cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Part-time employment and worker health in the United States

Abstract A growing body of research has highlighted the consequences of part-time employment for workers’ health and well-being. However, these studies have yielded inconsistent results and relied on cross-sectional data. In addition, relatively little empirical research has explored whether the effect of working part-time on health varies by gender, particularly in the United States. Using longitudinal data from three waves of the General Social Survey panel (2010–2012–2014), our study examined the association between part-time employment and perceived health among U.S employees, and whether this association varied by gender. The results showed that part-time workers were less likely to report poor self-rated health than full-time workers, especially among males. The pattern of results was consistent across empirical approaches—including generalized estimating equations and random effects models, with an extensive set of covariates. Taken together, these findings suggest that for U.S. employees, working part-time appears to be beneficial or at least not detrimental to perceived health, which warrants further investigation.
Non-uniqueness Problems in Transonic Flows

In this review paper, multiple numerical solutions of potential, Euler and Navier-Stokes equations for steady transonic flows over symmetric airfoils are presented. Nonuniqueness problems of three dimensional and unsteady flows are also discussed. No experimental data is available for validation of the calculations.
Philanthropy, Economics of

Philanthropy is defined as benevolent behavior, usually in the form of charitable gifts, toward others in society. Charitable giving accounts for a significant fraction of income in the USA and other nations, and is often directly encouraged through government tax policy. This entry discusses the motives, causes, and influences of philanthropic behavior. Special emphasis is placed on how government policy, through the charitable deduction on income taxes and through direct grants to charities, can affect the amount of philanthropy in the economy.
Data Models of Mechanical Systems for Concurrent Design

Mechanical systems data model for rigid-body dynamic simulation and structural design sensitivity analysis in a concurrent engineering environment are developed. Two levels of data model are proposed. The global data model serves as the communication basis for a variety of applications. The local data model extents the the global model to define a complete model for an application. Properties and contents of and relations between data models are discussed. The data models proposed define the semantics of models that can be used as the mechanical system schema for database applications.
Protein C: Gene Structure and Protein Synthesis

Protein C is a vitamin K-dependent plasma glycoprotein that, after activation by thrombin-thrombomodulin upon the endothelial cell surface, serves as a feedback down-regulator of the coagulation cascade by specifically degrading the protein cofactors VIIIa and Va (Figure 1). The biological role of protein C and the vascular endothelium has been recently reviewed in a succinct fashion1. Protein C in a less understood manner also enhances the process of fibrinolysis. Because of its antithrombotic as well as pro-fibrinolytic properties, protein C is considered to be a potential agent for antithrombotic therapy and a candidate for production by recombinant DNA technologies. The scope of this paper is to review: (i) the organization of the human protein C gene, particularly as it relates to the genes for homologous vitamin K-dependent proteins and to genetic protein C deficiency; and (ii) the biosynthesis of recombinant protein C in forms that are properly processed and biologically active.
Bidentate and tridentate coordination modes of bis(3-methylindolyl)-2-pyridylmethane in complexes of aluminum and gallium: Structural characterization of bridging N-indolide in a dialuminum complex

Abstract Reactions of a slight excess of trialkylaluminum or tri-tert-butylgallium with bis(3-methylindolyl)-2-pyridylmethane (1) produced monomeric, tripodal complexes (2-C5H4N)HC(3-CH3C8H4N)2MR (M = Al, R = Me (2a), Et (2b), iBu (2c), tBu (2d); M = Ga, R = tBu (3)). Under more mild reaction conditions and with a stoichiometric amount of tri-tert-butylaluminum or tri-tert-butylgallium, complexes (2-C5H4N)HC(3-CH3C8H4N)(3-CH3C8H4NH)MtBu2 (M = Al (4), Ga (5)) were isolated. Whereas di-deprotonated 1 adopts a tridentate coordination mode in 2a-2d and 3, mono-deprotonated 1 adopts a bidentate coordination mode in 4 and 5. Reaction of 1 with two equivalents of trimethylaluminum or triethylaluminum yields dialuminum complexes (2-C5H4N)HC(3-CH3C8H4N)2Al2R4 (R = Me (6a), Et (6b). In addition to NMR (1H, 13C) spectroscopy, compounds 1, 2b·0.25C6H6, 4, and 6a·C7H8 were further characterized by X-ray crystallography. The solid-state structure for 6a·C7H8 confirms the presence of a bridging μ2-η1:η1-N-indolide moiety. Variable-temperature NMR spectra of toluene solutions of 6a and 6b are consistent with retention of a bridging μ2-η1:η1-N-indolide group at low temperature, which becomes fluxional in solution at higher temperatures. A mechanism for the fluxional process is proposed.
An Integrative Business Model for Net-Zero Energy Districts

Abstract Rocky Mountain Institute has developed an integrative business model for developing net-zero energy (NZE) or ultralow energy districts in a way that is attractive to the district developer, parcel developer, and tenants, as well as beneficial to the local electric grid and neighboring community. While many elements are broadly replicable, this business case was first modeled specifically for the developer of a proposed 180-acre, 6 million ft2, mixed-use NZE development located on a former industrial site in a midsize US city. In this paper, we are using the term net-zero energy to describe the general concept where the energy consumption of a building or multiple buildings is offset by renewable energy on an annual basis and should not be taken as implying alignment to any one specific, more granular, definition.
Which social measures relate to cancer screening & healthy behaviors?

