cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Homograft Replacement of the Mitral Valve

Replacement of the mitral valve with an aortic valve homograft has become feasible. Clinical and hemodynamic assessments of eight patients who received the new homograft were made from 3 to 6 months following surgery. Marked improvement was reported by six patients and mild to moderate improvement by two. At rest the homografts functioned well, creating a trivial diastolic gradient between the left atrium and left ventricle and being mildly insufficient in two cases. On exercise there was moderate mitral insufficiency. Anticoagulants were used for 3 months following surgery and then discontinued. In 60 subsequent patient-months no thromboembolism has been observed. The data are as yet inconclusive, but the homograft shows promise of being a reasonable alternative to the prostheses currently in use.
Measuring the effectiveness of a mass customization and personalization strategy: a market- and organizational-capability-based index

The research of Kumar (Int J Flex Manuf Syst 16(4):287–312, 2004) is expanded to develop a methodology that measures the effectiveness of a mass customization and personalization strategy using a mass customization and personalization effectiveness index. This index extends Kumar (2004) in three significant ways: (1) it encompasses both service and manufacturing companies, (2) the assessment of product customization considers that customers assign different weights to different product features, and (3) the index captures the impact of both market perception and system capabilities. Three different measures are proposed. Which is appropriate should be a function of a particular company’s parameters. The circumstances under which each measure is best is a subject for future research. The validation and reliability of this index and these measures are also issues that should be addressed by future research.
Solvable quantum cosmological model and the importance of quantizing in a special canonical frame

By analyzing the simple cosmological model consisting of a real massless Klein-Gordon field with vanishing spatial derivatives in the Friedmann universe, we conclude that this model can be successfully quantized only by using an extrinsic time. If one attempts to quantize using an intrinsic time, one is faced with the problem of either not having a point of maximum expansion, which violates the correspondence principle, or a necessity to devise a new interpretation for a zero-normed quantum mechanics (in addition to the particle-antiparticle interpretation). However, if one uses an extrinsic time, none of these difficulties occur. In analyzing the distinction between these two quantization procedures, we have noted that there are two distinct types of quantum-mechanical tunneling. The first type is the usual quantum-mechanical tunneling which we call "coordinate-space tunneling," where the topology of the classical phase space is usually planar and the phase space has no classically forbidden regions, although for a fixed energy, there can exist certain regions of coordinate space that are classically forbidden. The second type occurs when the phase space has classically forbidden regions, and we call tunneling into these regions "phase-space tunneling." In terms of these two types of tunneling, quantization with an intrinsic time allows "phase-space tunneling" to occur, and it is the presence of this type of tunneling that gives this solution its undesirable features. On the other hand, quantization with a particular choice of extrinsic time absolutely forbids the occurrence of "phase-space tunneling," and it is the lack of this type of tunneling that gives this model its desirable features. Thus, based on this model and other general arguments, we propose that although "coordinate-space tunneling" is quantum-mechanically allowed, the distinctly different tunneling process, "phase-space tunneling," is not only classically forbidden, but also must be considered to be quantum-mechanically forbidden as well.
Moving From External Exposure Concentration to Internal Dose: Duration Extrapolation Based on Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Derived Estimates of Internal Dose

The potential human health risk(s) from chemical exposure must frequently be assessed under conditions for which adequate human or animal data are not available. The default method for exposure-duration adjustment, based on Haber's rule, C (external exposure concentration) or C(n) (the ten Berge modification) x t (exposure duration) = K (a constant toxic effect), has been criticized for prediction errors. A promising alternative approach to duration adjustment is based on equivalence of internal dose, that is, target-tissue dose levels, across different exposure durations. A proposed methodology for dose-duration adjustments for acute exposure guideline levels (AEGLs) based on physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) estimates of dose is illustrated with trichloroethylene (TCE). Steps in this methodology include: (1) selection and evaluation, or development and evaluation, of an appropriate PBPK model; (2) determination of an appropriate measure of internal dose; (3) estimation with the PBPK model of the tissue dose (the target tissue dose) resulting from the external exposure conditions (concentration, duration) of the critical effect; (4) estimation of the external exposure concentrations required to achieve tissue doses equivalent to the target tissue dose at exposure durations of interest; and (5) evaluation of sources of variability and uncertainty. For TCE, this PBPK modeling approach has allowed determination of dose metrics predictive of the acute neurotoxic effects of TCE and dose-duration adjustments based on estimates of internal dose.
QUANTUM CIRCUIT FOR ENTANGLING PROBE

The quantum circuit and design are given for an optimized entangling probe attacking the BB84 protocol of quantum key distribution and yielding maximum information to the probe. Probe photon polarization states become entangled with the signal states on their way between the legitimate transmitter and receiver.
Research on future short-haul aircraft at the NASA Langley Research Center.

