cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Critical Analysis of Clinical Success after Surgical Bypass for Lower-Extremity Ischemic Tissue Loss Using a Standardized Definition Combining Multiple Parameters: A New Paradigm of Outcomes Assessment

Background Success after surgical revascularization of the lower extremities, traditionally defined by graft patency or limb salvage, fails to consider other intuitive measures of importance. The purpose of the study was to construct a more comprehensive definition of clinical success and to identify clinical predictors of failure. Study design For the purpose of this study, clinical success was defined as achieving all of the following criteria: graft patency to the point of wound healing; limb salvage for 1 year; maintenance of ambulatory status for 1 year; and survival for 6 months. Between 1998 and 2004, 331 consecutive patients undergoing bypass for Rutherford III critical limb ischemia were measured for clinical success. Bivariate and logistic regression analyses were performed to determine demographic differences between success and failure. Results Despite achieving acceptable graft patency (72.7% at 36 months) and limb salvage (73.3% at 36 months), clinical success combining all 4 defined parameters was only 44.4%. Independent predictors of failure included impaired ambulatory status at presentation (odds ratio [OR] = 6.44), presence of infrainguinal disease (OR = 3.93), end-stage renal disease (OR = 2.48), presence of gangrene (OR = 2.40), and hyperlipidemia (OR = 0.56). Probability of failure in patients possessing every predictor except hyperlipidemia at presentation was 97% (OR = 150.6). Conclusions Despite achieving acceptable graft patency and limb salvage, fewer than half of the patients achieved success when using a definition combining multiple parameters. A reappraisal of our current approach to critical limb ischemia in certain high-risk patients is warranted.
Gastrointestinal motility disorders in scleroderma

After the skin, the gastrointestinal tract is the second most common target of systemic sclerosis. The major clinical manifestations include gastroesophageal reflux, small bowel bacterial overgrowth, malnutrition, and intestinal pseudoobstruction. Treatment is symptomatic and supportive. Gastroesophageal reflux can usually be adequately managed with prokinetic drugs, omeprazole, and judicious use of antireflux surgery. If Barrett's esophagus is present, periodic endoscopic monitoring for development of dysplastic changes or adenocarcinoma is indicated. Bacterial overgrowth usually responds to rotating antibiotics and prokinetic drugs. Malnutrition and intestinal pseudoobstruction remain the major problems and often home total parenteral nutrition is required. Intestinal pseudoobstruction occurs in two phases: an early, neuropathic phase may respond to prokinetic drugs (metoclopramide, cisapride, octreotide, and erythromycin) and dietary modification (low-residue diets, vitamin supplementation). In the late myopathic phase, therapy is usually ineffective. Treatment consists of nutritional support. Careful manometric and radiographic localization of affected segments of stomach and small and large intestines may allow judicious surgical resection or venting procedures to reduce symptoms in this unfortunate group of patients.
Experimental manipulations of dispersal in the subsocial spider, Theridion pictum

Theridion pictum (Walckenaer) is a subsocial spider, that is, the mother actively takes care of her offspring for an extended period of time after they emerge. It is demonstrated that spiderling dispersal is affected by the availability of food in the maternal web. Experimental manipulations indicate that in those webs where less food was provided, spiderlings dispersed significantly earlier and in significantly greater numbers. These results illustrate the importance of food availability as a permissive factor in the evolution of social spiders from subsocial ancestors. Food availability also affects the pattern of sex-biased philopatry and dispersal. Although both sexes are more likely to remain in the maternal web when more food is available, females are relatively more likely to do so. When less food is available, females are relatively more likely to disperse than are males.
Imaging genetics approaches to identify mechanisms in severe mental illness.

Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorders are heritable serious mental illnesses (SMI). What does this heritability mean? What are the underlying mechanisms? Large genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified both shared and unique genetic risk variants for these disorders; however, causal risk variants, their molecular mechanisms, and their effects on brain circuitry are mostly unknown. Targeted, possibly individualized, therapies addressing underlying mechanisms offer the promise of improved functioning and well-being for patients. The study of the effects of the CACNA1C gene on episodic memory-associated neural circuitry by Erk et al. (1) provides a noteworthy use of the imaging-genetics approach to aid in our understanding of biological mechanisms underlying SMI. Typically, the imaging-genetics approach refers to the use of structural or functional imaging data to evaluate genetic variation or more infrequently, the use of imaging data to discover genes related to disorders or symptoms. The rs1006737 A allele is a risk factor for bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and schizophrenia in large GWAS, making the CACNA1C gene an important therapeutic target. The rs1006737 A allele itself may not be the causal variant but may merely “tag” the true causal DNA variants. These causal variants tagged by the rs1006737 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) may or may not be identical among individuals, both within and across disorders. This can be resolved by DNA sequencing. Additionally, gene function is frequently modified by other factors including other genes (e.g., epistasis), methylation (epigenetics), or copy number variations or transposable element changes in DNA structure (2). Genetic variation can cause dysfunction in the CACNA1C (also called Cav1.2), which encodes the alpha-1 subunit protein of a longterm (L)-type voltage-dependent calcium channel that mediates calcium ion influx. The calcium channel consists of alpha-1, alpha-2/ delta, and beta subunits in a 1:1:1 ratio. Inactivation of the CACNA1C gene produces profound memory effects in mice. Electrophysiological, biochemical, and behavioral analyses of mice lacking the Cav1.2 gene strongly support the role for L-type voltage calciumdependent function in hippocampus-based learning and memory (3). The influx of calcium through these channels triggers hippocampus-dependent synaptic plasticity associated with memory. Interestingly, this effect on long-term potentiation appears to be N-methyl-D-aspartate-independent, in contrast to other long-term potentiation mechanisms. L-type calcium channel blockers such as nimodipine and verapamil both bind to these calcium channels and have some demonstrated efficacy in treating bipolar disorder and schizoaffective disorder. Incidentally long QT syndrome, as well as QTc (a measure of time between the beginning of the Q wave and beginning of the T wave in the heart's electrical cycle, corrected
Irregular sesquiterpenoids from Ligusticum grayi roots.

