cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
COVID-19 ventilator management strategies: What we have learned and future management options?

RATIONAL: Coronaviruses are RNA viruses that primarily affect the respiratory system. Patients with Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) pneumonia and respiratory distress often require hospitalization, ICU admission, intubation and/or non-invasive ventilation, and circulatory support. Some experts suggest that the pathophysiology of traditional ARDS and that of the lung disease associated with COVID-19 are different. It is proposed that the severe hypoxemia in COVID-19 patients is the result of hypoxia-induced vasoconstriction and a large burden of microthrombi which result in intrapulmonary shunting. Therefore, COVID-related ARDS-like patterns of disease may not respond to World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations for early intubation and ARDS Network (ARDSNet) recommendations for FiO2-titrated Positive End-Expiratory Pressure (PEEP) administration and ventilator support. Given the distinct pathophysiology of COVID-19-related ARDS, higher PEEP may indicate mechanical over-inflation of the alveoli resulting in volume trauma in addition to compromising preload and decreasing cardiac output, worsening the pulmonary hypoperfusion. The aim of this study was to examine the rate of death associated with initial and subsequent (48-hour) PEEP settings of 10cmH2O and higher in COVID-19 patients. We hypothesized that higher PEEP settings may lead to increased mortality. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review of patients who presented or were transferred to our facility with COVID-19 and were subsequently intubated from March 1st until April 30th, 2020. Charts were reviewed for initial and 48-hour PEEP settings. Mortality, SARS CoV2 results, clinical data and demographics were also recorded. RESULTS: A total of 74 patients were included in the review. Of these, 53 patients had initial PEEP setting of >10cmH2O and 46 patients had PEEP settings >10cmH2O 48 hours after intubation. Thirty-seven patients had PEEP settings >10cmH2O both initially and 48 hours later. Thirty-seven patients who had an initial PEEP setting of >10 cmH220 died, (70%). Forty patients who had PEEP settings >10cmH2O at 48hrs died (87%). Twenty-seven patients who had both a PEEP setting >10 cmH2O initially and at 48 hours died (73%). CONCLUSIONS: There appears to be an association in COVID-19 patients between high mortality rates and high PEEP settings. The marked association is strong enough, in our view, to suggest that conventional ventilator settings recommended by ARDSNet may not apply to patients experiencing COVID-19-associated ARDS and in fact, may be leading to worse patient outcomes.
Subclinical seizures detected on intracranial EEG: Patient characteristics and impact on surgical outcome in a single pediatric epilepsy surgery center.

Abstract Objective Subclinical seizures (SCS) are often captured during intracranial EEG monitoring of pediatric patients with refractory focal epilepsy. However, their clinical significance remains uncertain. We aimed to characterize features associated with SCS and whether their presence impacts epilepsy outcomes post-surgically. Methods A single center retrospective chart review of patients with refractory focal epilepsy who underwent intracranial EEG monitoring at Boston Children’s Hospital between 2004 and 2014 was conducted. Patient and seizure characteristics as well as post-operative outcome data were collected. Results Of the 104 patients included in the study, SCS were recorded in 66 (63%). Fifty-eight had electroclinical seizures (ECS) and SCS (ECS + SCS), and eight patients only had SCS. There were no significant patient characteristics associated with the presence of SCS. One hundred one of the 104 patients (97%) underwent surgical resection after the intracranial EEG monitoring, 53 of which had Engel 1 outcomes (52%). Incomplete resection (OR 0.15, 95% confidence interval (CI) [0.06, 0.40], p Significance Nearly 2/3 of patients in our study had SCS captured on intracranial EEG monitoring, and arose in overlapping regions with the ictal onset zone of ECS. Completeness of resection remains the most important predictor of seizure outcome, regardless of the presence of SCS. In the absence of ECS during intracranial EEG monitoring, SCS onset zones may provide useful localization information to guide surgical resection plans. This is the largest cohort reported in the literature describing characteristics associated with the presence of SCS and the impact of SCS on pediatric epilepsy surgery outcomes.
Text Message Service of Process - No LOL Matter: Does Text Message Service of Process Comport with Due Process?

U.S. courts have been slow to embrace new technologies. This is especially true when it comes to service of process. With people in the United States relying heavily on cell phones and text message technology, text messages offer a unique method for serving process. Text messages would be useful for serving a defendant when the defendant cannot be located. Further, text messages are sent almost instantaneously and are inexpensive. In addition, unlike e-mail, text messages do not require Internet access. Given these advantages, this Note examines whether text message service of process is constitutional. It argues that text message service of process is not per se unconstitutional. Nevertheless, the current technological limitations of text messages counsel against using text messages to serve process at this time. Assuming that these limitations are ultimately fixed, this Note then proposes a legal framework for permitting text message service of process.
Can There Be Growth with Equity? An Initial Assessment of Land Reform in South Africa

