cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Split-bolus CTA for mesenteric ischemia with a single scan opacifying arterial and mesenteric venous systems.

To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of split-bolus single-scan computed tomography angiography (CTA) protocol for evaluation of acute mesenteric ischemia and alternate diagnoses. In this IRB-approved, HIPAA-compliant retrospective study, consecutive patients from 21 October 2016 to 6 May 2018 evaluated for mesenteric ischemia with split-bolus CTA (a single scan in concurrent arterial and portal venous phase) in a single tertiary academic institution were included. Intravenous contrast was administered on weight-based basis. Quantitative and qualitative assessments of superior mesenteric artery (SMA) and superior mesenteric vein (SMV) attenuation and patency were performed by two independent reviewers. CT imaging findings were correlated with clinical reference outcomes. One hundred fifty-four patients (age 66.3 ± 14.1 years, BMI 27.3 ± 6, 86 (56%) female) were included. CTA studies were performed with a volumetric CT dose index of 15.9 ± 5.5 mSv and dose length product of 1042.9 ± 389.4 mGy cm. Average intravenous contrast volume administered was 164.3 ± 12.1 cc. SMA attenuation was 263.6 ± 92.4HU, SMV was 190 ± 50.2HU. Qualitative assessment of SMA and SMV showed good opacification in all patients. 17/154 (11%) patients were diagnosed on CT with mesenteric ischemia; in 6/154 (4%), CTA studies were indeterminate; in 131/154 (85%), CTA confidently ruled out mesenteric ischemia. Alternate diagnoses were made in 38/154 (25%) patients. Using composite clinical outcomes as a reference standard, sensitivity of split-bolus CTA protocol for diagnosis of mesenteric ischemia is 100% (95% CI 79–100%), and specificity is 99% (95% CI 96–100%). Split-bolus CTA has high sensitivity and specificity for diagnosis of acute mesenteric ischemia. • Split-bolus CTA protocol for mesenteric ischemia has great diagnostic accuracy with lower radiation exposure and fewer images to interpret compared with standard multiphasic CTA.
Optimal Placement of Detectors to Minimize Casualties in an Intentional Attack

This article proposes a mathematical model to optimally locate a set of detectors in such a way that the expected number of casualties in a given threat area can be minimized. The reliability of a detector is often a function of the duration that the threat remains within the effective radius. To accurately detect any threat event and to avoid any false alarm, in this article, two sets of detectors, primary and secondary, are utilized; the primary detectors rely on the secondary set as reinforcement to confirm or deny that a threat is present. The problem is formulated as a nonlinear binary integer programming model and then solved as a linearized branch and bound algorithm. A number of sensitivity analyses are performed to illustrate the robustness of the model and to draw key managerial insights. Experimental results reveal that a two-layer detection system will significantly minimize the expected number of casualties in a given threat area as opposed to a one-layer detection system.
Navigating Evangelical Political Identity in the Era of Donald Trump

Evangelical Christians have always had a complex relationship with political issues in the United States, especially with the rise of the Christian right in the 1980s. Since 2017 the Trump presidency has amplified that complexity, presenting a new set of issues for consideration. With Festinger’s (1957) Cognitive Dissonance theory and Tajfel’s (1981) Social Identity theory as the foundation, this study examines how evangelical Christian pastors conceptualize their religious and political identities, and how they communicate with their congregants about political issues. Pastors act as crucial gatekeepers within their faith communities so they provide crucial insight into the evangelical community. Six pastors from a mid-sized, Midwestern university town were interviewed using a semi-structured format. Findings indicate pastors hold non-negotiable beliefs, distance themselves from political connotations of evangelicalism, and explain political values with religious values. When communicating with congregants, they reconcile competing values and respect differences but indicate their desire to follow God’s convictions.
Infrarenal aortic balloon-expandable stent graft deployment using the sheath control technique in a patient with hemorrhagic shock secondary to an aortoenteric fistula.

Abstract: A 40-year-old male patient presented with hemorrhagic shock due to an aorto-duodenal fistula. Angiography demonstrated vasospasm of the right common femoral artery to 2 mm. A balloon expandable stent graft was utilized given the smaller sheath diameter compared to the standard self-expandable aortic stent grafts. Given the undersized delivery balloon for the aorta, a sheath control technique was utilized. The stent-graft was deployed with approximately 1/3rd remaining in the sheath. The 11 mm balloon was then exchanged out for a 16 mm balloon and used to achieve apposition to the aortic wall bridging the patient to definitive surgical repair.
Toward Taming the Chemical Reversibility of Perfluoropyridine through Molecular Design with Applications to Pre- and Postmodifiable Polymer Architectures

Polymer functionality greatly determines many of the key properties of these materials, such as glass-transition temperature, electrical and thermal conductivity, thermal stability, mechanical stre...
A Graphical Exposition of the Profit Maximizing Two-Part Tariff:

This note presents a simple graphical approach for deriving the profit maximizing two-part tariff when there are two types of consumers in the market. The exposition covers both the case in which a...
Clients’ Hope for Counseling as a Predictor of Outcome in Psychotherapy:

Researchers have demonstrated links between general hope and symptoms of distress. Findings like these are important given the conceptual role of hope in psychotherapy theories like Frank and Frank...
Slaying the New Dragons that Threaten Peace: Renewing the UN's 'Systemic Issues' Agenda.

