cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Device performance of shallow junction PMOSFETs fabricated using low-energy ion implantation of B and BF2 into crystalline and Ge preamorphised silicon

P-channel MOSFETs with source/drain junction depths less than 0.1µm were fabricated using l.35keV B+ and 6keV BF+2 implantation into crystalline and Ge preamorphised silicon. For 950–1050°C, 10s rapid thermal annealing, the various implantation conditions yielded similar device characteristics. The implantation of BF+2 resulted in a slight increase in the specific contact resistivity to source and drain over that obtained using B+. Measurements of subthreshold I/V characteristics and the channel length dependence of threshold voltage indicated that good long-channel behaviour was obtained for 0.7 µm channel length devices.
The intramembranous segment of human erythrocyte glycophorin A

Abstract The intramembranous segment of glycophorin A has been localized to a 35-amino acid peptide. This has been isolated by a new procedure in which acid-insoluble peptides of a tryptic digest of detergent-purified glycophorin A are fractionated by countercurrent distribution. Amino acid sequence analyses, using both manual and automatic Edman degradation techniques, indicate that this peptide has a unique sequence in contrast to earlier work ( J. P. Segrest, I. Kahane, R. L. Jackson, and V. T. Marchesi, 1973 , Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. , 49 , 964–969). Ambiguities at three positions have been resolved, and sequencing errors at two additional positions have been corrected. One segment of this peptide has an uninterrupted stretch of 22 uncharged amino acids, and it is likely that this is the part which spans the lipid bilayer of the membrane. The complete 35-residue peptide has an apparent molecular weight in the 6000–8000 range, when analyzed on sodium dodecyl sulfate gels, suggesting that it forms dimers under these conditions. This result is consistent with our earlier proposal that intact glycophorin A molecules exist as dimers in sodium dodecyl sulfate which are stabilized by noncovalent associations between hydrophobic segments of their polypeptide chains.
The Cultural Gradient: Culture Moderates the Relationship between Socioeconomic Status (SES) and Ambulatory Blood Pressure

A social gradient has been consistently demonstrated in Western countries with higher socioeconomic status (SES) related to lower blood pressure (BP). In non-Western countries, however, the social gradient is not always evident, with some countries appearing to show a reversed social gradient. It was hypothesized that culture moderates the social gradient, with the relationship between SES and BP differing as a function of culture. To investigate the idea of a "cultural gradient" a sample of Hispanic immigrants and Whites was studied. A total of 79 participants (30 Hispanic immigrant, 49 White) wore ambulatory blood pressure monitors for 24 h. The Hispanic immigrants also completed the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans- II. Hispanic immigrants had lower SES and lower BP compared to Whites. A cultural gradient moderating the social gradient was evident with Hispanic immigrants displaying a positive relationship between SES and BP and Whites displaying a negative relationship. Among Hispanic immigrants, increased acculturation to Western culture decreased the positive relationship between SES and BP. Just as there is a social gradient with increasing socioeconomic status related to better cardiovascular health, there appears to be a cultural gradient with increasing acculturation to Western society related to worse cardiovascular health.
Pathologic Extremity Fracture Care in Spinal Cord Injury

Fracture management in chronic SCI can be summarized by the following principles. Fractures in the upper extremity and in incomplete SCI are treated by standard orthopedic guidelines. Nondisplaced femoral neck fractures require cannulated screw fixation, whereas displaced fractures require an endoprosthesis. Nondisplaced intertrochanteric and subtrochanteric hip fractures may be treated nonoperatively in the elderly or medically ill, but those who require mobilization and a predictable outcome require intramedullary hip screw (IMHS) fixation. Femoral shaft and displaced tibia shaft fractures require intramedullary locked nails. Most periarticular knee fractures may be managed by nonoperative splinting. Nondisplaced fractures of the tibia and below are treated by nonoperative means.
Reaction enhancement of point sources due to vortex stirring.

We investigate a class of reactive advection-diffusion problems motivated by an ecological mixing process. We use analytical and numerical methods to determine reaction rates between two initially distinct scalar point masses that are separated from one another by a third (nonreactive) scalar. The scalars are stirred by a single two-dimensional vortex in a variety of geometrical configurations. We show that the aggregate second-order reaction rate in the low-concentration limit is enhanced by the instantaneous stirring processes, relative to the rate predicted by an equivalent eddy diffusivity. The peak reaction rate grows as P(1/3), and the time to reach the peak decreases as P(-2/3), where P is the Peclet number. The results of this study have important implications not only for ecological modeling, but for the general understanding of turbulent reactive flows.
Not just intuitive: examining the basic manipulation of tangible user interfaces

Tangible user interfaces have received increasing attention in recent years. People often describe tangible user interfaces as "more intuitive" interfaces because we have learned how to manipulate physical objects throughout our lifetime. However, after almost 10 years of prototype development and numerous conference papers, tangible user interfaces have had minimal impact on everyday use of computers. Is there anything that prevents tangible user interfaces from becoming more widely used? In order to investigate the effect of tangible user interfaces, we designed a spatial task to compare a paper tangible user interface with a mouse-controlled graphical user interface. Using a within-subjects design, data were collected from 12 subjects who used both interfaces. Results indicated that subjects exhibited better performance (center displacement error and reproduction time) with the paper tangible user interface.
Contempo: Instrumented Spinal Fusions-Reply

