cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Flow-path textures and mineralogy in tuffs of the unsaturated zone

The high concentration of chlorine-36 ( 36 Cl) produced by above-ground nuclear tests (bomb-pulse) provides a fortuitous tracer for infiltration during the last 50 years, and is used to detect fast flow in the unsaturated zone at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, a thick deposit of welded and nonwelded tuffs. Evidence of fast flow as much as 300 m into the mountain has been found in several zones in a 7.7-km tunnel. Many zones are associated with faults that provide continuous fracture flow paths from the surface. In the Sundance fault zone, water with the bomb-pulse signature has moved into subsidiary fractures and breccia zones. We found no highly distinctive mineralogic associations of fault and fracture samples containing bomb-pulse 36 Cl. Bomb-pulse sites are slightly more likely to have calcite deposits than are non-bomb-pulse sites. Most other mineralogic and textural associations of fast-flow paths reflect the structural processes leading to locally enhanced permeability rather than the effects of ground-water percolation. Water movement through the rock was investigated by isotopic analysis of paired samples representing breccia zones and fractured wall rock bounding the breccia zones. Where bomb-pulse 36 Cl is present, the waters in bounding fractures and intergranular pores of the fast pathways are not in equilibrium with respect to the isotopic signal. In structural domains that have experienced extensional deformation, fluid flow within a breccia is equivalent to matrix flow in a particulate rock, whereas true fracture flow occurs along the boundaries of a breccia zone. Where shearing predominated over extension, the boundary between wall rock and breccia is rough and irregular with a tight wall-rock/breccia contact. The absence of a gap between the breccia and the wall rock helps maintain fluid flow within the breccia instead of along the wall-rock/breccia boundary, leading to higher 36 Cl/Cl values in the breccia than in the wall rock.
Living in Limbo: Transnational Households, Remittances and Development

In recent years, the reception of remittances by migrant-sending countries has been quantified and well advertised. Many have predicted economic development based on the magnitude of these aggregate figures, leaving aside the fact that new family arrangements, emigration expectations, consumption patterns and demographic changes impact the prospects for development. This paper shows how remittances link distant locations economically, socially and culturally creating unique transnational dynamics that shape development at both ends. I use multi-sited ethnographic work conducted over seven years in different places of migrant origin and destination. The paper challenges common assumptions regarding the developmental effect of remittances, by contrasting the hyper-rational, atomistic and perfectly informed theoretical actors of the neoclassical account with the complex actors who make their decisions on the basis of imperfect information, and the values and meanings constructed within a transnational web of family and community ties.
Racial Disparities and the Political Function of Property

Race theorists have noted that racial discrimination has shaped the existing distribution of economic resources, and have used this observation to justify reparations, to defend affirmative action, and to call for other legal changes that would improve the socioeconomic status of people of color. This Article takes the theorists' observation further. Property has a political function. Racially discriminatory allocation rules not only impose economic and social harms upon people of color, but also impair the ability of these people to engage in political expression and participation through structures such as the privately financed campaign finance system.
The polar wind

The classical polar wind is considered to be an ambipolar outflow of thermal plasma from the terrestrial ionosphere at high latitudes. The paper reviews the characteristic features of this flow, with emphasis placed on recent theoretical predictions. Consideration is given to H(+) and He(+) outflow characteristics both with and without convection electric field effects, the collisionless polar wind characteristics (including the formation of temperature anisotropies), and the time-dependent polar wind behavior in response to localized density perturbations and localized heat sources.
A simplifying diagrammatic representation of crisp and fuzzy teleo-reactive semantic circuitry for application in robotic agent task control

The Teleo-Reactive paradigm for computing and organizing actions for autonomous agents in dynamic environments is intended to enable the construction of semantic circuitry for the continuous computation of parameters and conditions on which agent action is based. However both crisp and fuzzy semantic circuitry suffers from complexity growth. The paper describes a representation for simplifying semantic circuits capable of realizing both crisp and fuzzy Teleo-Reactive sequences. The new representation supports any combination of primitive actions, action sets, and non-primitive sub-circuit actions while reducing the semantic circuitry complexity. The proposed representation is constructed by identifying the repetition of semantic components and abstracting them into a standard EISA model.
Multifunctional mini‐computer program providing quantitative and digital X‐ray microanalysis of cryosectioned biological tissue for the inexperienced analyst

A series of computer programs have been written for use in a multi-user resource center for biological microanalysis. They are tied together by a “Main Menu” program which acts as a traffic director and guides the investigator into whatever option is desired. These programs have been written with very clear instructions and interaction points. As a result, a complex handbook of options and responses is not required. Consquently, almost no training is required to use these programs as they are essentially self-explanatory. Extensive error checking has been included so that most errors are identified and corrections are requested without causing a program halt. Options available to the user provide for selected “region” analyses, elementally quantitative image analysis, and sorting of the resulting data files. A complete computer code printout is included in this report.
Neurofibromatosis-associated nerve sheath tumors: Case report and review of the literature

