cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Unrealistic Postsurgical Expectation of Independence Predicts Complex Hospital Discharge

Abstract Background Careful discharge planning for older surgical patients can reduce length of stay, readmission, and cost. We hypothesized that patients who overestimate their self-care ability before surgery are more likely to have complex postoperative discharge planning. Materials and methods The Vulnerable Elders Surgical Pathways and Outcomes Assessment is a brief preoperative assessment that can identify older (age ≥70) patients with multidimensional geriatric risk, defined by all three of the following: (1) physical or cognitive impairment, (2) living alone, and (3) lack of handicap-accessible home. The Vulnerable Elders Surgical Pathways and Outcomes Assessment also asks a novel postoperative self-care ability question, whether patient can independently provide self-care for several hours after discharge. Classifying patients into four groups based on multidimensional geriatric risk (full versus none or partial) and the self-care ability question (yes or no), we hypothesized those with unrealistic postsurgical expectation of independence (UPSI) (both fully at risk and “yes” to self-care ability question) would be at the increased risk for complex discharge planning. Complex discharge planning was defined as prolonged stay because of nonmedical reasons or multiple changes in discharge plans. Results In 382 hospitalizations of ≥2 d, 366 had a nonmissing answer to the self-care question; of those 5% had UPSI and 6.3% needed complex discharge planning. The UPSI group was independently associated with greater risk of complex discharge planning compared with the normal group (odds ratio = 4.3 [95% confidence interval, 1.1-16.1]). Conclusions Complex discharges were rare, but predictable by preoperative geriatric screening. Patients with UPSI should be targeted for postoperative care planning in advance of surgery.
A Patient With a Chronic Cough: An Unexpected Case of Calcium Pill Aspiration.

Foreign body aspiration is a life-threatening medical condition that requires prompt action. Delayed diagnosis is associated with long-term serious complication often leading to death. In adults, i...
THE MICROSOMAL METABOLISM OF CARCINOGENIC AND/OR THERAPEUTIC HYDRAZINES

ABSTRACT The metabolism of Procarbazine ( N -isopropyl- p -[ N' -methylhydrazino methyl]-benzamide) and other hydrazine derivatives has been studied using purified pig liver microsomal amine oxidase and rat liver microsomal fractions. The substrate specificity of the purified amine oxidase for hydrazines was studied; 1,1-dimethyl- and 1-methyl-1-phenylhydrazine were two of the best substrates. The metabolism of 1,1-dimethylhydrazine by liver microsomes has been shown to be dependent on the amine oxidase present in these fractions. Conversely, several other hydrazine derivatives, including Procarbazine, are metabolized exclusively by the cytochrome P-450-dependent monooxygenase of liver microsomal fractions. These results further support the observation that two major monooxygenases, the liver microsomal amine oxidase and the cytochrome P-450-dependent enzyme system, are involved in the metabolism of many nitrogenous compounds, including hydrazine derivatives.
How Does Temporal Resolution Influence Geomagnetic Reversal Statistics

Author(s): Buffett, B; Avery, MS | Abstract: Polarity intervals from marine magnetic anomalies exhibit variability that departs from a Poisson process. The deficit of short polarity intervals is well represented by a Weibull distribution with a shape parameter kg1. Polarity intervals from a stochastic model also obey a Weibull distribution, but the shape parameter is controlled by the temporal averaging used to approximate the resolution of the marine record. Reducing the time averaging yields polarity intervals that are well described by a distribution with kl1, suggesting that short polarity intervals are missing from the marine record. All of these missing polarity intervals are expected to occur when the dipole field is weak relative to the time average, often during transition states. We associate many of these short polarity intervals with frequent changes in the sign of the dipole during the transition. These short polarity intervals should be detectable in high-resolution observations of magnetic directions.
Violence Victimization, Substance Use Disparities, and Gender-Nonconforming Youth.

Introduction Exposure to violence victimization may help explain disparities of substance use among gender-nonconforming youth (i.e., those whose gender expression differs from societal expectations). Methods In 2015, three large urban school districts (2 in California and 1 in Florida) conducted a Youth Risk Behavior Survey that included the assessment of gender expression among a racially/ethnically diverse population-based sample of 6,082 high school students. Five categories of violence victimization were assessed (felt unsafe at school, threatened or injured with a weapon at school, bullied at school, electronically bullied, and forced sexual intercourse). In 2019, the effect of violence victimization on substance use disparities was examined by calculating sex-stratified prevalence ratios by gender nonconformity, adjusted for sexual identity, race/ethnicity, and grade (adjusted prevalence ratio 1 [APR1]), and comparing these with prevalence ratios adjusted for those variables plus violence victimization (adjusted prevalence ratio 2 [APR2]). Results Among female students, only being threatened or injured with a weapon was significantly (p Conclusions School-based substance use prevention programs may benefit from strategies that support gender diversity and reduce violence victimizations experienced by gender-nonconforming students, by providing a safe and supportive school environment.
Loss of Myeloid BMPR1a Alters Differentiation and Reduces Mouse Prostate Cancer Growth.

The Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP) pathway is a member of the TGFβ signaling family and has complex roles in cancer. BMP signaling is rarely mutated and can be frequently overexpressed in many human cancers. The dichotomous role of BMPs as both tumor promoters and suppressors appears to be largely context based in both the cancer cell and the surrounding microenvironment. Myeloid cells including macrophages and neutrophils have been shown to be tumor promoting when stimulated from BMPs. We found that conditional deletion of BMPR1a in myeloid cells (LysMCre) restricts tumor progression in a syngeneic mouse prostate cancer model. Specific changes occurred in myeloid cells both in tumor bearing mice and tumor naive mice throughout multiple tissues. We profiled myeloid subsets in the bone marrow, spleen and primary tumor and found myeloid BMPR1a loss altered the differentiation and lineage capability of distinct populations by histologic, flow cytometry and high dimensional mass cytometry analysis. We further confirmed the requirement for BMP signaling with pharmacologic inhibition of THP-1 and Raw264.7 activated into M2 macrophages with the BMP inhibitor DMH1. M2 polarized primary bone marrow derived cells from LysMCre BMPR1a knockout mice indicated a distinct requirement for BMP signaling in myeloid cells during M2 activation. These results indicate a unique necessity for BMP signaling in myeloid cells during tumor progression.
Indeterminacy, Empiricism, and the First Person

The aim of this essay is to assess the significance of W. V. Quine's indeterminacy thesis. If Quine is right, the thesis has vast ramifications for the philosophy of language and mind; if he is wrong, we ought to be able to say exactly how and why. Let us begin by stating the behaviorist assumptions from which Quine originally proceeds. For the sake of developing an empirical theory of meaning, he confines his analysis to correlations between external stimuli and dispositions to verbal behavior. In thus limiting the analysis, he does not claim to capture all the intuitions we have about the pretheoretical notion, but rather the “objective reality” that is left over if we strip away the confusions and incoherencies in the pretheoretical “meaning.” The point of the “behavioristic ersatz” is to give us a scientific, empirical account of the objective reality of meaning. On this view, the objective reality is simply a matter of being disposed to produce utterances in response to external stimuli. The stimuli are defined entirely in terms of patterns of stimulations of the nerve endings, and the responses entirely in terms of sounds and sound patterns that the speaker is disposed to emit. But we are not supposed to think that between the stimulus and the verbal response there are any mental entities. We are not supposed to think that there is any consciousness, intentionality, thoughts, or any internal “meanings” connecting the stimuli to the noises. There is just the pattern of stimulus and the pattern of learned response.
Toolpath planning for multi-gantry additive manufacturing

Additive Manufacturing (AM), specifically Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) is revolutionizing the production of many products. FFF is one of the most popular AM processes because it is inexpensive,...
Counting Lives: Colonial Institutions and Africa’s Prevailing Conflicts

Conflict in Africa stemming from the remnants of colonial disruption is a long and extensively studied policy issue amongst researchers. While some scholars have explored the relationship between colonial legacies and frequency of conflict and or type of conflict, others have gone a step further and investigated how conflicts impact the economic and social climate of the continent. Within this body of research exists a pool of literature which takes into consideration the different types of colonial styles and their impact on the varying economic, social, and political status across the continent. However, studies on the economic cost associated with the number of lives lost due to post-colonial conflicts are inadequate, and this study aims to fill in that void. Specifically, this study focuses on former British and French colonies in sub-Saharan Africa.
A tunable high-Q millimeter wave cavity for hybrid circuit and cavity QED experiments

The millimeter wave (mm-wave) frequency band provides exciting prospects for quantum science and devices since many high-fidelity quantum emitters, including Rydberg atoms, molecules, and silicon vacancies, exhibit resonances near 100 GHz. High-Q resonators at these frequencies would give access to strong interactions between emitters and single photons, leading to rich and unexplored quantum phenomena at temperatures above 1 K. We report a 3D mm-wave cavity with a measured single-photon internal quality factor of 3 × 10 7 and mode volume of 0.14 × λ 3 at 98.2 GHz, sufficient to reach strong coupling in a Rydberg cavity quantum electrodynamics system. An in situ piezotunability of 18 MHz facilitates coupling to specific atomic transitions. Our unique, seamless, and optically accessible resonator design is enabled by the realization that intersections of 3D waveguides support tightly confined bound states below the waveguide cutoff frequency. Harnessing the features of our cavity design, we realize a hybrid mm-wave and optical cavity, designed for interconversion and entanglement of mm-wave and optical photons using Rydberg atoms.
Toddler Milk Perceptions and Purchases: The Role of Latino Ethnicity

