cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
113 RASHKIND BALLOON ATRIAL SEPTOSTOMY(BAS) FOR CYANOTIC TRANSPOSITION OF THE GREAT ARTERIES(TGA). IS IT ALWAYS NECESSARY

Catheterization and Rashkind BAS is “routine” management in reported series of neonates prior to arterial switch repair of TGA. From 8/86-2/90, we treated 15 newborns with TGA, birth weiqht 3.3kq(range 2.7-4.3). All received PGE-1; 2-D echo, Doopler, color flow included assessment of foramen ovale(FO), ductus arteriosus(DA) and coronary anomaly(Co-Anom). The FO was defined “restrictive”(“R”FO) by echo grading of septal L-R bowing, diameter FO and flow velocity(Table). All had switch under deep hypothermia, cardiopulmonary by-pass and circulatory arrest. Only 3 required cardiac cath and BAS(ages 10hr, 16hr, 270hr). All 15 had PDA after PGE, but these 3 did not have acceptable pO2 rise (Table). Only these 3 had “R”FO by echo and O2 increased after BAS (n pO2 29→43 torr). The 1 Co-Anom was correctly predicted by echo. Fourteen(93%) survive to date(2mo-3.5yr) and are NYHA-I. The non-survivor had BAS but died 2 days post switch. Conclusion: Clinical and echo criteria accurately identify newborns requiring BAS. Routine cath and BAS are not necessary for successful arterial switch when undertaken early in newborns with acceptable pO2 and non “R”FO.
Two adsorbate densities for Cu(110)c(6×2)-O☆

LEED observations and XPS measurements were used to study Cu(110)c(6×2)-O prepared by two procedures: (i) exposing Cu(110) to about 5×104 L of molecular oxygen at a surface temperature Ts in the range 300⩽Ts⩽320K, and (ii) exposing the surface to as little as 1.9 L of molecular oxygen at Ts=83±1K, and then annealing it to between about 230 and 530 K. The resulting surfaces exhibit c(6×2) LEED patterns but appear to be different, having oxygen densities of 56 and 23 adatom per substrate atom for procedures (i) and (ii), respectively. Two possibilities are presented to account for this difference. The first is that the two surfaces consist of different phases. The second is that both surfaces consist of the same phase, the density difference being explained by adatom vacancies. Structural models are presented as candidates for the phases.
Hypertrophy-Driven Adipocyte Death Overwhelms Recruitment under Prolonged Weight Gain

Fat pads dynamically regulate energy storage capacity under energy excess and deficit. This remodeling process is not completely understood, with controversies regarding differences between fat depots and plasticity of adipose cell number. We examined changes of mouse adipose cell-size distributions in epididymal, inguinal, retroperitoneal, and mesenteric fat under both weight gain and loss. With mathematical modeling, we specifically analyzed the recruitment, growth/shrinkage, and loss of adipose cells, including the size dependence of these processes. We found a qualitatively universal adipose tissue remodeling process in all four fat depots: 1), There is continuous recruitment of new cells under weight gain; 2), the growth and shrinkage of larger cells (diameter >50 μm) is proportional to cell surface area; and 3), cell loss occurs under prolonged weight gain, with larger cells more susceptible. The mathematical model gives a predictive integrative picture of adipose tissue remodeling in obesity.
Global stability of impulsive fractional differential equations

Abstract In the present paper the global stability of systems of impulsive differential equations of fractional order with impulse effect at fixed moments of time is considered. Using piecewise continuous functions of the type of Lyapunov’s functions and a new fractional comparison principle sufficient conditions for various types of global stability are proved.
Effect of mannitol and plasma on the cytotoxicity of cisplatin.

Abstract A soft agar cell culture for human granulocyte precursor cells (CFU-c) was used to assess the cytotoxic effect of cisplatin before and after preincubating the drug with either mannitol and/or fresh human plasma. Consistent growth inhibition of CFU-c was found with survival of 87, 64 and 34% at cisplatin concentrations of 10 −7 M , 10 −6 M and 10 −5 M respectively. Dose-related survival was not changed by preincubating cisplatin with mannitol in molar ratios of 1:100 and 1:1000 for 4 and 24 hr . Preincubating 10 −5 M cisplatin with human plasma increased CFU-c survival corresponding to a loss of activity of 92 and 98% after 4- and 24-hr preincubations respectively. No significant difference in survival of CFU-c was noted whether bone marrow cells were exposed to cisplatin in human plasma or in the ultrafiltrate of human plasma. Mannitol did not change the decrease in cisplatin activity due to plasma protein binding. These data indicate that the cytotoxic effect of cisplatin can be reduced by exposure to human plasma but not to mannitol.
Adaptive Central-Upwind Schemes for Hamilton---Jacobi Equations with Nonconvex Hamiltonians