In this paper the authors describe a patient with neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) who presented with sequelae of this disease. They also review the current literature on NF1 and NF2 published between 2001 and 2005. The method used to obtain information for the case report consisted of a family member interview and a review of the patient's chart. For the literature review the authors used the search engine Ovid Medline to identify papers published on the topic between 2001 and 2005. Neurofibromatosis Type 1 appears in approximately one in 2500 to 4000 births, is caused by a defect on 17q11.2, and results in neurofibromin inactivation. The authors reviewed the current literature with regard to the following aspects of this disease: 1) diagnostic criteria for NF1; 2) criteria for other NF1-associated manifestations; 3) malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (PNSTs); 4) the examination protocol for a patient with an NF1-related NST; 5) imaging findings in patients with NF1; 6) other diagnostic studies; 7) surgical and adjuvant treatment for NSTs and malignant PNSTs; and 8) hormone receptors in NF1-related tumors. Pertinent illustrations are included. Neurofibromatosis Type 2 occurs much less frequently than NF1, that is, in one in 33,000 births. Mutations in NF2 occur on 22q12 and result in inactivation of the tumor suppressor merlin. The following data on this disease are presented: 1) diagnostic criteria for NF2; 2) criteria for other NF2 manifestations; 3) malignant PNSTs in patients with NF2; 4) examination protocol for the patient with NF2 who has an NST; and 5) imaging findings in patients with NF2. Relevant illustrations are included. It is important that neurosurgeons be aware of the sequelae of NF1 and NF2, because they may be called on to treat these conditions.
Integration of interdisciplinary environmental and sustainability education and research and urban sustainability

This article explores the results of the National Council for Science and the Environment’s 2012 census of interdisciplinary environmental and sustainability (IES) baccalaureate and graduate degree programs and the 2014 census of IES institutes and centers (IESICs) at research universities to identify how urban studies and IES education and research are being integrated in the US. The number of degree programs that explicitly integrate IES and urban studies is small, but nevertheless makes up about 3 % of all IES degrees, fairly evenly split between undergraduate and graduate degrees. These programs outnumber degree programs in urban and community planning and the built environment/architecture with formal sustainability specializations, most of which are master’s programs. The number of IES institutes and centers focused explicitly on integrating IES, and urban studies also comprise about 3 % of all IESICs at US research universities. These institutes and centers are engaged in major research and partnership efforts to support urban sustainability planning and policy and solution development and implementation. The development of academic programs that integrate environment, sustainability, and urban studies and the enhanced research capacities provided by urban sustainability-focused institutes and centers represent an important national higher education response for addressing the problems and opportunities of increasing urbanization in the US and worldwide.
The effective dilatational response of fiber-reinforced composites with nonlinear interface

This paper presents a model of the dilatational response of fiber-reinforced composites for situations where the fibers interact with the matrix through a nonlinear interfacial separation mechanism. The solution to a planar solitary fiber-interface-matrix problem is employed together with the geometrically consistent composite cylinders model to obtain an exact solution for the bulk response of an elastic matrix reinforced with unidirectional elastic fibers. In the solitary fiber problem interface characterization assumes the form of a nonlinear force-separation law which couples the normal component of displacement jump to the normal component of interface traction and which requires a characteristic length for its prescription. Under decreasing values of characteristic length to inclusion radius ratio ductile or brittle decohesion or closure can occur provided the applied load, interface strength and elastic moduli of fiber and matrix are within the required bounds. Interaction effects due to finite fiber volume concentration, along with the phenomenon of brittle decohesion arising in the solitary fiber problem from the bifurcation of equilibrium separation at the fiber matrix interface, are shown to precipitate instability in the composite. An inequality relating the elastic moduli and interface properties is provided which governs the smooth or abrupt transition in composite response from rigid interface behavior to void behavior. The results are shown to apply equally well for composite geometry based on the three-phase model.
Asymptotes and bandwidths for spectra at the output of a hard limiter

Asymptotic expressions are derived for the tails of the spectrum of the output of a hard limiter when the input is a video Gaussian process. It is shown that the coefficients in the expansion depend upon the derivatives of the input covariance function near τ=0.
Fast confocal image processing for inspection

The measurement of surface topography is an important inspection task as it provides useful information for process and quality control. A candidate technique for such an application is confocal imaging. The advantages of confocal imaging are that it is a noncontact measurement, can be operated at high speed (greater than 10 megapixels/sec) and submicron resolution, and provides height information in multilayered semitransparent materials. In this paper, we present a scheme for the fast processing of confocal images. The scheme consists of measuring the response function of the confocal system and deriving a deconvolution filter based on this response. The input signal is deconvolved in order to improve the depth resolution and then processed to identify significant peaks. These peaks represent the position of different surfaces in the object being inspected. For semitransparent materials, our scheme is capable of detecting up to two surfaces at a given location.
A finite-difference model of temperatures and heat flow within a tree stem