Root oil of Ligusticum grayi (Apiaceae) contains numerous irregular sesquiterpenoids. In addition to the known acyclic sesquilavandulol and a sesquilavandulyl aldehyde, two thapsanes, one epithapsane, and 14 sesquiterpenoids representing eight hitherto unknown carbon skeletons were found. These skeletons are:
SEQUENCE DEPENDENT DEAMIDATION RATES FOR MODEL PEPTIDES OF HEN EGG‐WHITE LYSOZYME

The rates of deamidation in pH 7.5, 0.15 M, 37°C potassium phosphate buffer of eleven pentapeptide models of the sequences found near asparaginyl and glutaminyl residues in egg white lysozyme were measured. These rates and rate estimates from previous measurements were used to calculate a sequence-determined half-life for non-deamidated egg white lysozyme. Deamidation of the peptides during synthesis and purification was also measured. The implications of these measurements for biological deamidation and deamidation during peptide synthesis are discussed.
Relation extraction from biomedical literature with minimal supervision and grouping strategy

We develop a novel distant supervised model that integrates the results from open information extraction techniques to perform relation extraction task from biomedical literature. Unlike state-of-the-art models for relation extraction in biomedical domain which are mainly based on supervised methods, our approach does not require manually-labeled instances. In addition, our model incorporates a grouping strategy to take into consideration the coordinating structure among entities co-occurred in one sentence. We apply our approach to extract gene expression relationship between genes and brain regions from literature. Results show that our methods can achieve promising performance over baselines of Transductive Support Vector Machine and with non-grouping strategy.
OPTIMAL CONTROL OF VEHICLE RANDOM VIBRATION WITH CONSTRAINED SUSPENSION DEFLECTION

Abstract A major purpose of any vehicle suspension system is to isolate the body from roadway unevenness disturbances. On rough roads or at very high speeds on smoother roads, suspension deflection may become large enough to cause frequent bottoming, thus causing a severe degradation of isolation. Variable parameter suspensions are optimized to use the available suspension deflection to provide maximum isolation. Broadband stochastic roadway inputs at several intensity levels are applied to a quarter car model and the suspension parameters are optimized to find the best possible isolation under the (equality) constraint that the r.m.s. suspension deflection is a constant value in every case. From these results, improvements can be designed on the basis of measured suspension travel signals. Five types of suspension systems are investigated. These systems are called the fully active, the limited active, the optimal passive, the actively damped, and the variable damper systems. Comparisons are made among these systems in terms of r.m.s. response, frequency domain predictions and eigen-frequency behavior as functions of disturbance intensity. The results show that such an adaptation philosophy would work well for moderate and high roadway intensities. For very smooth roads, forcing the suspension system to provide a specific r.m.s. travel does not produce a useful result, because at low disturbance intensities, the normal tire force variation becomes unnecessarily large as the system is forced to maintain constant r.m.s. suspension deflection. The fully active suspension system provides much better body isolation than the other types with or without equality constraint. Finally, the fully active system requires minimum suspension control force to maintain constant suspension travel compared with the other?!types of suspension considered.
Specialization in DITA: technology, process, & policy

