cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reduction of Adhesion Formation by Intraperitoneal Administration of Various Anti-Inflammatory Agents

Adhesion formation is a major source of postoperative morbidity and mortality. Therefore, the reduction of postoperative adhesion formation would be of clinical benefit. Various modalities have been shown to reduce adhesion formation, including fibrinolytic enzymes, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and barriers that reduce the apposition of sites of potential adhesion formation. In this report, the ability of three compounds with different mechanisms of action, all-trans-retinoic acid, quinacrine, and dipyridamole, to reduce the formation of intraperitoneal adhesions was examined in two rabbit models. In the sidewall model, the medicaments were administered via an Alzet miniosmotic pump for the entire postoperative interval. With all three agents, there was a reduction in the area of the sidewall injury that was involved in adhesions to the cecum and the bowel at both doses tested. In the same model, quinacrine also reduced the area of the sidewall injury that was involved in adhesions to the cecum and the bowel. At the higher concentrations of quinacrine, there was a deposition and walling off of the quinacrine at the site of delivery. In the double uterine horn model (DUH), the medicaments were administered via an Alzet miniosmotic pump to the area of injury for either 1, 2, 3, or 7 days. Administration of all three compounds for as little as 24 h after surgery significantly reduced the extent of adhesion formation. However, there was a further reduction in the amount of adhesion when the retinoic acid or dipyridamole was administered for 72 h postoperatively. However, when the quinacrine was administered for longer times postoperatively, the amount of adhesion reduction observed was less. These studies demonstrate that postoperative administration of retinoic acid, quinacrine, or dipyridamole to the site of injury reduced the formation of postoperative adhesions in two animal models.
"Paradoxical" effects of psychomotor stimulant drugs in hyperactive children from the standpoint of behavioural pharmacology.

Abstract Following a brief review of the effectiveness of psychomotor stimulant drugs in treating childhood hyperkinesis, the hypothesis of a “paradoxical” drug response is examined. The importance of three main factors, besides dosage, derived from consideration of studies in behavioural pharmacology. is assessed: rate-dependency; attention and stereotypy; and subjective and social effects. Rate-dependent effects of drugs in animals occur when the control rate of responding is related to the drug effect. A dose-dependent inverse relationship between control rate and drug effect is generally found within individual cases responding in operant situations, after treatment with stimulant drugs. This rate-dependency also occurs between organisms, such that those organisms with high control rates (for example, of operant behaviour, or spontaneous motor activity) show proportionately smaller increases in rate, or reductions in rate with amphetamine-like drugs. This article extends this form of analysis to hyperactive children in two populations receiving methylphenidate. In a third population, of normal adults and normal children, as well as hyperactive children, an inverse relationship between control rate of activity and the effects of 0.5 mg kg of d-amphetamine is found, accounting for about 38% of the variability. Therefore, the rate-reducing effects of psychomotor stimulants might arise in part as a consequence of the high rates of control responding in the hyperactive child, rather than from a unique “paradoxical” response. The effects of stimulants on “attention” in hyperactive children similarly might be predicted from studies on normal adults. Some evidence of an “over-focusing” of attention in hyperactive children treated with methylphenidate is presented in a test of cognitive flexibility. This lack of cognitive flexibility might be related to behavioural stereotypies found in animals and Man following stimulants. Finally, many of the subjective and social responses to stimulants in hyperactive children are not necessarily anomalous. The implications for clinical practice and for animal models of the hyperkinetic syndrome are discussed.
Acute ischemic stroke

Patients with acute ischemic stroke should be immediately transported to the nearest hospital for rapid evaluation and treatment. Intravenous t-PA within 3 hours of symptom onset is the recommended treatment for patients who meet the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) study eligibility criteria. Patients should be informed of the risk of symptomatic cerebral hemorrhage, and strict adherence to the NINDS study protocol is strongly recommended to optimize the risk-benefit ratio. Ischemic stroke patients who are not eligible for t-PA therapy should usually be started on aspirin. Intravenous heparin is not recommended as a standard treatment but may be considered for specific patient subgroups. Low-dose subcutaneous heparin is recommended for prophylaxis of deep vein thrombosis in immobilized patients. Management of stroke patients by a designated stroke team is recommended to facilitate prompt diagnosis and treatment and early initiation of rehabilitation therapy. We also recommend that physicians who manage patients with acute stroke maintain contact with local or regional stroke centers to facilitate referral of appropriate patients for intensive care or specialized diagnostic tests or therapies.
Criminal Specialization Revisited: A Simultaneous Quantile Regression Approach

Whether criminals are specialized or versatile in their offending is a long-standing research area that has been recently revitalized by a paradigm that recognizes that both specialization and versatility characterize offending careers. Based on data from an enriched sample of 500 adult habitual criminals, the current study introduces a measure of relative specialization—the offense specialization coefficient—and a novel analytical technique called simultaneous quantile regression to further the study of specialization. Although offenders committed a mix of offenses, there was considerable and at times pronounced evidence of specialization. Age, sex, and arrest onset had differential predictive validity of specialization for eight crimes at the 75th and 95th quantiles. Implications and suggestions for future research are offered.
RF Operational Life Test of Power GaAs FET Amplifiers