The United Nations’ systemic issues agenda concerns the terrain of economic engagement among nations and peoples of the world, the terreain which underpins international cooperation and peace. In the twenty-first century, this agenda must contend with inequities in access to decision-making, policy inconsistencies in the rules among different areas such as trade and finance, and curtailing vulnerabilities arising from the excessive dominance of financial logic in economic decision-making.
Not all shrinking places are similar: The variegated nature of population decline in the United States

Abstract Shrinking cities have become almost ubiquitous during the long transition of post-industrial America. While many fear population losses to be a harbinger of economic decline, others have argued that the economic and demographic transition of a shrinking city need not be a death knell for those urban communities. In this study, we conduct an analysis of more than 10,000 U.S. census tracts experiencing population loss in order to better understand the variegated nature of population decline in the United States. Using high-dimensional cluster analysis, we classify tracts into seven distinct groups, and then assess group differences based on population characteristics and built environment indicators. Our findings show inter- and intraregional characteristics that are far from uniform. Our results imply that public policy responses cannot be developed as a one-size-fits-all strategy, nor should the outlook of urban shrinkage be understood as a nationally uniform crisis. Future work can build upon our typological definitions to offer additional insights valuable to local decision makers and leaders regarding the complex relationship between demographic change and associated socio-economic outcomes.
Happiness and Democratic Theory: Jeremy Bentham and William Thompson

This paper will contrast the democratic theories of Jeremy Bentham and William Thompson. Bentham is mostly known for his theory of utility, but although he held anti-democratic beliefs for a period he eventually became a powerful advocate of representative democracy and even (at times) universal suffrage. Early British cooperative socialist William Thompson, whom Bentham described as a "disciple" at one point, took Bentham's utilitarian premises to craft a very different theory. While Bentham's theory fits well into the mainstream of contemporary democratic theory, Thompson's work can be seen as providing some of the foundations for what evolved into radical democracy. The differences between them arise, I argue, because Thompson conceptualizes happiness differently from Bentham. This paper will examine, then, how the differences in their conceptions of happiness are reflected in the differences in their democratic theory. The individualism that lies at the root of Bentham's theory is contrasted with the sociality that is central to Thompson's; Bentham's ideas about the protection of liberty and property are contrasted with Thompson's ideas about mutual cooperation, equality and voluntarism.
Every real ellipsoid in $\mathbb{C}^2$ admits CR umbilical points

We prove that every real ellipsoid M C C 2 admits at least four umbilical points, which can be compared to the result of Webster that a generic real ellipsoid in C" with n > 3 does not admit any umbilical point.
Why Knowledge Matters in Curriculum

(2013). Why Knowledge Matters in Curriculum. Journal of Critical Realism: Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 272-278.
Genetic Characterization of Heterogeneous Plant Populations in Forage, Turf and Native Grasses

Genetically characterizing plant populations is important for many plant scientists, including plant breeders and ecologists. Grass breeders not only have to show their cultivars are distinct for purposes of plant variety protection or seed certification but also may soon need to characterize their cultivars to accommodate new laws governing essentially derived variety (EDV). Restoration ecologists are interested in using genetic characterizations to replace native habits with “ecologically correct” populations. Because most of our forage, turf, and native grasses are cross-pollinated, their high amount of within-population variation often obscures our ability to easily detect between-population differences. Two sets of statistical analysis tools will be discussed that, when applied, offer useful interpretation and resolution of population structure of turf, forage, and native plant species. NTSYS, numerical taxonomy and multivariate analysis system, is a package of statistical programs that enables one to perform a wide range of user-friendly applications. The other is a technique known as analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) that is an easy to use, yet powerful, tool for examining population differences using molecular markers. AMOVA estimates and partitions the observed total molecular variance into components that are analogous to F-statistic parameters. Finally, issues relating to sample size, breeding history and the use of discriminate analysis as applied to essentially derived varieties (EDVs) will be discussed.
Making pedestrian facilities more usable and safer for all

Most developed countries are experiencing a change in the age and ability profiles of their populations. There are more older people and more people with a disability that limits major life activities. As people age, they are likely to develop more than one disability, and this can compromise a person's mobility for walking and using transportation systems. Traditionally, transportation systems and other built environments have not been designed to accommodate the needs of all users. The lack of accessible environments presents social and economic costs and issues of independence not only for the fast growing aging and disabled population but for most of society. There are many competing interests when designing and retrofitting infrastructure, and political will is essential to ensure accessibility is part of policy, planning, design and construction. (A)
Fighting the Ebola virus

A vaccine that protects monkeys against a lethal dose of Ebola virus has been developed. But there is still a lot to learn about how this vaccine works before a version that can protect humans is available.
Simulation reduction of the Ising model to general matchings

