cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The association of emergency department crowding and time to antibiotics in febrile neonates.

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2011; 18:1380–1385 © 2011 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Abstract Objectives: The objective was to assess the relationship between emergency department (ED) crowding and timeliness of antibiotic administration to neonates presenting with fever in a pediatric ED. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of febrile neonates (aged 0–30 days) evaluated for serious bacterial infections (SBIs) in a pediatric ED from January 2006 to January 2008. General linear models were used to evaluate the association of five measures of ED crowding with timeliness of antibiotic administration, controlling for patient characteristics. A secondary analysis was conducted to determine which part of the ED visit for this population was most affected by crowding. Results: A total of 190 patients met inclusion criteria. Mean time to first antibiotic was 181.7 minutes (range = 18–397 minutes). At the time of case presentation, the number of patients waiting in the waiting area, total number of hours spent in the ED by current ED patients, number of ED patients awaiting admission, and hourly boarding time were all positively associated with longer times to antibiotic. The time from patient arrival to room placement exhibited the strongest association with measures of crowding. Conclusions: Emergency department crowding is associated with delays in antibiotic administration to the febrile neonate despite rapid recognition of this patient population as a high-risk group. Each component of ED crowding, in terms of input, throughput, and output factors, was associated with delays. Further work is required to develop processes that foster a more rapid treatment protocol for these high-risk patients, regardless of ED crowding pressures.
Popes, patriarchs, and print: representing Chaldeans in Renaissance Rome

During the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, representatives of the Chaldean community visited Rome seeking contact with the mother church. Abdisho IV of Gazarta, newly elected Patriarch of Mosul, made the journey in 1562. According to Pietro Strozzi, De dogmatibus chaldaeorum (Roma: Zanetti, 1617), Abdisho's portrait was included in Giuseppe Porta's depiction of the Peace of Venice in 1177 in the Sala Regia of the Vatican Palace, circa 1565. The inclusion of Abdisho's anachronistic portrait in Porta's fresco can be linked to plenitudo potestatis, that is, submission to the authority of the pope. Abdisho's journey to Rome coincided with the Council of Trent, the intensified study of oriental languages, and advances in print technology. This case study reveals the global reach of papal Rome but it also shows how eastern Christians in the grip of religious and political crises engaged in dialogue with Europe.
β -decay end point and heavy neutrino searches

We carefully consider the relation between the $\ensuremath{\beta}$-decay end point and heavy neutrino mixing relative to the least ${\ensuremath{\chi}}^{2}$ fitting procedure. We examine the 1991 experimental results of Hime and Jelley by considering variations due to end-point energy, radiative corrections, and spectrum pileup. We show that their result can be made consistent with the null hypothesis within 3 standard deviations. From consideration of end-point effects we conclude that the spectral region very near to the end point is questionable at best and should be ignored in the analysis of the data. These findings apply to any search for heavy neutrino mixing near the end point of $\ensuremath{\beta}$ decay.
The role of tolerant genotypes and plant nutrients in the management of iron toxicity in lowland rice

Iron toxicity is a nutrient disorder associated with high concentrations of iron in soil solutions. Deficiencies of other nutrients, such as P, K, Ca, Mg and Zn, have been implicated in its occurrence in rice plants. Field experiments were carried out in 1992 and 1993 in Ivory Coast to evaluate the iron toxicity tolerance of promising rice cultivars available in West Africa, and to provide additional information for selecting breeding materials. Two sites, differing in their potential to cause iron toxicity, were used. Glasshouse and field studies were also conducted to test the role of other nutrients in the occurrence of iron toxicity. The results showed that genetic tolerance to iron toxicity can significantly improve rice production in iron-toxic soils, with some cultivars producing yields in excess of 5 t/ha. The application of N, P, K and Zn in the field decreased the uptake of iron in rice tops, and this can be a significant factor in the iron-toxicity tolerance of the cultivars.
Control of yeast mating signal transduction by a mammalian beta 2-adrenergic receptor and Gs alpha subunit

To facilitate functional and mechanistic studies of receptor-G protein interactions, [corrected] the human beta 2-adrenergic receptor (h beta-AR) has been expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This was achieved by placing a modified h beta-AR gene under control of the galactose-inducible GAL1 promoter. After induction by galactose, functional h beta-AR was expressed at a concentration several hundred times as great as that found in any human tissue. As determined from competitive ligand binding experiments, h beta-AR expressed in yeast displayed characteristic affinities, specificity, and stereoselectivity. Partial activation of the yeast pheromone response pathway by beta-adrenergic receptor agonists was achieved in cells coexpressing h beta-AR and a mammalian G protein (Gs) alpha subunit-demonstrating that these components can couple to each other and to downstream effectors when expressed in yeast. This in vivo reconstitution system provides a new approach for examining ligand binding and G protein coupling to cell surface receptors.
Information control for image-guided surgery: method and implementation

