomedical Research.

Background: There has been a recent growth in empirical research on assent with pediatric populations, due in part to the demand for increased participation of this population in biomedical research. Despite methodological limitations, studies of adolescent capacities to assent have advanced and identified a number of salient psychological and social variables that are key to understanding assent. Methods: The authors review a subsection of the empirical literature on adolescent assent focusing primarily on asthma and cancer therapeutic research; adolescent competencies to assent to these studies; perceptions of protocol risk and benefit; the effects of various social context variables on adolescent research participation decision making; and the interrelatedness of these psychological and social factors. Results: Contemporary studies of assent, using multivariate methods and updated approaches to statistical modeling, have revealed the importance of studying the intercorrelation between adolescents’ psyc...
Maternal effects are long‐lasting and influence female offspring's reproductive strategy in the swordtail fish Xiphophorus multilineatus

The adaptive benefits of maternal investment into individual offspring (inherited environmental effects) will be shaped by selection on mothers as well as their offspring, often across variable environments. We examined how a mother's nutritional environment interacted with her offspring's nutritional and social environment in Xiphophorus multilineatus, a live-bearing fish. Fry from mothers reared on two different nutritional diets (HQ = high quality and LQ = low quality) were all reared on a LQ diet in addition to being split between two social treatments: exposed to a large adult male during development and not exposed. Mothers raised on a HQ diet produce offspring that were not only initially larger (at 14 days of age), but grew faster, and were larger at sexual maturity. Male offspring from mothers raised on both diets responded to the exposure to courter males by growing faster; however, the response of their sisters varied with mother's diet; females from HQ diet mothers reduced growth if exposed to a courter male, whereas females from LQ diet mothers increased growth. Therefore, we detected variation in maternal investment depending on female size and diet, and the effects of this variation on offspring were long-lasting and sex specific. Our results support the maternal stress hypothesis, with selection on mothers to reduce investment in low-quality environments. In addition, the interaction we detected between the mother's nutritional environment and the female offspring's social environment suggests that female offspring adopted different reproductive strategies depending on maternal investment.
Single-polarization fiber optic resonator for gyro applications

A novel fiber-optic resonant ring has been demonstrated that eliminates one of the orthogonal resonances in the cavity. Standard birefringent fiber resonators support two resonances, associated with the fast and slow eigenmodes of the resonator. The addition of an intercavity device increases the loss in one of the eigenmodes, thus squelching that resonance. We have fabricated resonant rings from birefringent fiber polished couplers with a length of polarizing fiber spliced into the cavity, which eliminates the orthogonal resonance, even for moderate amounts of subcomponent polarization cross-coupling. Resonators with deep, symmetric dips and with finesse of about 25 have been obtained, fabricated from adjustable and fixed polarization-maintaining couplers.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Dependence of minority carrier bulk generation in silicon MOS structures on HCl concentration in an oxidizing ambient

Abstract The effcts of HCl on the bulk generation process in silicon has been investigated using MOS diodes based on HCl-grown oxides. The current and capacitance transient responses have been combined to characterize the test devices using four different methods. The results indicate that with the increase in HCl concentration to 6% in the oxidizing ambient the generation lifetime improves significantly. This implies a corresponding reduction of the near-midgap residual defect concentration in silicon due to the gettering effects of HCl. In the test samples the energy level of the dominant residual defect has been identified at 0.128 eV above the midgap.
Fission track dating of kimberlitic zircons

Abstract The only reliable method for dating kimberlites at present is the lengthy and specialized hydrothermal procedure that extracts 206 Pb and 238 U from low-uranium zircons. This paper describes a second successful method by fission track dating of large single-crystal zircons, 1.0–1.5 cm in dimension. The use of large crystals overcomes the limitations imposed in conventional fission track analysis which utilizes crushed fragments. Low track densities, optical track dispersion, and the random orientation of polished surfaces in the etch and irradiation cycle are effectively overcome. Fission track ages of zircons from five African kimberlites are reported, from the Kimberley Pool (90.3 ± 6.5 m.y.), Orapa (87.4 ± 5.7 and 92.4 ± 6.1 m.y.), Nzega (51.1 ± 3.8 m.y.), Koffiefontein (90.0 ± 8.2 m.y.), and Val do Queve (133.4 ± 11.5 m.y.). In addition we report the first radiometric ages (707.9 ± 59.6 and 705.5 ± 61.0 m.y.) of crustal zircons from kimberlites in northwest Liberia. The fission track ages agree well with earlier age estimates. Most of the zircons examined in this study are zoned with respect to uranium but linear correlations are established (by regression analysis) between zones of variable uranium content, and within zones of constant uranium content (by analysis of variance). Concordance between the fission track method and the U/Pb technique is established and we concluded that track fading from thermal annealing has not taken place. Kimberlitic zircons dated in this study, therefore, record the time of eruption.
Analysis of Homatropine Methylbromide Dosage Forms