Objectives: Toddler milk (i.e. a nutrient-fortified milk-based drink marketed for children 12–36 months old) is increasingly being marketed in the USA despite not being recommended for young children. There is evidence of targeted toddler milk marketing to Latinos in the USA. This study aimed to explore toddler milk perceptions and behaviours among Latino and non-Latino parents. Design: An online survey assessed toddler milk perceptions, behaviours and interpretations of nutrition-related claims. Multivariable logistic and linear regression explored socio-demographic correlates of parent reported past purchases and perceived healthfulness. Setting: Online. Participants: National convenience sample of 1078 US parents of children aged 2–12 years (48 % Latino). Results: About half of parents (51 %) had previously purchased toddler milk and few (11 %) perceived toddler milk as unhealthy. Latino parents were more likely to have purchased toddler milk than non-Latino parents (P < 0·001), but there were no differences in perceived product healthfulness (P = 0·47). Compared to parents born in the USA, parents living in the USA 10 years or less were more likely to have purchased toddler milk (P < 0·001) and perceive toddler milk as healthier (P = 0·002). Open-ended interpretations of claims were primarily positive, suggesting ‘health halo’ effects. Conclusions: Common misperceptions about toddler milk healthfulness suggest stronger labelling regulations are needed. Greater reported purchases by Latino parents and recent immigrants warrant further investigation.
Nonlinear Quasi-Synchronous Multi User Chirp Spread Spectrum Signaling

Multi user orthogonal chirp spread spectrum (OCSS) can improve the spectral inefficiency of chirp spread spectrum (CSS) but is only feasible with perfect synchronism and without any channel dispersion. Asynchronism, channel dispersion, or unexpectedly large Doppler shifts can cause multiple access interference (MAI), which degrades performance. Conditions with small timing offsets we term “quasi-synchronous” (QS). In this paper, we propose two new sets of nonlinear chirps to improve CSS system performance in QS conditions. We analytically and numerically evaluate cross-correlation distributions. We also derive the bit error probability for Binary CSS analytically and validate our theoretical result with both numerical and simulation results; our error probability expression is applicable to any binary time-frequency (TF) chirp waveform. Finally, we show that in QS conditions our two new nonlinear chirp designs outperform the classical linear chirp and all existing nonlinear chirps from the literature. To complete our analysis, we demonstrate that our nonlinear CSS designs outperform existing chirps in two realistic (empirically modeled) dispersive air to ground channels.
Same day yttrium-90 radioembolization with single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography: An opportunity to improve care during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond

Same day yttrium-90 radioembolization with single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography: An opportunity to improve care during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond
Auditory Feedback Is Used for Adaptation and Compensation in Speech Timing.

Purpose Real-time altered feedback has demonstrated a key role for auditory feedback in both online feedback control and in updating feedforward control for future utterances. The aim of this study was to examine adaptation in response to temporal perturbation using real-time perturbation of ongoing speech. Method Twenty native English speakers with no reported history of speech or hearing disorders participated in this study. The study consisted of four word blocks, using the phrases "a capper," "a gapper," "a sapper," and "a zapper" (due to issues with the implementation of perturbation, "gapper" was excluded from analysis). In each block, participants completed a baseline phase (30 trials of veridical feedback), a ramp phase (feedback perturbation increasing to maximum over 30 trials), a hold phase (60 trials with perturbation held at maximum), and a washout phase (30 trials, feedback abruptly returned to veridical feedback). Word-initial consonant targets (voice onset time for /k, g/ and fricative duration for /s, z/) were lengthened, and the following stressed vowel (/ae/) was shortened. Results Overall, speakers did not adapt the production of their consonants but did lengthen their vowel production in response to shortening. Vowel lengthening showed continued aftereffects during the early portion of the washout phase. Although speakers did not adapt absolute consonant durations, consonant duration was reduced as a proportion of the total syllable duration. This is consistent with previous research that suggests that speakers attend to proportional durations rather than absolute durations. Conclusion These results indicate that speakers actively monitor proportional durations and update the temporal dynamics of planning units extending beyond a single segment.
Diagnostic Arthroscopy of the Wrist: Anatomy and Portals

Wrist arthroscopy is an effective technique for the diagnosis and treatment of intra-articular pathology of the wrist. Thorough knowledge of the anatomy of the wrist is important for accurate portal placement. This chapter provides detailed anatomical illustrations and cadaveric dissections that will help the wrist surgeon create appropriate portals, and step-by-step instructions are provided to help the surgeon perform a safe and successful diagnostic arthroscopy of the wrist.
Two forms of plasma membrane-intercalated heparan sulfate proteoglycan in rat ovarian granulosa cells. Labeling of proteoglycans with a photoactivatable hydrophobic probe and effect of the membrane anchor-specific phospholipase C.