e18142Background: Much of cancer health services research relies on administrative data, yet, there have been calls for more granular racial & social disparities data. Subjective SES (sSES) is asso...
Shallow cumuli cover and its uncertainties from ground-based lidar–radar data and sky images

Abstract. Cloud cover estimates of single-layer shallow cumuli obtained from narrow field-of-view (FOV) lidar–radar and wide-FOV total sky imager (TSI) data are compared over an extended period (2000–2017 summers) at the established United States Atmospheric Radiation Measurement mid-continental Southern Great Plains site. We quantify the impacts of two factors on hourly and sub-hourly cloud cover estimates: (1) instrument-dependent cloud detection and data merging criteria and (2) FOV configuration. Enhanced observations at this site combine the advantages of the ceilometer, micropulse lidar (MPL) and cloud radar in merged data products. Data collected by these three instruments are used to calculate narrow-FOV cloud fraction (CF) as a temporal fraction of cloudy returns within a given period. Sky images provided by TSI are used to calculate the wide-FOV fractional sky cover (FSC) as a fraction of cloudy pixels within a given image. To assess the impact of the first factor on CF obtained from the merged data products, we consider two additional subperiods (2000–2010 and 2011–2017 summers) that mark significant instrumentation and algorithmic advances in the cloud detection and data merging. We demonstrate that CF obtained from ceilometer data alone and FSC obtained from sky images provide the most similar and consistent cloud cover estimates; hourly bias and root-mean-square difference (RMSD) are within 0.04 and 0.12, respectively. However, CF from merged MPL–ceilometer data provides the largest estimates of the multiyear mean cloud cover, about 0.12 (35 %) and 0.08 (24 %) greater than FSC for the first and second subperiods, respectively. CF from merged ceilometer–MPL–radar data has the strongest subperiod dependence with a bias of 0.08 (24 %) compared to FSC for the first subperiod and shows no bias for the second subperiod. The strong period dependence of CF obtained from the combined ceilometer–MPL–radar data is likely results from a change in what sensors are relied on to detect clouds below 3 km. After 2011, the MPL stopped being used for cloud top height detection below 3 km, leaving the radar as the only sensor used in cloud top height retrievals. To quantify the FOV impact, a narrow-FOV FSC is derived from the TSI images. We demonstrate that FOV configuration does not modify the bias but impacts the RMSD (0.1 hourly, 0.15 sub-hourly). In particular, the FOV impact is significant for sub-hourly observations, where 41 % of narrow- and wide-FOV FSC differ by more than 0.1. A new “quick-look” tool is introduced to visualize impacts of these two factors through integration of CF and FSC data with novel TSI-based images of the spatial variability in cloud cover. The influence of cloud field organization, such cloud streets parallel to the wind direction, on narrow- and wide-FOV cloud cover estimates can be visually assessed.
Limited Efficacy of Thrombolytics for Pump Thrombosis in Durable Left Ventricular Assist Devices.

Background This study reports a single-center experience with thrombolytics for left ventricular assist device (LVAD) pump thrombosis. Methods Adults undergoing continuous-flow LVAD implantation between 2004 and 2018 at a single center were reviewed and those with pump thrombosis were identified. Primary outcomes included 1-year survival and success rates of thrombolytic therapy. Secondary outcomes included posttreatment adverse events, freedom from major bleeding at 1 year, and freedom from stroke at 1-year follow-up. Results A total of 341 patients underwent LVAD implantation and 10.8% (n = 37) developed pump thrombosis. Of those 37, 26 received initial thrombolytic therapy (70.2%), 5 underwent direct pump exchange (13.5%), and 6 received only intravenous heparin owing to presentation with acute stroke or severe multiorgan failure (16.2%). Successful treatment was achieved in 11.5% of patients receiving thrombolytics (n = 3). Early adverse events after thrombolytic therapy included major bleeding in 11.5% (n = 3) and new stroke in 7.7% (n = 2). Most patients undergoing thrombolytic therapy underwent subsequent device exchange (69.2%; n = 18). Overall survival in patients with pump thrombosis after treatment was 96.8% at 30 days, 78.9% at 90 days, and 63.1% at 1 year. Freedom from major bleeding and stroke at 1 year was 74.2% and 87.2%, respectively. Conclusions In this single-center experience of thrombolytics for pump thrombosis in LVAD patients, there was limited efficacy; most patients required subsequent pump exchange. Combined with the risk for major bleeding or stroke with thrombolysis, this underscores the importance of further refining patient selection for direct pump exchange in those presenting with pump thrombosis.
Social Contribution and Psychological Well-Being among Midlife Adults with Chronic Pain: A Longitudinal Approach.