Some of the current research for improving our short-haul air-transportation system is reviewed. Promising aircraft range from helicopters, turbofan-powered STOL, through mechanical flap reduced take-off and landing (RTOL) concepts. Advanced rotorcraft technology can provide improved passenger, community, operational, and economic acceptability of civil transport helicopters. From wind-tunnel and design studies, techniques are available for achieving low-noise fixed-wing STOL and RTOL through proper engine and airframe design. Agreeable ride qualities, crosswind landing capability, and all-weather terminal operation are also goals of present effort.
A non-spherical core in the explosion of supernova SN 2004dj

An important and perhaps critical clue to the mechanism driving the explosion of massive stars as supernovae is provided by the accumulating evidence for asymmetry in the explosion. Indirect evidence comes from high pulsar velocities, associations of supernovae with long-soft gamma-ray bursts, and asymmetries in late-time emission-line profiles. Spectropolarimetry provides a direct probe of young supernova geometry, with higher polarization generally indicating a greater departure from spherical symmetry. Large polarizations have been measured for 'stripped-envelope' (that is, type Ic; ref. 7) supernovae, which confirms their non-spherical morphology; but the explosions of massive stars with intact hydrogen envelopes (type II-P supernovae) have shown only weak polarizations at the early times observed. Here we report multi-epoch spectropolarimetry of a classic type II-P supernova that reveals the abrupt appearance of significant polarization when the inner core is first exposed in the thinning ejecta (approximately 90 days after explosion). We infer a departure from spherical symmetry of at least 30 per cent for the inner ejecta. Combined with earlier results, this suggests that a strongly non-spherical explosion may be a generic feature of core-collapse supernovae of all types, where the asphericity in type II-P supernovae is cloaked at early times by the massive, opaque, hydrogen envelope.
Using fluorescence spectroscopy to trace seasonal DOM dynamics, disturbance effects, and hydrologic transport in the Florida Everglades

[1] Dissolved organic matter (DOM) quality reflects numerous environmental processes, including primary production and decomposition, redox gradients, hydrologic transport, and photochemistry. Fluorescence spectroscopy can detect groups of DOM compounds sensitive to these processes. However, different environmental gradients (e.g., redox, DOM provenance) can have confounding effects on DOM fluorescence spectra. This study shows how these confounding effects can be removed through discriminant analyses on parallel factor modeling results. Using statistically distinct end-members, we resolve spatiotemporal trends in redox potential and DOM provenance within and between adjacent vegetation communities in the patterned ridge and slough landscape of the Everglades, where biogeochemical differences between vegetation communities affect net peat accretion rates and persistence of landscape structure. Source discrimination of DOM in whole-water samples and peat leachates reveals strong temporal variability associated with seasonality and passage of a hurricane and indicates that hurricane effects on marsh biogeochemistry persist for longer periods of time (>1 year) than previously recognized. Using the DOM source signal as a hydrologic tracer, we show that the system is hydrologically well mixed when surface water is present, and that limited transport of flocculent detritus occurs in surface flows. Redox potential discrimination shows that vertical redox gradients are shallower on ridges than in sloughs, creating an environment more favorable to decomposition and diagenesis. The sensitivity, high resolution, rapidity, and precision of these statistical analyses of DOM fluorescence spectra establish the technique as a promising performance measure for restoration or indicator of carbon cycle processes in the Everglades and aquatic ecosystems worldwide.
Sources of variability in the radionuclide angiographic assessment of ejection fraction: a comparison of first-pass and gated equilibrium techniques.

Abstract Measurements of ejection fractions (EF) determined by first-pass and gated equilibrium radionuclide angiography are widely believed to be equivalent. To compare these measurements in a large group of patients over a wide range of EF values, left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) EFs at rest were measured in 135 consecutive patients who underwent the 2 methods of radionuclide angiography within 1 hour: first-pass upright with a multi-crystal camera in the anterior projection and gated equilibrium supine with a single-crystal camera in the left anterior oblique projection. The population included 18 normal patients and 117 patients with various cardiac and pulmonary disorders. First-pass and gated equilibrium LVEF correlated well (r = 0.83, p 0.50 (r = 0.44, p
Equilibrium Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study on the Effect of Nanoparticle Loading and Size on Thermal Conductivity of Nanofluids

Nanofluids have been proposed as a route for surpassing the performance of currently available heat transfer liquids for better thermal management needed in many diverse industries and research laboratories. Recent experiments on nanofluids have indicated a significant increase in thermal conductivity with 0.5 to 2% of nanoparticle loading in comparison to that of the base fluid. But the extent of thermal conductivity enhancement sometimes greatly exceeds the predictions of well established classical theories like Maxwell and Hamilton Crosser theory. In addition to that, these classical theories can not explain the temperature and nanoparticle size dependency of nanofluid thermal conductivity. Atomistic simulation like molecular dynamics simulation can be a very helpful tool to model the enhanced nanoscale thermal conduction and predict thermal conductivities in different situations. In this study a model nanofluid system of copper nanoparticles in argon base fluid is successfully modeled by equilibrium molecular dynamics simulation in NVT ensemble and thermal conductivities of base fluid and nanofluids are computed using Green Kubo method. The interatomic interactions between solid copper nanoparticles, base liquid argon atoms and between solid copper and liquid argon are modeled by Lennard Jones potential with appropriate parameters. For different volume fractions of nanoparticle loading, the thermal conductivities are calculated. The nanoparticle size effects on thermal conductivities of nanofluids are also systematically studied. This study indicates the usefulness of MD simulation to calculate thermal conductivity of nanofluid and explore the higher thermal conduction in molecular level.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Opportunities and constraints to hazard mitigation planning