In Reply. —It is thoughtful of Dr Derian to update the medical community on important ongoing investigations apparently designed to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of spine instrumentation. If the phrase "increased caution" referrable to the use of spine instrumentation is not accurate, there is at least "increased scrutiny" being applied to such surgery. This scrutiny is taking place with regard to the volume of spine surgery currently being performed as well as the regulatory status of the instrumentation being used. Well-constructed, prospective, controlled studies are important to resolve these areas of concern, and I hope these will be appearing in the peer-reviewed literature in increasing numbers.
Benzo(a)pyrene quinone metabolism in tracheal organ cultures.

Abstract Tracheal organ cultures metabolized a mixture of benzo(a)pyrene quinones (BP-quinones) into products which were not extracted with acetone/ethyl acetate and were water-soluble. When the culture medium was extracted of the organic soluble metabolites and the water-soluble metabolites exposed to β-glucuronidase, BP-quinones and an unidentified highly polar metabolite was released. When the results were evaluated quantitatively it was found that 30% of the water-soluble metabolites were glucuronide conjugates. The remaining 70% of the aqueous soluble radioactivity was not sensitive to β-glucuronidase and was not identified. When BP was used as the substrate in tracheal organ culture, treatment of the aqueous soluble metabolites with β-glucuronidase resulted in the release of some BP-quinones. It has previously been assumed that BP-quinones are “end-products” of BP metabolism, however, this report clearly demonstrates that BP-quinones are subject to further metabolic processes.
Procedural justice in bargaining games

I consider several variants of dictator and ultimatum games in which the proposer not only offers an allocation of funds but also selects the rules that will govern that distribution. In the dictator/ultimatum choice game, the proposer first selects whether or not the receiver will have the power to reject the offer. Effectively, the proposer decides between playing a dictator and an ultimatum game. Whether a player is self-regarding or motivated by distributive concerns, the player should elect the dictator game as it enables full control over the allocation. Yet, a majority of subjects select the ultimatum game. Further, even those selecting the dictator game make substantially higher offers than those in a control dictator experiment. Additional experiments and surveys explore various explanations for these results. The additional experiments suggest that players' willingness to share decision-making power with other players is quite robust. I conclude that subjects have an innate preference for "voice," a key component of procedural justice.
Numerical simulation of transonic propeller flow using a three-dimensional small disturbance code employing novel helical coordinates

The numerical simulation of three-dimensional transonic flow about propeller blades is discussed. The equations for the unsteady potential flow about propellers is given for an arbitrary coordinate system. From this the small disturbance form of the equation is derived for a new helical coordinate system. The new coordinate system is suited to propeller flow and allows cascade boundary conditions to be applied straightforward. A numerical scheme is employed which solves the steady flow as an asymptotic limit of unsteady flow. Solutions are presented for subsonic and transonic flow about a 5 percent thick bicircular arc blade of an eight bladed cascade. Both high and low advance ratio cases are given which include a lifting case as well as nonlifting cases. The nonlifting cases are compared to solutions from a Euler code.
New method for 3D reconstruction in digital tomosynthesis

Digital tomosynthesis mammography is an advanced x-ray application that can provide detailed 3D information about the imaged breast. We introduce a novel reconstruction method based on simple backprojection, which yields high contrast reconstructions with reduced artifacts at a relatively low computational complexity. The first step in the proposed reconstruction method is a simple backprojection with an order statistics-based operator (e.g., minimum) used for combining the backprojected images into a reconstructed slice. Accordingly, a given pixel value does generally not contribute to all slices. The percentage of slices where a given pixel value does not contribute, as well as the associated reconstructed values, are collected. Using a form of re-projection consistency constraint, one now updates the projection images, and repeats the order statistics backprojection reconstruction step, but now using the enhanced projection images calculated in the first step. In our digital mammography application, this new approach enhances the contrast of structures in the reconstruction, and allows in particular to recover the loss in signal level due to reduced tissue thickness near the skinline, while keeping artifacts to a minimum. We present results obtained with the algorithm for phantom images.
SOCO's impact on individual sales performance: The integration of selling skills as a missing link

Abstract Conventional wisdom suggests that a customer orientation is a vital cornerstone upon which the success of salespeople is predicated in terms of serving their customers and prospects. However, at a pragmatic level, not all salespeople practice a customer-oriented philosophy in their day-to-day selling. In fact, decades of sales research provide largely inconclusive results with respect to individual salespersons' customer orientation and performance outcomes. We argue that for customer orientation to be a predictor of sales performance, specific selling skills must be present. Furthermore, we empirically demonstrate that without these requisite selling skills, salespeople are better off utilizing a sales orientation approach, as opposed to a customer orientation approach. More provocatively, this research shows that a “missing link” in the long standing body of research on the SOCO (sales orientation/customer orientation) perspective is that specific selling skills can impact sales performance directly as well as moderate the impact that both a “sales orientation” and a “customer orientation” ultimately have on sales performance.
Fluorescence in situ hybridization detects increased sperm aneuploidy in men with recurrent pregnancy loss