The authors present a finite-difference numerical model of heat flow within a horizontal section of a tree stem. Processes included in the model are solar radiative heating, infrared emission and a...
Frequency-dependent food selection in locusts: a geometric analysis of the role of nutrient balancing

We used a geometric modelling approach to investigate how changes in the frequency in the environment of foods with different nutritional profiles affect the regulation of macronutrient (protein and digestible carbohydrate) intake and the pattern of food consumption of fifth-instar nymphs of Locusta migratoria (L.) (Orthoptera: Acrididae). Two experiments were conducted, both with insects individually housed in arenas containing four dishes of chemically defined synthetic food. In one experiment two nutritionally imbalanced, but complementary, foods (high protein, low carbohydrate (P) and low protein, high carbohydrate (C)) were presented at different frequencies (4P:0C, 3P:1C, 2P:2C, 1P:3C and 0P:4C). The locusts regulated their feeding among the food dishes such that they defended their intake of both protein and carbohydrate, despite differences between treatments in the relative frequency of the two food types. In a second experiment, optimal (O) and suboptimal (either P or C) synthetic foods were paired in different relative frequencies. Despite the opportunity to ingest only optimal food, the locusts included suboptimal foods in their diet to varying degrees. However, they fed preferentially upon the optimal food when it was presented along with dishes of suboptimal food and they increased their fidelity to dishes of the optimal food as they decreased in frequency relative to dishes of suboptimal food. Patterns of consumption in both experiments were consistent with the control of food choices and intake being governed by a combination of known mechanisms, including direct metabolic feedback and learning.
Structural remodeling of human myocardial tissue after infarction. Quantification with ultrasonic backscatter.

BACKGROUNDRemodeling of myocardial tissue after infarction may culminate in the development of either a well-healed scar or a thin, expanded heart wall segment that predisposes to ventricular aneurysm formation, congestive heart failure, or ventricular tachycardia. The three-dimensional architecture of mature human infarct tissue and the mechanisms that determine it have not been elucidated. We have previously shown that quantitative ultrasonic backscatter can be used to define the transmural organization of human myofibers in the normal ventricular wall by measuring the dependence of backscatter on the angle of insonification, or ultrasonic anisotropy. We propose that measurement of ultrasonic anisotropy of backscatter may permit quantitative characterization of the transmural architecture of tissue from areas of myocardial infarction and facilitate identification of fundamental mechanisms of remodeling of the ventricular wall.METHODS AND RESULTSWe measured integrated backscatter in 33 transmural section...
Understanding the Zodiac Saga in China: World Cultural Heritage, National Humiliation, and Evolving Narratives

The Yuanmingyuan Zodiacs, a set of twelve bronze-plated animal heads designed by Europeans for a Western-style section of the Qianlong emperor’s private gardens, sparked an international controvers...
New topical treatments change the pattern of treatment of psoriasis: dermatologists remain the primary providers of this care.

Background Psoriasis is a common chronic skin disorder that can be debilitating both physically and psychologically. The treatment of psoriasis is complicated by the many manifestations of the disease, different patients’ subjective impression of the disease, and the availability of numerous topical agents, systemic agents, and phototherapy options for the disease. Purpose The purpose of this study was to characterize how topical psoriasis treatment is changing in the USA. Methods Data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (1990–1996) were used to characterize the use of medication at physician office visits for psoriasis vulgaris. Corticosteroid agents in the years 1990–1994 were classified by relative potency. Results There were 1.0 million yearly visits for psoriasis. Dermatologists were responsible for 95% of these office visits. Topical corticosteroids were the only medication listed at 50% of psoriasis visits, and were used in combination with another medication in an additional 26% of visits. High and superpotent corticosteroid agents accounted for 55% of all topical corticosteroid agents listed. Topical calcipotriene was the most commonly used noncorticosteroid treatment, and its use in combination with corticosteroids increased from 17% to 84% between 1994 and 1996. Conclusions 80% or more of people with psoriasis do not see a physician for the disease in any given year. A combination of different topical medications is commonly used to treat psoriasis. Patients should be aware of the availability of new therapeutic options and the special expertise of dermatologists in managing complex treatment regimens for psoriasis. Introduction
The debate over hand transplantation.