Computer-assisted surgery technology relies heavily on multi-modality medical image and multimedia information. To systematically manage this information is a challenging task due to fast information growth and geographical expansion of the computer-assisted surgery (CAS) field. After many years developing image-guided surgery techniques, types and media of information are rapidly growing. CAS can grow from a traditional single suite containing only one operating room with a workstation, to a distributed CAS center that can include multiple operating rooms and a control room in order to distribute CAS service throughout a large medical center or an entire metropolitan area. This expansion increases the sophistication of information management or CAS significantly. This paper first identifies different types of multi-modality information and multimedia information involved in the CAS field, and then presents strategies and methods of managing this information. We discuss our CAS system developed at Wayne State University. Detroit Medical Center as a typical example.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Biologically plausible statistics from a Markov model of spiking cortical networks

Understanding the spatio-temporal correlations observedin nervous tissue is a major challenge in computationalneuroscience. We approach this challenge by modelingthe global network state as a single Markov process [1,2].Each neuron is modeled as a two (active or inactive) – orthree-state (active, inactive, or refractory) random varia-ble, with each neuron's spike probability a function of itsinput current and internal threshold, updated at timesteps dependent upon the current network state. Using thestochastic simulation algorithm [3], we simulate the net-work model with excitatory and inhibitory neurons andwith random connectivity tuned so that each spike triggerson average one new spike, i.e. in the critical regime.In order to study the model analytically, we recast themodel in the language of statistical field theory [2]. The
The Eosinophil Cell as seen in the Llama

THE increasing clinical use of substances of the cortisone group raises many new questions in the field of haematology, and it is considered that observations made in the animal kingdom, particularly in regard to the aspect and behaviour of the eosinophil cell, should help towards a greater understanding of the physiology of this cell in mammals, and therefore in the human being, and perhaps also of the problems arising in therapeutic practice.
Specialized Pathways from the Primate Amygdala to Posterior Orbitofrontal Cortex

The primate amygdala sends dense projections to posterior orbitofrontal cortex (pOFC) in pathways that are critical for processing emotional content, but the synaptic mechanisms are not understood. We addressed this issue by investigating pathways in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) from the amygdala to pOFC at the level of the system and synapse. Terminations from the amygdala were denser and larger in pOFC compared with the anterior cingulate cortex, which is also strongly connected with the amygdala. Axons from the amygdala terminated most densely in the upper layers of pOFC through large terminals. Most of these terminals innervated spines of presumed excitatory neurons and many were frequently multisynaptic and perforated, suggesting high synaptic efficacy. These amygdalar synapses in pOFC exceeded in size and specialization even thalamocortical terminals from the prefrontal-related thalamic mediodorsal nucleus to the middle cortical layers, which are thought to be highly efficient drivers of cortical neurons. Pathway terminals in the upper layers impinge on the apical dendrites of neurons in other layers, suggesting that the robust amygdalar projections may also activate neurons in layer 5 that project back to the amygdala and beyond to autonomic structures. Among inhibitory neurons, the amygdalar pathway innervated preferentially the neurochemical classes of calbindin and calretinin neurons in the upper layers of pOFC, which are synaptically suited to suppress noise and enhance signals. These features provide a circuit mechanism for flexibly shifting focus and adjusting emotional drive in processes disrupted in psychiatric disorders, such as phobias and obsessive–compulsive disorder.
Light Collection within the Framework of Geometrical Optics

The problem of light collection is examined from first principles within the framework of geometrical optics. From the outset, we distinguish between light collection and the usual theory of image formation. From phase-space considerations, we derive the sine inequality, a generalization of the Abbe sine law appropriate to nonimaging systems. We construct two- and three-dimensional nonimaging systems that reduce the f number to the least allowed by the sine inequality. Such systems give substantially improved light collection as compared with conventional systems.
Bacterial protoplast fusion: Recombination in fused protoplasts of Streptomyces coelicolor

Numerous recombinants arose when protoplasts of S. coelicolor were treated with polyethylene glycol and regenerated on non-selective solid medium. In six-factor crosses, recombination frequencies of more than 10% (up to 17%) were routinely observed. This recombination did not require either of the known sex factors, SCP1 and SCP2. The proportion of multiple crossover classes was much higher than amongst recombinants produced by conjugation between mycelia. Analysis of the spatial distribution of crossovers in double and quadruple crossover recombinants showed only a slight tendency for crossovers to occur closer together than randomly on the complete linkage group. This suggests that genomes brought together by protoplast fusion are complete, or nearly so (in conjugation, in contrast, one genome is represented by a comparatively short fragment). Individual colonies arising from fused protoplasts did not contain different parental genomes without recombinants, but recombinants often occurred without parentals. Several recombinant genotypes often occurred in the same colony, showing a segregation of some, only, of the parental alleles. Complementary genotypes, parental or recombinant, did not occur in the same colony. It is postulated that complete genomes of fused protoplasts usually become fragmented and that crossing-over, often repeated, occurs between the fragments, to generate haploid recombinants. Analysis of fusions between protoplasts of four different genotypes indicated that the average number of protoplasts fusing together was low, but nevertheless appreciable numbers of fusions involved three or four genomes. Crossing-over between them produced recombinants inheriting markers from three or four parents. The generation of nearly random populations of recombinants between two or more parent strains by protoplast fusion under the conditions described appears to have simple applications in industrial and academic strain construction.
The mediodorsal nucleus of the thalamus in rats--II. Behavioral and neurochemical effects of GABA agonists

