cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The growth and entrainment of cold gas in a hot wind

Both absorption and emission line studies show that cold gas around galaxies is commonly outflowing at speeds of several hundred km$\,\textrm{s}^{-1}$. This observational fact poses a severe challenge to our theoretical models of galaxy evolution since most feedback mechanisms (e.g., supernovae feedback) accelerate hot gas, and the timescale it takes to accelerate a blob of cold gas via a hot wind is much larger than the time it takes to destroy the blob. We revisit this long-standing problem using three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations with radiative cooling. Our results confirm previous findings, that cooling is often not efficient enough to prevent the destruction of cold gas. However, we also identify regions of parameter space where the cooling efficiency of the mixed, `warm' gas is sufficiently large to contribute new comoving cold gas which can significantly exceed the original cold gas mass. This happens whenever, $t_{\mathrm{cool, mix}}/t_{\mathrm{cc}} < 1$, where $t_{\mathrm{cool,mix}}$ is the cooling time of the mixed warm gas and $t_{\mathrm{cc}}$ is the cloud-crushing time. This criterion is always satisfied for a large enough cloud. Cooling `focuses' stripped material onto the tail where mixing takes place and new cold gas forms. A sufficiently large simulation domain is crucial to capturing this behavior.
Delay of Progression of Renal Failure

It has become traditional to view chronic renal failure as a process that progresses inexorably toward the point at which no significant amount of renal function remains. Occasional patients seem not to progress or even to improve, but these are infrequent exceptions to the general rule. Because of the generality of this observation, it also has become traditional to accept this inexorable progression as an inevitable phenomenon. Generally it is assumed that unless the etiologic agent can be removed, for example, by discontinuing analgesic intake in analgesic nephropathy or by controlling blood pressure in hypertensive nephropathy, continuing damage to the remaining nephrons by the disease process will occur.
Cultivando La Voz Mujer: Latina Adolescent Girls and Their Mothers Rewriting Their Pasts and Imagining Their Futures:

This article shares the experiences of Latina adolescent girls (Grades 7–12) and their mothers as participants in Somos Escritoras/We are Writers, a creative writing workshop that invites girls and...
The Ideal of Western Liberal Democracy and Real Democracies

The distinction between the ideal of Western Liberal democracy and real democracies is essential for all those who desire to understand what is going on in the world of democratic regimes. In fact, there is no crisis of the ideal. Indeed, the ideal continues to be the goal of all those who, no matter in which part of the world, want to obtain and maintain civil and political rights and to construct a political system characterized by pluralism and free and fair elections. Many of them, the statistics show, have had success. Real democracies are always facing challenges and problems. The most important one in recent times is populism. Accommodating political and parliamentary representation for the populists is a sign that democratic regimes work and know how to react and transform themselves. The author argues that the most important factor affecting the dynamics of contemporary democratic political systems is the decline of political parties. Parties created and accompanied real democracies. Their decline has a negative impact on the quality and, perhaps, even the continued existence of real democracies.
Rehabilitation after Spinal Cord Injury: The Team Approach

The rehabilitation team is a crucial ingredient in facilitating successful outcome after spinal cord injury (SCI). The philosophy behind the rehabilitation team, a description of its membership, and how the team concept becomes integrated into the overall delivery of rehabilitation services to individuals with SCI are discussed in this article. Other pertinent issues related to adjustment to SCI are also reviewed.
National patterns of care for early-stage penile cancers in the United States: How is radiation and brachytherapy utilized?

Abstract Purpose Per American Brachytherapy Society guidelines, cT1-2N0 penile cancers Methods and Materials The National Cancer Database was queried for men with cT1-2N0 penile cancers Results Among 1235 cases eligible for analysis, median age was 69 years. Median tumor size was 2.0 cm. 95.8% of men underwent surgery alone, with 91 (7.4%) undergoing radical penectomy, 673 (54.5%) partial penectomy, and 419 (33.9%) cosmesis-preserving surgical procedure. Only 4 (0.3%) men were treated with brachytherapy alone, 48 (3.9%) with external-beam radiation therapy (EBRT) alone, and 8 (0.6%) with EBRT after surgery. Surgical margins were positive in 118 (9.6%) patients, 14 of whom received adjuvant EBRT (11.9%) and two adjuvant brachytherapy (1.7%). There was no difference in demographic or clinical characteristics in groups treated with surgery vs. radiation (all p > 0.2). Age >70, lesions >2 cm, and T2 tumors were more likely to undergo non–organ-preserving therapy vs. radiation or a cosmesis-preserving procedure (all p Conclusions Men with penile-preserving eligible lesions in the United States are overwhelmingly treated with surgery. Penile-preserving radiation techniques including brachytherapy and EBRT are underutilized and should be offered as curative interventions.
Chloroplast Gene Expression: Regulation at Multiple Levels

