cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Synthesis and reactions of sydnone oximes

Oximino sydnones 1a,b have been prepared and subjected to reaction with a variety of electrophilic reagents. The aldoxime reacted with all of the latter (except acetic anhydride) to give 3-(2-cyanophenyl)sydnone 1h. With acetic anhydride, both sydnone oximes formed the corresponding O-acetates li,m. Similarly, O-sulfonates 1l,k,j, respectively, were obtained by reaction of the ketoxime with benzene-, methane- and para-toluenesulfonyl chloride. Thermolysis (on silica) of the O-sulfonates and the O-acetates has been examined.
Integration of machine requirements planning and aggregate production planning

Abstract Although machine requirements planning and aggregate planning problems have been treated as separate areas of research, the two are closely related in most production environments. This article presents a mathematical programming model that concurrently encompasses the two areas. The integrated model incorporates production and workforce planning decisions with equipment procurement decisions. Our evaluations indicate that the integrated model has cost-saving advantages over the individual aggregate planning and machine planning models. Furthermore, the integrated model allows the analyst to evaluate various production alternatives, each having a different ratio of operator/ machine contribution to production. This makes the model useful for assessing the attractiveness of various degrees of automation in manufacturing of a product. The article starts with a brief background review of machine requirements planning and aggregate production planning. We then discuss the significance of combining th...
Effect of dietary animal and vegetable protein on gallstone formation and biliary constituents in the hamster.

A gallstone-inducing diet was utilized to examine the effect of dietary proteins (casein, soybean and cottonseed) on gallstone formation. Casein produced gallstones in 100% of the animals; however, soybean or cottonseed proteins reduced gallstone incidence to 32% and 0%, respectively. In an effort to ascertain the mechanisms responsible for gallstone formation, serum cholesterol and the 3 primary biliary constituents (bile acids, phospholipids and cholesterol) were measured. Casein produced a 4-fold increase in biliary cholesterol, whereas soybean and cottonseed yielded a 3-and 2-fold increase, respectively, when compared to a commercial diet (Purina, no. 5001). Serum cholesterol was reduced by substituting dietary vegetable protein for animal protein. This study suggests that substitution of vegetable for animal protein in the diet can decrease gallstone formation in hamsters. It is proposed that this reduced gallstone formation is due to the decreased concentrations of biliary cholesterol induced by dietary modification.
Johann Heinrich Hottinger and the Systematic Organization of Jewish Literature

The authors explore the influence of the Swiss theologian, Orientalist, and Christian Hebraist, Johann Heinrich Hottinger, who preceded Shabbetai Bass in developing and implementing a classified Hebraica-Judaica bibliography. His ideas and theories have heretofore not been closely examined by Judaica bibliographers or researchers of Jewish intellectual history. Hottinger’s innovation was his degree of abstraction: that of analyzing a collection according to its contents. A study of his theories and classification systems can stimulate and encourage a renewed look at early practices and offer insights that can be relevant to current research. Unless otherwise noted, translations from the original Latin, Hebrew, and other languages are the authors’.
Quantitative analysis of systems: Stability, boundedness, and trajectory behavior

In practice one is frequently interested not only in the qualitative type of information obtainable from the stability (in the Lyapunov sense) of a dynamic system, but also in quantitative data such as specific trajectory bounds and trajectory behavior. A system could, for example, be stable and still be completely useless because it may exhibit undesirable transient characteristics (e.g., it may exceed certain limits imposed on the trajectory bounds). Qualitative studies involving the boundedness of systems have been undertaken by several investigators (see e.g. [1], [2]). Qualitative information concerning the trajectory behavior of systems has been obtained by examining the properties of Lyapunov functions (cf. for example the discussions on exponential stability, significant and intensive behavior of systems, etc., in [3], [4]). In their treatment of practical stability, LA SALLE & LEFSCrIETZ [2] quantitatively investigated certain properties of systems by utilizing specific trajectory bounds. Various workers considered the problem of system stability over a finite time interval [2], [5]-[9]. In these investigations, specific trajectory bounds generally play an important role. In this paper, a quantitative treatment of systems is considered. In doing so, stability is defined in terms of time-varying sets which are specified for each given problem. The properties of these sets not only yield stability information but also quantitative data concerning estimates of trajectory bounds and trajectory behavior.
Tempest in a Therapeutic Community: Implementation and Evaluation Issues for Faith-Based Programming

The therapeutic community (TC) is an increasingly utilized intervention model in corrections settings. Rarely do these TCs include faith-based curriculum other than that included in Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous programs as does the faith-based TC that serves as the basis for this article. Borrowing from the successful TC model, the program discussed here incorporates additional faith-based modules in a jail or work release program setting. Obstacles associated with program design and implementation, funding, data collection, efficacy, and outcomes are described with recommendations for ongoing and future stakeholders, policy-makers, and service providers.
Fair and anxious: on mimicry and skin-lightening in India

Skin-lightening or ‘fairness’ creams – with their troubling colonial overtones – are big business in India, an over $200 million industry that comprises the largest segment of the country's skin cream market. Although corporations like Unilever have been widely criticized for profiting on colorism, they continue to produce advertisements that equate light skin with beauty, success, and empowerment. Through an analysis of the fairness motif in advertising and popular media, I first show how skin-lightening creams are positioned as alchemic agents of self-transformation. Secondly, as the use of skin lighteners continues to grow in the global South, I ask: how are we to understand this aspiration for lightness? Rather than viewing this kind of cultural mimicry as a form of false consciousness, I argue that it represents an anxious love for the ‘other’ that is conditioned by power relations.
Chlorpyrifos transformation by aqueous chlorine in the presence of bromide and natural organic matter.