A stability-indicating method of analysis of homatropine methylbromide in pharmaceutical formulations was developed. This method is based on the formation of a picric acid-quaternary ammonium complex, which is adsorbed on acid-washed diatomaceous earth in alkaline media followed by on-column chloroform extraction. The picrate complex is measured spectrophotometrically at 365 nm. The method was selective for homatropine methylbromide in that there was no interference from its major hydrolytic decomposition products, tropinium methylbromide and mandelic acid.
Simultaneous-treatment design comparisons of the effects of earning reinforcers for one's peers versus for oneself*

The influence of different methods of dispensing reinforcers earned by a target subject on that subject's behavior was examined with two mentally retarded children enrolled in a special education classroom. In separate experiments, each child received tokens contingent upon attentive behavior. The different methods of dispensing reinforcers consisted of exchanging the tokens for back-up events for oneself or for the entire class. The two methods of exchanging tokens were compared in separate simultaneous-treatment designs for each child. The simultaneous-treatment design permits a comparison of different treatments with an individual subject. The treatments are administered in the same phase but are balanced across different time periods during which they are implemented. In each experiment, earning tokens that purchased back-up events for the entire class was more effective in altering the target subject's behavior than was earning tokens that purchased back-up events for oneself. In addition, the simultaneous-treatment design was demonstrated to be a useful technique to compare treatments with individual subjects.
Guidelines for Evaluation of International Emergency Medicine Assistance and Development Projects

Interest in the development of the specialty of emergency medicine and of emergency health care systems has greatly increased worldwide in the last few years. The guidelines in this article were developed in an effort to assist others in design and evaluation of all types of emergency medicine projects.
Duration of postoperative dressing after mini-open carpal tunnel release: a prospective, randomized trial.

Purpose In this prospective, randomized, controlled study, we hypothesized that there would be no difference in short-term functional, subjective, and blinded wound outcome measures between patients treated after mini-open carpal tunnel release (CTR) with a postoperative bulky dressing for 2 weeks and those with dressing removal and placement of an adhesive strip after 48 to 72 hours. Methods A total of 94 consecutive patients underwent mini-open CTR and placement of a bulky dressing and were randomized to either bandage removal at 48 to 72 hours with placement of an adhesive strip or continuation of the postoperative dressing until initial follow-up at approximately 2 weeks. We evaluated patient demographics, Levine-Katz scores, range of motion, strength, and a blinded assessment of wound healing at approximately 2 weeks and between 6 and 12 weeks. We conducted paired and independent sample t -tests to evaluate for statistical significance. Results There was no significant difference in Levine-Katz scores between groups at either the first follow-up or final visit. One patient with a longer dressing duration had evidence of a wound dehiscence. Conclusions Removal of a bulky dressing after mini-open CTR and replacement with an adhesive strip at 48 to 72 hours causes no wound complications and results in equal short-term clinical and subjective outcome measures compared with using a bulky dressing for 2 weeks. Type of study/level of evidence Therapeutic I.
Synthesis of phosphorus-containing poly-o-acylamideoximes from polyacrylonitrile

The synthesis of phosphorus-containing poly-O-acylamideoximes from polyacrylonitrile has been accomplished by the reaction sequence: Reaction is believed to occur at the NH2 nitrogen as well as at the oxime group, but reaction is not believed to occur at both groups in the amide oxime unit. Inclusion of the phosphorus moiety occurs in the medium to high range.
Pharmaceutical supply chain specifics and inventory solutions for a hospital case

Abstract Pharmaceuticals represent a large portion of the costs in the healthcare industry due to the significant costs of these products and their storage and control requirements. In this work we discuss the pharmacy supply chain and current managerial practices in a case hospital, examine the often conflicting goals in decision making amongst the various stakeholders, and explore the managerial tradeoffs present at the operational, tactical, and strategic levels of decision making. We focus on the inventory management at a local storage unit within an individual Care Unit (CU). For the operational inventory decision we provide the reorder point and order up to level (calledmin and max par levels) that control the automated ordering system. These parameters are based on a near-optimal allocation policy of cycle stock and safety stock under storage space constraint. Tactical decision support focuses on the relevant tradeoffs amongst three key performance indicators: the expected number of daily refills, the service level, and the storage space utilization. We analyze the tradeoffs amongst the refill workload, the emergency workload, and the variety of drugs offered (called formulary). The resulting decision support tool facilitates improvements to the current management practices.
Synthesis and characterization of a zirconium complex containing a corannulene-based ligand