Objectives: Contributing to the welfare of others has been shown to have positive effects on people’s social and psychological well-being (PWB). The current study examined whether social contributi...
Using Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports to Reduce School Suspensions

The Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) framework is currently implemented in more than 25,000 schools across the globe. Its implementation has demonstrated positive impacts on a ...
Study of Frictional Closure of a Crack Emanating From a Circular Inclusion

ABSTRACT Consider a radial crack emanating from an elastic inclusion or fiber in a matrix under uniaxial tension. We study the various parameters that affect crack closure and allow for frictional forces to be transmitted by the closed crack faces. Representative examples are given for special cases.
PG-KLEE: trading soundness for coverage

Comprehensive test inputs are an essential ingredient for dynamic software analysis techniques, yet are typically impossible to obtain and maintain. Automated input generation techniques can supplant manual effort in many contexts, but they also exhibit inherent limitations in practical applications. Therefore, the best approach to input generation for a given application task necessarily entails compromise. Most symbolic execution approaches maintain soundness by sacrificing completeness. In this paper, we take the opposite approach and demonstrate PG-KLEE, an input generation tool that over-approximates program behavior to achieve complete coverage. We also summarize some empirical results that validate our claims. Our technique is detailed in an earlier paper [16], and the source code of PG-KLEE is available from [2]. Video URL: https://youtu.be/b1ajzW6YWds
The effects of asymmetric dark matter on stellar evolution - I. Spin-dependent scattering

Most of the dark matter (DM) search over the last few decades has focused on WIMPs, but the viable parameter space is quickly shrinking. Asymmetric Dark Matter (ADM) is a WIMP-like DM candidate with slightly smaller masses and no present day annihilation, meaning that stars can capture and build up large quantities. The captured ADM can transport energy through a significant volume of the star. We investigate the effects of spin-dependent ADM energy transport on stellar structure and evolution in stars with $0.9 \leq M_{\star}/\mathrm{M}_{\odot} \leq 5.0$ in varying DM environments. We wrote a MESA module that calculates the capture of DM and the subsequent energy transport within the star. We fix the DM mass to 5 GeV and the cross section to $10^{-37} \mathrm{cm{^2}}$, and study varying environments by scaling the DM capture rate. For stars with radiative cores ($M_{\star} \lesssim 1.3\ \mathrm{M}_{\odot}$), the presence of ADM flattens the temperature and burning profiles in the core and increases MS ($X_c > 10^{-3}$) lifetimes by up to $\sim 20\%$. We find that strict requirements on energy conservation are crucial to the simulation of ADM's effects on these stars. In higher-mass stars, ADM energy transport shuts off core convection, limiting available fuel and shortening MS lifetimes by up to $\sim 40\%$. This may translate to changes in the luminosity and effective temperature of the MS turnoff in population isochrones. The tip of the red giant branch may occur at lower luminosities. The effects are largest in DM environments with high densities and/or low velocity dispersions, making dwarf and early forming galaxies most likely to display the effects.
Learning to Love, Work, and Live Your Best Life: Mentoring in Emerging Adulthood Predicts Later Flourishing and Subjective Well-Being:

Mentors that guide young people in their transition to adulthood provide support in a variety of domains that set the stage for happier adult lives. While mentoring during emerging adulthood is ass...
Family Stress and Rural African-American Adolescents' Depressive Symptoms.

Abstract Purpose Limited longitudinal research investigates the effects of family stress on the development of depressive symptoms among African-American adolescents. This study tests a developmental model of the family and intrapersonal processes linking family stress to depressive symptoms from the ages of 11 to 15 years. We hypothesized that family stress would predict increases in caregiver-youth conflict, which in turn would predict decreases in adolescents' self-control, a proximal predictor of increases in depressive symptoms. Methods The sample consisted of 472 African-American youths and their primary caregivers from eight rural counties in southern Georgia who provided data at four time points (youth of ages 11–15 years). Hypotheses were tested with structural equation modeling. Results Results were consistent with study hypotheses. Family stress significantly predicted depressive symptoms via intermediate effects on caregiver-youth conflict and adolescent self-control. The indirect influence of family stress via these intermediate processes was significant. Conclusions Findings suggest tha, when families experience stress, caregiver-youth conflict increases, which may lead to the development of poor self-control in youth, a proximal predictor of increases in depressive symptoms. Findings have implications for the development of prevention programs for rural African-American adolescents.
Union Activism and the Baseball Hall of Fame Voting Process: Labor-Management Conflict and Media Bias:

Media bias is well documented in the industrial relations domain. This paper extends this research by exploring whether union participation among former professional baseball players affects the li...
Epidemiology, Clinical Presentation, and Outcomes of Kawasaki Disease among Hospitalized Children in an Inner City Hospital before and after Publication of the American Academy of Pediatrics/American Heart Association Guidelines for Treatment of Kawasaki Disease: An 11-Year Period

The effect of 2004 Kawasaki disease (KD) guidelines on diagnosis and outcome of KD is lacking. We studied the epidemiology of KD in our region and compared the incidence, presentation, and outcome of KD before and after publication of the guidelines. A retrospective chart review was conducted for patients admitted with a diagnosis of KD. Demographics, laboratory data, and clinical data were collected. Comparison was made between 2 groups: prepublication (2000-2004) and postpublication (2005-2009) of guidelines. A total of 312 children were included; 64% were African American, 23% White, and 2% Asian; 61% were boys; 79% were complete KD, and 66% were in winter/spring. There was a significant increase in KD cases over the 11 years. There was no significant difference in clinical findings and outcome between the 2 groups. KD admissions in our region significantly increased during the postpublication period. There was no difference in clinical presentation, laboratory findings, or outcome between the 2 groups.
Modular Deductive Verification of Multiprocessor Hardware Designs