The aqueous chlorination of chlorpyrifos (CP) was investigated in the presence of bromide and natural organic matter (NOM), which were identified as naturally occurring aqueous constituents that could affect CP transformation rates to the toxic product chlorpyrifos oxon (CPO). Bromide can be oxidized by chlorine to form hypobromous acid (HOBr), which was found to oxidize CP at a rate that was 3 orders of magnitude faster than was the case with chlorine: kHOBr,CP = 1.14 (± 0.21) × 109 M−1 h−1 and kHOCl,CP = 1.72 × 106 M−1 h−1, respectively. Similar to previous findings with the hypochlorite ion, hypobromite (OBr−) was found to accelerate the hydrolysis of CP and CPO: kOBr,CP = 965 (± 110) M−1 h−1 and kOBr,CPO = 1390 (± 160) M−1 h−1, respectively. Treated water from the Athens-Clarke County (ACC) water treatment plant in Athens, GA, was used in some of the experiments as a NOM source. A mechanistic model was used to adequately predict the loss of CP as well as the formation of CPO and the hydrolysis product...
A population-based model of respiratory cancer incidence, progression, diagnosis, treatment, and mortality.

Abstract A methodology is presented which utilizes multiple sources of data to estimate the transition parameters for a model of respiratory cancer morbidity and mortality. This methodology employs auxiliary evidence from clinical and epidemiological studies to structure a stochastic compartment model which makes it possible to infer unobserved morbidity transition rates from a population-based mortality time series for selected cohorts. By expressing a double convolution equation as a sum of a finite number of terms, it is possible to calculate maximum likelihood estimates (MLEs) of parameters representing transitions through three stages in the natural history of the disease process. Calculations are illustrated using national mortality data for nine U.S. white male cohorts followed through the period 1950–1977.
Measurement of Alcohol-Related Consequences among High School and College Students: Application of Item Response Models to the Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index.

The Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index (RAPI; H. R. White & E. W. Labouvie, 1989) is a frequently used measure of alcohol-related consequences in adolescents and college students, but psychometric evaluations of the RAPI are limited and it has not been validated with college students. This study used item response theory (IRT) to examine the RAPI on students (N = 895; 65% female, 35% male) assessed in both high school and college. A series of 2-parameter IRT models were computed, examining differential item functioning across gender and time points. A reduced 18-item measure demonstrating strong clinical utility is proposed, with scores of 8 or greater implying greater need for treatment.
Dynamic redundancy allocation for reliable and high-performance nanocomputing

Nanoelectronic devices are considered to be the fabrics of future nanocomputing systems due to their ultra-high speed and integration density. However, the imperfect bottom-up self-assembly fabrication leads to excessive defects that emerge as a barrier for reliable computing. In addition, transient errors continue to be an issue in nanoscale integration. The massive parallelism rendered by the ultra-high integration density opens up new opportunities but also poses challenges on how to manage such massive resources for reliable and high-performance computing. In this paper, we propose a nanoarchitecture solution to address these emerging challenges. By using dynamic redundancy allocation, the massive parallelism is exploited to jointly achieve fault (defect/error) tolerance and high performance. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed technique under a range of fault rates and operating conditions.
Novel Role for Glutathione S-Transferase π: REGULATOR OF PROTEIN S-GLUTATHIONYLATION FOLLOWING OXIDATIVE AND NITROSATIVE STRESS*

Glutathione S-transferase Pi (GSTπ) is a marker protein in many cancers and high levels are linked to drug resistance, even when the selecting drug is not a substrate. S-Glutathionylation of proteins is critical to cellular stress response, but characteristics of the forward reaction are not known. Our results show that GSTπ potentiates S-glutathionylation reactions following oxidative and nitrosative stress in vitro and in vivo. Mutational analysis indicated that the catalytic activity of GST is required. GSTπ is itself redox-regulated. S-Glutathionylation on Cys47 and Cys101 autoregulates GSTπ, breaks ligand binding interactions with c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK), and causes GSTπ multimer formation, all critical to stress response. Catalysis of S-glutathionylation at low pK cysteines in proteins is a novel property for GSTπ and may be a cause for its abundance in tumors and cells resistant to a range of mechanistically unrelated anticancer drugs.
A Systematic Comparison of the Transverse Energy Minimization and Splitting Intensity Techniques for Measuring Shear‐Wave Splitting Parameters