The plastid DNA of higher plants contains genes that primarily encode photosynthetic proteins or products required for their synthesis. Expression of plastid genes resembles prokaryotic gene expression in many aspects, reflecting the plastid’s probable origin as prokaryotic endosymbionts. Early theories suggested that plastid gene expression, like that of prokaryotes, was regulated principally at the level of transcription initiation, although further research led to competing theories regarding the relative importance of regulation at different levels. It is becoming apparent that regulation of transcription initiation is an important, but not exclusive, mechanism for control of plastid gene expression. Post-transcriptional control of transcript abundance has also emerged as an important level of regulation, with identification of nuclear-encoded factors that mediate processing, stabilization, and degradation of plastid transcripts. Translation initiation and elongation can also be specifically regulated, as can post-translational mechanisms affecting protein turnover. Thus, plastid gene expression is regulated by a combination of mechanisms that operate at multiple levels. Most of the regulatory factors affecting plastid gene expression are nuclear-encoded, illustrating the regulatory role that the nucleus plays in the control of plastid function. This allows plastid differentiation to be coordinated with the tissue-specific and developmental program of the plant. At the same time, transcription of certain nuclear-encoded plastid-localized proteins requires a plastid-generated signal; thus, expression of nuclear and plastid genes is controlled by bidirectional signaling between the two compartments. Elucidation of the mechanisms controlling the coordinated expression of the two genomes will remain a fruitful area of investigation for many years to come.
Teacher Power and the Politics of Union Organizing in the Charter Sector.

Despite the growing media attention paid to charter-school unions, comparatively little empirical research exists. Drawing on interview data from two cities (Detroit, MI, and New Orleans, LA), our ...
A Retrospective Chronicle of the Midwest School Social Work Council: Its Vision and Influence after Forty Years.

anniversary in Cleveland, Ohio. This article reviews early efforts to build alliances of school social workers across state lines, the early collaborative relationship with the National Association of Social Workers, and the eventual need for a new organization. The Midwest Council was seminal in its efforts to offer regular continuing education, to provide conference organizational planning, and to promote scholarship for school social workers. Eventually, its efforts led to the development of the School Social Work Association of America while maintaining a relationship with the National Association of Social Workers. It remains the most stable force for school social workers throughout the Midwest.
The impact of hospital size on national trends and outcomes in isolated open proximal aortic surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of hospital size on national trend estimates of isolated open proximal aortic surgery for benchmarking hospital performance. METHODS: Patients age >18 years who underwent isolated open proximal aortic surgery for aneurysm and dissection from 2002 to 2014 were identified using the National Inpatient Sample. Concomitant valvular, vessel revascularization, re-do procedures, endovascular, and surgery for descending and thoracoabdominal aorta were excluded. Discharges were stratified by hospital size and analyzed using trend, multivariable regression, propensity-score matching analysis. RESULTS: Over a 13-year period, 53,657 isolated open proximal aortic operations were performed nationally. Although the total number of operations/year increased (â¼2.9%/year increase) and overall in-hospital mortality decreased (â¼4%/year; both P .05). Large hospitals treated more sicker and older patients but had shorter length of stay and lower hospital costs (both P < .001). Even after propensity-score matching, large hospital continued to demonstrate superior in-hospital outcomes, although only statistically for major in-hospital cardiac complications compared with non-large hospitals. In our subgroup analysis of dissection versus non-dissection cohort, in-hospital mortality trends decreased only in the non-dissection cohort (P < .01) versus dissection cohort (P = .39), driven primarily by the impact of large hospitals (P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates increasing volume and improving outcomes of isolated open proximal aortic surgeries nationally over the last decade regardless of hospital bed size. Moreover, the resource allocation of sicker patients to larger hospital resulted shorter length of stay and hospital costs, while maintaining similar operative mortality to small- and medium-sized hospitals.
Going Re“public”an: How Donald Trump Uses Speeches to Target Audiences and Mask Reality

This chapter explores the speechmaking patterns of Donald Trump at midterm. Most important, it found that the Trump administration has systematically omitted almost every one of his public rallies from inclusion in the Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents. The omission of these speeches raises troubling questions about the public record of this administration. Donald Trump uses Twitter aggressively with the lowest average daily speech totals in 30 years. Through an examination of speeches via media markets and Electoral College results, he is a president who primarily only focuses on places with his strongest support. As a result, he has also regularly gone to some of the smallest cities for rallies in decades when compared to other presidents.
The association of health status and cancer history of young adult survivors of childhood cancer with parental accompaniment to survivorship clinic visits.

