cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dose‐response assessment of non‐cancer effects of propionaldehyde based on comparative toxicity with other short‐chain aldehydes

Abstract Propionaldehyde, the three‐carbon saturated aldehyde, has been the subject of limited toxicological investigation. Other low‐molecular‐weight aldehydes such as formaldehyde, unsaturated aldehydes such as acrolein, and the two‐carbon saturated acetaldehyde have been studied much more extensively due to their more widespread use and more severe toxicity, including carcinogenicity. For propionaldehyde, the current toxicological literature cannot support an evaluation of human risk from long‐term exposure because current practice requires both an adequate subchronic study to assess noncancer endpoints and a chronic bioassay to evaluate carcinogenic potential. The biological activities of propionaldehyde and other low‐molecular‐weight aldehydes, especially acetaldehyde and formaldehyde, have been evaluated in several different systems, both in vitro and in vivo. The results of these investigations show consistent similarities in effects and potency between propionaldehyde and acetaldehyde in a range o...
Further Investigations of Hypersonic Engine Seals

Durable, flexible sliding seals are required in advanced hypersonic engines to seal the perimeters of movable engine ramps for efficient, safe operation in high heat flux environments at temperatures of 2000 to 2500 F. Current seal designs do not meet the demanding requirements for future engines, so NASA's Glenn Research Center is developing advanced seals and preloading devices to overcome these shortfalls. An advanced ceramic wafer seal design and two silicon nitride compression spring designs were evaluated in a series of compression, scrub, and flow tests. Silicon nitride wafer seals survived 2000 in. (50.8 m) of scrubbing at 2000 F against a silicon carbide rub surface with no chips or signs of damage. Flow rates measured for the wafers before and after scrubbing were almost identical and were up to 32 times lower than those recorded for the best braided rope seal flow blockers. Silicon nitride compression springs showed promise conceptually as potential seal preload devices to help maintain seal resiliency.
Acoustic versus phonetic representation of speech as reflected by the mismatch negativity event-related potential

The concept of categorical perception of speech and speech-like sounds has been central to models of speech perception for decades. Event-related potentials (ERPs) provide a neurophysiologic perspective of this important phenomenon. In the present experiment the mismatch negativity (MMN) event-related potential, which is sensitive to fine acoustic differences, was recorded in adults. Of interest was whether the MMN reflects the acoustic or categorical perception of speech. The MMN was elicited by stimulus pairs (along a continuum varying in place of articulation from /da/ to /ga/) which had been identified as the same phoneme /da/ (within category condition) and as different phonemes /da/ and /ga/ (across categories condition). The acoustic differences between these two pairs of stimuli were equivalent. The MMN was observed in all subjects both in the within and across category conditions. Furthermore, the MMN did not differ in latency, amplitude or area within and across categories. That is, the MMN indicated equal discrimination both across and within categories. These results suggest that the MMN appears to reflect the processing of acoustic aspects of the speech stimulus, but not phonetic processing into categories. The MMN appears to be an extremely sensitive electrophysiologic index of minimal acoustic differences in speech stimuli.
QUANTUM DYNAMICAL CALCULATION OF ALL ROVIBRATIONAL STATES OF HO2 FOR TOTAL ANGULAR MOMENTUM J = 0–10

The energy levels and wavefunctions for all rovibrational bound states of HO2 are systematically computed, for all total angular momentum values J = 0–10. The calculations are performed using ScalIT, a suite of software modules designed to enable quantum dynamics and related calculations to be performed on massively parallel computing architectures. This is the first-ever application of ScalIT to a real (and very challenging) molecular application. The codes, and in particular, the algorithms (optimal separable basis, preconditioned inexact spectral transform, phase space optimized discrete variable representation basis) are so efficient that in fact, the entire calculation can be performed on a single CPU — although parallel scalability over a small number of CPUs is also evaluated, and found to be essentially perfect in this regime. For the lowest 11 vibrational states, the rotational levels for J = 0–10 fit fairly well to a rigid rotor model, with all vibrational-state-dependent rotational constants, Beff(v), close to values obtained from a previous calculation for J = 0 and 1 [J Chem Phys107:2705, 1997]. However, comparatively larger discrepancies with the rigid-rotor model are found at the higher J values, manifesting in the observed K-splitting (along the O–O bond) of rovibrational levels. This supports earlier work [J Chem Phys113:11055, 2000] suggesting that Coriolis coupling is quite important for this system.
Citizens or shoppers? Solidarity under siege.