Over the past several decades, shear-wave splitting (SWS) analyses have been increasingly utilized to delineate mantle structure and probe mantle dynamics. However, the reported splitting parameters (fast polarization orientations and splitting times) are frequently inconsistent among different studies, partially due to the different techniques used to estimate the splitting parameters. Here, we report results from a sys- tematic comparison of the transverse minimization (TM) and the splitting intensity (SI) techniques. The study was motivated by the fact that recent comparative studies led to conflicting conclusions, which include the suggestion that TM, which is arguably the most widely used SWS-measuring technique, performs significantly poorly relative to SI under most circumstances in terms of stability and reliability of the resulting splitting parameters. We use both synthetic and real seismograms to evaluate the performance of the techniques for noise resistance, dominant period dependence, and complex aniso- tropy recognition. For one-layer anisotropy models with a horizontal axis of symmetry, our results show the two techniques can provide measurements with similar reliability. The testing confirms conclusions from previous studies that, although SI cannot distin- guish between simple and complex anisotropy models with a horizontal axis of sym- metry, TM can serve as a powerful tool in recognizing the existence of complex anisotropy, which is characterized by a systematic dependence of the splitting param- eters on the back azimuth of the events. Therefore, when the existence of complex anisotropy beneath a study area is unknown, TM is a better choice. Ⓔ A FORTRAN program for the calculation of Wiener-filtered wavelet and splitting intensity using SI technique is provided as an electronic supplement to this article. Online Material: FORTRAN code to calculate splitting intensity.
Top-Down Regulation of Litter Invertebrates by a Terrestrial Salamander

Abstract: Terrestrial plethodontid salamanders are abundant predators within the forest floor litter of eastern North America, and are hypothesized to regulate soil and litter invertebrate density and species composition. I tested this hypothesis during a 6-yr study of the effects of the Eastern Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus) on the invertebrate community of a forest site in northeast Ohio. Salamander surface density, invertebrate abundance, and community composition were monitored within 30 open, circular plots. Variation in plot occupancy by P. cinereus was achieved by supplying plots with differing amounts of artificial cover (0, 1, or 4 ceramic tiles) that served as refuges for the salamanders. Salamander plot occupancy, invertebrate density, leaf litter mass, and leaf litter moisture were quantified each spring and fall from 2003 through 2008. Statistically significant effects of salamander plot-occupancy on invertebrate densities were found for several taxa of mesofauna, including severa...
A numerical model of the synthesis of carbon black by benzene pyrolysis

A numerical model has been developed to predict the formation of carbon black particles by benzene pyrolysis. The approach, patterned after the work of Jensen, assumes that particle formation is controlled by four steps: gas phase reactions producing radical species, nucleation, growth and coagulation, and oxidation. In the present model, 15 reactions based on the work of Fujii and Asaba are used to describe the gas phase kinetics in which the phenyl radical is treated as the important intermediate in the formation of carbon black. A discrete distribution of 10 particle radii is also used to approximate the simultaneous growth and coagulation of spherical carbon particles. The results of the model show that a self-preserving log normal distribution of carbon particles develops after an initial nucleation and growth period. The model results also compare favorably with reactor data. In particular, the numerical model predicts a mass median carbon particle diameter to within 10% of measured values.
Understanding and isolating the noise in the Linux kernel

Scientific applications are interrupted by the operating system far too often. Historically, operating systems have been optimized to time-share a single resource, the CPU. We now have an abundance of cores, but we are still swapping out the application to run other tasks and therefore increasing the application's time to solution. In addition, with parallel applications the probability of one of the tasks entering a synchronization point late due to one of these interrupts increases with increasing system scale, which further increases the application turn-around time. This paper reviews measures that can be taken to reduce application interruption using only compile and run time configurations in a recent unmodified Linux kernel. Although these measures have been available for some time, to the best of the authors' knowledge, they have never been implemented in a high-performance computing context. We then introduce our invasive method, where we remove the involuntary preemption induced by task scheduling. Our experiments show that parallel applications benefit from these modifications even at relatively small scales. At the modest scale of our testbed, we see a 1.91% improvement in a bulk-synchronous-parallel application that should project into higher benefits at extreme scales.
Regulation of Cellular Caveolin-1 Protein Expression in Murine Macrophages by Microbial Products

