cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Penetrating torso injuries in older adults: increased mortality likely due to “failure to rescue”

Approximately 8 % of injuries in the elderly are from penetrating mechanisms. The natural history of potentially survivable penetrating torso wounds in the elderly is not well studied. Older adults with penetrating injuries to the torso may have worse outcomes than matched, younger patients due to a failure to rescue after complications. A retrospective chart review of all patients ≥55 (older) with a penetrating injury (GSW or SW) to the torso over 20 years was performed. All patients with a maximum AIS chest or abdomen >1 and <6 were included. A matched cohort (mechanism, AIS chest and abdomen, ISS and sex) of patients between the ages of 20–40 years (young) was created (3 young, 1 older). Differences in hemodynamics, complications, length of stay and mortality were analyzed. 105 older met inclusion criteria were compared to 315 young patients. Hemodynamic status was similar between the groups. Older patients required ICU care more often than younger patients, p < 0.05. Older patients required longer ICU stays, p < 0.001 and longer hospitalizations, p = 0.0012. More older patients (41.0 %) suffered post-injury complications compared to the young (26.4 %), p = 0.005. Older patients who suffered a complication had a higher mortality (30.2 %) than the young after a complication (10.8 %), p = 0.007. While uncommon, penetrating injuries to older adults are associated with higher rates of post-injury complications and increased mortality. This may represent a “failure to rescue” and represent an opportunity for improved post-injury care in older adults who suffer potentially survivable penetrating torso injuries.
Web of deceit: A literature review of Munchausen syndrome by proxy

Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSBP) is a form of child abuse wherein the mother falsifies illness in her child through simulation and/or production of illness, and presents the child for medical care, disclaiming knowledge as to etiology of the problem. From the literature, 117 cases of MSBP were reviewed. The most common presentations of MSBP were bleeding, seizures, central nervous system depression, apnea, diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and rash. Short-term morbidity rate was 100%; long-term morbidity rate was 8%. Mortality rate was 9%. Failure to thrive was associated with MSBP in 14% of cases. All perpetrators of MSBP were the mothers. The origins of this type of aberrant maternal behavior remain abstruse, as do the long-term psychological effects on the child victims. Guidelines for medical, social service, and legal management are provided.
Kinetics of the Multistep Rupture of Fibrin ‘A-a’ Polymerization Interactions Measured Using Atomic Force Microscopy

Fibrin, the structural scaffold of blood clots, spontaneously polymerizes through the formation of ‘A-a’ knob-hole bonds. When subjected to external force, the dissociation of this bond is accompanied by two to four abrupt changes in molecular dimension observable as rupture events in a force curve. Herein, the configuration, molecular extension, and kinetic parameters of each rupture event are examined. The increases in contour length indicate that the D region of fibrinogen can lengthen by ∼50% of the length of a fibrin monomer before rupture of the ‘A-a’ interaction. The dependence of the dissociation rate on applied force was obtained using probability distributions of rupture forces collected at different pull-off velocities. These distributions were fit using a model in which the effects of the shape of the binding potential are used to quantify the kinetic parameters of forced dissociation. We found that the weak initial rupture (i.e., event 1) was not well approximated by these models. The ruptured bonds comprising the strongest ruptures, events 2 and 3, had kinetic parameters similar to those commonly found for the mechanical unfolding of globular proteins. The bonds ruptured in event 4 were well described by these analyses, but were more loosely bound than the bonds in events 2 and 3. We propose that the first event represents the rupture of an unknown interaction parallel to the ‘A-a’ bond, events 2 and 3 represent unfolding of structures in the D region of fibrinogen, and event 4 is the rupture of the ‘A-a’ knob-hole bond weakened by prior structural unfolding. Comparison of the activation energy obtained via force spectroscopy measurements with the thermodynamic free energy of ‘A-a’ bond dissociation indicates that the ‘A-a’ bond may be more resistant to rupture by applied force than to rupture by thermal dissociation.
Pediatric intestinal and multivisceral transplantation: a new challenge for the pediatric intensivist

Introduction With increasing survival rates, intestinal transplantation (ITx) and multivisceral transplantation have reached the mainstream of medical care. Pediatric candidates for ITx often suffer from severe multisystem impairments that pose challenges to the medical team. These patients frequently require intensive care preoperatively and have unique intensive care needs postoperatively.
Abstract 3893: Mechanism of radiosensitization by inhibitors of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP)

Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL Inhibitors of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) are in clinical trials for cancer therapy based on specific lethality to cancer cells deficient in BRCA1 or BRCA2. In addition, pre-clinical work has shown that PARP inhibition induces radiosensitization in cancer cells. To provide a basis for the clinical application of PARP inhibitors as radiosensitizers, we conducted mechanistic studies to elucidate the pathways by which PARP inhibitors influence radiation response. Cells treated or not with PARP inhibitors and treated or not with siRNAs or other reagents to manipulate gene expression were assayed for radiation response by clonogenic survival assays. DNA double strand break repair was assayed using a chromosomally integrated GFP-based reporter construct. Although it was previously thought that PARP plays a role in DNA repair and radiation response primarily via the base excision repair (BER) pathway and recruitment of BER factors to sites of damage, we found that inhibitors of PARP can disrupt repair of double strand breaks (DSBs) by suppressing expression of BRCA1 and RAD51, key factors in homology-dependent repair (HDR) of DSBs. Treatment of human cancer cells with PARP inhibitors or with siRNAs targeted to PARP-1 yielded reduced levels of BRCA1 and RAD51. Radiosensitization by PARP inhibition was also seen in cells in which BER was already attenuated (via expression of a dominant negative variant of polymerase beta). Direct measurement of HDR using a GFP-based chromosomal reporter assay demonstrated reduced HDR in cells treated with PARP inhibitors. This work demonstrates that PARP inhibition can suppress the HDR pathway of DSB repair by down-regulation of BRCA1 and RAD51 expression. As such, it identifies a novel mechanism by which PARP regulates DNA repair and promotes radiosensitization, providing further rationale for therapeutic strategies combining PARP inhibition and radiation. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3893. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-3893
Cosmic-ray detector with interdigitated-finger pixels for two-dimensional position information from a single wafer side

This paper describes a type of cosmic ray detector for isotopic and energy detection of energetic nuclei which derives both dimensions of position information from one side of the detector. This simplifies the required readout electronics, since only one precision amplifier connected to the other side is required for an accurate detection of the energy loss. Two dimensional readout is enabled by the use of pixels consisting of closely spaced interdigitated electrodes alternately connected to row and column lines. Spreading of the charge produced by the cosmic ray results in the charge being collected by more than one electrode producing both a row and column signal on one side of the detector. The design, fabrication, and characterization of the interdigitated-pixel detector is discussed.
Temperature regulation in normothermic and hibernating eastern chipmunk, Tamias striatus.

Abstract 1. 1. In normothermia, body temperature (Tb) of T. striatus was 36 to 40·3°C at an ambient temperature (Ta) range of −7 and 32°C. Minimum oxygen consumption was 1·03 cm3O2/g per hr between Ta = 28·5 and 32°C. Minimum thermal conductance was 0·120 cm3O2/g per hr per °C. Minimum heart rate at a Ta of 30–31°C was 165 beats/min and irregular. Atropinization abolished irregular T-P intervals of electrocardiograms observed at Ta of 3–34°C. 2. 2. During entry into torpor, skipping of heart beats, successive declines of oxygen consumption and episodes of intermittent shivering were typical. 3. 3. During torpor, minimum heart rate and oxygen were 8·3–23% and 1·6–33% of normothermic values for comparable Ta. The Tb-Ta gradient of torpid animals increased from 2·8 to 13·4°C when the Ta decreased from 25·8 to 2°C. Body temperature in deafened animals was 2·4°C lower than that of undeafened animals. The lowest Tb at which arousal occurred was 5°C. 4. 4. During arousal, heart rate increased 10–23 times, oxygen consumption 7–28 times the torpid value. The fastest increase in Tb was associated with the strongest shivering episodes. The maximum cheek pouch-rectal temperature difference was 6·6°C and both temperatures increased in parallel. The maximum arousal rate was 0·72°C/min.
Intra-abdominal adhesions☆

Abstract Intra-abdominal adhesions form when the serosa of two adjacent peritoneal surfaces are denuded and remain in contact for a sufficient time for an exudate to become organized and adherent to the two surfaces. Distention of bowel with pressure exerted continuously between two adjacent intra-abdominal visceral surfaces is an active means toward such a union. The organic base lanolin was chosen as a means of separating the opposing serosal surfaces and as a preventative of adhesive formations because of its marked adhesive and nonirritating properties. Boric acid was used because it is not irritating and has a certain low antiseptic value. Two hundred ninety patients, in whom adhesive formations were found to be the principal pathological change present in the abdomen, were treated; of these, it was possible in 181 cases to obtain reports (follow-up records) of from one to twenty years after operation. One hundred thirtysix of the 181 patients were entirely free of the symptoms for which they had been operated, thirty-seven were improved and three were not improved. The five deaths which had occurred in the 290 patients operated were not in any way contingent upon the use of the lanolin paste. We are well satisfied that an ointment of lanolin (95 per cent) and boric acid (5 per cent) has proved of value in preventing intra-abdominal adhesions.
Accommodation Responds to Changing Contrast of Long, Middle and Short Spectral-waveband Components of the Retinal Image

We simulated the effects of longitudinal (axial) chromatic aberration and defocus on contrast of the long-, middle- and short-wavelength components of the retinal image to determine whether the effects of chromatic aberration are sufficient to drive accommodation. Accommodation was monitored continuously while subjects (12) viewed a 3 c/deg white sine-wave grating (0.92 contrast) in a Badal stimulus system. The contrasts (amplitudes) of the red, green and blue components of the white grating changed independently to simulate a grating oscillating from 1 D behind the retina to 1 D in front of the retina at 0.2 Hz. Subjects responded strongly to the chromatic simulation but poorly to a luminance control. The results support the hypothesis that focus is specified by the contrast of spectral-wavebands of the retinal image, and that conventional color mechanisms, monitoring chromatic contrast at luminance borders (1-8 c/deg), mediate the signals that specify dioptric vergence.
Comparison of attrition milled, nanostructured, powder-compaction techniques