Exo-(η5-C20H17)(η5-C5H5)ZrCl2 has been synthesized using partially hydrogenated corannulene as an η5-ligand. The zirconium atom was determined to be bound to the exo face of the bowl-shaped ligand by an X-ray diffraction study.
Modal identification of gyroscopic distributed-parameter systems

A new modal identification method for gyroscopic distributed-parameter systems is presented. The method represents an extension of previous work for the class of self-adjoint distributed-parameter systems. The modal identification method is formulated as a variational problem in which stationary values of a functional quotient are sought. The computation of the functional quotient is carried out using a set of admissible functions defined over the spatial domain of the system. As an illustration, the modal identification of a whirling shaft undergoing bending vibration is carried out and the effectiveness of the method is verified.
The Pedagogical Examples of Groups and Rings That Algebraists Think Are Most Important in an Introductory Course

This article reports on an exploratory study designed to investigate the reasoning behind algebraists’ selection of examples. Variation theory provided a lens to analyze their collections of examples. Our findings include the classes of examples of groups and rings that algebraists believe to be most pedagogically useful. Chief among their selection criteria was that these examples illustrate not only the concept at hand but also lay the foundation for more abstract constructions. Additionally, we found that the algebraists, tending to think in terms of classes of examples, used a relatively small number in their own teaching and research.
Optimality of control limit policies in replacement models

We study a class of replacement models for systems subject to deterioration. The objective is to determine an optimal replacement policy that minimizes the average operating costs of the system. We use a parametric analysis to establish sufficient conditions for the optimality of control limit policies. This work generalizes several existing results for optimal replacement models in the literature. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Changes in Neurocognition and Adherence over six months in HIV-Infected Individuals with Cocaine or Heroin Dependence

We sought to examine the course of adherence and cognition in HIV-infected individuals with either cocaine or heroin dependence and investigate independent predictors of cognition change. A prospective study over six months was undertaken in which adherence was measured by monthly electronic pill cap monitoring (Medication Event Monitoring System), while a comprehensive neuropsychological battery resulting in a composite score (NPZ8) was performed at baseline and six months. Multivariable regression models were performed in order to determine independent associations with change in cognition. There were 101 subjects at baseline, of whom 62% were male and 83% were non-Hispanic black. 46.6% of subjects at baseline had completed high school, 36.6% reported active cocaine use during the course of the study, and 0% reported active heroin use during the course of the study. 66 subjects completed the final cognitive assessment at six months. Subjects had markedly impaired cognitive function at baseline (NPZ8 -1.49) which persisted at six months (NPZ8 -1.47) in the group of study completers. There was an average monthly decrease in adherence of -2.91% overall (p = 0.008). In the multivariable model, each of the following variables: baseline cognition (R(2) change = 0.121, p = 0.006), cocaine use during the study (R(2) change = 0.059, p = 0.046), and monthly adherence change (R(2) change = 0.078, p = 0.018) independently contributed to NPZ8 change with an overall R(2) change = 0.219 (p = 0.001). This study shows an overall decrease in adherence over time in this population of subjects with a history of drug dependence. Active cocaine use, baseline cognition, and temporal adherence changes independently contributed to changes in cognition. Further study on enhancing adherence, cognition, and limiting drug abuse are warranted in this subgroup of HIV-infected individuals.
Pulmonary Overcirculation Following Left Atrial Decompression in Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome with Intact/Restrictive Atrial Septum

Patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) with intact or severely restrictive atrial septum have slow resolution of their elevated pulmonary vascular resistance after left atrial decompression. We report two neonates who required urgent surgical intervention because of unusually rapid fall in their pulmonary vascular resistance following left atrial decompression leading to pulmonary overcirculation and severe congestive heart failure. HLHS with intact or severely restrictive atrial septum is a predictor of poor outcome. The need for left atrial decompression can be predicted by well defined fetal echocardiographic indicators. However evolution of pulmonary resistance can be difficult to predict. In some patients decompression of the left atrium can lead to early excessive pulmonary blood flow and congestive heart failure requiring urgent intervention. Here, we report two cases of HLHS with highly restrictive atrial septum that after atrial septostomy had an accelerated transition requiring urgent intervention. Because of retrospective nature of the study, Children's National Medical Center approved waiver of informed consent.
Hormonal Responsiveness of Adenylate Cyclase Activity from Separated Bone Cells