Adult childhood cancer survivors are frequently accompanied by a parent to survivorship clinic. From clinical evaluations among young adult survivors of childhood cancer we aimed to (1) investigate the association between accompaniment and the survivors’ health complexity; and (2) determine whether accompaniment is associated with adherence to recommended surveillance tests and follow-up in clinic. This was a cross-sectional study of all patients ≥ 18 years old at their first visit to the regional Yale Childhood Cancer Survivorship Clinic from 2003 to 2018. Patients underwent standardized evaluations for medical, neurocognitive, and emotional late effects of therapy; individuals accompanying patients were documented. The 168 patients were a median of 12.0 (range: 0–17.9) years at diagnosis and 22.7 (range: 18.1–39.9) years at evaluation, and 45.8% were accompanied by a parent. In multivariable analyses, 18.0–24.99 years vs. 25.0–39.99 years at visit (OR = 3.43, p = 0.022) and central nervous system (CNS) tumor diagnosis (OR = 6.09 vs. leukemia/lymphoma diagnosis, p = 0.010) were significantly associated with parental accompaniment. Accompaniment was not associated with number and severity of medical late effects, neurocognitive impairment, or emotional distress. Accompaniment was not associated with completed surveillance tests or a clinic follow-up within 2 years. Forty-six percent of survivors were accompanied by a parent, and accompaniment was not associated with survivor health status. Accompaniment was not associated with adherence to recommended surveillance tests or clinic follow-up.
Modernizing Training in Psychotherapy Competencies With Adaptive Learning Systems: Proof of Concept.

Purpose:This proof-of-concept study assessed the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of an intelligent tutoring system (ITS) as a classroom adjunct to improve training bachelor of social ...
Management of ARDS – what works and what does not

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a clinically and biologically heterogeneous disorder associated with a variety of disease processes that lead to acute lung injury with increased non-hydrostatic extravascular lung water, reduced compliance, and severe hypoxemia. Despite significant advances, mortality associated with this syndrome remains high. Mechanical ventilation remains the most important aspect of managing patients with ARDS. An in-depth knowledge of lung protective ventilation, optimal PEEP strategies, modes of ventilation and recruitment maneuvers are essential for ventilatory management of ARDS. Although, the management of ARDS is constantly evolving as new studies are published and guidelines being updated; we present a detailed review of the literature including the most up-to-date studies and guidelines in the management of ARDS. We believe this review is particularly helpful in the current times where more than half of the acute care hospitals lack in-house intensivists and the burden of ARDS is at large.
Temporal Trends and Factors Associated With Cardiac Rehabilitation Participation Among Medicare Beneficiaries With Heart Failure

Abstract Objectives The purpose of this study was to assess temporal trends and factors associated with cardiac rehabilitation (CR) enrollment and participation among Medicare beneficiaries after the 2014 Medicare coverage expansion. Background CR improves exercise capacity, quality of life, and clinical outcomes in heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). In 2014, Medicare coverage for CR was expanded to include chronic HFrEF. Methods Among Medicare beneficiaries from quarter (Q) 1 2014 to Q2 2016, 11,696 patients from 14,258 hospitalizations with primary discharge diagnosis of HF were identified. Patients with HF with preserved ejection fraction were excluded. Quarterly CR participation rates among hospitalized HF patients within 6 months of discharge were identified through outpatient administrative claims. The predictors of CR participation were assessed with the use of a multivariable logistic regression model that included patient- and hospital-level characteristics. A secondary analysis to assess participation rates of CR after outpatient encounters for HF was performed. Results Overall, only 611 (4.3%) and 349 (2.2%) eligible patients participated CR after primary hospitalization or outpatient visit for HF, respectively. There was a modest, statistically significant increase in CR participation after HF admissions (2.8% in Q1 2014; 5.0% in Q2 2016; p Conclusions CR participation among eligible Medicare beneficiaries with HFrEF was low with minimal increase since 2014 Medicare coverage decision. Sex, race, and institution-dependent variables were independent predictors of CR participation.
Multifaced Evidence of Hospital Performance in Pennsylvania

As health care costs and demands for health care services have been rising for decades in the United States, health care reforms have focused on increasing the performance of health care delivery. Competition has been considered as a mechanism to improve the quality of health care services and operational performance. Evidence on health care performance and market competition, however, has not sufficiently been reported to track its progress. The purpose of this study is twofold: First, we measure hospital performance over nine years, using the Malmquist Productivity Index. Second, we examine the impact of market competition on hospital efficiency in Pennsylvania, using a two-stage estimation procedure. The bootstrapped Malmquist productivity indices resulted in noticeable performance improvements. However, no steady performance trends were found during the course of nine years. In examining the impact of market competition, the bootstrapped panel Tobit analysis was applied after computing the efficiency scores with Data Envelopment Analysis. The results of the Tobit model found that hospitals run more efficiently in less competitive regions than in more competitive regions. The finding implies that hospitals underperforming in productivity growth should benchmark best practices of efficient hospitals to improve their productivity level. Another implication is that market competition would not be the best approach to effect the improvement of hospital efficiency in delivering health care services.
Girls embrace technology: a summer internship for high school girls

