cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Prophylactic antibiotic bundle compliance and surgical site infections: an artificial neural network analysis.

Best practice “bundles” have been developed to lower the occurrence rate of surgical site infections (SSI’s). We developed artificial neural network (ANN) models to predict SSI occurrence based on prophylactic antibiotic compliance. Using the American College of Surgeons National Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) Tampa General Hospital patient dataset for a six-month period, 780 surgical procedures were reviewed for compliance with SSI guidelines for antibiotic type and timing. SSI rates were determined for patients in the compliant and non-compliant groups. ANN training and validation models were developed to include the variables of age, sex, steroid use, bleeding disorders, transfusion, white blood cell count, hematocrit level, platelet count, wound class, ASA class, and surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis (SAP) bundle compliance. Overall compliance to recommended antibiotic type and timing was 92.0%. Antibiotic bundle compliance had a lower incidence of SSI’s (3.3%) compared to the non-compliant group (8.1%, p = 0.07). ANN models predicted SSI with a 69–90% sensitivity and 50–60% specificity. The model was more sensitive when bundle compliance was not used in the model, but more specific when it was. Preoperative white blood cell (WBC) count had the most influence on the model. SAP bundle compliance was associated with a lower incidence of SSI’s. In an ANN model, inclusion of the SAP bundle compliance reduced sensitivity, but increased specificity of the prediction model. Preoperative WBC count had the most influence on the model.
Accelerating gas–liquid chemical reactions in flow

Over the past decade, continuous flow reactors have emerged as a powerful tool for accelerated fundamental and applied studies of gas–liquid reactions, offering facile gas delivery and process intensification. In particular, unique features of highly gas-permeable tubular membranes in flow reactors (i.e., tube-in-tube flow reactor configuration) have been exploited as (i) an efficient analytic tool for gas–liquid solubility and diffusivity measurements and (ii) reliable gas delivery/generation strategy, providing versatile adaptability for a wide range of gas–liquid processes. The tube-in-tube flow reactors have been successfully adopted for rapid exploration of a wide range of gas–liquid reactions (e.g., amination, carboxylation, carbonylation, hydrogenation, ethylenation, oxygenation) using gaseous species both as the reactant and the product, safely handling toxic and flammable gases or unstable intermediate compounds. In this highlight, we present an overview of recent developments in the utilization of such intensified flow reactors within modular flow chemistry platforms for different gas–liquid processes involving carbon dioxide, oxygen, and other gases. We provide a detailed step-by-step guideline for robust assembly and safe operation of tube-in-tube flow reactors. We also discuss the current challenges and potential future directions for further development and utilization of tubular membrane-based flow reactors for gas–liquid processes.
The Pandemic Legacy: Accounting for Working-From-Home Emissions

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in millions of employees working from home (“WFH”), a development that is challenging public and private standards for reporting and reducing greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions. Under these standards, corporations disclose the emissions from large buildings and the power plants that supply them with energy, but most do not report other types of emissions. When employees shift from working at an office to working at home, the corporate emissions appear to have decreased even though they simply have shifted beyond the boundary of the reporting requirement. This creates greenwashing risks—the ability to claim that corporate GHG emissions have declined when they have just shifted to non-reporting sources—and undermines incentives for corporations to induce employees to reduce emissions. The WFH transition accelerated dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it has been underway for some time and may lead to permanent shifts in the workplace for millions of employees. Using an efficiency and justice lens, this Article examines the standards regarding WFH emissions and concludes that undercounting could occur, could unfairly burden workers, and could increase net emissions. The Article proposes changes in emissions reporting standards to address these concerns, including amending or interpreting the standards to require employers to include employee WFH-related emissions in corporate emissions reports. The Article focuses on GHG emissions, but it has implications for other types of emissions as well as worker health and safety, taxation, and other fields that have been affected by the WFH transition.
Using delayed decoupling to attenuate residual signals in editing filters.

Abstract. Isotope filtering methods are instrumental in biomolecular nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies as they isolate signals of chemical moieties of interest within complex molecular assemblies. However, isotope filters suppress undesired signals of isotopically enriched molecules through scalar couplings, and variations in scalar couplings lead to imperfect suppressions, as occurs for aliphatic and aromatic moieties in proteins. Here, we show that signals that have escaped traditional filters can be attenuated with mitigated sensitivity losses for the desired signals of unlabeled moieties. The method uses a shared evolution between the detection and preceding preparation period to establish non-observable antiphase coherences and eliminates them through composite pulse decoupling. We demonstrate the method by isolating signals of an unlabeled post-translational modification tethered to an isotopically enriched protein.
Practice Variations in Diagnosis and Treatment of Hypoglycemia in Asymptomatic Newborns.