This study examines the in vitro hormonal responsiveness of adenylate cyclase activity prepared from different types of bone cells. Adult rat skeletal tissue was separated into four cell populations: periosteum, osteoblasts, osteocytes, and mixed marrow cells. Particulate fractions (2200 x g) prepared from each of the bone cell populations were assayed for adenylate cyclase activity following the procedures of Marcus and Aurbach (6). A linear dose response curve was observed when adenylate cyclase activity from osteoblasts and osteocytes was plotted vs die log dose of parathyroid hormone (PTH) (0.5-15 U/70 μl). The maximum increases in activity were 2- to 4-fold. A dose-related response curve was also observed when activity from these same two cell types was plotted vs the log dose of thyrocalcitonin (TCT) (0.01–0.5 MRC U/70 μl). The maximum increase was 1.8 times control level. The response to TCT was only found consistently when EGTA was added to the assay media. Enzyme preparations from periosteum and ...
Effects of particulate concentrations on temperature and heat flux distributions in a pulverized‐coal fired furnace

A simple methodology for numerical modelling of total heat transfer in an axisymmetric, cylindrical pulverized coal-fired furnace is introduced. The solution for the flow field and energy equations are coupled with the solution of the radiative transfer equation. The SIMPLER code is employed to solve all the equations numerically. The radiation part is modelled using the first-order spherical harmonics approximation. The radiative properties of the gases and particulates such as soot, coal/char and fly-ash are obtained locally to account for the temperature and concentration distribution effects. Using a k - e model, the turbulence closure is obtained. Parametric studies are performed and are presented graphically to demonstrate the effects of particulate concentrations on the distributions of medium radiative and physical properties, temperature, and the wall total and radiative heat fluxes.
New agents for pleurodesis

At times when patients have a malignant pleural effusion or a pneumothorax, one wishes to eliminate the pleural space by pleurodesis. This article describes results from attempting pleurodesis with silver nitrate, iodopovidone (betadine), transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ), OK432, and lipoteichoic acid-T. The two most promising agents seem to be silver nitrate and iodopovidone. Both agents induce pleurodesis that is at least comparable with that produced by talc, and neither induced the acute respiratory distress syndrome that sometimes occurs after intrapleural administration of talc.
Towards single atom analysis of biological structures

Abstract Mapping single atoms in biological structures is now becoming within the reach of analytical electron microscopy. Electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) in the field-emission scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) provides a particularly high sensitivity for detecting the biologically important element, phosphorus. Imaging can be performed at low dose with dark-field STEM prior to analysis at high dose, so that structures of macromolecular assemblies can be correlated with the numbers of specific atoms that they contain. Measurements confirm theoretical predictions that single atom detection requires a nanometer-sized probe. Although phosphorus atoms may have moved several nanometers from their original positions by beam-induced structural degradation at the high required dose of ∼10 9 e/nm 2 , damaged molecules are nevertheless stable enough to be analyzed at 1 or 2 nm resolution. Such analyses can only be achieved by means of spectrum-imaging with correction for specimen drift. Optimal strategies for mapping small numbers of phosphorus atoms have been investigated using well-characterized specimens of DNA plasmids and tobacco mosaic virus.
High-pressure perovskites on the join CaTiO3-FeTiO3

An exploratory high-pressure study of the join CaTiO3-FeTiO3 has uncovered two intermediate perovskites with the compositions CaFe3Ti4O12 and CaFeTi2O6. These perovskites have ordering of Ca2+ and Fe2+ on the A sites. Both of these perovskites are unusual in that the A sites containing Fe2+ are either square planar or tetrahedral, due to the particular tilt geometries of the octahedral frameworks. For CaFe3Ti4O12, the structure has been refined from a powder using the Rietveld technique. This compound is a cubic double perovskite (SG Im $$\bar 3$$ , a = 7.4672 A), isostructural with NaMn7O12. Fe2+ is in a square-planar A site (similar to Mn3+ in NaMn7O12) with Fe-O = 2.042(3) A, with distant second neighbors in a rectangle at Fe-O = 2.780(6) A. Calcium is in a distorted icosahedron with Ca-O =2.635(5) A. CaFeTi2O6 crystallizes in a unique tetragonal double perovskite structure (SG P42/nmc, a = 7.5157(2), c = 7.5548(2)), with A-site iron in square-planar (Fe-O = 2.097(2) A) and tetrahedral (Fe-O = 2.084(2) A) coordination, again with distant second neighbor oxygens near 2.8 A. Rietveld refinement was also performed for the previously known perovskite-related form of FeTiO3 recovered from high pressure (lithium niobate type). This compound is trigonal R3c, with a = 5.1233(1) and c = 13.7602(2). The ordered perovskites appear to be stable at 1215 GPa and CaFe3Ti4O12 is found as low as 5 GPa. Thus these perovskites may be important to upper mantle mineralogy, particularly in kimberlites. These compounds are the first known quenchable perovskites with large amounts of A-site ferrous iron, and add greatly to the known occurrences of ferrous iron in perovskites.
Early Hyperandrogenism Affects the Development of Hippocampal Function: Preliminary Evidence from a Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study of Boys with Familial Male Precocious Puberty