The aim of this study was to determine how GABA receptors in the mediodorsal nucleus of the thalamus in rats might contribute to the regulation of locomotor behavior. Microinjections of the GABAB and GABAA agonists, baclofen and muscimol, into the mediodorsal nucleus produced dose-dependent increases in locomotion that were blocked by co-administration of the GABAB antagonist, 2-hydroxysaclofen. Microinjection of baclofen along the midline, lateral into the ventrolateral thalamus or into the lateral ventricles produced significantly smaller dose-dependent increases in locomotion, indicating that the anatomical locus for baclofen-induced locomotion resides in the mediodorsal nucleus. The motor response elicited by microinjected baclofen was associated with a reduction in dopamine metabolism in the prefrontal cortex and an increase in metabolism in the core of the nucleus accumbens, but not in the accumbal shell or the dorsolateral striatum. These results suggest that GABAergic afferents to the mediodorsal nucleus may oppose a tonic inhibitory tone on locomotor activity. The data also suggest that the motor response produced by baclofen in the mediodorsal thalamus may arise by inhibiting the projections to the prefrontal cortex which modulate mesocorticolimbic dopamine transmission.
Self-phase modulation in polydiacetylene single crystal measured at 720-1064nm.

Detailed measurement of spectral broadening in a poly-[2,4 hexadiyne-1,6 diol-bis-(p-toluene sulfonate)] (PTS) single crystal owing to self-phase modulation was performed as a function of wavelength by use of a Ti:sapphire laser producing 200-fs pulses at 720–920 nm and a Nd:YAG laser producing 50-ps pulses at 1064 nm. The nonlinear refractive index n2 of PTS at these wavelengths was determined from the measured phase shift. Group-velocity dispersion was estimated and found to have a negligible effect on the observed spectral broadening. The two-photon absorption coefficient α2 over this wavelength range was determined from nonlinear transmission measurements. The largest magnitude of n2 observed at 720 nm was 3.9×10-5cm2/MW. The results show that the magnitude of n2 monotonically decreases as wavelength is increased away from resonance, and two-photon absorption does not make a significant contribution to n2 at off-resonant wavelengths up to 1064 nm.
Three-dimensional optimum nonlinear filter for detecting distorted ladar images in disjoint background noise

We propose an optimum nonlinear filter to detect the target's 3D coordinates within the input 3D scene using LADAR data. The 2D encoded LADAR range image is converted into 3D binary profile, and then the 3D optimum nonlinear filtering technique is used to detect the 3D coordinates of targets including the target distance from the sensor. The 3D optimum nonlinear filter is designed to detect distorted targets, i.e., out-of-plane and in-plane rotations and scale, and to be noise robust. The nonlinear filter is derived to minimize the mean of the output energy due to the disjoint background noise and additive noise and output energy due to the input scene, while maintaining a fixed output peak for the members of the true class target training set. The system is tested using real LADAR imagery in the presence of background clutter. The correlation outputs of LADAR images show dominant peaks at the target 3D coordinates.
Designing epidemics: models, policy-making, and global foreknowledge in India's AIDS epidemic

This paper examines technical practices, such as epidemiological modeling, used to produce HIV-prevalence estimates within India's national policy establishment. These technical practices are a useful site within which to investigate the shifting politics between India's national government and international agencies such as the World Bank and UNAIDS. The paper argues that international actors, and the technical practices they purvey, carry a ‘foreknowledge’ about the epidemic. This foreknowledge provides a pre-existing template of an AIDS epidemic; it helps the government imagine what an AIDS epidemic looks like, anticipate patterns of risk, and plan public health interventions. However, pre-packaged foreknowledge leaves relatively little room for surprises, and sits alongside a selective silencing of local experiences and public health history. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.
Treatment of hypertrophic distal tibia nonunion and early malunion with callus distraction.

Background:Hypertrophic nonunions and early malunions of pilon and distal tibia fractures result in complex, challenging to treat deformities. Callus distraction histiogenesis is an option for thei...
Fluorine-19 NMR imaging of glucose metabolism

Metabolic imaging reflecting glucose metabolism in the glycolytic and aldose reductase sorbitol (ARS) pathways was performed noninvasively in rat using fluorinated glucose analogs, 2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-FDG) or 3-fluoro-3-deoxy-D-glucose (3-FDG), and fluorine-19 (19F) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging. 19F images of 2-FDG-6-phosphate, a main metabolite of 2-FDG in the glycolytic pathway, showed high glucose utilization in the brain, spinal cord, and heart. Images of 3-fluoro-3-deoxy-D-sorbitol (3-FDSL), a main metabolite of 3-FDG in the ARS pathway, demonstrated the heterogeneous nature of the spatial distribution of aldose reductase activities, being highest in the brain and lens. The extremely low toxicity of 3-FDG indicates promise for clinical application of 3-FDG NMR imaging.
Examining Therapist Comfort in Delivering Family Therapy in Home and Community Settings: Development and Evaluation of the Therapist Comfort Scale

