cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Relative Susceptibility of Larvae of Six Species of Trogoderma to Ten Organophosphorus Insecticides

The relative susceptibility of Trogoderma glabrum (Herbst), T. grassmani Beal, T. inclusum LeConte, T. simplex Jayne, T. sternale Jayne, and T. variabile Ballion (= T. parabile Beal) to 10 organophosphorus insecticides was determined by direct application of spray solutions to mature larvae. Various degrees of differences in susceptibility were observed among species, and the range of differences varied with insecticides. The magnitude of differences in susceptibility between the most susceptible and least susceptible species of Trogoderma to each insecticide at LC50 was: C-9491 ( O -(2,5-dichloro-4-iodophenyl) O,O -dimethyl phosphorothioate), simplex: variabile , 34.9; diazinon, simplex: inclusum , 4.8; dicapthon, glabrum: grassmani , 5.6; dichlorvos, grassmani: simplex , 2.5; Dursban® ( O, O -diethyl O -(3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridyl) phosphorothioate), grassmani: variabile , 5.4; fenitrothion ( O,O -dimethyl O -4-nitro- m -tolyl phosphorothioate), simplex: variabile , 34.4; fenthion, simplex: variabile , 8.3; Gardona® (2-chloro-1-(2,4,5-trichlorophenyl) vinyl dimethyl phosphate), grassmani: variabile , 6.1; malathion, simplex: variabile , 21.3; and phoxim, grassmani: inclusum , 1.7. The response of T. inclusum to C-9491 was similar to that of T. variabile . The order and rank in relative effectiveness of insecticides indicated by ratios calculated from LC95 values obtained for the least susceptible of the 6 species of Trogoderma to each of the compounds tested were: phoxim 1.0; dichlorvos 1.5; dicapthon 2.0; Gardona 2.7; fenthion 2.7; Dursban 5.4; fenitrothion 6.1; diazinon 7.0; malathion 24.1; and C-9491, 48.9. However, when results with T. variabile are execpted, fenitrothion was the most effective compound tested against all of the other species; followed by fenthion against T. glabrum, T. grassmani , and T. simplex ; Gardona against T. inclusum ; and phoxim against T. sternale .
Monopole catalysis: The fermion-rotor system☆

Abstract We study Weyl fermions coupled to a rotor in two spacetime dimensions. This system is equivalent to the monopole-fermion system in the limit {ce:inline-formula}e 2→0, e 2M x→ ∞{/ce:inline-formula}. This enables us to clarify the physics of the monopole catalysis process. We rederive results of Rubakov and Callan and discuss attempts to treat the case of massive fermions.
The Ethical Health Lawyer: Ethics in the Practice of Health Law

We are pleased to introduce The Ethical Health Lawyer, a new column devoted to ethical issues arising in the practice of health law. This inaugural column sets the stage and highlights some of the ethical issues that may arise for health care attorneys.
Remodeling the blood coagulation cascade

The concept of a coagulation cascade describes the biochemical interactions of the coagulation factors, but has flaws as a model of the hemostatic process in vivo. For example, the model cannot explain why hemophiliacs bleed when they have an intact factor VIIa/tissue factor (“extrinsic”) pathway. Hemostasis requires the formation of an impermeable platelet and fibrin plug at the site of vessel injury, but it also requires that the powerful procoagulant substances activated in this process remain localized to the site of injury. This control of blood coagulation is accomplished by localizing the procoagulant reactions to events on specific cell surfaces to keep coagulation from spreading throughout the vascular system. A consideration of the critical role of cells allows us to construct a model of coagulation that better explains bleeding and thrombosis in vivo. This cell-based model suggests that the “intrinsic” and “extrinsic” pathways are in fact not redundant systems, but operate in parallel on different cell surfaces.
On Isoconcentration Surfaces of Three-Dimensional Turing Patterns

We consider three-dimensional Turing patterns and their isoconcentration surfaces corresponding to the equilibrium concentration of the reaction kinetics. We call these surfaces equilibrium concent...
FTIR analysis of thermally processed PU foam

The chemical composition, density, and modulus of PU foam was examined as a function of processing temperature (25 °C, 45 °C, and 85 °C). Degradation of uretoneimine cross-links and the emergence of carbodiimide functional groups are monitored and the remaining composition in the PU foam is determined using FTIR spectroscopy. The density and modulus of the PU foams after thermal processing are measured and discussed with respect to the change in chemical composition of the materials. The data indicates that the composition of chemical cross-links, the density, and the modulus all decrease as a function of increasing processing temperature. The modulus of the PU foam shows a linear dependence of the processing temperature decreasing by 20% at the highest temperature. The results suggest that processing temperature may be used to target defined physical and mechanical properties of PU foams without changing the composition of reactants used.
Substructure of human erythrocyte spectrin