This paper describes the life testing of twenty-four 3/4-W, X-band, solid-state, three-stage power amplifiers through 24,000 hours. Sixteen actively driven modules were subjected to a temperature of 75°C for 24,000 hours, and eight modules started at 75°C for 8000 hours were tested at 125°C for 16,000 additional hours. Measurements of module output phase and amplitude were made at room temperature after each 1000 hours of test. No catastrophic failures occurred through 24,000 hours of testing, although one module exceeded failure limits in the 75°C test and six modules exceeded limits in the 125°C test. Average RF amplitude drift for the 75°C test modules is ?0.31 dB, while standard deviation for RF phase is 9.0 degrees.
Specific heats (Cv) of saturated and compressed liquid and vapor carbon dioxide

Specific heats of saturated liquid carbon dioxide (Csat) have been measured in the temperature range 220 to 303 K. Specific heats at constant volume (Cv) have been measured at 12 densities ranging from 0.2 to 2.5 times the critical density in the temperature range 233 to 330 K, with pressures varying from 3.4 to 32 MPa. The measurements have been conducted in an adiabatic constant-volume calorimeter of conventional design. Uncertainty of the specific heats is estimated to not exceed 2.0%. Comparisons are made with an extended Benedict-Webb-Rubin equation of state and with the results of other workers.
The relative importance of social responsibility in determining organizational effectiveness: Managers from two service industries

This paper investigates the relative importance of social responsibility criteria in determining organizational effectiveness as seen by managers of two service industries. The Organizational Effectiveness Menu (Kraft and Jauch, 1988) was used as a questionnaire with a sample of 53 firms. The conclusion is that while managers view ethical conduct as among the most important determinants of organizational effectiveness, numerous other social responsibility criteria are assigned relatively low priority. A question remains as to what managers will actually do when faced with limited resources.
Visualization blackboard-visualizing optimization by multiple processors

Classification problems that involve finding a vector alpha whose direction is in some sense optimal are considered. To overcome the relative slowness of general-purpose approaches, multiple processors are used. To understand the rather complex behavior of the resulting algorithms, a visualization tool that shows (for the 3-D case) the function, the locations of its local and global minima, and the positions of the processors as they search through the space has been developed. The tool is applicable to any problem domain and any optimization algorithm. It is illustrated on an algorithm for a medical problem. >
The sign-regularity properties of Green's functions for a special class of mixed boundary-value problems

Karlin and Pinkus [5] showed that the Green’s functions for a class of mixed boundary-value problems are sign consistent of all even or all odd orders. \Vhen Karlin and Pinkus apply their results to periodic boundary conditions they recover the results of Karlin and Lee [4] in slightly weakened form. Specifically, the sign-consistency properties of the Green’s function developed in [4] hold on the square [0, 1) x [0, 1) which, in view of the periodicity of the Green’s function, is the largest domain for which such properties can hold. However, when the results in [5] are specialized to the periodic case, the sign consistency assertions of [4] are only recovered for the open square (0, I) x (0, 1). Since the analysis in [5] is particularly natural for analyzing sign consistent! of Green’s functions, it is useful to disclose how the methods in [S] can be used to obtain the results in [4] in their full strength. Essentially this requires establishing an extension of the basic total positivity properties of the kernel K(x, w) as elaborated in [2, Theorems 1 and 1’1; see Theorem 2.1 below. This extension is made in Section 2 and used in Section 4 to establish analogs of the results obtained in [4] for a class of boundary conditions which includes periodic and antiperiodic boundary conditions as well as some special boundary conditions which are “partly mixed.” Section 5 presents applications of the results of Section 4 to spline interpolation. Finally, in Section 6 the results of Karon [3] and Karlin [2] for separated boundary conditions are reformulated in the light of the results in Section 2. The notation of [I] will be used: Let A be an m x n matrix and Y < m, 12. Then
Biogenic amine acetylation: No detectable circadian rhythm in whole brain homogenates of the insectOstrinia nubilalis

With the biogenic amines tryptamine, dopamine, and octopamine as substrates, N-acetyltransferase activity shows no detectable circadian rhythm in homogenates of whole brains of the European corn borerOstrinia nubilalis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). The circadian clock of this insect may be fundamentally different from the N-acetyltransferase pacemaker in the pineal gland of vertebrates.
Competing for Growth The Exceptional Case of Gaming