This paper is concerned with computing viscosity solutions of Hamilton---Jacobi equations using high-order Godunov-type projection-evolution methods. These schemes employ piecewise polynomial reconstructions, and it is a well-known fact that the use of more compressive limiters or higher-order polynomial pieces at the reconstruction step typically provides sharper resolution. We have observed, however, that in the case of nonconvex Hamiltonians, such reconstructions may lead to numerical approximations that converge to generalized solutions, different from the viscosity solution. In order to avoid this, we propose a simple adaptive strategy that allows to compute the unique viscosity solution with high resolution. The strategy is not tight to a particular numerical scheme. It is based on the idea that a more dissipative second-order reconstruction should be used near points where the Hamiltonian changes convexity (in order to guarantee convergence to the viscosity solution), while a higher order (more compressive) reconstruction may be used in the rest of the computational domain in order to provide a sharper resolution of the computed solution. We illustrate our adaptive strategy using a Godunov-type central-upwind scheme, the second-order generalized minmod and the fifth-order weighted essentially non-oscillatory (WENO) reconstruction. Our numerical examples demonstrate the robustness, reliability, and non-oscillatory nature of the proposed adaptive method.
Structural Adaptations to Local Habitat Acoustics in Carolina Wren Songs

Recordings of Carolina wren songs were played back and re-recorded through 50 m of habitat. A new method for quantifying degradation using differences in sound energy distribution was utilized to compare songs before and after playback. Songs that were native to the test habitat retained more of their original physical characteristics after 50 m than did songs foreign to that habitat. Songs of Carolina wrens seem to be designed to retain their source characteristics for as great a distance as possible. Zusammenfassung Ob Vogeldialekte Habitat-Anpassungen sind, wurde am Beispiel des Carolina-Zaunkonigs Thryothorus ludovicianus auf folgende Weise gepruft: 50 Gesange, die von zwei okologisch sehr verschiedenen Orten stammten, wurden vom Band gespielt und jeweils 50 m vom Lautsprecher entfernt wieder aufgenommen; und zwar an den ursprunglichen Aufnahmeorten (woher die einen Gesange stammten, die anderen aber nicht) und in neutraler Gegend. Im Frequenzbereich und in der mittleren Hauptfrequenz waren alle Gesange gleich. Berechnet wurde deshalb ein entfernungsbezogener „Anderungs-Index” in der Verteilung der Ton-Amplituden (in dB). Entscheidend scheint die Starke der Frequenzanderung pro Zeit in den Gesangselementen. Am Herkunftsort veranderten sich die Gesange mit der Entfernung am wenigsten; die starksten Anderungen ergaben sich, wenn man die Gesange ortsvertauscht abspielte. Offenbar sind die Gesange den ortstypischen oko-physikalischen Gegeben-heiten so angepast, das sie moglichst weit reichen.
Decentralized Services for Public Hospital Patients: A Cost Analysis

Dr. Sharfstein's introduction: In this era of cost containment and fiscal constraint, it is critical to consider alternative methods of delivering public psychiatric care that emphasize decentralized approaches, shortened lengths of stay, and innovative clinical interventions. This month's report dramatically illustrates the cost savings that can be achieved in a decentralized treatment program, particularly costs associated with the judicial process and involuntary commitment. The need for high-quality services at the local level is greater than ever.
Influence of processing conditions and material compositions on the performance of formaldehyde-free wood-based composites

This study examined the differences between formaldehyde-free wood composite panels made with maleated polyethylene (MAPE) and maleated polypropylene (MAPP) binding agents. Specifically, the study investigated the contrasts of (a) base resin type, PE vs. PP, (b) molecular weight/maleic anhydride content in MAPP binding agents, and (c) the manufacturing methods (reactive extrusion vs. hot press) on the physicomechanical properties of the composites. FTIR and XPS analyses of unmodified and modified wood particles after reactive extrusion with maleated polyolefins provided evidence of chemical bonding between the hydroxyl groups of wood particles and maleated polyolefins. Although extruding the particles before panel pressing gave better internal bond (IB) strength, superior bending properties were obtained through compression molding alone. MAPP-based panels outperformed MAPE-based panels in stiffness. Conversely, MAPE increased the IB strength of the panels compared with MAPP. Polymer base resin had no effect on modulus of rupture or screw holding capacity. Differences between the two maleated polypropylene compounds were not significant for any of the mechanical properties tested. Formaldehyde-free wood composites manufactured in this study often outperformed standard requirements for conventional particleboard, regardless of material composition or manufacturing method used. POLYM. COMPOS., 27:599–607, 2006. © 2006 Society of Plastics Engineers
Early discharge and readmission after colorectal resection.