Objective To investigate, in men presenting with recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL), the prevalence of sperm autosome and sex chromosome aneuploidy. Design Retrospective study. Setting Male infertility clinic. Patient(s) A total of 140 men with RPL provided semen samples, and five normozoospermic controls provided 140 semen samples for comparison. Recurrent pregnancy loss, documented in the female partners, was defined as a prior miscarriage and/or recurrent IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection failure. Intervention(s) Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was used to detect numerical abnormalities in sex chromosomes (X, Y) and autosomes (13, 18, 21) in ejaculated sperm. Main Outcome Measure(s) Sperm aneuploidy in men with RPL and normozoospermic controls. Result(s) Men with RPL had a greater percentage of sperm aneuploidy within the sex chromosomes and chromosomes 18 and 13/21 (1.04% vs. 0.38%; 0.18% vs. 0.03%; 0.26% vs. 0.08%). In total, 40% of men with normal sperm density and motility had abnormal sperm aneuploidy in all the chromosomes analyzed. Men with abnormal sperm density and motility had a higher proportion of sperm sex chromosome aneuploidy than men with normal density/motility (62% vs. 45%). Men with normal strict morphology (>4%) had lower rates of sex chromosome and sperm aneuploidy than men with abnormal strict morphology (28% vs. 57%). There was no association between sperm DNA fragmentation and sperm aneuploidy. Conclusion(s) Men with RPL have increased sperm aneuploidy compared with controls. A total of 40% of men with RPL and normal sperm density/motility had abnormal sperm aneuploidy. Men with oligoasthenozoospermia and abnormal strict morphology had a greater percentage of sperm aneuploidy compared with men with normal semen parameters.
Do Investors Reward Bank Disclosure Transparency? Evidence from India

As part of the financial sector deregulation, India's central bank mandated specific annual report disclosures effective March 31, 2000, that primarily related to a bank's loan assets. This study attempts to verify whether these mandated disclosures were transparent to investors and whether they had any impact on the level of information asymmetry surrounding bank stocks as measured by their bid‐ask spreads. The results indicate that the mandatory disclosures were indeed transparent to investors and that bid‐ask spreads and asymmetric information costs reduced in the postdisclosure period. Overall, the results suggest that the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) efforts to reinforce the market's disciplining mechanism by mandating better quality disclosures has been positively received by investors.
Clinical presentation of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in pregnancy.

Objective:The objective of this study was to review the presentation and management of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in pregnant women.Methods:This was a chart review of pregnant patients who were diagnosed with MRSA between January 1, 2000, and July 30, 2004.
FEELING IS BELIEVING, OR LANDSCAPE AS A WAY OF BEING IN THE WORLD

This article is work‐in‐progress, an orientation of thought towards possibilities for individual human beings to diminish the distance between outer and inner landscapes imposed by cultural norms a...
Determination of viability of Histoplasma capsulatum yeast cells grown in vitro: comparison between dye and colony count methods

The viability of Histoplasma capsulatum yeast cells grown under different conditions was determined by dye tests with Eosin-Y and Janus Green B and by colony counts of cells plated on brain-heart infusion agar supplemented with histoplasma growth factor and bovine serum albumin (BHI-SAG). The test samples included cells grown on brain-heart infusion agar at 37°C for 2–7 days, cells grown in glucose-cysteine broth medium for 1–31 days, and cells grown on brain-heart infusion agar for 3 days at 37°C and then irradiated by ultraviolet light. The colony count indicated that the viability of the yeast cells grown on brain-heart infusion agar for 2 or 3 days varied between 68 and 100% depending on the isolates. The viability, however, dropped from 16 to 29% by day 7. The results of dye tests showed 78 to 99% dyenegative cells among the 2- and 3-day-old cultures while the number of dye-negative cells dropped to 32–36% on day 7. The colony count with the cells grown in the broth culture showed 100% viability unti...
Synthesis of Isomeric Angularly Annealed Dinaphthoporphyrin Systems: Examination of the Relative Positioning and Orientation of Ring Fusion as Factors Influencing the Porphyrin Chromophore†

Porphyrins built up from two naphtho[1,2-c]pyrrole subunits and two β-substituted pyrroles can produce five isomeric dinaphthoporphyrin systems. To gain insights into the effects of ring fusion on extended porphyrin chromophores, all five of these systems were synthesized in isomerically pure form. In four of these syntheses, dihydronaphthopyrroles were used to introduce one or both of the naphthalene subunits, and dehydrogenation with DDQ in refluxing toluene later produced the fully conjugated systems. Naphthopyrroles were also prepared by reacting isocyanoacetate esters with 1-nitronaphthalene in the presence of a phosphazene base. These compounds proved to be less stable than their dihydronaphthopyrrolic counterparts but could still be utilized in these synthetic studies. Three isomeric adj-dinaphthoporphyrin systems were prepared using the MacDonald “2 + 2” condensation or by the cyclization of a,c-biladiene intermediates with copper(II) chloride or AgIO3−Zn(OAc)2. A dinaphthoporphyrin with two napht...
Iron overload in renal failure patients: changes since the introduction of erythropoietin therapy