The authors use evidence from a survey of about 1200 beneficiaries of South African land reform to assess the performance of the initial phase of the land reform program. They find that the program has not lived up to the quantitative goals set, but did successfully target the poor. It has led to a significant number of economically successful projects that already generate sustainable revenues. These projects have involved significantly larger shares of poor people than less viable projects, suggesting that increased access to productive assets could be an important path to poverty reduction. Given the need to develop a diverse and less subsidy-dependent strategy for poverty reduction, suitably adapted land reform could play an important part in restructuring South Africa's rural sector. Much of this potential has yet to be realized. The author's analysis points toward clear lessons about program design: 1) Increase beneficiary awareness and participation. Shift from a centralized, bureaucratic structure designed for land distribution toward seeing program components as part of an integrated vision of rural development. This would strengthen links to other parts of land reform (including tenure reform), make better use of local synergies (including infrastructure such as housing), and encourage rather than stifle local initiative decentralized implementation mechanisms. 2) Integrate land redistribution into a land policy framework that strengthens existing property rights, especially tenure security for residents of communal areas. 3) Ensure transparency, accountability, and the participation of the private sector. These are essential for dispelling fears that land reform is just another means of political favoritism rather than an instrument to transform the rural sector, as is indeed supported by international evidence.
Intestinal pneumatosis

1. A case of intestinal pneumatosis in an elderly white male is presented. 2. Control studies of intestinal wall from ten patients in the same age group and using special nerve and muscle stains revealed only marked muscular hypertrophy and diverticulosis as possible related findings. 3. Theories on pathogenesis and the important diagnostic x-ray findings were discussed. 4. We suggest that the term, intestinal pneumatosis, should be restricted to cases with free or dissected air under the diaphragm and involvement of mesenteric lymphatics, as well as accumulation of air in mucosal or submucosal layers which in themselves are not uncommon findings, at least at necropsy.
Evaluating the Operational Efficiency of Two Versions of Super Diverging Diamond Interchange Design: A Case Study in Denver, Colorado:

This paper aims to advance the current research on the new super diverging diamond interchange (super DDI) design by evaluating the operational efficiency using real-world locations. As part of a c...
New developments in therapies for fecal incontinence.

Purpose of reviewFecal incontinence is a common problem among women, affecting between 2 and 7% of the general population. Although pelvic reconstructive surgeons have had many effective tools and techniques to treat other pelvic floor disorders, including pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontine
(4R,5R)-2-Bromo-1,3-bis-(4-methylphenyl sulfonyl)-4,5-diphenyl-1,3,2-diazaborolidine and (4S,5S)-2-Bromo-1,3-bis-(4-methylphenyl sulfonyl)-4,5-diphenyl-1,3,2-diazaborolidine

[121758-17-6] C28H26BBrN2O4S2 (MW 609.36) InChI = 1/C28H26BBrN2O4S2/c1-21-13-17-25(18-14-21)37(33,34)31-27(23-9-5-3-6-10-23)28(24-11-7-4-8-12-24)32(29(31)30)38(35,36)26-19-15-22(2)16-20-26/h3-20,27-28H,1-2H3/t27-,28-/m1/s1 InChIKey = PEEHKMHARMPWIU-VSGBNLITBC [124600-99-3] C28H26BBrN2O4S2 (MW 609.36) InChI = 1/C28H26BBrN2O4S2/c1-21-13-17-25(18-14-21)37(33,34)31-27(23-9-5-3-6-10-23)28(24-11-7-4-8-12-24)32(29(31)30)38(35,36)26-19-15-22(2)16-20-26/h3-20,27-28H,1-2H3/t27-,28-/m0/s1 InChIKey = PEEHKMHARMPWIU-NSOVKSMOBN (chiral bromoborane reagent used to control stereochemistry of enantioselective aromatic Claisen rearrangements, allylations of aldehydes, aldol reactions, and formation of chiral propa-1,2-dienyl and propargyl alcohols) Alternate Name: 2-bromo-4,5-diphenyl-1,3-bis-(toluene-4-sulfonyl)-[1,3,2]diazaborolidine. Physical Data: white solid. Solubility: soluble in methylene chloride. Preparative Methods: (1R,2R)−(+)-N,N′-bis-p-toluenesulfonyl-1,2-diphenylethylenediamine1 was placed in a dry 25 mL round-bottom flask equipped with a magnetic stir bar and sealed with a septum. The flask was evacuated and flushed with argon three times. Freshly distilled dichloromethane (12 mL) was injected and the homogeneous solution was cooled to 0 °C for 10 min, warmed to 23 °C, kept at 23 °C for 40 min, and concentrated under vacuum (ca. 2 mm of Hg) using a metal tube inserted through the septum. Dryness of the vacuum line was maintained with a drying tube containing NaOH pellets and CaSO4 to prevent possible hydrolysis of bromoborane 1.2 Purification: solvent and HBr are removed under reduced pressure. Handling, Storage, and Precautions: moisture sensitive.
Expression of leukaemia inhibitory factor during the development of the human enteric nervous system.

Leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF) is a neuropoietic cytokine, which promotes the development of enteric neurons in vitro, particularly when administered together with neurotrophin-3 (NT-3). The purpose of this study was to map the LIF immunoreactivity in the human enteric nervous system in foetuses, children, adults, and in patients with Hirschsprung's disease. Normal bowel specimens were obtained at postmortem examination of 13 foetuses, at 13–31 weeks of gestation, and at surgery in five children and two adults. Bowel resected in seven patients with Hirschsprung's disease was also investigated. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed on material fixed in formalin and embedded in paraffin. The specimens were exposed to antibodies raised against LIF. The ABC-complex method was used to visualise binding of antibodies to the corresponding antigen. LIF immunoreactivity was disclosed in the myenteric and submucous ganglion cells at 13–31 weeks of gestation, in childhood cases, and adults. LIF-immunoreactive ganglion cells were absent in aganglionic bowel, where the ganglia in the intermuscular layer were replaced by hypertrophic nerve bundles. These morphological findings indicate that LIF may play a role in the development of the enteric nervous system.
Outcomes and Feasibility of a Manualized Cognitive-Behavioral Skills Building Intervention: Group COPE for Depressed and Anxious Adolescents in School Settings

Problem Despite the increasing prevalence of depressive and anxiety disorders in adolescents, less than 25% of affected teens receive any treatment. Methods A preexperimental one-group pre- and posttest pilot study design with 4-week follow-up was used to assess the feasibility and preliminary effects of the COPE (Creating Opportunities for Personal Empowerment) brief-focused manualized seven-session cognitive-behavioral skills building group intervention delivered in two high schools to 16 adolescents referred by a school-based nurse practitioner for depression or elevated anxiety symptoms. Findings Adolescents reported significant decreases in depression and anxiety on the Beck Youth Inventory as well as increases in personal beliefs about managing negative emotions. Evaluations indicated that the group COPE intervention was a positive experience for the teens. Conclusions COPE is a promising brief-focused cognitive behavioral therapy-based intervention that can be delivered effectively to teens in school settings using a group format.
Sol-gel synthesis of lithium niobate powder and thin films using lithium 2,4-pentanedionate as lithium source

Lithium niobate powder was prepared at 500°C by a sol-gel method using lithium 2,4-pentanedionate as the lithium source. This method offers an advantage over the double alkoxide method as lithium 2,4-pentanedionate is less prone to moisture as compared to lithium ethoxide precursor and also it is easily soluble in 2-methoxyethanol. Microstructural investigation revealed sub- micrometer gel powder heat treated at 600°C. Thin films of lithium niobate with no preferred orientation were obtained at 350°C by spin coating of the above precursor solution onto platinum coated silicon substrates.
Trends in acute myocardial infarction hospitalizations: Are we seeing the whole picture?

Background Payers and policy makers rely on studies of trends in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) hospitalizations and spending that count only hospitalizations where the AMI is the principal discharge diagnosis. Hospitalizations with AMI coded as a secondary diagnosis are ignored. The effects of excluding these hospitalizations on estimates of trends are unknown. Methods Observational study of all AMI hospitalizations in Fee-for-Service Medicare beneficiaries 65 years and older, from 2002 through 2011. Results We studied 3,663,137 hospitalizations with any AMI discharge diagnosis over 288,873,509 beneficiary-years. Of these, 66% had AMI coded as principal (versus secondary). From 2002 to 2011, AMI hospitalization rates declined 24.5% (from 1,485 per 100,000 beneficiary-years in 2002 to 1,122 in 2011). Meanwhile, the proportion of these hospitalizations with a secondary AMI diagnosis increased from 28% to 40%; by 2011 these secondary AMI hospitalizations accounted for 43% of all expenditures for hospitalizations with AMI, or $2.8 billion. Major changes in comorbidities, principal diagnoses and mean costs for hospitalizations with a non-principal AMI diagnosis occurred in the 2006-2008 timeframe. Conclusions Current estimates of the burden of AMI ignore an increasingly large proportion of overall AMI hospitalizations and spending. Changes in the characteristics of hospitalizations that coincided with major payment and policy changes suggest that non-clinical factors affect AMI coding. Failing to consider all AMIs could inflate estimates of population health improvements, overestimate the value of AMI prevention and treatment and underestimate current and future AMI burden and expenditures.
Virtual Project Management: Examining the Roles and Functions of Online Instructors in Creating Learning Applications with Value.

While many students and instructors are transitioning from the brick-and-mortar classrooms to virtual classrooms, labs, and simulations, this requires a higher-level of expertise, control, and perseverance by the instructor. Traditional methods of teaching, leading, managing, and organizing learn activities has changed in terms of the virtual learning environment with regard to the use of technology and how learning can be delivered virtually. What does this mean for instructors as more and more colleges and universities are now competing for students, as well as maintaining a required level of academic quality and standards? This paper will focus on the roles, functions, and multi-tasking skills of online instructors in order to be successful in meeting the academic, virtual, and career needs of their adult learners. This paper will demonstrate how one online program is redesigning their global management coursework to help accomplish the above stated needs and invigorate their course with more “hands on” application and student involvement. In the current global management course, the students learn about current issues facing companies working in other overseas locations or learning about other companies considering the possibility of becoming global. While many educators will agree that learning concepts, principles, and theories are necessary in establishing a good foundation of learning in any course, this may not be enough. While instructors may have a challenging position of motivating and keeping the attention of young learners, we can also see the same problem with adult learners. Equally important to note here is the challenges that online instructors may have in motivating and keeping the attention of virtual learners when there are issues of differences in generational learning, time zone challenges, technology skills, and perceptions of course value. Therefore, instructors for this course took another look at the current assignments and final project and realized a change in design and presentation could make a difference.
Seismic attenuation in the Costa Rica margin wedge: amplitude modeling of ocean bottom hydrophone data