The human erythrocyte structural protein spectrin and its subunits I, II were isolated in the presence of Na-dodecyl-sulfate by gel filtration and preparative gel electrophoresis. After removal of the detergent, spectrin alpha-helical content is comparable to spectrin isolated without detergent. Subunits I and II formed single bands in isoelectric focusing (pI = 5.6) and in Ornstein-Davis disc gel electrophoresis systems, indicating the individual subunits are homogenous in nature. The molecular weights of the subunits I and II, determined by Ferguson plot, are 237,500 and 238,600, respectively, which is in good agreement with values obtained by the standard SDS gel relative mobility method. Limited tryptic digestion of spectrin and two-dimensional peptide maps of the individual subunits cleaved by S-cyanylation reaction showed dissimilar patterns, suggesting differences in primary structure between the two subunits.
Women in Civil Engineering—Graduate's Perspective

Forty female graduates from the civil engineering department at Youngstown State University were sent surveys requesting them to relate their experiences as engineering students and as engineers in the workplace. The intent of the survey was to secure data to assist in recruiting female students for a career in civil engineering and to assist the department in retaining these students once they entered the program. Data from this survey provided a better understanding of the successes and problems experienced by these women throughout their academic careers as well as in the workplace. This paper summarized their responses and experiences and identified problem areas. Recommendations for counteracting these problem areas were presented. Areas of success were highlighted and suggestions were made as to how these could be utilized into effective recruiting and retention tools.
Positron emission tomography (PET) studies of dopaminergic/cholinergic interactions in the baboon brain.

Interactions between the dopaminergic D2 receptor system and the muscarinic cholinergic system in the corpus striatum of adult female baboons (Papio anubis) were examined using positron emission tomography (PET) combined with (18F)N-methylspiroperidol (( 18F)NMSP) (to probe D2 receptor availability) and (N-11C-methyl)benztropine (to probe muscarinic cholinergic receptor availability). Pretreatment with benztropine, a long-lasting anticholinergic drug, bilaterally reduced the incorporation of radioactivity in the corpus striatum but did not alter that observed in the cerebellum or the rate of metabolism of (18F)NMSP in plasma. Pretreatment with unlabelled NMSP, a potent dopaminergic antagonist, reduced the incorporation of (N-11C-methyl)benztropine in all brain regions, with the greatest effect being in the corpus striatum greater than cortex greater than thalamus greater than cerebellum, but did not alter the rate of metabolism of the labelled benztropine in the plasma. These reductions in the incorporation of either (18F)NMSP or (N-11C-methyl)benztropine exceeded the normal variation in tracer incorporation in repeated studies in the same animal. This study demonstrates that PET can be used as a tool for investigating interactions between neurochemically different yet functionally linked neurotransmitters systems in vivo and provides insight into the consequences of multiple pharmacologic administration.
Inhibition of axoplasmic transport in the developing visual system of the rat: IV. Quantitative Golgi, electron microscopic, and histochemical analyses of the maturation of the visual cortex.

Intraocularly injected colchicine suppresses axonal transport within the developing rat's optic nerve throughout the critical period of visual system development. This results in a stunting of retinofugal terminals and relay neurons in the lateral geniculate nucleus. The present study focuses upon the effects of this unique form of developmental deprivation on the maturation of the visual cortex. Colchicine, in concentrations of from 10−5 to 10−2M, was injected into the eyes of albino rats at birth or at 5, 10, or 15 days of age. Litters were killed at 5 to 50 days after this single injection, and the brains were processed for Nissl, rapid Golgi, histochemical, or electron microscopic analysis. The following results were obtained: (1) Planimetry of coronal sections of the striate cortex revealed a reduction in the thickness of the cortex and in the ratio of neuropil area to neuronal soma area contralateral to the injected eye which was confined principally to layer IV, lower layer III, and upper layer V. This effect was inversely related to postnatal age at injection and directly proportional to colchicine concentration. (2) A rapid Golgi analysis of 51 pairs of layer V pyramidal neurons in control and experimental cortex demonstrated a reduction in the number and size of spines along the portion of the apical dendrite passing through lower layer III and IV following colchicine administration at birth or 5 or 10 days of age but no significant change in the branching pattern of the entire dendritic arbor. (3) Electron microscopy revealed a reduction in the number of small, asymmetric synaptic complexes with the result that the average size of remaining profiles was increased in layers III and IV. (4) Histochemical analysis of cortical succinic dehydrogenase and cytochrome oxidase revealed a distinct band of intense enzyme activity in lower layers III and IV in normal cortex at 20–30 days of age. This band was significantly reduced in intensity after neonatal injection of colchicine as shown by densitometric measurements and comparison of experimental and control cortex. It is concluded that the geniculocortical projection, while not affected directly by colchicine administration, is altered by the secondary effects of axonal transport suppression, leading to an alteration in the establishment of cortical synaptic patterns and arborizations of their postsynaptic neurons whose dendrites are located in those layers recipient to this projection.
Shape-based clustering for 3D CAD objects: A comparative study of effectiveness