The news of the first human hand transplant from Lyon, France, in September 1998 was greeted largely with skepticism in the hand surgery community. The subsequent discovery that the patient had falsified his story of hand injury and was not compliant with rehabilitation and medication regimen only reinforced the impression that hand transplant was ill advised. Far from being a breakthrough in surgery, hand transplant was described by a respected leader in hand surgery as a triumph of “technology over good sense,” that was premature, misconceived, and even unethical. Position statements from the American Society for Surgery of the Hand also expressed concerns over the associated morbidities and functional outcome for hand transplantation. In the ensuing period of just over 3 years, however, at least 8 more patients, including 3 bilateral amputees, have received 11 hand transplants in centers in the United States, China, and several European countries. These motivated patients followed intensive rehabilitation regimens. Immunosuppressant medications were carefully monitored and adjusted for transient episodes of allograft rejection occurring primarily in the skin. As these patients emerged with transplanted hands capable of functional tasks, genuine satisfaction with their early results, and apparently good health, many paused to consider the merits of hand transplantation. Yet even as the initial, often emotional, outcry about hand transplant has subsided, serious questions remain on this important subject facing the discipline of hand surgery. A systematic examination of the relevant issues took place in the debate on “The Role of Hand Transplantation in the 21st Century” at the 2001 annual meeting of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Both debaters, Dr. Neil F. Jones and Dr. Warren C. Breidenbach, are experienced hand surgeons who have also conducted research in composite tissue transplantation. In the following articles, these 2 surgeons present and contrast their viewpoints in 4 key areas.
A finite-element method for coupled stress and fluid flow analysis in fractured rock masses

A variational principle is used in conjunction with the finite-element method to solve the nonlinear coupled field equations of the initial boundary value problem of flow in deformable fractured rock masses. This results in a powerful method for modeling of coupled stress and fluid flow behavior of rocks. Both stress and deformation history for both solid and liquid phases, for arbitrary boundary conditions and within complex geometrical configuration, can be determined. Direct application is to fluid flow problems in hydraulically fractured reservoirs and naturally fractured rocks.
Prognostic factors in patients with thick cutaneous melanoma (> 4 mm).

BACKGROUND The current study was conducted to examine the role of multiple clinical and histologic factors in the prognostic assessment of patients with thick primary melanoma (> 4 mm, classified as T4). METHODS A retrospective analysis was performed in 329 patients with T4 cutaneous melanomas who were seen at the University of California at San Francisco Melanoma Center between 1978 and 2000. Fourteen histopathologic features were recorded prospectively by a single dermatopathologist. In addition, 9 clinical factors were analyzed. RESULTS Several histologic factors were found to have a significant impact on the survival of patients with T4 melanoma. On univariate analysis, tumor thickness, ulceration, mitotic rate, microsatellites, vascular involvement, and histogenetic type of the primary tumor all were found to have a significant impact on the overall survival rate. Regional lymph node involvement reduced the overall survival of T4 patients dramatically. The 5-year overall survival of patients with lymph node-negative T4 disease was 61%, compared with 30% for those with lymph node-positive disease. When lymph node status was taken into account, tumor thickness, vascular involvement, and ulceration all remained independent predictors of overall survival on multivariate Cox regression analysis. Neither age, gender, nor anatomic location appeared to affect the recurrence-free or overall survival rates. CONCLUSIONS Patients with thick primary cutaneous melanomas (> 4 mm) comprise a heterogeneous group. The presence or absence of lymph node involvement, vascular involvement, and ulceration appears to result in significantly divergent overall survival rates in this patient cohort. Consideration of these factors has important implications in the management of patients with T4 melanoma. Cancer 2002;94:1049–56. © 2002 American Cancer Society. DOI 10.1002/cncr.10326
Comparison of Two Scheduling Systems

The delays that outpatients have to undergo before getting their medical treatment are often excessively long. The most commonly used patterns of scheduling appointments to patients are classified into three categories: 1 Pure Block Appointment systems, 2 Individual Appointment Systems, and 3 Mixed Block-Individual Appointment Systems. Several analytical studies have been concerned with the comparison of some of these appointment systems, and their highlights are described briefly. There are many other possible ways of assigning appointments to patients; one such way, referred to as the Two-at-a-Time Appointment System, is described. The advantages of the Two-at-a-Time Appointment System over any of the commonly used ones are discussed. Finally, the steady-state waiting time distribution functions that will correspond to the Two-at-a-Time Appointment System and the Individual Appointment System, as applied to the Wilmer Outpatient Clinic, have been obtained and are compared.
Poultry Coccidiosis Control by the Chemical Treatment of Litter