Abstract Travel-time and amplitude modeling were carried out on data recorded by three ocean bottom seismometers along two strike profiles, located 10–20 km landward of the Middle America Trench offshore Costa Rica. These two profiles bracket a region of rapid change in physical properties and structural styles. The travel-time modeling indicates little structural change along the profiles, and therefore the data are suitable for amplitude modeling with the reflectivity method. For the profile 10 km from the trench, amplitude modeling indicates a margin wedge with velocities of 4–4.4 km/s and Qp=25–50. For the profile 20 km from the trench, the amplitude modeling indicates a margin wedge with velocities of 4.4–4.8 km/s and Qp=50–75. The primary new result of this analysis is the constraint that Qp=25–75 within the margin wedge at both locations. These high attenuation values are consistent with fracturing of the material making up the margin wedge, either ophiolitic Nicoya Complex rocks, dewatered and cemented sediments, or a tectonic mixture of both.
T-wave morphology abnormalities in benign, potent, and arrhythmogenic Ikr inhibition

Background There is a consensus on the limited value of the QTc interval prolongation as a surrogate marker of drug cardiotoxicity and as a risk stratifier in inherited long QT syndrome (LQTS) patients. Objective We investigated the interest of repolarization morphology in the acquired and the inherited LQTS. Methods We analyzed 2 retrospective electrocardiographic (ECG) datasets from healthy on/off moxifloxacin and from genotyped KCNH2 patients. We measured QT, RR, and T-peak to T-end intervals, early repolarization duration (ERD) and late repolarization duration, T-roundness, T-amplitude, left (αL) and right slopes of T-waves. We designed multivariate logistic models to predict the presence of the KCNH2 mutation or moxifloxacin while adjusting for the level of QTc prolongation and the level of heart rate in LQT2 patients. Independent learning and validation sets were used. A list of 4,874 ECGs from 411 healthy individuals, 293 from 143 LQT2 carriers and 150 noncarrier family members were analyzed. Results In the moxifloxacin model, ERD was associated with the presence of the drug (odds ratio=1.15 per ms increase, confidence interval 1.04 to 1.26, P = .0001) after adjustment for QTc. The model for the LQT2 revealed that left slope was associated with the presence of the KCNH2 mutation (odds ratio=0.38 per 1.5 μV/ms decrease, confidence interval 0.23 to 0.64, P = .0002). Only T-roundness complemented QTc in the model investigating cardiac events in LQT2. Conclusions These observations demonstrate that the phenotypic expression of KCNH2 mutations and the effect of IKr-inhibitory drug on the surface electrocardiogram are specific. Future research should investigate whether this phenomenon is linked to different level/form of loss functions of Ikr channels, and whether they could result in different arrhythmogenic mechanisms.
Sphericity as a characteristic of solids from fossil fuel burning in a Lake Michigan sediment

Abstract The property of sphericity is used to identify some anthropogenic particles in a Lake Michigan sediment. Three classes of products from high temperature processes, primarily fossil fuel burning, have been isolated: charcoals, iron oxides and aluminosilicates. The morphologies, structures and surface characteristics are indicative of the combustion process.
24R,25-(OH)2 Vitamin D3 Inhibits 1α,25-(OH)2 Vitamin D3 and Testosterone Potentiation of Calcium Channels in Osteosarcoma Cells

Abstract Calcium influx via L-type calcium channels in osteoblast cells causes a rapid (in seconds) elevation in intracellular calcium initiated by plasma membrane receptors for 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1α,25-D3). 24R,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 (24,25-D3) alone, in concentrations up to 200 nM, does not cause potentiation of calcium currents in osteoblasts, but it does inhibit the current potentiation by 1α,25-D3. To determine how various steroids interact in their potentiation of calcium channels, the action of vitamin D3 analogues and testosterone with calcium channels in the rat osteoblast-like cell line ROS 17/2.8 was investigated. Bath additions of both 1α,25-D3 and testosterone at doses below K1/2 (the dose causing 50% left shift in the current-voltage relationship) are additive in their ability to potentiate calcium channels. When 1α,25-D3 and testosterone are added together at concentrations that would cause a maximal shift in the current-voltage relationship by each agent alone (Vmax), the effect of these steroids is not additive. Taken together these data suggest one population of calcium channels is activated by 1α,25-D3 or testosterone. The shift in the current-voltage relationship caused by 1α,25-D3 is reduced by 1β,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1β,25-D3), an agent which is thought to act specifically on the plasma membrane receptor for 1α,25-D3, but the potentiation caused by testosterone is not blocked by 1β,25-D3. However, 24,25-D3 inhibits the left shift in the peak current-voltage relationship mediated by either 1α,25-D3 and testosterone. This result implies that 1) 1β,25-D3 directly displaces 1α,25-D3 but not testosterone from its plasma membrane receptor, and 2) the rapid (in seconds) stimulatory effects of 1α,25-D3 and testosterone on calcium channels are mediated by separate plasma membrane receptors for testosterone and 1α,25-D3, which are blocked by another receptor for 24,25-D3. The interaction of these three receptors with L-type calcium channels is pertussis toxin-sensitive.
Methods of determining early hominid behavioral activities associated with the controlled use of fire at FxJj 20 Main, Koobi Fora, Kenva