OBJECTIVES: To describe variations in the practice of hypoglycemia screening and treatment in asymptomatic infants in the United States. METHODS: During the time period from February 2018 to June 2018, we surveyed representatives of hospitals participating in the Better Outcomes through Research for Newborns Network, a national research network of clinicians providing hospital care to term and late-preterm newborns. The survey included 22 questions evaluating practices related to hypoglycemia screening and management of asymptomatic infants. RESULTS: Of 108 network sites, 84 (78%) responded to the survey; 100% had a hypoglycemia protocol for screening at-risk infants in the well-baby nursery. There were wide variations between sites regarding the definition of hypoglycemia (mg/dL) ( CONCLUSIONS: There is a significant practice variation in hypoglycemia screening and management across the United States.
[Changes in perceived food insecurity and eating behavior in the Netherlands since the COVID-19-crisis].

In this study we describe changes in perceived food insecurity and eating habits in the Netherlands since the start of the COVID-19-crisis, how these changes were experienced, and which options were indicated for a healthier diet. The study was conducted through online questionnaires among adults with a relatively low socioeconomic position living in the Netherlands. We included 1033 participants. The results show changes in perceived food insecurity in the Netherlands since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, with some participants experiencing lower food security and others experiencing higher food security. About one-fifth of the participants reported that their eating pattern had changed since the start of the COVID-19-crisis, while more than half of the food insecure participants reported a changed eating pattern: in particular, they reported eating less healthily and fewer fruits and vegetables. Participants experiencing food insecurity more often reported to want help for a healthier diet. A cheaper food supply was seen as a promising solution, while food bank use was rarely mentioned in this regard. The COVID-19-crisis can lead to financial insecurity and changes in food availability/accessibility, known risk factors for food insecurity. Therefore, these findings highlight the urgency of reducing food insecurity and providing appropriate support for healthy eating, particularly for people experiencing food insecurity.
Binge drinking following residential treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder among veterans with and without alcohol use disorder

Abstract Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is complicated by high rates of problematic drinking and comorbid alcohol use disorder (AUD). This study examined veterans seeking residential PTSD treatment, comparing those with and without AUD, to determine whether trauma type and/or PTSD symptom changes during treatment were associated with binge drinking at 4-month follow-up. Analyses compared characteristics of veterans (N = 758) in residential treatment, as well as associations of demographic, trauma, and alcohol-related variables, with binge drinking episodes at follow-up. Results showed no differences in PTSD symptom improvements based on AUD diagnosis. Among AUD-diagnosed veterans, 21.3% endorsed binge drinking 4 or more (14.3% endorsed 9 or more) days, while 10.8% of veterans without AUD endorsed binge drinking 4 or more (5.2% endorsed 9 or more) days at follow-up. Among AUD-diagnosed veterans, while PTSD symptom improvements were not associated with binge drinking outcomes, drinking days at admission and military sexual trauma (MST) predicted a greater likelihood of binge drinking. Among veterans without AUD, drinking days at admission, PTSD symptom increases, being unmarried, ‘other’ race, and less education, were associated with a higher likelihood of binge drinking, while MST and combat exposure predicted a lower likelihood of binge drinking. In conclusion, drinking days at admission is a predictor of binge drinking following treatment; thus, alcohol use should be assessed at intake and addressed among those who endorse drinking to reduce the likelihood of alcohol resumption following residential treatment. Furthermore, among AUD-diagnosed veterans, despite PTSD symptom decreases during treatment, MST predicted a greater likelihood of 9 or more binge drinking days at follow-up.
An Assessment of Third-Party Reporting of Close Ties to Measure Sensitive Behaviors: The Confidante Method to Measure Abortion Incidence in Ethiopia and Uganda

Indirect estimation techniques are important tools for measuring sensitive and stigmatized behaviors. This includes third-party reporting methods, which have become increasingly common in the field of abortion measurement, where direct survey approaches notoriously lead to underreporting. This paper provides the first in-depth assessment of one of the most widely used of these techniques in the field of abortion measurement: the confidante method. We outline six key assumptions behind the confidante method and describe how violations of these assumptions can bias resulting estimates. Using data from modules added to the performance monitoring for action surveys in Uganda and Ethiopia in 2018, we compute one-year abortion incidence estimates using the confidante method. We also perform a validation check, using the method to estimate intrauterine device /implant use. Our results revealed implementation problems in both settings. Several of the method's foundational assumptions were violated, and efforts to adjust for these violations either failed or only partially addressed the resulting bias. Our validation check also failed, resulting in a gross overestimate of intrauterine device/implant use. These results have implications more broadly for the potential biases that can be introduced in using third-party reporting of close ties to measure other sensitive or stigmatized behaviors.
JATO: Native code atomicity for java

Atomicity enforcement in a multi-threaded application can be critical to the application’s safety. In this paper, we take the challenge of enforcing atomicity in a multilingual application, which is developed in multiple programming languages. Specifically, we describe the design and implementation of JATO, which enforces the atomicity of a native method when a Java application invokes the native method through the Java Native Interface (JNI). JATO relies on a constraint-based system, which generates constraints from both Java and native code based on how Java objects are accessed by threads. Constraints are then solved to infer a set of Java objects that need to be locked in native methods to enforce the atomicity of the native method invocation. We also propose a number of optimizations that soundly improve the performance. Evaluation through JATO’s prototype implementation demonstrates it enforces native-method atomicity with reasonable run-time overhead.
Robust H/sup infinity / control design for systems with structured parameter uncertainty