A distribution is tractable if it is possible to approximately sample from the distribution in polynomial time. Here the ferromagnetic Ising model with unidrectional magnetic field is shown to be reducible to a standard distribution on matchings that is tractable. This provides an alternate method to the original Jerrum and Sinclair approach to show that the Ising distribution itself is tractable. Previous reductions of the Ising model to perfect matchings on different graphs exist, but these older distributions are not tractable. Also, the older reductions did not consider an external magnetic field, while the new reduction explictly includes such a field. The new reduction also helps to explain why the idea of canonical paths is so useful inapproximately sampling from both problems. In addition, the reduction allows any algorithm for matchings to immediately be applied to the Ising model. For instance, this immediately yields a fully polynomial time approximation scheme for the Ising model on a bounded degree graph with magnetization bounded away from 0, merely by invoking an existing algorithm for matchings.
Polymer-protomer transition of acetyl-CoA carboxylase as a regulator of lipogenesis in rat liver.

Abstract Data are presented which indicate that the transition of acetyl-CoA carboxylase between the active polymeric and inactive protomeric conformations defined for the purified enzyme also occurs with the enzyme in vivo , depends upon the nutritional state of the animal, and is an important physiological phenomenon in the acute regulation of liver fatty acid synthesis. This conclusion utilized the observation that the protomeric form of purified acetyl-CoA carboxylase is inactivated by the binding of avidin to the biotinyl prosthetic group; the catalytically active filamentous form of the enzyme is resistant to avidin. Acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity was 75% avidin-resistant (polymeric) in the liver of meal-fed rats that had completed the consumption of a high glucose meal. This avidin resistance gradually decreased to 20% during the 21-h interval between meals. Peak resistance to avidin of liver carboxylase was attained within 30 min of initiating meal ingestion. The rise in carboxylase resistance to avidin could not be mimicked by insulin injection alone, but could be greatly attenuated by the addition of fat to the glucose meal. The amount of avidin-resistant acetyl-CoA carboxylase was closely associated with the concentration of hepatic malonyl-CoA and the subsequent rate of fatty acid synthesis.
Effect of alcohols on the enzymatic activity and subunit association of β-galactosidase

Abstract The catalytic activity of β-galactosidase from Escherichia coli K 12 and the associative properties of its subunits have been studied in solutions of methanol, ethanol, i -propyl- and n -propyl alcohol. All of the alcohols at low concentrations (5%) stimulate the rate at which o -nitrophenyl-β- d -galactopyranoside is cleaved. The transferase activity of the enzyme was demonstrated by identification of methyl β-galactoside as one of the reaction products. Neither methanol nor ethanol dissociate the subunits of the active tetramer nor do they induce conformational changes in the protein as measured by sedimentation velocity, ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy, and fluorescence. Low concentrations of n -propyl alcohol in the absence of added magnesium ions, however, causes the tetramer to dissociate into inactive dimers.
Supply-side interventions and student learning in Guatemala

This paper presents estimates of production functions of reading and mathematics test scores to assess the effects of supply-side interventions, such as the provision of a community-based school management programme, bilingual education and multigrade teaching, on student learning in Guatemala. The efficiency and consistency of the estimates is improved by using seemingly unrelated regressions to account for potential correlation between test scores. Results indicate that the community-based management programme, bilingual schools and traditional schools produce comparable learning of first-graders. However, in the case of third-graders the community-based school management programme and bilingual schools produce less learning than traditional schools. The learning of both first- and third-graders is found to be diminished in the multigrade teaching approach.
Human Base Excision Repair Creates a Bias Toward −1 Frameshift Mutations

Frameshift mutations are particularly deleterious to protein function and play a prominent role in carcinogenesis. Most commonly these mutations involve the insertion or omission of a single nucleotide by a DNA polymerase that slips on a damaged or undamaged template. The mismatch DNA repair pathway can repair these nascent polymerase errors. However, overexpression of enzymes of the base excision repair (BER) pathway is known to increase the frequency of frameshift mutations suggesting competition between these pathways. We have examined the fate of DNA containing single nucleotide bulges in human cell extracts and discovered that several deaminated or alkylated nucleotides are efficiently removed by BER. Because single nucleotide bulges are more highly exposed we anticipate that they would be highly susceptible to spontaneous DNA damage. As a model for this, we have shown that chloroacetaldehyde reacts more than 18-fold faster with an A-bulge than with a stable A·T base pair to create alkylated DNA adducts that can be removed by alkyladenine DNA glycosylase. Reconstitution of the BER pathway using purified components establishes that bulged DNA is efficiently processed. Single nucleotide deletion is predicted to repair +1 frameshift events, but to make −1 frameshift events permanent. Therefore, these findings suggest an additional factor contributing to the bias toward deletion mutations.
Aliasing with Unequally Spaced Observations