High school girls explore their potential for a career in engineering and technology through developing educational interactive multimedia software during a six-week summer internship. "Techno-neutral" girls - those who do not envision themselves pursuing a career in high-tech, yet have the academic preparedness, curiosity and commitment to complete the internship and produce a successful multimedia product - are recruited. The internship experience makes information technology accessible and attractive to the girls via developing creative, hands-on educational software for younger children. The girls develop technical skills in graphic design, user interface development, visual programming, digital image manipulation, multimedia authoring and user testing. The girls were as impacted by the environmental and cultural conditions of the internship - including working in teams - as they were by the opportunity to learn new technological tools. The internship helped the girls become aware that a technology-based career can be creative and fun while serving the needs of society.
A Course on Computer and Network Security: Teaching Online Versus Face-to-Face

The paper presents an overview of the Computer and Network Security course offered through distance education division as part of the online degree program. Topics presented in the online format are compared with those presented in a traditional curriculum in the face-to-face format. The pros and cons of each of the formats are discussed. Unique to the online course are weekly discussion topics that require each student’s participation and the follow-ups to postings of other students. A distinguishing aspect of the online course is a three week based case study assignment exploring a practical security framework encountered in real companies.
Dissecting the Black Box: A Knowledge Management System for Transferring Levels of Technical Knowledge

Knowledge sharing is critical in activities such as product development, where multiple individuals make decisions outside their area of expertise with far reaching consequences. Despite its importance, the construct “shared knowledge” is rarely quantified. This research is unique as it pioneers a method for measuring knowledge transfer directly in terms of knowledge levels—in essence opening the “black box” of knowledge. The methods were developed as part of a comparative case study of product development projects in a manufacturing firm. Evidence of knowledge transfer has been gathered via focused interviews with knowledge recipients and codified along knowledge dimensions of depth, scope and action. Based on observations derived from this data, key aspects of a new type of knowledge management system are outlined.
Antibiotic susceptibility patterns of recent isolates of Corynebacterium diphtheriae.

A variety of factors which might affect zone sizes were studied with strains of Corynebacterium diphtheriae; a standard disc method for antimicrobial sensitivity testing was used. Moderate variations in inoculum size, inoculum preparation, and pH of Mueller Hinton agar (MHA) did not appreciably affect zone sizes. The addition of blood to MHA was necessary to insure the growth of all C. diphtheriae strains on all lots of MHA. Zone diameters on MHA with blood were consistently 4 to 9 mm smaller than on plain MHA; however, zone diameters were within the sensitive range for seven antibiotic discs used on both media. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values for penicillin, erythromycin, and rifampin were determined by a plate dilution method. The geographical source, toxigenicity, and type of the strains showed no significant correlation with MIC values or zone diameters for eight antibiotic discs. When MIC values were compared to obtainable blood levels, all of the strains appeared to be sensitive with MIC values of ≤ 0.5 μg/ml for penicillin and ≤ 0.01 μg/ml for erythromycin and rifampin. Strains from persons who failed to have C. diphtheriae eliminated by one course of treatment with penicillin or erythromycin were examined. The susceptibility of these strains did not vary significantly from that of the other strains studied.
Inhomogeneities in Materially Uniform Simple Bodies

Many physical characteristics of continuously distributed matter are local in the sense that they pertain to individual material points and their immediate neighborhoods, rather than to a body as a whole. Examples of such local characteristics are: elastic response, viscosity, heat capacity, electrical conductivity, magnetic response, optical refraction, chemical composition, color.
Disaggregate land uses and walking

The accessibility and intensity of certain nonresidential land uses, along with land-use diversity, are positively associated with walking for transportation. A careful mix of land uses in a neighborhood can encourage physical activity. Language: en
Development of a reference-based method for identifying and scoring indicators of condition for coastal plain riparian reaches

Abstract Indicators of riparian ecosystem condition for headwater coastal plain streams were identified from data obtained from a reference population of reaches ranging widely in ecological condition. Each indicator was associated with some facet of hydrologic, biogeochemical, and/or habitat functioning and to channel condition, riparian zone condition, or both. Variation in the condition of the indicators among reference reaches provided a framework for developing narratives that could be used to partition and score the condition of the indicators from 0 (severely altered) to 100 (relatively unaltered). The developed narratives were the basis for creating a scoring approach for assessing stream condition at the reach scale (100-m long × 60-m wide segment). This approach was designed to be a rapid, field-based assessment method (
Spatial and Temporal Variability of Benthic Oxygen Demand and Nutrient Regeneration in an Anthropogenically Impacted New England Estuary