In a recent paper a unification of the L/sub 2/ (LQG) and H/sup infinity / control design problems was obtained in terms of modified algebraic Riccati equations. In this study these results are extended to guarantee robust L/sub 2/ and H/sup infinity / performance in the presence of structured real-valued parameter variations in the state-space model. For design flexibility the authors consider two distinct types of uncertainty bounds, for both full- and reduced-order dynamic compensation. An important special case of these results generates L/sub 2//H/sup infinity / controller designs with guaranteed gain margins. >
Hydroalumination of H2C=CHCH2 SMe: Synthesis and Molecular Structure of

Hydroalumination of H2C=CHCH2SMe with [(tBu)2Al(μ-H)]3 yields the monomeric thioether compound . The molecular structure of consists of discreet monomers in which the thioether-alkyl ligand acts as a chelate ligand with an Al-S interaction [2.511(2) A] that is significantly shorter than observed for other intra-molecular coordination compounds, 2.78–2.95 A. The coordination about aluminum is highly distorted from tetrahedral and is therefore best described as capped trigonal planar or trigonal bipyramidal with a vacant coordination site. Crystal data: monoclinic, P21/n (No. 14), a = 6.6357(5), b = 13.630(1), c = 16.959(1) A, β = 95.416(6)°. V = 1527.0(2) A3, Z = 4, R = 0.0412, Rw = 0.0503.
Lunar atmospheric helium detections by the LAMP UV spectrograph on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

[1] The LAMP far ultraviolet spectrograph aboard the NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has been used in 2011 to search for helium, the lightest noble gas in the tenuous lunar atmosphere. Based on that search, we report here the first detection of lunar atmospheric He by remote sensing, and point to future observations that can address questions about its source; we also discuss a search for lunar atmospheric argon.
The effects of respiration on heart rate and blood pressure spectra during exercise below the ventilatory threshold

The purpose of this study was to determine how heart rate and blood pressure variabilities (HRV and BPV) change with steady-state exercise up to the ventilatory threshold (VT). The VT was determined using the V-slope method of computer regression analysis of the plot of carbon dioxide production versus oxygen consumption (VO2max). Twelve healthy subjects performed 1) cycle ergometry (exercise protocol) at 50%, 75% and 100% of previously determined VT and 2) sitting at rest and breathing at matched respiratory rates and volume (controlled breathing, CB) as during the exercise protocol. Throughout the CB protocol carbon dioxide was added to maintain normal gas homeostasis. Heart rate and blood pressure spectra for both protocols were derived from 3-minute epochs of stationary data using frequency domain analyses. These data were analyzed by repeated measures ANOVA and coherence analyses between heart rate and respiration as well as blood pressure and respiration. The ANOVA revealed significant changes in heart rate and blood pressure spectra for both low frequency (LF, 0.04-0.15 Hz) and high frequency (HF, 0.15-0.4 Hz) modulations between all stages of the exercise protocol (p<0.05) but no significant changes for any of the CB protocol. Coherence analyses showed significant decrease in heart rate and blood pressure coherences during exercise than during control breathing.
Up-Regulation of Functional Kinin B1 Receptors in Allergic Airway Inflammation

B1 receptors are known to be induced during allergic airway inflammation in animal models. However, little is known regarding in vivo B1 receptor expression in humans. We examined B1 receptor mRNA expression in nasal tissue samples from allergic rhinitis and normal subjects. Allergic rhinitis subjects displayed significantly higher expression of B1 receptor mRNA than did the normal subjects, and nasal allergen challenge increased B1 receptor mRNA expression at 8 to 24 h time points in allergic rhinitis subjects. No significant difference was found in B2 receptor expression. To confirm B2 and B1 receptor functional activity, subjects were challenged with kinin agonists. Nasal challenge with the B1 receptor ligand, Lys-des-Arg-bradykinin (BK), activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase in allergic rhinitis, but not normal, subjects. Nasal challenge with the B2 receptor ligand, BK, activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase in both allergic rhinitis and normal subjects. The consequences of B1 receptor activation were investigated using the human airway epithelial cell lines A549 and BEAS-2B. We demonstrated that Lys-des-Arg-BK activates the transcription factor AP-1. Taken together, these results show that functional B1 receptors are induced in the airway during allergic inflammation and suggest that they participate in the regulation of gene expression.
The Mother-Infant unit at Tallinn Children's Hospital, Estonia: a truly baby-friendly unit

