cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Coronary artery bypass grafting in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Abstract Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is a disease of the elderly. It tends to have a variable clinical course. Because of the patients' immunologically dysfunctional state, there has been reluctance to perform open cardiac procedures because of concern about early postoperative sepsis leading to death. To assess the risk of coronary artery bypass grafting in elderly patients, the records of 26 patients (mean age, 69.6 ± 4.9 years) with chronic lymphocytic leukemia who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting between January 1975 and July 1990 were retrospectively reviewed. Nineteen underwent isolated coronary artery bypass grafting, and 7 had combined procedures. The operative mortality rate was 7.7%. Postoperative infections developed in 6 patients (23.1%): pneumonia in 3 and sternal osteomyelitis, acute parotiditis, and bacteremia in 1 each. One of these 6 patients died of acute Serratia pneumonitis. Twenty-four patients (92.3%) were discharged from the hospital an average of 10.6 ± 7.7 days postoperatively. Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia can undergo coronary artery bypass grafting with acceptable mortality but with increased risk of postoperative infection.
Dietary Assessment Methods among School-Aged Children: Validity and Reliability

Abstract Background. Assessing the diets of children presents unique methodological challenges. Validity and reliability studies of recalls, records, food frequency questionnaires (FFQs), diet histories, and observations among children were reviewed. Methods. Forty-seven studies were published in peer-reviewed English journals between January 1970 and April 1999 of children 5–18 years of age with a sample size of at least 30. Results. Most of the 24-h recall validation studies assessed only a portion of the day, not a 24-h period, with higher agreements for meal versus complete day intake. Food records underestimated energy intake when compared to doubly labeled water. Few studies evaluated children's ability to complete records alone or to record an entire day. FFQs overestimated energy intake; however, validation standards may have over-or underestimated intake or used different referent periods. Reliability studies were identified for FFQs and diet history; results showed higher energy intake in first compared to subsequent administrations. Limited data were available on age, ethnicity, and gender effects. Conclusions. Correlations between the validation standard and dietary method were generally higher for recalls and records than FFQs. It was difficult to generalize the validity and reliability results of dietary assessment methods because of discrepancies in study design, referent periods, and validation standards.
Acknowledgement of Priority: the Generalized Normal Distribution

The recent paper (A generalized normal distribution, Journal of Applied Statistics, 32 (2005), pp. 685–694) discussed a natural generalization of the univariate normal distribution. It has been bro...
Termination of the hormone-sensitive period for differentiation of the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area in male and female rats.

Abstract The volume of the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area (SDN-POA) in the rat brain is several-fold larger in males than in females. The volume of the SDN-POA can be influenced significantly by the hormone milieu during early postnatal life. The purpose of the present study was to identify when termination of the sensitive period occurs during which exogenous androgen administration influences SDN-POA volume in males gonadectomized on the first day of postnatal life (fales) or intact females. Analysis of the SDN-POA in fales showed that testosterone propionate (TP, 500 μg) treatment on days 2, 3, 4, or 5, significantly increased its volume over values from oil-treated fales. In contrast, TP treatment in fales on days 6, 7, or 8, failed to increase SDN-POA volume. A similar pattern was observed in females treated with TP. Females treated with TP (500 μg) on days 2, 3, 4, or 5, showed a significant increase in SDN-POA volume compared to the values from oil-injected animals, while the same TP treatment in females on days 6, 7, or 8, resulted in no such enhancement. The absolute and relative change in SDN-POA volume following postnatal androgen treatment is greater in males than in females. We conclude that (1) SDN-POA development is sensitive to hormone action through postnatal day 5 and then abruptly becomes insensitive to this dosage of TP, and (2) although the temporal pattern of the response is similar in males and females, androgen exposure postnatally results in a consistently greater increase in the male SDN-POA volume than in the female's. This greater response may be due to exposure prenatally to endogenous androgen in males.
31P NMR bayesian spectral analysis of rat brain in vivo

Bayesian spectrum analysis for parameter estimation is a rigorous statistical (non-Fourier-based) method. Herein the Bayesian quadrature NMR model is introduced and applied to analysis of 31P NMR time domain data from in vivo rat brain. Immunity to both the brain spectrum "baseline hump" and the phase twist is demonstrated.
Total Hip Arthroplasty for Acute Femoral Neck Fractures Using a Cementless Tapered Femoral Stem

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the osseointegration potential and implant-related complications of cementless total hip arthroplasty with a titanium alloy collarless, tapered, wedge-shaped femoral stem with a proximal circumferential plasma-spray coating in patients with acute hip fractures. The cohort consists of 85 patients with a mean age of 78.1 years. The mean duration of follow-up was 3.8 years. Total hip arthroplasty conferred significant improvement in function for all patients. All femoral components were stable with evidence of bone ingrowth (84 hips) or fibrous fixation (1 hip). Mild thigh pain was present in 3 patients. The complications included dislocation (3 cases), intraoperative femoral fracture (2 cases), and periprosthetic femoral fracture in the postoperative period (1 case). There was one reoperation for revision of the femoral component in the patient with a periprosthetic fracture. There were 25 (29%) deaths. Cementless total hip arthroplasty using a tapered proximally coated femoral stem is a viable option for the treatment of a displaced hip fracture and preexistent arthritis.
Preventing and Treating Obesity in Girls and Young Women to Curb the Epidemic