DITA is an architecture for creating topic-oriented, information-typed content that can be reused and single-sourced in a variety of ways. It is also an architecture for creating new information types and describing new information domains, allowing groups to create very specific, targeted document type definitions using a process called specialization, while at the same time reusing common output transforms and design rules.Specialization provides a way to reconcile the needs for centralized control of major architecture and design with the needs for localized control of group-specific and content-specific guidelines and controls. Specialization allows multiple definitions of content and output to coexist, related through a hierarchy of information types and transforms. This hierarchy lets general transforms know how to deal with new, specific content, and it lets specialized transforms reuse logic from the general transforms. As a result, any content can be processed by any transform, as long as both content and transform are specialization-compliant and part of the same hierarchy. You get the benefit of specific solutions, but you also get the benefit of common standards and shared resources.For some groups, specialization requires a radical move away from centralized processes into a world of negotiated possibilities that introduces many new stakeholders to the information management infrastructure. For other groups, specialization introduces centralization, and, while it provides new opportunities for sharing and reusing logic and design, it also requires new policies and procedures to bring disparate design and development activities into a cohesive, coordinated framework.Previous papers ([1],[2],[3],[4]) have described in some detail how the technology of specialization works, and how it can be implemented using off-the-shelf tools that are dependent only on base levels of W3C standards (XML 1.0, XSLT 1.0). This paper provides a brief summary of recent changes to DITA specialization, and describes their effects on processes, but concentrates primarily on policy considerations involved in the deployment of a specialization architecture.
Structural and Mechanistic Analysis of Protein Interactions in Module 3 of the 6-Deoxyerythronolide B Synthase

We report the 2.6 A X-ray crystal structure of a 190 kDa homodimeric fragment from module 3 of the 6-deoxyerthronolide B synthase covalently bound to the inhibitor cerulenin. The structure shows two well-organized interdomain linker regions in addition to the full-length ketosynthase (KS) and acyltransferase (AT) domains. Analysis of the substrate-binding site of the KS domain suggests that a loop region at the homodimer interface influences KS substrate specificity. We also describe a model for the interaction of the catalytic domains with the acyl carrier protein (ACP) domain. The ACP is proposed to dock within a deep cleft between the KS and AT domains, with interactions that span both the KS homodimer and AT domain. In conjunction with other recent data, our results provide atomic resolution pictures of several catalytically relevant protein interactions in this remarkable family of modular megasynthases.
Chronic histiocytic intervillositis: a placental lesion associated with recurrent reproductive loss.

Chronic (histiocytic) intervillositis (CHIV), defined for the purposes of this study as diffuse histiocytic infiltration of the intervillous space without villitis, is an idiopathic lesion seen in the chorionic sacs of some spontaneous abortion specimens and placentas. In this retrospective study, we evaluated all patients diagnosed with CHIV from 2 hospitals between 1993 and 2000, plus 1 additional patient from 1977. Histopathology, phenotype of the leukocytic infiltrate, perinatal outcome, and other associated clinical features were assessed by review of clinical records and all available pathology specimens plus immunohistochemical staining. CHIV was found in 31 of 45 specimens examined from 21 patients (23 of 31 first trimester, 3 of 5 second trimester, and 5 of 9 third trimester). Recurrence rate was 67% for patients with more than one specimen reviewed. Overall perinatal mortality rate was 77%, and only 18% of pregnancies reached 37 weeks. Eight of 19 patients with 3 or more pregnancies had recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA); 5 with primary RSA (ɥ3 consecutive spontaneous abortions (SAB) with no living children) and 3 with secondary RSA (ɥ3 consecutive SAB with 1 or more living children). Severe intrauterine growth restriction was seen in 5 of 8 second- and third-trimester placentas with CHIV. Patients were generally not of advanced maternal age (mean, 29.8 ± 6.2 years), and there was no obvious racial predisposition. Autoimmune or allergic phenomena were identified in 11 patients. Immunohistochemical staining of the intervillous infiltrate showed a near uniform population of monocyte-macrophages at varying stages of maturity and activation: more than 90% CD45Rb and CD68 positive, 30% to 40% MAC387 positive, less than 5% CD3 positive, and CDla, CD20, CD30, and CD56 negative. We conclude that CHIV is an uncommon but important cause of recurrent spontaneous abortion and, in some cases, loss at later gestational ages.
Capitalizing on Participation: Latina/o Adolescents and the Classroom Economy.

Interactions with capital—how it is identified, accumulated and exchanged—occur within fields of action, and every field has its own set of rules, or habitus, shaping the ways in which these interactions unfold. Classrooms, the fields in which students interact in schools, shape and privilege certain ways of thinking and acting, thereby building (or neglecting) opportunities for students. Yet little research has focused on student perceptions of classroom interaction, and particularly whether or how classroom participation might be a form of capital for them. Deploying data collected through classroom observations and interviews with Latina/o students at a large urban high school, this study focuses on examining the ways in which distinct groups of Latina/o students (in a set of schools within a school) understand and experience classroom participation. Findings reveal that while a shared understanding of classroom habitus may be more common than previously thought, we cannot just tell students to participate, or merely depend upon a general belief in the value of participating. Instead, we must simultaneously and explicitly bolster student participation and the cultivation of student networks so that a shared habitus turns the promises of participation into meaningful and equitable praxis.
Monte Carlo simulations of coupled diffusion and surface reactions during the aqueous corrosion of borosilicate glasses