3D shape retrieval and clustering is of current interest in several different fields, including mechanical engineering. Several new shape representations for 3D objects are continuing to emerge. Most shape representations are embedded in a variety of feature spaces. However, some of the recently reported shape representations are embedded in arbitrary metric spaces, i.e. distance spaces, rather than in multi-dimensional feature space. For such representations, the only operations available on the data objects are distance calculations between the objects. In addition, some of the view-based representations are embedded in non-metric spaces where the representations and the corresponding distances do not follow the triangle inequality. For shape clustering applications, most existing algorithms assume the shape representations either to be embedded in a multi-dimensional feature space or a metric distance space, making it difficult to evaluate several shape representations that do not conform to these assumptions. Therefore, two different approaches were evaluated for using the distance features of a shape to obtain clustering results. In the first method, the original distances are transformed into feature space using a multi-dimensional scaling approach for use with K-means clustering. The second approach directly uses the original distances with a distance-based clustering algorithm. We compared the clustering effectiveness of these two approaches using a classified benchmark database of 3D models. The effect of using different shape descriptors and number of clusters was studied using four measures of clustering effectiveness. Several statistical methods, including the Rand Index and Mutual Information Index, were used to objectively evaluate the clustering efficacy.
Calmidazolium alters Ca2+ regulation of tension redevelopment rate in skinned skeletal muscle

To examine if the Ca2(+)-binding kinetics of troponin C (TnC) can influence the rate of cross-bridge force production, we studied the effects of calmidazolium (CDZ) on steady-state force and the rate of force redevelopment (ktr) in skinned rabbit psoas muscle fibers. CDZ increased the Ca2(+)-sensitivity of steady-state force and ktr at submaximal levels of activation, but increased ktr to a greater extent than can be explained by increased force alone. This occurred in the absence of any significant effects of CDZ on solution ATPase or in vitro motility of fluorescently labeled F-actin, suggesting that CDZ did not directly influence cross-bridge cycling. CDZ was strongly bound to TnC in aqueous solutions, and its effects on force production could be reversed by extraction of CDZ-exposed native TnC and replacement with purified (unexposed) rabbit skeletal TnC. These experiments suggest that the method of CDZ action in fibers is to bind to TnC and increase its Ca2(+)-binding affinity, which results in an increased rate of force production at submaximal [Ca2+]. The results also demonstrate that the Ca2(+)-binding kinetics of TnC influence the kinetics of ktr.
Correlation between the severities of the ASTM E119 and ISO 834 fire exposures

The temperature rise in a castable refractory brick specimen of well-defined thermal properties was used to develop a correlation between the severities of the ASTM E119 and the ISO 834 fire tests. It was found that the ISO fire test is slightly less severe than the ASTM test, but the gain in fire endurance on account of conducting the test according to the ISO standard is usualy five minutes or less.
Chronic methylphenidate treatment enhances water maze performance following traumatic brain injury in rats

Methylphenidate (MPH), a central nervous system stimulant with dopaminergic activity, facilitates neurobehavioral outcome following cortical suction ablation injury, but its potential efficacy following experimental traumatic brain injury (TBI) is unknown. Thus, beginning 24 h after controlled cortical impact injury or sham surgery, male Sprague-Dawley rats were injected (i.p.) once daily for 18 days with either MPH (5 mg/kg) or saline vehicle (VEH) and motor function assessed on post-operative days 1-4, followed by Morris water maze training to find a hidden platform on days 14-18. The MPH treatment regimen was ineffective in accelerating beam-balance or beam-walk recovery, but did significantly decrease swim latencies when compared to VEH-treated controls. The results are consistent with published studies showing improved outcome with MPH therapy. Furthermore, this positive finding with delayed treatment suggests that strategies that enhance catecholamine neurotransmission during the chronic post injury phase may be a useful adjunct in ameliorating some of the neurobehavioral sequelae following TBI in humans.
Novel strategies to eliminate persistent viral infections

Infection with viruses that have the capacity to modulate or evade the immune response can result in persistence, which can lead to a variety of chronic problems including neoplasia, immunosuppression, autoimmune-like syndromes, and selective organ failure. Recently, two promising new treatment approaches that target either the inhibitory receptor programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) or neutralize interleukin-10 (IL-10) during chronic viral infection have been described. We discuss how future combination therapies can be used to inhibit viral synthesis as well as strengthen the antiviral response without increasing immunopathology or the development of autoimmune disease.
Developmental or adulthood overexpression of G|[alpha]|s, a G-protein subunit genetically linked to schizophrenia, is sufficient to cause enlarged lateral ventricles and a smaller dorsal and ventral striatum in adult mice

Developmental or adulthood overexpression of Gαs, a G-protein subunit genetically linked to schizophrenia, is sufficient to cause enlarged lateral ventricles and a smaller dorsal and ventral striatum in adult mice
K-anonymity for social networks containing rich structural and textual information