The efficacy of compaction techniques for iron-based nanostructured powders was compared. Compaction processing conditions varied from room temperature to 1000°C; Pressures from 50MPa to 20GPa; and times from a few seconds to three hours. The resulting compact microstructures and grain sizes were dependent upon processing variables, especially temperature, but were independent of the processing technique. The advantages and limitations of each technique are discussed.
Sequences of a hairpin structure in the 3'-untranslated region mediate regulation of human pulmonary surfactant protein B mRNA stability.

The ability of pulmonary surfactant to reduce alveolar surface tension requires adequate expression of surfactant protein B (SP-B). Dexamethasone (DEX, 10−7 M) increases human SP-B mRNA stability by a mechanism that requires a 126-nt-long segment (the 7.6S region) of the 3′-untranslated region (3′-UTR). The objective of this study was to identify sequences in the 7.6S region that mediate regulation of SP-B mRNA stability. The 7.6S region was found to be sufficient for DEX-mediated stabilization of mRNA. Sequential substitution mutagenesis of the 7.6S region indicates that a 90-nt region is required for DEX-mediated stabilization and maintenance of intrinsic stability. In this region, one 30-nt-long element (002), predicted to form a stem-loop structure, is sufficient for DEX-mediated stabilization of mRNA and intrinsic mRNA stability. Cytosolic proteins specifically bind element 002, and binding activity is unaffected whether proteins are isolated from cells incubated in the absence or presence of DEX. While loop sequences of element 002 have no role in regulation of SP-B mRNA stability, the proximal stem sequences are required for DEX-mediated stabilization and specific binding of proteins. Mutation of the sequences that comprise the proximal or distal arm of the stem negates the destabilizing activity of element 002 on intrinsic SP-B mRNA stability. These results indicate that cytosolic proteins bind a single hairpin structure that mediates intrinsic and hormonal regulation of SP-B mRNA stability via mechanisms that involve sequences of the stems of the hairpin structure.
Properties and functions of human placental opioid system.

Abstract Human placental villus tissue contains opioid receptors and peptides. Kappa opioid receptors (the only type present in this tissue) were purified with retention of their binding properties. The purified kappa receptor is a glycoprotein with an apparent molecular weight of 63,000. Two opioid receptor mediated functions were identified in trophoblast tissue, namely regulation of acetylcholine and hormonal (human chorionic gonadotrophin and human placental lactogen) release. Placental content of kappa receptors increases with gestational age. Term placental content of kappa receptors correlates with route of delivery (higher in those abdominally obtained). Opioid use and/or abuse during pregnancy affects placental receptor content at delivery, as well as its mediated functions. Opioid peptides identified in placental receptor content at delivery, methionine enkephalin, leucine enkephalin and dynorphins 1–8 and 1–13. Dynorphin 1–8 seem to be the predominant opioid peptide present in placental villus tissue.
Poor medical records.

Excerpt To the Editor:My understanding of Dr. Burnum's article (1) is that most inadequacies of the medical record are interpreted as caused by pressures from society and regulatory agencies. I bel...
An adaptive model for on-line flood predictions using a piecewise uniformity framework

Abstract An adaptive rainfall-runoff model for real-time flood forecasting in large basins is presented. It is based on a framework characterized by an ensemble of spatially homogeneous units, with the transformation from effective rainfall to direct runoff described by the Clark translation-routing procedure. Evolution in time of infiltration is estimated, in terms of saturated hydraulic conductivity, K s , and sorptivity parameter, S , through a representation of its pre-ponding and post-ponding stages. For rainfall rates less than soil infiltration capacity, a temporal redistribution of rainfall is also incorporated. Variability of infiltration in space is represented by the corresponding rainfall variability and using spatially “equivalent” values for K s and S . The on-line correction of flow forecast involves the updating of the S parameter and of a runoff-scaling factor ( C ). The model performance was evaluated by using errors on peak runoff e and values of a persistence coefficient, V . The latter is defined so that 0 V ⩽ 1 denotes usefulness in model application and its maximum value represents perfect model performance. The model was applied to actual events observed on a large Italian basin (area 4,147 km 2 ) and the flow forecasts for lead-times ( L ) up to 6 h generally compared sufficiently well with the observations. For example, for L = 6 h, the mean values of e (in magnitude) and V were 10.0% and 0.67, respectively. Furthermore, the structure of the model seems to be reasonably appropriate, as shown by analyzing the temporal evolutions of S and C for each of the events considered.
NACOA vacancies filled