Abstract The structures of cell-associated heparan sulfate (HS) proteoglycans and their interaction with the plasma membrane was studied using rat ovarian granulosa cell culture. HS proteoglycans were either metabolically labeled by incubating cell cultures with [3H] leucine and [35S]sulfate or labeled in plasma membrane preparations with a photoactivatable reagent, 3-(trifluoromethyl)-3-(m-[125I]iodophenyl)diazirine (TID), a compound which has been shown to selectively label the hydrophobic membrane-binding domains of several proteins. After purification of HS proteoglycans from the labeled cell cultures or from the labeled membrane preparations by repeated Q-Sepharose ion exchange chromatography in 8 M urea, they were analyzed by Superose 6 gel filtration and octyl-Sepharose chromatography both in 4 M guanidine HCl. The results indicated that the HS proteoglycans were labeled with 125I and therefore have an intramembranous domain. Phospholipase C (Bacillus thuringiensis), which specifically cleaves phosphatidylinositol membrane anchors, released approximately 25% of the 35S-labeled HS proteoglycans from the cell surface as well as 20-30% of the 125I-label from the 125I-TID-labeled HS proteoglycans. These data indicate that a subpopulation of HS proteoglycans are intercalated into the plasma membrane through a linkage structure involving phosphatidylinositol. Phospholipase C-resistant, 125I-labeled HS proteoglycans represent those species inserted into membrane through an intercalated peptide sequence. Core protein size of phosphatidylinositol-anchored species estimated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis after heparitinase digestion was approximately 80 kDa, and it was significantly larger than that of the directly intercalated species (approximately 70 kDa).
Differential inhibition of transforming growth factor beta 1 and beta 2 activity by alpha 2-macroglobulin.

Affinity labeling and immunoprecipitation studies demonstrate that alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha 2M) is the major serum-binding protein for transforming growth factors beta 1 and beta 2 (TGF-beta 1 and TGF-beta 2). Purified alpha 2M inhibits the binding of both 125I-TGF-beta 1 and 125I-TGF-beta 2 to cell surface receptors at I50 values of 200 and 10 micrograms/ml, respectively. alpha 2M (200 micrograms/ml) does not block TGF-beta 1 inhibition of CCL-64 mink lung cell growth but reduces this activity of TGF-beta 2 10-fold. The electrophoretic migration of 125I-TGF-beta.alpha 2M complexes on polyacrylamide gels under nondenaturing conditions demonstrates that alpha 2M has 10-fold greater affinity for TGF-beta 2 than for TGF-beta 1. Each of these complexes comigrates as a single band with the fast form of alpha 2M. We suggest that alpha 2M is an important differential regulator of the biological activities of TGF-beta 1 and TGF-beta 2 in vivo.
FRIG'N Physical Education: Management Strategies to Maximize Physical Activity

This article suggests strategies for maximizing physical activity while ensuring that all domains of learning are addressed in a quality physical education lesson. These strategies are designed to guarantee an efficient, active, and positive educational experience for all students.
Software support for packaging design of wireless equipment (SPEC-a simulator for RF active, passive devices, and interconnections)

Design time constrains and high quality standards in manufacturing contemporary wireless products as well as their complexity create a need for computer tools helping to meet these conditions. This paper reports the development of a new software system for Computer Aided Design of microelectronic circuits in wireless hardware. The major part of the system consists of a quick simulator which performs transient analysis using a spectral technique. The other components of the system allow for automation of analyses and postprocessing of data from a simulation. The entire system forms a flexible and portable framework which fills gaps between existing applications. An example of using the system to generate design curves for antenna amplifiers will be presented. RF circuits working at high frequencies exhibit sometimes chaotic behavior. Analysing that behavior using traditional approaches is inefficient and sometimes even impossible. Applying new mathematical tools like Lyapunov Exponents, Surfaces of Section, etc. simplifies the analysis and opens new possibilities for automation design procedures.
“Through the looking glass: envisioning new library technologies” how inexpensive computers can transform information access and literacy

Purpose – This column will explore how one aspect of Moore’s Law – price – can have a transformative effect on the utility of computers. Design/methodology/approach – As computers become increasingly inexpensive, they become more accessible to new audiences. Findings – Individuals, libraries and other institutions are using these new, inexpensive computers to interact with information, and the world, in new ways. Originality/value – This is one of the first articles to examine Moore’s Law in relation to library applications.
Understanding and preparing for pharmacy practice residency interviews.

The Notes section welcomes the following types of contributions: (I) practical innovations or solutions to everyday practice problems, (2) substantial updates or elaborations on work previously published by the same authors, (3) important confirmations of research findings previously published by others, and (4) short research reports, including practice surveys, of modest scope or interest. Notes should be submitted with AJHP's manuscript checklist. The text should be concise, and the number of references, tables, and figures should be limited.
Inverse Determination of Thermal Boundary Conditions from Transient Surface Temperatures and Strains in Slabs and Tubes

For most problems where the thermal boundary condition (temperature or flux) is known a priori, the analytical procedure for determining internal temperatures, strains, and/or stresses is tractable...
The role of headache-related disability in migraine management Implications for headache treatment guidelines

Article abstract Recently published US Headache Consortium Guidelines recommend a process of diagnosis, patient education, and individualized treatment for the management of migraine. Clinicians are advised to base their treatment choice on attack frequency and duration, degree of disability, non-headache symptoms, patient preference, and prior history of treatment response, using a stratified approach to care. In stratified care, initial treatment is individualized based on an assessment of the patients’ medical needs. One approach to stratification uses the Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) Questionnaire to stratify patients into groups with different treatment needs based on the degree of headache-related disability. Stratified care was developed as an alternative to step-care approaches, which begin patients on nonspecific medication with gradual escalation until they obtain effective relief. Results from the Disability in Strategies for Care (DISC) study indicate that stratified care provides superior outcomes compared to step-care and that the approach is cost-effective, supporting the US Headache Consortium Guidelines. Stratified care may become the approach of choice for managing migraine in clinical practice. This approach increases the chances of providing appropriate therapy at the patient’s initial consultation, sparing the patient a series of failed therapeutic efforts. The MIDAS Questionnaire provides a practical tool for helping to implement the recommendations of the US Headache Consortium Guidelines.
Cancer, chromosomes and congenital abnormalities.