Obesity and its serious comorbidities, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, hypertension, and dyslipidemia, have reached epidemic proportions in adults and children. Female obesity is more prevalent and, thus, has greater epidemiological importance: mothers transmit the disease epigenetically and genetically. Maternal obesity affects maternal health, pregnancy outcome, and fetal, neonatal, childhood, and ultimately adult morbidity and mortality. Obesity is easy to diagnose, as are most of its risk factors, yet very little progress has been made in preventing the disease. During a brief period of rapid early growth, there is imprinting of antecedents of adult obesity and obesity-related disease. Because of the rapidity of this early growth and the relative brevity of the critical period, early recognition and prompt intervention are necessary and possibly sufficient to prevent the development of obesity. Identification of inappropriate rapid weight gain through frequent weighing should trigger immediate adjustment of energy intake, a simple intervention in bottle-fed infants, the ones at greatest risk for becoming obese. This review presents a step-care strategy with fail-safe action levels starting with maternal education and diet, exercise, and behavior modification for mother and child and progressing to drug treatment and, in selected cases, laparoscopic surgery for young women of childbearing age in whom other measures have failed. This approach is predicated on the assumption that careful monitoring and responsive supplementation of potential deficiencies is easier to achieve, more cost-effective, and safer than effectively treating manifest obesity and its comorbidities in adults.
Photochemical addition of amino acids and peptides to homopolyribonucleotides of the major DNA bases.

— The photochemical quantum yields for addition of glycine and the L-amino acids commonly occurring in proteins (excluding proline) to polyadenylic acid, polycytidylic acid, polyguanylic acid and polyribothymidylic acid have been determined in deoxygenated phosphate buffer at Λ 254 nm and pH 7, using a fluorescamine assay technique. Polyadenylic acid was reactive with eleven of the twenty amino acids tested, with phenylalanine, tyrosine, glutamine, lysine and asparagine having the highest quantum yields. Polyguanylic acid reacted with sixteen amino acids; phenylalanine, arginine, cysteine, tyrosine, and lysine displayed the largest quantum yields. Polycytidylic acid showed reactivity with fifteen amino acids with lysine, phenylalanine, cysteine, tyrosine and arginine having the greatest quantum yields. Polyribothymidylic acid, reactive with fifteen of nineteen amino acids surveyed, showed the highest quantum yields for cysteine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, lysine and asparagine. None of the polynucleotides were reactive with aspartic acid or glutamic acid. The quantum yields for photoaddition of eighteen dipeptides of the form glycyl X (X being one of the amino acids commonly occurring in proteins, including proline), and of L-alanyl-L-tryptophan, L-seryl-L-seryl-L-serine, L-threonyl-L-threonyl-L-threonine, L-cystine-bis-glycine, and Nα-acetyllysine to polyadenylic acid, polycytidylic acid and polyguanylic acid were measured. All of these were found to add photochemically to each of these polymers. Polyribothymidylic acid, tested with eleven of these peptides and with Nα-acetyllysine, was found to be reactive with all.
Morphological and physiological differences between in vivo- and in vitro-produced preimplantation embryos from livestock species

Abstract Almost fifty years have passed since 1949 when Dowling (14) used an egg-saline medium, developed by Hammond (26) for mouse embryos to culture 8-cell bovine embryos to the 16-cell stage. These investigators certainly must have queried the normality of the cultured embryos with their variations in cell shape and color observed. With the advances of in vitro systems and the improvement of instrumentation, investigators are faced with the same fundamental questions asked some fifty years ago. Namely, how viable are embryos that are manipulated in vitro, as compared to embryos in vivo? Compounding this difficult question is the lack of basic information on metabolic processes of in vivo embryos. Once the embryos are removed from the maternal environment for study, they are exposed to myriad in vitro conditions which can negatively effect metabolism or morphology. This manuscript is a review of the literature concerning studies that compared in vitro-manipulated to in vivo-produced preimplantation embryos from the farm species. The authors apologize in advance for studies which were inadvertently omitted and acknowledge the diligent work of investigators who have published in this most challenging and important area of embryo development.
Aphidicolin inhibits DNA polymerase II of Escherichia coli , an alpha-like DNA polymerase