When social networks are released for analysis, individuals’ sensitive information (e.g., node identities) in the network may be exposed. To avoid unwanted information exposure, social networks need to be anonymized before they are published. In the literature, many approaches exist to anonymize social networks to prevent attacks by adversaries that know the network structures such as node degrees and neighbors. However, these techniques cannot prevent the leakage of valuable identification information during social network analysis if the social network graphs contain both structural and textual information. In this paper, we study the problem of anonymizing social networks to prevent individual identifications which use both structural (node degrees) and textual (edge labels) information in graphs. We formally define the problem as Structure and Text aware $$K$$ -anonymity of social networks (STK-Anonymity). In an STK-anonymized network, each individual is $$ST$$ -equivalent to at least $$K-1$$ other nodes. The major challenge in achieving STK-Anonymity comes from the correlation of edge labels, which causes the propagation of edge anonymization. It has been shown that it is intractable to optimally $$K$$ -anonymizing the label sequences of edge-labeled graphs. To address the challenge, we present a two-phase approach which consists of two heuristics in the first phase to process partial graph structures (node degrees in particular) and a set-enumeration tree-based approach in the second phase to anonymize edge labels. Results from extensive experiments on both real and synthetic datasets are presented to show the effectiveness and efficiency of our approaches.
Anticholinergic Heterocyclic Ketoximino-Ethers and -Esters

The synthesis of a series of oximino-ethers and -esters was accomplished by O -alkylations and esterifications of 1-methyl-4-oximinopiperidine and 3-oximinotropane. In the course of this investigation, 13 new compounds were synthesized and evaluated for their anticholinergic activity.
Transfer Between Community Colleges and 4-Year Colleges: The All-American Game

ABSTRACT In this article, the authors introduce a novel way, using the metaphor of a baseball game, to evaluate and measure community college student progress for those whose stated goal is to transfer to a 4-year institution and, ultimately, earn a bachelor's degree. The proposed framework of “the Transfer Game” is an outgrowth of the Transfer and Retention of Urban Community College Students (TRUCCS) project, which is a longitudinal study of 5,000 community college students from the 9-campuses of the Los Angeles Community College District. The goal of the project is to explain how the “all-American game” provides a method to measure, comprehend, and visualize student progression, and identify the factors that predict both success and barriers. The framework provides a scholarly comparison of the all-American game of baseball to the All-American invention of the community college.
Reading and Writing Sor Juana's Arch: Rhetorics of Belonging, Criollo Identity, and Feminist Histories

Sor Juana's 1680 arch, designed and written in her role as professional writer for Church and state, consisted of commissioned words, art, and performance to celebrate the arrival of the new viceroy. It is significant as the remaining trace of a seventeenth-century female exerting high-level political influence on the closed, patriarchal society of New Spain. Reading and writing about the arch presents multiple challenges, including lack of the full “text” for what was an ephemeral event as well as a problem in recent feminist criticism, which insists on seeing Sor Juana as only a rebellious iconoclast. I argue that the work, and Sor Juana herself, must be read as having both a conservative, hegemonic agenda and radical critique of dominant ideology. This “both/and” move, which I position as necessary for a robust feminist approach, helps us better understand the complexity of Creole identity and belonging in colonial Mexico.
Hollow Fibers and Spiral Wound Modules for Ultrafiltration of Whey: Energy Consumption and Performance

Performances and energy consumption of pilot-scale spiral wound and hollow fiber modules were compared. The feed was cottage cheese whey acidified to pH 3 and prefiltered. Exponential flux decay behavior was typical for both units. Flux was affected by pressure in the first 60 min of operation; for the spiral wound unit, flow rate had a beneficial effect only at pressures above 135 kPa. After 3 to 5 h of operation, however, flux became independent of pressure for both modules; flow rate affected the flux of the hollow fiber module but not of the spiral wound module. The average flux of the hollow fiber unit during concentration of whey was double that of the spiral unit, but energy required for recirculation within the hollow fiber unit was higher. Compared to tubular and plate-and-frame units, the spiral and hollow fiber units consumed 10 to 100 times less energy per unit volume of permeate removed.
Cardiopulmonary function after pulmonary contusion and partial liquid ventilation

Purpose: To compare the effects of mechanical ventilation with either positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) or partial liquid ventilation (PLV) on cardiopulmonary function after severe pulmonary contusion. Methods: Mongrel pigs (32 ± 1 kg) were anesthetized, paralyzed, and mechanically ventilated (8-10 mL/kg tidal volume; 12 breaths/min; Fio 2 = 0.5). Systemic hemodynamics and pulmonary function were measured for 7 hours after a captive bolt gun delivered a blunt injury to the right chest. After 5 hours, Fio 2 was increased to 1.0 and either PEEP (n = 7) in titrated increments to 25 cm H 2 O or PLV with perflubron (LiquiVent, 30 mL/kg, endotracheal) and no PEEP (n = 7) was administered for 2 hours. Two control groups received injury without treatment (n = 6) or no injury with PLV (n = 3). Fluids were liberalized with PEEP versus PLV (27 ± 3 vs. 18 ± 2 mL.kg -1 .h -1 ) to maintain cardiac filling pressures. Results: Before treatment at 5 hours after injury, physiologic dead space fraction (30 ± 4%), pulmonary vascular resistance (224 ± 20% of baseline), and airway resistance (437 ± 110% of baseline) were all increased (p < 0.05). In addition, Pao 2 /Fio 2 had decreased to 112 ± 18 mm Hg, compliance was depressed to 11 ± 1 mL/cm H 2 O (36 ± 3% of baseline), and shunt fraction was increased to 22 ± 4% (all p < 0.05). Blood pressure and cardiac index remained stable relative to baseline, but stroke index and systemic oxygen delivery were depressed by 15 to 30% (both p < 0.05). After 2 hours of treatment with PEEP versus PLV, Po 2 /Fio 2 was higher (427 ± 20 vs. 263 ± 37) and dead space ventilation was lower (4 ± 3 vs. 28 + 7%) (both p < 0.05), whereas compliance tended to be higher (26 + 2 vs. 20 ± 2) and shunt fraction tended to be lower (0 ± 0 vs. 7 ± 4). With PEEP versus PLV, however, cardiac index, stroke index, and systemic oxygen delivery were 30 to 60% lower (all p < 0.05). Furthermore, although contused lungs showed similar damage with either treatment, the secondary injury in the contralateral lung (as manifested by intra-alveolar hemorrhage) was more severe with PEEP than with PLV. Conclusions: Both PEEP and PLV improved pulmonary function after severe unilateral pulmonary contusion, but negative hemodynamic and histologic changes were associated with PEEP and not with PLV. These data suggest that PLV is a promising novel ventilatory strategy for unilateral pulmonary contusion that might ameliorate secondary injury in the contralateral uninjured lung.
Axial-gauge formulation of a three-dimensional field theory.