The way in which sex hormones influence cognitive and affective brain development is poorly understood. Despite increasing knowledge in the area of pediatric mood disorders, little is known about the influence of sex hormones on the regulation of emotion. Animal studies and preliminary human studies suggest a strong impact of testosterone on limbic structures such as the hippocampus and amygdala. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine emotional processing in familial male-precocious puberty (FMPP), an extremely rare gonadotropin-independent form of precocious puberty characterized by early excess testosterone secretion. We compared this group (n = 7, mean age = 13 ± 3.3 years) to healthy age and sex-matched controls (n = 14, mean age = 13 ± 2.3 years). Participants were presented with emotional and neutral face stimuli and were required either to judge the hostility of the presented face, their subjective level of anxiety, or the width of the nose of the presented faces (nonemotional condition). In a fourth, passive viewing condition, no responses were required. Boys with FMPP responded faster to fearful faces during perception of threat compared to unaffected controls. Concurrently, fMRI data revealed significant differences in hippocampus activation in response to fearful faces relative to baseline whereas controls showed no differences. In contrast, no significant activation of the amygdala was found. These data are consistent with previous studies of the effects of sex hormones on brain function and support the role of testosterone on emotional development.
Apparent mineralocorticoid excess due to 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase deficiency: a possible cause of intrauterine growth retardation

A Japanese boy with apparent mineralocorticoid excess (AME) is described. He was born with intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) and elevated serum level of creatine phosphokinase (CPK). He was studied at 2 years of age because of polyurea and polydipsia of one year’s duration and was found to have hypokalaemic alkalosis and sustained hypertension. His plasma renin activity and aldosterone levels were always low and his ratio of urinary tetrahydrocortisol plus allo-tetrahydrocortisol to that of tetrahydrocortisone was very high. Therefore, AME due to 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11β-HSD) deficiency was diagnosed. He was successfully treated with a combination of spironolactone and nifedipine for at least 16 months. His blood pressure, plasma pH and serum potassium levels were normalized by this treatment, but serum CPK level remained high. We researched the birth records of previously reported AME cases and found that IUGR is a characteristic feature of AME. The mechanism by which IUGR occurs in AME is discussed and we speculate that 11β-HSD might be deficient in the placenta and/or fetal tissues, as well as in the kidney, in AME. An explanation for the elevated CPK could not be found.
A New Class of Molten Salt Mixtures The Hydrated Dipositive Ion as an Independent Cation Species

On the basis of solubility and electrical conductance measurements, a new class of molten salt mixtures involving hydrated multivalent cations as independent cation species is proposed. It is shown that these ions confer essentially the same properties on the solutions as expected theoretically from hard sphere cations of the same charge:radius ratio. The solutions are of considerable potential interest since they have especially low liquidus temperatures for molten salt systems and, as a result, are frequently glass forming. The investigation of ionic liquid behavior at low free volumes (high densities) should, therefore, be possible in a variety of systems. By way of an example, is found to dissolve to the extent of some 70 mol % at 100°C in the "hydrate melt" . The application of free volume transport theory equations to the analysis of electrical conductance data for this system produces striking correlations with electrical conductance behavior in the anhydrous system .
Innate immunity of the newborn: basic mechanisms and clinical correlates

The fetus and newborn face a complex set of immunological demands, including protection against infection, avoidance of harmful inflammatory immune responses that can lead to pre-term delivery, and balancing the transition from a sterile intra-uterine environment to a world that is rich in foreign antigens. These demands shape a distinct neonatal innate immune system that is biased against the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. This bias renders newborns at risk of infection and impairs responses to many vaccines. This Review describes innate immunity in newborns and discusses how this knowledge might be used to prevent and treat infection in this vulnerable population.