This study reports on the development and psychometric properties of a new measure assessing therapist comfort in the home treatment context and the relationship between therapist comfort, related process variables, and therapist characteristics. Data were drawn from a longitudinal evaluation of 185 families treated by 51 therapists using Multisystemic Therapy (MST). Therapist comfort was measured at four time points. Psychometric evaluation indicated that the measure was internally and temporally consistent. Examination of the measure's validity indicated that therapists' feelings of safety and comfort during the provision of home-based treatment were associated with family neighborhood characteristics and family socioeconomic factors. Furthermore, the therapist's reported level of alliance (as measured by the Emotional Bonding subscale of the Working Alliance Inventory) was related to her/his feeling of comfort. Analyses also indicated that therapists with greater belief in the clinical utility of the MST model felt more comfortable when delivering MST. Together the results suggest that economically disadvantaged families treated in home and community settings may be most at risk for erosions in the therapeutic relationship over time as a function of lower therapist comfort. Because therapist comfort was associated with therapeutic alliance-a factor found to be associated with clinical outcomes across studies and treatment models-findings imply that psychotherapists should regularly examine their own level of comfort, especially when providing services in nontraditional settings, and that therapist comfort should be routinely assessed as part of clinical supervision and training.
Bagels, schnitzel and McDonald's—‘fuzzy frontiers’ of Jewish identity in an English Jewish secondary school

Using data gathered during a case study of the 'culture' of a Jewish secondary school, this article explores the indeterminate boundaries of Jewish identity. By examining the mechanisms that control what and who comes into the school, and what is approved and disapproved of in the school, a picture emerges of what and who is counted as 'Jewish'. litre is detailed consideration of the admissions policy, the rules about kosher food, the explicitly religious symbols in use, the importance of Israel and the contested issue of McDonald's. Sometimes the boundaries are very clear-cut, but in some cases there is ambiguity and disagreement that make the frontiers of English Jewish student identity decidedly fuzzy. ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR
Predictions of stray light modeling on the ultimate performance of acousto-optic processors

Measured values of critical optical processor performance parameters such as crosstalk and dynamic range generally fall short of the values predicted on the basis of first order design, ray tracing, and diffraction calculations. Normally, the procedure used to design an optical system such as a coherent optical processor does not take into account optical scatter, reflections, and incoherent light in the source. Stray light factors are of critical importance in those systems designed for spectrum analysis or correlation in which the light is collected on a closely spaced array of pixels. If the (bidirectional) transmission distribution function (BTDF) of optical elements were known very near specular (0.01° to 0.001°) and a suitable means of calculating its effect were available, stray light performance could be included in the design procedure. Instruments are now available that can measure the BTDF near the required angles, and an optical design code is also available that can make use of BTDF data. BTDF data for samples of acousto-optic material have been measured close to 0.001°, and the possibility of smaller angles is discussed. The new analysis code has been used to model several simple configurations found in acousto-optic processors. The results are compared with normal calculations (CODE V) and with some measured performance data.
Regulation of a DLK-1 and p38 MAP Kinase Pathway by the Ubiquitin Ligase RPM-1 Is Required for Presynaptic Development

Synapses display a stereotyped ultrastructural organization, commonly containing a single electron-dense presynaptic density surrounded by a cluster of synaptic vesicles. The mechanism controlling subsynaptic proportion is not understood. Loss of function in the C. elegans rpm-1 gene, a putative RING finger/E3 ubiquitin ligase, causes disorganized presynaptic cytoarchitecture. RPM-1 is localized to the presynaptic periactive zone. We report that RPM-1 negatively regulates a p38 MAP kinase pathway composed of the dual leucine zipper-bearing MAPKKK DLK-1, the MAPKK MKK-4, and the p38 MAP kinase PMK-3. Inactivation of this pathway suppresses rpm-1 loss of function phenotypes, whereas overexpression or constitutive activation of this pathway causes synaptic defects resembling rpm-1(lf) mutants. DLK-1, like RPM-1, is localized to the periactive zone. DLK-1 protein levels are elevated in rpm-1 mutants. The RPM-1 RING finger can stimulate ubiquitination of DLK-1. Our data reveal a presynaptic role of a previously unknown p38 MAP kinase cascade.
Amlodipine Therapy Corrects Renal Abnormalities Encountered in the Hypertensive State

Calcium antagonists may increase glomerular filtration rate and renal plasma flow by antagonizing the intrarenal effects of angiotensin II and/or norepinephrine. We prospectively studied the effects of amlodipine, a once-a-day dihydropyridine calcium channel antagonist, in 19 patients with essential hypertension. Studies were performed after 4 weeks of placebo and 6 weeks of amlodipine therapy, and included the assessment of systolic and diastolic BP, renal clearances of inulin and p-aminohippurate, and determination of body fluid composition. Systolic and diastolic BPs were reduced following 6 weeks of amlodipine monotherapy. In spite of significant decreases in mean arterial pressure, there were increases in inulin clearance (+ 13%), and p-aminohippurate clearance (+ 19%). Filtration fraction was not changed. Renal vascular resistance was decreased (-25%). Total blood volume, extracellular fluid volume, and total body water and body weight were not changed. We conclude that amlodipine therapy has the potential to reverse renal abnormalities encountered in the hypertensive state.
Don't save the ball!