Abstract Data analysis with unequally spaced observations is approached by assuming that a finite number of observations are available at known locations in space or time. No assumptions are made about the distribution of the station locations. Two types of observational error are considered, stationary (or homogeneous) and independent. Variance transfer functions are calculated which, when multiplied by the signal spectrum or error spectrum and integrated, give the contribution to the variance of estimates. Operations such as smoothing, interpolation, estimating derivatives, gradients of two-dimensional fields, divergence of two-dimensional vector fields, and spectrum estimates are considered. Aliasing takes the form of irregular side lobes, and it is concluded that the variance transfer functions should be plotted in most practical situations involving unequally spaced observations. Simulation studies are presented where the station locations have a random distribution, but the analysis does not use thi...
Residential energy use and conservation in Denmark, 1965–1980

Abstract New data have been assembled to quantify patterns of residential energy use in Denmark from 1965 to 1980 by fuel and end use. Indicators of the structure and intensity of energy use are developed from basic data and reviewed. Changes since 1972 are quantified and compared with those observed in other countries. The reduction in oil use in oil-heated dwellings is shown to be the largest among OECD countries. Elements of past, present and future Danish conservation policies are reviewed. While many of these are unique and far reaching, the predominant cause of conservation up until 1980 has been short-term measures stimulated primarily by higher energy prices.
Individual rabbit cardiac myocytes have different thresholds for alpha myosin heavy chain regulation by thyroid hormone

Myocytes in adult rabbit ventricle express and alpha and a beta form of myosin heavy chain (MHC). The alpha-MHC distribution detected with indirect immunofluorescence has been found in different proportions in adjacent myocytes producing a mosaic staining pattern. The basis for cell-specific expression of the alpha-MHC isoform is not known. Since thyroid hormone is a major regulator of myosin gene expression, we varied the plasma thyroid level and followed the alpha-MHC content within a population of myocytes. Ventricular myocytes were induced to become 100% beta-MHC by placing the rabbits on a 0.15% propylthiouracil diet for 70 days. L-triiodothyronine (LT3) over a dose range of 1 to 10 micrograms/kg/day was delivered by an osmotic minipump for 5 days, with actual serum levels confirmed by LT3 radioimmunoassay to be in the range of from 115 to 1,230 ng/dl. The amount of alpha-MHC that returned was estimated in randomly selected cells by measuring the relative intensity of the fluorescence-tagged secondary antibody. The normal mosaic pattern of alpha-MHC expression in the left ventricle returned with an LT3 dose of 2-5 micrograms/kg/day. The first myocytes to express alpha-MHC were in the subepicardium and did so at a LT3 serum level of 115 of ng/dl. All myocytes of the ventricular wall expressed alpha-MHC at serum levels above 1,230 ng/dl. These data are interpreted to show that the variation of myosin isoform content seen in the adult heart is indicative of heterogeneity of thyroid sensitivity, with the threshold for serum LT3 being between 115 and 370 ng/dl.
Actomyosin and Myosin of Vascular Smooth Muscle

VARIOUS procedures have been used for extracting contractile protein from vascular smooth muscle1–3. In the course of preparing extracts from the cow carotid artery using a medium of 0.6 M KCl, the actomyosin content was estimated by measuring the ATP-sensitivity and viscosity number (Zη). In this report it will be shown that the extract from cow carotid artery consists of actomyosin and an actin-combining component, probably myosin, firmly associated with one another. It is believed that this firm association is a manifestation of unusual solubility properties of vascular smooth muscle myosin.
Micro-Constituent Based Viscoelastic Finite Element Analysis of Biological Cells

A viscoelastic analysis of the biological cell considering the microcellular material properties is carried out in this work. Three separate regions of the cell: the actin cortex, cytoplasm and nucleus are considered. The outer cortex and cytoplasm are modeled using standard linear viscoelastic model (SLS) and standard neo-Hookean viscoelastic solid, and a linear elastic material model is considered for the nucleus. The effect of the material properties of cytoplasm and actin cortex on the derivable parameters from three major experimental studies of magnetic twisting cytometry (MTC) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) and micropipette aspiration (MPA) are analyzed using the finite element method. The bead center displacement for the MTC, reaction force for AFM, and aspiration length ratio for the MPA are the major quantities derived from the finite element analysis. A number of parametric studies are also conducted and it is observed that SLS and SnHS models predict nearly identical results for the material constants.
Nonintegrability of the classical Zeeman Hamiltonian

We prove that the HamiltonianH of the three dimensional hydrogen atom in a uniform static magnetic fieldB does not have an integral which (i) is real analytic on the phase space ℳ of the system; (ii) is in involution with the componentM 3 of the angular momentum alongB; (iii) is functionally independent ofH andM 3 and (iv) has a meromorphic (single-valued) extension to the complexification of ℳ in ℂ6;. This follows from the fact that the HamiltonianK M of two degrees of freedom obtained by fixingM 3 at certain nonzero valuesM and reducingH w.r. to the rotational symmetry about the magnetic field, has a complexification which is nonintegrable in the Ziglin sense. We prove this nonintegrability by demonstrating that for each suchM the monodromy group of the normal variational equation along a certain complexified phase curve ofK M is not Ziglin, using Churchill and Rod's adaptation of Kovacic's algorithm to the Ziglin analysis. Analogous arguments prove that the Hamiltonian of the Stormer problem is nonintegrable in the same sense.
Acute Spontaneous Tumor Lysis in Anaplastic Large T-Cell Lymphoma Presenting with Hyperuricemic Acute Renal Failure