Abstract A methodological approach which can discriminate between archaeological evidence of fire resulting from natural processes and archaeological evidence of fire resulting from human activities has recently been used to identify evidence of hominid-controlled fire at FxJj 20 Main, an early Pleistocene archaeological site near Koobi Fora, Kenya. The evidence of fire at FxJj 20 Main consists of highly localized, fully oxidized sediment features found near the base of the archaeological horizon. Similar features are preserved at the nearby sites of FxJj 20 East and FxJj 20 AB, but evidence of hominid-controlled fire has not yet been confirmed at these sites. The use and control of fire is regarded as a major technological breakthrough which would have provided hominids with a number of adaptive advantages that have important evolutionary implications. The virtual lack of thermally-altered stone artifacts and bones, the localized configurations of the oxidized features, and the spatial patterning of the artifacts in relation to the oxidized features, indicate that the early hominids did not use fire for the purpose of hunting, cooking, preserving food, intentional plant selection, vegetation clearing, or improving the flaking characteristics of lithic materials. At present, it appears that the early hominids at FxJj 20 Main used controlled fire primarily as a source of protection against predators, as a source of light, and/or as a source of heat.
The prosody of phrase in Rotuman

The “phase” alternation in Rotuman isremarkable (and has attracted a good dealof previous attention) for two reasons.First, the shape differences between phasesare quite diverse, involving resyllabification,deletion, umlaut, and metathesis.Second, the phase alternation produces prosodicstructures that are otherwiseunattested in this language, replacing simple(C)V syllables with closed anddiphthongal ones. In this article,I argue that Optimality Theory (Prince andSmolensky 1993) helps to make sense ofboth these observations. I also go on touse these results to support some claimsabout the nature of templates andprosodic circumscription in the theory of ProsodicMorphology (McCarthy andPrince 1986).
Portable DOP tester for inspection of high-efficiency filters.

Abstract A portable filter tester consisting of a di-octyl phthalate (DOP) aerosol generator and light-scattering photometer is described which is used to detect damages or imperfections in high-efficiency filters.
High-angular-momentum transfer during the autoionization of the 6p1/2nd J=3 states of barium.

We report a measurement of the energy dependence of the branching ratios for autoionization of the (6${\mathit{p}}_{1/2}$${\mathit{nd}}_{5/2}$${)}_{\mathit{J}=\mathit{M}\mathit{J}}$=3 states of barium into the 5${\mathit{d}}_{3/2}$\ensuremath{\epsilon}l continuum channels by monitoring the population in each ${\mathit{m}}_{\mathit{j}}$ state of the 5${\mathit{d}}_{3/2}$ residual ion. We use polarization-sensitive laser-induced fluorescence to detect the ion populations. Near the energy of the (6${\mathit{p}}_{1/2}$${\mathit{ng}}_{7/2}$${)}_{\mathit{J}=3}$ perturbing resonances, nearly 25% of the doubly excited barium atoms produce the 5${\mathit{d}}_{3/2}$\ensuremath{\epsilon}${\mathit{h}}_{9/2}$ channel, requiring an exchange of at least three units of orbital angular momentum between the excited electrons.
Comparison of associative recognition versus source recognition

The importance of the medial temporal lobe (MTL) for memory of arbitrary associations has been well established. However, the contribution of the MTL in concurrent retrieval of different classes of associations remains unclear. The present fMRI study investigated neural correlates of concurrent retrieval of associative and source memories. Participants studied a list of object pairs with two study tasks and judged the status and context of the pair during test. Associative retrieval was supported by neural activity in bilateral prefrontal cortex and left ventral occipito-temporal cortex, while source recognition was linked to activity in the right caudate. Both the hippocampus and MTL cortex showed retrieval activity for associative and source memory. Importantly, greater brain activity for successful associative recognition accompanied with successful source recognition was evident in left perirhinal and anterior hippocampal regions. These results indicate that the MTL is critical in the retrieval of different classes of associations.
Is preoperative iodine 123 meta-iodobenzylguanidine scintigraphy routinely necessary before initial adrenalectomy for pheochromocytoma?

Abstract Background Iodine 123 meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) scintigraphy has been used in patients with clinical suspicion of pheochromocytoma to confirm the nature of an adrenal or extraadrenal mass or to identify occult disease. Additionally, it may be used to identify unsuspected bilaterality or metastases in the setting of a known unilateral adrenal mass before operation. We sought to determine the role of 123I MIBG scintigraphy in this apparently routine preoperative setting. Our hypothesis was that 123I MIBG would provide additional preoperative information that could modify operative intervention. Methods All patients undergoing 123I MIBG scintigraphy at our institution between 1992 and 2002 were identified. MIBG results, operative procedures and findings, and pathologic findings were retrospectively reviewed and compared. Results The 123I MIBG scintigraphy was performed in a total of 315 patients. Of these, 48 were patients with an initial biochemical diagnosis of pheochromocytoma and a unilateral adrenal mass. 47 of the 48 (98%) primary scans were positive for a single focus of activity concordant with anatomic imaging data from computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging and operative findings. The 123I MIBG did not reveal unsuspected metastatic or bilateral disease in any patient. Conclusion In this large series of patients undergoing 123I MIBG scintigraphy, the test served only to confirm diagnostic impressions and corroborate anatomic imaging. The 123I MIBG did not alter the operative management of any patient with a solitary adrenal lesion in the clinical context of biochemically-proven catecholamine excess.
Effects of thermal peptides on retention of footshock avoidance training in mice