Six scientists were recently appointed to the President's National Advisory Committee on Oceans and Atmospheres (NACOA) as part of the committee's normal rotation, according to Steven Anastasion, executive director. Two of the six positions were reappointments. The committee, consisting of 18 scientists not working in the government, advises the executive and legislative branches on federal programs dealing with the oceans and atmosphere. Each member serves for 3 years; six positions become vacant each year as part of the rotation system.
Metabolic activation of the terminal N-methyl group of N-isopropyl-α-(2-methylhydrazino)- p -toluamide hydrochloride (procarbazine)

The NADPH-dependent microsomal metabolism of [14C]procarbazine, labeled on the terminal N-methyl group, resulted in the covalent binding of the drug to exogenously added DNA; this reaction was inhibited by metyrapone. Procarbazine metabolism was also shown to result in covalent binding of the methyl group of the drug to microsomal protein upon metabolism, but the extent of protein binding was at least an order of magnitude smaller than that seen with its primary oxidative metabolite. N-isopropyl-alpha-(2-methylazo)-p-toluamide. The characteristics of the reactions leading to the covalent binding of the N-methyl group of the azo derivative to microsomal protein and its metabolism to form the hydrocarbon, methane, possessed a number of similarities in the apparent kinetic parameters (Km and Vmax), induction, and inhibition patterns indicating a common pathway of metabolism to form a reactive intermediate and the involvement of cytochrome P-450. Reduced glutathione stimulated methane formation and inhibited covalent binding to protein. One azoxy derivative, N-isopropyl-alpha-(2-methyl-ONN-azoxy)-p-toluamide, was chemically unstable and its decomposition was shown to lead to covalent binding to microsomal protein. A diazene intermediate and a methyl radical are proposed to be intermediates in the formation of methane during the oxidative metabolism of the azo derivative of procarbazine and a common intermediate in the activation of procarbazine may result in both covalent binding to cellular macromolecules and methane production. In addition, chemical decomposition of the azoxy metabolites may also contribute to a small portion of the covalent binding, but not to methane formation.
ACT and General Cognitive Ability.

Abstract Research on the SAT has shown a substantial correlation with measures of g such as the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). Another widely administered test for college admission is the American College Test (ACT). Using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979, measures of g were derived from the ASVAB and correlated with ACT scores for 1075 participants. The resulting correlation was .77. The ACT also shows significant correlations with the SAT and several standard IQ tests. A more recent sample ( N = 149) consisting of ACT scores and the Raven's APM shows a correlation of .61 between Raven's-derived IQ scores and Composite ACT scores. It appears that ACT scores can be used to accurately predict IQ in the general population.
Culture and conflict: Understanding, negotiating, and reconciling conflicting constructions of reality☆

Abstract The paper explores the relations between culture and conflict that emerge when parties with differing constructions of reality come into contention regarding the distribution of power, control, and influence. While differences in the construction of reality do not necessarily mean conflict, and while conflict does not necessarily lead to violence, differences in the construction of reality that are codified and embedded in “unassailable” belief systems, such as those associated with fundamentalist political, economic, and religious systems, can elicit and sustain serious forms of violence, including ethnic and religious cleansing, genocide, and torture. This paper argues that we must recognize the power of culture in constructing our realities, and the reluctance we have as human beings to tolerate challenges to these realities because they introduce unacceptable levels of uncertainty and doubt. The consideration of culture in the mediation of conflict broadens options for resolution by introducing possibilities outside the limits of one's own cultural spectrum, including an improved understanding of the role of history and life contexts in generating shared meanings and behavior patterns. Following a discussion of various examples of cultures in conflict associated with political and religious fundamentalism, the paper advances a series of recommendations for understanding, negotiating, and mediating conflict via the use of cultural understanding, learning, and the development of cultures of peace.
Trees of homotopy types of two-dimensional CW-complexes

This paper is concerned with the homotopy theory and simple homotopy theory of connected finite 2 dimensional CW complexes with finite cyclic fundamental group. The main theorem presents a complete classification of such complexes up to homotopy type, and this theorem has the corollary that homotopy type and simple homotopy type coincide for these complexes. This work is motivated by the general problem of describing the sets HT(n) and SHT(n) of homotopy types and simple homotopy types of n-complexes, that is, connected finite 2 dimensional CW-complexes with a given fundamental group n. A visually satisfying description of HT (n) or SHT (n) is that of either set as a graph whose edges connect the type of each n-complex X to the type of its sum X v S 2 with the 2-sphere S 2. These graphs are actually trees; they clearly contain no circuits, and they are connected because any two n-complexes have the same type once each is summed with an appropriate number of copies of the 2-sphere S 2. To re establish this latter observation ofJ. H. C. Whitehead ([20, Theorem 12]), note that each n-complex has the simple homotopy type of one modeled in an obvious fashion on some finite presentation of the fundamental group ~z (see Proposition 1). But two finite presentations of the same group n differ by a finite sequence of Tietze operations, two of which leave the simple homotopy type of the associated topological model unchanged, while two alter the simple homotopy type by an S 2 summand. Of special interest in each of these trees are the roots and the junctions. The roots are the (simple) homotopy types that do not admit a factorization involving an S 2 summand; they generate the rest of the types in the tree under the operation of forming sum with S 2. The junctions are the (simple) homotopy types that admit two or more inequivalent factorizations involving an S 2 summand; they determine the shape of the tree. Each junction is a 2-dimensional instance of non-cancellation of the 2-sphere S 2 with respect to the sum operation. When the group n is a free group F of finite rank or is the finite cyclic group Z~ of prime order q, complete descriptions of the trees HT (n) and SHT (n) can be derived from the literature, as follows. A result of C. T. C. Wall ([17, Proposition 3.3]) can be specialized to read that for a free group F of finite rank r every F-complex has the homotopy type of a sum of r
The Uniform Guidelines Are a Detriment to the Field of Personnel Selection