Methods: The case notes of all children aged 6–13 years attending the Accident and Emergency Department of the Royal Aberdeen Children's Hospital in the year 2001 as a result of a wrist, hand, or finger injury sustained from a blow by a ball were reviewed, and the cause, type, and severity of the injury noted. Results: A total of 187 children were identified; 69% were boys and football was the main sport involved. Most (93%) were radiographed, and 40% were positive; most fractures were sustained outwith school. Hand dominance was not significant. Conclusions: These injuries are common and may be preventable with modification of rules, equipment, and coaching. A register of youth sporting injuries may show if there are any detrimental long term effects.
Population aging and cancer : A cross-national concern

Although malignant tumors occur at all ages, cancer disproportionately strikes individuals in the age group 65 years and older. Data from the National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program for the most recent five-year period, 1998-2002, reveal that 56% of all newly diagnosed cancer patients and 71% of cancer deaths are in this age group. Median ages of cancer patients at death for the major tumors common to both males and females, all races (lung, colorectal, lymphoma, leukemia, pancreas, stomach, urinary bladder) range from 71 to 77 years. The median age for prostate cancer is 79 years; for ovarian and female breast cancer, the median age is 71 for each tumor. These cancer statistics when cast against the demographic changes occurring in the U.S. population take on urgency and importance for cancer treatment and care in our nation's health care system. The U.S. Census Bureau demographic projections indicate that the number of persons 65 years and older in the United States will double from the current estimate of 35 million persons to a projected 70 million by 2030. Barring any cancer prevention breakthroughs, the expansion of the aged population will likely increase the absolute number of older individuals diagnosed and treated for cancer in coming decades. The United States is not unique as an aging developed industrial nation with a high proportion of the cancer burden in the elderly. Other developed industrial countries have a potentiality for increased cancer incidence and mortality as their populations grow older. This paper, using U.S. Bureau of Census demographic projections and current age standardized death rates per 100,000 population (from Worldwide Cancer Mortality Statistics, Cancer Mondial, WHO, and the International Association for Research on Cancer) compares cancer in the elderly in Italy and the United States. Italy is demographically ranked as the oldest nation in the world. Dimensions of the cancer burden challenge ahead are inferred in the context of two countries with aging populations to underscore the possible increase that demographic factors may have on the magnitude of the cancer problem for older persons in the next 25 years.
Herbal Medicine and Surgery

Herbal remedies (phytomedicines) possess significant pharmacological activity and consequently potential adverse effects and drug interactions. The explosion in sales of herbal therapies has brought products to the marketplace that do not conform to the standards of safety and efficacy that physicians and patients expect. Relatively few physicians inquire about herbal medicine use, and up to 70% of patients do not reveal their use of herbal medicines to their physicians and pharmacists. All physicians should question patients regarding the use of herbal remedies and document their responses in the medical record. They should caution patients that lack of standardization, quality control, and regulation may result in variability in herbal content, efficacy, and potential contamination. Physicians should be aware of potential adverse reactions stemming from herbal medicine use, especially with regard to perioperative bleeding, cardiovascular instability, and interactions with commonly prescribed sedative-hypnotic agents.
Different modes of Ca channel gating behaviour favoured by dihydropyridine Ca agonists and antagonists

Single cardiac transmembranous Ca channels have three modes of gating behaviour in the absence of drugs, expressed as current records with brief openings (mode 1), with no openings because of channel unavailability (mode 0 or null mode) and with long-lasting openings and very brief closings that appear only rarely (mode 2). The dihydropyridine Ca agonist Bay K 8644 enhances Ca channel current by promoting mode 2, while the Ca antagonists nitrendipine and nimodipine inhibit the current by favouring mode 0.
EVIDENTIARY STANDARDS IN EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION: A VIEW TOWARD THE FUTURE

This article reviews recent changes in evidentiary standards in employment discrimination litigation as they relate to disparate impact theory. Precedents established in Watson v. Fort Worth Bank and Wards Cove Packing Co. v. Atonio, altering the employee's and the employer's responsibilities in discrimination cases are analyzed. In reaction to these and other Supreme Court rulings, Congress introduced a civil rights bill which was eventually signed into law after numerous compromises. The debate surrounding the development of the 1991 Civil Rights Act and the legislation itself are reviewed. With respect to disparate impact, the Act addresses the criteria for establishing a prima facie case (causation), burden of proof standards, and a definition of business necessity. However, a close reading of the Act and a review of recent disparate impact cases suggest the causation and business necessity issues are not fully resolved. Potential implications for managing personnel decision systems in this new environment are discussed.
Uncertainty measures and uncertainty relations for angle observables

Uncertainty measures must not depend on the choice of origin of the measurement scale; it is therefore argued that quantum-mechanical uncertainty relations, too, should remain invariant under changes of origin. These points have often been neglected in dealing with angle observables. Known measures of location and uncertainty for angles are surveyed. The angle variance angv {o} is defined and discussed. It is particularly suited to the needs of quantum theory, because of its affinity to the Hilbert space metric, and its use of the basic sine and cosine operators. Corresponding uncertainty relations involving azimuthal or phase angles are indicated, and their relevance to study and definition of coherent states is briefly reviewed.
Effect of electrocautery on serum creatine phosphokinase in surgical patients.