Abstract Borosilicate nuclear waste glasses develop complex altered layers as a result of coupled processes such as hydrolysis of network species, condensation of Si species, and diffusion. However, diffusion has often been overlooked in Monte Carlo models of the aqueous corrosion of borosilicate glasses. Therefore, three different models for dissolved Si diffusion in the altered layer were implemented in a Monte Carlo model and evaluated for glasses in the compositional range (75 − x) mol% SiO2 (12.5 + x/2) mol% B2O3 and (12.5 + x/2) mol% Na2O, where 0 ≤ x ≤ 20%, and corroded in static conditions at a surface-area-to-volume ratio of 1000 m− 1. The three models considered instantaneous homogenization (M1), linear concentration gradients (M2), and concentration profiles determined by solving Fick's 2nd law using a finite difference method (M3). Model M3 revealed that concentration profiles in the altered layer are not linear and show changes in shape and magnitude as corrosion progresses, unlike those assumed in model M2. Furthermore, model M3 showed that, for borosilicate glasses with a high forward dissolution rate compared to the diffusion rate, the gradual polymerization and densification of the altered layer is significantly delayed compared to models M1 and M2. Models M1 and M2 were found to be appropriate models only for glasses with high release rates such as simple borosilicate glasses with low ZrO2 content.
Stress, Survival, and Success in Academia 2.0: Lessons from Working Inside and Outside of the Academy

As graduate students writing our dissertations between 2009 and 2010 at the University of California Irvine, we began to feel the first ripples of a shrinking job market for tenuretrack academic positions in anthropology. There were questions, in hushed whispers as well as anxious and frantic outbursts, about how long the recession would last, whether we should "wait and see" before graduating, or apply now and just cast a wider net in terms of schools and searches. The 2009 Anthropology Faculty Job Market Report opens up with, "AAA has been increasingly concerned with the academic job market. Anecdotal evidence suggests that faculty lines are being lost and searches cancelled" (Terry-Sharp 2009). Given uncertainty, we both chose the latter option and had the good fortune to find employment in academic institutions— Cortney Hughes Rinker at the Arlington Innovation Center for Health Research (Virginia Tech) and Sheena Nahm at the Norman Lear Center (University of California Annenberg School for Communicat...
Processing properties of thermoplastic compounds. A review

Abstract The behavior of thermoplastic compounds as they are processed in equipment such as extruders and injection molding machines depends on the compound's processing properties. These properties include viscosity, thermal conductivity, specific heat, heat of fusion, density and melting point. The lack of this information at processing conditions has hindered progress in processing research and, in particular, hampered evaluation of mathematical models of plastic processes. This study reviews the techniques for measuring these properties, provides a compilation of property data including considerable original data, and discusses the importance of these data in understanding and predicting processing behavior. Examples to illustrate its important applications in extrusion and injection molding are also presented.
Steroid induction of nerve growth factor synthesis in cell culture

Abstract Nerve growth factor (NGF) is a peptide hormone which is necessary for the development of sympathetic neurons. Exposing a rat central nervous system glioma cell line (C-6) to the steroid hormone 17β-estradiol increases the amount of NGF secreted by these cells into the surrounding medium. This induction is highly specific to 17β-estradiol in that similar steroids do not increase NGF levels. Both NGF activity and protein levels increase upon estradiol stimulation and there is a parallel increase in NGF de novo synthesis. The estradiol effect can be blocked with actinomycin D but not with puromycin or cycloheximide. This is the first report demonstrating regulation of NGF synthesis by a steroid hormone in a clonal cell line of glial origin. We propose this system as a model system for the study of the regulation of NGF synthesis and the isolation and analysis of putative precursors to the NGF molecule.
The deadliest catch: fishing for HIV in new waters.

In this issue, Walensky and colleagues report one emergency department's experience with rapid oral HIV screening. Most of the positive test results were false positive; therefore, the authors caut...
Ionic Liquid and Solid HF Equivalent Amine-Poly(Hydrogen Fluoride) Complexes Effecting Efficient Environmentally Friendly Isobutane−Isobutylene Alkylation

Isoparaffin−olefin alkylation was investigated using liquid as well as solid onium poly(hydrogen fluoride) catalysts. These new immobilized anhydrous HF catalysts contain varied amines and nitrogen-containing polymers as complexing agents. The liquid poly(hydrogen fluoride) complexes of amines are typical ionic liquids, which are convenient media and serve as HF equivalent catalysts with decreased volatility for isoparaffin−olefin alkylation. Polymeric solid amine:poly(hydrogen fluoride) complexes are excellent solid HF equivalents for similar alkylation acid catalysis. Isobutane−isobutylene or 2-butene alkylation gave excellent yields of high octane alkylates (up to RON = 94). Apart from their excellent catalytic performance, the new catalyst systems significantly reduce environmental hazards due to the low volatility of complexed HF. They represent a new, “green” class of catalyst systems for alkylation reactions, maintaining activity of HF while minimizing its environmental hazards.
Information at the intersections of discovery: Case studies in neuroscience