Strong benthic–pelagic coupling is an important characteristic of shallow coastal marine ecosystems. Building upon a rich history of benthic metabolism data, we measured oxygen uptake and nutrient fluxes across the sediment–water interface along a gradient of water column primary production in Narragansett Bay, RI (USA). Despite the strong gradients seen in water column production, sediment oxygen demand (SOD) and benthic nutrient fluxes did not exhibit a clear spatial pattern. Some of our sites had been studied in the 1970s and 1980s and thus allowed historical comparison. At these sites, we found that SOD and benthic fluxes have not changed uniformly throughout Narragansett Bay. In the uppermost portion of the bay, the Providence River Estuary, we observed a significant decrease in dissolved inorganic phosphorus fluxes which we attribute to management interventions. At another upper bay site, we observed significant declines in SOD and dissolved inorganic nitrogen fluxes which may be linked to climate-induced decreases in water column primary production and shifts in bloom phenology. In the 1970s, benthic nutrient regeneration supplied 50% to over 200% of the N and P needed to support primary production by phytoplankton. Summer nutrient regeneration in the Providence River Estuary and Upper bay now may only supply some 5–30% of the N and 3–20% of the P phytoplankton demand.
Label-Free, Single Protein Detection on a Near-Infrared Fluorescent Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube/Protein Microarray Fabricated by Cell-Free Synthesis

Excessive sample volumes continue to be a major limitation in the analysis of protein–protein interactions, motivating the search for label-free detection methods of greater sensitivity. Herein, we report the first chemical approach for selective protein recognition using fluorescent single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) enabling label-free microarrays capable of single protein detection. Hexahistidine-tagged capture proteins directly expressed by cell-free synthesis on SWNT/chitosan microarray are bound to a Ni2+ chelated by Nα,Nα-bis(carboxymethyl)-l-lysine grafted to chitosan surrounding the SWNT. The Ni2+ acts as a proximity quencher with the Ni2+/SWNT distance altered upon docking of analyte proteins. This ability to discern single protein binding events decreases the apparent detection limit from 100 nM, for the ensemble average, to 10 pM for an observation time of 600 s. This first use of cell-free synthesis to functionalize a nanosensor extends this method to a virtually infinite number of captur...
Progress in the Development of Energy Efficient Engine Components

Component test results are presented for the NASA Energy Efficient Engine program, whose design goals relative to the CF6-50C reference engine include a 12% reduction in specific fuel consumption, 5% reduction in direct operating costs, and 50% reduction in specific fuel consumption deterioration rate over the course of commercial service. Emphasis is placed on the engine's high pressure compressor, which has a design pressure ratio of 23:1, and has completed a series of component tests whose resulting configuration is expected to meet all major objectives of the program. Descriptions are given of the core engine and integrated core/low spool tests, and system test benefits are discussed. Attention is given to the design features of the engine's double annular combustor, high and low pressure air turbines, and scale model exhaust mixer.
Familial omphalocele: Considerations in genetic counseling

Nonsyndromal omphalocele is generally regarded as a sporadic malformation. Recurrence risk is considered negligible. We report on a patient in whom 5 consecutive pregnancies (by 2 separate nonconsanguineous partners) were complicated by omphalocele as an isolated defect. Neither the patient nor her partners had history of relatives with omphalocele, although the patient's brother and his son had large umbilical hernias requiring repair in infancy. Some familial cases of nonsyndromal omphalocele have been previously reported; most such pedigrees suggest vertical transmission, although there are a few cases with only a single generation involved. In our case, the multigenerational finding of ventral wall hernias makes an autosomal dominant mechanism with variable expressivity a tenable explanation. The collected instances of familial nonsyndromal omphalocele emphasize omphalocele heterogeneity and caution in counseling recurrence risks.
A Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technique for Quantitative Mapping of Moisture and Fat in a Cheese Block

Separate magnetic resonance images of water and fat of oil-in-water emulsions and cheese blocks were obtained using the chemical shift selective suppression technique. With this technique, the proton signals emitted from water can be readily separated from those emitted from fat in the same sample through a single experiment using magnetic resonance imaging. Relaxation compensation was made to improve the quality of suppression. The experiment using oil-in-water emulsions demonstrated an excellent linear relationship between the intensity of the signal and the concentrations of water or fat. Images of a cheese slice showing only water or fat revealed that moisture distribution was less uniform than was fat distribution. Moisture contents determined by the magnetic resonance imaging technique were very close to those obtained by the oven-drying method.
Complex Pomeranchuk trajectories

Abstract Models for diffraction scattering are presented which contain complex Pomeranchuk trajectories and moving branch points of the type generated by these trajectories. Poles and cuts are correlated so as to remove unwanted branches of the pole surfaces from the physical sheet.
Synthesis of Proton-Ionizable p-Nitrophenol-Containing Tetraazacrown and Diazadithiacrown Ethers from an Aromatic Building Block Prepared via the Einhorn Reaction