A mother-infant neonatal unit was established in 1979 at Tallinn Children's Hospital in Estonia to provide medical and nursing care to newborn and premature babies and their mothers. Its leading principles are 24-hour care by the mother, minimal use of technology, and little contact between the baby and medical and nursing staff. The unit was based on a conceptual model of the "psychological and biological umbilicus," which proposes that this connection binds the mother and infant together during the early weeks of life. Separation of mother and baby disrupts this important tie and may have adverse consequences for both. This paper presents data comparing weight gain during the first 30 days of life for a group of 159 preterm and full-term infants who were admitted to the unit between 1988 and 1989. Eighty-seven infants were cared for by their mothers, and 72 by nurses because their mothers were unwilling or unable to stay with the infants in the hospital. The holistic, humanistic approach used in the unit represents a truly baby-friendly hospital.
Dislocation processes and deformation behavior in (Fe,Ni)-Al single crystals

Abstract The mechanical properties and the dislocation microstructure of single crystals with a range of compositions within the (Fe,Ni)–Al pseudobinary system have been investigated, with the purpose of bridging the behavior from FeAl to NiAl. Initial experiments are focused on compression testing of (001) oriented single crystals with a family of compositions of the form Fe x -Ni 60 _ x –Al 40 (where x = 60, 50 and 10 at.%). Measurements of yield strength and work hardening rates have been correlated with overall dislocation morphology, dislocation dissociation width and the presence of APB tubes.
The weak decays of light hypernuclei

Abstract There has been recent progress on both theoretical and experimental frontiers to constrain models of weak interactions between baryons. The status of the analysis of Λ 4,5 He decay rates is discussed, comparing new results with other recent and old measurements. In addition to total decay widths, kinetic energy distributions and some preliminary coincidence spectra are presented. These coincidences have proven to be essential to the interpretation of the weak-decay processes. In light of these new results, there is now consensus that complementary measurement of the decays of Λ 4 H is essential to address some basic questions, such as the validity of the ΔI=1/2 rule for nucleon-stimulated weak decay [1–5]. Prospects for such a measurement are also discussed.
Teaching Video NeuroImages: Nonepileptic myoclonus in a neonate following severe hypoxic-ischemic injury

A newborn boy had a profound hypoxic-ischemic insult at birth. He developed rhythmic myoclonus within 1 hour, which was initially assumed to be seizures, but was unresponsive to escalating antiepileptic therapy. On careful examination, it was evident that myoclonus could be induced and suppressed. Amplitude-integrated (figure) and video EEG (video on the Neurology ® Web site at [Neurology.org][1]) demonstrated a suppressed background with intermittent rhythmic pattern correlating with the movements. Laterality of this pattern changed with head positioning, suggesting artifact from pressure on dependent electrodes. Care was ultimately redirected when neuroimaging confirmed severe injury. [1]: http://Neurology.org
Eliminating office architectural barriers to dental care of the elderly and handicapped

Overcoming most architectural harriers faced by the elderly and handicapped when seeking dental care is possible if minimum standards for accessibility are followed. Most common dental office architectural harriers to the elderly and handicapped can he overcome and minimum standards for accessibility for the physically disabled are given.
Determination of endopolyphosphatase using polyphosphate glucokinase

A method has been developed for determining endopolyphosphatase (polyphosphate depolymerase, EC 3.6.1.10) activity. The enzyme catalyzes the hydrolysis of inorganic polyphosphates [poly(Ps)] by cleaving internal phosphoanhydride bonds without removal of terminal phosphate residues. During the reaction, shorter poly(P) chains are formed and the molar concentration of poly(P) increases. This enzymatic activity is difficult to quantitate, because the substrates and products of the reaction are chemically identical. The commonly used viscometric method lacks sensitivity and cannot be used with shorter poly(P) substrates. The method described here overcomes these problems, and in addition is rapid, simple, and can be used for distinguishing between the endopolyphosphatase and exopolyphosphatase (EC 3.6.1.11) activities. It is based on monitoring the increase in the number of poly(P) chains generated by endopolyphosphatase. For this purpose, the method takes advantage of the specific property of poly(P) glucokinase (EC 2.7.1.63) which utilizes poly(Ps) of different sizes present in the endopolyphosphatase reaction mixture and reduces them to fairly uniform very short-chain product, poly(P)m. The concentration of poly(P)m is expressed in terms of acid-labile phosphorus and is proportional to the duration of the endopolyphosphatase reaction (i.e., the number of original poly(P) chains) and to protein concentration. The increase in the poly(P)m concentration is a relative measure of the endopolyphosphatase activity. Under certain conditions, m equals 3.5 and the activity can be expressed in standard units, since the exact number of poly(P) chains formed by endopolyphosphatase can be calculated from the increase in molar concentration of poly(P)3.5. Accuracy and advantages of the assay are discussed.
A palimpsest of stories: Young children's construction of intertextual links among fairytale variants

Abstract In this study, children in a combined first/second grade responded to readalouds of five variants (constituting a text set) of the Rapunzel story. The goal of the study was (1) to describe richly the variety of intertextual links made by the children as they listened to each variant in turn; and (2) to trace the development of their schema for the tale. Seven types of intertextual connections were identified. Children's responses became increasingly sophisticated as they moved from (1) understanding the story through personal associations; (2) understanding the similarities and differences between stories; (3) testing schemata; (4) consolidating what they had learned into a solid schema; and (5) applying this knowledge to a variant that challenged their developed schema, and suggesting their own variants. The findings were consolidated into a grounded theory of young children's schema‐building for traditional stories, through their use of personal, text‐to‐text, and analytic responses.
Family structure, nonresident father involvement, and adolescent eating patterns.