While serum creatine phosphokinase (CPK) may be slightly elevated following major uncomplicated surgical procedures, the use of electrocoagulation of tissues gives rise during the first 7 hr postoperatively to CPK activity which is as markedly increased as in those patients who sustain intraoperative myocardial infarction.
Minimality properties of the local potential

Abstract The local-potential formulation introduced by Glansdorff and Prigogine 1,2,3 ) is discussed. The natural splitting of an operator into a self-adjoint “part” and the minimality property associated with the local potential are described. In particular, the use of the minimality property in showing the convergence of iterative numerical schemes 2,3 ) and the existence of solutions to nonlinear problems is discussed. Sufficient conditions for the convergence of the local-potential iterative scheme for a class of nonlinear boundary-value problems are given.
Solute diffusion in swollen membranes. IX. Scaling laws for solute diffusion in gels

A scaling law was developed for the diffusion coefficient of spheroidal and ellipsoidal solutes in nonporous, equilibrium-swollen hydrogels. The law relates the solute diffusion coefficient to the solute size, the gel mesh size, and the gel equilibrium volume degree of swelling. The law was verified by appropriate data of low and high molecular weight solute diffusion through hydrogels such as swollen networks of poly(vinyl alcohol), poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate), cellulose, and others. An additional scaling law was developed which relates the rate of release of a small or large molecule from an equilibrium swollen hydrogel with time and with morphological characteristics of the polymeric network.
Method for Hydroxylation and Esterification of Interior Sites of Polyolefinic Films

A method is described to functionalize specifically the interior portions of polyolefinic films with chromophoric/lumophoric groups. In the first step, a film doped with dibenzothiophene 5-oxide (DBTO) is irradiated (λ > 300 nm) to produce O(3P) atoms that oxidize nearby C−H bonds of the polymer. Covalent attachment of acid chlorides (containing chromophoric/lumophoric groups) to the hydroxy bonds (via ester linkages) provides films that retain their absorption and luminescence in water or air for long periods. The esterified films have been characterized using UV/vis absorption spectroscopy and static and dynamic fluorescence techniques. Fluorescence from native or modified and then esterified films in 1.0 M methanolic 2-(dimethylamino)ethanol, a surface quencher, indicates that the vast majority of the chromophores/lumophores are located inside the films. Selective modification of the film surfaces by an analogous method was not efficient. However, a very low concentration of hydroxy groups is present t...
Tuskegee as a metaphor.

The otherwise appropriate and excellent essay “Uses and abuses of Tuskegee” by Amy L. Fairchild and Ronald Bayer (Essays in Science and Society, Science 's Compass, 7 May, p. [919][1]) omits important information about the Tuskegee syphilis experiment. This appropriately vilified experiment
Anemia is Associated with Poor Outcomes in Patients with Less Severe Ischemic Stroke

Anemia is a known predictor of in-hospital mortality among patients with such vascular conditions as acute myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, and chronic kidney disease. The role of anemia in patients with acute ischemic stroke is less well understood. We sought to examine the association between anemia at hospital admission and the combined outcome of in-hospital mortality and discharge to hospice in patients with acute ischemic stroke. We evaluated data from a retrospective cohort of consecutive ischemic stroke patients presenting within 48 hours of symptom onset at 5 hospitals between 1998 and 2003. Anemia was defined as an admission hematocrit value of <30%. Less severe stroke was defined as an admission National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score of <10. The outcome was the combined endpoint of in-hospital mortality or discharge to hospice. Among 1306 patients with stroke, anemia was present on admission in 6.4%, and the combined outcome of death or discharge to hospice was present in 10.1%. Anemia was not associated with outcome in patients with severe stroke (anemia, 17.2% [5 of 29] vs no anemia, 28,4% [98 of 345]; P = .20), but was associated with outcome in patients with less severe stroke (anemia, 13.0% [7 of 54] vs no anemia, 2.5% [22 of 878]; P < .0001). After adjustment for stroke severity, admission anemia was independently associated with outcome in patients with less severe stroke (adjusted odds ratio, 4.17; 95% confidence interval, 1.47-11.90), but not in patients with more severe strokes (adjusted odds ratio, 0.82; 95% confidence interval, 0.30-2.22). Our data indicate that anemia is associated with in-hospital mortality or discharge to hospice in patients with less severe ischemic stroke.
Parental Child‐Rearing Sex‐Role Attitudes Related to Social Issue Sex‐Role Attitudes and Selected Demographic Variables