Contrary to what the urban political economy literature would lead us to predict, riverboat casinos have increasingly faced strong, organized opposition in many states across the country despite the large amounts of private investments, jobs, and tax revenues generated by casino developments. Yet at the same time, no such significant opposition has developed to successfully challenge the granting of large public subsidies to other private businesses by state and local governments. The author argues that this anomaly is explained by the mobilization of nationally organized interest groups that are successful in framing gaming as a moral, expressive issue, not only an instrumental strategy of economic development. These groups have been able to exploit the decentralization and fragmentation of the political system by exerting influence in several arenas, including citizen referenda, legal appeals, and legislative action.
CARDIAC ARREST SECONDARY TO EARLY BYPASS GRAFT FAILURE: PROLONGED CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION (CPR) WITH HEMODYNAMIC AND NEUROLOGICAL RECOVERY

A 62 year-old man with severe three vessel coronary artery disease underwent 4 vessel coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) 3 months prior presented with persistent chest pain and cardiogenic shock. He was tachycardic to 110 bpm, hypotensive to 76/40mmHg with 2 mm ST elevation in lead AvR with
Molecular evolution of Hox gene regulation: Cloning and transgenic analysis of the lamprey HoxQ8 gene

The mammalian Hox clusters arose by duplication of a primordial cluster. The duplication of Hox clusters created redundancy within cognate groups, allowing for change in function over time. The lamprey, Petromyzon marinus, occupies an intermediate position within the chordates, both in terms of morphologic complexity and possibly cluster number. To determine the extent of divergence among Hox genes after duplication events within vertebrates, we analyzed Hox genes belonging to cognate group 8. Here we report characterization of the HoxQ8 gene, which shows conservation with mammalian genes in its amino-terminal, homeobox and hexapeptide sequences, and in the position of its splice sites. A β-galactosidase reporter gene was introduced in the HoxQ8 genomic region by targeted recombinational cloning using a yeast-bacteria shuttle vector, pClasper. These reporter gene constructs were tested for their ability to direct region-specific expression patterns in transgenic mouse embryos. Lamprey enhancers direct expression to posterior neural tube but not to mesoderm, suggesting conservation of neuronal enhancers. In the presence of the mouse heat shock promoter, lamprey enhancers could also direct expression to the posterior mesoderm suggesting that there has been some divergence in promoter function. Our results suggest that comparative studies on Hox gene structure and analysis of regulatory elements may provide insights into changes concomitant with Hox cluster duplications in the chordates. J. Exp. Zool. 280:73–85, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The relativistic M1 transition in positronium

Abstract We calculate the decay-rate for the relativistic M1 transition 2 3 S 1 → 1 1 S 0 + γ of positronium including the recoil terms. The recoil effect contributes about six percent of the predicted decay-rate.
Effect of heavy particles in low-energy light-particle processes

The ''decoupling theorem'' of Appelquist and Carazzone is found not always to be applicable to light-scalar-particle processes in spontaneously broken theories. If the Higgs scalar is considered to be light, then Higgs-scalar processes see the effect of heavy fermions and heavy vector gauge bosons at the one-loop level. If there is more than one scalar multiplet in a spontaneously broken gauge theory, the effect of a heavy Higgs particle in light-scalar-particle processes is significant at the tree level. In the latter case, such an effect can be absorbed completely into an effective phi/sup 4/ coupling constant, lambda/sub eff/, of the light particle provided that lambda/sub eff/ is positive definite.
Influence of Time of Calcium Intake on Bone and Dietary Calcium Utilization

Abstract Sixteen hens, 67 weeks old, having oviposition times at 0700 ± .25 hr, were used in Experiment 1. Hens were randomly divided into two treatments and fed a .08% calcium diet following oviposition. For 5 days, at either 0800 (AM) or 1600 (PM) hours, hens received 3.65 g of calcium by intubation. On Day 1, the calcium source contained 25 μ Ci of calcium-45 (45 Ca). Eggs and excreta were collected daily for 45 Ca analysis. Experiment 2 was similar to Experiment 1 except that 34-week-old hens were used. Calcium-45 activity of the egg shell, excreta, serum, and total contents of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract was determined. Results of Experiments 1 and 2 indicated that hens receiving their daily supply of calcium in the PM deposited significantly more of that day’s dietary calcium on the following day’s egg than hens receiving calcium in the AM. Excreta from the AM-treated hens contained significantly more 45 Ca than that from the PM-treated hens during the first 24 hr in both experiments. In Experiment 2, the quantity of 45 Ca in serum and GI tract contents was significantly higher from hens in the PM treatment. It was concluded that hens utilized significantly more calcium for egg shell formation from PM consumption rather than AM consumption and, therefore, were less dependent on bone reserves when the calcium was consumed in the PM.
The cosmic microwave background and the hadron era of the early universe: A possible connection