Since the non-Abelian version of a recently formulated gauge theory in two spatial dimensions gives rise to a nonlinear constraint upon the fields in the radiation-gauge approach, one is motivated to attempt a description in terms of the axial gauge. This is accomplished in the Abelian version of the model, with results similar to those encountered in the radiation gauge. The non-Abelian case is then formally solved in the same gauge, it being subsequently shown, however, that the theory is not covariant. It is argued on the basis of perturbation theory that such noncovariance is a real effect which is not readily circumvented by modification of the field transformation properties.
Hepatic deposition of 131-I labeled amylase in dogs: comparison of enzymatic and isotope measurements.

SummaryAfter the intravenous injection of amylase 131I into dogs, the results are similar to those observed after the injection of unlabeled enzyme. With amylase 131I, isotopic and enzymatic measurements indicate that the enzyme is deposited in the liver. This is accompanied by a decrease in liver glycogen, an increase in muscle glycogen, and hyperglycemia. These changes are not observed in dogs whose reticuloendothelial system (RES) is blockaded by thorium dioxide. This and other evidence suggest that the RES plays an important role in the regulation of the serum concentrations of amylase and in its deposition in the liver. The role of amylase in liver glycogenolysis remains obscure for reasons which are discussed.
The Literature of Decline

This article compares reflections from four sources on the state of the American democracy in the international community (The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers: Economic Change and Military Conflict from 1500 to 2000, by Paul Kennedy; 1999: Victory Without War, by Richard Nixon; “Communism at Bay,”The Economist; Long Cycles in World Politics, by George Modelski) within the framework of the 1980s, which was portrayed by leaders as “an era of good feelings.” Yet drastically different positions on American rise or decline are propounded by historians and officeholders, former presidents and scholars, journalists and aspiring candidates for political office. These four writings reveal the complexity of the analysis of the American decline. Yet, it is crucial for leaders to maintain public devotion to their nation, not through passion, but rather, in the words of Abraham Lincoln, through “the solid quarry of sober reason,”. America's capacity to preserve a strong and healthy resilience, the author concludes, is the exceptional value it continues to offer the world.
Incidence, outcome, and risk factors for postoperative pulmonary complications in head and neck cancer surgery patients with free flap reconstructions.

Abstract Study Objective Postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) are significant problems in patients undergoing radical head and neck cancer surgery with free flap reconstruction. The objective of the study was to identify the incidence, outcome, and risk factors for PPCs We hypothesized that preoperative pulmonary disease and amount of fluid administered during the surgery would be associated with PPCs. Design A retrospective clinical observational study. Setting A large academic institution. Subjects A total of 110 patients who underwent head and neck cancer surgery with microvascular free flap reconstruction between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2011. Interventions No study interventions were performed. Measurements PPCs including pulmonary edema, pneumonia, and acute respiratory distress syndrome were clinically diagnosed. Perioperative parameters and outcomes among patients with and without PPCs were compared. Factors predictive of PPCs were identified with univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses. Main Results The incidence of PPCs was 32.7% (36 patients): pulmonary edema in 23.6% (26) and pneumonia in 9.1% (10). No acute respiratory distress syndrome was found. Inhospital mortality was 1.8% (2). No difference was found in survival between the patients with PPCs and those without (1 year survival was 69.4% vs 78.4%; P =.85). The patients with PPCs required longer ventilation support (median, 4 vs 2days; P =.002) and more frequent intensive care unit readmissions (30.3% vs 5.7%; P =.001) and stayed longer in the hospital (median, 17 vs 12days; P =.014). None of the preoperative parameters or intraoperative parameters including pulmonary comorbidity or the amounts of intraoperative fluid/blood administration was found as the factor to predict postoperative pulmonary compilations. Conclusion The incidence of PPCs in patients undergoing radical head and neck surgery was 32.7% in 110 patients. Preoperative pulmonary disease or the amount of fluid administered during the surgery was not associated with PPCs.
Splenic abscess caused by group A β-haemolytic streptococcus