Iron overload in renal failure patients: Changes since the introduction of erythropoietin therapy. Iron overload was a common complication in patients with chronic renal failure treated with dialysis prior to the availability of recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) therapy. Iron overload was the result of hypoproliferative erythroid marrow function coupled with the need for frequent red blood cell transfusions to manage symptomatic anemia. The repetitive use of intravenous iron with or without the use of red blood cell transfusions also contributed to iron loading and was associated with iron deposition in liver parenchymal and reticuloendothelial cells; however, there were no abnormal liver function tests or evidence of cirrhosis unless viral hepatitis resulted from the transfusions. With rHuEPO therapy, the excess iron stores were shifted back into circulating red blood cells as the anemia was partially corrected, and red blood cells were lost from circulation by the hemodialysis procedure. After several years of rHuEPO therapy, most hemodialysis patients required iron supplements to replace the continuing blood losses related to hemodialysis. The potential complications of iron overload (parenchymal iron deposition, permanent organ damage, increased risk of bacterial infections, and increased free radical generation) are reviewed in the context of this setting.
Synthesis of structurally identical fluorine-18 and iodine isotope labeling compounds for comparative imaging.

The synthesis of a benzophenone-based labeling compound designed for comparative imaging studies with both in vivo positron emission tomograph (PET) and single-photon computed tomography (SPECT) and ex vivo autoradiography is described. The new compound can be labeled with either F-18 or iodine radioisotopes to give two different radioisotopmers: N-[2-fluoro-5-(3-[I-131]iodobenzoyl)benzyl]-2-bromoacetamide (1) and N-[2-[F-18]fluoro-5-(3-iodobenzoyl)benzyl]-2-bromoacetamide (2). Compound 1 and 2 have a 2-bromoacetyl group, which can be used to conjugate with biomolecules through a nucleophilic substitution reaction. Compound 1 was synthesized from the corresponding tributyltin derivatives via an oxidative destannylation reaction, and compound 2 was prepared via a four-step radiosynthesis (nucleophilic aromatic substitution, reduction, oxidation, and alkylation) starting from 4-(N,N,N-trimethylammonio)-3-cyano-3‘-iodobenzophenone triflate. A remarkably high radiochemical yield (>90%) was achieved for the F...
Principles and implementation of diffusion-weighted and diffusion tensor imaging.

We review the physiological basis of diffusion-weighted imaging and discuss the implementation of diffusion-weighted imaging pulse sequences and the subsequent postprocessing to yield quantitative estimations of diffusion parameters. We also introduce the concept of directionality of “apparent” diffusion in vivo and the means of assessing such anisotropy quantitatively. This in turn leads to the methodological application of diffusion tensor imaging and the subsequent postprocessing, known as tractography. The following articles deal with the clinical applications enabled by such methodologies.
Review: there is no strong evidence to support antipsychotic combination therapy in schizophrenia.

(2002) Acta Psychiatr Scand 106, 323; Freudenreich O, Goff DC. . Antipsychotic combination therapy in schizophrenia. A review of efficacy and risks of current combinations. . Nov; . : . –30 . [OpenUrl][1][CrossRef][2][PubMed][3][Web of Science][4] QUESTION: What are the benefits and risks of combining atypical antipsychotics with atypical or conventional antipsychcotics in schizophrenia? Systematic review with narrative synthesis. Studies were identified using Medline and hand searches of key articles, book chapters and bibliographies (search date not specified). Randomised trials, prospective observational studies and retrospective chart reviews published in English were eligible if they (1) compared combinations of atypical antipsychotic drugs with other atypical or conventional antipsychotics in schizophrenia; and (2) allowed an estimate of treatment response based on rating scales of psychopathology. 9 studies were identified with sample sizes ranging from 5 to 57. 2 were randomised trials, 6 were prospective observational studies and 1 … [1]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DActa%2Bpsychiatrica%2BScandinavica%26rft.stitle%253DActa%2BPsychiatr%2BScand%26rft.aulast%253DFreudenreich%26rft.auinit1%253DO.%26rft.volume%253D106%26rft.issue%253D5%26rft.spage%253D323%26rft.epage%253D330%26rft.atitle%253DAntipsychotic%2Bcombination%2Btherapy%2Bin%2Bschizophrenia.%2BA%2Breview%2Bof%2Befficacy%2Band%2Brisks%2Bof%2Bcurrent%2Bcombinations.%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1034%252Fj.1600-0447.2002.01331.x%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F12366465%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [2]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=10.1034/j.1600-0447.2002.01331.x&link_type=DOI [3]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=12366465&link_type=MED&atom=%2Febmental%2F6%2F2%2F53.atom [4]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=000178376000002&link_type=ISI
Social backgrounds, social motives and participation on the U.S. Supreme Court