Purpose: To examine the relationship between family structure, nonresident father involvement, and adolescent eating patterns. Methods: Analyses were performed on data from Waves 1 and 2 of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Wave 1, N ¼ w15,550; Wave 2, N ¼ w11,540), and a subsample of adolescents from each wave who had a nonresident father (Wave 1,N ¼w3,745; Wave 2,N ¼ 2,358). Multivariate regression provides estimates of the independent effects of family structure and nonresident father involvement on adolescent eating patterns while controlling for potentially confounding sociodemographic characteristics. Results: Compared with children in traditional households (i.e., two biological or adoptive parents), adolescents in nontraditional family households (single parent, step-parent, no parent) were more likely to display unhealthy eating habits such as skipping breakfast and lunch, eating fewer vegetables, consuming more fast food, and had less parental monitoring of meals. Nonresident father involvement was associated with an increased frequency of eating breakfast and lunch and increased consumption of vegetables (Wave 1) but did not affect adolescents’ consumption of fast food. Child support was positively associated with the odds that adolescents would consume dinner. Conclusions: Adolescents in living in nontraditional families were more likely than adolescents living with two biological/adoptive parents to display unhealthy eating habits. Nonresident father involvement was generally associated with healthier eating patterns. Health professionals should keep in mind that children’s and adolescents’ living arrangements can be complex and have the potential to affect what and how they eat. 2009 Society for Adolescent Medicine. All rights reserved.
Ignition of methane–air mixtures by laser heated small particles

Abstract Optical technologies have progressed rapidly in the past 15 years. One application of laser technology in underground coal mines currently under evaluation is the remote measurement of explosive methane gas. Federal regulations require that atmospheric monitoring systems used in gassy underground mines where permissible equipment is required shall be intrinsically safe. Mine Safety and Health Administration criteria for the evaluation and testing of intrinsically safe apparatus and associated apparatus contain no specific guidance for optoelectronic components such as diode lasers. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is conducting a study to help provide a scientific basis for developing appropriate safety guidelines for optical equipment in underground coal mines. Results of experiments involving ignition of methane–air mixtures by collections of small heated particles of Pittsburgh seam coal and black iron oxide are reported. The inert but more strongly absorbing iron oxide targets consistently ignited methane–air mixtures at lower powers than the coal targets. Minimum observed igniting powers for laser energy delivered by 200, 400 and 800 μm core fiber optic cables and directed onto iron oxide targets in methane–air atmospheres were 0.6, 1.1, and 2.2 W, respectively. Comparisons with the results of other researchers are made. A thermal layer theoretical approach to describing the process is included as an appendix.
Albuterol by aerosol and orally administered theophylline in asthmatic children

1 14.8 4.1 0.009 0 -0.001 2 21.0 4.2 0.013 -0.001 0.001 3 6.0 6.7 0.006 0.001 0.001 4A 14.0 2.4 0.005 0 0.001 4B 14.6 3.2 0.007 0.001 0 4C 16.0 3.4 0.008 0 0.002 5 17.6 8.0 0.021 0 0 6 16.4 4.3 0.011 0.001 0.002 7 8.4 5.6 0.007 0 0.001 8A 18.4 2.9 0.008 0 -0.001 8B 15.2 2.6 0.006 0 0.001 9 16.4 7.8 0.019 0.002 0 10 20.6 6.8 0.021 -0.001 -0.001 1 l 6.2 5.4 0.005 -0.002 -0.001 12 6.6 8.2 0.008 0 0.001 Mean 0.010 0 0 _+ SD + 0.006 + 0.001 + 0.001
Comparison of the major magnetic dimensional resonances in single-carrier and in compensated two-carrier magnetoplasma spheres

Employing the perturbation approach to the interaction of an electromagnetic wave with a gyrotropic sphere recently developed by Ford, Furdyna, and Werner, we discuss the differences in the behavior of resonance field, resonance strength, and resonance width for single-carrier magnetoplasma spheres in the helicon regime and for compensated two-carrier magnetoplasma spheres in the Alfv\'en regime.
Medullary neurosarcoidosis presenting with intractable hiccoughs

Hiccoughs (singultus) are a complex physiological process characterized by sudden brief involuntary contractions of the diaphragm. They most commonly occur from peripheral mechanisms that result in diaphragmatic irritation, but also occur from brain stem lesions such as that seen in Wallenberg's syndrome. They are uncommon in sarcoidosis and it is remarkably rare when hiccoughs are the presenting symptom of neurosarcoidosis. We report a patient with sarcoidosis who presented with intractable hiccoughs due to an inflammatory medullary lesion. Evaluation revealed an enhancing lesion in the dorsomedial medulla that resolved after aggressive immune-modulating therapy. In the absence of a clear peripheral lesion that would potentially affect the diaphragm, the diagnosis of neurosarcoidosis involving the brainstem should be considered in patients with sarcoidosis.
Liquid solubilization dynamicsII. Flux enhancement by interface gel formation