The frequently described coexistence of cancer and congenital abnormalities prompted this genetic and cytogenetic investigation of a group of cancer patients. Pedigree analysis, buccal smear and chromosome karyotyping were completed upon 53 patients. Pedigree analysis revealed a statistically significant familial coexistence of fetal wastage and carcinoma. Chromosome karyotyping completed upon peripheral blood leukocytes revealed a greater than expected incidence of chromosomal abnormalities. Two of the 34 patients who were affected with cancer had a history of increased fetal wastage and karyotyping revealed an XO/XX (45/46) mosaicism. Because of the small sample, definite conclusions are not possible; however, the study suggests an increased susceptibility to cancer in individuals with certain chromosome abnormalities. Further investigation seems warranted.
Diurnal neuroendocrine and autonomic function in acute and remitted depressed male patients

This study evaluated diurnal data gathered hourly (1000 to 1800 hours) in males during acute depression and during remission of depression and in age-range/gender-matched normal controls. Mean, peak, variability, and time-course of the noradrenergic metabolite, plasma 3-methoxy, 4-hydroxyphenylglycol [MHPG]), plasma cortisol, and autonomic (mean arterial blood pressure [MAP] and heart rate) variables were examined. Compared to controls, acutely depressed, but not remitted depressed, patients had 1) an earlier plasma MHPG peak, 2) a greater intragroup variability of plasma MHPG, 3) a higher plasma cortisol concentration, 4) a lower MAP, and 5) tended to increase MAP more slowly than did the normal controls. The time course of diurnal heart rate also differed in acutely depressed patients from controls: acutely depressed patients started higher and converged by midday to normal levels. These diurnal data lend limited support to the dysregulation hypotheses of depression that suggest normal circadian rhythmicities are altered or disrupted in acute depression and that peripheral manifestations of central dysregulation normalize in remission of depression.
Statistical power of expression quantitative trait loci for mapping of complex trait loci in natural populations.

A number of recent genomewide surveys have found numerous QTL for gene expression, often with intermediate to high heritability values. As a result, there is currently a great deal of interest in genetical genomics—that is, the combination of genomewide expression data and molecular marker data to elucidate the genetics of complex traits. To date, most genetical genomics studies have focused on generating candidate genes for previously known trait loci or have otherwise leveraged existing knowledge about trait-related genes. The purpose of this study is to explore the potential for genetical genomics approaches in the context of genomewide scans for complex trait loci. I explore the expected strength of association between expression-level traits and a clinical trait, as a function of the underlying genetic model in natural populations. I give calculations of statistical power for detecting differential expression between affected and unaffected individuals. I model both reactive and causative expression-level traits with both additive and multiplicative multilocus models for the relationship between phenotype and genotype and explore a variety of assumptions about dominance, number of segregating loci, and other parameters. There are two key results. If a transcript is causative for the disease (in the sense that disease risk depends directly on transcript level), then the power to detect association between transcript and disease is quite good. Sample sizes on the order of 100 are sufficient for 80% power. On the other hand, if the transcript is reactive to a disease locus, then the correlation between expression-level traits and disease is low unless the expression-level trait shares several causative loci with the disease—that is, the expression-level trait itself is a complex trait. Thus, there is a trade-off between the power to show association between a reactive expression-level trait and the clinical trait of interest and the power to map expression-level QTL (eQTL) for that expression-level trait. Gene expression-level traits that are most strongly correlated with the clinical trait will themselves be complex traits and therefore often hard to map. Likewise, the expression-level traits that are easiest to map will tend to have a low correlation with the clinical trait. These results show some fundamental principles for understanding power in eQTL-based mapping studies.
The ced-8 gene controls the timing of programmed cell deaths in C. elegans

Loss-of-function mutations in the gene ced-8 lead to the late appearance of cell corpses during embryonic development in C. elegans. ced-8 functions downstream of or in parallel to-the regulatory cell death gene ced-9 and may function as a cell death effector downstream of the caspase encoded by the programmed cell death killer gene ced-3. In ced-8 mutants, embryonic programmed cell death probably initiates normally but proceeds slowly. ced-8 encodes a transmembrane protein that appears to be localized to the plasma membrane. The CED-8 protein is similar to human XK, a putative membrane transport protein implicated in McLeod Syndrome, a form of hereditary neuroacanthocytosis.
Unusual Optical Forms

Geometrical optics can be applied to many other areas of physics. In this paper, a few examples are chosen to illustrate how the ray tracing methods of gradient-index optics can be used for describing the propagation of ocean waves in the deep ocean, the propagation of seismic waves, the paths of sound waves, and the mirage problem. In addition, a short description of the current state of gradient-index optics and the difference between axial and radial gradients is given.
Bifunctional Hydrogen Bonding of 2-Chloroethyl Ethyl Sulfide on TiO2−SiO2 Powders