Some hydrophobic polypeptides known as thermal proteins have been found to have neurotrophic effects. Thermal proteins were synthesized from aspartic acid, glutamic acid, proline, and tryptophan. Two hydrophobic and one nonhydrophobic polymers were injected intracerebroventricularly into brains of mice after partial training on footshock avoidance run in a T-maze. When retention was tested 1 week later, the hydrophobic polymers enhanced retention while the nonhydrophobic polymer did not. Thermal proteins exhibiting hydrophobicity and having neurotrophic effects may aid in altering synaptic connections by facilitating cell recognition.
EFFICACY OF TESTOSTERONE COMPOUNDS ADMINISTERED SUBLINGUALLY TO HYPOGONADAL MEN

OBJECTIVE evidence of the effectiveness of methyltestosterone administered by the sublingual or buccal route has been previously reported by Joel in 1942; Spence, 1942; Lisser, Escamilla, and Curtis, 1942; Lisser and Curtis, 1943 and 1945; Dunn and Hoffman, 1945; Finkler, 1947; Deamer, 1948; and Escamilla, 1949 (1–9). This method of administration is not new, as nitroglycerine has been given by this route for many years. The pharmacology of the method was discussed by Walton in 1944 (10). Sublingual administration of steroidal hormones was first shown to be effective by Anderson, Haymaker, and Henderson (11), who used desoxycorticosterone acetate dissolved in propylene glycol. A comparison of testosterone and its esters administered in propylene glycol was reported from this clinic in 1942 (3). However, the use of the propylene glycol solvent was not popular with the patients. They reported an unpleasant taste, associated salivation, and objected to the inconvenience of holding the tongue in a retracted p...
Mechanical reinforcement of hydrogels by nanofiber network undergoing biaxial deformation

Hydrogels can encapsulate large quantities of water within a three-dimensional cross-linked polymer network. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogels have been widely used in tissue engineering, wound dressing, and drug delivery. However, the inferior mechanical properties of PVA hydrogels limit their utility in load-bearing applications. To alleviate this deficiency, we used a hybrid electrospinning/solution casting continuous process to reinforce PVA hydrogels using polyurethane nanofibers. In this process, the nanofibers were electrospun into the wet solution cast film prior to solidification. The reinforcement of PVA hydrogels at a series of extent of water swelling was determined using a custom built bubble biaxial stretching device. The results showed that nanofibers have substantial enhancement effect on mechanical properties particularly in thin hydrogel films at high water concentrations. Reduction of nanofiber diameter was also found to increase this reinforcement due to increased interfacial area between nanofibers and hydrogels. POLYM. COMPOS., 2014. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers
Compressive stress effects on nanoparticle modulus and fracture

Individual nanoparticles of silicon and titanium having diameters in the range of $40--140\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{nm}$ have been repeatedly compressed by a nanoindenter. Even at low loads, the small tip-particle and particle-substrate contacts generate extreme pressures within the confined particle, influencing its stiffness and fracture toughness. The effect of these high pressures on the measured modulus is taken into account by invoking a Murnaghan equation-of-state-based analysis. Fracture toughness of the silicon particles is found to increase by a factor of 4 in compression for a $40\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{nm}$-diam particle when compared to bulk silicon. Additionally, strain energy release rates increase by more than an order of magnitude for particles of this size when compared to bulk Si.
Motilin regulation of canine interdigestive intestinal motility.

The objective was to determine whether motilin regulates cyclical interdigestive motility in the jejunum as well as in the duodenum. In four conscious dogs with an intact innervated duodenum, an autotransplanted (extrinsically denervated) 75-cm loop of proximal jejunum, and an autotransplanted,in situ distal jejunum, interdigestive myoelectrical complexes cycled independently in all three regions of small bowel. Plasma concentration of motilin was greater during phase III of the duodenal cycles (304±37 pg/ml) than during phase I (235±37 pg/ml) or phase II (235±39 pg/ml;P<0.05), but the concentration did not vary consistently with the phases of the cycles in the autotransplanted jejunal segments. Intravenous infusions of motilin (0.6 μg/kg/min for 5 hr), begun 15–30 min after passage of phase III through the duodenum, shortened the interval between phase IIIs in the duodenum from 147±14 min before infusions to 44±3 min during the infusions (P<0.05), but did not alter consistently the interval between phase IIIs in the autotransplanted jejunal segments. Feeding decreased plasma motilin concentration. The data were consistent with motilin regulation of interdigestive motility in intact, innervated canine duodenum but not in extrinsically denervated jejunum.
The maturing of the relationship between the science of learning and cognition and educational practice