Acute spontaneous tumor lysis (ASTL) syndrome, an extremely rare disease, requires prompt recognition and aggressive management because it is fulminant at its outset, associated with severe metabolic derangement, and potentially reversible. We describe an unusual case in which spontaneous tumor lysis occurred in anaplastic large T-cell lymphoma associated with acute uric acid nephropathy, persistent oliguria, and shock. This case contrasts markedly with previously reported cases of ASTL syndrome, which developed mainly in the pathologic type of Burkitt lymphoma. To our knowledge, this is the first reported occurrence of ASTL syndrome associated with anaplastic large T-cell type lymphoma. This report also chronicles our successful experience with continuous renal replacement therapy in the presence of compromised hemodynamic status.
Synthesis and Characterization of Photo-Cross-Linked Polymers Based on Poly(l-lactic acid-co-l-aspartic acid)

Biodegradable polymers are used in the field of tissue engineering as scaffolds on which cells may grow and form tissue.1 One objective in tissue engineering is to define polymer chemistries that mimic the in vivo environments in which cells naturally exist and to stimulate cells to form tissue. In particular, a tissue engineering scaffold needs to provide a three-dimensional structure for cell attachment and tissue regeneration while preserving the expression of differentiated cell phenotypes. The chemistry of the polymer can influence cell attachment and biocompatibility. Hydrogels have been a recent focus for the encapsulation of cells in tissue engineering.2 Hydrogels are insoluble polymer networks that provide a physical barrier to retain cells in conjunction with a high water content allowing for diffusion of nutrients and waste. Hubbell and co-workers have recently utilized photopolymerizations for the synthesis of biocompatible hydrogels based on poly(ethylene oxide). Photopolymerizations with these polymers produce minimal heat and require small quantities of photoinitiator, resulting in a biocompatible gel system which may be polymerized in vivo.3 Poly(R-hydroxy esters) such as poly(lactic acid) (PLA) are biodegradable polymers which have been used in medicine as sutures and in tissue engineering as polymer scaffolds.1,4 PLA degrades into chemicals naturally found in vivo yet it has no functionality available for attachment of bioactive peptides or other further chemistry. The development of poly(lactic acidco-lysine) (PLAL) was a step to introduce a functional group, the -amine of lysine, in PLA.5 The number of functionalities was later increased by grafting amino acids from the -amine of lysine.6 The present work combines the use of degradable poly(R-hydroxy esters) and hydrogel photopolymerization technology to form gels based on methacrylated PLAL-ASP and their subsequent characterization.
Methylene Blue Potentiation of Alloxan Diabetes.

Summary1. Methylene blue injected intravenously in doses of 35 mg/K immediately preceding alloxan (30 mg/K i.v.) increased the incidence of diabetes from 52 to 100%.2. The potentiating effect of methylene blue is attributed, in part at least, to its ability to reoxidize dialuric acid back to alloxan and thereby in effect it is equivalent to increasing the effective dose of alloxan.
Redox Catalysis for Dehydrogenation of Liquid Hydrogen Carrier Fuels for Energy Storage and Conversion

The process of redox catalysis has been known and well studied theoretically and experimentally for several decades. Studies of redox catalysis can be instrumental in determining mechanistic aspects of electrochemical reactions and in measuring basic thermodynamic and kinetic parameters. The application of redox catalysis to the electrochemical dehydrogenation of organic molecules is of interest for a hybrid flow battery/fuel cell system for energy storage. Redox catalysis has the ability to reduce the overpotential of the dehydrogenation reaction used in such a system. The mechanism of catalysis can involve an ECE-type reaction or a CEE-type reaction. In either case the acid-base chemistry of the medium is critical. Preliminary results of catalytic current measurements as a function of redox catalyst, base concentration, and base strength are described along with possible reaction mechanisms.
Activity of Unrestrained Horses During On-Truck Rest Stops

Abstract The activity of unrestrained (slaughter) horses during 1-hour-long, on-truck rest stops was quantified to help determine whether horses get meaningful rest during on-truck rest stops. A single-deck semi-trailer divided into three compartments and fitted with 12 video cameras was used to record behavior of five shipments of horses during transport lasting 16 to 20 hours. Each shipment consisted of a high-, medium-, and low-density group averaging 397 ± 6.5 kg/m 2 , 348 ± 5.2 kg/m 2 , and 221 ± 7.6 kg/m 2 , respectively. Horses were rested for 1 hour after 8 hours of transport and before unloading at the end of each transport. Two of the three groups in the trailer were provided water during each rest stop. Data were successfully collected for 13 groups of horses of varying ages, sexes, and breeds typical of slaughter horses. The high-density watered groups had increased activity during the first 10 minutes of the first and second rest stops, indicating the horses were interacting and maneuvering to get to the water. Activity in the medium- and low-density groups was much more variable, but when there was increased activity during the first 10 minutes of a rest stop, it was in groups that had access to water. No trends were evident for an increase in activity near the end of the rest stops. Activity during the first and second rest stops was similar, indicating that these horses were not fatigued to the point of reducing activity during rest stops after 16 to 20 hours of transport.
UH Cosmic Rays and Solar System Material: The Elements just beyond Iron