Previously, we reported that expression of caveolin-1 in elicited peritoneal mouse macrophages was up-regulated by remarkably low (1.0-pg/ml) concentrations of Escherichia coli O111 lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Here we report that increases in caveolin-1 expression are manifested by different types of LPS, LPS-mimetic taxol, and heat-killed E. coli and to a much lesser extent by zymosan, polysaccharide-peptidoglycan, and heat-killed Staphylococcus aureus. Rhodobacter sphaeroides lipid A (RsDPLA) could not induce caveolin-1 expression in macrophages. Interestingly, polymyxin B (5 μg/ml) and RsDPLA show only a limited capacity to inhibit LPS-induced caveolin-1 expression. These findings suggest that expression of caveolin-1 in response to LPS may only partially be dependent upon lipid A. Recombinant tumor necrosis factor alpha marginally induces caveolin-1, suggesting that the ability of LPS to regulate caveolin-1 is not mediated primarily through an autocrine/paracrine mechanism involving this cytokine. Under conditions in which cellular levels of caveolin-1 are profoundly induced, no significant changes in TLR4 expression are observed. Of interest, caveolin-1 appears to localize to two cellular compartments, one associated with lipid rafts and a second associated with TLR4. Gamma interferon treatment inhibits the induction of caveolin-1 by LPS in macrophages. Inhibition of the p38 kinase-dependent pathway, but not the extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathway, effectively reduced the ability of LPS to mediate caveolin-1 up-regulation. Lactacystin, a potent inhibitor of the proteasome pathway, significantly modulates LPS-independent caveolin-1 expression, and lactacystin inhibits LPS-triggered caveolin-1 responses. These studies suggest that caveolin-1 up-regulation in response to LPS is likely to be proteasome dependent and triggered through the p38 kinase pathway.
Complications and long-term survival for alcoholic patients with resectable lung cancer.

Background: The aim of this study was to determine the surgical risks and long-term survival in alcoholic patients undergoing resection for non-small-cell lung cancer. Methods: Nineteen resected patients comprising the alcoholic group were identified by either a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV diagnosis of alcohol dependence/abuse, or an alcohol consumption of 60 oz/d or more. Alcoholic patients were compared with 37 nonalcoholic patients undergoing resection. Results: Alcoholic patients had an increase in major infectious complications (37% [7 of 19] versus 5% [2 of 37], P = 0.005), respiratory failure (42% [8 of 19] versus 5% [2 of 37], P ≤0.001), and costs ($49,526 ± $17,525 versus $18,385 ± $3,260, P = 0.01). Alcohol abuse was the best predictor of perioperative respiratory and infectious complications (P = 0.002, B = 2.86, odds ratio = 17.5). Stage of disease (P = 0.03, B = 1.19, hazard ratio = 3.29) was a better predictor of long-term survival. Conclusions: Alcohol abuse significantly increases the risk and cost of lung cancer resection. For alcoholic patients surviving the perioperative period, long-term survival appears similar to non-alcohol-abusing patients. Published by Excerpta Medica, Inc.
Are Governors Responsible for the State Economy? Partisanship, Blame, and Divided Federalism

In the United States, voters directly elect dozens of politicians: presidents, governors, legislators, mayors, and so on. How do voters decide which politician to blame for which policy outcomes? Previous research on gubernatorial approval has suggested that voters divide policy blame between governors and the president based on each office’s “functional responsibilities”—requiring that responsibilities are clear cut, which is seldom true. Using data from four surveys, I show that voters actually divide responsibility for economic conditions in a partisan manner, preferring to blame officials from the opposing party when problems arise.
Cooperative Communication Using Complementary Punctured Convolutional (CPC) Codes over Wireless Fading Channels

Recently, cooperative communication has been proposed to provide diversity, thereby improving the performance of wireless networks. In this paper, we develop two transmission methods for cooperative networks that need to exchange no or a minimum amount of information among cooperating nodes and the source node to coordinate cooperative transmissions. We then investigate the bit error rate performance of complementary punctured convolutional (CPC) codes, when they are applied to our two cooperating transmission schemes. Our simulation results demonstrate that cooperative communication can improve the BER performance significantly, and our cooperation scheme II offers better performance than cooperation scheme I, because it uses a better node selection method, although it does not need any signaling overhead.
Production of a monoclonal anti-myostatin antibody and the effects of in ovo administration of the antibody on posthatch broiler growth and muscle mass.

In this study, we produced a polyclonal antibody against unprocessed chicken myostatin and examined the effect of in ovo administration of the antibody on posthatch chicken growth and muscle mass. A PCR-amplified unprocessed chicken myostatin cDNA was cloned into an Escherichia coli expression vector, and myostatin proteins were expressed. Recombinant myostatin purified by electro-elution of the SDS-PAGE fractionated myostatin band was used as an immunogen to produce rabbit polyclonal antimyostatin antibody (pAb-AVM46). In Western blot analysis, the pAb-AVM46 showed high affinity to the myostatin propeptide, but little affinity to the mature myostatin. Two experiments examined the effect of in ovo administration of the pAb-AVM46 on posthatch chicken growth and skeletal muscle mass. In experiment 1, broilers from eggs injected once with 35 microg of the antibody into the yolk on d 3 of incubation had significantly lower combined thigh and leg weight at 4 wk posthatch than the controls that received no injection, or the broilers from eggs received the same dose of antibody into the albumen. In experiment 2, 2 different doses of the antibody (9 or 70 microg) were injected into the yolk, and the effects on body and muscle weight were examined at 5 wk posthatch. Birds from eggs injected with 70 microg of the antibody had significantly lighter (11.6%) combined thigh and leg weight than the control birds. The percentage of the combined thigh and leg weight to BW of the 70-microg group was also significantly lower than that of the control group (20.95 vs. 23.08%). The results of this study indicate that unprocessed full-length myostatin as an immunogen produced antibody populations having affinity mostly to the propeptide with little to the mature form. The decreased muscle weight observed in broilers injected with the antibody in the yolk indicates that myostatin activity was probably elevated by the binding of the antibody to the propeptide, and provides evidence that myostatin propeptide inhibits the biological activity of myostatin in broilers.
Simulation optimization decision support system for ship panel shop operations