�� Once upon a time, passengers on early morning flights in Germany enjoyed a breakfast buffet while waiting for their planes. Then, in the mid-1990s, Lufthansa got with the market. The buffet now sits in the business-class area—if you want the extras, you pay for them. The great question about the New Europe is whether health care will go the way of Lufthansa’s brotchen and yogurt. The traditional culture of solidarity—universal benefits shared by all citizens—is facing off against the lure of markets. You get what you pay for. The preceding state-of-the-market reports from around the world sound distinctly schizophrenic. On the one hand, solidarity culture is still alive and (for the most part) well. Back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, policy makers pushed competitive reforms onto European health care systems. Critics immediately sounded dire warnings about the corrosive consequences on health care equity. Relatively successful health regimes were importing dangerous American ideas (Morone 1996; Marmor and Plowden 1991). A decade later, the results are in. The doomsayers were wrong. Across the continent, the market reforms of the 1990s are dribbling to an indifferent end. Perhaps, as Clive Smee puts it in his article about England, “the public at large rejected the application of competition and markets to health care.” Or maybe the sheer weight of unresponsive bureaucratic institutions proved immovable. Or possibly the policy makers were too
Mechanisms of apoptosis

The understanding of the apoptotic program has grown exponentially over the past decade. Numerous human diseases have been directly linked to genetic defects in the apoptotic pathways, including cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and autoimmune diseases. Caspases initiate and amplify various death signals, allowing for selective and ordered cellular demolition. The fine balance between pro- and antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family members regulates the cell fate in response to many (but not all) stress or signaling pathways. Recent discoveries highlight the complex integration of signals from various organelles that determine cell fate and the multiple functions of central players in the apoptotic process. It is likely that the knowledge obtained in a relatively time will translate into better diagnostics and therapies to enhance or retard cell death in the appropriate clinical circumstances.
Di-μ-acetato-bis-(dimethyl-formamide)-penta-kis-(μ-N,2-dioxidobenzene-1-car-boximidato)tetra-kis-(1-ethyl-imidazole)-penta-manganese(III)-manganese(II)-diethyl ether-dimethyl-foramide-methanol-water (1/1/1/1/0.12).

The title compound [Mn6(C7H4NO3)5(CH3CO2)2(C5H8N2)4(C3H7NO)2]·(C2H5)2O·C3H7NO·CH3OH·0.12H2O, abbreviated as MnII(OAc)2[15-MCMnIII(N)shi-5](EtIm)4(DMF)2·diethyl ether·DMF·MeOH·0.12H2O (where −OAc is acetate, MC is metallacrown, shi3− is salicylhydroximate, EtIM is n-ethylimidazole, DMF is N,N-dimethylformamide, and MeOH is methanol) contains five MnIII ions as members of the metallacrown ring and an MnII ion bound in the central cavity. The central MnII ion is seven-coordinate with a distorted face-capped trigonal–prismatic geometry. The five MnIII ions of the metallacrown ring are six-coordinate with distorted octa­hedral geometries. The configuration of the MnIII ions about the metallacrown ring follow a ΔΛΔPP pattern, with P representing planar. The four 1-ethyl­imidazole ligands are bound to four different MnIII ions. A diethyl ether solvent mol­ecule was found to be disordered over two mutually exclusive sites with an occupancy ratio of 0.568 (7):0.432 (7). A methanol solvent mol­ecule was found to be disordered over two mutually exclusive sites by being hydrogen bonded either to a dimethyl­formamide solvent mol­ecule (major occupancy component) or to an O atom of the main mol­ecule (minor occupancy component). The occupancy ratio refined to 0.678 (11):0.322 (11). Associated with the minor component is a partially occupied water mol­ecule [total occupancy 0.124 (15)].
Mechanistic studies of oxidative decomposition of Angeli’s salt and PAPA NONOate

Nitric oxide, NO, and product of its one-electron reduction, nitroxyl NO−, are important molecules in the biochemistry of living organisms. At physiological conditions nitroxyl exists in its protonated form, HNO. Angeli’s salt, AS, and diazeniumdiolates, NONOates, are widely used donors of HNO and NO, correspondingly. In this work we observed oxidative decomposition of AS and PAPA NONOate in the presence of mild oxidizing agents, 2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide, cPTIO, and 2,2′-azinobis(3-ethylbenzolthiazoline-6-sulfonate) radical, ABTS−. The observed unexpected fast oxidative decomposition of AS with release of NO instead of HNO suggests the need for a reevaluation of some of the biological effects of AS assigned to action of HNO. While oxidative decomposition of NONOate did not result in release of alternative NOx specimen but only NO, it significantly affects the rates and stoichiometry of NO release. In summary, possible contribution of oxidative decomposition of AS and NONOates should be taken into account upon interpretation of their actions in chemical and biological systems.
Men’s Experience with Sexual Dysfunction Post-rectal Cancer Treatment: A Qualitative Study