The polB gene of E. coli encodes DNA polymerase II. We have reported the cloning (1,2) and sequencing of the polB gene (3) (GenBank Accession number M35371). DNA polymerase II appears to be a non-essential function since the polB gene is missing from some widely used strains (3). Several sub-families of DNA polymerases have been identified (4). In this communication, we demonstrate that DNA polymerase II of E. coli is an a-like DNA polymerase by amino acid sequence conservation and inhibition by aphidicolin. A search of the MBCRR Protein Pattern Library indicated significant similarity (6.3 standard deviations above the mean of comparisons with a negative control set) to only a single pattern (pattern 156) generated from a set of a-like polymerases (Fig. 1). DNA polymerase II has the highest overall similarity to human DNA polymerase a and phage T4 DNA polymerase. The entire length of DNA polymerase n is similar to a subregion of both polymerases and within this region the sequences are both approximately 22% identical. There are three sequence motifs characteristic of the a-like family (regions I, II, III) (4, 5). The H region shown in Figure 1 corresponds to region I characterized by the presence of 5 7 contiguous conserved amino acids (YGDTDS). The E region corresponds to region II. In addition to a central conserved sequence of 5-10 residues (DSLYPS), there are additional sequence identities on both sides of the conserved center. Regions F and G correspond to region HI with invariant residues at five positions. These three regions are in the same linear arrangement (11-111-1) as other DNA polymerases in this family and the relative distances between the regions are similar.
Chlorinated combustion products from fires involving PCB transformers and capacitors

Abstract PCBs, CDDs, and CDFs are subject to new regulations promulgated under the Toxic Substances Control Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. The finding of CDDs and CDFs in PCBs could restrict disposal options for PCBs. A review of major fire incidents in the United States indicates that CDDs have been found only in the Binghamton, New York, transformer fire incident. Laboratory combustion studies further support CDFs formation from PCBs and CDDs from chlorobenzenes. No CDDs were found in analyses of fluids from transformers involved in transformer fire incidents. CDFs do not appear to increase in PCB askarel fluids from normal usage in electrical equipment.
Angular dependence of thick-target bremsstrahlung

Abstract Bremsstrahlung transmission spectra are obtained at 45° and 90° scattering angles for thick targets of various atomic numbers for an incident-electron energy of about 70 keV. The bremsstrahlung photon transmitted through the target is collimated and detected by an HPGe detector. Comparisons are made with two theoretical models for the yields which take into account electron energy loss, electron backscattering and photon attenuation. The first model is Isotropic and is based on the Kramers equation while the second model includes the angular distribution of the emitted photons by integrating tabulated bremsstrahlung cross sections over the target thickness.
Minimalist semantics in meta-ethical expressivism

James Dreier (Philos Perspect 18:23–44, 2004) states what he calls the “Problem of Creeping Minimalism”: that metaethical Expressivists can accept a series of claims about meaning, under which all of the sentences that Realists can accept are consistent with Expressivism. This would allow Expressivists to accept all of the Realist’s sentences, and as Dreier points out, make it difficult to say what the difference between the two views is. That Expressivists can accept these claims about meaning has been suggested by Simon Blackburn on behalf of his “quasi-realist”. I argue against the assumption that there is a way to interpret the Realist’s sentences in a way that renders them consistent with Expressivism.
Developmental progression of gill rakers as a post-hatch developmental marker in pink salmon, Oncorhynchus gorbuscha

We evaluate the usefulness of gill rakers as a post-hatch developmental marker in salmon by tracking development in undisturbed and stressed yolk-bearing salmon embryos. Native pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) from Auke Creek, Juneau, Alaska and genetically stressed outbred hybrids between Auke Creek and Pillar Creek (Kodiak Island) salmon were incubated in ambient-temperature Auke Creek water. Environmentally stressed native embryos were reared in water that was 2 to 4 °C warmer than ambient. The sum of rakers on the first left and right branchial arches of natives reared at ambient temperatures averaged 23.20 (SD ± 1.64) per embryo when post-hatch sampling began. The subsequent increase in raker counts was linear and positively correlated with the accumulation of thermal units until counts reached maxima 223 days after fertilization, which coincided with the complete consumption of yolk reserves. The average maximum raker count was 39.55 (SD ± 1.76) per embryo, which is substantially fewer than the 60 rakers typically observed in adults. Neither raker development nor yolk consumption patterns were affected by hybridization. Elevated incubation temperatures accelerated raker formation and yolk consumption in native embryos, but the number of rakers associated with a given amount of yolk was the same regardless of temperature suggesting that changes in yolk consumption rate and raker development rate did not influence raker counts. These results indicate that rakers are easily observed and counted, grow in a predictable sequence, and are developmentally stable in the face of both genetic and environmental stress, thereby making them potentially reliable post-hatch developmental markers.
Multilayered Epithelium May Be Found in Patients With Barrett’s Epithelium and Dysplasia or Adenocarcinoma

To determine if multilayered epithelium (MLE) is a useful prognostic indicator for a benign natural history of Barrett's epithelium, we evaluated endoscopic biopsies from patients with Barrett's epithelium without and with dysplasia and/or adenocarcinoma and from non-Barrett's controls for the presence of MLE. MLE was found in 6% of non-Barrett's controls, 30% of Barrett's patients with no dysplasia, and 14% of Barrett's patients with dysplasia and/or adenocarcinoma. MLE was significantly associated with shorter lengths of Barrett's epithelium in both Barrett's groups. Three of 5 photodynamic therapy patients were noted to develop MLE after therapy. MLE may be found in patients with dysplasia and/or adenocarcinoma and after photodynamic therapy; its presence is not useful as a prognostic indicator for a more benign course of Barrett's. This study confirms that MLE is significantly associated with shorter lengths of Barrett's epithelium.
An integrative analysis of the role of atmospheric deposition and land management practices on nitrogen in the US agricultural sector