Abstract Dynamic solubilization studies were conducted to determine the mechanism of incorporation of oleic acid into aqueous sodium taurodeoxycholate solutions at 37°C in which the apparent diffusion limit of mixed micelles was exceeded. The effects of pH, added NaCl, and surfactant type on the flux of oleic acid were determined by means of a membrane-modified liquid/liquid stirred cell for this model fatty acid digestion system. The apparent enhanced mass transfer of oleic acid into sodium taurodeoxycholate solutions at sufficiently high pH and surfactant concentration can be satisfactorily explained by the formation of an oil/aqueous surfactant liquid crystalline phase at the interface. Under flow conditions this phase may be sheared from the interface and subsequently solubilized in the bulk aqueous phase as a mixed micelle or microemulsion. Experiments conducted under non-flow conditions support the proposed mechanism.
Diurnal variations of plasma FSH, LH, and testosterone in male ring doves kept under different photoperiods

Abstract When ring doves are transferred to short days in autumn, their gonads will regress in size, but the change is only transitory, the gonads recover their original size after 2–3 months. In the present study blood samples were collected from male doves repeatedly every 3 hr from 6:00 am to 9:00 pm , 2, 4, and 13 weeks after transfer to short days when the testes were either regressed (Weeks 2 and 4) or had recovered their original size (Week 13). Plasma testosterone, LH, and to some extent FSH were lower in birds which had been exposed to short days for 2 or 4 weeks, but the levels of these three hormones were similar in birds exposed to short or long days after 13 weeks of experiment. The gonadal regression and recovery is thus controlled by changes in the plasma gonadotrophins. Although these changes in the plasma gonadotrophins are apparently not a result of phase shift of peak gonadotrophins, as the mean LH level of short-day birds reached that of long-day birds by Week 13, the tendency of LH to peak at 3:00 pm in short-day birds also disappeared by that time. Daily variations in the concentration of these hormones were also detected. Plasma testosterone decreased between the morning and the afternoon while gonadotrophins tended to change in the opposite direction (highest levels in the late afternoon or early evening). The possible mechanisms underlying these daily changes in plasma hormones are discussed.
From Clinical Observation to Mechanism — Heyde's Syndrome

In 1958, E.C. Heyde noted an association between aortic-valve stenosis and GI bleeding, which led to identification of the mechanism of the bleeding: fragmentation of high-molecular-weight multimers of von Willebrand factor on the stenotic valve led to acquired von Willebrand's disease.
Evaluating Dynamic Effects of Copy Number Alterations on Gene Expression Using a Single Transcription Model

DNA copy number alterations (CNAs) are known to be related to genetic diseases, including cancer. The unlimited transcription (UT) model, in which transcription occurs permissively with a simple activation probability, has been proposed to investigate long-term effects of CNAs on gene expression values. Queueing theory was applied, and the copy-number-gene-expression relationship has been shown to be generally nonlinear in the UT model. However, the dynamic effects of CNAs on transcription and the underlying disorders related to diseases remain greatly unknown. Since most genes in a single cell are permissively transcribed in short periods of time interspersed by long periods of limited transcription, an alternative model for transcription in the restrictive state is needed for unraveling the effects of CNAs on gene expression levels with time. To address these issues, herein a single transcription (ST) model is proposed, in which bound TFs are assumed to be unloaded immediately after stimulating a transcription. Using the Laplace-Stieltjes transform and numerical analysis, the relationship between DNA copy number and gene expression level is evaluated. Dynamic modeling reveals that CNAs would potentially alter, or even reverse, the burst-like gene expression modifications while shifting from the ST model to the UT model. Moreover, functional disorders in transcriptional oscillation due to CNAs are shown via simulation. This paper demonstrates how mathematical theories could be helpful to interpret statistical findings from real data and achieve a better understanding of cancer biology.
Sustained attention in type A and type B subjects: a blink reflex analysis.

The allocation of attention by Type A/B subjects to task-irrelevant distractors was investigated with a probe-startle paradigm. Type A and B undergraduate students selected on the basis of their scores on the Jenkins Activity Survey worked on a series of vigilance tasks characterized by two levels of difficulty. During each task, irrelevant 50-ms bursts of 102dB white noise were presented at approximately 35-s intervals. Startle (eyeblink) reflex magnitude was measured during task and no-task periods to quantify attentional allocation to the task-irrelevant acoustic probes. As predicted, reflex attenuation was demonstrated in all subjects while attention was focused on the visual display. More importantly, Type A subjects demonstrated greater blink attenuation than Type Bs as a function of time-on-task. No group differences in heart rate or skin conductance response frequency were found, suggesting that A/B reflex differences were specific to attentional state and not secondary to changes in arousal.
The heat transfer through powders.