Abstract A cosmological model is constructed which is a Friedman model, but with a finite ultimate temperature (TF). A plausible argument is presented which suggests that the existence of TF and the cosmic microwave background restricts the form of the hadronic level density: , where A, B = constants. In our model, B = 7 2 − 3 s , where s = positive integer. The case s = 3 (B = 5 2 ) is the well-known Hagedorn model; the Frautschi model corresponds to s = 6 (B = 3); the cases s = 1 (B = 1 2 ) and s = 2 (B = 2) have not been considered before now. For each value of B 7 2 , the model gives the temperature (Tγ0) of the microwave background as a function of A, TF and ϱ0 (the present energy density of the universe). Two fascinating results then emerge: first, all estimates of Tγ0 favor a low density Friedman universe (ϱ0 = 10−31g/cm3), which rules out a universe with positive curvature; second, for ϱ0 = 10−31 gr/cm3 the best estimate of Tγ0 (⊃3K) occurs for the Hagedorn model.
Growth of potential pathogens in denture-soaking solution of myelosuppressed cancer patients

M yelosupprcssion that results in markedly decreased numbers of circulating granulocytes and mucosal damage sustained during antineoplastic chemotherapy may predispose cancer patients to infection.‘.’ The more profound the myelosuppression, the higher the risk of infection, with a significantly higher probability of infection when granulocyte levels fall to less than 1 OO/&‘~ * Most of the infections are caused by opportunistic gram-negative bacilli, especially Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and several species of fungi.“-” Many of the organisms, which are thought to be acquired nosocomially or succeed to predominance after admission to the hospital, effect a change in the patient’s normal flora.‘~‘~ I2 As the organisms are generally not present in the pharynx of a normal population, such factors as hospital treatment modalities, serious systemic disease, and debilitation are thought to select for these pathogens.‘3-‘S Most infections in this population result from microorganisms that have colonized the patient’s alimentary canal, including the oral cavity.‘0,‘P.20 Exogenous sources of infection include food, water, shower stalls, humidifiers, ice machines, respirators, intravenous catheters, and members of the hospital staff.” In one investigation, dentures and denture-soaking containers used by myelosuppressed hospital patients were found to be contaminated heavily with pathogens, especially gram-negative bacilli. 2’ Under these conditions dentures could serve as reservoirs for pathogens in the hospital environment and as a source of infection and cross-contamination. The objective of this investigation was to determine if denture-borne pathogens would
Sensitivity analysis of SWAT nitrogen simulations with and without in-stream processes

The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) has been widely used to estimate pollutant losses from various agricultural management practices. Although many studies have shown good performance in simulating total nitrogen (TN) and dissolved nitrogen (N), the model performed poorly in many other applications, particularly on dissolved N. Poor performance on dissolved N could be attributed to landscape (in-field) processes and/or in-stream N processes in the model. Therefore, the overall goal of this study was to evaluate SWAT N simulations with in-stream processes and without in-stream processes. Sensitivity analysis results showed that when in-stream processes were not simulated, denitrification threshold water content (SDNCO), N in rainfall (RCN) and N percolation coefficient (NPERCO) were the most sensitive parameters to dissolved N losses. However, when in-stream processes were simulated, the most sensitive parameters changed to initial organic N concentration in soil layers (SOLORGN) and organic N enrich...
Edible Coatings from Morpholine-Free Wax Microemulsions

Edible wax coatings were made by the drying of wax microemulsions composed of water, fatty acid, ammonia, and various combinations of candelilla wax, beeswax, carnauba wax, polyethylene wax, and petroleum wax. All 19 coating formulations studied were effective moisture barriers, with the best being those containing candelilla wax, beeswax, and petroleum wax. Polyethylene and carnauba wax coatings had best gloss, but also were the most brittle. Emulsion clarity was improved by using some myristic or palmitic acid, rather than commercial grade oleic acid as the only source of fatty acid. Compared to wax coatings made with ammonia-based emulsions, those made with morpholine had higher permeability to oxygen and water vapor, possibly because the morpholine, being less volatile than ammonia, stayed longer in the coating. Keywords: Microemulsion; edible coating; edible; wax
Streaming audio from African‐American oral history collections

Through the use of OCLC/DiMeMa’s CONTENTdm software and a RealSystems Server 8, this article outlines the process of converting two collections of African‐American oral histories recorded on cassette tapes to digital streaming files at the Washington State University Libraries.
Mandatory monitoring for side effects : the bundling of clozapine

Clozapine is a new neuroleptic drug that was released for clinical use in the United States in February 1990 under the trade name Clozaril. Its availability is limited by an expensive mandatory sys...
A case for short duration of Deccan Trap Eruption

Earth's geologic past has been punctuated by episodes of voluminous outpouring of lava that flooded large areas of continents and oceans, giving rise to what are commonly called flood basalt provinces. These flood basalt eruptions often coincided with major stratigraphic boundaries and mass extinction events. The Deccan Traps of India are a muchstudied example of a flood basalt province that erupted at or near the Cretaceous/Tertiary (K/T) boundary 65 million years ago. These lavas reach a maximum thickness of 2.7 kilometers at the Western Ghats of India.
Radiation-Induced Memory Loss in Thin-Oxide MNOS Devices