Abstract Hazard mitigation plans (HMPs) play a critical role in the reduction of societal loss from natural and human-caused hazards and disasters. The occurrence of hazardous events cannot be prevented but hazard mitigation planning when diligently applied has proven to be an effective tool for enhancing local community resilience and reducing societal losses. HMPs are planning documents that aim to increase community preparedness and resiliency, and decrease vulnerability in the event of a hazard. However, due to a variety of reasons many communities often fail to address criteria that could protect against future societal losses. For instance, minimum requirements, as stipulated by the Disaster Mitigation Act 2000, are all that is needed to qualify for federal mitigation grant funding regardless of plan quality or appropriateness of HMPs to local hazards and risks. Additionally local emergency managers and planners also face constraints like integration of HMPs into comprehensive plans and a standardized tool to evaluate plan quality. In essence most communities in the US have HMPs but lack a method of evaluating the quality and effectiveness of their plans for mitigating hazards. Building on the standard HMP minimum requirements, additional criteria established in prominent hazard literature, and information culled from interviews, this study develops an evaluation matrix to assess local HMP quality. Based on the factors mentioned above, researchers explored the opportunities and constraints to HMP development faced by jurisdictions within our Western Washington study area. Conclusions reveal that available resources, level of sophistication, and political complexities affect the quality of HMP development and the actual implementation of mitigation planning strategies.
Nanogap structures: combining enhanced Raman spectroscopy and electronic transport

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is an experimental tool for accessing vibrational and chemical information, down to the single molecule level. SERS typically relies on plasmon excitations in metal nanostructures to concentrate the incident radiation and to provide an enhanced photon density of states to couple emitted radiation to the far field. Many common SERS platforms involve metal nanoparticles to generate the required electromagnetic enhancements. Here we concentrate on an alternative approach, in which the relevant plasmon excitations are supported at a truly nanoscale gap between extended electrodes, rather than discrete subwavelength nanoparticles. The ability to fabricate precise gaps on demand, and in some cases to tune the gap size in situ, combined with the additional capability of simultaneous electronic transport measurements of the nanogap, provides access to information not previously available in standard SERS. We summarize the rich plasmonic physics at work in these extended systems and highlight the recent state of the art including tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) and the application of mechanical break junctions and electromigrated junctions. We describe in detail how we have performed in situ gap-enhanced Raman measurements of molecular-scale junctions while simultaneously subjecting these structures to electronic transport. These extended electrode structures allow us to study the pumping of vibrational modes by the flow of tunneling electrons, as well as the shifting of vibrational energies due to the applied bias. These experiments extend SERS into a tool for examining fundamental processes of dissipation, and provide insight into the mechanisms behind SERS spectral diffusion. We conclude with a brief discussion of future directions.
Different populations of prostaglandin EP3 receptor-expressing preoptic neurons project to two fever-mediating sympathoexcitatory brain regions.

The central mechanism of fever induction is triggered by an action of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) on neurons in the preoptic area (POA) through the EP3 subtype of prostaglandin E receptor. EP3 receptor (EP3R)-expressing POA neurons project directly to the dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH) and to the rostral raphe pallidus nucleus (rRPa), key sites for the control of thermoregulatory effectors. Based on physiological findings, we hypothesize that the febrile responses in brown adipose tissue (BAT) and those in cutaneous vasoconstrictors are controlled independently by separate neuronal pathways: PGE2 pyrogenic signaling is transmitted from EP3R-expressing POA neurons via a projection to the DMH to activate BAT thermogenesis and via another projection to the rRPa to increase cutaneous vasoconstriction. In this case, DMH-projecting and rRPa-projecting neurons would constitute segregated populations within the EP3R-expressing neuronal group in the POA. Here, we sought direct anatomical evidence to test this hypothesis with a double-tracing experiment in which two types of the retrograde tracer, cholera toxin b-subunit (CTb), conjugated with different fluorophores were injected into the DMH and the rRPa of rats and the resulting retrogradely labeled populations of EP3R-immunoreactive neurons in the POA were identified with confocal microscopy. We found substantial numbers of EP3R-immunoreactive neurons in both the DMH-projecting and the rRPa-projecting populations. However, very few EP3R-immunoreactive POA neurons were labeled with both the CTb from the DMH and that from the rRPa, although a substantial number of neurons that were not immunoreactive for EP3R were double-labeled with both CTbs. The paucity of the EP3R-expressing neurons that send collaterals to both the DMH and the rRPa suggests that pyrogenic signals are sent independently to these caudal brain regions from the POA and that such pyrogenic outputs from the POA reflect different control mechanisms for BAT thermogenesis and for cutaneous vasoconstriction by distinct sets of POA neurons.
Cryogenic focal plane flatness measurement with optical zone slope tracking