Heat transfer through various silicate powders measured for lunar surface temperature studies, comparing theoretical results
n-Hamiltonian graphs

Abstract A graph G with p≥3 points, 0≤n≤p−3, is called n-Hamiltonian if the removal of any k points from G, 0≤k≤n, results in a Hamiltonian graph. This generalizes the concept of Hamiltonian graphs in as much as the 0-Hamiltonian graphs are precisely the Hamiltonian graphs. Sufficient conditions for a graph to be n-Hamiltonian are presented, including generalizations of results on Hamiltonian graphs due to Dirac, Ore, and Posa.
Stability of Cu(II)− and Fe(III)−Porphyrins on Montmorillonite Clay: An X-ray Absorption Study

The Cu(II) and Fe(III) complexes of water-soluble tetrakis(N,N,N-trimethylanilinium)porphyrin (TTAP) and tetrakis(N-methylpyridyl)porphyrin (TMPyP) were placed within the interlayers of Ca(II)−montmorillonite through ion exchange. The free base forms of the porphyrins were also added to samples of Cu(II)− and Fe(III)−montmorillonites. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), both X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS), were used to monitor the fate of the metal ions. The Cu(II)−metalloporphyrins do not demetalate upon contact with the acidic montmorillonite support. The XAS data also suggest that Fe(III)−porphyrin complexes are stable on smectite supports. XANES data demonstrate that the free base porphyrin TTAP metalates on the surface of a Cu(II)-exchanged clay to form a stable Cu(II)−porphyrin-clay complex.
Encoding effects of remindings

Understanding requires prior knowledge. Most theories and empirical work on understanding have focused on the use of general prior knowledge. In the experiments presented here, we examined the role of specific prior episodes in understanding. Subjects read ambiguous stories that had some superficial cue to make them think back to an earlier story. Experiment 1 shows that a superficial cue to an earlier story affects how the new story is interpreted. Experiment 2, in which a reading-time measure was used, provides evidence that this effect of the earlier story occurs during the initial understanding of the new story. We discuss the implications of these results for theories of understanding and the use of remindings in analogy.
Nonequilibrium quantum transport properties of organic molecules on silicon.

Electron transport properties of a $\mathrm{Si}/\mathrm{\text{organic-molecule}}/\mathrm{Si}$ junction are investigated by large-scale nonequilibrium Green function calculations. The results provide a qualitative picture and quantitative understanding of the importance of self-consistent screening, broadening of quasimolecular orbitals under large bias, and enhancement of transmission, which occurs when the broadened lowest unoccupied molecular orbital aligns with the conduction band edge of the negative lead. The varying coupling can lead to negative differential resistance for a large class of small molecules.
CRYSTAL - Modeling Tool For Analyzing Performance Of Various Sensor Designs With Onboard Processing

With the ever advancing trends towards more highly complex proposed data sensing systems coupled with satellite onboard distributed computing systems, there is a need for sophisticated, yet simple-to-use methods and tools for modeling the workload capacities of the data processing components of these systems well before actual implementation. These data processing components will receive data from different types of space-based sensor systems such as starers, spinners, linear scanners, and step starers. In order to aid systems engineers in the design of these advanced systems, a number of commercially available program modeling tools were reviewed, but for our specific purpose, one modeling tool was found to be most effective for modeling and analyzing different onboard processing architecture configurations/concepts for future space-based satellite surveillance systems. This tool, for our purpose, was found to provide flexibility in designing space-based surveillance systems that promote survivability, endurability, and data integrity and to identify and eliminate many potential system performance problems before implementation.
Improving survival in adenocarcinoma of the duodenum

The records of 104 patients with primary adenocarcinoma of the duodenum were reviewed. All patients were followed up to the date of this report, 91 for at least 5 years. Melena was an ominous preoperative finding. Survival was directly related to nodal status, the grade of the lesion, and the ability of the surgeon to minimize or eliminate operative mortality. Fifty percent of the lesions were resectable for cure, and the 5 year survival rate for patients with resectable lesions was 46 percent. All eight patients treated with segmental resections for lesions in the third and fourth portions of the duodenum survived at least 5 years. These data are a great improvement over those in previous reports and suggest that this disease may be much more treatable than previously believed.
Structural changes in rat aortic intima due to transmural pressure.