Within the field of neuroscience there is need for new information technologies to provide better access to the extensive body of knowledge related to brain research and better support for discovery processes. In scientific research, certain intersections of people, ideas, and techniques lead to advancements, and information plays an important role in this process. This paper reports on case studies that investigate how information fuels progress at three multidisciplinary neuroscience laboratories. The results presented here profile the research environments and information practices of active neuroscientists, and a working information-seeking typology is introduced. New means of quantifying and visualizing data played a role in most of the breakthroughs reported by researchers, and interpreting new experimental findings in relation to previous research is a standard problem. Participants ranked information for solving instrumentation and technique problems as highly important, and a literature mining technique for searching PubMed (Arrowsmith) proved to be of value in their daily work. The mobility of information, a topic of much interest in scientific informatics, was a central theme in the case studies, but “boundary work” and the “newness” of information were also important factors in the discovery process.
Developing a Semantic Web-Based Distributed Model Management System: Experiences and Lessons Learned

Distributed model management systems (DMMSs) are decision support systems with a focus on managing decision models throughout the modeling lifecycle and across the extended enterprise. The advent and proliferation of web services and semantic web technologies offers the possibilities of sharing and reusing models in a distributed setting. This paper presents the design and implementation of a semantic web-based DMMS. Key lessons learned, technical and organizational issues encountered are summarized and directions for future research have been outlined. From a technical perspective, future research will need to explore the viability of tools specifically designed to facilitate the semantic annotation of models, specify and validate SA-SMML, and extend the white-box approach presented in this paper to other model types not amenable to structured modeling. From an organizational perspective, further research is needed in the areas of adoption issues and business models that would ensure the sustainable support for of such systems in the service enterprise.
Novel preharvest strategies involving the use of experimental chlorate preparations and nitro-based compounds to prevent colonization of food-producing animals by foodborne pathogens

Foodborne diseases caused by enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and Campylobacter species are of public health and economic significance. Shedding of these pathogens during production and slaughter are risks for contamination of products for human consumption. Consequently, strategies are sought to prevent or reduce the carriage of these pathogens in food animals before slaughter. Experimental products containing chlorate salts have been proven efficacious in reducing concentrations of E. coli and Salmonella Typhimurium in the gut of cattle, sheep, swine, and poultry when administered as feed or water additives. Mechanistically, chlorate selectively targets bacteria expressing respiratory nitrate reductase activity, such as most members of the family Enterobacteriaceae, as this enzyme catalyzes the reduction of chlorate to lethal chlorite. Most beneficial gut bacteria lack respiratory nitrate reductase activity, and thus the technology appears compatible with many bacteria exhibiting competitive exclusion capabilities. More recently, select nitrocompounds have been investigated as potential feed additives, and although these nitrocompounds significantly reduce pathogens on their own, evidence indicates that they may most effectively be used to complement the bactericidal activity of chlorate. A particularly attractive aspect of the nitrocompound technology is that, as potent inhibitors of ruminal methanogenesis, they may allow producers the opportunity to recoup costs associated with their use. At present, neither chlorate nor the nitrocompounds have been approved as feed additives by the US Food and Drug Administration, and consequently they are not yet available for commercial use.
Subcellular surgery and nanoneurosurgery

We use femtosecond laser pulses to probe the mechanical properties of the actin network in live cells and to probe cell regeneration and the neurological basis of behavior in C. elegans.
Acoustic radiation force beam sequence performance for detection and material characterization of atherosclerotic plaques: preclinical, ex vivo results

This work presents preclinical data demonstrating performance of acoustic radiation force (ARF)-based elasticity imaging with five different beam sequences for atherosclerotic plaque detection and material characterization. Twelve trained, blinded readers evaluated parametric images taken ex vivo under simulated in vivo conditions of 22 porcine femoral arterial segments. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was carried out to quantify reader performance using spatially-matched immunohistochemistry for validation. The beam sequences employed had high sensitivity (sens) and specificity (spec) for detecting Type III+ plaques (sens: 85%, spec: 79%), lipid pools (sens: 80%, spec: 86%), fibrous caps (sens: 86%, spec: 82%), calcium (sens: 96%, spec: 85%), collagen (sens: 78%, spec: 77%), and disrupted internal elastic lamina (sens: 92%, spec: 75%). 1:1 single-receive tracking yielded the highest median areas under the ROC curve (AUC), but was not statistically significantly higher than 4:1 parallel-receive tracking. Excitation focal configuration did not result in statistically different AUCs. Overall, these results suggest ARF-based imaging is relevant to detecting and characterizing plaques and support its use for diagnosing and monitoring atherosclerosis.
Oxygen enhanced crack growth in nickel-based superalloys and materials damage prognosis