Abstract Background Emphasis on the provision of high quality, cost-effective healthcare has meant increasing efforts at reducing postoperative length of stay while reducing 30-d readmission rates. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with early discharge (ED) and to evaluate the effectof ED on readmission after colorectal resection. Materials and methods We identified all inpatients aged ≥18 y who underwent a colorectal resection in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Participant Use File, 2011. ED was defined as a length of stay ≤25th percentile by procedure (rectal resection, open colectomy, and laparoscopic colectomy). Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify factors significantly associated with ED and readmission. A subset analysis was performed by procedure type. Results Of 28,532 patients, 2171 (7%) underwent rectal resection, 14,976 (52%) underwent open colectomy, and 11,385 (40%) underwent laparoscopic colectomy with an ED on or before postoperative days 5, 5, and 3, respectively. The overall cohort included patients with a mean age of 61 y. A total of 52% were women and 37% were colorectal cancer patients. Age >65 y, recent steroid use, simultaneous ostomy creation, nonelective surgery, need for reoperation, and a postoperative occurrence before discharge were significantly associated with a reduced likelihood of ED. The overall rate of readmission was 12%. Patients who were discharged early were significantly less likely to be readmitted (odds ratio, 0.77; 95% confidence interval, 0.70–0.84). Conclusions In the appropriate patient population, ED after colorectal surgery may be implemented without any adverse effect on readmission rates.
Patients with MCI and N400 or P600 abnormalities are at very high risk for conversion to dementia.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI), as originally proposed,1 is considered a transitional stage between normal aging and Alzheimer disease (AD). This is supported by the high rate of conversion1,2 and high prevalence of AD neuropathology.3–5 The criteria1 require history and objective evidence of memory difficulties, relative sparing of general cognition, and intact activities of daily living. Cognitive ERPs, comprised of summated EPSPs and IPSPs,6 provide an excellent tool for measuring the timing of synaptic processing. A late positive component (LPC), a.k.a. the P600, has been implicated in both memory encoding and retrieval processes.7,8 In word list recognition experiments, a consistent finding has been larger late positivities (with left parietal maxima) for recognized words.9 In contrast, when semantically predictable words are repeated, P600 amplitudes are generally smaller (relative to initial).10,11 P600 generators have been identified in several regions important for episodic/declarative memory (i.e., hippocampus, entorhinal, cingulate, and ventral prefrontal cortex).12–14 We have previously reported severely reduced P600 word repetition effects in circumscribed amnesia10 and mild AD.15 The N400 component may also be related to verbal learning/memory.16 N400 amplitude is proportional to semantic processing load and inversely proportional to semantic expectancy.17,18 Invasive electrophysiology (and magnetoencephalography) reveal N400 generators in the anterior fusiform,19 lateral parahippocampal gyri,19 and the superior temporal sulcus.14,20,21 Our studies of circumscribed amnesia10 showed relatively normal N400 effects (e.g., larger N400s to new than old incongruous words). In contrast, patients with mild AD generally have absent N400 word repetition effects.15 To seek biomarkers/predictors of subsequent conversion to AD, we conducted annual longitudinal ERP assessments in MCI. We hypothesized that 1) patients with MCI with poorer memory or subsequent conversion would show reduced P600 word repetition effects, and 2) MCI converters will exhibit pronounced N400 abnormalities (decreased repetition and congruity effects) as they develop incipient dementia and subtle impairments in semantic/linguistic processing.
A Review of Research on Formal Reasoning and Science Teaching.

A central purpose of education is to improve students' reasoning abilities. The present review examines research in developmental psychology and science education that has attempted to assess the validity of Piaget's theory of formal thought and its relation to educational practice. Should a central objective of schools be to help students become formal thinkers? To answer this question research has focused on the following subordinate questions: (1) What role does biological maturation play in the development of formal reasoning? (2) Are Piaget's formal tasks reliable and valid? (3) Does formal reasoning constitute a unified and general mode of intellectual functioning? (4) How does the presence or absence of formal reasoning affect school achievement? (5) Can formal reasoning be taught? (6) What is the structural or functional nature of advanced reasoning? The general conclusion drawn is that although Piaget's work and that which has sprung from it leaves a number of unresolved theoretical and methodological problems, it provides an important background from which to make substantial progress toward a most significant educational objective. All our dignity lies in thought. By thought we must elevate ourselves, not by space and time which we can not fill. Let us endeavor then to think well; therein lies the principle of morality. Blaise Pascal 1623-1662.
Diamond coatings for micro end mills: Enabling the dry machining of aluminum at the micro-scale

Abstract We show that thin diamond coatings can dramatically enhance the performance of micrometer-scale cutting tools. We present a new approach for coating 300 μm diameter tungsten carbide (WC) micro end mills using a tailored seeding method and hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) to obtain uniform, conformal, and continuous diamond coatings less than 2 μm in both thickness and grain size. The performance of the uncoated and coated tools has been evaluated by dry machining channels in 6061-T6 aluminum. The test results demonstrate far lower tool wear and breakage, much lower adhesion of aluminum to the tool, and significantly lower cutting forces for the coated tools. The coatings achieve a more predictable surface finish and enable dry machining at high speeds (40,000 rpm) with little or no burr formation. The improved performance of the coated tools is a result of the superior tribological properties of fine-grained diamond against aluminum, specifically low friction, low adhesion, and low wear of the film. Since the coating allows machining without lubricants and essentially eliminates metal burrs, this approach can reduce the environmental impact of micro-machining processes and offers greatly improved performance for micro and meso-scale manufacturing applications.
Management of brain metastases: the indispensable role of surgery