This study explores the utility of psychological content analysis in studying judicial behavior. Justices' testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee was scored for power, achievement, and affiliation imagery using content analysis techniques developed by Winter (1982a). The results suggest that motivational content analysis may provide a more direct means of assessing the relationship between judges' psychological disposition and their decision making behavior. Combinations of motive imagery variables and social background variables explained between 64% and 83% of the variation in writing opinions and in casting concurring and dissenting votes among U.S. Supreme Court justices.
Kant on the Normativity of Creative Production

In this essay, I argue that a genius's creation consists of a special unity of free human activity and nature, whereby ‘nature’ signifies not just another aspect of, but rather something that transcends, creative subjectivity. This interpretation of a genius's creative process throws a new light on a special normative status of a genius's rule, i.e. its originality and exemplarity. With respect to the former, I demonstrate that because the organizing principle of the works of genius remains inscrutable to our limited human understanding, a work of genius appears to the observer's limited cognitive capacities as undetermined and, hence, as contingent and original. With respect to the latter, I show how a genius must evolve within the context of her own tradition and how this ‘humbleness’ of a genius still allows for a multiplicity of co-existent schools or genres with their own distinct standards of excellence.
Litigation in obstetrics: does defensive medicine contribute to increases in cesarean delivery?

AbstractObjective: Obstetrics is one of the most sued subspecialties in the US. This study aimed to examine clinicians’ medical-legal experience and its association with recommending cesarean delivery.Design: Cross-sectional convenience survey.Population or sample: This is a survey study of clinicians in the US.Methods: Survey included eight common obstetric clinical vignettes and 27 questions regarding clinicians’ practice environment. Chi-square test, multivariable logistic regression models were used for statistical comparisons.Main outcome measures: Likelihood of recommending cesarean delivery.Results: There were 1486 clinicians who completed the survey. Clinicians were categorized based on answers to clinical vignettes. Having had lawsuits and daily worry of suits were associated with higher likelihood of recommending cesarean, compared to those without lawsuits (17.2 versus 11.3%, respectively; p = 0.008) as was frequent worry of lawsuits (every day, 20.3% more likely; every week/month, 12.3%; few t...
The Rahman Polynomials Are Bispectral

In a very recent paper, M. Rahman introduced a remarkable family of polynomials in two variables as the eigenfunctions of the transition matrix for a nontrivial Markov chain due to M. Hoare and M. Rahman. I indicate here that these polynomials are bispectral. This should be just one of the many remarkable properties enjoyed by these polynomials. For several challenges, including finding a general proof of some of the facts displayed here the reader should look at the last section of this paper.
Trace fragment selection within method-based JVMs

Java virtual machines have historically employed either a "wholemethod" or a "trace" methodology for selecting regions of code for optimization. Adaptive whole-method optimization primarily leverages intra-procedural optimizations derived from classic static compilation techniques whereas trace optimization utilizes an interpreter to select, manage, and dispatch inter-procedural fragments of frequently executed code.In this paper we present our hybrid approach for supplementing the comprehensive strengths of a whole-method JIT compiler with the inter-procedural refinement of trace fragment selection and show that that the two techniques would be mutually beneficial. Using the "interpreterless" Jikes RVM as a foundation, we use our trace profiling subsystem to identify an application's working set as a collection of hot traces and show that there is a significant margin for improvement in instruction ordering that can be addressed by trace execution. Our benchmark hot-trace profiles indicate that 20% of transitions between machine-code basic blocks as laid out by the JIT compiler are non-contiguous, many of which are transfers of control flow to locations outside of the current virtual memory page. Additionally, the analyses performed by the adaptive whole-method JIT compiler allow for better identification of trace starting and stopping locations, an improvement over the popular next-executing-tail (NET) trace selection scheme. We show minimal overhead for trace selection indicating that inter-procedural trace execution provides an opportunity to improve both instruction locality as well as compiler-directed branch prediction without significant run-time cost.
Optimal municipal investment in boomtowns An empirical analysis

Abstract The primary concern of this paper is the use of wage-infrastructure trade-offs as a measure for the social benefits of municipal infrastructure in boomtowns. A regression based on pooled cross sectional and time series data for 26 towns in the Rocky Moutain region suggests that individuals will “trade off” a 1% increase in per capita stocks of municipal infrastructure for a 0.035% decline in wages. These results are then used to calculate “optimal” levels of infrastructure investment for an example boomtown.
Free-Energy Perturbation Calculations of DNA Destabilization by Base Substitutions: The Effect of Neutral Guanine·Thymine, Adenine·Cytosine and Adenine·Difluorotoluene Mismatches