We describe a non-contact optical measurement method used to determine the surface flatness of a cryogenic sensor array developed for the JDEM mission. Large focal planes envisioned for future visible to near infra-red astronomical large area point-source surveys such as JDEM, WFIRST, or EUCLID must operate at cryogenic temperatures while maintaining focal plane flatness within a few 10's of μm over half-meter scales. These constraints are imposed by sensitivity conditions that demand low noise observations from the sensors and the large-field, fast optical telescopes necessary to obtain the science yield. Verifying cryogenic focal plane flatness is challenging because μm level excursions need to be measured within and across many multi-cm sized sensors using no physical contact and while situated within a high-vacuum chamber. We have used an optical metrology Shack-Hartmann scheme to measure the 36x18 cm focal plane developed for the JDEM mission at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The focal plane holds a 4x8 array of CCDs and HgCdTe detectors. The flatness measurement scheme uses a telescope-fed micro-lens array that samples the focal plane to determine slope changes of individual sensor zones.
Homology modeling and molecular dynamics simulation of human prothrombin fragment 1

The crystallographic structure of bovine prothrombin fragment 1 bound with calcium ions was used to construct the corresponding human prothrombin structure (hf1/Ca). The model structure was refined by molecular dynamics to estimate the average solution structure. Accommodation of long-range ionic forces was essential to reach a stable solution structure. The gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) domain and the kringle domain of hf1/Ca independently equilibrated. Likewise, the hydrogen bond network and the calcium ion coordinations were well preserved. A discussion of the phospholipid binding of the vitamin K-dependent coagulation proteins in the context of the structure and mutational data of the Gla domain is presented.
Role of brown bears (Ursus arctos) in the flow of marine nitrogen into a terrestrial ecosystem.

We quantified the amount, spatial distribution, and importance of salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.)-derived nitrogen (N) by brown bears (Ursus arctos) on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. We tested and confirmed the hypothesis that the stable isotope signature (δ15N) of N in foliage of white spruce (Picea glauca) was inversely proportional to the distance from salmon-spawning streams (r=–0.99 and P<0.05 in two separate watersheds). Locations of radio-collared brown bears, relative to their distance from a stream, were highly correlated with δ15N depletion of foliage across the same gradient (r=–0.98 and –0.96 and P<0.05 in the same two separate watersheds). Mean rates of redistribution of salmon-derived N by adult female brown bears were 37.2±2.9 kg/year per bear (range 23.1–56.3), of which 96% (35.7±2.7 kg/year per bear) was excreted in urine, 3% (1.1±0.1 kg/year per bear) was excreted in feces, and <1% (0.3± 0.1 kg/year per bear) was retained in the body. On an area basis, salmon-N redistribution rates were as high as 5.1±0.7 mg/m2 per year per bear within 500 m of the stream but dropped off greatly with increasing distance. We estimated that 15.5–17.8% of the total N in spruce foliage within 500 m of the stream was derived from salmon. Of that, bears had distributed 83–84%. Thus, brown bears can be an important vector of salmon-derived N into riparian ecosystems, but their effects are highly variable spatially and a function of bear density.
Brain Cylic-AMP and Possible Mechanisms of Cerebrovascular Dilation by Anesthetics in Rats

Barbiturates decrease both cerebral metabolic rate (CMR) and cerebral blood flow (CBF) and thereby preserve CBF and CMR coupling. However, many inhalation agents and ketamine uncouple CBF and CMR by virtue of inducing disproportionate increases in CBF. Adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cyclic-AMP) reportedly mediates uterine and aortic smooth muscle relaxation by halothane and may also mediate CBF-CMR uncoupling by anesthetics. Therefore, the authors studied the effect of various doses of halothane and ether on brain cyclic-AMP and compared them with the effects of ketamine and pentobarbital anesthesia. Both halothane 1.5 and 2.0 per cent and ether, 2.5 to 7.5 per cent (inspired concentrations) increased whole brain cyclic-AMP above unanesthetized levels (1,046 +/- 75 pmol/g wet brain) in a dose-related manner. Ketamine, 150 mg/kg, ip, increased brain cyclic-AMP twofold, whereas an apparent increase by 60 mg/kg pentobarbital, ip, was not significant. These results show a dose-related effect of ether and halothane on brain cyclic-AMP levels and suggest a causal relationship to their cerebrovasodilatory effects.
Taste of Sodium Chloride Solutions after Adaptation to Sodium Chloride: Implications for the "Water Taste"

After adaptation of the human tongue to sodium chloride solutions, subjects reported the taste quality of sodium chloride solutions both above and below the adapting concentration. The adapting solutions became tasteless; solutions weaker than the adapting concentration tasted sour or bitter, and stronger solutions were reported as sweet or salty. The taste of both water and sodium chloride solutions is specific depending on prior adaptation.
Study of membrane permeability changes by fluctuation analysis.