Abstract Advances in our understanding of cognition have brought into reach the aim of fostering students' ability to become architects of their own knowledge and made the study of learning under instructional conditions an integral aspect of psychological as well as educational research. Work on the application of psychological science to education now focusses on the details of teaching activities and programs that aim to foster students' knowledge construction abilities. After a sketch of the American research on cognition that has set a framework for educational practice, attention is given to trends in the design of instructional innovation. The research considered includes analyses of textbook structure and problem exercises, teacher explanations, and structured classroom interactions.
Mother-child conversations at 36 months and at pre-kindergarten: Relations to children's school readiness:

The contributions of mothers’ and children's oral language to children's school readiness were longitudinally examined among 75 low-income mothers and children. When children were 36 months, mothers’ and children's lexical diversity, mothers’ wh-questions, and children's PPVT-III scores were assessed from play interactions. At pre-kindergarten, mothers and children shared a personal narrative, and various aspects of mothers’ and children's narratives were coded. Children were assessed on their knowledge about print, letter-word identification, mathematical skills and sustained attention, and scores were combined into a single factor of school readiness. Structural equation analyses yielded two pathways to school readiness. Mothers’ wh-questions and lexical diversity predicted children's PPVT-III scores at 36 months, which in turn predicted children's school readiness. Mothers’ 36-month lexical diversity predicted mothers’ narrative prompts, which related to children's narrative contributions. Children's n...
Proton-beam, intensity-modulated, and/or intraoperative electron radiation therapy combined with aggressive anterior surgical resection for retroperitoneal sarcomas.

Background We sought to reduce local recurrence for retroperitoneal sarcomas by using a coordinated strategy of advanced radiation techniques and aggressive en-bloc surgical resection.
Mapping high or low mortality places across time in the United States: a research note on a health visualization and analysis project.

This research note reports progress in visualizing and analyzing United States mortality data at the county level. The data visualization technique employed here may be applicable to other research situations. We dichotomized the range of mortality rates into high or low mortality counties, mapped them, and explored the clustering of high or low mortality rate counties across both space and time. We find visual evidence that high or low mortality counties spatially cluster together during individual periods of time (5 years). We find further visual evidence that there is a spatial persistence over time (30 years) of these counties with high or low mortality. This evidence leads us to conclude that relatively high or low mortality is anchored over time within a spatial region and population, suggesting that research efforts may be focused on these clusters to assess local causes of high or low mortality rates. Future research will examine the permanence of the resident population (i.e., population mixing), characteristics of the resident population, and characteristics of their place of residence over time.
2011 AGU medalists and awardees

[1] The Honors and Recognition Committee is pleased to announce AGU's 2011 medalists and awardees. The scientists listed below will be recognized at the annual honors ceremony, which this year will be held on 7 December at the Fall Meeting in San Francisco. Through these honors, AGU is proud to celebrate their outstanding achievements in the advancement of geophysical sciences and service to the community.
Preparation and properties of ZnO and devices

ZnO has gained interest in part because of its large exciton binding energy (60 meV), good for lasing with low threshold. The renewed interest in ZnO is fuelled by availability of high quality substrates, reports of p-type conductivity, and ferromagnetic behavior when doped with transitions metals. The field is also fuelled by theoretical predictions and perhaps experimental confirmation of ferromagnetism at room temperature for potential spintronics applications. Despite great strides there are still many challenges, the chief among them is the attainment of reproducibly low resistivity p-type ZnO. While ZnO already has many industrial applications owing to its piezoelectric properties and bandgap in the near UV, its applications to optoelectronic devices utilizing electrical injection has not yet been put to practice mainly due to the lack of p-type epitaxial layers. This review provides a discussion of some of the growth issues of ZnO-based epitaxial and heteroepitaxial layers and their use in a variety of devices.
THEORY OF SPUTTERING BY HIGH-SPEED IONS

The theoretical treatment of ion sputtering at energies above about 50 kev is simplified by the fact that the emergent particles originate at depths in the material which are small compared to the range of the incident particles. The displacement rate is nearly constant over this region and this enables one to obtain relatively simple solutions of the diffusion problem for emission.The emission problem is reduced to an effective one-velocity diffusion calculation by an artifice. The volume displacement rate is increased by the factor $\overline{\ensuremath{\nu}}$, where $\overline{\ensuremath{\nu}}$ is the average number of secondaries, and the macroscopic absorption and scattering cross sections are adjusted to make the average number of collisions of each particle equal to the actual average over the secondaries. The resultant sputtering ratio, $\mathfrak{R}$, varies with incident energy $E$, incident angle $\ensuremath{\psi}$, and mass ratio $\ensuremath{\mu}=\frac{{M}_{1}}{{M}_{2}}$ (where ${M}_{1}=\mathrm{mass}\mathrm{of}\mathrm{incident}\mathrm{particle}$, ${M}_{2}=\mathrm{mass}\mathrm{of}\mathrm{target}\mathrm{particle}$), as $\mathfrak{R}\ensuremath{\propto}\ensuremath{\mu}(\frac{\mathrm{ln}E}{E})sec\ensuremath{\psi}$.
Induction of the morphologic changes of both acute and chronic experimental myasthenia by monoclonal antibody directed against acetylcholine receptor