In an effort to address reports from men that their sex life is worse after treatment for rectal cancer, this qualitative study was designed to better understand their experience with sexual dysfunction following rectal cancer treatment, thus providing information on the adaptation of a psycho-educational sexual health intervention for male rectal cancer survivors and simultaneously investigating barriers and promoters that would influence their participation in a psycho-educational sexual health intervention. Thirteen male rectal cancer survivors who were treated at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) for rectal cancer participated (median time post-treatment was 6.4 years). Six survivors participated in individual semi-structured phone interviews, and seven others took part in focus groups. We performed standard procedures of qualitative thematic text analysis, which involved independent review of interview and focus group transcripts by several analysts followed by consensus meetings to identify key themes. Participants reported bowel dysfunction (N = 13, or 100 %) and erectile dysfunction (N = 12, or 92 %) as chief complaints. The participants thought a psychoeducational sexual health intervention post-surgery would be helpful because it would provide educational information regarding the etiology of their problems and treatments to improve their sexual health (N = 8, or 62 %). Most participants' primary concern immediately after treatment was surviving their disease; improving sexual functioning seemed to become more important over time. Barriers to potentially participating in a psycho-educational sexual health intervention included geographical distance from MSKCC (N = 3, or 3/13) and the risk of embarrassment when discussing sexual issues (N = 5, or 5/13). Men reported that a psycho-educational sexual health intervention would be helpful to improve their sexual functioning post-treatment. Discussion of bowel issues and logistical concerns gave information on the psycho-educational sexual health intervention.
SEROLOGIC EVIDENCE OF INFECTION WITH GRANULOCYTIC EHRLICHIAE IN BLACK BEARS IN PENNSYLVANIA

Serum samples from 381 black bears (Ursus americanus) killed in Pennsylvania (USA) on 24 November 1997 were analyzed for antibodies reactive to the agent of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE; Ehrlichiasp.) by indirect immunofluorescence assay. Antibody reactivity to HGE antigen was detected in 21% (81/381) of the samples collected. Reactive samples were reported from 56% (14/25) of the counties where bear samples were collected. Endpoint antibody titer ranged from 1:8 to 1:16, 192, with a geometric mean titer of 1:582. There was no significant difference in antibody prevalence between male and female bears (P < 0.01). However, adult bears were significantly more likely to have reactive antibodies than juvenile bears (P < 0.01). Attempts to amplify and detect granulocytic ehrlichial DNA from corresponding bear blood clots (n = 181) through nested polymerase chain reaction assays were unsuccessful. Further studies are needed for identification of the pathogen-responsible for induction of HGE-reactive. Th...
Attending to Particulars

abortions before legalization-the stories and cases are now familiar-but also how many of them were coerced by men. We now hear many stories about women who have trouble getting legal abortions because of threats against clinics-but practically nothing about that most interesting statistic which shows that over 40 percent of abortions are now repeat abortions, and many for the third or fourth time. Stories and cases must be selected, and too often it is the politics of ethics rather than the ethics of ethics that wins the day. We will wait for many years before the Public Broadcasting Service does the repeat abortion story. General statistics, trends, and patterns are as much the stuff of reality as concrete cases. An excessively large dose of the latter in the absence of the former tells us too little about the way the world is. Even worse, it seduces us into thinking we know all we need to know. Clinical ethics is valuable and useful-as long as it can always be transcended. m
Light sheet microscopy for tracking single molecules on the apical surface of living cells.

Single particle tracking is a powerful tool to study single molecule dynamics in living biological samples. However, current tracking techniques, which are based mainly on epifluorescence, confocal...
Hot-electron noise in two-valley semiconductors: An analytic model.

We present results for the hot-electron noise in two-valley semiconductors, such as GaAs, where intervalley transfer plays an important role. The noise is calculated by a Boltzmann--Green-function method. We obtain an analytic solution for a model with two valleys and three relaxation times. Using the measured low-field mobility, lower-valley mass, and valley separation energy \ensuremath{\Delta}, while adjusting three upper-valley parameters, we obtain good agreement with both experimental time-of-flight measurements and microwave noise measurements. We find that the hot-electron noise is very sensitive to the transport parameters, much more so than the velocity-field curve. In particular, the noise is very sensitive to the \ensuremath{\Gamma}-to-L scattering rate and our results indicate that experimental noise measurements might be used for determining this parameter.
Postoperative neurosurgical infections due to bacillus species

The cases of 2 patients with postoperative ventriculitis due to Bacillus species bacteria are presented. Bacillus licheniformis was isolated from one patient following removal of an intraventricular meningioma, and Bacillus cereus from another patient following placement of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt. Both isolates were resistant to a variety of antibiotics, but both were sensitive to gentamicin and chloramphenicol. These cases emphasize several points; (a) Bacillus species, usually thought to be nonpathogenic, may produce intracranial infections; (2) species identification is important for epidemiological purposes and for the selection of appropriate chemotherapeutic agents; and (3) in cases of suspected ventriculitis, chloramphenicol or gentamicin should be considered for Gram's staining revealing gram-positive bacilli. In addition, we recommend that when planning antibiotic prophylactic regimens, consideration should be given to including one of these agents to assure coverage of Bacillus species.
Testing Equality of Means in the Presence of Correlation and Missing Data

A statistic, derived from the combination of two dependent tests, is proposed for testing the hypothesis of equality of the means of a bivariate normal distribution with unknown common variance and correlation coefficient when observations are missing on one or both variates. The null distribution of the statistic is approximated by a well-known distribution. The empirical powers of the statistic are computed and compared with some of the known statistics. The comparisons support the use of the proposed test.
Scent marking behavior as an odorant communication in mice