The molecular basis of the changes in membrane permeability that underlie the nerve impulse can be studied by statistical analysis of the random fluctuations in current through the nerve membrane. Such “noise analysis” has already begun to clarify the nature of the gating mechanisms that control the flow of ions across the membrane at the neuromuscular junction.
Benign fibrous dysplasia on [(11)C]choline PET: a potential mimicker of disease in patients with biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer.

We present the case of a 74-year-old male with biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer who underwent [11C]choline PET/CT. The PET/CT demonstrated an intense focus of uptake within the skull base that was initially felt to potentially represent metastatic disease. Subsequent evaluation with MRI and dedicated thin-section CT revealed this area to be benign fibrous dysplasia of the bone. The focal uptake on PET/CT with [11C]choline in benign fibrous dysplasia represents a potential mimicker of metastatic disease. Due to recognizing this benign process, our patient was able to avoid systemic treatment and/or focal radiation and was treated with cryotherapy for biopsy-proven local recurrence within the prostate bed. While benign fibrous dysplasia can demonstrate increased radiotracer uptake on other modalities (i.e., bone scintigraphy, FDG PET/CT), its appearance on [11C]choline PET/CT has been largely overlooked in the literature. With the increasing use of [11C]choline PET/CT for biochemical recurrent prostate cancer evaluation, it is important to understand this potential mimicker of disease.
Neural network inversion of the Tarasov function used for the computation of polymer heat capacities

The neural network method is trained using back propagation with a series of heat capacities (C v) in the temperature range 10 to 200 K for the skeletal vibration of 36 linear macromolecules. The trained network could then accurately extract both parameters of the Tarasov function (Θ1 and Θ3) from heat capacities of three computed test cases and a set of experimental measurements for polyethylene. The neural network method offers a major improvement in handling heat capacity data.
Eosinophil cationic protein/RNase 3 is another RNase A-family ribonuclease with direct antiviral activity

Eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) is one of two RNase A-superfamily ribonucleases found in secretory granules of human eosinophilic leukocytes. Although the physiologic function of eosinophils [and thus of the two eosinophil ribonucleases, ECP and eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (EDN)] remains controversial, we have recently shown that isolated human eosinophils promote ribonuclease-dependent toxicity toward extracellular virions of the single-stranded RNA virus, respiratory syncytial virus, group B (RSV-B). We have also shown that recombinant human EDN (rhEDN) can act alone as a ribonuclease-dependent antiviral agent. In this work, we provide a biochemical characterization of recombinant human ECP (rhECP) prepared in baculovirus, and demonstrate that rhECP also promotes ribonuclease-dependent antiviral activity. The rhECP described here is N-glycosylated, as is native ECP, and has approximately 100-fold more ribonuclease activity than non-glycosylated rhECP prepared in bacteria. The enzymatic activity of rhECP was sensitive to inhibition by placental ribonuclease inhibitor (RI). Although rhECP was not as effective as rhEDN at reducing viral infectivity (500 nM rhECP reduced infectivity of RSV-B approximately 6 fold; 500 nM rhEDN, >50 fold), the antiviral activity appears to be unique to the eosinophil ribonucleases; no reduction in infectivity was promoted by bovine RNase A, by the amphibian ribonuclease, onconase, nor by the closely-related human ribonuclease, RNase k6. Interestingly, combinations of rhEDN and rhECP did not result in either a synergistic or even an additive antiviral effect. Taken together, these results suggest that that the interaction between the eosinophil ribonucleases and the extracellular virions of RSV-B may be specific and saturable.
Middle School Counselors' Competence in Conducting Developmental Classroom Lessons: Is Teaching Experience Necessary?

Is teaching experience necessary for school counselors to feel competent when conducting developmental classroom lessons? The study in this article investigated the relationship between previous teaching experience and practicing middle school counselors' perceived competence in conducting developmental classroom lessons. Results suggested that although teaching experience was significantly related to competence in conducting developmental classroom lessons, this effect decreased dramatically and became nonsignificant when school counseling experience was considered. Implications of the findings for school counselors and counselor educators are presented.
PRIISM: National Information Infrastructures In Pacific Asia: Visions, Reality, and Research Inquiry