A series of p-nitroanisole-containing tetraazacrown (14−18), diazacryptand (22), and diazadithiacrown (23−25) macrocycles has been prepared by treating the appropriate secondary diamine, diazacrown, or dimercaptan with 2,6-bis[(2-chloroacetamido)methyl]-4-nitroanisole (BB). Five of these p-nitroanisole-containing macrocycles were reported earlier. Four new bis(p-nitroanisole)-containing macrocycles resulting from a 2 + 2 macrocyclization of diamine or dimercaptan with BB were also isolated. Six of the p-nitroanisole-containing macrocycles (16, 17, 22−25) were converted to the p-nitrophenol-containing macrocycles (27−32) on treatment with LiI in refluxing pyridine. Thermodynamic quantities (log K, ΔH, and TΔS) for the interactions of four new compounds (24, 27, 31, and 32) with Na+, K+, Ba2+, Ag+, and Pb2+ were evaluated by calorimetric titration at 25.0 °C in either 70% or absolute methanol solution. The compounds show strong interactions with Ag+ and Pb2+ but very weak interactions with Na+, K+, and Ba2+...
High-performance liquid chromatographic isolation and fast atom bombardment mass spectrometric identification of di-N-desethylamiodarone, a new metabolite of amiodarone in the dog

Amiodarone is an antiarrhythmic drug which has received considerable attention in recent years. It has been suggested that the unusual pharmacodynamic characteristics of this drug may be due in part to the influence of active metabolites. Using fast atom bombardment (FAB) mass spectrometry we have identified a new metabolite of amiodarone, the di-N-desethyl analog (DDEA). This metabolite was present in the blood of dogs treated with the parent drug, and showed a greater affinity for myocardium than did the parent drug. The unique features of FAB mass spectrometry over electron impact mass spectrometry was an essential element in facilitating the identification of this new metabolite. Whether or not this metabolite has pharmacologic activity or is responsible for some of the side effects occurring during amiodarone administration is not known.
Recombinant human activated protein C reduces cardiac 3-nitrotyrosine and malondialdehyde levels in ovine acute respiratory distress syndrome and septic shock

We have recently shown that recombinant human activated protein C (rhAPC) improved pulmonary function [1] and cardiac performance [2] in ovine acute respiratory distress syndrome and sepsis. Peroxynitrite (ONOO-) is known to inactivate adrenoreceptors in sepsis. It can be detected with equal amounts of 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT). rhAPC has been effective to reduce lung 3-NT levels in sepsis [1]. We therefore hypothesized that rhAPC might reduce cardiac 3-NT levels as well, and studied cellular enzymes involved with the ONOO- pathway in cardiac tissue.
Depicting classification uncertainty using perception-based color models

Fuzzy classification typically assigns a location or an area to a category with some estimated degree of uncertainty. There are strong incentives for depicting uncertainty along with category, and numerous authors have recommended that this be done using progressive desaturation of the entity's color with increasing uncertainty. This article shows that such recommendations cannot be naively applied using color models widely used in computer graphics because colors equally ‘saturated’ do not appear equally certain. We demonstrate that models based on color perception are preferred, particularly if one wishes to compare uncertainties across classes. We discuss geometrical complications arising with perceptual models that are not present with models closely tied to hardware. An algorithm for selecting colors is presented and illustrated using the model.
Flexible fiberoptic sigmoidoscopy training for primary care physicians: results of a 5-year experience

The first 5 years of a flexible fiberoptic sigmoidoscopy (FFS) training program for primary care physicians was analyzed in an attempt to assess clinical competence and develop a procedure learning curve. A total of 47 primary care physicians (26 third-year family practice residents, 15 family practioners, and 6 internists) were successfully trained in 60-cm FFS by five gastroenterologists. Didactic teaching methods included 5 hours of videotapes, slides, endoscopic models, and the use of a photo atlas. Following a patient demonstration, each trainee completed 25 examinations supervised with a teaching attachment. Criteria used to assess trainee competence included unassisted length of scope insertion and examination duration. Mean depth of scope insertion was 35.9 cm for the first five examinations, increasing to a mean of 51.7 cm for the final five examinations. Average examination duration decreased from 19.1 min for examinations 1 through 5 to 17.0 min for examinations 21 through 25. Out of 1236 examinations, one or more polyps were found in 222 patients (18.0%). Carcinoma was found in 15 of 1236 examinations (1.4%). In summary, experienced endoscopists can teach primary care physicians to perform 60-cm FFS. Completion of 25 supervised cases appears to be adequate for achieving technical competence in flexible fiberoptic sigmoidoscopy.
Molecular Implementation and Physiological Roles for Histone H3 Lysine 4 (H3K4) Methylation

Chromosomal surfaces are ornamented with a variety of post-translational modifications of histones, which are required for the regulation of many of the DNA-templated processes. Such histone modifications include acetylation, sumoylation, phosphorylation, ubiquitination, and methylation. Histone modifications can either function by disrupting chromosomal contacts or by regulating non-histone protein interactions with chromatin. In this review, recent findings will be discussed regarding the regulation of the implementation and physiological significance for one such histone modification, histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4) methylation by the yeast COMPASS and mammalian COMPASS-like complexes.
Acyl CoA synthetase from rat lung: purification and properties.