UNLABELLED A case of a pyoderma complicated with splenic abscess and bacteraemia caused by group A streptococcus was treated successfully with antibiotics alone for 4 weeks. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of splenic abscess associated with group A streptococcal bacteraemia. Advances in antibiotic therapy and imaging techniques have improved the management and outcomes of splenic abscesses. Clinicians should be aware of the possibility of splenic abscess after a pyoderma or a sepsis-like episode. CONCLUSION Splenic abscesses can be diagnosed by serial ultrasound or CT scan examinations and should be treated with antibiotics for 4-6 weeks.
Earthquake Performance of Porcelain Transformer Bushings

The earthquake performance of 196-kV, 230-kV, and 550-kV porcelain transformer bushings was studied by earthquake-simulator experimentation and analysis. The fundamental frequencies of the 196-kV, 230-kV, and 550-kV bushings were identified to be approximately 15 Hz, 18 Hz, and 8 Hz, respectively, using resonance-search testing on the simulator. The corresponding damping ratios were between 2 and 4 percent of critical. The 196-kV and 230-kV bushings survived severe earthquake shaking and were qualified to the High Level per the IEEE 693-1997 standard. The discrepancy between excellent behavior in the laboratory and poor behavior in the field of these types of bushings calls into question the procedures used for qualification of substation equipment. The 550-kV bushing survived shaking at the moderate performance level with limited damage and minor oil leakage. Current procedures for fragility testing of transformer bushings were evaluated and found to be neither appropriate nor conservative. [DOI: 10.1193/1.1647578]
Linear Analysis of Ordinary Bridges Crossing Fault-Rupture Zones

Rooted in structural dynamics theory, three approximate procedures for estimating seismic demands for bridges crossing fault-rupture zones and deforming into their inelastic range are presented: modal pushover analysis (MPA), linear dynamic analysis, and linear static analysis. These procedures estimate the total seismic demand by superposing peak values of quasi-static and dynamic parts. The peak quasi-static demand in all three procedures is computed by nonlinear static analysis of the bridge subjected to peak values of all support displacements applied simultaneously. In the MPA and the linear dynamic analysis procedures, the peak dynamic demand is estimated by nonlinear static (or pushover) analysis and linear static analysis, respectively, for forces corresponding to the most-dominant mode. In the linear static analysis procedure, the peak dynamic demand is estimated by linear static analysis of the bridge due to lateral forces appropriate for bridges crossing fault-rupture zones. The three approximate procedures are shown to provide estimates of seismic demands that are accurate enough to be useful for practical applications. The linear static analysis procedure, which is much simpler than the other two approximate procedures, is recommended for practical analysis of “ordinary” bridges because it eliminates the need for mode shapes and vibration periods of the bridge.
Mining Health Models for Performance Monitoring of Services

Online services such as search and live applications rely on large infrastructures in data centers, consisting of both stateless servers (e.g., web servers) and stateful servers (e.g., database servers). Acceptable performance of such infrastructures, and hence the availability of online services, rely on a very large number of parameters such as per-process resources and configurable system/application parameters. These parameters are available for collection as performance counters distributed across various machines, but services have had a hard time determining which performance counters to monitor and what thresholds to use for performance alarms in a production environment. In this paper, we present a novel framework called PerfAnalyzer, a storage-efficient and pro-active performance monitoring framework for correlating service health with performance counters. PerfAnalyzer automatically infers and builds health models for any service by running the standard suite of predeployment tests for the service and data mining the resulting performance counter data-set. A filtered set of performance counters and thresholds of alarms are produced by our framework. The health model inferred by our framework can then be used to detect performance degradation and collect detailed data for root-cause analysis in a production environment. We have applied PerfAnalyzer on five simple stress scenarios – CPU, memory, I/O, disk, and network, and two real system – Microsoft’s SQL Server 2005 and IIS 7.0 Web Server, with promising results.
Interactions of traffic and tillage applied to cotton on N movement below the root zone of a subsequent wheat crop