We present a new framework for modular verification of hardware designs in the style of the Bluespec language. That is, we formalize the idea of components in a hardware design, with well-defined input and output channels; and we show how to specify and verify components individually, with machine-checked proofs in the Coq proof assistant. As a demonstration, we verify a fairly realistic implementation of a multicore shared-memory system with two types of components: memory system and processor. Both components include nontrivial optimizations, with the memory system employing an arbitrary hierarchy of cache nodes that communicate with each other concurrently, and with the processor doing speculative execution of many concurrent read operations. Nonetheless, we prove that the combined system implements sequential consistency. To our knowledge, our memory-system proof is the first machine verification of a cache-coherence protocol parameterized over an arbitrary cache hierarchy, and our full-system proof is the first machine verification of sequential consistency for a multicore hardware design that includes caches and speculative processors.
Notch Ductility Properties of SM-1A Reactor Pressure Vessel Following the In-Place Annealing Operation

Abstract : The embrittlement condition of the Army SM-1A reactor pressure vessel, as modified by the recently completed in-place anneal, was assessed and an analysis was made of the reembrittlement behavior of the vessel steel with subsequent radiation service. Experimental results from the reactor surveillance program developed through one complete irradiation and annealing cycle are presented, together with a summary of experimental information on the annealing response of the vessel steel (A350-LF1, Mod.) from accelerated irradiation programs. These data indicate a 0 deg F maximum pressure vessel wall Charpy-V 30 ft-lb transition temperature after the in-place anneal versus a -80 deg F preservice transition temperature (based on the notch-ductility properties of a duplicate ring forging). The maximum Charpy-V 30 ft-lb transition temperature of the pressure vessel before the annealing operation was estimated at 190 deg F. A projection of postanneal pressure vessel lifetime in terms of neutron fluence >0.5 Mev was derived from spectra calculations and the experimentally predicted reirradiation response of the pressure vessel steel. The maximum permissible vessel wall fluence is estimated at 5.5x10 to the 19th power n/sq cm > 0.5 Mev. This is comparable to 124.7 Megawatt years of reactor operation. (Author)
Covering and packing in graphs—V: Mispacking subcubes in hypercubes

Abstract A node-disjoint packing of a graph G with a subgraph H is a largest collection of disjoint copies of a smaller graph H contained in G; an edge disjoint packing is defined similarly, but no two copies of H have a common edge. Two packing numbers of G with H are defined accordingly. It is easy to determine both of these numbers when H is a subcube of a hypercube G. A mispacking of G with subgraphs H is a minimum maximal collection of disjoint copies of H whose removal from G leaves no subgraph H. Two mispacking numbers of G and H are defined analogously to the packing numbers. Their exact determination is quite difficult but we obtain upper bounds. The covering number of G by a subgraph H is the smallest number of copies of H whose union is all of G. This number is determined for G = Qn, H = Qm.
Selection of functional mutations in the U5-IR stem and loop regions of the Rous sarcoma virus genome

The 5' end of the Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) RNA around the primer-binding site forms a series of RNA secondary stem/loop structures (U5-IR stem, TψC interaction region, U5-leader stem) that are required for efficient initiation of reverse transcription. The U5-IR stem and loop also encode the U5 integrase (IN) recognition sequence at the level of DNA such that this region has overlapping biological functions in reverse transcription and integration. We have investigated the ability of RSV to tolerate mutations in and around the U5 IR stem and loop. Through the use of viral libraries with blocks of random sequence, we have screened for functional mutants in vivo, growing the virus libraries in turkey embryo fibroblasts. The library representing the U5-IR stem rapidly selects for clones that maintain the structure of the stem, and is subsequently overtaken by wild type sequence. In contrast, in the library representing the U5-IR loop, wild type sequence is found after five rounds of infection but it does not dominate the virus pool, indicating that the mutant sequences identified are able to replicate at or near wild type levels. These results indicate that the region of the RNA genome in U5 adjacent to the PBS tolerates much sequence variation even though it is required for multiple biological functions in replication. The in vivo selection method utilized in this study was capable of detecting complex patterns of selection as well as identifying biologically relevant viral mutants.
CLOUD Computing: Cost-Effective Risk Management with Additional Product Deployment

This article addresses a discrete event CLOUD simulator and manager, CLOURAM to estimate the risk indices in large CLOUD computing environments, comparing favorably with the intractably theoretical Markov solutions or hand calculations that are limited in scope. The goal is to optimize the quality of a CLOUD operation and what countermeasures to take to minimize threats to the service quality by reserve planning of additional product capacity to be deployed. Following, cost and benefit analysis is demonstrated.
Earthquake Design of Buildings:Damping