The ability to determine the stability of non-Watson−Crick base pairs in DNA by computer simulation is a necessary prerequisite for quantitative theoretical studies of DNA replication fidelity. Here we report calculations of the relative free energy of nucleotide mismatches in DNA. Our study evaluated the “solvation” free energy cost associated with thymine (T) → difluorotoluene (F), T → cytosine (C), and C → T transformations in aqueous solution and in a DNA duplex. The free energy differences were evaluated by the free energy perturbation (FEP) method based on classical all-atom simulations in a spherical surface-constraint water model. The dependence of the calculated free energies on the DNA sequence, the simulation length, size of the water droplet, and phosphate charges was examined. The calculations were carried out for both the negatively charged DNA backbone neutralized by explicit Na+ counterions and the neutral backbone with no counterions. Although the latter model provided overall free energy...
Chronic Statin Use and Long-Term Rates of Sepsis: A Population-Based Cohort Study

Purpose:“Statins” have immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects and may attenuate the risk of infections. We sought to determine the association between chronic statin use and long-term rates of sepsis events.Materials and Methods:We used data from 30 183 adult (≥45 years old) community-dwelling participants in the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) cohort. The primary exposure was statin use. The primary outcome was hospitalization or emergency department treatment for sepsis. Using Cox proportional hazards models, we determined associations between statin use and first sepsis events, adjusting for patients demographics, health behaviors, chronic medical conditions, degree of medication adherence, baseline high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), and propensity for statin use.Results:Approximately one-third of participants reported statin use (n = 9475, 31.4%). During the 10-year follow-up period from 2003 to 2012, there were 1500 incident sepsis events. Statin us...
LDH isozyme pattern in induced muscle disease (Coxsackie Group A virus infection).

Le zymogramme des LDH du muscle de souriceau nouveau-ne souffrant de myosite diffuse causee par le virus de Coxsackie Groupe A est semblable a celui du souriceau sain de meme âge, suggerant qu'un zymogramme anormal des LDH dans les affections musculaires n'est pathognomonique que chez certaines especes.
Elimination of anionic interferences in the flame spectrophotometric determination of calcium: Use of glycerol as a releasing agent

Abstract A method is devised for circumventing anionic interferences in the flame spectrophotometric determination of calcium in concentrations from 0.1 to 10 μg ml at a wavelength of 422.7 mμ. The sample is atomised as a solution that contains 10 v/v % glycerol and is 0.1M in perchloric acid. The effects of various anions, including nitrate, sulphate and phosphate, on the emission intensity of calcium are studied. Also, glycerol is used to reduce interferences from various cations and anions in the determination of calcium. The method has been applied to the determination of calcium, without prior separation, in phosphate pickling solution, soil extracts, plant tissue, fish tissue, animal bones, and National Bureau of Standards samples. The relative standard deviation of the method is less than 3 %.
Balancing the benefits, pisks and unknowns of thrombolytic therapy in acute myocardial infarction

Abstract Intravenous streptokinase thrombolysis must be regarded as the treatment of choice in patients admitted to general CCUs at least up to six hours from myocardial infarction. (1) virtually preclude thrombolytic therapy examine the salient elements as derived from selected large trials.
Does using an asthma prompting form improve asthma care in a pediatric office

An asthma exacerbation can be a life-threatening experience. This project tested the effectiveness of using a prompting form to improve childhood asthma care. Thirty randomly selected charts without a prompt form in a pediatric practice were compared for differences with thirty randomly selected charts with a completed prompting form. The number of medications reviewed (p = .001) and the frequency of refills written (p = .024) were significantly higher in the prompt group. Education was higher (p = .000) and triggers were more frequently discussed in the prompt group. The use of a prompting form facilitates discussion and improves preventive asthma care.
Metastable and Unstable Fluid States by Molecular Simulation

A method of determination of thermodynamic properties of metastable and unstable fluid states by molecular simulation is presented. As illustrative examples spinodal and binodal states are calculated for the Lennard-Jones fluid, ethane, and n-butane using the optimized potentials for liquid simulations for the representation of the real molecules.
Connectionless data service in an ATM-based customer premises network

Abstract We give an overview of methods that provide connectionless data service in a customer premises network based on AT > switches and ATM links. Under the assumption that a prospective user already has software for accessing a LAN in the usual connectionless mode, a connectionless data service is presented here which emulates traditional LAN access services. Several different methods are discussed.
Global properties of gaseous pool fires

Global flame properties were measured as a function of fuel mass flux in a series of experiments conducted on gaseous pool fires burning in a quiescent environment. The measurements included radiative heat loss, heat transfer to the burner, and sensible enthalpy transfer to the surroundings by convection. A large number of fires was studied encompassing a wide range of pool fire parameters. Measurements were conducted using methane, propane, natural gas, and acetylene in burners varying from 0.1 to 1 m in diameter, producing flames from 0.1 to 2 m in height with total heat release rates from 0.4 to 200 kW. From these measurements. the combustion efficiency was calculated for smoky fires. The measurements were used to test flame height correlations available in the literature for smoky fires. The correlations work well for nonsmoky fires but have not been proven for smoky fires. The measured flame heights conformed to the literature correlations for the nonsmoky flames burning methane, propane, and natural gas. When applied to high mass flux acetylene flames, however, the flame height measurements deviated from the literature flame height correlations. The correlations performed only slightly better when they were based on Q o the sensible enthalpy heat loss. Caution is suggested when applying the standard literature flame-height correlations to smoky firestthat may occur in realistic fire scenarios.
Tillage Effects on Nitrogen Dynamics and Grass Seed Crop Production in Western Oregon, USA