The origin of the elements from Cu to As in the UH (ultra-heavy) cosmic rays is investigated and related to current concepts of the nucleosynthesis of solar system material. The charge spectrum of the UH cosmic rays in the interval 29≤Z≤60 is studied via a fully developed propagation calculation for source abundances given by solar system material, ther-process, the massive-star core helium-burnings-process, and explosive carbon burning. None of these sources considered individually can explain the cosmic ray observations. However a combination of material produced in ther-process, the core helium-burnings-process and in explosive carbon burning provides a good representation of the experimental data. The cosmic-rayr-process is found to differ from solar systemr-process events by an underproduction of the low-massr-process peaks relative to theA∼195 peak. The large cosmicray abundance forZ=40–44 may be due to anr-process fission component, but this explanation is by no means certain. Improved cosmic-ray data, especially for Zn−Sr, can provide limits to the various source contributions. The model described here gives a consistent picture for the origin of both the cosmic rays and the solar system elements just beyond iron, and adds additional evidence for the importance of massive stars as a site of nucleosynthesis and the birthplace of the cosmic rays.
Role of enhanced ceramide generation in DNA damage and cell death in chemical hypoxic injury to LLC-PK1 cells

Role of enhanced ceramide generation in DNA damage and cell death in chemical hypoxic injury to LLC-PK 1 cells. Background Ceramide has been implicated to be a second messenger in the cell signaling pathway involved in cell growth, proliferation, and apoptotic cell death. However, there is little information of a role of ceramide in DNA damage and cell death in hypoxic injury known to induce necrotic cell death. Methods Ceramide generation was measured in LLC-PK 1 cells exposed to chemical hypoxia with a mitochondrial electron transport inhibitor, antimycin A and glucose deprivation. The effect of inhibition of ceramide generation on chemical hypoxia-induced DNA damage and cell death and the effect of exogenous ceramide on cellular injury were also determined. Results Chemical hypoxia resulted in a rapid increase in ceramide production prior to any evidence of DNA damage and cell death in LLC-PK 1 cells. The inhibitor of ceramide synthase, fumonisin B1, provided a marked protection against chemical hypoxia-induced DNA strand breaks, DNA fragmentation and cell death. Fumonisin B1 did not affect adenosine triphosphate (ATP) depletion induced by antimycin A, suggesting that fumonisin B1 does not alter cellular uptake of antimycin A. We confirmed the ability of ceramide synthase inhibitor, fumonisin B1, to suppress chemical hypoxia-induced ceramide generation. Exposure of LLC-PK 1 cells to synthetic ceramide, C2- and C6-ceramide, but not C2-dihydroceramide, the structural analog of C2-ceramide, resulted in DNA strand breaks, DNA fragmentation and cell death in a dose- and time-dependent manner similar to the effect of chemical hypoxia. Conclusions Our data indicate that ceramide is a key modulator for DNA damage and cell death in chemical hypoxia to renal tubular epithelial cells.
Financial hardship and mortality among older adults using the 1996-2004 Health and Retirement Study.

Purpose We investigated the effect of financial hardship on mortality risk in a community-dwelling sample of adults 50 years of age and olderin the United States. Method The 1996 Health and Retirement Study cohorts were followed prospectively to 2004 (N = 8,377). Gender-stratified grouped Cox models were used to estimate the difference in the relative risk (RR) of mortality between a specific number of financial hardships (one, two, or three or more) and no hardships; and the predictive utility of each individual financial hardship for mortality during the follow-up period. Results Gender-stratified models adjusted for demographics, socioeconomic characteristics, and functional limitations in 1996 showed that women reporting one (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.42; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05–1.92) or three or more (HR = 1.60; 95% CI: 1.05–2.46) and men reporting two (HR = 1.80; 95% CI: 1.21–2.69) financial hardships had a substantially higher probability of mortality compared to those reporting no financial hardships. Individual financial hardships that predicted mortality in fully adjusted models for women included receiving Medicaid (HR = 2.23; 95% CI: 1.68–2.98) and for men receiving Medicaid (HR = 2.11; 95% CI: 1.57–2.84) and receiving food stamps (HR = 1.59; 95% CI: 1.09–2.33). Conclusions These findings suggest that over and above the influence of traditional measures of socioeconomic status, financial hardship exerts an influence on the risk of mortality among older adults and that the number and type of hardships important in predicting mortality may differ for men and women.
Expectant Management of Severe Preeclampsia at 270/7 to 336/7 Weeks' Gestation: Maternal and Perinatal Outcomes According to Gestational Age by Weeks at Onset of Expectant Management