A theoretical model is proposed for the radiation-induced memory loss effect in thin-oxide MNOS memory devices. The model treats the stored charge as being located in the nitride, at an average distance from the silicon much larger than the oxide thickness. Under these conditions the radiation-induced conductivity in the nitride determines the decay of stored charge. It is proposed that the radiation-induced conductivity in the nitride is due to radiation-induced carriers drifting in the electric field during the slowing down process, and that the carriers become trapped before reaching thermal equilibrium. In calculating the radiation-induced nitride conductivity, a continuous slowing-down process is assumed. In addition, it is assumed that the radiation-induced carriers are generated according to a 1/(Energy) law. Although values for some of the parameters in the model are not known, it is shown that experimental values of the radiation-induced memory loss rate are consistent with physically reasonable values of the unknown parameters.
Random heterogeneous materials via texture synthesis

Abstract Computer models of random heterogeneous materials are becoming increasingly important in order to support the latest advances in material science, biomedical applications and manufacturing. Such models usually take the form of a microstructure whose geometry is reconstructed from a small material sample, an exemplar. A widely used traditional approach to material reconstruction relies on stochastic optimization to approximate the material descriptors of the exemplar, such as volume fraction and two-point correlation functions. This approach is computationally intensive and is limited to certain types of isotropic materials. We show that formulating material reconstruction as a Markov Random Field (MRF) texture synthesis leads to a number of advantages over the traditional optimization-based approaches. These include improved computational efficiency, preservation of many material descriptors, including correlation functions and Minkowski functionals, ability to reconstruct anisotropic materials, and direct use of the gray-scale material images and two-dimensional cross-sections. Quantifying the quality of reconstruction in terms of correlation functions as material descriptors suggests a systematic procedure for selecting a size of neighborhood, a key parameter in the texture synthesis procedure. We support our observations by experiments using implementation with Gaussian pyramid and periodic boundary conditions.
Paroxysmal autonomie dysfunction, epileptogenic activity and sudden death

Transient abnormalities of autonomic nervous system function are observed during almost every generalized tonic-clonic seizure and include disruptions in blood pressure, cardiac arrhythmias and apnea. An increasing body of literature indicates that epileptogenic discharges, even without accompanying clinical seizure activity, can produce a spectrum of autonomic abnormalities. Marked changes in blood pressure and cardiac rhythm occur in patients paralyzed with neuromuscular blocking agents and subjected to electrical shock or intravenous pentylenetetrazol. Similar changes are observed in patients with focal temporal lobe discharges. There is also experimental evidence suggesting that in addition to the well known effects of generalized seizure discharges, interictal discharges can produce effects upon the cardiovascular system. Neurogenic pulmonary edema may be another autonomic dysfunction associated with seizures. The phenomenon of unexplained sudden death in persons with epilepsy, which accounts for up to 15% of mortality in this group, may be a result of some unexplained irreversible disruption of autonomic homeostasis in the face of all these forces of electrical disorganization. Paradoxically, some persons manifest cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction with consequent seizures which are phenomenologically very similar to those of cerebral origin. It is important to consider performing Holter monitoring in patients with epilepsy of unknown cause and 24 h ambulatory electroencephalograms in patients with unexplained cardiac arrhythmias.
REVIEW OF THE NEOTROPICAL ENDEMICS BURMEISTERA, CENTROPOGON, AND SIPHOCAMPYLUS (CAMPANULACEAE: LOBELIOIDEAE), WITH DESCRIPTION OF 18 NEW SPECIES AND A NEW SECTION

Burmeistera, Centropogon, and Siphocampylus together comprise more than 500 species endemic to the Neotropics, Current knowledge of these genera is unsatisfactory, with much diversity yet to be described. Over the past seven years, one out of every 28 specimens received for identification has represented a new species, many characterized by unique or unusual character states. Siphocampylus smilax (Bolivia) is unique in the genus in its parallelodromous leaf venation and extra-floral nectaries. Centropogon dianae (Peru) cannot be accommodated in any recognized infrageneric taxon, and a new section, Centropogon sect. Niveopsis, is proposed for it. The flowers of C. steinii (Ecuador) are the smallest known in the genus, while C. connatilobatus (Venezuela) is the first species to combine arbusculiform pubescence and connate calyx lobes. Burmeistera venezuelensis is only the second species of the genus known to occur in Venezuela and the first to be endemic; similarly, Centropogon wilburii is only the third species of Centropogon known from Mexico and the first to be endemic to that country. Additional novelties are also described.
Collisionless vibrational energy redistribution between infrared and Raman active modes in SF6

Abstract Experimental results from a time-resolved Raman study of collisionless ( p τ exc p τ obs 6 are reported. Even at infrared fluences below 0.1 J/cm 2 intramolecular energy redistribution is observed. Comparison with photoacoustic measurements shows that within experimental accuracy there is equipartitioning among the various vibrational modes.
Subexcitation electron interactions in rare gases: Production of electronic excited states in helium or neon mixtures with argon, krypton, or xenon.