Abstract This paper summarizes the results from a comprehensive multidisciplinary study to better understand the role of niobium and other strengthening elements in enhancing crack growth by oxygen in nickel-based superalloys at high temperatures, and considers its importance for materials damage prognosis and life cycle engineering in high temperature service. Three γ′ strengthened powder metallurgy (P/M) alloys, with 0, 2.5 and 5 wt pct Nb and comparable volume fractions (about 53 vol pct) of γ′′ precipitates, were specially designed for this study. Coordinated crack growth, microstructural and surface chemistry studies were conducted on the alloys. They were complemented by oxidation studies of Nb, Ni3Nb, NbC, Ni3Al and Ni3Ti, and analyses of fracture surfaces of interrupted crack growth specimens by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The findings taken in toto show that oxygen enhancement of crack growth is the result of the formation of a brittle film of surface oxides along grain boundaries and interfaces ahead of the crack tip by the preferential oxidation of Nb, Ti and Al in the Nb-rich carbides and Ni3Al, Ni3Ti and Ni3Nb (in Inconel 718) precipitates. The results also showed that the oxidation of Nb-rich carbides alone can significantly enhance crack growth in oxygen. The findings are discussed in relation to the previously proposed crack growth mechanisms, and their applications.
Novelties in Mascagnia (Malpighiaceae)

Seven new species ofMascagnia are described:M. tomentosa from southern Mexico and Central America;M. arenicola from the Guianas;M. riparia, M. tucuruensis, andM. velutina from Brazil;M. boliviana from Bolivia; andM. australis from Argentina and Paraguay. These novelties were previously included in the “M. sepium-complex,” an omniumgatherum comprising superficially similar yellow-flowered taxa.
Concentration of HCB in callinectes sapidus from the calcasieu estuary, Louisiana

Abstract Blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) were collected from several areas in the estuary, and edible tissues were analyzed for the organic compound hexachlorobenzene (HCB). Hexachlorobenzene was established as an indicator of industrial chemical contamination by the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (LDHH). This organization used the FDA interim guideline concentration of 0.5 ppm HCB in fatty tissue of beef to develop an emergency action level of 0.060 ppm (60 ppb) for edible seafood. In this study, an average HCB tissue concentration of 40 ppb was found in the Calcasieu Estuary. There was no significant difference in concentrations between sampling locations. However, the range in HCB concentrations varied among samples, with some analyses yielding tissue concentrations greater than the emergency action level of 60 ppb.
Condensation Metallocene Polymers

The synthesis, characterization, and application of a wide variety of metallocene and metallocene-like polymers and oligomers is described. Much of this effort involves the Group IVB metallocenes, but the work of vanadium and ruthenium are also included. The use of these materials as analytical reagents, laser modifiers, and in solar energy conversion is described.
Measuring Written Syntactic Patterns of Second Language Learners of German

AbstractThe present study was designed to analyze by quantitative methods a corpus of writing produced by four levels of American college students and by one group of professional German writers. Analysis was undertaken to (a) determine whether or not significant quantitative differences in the use of selected syntactic structures exist between the five groups; and (b) test the validity of the Hunt method of measuring syntactic maturity when applied to the writing of second language learners and native Germans. Basically, the Hunt method measures syntactic acquisition by quantifying the rate of occurrence of sentence-embedding transformation in writing samples. The findings indicate that developmental stages in the acquisition of written German syntax did exist in this study and that these stages were most clearly definable between every other level. Hunt's method of measuring syntactic maturity was successfully applied to measuring second language acquisition. In addition, some comparisons were made betw...
Concentration dependent effects of tobacco particulates from different types of cigarettes on expression of drug metabolizing proteins, and benzo(a)pyrene metabolism in primary normal human oral epithelial cells

The ability of tobacco smoke (TS) to modulate phase I and II enzymes and affect metabolism of tobacco carcinogens is likely an important factor in its carcinogenicity. For the first time several types of TS particulates (TSP) were compared in different primary cultured human oral epithelial cells (NOE) for their abilities to affect metabolism of the tobacco carcinogen, (BaP) to genotoxic products, and expression of drug metabolizing enzymes. TSP from, reference filtered (2RF4), mentholated (MS), reference unfiltered, (IR3), ultra low tar (UL), and cigarettes that primarily heat tobacco (ECL) were tested. Cells pretreated with TSP concentrations of 0.2-10 μg/ml generally showed increased rates of BaP metabolism; those treated with TSP concentrations above 10 μg/ml showed decreased rates. Effects of TSPs were similar when expressed on a weight basis. Weights of TSP/cigarette varied in the order: MS≈IR3>2RF4>ECL>UL. All TSPs induced the phase I proteins, cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) and 1B1 (CYP1B1), phase II proteins, NAD(P)H dehydrogenase quinone 1 (NQO1), and microsomal glutathione S-transferase 1 (MGST1), and additionally, hydroxysteroid (17-beta) dehydrogenase 2 (HSD17B2), as assessed by qRT-PCR. The pattern of gene induction at probable physiological levels favored activation over detoxification.
Racial and ethnic disparities in stroke subtypes: a multiethnic sample of patients with stroke.