Brain metastases are the most common neurological complication of systemic cancer and carry a very poor prognosis. The management of patients with brain metastases has become more important recently because of the increased incidence of these tumors and the prolonged patient survival times that have accompanied increased control of systemic cancer. In this article, we review the current perspectives on surgical treatment of brain metastases in terms of patient selection criteria, intraoperative adjuncts, whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT) as a postoperative adjuvant, reoperation for tumor recurrence, and resection of multiple and single metastases. Achieving the best outcome in treatment of brain metastasis requires the judicious and complementary use of surgical resection along with modalities such as whole-brain radiation therapy and stereotactic radiosurgery.
Sub-area localization: a simple calibration free approach

Simple calibration-free localization techniques using proximity to multiple monitoring stations are cost-effective and avoid the need for laborious measurements, calibration, and large search spaces for RF fingerprints. Proximity-based localization does not suffer from multi-path problems associated with localization that employs time, time difference, or angle of arrival measurements. We propose Sub-Area Localization (SAL) that uses the sub-areas created by the overlapping ranges of monitoring stations (MoSs) to estimate the location of a mobile node. We investigate the relationship between localization accuracy (that depends on the number and sizes of sub-areas) and the monitoring ranges of MoSs when they are placed on a virtual grid in a given workspace. We present analytical and simulation results that allow us to determine the "best" range of monitoring stations, and understand the limits on the accuracy performance of SAL.
Transcriptional Synergy Mediated by SAF-1 and AP-1 CRITICAL ROLE OF N-TERMINAL POLYALANINE AND TWO ZINC FINGER DOMAINS OF SAF-1

Previously we determined that inflammation responsive transcription factors AP-1 and SAF-1 synergistically regulate transcriptional induction of the MMP-1 gene. The present study investigated the underlying molecular mechanism of cooperativity between these two different groups of transcription factors. We present evidence that knockdown of SAF-1 by small interfering RNAs inhibits AP-1-mediated increase of human MMP-1 expression. The two key members of the AP-1 family of proteins, c-Fos and c-Jun, and SAF-1 form a ternary protein complex, which has markedly higher DNA binding activity than either a SAF-1 homodimer or a c-Fos/c-Jun heterodimer. The increased DNA binding activity of the ternary complex is translated into a striking enhancement of their transcriptional activity by which synergistic transcriptional induction of MMP-1 expression is achieved. The SAF-1.c-Fos.c-Jun ternary complex efficiently promotes transcription from both SAF-1 and AP-1 sites of human MMP-1 promoter. The physical interaction between SAF-1 and AP-1 was demonstrated both in vitro by Far-Western and antibody pulldown assays with recombinant proteins and in vivo by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), re-ChIP, and co-immunoprecipitation analyses. Two distinct but adjacent domains in SAF-1 are involved in protein-protein contact with c-Fos and c-Jun; one domain resides within two N-terminal polyalanine tracts, and the other is present within the first two zinc finger motifs. Together these findings delineate the mechanism of synergy and the essential role of SAF-1 and AP-1 in up-regulating human MMP-1 expression under various inflammatory conditions.
Importance of polypeptide chain length for the correct local folding of a β-sheet protein

Abstract Equine β-lactoglobulin is a 162-residue β-sheet protein. A partially folded form of equine β-lactoglobulin contains a β-hairpin and an α-helix. The β-hairpin converts into non-native α-helices at temperatures
Federal Human Subjects Regulations A Methodological Artifact

The present study investigated informed consent procedures as a possible methodological artifact in stressor research. The authors hypothesized that certain aspects of the consent form may give the subject the perception of control over the stressor. Empirical support was found for this hypothesis. Analyses revealed that stressed subjects who were explicitly informed via consent forms of their freedom to withdraw from the experiment performed significantly better on cognitive tasks than stressed subjects not so informed.
Invariant cross-sections and invariant linear subspaces

Existence theorems for linear subspaces invariant under a continuous mapping and contained in a given set are obtained from a general theorem on existence of invariant crosss-sections.
Delayed flexor tendon repair in no man's land

Thirty-seven digital flexor tendon injuries in 31 patients were treated by closure of the skin and delayed repair from 24 hours to 21 days later. All skin wounds healed without serious complication, and there were no infections. On examination at a minimum of 4 months after repair, 36% had total active motion (TAM) of 220°, 32% from 200° to 220°, 6% from 180° to 200° and 26% with less than 180°. Under proper conditions, repair of flexor tendons can be carried out with the expectation of results comparable to more complex reconstruction procedures.
Evidence of a solar origin for pressure balance structures in the high‐latitude solar wind

Ulysses observations of the high-latitude solar wind have shown that on time scales of < 1 day, the polar wind is dominated by pressure balance structures (PBSs). Fluctuations of the plasma beta within PBSs appear to be strongly correlated with fluctuations in the helium abundance. The correlation occurs in both the northern and southern hemispheres. In addition, a mechanism is apparently at work in the high-latitude solar wind that dissipates the beta/He correlation over a distance of a few AU. Solar wind composition is established at the base of the corona; thus, the He abundance signature strongly suggests the observed solar wind PBSs are associated with structures low in the solar atmosphere. In particular, high-beta structures appear to originate in locations of enhanced He abundance. We suggest an interpretation of the high-beta portion of PBSs as the solar wind extensions of polar plumes.
Deuterium micromapping of biological samples by using the D(T,n)4He reaction and plastic track detectors.