The formation and decay of the 2[ital p]'' electronic excited states of the rare gases neon, argon, krypton, and xenon in a buffer gas of either helium or neon has been studied by pulse radiolysis techniques. The formation rate constants for these states are all greater than [similar to]2[times]10[sup [minus]9] cm[sup 3] s[sup [minus]1], precluding atom-atom collisional processes and supporting a subexcitation electron mechanism. The rate constants generally show a trend [ital k][sub Xe][gt][ital k][sub Kr][gt][ital k][sub Ar][gt][ital k][sub Ne]. Quenching rate constants for the deactivation of some of the 2[ital p] levels are also reported.
Synthesis of Poly(silyl ester)s via AB Monomer Systems

The polymerization of AB-type monomers was investigated for the preparation of hydrolytically labile poly(silyl ester)s. AB-type polymerizations were based upon either transsilylation or hydrosilyl...
Scleromyxedema-like fibromucinosis in a patient undergoing hemodialysis.

Fifteen hemodialysis patients were recently reported with a new scleromyxedema-like fibrosing disorder thought to be associated with renal dialysis. A case of this new clinicopathological entity is described as well as a limited review of the literature relevant to this disease. The patient was a 31-year-old Hispanic female with firm cutaneous plaques with brawny hyperpigmentation on the thighs and arms, which started 1 month after starting hemodialysis therapy for end-stage renal disease. There was no monoclonal gammopathy or evidence of systemic mucin deposition or other organ system disease. Histopathologically, the skin biopsy samples show haphazardly arranged dermal fibroblasts with associated collagen and small collections of interfibrillar mucin. The skin biopsy was interpreted as scleromyxedema-like fibromucinosis. This represents an additional case of this new renal dialysis-associated disorder. The disease may also occur in nondialysis patients, including those with liver disease.
Late Pleistocene Planktonic Foraminiferal Trends Off Oregon: ABSTRACT

Oscillations in radiolarian-planktonic foraminiferal ratios with increasing depth in several deep-sea sediment cores from the southern Cascadia basin and the adjoining Blanco fracture zone off Oregon are thought to be the result of climatic fluctuations. Greater production of planktonic foraminifers compared with radiolarians seems to have occurred during glacial advances of the Pleistocene, whereas radiolarians predominated during glacial retreats. At least four intervals are evident in the deep-sea sediment record of the last 50,000-70,000 years. Based on radiocarbon dates, these intervals correspond approximately with late Wisconsin glacial advances and retreats as defined for the Puget lowlands of Washington. Five species generally make up 90 per cent or more of the planktonic foraminiferal assemblage. Globigerina pachyderma and Globigerina bulloides together compose more than half of the assemblage. In grain-size fractions of less than 177 microns, Globigerina quinqueloba and Globigerinita uvula predominate. A few specimens of Globoquadrina hexagona, Globigerina digitata, and Globigerinoides ruber have been observed. The species composition of planktonic Formaminifera does not appear to reflect the change from glacial to post-glacial climates. Neither do the coiling habits of Globigerina pachyderma. This species is dominantly left-handed throughout the sections examined. Right-handed forms reach a maximum of 13 per cent and average 2.7. End_of_Article - Last_Page 464------------
Haematoloechus medioplexus: uptake, localization, and fate of tritiated arginine.

Abstract The uptake, localization, and fate of tritiated arginine in Haematoloechus medioplexus was studied using autoradiography of paraffin and frozen tissue sections and liquid scintillation counting techniques. Autoradiographic and liquid scintillation studies on ligated and unligated parasites demonstrated that, during in vitro incubation, only the gut epithelium was active in arginine absorption. Autoradiographic studies also showed that arginine was not preferentially assimilated into any organ or tissue studied. Preincubation of parasites in cycloheximide inhibited the initial assimilation of arginine; autoradiography of frozen sections showed that cycloheximide did not inhibit absorption through the gut lining. Iodoacetate and dinitrophenol (DNP) were both effective inhibitors of arginine absorption. Liquid scintillation studies demonstrated that parasites must first be preincubated in iodoacetate for 5 min for this inhibitor to be totally effective. Dinitrophenol was instantaneous in inhibiting arginine absorption; i.e., preincubation was not a prerequisite for inhibition. Apparently the iodoacetate must first have been absorbed to inhibit absorption, while the DNP affected the permeability of cell membranes bordering the gut lumen. Of the arginine assimilated, 94% was incorporated into the protein fraction of these parasites; the remainder was found in the carbohydrate and lipid fractions. Using pulse labeled parasites, it was found that these worms could excrete, or secrete, radioactive compounds. The tegument and/or excretory pore was responsible for the excretion of a radioactive, ninhydrin positive compound, which was probably the original arginine, or a small peptide containing the original arginine, or an amine. These worms also regurgitated a radioactive compound from the gut which was not reactive with ninhydrin. No correlation between total uptake of labeled arginine and length of incubation could be found. This was likely due to the ability of these worms to absorb, as well as excrete, arginine and the end products of arginine metabolism during short-term incubations, or to the exhaustion of the amino acid pool in these worms resulting in cessation of protein synthesis.
Chemical composition and photochemical reactivity of exhaust from aircraft turbine engines