In rodents, where chemical signals play a particularly important role in determining intraspecies interactions including social dominance and intersexual relationships, various studies have shown that behavior is sensitive to conspecific odor cues. Mice use urinary scent marks for communication with individual conspecifics in many social contexts. Urinary scent involves genetic information about individuals such as species, sex, and individual identity as well as metabolic information such as social dominance, and reproductive and health status, which are mediated by chemical proteins in scent marks including the major histocompatibility complex and the major urinary proteins. The odor of the predator which can be considered to be a threatening signal for the prey also modulate mouse behavior in which scent marking is suppressed in response to the cat odor exposure in mice. These odorant chemicals are detected and recognized through two olfactory bulbs, the role of which in detection of chemosignals with biological relevant appears to be differential, but partly overlapped. Mice deposit scent marks toward conspecifics to maintain their social relationships, and inhibit scent marking in a context where natural predator, cat odor is contained. This suppression of scent marking is long-lasting (for at least 7 days) and context-dependent, while the odorant signaling to conspecifics tends to appear frequently (over 24 h but less than 7 days intervals) depending on the familiarity of each signal-recipient. It has been discussed that scent marking is a communicative behavior associated with territoriality toward conspecifics, indicating that the social signaling within species are sensitive to predator odor cues in terms of vulnerability to predation risk.
Pulmonary vein isolation: comparison of bipolar and unipolar electrograms at successful and unsuccessful ostial ablation sites.

Electrogram Analysis.Introduction: No prior studies have quantitatively analyzed the characteristics of bipolar or unipolar electrograms that may be helpful in identifying successful ostial ablation sites in patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing segmental pulmonary vein isolation. Methods and Results: The characteristics of bipolar and unipolar electrograms recorded at 185 successful and 120 unsuccessful ostial pulmonary venous ablation sites were analyzed in 21 patients with atrial fibrillation. A decapolar Lasso catheter was positioned near the ostia of the pulmonary veins, and a conventional ablation catheter was used to deliver radiofrequency energy at individual ostial sites where pulmonary vein potentials were recorded. With both bipolar and unipolar recordings, the only timing parameter that distinguished successful from unsuccessful ostial ablation sites was the timing of the electrogram recorded by the ablation catheter relative to the earliest pulmonary vein potential recorded by the Lasso catheter. With both bipolar and unipolar recordings, electrograms demonstrated a larger amplitude at successful than at unsuccessful ablation sites. Unipolar electrograms had a steeper intrinsic deflection at successful than at unsuccessful ostial ablation sites. The morphologies of the unipolar electrograms recorded by the ablation catheter and by the contiguous electrode of the Lasso catheter usually were identical. Conclusion: In patients undergoing segmental isolation of the pulmonary veins, unipolar recordings provide more information than bipolar recordings helpful in distinguishing successful from unsuccessful ostial ablation sites. Furthermore, unipolar recordings, but not bipolar recordings, allow accurate localization of the position of the ablation catheter relative to the electrodes of the Lasso catheter.
Early intravenous thrombolytic therapy for acute myocardial infarction in patients with prior coronary artery bypass grafts

Abstract Treatment of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) with intravenous thrombolytic agents is gaining wide acceptance as a result of the demonstrated ability of fibrinolytic agents to restore coronary arterial patency, 1 improve left ventricular function 2–4 and reduce mortality. 5,6 Most published trials have excluded patients with previous coronary artery bypass grafting, primarily because of difficulty in identifying the infarct-related coronary artery. However, the yearly rate of myocardial infarction is approximately 3% after coronary artery bypass surgery, 7 and as the number of patients with bypass grafts increases and the population with bypass grafts in place ages, an increasing number of AMIs in this group can be anticipated. No published data exist concerning intravenous thrombolytic therapy in these patients. We report 5 cases of successful thrombolysis using recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) in patients who had previously undergone coronary bypass surgery.
Reduction of health-related quality of life in chronic hepatitis C and improvement with interferon therapy

The natural history, prognosis, and clinical significance of chronic hepatitis C are highly variable and somewhat controversial. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of chronic hepatitis C infection on patients' perceptions of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and to evaluate whether treatment with interferon improves HRQOL. A total of 642 patients with compensated liver disease who were enrolled in a multicenter trial of interferon therapy for chronic hepatitis C had evaluation of HRQOL using the SF-36 and other instruments derived from the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS). These instruments were self-administered by patients at baseline and at the end of a 24-week post-treatment observation period after 24 weeks of interferon treatment. Patients with chronic hepatitis C were compared with healthy controls (n = 750) selected from a representative sample of adults in the United States. Unadjusted and age/gender-adjusted results were similar, as were analyses using parametric or nonparametric methods. Compared with healthy controls, patients with chronic hepatitis C at baseline had lower HRQOL on all eight scales of the SF-36 (P <.001 for all). Patients without cirrhosis (n = 284 ) showed similar although slightly smaller differences. The differences were highly significant, clinically and socially relevant, and greatest for those scales that were more reflective of physical than mental or emotional disease. Patients who had a sustained viral response to interferon therapy (n = 41) exhibited marked improvements in HRQOL, and these improvements exceeded those of nonresponders on 13 of 14 HRQOL scales (8 were statistically significant). Similar improvements were noted in patients with sustained biochemical responses. The authors concluded that patients with chronic hepatitis C with or without cirrhosis have markedly reduced HRQOL. Patients who had a sustained response (virological or biochemical) to interferon therapy experienced significant improvements in perceived wellness and functional status. Successful interferon therapy provides meaningful improvements in HRQOL in patients with chronic hepatitis C.
Propargylic Sulfone-Armed Lariat Crown Ethers: Alkali Metal Ion-Regulated DNA Cleavage Agents