The primary federal regulation concerning employment testing has not been revised in over 3 decades. The regulation is substantially inconsistent with scientific knowledge and professional guidelines and practice. We summarize these inconsistencies and outline the problems faced by U.S. employers in complying with the regulations. We describe challenges associated with changing federal regulations and invite commentary as to how such changes can be implemented. We conclude that professional organizations, such as the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP), should be much more active in promoting science-based federal regulation of employment practices. For most of the history of the United States, the employment opportunities of ethnic and racial minorities, women, and older adults were substantially restricted. With the enactment of federal civil rights legislation, the U.S. government sought to end such employment discrimination. The Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Civil Service Commission, Department of Labor, & Department of Justice,1978), hereafter ‘‘UniformGuidelines,’’ are U.S. federal guidelines, ‘‘which are designed to assist employers [ ... ]t o comply with requirements of federal law prohibiting employment practices which
Concanavalin A binding histiocytes in Hodgkin's disease and their relation to clinicopathologic features of the disease

The occurrence and staining patterns of Concanavalin A (Con A) binding histiocytes were studied in diagnostic lymph node specimens of 133 patients with Hodgkin's disease. Varying numbers of Con A binding histiocytes were present in all tumors. Two distinct cytoplasmic staining patterns of the Con A binding histiocytes were noted: diffuse, and a pattern termed "globular" which represents a dense, solitary paranuclear aggregate of binding sites. The diffuse binding pattern was seen in the majority of histiocytes with no apparent nuclear atypia, but was also occasionally seen in Reed-Sternberg cells. Globular binding was present in both benign and malignant-looking histiocytes, including rare Reed-Sternberg cells. Based on the number of histiocytes in which globular binding of Con A (G-cells) was observed, tumors were grouped in the following three categories: Group 1: tumors with large numbers of G-cells (42 cases); Group 2: tumors with a small number of G-cells (16); and Group 3: tumors with rare or no G-cells (75). Tumors with large numbers of G-cells were seen more frequently in patients with disseminated disease than in those with localized (69.0% versus 31.0%; P less than or equal to 0.002), and more often in patients with B-symptoms than in those without (73.8% versus 26.2%; P less than or equal to 0.001). Large numbers of G-cells were present in most tumors of the lymphocyte depletion type (14/16), whereas rare or no G-cells were seen in the majority of the nodular sclerosis type (46/59). These observations suggest that the G-cells may represent an abnormal variant of histiocytes, the occurrence of which is associated with unfavorable clinical and pathologic features of Hodgkin's disease.
Heteromolecular condensation theory applied to particle growth

Abstract The growth of aqueous sulfuric acid droplets originating from a heteromolecular nucleation process is calculated for particle sizes up to 1000 A. Two cases are discussed: (1) there exists a given initial concentration of a condensable trace gas, and (2) there exists a constant production rate of a condensable trace gas. The particle growth and the final particle size are calculated as functions of relative humidity from 10 to 99 per cent. Our previous studies on heteromolecular nucleation (Kiang et al., 1973) as applied to gas to particle conversion are extended to the particle growth process and found to agree roughly with experiments by Cox (1973).
Alzheimer Disease: Current Concepts and Emerging Diagnostic and Therapeutic Strategies

Alzheimer disease is a complex neurodegenerative dementing illness. It has become a major public health problem because of its increasing prevalence, long duration, high cost of care, and lack of disease-modifying therapy. Over the past few years, however, remarkable advances have taken place in understanding both the genetic and molecular biology associated with the intracellular processing of amyloid and tau and the changes leading to the pathologic formation of extracellular amyloid plaques and the intraneuronal aggregation of hyperphosphorylated tau into neurofibrillary tangles. The identification of disease-causing autosomal dominant mutations as well as gene polymorphisms that alter the risk for pathology indicate that Alzheimer disease is a genetically complex disorder. This progress in our understanding of the molecular pathology has set the stage for clinically meaningful advances in diagnosis and treatment. Emerging diagnostic methods that are based on biochemical and imaging biomarkers of disease-specific pathology hold the potential for accurately diagnosing Alzheimer disease at the earliest stage of the illness--the time when disease-modifying treatment will be most effective. Currently available cholinesterase inhibition therapy targets the cognitive symptoms. However, the goal of new therapies under development is halting the pathologic cascade and potentially reversing the course of the disease. If these new therapies are successful, they will represent a remarkable medical advance for patients and the families who care for them.
Preterm premature rupture of membranes: risks of recurrent complications in the next pregnancy among a population-based sample of gravid women.