To investigate pathogenic mechanisms in experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG) and myasthenia gravis (MG), we studied the acute and chronic effects in rats of injection of rat monoclonal antibodies ( MCABs ) directed against the acetylcholine receptor (AChR). Animals were severely weak 12 h after a single injection, at which time macrophages were found invading endplate regions of muscle and cholinesterase-stained regions were separted from the underlying muscle fibers. Ultrastructural studies showed findings identical to the acute phase of EAMG: degenerating postsynaptic membranes and invasion and phagocytosis of endplate regions by macrophages. Animals receiving sublethal doses of MCAB recovered clinically by 4-5 days after injection. Recovery was accompanied by a progressive decrease in the number of macrophages associated with endplates and reapposition to the myofibers of the cholinesterase-stained regions. Animals injected once, or repeatedly over several months, remained clinically and electromyographically normal after recovery from the initial episode of weakness, but their endplate ultrastructure was highly simplified with blunted or absent synaptic folds and shallow or absent secondary synaptic clefts. These studies demonstrate that anti-AChR MCABs can induce the changes of both acute and chronic EAMG. There is good correlation between the inflammatory changes and the acute clinical disease but poor correlation between morphological and clinical parameters in the chronic syndrome. The latter observation suggests that severe ultrastructural changes, similar to those seen in chronic EAMG and MG, cannot account, at least in rats, for the clinical and electrophysiologic abnormalities of MG.
Effect of ethanol administration on the activity of hepatic lysosomal enzymes

Abstract The activities of hepatic lysosomal enzymes were determined in rats after the acute administration of ethanol and its feeding for periods of 1 and 6 months. The acute administration of ethanol and its feeding for 1 month did not result in any changes in lysosomal enzymes. By contrast the feeding of ethanol for a period of 6 months resulted in increases in the total activities of β-glucuronidase, β - N -acetylglucosaminidase and arylsulfatase A measured in the homogenates, and in the specific activities of these enzymes plus acid phosphatase measured in the lysosomal fraction. In addition, there were increases in the free activities of β-glucuronidase and acid phosphatase measured in the homogenates. Hyaluronidase activity was not changed by ethanol feeding. The increases in lysosomal enzymes were accompanied by histologic changes consisting only of mild fatty infiltration.
Retinoic acid in the formation of the dorsoventral retina and its central projections.

Dynamic expression patterns of four retinoid-metabolizing enzymes create rapidly changing retinoic acid (RA) patterns in the emerging eye anlage of the mouse. First, a RA-rich ventral zone is set up, then a RA-poor dorsal zone, and finally a tripartite organization consisting of dorsal and ventral RA-rich zones separated by a horizontal RA-poor stripe. This subdivision of the retina into three RA concentration zones is directly visible as beta-galactosidase labeling patterns in retinas of RA-reporter mice. Because the axons of retinal ganglion cells transport the reporter product anterogradely, the central projections from dorsal and ventral retina can be visualized as two heavily labeled axon bundles. Comparisons of the axonal labeling with physiologic recordings of visual topography in the adult mouse show that the labeled axons represent the upper and the lower visual fields. The RA-poor stripe develops into a broad horizontal zone of higher visual acuity. Comparisons of the retina labeling with eye-muscle insertions show that the axis of the RA pattern lines up with the dorsoventral axis of the oculomotor system. These observations indicate that the dorsoventral axis of the embryonic eye anlage determines the functional coordinates of both vision and eye movements in the adult.
Infant feeding practices among clinical nursing staff in urban Papua New Guinea

PIP: To determine the personal attitudes of urban public nursing staff toward infant feeding practices, 97 nurses and aides who were mothers and also full-time staff at public health care facilities in Port Moresby were interviewed in 1981. In 1977, Papua New Guinea passed legislation making infant feeding bottles and teats available only through prescription by an authorized health professional. This legislation was supplemented by an educational campaign advocating breastfeeding. The nursing staff is important to this campaign, since those charged with administrative duties can prescribe bottles; moreover, as a result of their close contact with patients, nursing staff influence mothers' attitudes toward infant feeding. The nurses and aides interviewed ranged in age from 21-50 years; 75 had at least 1 child under age 5. Each child was classified as breastfed, mixed-fed (use of supplementary bottle 1 or more times a week), or bottlefed. 185 (71%) of the 260 babies included in the study were exclusively breastfed, while 72 (28%) received milk from both breast and bottle. No significant difference in feeding practices occurred after the 1977 legislation. Attitudes were strongly in favor of breastfeeding, with bottle feeding considered appropriate only under highly specific conditions. There was a significant difference (p0.001) between children of mothers who returned to work within the 1st 6 months postpartum and those of mothers who returned later in the proportion that were bottlefed at least occasionally. More detailed information was elicited on the mothers' youngest child. The mean age of weaning from the breast among the 44 youngest children who were under age 5 1/2 at the time of the interview was 21 months. The mean age for bottle introduction and bottle termination was 2 months and 12 months, respectively. 67 (80%) of mothers in this group returned to work within the 1st 3 months postpartum; however, 41 continued to exclusively breastfeed. This was possible because a creche was provided at the job, or the place of work was close enough for the childminder to bring the infant to the mother for feeding at the 2 1/2 hour breaks provided to all wage-employed mothers. This survey suggests that promotion of breastfeeding must be complemented by the provision of adequate opportunities in the work place for infant feeding.