A technique has been developed to micromap deuterium by using the D(T,n)4He reaction and plastic track detectors. Labeling of cells with subpicogram quantities of deuterium was demonstrated. The technique was used to localize human lymphocytes transformed in vitro.
Spatio-temporal cortical patterns evoked in man by a discrimination task

Magnetoencephalographic (MEG) recordings were obtained from a 37 sensor array during performance of a discrimination task. Pairs of stimuli were presented to the somatosensory and auditory systems which fell into two classes. Subjects were instructed to respond to one class and not the other. A ''virtual electrode'' estimation procedure was applied to generate time varying waveforms from locations within the brain as if from direct electrodes. Multivariate statistical procedures were then applied to the single trial MEG and virtual electrode estimates. This produces strong statistical inferences from the data from each subject, produces functional timing and localization for each subject, and demonstrates clear differences between subjects. It is an integrated experimental/analytic paradigm which is applicable to the study of perception, cognition, affect, and a wide variety of psychopathologies. Discriminant analysis was applied to the sampled single trial MEG data to (1) determine whether information was extracted and (2) to produce a discriminant function by which the 37 channel data stream can be collapsed to a single data stream to produce functional timing information. For all 5 subjects, these results conform to the following model for the sequence of activities required to perform the discrimination task: 1.(1) Primary sensory processing. 2.(2) Discrimination between stimulus classes, this being the imperative function upon which correct task performance depends. 3.(3) Response preparation. 4.(4) Motor activation. Discriminant analysis was applied to the sampled single trial virtual electrode estimates to (1) determine whether information was extracted and (2) to produce functional localization information by identifying virtual electrode sites which are differentially activated under different experimental conditions. For sensory modality, the parietal cortex was the primary site of differential activation at 36 msec post stimulus. At 54 msec, differential activation had spread anteriorly along the cortical convexity and at 95 msec had spread to the medial cortical surface. For stimulus class, differential activation was seen in the cerebellum and in the parietal, parieto temporal, premotor and anterior temporal cortices. For response type (GO/NOGO), differential activation was seen primarily in the parietal and premotor cortices. Single trial classification accuracies from raw MEG data produced significant p-values for all subjects for sensory modality (p < 10^-^1^0^0) and for 4 out of 5 subjects for stimulus class and trial type (p < 10^-^4). Single trial classification accuracies from virtual electrode estimates produced significant p-values for all subjects for sensory modality (p < 10^-^6^0) and for 4 out of 5 subjects for stimulus class (p < 10^-^4) and trial type (p < 10^-^6). Sensory modality classification accuracy was significant for 4 out of 5 subjects for the time epoch 400 msec following stimulus presentation (p < 10^-^5) and for 1 subject for the time period 1.8 seconds following stimulus presentation (p < 10^-^1^2).
Generalization of Liapunov's theorem in a linear delay system

On considere des systemes lineaires a retard du type: x˙(t)=L(x t )=∫ −r 0 dη(θ)x t (θ), ou L est un operateur lineaire sur l'espace des fonctions continues C([−r,0]; R n ), x(t)∈R n ; x t (θ)=x(t+θ), θ∈[−r,0], t∈R
A chimeric mammalian transactivator based on the lac repressor that is regulated by temperature and isopropyl beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside.

Abstract LAP267 is a lacI activator protein (LAP) containing an insertion of the transcriptional activation domain of the herpes simplex virus virion protein 16 within the inducer-binding and dimerization domain of the lac repressor protein. LAP267 strongly induces expression in a conditional manner from a minimal simian virus 40 early promoter linked to lac operator sequences. LAP267 is temperature-sensitive, activating expression at 32 degrees C but not at 39.5 degrees C. It is allosterically regulated in a manner opposite that of wild-type lac repressor, in that LAP267 activity is rescued at the nonpermissive temperature by isopropyl beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG). Stable mouse cell lines containing both the LAP267 gene and a LAP-inducible chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter gene were readily established and exhibited up to a 1200-fold increase in CAT activity within 24 hr upon addition of IPTG. Thus, LAP267 is a powerful inducible switch in mammalian cells, imparting a regulatory stringency similar to that observed with lac repressor in Escherichia coli.
Adverse Reactions to Dapsone in Persons Infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus

Dapsone is used in prophylaxis for and treatment of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia. We present a case of Stevens-Johnson syndrome that was likely induced by administration of dapsone. A review of charts at the HIV Treatment Center of Northwestern University (Chicago) revealed that 40.3% of patients treated with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole could not tolerate the medication, while 25.2% of those treated with dapsone were intolerant of the drug. We also found a higher rate of adverse reactions to dapsone among patients with prior intolerance to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole than among patients without such a history; however, the difference was not significant.
Differential regulation of protein- and polysaccharide-specific Ig isotype production in vivo in response to intact Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Abstract : Adaptive humoral immunity to extracellular bacteria is largely mediated by antibody specific for both protein and polysaccharide antigens. Proteins and polysaccharides are biochemically distinct, and as a result are processed differently by the immune system, leading to different mechanistic pathways for eventual elicitation of specific Ig isotypes. Much of our current knowledge concerning the parameters underlying anti-protein and anti-polysaccharide Ig responses have come from studies using soluble, purified antigens. However, the lessons learned from these studies are not entirely applicable to the mechanisms underlying physiologic antiprotein and anti-polysaccharide Ig responses to intact bacteria. Specifically, unlike isolated soluble antigens, intact bacteria are complex particulate immunogens in which multiple protein and polysaccharide antigens, and bacterial adjuvants (e.g. Toll-like receptor ligands) are coexpressed indeed often physically linked. In this review, data from a series of recent studies are discussed in which heat-killed, intact Streptococcus pneumoniae was used as an immunogen to study the mechanisms underlying in vivo anti-protein and anti-polysaccharide Ig isotype induction. An unexpected role for CD4+ T cells and dendritic cells for induction of IgG antipolysaccharide responses by intact bacteria is discussed, and shown to have distinct mechanistic features from those that mediate anti-protein responses. The further role of cytokines, Toll-like receptors, and B cell receptor signaling in mediating these responses, and its implications for the effectiveness of anti-pneumococcal, polysaccharide-based vaccines, is also discussed.
A prospective evaluation of the value of preoperative laboratory testing for office anesthesia and sedation

Abstract Purpose: The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether routine laboratory testing affected the clinician's preoperative evaluation and decision-making process for patients undergoing general anesthesia or intravenous sedation in the oral and maxillofacial surgery office. Patients and Methods: This was a prospective evaluation of the records of 458 who required an office general anesthetic or intravenous sedation for routine dentoalveolar surgery. The patients ranged in age from 15 to 54 years and were categorized as American Society of Anesthesiologists Classification I or II. Fifty-two percent were female. All patients underwent a history and physical examination, complete blood cell count, and urine analysis. Female patients were tested for pregnancy by measuring the serum beta human chorionic gonadotropin level. All patients older than 40 years of age were further evaluated by posterior-anterior and lateral chest radiographs, as well as electrocardiography. On the day of surgery, the data were reviewed and analyzed, and specific components of the history were reassessed. The results of the decision-making process were evaluated by one investigator. Results: From the 458 patients initially enrolled, 78 failed to return on the appointed day. Of the 235 patients requiring general anesthesia who did return on the appointed day, five had aberrant laboratory values (2%). These consisted of one patient with a low hematocrit, one with a low red blood cell count, one with a low white blood cell count, and two with a urine analysis positive for blood. No procedure was canceled based on the aberrant data. Of the 145 patients requiring intravenous sedation who did return on the appointed day, six had aberrant laboratory values (4%). Two patients exhibited elevated white blood cell counts, two possessed low red blood cell counts, one known to have diabetes had an elevated urine glucose, and one patient with an elevated human chorionic gonadotropin level realized that her menstrual cycle was delayed. The latter two patients had their procedures deferred. Conclusions: Based on the results of this study, a good history and physical examination and then reassessment of key portions of the history were the major factors in the development of the anesthetic treatment plan. Laboratory data had little if any effect on the decision-making process.
Sidney Hook Memorial Award acceptance address: Reform is nigh