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this study was to ascertain the predictive value of antecedent preterm premature rupture of membranes for recurrent preterm premature rupture of membranes and preterm delivery rates in the next pregnancy compared with background rates among a population-based sample of women at a single institution. Study Design: Records of patients with index singleton pregnancies that were complicated by preterm premature rupture of membranes whose next delivery resulted in a delivery at ≥20 weeks at the same institution were reviewed for the incidence and gestational age of recurrent preterm premature rupture of membranes and preterm delivery. All subjects were patients of physicians whose obstetric practices were based at a single institution. Background rates of preterm premature rupture of membranes and preterm delivery in this population were generated from a systematically selected comparison group composed of the two deliveries after each of the study group's second delivery. Results: The rates of recurrent preterm premature rupture of membranes (16.7%) and preterm delivery (34.2%) in the 114 study group patients were substantially greater (odds ratio, 20.6; 95% CI, 4.7-90.2; and odds ratio, 3.6; 95% CI, 2.1-6.4) than noted background rates (0.96% and 12.5%) but considerably less than the recurrence rates of either preterm premature rupture of membranes or preterm delivery that were reported by others. The gestational age of preterm premature rupture of membranes in the index pregnancy affected neither the magnitude of risk nor the gestational age of recurrent preterm premature rupture of membranes or preterm delivery in the subsequent pregnancy. Stratification of outcome measures into three subgroups that were based on the gestational age of index preterm premature rupture of membranes demonstrated no significant differences in the incidence of preterm premature rupture of membranes or preterm delivery. Conclusion: After a pregnancy that was complicated by preterm premature rupture of membranes, the risk for recurrent preterm premature rupture of membranes is increased by 20-fold and for recurrent preterm delivery by almost 4-fold. Gestational age of antecedent preterm premature rupture of membranes is predictive of neither risk nor timing of recurrent complications. Estimates of recurrence risks appear to be moderated by limiting analysis to a population-based sample of gravid women when compared with previous studies. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2003;188:209-13.)
Affective reciprocity and the development of autonomy: the study of a blind infant.

Abstract This study describes the development of affect and the system of communication evolving between a congenitally blind infant and her resourceful parents. The study is based on systematic videotaped observations from birth through age 15½ months. The organizing principle of the study lies in the tracing of the evolution of dyadic reciprocity and the accompanying unfolding of ever-increasing competence of the infant. The study demonstrates that this infant's development proceeds largely along normal lines, with occasional regression preceding new accomplishments. It is hypothesized that with support, resourceful parents can from the beginning understand the distorted signals their infant displays as part of his grappling to realize normal developmental goals. This, it seems, prevents the commonly observed stereotypic rigidities and restrictions of blind infants and leads to a mutually energizing process of rich and modulated development for infant and parent.
Design for a 1--5-um cryogenic echelle spectrograph for the NASA IRTF

The design of an infrared cryogenic echelle spectrograph for use on the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility is described. The resolving power achieved over the range 1-5.4 microns is 1-40,000 with slit widths of 2.0-0.5 arcsec. The spectrograph is used in a single order with a 30-arcsec-long slit. No cross dispersion is provided because of the small number of orders that can be observed at once and the need to keep the instrument as small as possible. A closed-cycle cooler is used in lieu of cryogens in order to achieve greater reliability and ease of use at the telescope. The optical layout, the design philosophy, the modes of operation, and the construction details are provided.
Homosexual behavior in feedlot steers: An aggression hypothesis

Abstract A common male homosexual vice in feedlot cattle is an activity where some steers, “bullers”, sexually attract other steers, “riders”. One theory of the cause is that bullers are excessively feminized and give off sexually stimulating pheromones. Because pheromones are detected in many mammals by the vomeronasal organ (VNO), we tested the role of this system by cauterizing duct openings which lead to the VNO. Cautery of non-bullers did statistically reduce bulling, but the magnitude of bulling was still high. Cautery of bullers revealed that they were indeed subjected to less mounting than were the non-cauterized bullers in the same herd. Bullers commonly participated in mounting and had aggression scores about twice that of riders. We believe that aggresssion is a key element in bulling behavior because: (1) most (over 80%) of the steers withdrew from the social contesting engaged in by both riders and bullers; (2) riders were challenged by bullers, in that bullers also mounted riders, as well as other bullers; (3) bullers were more aggressive than riders in the conventional measures of aggression; and (4) the amount of bulling was much greater during the periods of greatest social stress (such as just after the herds were formed and, in one pen, just after 50 new steers were added to the pen). Thus, we are led to advance a new hypothesis about bulling; namely, that it is a ritualized “game” based on social hierarchy contesting.
Clustering Functional Data