This university-industry project developed, in addition to discrete-event simulation models of the bottleneck shop in two major shipyards, a decision support system (DSS) that integrates the simulation models and an evolutionary-strategy-based optimizer. The system determines the optimal sequence for producing ship panels (each panel is unique) based on each panel's physical characteristics and work content, resource availability, earliest start and latest finish dates, operating policies, and business rules. The quality of each alternative sequence is assessed through detailed simulation models of the shops. The DSS can use models developed in either ProModel or QUEST. The system is used by planners to assess shipyard capacity and by shop-floor supervisors to better allocate resources. The successful results demonstrate the capability to effectively imbed and hide complexities associated with sophisticated simulation and optimization technologies from non-technical users, yet enable the users to obtain the benefits of using the technologies.
Genetic determinants of phenotypic diversity in humans

New technologies for rapidly assaying DNA sequences have revealed that the degree and nature of human genetic variation is far more complex then previously realized. These same technologies have also resulted in the identification of common genetic variants associated with more than 30 human diseases and traits.
Thymic stromal lymphopoietin mediates the host response and increases mortality during sepsis

Abstract Background Sepsis and subsequent multiorgan system failure is associated with high rates of mortality and morbidity. Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is a cytokine that can be produced by keratinocytes and epithelial cells. Primarily, TSLP has been shown to promote counter-inflammatory processes. However, its potential expression or role in the pathogenesis of sepsis is largely unexplored. We hypothesized that TSLP is expressed during sepsis and TSLP blockade would alter the immune response and mortality. Materials and methods Mice underwent cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) to produce a physiologically relevant murine model for sepsis. Cohorts were either treated with neutralizing TSLP antibodies or isotype controls before the CLP to determine changes in survival, bacterial loads, cytokine levels, and neutrophil function. Results It was observed that TSLP levels peaked at 6 h and remained detectable up to 48 h after CLP. Mice pretreated with neutralizing TSLP showed decreased mortality and bacterial load after CLP. Additionally, we determined that septic mice pretreated with the anti-TSLP antibody had increased tumor necrosis factor alpha and oxidative burst as well as increased interleukin 17 and neutrophil numbers compared with mice pretreated with isotype controls. Conclusions TSLP levels peak early but are sustained during the first 48 h of sepsis. We speculate that TSLP blunts the neutrophil response resulting in increased bacterial load and mortality.
Dirty mouth? Should you clean it out? Decontamination for the prevention of pneumonia and mortality in the ICU

de Smet AM, Kluytmans JA, Cooper BS, Mascini EM, Benus RF, van der Werf TS, van der Hoeven JG, Pickkers P, Bogaers-Hofman D, van der Meer NJ, Bernards AT, Kuijper EJ, Joore JC, Leverstein-van Hall MA, Bindels AJ, Jansz AR, Wesselink RM, de Jongh BM, Dennesen PJ, van Asselt GJ, te Velde LF, Frenay IH, Kaasjager K, Bosch FH, van Iterson M, Thijsen SF, Kluge GH, Pauw W, de Vries JW, Kaan JA, Arends JP, Aarts LP, Sturm PD, Harinck HI, Voss A, Uijtendaal EV, Blok HE, Thieme Groen ES, Pouw ME, Kalkman CJ, Bonten MJ: Decontamination of the digestive tract and oropharynx in ICU patients. N Engl J Med 2009, 360:20-31 [1]. Selective digestive tract decontamination (SDD) and selective oropharyngeal decontamination (SOD) are infection-prevention measures used in the treatment of some patients in intensive care, but reported effects on patient outcome are conflicting. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of SDD and SOD in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. A controlled, crossover study using cluster randomization. 13 ICUs in the Netherlands between May 2004 and July 2006. 5939 patients with an expected duration of intubation of more than 48 hours or an expected ICU stay of more than 72 hours were eligible. In each ICU, three regimens (SDD, SOD, and standard care) were applied in random order over the course of 6 months. SDD consisted of 4 days of intravenous cefotaxime and topical application of tobramycin, colistin, and amphotericin B in the oropharynx and stomach. SOD consisted of oropharyngeal application only of the same antibiotics. Mortality at day 28 was the primary end point. Monthly point-prevalence studies were performed to analyze antibiotic resistance. A total of 5939 patients were enrolled in the study, with 1990 assigned to standard care, 1904 to SOD, and 2045 to SDD; crude mortality in the groups at day 28 was 27.5%, 26.6%, and 26.9%, respectively. In a random-effects logistic-regression model with age, sex, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE II) score, intubation status, and medical specialty used as covariates, odds ratios for death at day 28 in the SOD and SDD groups, as compared with the standard-care group, were 0.86 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.74 to 0.99) and 0.83 (95% CI, 0.72 to 0.97), respectively. In an ICU population in which the mortality rate associated with standard care was 27.5% at day 28, the rate was reduced by an estimated 3.5 percentage points with SDD and by 2.9 percentage points with SOD. (Controlled Clinical Trials number, ISRCTN35176830.)
A family-based diabetes intervention for Hispanic adults and their family members.