Abstract Additions of anthropogenic nitrogen (N) compounds constitute one of the major classes of air pollutants of significance to human health and the environment. Reliance on wet deposition measurements alone can lead to considerable underestimates (by 40–60%) of the total (wet+dry) atmospheric N deposition. In addition, wet deposition of N are about 20% of the levels that are lost due to volatilization (primarily ammonia). Nevertheless, in the agricultural sectors of the Mississippi River basins, farm management practices, and recycling of N within cropping systems clearly outweigh the contributions of atmospheric deposition. As opposed to native vegetation and forests, there are no records of the negative effects of atmospheric N deposition on crop yield. Similarly, field studies on the interactions of atmospheric N compounds with the incidence and spread of pathogens does not permit any generalizations. Nitrogen applied as fertilizer affects disease probably more by its effect on the plant growth than by its effects on pathogens. In contrast, atmospheric nitrogen dioxide appears to be a stimulant of aphid performance. Under conditions of heavy weed infestation, N fertilization stimulates weed growth and competitiveness, rather than crop yield.
On the Generation that Squandered its Philosophers (Losev, Bakhtin, and Classical Thought as Equipment for Living)

The essay juxtaposes the intellectualpreoccupations and fraught careers of two great20th-century Russian philologist-philosophers,Aleksei Losev and Mikhail Bakhtin. AlthoughLosev's is the more crippling case, theexternal trajectory of their lives develops inrough parallel (bold, prolific productivity inthe 1920s; arrest and deportation in the1930s; slow reintegration in thepost-Stalinist era; recent revivals, cults,booms, and scandals connected with theirlegacy). What is more, the subject matterthat fascinated them often overlapped (theClassical world, the status of the Word,Dostoevsky). Still, differences overwhelm thesimilarities. The essay concludes withspeculation about these two types ofphilosopher-king squandered, martyred, andelevated by their home culture.
Cross sections for dark matter particles and implications for allowed masses, interactions, and detection

Abstract We present scattering and annihilation cross sections for a number of candidates for dark matter: heavy neutrinos, photinos, scalar-neutrinos, and higgsinos. In the mass region below about 10 GeV, annihilation cross sections can be enhanced at resonance masses, so some masses are allowed below the generally quoted continuum values of a few GeV. Use of conventional neutral current couplings of a heavy neutrino L 0 to the Z 0 implies m L 0 > 3.3 GeV (rather than the usually quoted 2 GeV). Cross sections are generally expected to be small (of order 10 −38 cm 2 , often smaller than might be naively expected) which affects possible implications involving concentration mechanisms, energy transfer, and detectability via energy transfer or annihilation products. Current limits on supersymmetric partners are incorporated.
Reconstruction of the West Antarctic ice sheet in Pine Island Bay during the Last Glacial Maximum and its subsequent retreat history

Abstract Marine-geological and -geophysical studies were conducted to determine the Late Quaternary glacial history of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet in Pine Island Bay, Antarctica. The data set includes sea-floor imagery in the form of multibeam swath bathymetry and deep-tow side-scan sonar surveys. Distribution of sedimentary deposits and basal surface conditions are revealed through intermediate-resolution seismic data and chirp (3.5 kHz) sub-bottom profiles. Sedimentary deposits were sampled with piston cores, and calcareous material was dated using AMS radiocarbon techniques. Results from the study indicate the ice sheet was grounded on the outer shelf during its maximum extent sometime in the past. Thick ice, flowing slowly and resting on crystalline bedrock, was influenced by significant amounts of subglacial meltwater on the inner shelf. Thinner, but more rapidly flowing, ice characterized the seaward extent of the ice sheet, which was grounded on a sedimentary substrate. Deglaciation occurred in two phases, beginning soon after the last glacial maximum. The outer-most extension of the ice sheet retreated gradually, pausing on a bathymetric high on the middle shelf by ∼16,000 14C years ago. Between ∼16,000 and 12,000 14C years ago, ice-sheet retreat resumed, and may have proceeded rapidly to reach a present-day position by ∼10,000 14C years ago.
Improving the fatty acid composition of soybean oil

Efforts to improve the composition of soybean oil by breeding the beans for low linolenic acid in the oil have continued since 1968. This paper reports recent work using hybrid crosses and induced mutations. No lines are yet available that contain oil having less than 3% linolenic acid.
Parental housing values and children’s consumption

Abstract This paper will study the link between parental housing values and consumption by children. Previous studies of the relationship between housing values and consumption/savings behavior involve own-housing values and consumption decisions. A relationship between parental housing values and children’s consumption behavior is anticipated if an expected inheritance includes parental housing wealth. This is quite possible since housing is the single largest asset homeowners hold. Using information from the 1988 PSID on estimated parental housing values and constructing a measure of total consumption, a positive relationship between parental housing values and children’s consumption is found. Furthermore, the marginal propensity to consume out of parental housing wealth is found to be around half that of own-housing wealth.
A Meta-Analysis of the Relationships Between Individual Job Satisfaction and Individual Performance

The correlational literature concerning the relationships between individual job satisfaction and individual performance was analyzed, using the metaanalysis techniques of Hunter, Schmidt, and Jackson (1982). Higher and more consistent correlations between overall job satisfaction and performance were indicated than those previously reported. Relationships between JDI measures of job satisfaction and performance were not as high or as consistent as those found between overall job satisfaction and performance.
The effect of delayed refrigeration on red blood cells, platelet concentrates and cryoprecipitable AHF.