Parents' child-rearing sex-role attitudes were investigated to determine their relationship to social issue sex-role attitudes and selected demographic variables. The sample included 94 parents, 32 couples, and 30 persons who responded individually. Data were gathered by use of a demographic information sheet, the Sex-Role Attitude Scale, and the Child-Rearing Sex- Role Attitude Scale. Findings indicated a relationship between social issue and child-rearing sex-role attitudes. The demographic variables of parents' sex and child caretaker choice were related to both social issue and child-rearing sex-role attitudes. On the other hand, the variables of income, employment status, and type of family unit appeared to have little rela tionship to sex-role attitudes.
Coronary angioplasty as primary therapy for acute myocardial infarction 6 to 48 hours after symptom onset report of an initial experience

Recent randomized trials in acute myocardial infarction suggest that infarct size reduction need not be achieved for intravenous streptokinase to improve patient survival. If this is the case, attempts to achieve late revascularization may be justified. To assess the results of late primary coronary angioplasty performed in the setting of acute myocardial infarction, the clinical and angiographic data as well as hospital outcome of 139 consecutive patients treated with coronary angioplasty without prior thrombolytic therapy 6 to 48 h after the onset of chest pain (late group) were compared with those of 117 patients treated with primary angioplasty less than 6 h after the onset of chest pain (early group); time to angioplasty was assessed as a covariate of survival. In the 139 patients treated greater than or equal to 6 h after the onset of chest pain, the mean age (+/- SD) was 57 +/- 12 years and the median time to angioplasty was 15 h; 61% had multivessel disease, 14% were in cardiogenic shock and the mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 44 +/- 12%. Angioplasty was successful (final diameter stenosis less than 70% and Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction [TIMI] flow grade greater than or equal to 2) in 78% of patients. Successful angioplasty was associated with a 5.5% in-hospital mortality rate, whereas unsuccessful angioplasty was associated with a 43% hospital mortality rate (p less than 0.001). Multivariate testing in all patients identified four independent predictors of in-hospital death: cardiogenic shock (p less than 0.001), unsuccessful angioplasty (p = 0.001), ejection fraction less than or equal to 30% (p = 0.002) and patient age (p = 0.004).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Temperature dependent survival of UV-irradiated Escherichia coli K12

We have found that several excision deficient derivatives of Escherichia coli K12 survive better after UV irradiation if incubated at 42 degrees C than if incubated at 30 degrees C. The highest survival was observed when incubation at 42 degrees C followed UV irradiation and was maintained for at least 16 h. Our results indicate that this temperature dependent resistance (TDR) requires a functional recA gene, but not uvrA, uvrB, recF, or recB genes, or the recA441 (tif-1) mutation which allows thermoinduction of the recA-lexA regulon. Our data are consistent with the idea that the increase in survival observed at 42 degrees C reflects enhanced daughter-strand gap repair by DNA strand exchange. Although the conditions used to elicit TDR can induce heat shock proteins and thermotolerance in E. coli, the relationship between the two responses remains to be elucidated.
A +7.9dBm IIP3 LNA for CDMA2000 in a 90nm digital CMOS process

A highly linear low noise amplifier (LNA) has been implemented in a standard digital 90nm CMOS process. At 880MHz the amplifier provides a forward power gain (S21) of 14.5dB with a supply voltage of 1.4V and a current consumption of 8.3mA. The noise figure was measured to be 1.0dB and the input third order intercept point (IP3) is +7.9dBm. Two lower gain modes have also been implemented; one with a lower transconductance gain stage, and one with a bypass switch. These performance parameters make the amplifier suited for the CDMA2000 cellular standard.
The Impact of Incidental Identification on the Stage at Presentation of Lower Gastrointestinal Carcinoids

Background Over the past 3 decades, there has been a significant increase in the incidence of gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors in the United States. Incidentally discovered carcinoids in the lower gastrointestinal tract have probably contributed to this increase. In this study we aimed to compare the clinicopathologic characteristics of incidentally discovered carcinoids of the small and large bowel with those identified as a result of symptoms. Study Design We performed a retrospective review of 58 consecutive patients with nonappendiceal gastrointestinal carcinoids: 30 small bowel and 28 large bowel. We compared asymptomatic patients with lower gastrointestinal tract carcinoids identified by routine colonoscopy with those identified as a result of symptoms. Results Twenty-eight (48.3%) incidentally identified carcinoids (15 small bowel and 13 large bowel) were compared with 30 (51.7%) symptomatic carcinoids. Incidental ileal carcinoids were similar in size (mean ± SD, 1.3 ± 0.61 vs 1.7 ± 1.13, p=0.45) and incidence of lymph node metastases (12 in 15 vs 9 in 15, p=0.43) to symptomatic ileal carcinoids. However, incidental ileal carcinoids had a lower incidence of distant metastases (1 in 15 vs 7 in 15, p=0.035) compared with symptomatic ileal carcinoids. There was no difference in tumor size, extent of lymph node metastases, or distant metastases between incidental and symptomatic large bowel carcinoids. Conclusions Ileal carcinoids identified at screening colonoscopy are associated with a significantly decreased incidence of distant metastases compared with those identified after development of symptoms, despite similar size and extent of lymph node metastases. However, incidental large bowel carcinoids appear to have similar staging to those identified as a result of symptoms.
X-ray Crystal Structures, Electron Paramagnetic Resonance, and Magnetic Studies on Strongly Antiferromagnetically Coupled Mixed μ-Hydroxide-μ-N1,N2-Triazole-Bridged One Dimensional Linear Chain Copper(II) Complexes