Abstract Alkali metal ion concentrations within cells are regulated during the cell cycle and may be significantly altered in cancer cells versus normal cells. Thus, the selective destruction of cancer cells might be achieved by agents that marry alkali metal ion recognition elements, such as crown ethers, with DNA-cleaving moieties. We have prepared a series of propargylic sulfone-armed lariat crown ethers, which bind sodium and potassium ions and exhibit little affinity for lithium ions, as determined by a picrate extraction assay. We have investigated the supercoiled DNA cleavage efficiency of these lariat crown ethers in the presence of various alkali metal ions. Monomeric propargylic sulfone-armed crown ethers 9b and 10b cleave DNA at physiologically relevant pH and exhibit modest increases in DNA cleavage efficiency in the presence of potassium and sodium as compared to lithium. In Tris-containing buffer, the monomeric lariat crown ether 10b cleaves DNA in a sodium ion-dependent fashion, producing 66% more DNA cleavage in the presence of 5.7 mM sodium than in the absence of added sodium. The dimeric propargylic sulfone-armed lariat crown ether 11 cleaves DNA over 10-fold better in the presence of potassium than in the presence of lithium. While the level of metal ion discrimination exhibited by these compounds is rather modest, they do represent the first successful attempt to marry molecular recognition of specific alkali metal ion with covalent modification of DNA.
Consumers' Freedom of Choice

Consumers' opportunities for making free choices began expanding in antiquity when barter gave way to a single commodity used as a common medium of exchange. Later coinage was developed to improve the iden? tity of money. Then mere titles to commodity money began to supplant coins, as credit extended purchasing power from those who already had money to those who could acquire it in the future. With each step in this evolution of money, trade increased and greater quantities and varieties of consumer goods became available. Property has also contributed to consumers' freedom of choice since ancient times by safeguarding the owner's right to use or dispose of what he possessed as he pleased. Although property rights have tended to restrict the rights of non-owners, they have never been absolute. For example, while the ancient Hebrews were required by the Tenth Commandment to recognize property rights, they were also enjoined to share their wealth by giving to the poor, by making free loans to the needy, and by granting debtors relief from permanent debt. Aristotle noted the extent to which property owners in Ancient Greece placed goods at the disposal of friends and shared their use with others. British Economist, Edwin Cannan, referred to limitations on property when he wrote: "A man's intelligent pursuit of his own interest gen? erally serves others besides himself simply because the institutions of society provide hedges which are generally close enough to keep him on the road."1 Down through the ages wars have disrupted trade and restricted consumer choices; yet, the trend of consumers' freedom of choice has continued upward. This is due to improvements in transportation facil? itating trade, application of power to new and better tools bringing 62
Precision and approximate flatness in artificial neural networks

Several of the major classes of artificial neural networks' output functions are linear combinations of elements of approximately flat sets. This gives a tool for understanding the precision problem as well as providing a rationale for mixing types of networks. Approximate flatness also helps explain the power of artificial neural network techniques relative to series regressions---series regressions take linear combinations of flat sets, while neural networks take linear combinations of the much larger class of approximately flat sets.
Travels among the records: Some thoughts provoked by Government of paper

Comment on Hull, Matthew. 2012. Government of paper: The materiality of bureaucracy in urban Pakistan. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Development of a Detailed Gasoline Composition-Based Octane Model

We present a model that predicts the research and motor octane numbers of a wide variety of gasoline process streams and their blends including oxygenates based on detailed composition. The octane number is correlated to a total of 57 hydrocarbon lumps measured by gas chromatography. The model is applicable to any gasoline fuel regardless of the refining process it originates from. It is based on the analysis of 1471 gasoline fuels from different naphtha process streams such as reformates, cat-naphthas, alkylates, isomerates, straight runs, and various hydroprocessed naphthas. Blends of these individual process streams are also considered in this work. The model predicts the octane number within a standard error of 1 number for both the research and motor octane numbers.
Selection of a set of part delivery dates in a multi-job stochastic assembly system

Abstract The problem of determining part delivery dates in a low-volume assembly line manufacturing large and costly products is studied. At each workstation a part is assembled to the subassembly. These parts are supplied by external vendors with unreliable delivery schedules. The arrival date of a part is assumed to follow a normal distribution whose mean is to be specified. A dynamic programming approach in combination with a heuristic procedure is used to prescribe the vendor delivery dates for a batch of products. Simulation results show the procedure to be significantly superior to a deterministic approach to the problem. Comparisons are also made with a safety buffer method.
Predicting the risk of paraplegia after thoracic and thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair.