AimsThe purpose of this quasi-experimental, 1-group longitudinal study is to examine the effects of a family-based intervention program on diabetes self-management behaviors, A1C, other biomarkers, psychosocial factors, and health-related quality of life in Hispanics with diabetes.MethodsAdult patients with diabetes (n = 36) and family members (n = 37) were recruited from a community clinic in rural central North Carolina. Patients and family members attended an 8-week culturally tailored diabetes educational program taught in Spanish. Data were collected pre- and post-intervention for both patients and family members, with an additional data collection for patients 1 month post-intervention.ResultsMost patients and family members were female, and almost all were immigrants. A1C decreased by 4.9% on average among patients from pre-intervention to 1 month post-intervention. Patients showed significant improvements in systolic blood pressure, diabetes self-efficacy, diabetes knowledge, and physical and ment...
Evaluation of Local Similarity Functions in the Convective Boundary Layer

Abstract A parameterization method developed by Sorbjan is used to derive expressions for various statistical moments of vertical velocity, potential temperature, and humidity (or passive scalar concentration) in the convective boundary layer. The method is based on decomposing statistical moments into nonpenetrative and residual components, and their local (height-dependent) scaling. The resulting expressions are compared with atmospheric and laboratory data, and also with the results of large-eddy simulation models. An agreement between the similarity functions and the experimental data is obtained.
Torts Teaching Lessons from the BP Oil Spill

This article is drawn from my talk on the topic of "How to Teach Disaster as Part of a Torts Curriculum" at the AALS Workshop on Torts, Environment and Disaster from June 8-10, 2012, in Berkeley. This piece draws upon an informal survey I conducted in the spring of 2012 on how torts teachers employed the BP oil spill disaster (and other disasters) in their basic torts course (to illustrate topics such as the economic loss rule, legal causation, damages, and the impact of safety regulations).
Challenges in Cystic Fibrosis Newborn Screening and Recommendations for Primary Care Physicians

* Abbreviations: CF — : cystic fibrosis CFTR — : cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene CFTR2 — : Clinical and Functional Translation of CFTR CRMS — : CFTR-related metabolic syndrome NBS — : newborn screening During the past decade, newborn screening (NBS) for cystic fibrosis (CF) has disseminated worldwide after endorsements by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the CF Foundation. Similar to widespread introduction of other NBS programs, CF NBS implementation occurred on a region-by-region basis by using a wide variety of screening strategies and analytical methods. All strategies begin with measurement of the biomarker, immunoreactive trypsinogen, and should end with a sweat chloride test.1 Although these protocol variations have differing screening efficiency or effectiveness, all CF NBS programs have provided a better opportunity for healthier outcomes than traditional strategies that rely on signs/symptoms for triggering the diagnostic processes associated with delays and discrimination.2 In an ambitious effort to optimize CF NBS for their region’s diverse population, California analyzed and planned their strategy over 2 years, leading to specific goals.3 In essence, California organized a strategy that applied cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene ( CFTR ) sequencing for the first time, required detection of 2 mutations for designation of positive screening, and recommendation of a sweat chloride test. This NBS method relies heavily on the interpretation of CFTR variants, as not every CFTR genetic change will result in CF. CF began as, and remains, a clinical diagnosis. The recognition of the Mendelian inheritance of a well-characterized phenotype allowed the detection of the gene responsible for CF, and of common mutations. These mutations (mostly European derived) were the basis for early CF genetic tests used for diagnosis and screening.4,5 However, as recognition of CF widened, and knowledge of the CF phenotype expanded to include milder and atypical phenotypes, testing for just the common mutations proved inadequate. Carrier screening … Address correspondence to Philip M. Farrell, MD, PhD, Departments of Pediatrics and Population Health Sciences, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 600 Highland Ave, Madison, WI 53726. E-mail: pmfarrell{at}wisc.edu
Community-Acquired Aerobic Gram-Negative Bacillary Pneumonia

AGNB are uncommon causes of CAP. Infections with these organisms should be suspected among patients with comorbid factors or in those who fail to respond to conventional therapy. Clinical manifestations and radiological manifestations are not specific. When abscess or cavitation is suspected on chest radiograph, AGNB should be included in the differential diagnosis. Sputum examination may be helpful but can often lead to overdiagnosis. When AGNB is suspected, blood and pleural fluid culture should be obtained whenever possible. Aggressive attempts should be made to obtain a good respiratory sample that bypasses the oropharyngeal region. Empiric treatment with at least two antimicrobial agents should be started as soon as possible after appropriate cultures have been obtained.
Exploring the Effects of Solar Radiation Management on Water Cycling in a Coupled Land–Atmosphere Model*