The effect of delaying blood processing for six hours while maintaining it at ambient temperature was investigated. Blood drawn from volunteers on two occasions was processed immediately (I) or after a six-hour delay (D). The effects of the delay on the efficacy and safety of red blood cells, platelet concentrates and cryoprecipitable AHF were studied. There was a more rapid decrease in 2,3-DPG in the delayed group during 21 days of refrigerated storage. ATP levels declined at similar rates. 24-hour survival of 51CR-labeled autologous cells was slightly better (p = .05) in the (I) group but excellent for both. Total platelets, per cent recovery and pH at 72 hours were identical for both groups. All cultures were sterile. There was no difference in total AHF recovered or per cent recovery between the two groups. To increase the availability of blood components, a six-hour processing delay seems warranted.
Differential Effects of Liquid Ordered and Liquid Disordered Phases on Membrane Permeability

Phospholipid membranes segregate into lateral domains of liquid ordered (lo) and liquid disordered (ld) phases when cholesterol and mixed species of lipids with saturated and unsaturated acyl chains are present. To examine membrane permeability and detergent solubility in pure lo, pure ld, and mixed lo/ld phases, LUVs were prepared based on the ternary phase diagram of POPC, sphingomyelin, and cholesterol. These LUVs were loaded with 2mM carboxyfluorescein (CF) and formed by extrusion at 70C. using a stopped-flow fluorometer, changes in CF fluorescence were measured when LUVs were exposed to sudden osmotic gradients, pH gradients, or 0.1% Triton. Acyl chain and phospholipid headgroup packing were assessed in all compositions with time-resolved measurements of DPH fluorescence lifetime and anisotropy decay. Water permeability was highest in the pure ld phase, and a factor of more than 100 lower in the pure lo phase. In the lo/ld coexistence region water permeability decreased approximately exponentially with increasing percent lo phase. Proton permeability was lowest in the pure ld phase, increasing linearly with increasing percent lo up to the “percolation point” (connected phase switches from lo to ld) at which point it remained approximately the same with increased lo. The rate of membrane solubilization was highest in the pure ld phase and did not decrease substantially until the percolation point was reached, and decreased by a factor of 40 in the pure lo phase. Water permeability was found to correlate approximately exponentially with acyl chain packing, decreasing with increased membrane order. Proton permeability increased linearly with increasing membrane order.
Similarity of some dual operators in characteristic two

Abstract Let k be a field of characteristic two, with involution x ↦ x ¯ . Let ( V , · ) be a finite dimensional Hermitian space over k and Λ : V → V a linear operator whose dual is Λ + 1 . We prove that ϕ Λ ϕ - 1 = Λ + 1 , where ϕ is an isometry and ϕ 2 = 1 . If E is a given subspace of V , then ϕ can also be chosen to stabilize E , but the equality ϕ Λ ϕ - 1 = Λ + 1 is only true modulo a combination of certain bracket operators. As a corollary, we solve the following congruence problem. Given a square matrix A over k , there is a non-singular matrix S satisfying A T = S ¯ T AS and S S ¯ = 1 .
Simulating the human-building interaction: Development and validation of an agent-based model of office occupant behaviors

Abstract This paper develops and validates an agent-based model (ABM) of occupant behavior using data from a one-year field study in a medium-sized, air-conditioned office building. The full ABM is presented in detail using a standard protocol for describing this type of model. Simulated occupant “agents” in the full ABM behave according to Perceptual Control Theory, taking the most immediate, unconstrained adaptive behaviors as needed to maintain their current thermal sensation within a reference range of seasonally acceptable sensations. ABM validation assigns simulated agents the personal characteristics and environmental context of real office occupants in the field study; executes the model; and compares the model's ability to predict observed fan, heater, and window use to the predictive abilities of several other behavior modeling options. The predictive performance of the full ABM compares favorably to that of the other modeling options on both the individual and aggregate outcome levels. The full ABM also appears capable of reproducing more familiar regression relationships between behavior and the local thermal environment. The paper concludes with a discussion of the model's current limitations and possibilities for future development.
Analysis of Atmospheric Turbidity for Daylight Calculations