Abstract ATTEMPTS to control on a practical scale the various coccidioses of poultry have in the past been either unsuccessful or unprofitable. The object of this paper is to indicate a simple method of coccidiosis control by the chemical treatment of litter and to describe briefly the experiments demonstrating the value of the method (Andrews, 1933). EXPERIMENTAL Object.—The object of the first experiment described was to test the effectiveness of this preparation in controlling coccidiosis under conditions of good and of poor sanitation, other things being as nearly equal as possible. Descriptive.—The experiments were conducted in various pens of a ten-section Shenandoah brooder-house. The floor space in each pen was 240 square feet (10 by 24 feet). The sections were separated by low wooden partitions which were continued nearly to the roof with wire netting. The hovers at the rear were heated by a hotwater system. Water from an . . .
Structural insight into the DNA Polymerase beta deoxyribose phosphate lyase mechanism

A large number of biochemical and genetic studies have demonstrated the involvement of DNA polymerase beta (Pol beta) in mammalian base excision repair (BER). Pol beta participates in BER sub-pathways by contributing gap filling DNA synthesis and lyase removal of the 5'-deoxyribose phosphate (dRP) group from the cleaved abasic site. To better understand the mechanism of the dRP lyase reaction at an atomic level, we determined a crystal structure of Pol beta complexed with 5'-phosphorylated abasic sugar analogs in nicked DNA. This DNA ligand represents a potential BER intermediate. The crystal structure reveals that the dRP group is bound in a non-catalytic binding site. The catalytic nucleophile in the dRP lyase reaction, Lys72, and all other potential secondary nucleophiles, are too far away to participate in nucleophilic attack on the C1' of the sugar. An approximate model of the dRP group in the expected catalytic binding site suggests that a rotation of 120 degrees about the dRP 3'-phosphate is required to position the epsilon-amino Lys72 close to the dRP C1'. This model also suggests that several other side chains are in position to facilitate the beta-elimination reaction. From results of mutational analysis of key residues in the dRP lyase active site, it appears that the substrate dRP can be stabilized in the observed non-catalytic binding conformation, hindering dRP lyase activity.
Asymptotic behavior of the correlator for Polyakov loops.

The correlator for Polyakov loop operators in high temperature QCD is studied by using dimensionally reduced effective field theories. The Polyakov loop operator is expanded in terms of local gauge-invariant operators constructed out of the magnetostatic gauge field, with coefficients that can be calculated using resummed perturbation theory. The asymptotic behavior of the correlator is $\mathrm{exp}(\ensuremath{-}MR)/R$, where $M$ is the mass of the lowest-lying glueball in $(2+1)$-dimensional QCD. This result implies that existing lattice calculations of the Polyakov loop correlator at the highest temperatures available do not probe the true asymptotic region.
Ask the Experts: What is your interpretation of the ADAGIO study and has it influenced your clinical practice?

Professor Montgomery is Professor of Neurology in the Division of Movement Disorders at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB; AL, USA), and was named the Dr Sigmund Rosen Scholar in Neurology. Prof. Montgomery received his MD from the State University of New York School of Medicine (NY, USA) and completed a fellowship in Neurophysiology in the laboratory of Sir John Eccles. He then completed an internship in Internal Medicine, residency in Neurology and fellowship in Motor Neurophysiology and Movement Disorders at Washington University (MO, USA). Before joining UAB, Prof. Montgomery has been the recipient of numerous grants and awards, including the Roger Duvoisin Fellowship from the American Parkinson Disease Association and the Roland Mackay Award from the American Academy of Neurology. Additionally, he was elected to the American Neurological Association, a prestigious honor reserved for those neurologists who are most distinguished in the field. For the last 30 years, Prof. Montgomery’s resear...
Bifurcations and chaos in a predator-prey model with delay and a laser-diode system with self-sustained pulsations

Hopf bifurcations in two models, a predator–prey model with delay terms modeled by “weak generic kernel aexp(−at)” and a laser diode system, are considered. The periodic orbit immediately following the Hopf bifurcation is constructed for each system using the method of multiple scales, and its stability is analyzed. Numerical solutions reveal the existence of stable periodic attractors, attractors at infinity, as well as bounded chaotic dynamics in various cases. The dynamics exhibited by the two systems is contrasted and explained on the basis of the bifurcations occurring in each.
Partitioning of hydrophobic organic compounds to sorbed surfactants. 2. Model development/predictions for surfactant-enhanced remediation applications

A one-dimensional numerical model was developed to simulate the performance of surfactant-enhanced remediation (SER) applications for saturated subsurface systems containing adsorbed hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs). The model incorporates temporally and spatially dependent HOC and surfactant mass balance equations to compute distributions in the aqueous, micellar, sorbed surfactant, and subsurface solid phases. In particular, the model accounts for losses of surfactant by sorption to the subsurface media and for the subsequent partitioning of HOCs to sorbed surfactant. Parameter values for the model were estimated from experimental rate and equilibrium data from the literature, and sensitivity analysis was conducted to evaluate the model performance and potential SER applications. Simulation results show that the relative affinity of HOCs and surfactants for the immobile subsurface solid phase (i.e., the respective retardation factors) is critical for determining whether contaminant desorption can be...
Pharmacogenomics Personalizing Pediatric Heart Transplantation