Abstract We sought to determine perinatal outcome and maternal morbidities based on gestational age (GA) at onset of expectant management in severe preeclampsia (PE) between 27(0/7) and 33 (6/7) weeks. In this retrospective analysis of outcome in patients with severe preeclampsia, we studied 66 patients (71 fetuses) with severe PE at 27 (0)/ (7) to 33(6/ 7). All patients received corticosteroids. Perinatal and maternal complications were analyzed. Five patients had twin gestations. Median for days of prolongation was 5 days (range, 3 to 35). Birth weights of 19 (27%) were or= grade ?). Rate of abruption was significantly higher at 27 to 28 weeks as compared with > 28 weeks (25% vs 6%, p = 0.05). There was no eclampsia, and two had transient renal insufficiency at 27 weeks. Four of 11 (36%) patients with expectant management at >or= 32 weeks had pulmonary edema or hemolytic anemia, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count. During expectant management, rate of respiratory distress syndrome and other serious neonatal complications decrease with increasing GA, supporting a role for such management in early severe preeclampsia. Because there is significant maternal morbidity at >or= 32 weeks with minimal neonatal benefit, consideration should be given for delivery of these pregnancies following corticosteroid administration.
Dropwise Condensation Modeling Suitable for Superhydrophobic Surfaces

A mathematical model is developed to represent and predict the dropwise condensation phenomenon on nonwetting surfaces having hydrophobic or superhydrophobic (contact angle greater than 150 deg) features. The model is established by synthesizing the heat transfer through a single droplet with the drop size distribution. The single droplet heat transfer is analyzed as a combination of the vapor-liquid interfacial resistance, the resistance due to the conduction through the drop itself, the resistance from the coating layer, and the resistance due to the curvature of the drop. A population balance model is adapted to develop a drop distribution function for the small drops that grow by direct condensation. Drop size distribution for large drops that grow mainly by coalescence is obtained from a well-known empirical equation. The evidence obtained suggests that both the single droplet heat transfer and drop distribution are significantly affected by the contact angle. More specifically, the model results indicate that a high drop-contact angle leads to enhancing condensation heat transfer. Intense hydrophobicity, which produces high contact angles, causes a reduction in the size of drops on the verge of falling due to gravity, thus allowing space for more small drops. The simulation results are compared with experimental data, which were previously reported.
Fine-grained submarine fans as possible recorders of long- and short-term climatic changes

Abstract Two major end-members of point-sourced submarine fans can be recognized: coarse-grained and fine-grained. The coarse-grained member is known from active margins where the sediment source is rather close to the coast. Once reaching the coast, most of the sediment goes into longshore transport and may move down a shelf depression to the slope. The movement of the sediment will gradually carve out a canyon. On the basin floor, a submarine fan is constructed that gradually progrades into the basin. Its thickness and sand/shale ratio decrease downdip. The fine-grained member is common for passive margins. It is a bypass system. The sediment originates far from the coast, the fluvial system is long and a major delta commonly results. Exposure of the wide shelf requires a relative lowering of sea level. Rapid aggradation of sediment near the shelfbreak results in high pore pressure that causes failure, followed by slumping and density flow transport. Deposition may commence at the base-of-slope. Leveed-channel transport is common on the mid-fan, while sheet-sand deposition takes place on the outer fan. Progradation of individual fan systems is rapid, followed by lateral switching to minimize bottom topography. Global and regional climatic changes cause variation in the growth/decay ratio of continental glaciers and in the type of fluvial effluent (hypopycnal and hyperpycnal outflows). Major global climate changes can cause ice ages, while smaller climate changes often influence transport and depositional variations. Shelf bypassing may result if hyperpycnal outflow conditions exist upon entering salt water. Although presently unknown, fine-grained submarine fans may provide data required to help analyze paleoclimate.
Biochemical Observations in Functioning Human Thyroid Adenomas

Tissue from two functioning human thyroid adenomas was studied in vitro after testing with TSH in vivo. The adenoma of the first patient appeared to concentrate TcO4− in vivo and responded to TSH with an increase in 131I uptake though the patient was not hyperthyroid. The second patient was hyperthyroid and exogenous TSH injection caused a significant increase in serum T3. In vitro, the tissue from the first adenoma did not trap iodide although the quantity of iodine organified was at least 6-fold greater than that found with either samples of the surrounding normal tissue or in 5 other studies of normal human thyroid. However, despite supranormal amounts of newly synthesized MIT and DIT, the quantity of T4 formed was quite small. Further evidence of decreased T3 and T4 synthesis in the adenoma was found in the decreased T3 and T4 content of the pronase hydrolysate of the adenoma as measured by immunoassay. T4 and T3 levels in the adenoma wore 3.8 and 0.66 μg/g wet wt, respectively, contrasted with levels...
The effects of dietary fat and selenium on the development of preneoplastic lesions in rat liver

In this study, the effects of dietary fat and selenium on the development of putative preneoplastic foci induced by aflatoxin B1 were examined. Rat hepatic gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) activity, selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase activity, glutathione, and total lipid were analyzed 3 and 13 weeks after the start of dietary and carcinogen treatment. Results indicate that high dietary fat has an enhancing effect on the development of preneoplastic foci. A high-fat, selenium-deficient diet resulted in an increase in foci development, but the increase was not significant. An interaction between aflatoxin and the two nutrients was also observed in liver glutathione content and GGT activity at Week 3.
Coronary artery calcium: alternate methods for accurate and reproducible quantitation.