Over the last two years, PRIISM, via its members, has participated in three major conferences and workshops whose effort was to focus on research and policy issues related to the information revolution in the Pacific Rim. This increased interest is no accident. It has been suggested that we will soon enter a "Pacific Century," in which the world's economic center of gravity, having shifted from Asia to Europe and then to North America, is now returning to Asia. But it is returning to a very diverse Asia, with many regional differences in language, culture, ideology, income levels and income distribution, and economic policies. Despite this diversity, most - if not all - of the leaders of Asian countries are firmly convinced that IT will help propel their country into the Information Age. Indeed, many nations in Asia Pacific have recently begun to design and implement their widely-publicized national information infrastructures (NIIs). In the previous edition of this column, NII was identified as one of the major information technology issues in the Pacific.
Patterns of Caregiving of Cuban, Other Hispanic, Caribbean Black, and White Elders in South Florida

Caregivers in Miami, Florida (185 Cubans, 108 other Hispanics, 229 non-Hispanic Whites, and 73 Caribbean Blacks) were described and compared along demographic and health variables, cultural attitudes, and caregiving behaviors. Participants were recruited at random through Home Health Services (61 %) and convenience sampling in the community (39 %), and interviewed at their home. Standardized instruments and measures constructed for this study were pretested. Multivariate analyses showed that the ethnic groups differed in age, education, income, and number of persons giving care, while caregiver health and patient functioning were similar. Controlling for demographics, differences in cultural variables were small. The sense of obligation, emotional attachment, openness about who should give care, spirituality, use of family help or community services were comparable in all groups. Commitment to caregiving was high, driven mainly by patient needs. Cubans had the greatest family stability, and worked the hardest, with the lowest sense of burden. Caribbean Black caregivers lived in bigger families, were youngest, and their patients had the lowest cognitive status. Burden was felt most by White caregivers who were older than the others. Professionals need to understand complex belief systems and behavior patterns to assist caregivers in mobilizing appropriate resources.
From service to social control: Implications of welfare reform for professional practice in the United States

Abstract In response to the explosive growth and the changing demographic composition of public welfare recipients, this program has undergone four major reforms over the last three decades: the 1962 'Service' amendments, the 1967 Work Incentive program (WIN), the Family Support Act of 1988, and the 1996 program of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF). These reforms have had a profound impact not only on the scope and purpose of public assistance to needy families, but also on the nature of professional social work practice in this area of public social service. An analysis of the major welfare reforms over the last 35 years reveals how the national entitlement to income maintenance and social services has receded, local responsibility and private delivery of service have increased, and emphases on service functions have shifted from rehabilitative social casework/counselling to work-oriented training, job search activities, and local employment. The provision of public assistance has been transf...
Co-Existence of Multidrug-Resistant and -Susceptible Strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from a Single Clinical Isolate

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a leading cause of hospital-acquired infections and difficult to treat due to acquired-resistance to multiple antibiotics. A pair of strains, M38100A and M38100B, previously identified from a single clinical isolate of P. aeruginosa was investigated to understand phenotypic and genotypic characteristics. Results revealed that the pair of strains was very similar for serum susceptibility, growth rate in a complex medium (Luria–Bertani), RAPD-genotype profiles, status of genes encoding type III secretion toxins, and no extra-chromosomal DNA. However, antibiotic susceptibility of the strain M38100B showed resistant to all tested-antibiotics while the strain M38100A showed susceptible to the same tested-antibiotics as similar levels of P. aeruginosa PAO1. The strain M38100B exhibited no growth in a minimal medium as a sole carbon and nitrogen source of glutamate while the strain M38100A grew well in the same minimal medium. These results suggest that multidrug resistance of the strain M38100B may be caused by multiple mutations on its genomic DNA and a precursor stage for a homogeneous multidrug resistant population.
Catalytic peptide hydrolysis by mineral surface: Implications for prebiotic chemistry

Abstract The abiotic polymerization of amino acids may have been important for the origin of life, as peptides may have been components of the first self-replicating systems. Though amino acid concentrations in the primitive oceans may have been too dilute for significant oligomerization to occur, mineral surface adsorption may have provided a concentration mechanism. As unactivated amino acid polymerization is thermodynamically unfavorable and kinetically slow in aqueous solution, we studied mainly the reverse reaction of polymer degradation to measure the impact of mineral surface catalysis on peptide bonds. Aqueous glycine (G), diglycine (GG), diketopiperazine (DKP), and triglycine (GGG) were reacted with minerals (calcite, hematite, montmorillonite, pyrite, rutile, or amorphous silica) in the presence of 0.05 M, pH 8.1, KHCO3 buffer and 0.1 M NaCl as background electrolyte in a thermostatted oven at 25, 50 or 70 °C. Below 70 °C, reaction kinetics were too sluggish to detect catalytic activity over amenable laboratory time-scales. Minerals were not found to have measurable effects on the degradation or elongation of G, GG or DKP at 70 °C in solution. At 70 °C pyrite was the most catalytic mineral with detectible effects on the degradation of GGG, although several others also displayed catalytic behavior. GGG degraded ∼1.5–4 times faster in the presence of pyrite than in control reactions, depending on the ratio of solution concentration to mineral surface area. The rate of pyrite catalysis of GGG hydrolysis was found to be saturable, suggesting the presence of discrete catalytic sites on the mineral surface. The mineral-catalyzed degradation of GGG appears to occur via a GGG → DKP + G mechanism, rather than via GGG → GG + G, as in solution-phase reactions. These results are compatible with many previous findings and suggest that minerals may have assisted in peptide synthesis in certain geological settings, specifically by speeding the approach to equilibrium in environments where amino acids were already highly concentrated, but that minerals may not significantly alter the expected solution-phase equilibria. Thus the abiotic synthesis of long peptides may have required activating agents, dry heating at higher temperatures, or some form of phase separation.
Black Talk about AIDS