The adsorption of 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide on a high area TiO2−SiO2 mixed oxide powder has been studied by transmission infrared spectroscopy. It has been found that hydrogen bonding of this molecule to Si−OH groups occurs through both the Cl and the S moieties and that characteristic Si−OH red-shifts are found for each of the hydrogen bonds produced. A similar pattern of hydrogen bonding is found for the interaction of 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide with OH groups on TiO2 surfaces.
Theoretical investigation of platelet embolus production in atherosclerotic coronary arteries

Abstract A theoretical investigation is presented to determine the rate at which platelet microemboli could be produced at the surface of atherosclerotic lesions. The analysis is based on the conservation principles of blood flow and platelet transport and a model of the arterial wall interaction. In this model the flux of platelets to the wall is balanced by a production of fragmented aggregate microemboli caused by a shearing action. Microemboli so produced have been implicated in the occlusion of portions of the microcirculation of the heart as hypothesized by Mustard [12]. This investigation analyzed the physical conditions under which this hypothesis could be valid and revealed that local narrowing of main coronary arteries may increase wall shear stresses to values as large as hundreds of dyn / cm 2 . These stress levels have been implicated in platelet microembolus production. The maximum flux of predicted platelet microemboli was of order 10 5 platelets / cm 2 -sec, suggesting experimental measurements in vivo in order to test the validity of the analysis.
Distribution of Mg2+ between olivine and silicate melt, and its implications regarding melt structure

Abstract Consideration of experimental data on the distribution of Mg 2+ between olivine and silicate liquid clearly demonstrates that the distribution coefficient (K Mg ) is dependent upon variations in temperature, pressure and melt composition, largely because these variables control the solubility of Mg 2+ in the melt phase. Attempts to minimize composition dependence of K Mg , utilizing various activity-composition models for silicate melts, have been partially successful. Composition-related effects do not appear to be large, however, for melts of restricted range in composition (e.g., tholeiitic or lunar basalts) as long as the contents of alkalis and the alkali/alumina ratio are relatively small (on a molar basis). For such melts, K Mg may be used as a reliable geothermometer. By analogy, these conclusions can be extended to the distribution of other divalent cation such as Fe 2+ , Mn 2+ , Ni 2+ and Co 2+ .
Parameterizing pair approximations for takeover dynamics

Pair approximations have often been used to predict equilibrium conditions in spatially-explicit epidemiological and ecological systems. In this work, we investigate whether this method can be used to approximate takeover dynamics in spatially structured evolutionary algorithms. Our results show that the pair approximation, as originally formulated, is insufficient for approximating pre-equibilibrium dynamics, since it does not properly account for the interaction between the size and shape of the local neighborhood and the population size. After parameterizing the pair approximation to account for these influences, we demonstrate that the resulting system of differential equations can serve as a general and rapid approximator for takeover dynamics on a variety of spatially-explicit regular interaction topologies with varying population sizes. Strengths, limitations, and potential applications of the pair approximation to evolutionary computation are discussed.
Treatment of autoimmune inflammation by a TLR7 ligand regulating the innate immune system.

The Toll-like receptors (TLR) have been advocated as attractive therapeutic targets because TLR signaling plays dual roles in initiating adaptive immune responses and perpetuating inflammation. Paradoxically, repeated stimulation of bone marrow mononuclear cells with a synthetic TLR7 ligand 9-benzyl-8-hydroxy-2-(2-methoxyethoxy) adenine (called 1V136) leads to subsequent TLR hyporesponsiveness. Further studies on the mechanism of action of this pharmacologic agent demonstrated that the TLR7 ligand treatment depressed dendritic cell activation, but did not directly affect T cell function. To verify this mechanism, we utilized experimental allergic encephalitis (EAE) as an in vivo T cell dependent autoimmune model. Drug treated SJL/J mice immunized with proteolipid protein (PLP)139–151 peptide had attenuated disease severity, reduced accumulation of mononuclear cells in the central nervous system (CNS), and limited demyelination, without any apparent systemic toxicity. Splenic T cells from treated mice produced less cytokines upon antigenic rechallenge. In the spinal cords of 1V136-treated EAE mice, the expression of chemoattractants was also reduced, suggesting innate immune cell hyposensitization in the CNS. Indeed, systemic 1V136 did penetrate the CNS. These experiments indicated that repeated doses of a TLR7 ligand may desensitize dendritic cells in lymphoid organs, leading to diminished T cell responses. This treatment strategy might be a new modality to treat T cell mediated autoimmune diseases.
Haloaldehyde Polymers. XIX. Degradation Behavior of Chloral Polymers