A Fourier spectra analysis of the recorded February 9, 1971, San Fernando earthquake response of 12 southern California high-rise buildings was conducted and damping in building normal modes of vibration was estimated. Obtained damping values were correlated with building basement 0% damped pseudovelocity response spectrum and empirical equations were derived for damping estimation. A procedure utilizing these equations was developed for the selection of damping values for use in building design.
The Evolution of Animal Agricultural Systems and Supply Chains: Theory and Practice

The current efforts to find technical and policy solutions to zoonotic diseases, such as Avian Flu and Swine Flu, are part of a continuous process of evolution of production and supply chains for food and other agricultural products. This chapter provides a conceptual framework to analyze this coevolutionary process and, in particular, the role of technology, economics, and institutional factors as well as biological coevolution. This chapter will build upon the basic principles of production economics, theory of innovation, urban economics, and public finance to show how changes in relative prices, consumer preferences, and technological innovation affect the management and regulation of farming and, in particular, animal husbandry. This theoretical framework is then applied to poultry supply chains in Northern Vietnam.
Budget-Maximizing Bureaucracy and the Effects of State Aid on School Expenditures:

This article estimates expenditure equations for Michigan school districts using Kelejian's (1971) procedure for dealing with the endogenous state aid variables. Alternative specifications of the expenditure equation are derived, based on (i) a median voter model and (ii) Niskanen's (1971) budget-maximizing model. Theoretical considerations imply different specifications of the aid variables than have been used in previous empirical work. The estimated effect of grants-in-aid is a larger increase in expenditures than is consistent with model (i) but less than is consistent with model (ii).
Adaptive regulation of high-order cascade systems: an adding one power integrator approach

In this paper, a new adaptive control technique called adding a power integrator is proposed, for a class of linearly parametrized high-order nonlinear systems that are of a lower-triangular structure, but neither feedback linearizable nor affine in the control input. Using the adaptive adding a power integrator technique as a basic design tool, we show how to explicitly construct, in a recursive manner, a smooth adaptive controller that solves the problem of adaptive regulation with global stability. The development of the adding a power integrator technique leads to a significant relaxation on the system nonlinearities such as feedback linearizability and affineness, which are known to be two standard hypotheses made in the existing nonlinear adaptive control schemes.
In treatment-resistant depression, adding cognitive–behavioral therapy to usual care was cost-effective at 1 y

Source Citation Hollinghurst S, Carroll FE, Abel A, et al. Cost-effectiveness of cognitive-behavioural therapy as an adjunct to pharmacotherapy for treatment-resistant depression in primary care: e...
Prostaglandin synthesis inhibited by formamidine pesticides.

Abstract The formamidine pesticides, chlordimeform and amitraz, were shown to have both antipyretic and anti-inflammatory activity when given intraperitoneally to rats at 5 to 80 mg per kg. They reduced yeast-induced fever in rats with potencies intermediate between those of indomethacin and aspirin, and antagonized the carageenin-induced swelling of the hind paw. In both these actions, chlordimeform was more potent than amitraz. Both formamidines also inhibited the synthesis of prostaglandin E 2 from arachidonic acid by bovine seminal vesicle microsomes. At an arachidonic acid concentration of 0.4 μM, the I 50 values for chlordimeform and amitraz were 34 and 880 μM respectively, compared to 0.4 μM and 790 μM for indomethacin and aspirin. These aspirin-like actions may provide a clue to some of the physiological effects of the formamidines, which represent a new and unsual group of prostaglandin synthetase inhibitors.
Additive Effects of 5-HT and Diuretic Peptide on Aedes Malpighian Tubule Fluid Secretion

Abstract We have demonstrated previously that fluid secretion rates of Malpighian tubules from larval Aedes aegypti are stimulated by a diuretic peptide and by 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT, serotonin). In the present manuscript we demonstrate that diuretic peptide and 5-HT have additive effects on Malpighian tubule fluid secretion rates at low 5-HT concentrations (1–100 nM), while Malpighian tubules stimulated by higher 5-HT concentrations (1–10 μ M) do not respond to diuretic peptide in the fluid secretion bioassay. Fluid secretion rates are stimulated by forskolin and dibutyryl cAMP, but are unaffected by IBMX. Cyclic AMP concentrations are stimulated by 5-HT in vitro , while diuretic peptide has no effect on cAMP concentrations. These effects strongly support stimulation of adenylate cyclase activity by 5-HT and suggest that 5-HT and diuretic peptide act through separate second messenger systems.
Barriers to the Effective Use of Technology in Education: Current Status

While the number of computers in the classroom continues to increase and tremendous support for technology integration exists in government, business, and academia, a major discrepancy exists between the level of technology use expected of educators and the actual use and integration of technology in the classroom. This article examines barriers that impede the effective use of technology in education.
Murine interferon-γ enhances resistance to infection with strains of pseudomonas aeruginosa in mice