Background Endovascular repair of descending thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms is an appealing alternative to the standard surgical approach, but precludes revascularization of segmental arteries (SAs). For safer surgical and endovascular repairs, an accurate prediction of the risk of paraplegia in relation to the extent of SA sacrifice is needed. Methods From January 1994 to October 2008, 609 patients (mean age, 63 ± 14 years) underwent surgical descending thoracic or thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair without SA reimplantation. Three hundred seventy-six patients (62%) were male; 159 (26%) had urgent or emergent operation; 199 (33%) had previous aortic surgery. Somatosensory- or motor-evoked potential monitoring and cerebrospinal fluid drainage were routinely performed. Results Hospital mortality was 10.7% (65 patients). Spinal cord injury (SCI) occurred in 3.4% (21 patients). The extent of resection—expressed as the number of SAs sacrificed ( p = 0.007)—and the need for visceral artery reimplantation ( p = 0.03) were independent risk factors for paraplegia. Further analysis identified four risk groups ( p c statistic: 0.748 versus 0.640). Conclusions The extent of SA sacrifice is the most powerful predictor of paraplegia risk. For aneurysms of moderate extent, a more distal location involving the abdominal aorta increases the risk of spinal cord injury. Sacrifice of fewer than 8 SAs is associated with a very low paraplegia risk regardless of location.
Mechanism of membrane electrical response to thyrotropin-releasing hormone in Xenopus oocytes injected with GH3 pituitary cell messenger ribonucleic acid.

TRH evoked a complex electrical membrane response in Xenopus laevis oocytes injected with either total cytosolic or poly(A)+-enriched RNA from GH3 pituitary cells but not in uninjected oocytes. A typical response consisted of a transient, rapid depolarizing current followed by a prolonged depolarizing current with superimposed current fluctuations. The reversal potentials of the rapid and the slow components of the response were −23.0 and −22.6 mV, respectively, and were markedly affected by Cl− concentration indicating that the TRH response was mainly an increase in Cl− conductance. The response to TRH was dose dependent and was inhibited by the TRH antagonist, chlordiazepoxide. TRH caused rapid hydrolysis of labeled phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate and a marked, prolonged increase in 45Ca2+ efflux from injected oocytes. The depolarizing response to TRH was not diminished in oocytes incubated in a Ca2+-free medium, but was inhibited by microinjection of EGTA. These data suggest that TRH evokes an el...
Antepartum or postpartum isoniazid treatment of latent tuberculosis infection.

Abstract Objective: To compare health outcomes and costs of different strategies for treatment of latent tuberculosis infection in pregnancy. Methods: Using a Markov decision-analysis model, the following three strategies were evaluated for treatment of latent tuberculosis infection in pregnancy, defined as positive tuberculin skin reaction of 10 mm or greater and negative chest radiograph: no treatment, antepartum isoniazid administration, in which women were given 300 mg of isoniazid with pyridoxine beginning at 20 weeks’ gestation for 6 months; and postpartum isoniazid, in which women were given isoniazid and pyridoxine for 6 months after delivery. Sensitivity analyses were performed for a wide range of probability and cost estimates, and considered discount rates. Results: Under base-case assumptions, the fewest cases of tuberculosis within the cohort occurred with antepartum treatment (1400 per 100,000) compared with no treatment (3300 per 100,000) or postpartum treatment (1800 per 100,000). Antepartum treatment resulted in a marginal increase in life expectancy due to the prevented cases of tuberculosis, despite more cases of isoniazid-related hepatitis and deaths, compared with no treatment or postpartum treatment. Antepartum treatment was the least expensive. Only if the case-fatality rate for tuberculosis was tenfold lower than the base-case and the risk of fatal hepatitis tenfold higher did antepartum treatment become the least advantageous strategy. Conclusion: Rather than delaying treatment until postpartum, consideration for antepartum treatment of latent tuberculosis during pregnancy should be given. If isoniazid is not administered antepartum, then efforts to improve postpartum compliance should be instituted, as either antepartum or postpartum treatment is better than no treatment.
Density functional theory calculations of 11 B NMR parameters in crystalline borates

The 11B nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) shielding and electric field gradient parameters for several borate crystal structures have been calculated using density functional theory and the gauge-including projector augmented wave method with plane-wave basis sets and pseudopotential approximation. The results show good agreement with the existing experimental data. Significantly large variation in the 11B NMR isotropic chemical shift is observed for BO3 sites with all three bridging oxygen atoms in triborate and boroxol rings and non-ring geometries. Such variations could be attributed to the corresponding differences in the B–O–B angles. The nature of the boroxol rings in glassy B2O3 is discussed in light of these data.
Linked Total Elbow Arthroplasty