Abstract. Assessment of the environmental impact of aircraft emissions is required by planners and policy makers. Seveal areas of concern are: 1. exposure of airport workers and urban residents to toxic chemicals emitted when the engines operate at low power (idle and taxi) on the ground; 2. contributions to urban photochemical air pollution of aircraft volatile organic and nitrogen oxides emissions from operations around airports; and 3. emissions of nitrogen oxides and particles during high-altitude operation. The environmental impact of chemicals emitted from jet aircraft turbine engines has not been firmly established due to lack of data regarding emission rates and identities of the compounds emitted. This paper describes an experimental study of two different aircraft turbine engines designed to determine detailed organic emissions, as well as emissions of inorganic gases. Emissions were measured at several engine power settings. Measurements were made of detailed organic composition from C 1 through C 17 , CO, CO 2 , NO, NO x , and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Measurements were made using a multi-port sampling pro be positioned directly behind the engine in the exhaust exit plane. The emission measurements have been used to determine the organic distribution by carbon number and the distribution by compound class at each engine power level. The sum of the organic species was compared with an independent measurement of total organic carbon to assess the carbon mass balance. A portion of the exhaust was captured and irradiated in outdoor smog chambers to assess the photochemical reactivity of the emissions with respect to ozone formation. The reactivity of emissions from the two engines was apportioned by chemical compound class.
Ketamine: the hopes and the hurdles.

i a c s t r l o s d n K etamine and related drugs are arguably one of the most exciting developments in antidepressant pharmacology in more than half a century and are a potentially new mechaism capable of mediating antidepressant action. That mechanism s the antagonism of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor NR) and possibly one or more subtypes of that receptor. By blockng NMDA receptors, ketamine and related drugs target glutamate, hich is the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain and a ransmitter not directly affected by any currently marketed antideressant. In their thought-provoking paper, aan het Rot and colleagues (1) eview many of the studies that have been done with ketamine to ate and suggest some necessary steps forward in its development.
Examining Differential Math Performance by Gender and Opportunity to Learn

Although a substantial amount of research has been conducted on differential item functioning in testing, studies have focused on detecting differential item functioning rather than on explaining how or why it may occur. Some recent work has explored sources of differential functioning using explanatory and multilevel item response models. This study uses hierarchical generalized linear modeling to examine differential performance due to gender and opportunity to learn, two variables that have been examined in the literature primarily in isolation, or in terms of mean performance as opposed to item performance. The relationships between item difficulty, gender, and opportunity to learn are explored using data for three countries from an international survey of preservice mathematics teachers.
Lengthening of time estimates in four different temporal patterns of visual light stimulation

Lengthening in time estimates has been described by several authors. Thirty-six Ss produced estimates of a 10~sec interval over 29 sequential trials under one of four environmental conditions, steady illumination (SI), darkness (D), intermittent photic stimulation with a dark background (IPSD), and intermittent photic stimulation with ambient light (IPSA). Differences from zero trend and other trend differences were produced for all pairs except SI and IPSA. Results were interpreted as evidence favoring Treisman ’s model of the internal clock.
Impact of insulin deprivation and treatment on sphingolipid distribution in different muscle subcellular compartments of streptozotocin-diabetic C57Bl/6 mice

Insulin deprivation in type 1 diabetes (T1D) individuals increases lipolysis and plasma free fatty acids (FFA) concentration, which can stimulate synthesis of intramyocellular bioactive lipids such as ceramides (Cer) and long-chain fatty acid-CoAs (LCFa-CoAs). Ceramide was shown to decrease muscle insulin sensitivity, and at mitochondrial levels it stimulates reactive oxygen species production. Here, we show that insulin deprivation in streptozotocin diabetic C57BL/6 mice increases quadriceps muscle Cer content, which was correlated with a concomitant decrease in the body fat and increased plasma FFA, glycosylated hemoglobin level (%Hb A1c), and muscular LCFa-CoA content. The alternations were accompanied by an increase in protein expression in LCFa-CoA and Cer synthesis (FATP1/ACSVL5, CerS1, CerS5), a decrease in the expression of genes implicated in muscle insulin sensitivity (GLUT4, GYS1), and inhibition of insulin signaling cascade by Aktα and GYS3β phosphorylation under acute insulin stimulation. Both the content and composition of sarcoplasmic fraction sphingolipids were most affected by insulin deprivation, whereas mitochondrial fraction sphingolipids remained stable. The observed effects of insulin deprivation were reversed, except for content and composition of LCFa-CoA, CerS protein expression, GYS1 gene expression, and phosphorylation status of Akt and GYS3β when exogenous insulin was provided by subcutaneous insulin implants. Principal component analysis and Pearson's correlation analysis revealed close relationships between the features of the diabetic phenotype, the content of LCFa-CoAs and Cers containing C18-fatty acids in sarcoplasm, but not in mitochondria. Insulin replacement did not completely rescue the phenotype, especially regarding the content of LCFa-CoA, or proteins implicated in Cer synthesis and muscle insulin sensitivity. These persistent changes might contribute to muscle insulin resistance observed in T1D individuals.
Weaving Straw into Gold: Managing Organizational Tensions Between Standardization and Flexibility in Microfinance