Understanding N soil fertility in grass seed crops will lead to improved fertilizer practices and preserve water quality in Willamette Valley, Oregon. This study determined the effects of conventional tillage (CT) and no tillage (NT) on N dynamics and grass seed crop growth and seed yield on moderately well-drained (MWD) and a well-drained (WD) soils either in tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) or fine fescue (F. rubra L.) production. Temporal changes in soil N, N mineralization and immobilization, crop N uptake and biomass accumulation, and microbial biomass C (MBC) were determined. Net N mineralization was determined using the in situ buried bag method and MBC by fumigation extraction. Tillage treatment had no effect on fine fescue and tall fescue seed yield during the 3 yr of production. Soil MBC, under NT, was 20 to 30% higher (P = 0.05), regardless of soil drainage class or time of year, compared to the CT soil. Soils at the WD site had twice the amount of MBC compared to MWD. Crop N uptake was lowest in the fall and highest when soil N was elevated in the spring. Tillage enhanced annual total net N mineralization at the better-drained site (WD) resulting in more potential soil NO 3 to be leached the following winter high precipitation months when the crop's demand for N is low. This was especially true for fallow years when an actively growing crop was lacking. Net N mineralization was little affected by tillage in the more poorly drained soil.
Expectancy priming of smoking cessation messages enhances the placebo effect of tailored interventions.

Objective: Previous research (Webb, Simmons, & Brandon, 2005) suggested that smokers’ reactions to self-help materials were more positive if they believed that the materials had been personally tailored to their individual characteristics and if they held expectancies that tailored interventions are superior to standard, or generic, interventions. The authors’ objective in the current study was to replicate and extend this research by testing the efficacy expectancy priming before intervention delivery. Design: In a2 2 factorial experiment, 210 smokers (M 23 cigarettes/day) recruited from the community (62% female; 92% Caucasian; mean age 49) were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 conditions: placebo-tailored intervention/no priming, placebo-tailored intervention/priming, standard intervention/no priming, or standard intervention/priming. The tailoring-related expectancies of participants’ in the priming conditions were primed before they were presented with the respective intervention booklets. Main Outcome Measures: Content evaluations, readiness to quit smoking, cessation self-efficacy, smoking-related knowledge, and progress toward quitting (behavior changes). Assessments occurred by mail at baseline and at 1-month postintervention. Results: Similar to the earlier study, the placebo-tailored booklets produced superior evaluations and smoking-related cognitive and behavioral changes. Moreover, the pretreatment expectancy priming successfully altered participants’ tailoring-related expectancies and also produced superior evaluations and outcomes. Conclusion: Findings support a causal role of tailoringrelated expectancies on the efficacy of tailored interventions and suggest that interventions can be enhanced via expectancy priming.
Transesophageal Echocardiography in the Diagnosis of Branch Retinal Artery Obstruction

We examined a 28-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman with branch retinal artery obstruction. Both were examined exhaustively. In each patient, a patent foramen ovale was demonstrated by transesophageal echocardiography after a transthoracic study disclosed no abnormalities. These observations suggest that transesophageal echocardiography is valuable in examining young patients with retinal emboli in whom cardiac abnormalities are suspected.
Reduced-Time-Window Sestamibi Scanning for Nonlocalized Primary Hyperparathyroidism:

BACKGROUND: Technetium Tc 99m sestamibi scan is the standard of care for localizing parathyroid adenomas.METHODS AND MATERIAL: We performed a retrospective, single-institution study of 111 consecutive patients with primary hyperparathyroidism who underwent standard sestamibi scan for localization of a parathyroid lesion. A revised protocol of reduced-time-window sestamibi scan was used in nonlocalized patients. The protocol was composed of single-view scans at 15, 30, 45, and 120 minutes and tomograms at 60 minutes.RESULTS: Thirty-five patients underwent surgery at our institution. Thirty-one had adenomas, and 4 had hyperplasia. Three of 31 patients did not show localization on the standard scan and underwent reduced-time-window scans, which localized 2 more adenomas. These were confirmed at the time of surgery.CONCLUSION: We suggest that all patients with a high degree of suspicion for a parathyroid adenoma, which is not visualized by a standard scan, undergo a reduced-time-window scan. (Otolaryngol Head...
Variability of visual evoked responses in the human newborn