Abstract Although research has demonstrated the negative impact of traffic-induced soil compaction on crop productivity, knowledge is lacking regarding the interactive effects of equipment traffic and tillage systems, especially in regards to N management in conservationtilled multiple-cropping systems. The objective of this study was to examine the interaction of traffic and tillage systems applied to cotton ( Gossypium hirsutum L.) on N utilization and movement below the root zone of subsequent double-cropped wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.). A field study was initiated in 1987 on a thermic Typic Hapludult soil complex, utilizing a wide-frame tractive vehicle (WFTV) that allows for 6.1-m wide, untrafficked research plots to double-crop cotton with wheat. The experimental design was a split-plot with three replications. Main plots were: (1) conventional traffic (simulated with tractor); (2) no traffic (WFTV only). Subplots were tillage systems for cotton: (1) complete surface tillage without subsoiling (surface); (2) complete surface tillage and annual in-row subsoiling to 40-cm depth (subsoil); (3) complete surface tillage with once-only complete disruption of the tillage pan by subsoiling to a 50-cm depth on 25-cm centers in 1987 (complete); (4) strip-till where cotton was planted with in-row subsoiling into wheat residue. All tillage treatments were applied to the cotton and residual effects were observed in the wheat. In 1990–1991, fertilizer applications were made to wheat as 15 N-labeled NH 4 NO 3 , and soil solution samples were collected (90-cm depth). While previous cotton tillage had no significant effect on wheat yields, traffic reduced wheat yields from 3427 to 2981 kg ha −1 in 1990. With no traffic, total fertilizer N recovery in the plant-soil system was increased by 20 and 10% in 1990 and 1991, respectively. The strip-till tillage treatment increased total fertilizer N recovery in wheat by 20% compared with other tillage systems in 1990. Surface tillage without subsoiling for cotton increased NO 3 -N concentration below the root zone of wheat (90-cm depth) in both years. The data indicate that the tillage/traffic management system used for production of one crop in a doublecropping system was a major factor in reducing N losses and increasing fertilizer N recovery in the plant-soil system of the succeeding crop.
Risk assessment and prevention of pressure ulcers: a clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians.

In this guideline on risk assessment and prevention of pressure ulcers, the American College of Physicians (ACP) recommends that clinicians perform a risk assessment to identify patients who are at...
Clinical Characteristics and Medication Uses Among Fibromyalgia Patients Newly Prescribed Amitriptyline, Duloxetine, Gabapentin, or Pregabalin

Background Fibromyalgia is a common chronic pain disorder with unclear etiology. No definitive treatment is available for fibromyalgia and treatment with antidepressants or antiepileptics is often used for symptom management.
Response of juvenile diamond-backed terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin) to an aquatic thermal gradient

Abstract In many ectotherms, selection of environmental thermal niches may positively affect growth, nutrient assimilation rates, immune system function, and ultimately survival. Temperature preference in some turtle species may be influenced by environmental conditions, including acclimation temperature. We tested for effects of acclimation temperature (22 °C, 27 °C) on the selected temperature and movement patterns of 14 juvenile Malaclemys terrapin (Reptilia: Emydidae) in an aquatic thermal gradient of 14–34 °C and in single-temperature (22 °C, 27 °C) control tests. Among 8–10 month old terrapins, acclimation temperature influenced activity and movement patterns but did not affect temperature selection. In thermal gradient and single-temperature control tests, turtles acclimated to 27 °C used more tank chambers and relocated between chambers significantly more frequently than individuals acclimated to 22 °C. However, acclimation temperature did not affect temperature selection: both 22- and 27 °C-acclimated turtles selected the warmest temperature (34 °C), and avoided the other temperatures available, during thermal gradient tests. These results suggest that young M. terrapin are capable of detecting small temperature increments and prefer warm temperatures that may positively influence growth and metabolism.
Intervention Fidelity: An Essential Component for Understanding ASD Parent Training Research and Practice

Previous research has explored the efficacy and effectiveness of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) parent training interventions. Recent trials of such programs have not replicated earlier compelling outcomes, yet the reasons for the failure of such programs to produce desired effects are unclear. The purpose of the current article is to discuss the role of intervention fidelity in elucidating the relationships between a parent training program, the implementation and sustainability of an intervention, and important child outcomes. The article will discuss the importance of assessing intervention fidelity for the identification and successful use of effective treatment strategies and will propose an integrative conceptual framework for approaching the study and evaluation of intervention fidelity with respect to ASD parent training programs.
The invasibility of tropical forests by exotic plants

Current research efforts to understand the relative invasibility of different plant communities have mostly ignored tropical forests. Only a few studies have treated invasive species in tropical forests, and recent worldwide analyses have not provided clear predictions concerning the relative invasibility of tropical forests. In this review, the extent to which exotic species have invaded tropical forests is summarized and four leading hypotheses to explain the apparently low frequency of invading plants in tropical forests are evaluated. In general, it is found that invasibility positively correlates with human disturbance, and that undisturbed tropical forests harbour few exotic species. To date, there is no evidence to attribute the low invasibility of undisturbed tropical forests to either their high species diversity or their high diversity of functional types. Instead, the low occurrence of exotic species in most tropical forests is most likely due to the fact that the great majority of exotic species that are transported to tropical countries lack specific life history traits, most importantly shade tolerance, necessary for successful invasion of undisturbed tropical forests. Unfortunately, this situation could change in the future with the expected increase in the plantation forestry of high-grade timber combined with common forestry practices that favour the cultivation of exotic species.
NMR structure of the mature dimer initiation complex of HIV-1 genomic RNA