In recent years, outcomes for pediatric cardiac transplantation (PCTx) have steadily improved, with current 5-year overall survival rates estimated at 83%.1 This progress may be attributed to improvements in pre-transplant management, selection of donor hearts, surgical technique, prevention and treatment of rejection, and minimization of treatment-related adverse events. Despite these advances, children who receive cardiac transplants suffer significant morbidity and mortality, and there is considerable variability in outcomes, much of which cannot be explained by known clinical risk factors. One source of inter-individual variability is genetic variation in the host. There is growing evidence that genomic variation leads to differences in immune response, response to therapies, and susceptibility to adverse outcomes such as malignancy and infection.2–4 This review will focus on the effect of variation in genes encoding enzymes, transporters and drug target molecules influencing drug response. After review of the foundational principles of pharmacogenomics, evidence for pharmacogenomic effects on cyclosporine, tacrolimus, azathioprine, mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), and the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors sirolimus and everolimus will be reviewed and clinical implications of these findings discussed. Given the limited nature of evidence from studies of PCTx patients, support will also be drawn from non-pediatric cardiac transplant research and pediatric renal transplantation. Genetic studies of non-pharmacogenes such as those in immunomodulatory pathways and variation in the donor genotype may contribute to risk prediction, but are beyond the scope of this review.
Acute electrolyte and acid-base disorders in patients with ileostomies: a case series.

Background Patients with ileostomies are well known to be susceptible to extracellular fluid volume depletion as a result of fluid and solute losses that are greater than intake. However, electrolyte and acid-base disorders accompanying these episodes of volume depletion are not well delineated. Study Design Case series. Setting & Participants 7 patients with hospitalization because of acute acid-base disturbances at an academic medical center. Outcomes In all patients, serum and urine creatinine and electrolytes were measured. In 2 patients, arterial blood pH and Pco2 and ileal drainage electrolytes also were measured. Results 2 patients presented with severe metabolic alkalosis, and the remaining 5 patients had low serum total carbon dioxide values in association with hyperkalemia. All 7 had acute renal failure. Pathophysiological characteristics, diagnosis, and management of these disorders are discussed, along with considerations for long-term management of fluid and electrolyte balance. Limitations This report illustrates electrolyte and acid-base disorders encountered in patients with ileostomies from our clinical experience. We have no data about the incidence of these disorders. Conclusion Patients with ileostomies can develop diverse and potentially life-threatening acute electrolyte and acid-base disorders when ileostomy drainage increases. Either metabolic acidosis or metabolic alkalosis can occur, depending on the nature and duration of the losses. These cases emphasize the need to be aware of the variety of acute electrolyte and acid-base disorders that can occur in this group of patients and to intervene rapidly when they develop.
Probation absconders: A unique risk group?

Abstract While examination of probation violations is common in the literature, probationers who abscond from community supervision have rarely been examined. These violators are circumventing justice and may pose a serious risk to public safety. This article compares the characteristics of absconders to those of offenders who successfully completed probation and offenders revoked from probation because of other violations. Absconders and revoked probationers generally presented the least favorable risk profiles, but did not differ significantly from one another on probation conditions, “stakes in conformity,” or prior felonies—although revoked probationers had more misdemeanors and a younger age of onset for officially recorded crime. Combined with the violation behaviors of absconders while on probation, these similarities suggest a strong chance of being revoked to prison had absconders remained under supervision. Employment, recorded address changes, and lower supervision burden on offenders were among the best predictors of successfully completing probation versus absconding.
Mechanistic Studies of Ser/Thr Dehydration Catalyzed by a Member of the LanL Lanthionine Synthetase Family

Members of the LanL family of lanthionine synthetases consist of three catalytic domains, an N-terminal pSer/pThr lyase domain, a central Ser/Thr kinase domain, and a C-terminal lanthionine cyclase domain. The N-terminal lyase domain has sequence homology with members of the OspF family of effector proteins. In this study, the residues in the lyase domain of VenL that are conserved in the active site of OspF proteins were mutated to evaluate their importance for catalysis. In addition, residues that are fully conserved in the LanL family but not in the OspF family were mutated. Activity assays with these mutant proteins are consistent with a model in which Lys80 in VenL deprotonates the α-proton of pSer/pThr residues to initiate the elimination reaction. Lys51 is proposed to activate this proton by coordination to the carbonyl of the pSer/pThr, and His53 is believed to protonate the phosphate leaving group. These functions are very similar to the corresponding homologous residues in OspF proteins. On the other hand, recognition of the phosphate group of pSer/pThr appears to be achieved differently in VenL than in the OspF proteins. Arg156 and Lys103 are thought to interact with the phosphate group on the basis of a structural homology model.
The MR imaging features of the posterior intermalleolar ligament in patients with posterior impingement syndrome of the ankle.