Stroke subtypes have been reported to differ by race and ethnic subgroups and have not been adequately explained. We aim to evaluate if the prevalence of vascular risk factors accounts for differences observed in stroke subtypes by race/ethnicity. Patients with acute stroke were prospectively enrolled in the Miami Stroke Registry. Patients’ demographic, clinical and radiological characteristics were systematically collected. Stroke subtypes were ascertained using TOAST criteria. The sample was divided into Non-Hispanic Whites (NHW), Hispanics, African Americans (AA), and Non-Hispanic Black Caribbean (NHBC). Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to assess differences among groups. Among 473 stroke patients (mean age 64 ± 14 years; 63.7 % were men) of which 52.9 % were Hispanic, 22.6 % were AA, 13.5 % NHBC and 11.0 % were NHW. Large artery atherosclerosis was more prevalent in NHBC (OR 1.74, 95 % CI 1.02–2.97) than in the other groups. Adjusting for covariates rendered the association not significant (OR 1.71, 95 % CI 0.93–3.16). Cardioembolism was more frequent in Hispanics (OR 1.94, 95 % CI 1.28–2.96) and NHW (OR 2.66, 95 % CI 1.42–4.96) as compared to NHBC and AA combined. Adjusting for covariates, the association was no longer significant for Hispanics but was further strengthened for NHW (OR 3.02, 95 % CI 1.42–6.42). Our results suggest that the vascular risk factors prevalence among different racial and ethnic groups partially explains disparities found in the prevalence of some stroke subtypes. Addressing health disparities remains an important public health aspect of stroke prevention.
Effect of Varying Hamstring Tension on Anterior Cruciate Ligament Strain During in Vitro Impulsive Knee Flexion and Compression Loading

Background: The hamstring muscles are well positioned to limit both anterior tibial translation and anterior cruciate ligament strain during the knee flexion phase of a jump landing. We hypothesized that systematically increasing or decreasing hamstring tension during the knee flexion phase of a simulated jump landing would significantly affect peak relative strain in the anterior cruciate ligament. Methods: Ten cadaveric knees from four male and six female donors (mean age [and standard deviation] at the time of death, 60.3 ± 23.6 years) were mounted in a custom fixture to initially position the specimen in 25° of knee flexion and simulate axial impulsive loading averaging 1700 N to cause an increase in knee flexion. Quadriceps, hamstring, and gastrocnemius muscle forces were simulated with use of pretensioned linear springs, with the tension in the hamstrings arranged to be increased, held constant, decreased, at “baseline,” or absent during knee flexion. Impulsive loading applied along the tibia and femur was monitored with use of triaxial load transducers, while uniaxial load cells monitored quadriceps and medial and lateral hamstring forces. Relative strain in the anterior cruciate ligament was measured with use of a differential variable reluctance transducer, and tibiofemoral kinematics were measured optoelectronically. For each specimen, anterior cruciate ligament strains were recorded over eighty impact trials: ten preconditioning trials, ten “baseline” trials involving decreasing hamstring tension performed before and after three sets of ten trials conducted with increasing hamstring tension, constant hamstring tension, or no hamstring tension. Peak relative strains in the anterior cruciate ligament were normalized for comparison across specimens. Results: Increasing hamstring force during the knee flexion landing phase decreased the peak relative strain in the anterior cruciate ligament by >70% compared with the baseline condition (p = 0.005). Neither a constant hamstring muscle force nor the absence of a hamstring force significantly changed the peak strain in the anterior cruciate ligament relative to the baseline condition. Conclusions: Increasing hamstring muscle force during the knee flexion phase of a simulated jump landing significantly reduces the peak relative strain in the anterior cruciate ligament in vitro. Clinical Relevance: It may be possible to proactively limit peak anterior cruciate ligament strain during the knee flexion phase of jump landings by accentuating hip flexion, thereby increasing the tension in active hamstring muscles by lengthening them.
The effect of α-2 adrenergic agonists on memory and cognitive flexibility

Background The noradrenergic system modulates cognitive flexibility for insight-based problem solving in studies using beta-adrenergic antagonists, which block noradrenergic neurotransmission postsynaptically. However, it is not known whether alpha2-adrenergic agonists, that decrease noradrenergic neurotransmission by presynaptic inhibition, have the same effect. Objectives Therefore, we wished to test whether alpha2-adrenergic agonists would have a similar effect on cognitive flexibility. Methods Eighteen normal adults were tested on cognitive flexibility, problem solving, verbal and spatial memory tasks after receiving clonidine (0.1 mg), an alpha2-agonist, placebo, or ephedrine (25 mg), a noradrenergic stimulant. Results Three-way analysis of variance revealed no significant drug effect on cognitive flexibility or problem solving. There was also no significant effect of clonidine on memory. Conclusions Therefore, alpha2-agonists do not influence cognitive flexibility in the same manner as beta-antagonists. Better performance on memory with clonidine might be expected based on primate studies demonstrating benefits in working memory using clonidine. This benefit was not observed for the commonly used clinical memory tasks in our study. This may have implications for why clonidine has not demonstrated efficacy for cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer disease, despite its known benefit for working memory in animal models.
TU‐C‐ValA‐04: Deformable Registration Using Regularization That Accommodates Local Tissue Rigidity