l rt is a great pleasure to receive an award from the National Association of Schol~ars---our nation's engine of reform in higher education. The pleasure is doubled by the fact that the award the NAS has elected to confer upon me is named for the late Sidney Hook---one of the twentieth century's most dedicated, eloquent, and courageous defenders of ordered liberty and free and responsible inquiry. And pleasure is transformed into joy by the privilege of receiving this award at a celebration in which individuals I greatly admire--Donald Downs and Candace de Russy--are being honored with awards named for two of the great founders of our movement, Peter Shaw and my friend Barry Gross. And make no mistake, we are a movement. We are no mere mutual support society. We are not huddled together in a catacomb. We do not merely ask to be left unmolested to carry out our private scholarly researches, publish our articles and books, and meet our classes, as the academic world--and the wider intellectual culture--abandons standards, compromises scholarly integrity, and crumbles around us. We demand more than freedom for ourselves and others who dissent from campus orthodoxies, though we certainly demand that. We aim to reform, renew, and revitalize the academy. And we intend to make it happen--indeed, we are making it happen--by introducing into the discussion ideas and arguments that our colleagues need to understand and confront, and that our students have a right to hear and consider. It is time for campus monologues to end and true intellectual engagement to begin. What we offer to our institutions is something that every true lover of learning will prize: serious, civil, and vibrant discussion and debate. In the midst of the fight, our progress seems slow, I admit. Vast swaths of academia remain untouched by reform. Our movement has not penetrated very deeply, if at all, into certain disciplines or subdisciplines, and there are institutions at which our influence has so far scarcely been felt. But we must not be demoralized. Like the woman demanding justice before the unjust judge in the Gospel parable, we must be doggedly persistent. We may, from time to time, retreat to regroup or re-evaluate strategic options; but we must never regard a defeat in any area as permanent. There are no unreformable disciplines or institutions. There are merely disciplines and institutions awaiting reform. For now, it is worth pausing to consider what our movement has accomplished. Exemplary programs designed in the spirit of reform have been built at Duke, Brown,
2H NMR characterization of phenylene ring flip motion in poly(p-phenylene vinylene) films

All phenylene rings of an annealed poly(phenylene vinylene) (PPV) film are shown to be capable of undergoing 180° rotation jumps about the 1,4-phenylene ring axis. The dependence of the median jump rate on temperature can be described by an Arrhenius equation with an activation energy of 15kcal/mol. The phenylene rings of PPV show relatively homogeneous behavior and the observed distribution of ring flip rates could be caused by a maximum distribution of activation energies of ±2 kcal/mol.
Random surfaces in conformal gauge

Abstract Properties of random surfaces are derived using conformal gauge. The fixed-area partition function for manifolds with the topology of the torus is calculated. We find a divergence for d > 1 arising from large values of the imaginary part of the modular parameter. For manifolds with the topology of the sphere an expression for the partition function is derived for certain “magic” values of the central extension d; we find that it vanishes for d = 1. Correlation functions on random surfaces of fixed area are also considered.
Degradation of Commercial Biodegradable Packages under Real Composting and Ambient Exposure Conditions

The use of long-lasting polymers as packaging materials for short lived applications is not entirely justified. Plastic packaging materials are often soiled due to foodstuffs and other biological substances, making physical recycling of these materials impractical and normally unwanted. Hence, there is an increasing demand for biodegradable packaging materials which could be easily renewable. Use of biopolymer based packaging materials allows consideration of eliminating issues such as landfilling, sorting and reprocessing through taking advantage of their unique functionality, that is compostability. Composting allows disposal of biodegradable packages and is not as energy intensive compared to sorting and reprocessing for recycling, although it requires more energy than landfilling. The aim of this work was to study the degradation of three commercially available biodegradable packages made of poly (ld-lactide) (PLA) under real compost conditions and under ambient exposure by visual inspection, gel permeation chromatography, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermal gravimetric analysis. A novel technique to study the degradability of these packages and to track the degradation rate under real compost conditions was used. The packages were subjected to composting for 30 days, and the degradation of the physical properties was measured at 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 15 and 30 days. PLA packages made of 96% l-lactide exhibited lower degradation than PLA packages made of 94% l-lactide, mainly due to their highly ordered structure, therefore, higher crystallinity. The degradation rate changed as the initial crystallinity and the l-lactide content of the packages varied. Temperature, relative humidity, and pH of the compost pile played an important role in the total degradation of the packages. A first order degradation of the molecular weight as a function of time was observed for the three packages.
Direct regulation of the Xenopus engrailed-2 promoter by the Wnt signaling pathway, and a molecular screen for Wnt-responsive genes, confirm a role for Wnt signaling during neural patterning in Xenopus.

Abstract The co-activation of Wnt signaling and concomitant inhibition of BMP signaling has previously been implicated in vertebrate neural patterning, as evidenced by the combinatorial induction of engrailed-2 and krox-20 in Xenopus . However, screens have not previously been conducted to identify additional potential target genes. Using a PCR-based screening method we determined that XA-1, xCRISP, UVS.2, two UVS.2-related genes, and xONR1 are induced in response to Xwnt-3a and a BMP-antagonist, noggin. Two additional genes, connexin 30 and retinoic acid receptor γ were induced by Xwnt-3a alone. To determine whether any of the induced genes are direct targets of Wnt signaling, we focussed on engrailed-2 . In the present study we show that the Xenopus engrailed-2 promoter contains three consensus binding sites for LEF/TCF, which are HMG box transcription factors which bind to β-catenin in response to activation of the Wnt- 1 signaling pathway. An engrailed-2 promoter luciferase reporter construct containing these LEF/TCF sites is induced in embryo explant assays by the combination of Xwnt-3a or β-catenin and noggin. These LEF/TCF sites are required for expression of engrailed-2 , as a dominant negative Xtcf-3 blocks expression of endogenous engrailed-2 as well as expression of the reporter construct. Moreover, mutation of these three LEF/TCF sites abrogates expression of the reporter construct in response to noggin and Xwnt-3a or β-catenin. We conclude that the engrailed-2 gene is a direct target of the Wnt signaling pathway, and that Wnt signaling works with BMP antagonists to regulate gene expression during patterning of the developing nervous system of Xenopus .
What Is Accountability in Health Care