Linked total elbow arthroplasty (TEA) is differentiated from unlinked arthroplasty by virtue of the captured articulation of the humeral and ulnar components. This physical linkage provides distinct advantages compared with implants where no linkage exists. However, there are some theoretic disadvantages as well. There are several linked implant systems in use in the USA. Each implant system shares the common feature of being linked and possessing a degree of laxity. However, there are unique design features of each system. Unfortunately, there is no available data comparing the outcomes using different systems. The results of linked TEA will be reviewed with particular attention to the underlying pathology. This will highlight the conditions where available implants perform well and conditions that continue to challenge current implants.
Modified Temperature-Transforming Model for Convection-Controlled Melting

The temperature-transforming model developed in the 1990s is capable of solving convection-controlled solid-liquid phase-change problems. In this methodology, phase change is assumed to take place gradually through a range of temperatures. The heat capacity within the range of phase-change temperatures was assumed to be average to that of solid and liquid in the original temperature-transforming model. In this paper, a modified temperature-transforming model is proposed, to consider the dependence of heat capacity on the fractions of solid and liquid in the mushy zone. The ramped switch-off method is used for a solid velocity-correction scheme. The results are then compared with existing experimental and numerical results for a melting problem is a rectangular cavity. The results show that the modified model is closer to experimental results with octadecane as pulse code modulation, even though its heat capacity ratio is close to one. The modified model is then tested on substances that have heat capacity further from one, such as 0.4437 for water and 1.2034 for acetic acid. The results show that the original model underpredicts the velocity of the solid-liquid interface when the heat capacity ratio is less than one and overpredicts the velocity when the ratio is higher than one.
Comparative hemodynamic and renal effects of the low Km cGMP phosphodiesterase inhibitors cicletanine and zaprinast in anesthetized dogs

Cicletanine, a vasorelaxant/natriuretic agent, inhibits low Km cGMP/phosphodiesterase (PDE) (IC50 = 300 μ). The objectives of this study were to compare the cardiovascular and renal effects of cicletanine with another cGMP-PDE inhibitor, zaprinast (IC50 = 0.3 μ), at intravenous dosages of 0.3–3 mg/kg, and to examine the influence of β-adreno-receptor blockade (nadolol, 1 mg/kg, i.v.) upon the responses to cicletanine in anesthetized dogs. Cicletanine (3 mg/kg) and zaprinast (0.3−3 mg/kg) decreased mean arterial pressure (−21.2±3.9 mm Hg [mean±SEM, max. change] at 3 mg/kg and −64.7 ± 4.8 mm Hg at 0.3 mg/kg, respectively). The response curve of zaprinast was negatively related to the dosages. Cardiac output was increased or tended to increase by approximately 0.3 liter/min by both cicletanine and zaprinast at 3 mg/kg. Renal, but not femoral, blood flow was increased by both cicletanine and zaprinast (18.8±3.7 ml/min at 3 mg/kg and 17.0±4.6 ml/min at 1 mg/kg, respectively). These agents did not have major effects upon heart rate, left ventricular end diastolic pressure, and maximum rates of rise and decline in left ventricular pressure. These agents also did not affect pulmonary systolic, mean and diastolic arterial pressures, nor arterial blood pO2, pCO2, and pH. Both cicletanine and zaprinast increased or tended to increase urinary output (0.66±0.05 and 0.43±0.22 ml/min, respectively, both at 3 mg /kg) and urinary Na+ excretion (150.4±19.7 and 67.0±30.9 μEq/min, respectively, both at 3 mg/kg). Neither agents affected urinary K+ excretion. None of the responses to cicletanine were altered by β-, suggesting that β- adrenoreceptors were not in volved in mediating the affects of cicletanine. In conclusion, the cGMP-PDE inhibitors cicletanine and zaprinast vasodilate, increase renal blood flow, and induce diuresis and natrluresis in anesthetized dogs. However, the differences in the natriuretic and vasodilator effects of these agents cannot be explained by the difference in their potencies in PDE inhibition, suggesting that their effects in these dogs may involve additional mechanisms of action.
SYNTHESIS OF MYELIN, PARTICULATE, AND SOLUBLE PROTEIN SUBFRACTIONS OF RAT SCIATIC NERVE DURING THE EARLY STAGE OF WALLERIAN DEGENERATION: A Comparison of Metabolic Studies Using Double and Single Isotope Methods and Recovery