The two identical genomic RNA strands inside each HIV-1 viral particle are linked through homodimerization of an RNA stem-loop, termed SL1, near their 5′ ends. SL1 first dimerizes through a palindromic sequence in its loop, forming a transient kissing-loop complex which then refolds to a mature, linear duplex. We previously reported the NMR structure of a 23-base truncate of SL1 in kissing-dimer form, and here report the high-resolution structure of its linear isoform. This structure comprises three short duplex regions – derived from the central palindrome and two stem regions of each strand, respectively – separated by two bulges that each encompass three unpaired adenines flanking the palindromes. The stacking pattern of these adenines differs from that seen in the kissing-loop complex, and leads to greater colinear base stacking overall. Moreover, the mechanical distortion of the palindrome helix is reduced, and base pairs ruptured during formation of the kissing-loop complex are re-established, so that all potential Watson-Crick pairs are intact. These features together likely account for the greater thermodynamic stability of the mature dimer as compared to its kissing-loop precursor.
Maximizing Resource Utilization by Slicing of Superscalar Architecture

Superscalar architectural techniques increase instruction throughput by increasing resources and using complex control units that perform various functions to minimize stalls and to ensure a continuous feed of instructions to the execution units. This work proposes a dynamic scheme to increase efficiency of execution (throughput) by a methodology called block slicing. This takes advantage of instruction level parallelism (ILP) available in programs without increasing the number of execution units. Implementation of this concept in a wide, superscalar pipelined architecture introduces nominal additional hardware and delay, while offering power and area advantages. We present the design of the hardware required for the implementation of the proposed scheme and evaluate it for the metrics of speed-up, throughput and efficiency.
Mechanisms of human neutrophil oxidant production after severe injury.

Abstract Background. The purpose of this study was to determine the mechanisms of enhanced oxidant production after severe injury. Methods. Neutrophils were harvested from patients within 24 hours of admission who had an injury severity score greater than 16. Nonadherent and adherent neutrophil oxidant production was measured after N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP) stimulation. Translocation of cytochrome b558 and cytosolic components p47phox and p67phox were determined by oxidation-reduction spectroscopy and immunoblotting, respectively. Flow cytometry measured integrin expression. Integrin and p47phox colocalization was examined by confocal microscopy. Results. Eighteen patients were studied within 15 ± 1.4 hours. Four women and 14 men suffered a blunt injury and had a mean injury severity score of 22 (range, 16 to 34). Nonadherent patient neutrophils showed a decrease in fMLP-stimulated oxidant production, whereas adherent neutrophil oxidant production was increased in both the vehicle control and fMLP-stimulated groups. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase components p47phox and cytochrome b558 were mobilized to the plasma membrane, whereas p67phox showed minimal change. Integrin CD11b a chain showed a significant increase in expression. Confocal microscopy showed colocalization of p47phox and a chain CD11b on the plasma membrane of patient neutrophils. Conclusions. Colocalization of NADPH oxidase components and integrins may regulate the enhanced oxidant production in human neutrophils after severe injury. (Surgery 2001;130:669-76.)
Probing inducible nitric oxide synthase with a pterin-ruthenium(II) sensitizer wire.

Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) is the primary biological source of the ubiquitous signaling molecule, nitric oxide (•NO). The enzyme utilizes tetrahydrobiopterin (H4B) as an essential cofactor, where it plays a key role in the catalytic conversion of L-arginine to citrulline and •NO.1 The pterin has been shown to serve both structural and catalytic roles in the enzyme by affecting the monomer to dimer transition, promoting protein stability, and forming a radical cation during catalytic turnover.2
Sorting It Out in Endosomes: An Emerging Concept in Renal Epithelial Cell Transport Regulation

Ion and water transport by the kidney is continually adjusted in response to physiological cues. Selective endocytosis and endosomal trafficking of ion transporters are increasingly appreciated as mechanisms to acutely modulate renal function. Here, we discuss emerging paradigms in this new area of investigation.
Agrp, a novel gene implicated in the control of feeding

Rapid progress has recently been made to characterise a new pathway involved in the control of feeding behaviour, referred to as the melanocortinergic pathway. Studies of the obese phenotype of the yellow mouse mutant (Ay) suggested the existence of this feeding circuit for some time, but the precise molecular and biochemical regulation was unclear. Through pharmacological and genetic approaches, specific melanocortin receptors expressed within the brain are now known to play a pivotal role. Since receptor agonists decrease food intake, and blocking receptor activity (through antagonists or mutations) increases food intake, this pathway is thought to provide a tonic inhibitory effect on food consumption. A unique feature of this pathway seems to be the regulation of receptor activity by an endogenous protein antagonist, agouti-related protein (AGRP). The molecular characterisation and biochemical activity of this gene suggest that it plays a role in the regulation of feeding behaviour.
Predicting Processing Difficulty in Chinese Syntactic Ambiguity Resolution: A Parallel Approach

Revising a misanalysis of a syntactic ambiguity elicits greater processing difficulty in some cases than in others. What factors contribute to processing difficulty at disambiguation when the dispreferred structure is required? Both serial and parallel syntactic processing theories have been proposed, which differ in how the parser responds to syntactic ambiguity. We define a serial parser as one that is committed to a single structure at each word position in an ambiguous sentence, even if multiple structural alternatives are considered initially. On the other hand, a parallel parser maintains multiple alternative structures of an ambiguity across several words.