Abstract Thermal stability of samples of polychloral prepared with different initiators and treated with various endcapping agents was studied using differential thermogravimetric analysis (DTG). Four temperature regions at which maxima of DTG curves occur were identified. On the basis of the known mechanism of initiation and the possible mechanism of termination, the structures of both initial and terminal endgroups of individual polychloral samples were elucidated which enabled the identification of the specific temperature region of thermal degradation of polychloral molecules having a specific type of endgroup. These results were confirmed by studies of the DTG curves of chloral-isocyanate copolymers containing stable terminal fragments with a high content of urethane linkages.
Review Essay: Transforming R2P from Rhetoric to Reality

Adopted in September 2005 by the UN General Assembly as part of the UN World Summit’s Outcome Document, the ‘‘Responsibility to Protect’’ (R2P) principle has gained demonstrable traction during the first decade of the new millennium. It was first used and defined as the title for the 2001 report of the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty (ICISS). R2P was also featured in the report of the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges, and Change, entitled A More Secure World: Our Shared Responsibility (2004). Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan also embraced R2P in his own report, In Larger Freedom: Toward Development, Security and Human Rights for All (2005), and in 2006 the UN Security Council reaffirmed R2P in Resolution 1674. The international community’s widespread recognition of Responsibility to Protect poses serious practical challenges to state makers holding the view that sovereignty is, or at least ought to be, inviolable. At the same time, R2P also poses theoretical and conceptual challenges to those practitioners of disciplinary international relations trying to analyze and make sense of the contemporary world affairs unfolding around them. The source of these challenges lie in three interrelated presumptions underpinning R2P: first, that the state bears primary responsibility for protecting its own population from mass crime and conscience-shocking atrocity; second, that the international community is responsible for assisting states to meet these duties; and third, that UN member states are also responsible for protecting at-risk populations when the host state fails to provide the necessary protection. In addition to recognizing the international community’s responsibility to react to atrocity crimes— which include, genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity—R2P recognizes the international community’s responsibility to help prevent those atrocities from occurring in the first place as well as its responsibility to help rebuild governments, economies, and societies in the aftermath of mass crime. The
Male rodent model of age-related bone loss in men

Osteoporosis is a common occurrence in aging men. There is currently no appropriate animal model for studying age-related bone loss in men. To determine whether male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats experience bone loss with aging and whether this rodent model is appropriate for studying age-related bone loss in men, SD rats aged 1-27 months were examined at the L-4 vertebra, the left femoral neck, and the left proximal tibia using peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) densitometry. In the L-4 vertebra of the male SD rats, cortical bone mineral content (BMC), cortical bone mineral density (BMD), and cortical bone thickness (Ct.Th) increased to a maximum at about 4 months of age and then plateaued. Vertebral cortical BMC began to decrease after about 13 months and vertebral Ct.Th began to decrease after about 9 months. By 27 months of age, vertebral cortical BMC decreased by 26.1% (p < 0.0001) and vertebral Ct.Th decreased by 31% (p < 0.0001). Vertebral cancellous BMC and vertebral cancellous BMD increased to a maximum at about 3 months of age and then declined progressively with aging after a short plateau. From 3 to 27 months of age, vertebral cancellous BMC and vertebral cancellous BMD had decreased linearly by 35.4% (p < 0.0001) and 49.4% (p < 0.0001), respectively. Both vertebral periosteal and vertebral endocortical perimeters of the L-4 vertebra of the rats increased with aging. From 9 to 27 months of age, the percent increase of vertebral endocortical perimeter (19.8%, p < 0.0001) was higher than that of vertebral periosteal perimeter (7.4%, p < 0.0001). This process was associated with a decrease with aging in vertebral Ct.Th. In addition, cancellous bone in the femoral neck and the proximal tibia began to be lost at 9 months of age and, by 27 months of age, cancellous BMC and cancellous BMD decreased by 59.7% (p < 0.0001) and 58.4% (p < 0.0001), respectively, in the femoral neck and by 72.2% (p < 0.0001) and 71.4% (p < 0.0001), respectively, in the proximal tibia. To gain further insight into the effects of aging on cancellous bone in the L-4 vertebra, histomorphometry was done on the L-4 vertebral body of animals aged 3, 6, 9, 18, and 24 months after pQCT densitometry. From 3 months of age and thereafter, cancellous bone volume (BV/TV) decreased progressively and, by 24 months, there was a decrease of 35.7% (p < 0.0001). In the L-4 vertebra, single- and double-labeled surfaces, mineral apposition rate (MAR), and bone formation rate (BFR/BS) decreased with aging. In conclusion, age-related bone loss in male SD rats started mostly from 9 months of age when bone growth had been completed. Aging male SD rats experience bone loss comparable to that seen in men. Thus, male SD rats represent an appropriate animal model of age-related bone loss in men. We recommend using male SD rats that are 9 months old as the starting age for age-related bone loss. We also suggest using the L-4 vertebra and femoral neck as the clinically relevant bone sites for determining the cause of the loss of bone, and how and whether therapeutic agents could modulate age-related bone loss in men.
Mental ability, reaction time, perceptual motor and motor abilities in handicapped children.

54 outpatient children of a mental retardation facility were administered tests of reaction time and simple and complex motor skills. The relationship between reaction time and mental age was elimi...
The stunned and hibernating myocardium: a brief review.