This study focused on the role of recombinant murine interferon-gamma (rMuIFN-gamma) in modulating resistance to infections produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa in mice. CBA/C mice were treated with rMuIFN-gamma, exposed to thermal injury, and challenged with P. aeruginosa organisms. Survival of infected, burned mice was determined over a period of 14 days and compared with control animals not receiving rMuIFN-gamma. Two clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa that differed originally in the ability to produce metalloproteases, were used to infect the mice. When the mice were pretreated with rMuIFN-gamma before the infection, no statistically significant differences in survival were observed with either of the two strains of bacteria compared to controls. However, when mice were pretreated and injected therapeutically with rMuIFN-gamma (continued receipt of rMuIFN-gamma after infection), there was a significant protective effect in animals infected with one of the strains of P. aeruginosa. We conclude that rMuIFN-gamma may be useful in treating infections with certain strains of P. aeruginosa in mice.
The rates of water exchange in AI(III)-salicylate and AI(III)-sulfosalicylate complexes

Abstract Rate parameters are reported for exchange of hydration waters from the inner coordination sphere of Al(III)-sulfosalicylate [Al(sSal)+] and Al(III)-salicylate [Al(Sal)+] complexes to bulk solution as determined with 17O-NMR. The rate parameters for the Al(sSal)+ complex are: kex298 = (3.0 ± 0.2) · 103 s−1, ΔH‡ = 37(±3) kJ mol−1, ΔS‡ = −54(±9) J mol−1 K−1; and for the Al(Sal)+ complex are: kex298 = 4.9(±0.3) · 103 s−1, ΔH‡ = 35(±3) kJ mol−1, ΔS‡ = −57(±11) J mol−1 K−1. These results, along with previous work, suggest that the lability of water molecules in bidentate carboxylate–phenolic complexes scales with the electron-donating properties of the ligand oxygens. Replacement of a coordinated carboxyl with a phenolic group in the ligand increases both the Lewis basicity and the value of kex298. A correlation between these parameters is proposed that can be used to predict rate coefficients for other bidentate aluminum complexes.
Electrodiagnostic changes in muscles after tetanus toxin

Abstract Local tetanus was produced in the tibialis anterior muscles of rabbits by a single intramuscular injection of tetanus toxin (200 guinea-pig MLD). Electrodiagnostic data collected from the muscles of these rabbits were compared with similar data from the tibialis anterior muscles of another group of rabbits denervated by nerve section. Strength-duration curves in both groups of muscle exhibited a pronounced sharp slope. The curves were complex, containing discontinuities both in the initial and recovery stages. Chronaxie values, rheobase values, and responses to repetitive stimulation in advanced local tetanus were comparable to those in chronic denervation. All these electrodiagnostic findings from muscles in local tetanus, along with the electromyographic findings reported elsewhere, indicate that muscle treated with local injection of tetanus toxin undergoes a change which by these criteria is not distinguished from the same changes in muscle denervated by nerve section.
Effects of lanthanide and calcium ions on the polymerisation of collagen

Abstract The polymerisation of individual collagen molecules into ordered polymeric fibrils is a spontaneous, extracellular process, which helps determine the properties of connective tissues. Our previous work [1, 2] has suggested that lanthanide ions (Ln3+) might interact with collagen in interesting ways. During experiments to measure the binding of Ln3+ to collagen, it was discovered that these cations greatly accelerated the rate of collagen polymerisation. Ca2+ also accelerated polymerisation, but concentrations about 100 times greater than those of Ln3+ were necessary. For study of polymerisation, pepsin-solubilized calf-skin collagen (1.5 mg/ml) was incubated in 30 mM Tris-HCL, 0.2 M NaCl, pH 7.0 at 37°C. The polymerisation reaction was followed as the increase in absorbance of the solution at a wavelength of 500 nm. As reported by others [e.g. 3, 4], the resulting curve was sigmoidal; a nucleation phase of 16 min, during which the A500 remained low, was followed by a growth phase during which the A500 increased at a maximum rate of 0.05 units/min. A maximum absorbance (Amax) of 1.1 units was finally reached. The nucleation phase is thought to represent the length-wise attachment of collagen molecules and the growth phase, their lateral accretion [5]. Sm3+ reduced the length of the nucleation phase, accelerated the growth phase (Table I) and lowered the Amax. These effects were maximal at 100 μM Sm3+. Other Ln3+ also reduced the nucleation phase, but none were as effective as Sm3+. Er3+ and La3+ also accelerated the growth phase, but Lu3+ was inhibitory. All four Ln3+ lowered the Amax. Ca2+ reduced the length of the nucleation phase and accelerated the growth phase (Table I), but unlike the Ln3+, increased the Amax. Electron microscopic examination of the fibrils demonstrated that those formed in the presence of increasing concentrations of Sm3+ were progressively thinner (Table II). Concentration of Sm3+(μM Average fibril thickness (nm) 0 320±62 25 210±49 50 130±31 100 78±17 Arrhenius plots of the rates polymerisation at different temperatures gave an activation energy (Ea) of 45.8±5.6 kcal/mol for the nucleation phase and 57.2±5.8 kcal/mol for the growth phase. Ca2+ (5 mM) and Sm3+ (25 μM reduced the Ea of the growth phase to 34.8±2.3 kcal/mol and 18.0±1.1 kcal/mol respectively. However, the Ea for the nucleation phase was little changed by either 5 mM Ca2+ (Ea = 38.2±4.3 kcal/mol) or 25 μM Sm3+ (Ea = 38.0±2.3 kcal/mol). The ability of physiological concentrations of Ca2+ to influence the rate of polymerisation of collagen suggests a modulating role for calcium in vivo. The ability of low concentrations of Ln3+ to mimic these effects suggests that they may prove useful probes of the interaction between Ca2+ and collagen.
Silica coating of vapor grown carbon fibers