Social psychological research on educating African Americans about AIDS has linked cultural relevance to the persuasiveness and effectiveness of such educational materials. Twenty-eight gender-segregated focus groups were conducted, each consisting of between four and ten African American participants with an African American focus group leader. A content analysis of 14 of the focus groups held with men revealed a pattern whereby their was a noticeable difference in the men’s reported beliefs and practices as compared to their reports on questionnaires. Participants switched between two frameworks in a manner analogous to code switching. Furthermore, these data reveal that not only was linguistic competency (defined as the ability to effectively express and communicate) framework dependent, but the content of the discourse was framework-dependent. Specifically, the content of the discourse was inconsistent and at times contradictory between frameworks.
Cooperation in an evolutionary prisoner's dilemma on networks with degree-degree correlations

We study the effects of degree-degree correlations on the success of cooperation in an evolutionary prisoner's dilemma played on a random network. When degree-degree correlations are not present, the standardized variance of the network's degree distribution has been shown to be an accurate analytical measure of network heterogeneity that can be used to predict the success of cooperation. In this paper, we use a local-mechanism interpretation of standardized variance to give a generalization to graphs with degree-degree correlations. Two distinct mechanisms are shown to influence cooperation levels on these types of networks. The first is an intrinsic measurement of base-line heterogeneity coming from the network's degree distribution. The second is the increase in heterogeneity coming from the degree-degree correlations present in the network. A strong linear relationship is found between these two parameters and the average cooperation level in an evolutionary prisoner's dilemma on a network.
The Study of Chinese Political Culture

These seven recent works typify a cross section of scholarly publication on the Chinese People's Republic, its history, present operation, and prospects. Taken together, they provide the basis for some remarks on the study of Chinese “political culture.” Rather than attempt a full review of the individual works, this brief article will examine some of their assumptions and indirectly comment on the literature they represent. Each book reflects a prodigious scholarly effort and has received in various other journals a complete appraisal of its intellectual value. In general it may be fairly said that these volumes do not constitute significant breakthroughs of knowledge. They do, however, bring together and analyze important bodies of data on Communist China.
Pax6 Downregulation Mediates Abnormal Lineage Commitment of the Ocular Surface Epithelium in Aqueous-Deficient Dry Eye Disease

Keratinizing squamous metaplasia (SQM) of the ocular surface is a blinding consequence of systemic autoimmune disease and there is no cure. Ocular SQM is traditionally viewed as an adaptive tissue response during chronic keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS) that provokes pathological keratinization of the corneal epithelium and fibrosis of the corneal stroma. Recently, we established the autoimmune regulator-knockout (Aire KO) mouse as a model of autoimmune KCS and identified an essential role for autoreactive CD4+ T cells in SQM pathogenesis. In subsequent studies, we noted the down-regulation of paired box gene 6 (Pax6) in both human patients with chronic KCS associated with Sjogren’s syndrome and Aire KO mice. Pax6 encodes a pleiotropic transcription factor guiding eye morphogenesis during development. While the postnatal function of Pax6 is largely unknown, we hypothesized that its role in maintaining ocular surface homeostasis was disrupted in the inflamed eye and that loss of Pax6 played a functional role in the initiation and progression of SQM. Adoptive transfer of autoreactive T cells from Aire KO mice to immunodeficient recipients confirmed CD4+ T cells as the principal downstream effectors promoting Pax6 downregulation in Aire KO mice. CD4+ T cells required local signaling via Interleukin-1 receptor (IL-1R1) to provoke Pax6 loss, which prompted a switch from corneal-specific cytokeratin, CK12, to epidermal-specific CK10. The functional role of Pax6 loss in SQM pathogenesis was indicated by the reversal of SQM and restoration of ocular surface homeostasis following forced expression of Pax6 in corneal epithelial cells using adenovirus. Thus, tissue-restricted restoration of Pax6 prevented aberrant epidermal-lineage commitment suggesting adjuvant Pax6 gene therapy may represent a novel therapeutic approach to prevent SQM in patients with chronic inflammatory diseases of the ocular surface.
Erratum to: Vibrio vulnificus: Death on the Half Shell. A Personal Journey with the Pathogen and its Ecology