The problem of clustering functional data is addressed. Results on principal points (cluster means for probability distributions) are given for functional Gaussian distributions. Examples and simulations are provided to illustrate results.
Prospective determination of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy complication rates in children: Still a safe procedure

Background Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) placement in children has come under scrutiny with reports of improved safety profiles using laparoscopic-assisted techniques. However, these reports are generally limited by their retrospective nature and the inclusion of historically determined PEG complication rates in children. Complication rates associated with PEG placement in children have not been prospectively studied, and a true modern understanding of the safety profile of PEG when performed in children is unknown. We prospectively followed children undergoing PEG to establish a clear and current understanding of the complication rates associated with this procedure. Methods Consecutive PEG procedures performed between December 2009 and August 2010 at a single, tertiary-care pediatric hospital were enrolled for study. Patients were followed prospectively for 90 days with data regarding complications acquired via standardized interviews at 7, 30, and 90 days postoperatively. Results We enrolled 103 patients for study. Median age and weight at time of operation was 8 months (range, 2 weeks–21 years) and 6.9 kg (range, 2–42). Patients underwent primary placement of either a PEG button ( n = 70) or PEG tube ( n = 33). There were no intraoperative complications, with a 100% procedure completion rate. Six deaths occurred during this follow-up time period (mean of 37 days postoperatively) and were attributed to causes other than PEG placement. Four patients were lost to follow-up. One PEG tube was electively discontinued before the end of the follow-up period without complication. Of the remaining 92 patients with complete data, 13 complications were observed in 10 patients. Total complication rate was 14%. Conclusion Rates of PEG complications observed in this prospective study are low and are generally minor. Observed rates of PEG-specific complications are lower than historic reports. The safety profile of PEG when performed in today's pediatric population remains comparable in safety to techniques such as laparoscopic-assisted gastrostomy.
Structures and reactivity of Zr(IV) chlorobenzene complexes

The synthesis, structures, and unusual reactivity of (C5R5)2ZrR'(ClPh)+ chlorobenzene complexes are described. The reaction of (C5R5)2ZrR'2 with [Ph3C][B(C6F5)4] in C6D5Cl affords [(C5R5)2ZrR'(ClC6D5)][B(C6F5)4] chlorobenzene complexes (1-d5, R' = CH2Ph and (C5R5)2 = (C5H5)2; 2a-d-d5, R' = Me and (C5R5)2 = rac-(1,2-ethylene(bis)indenyl) (2a), (C5H5)2 (2b), (C5H4Me)2 (2c), (C5Me5)2 (2d, C5Me5 = Cp*)). Complexes 1 and 2b,c are thermally robust but are converted to [{(C5R5)2Zr(mu-Cl)}2][B(C6F5)4]2 (4b,c) by a photochemical process in ClPh solution. In contrast, 2d undergoes facile thermal ortho-C-H activation to yield [Cp*2Zr(eta2-C,Cl-2-Cl-C6H4)][B(C6F5)4] (5), which slowly rearranges to [(eta4,eta1-C5Me5C6H4)Cp*ZrCl][B(C6F5)4] (6) via beta-Cl elimination and benzyne insertion into a Zr-CCp* bond. The higher thermal reactivity of 2d versus that of 1 and 2b,c is attributed to steric crowding associated with the Cp* ligands of 2d, which forces a ClPh ortho-hydrogen close to the Zr-Me group.
Stochastic Skew in Currency Options

We document the behavior of over-the-counter currency option prices across moneyness, maturity, and calendar time on two of the most actively traded currency pairs over the past eight years. We find that the risk-neutral distribution of currency returns is relatively symmetric on average. However, on any given date, the conditional currency return distribution can show strong asymmetry. This asymmetry varies greatly over time and often switch directions. We design and estimate a class of models that capture these unique features of the currency options prices and perform much better than traditional jump-diffusion stochastic volatility models.
Archiving human rights: A paradigm for collection development

Abstract In the last 15 years, the human rights movement has come of age. As such, opportunities now exist to collect archival materials documenting one of the most profound international movements of the 20th century. This article analyzes this subject and provides one way to begin the archiving process.
Formation of smooth muscle α actin filaments in CD34+ bone marrow cells on arterial elastic laminae: Potential role of SH2 domain-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase-1