Definitions: Stunned myocardium is viable myocardium salvaged by coronary reperfusion that exhibits prolonged postischemic dysfunction after reperfusion. Hibernating myocardium is ischemic myocardium supplied by a narrowed coronary artery in which ischemic cells remain viable but contraction is chronically depressed. Clinical evidence: Stunned myocardium has been identified in the following patient groups: (1) thrombolysis or percutaneous transluminal coronary angiography (PTCA) in patients with acute evolving infarction; (2) unstable angina; (3) exercise-induced angina; (4) coronary artery spasm; (5) platelet aggregation or transient thrombosis of a coronary artery; (6) PTCA for chronic myocardial ischemia; and (7) immediately following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). Evidence of hibernating myocardium (LV dysfunction) is found in the patient with severe coronary artery stenosis, even in asymptomatic patients at rest. Stunned myocardium returns to normal after a prolonged period of time (hours to weeks). Hibernating myocardium returns to normal function rather quickly if the cause is removed. Differentiation: Stunned myocardium can be differentiated from hibernating myocardium by three clinical parameters, namely, LV wall motion, myocardial perfusion, and myocardial metabolism. Stunned myocardium has abnormal wall motion that tends to normalize in response to inotropes and postextrasystolic potentiation. Perfusion is adequate and metabolism is also adequate. Hibernating myocardium also has abnormal wall motion, which normalizes after nitrates, inotropes, post extrasystolic potentiation (PESP), PTCA, or CABG. Myocardial perfusion is reduced but can be reversed with PTCA or CABG and metabolism is adequate.
Upwelling and river runoff as sources of dissolved nitrous oxide to the Alsea estuary, Oregon

Abstract Surface waters of Alsea Bay, an unpolluted estuary on the Oregon coast, were analysed for nitrous oxide, nitrate and nitrite on a weekly or biweekly basis during the summer of 1979. The estuary was found to be a variable source of N 2 O to the atmosphere. Large and rapid increases in the concentrations of N 2 O, NO 3 − , and NO 2 − occurred at the beginning of the sampling period and are attributed to the influx of nutrient-rich upwelling water into the estuary with the tide. The subsequent decline in concentrations of nitrate, nitrite and nitrous oxide over the remainder of the summer is attributed to a decrease in upwelling intensity, a decline in nitrification rates and to assimilatory nitrate reduction. Measurements of nitrous oxide at six stations along the Alsea River were also made in September and October before and after the onset of the rainy season. Samples taken after flood conditions were established were systematically 50% higher than pre-flood samples. The data suggest that soil runoff results in elevated concentrations of N 2 O in rivers.
Early mucosal responses in blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) skin to Aeromonas hydrophila infection

Bacterial pathogens are well-equipped to detect, adhere to, and initiate infection in their finfish hosts. The mucosal surfaces of fish, such as the skin, function as the front line of defense against such bacterial insults that are routinely encountered in the aquatic environment. While recent progress has been made, and despite the obvious importance of mucosal surfaces, the precise molecular events that occur soon after encountering bacterial pathogens remain unclear. Indeed, these early events are critical in mounting appropriate responses that ultimately determine host survival or death. In the present study, we investigated the transcriptional consequences of a virulent Aeromonas hydrophila challenge in the skin of blue catfish, Ictalurus furcatus. We utilized an 8×60K Agilent microarray to examine gene expression profiles at key early timepoints following challenge (2 h, 12 h, and 24 h). A total of 1155 unique genes were significantly altered during at least one timepoint. We observed dysregulation in a number of genes involved in diverse pathways including those involved in antioxidant responses, apoptosis, cytoskeletal rearrangement, immunity, and extracellular matrix protein diversity and regulation. Taken together, A. hydrophila coordinately modulates mucosal factors across numerous cellular pathways in a manner predicted to enhance its ability to adhere to and infect the blue catfish host.
Type X Collagen is Transcriptionally Activated and Specifically Localized During Sternal Cartilage Maturation

Type X collagen is an extracellular matrix protein which is synthesized by chondrocytes when they undergo hypertrophy. We present evidence here that the expression of type X collagen in the developing chick sternum is controlled primarily by transcriptional mechanisms. Using chondrocyte nuclei isolated from 15-, 16-, 17- and 18-day chick embryonic sterna, nuclear run-off assays demonstrate that type X collagen gene transcription begins at day 16 in chondrocytes isolated from the cephalic portion. This occurs two days prior to mineralization of this tissue as observed by alizarin red staining. The rate of type X transcription increases dramatically through days 17 and 18. Western blot analyses of extracts of freshly isolated sternal chondrocytes from the same stages show that intracellular levels of the type X protein follow the same time course. Immunostaining with a monoclonal antibody specific for type X collagen demonstrates that the initial appearances of hypertrophic cells and pericellular type X collagen occur at embryonic day 16 in the cephalic portion of sterna. Observation of immunostained cephalic sternal sections from day 18 embryos by confocal microscopy reveals that type X collagen is localized in a capsule-like configuration around each hypertrophic chondrocyte.