Objective. To describe the MR imaging features of the posterior intermalleolar ligament (IML) in patients with posterior impingement syndrome (PIS) of the ankle. Design and patients. Three patients (one male and two females, 13–25 years of age) are presented. Each patient presented clinically with symptoms of PIS of the ankle. Plain film examination was negative for a structural cause of the PIS in all patients. MR images were obtained with a 1.5 T scanner using an extremity coil. Clinical data and, in one patient, findings at ankle arthroscopy, were correlated with the results of MR imaging. Results. Ankle MR images from the three patients with a clinical diagnosis of PIS are presented. Findings in all patients included: (1) absence of another structural cause of the PIS (i.e., an os trigonum, trigonal process, fracture, loose bodies, etc.), (2) identification of the IML as a structure discrete from the posterior talofibular and tibiofibular ligaments, and (3) prominence of the IML as indicated by (a) identification of the IML in three different imaging planes, and (b) a caliber of the IML comparable to that of the conventional posterior ankle ligaments visualized in the same imaging plane. Arthroscopic resection of a meniscoid IML resulted in resolution of the PIS in one of the patients presented. Conclusions. MR imaging is an effective means of investigating the IML as a potential cause of PIS. The identification of a prominent IML in the absence of another structural cause of PIS indicates that impingement of the IML is the most likely cause of PIS.
A group-administered lag task as a measure of working memory.

The purpose of the present studies was to evaluate the utility of a group-administered version of the n-back, or lag task. Experiments 1 and 2 describe the construction of the task and reveal that the modified lag task (MLT) produces the same performance trends as have been observed in individually administered versions of the lag task; performance decreased significantly as lag conditions increased in difficulty. Experiments 3 and 4 established convergent validity by comparing the MLT to another common working memory task, the operation—word span task, as well as the updated version of this task, the automatic operation span task. The results showed that MLT performance was significantly correlated to scores on both measures. These experiments provide important details about the MLT as a measure of working memory, in a group- or individual-administration setting.
Mirtazapine in Comorbid Major Depression and Alcohol Dependence: An Open-Label Trial.

Objective: This was a first pilot study evaluating the acute phase (8-week) efficacy of the antidepressant medication mirtazapine for the treatment of depressive symptoms and drinking of subjects with comorbid major depressive disorder and alcohol dependence (MDD/AD). We hypothesized that mirtazapine would demonstrate within-group efficacy for the treatment of both depressive symptoms and drinking in these subjects. Methods: We conducted a first open-label study of the second-generation antidepressant mirtazapine in 12 adult outpatient subjects with comorbid MDD/AD. The pharmacological profile of that medication is unique among antidepressants, unrelated to tricyclics or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Results: Mirtazapine was well tolerated in this treatment population. Self-reported depressive symptoms decreased from 31.8 to 8.3 on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), a 74.0% decrease (p < .001), and drinking decreased from 33.9 to 13.3 drinks per week, a 60.8% decrease (p < .05). None of the s...
Differential effects on pain and mood in chronic pain patients with time- versus pain-contingent medication delivery

The current study was conducted to determine whether there were any differential effects on self-reported pain and mood levels in chronic pain patients subjected to time-contingent versus pain-contingent (PRN) medication delivery schedule during detoxification. Eight naive chronic pain patients admitted for treatment in a behaviorally oriented pain center were used as subjects. Following a 3-day drug intake baseline, all subjects were shifted to a mg equivalent dose of oral methadone delivered in a “cocktail” mixture and alternately assigned to one of two detoxification groups. One group received time-contingent delivery of methadone doses (every 6 hr), with the amount pr dosage gradually decresed over the courses of five days. The second group received daily methadone doses on a pain-contingent as-needed schedule (four equal doses available upon request), with the level of methadone also gradually reduced over 5 days. All other treatment and medications were held constant across groups. While no between-group differences existed during baseline in pain or mood levels, the time-contingent group exhibited significantly lower pain and, to a lesser extent, higher mood than the pain-contingent group at postdetoxification. Trend analyses supported these differences. It was concluded that time-contingent delivery of pain medications produces significantly more improvement in collateral pain and mood measures compared to pain-contingent delivery schedules.
Radiation focusing and guiding with application to the free electron laser.