Long chain fatty acyl-CoA synthetase, a key enzyme in fatty acid metabolism, occurs in liver, brain, muscle, adipose tissue and bacteria. In our study, rat lung was found to have an acyl-CoA synthetase very active for the synthesis of palmitoyl CoA. The lung microsomal and cell membrane fractions were the principle sources of this enzyme, with mitochondria the next most active fraction. Palmitoyl CoA synthetase was isolated from rat lung microsomes and purified 100-fold. Enzyme activity was determined either by spectrophotometric or by radioactive assay methods. Kinetic parameters and properties were determined using purified microsomal palmitoyl CoA synthetase. The assay system required ATP and CoA as substrates. Maximal activation was reached with palmitate as substrate.
Pulmonary artery pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance before and after mitral balloon valvotomy in 100 patients with severe mitral valve stenosis

We studied the pulmonary vascular hemodynamics before and after mitral balloon valvotomy in 100 patients with severe mitral valve stenosis. Before balloon valvotomy 23 patients had a pulmonary artery systolic pressure of 50 mm Hg (group 3). After balloon valvotomy the mean systolic pulmonary artery pressure in group 1 decreased from 28 +/- 3 to 26 +/- 5 mm Hg (p = NS). In group 2 the systolic pulmonary artery pressure after balloon valvotomy decreased from 41 +/- 5 to 33 +/- 7 mm Hg (p or = 13 mm Hg) in 6 of 27 patients (22%) who had a systolic pulmonary artery systolic pressure of or = 31 mm Hg. The pulmonary vascular resistance was abnormal in 36 of 54 patients (67%) after mitral balloon valvotomy; only 5 of 36 patients (14%) had a raised left atrial pressure (> or = 13 mm Hg). In group 3 the pulmonary vascular resistance was abnormal (> 125 dynes/sec/cm-5) in all 23 patients before and in 19 of 31 patients (91%) after balloon valvotomy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Poisson evolution in word selection

This paper presents the finding that the invocation of new words in human language samples is governed by a slowly changing Poisson process. The time dependent rate constant for this process has the form @l(t) = @l"1([email protected]"2t)e^-^@l^"^2^[email protected]"3([email protected]"4t)e^-^@l^"^4^[email protected]"5, where @l"i > 0, i=1,...,5. This form implies that there are opening, middle and final phases to the introduction of new words, each distinguished by a dominant rate constant, or equivalently, rate of decay. With the occasional exception of the phase transition from beginning to middle, the rate @l(t) decays monotonically. Thus, @l(t) quantifies how the penchant of humans to introduce new words declines with the progression of their narratives, written or spoken.
Reconfigurable-hardware-based digital signal processing for wireless communications

This paper presents, index mapping, a technique to efficiently map a widely used class of digital signal processing algorithms onto a space/time paradigm with immediate representation as the partitioning and scheduling map of a small, I/O efficient, hardware array. When applied to reconfigurable FPGA based hardware architectures with downstream sea-of-gates optimization methods, the resulting systems form a dynamic signal processing environment with the best mix of performance and flexibility for wireless applications. Herein, index mapping is demonstrated with a mapping of the fast Fourier transform (FFT) onto an FPGA computing machine, the reconfigurable processor (RCP).
Individuals in Relationships: Cultural Values, Children's Social Interactions, and the Development of an American Individualistic Self

Abstract This paper explicates the theoretical position that independence and interdependence are inseparable dimensions of self-development in all cultures and that self-development takes place through social interactions that are shaped by cultural values about the ideal nature of human existence. Individualism and collectivism are viewed as terms for classifying two multidimensional cultural value systems about the nature of human existence that shape different routes and goals of self-development through the enactment of different modes of independence and interdependence. The paper highlights individualism in American culture, and research on parent–child interactions that illustrates how individualism shapes self-development in terms of both autonomy and relatedness in American culture is reviewed.
Scheduling stochastic jobs with due dates on parallel machines

Abstract Jobs with random processing times, random due dates, and weights are to be scheduled on parallel machines so as to minimize the expected total weight of tardy jobs. Under various assumptions, optimal policies are presented both for static lists and dynamic schedules, preemptive and nonpreemptive.
Passcode based authentication protocol: Part I — Solution evaluation and software design

Usually, any communication begins by establishing the identity of partners (one over the other, or to a system that grants access to certain resources), the general settings for an identification protocol assuming the existence of a prover or claimant (referred to as USER) and a verifier in whose terms the outcome of an entity authentication protocol being either acceptance of the claimant's identity as authentic (completion with acceptance), or termination without acceptance (rejection). Although individually widely used, all vulnerabilities outlined in service, for each authentication scheme in hand (based on something known, owned by USER or inherent to him), advanced the idea of combining them in order to increase the "strength" of resulted protocol. This article aims at presenting a method for implementing an authentication protocol, which combines the two basic schemes (something known to the user or something owned by him), efforts were focused on highlighting the elements of software design and the basic procedures of the proposed authentication system. Also, an assessment is made on strength of passcode by quantifying the average time scrolling passcodes space to reach a specific combination. Taking into account that the criteria are “worst case scenario” type (for this kind of evaluation) in the following are proposed and evaluated two methods for enhancing / increasing the average time scrolling the space, one of them being implemented in the case of the presented authentication scheme. If in this first part of the paper software implementation, performance and security issues are discussed, in second part (which will be published in next issue of the journal) will be dealt topics related to hardware implementation.
Application of the Waterman-Truell approach for chiral composites