Abstract A large set of illuminance and irradiance data has been collected for four years at 15-minute intervals in San Francisco. This data set has been used to investigate the impact of atmospheric turbidity on daylight calculations. Existing predictive formulae for Linke turbidity, T l , provide moderate agreement to measured values of T l when using nominal design values for the Angstrom scattering coefficient, β, and precipitable water vapor, w. When average measured values for β and w are used, the agreement improves. We suggest the use of an illuminance turbidity, Til, to calculate direct normal illuminance directly. We derive a simple approximate solution, Til = 1 + 21.6 β. Til appears to be a better parameter to describe atmospheric conditions since, unlike T l , it is insensitive to air mass and thus solar altitude or time of day. We present and compare plots of Til and T l vs. solar altitude, time of day, and month. Finally, we examine and compare several alternative pathways to derive direct normal illuminance from irradiance and luminous efficacy (dependent on β and w), or directly from β.
PHARMACOECONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS IN TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR ACUTE SEIZURES

Two pharmacoeconomic studies on the treatment of acute seizures have been conducted. In 1991, Kriel and colleagues surveyed parents of children with a history of cluster seizures, prolonged seizures, or status epilepticus who had been instructed in the use of rectal diazepam. A comparison of data before instruction with data after instruction showed a reduced need for emergency department visits with rectal diazepam. Instruction thus provided a pharmacoeconomic benefit, despite the cost of the product. In 1996, Marchetti and coworkers found that intravenous fosphenytoin was associated with fewer adverse events than intravenous phenytoin. Fosphenytoin thus reduced the need for adverse event management and provided a substantial pharmacoeconomic benefit, despite its higher cost, compared with phenytoin. This study had a number of limitations, however, and hospital pharmacists remain resistant to the use of fosphenytoin. Additional studies may provide more pharmacoeconomic data to support the greater use of fosphenytoin in the treatment of acute pediatric seizures.
Comparison of two-class and three-class Bayesian artificial neural networks in estimation of observations drawn from simulated bivariate normal distributions

The development and application of multi-class BANN classifiers in computer-aided diagnosis methods motivated this study in which we compared estimates produced by two-class and three-class BANN classifiers to true observations drawn from simulated distributions. Observations were drawn from three Gaussian bivariate distributions with distinct means and variances to generate G 1 , G 2 , and G 3 simulated datasets. A two-class BANN was trained on each training dataset for a total of ten different trained BANNs. The same testing dataset was run on each trained BANN. The average and standard deviation of the resulting ten sets of BANN outputs were then calculated. This process was repeated with three-class BANNS. Different sample numbers and values of a priori probabilities were investigated. The relationship between the average BANN output and true distribution was measured using Pearson and Spearman coefficients, R-squared and mean square error for two-class and three-class BANNs. There was significantly high correlation between the average BANN output and true distribution for two-class and three-class BANNs; however, subtle non-linearities and spread were found in comparing the true and estimated distributions. The standard deviations of two-class and three-class BANNs were comparable, demonstrating that three-class BANNs can perform as reliably as two-class BANN classifiers in estimating true distributions and that the observed non-linearities and spread were not simply due to statistical uncertainty but were valid characteristics of the BANN classifiers. In summary, three-class BANN decision variables were similar in performance to those of two-class BANNs in estimating true observations drawn from simulated bivariate normal distributions.
Amalgamated Free Products of Inverse Semigroups

Abstract We study amalgamated free products in the category of inverse semigroups. Our approach is combinatorial. Graphical techniques are used to relate the structures of the inverse semigroups in a pushout square, and we then examine amalgamated free products. We show that an amalgam of inverse semigroups strongly embeds in the amalgamated free product, thus providing an alternative proof of the strong amalgamation property for inverse semigroups, a result due to T. E. Hall. We provide sufficient conditions for an amalgamated free product to beE-unitary, and we give necessary and sufficient conditions for the amalgamated free product of a special amalgam to beE-unitary.
Cognitive and behavioral attention in children with math difficulties

Cognitive assessments and behavioral ratings of attention were used to examine the relation of inattention to math performance in children. Third grade students with math difficulties (MD; n = 17) and math and reading difficulties (MDRD; n = 35) were administered the Attentional Network Test (ANT), as well as achievement and intelligence measures. Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD-Symptoms and Normal-Behavior-IV (SWAN-IV) Inattention ratings were collected from teachers. Two comparison groups were also recruited: a typically achieving group (n = 23) and a group that responded to a math-tutoring intervention (responders; n = 54). On the ANT, children with MD and MDRD did not perform significantly different than typically achieving children or responders on measures of alerting and orienting attention and executive control. All subgroups did demonstrate performance patterns that were expected on the ANT. However, performance across blocks of the task was inconsistent, suggesting poor reliability. There were no relations between ANT performance and SWAN-IV behavioral inattention scores, though behavioral ratings of inattention correlated significantly with math performance. Children with MD and MDRD may have more difficulty with distraction and attention to detail in contextual situations, as opposed to impulsive responding in these settings. The lack of relation between cognitive attention and math performance may suggest that either the ANT does not assess the relevant attention constructs associated with math difficulties or may parallel studies of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in which cognitive and behavioral assessments are weakly related.
f-element/crown ether complexes. 6. Interaction of hydrated lanthanide chlorides with 15-crown-5: Crystallization and structures of [M(OH2)8]Cl3·(15-crown-5) (M = Gd, Lu)