This article explores how organizations balance the pressures to pursue efficiency through standardization with the need to remain responsive to local needs. The study combines rich ethnography with detailed loan data to show that both standardization and flexibility through relational ties provide substantial organizational benefits but also carry significant costs; thus, no strategy is inherently superior, and their coexistence generates the best results. Such coexistence, however, creates contradictions that must be managed. Here, I use microfinance as a strategic setting and gain analytic leverage from the random assignment across branches of loan officers who exhibit significant heterogeneity in rule enforcement styles: some enforce rules strictly, whereas others frequently bend them to respond to client needs. I find that loan officers with relational styles exercise discretion productively to enhance organizational performance. Yet their effectiveness is contingent on the presence of rule-enforcing peers, as evidenced by the significant underperformance of branches with a high concentration of officers of either type. In contrast, branches that contain discretionary diversity, or a balance between enforcement styles, perform best. This is not due to diversity per se, but because loan officers process decisions in local credit committees. Committees that contain discretionary diversity generate a productive tension that induces participants to justify decisions along broader organizational goals, thus maintaining a productive balance between standardization and flexibility. Implications for organizational theory and practice are discussed.
Effects of solvent polarity and structure on intersystem crossing in diphenylcarbenes. A picosecond laser study on dimesitylcarbene

Abstract The singlet to triplet intersystem crossing rate (kST) for a series of diphenylcarbene derivatives is found to be a sensitive function of the energy splitting (ΔEST), which in turn depends on the solvent polarity and on the structure of the carbene. A turn-over in the dependence of kST on ΔEST is found for the case of dimesitylcarbene (DMC), where kST is a decreasing function of ΔEST. The results for DMC provide the first example of intersystem crossing in the large gap limit for a carbene.
Diffuse reflectance of the optically deep sea under combined illumination of its surface

The processing of remotely measured color imagery involves knowledge of the diffuse reflectance of the oceanic water. This paper presents two approaches to this problem. The first one is analytical and consists of an approximate solution to the radiative transfer equation. As a result it gives an equation for diffuse reflectance of the sea as a function of inherent optical properties, the Sun elevation angle and the ratio of the direct illumination by Sun to the diffuse illumination by sky. The second approach is a numerical Monte Carlo simulation. The results of this simulation are processed to produce regressions that connect diffuse reflectance of the seawater for different hydrooptical situations to the solar elevation angle.
Partially crystalline systems in lyophilization: I. Use of ternary state diagrams to determine extent of crystallization of bulking agent.

Two model ternary systems: water-glycine-raffinose and water-glycine-trehalose were investigated to determine the extent of glycine crystallization in frozen solutions. The use of such partially crystalline systems allows primary drying to be carried out substantially above the collapse temperature. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and variable temperature X-ray diffractometry (XRD) were used to monitor phase transitions in frozen systems as well as to determine the T'g. Aqueous solutions containing different glycine to carbohydrate weight ratios were first cooled to -60 degrees C and then warmed to room temperature. In both raffinose and trehalose systems, when the initial glycine to sugar (raffinose pentahydrate or trehalose dihydrate) ratio was or=1, partial glycine crystallization was observed during warming. The presence of amorphous glycine caused the T'g to be substantially lower than that of the solution containing only the carbohydrate. To determine the extent of glycine crystallization, the solutions were annealed for 5 h just above the temperature of glycine crystallization. The T'g observed in the second warming curve was very close to that of the carbohydrate solution alone, indicating almost complete glycine crystallization. These studies enabled the construction of the water-rich sections of the raffinose-glycine-water and trehalose-glycine-water state diagrams. These diagrams consist of a kinetically stable freeze-concentrated solution and a doubly unstable glassy region, which readily crystallizes during cooling or subsequent warming. In addition, there is an intermediate region, where during the experimental timescale, there appears to be hindered glycine nucleation but unhindered crystal growth. To obtain substantially crystalline glycine in the frozen solutions, the glycine to carbohydrate ratios should be >or=1.