The Waterman-Truell approach has been utilized for the homogenization of a chiral composite formed by identical chiral particles randomly dispersed in free space. Comparison is made with the results of applying the Maxwell Garnett approach on the same composite. The Waterman-Truell approach is found to be deficient compared with the Maxwell Garnett approach, as the former yields only a partial characterization of the homogenized composite.
Electronic dynamic Hubbard model: Exact diagonalization study

A model to describe electronic correlations in energy bands is considered. The model is a generalization of the conventional Hubbard model that allows for the fact that the wave function for two electrons occupying the same Wannier orbital is different from the product of single-electron wave functions. We diagonalize the Hamiltonian exactly on a four-site cluster and study its properties as a function of band filling. The quasiparticle weight is found to decrease and the quasiparticle effective mass to increase as the electronic band filling increases, and spectral weight in one- and two-particle spectral functions is transferred from low to high frequencies as the band filling increases. Quasiparticles at the Fermi energy are found to be more ``dressed'' when the Fermi level is in the upper half of the band (hole carriers) than when it is in the lower half of the band (electron carriers). The effective interaction between carriers is found to be strongly dependent on band filling becoming less repulsive as the band filling increases and attractive near the top of the band in certain parameter ranges. The effective interaction is most attractive when the single-hole carriers are most heavily dressed, and in the parameter regime where the effective interaction is attractive, hole carriers are found to ``undress,'' hence become more like electrons, when they pair. It is proposed that these are generic properties of electronic energy bands in solids that reflect a fundamental electron-hole asymmetry of condensed matter. The relation of these results to the understanding of superconductivity in solids is discussed.
SHORT- AND LONG-TERM MODULATION OF THE EXERCISE VENTILATORY RESPONSE

The importance of adaptive control strategies (modulation and plasticity) in the control of breathing during exercise has become recognized only in recent years. In this review, we discuss new evidence for modulation of the exercise ventilatory response in humans, specifically, short- and long-term modulation. Short-term modulation is proposed to be an important regulatory mechanism that helps maintain blood gas homeostasis during exercise.
Resource Exchanges for Agritourism Service Encounters

This article examines the conceptual relationship of agritourists' social interactions and satisfaction derived from resource theory. Agritourists encounter a series of interactions that provide various resources at a farm, so understanding how those interactions influence agritourism experiences is believed to be important. This study addresses this issue by investigating agritourists' reactions to receiving particular (e.g., care) versus universal types of resources (e.g., money discount) received from service providers. Results of the study provide empirical evidence that particular resources exchanged on agritourism encounters contribute more to satisfaction than universal resources. Therefore, agritourism providers need to primarily focus on particular resource exchange with their agritourists and customers. For universal resources, such as money discount or promotional pricing, they need to be designed to convey personal care and attention towards individual customers rather than just being monetary...
Passive suppression of vibration and noise in smart structures made of layered media

Microstructures can introduce significant dissipation to the signal propagation through the inhomogeneous media. We have demonstrated how to build up the proper microstructures to suppress vibration and noise in smart structures made of inhomogeneous media. We have shown that proper choice of the mismatch can become a very effective control of the structural damping.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Incarceration and the Rate of Achievement of Learning Disabled Juvenile Delinquents.

This study investigated the effect of incarceration on the academic growth of learning disabled juvenile delinquents as well as the relationship between rate of achievement during incarceration and tenure in the institution. Achievement growth was determined by the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills, Form S. The results showed that incarceration did increase academic achievement but that a negative relationship existed between tenure and achievement rate.
NASPGHAN guidelines for training in pediatric gastroenterology.

G.G.C. has received com M.C. has served on th served on the board o and Enteral Nutrition; her institution has rec collaborative and Prov pensation from Child L.A.G. has received c received compensatio employment, expert t stocks/stock options; LLC, consulted to No received or has grants Institutes of Health, th holds equity interest in has received compens Fibrosis Foundation; M Abbott Laboratories, Foundation, the Natio Diseases/National Ins ticals; E.A.R. has rece sionalism & Ethical institution has receive as the medical editor has received compen Pharmaceuticals, and Nutrition; J.T. has rec Pediatrics, Prometheu conflicts of interest. Copyright # 2012 by E Hepatology, and Nut Gastroenterology, He DOI: 10.1097/MPG.0b01
The Disconnected Discourses of Childhood and Child Care in the United States

(2001). The Disconnected Discourses of Childhood and Child Care in the United States. Paedagogica Historica: Vol. 37, No. 3, pp. 662-676.