The recovery, electrophoretic composition and synthesis of the myelin, particulate protein and soluble protein subfractions of rat sciatic nerve were compared in normal, sham-operated, and degenerating rat sciatic nerve at one, three and five days after neurotomy. Both single and double isotope methods were used to measure changes in synthesis in vitro and double isotope methods were used in vivo. The wet weights of nerves undergoing Wallerian degeneration for 5 days increased by 40 percent compared to normal and sham-operated nerves. The recovery, specific radioactivity, and synthesis of the myelin was reduced. The effect on myelin protein synthesis was similar in vitro and in vivo. The myelin loss was relatively constant in amount (30–40 μg) regardless of differences in nerve sizes of young and old rats, consequently the percentage of myelin loss was inversely proportional to nerve size. The recovery of particulate protein increased, its rate of synthesis remained unchanged, and accordingly the specific radioactivity was decreased. The recovery, specific radioactivity, and the rate of synthesis of the soluble protein fraction were all elevated. The protein composition of the three fractions, as analyzed qualitatively by polyacrylamide disc gel electrophoresis, remained essentially unchanged through five days of degeneration. With regard to comparisons of the single and double isotope methods, results shows that the latter are more ideally suited to measuring changes in synthesis during the non-steady state conditions that are characteristics of rapid degeneration.
Resonant tunneling transistor lasers: A new approach to obtain multi-state switching and bistable operation

Bipolar resonant tunneling heterotransistor structures, which can be configured to operate as multi-state or as bistable lasers, are described. Both edge and surface-emitting structures are presented. Computations of various optoelectronics parameters including confinement factor, threshold current density, and cavity modes for a stripe-geometry structure are presented. In addition, simulations of base and collector currents are given for a resonant tunneling transistor to demonstrate the feasibility of lasing in the base region.
Heat transfer by natural convection between concentric spheres

Abstract An experimental investigation is described concerning natural convection of air enclosed between two isothermal concentric spheres of various diameter ratios ranging from 1.19 to 3.14. Results of a visual study, which indicated three distinct types of flow patterns, are summarized. Measured temperature profiles are analysed in detail with reference to five typical characteristics of the profile shapes. Except for the postulating of a bicellular flow to explain the profiles obtained for the smallest diameter ratio, all features of the profiles are explained in terms of the observed convective flow patterns. Two Nusselt-Grashof correlations are presented for the measured heat-transfer data for four different diameter ratios, the better correlation fitting the data within 15.5 per cent. The Grash of number based on gap thickness ranged from 2.0 × 10 4 to 3.6 × 10 6 .
Investigation of a reported cluster of bladder cancer cases in the Pottstown/Phoenixville area of Pennsylvania.

Abstract A urologist in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, noted an apparent excess of invasive bladder cancer cases in his practice area during 1988 and 1989. Background incidence data for the local area were derived from state Cancer Registry statistics. Seventeen additional cases were noted during review of local hospital tumor registry data. Exposure evaluation included complete occupational histories for 15 index cases and correlation of residential histories with a review of local industries, water quality data, and toxic waste sites. The data were compared with incidence data from 1984 and 1985, and no increase in bladder cancer incidence for this area in 1988 and 1989 was evident. There was, however, a higher bladder cancer incidence among white males in the study area and Chester County, compared with Pennsylvania as a whole. Residential histories and environmental analysis did not reveal a common environmental carcinogen. A high incidence of occupational exposure to suspected bladder carcinogens was no...
Environmental evaluation of calcium magnesium acetate for highway deicing applications

Abstract Calcium magnesium acetate (CMA) was identified in the early 1980s as a material that is potentially effective for deicing highways, feasible to manufacture commercially, and environmentally acceptable. Its environmental acceptability required definitive testing prior to widespread application. This paper reports the results of comprehensive laboratory and controlled field plot experiments designed to determine CMA transport characteristics and environmental fate and its impacts on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Preliminary modeling predicted routine and maximum CMA concentrations and mass loadings in highway runoff and spray as a basis for designing experimental treatments. In experiments testing CMA effects on a number of soil physical properties, only permeability exhibited any substantial change; however, the general increases in this characteristic are not a cause for concern relative to CMA use. Laboratory assessments of soils dosed with CMA solutions showed potential acetate mobility, yet field measurements yielded only minor evidence of CMA transport in the soil and ground water. The laboratory experiments also demonstrated a potential to release certain trace metals, preexisting in soils, through ion exchange reactions involving calcium and magnesium, a trend confirmed in the field, although with less strength and consistency. The quantities released in these experiments would pose no environmental hazards, but it is unknown whether mobilization from heavy metal-contaminated actual roadside soils would do so. CMA biodegradation was investigated at several temperatures in both soils and water. At 20 and 10°C, a high level of decomposition was achieved within 2 weeks in soils, and most of the ultimate BOD was exerted within 5 and 10 days, respectively, in water. These levels of decomposition required 4 weeks in soils and 100 days in water at 2°C. Biodegradation in water was associated with the leading potential environmental impact of concern, the ability of CMA in concentrations that could be found in highway runoff to deplete dissolved oxygen in water; this issue is the subject of a companion paper. In greenhouse pot tests of CMA effects on various herbaceous and woody plant species, only root zone concentrations well above any normally expected value killed seedlings. Field applications of similarly high concentrations did not affect the yield, cover, vigor, rooting, or leaf condition of the plot flora. A series of laboratory bioassays on zooplankton and fish resulted in high rates of survival and reproduction at any routinely expected CMA concentration, so long as oxygen was not allowed to deplete.