Accountability has become a major issue in health care. Accountability entails the procedures and processes by which one party justifies and takes responsibility for its activities. The concept of accountability contains three essential components: 1) the loci of accountability--health care consists of at least 11 different parties that can be held accountable or hold others accountable; 2) the domains of accountability--in health care, parties can be held accountable for as many as six activities: professional competence, legal and ethical conduct, financial performance, adequacy of access, public health promotion, and community benefit; and 3) the procedures of accountability, including formal and informal procedures for evaluating compliance with domains and for disseminating the evaluation and responses by the accountable parties. Different models of accountability stress different domains, evaluative criteria, loci, and procedures. We characterize and compare three dominant models of accountability: 1) the professional model, in which the individual physician and patient participate in shared decision making and physicians are held accountable to professional colleagues and to patients; 2) the economic model, in which the market is brought to bear in health care and accountability is mediated through consumer choice of providers; and 3) the political model, in which physicians and patients interact as citizen-members within a community and in which physicians are accountable to a governing board elected from the members of the community, such as the board of a managed care plan. We argue that no single model of accountability is appropriate to health care. Instead, we advocate a stratified model of accountability in which the professional model guides the physician-patient relationship, the political model operates within managed care plans and other integrated health delivery networks, and the economic and political models operate in the relations between managed care plans and other groups such as employers, government, and professional associations.
Temperature dependence of exchange bias in polycrystalline ferromagnet-antiferromagnet bilayers

We describe a simple model for the temperature dependence of the exchange bias and related effects that result from coupling a ferromagnetic thin film to a polycrystalline antiferromagnetic film. In this model, an important source of temperature dependence comes from thermal instabilities of the antiferromagnetic state in the antiferromagnetic grains, much as occurs in superparamagnetic grains. At low enough temperatures, the antiferromagnetic state in each grain is stable as the ferromagnetic magnetization is rotated and the model predicts the unidirectional anisotropy that gives rise to the observed exchange-bias loop shift. At higher temperatures, the antiferromagnetic state remains stable on short time scales, but on longer time scales, becomes unstable due to thermal excitations over energy barriers. For these temperatures, the model predicts the high field rotational hysteresis found in rotational torque experiments and the isotropic field shift found in ferromagnetic resonance measurements.
Institutional development and scale matching in disaster response management

Abstract Recent large scale disasters have challenged institutions improve the effectiveness of their emergency response strategies. During the 2005 Katrina flood disaster in the United States institutions utilized different emergency response strategies with varying degrees of success. In this paper we consider the case of the Katrina hurricane to identify successful strategies that enable institutions to respond effectively and at the appropriate scale. The importance of cross-scale linkages matched to the size and needs of the disaster is discussed as a central component of socio-ecological resilience. A general strategy of adaptive management is proposed that emphasizes the importance of participatory planning with institutional actors where both initial response organizations, as well as institutions involved in longer term recovery are involved in emergency response exercises. Institutions should develop linkages that promote legitimacy, trust and the development of social capital that facilitates integrated and coordinated emergency response. The paper concludes by noting that new threats will require increased coordination, higher levels of institutional flexibility, and greater attention to issues of connectivity in disaster response management.
Solar maximum low-energy particle observations at heliographic latitudes above 75 degrees

We present a preliminary analysis of low-energy particle observations by the Ulysses and ACE spacecraft during the time intervals that Ulysses spent at heliographic latitudes above 75 degrees during its solar maximum orbit. The most southerly and northerly latitudes (80.2°) were reached by Ulysses in November 2000 and October 2001, respectively. These two periods were characterized by high levels of solar activity. During its passage through the highest southern latitudes, Ulysses encountered complex magnetic field and solar wind configurations, with numerous energetic particle events of either solar origin or associated with solar wind stream interaction regions. By contrast, during its high northern latitude passage, Ulysses remained immersed in the high-speed (∼700 km s−1) solar wind coronal hole flow bearing magnetic field of negative polarity and detected three intense solar energetic particle (SEP) events. We correlate observations from Ulysses at high heliographic latitudes with 1 AU measurements in the ecliptic from the ACE spacecraft. Large SEP events were observed simultaneously by both spacecraft. Periods with comparable particle intensities at ACE and Ulysses occurred during the decay phase of large SEP events. We discuss the formation of these periods of nearly identical particle intensities (i.e., “reservoirs”) in terms of both fresh injections of solar energetic particles and the formation of compressed magnetic field regions in the heliosphere beyond the Earth orbit (∼2–5 AU). We discuss the implications of these observations for models of solar energetic particle propagation to both high and low heliographic latitudes.