Abstract The interaction of hydrated chloride salts of Gd3+ and Lu3+ with 15-crown-5 in a 1:3 mixture of CH3OH:CH3CN produces crystalline [M(OH2)8]Cl3· (15-crown-5) (M = Gd, Lu). The crystal and molecular structures of both complexes have been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. Both are isostructural with previously determined Y analog and crystallize in the monoclinic space group P21/n with Z = 4. Lattice parameters are a = 9.247(4), b = 17.312(5), c = 15.191(6) A, β = 92.19(3)°, Dcalc = 1.72 g cm−3 for M = Gd and a = 9.150(1), b = 17.171(1), c = 15.217(1) A, β = 92.64(1)°, Dcalc = 1.80 g cm−3 for M = Lu. Each complex was refined by least-squares to final conventional R values of 0.052 (M = Gd, 2932 observed [Fo⩾5σ(Fo) reflections) and 0.036 (M = Lu, 3313 observed reflections). The octaaquo M(III) ions exist as a distorted dodecahedron with average MOH2 separations of 2.41(4) A (M = Gd) and 2.35(4) A (M = Lu). The crown ether molecule is hydrogen bonded to metal coordinated water molecules to form polymeric chains along b. The remaining water molecule hydrogen atoms participate in hydrogen bonds with the chloride ions essentially in the ac plane. Two resolvable disordered crown ether conformations are observed with occupancies of 60%/40% (M = Gd) and 75%/25% (M = Lu).
Configurational bias Gibbs ensemble Monte Carlo simulation of vapor-liquid equilibria of linear and short-branched alkanes

We report Gibbs ensemble Monte Carlo simulations of the linear alkane, n-nonane, and its branched isomer, branched 2,6-dimethylheptane; n-eicosane, and its branched isomer 2,6,11,15-tetramethylhexadecane; and an isomer of triacontane, 2,6,10,15,19,23-hexamethyltetracosane (squalane), using the configurational-bias technique to determine the vapor-liquid phase equilibria of these systems. For linear alkanes, quantitative agreement is obtained between simulation and experiment for both critical temperature and density. For short-branched alkanes for which there are experimental data available, the calculated vapor-liquid phase equilibria compare well with experiments. The critical density for branched alkanes studied here from the simulation is in quantitative agreement with experiment, while the critical temperature from simulation is slightly lower. Examination of the vapor-liquid phase equilibria for the applicability of the law of corresponding states shows very minor differences between a linear alkane and its short-branched isomers. In attempting to evaluate the accuracy of the current intermolecular potential model for the equation of state for the branched alkane molecules, we also performed molecular dynamics simulations. The combination of the Gibbs-ensemble and molecular dynamics results suggest that the potential model developed by Siepmann et al. gives reasonable agreement with experiment.
Further investigations into the absorption of dextromethorphan from the rat's stomach

Dextromethorphan has been shown to be absorbed by a passive diffusion mechanism from the rat' stomach as a protonated species. Using buffers of a constant pH 2.0, it was found that the absorption rate depended on the anionic species of the buffer, but experiments with 14C-labeled trichloroacetate buffers suggested that the drug was not absorbed as the lipid-soluble ion pair. Good correlation between the surface activity of the drug solutions and the corresponding absorption rates was observed.
Bayesian inference and Markov chain Monte Carlo in imaging

Over the past 20 years, many problems in Bayesian inference that were previously intractable can now be fairly routinely dealt with using a computationally intensive technique for exploring the posterior distribution called Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC). Primarily because of insufficient computing capabilities, most MCMC applications have been limited to rather standard statistical models. However, with the computing power of modern workstations, a fully Bayesian approach with MCMC, is now possible for many imaging applications. Such an approach can be quite useful because it leads not only to `point' estimates of an underlying image or emission source, but it also gives a means for quantifying uncertainties regarding the image. This paper gives an overview of Bayesian image analysis and focuses on applications relevant to medical imaging. Particular focus is on prior image models and outlining MCMC methods for these models.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Learning and Unlearning the Myths We Are Taught: Gender and Social Dominance Orientation

Within social dominance theory (SDT) the invariance hypothesis predicts that men will be higher in social dominance orientation (SDO) even after accounting for cultural or social factors. We tested this hypothesis by measuring the relationship between sex and SDO while controlling for the effects of gender socialization. Our first two studies demonstrated that the sex difference in SDO is mediated by gender socialization and that masculinity and femininity are differentially related to two different forms of SDO. Study 3 extended these results by showing that SDO decreases as a function of feminist identity acquisition. These results suggest that the status hierarchy based on gender has properties of arbitrary classifications such as race, and they call into question the classification of gender as invariant within SDT.
An intramolecular N_H⋯Co hydrogen bond and a structure correlation study of the pathway for protonation of the Co(CO)3L− anion (L=CO, PR3)