In the free-electron laser the interaction between the radiation and electrons can result in radiation focusing. The radiation tends to follow the electron beam when the centroid of the electron beam is laterally displaced. Spatial modulation of the electron-beam envelope induces a similar modulation in the radiation-beam envelope. These and other phenomena are studied by use of a novel source-dependent modal representation of the fully three-dimensional radiation field. Among the merits of this approach is that few modes are needed to describe the radiation accurately.
Bidirectional transduction in vertebrate hair cells: A mechanism for coupling mechanical and electrical processes

It has been proposed that the sharp frequency selectivity exhibited by cochlear hair cells and neurons of alligator lizards results from a mechanical resonance of the stereociliary-tectorial structures of hair cells. In contrast, in the red-eared turtle this selectivity has been attributed to an electrical resonance mechanism located in the hair-cell membrane. In this report a new mechanism is proposed, one which is consistent with observations in the lizard and turtle preparations and in which hair-cell resonances result from coupling of mechanical properties of hair-cell stereociliary-tectorial structures with electrical properties of the hair-cell membrane through a receptor membrane process that has bidirectional, mechanoelectric and electromechanical, transduction properties. This same mechanism could also be the physical basis for diverse phenomena observed in mammals, including changes in mechanical properties of the ear in response to electrical stimulation in the cochlea and central nervous system, and the presence of sustained, narrow-band, acoustic emissions in the ear canals of humans.
Epithelium-specific response of cultured keratinocytes to infection with adenovirus type 2.

Adenoviruses are pathogenic for certain stratified squamous epithelia. The sites most frequently involved are the upper respiratory tract and oropharynx. Adenovirus infections of the epidermis are quite rare. We examined the virus-cell interactions of adenovirus type 2 (Ad2) and cultured human keratinocytes grown from a variety of body sites. Our intent was to explore the nature of the apparent epithelium-specific susceptibility to Ad2. In brief, we found that in vitro viral susceptibility of the keratinocytes could be reliably predicted based on whether the cells originated from an epidermal or oropharyngeal surface. Ad2 proceeded through a complete vegetative cycle when used to infect cultured keratinocytes from oropharyngeal sites (e.g., gingiva and soft palate). In contrast, Ad2 infection was severely restricted in keratinocytes from epidermal sites (e.g., foreskin, abdomen, and buttock). These results demonstrate that the in vitro response to infection with Ad2 reflects in vivo tissue-specific susceptibility. In vivo, cervical epithelium is rarely infected with Ad2 and yet in culture, cervical keratinocytes were fully permissive for Ad2 replication. We propose that the permissive or nonpermissive response to Ad2 may be regulated by a particular aspect of cell phenotype. Because the permissive responses seen in this study were all generated in keratinocytes from mucosal sites, it is possible the in vitro response to Ad2 reflects inherent differences between mucosal and epidermal keratinocytes.
Necessary and sufficient conditions for global stability and uniqueness in finite element simulations of adaptive bone remodeling

Abstract Conditions which can guarantee the global stability and uniqueness of the solution to a bone remodeling simulation are derived using a specific rate equation based on strain energy density. We modeled bone tissue as isotropic with a constant Poisson ratio and the elastic modulus proportional to volumetric density of calcified tissue raised to the power n. Our remodeling rate equation took the rate of change of volumetric hard tissue density as proportional to the difference between a stimulus (strain energy density divided by volumetric density taken to the power m) and a set point. In previous studies we defined state variables which are conjugate to the remodeling stimulus, and the function which acts as a variational indicator for the remodeling stimulus. In this study, we use the properties of this variational indicator to establish the stability and the uniqueness of the solution to the remodeling rate equations for all possible density distributions. We show that the solution is the global minimum of a weighted sum of the total strain energy and the integral of density to the power m over the remodeling elements. These results are proven for n m will eliminate the possibility that a unique solution exists.
Early intervention is key to successful management of Alzheimer disease

Because of the huge healthcare burden associated with Alzheimer disease (AD) and the increased lifespan in many industrialized countries, the costs associated with AD are expected to reach astronomical proportions in the next 50 years. Diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of AD patients from the earliest stage possible will reduce healthcare costs and increase quality of life. Indeed, progress in our clinical knowledge of AD has led to more reliable diagnostic criteria and diagnostic accuracy, and research efforts are expanding to uncover the earliest manifestations and even the presymptomatic phases of the disease. The initiating and propagating pathologic processes and the anatomic location of the earliest changes will become new targets of research and therapeutic development. The proposed precursor to AD, mild cognitive impairment, is currently under investigation as a possible therapeutic starting point. This paper reviews our current understanding of the early pathology and clinical manifestations associated with mild cognitive impairment and early AD. A discussion of the latest diagnostic techniques as well as promising therapeutic targets for early intervention also will be included.
Electromagnetic Scattering from Radially Inhomogeneous Infinite Cylinders at Oblique Incidence

The solution of the problem of electromagnetic scattering from an infinite cylinder at oblique orientation of the incident plane wave is extended to cover the case of a concentric cylinder. Two cases of the concentric cylinder are considered: one in which the concentric sheath is homogeneous and one in which the refractive index of the concentric sheath shows a radial dependence. The formalism of the problem is such that the scattering intensities are amenable to machine computation.