AbstractSolar radiation management (SRM) has been proposed as a form of geoengineering to reduce the climate effects of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Modeling studies have concluded that SRM, through a reduction in total solar irradiance by approximately 2%, roughly compensates for global mean temperature changes from a doubling of carbon dioxide concentrations. This paper examines the impact of SRM on the terrestrial hydrologic cycle using the Community Land Model, version 4, coupled to the Community Atmosphere Model, version 4, with reductions in solar radiation relative to simulations with present-day and elevated CO2 concentrations. There are significant global and regional impacts due to vegetation–climate interactions that are not compensated when reductions in total solar irradiance of 1%, 2%, and 3% are imposed on top of a doubling of present-day CO2 concentrations. Water cycling slows down under SRM, including decreases in global mean precipitation and evapotranspiration. Changes in run...
Algorithms for computing operating characteristic and average sample number functions for sequential sampling plans based on binomial count models and revised plans for European red mite (acari : tetranychidae) on apple

Algorithms and computer code (Fortran 77) were developed for computing operating characteristic (OC) and average sample number (ASN) functions for sequential classification sampling plans based on presence-absence counts. Two models that relate the proportion of sample units with more than T (tally threshold) organisms (p(T)) to mean density (m) were considered; an empirical model of the form ln(-ln(1-p(T))) = gamma + delta ln(m) where m is the mean density, and the negative binomial distribution (NBD). The algorithms compute OC and ASN for nominal model parameters and for model parameters used to characterize the effect of p(t) -- m model variability on the OC and ASN functions. Changes in the OC and ASN functions as a result of change in the p(T) -- m model are a measure of the robustness of the sampling procedure. Both p(T) -- m models provided good descriptions of counts of European red mite (Panonychus ulmi (Koch), on apple trees, Malus domestica (Borkh). The robustness of sampling plans that used T = 0 was poor. Expected OC and ASN functions for sampling plans based on the two p(T) -- m models were similar. Robustness of sampling plans based on NBD improved significantly with larger values of T. When sampling using thresholds of 2.5, 5.0, and 7.5 mites per leaf, recommended values of T are 4, 6, and 6, respectively
Studies on the Variation and Morphology of the Ptilonyssus “Sairae” Complex (Agarina: Rhinonyssinae) from North American Passeriform Birds

The systematics of the Ptilonyssus “sairae” complex of nasal mites is evaluated through a study of the comparative morphology of specimens collected from passeriform birds representing 32 species in 8 families from North America. The characters previously used in differentiating species of the “sairae” complex are unstable, subject to considerable variation, and therefore of little or no systematic value. Therefore, Ptilonyssus japuibensis Castro, P. japuibensis cyanocompsae Fain & Aitken, P. agelaii Fain, P. teretistris Cerný, P. ludovicianus Cerný, and P. garridoi Cruz are proposed as synonyms of P. sairae . All previous host and distribution records for these and the previously synonymized species, P. constrictus Ford and P. constrictus longisetosus Cerný & Dusbabek, are considered as records for P. sairae. Ptilonyssus richmondenae, P. motacillae , and P. lanii are retained as valid taxa of the “sairae” complex. The distribution of P. sairae in North American passeriforms is analyzed with reference to current theories of avian phylogeny. Apparently, the occurrence of P. sairae in such seemingly diverse birds as thraupids, parulids, icterids, and fringillids is a consequence of the common ancestry of these hosts, with the mites evolving on these hosts and continuing association as the ancestral hosts diverged into species, genera, and families. Phenotypic variability exhibited by P. sairae suggests that the mite populations from different host groups are ‘semispecies’ or populations which have achieved some, but not all, attributes of species rank. Physiological speciation in the “sairae” complex is improbable, although the question can be resolved only through experimental cross-transmission studies to determine host specificity.
Brownian Dynamics Model of Excited-State Relaxation in Solutions of Conjugated Oligomers

The effects of torsional degrees of freedom on the excited-state relaxation of conjugated oligomers in solution are explored computationally by coupling an exciton model of the oligomer to a Brownian dynamics model of the solvent. The exciton model assigns one torsional degree of freedom to each unit cell, or site, of the oligomer. A simple molecular mechanical form is used for the ground electronic state. The excitation energy is obtained assuming coherent coupling between sites that is proportional to the cosine of the difference in torsional angles. The solvent is characterized by a single parameter, which is equivalent to setting the rotational diffusion time, trot, of a single unit cell about the oligomer axis in the absence of any internal forces. The relaxation of long oligomers exhibits a fast component, with a time constant that is about 0.025trot and a slow component that is about 0.15trot. As the oligomer length is decreased, the time constant for the slow component decreases such that the biex...
Current Situation of Radiation Protection Management of Gauges Containing Sealed Radioactive Source in Liangshan Prefecture