Four new metal-organic polymeric complexes, {[Cu(μ-OH)(μ-ClPhtrz)][(H2O)(BF4)]}n (1), {[Cu(μ-OH)(μ-BrPhtrz)][(H2O)(BF4)]}n (2), {[Cu(μ-OH)(μ-ClPhtrz)(H2O)](NO3)}n (3), and {[Cu(μ-OH)(μ-BrPhtrz)(H2O)](NO3)}n (4) (ClPhtrz = N-[(E)-(4-chlorophenyl)methylidene]-4H-1,2,4-triazol-4-amine; BrPhtrz = N-[(E)-(4-bromophenyl)methylidene]-4H-1,2,4-triazol-4-amine), were synthesized in a reaction of substituted 1,2,4-triazole and various copper(II) salts in water/acetonitrile solutions. The structures of 1−4 were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The Cu(II) ions are linked both by single N1,N2-1,2,4-triazole and hydroxide bridges yielding one dimensional (1D) linear chain polymers. The tetragonally distorted octahedral geometry of copper atoms is completed alternately by two water and two BF4− anion molecules in 1 and 2 but solely by two water molecules in 3 and 4. Magnetic properties of all complexes were studied by variable temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements. The Cu(II) ions a...
London 2012, Chariots of Fire resurrected and Colombes Stadium today: hype, history and Olympic realities

The London 2012 Olympics resurrected Chariots of Fire as a theme and symbol for the Olympic ideal, glorifying the story of how Harold Abrahams, a British Jew of Lithuanian origin, and Eric Liddell,...
Chest X-ray Screening Improves Outcome in Lung Cancer: A Reappraisal of Randomized Trials on Lung Cancer Screening

It is believed that population-based screening for cancer should be advocated only when screening reduces disease-specific mortality. Four randomized controlled studies on lung cancer screening have been conducted in male cigarette smokers, and none has demonstrated reduced mortality. Accordingly, no organization that formulates screening policy advocates any specific early detection strategies for lung cancer. Yet, despite this public policy against screening, there is considerable evidence that chest x-ray screening is associated with earlier detection and improved survival. Two randomized trials, the Memorial Sloan-Kettering and Johns Hopkins Lung Projects, were specifically designed to evaluate the effectiveness of sputum cytologic study. Both evaluated the efficacy of the addition of sputum cytologic studies to annual chest radiographs, and both demonstrated that cytologic study did not favorably influence outcome. All individuals in experimental and control groups in both studies had annual chest radiographs. Because survival rates observed in both studies were about three times higher than predicted, based either on the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results database or based on the American Cancer Society's annual Cancer Statistics, raises the possibility that the periodic chest radiographs performed in all patients in both studies contributed to an improved outcome. In the Mayo Lung Project and in the Czechoslovak study on lung cancer screening, the experimental groups underwent a program of relatively intensive and regular rescreening with chest radiographs and sputum cytologic study, while the control groups underwent either less-frequent rescreening or no rescreening. In both studies, the screened groups achieved meaningful improvements in stage distribution, resectability, and survival. However, increases in cumulative incidence of lung cancer in the experimental group in both studies (which in the Mayo Lung Project reached statistical significance) prevented significant improvements in survival from translating into corresponding reductions in mortality. The possibility that screening may be associated with lung cancer "overdiagnosis" has been widely postulated to account for higher survival and incidence rates and equivalent mortality rates. However, analysis of autopsy information and of disease outcome in individuals with screen-detected early stage lung cancer who do not undergo surgical resection strongly supports the conclusion that screening does not lead to overdiagnosis of lung cancer. Similarly, lead-time and length bias do not adequately account for the differences in cumulative incidence observed in the Mayo and Czech studies.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
A theoretical note on estimating the number of recoverable spores from survival curves having an 'activation shoulder'

Abstract A ubiquitous feature of the survival curves of heat-treated Bacillus stearothermophilus and several other bacilli spores is the existence of a prominent ‘activation shoulder’. The shape of the survival curve alone, however, is insufficient to establish whether the observed initial increase in the number of ‘recoverable’ or ‘retrievable’ spores is due to heat activation, improved dispersion (‘de-clumping’) or both. But regardless of the mechanism, one can estimate a lower bound of the total recoverable spores using a crude empirical mathematical model. Estimates based on published data obtained with this model show that there can be 5–8 folds more recoverable spores in a heat-treated sample than the initial count would indicate, but this requires direct experimental verification. If correct, the model could serve as a tool to interpret the various possible shapes of ‘activation shoulders’ and to quantify the rate at which bacterial spores become ‘recoverable’.