Arterial smooth muscle cells (SMCs) are present in the elastic lamina-containing media, suggesting that the elastic laminae may regulate the development of SMCs. Here, we investigated the role of elastic laminae in regulating the formation of SM alpha actin filaments in mouse CD34+ bone marrow cells and the role of a protein tyrosine phosphatase, SH2 domain-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase (SHP)-1, in the mediation of this process. Mouse CD34+ bone marrow cells were isolated by magnetic separation and used for assessing the influence of elastic laminae and collagen matrix on the formation of SM alpha actin filaments. CD34+ cells with transgenic SHP-1 knockout or siRNA-mediated SHP-1 knockdown were used to assess the role of SHP-1 in mediating the formation of SM alpha actin filaments. In cell culture tests, elastic laminae, but not collagen matrix, stimulated the formation of SM alpha actin filaments in CD34+ cells. The phosphatase SHP-1 mediated the stimulatory effect of elastic laminae. The interaction of CD34+ cells with elastic laminae, but not with collagen matrix, induced activation of SHP-1. The suppression of SHP-1 by transgenic SHP-1 knockout or siRNA-mediated SHP-1 knockdown significantly reduced the formation of SM alpha actin filaments in CD34+ cells cultured on elastic laminae. The in vitro observations were confirmed by using an in vivo model of implantation of elastic lamina and collagen matrix scaffolds into the aorta. These observations suggest that elastic laminae stimulate the formation of SM alpha actin filaments in CD34+ bone marrow cells and SHP-1 mediates the stimulatory effect of elastic laminae.
THROMBOTIC SYNDROMES AND AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES

Maintenance of blood flow involves the dynamic interactions between the endothelium, circulating cellular components, coagulation factors, regulatory proteins involved in inhibiting coagulation, and factors involved in fibrinolysis. Autoantibodies, inflammatory cytokines, and other undefined triggers may lead to an imbalance in the equilibrium between the various hemostatic pathways resulting in potentially catastrophic thrombotic events. This article reviews the clinical manifestations and treatment of selected, potentially life-threatening thrombotic syndromes that may occur in association with autoimmune diseases: the antiphospholipid antibody syndrome and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. Special mention is made of thrombotic events associated with Behcet's disease.
Burke’s “Revolutionary Book”: Conservative Politics and Revolutionary Aesthetics in the Reflections

This essay explores the seemingly disjointed relationship between politics and aesthetics in Burke’s Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790), questioning why the first articulation of conservative traditionalism would be announced in a shockingly new, experimental style. One of Novalis’s aphorisms suggests that Burke’s Reflections inverts common assumptions about the relationship between politics and aesthetics: “Many antirevolutionary books have been written for the Revolution. But Burke has written a revolutionary book against the Revolution.” As Novalis observed, Burke’s Reflections defies the formal conventions of political prose; Burke outlines his defense of traditional British institutions in an idiom that approaches the excesses of modernist montage in its patchwork of genres. His unsystematic style juxtaposes and blends, often in seemingly incongruous ways, diverse literary genres and rhetorical forms: the legalistic-latinate idiom, the captivity narrative, the biblical epistle, the political tract, the gothic novel, enthusiastic prophecy, chivalric romance, and tragedy. While these disparate literary forms erupt unpredictably in the Reflections, they do so in a fragmented, at times even grotesque manner, revealing what Burke himself admitted, that his conservative project is premised on an invented tradition devoid of all referential consistency and stability. In the face of an economy that was changing the very nature of value as such, Burke aesthetically revives fragments of tradition from the past and arranges them in an anti-utilitarian way that might conserve what he understood to be their pre-capitalist, non-relative value.
Design Of Nonpolarizing Achromatic Beamsplitters With Dielectric Multilayer Coatings

A novel design approach is presented for nominally nonpolarizing beamsplitters with very low polarization over an extended wavelength range, with low angular sensitivity. A high degree of intensity matching for s and p polarization in a given wavelength interval, from 500 to 600 nm, has been obtained for multilayer stacks derived from an initial graded-index film design by matching of the characteristic matrices. This graded-index film design maintains a very low polarization ratio for almost the complete visible region, covering a wavelength range about twice that covered by the derived homogeneous multilayer stack.
Size Effect in the Electrical Conductivity of Cylindrical Wires

Magnetomorphic oscillations in the isothermal electrical conductivity are examined for the case of cylindrical wires (infinitely long with radius $\mathcal{r}$). The theory assumes a spherical Fermi surface and diffuse scattering of the electrons at the boundaries of the sample. The magnetic field is taken normal to the axis of the cylinder. The magnetomorphic oscillatory component of the electrical conductivity, periodic in magnetic field, becomes significant when the mean free path is the same order of magnitude as the radius of the cylindrical sample. Expressions are obtained for the magnetomorphic oscillatory components ${\stackrel{\ifmmode \tilde{}\else \~{}\fi{}}{\ensuremath{\sigma}}}_{\mathrm{ij}}$ of the elements of the electrical conductivity tensor ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\mathrm{ij}}$. The period of the oscillations, ${P}_{0}=\frac{\ensuremath{\pi}{p}_{F}c}{e\mathcal{r}}$, is the same as that of thin plate geometry (H normal to the plate) with the diameter of the cylinder equal to the plate thickness, and affords a direct measure of the Fermi radius ${p}_{F}$. The amplitude of the oscillations in the ${\stackrel{\ifmmode \tilde{}\else \~{}\fi{}}{\ensuremath{\sigma}}}_{\mathrm{ij}}$ falls off with magnetic field as ${H}^{\ensuremath{-}\frac{9}{2}}$, in contrast to the ${H}^{\ensuremath{-}4}$ dependence for thin films.