Erratum to: Microb EcolDOI 10.1007/s00248-012-0140-9The original publication of this article contained an error inreference 37. The proper citation is:Baker-Austin C, Newton A, Taylor N, Martinez-Urtaza J,Griffin R, Oliver JD (2012) Vibrio vulnificus disease burdenin the USA, 1988–2010. Clin. Infect. Dis. (submitted).
A complication of the acrylic block technique in the delayed exchange for an infected knee arthoplasty

Two-stage exchange procedures appear to give the most consistent results in the management of the deep infection after the Total Knee Arthroplasty w x 1,3,5,7,8,10,11 . The use of an antibiotic impregnated polymethw x ylmethacrylate 4 spacer block in the interval after radical primary debridement, provides antibiotic delivery, preserves some movement and stability and perhaps greater patient comfort and mobility. We report a subluxed acrylic block used in the first stage causing significant compromise of a vascularised medial gastrocnemius flap used to repair a soft tissue defect after debridement. This case suggests that in an effort to prevent both migration and translation of an acrylic block, intra-operative fashioning of the spacer block should include intramedullary projection on both femoral and tibial sides.
Intractable pediatric epilepsy: Vagal nerve stimulation and the ketogenic diet

The KD has been proven an effective alternative epilepsy treatment in children refractory to standard anticonvulsants. Children to be placed on the diet must be carefully selected, monitored, and followed. The diet is to be regarded as a strict medical regimen and requires a comprehensive medical team approach in concert with intensive parental involvement. With better understanding of the scientific principles underlying brain ketosis, we should be able to optimize the KD to achieve even better results.
Perspectives on Literacy: A Response

The United States faces great challenges externally, to be competitive in an economy that will be even more dominated by high-skill, knowledge-intensive jobs, and internally, by the need to maintain a strong democracy in an increasingly complex and diverse society. Essential to meeting these challenges of economic success and social unity is the literacy ability and problem-solving capacity of all of its citizens. The general belief that many Americans currently lack these indispensable skills is fueling concerns that, as a nation, we face a literacy crisis. Although we will not argue for any one way to resolve, or even define, the literacy problem, we do believe that whatever intervention taken must be guided by the twin goals of quality and equality. Raising the overall literacy standard in America must go hand-in-hand with aggressively tackling the persistent gap between the reading levels of different groups of children. Moreover, although the responsibility for improving literacy lies mainly with families, schools, and communities, state and federal policy and resources can play an important supporting role in enabling the nation and all children to meet our society's rising demands for literacy. In their articles, David Pearson (1996), Sharon Quint (1996), and Judith Green and Carol Dixon (1996) raise several provocative issues about literacy and the potential role of policy. In this article, we will address three of those issues the nature both of literacy and the literacy problem, in-school interventions that can enhance literacy levels, and the importance of out-of-school literacy interventions.
Instilling Collaboration for Inclusive Schooling as a Way of Doing Business in Public Schools

This article provides a broad overview of the concepts of collaboration and inclusive schooling within the context of rapid change in public education. the authors examine the current definitions of collaboration and inclusive schooling. they review various rationale for collaboration, current legislation related to collaboration in schools, and the recent research (1989 to 1995) on the effectiveness of collaboration in achieving the outcomes mandated by the individuals with disabilities education act (idea). in addition, they discuss major barriers to and facilitators of effective collaboration and make several recommendations for the supports needed to establish a collaborative ethic and collaborative behavior in public schools. the authors argue that collaboration can no longer be considered a voluntary act.
Relative Blood-brain Barrier Permeabilities of the Cholecystokinin Receptor Antagonists Devazepide and A-65186 in Rats

The blood-brain barrier permeabilities of the type-A cholecystokinin receptor antagonists devazepide and A-65186 (Nalpha-3-quinolinoyl-D-Glu-N,N-dipentylamide) have been compared with those of the reference compounds iodoantipyrine, which readily penetrates the blood-brain barrier, and mannitol, which does not. Anaesthetized rats received a bolus injection into the left carotid artery of [14C]iodoantipyrine (0.25 microCi) combined with [3H]mannitol, [3H]devazepide or [3H]A-65186 (1 microCi each). Rats were decapitated 12s after injection and the brains were removed. Four samples of left cerebrum (ca 100 mg each) were solubilized overnight and 14C and 3H activity were measured. The brain-uptake index for each test compound was determined as [(3H/l4C for sample)]/[(3H/14C for injectate)] x 100, with a value of 100 representing blood-brain barrier permeability equal to that for iodoantipyrine. The brain-uptake index (mean+/-s.e.m.) was 1.6+/-0.3 for [3H]mannitol (n=5), 90.6+/-4.1 for [3H]devazepide (n=7, P 0.05 compared with mannitol, P < 0.001 compared with devazepide). Thus, devazepide readily penetrated the blood-brain barrier whereas A-65186 did not. It is concluded that devazepide and A-65186 are likely to be useful pharmacological tools for determining whether cholecystokinin is acting peripherally or at brain sites beyond the blood-brain barrier to produce satiety or any other function mediated by the type A cholecystokinin receptor.