Rationale and Objectives. The aim of this study was to determine a more precise and accurate method of quantitating coronary artery calcium (CAC) detected with electron-beam computed tomography (CT) in patients with low CAC scores. Materials and Methods. Two 40-section, 3-mm-collimation, electrocardiographically gated electron-beam CT examinations of the heart were performed in each patient. Fifty patients with average scores between 2 and 100, as determined with the conventional scoring algorithm, were selected. The modified conventional scoring algorithm was compared with two techniques: calculated calcium volume and approximated calcium mass. Results. The percentage difference between scans ranged from 37.2% for the conventional scoring method to 28.2% and 28.4% for volume- and mass-based methods, respectively. Increasing lesion size thresholds does not improve quantitative precision and reduces accuracy in patients with small amounts of CAC. Conclusion. Quantification methods based on calcification volume or mass decrease score variation compared with the conventional scoring method, and increased size threshold does not improve accuracy.
Partition Identities—From Euler to the Present

(1969). Partition Identities—From Euler to the Present. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 76, No. 7, pp. 733-746.
Bacterial adherence: first step in pathogenesis of certain infections.

Abstract Many bacterial infections such as streptococcal pharyngitis, shigellosis and gonococcal urethritis are caused by organisms which are located at a mucosal surface or which must penetrate into mucosa to cause disease. Recently accumulating evidence suggests that an initial step in this process is attachment of the organism to the mucosa. Such attachment initially results in colonization with or without subsequent invasion and inflammation. Certain bacterial species adhere more readily to epithelial cells from some locations than to cells from other locations, and it is the areas to which they adhere most tightly that seem the most likely to become infected. This phenomenon may help explain the selective tendencies of streptococci to cause pharyngitis and of coliform organisms to cause urinary tract infection. Also, the observation that enteroccocci and other streptococci adhere to cardiac valves appears to correlate with their high frequency as a cause of endocarditis. The immune response to these organisms may be crucial in determining the range of micro-organisms that can colonize and infect. Secretory IgA appears to prevent adherence of some bacterial species to epithelial cells, at least under in vitro experimental conditions. An improved understanding of the spectrum of such bacterial adherence as well as of its mechanism and the host's immune response may lead to improved means for preventing infections that begin with attachment of bacteria to cells.
Forum: a multiple-conclusion specification logic

Abstract The theory of cut-free sequent proofs has been used to motivate and justify the design of a number of logic programming languages. Two such languages, λProlog and its linear logic refinement, Lolli [15], provide for various forms of abstraction (modules, abstract data types, and higher-order programming) but lack primitives for concurrency. The logic programming language, LO (Linear Objects) [2] provides some primitives for concurrency but lacks abstraction mechanisms. In this paper we present Forum, a logic programming presentation of all of linear logic that modularly extends λProlog, Lolli, and LO. Forum, therefore, allows specifications to incorporate both abstractions and concurrency. To illustrate the new expressive strengths of Forum, we specify in it a sequent calculus proof system and the operational semantics of a programming language that incorporates references and concurrency. We also show that the meta theory of linear logic can be used to prove properties of the object-languages specified in Forum.
Social class of origin and cardinal symptoms of schizophrenic disorders over the early illness course.

Background: This study describes the relationship of social class of origin to cardinal symptoms of schizophrenic disorders over the early illness course. Method: The sample of subjects was drawn from the Suffolk County Mental Health Project, a longitudinal epidemiologic study of first-hospitalized subjects with psychotic disorders; the present study focused on patients with schizophrenic disorders. At baseline, subjects were dichotomized into upper/middle and lower social class of origin groups, based on occupation of the head of the household of origin. The patients in both groups were assessed for the major symptoms of schizophrenic disorders using standard structured instruments at both baseline and 6-month follow-up. The 6-month symptom severity levels were compared between the groups, controlling for baseline symptom status and potential confounders. Results: At 6-month follow-up, the upper/middle social class of origin group, as compared to the lower social class of origin group, had lower symptom levels for hallucinations (adjusted OR = 4.88, χ2 = 8.49, P = 0.004) and delusions (adjusted OR = 2.46, χ2 = 4.16, P = 0.04). There were no notable group differences for any of the negative or thought disorganization symptoms. Conclusions: Social class of origin is associated with positive symptoms of schizophrenia over the early illness course.