Silica coatings have been applied to vapor grown carbon fibers (VGCFs) by a liquid phase deposition process. Unlike the coating of single walled carbon nanotubes, the addition of a surfactant to “solubilize” the VGCFs results in an extremely non-uniform coating consisting of spherical silica aggregated around the tubes. As was observed for fullerenes, hydroxylation of the surface of the VGCF appears to be key to the formation of a uniform silica coating. Irrespective of the type of VGCF, heating a suspension of VGCFs in nitric acid to dryness (Type II) gave us the best results in terms of silica growth around the VGCF and there is a correlation between the percent of hydroxyls present on the VGCF surface and on the type of growth that occurs on the VGCF. Nitric acid treatment of VGCFs for 1 day in solution were precipitated with acetone (Type III treatment), and then coated with silica. This acid treatment made the coated fibers highly soluble in EtOH.
Volatile organic compounds and indoor air

Volatile organic compounds represent one of the two major pollutant categories implicated in the sick-building syndrome. This article reviews measurement and analytic methods, presents a summary of the etiologic considerations, and presents newer, nonregulatory intervention strategies that can be used to prevent complaints resulting from this pollutant category.
Biological Species Are Natural Kinds

This paper argues that typical biological species are natural kinds, on a familiar realist understanding of natural kinds-classes of individuals across which certain properties cluster together, in virtue of the causal workings of the world. But the clustering is far from exceptionless. Virtually no properties, or property-combinations, characterize every last member of a typical species-unless they can also appear outside the species. This motivates some to hold that what ties together the members of a species is the ability to interbreed, others that it is common descent. Yet others hold that species are scattered individuals, of which organisms are parts rather than members. But not one of these views absolves us of the need to posit a typical phenotypic profile. Vagueness is here to stay. Some seek to explain the vagueness by saying species are united by "homeostatic property clusters"; but this view collapses into the more familiar realist picture.
Role of dipyridamole thallium-201 imaging in left bundle branch block

Abstract Exercise thallium-201 imaging is of limited diagnostic accuracy in patients with left bundle branch block (LBBB), because decreased septal activity often occurs in the absence of left anterior descending artery disease.1–3 A combination of tachycardia, shortened diastolic relaxation time and asynchronous contraction are considered to be responsible for this phenomenon.1,2 Recently, it has been suggested that dipyridamole thallium-201 scintigraphy significantly improves specificity in patients with LBBB by assessing coronary flow reserve at lower heart rates.4 Relatively few patients in the latter report, however, had angiographic correlation. Accordingly, this study compares this technique with angiographic findings in a larger group of patients with LBBB at rest.
Exertional compartment syndrome of the leg: steps for expedient return to activity.

The pain and swelling associated with exertional compartment syndrome is caused by raised intracompartmental pressures possibly induced by muscle swelling or increased osmotic pressure. Although ei...
Synthesis, structures, and reactivity of biphenylylene complexes of bismuth(III)

The synthesis of [Bi-2(biph)(3)] (5) and [PPN]-[BiCl2(biph)] (6) (biph=2,2'-biphenylylene, PPN=Ph(3)P=N=PPh(3)), the first structurally characterized biphenylylene complexes of bismuth (III), are described. Complex 5 crystallizes as a THF (tetrahydrofuran) solvate; each bismuth is three-coordinate with a trigonal pyramidal geometry. The solid state of 6 comprises separated [PPN](+) cations and [BiCl2(biph)](-) anions. The anion adopts a trigonal bipyramidal geometry at the bismuth; the axial sites are occupied by chloride ligands, and two of the tree equatorial sites are occupied by ring carbon atoms.
Competitive transport of alkali metal ions from aqueous media into toluene solutions of 2-(sym-dibenzo-16-crown-5-oxy)-decanoic acid. A comparative study

Abstract Competitive permeation of alkali metal ions from an alkaline source phase into or through a toluene phase facilitated by the lipophilic crown ether carboxylic acid 2-( sym dibenzo-16-crown-5-oxy)-decanoic acid is studied in liquid—liquid extraction, bulk liquid membrane transport, and emulsion liquid membrane transport. Most rapid transport was obtained in emulsion liquid membrane experiments. Some differences in selectivity orders for alkali metal permeation were observed for the three separation techniques.
Efficient Neuronal Gene Transfer with AAV8 Leads to Neurotoxic Levels of Tau or Green Fluorescent Proteins