Abstract A low temperature X-ray crystal structure of the zwitterionic organometallic compound Co(CO)3{PPh2(C6H4NHMe2)} (2) provides the first example of an intramolecular NH⋯Co (d10) hydrogen bond. Synthesis and characterization of such intramolecularly hydrogen-bonded systems have proven much more elusive than their counterparts that exist as intermolecularly hydrogen-bonded salts. The molecular structure of 2 taken together with a series of previously characterized NH⋯M (d10) hydrogen-bonded salts provides a series of snapshots of the changes in geometry at the metal center as one progresses along the pathway for protonation of the anion Co(CO)3L− (L=CO, PR3) to yield the metal hydride HCo(CO)3L.
Jewish Libraries and Archives in America

In celebration of the occasion of the 350th anniversary of Jewish immigration to America, this paper takes a look back and then looks forward, highlighting both achievements and challenges in the realms of Jewish libraries and archives as well as their associated professions. The paper scans the past fifty years, since the tercentenary in 1954, pointing to evidence of much growth and expansion. It then proceeds to discuss areas of development for the future, taking into account opportunities presented by the digital age.
Defect-induced nonpolar-to-polar transition at the surface of CuInSe2

Abstract In contrast to zinc-blende semiconductors, where the nonpolar (110) surface has the lowest energy, our first-principles calculations on the chalcopyrite semiconductor CuInSe 2 reveal that facets terminated by the (112)-cation and (112)-Se polar surfaces are lower in energy than the unfaceted (110) plane, despite the resulting increased surface area. This explains the hitherto puzzling existence of polar microfacets on nominally nonpolar (110) chalcopyrite surfaces. The extraordinary stability of these polar facets originates from the effective neutralization of surface charge by low-energy ordered Cu In antisite or Cu vacancy surface defects, while the relaxed but defect-free (112) surface is metallic and much higher in energy. We explain the low carrier density of the observed faceted surface in terms of autocompensation between opposite-polarity facets.
Measurements of ambient ammonia using a tunable diode laser absorption spectrometer: Characteristics of ambient ammonia emissions in an urban area of New York City

[1] A tunable diode laser absorption spectrometer (TDLAS) was deployed during the PMTACS-NY Supersite winter 2004 intensive field campaign at Queens College in New York City to measure the ambient gaseous ammonia. For the characterization of ammonia emissions from the mobile sources, a LI-7000 CO2/H2O analyzer was also collocated with the TDLAS to measure ambient CO2 and H2O vapor. The field measurements and laboratory calibration with certified ammonia standard have been used to evaluate the performance of the TDLAS system. High time resolved TDLAS ambient ammonia measurements performed at Queens College from 10 January to 6 February showed high variability, with NH3 concentrations ranging from below the detection limit (0.1 ppb) to maxima of 197.4 ppb and a mean value of 0.8 ppb over the entire campaign. Many high-frequency NH3 spikes spanning over a less than 1-min duration were observed during the high traffic periods. The occurrence of the NH3 spikes was closely correlated with observed CO2 spikes, a good marker of traffic exhaust. This correlation yielded an NH3 emission ratio of 0.12 ppbv/ppmv, which can be used to estimate an NH3 emission factor of 35.5 mg/km. The [NH3]/[CO2] ratios over the entire field study was also obtained and added into the best NH3 emission estimates. On a snowy day, no obvious drop of NH3 and CO2 concentrations was measured as the ambient H2O vapor increased. The observed dramatic decrease in the ambient NH3 and CO2 concentrations on a rainy day resulted from a quick air mass switch. Two similar bimodal diurnal patterns associated with the rush hour traffic were observed during school holidays and school days of Queens College, New York. More NH3 emissions from cold start vehicles might contribute to a higher peak in the late afternoon hours. Such observations suggest that the NH3 emissions from the traffic exhaust could be a major source of the ambient NH3 in urban areas.
Application of gpc to studies of the viscose process. III. Effect of various treatments of rayon print cloth on the molecular weight distribution of cellulose

Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) has been used to determine the molecular weight distribution of cellulose in rayon print cloths. The fabrics were made from a regular and a high wet modulus rayon with staple length of 1 9/16 inches in an 80 × 80, 31 × 41 singles construction. The effects of various treatments of the print cloths including bleaching exposure to UV and abrading on the yarn properties and the molecular weight distribution were determined. With chemical treatments, the changes in the molecular weight distribution in both warp and fill were similar. The chemical reactions with the fabric immersed in solution were fairly uniform throughout the yarn and in the filaments. In this group, bleaching drastically reduced the average molecular weight. Degradation due to abrasion and flexing was severe. Results indicate that the larger molecules are particularly susceptible to mechanical degradation. The detritus from abrasion of the high wet modulus and the regular rayons had similar, relatively narrow molecular weight distribution. The changes in yarn properties and distribution on washing were primarily the result of mechanical damage. Heating at 400°F for 30 min substantially changed the staining characteristic of cross sections of the yarns. The molecular weight distribution width increased on heating and for these samples, the weight average molecular weight determined from GPC was significantly greater than the value determined viscosimetrically.