Huang et al. (1997) propose a new hypothesis and develop a mathematical model to explain rationally the in vitro and in situ measured changes (Tedgui and Lever, 1984; Baldwin and Wilson, 1993) in the hydraulic conductivity of the artery wall of rabbit aorta with transmural pressure. The model leads to the intriguing prediction that this hydraulic conductivity would decrease by one half if the thin intimal layer between the endothelium and the internal elastic lamina volume-compresses approximately fivefold. This paper presents the first measurements of the effect of transmural pressure on intimal layer thickness and shows that the intimal matrix is, indeed, surprisingly compressible. We perfusion-fixed rat thoracic aortas in situ with 2 percent glutaraldehyde solution at 0, 50, 100, or 150 mm Hg lumen pressure and sectioned for light and electron microscopic observations. Electron micrographs show a dramatic, nonlinear decrease in average intimal thickness, i.e., 0.62 +/- 0.26, 0.27 +/- 0.14, 0.15 +/- 0.10, and 0.12 +/- 0.07 (SD) micron for 0, 50, 100, and 150 mm Hg lumen pressure, respectively. The volume strain of the intima is more than 20 times greater than the radial strain of the artery wall due to hoop tension and two orders of magnitude greater than the consolidation of the artery wall as a whole assuming constant medial density (Chuong and Fung, 1984). Moreover, in both light and electron microscopic observations, it is easy to find numerous sites where the endothelium puckers into the fenestral pores at high lumen pressure, as predicted by the theory in Huang et al. (1997). In contrast, the average diameter of a fenestral pore increases only 10 percent as the lumen pressure is increased from 0 to 150 mm Hg. These results indicate that the thin intimal layer comprising less than 1 percent of the wall thickness can have a profound effect on the filtration properties of the wall due to the large change in Darcy permeability of the layer and the large reduction in the entrance area of the flow entering the fenestral pores, though the pores themselves experience only a minor enlargement due to hoop tension.
An Array of Escherichia Coli Clones Over-Expressing Essential Proteins: A New Strategy of Identifying Cellular Targets of Potent Antibacterial Compounds

With the advancement of high throughput screening, it has become easier and faster to discover hit compounds that inhibit proliferation of bacterial cells. However, development in technologies used to identify cellular targets of potent antibacterial inhibitors has lagged behind. Here, we describe a novel strategy of target identification for antibacterial inhibitors using an array of Escherichia coli clones each over-expressing one essential protein. In a proof-of-concept study, eight essential genes were cloned into pLex5BA vector under the control of an inducible promoter. Over-expression of target proteins was confirmed. For two clones, one over-expressing FabI and the other over-expressing MurA enzymes, the host cells became 17- and 139-fold more resistant to the specific inhibitors triclosan and phosphomycin, respectively, while the susceptibility of other clones towards these inhibitors remained unchanged after induction of gene expression. Target identification via target protein over-expression was demonstrated using both mixed clone and individual clone assay formats.
In Situ Stress and Nanogravimetric Measurements During Hydrogen Adsorption/Absorption on Pd Overlayers Deposited onto (111)-Textured Au

The stress induced by electrochemical hydrogen adsorption and absorption in very thin palladium layers electrodeposited onto (111)-textured gold has been examined in 0.1 M H2SO4 by the cantilever curvature method and by comparing resonant frequency changes on AT- and BT-cut quartz crystals. A compressive surface stress change of about −0.25 N m−1 is measured in the hydrogen adsorption region. Compressive stress for hydrogen adsorption is not expected from charge distribution models for adsorbate-induced surface stress but is consistent with first-principles calculations in the literature as well as experimental data for H adsorbed on Pt(111). Cantilever measurements in the hydrogen absorption region are consistent with a maximum atomic H/Pd loading of 0.63 and give a compressive stress-thickness change of −0.45 N m−1 per monolayer of Pd, corresponding to a biaxial stress change of −2.0 GPa. A somewhat lower value of −0.80 GPa for a H/Pd loading of 0.68 was obtained from EQNB data using the double crystal ...
On-line estimation of stroke volume by means of echocardiographic automated border detection in the canine left ventricle

Echocardiographic automated border detection (ABD) is a new on-line technique that can determine the interface between blood and myocardial tissue and calculate left ventricular (LV) cavity area in real time. The objective of this study was to determine whether ABD measurements of the LV cavity area could be used to estimate LV stroke volume at basal conditions and during large changes in LV stroke volume induced by inferior vena caval occlusions in an open-chest canine model. Seven dogs had LV stroke volume measured by electromagnetic flow from the ascending aorta with epicardial recordings of ABD echocardiographic area at the midventricular short-axis level. Simultaneous beats of stroke volume were recorded along with ABD echo area during baseline apnea and during IVC occlusions. Neither ABD echo stroke area nor stroke volume varied significantly during apnea baseline. Changes in stroke area were closely correlated with changes in stroke volume for 540 matched beats from 24 IVC occlusions: R = 0.93, standard error of the estimate = 5%, y = 0.92x + 0.4 (p < 0.001). Echocardiographic ABD appears to be a promising new on-line method of determining rapid alterations in LV stroke volume; it also has potential applications to multiple investigational and clinical settings.
Metadata for Name Disambiguation and Collocation

Searching names of persons, families, and organizations is often difficult in online databases because different persons or organizations frequently share the same name and because a single person’s or organization’s name may appear in different forms in various online documents. Databases and search engines can use metadata as a tool to solve the problem of name ambiguity and name variation in online databases. This article describes the challenges names pose in information retrieval and some emerging name metadata databases that can help ameliorate the problems. Effective name disambiguation and collocation increase search precision and recall and can improve assessment of scholarly work.