Abstract 1. 1. Summed visual evoked responses (VERs) were recorded repeatedly during the various phases of the wakefulness-sleep cycle on the first day of life and again 24 h later in six carefully selected full-term human newborns. The obtained VERs were analyzed in terms of wave form changes and amplitudes and latencies of the various wave components. 2. 2. A single subject showed an invariant wave form throughout a recording session. Only the P 2 wave component was always present in all subjects, and it was the only component of relatively invariant latency within subjects. Amplitudes of all components were extremely variable. No relationships could be demonstrated between phases of the wakefulness-sleep cycle or presence of REMs or both on the one hand and (1) presence or absence of any component of the VER, (2) latency of any component of the VER, and (3) peak-to-peak amplitudes. No relationships could be demonstrated among latency and amplitude changes of components of the VER. 3. 3. The following conclusions are reached: (1) The VER of the human newborn is extremely variable. (2) Only the latency of the P 2 component is consistent enough to be used to characterize a subject, but even it does not correlate with its own value a few weeks later. (3) Unless the factors related to its variability can be specified and controlled, the neonatal VER will be of limited value as a tool in clinical measurement or in other individual applications as compared with VERs recorded in older subjects. The principal exceptions would seem to be total absence, extreme distortion and marked and persistent asymmetry of responses. 4. 4. The neonatal VER is, however, very useful for the study of developmental changes in groups and for comparison of groups. 5. 5. It is emphasized that these results do not bear upon the usefulness of the VER beyond the neonatal period.
Reflectance of an absorbing substrate for incident light of arbitrary polarization: appearance of a secondary maximum at oblique incidence.

The reflectance of an absorbing substrate Rθ(ϕ) is considered as a function of the angle of incidence ϕ and an incident polarization parameter θ, where cos2θ and sin2θ give the power fractions of incident radiation that are p-and s-polarized, respectively. Taking GaAs as an example, we find that at certain wavelengths (e.g., 0.248 and 0.620 μm), the Rθ vs ϕ curve becomes oscillatory in a narrow range of θ > 45° with an unexpected secondary maximum appearing at oblique incidence. The extrema of the function Rθ(ϕ) are determined numerically, and their angular positions and reflectance levels are plotted vs θ for GaAs at photon energies of 1, 2, and 5 eV.
Effect of diurnal and seasonal weather variations on the chemical signatures from buried land mines/UXO

The chemical signature form buried landmines/UXO is affected by a number of environmental fate and transport processes in the soil such as vapor-solid and liquid-solid sorption, diffusion, biodegradation, and water movement. For shallow burial depths, land surface processes, such as wind, solar and long-wave radiation, and precipitation play an important role. The impact of these land surface processes has been evaluated for a landmine/UXO buried 5 cm below the surface using actual weather data for an entire year using the T2TNT computer code. The gas-phase concentration of the chemical signatures, which is used by most chemical sensors currently being developed, shows appreciable diurnal variation and minimum seasonal changes due to the change in the weather. The most dramatic variation in the gas-phase concentration occurs immediately after a rainfall following a long dry period. This information will impact the use of chemical sensors by indicating the best times of the day and best times of the year to sense these signatures.
Stereotactic breast biopsy

The substantial majority of questionable lesions detected by mammography are benign, and there is growing interest among health care professionals and patients in alternatives to surgical biopsy for diagnosing these lesions. Stereotactic breast biopsy is an x-ray guided method for localizing and sampling breast lesions discovered on mammography and considered to be suspicious for malignancy. Its use in sampling small, nonpalpable breast lesions has been investigated over the past 15 years, using fine-needle aspiration for cytology and, more recently, core-needle biopsy for histology. Multiple series comparing stereotactic biopsy with surgical biopsy have shown that stereotactic techniques accurately sample small lesions and have a sensitivity of 90 to 95 percent for breast cancer detection. State-of-the-art stereotactic breast biopsy is comparable in sensitivity to surgical biopsy, and the procedure is quicker, cheaper, and easier than the standard practice of preoperative, mammographically guided localization followed by surgical biopsy. In an age of miniaturization, stereotactic techniques provide miniature breast biopsies. The University of Chicago acquired the first prone stereotactic table in the United States in 1986, and we have found stereotactic breast biopsy to be a very good alternative for certain lesions that would otherwise require surgical biopsy for diagnosis. Most lesions (70 percent) sent to conventional biopsy at the University of Chicago between 1986 and 1989 were graded by observers as being in a low-suspicion category (less than 10 percent chance of malignancy based on mammographic findings), and the positive malignancy yield of this category of lesions was seven percent. These lesions were also examined with stereotactic fine-needle aspiration performed as a "piggy-back" procedure to the needle localization for surgery. The results of this study have led us to use stereotactic biopsy rather than surgical biopsy for low-suspicion lesions since then. We currently use stereotactic breast biopsy for about half the nonpalpable lesions considered for breast biopsy at our institution and find it to be reliable and readily accepted by informed patients. The introduction of automated core-biopsy guns has escalated interest in the technique, due to increased confidence in the histologic samples obtained and the ability to make specific benign diagnoses more frequently. Some centers have extended the potential use of stereotaxis to virtually all suspicious mammographic lesions, including those with a high probability of malignancy, to plan definitive surgery. Based on current estimates, there are now over 1,000 centers either investigating or using stereotactic biopsy for occult breast lesions.