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) serotype 8 appears to be the strongest of the natural serotypes reported to date for gene transfer in liver and muscle. In this study, we evaluated AAV8 in the brain by several methods, including biophotonic imaging of green fluorescent protein (GFP). In the adult rat hippocampus, levels of GFP expressed were clearly greater with AAV8 than with AAV2 or AAV5 by Western blot and biophotonic imaging and slightly but significantly greater than AAV1 by Western blot. In the substantia nigra, the GFP expression conferred by AAV8 was toxic to dopamine neurons, although toxicity could be avoided with dose titration. At the low dose at which there was no GFP toxicity from the GFP vector, another AAV8 vector for a disease-related (P301L) form of the microtubule-associated protein tau caused a 78% loss of dopamine neurons and significant amphetamine-stimulated rotational behavior. The AAV8 tau vector-induced cell loss was greater than that from AAV2 or AAV5 tau vectors, demonstrating that the increased gene transfer was functional. While the toxicity observed with GFP expression warrants great caution, the efficient AAV8 is promising for animal models of neurodegenerative diseases and potentially as well for gene therapy of brain diseases.
Will HIV Vaccination Reshape HIV Risk Behavior Networks? A Social Network Analysis of Drug Users' Anticipated Risk Compensation

Background An HIV vaccine could substantially impact the epidemic. However, risk compensation (RC), or post-vaccination increase in risk behavior, could present a major challenge. The methodology used in previous studies of risk compensation has been almost exclusively individual-level in focus, and has not explored how increased risk behavior could affect the connectivity of risk networks. This study examined the impact of anticipated HIV vaccine-related RC on the structure of high-risk drug users' sexual and injection risk network. Methods A sample of 433 rural drug users in the US provided data on their risk relationships (i.e., those involving recent unprotected sex and/or injection equipment sharing). Dyad-specific data were collected on likelihood of increasing/initiating risk behavior if they, their partner, or they and their partner received an HIV vaccine. Using these data and social network analysis, a "post-vaccination network" was constructed and compared to the current network on measures relevant to HIV transmission, including network size, cohesiveness (e.g., diameter, component structure, density), and centrality. Results Participants reported 488 risk relationships. Few reported an intention to decrease condom use or increase equipment sharing (4% and 1%, respectively). RC intent was reported in 30 existing risk relationships and vaccination was anticipated to elicit the formation of five new relationships. RC resulted in a 5% increase in risk network size (n = 142 to n = 149) and a significant increase in network density. The initiation of risk relationships resulted in the connection of otherwise disconnected network components, with the largest doubling in size from five to ten. Conclusions This study demonstrates a new methodological approach to studying RC and reveals that behavior change following HIV vaccination could potentially impact risk network connectivity. These data will be valuable in parameterizing future network models that can determine if network-level change precipitated by RC would appreciably impact the vaccine's population-level effectiveness.
Measurement of inorganic orthophosphate in biological materials: extraction properties of butyl acetate.

Abstract The properties of several organic solvents were investigated to determine their suitability for use in phosphomolybdic acid (PMA) extraction procedures for the measurement of inorganic orthophosphate (P i ). Butyl acetate exhibited the most satisfactory properties for measurements at 310 nm, which is the absorption peak for unreduced PMA. Butyl acetate exhibits essentially no absorption at 310 nm, is highly selective for PMA over molybdate and silicomolybdate, does not extract molybdate in the presence of trichloroacetic acid (TCA), exhibits negligible volume changes when equilibrated with equal volumes of aqueous phase, and is among the least toxic of organic solvents. Optimal conditions of acidity, molybdate concentration, and reaction and extraction times were determined for the formation of PMA and extraction into butyl acetate. A procedure for measurement of P i in biological material employing 8% TCA for precipitation of organic material at 0°C, reaction of the supernatant with acid molybdate, extraction of the PMA with butyl acetate and reading of unreduced PMA at 310 nm is described. The procedure is simple, rapid, accurate, selective, and has high sensitivity. Because of the short (20 sec) sample exposure to acid molybdate, it is suggested that the procedure may also be useful in the measurement of P i in the presence of adenosine triphosphate such as for the assay of adenosinetriphosphatase activity.
Non-linear deformation mechanisms during nanoindentation

Abstract Experiments involving the indentation of single crystals of both tungsten and an iron alloy show that the observed yield phenomena can be predicted using a superdislocation model driven by the change in shear stress between the elastically and fully plastic loading conditions. A low density of dislocation multiplication sites is required to support elastic loading which approaches applied shear stresses on the order of the theoretical shear strength of the material. Oxide film thickness and crystal orientation are examined as parameters in controlling the yield phenomena. A model based on activation of dislocation multiplication sources is suggested to explain the initiation of the yield point during indentation and the overall load–depth relationship during indentation.
Laser pointer interaction

Group meetings and other non-desk situations require that people be able to interact at a distance from a display surface. This paper describes a technique using a laser pointer and a camera to accomplish just such interactions. Calibration techniques are given to synchronize the display and camera coordinates. A series of interactive techniques are described for navigation and entry of numbers, times, dates, text, enumerations and lists of items. The issues of hand jitter, detection error, slow sampling and latency are discussed in each of the interactive techniques.
Towards reasoning visualization in expert systems

Preliminary results are presented of ongoing research to develop visualization paradigms for expert systems reasoning processes. The results are based in part on a prototype implementation that is being developed to visualize the reasoning processes of a rule-based forward chaining expert system. The research is based on the premise that the presentation of information at the highest applicable conceptual level will enhance the assimilation of that information. Hierarchical levels in both the syntactic and semantic levels of reasoning in expert systems are described in detail.