Purpose: Existing methods for deformable image registration typically use homogeneous regularization to encourage global smoothness. Less work has been done to incorporate voxel‐level tissue‐specific elasticity information. Ignoring differences in elasticity can, however, result in non‐physiological registrations, such as bone warping. We propose an approach to incorporate tissue rigidity information using a spatial variant regularization. Method and Materials: Regularized image registration algorithms estimate the deformation by minimizing a cost function, consisting of a dis‐similarity metric and regularization. To account for tissue‐type‐dependent rigidity information, we incorporate into the cost function a non‐rigidity penalty: an integral of stiffness index for local deformation weighted by spatial variant regularization factor depending on tissue type. For CT data, a simple monotonic increasing function of the CT number is used as a rigidity index for local tissue type. A necessary and sufficient condition for stiff local deformation is derived, and the local non‐stiffness is measured by the deviation of local Jacobian from orthnormality using the Frobenius norm. Tensor B‐Splines are used to parameterize the deformation field. A multi‐resolution scheme and gradient‐based approach are applied for optimization. Performance was accessed by registering 3D thorax CT‐images obtained from different breathing phases. Results: Experiments with clinical data demonstrate higher accuracy for inhale‐exhale thorax CT registration with the proposed approach. We observe comparable intensity match as the unregularized approaches, but more physiologically reasonable results with respect to different tissue types; in particular bone warping phenomena is eliminated in general. Conclusion: This work provides a way to incorporate tissue‐type‐dependent information into deformable registration framework with regularization design. Inference from image intensity avoids explicit segmentation, and is robust to partial volume effect. Our formulation based on local Jacobian and Frobenius norm provides analytical expression for the regularization and its derivative. More physiological results are achieved with minor computation expense. Supported by NIH P01‐CA59827.
Removing lead in drinking water with activated carbon

A point-of-use (POU) granular activated carbon (GAC) fixed bed adsorber (FBA) was evaluated for reduction of soluble and insoluble lead from drinking water. Some of the factors which affect lead removal by GAC were evaluated, such as carbon type, solution pH, and a limited amount of work on competitive interactions. The design criteria for lead reduction by a POU device are also addressed. Minicolumns were used to evaluate the capacity of carbon for lead under a variety of conditions. The importance of surface chemistry of the carbon and the relationship with the pH of the water for lead reduction was demonstrated. Results indicate that a properly designed POU-GAC-FBA can reduce lead in drinking water to below the EPA action level of 15 ppb while being tested under a variety of conditions as specified under the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) International Standard 53 test protocol. 37 refs., 9 figs., 1 tab.
Geriatric perspective: how to assess fitness for chemotherapy in acute myeloid leukemia

Characterizing "fitness" in the context of therapeutic decisions for older adults with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is challenging. Available evidence is strongest in identifying those older adults who are frail at the time of diagnosis by characterizing performance status and comorbidity burden. However, many older adults with adequate performance status and absence of major comorbidity are "vulnerable" and may experience clinical and functional decline when stressed with intensive therapies. More refined assessments are needed to differentiate between fit and vulnerable older adults regardless of chronologic age. Geriatric assessment has been shown to add information to routine oncology assessment and improve risk stratification for older adults with AML. This review highlights available evidence for assessment of "fitness" among older adults diagnosed with AML and discusses future treatment and research implications.
Welfare Reform in the Mid-2000s: How African American and Hispanic Families in Three Cities Are Faring

This article reports on a sample of 538 African American and Hispanic women who were receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) in 1999, 416 of whom left the program by 2005. The Hispanic women consisted of a Mexican-origin group and a second group that was primarily Puerto Rican and Dominican. Combining the experiences of the employed and the non-employed welfare leavers, the authors find at best a modest decline in the average poverty rate among African American welfare leavers between 1999 and 2005. Hispanic leavers showed larger average declines in poverty. Among just the welfare leavers who were employed in 2005, the averages for women in all racial-ethnic groups showed increases in household income and declines in poverty. Among those who were not employed, African Americans had experienced a decline in household income and were further below the poverty line than in 1999, whereas Hispanic women had experienced modest declines or slight increases in their household incomes.
Digestion of duckweed (Lemna spp.) by the grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)

A feeding trial was conducted in 55-1 aquaria indoors with the grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella Val.) using fresh duckweed (Lemna spp.) as food. Faeces dry weight was closely correlated with dry weight of duckweed consumed based upon a linear regression. From this regression, the estimated true digestibility of dry matter was 65%. Samples of duckweed and fish faeces were analysed for crude protein and gross energy. Van Soest's Analysis was conducted on composite samples of duckweed and faeces. Apparent digestibilities were 80% for crude protein, 61% for gross energy, 72% for organic cell contents, and 30% for organic cell wall constituents.