Objective To understand the radiation level,the radiological protection situation of work environment with gauges containing sealed radioactive source in Liangshan Prefecture.To explore and discuss how to strengthen the supervision and management to such workplaces under present new supervision conditions.Method The current situation of supervision and management of institutes or enterprises with above mentioned gauges was investigated.The radiation protection monitoring was conducted by instruments.Results In Liangshan Prefecture area,there were 21 relevant instites or enterprises and 58 radioactive sources in total.There were very few people participated in the occupational health physical examination on schedule.The total physical examination rate was 48.72% only.Although the radiation level in the workplaces in general was controlled at the national occupational health standard,the nuclear scale,level meter exceeded the standard 13.64% and 6.67% respectively.Except two enterprises,other enterprises had not carried out the pre-assessment on radiological protection and effective evaluation of control measures against occupational hazards in their construction project.Conclusion The management on the gauges containing sealed radioactive source in Liangshan Prefecture should be strengthend funther.In order to ensure the health and safety of radiation-exposed workers,the monitoring of the radiation level and the radiological protection of the work environment should also be strengthened.
Setting the Stage for a Great Performance As an Academic Department Chair

The classic triple threat in the performing arts is someone who excels at acting, singing, and dancing. Similarly, department chairs are sought for administrative leadership positions based on their personal track record in research, mastery of clinical skills, and teaching excellence. While these
Upper extremity replantation.

Summary Over the last 20 years, advances in replantation surgery have been remarkable in demonstrating the ability of well-trained surgeons to return viability to amputated parts. Similarly remarkable is the potential for difference between viability and functional ability. The most important determinants are proper patient selection and the recognition of vascular compromise. Undoubtedly, the major contribution to the next 20 years of replantation and microsurgery will be a monitoring device that directs attention to the sight of the problem, whether it be venous, arterial, or both. The contribution of altering coagulation can certainly be questioned. Ideally, a well-performed anastomosis in a well-prepared bed should need no “pharmacologic assistance.” However, the ideal is often the exception. In these procedures, an empirical approach to anticoagulation has been presented. Finally, there is no controversy regarding the contribution of physical therapy, without which the management of these patients would be as frustrating as the performance of replantation without the operative microscope.
A distributed LAG mechanism for TRILL enabled fabrics

It is desirable to connect external switches or servers to a TRILL campus in a LAG for high availability and for better use of link bandwidth. This paper presents a way, called t-LAG, to allow this to occur via the use of extra RB (called the virtual-RB) for each t-LAG. It makes sense to put multiple t-LAGs together onto a pair of switches, called the t-LAG cluster. All the t-LAGs in a t-LAG cluster can share the same virtual-RB. The use of this virtual-RB for t-LAGs can resolve the load distribution issue for UC traffic. For MC/BC/DLF traffic, a primary link will need to be designated for each t-LAG in order to not receive more than one copy of packets destined to a t-LAG.It is recommended to separate the traffic forwarding in a t-LAG cluster into two domains: the TRILL routing domain and the regular L2 switching domain. The traffic handling in these two domains should not be mixed together; i.e., the data switching in the regular L2 domain in a cluster should be handled within the virtual-RB itself. The traffic should not go through the TRILL campus at all if not necessary. The t-LAG ISL for a t-LAG cluster should be used for packet redirection in the regular L2 switching domain when there is a link failure on any t-LAG.
Progressive Collapse Simulation of Vulnerable Reinforced Concrete Buildings

There are many vulnerable reinforced concrete (RC) buildings located in earthquake-prone areas around the world. These buildings are characterized by the lack of seismic details and corresponding non-ductile behavior and significant potential of partial and global collapse. One of the current challenges of the earthquake engineering profession and research communities is the identification of such buildings and determination of effective and economical retrofit methods for response enhancement. Identification of these buildings is not a trivial task due to the various sources of non-ductile behavior and the large number of involved sources of uncertainty. Furthermore, accurate determination of collapse-prone buildings is important from an economical perspective. Unfortunately, there are not enough economical resources to retrofit all the non-ductile buildings that have the symptoms for collapse potential. In order to use the available monetary resources in an effective manner, these buildings should be accurately and reliably ranked to identify those that are most vulnerable to collapse. This chapter intends to provide a contribution to the accurate determination of the most collapse-vulnerable non-ductile RC buildings by discussing the methods from existing literature and exploring the research needs related to (a) gravity load failure modeling and (b) consideration of different uncertainty sources in an efficient manner.
Economic Doctrine and the Public Purpose

In Economics and the Public Purpose, Galbraith slightly emends the overall model of The New Industrial State and sharpens and elaborates upon its implications. The development of his thinking that he integrates into his model of the new industrial state in this book was foreshadowed by two important essays initially delivered to the American Economic Association, ‘Economics as a System of Belief’ in 1969 (republished in Galbraith, 1971a) and ‘Power and the Useful Economist’ in 1972 (also republished, 1979c). Galbraith regards the latter essay as ‘the best short account of my general economic position’ (1979c, p. 3).