cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Comparison of the Caring Processes Used By Obstetric, Surgical, and Emergency Nurses When Caring for the Woman with a Fetal Loss

Poster Presentation Objective To compare the caring processes used by obstetric, surgical, and emergency nurses in caring for women after fetal deaths. Design Qualitative study using focus group (FG) interviews. Setting Two large hospitals with Level‐III nurseries. Sample Four FGs were conducted involving 24 registered nurses currently working in labor and delivery, antepartum, surgery, postanesthesia, and emergency departments who had experience in caring for a patients with fetal losses and had been employed at least one year. Methods The open‐ended FG questions were carefully constructed based on the major concepts of Swanson's theory of caring, including knowing, doing for, being with, enabling, and maintaining belief. Interviews were audiotape recorded, transcribed verbatim, and deidentified. Transcripts were then uploaded into a software program for coding by research team members. Analysis was conducted using a continuously emergent process of data collection, data reduction, data display, and interpretation of data. Team members coded the transcripts that were then compared for agreement. Discrepancies in coding and theme identification were resolved through discussion. Results Nurses in all areas of specialty demonstrated all of Swanson's nurse caring processes but used them preferentially according to situational exigencies and level of rapport developed with the patient. All groups of nurses used maintaining belief with women experiencing fetal loss in smaller proportions than the other caring processes. Surgical and emergency nurses used doing for and knowing preferentially, while obstetric nurses used all of the caring processes except maintaining belief in approximately the same proportion. Surgical and emergency nurses reported a need for more education and mentoring regarding care after fetal loss, which may help them to be more comfortable in using the caring processes of being with and enabling. Conclusion/Implications for Nursing Practice Nurses try very hard to give the best care they can to women after fetal loss. Opportunities for nurses to share expertise across specialties on common problems could help increase collegiality and comfort with high intensity clinical situations.
Action-space partitioning for planning

For autonomous artificial decision-makers to solve realistic tasks, they need to deal with searching through large state and action spaces under time pressure. We study the problem of planning in such domains and show how structured representations of the environment's dynamics can help partition the action space into a set of equivalence classes at run time. The partitioned action space is then used to produce a reduced set of actions. This technique speeds up search and can yield significant gains in planning efficiency.
Enhancement of gamma-aminobutyric acid-activated chloride channel currents by lanthanides in rat dorsal root ganglion neurons.

Lanthanum was previously reported to potentiate the GABA-induced chloride currents reversibly by acting at a distinct site on the GABAA receptor-channel complex (Ma and Narahashi, 1993). We now report that all other lanthanides tested enhanced the GABA responses with greater efficiencies and produced inward currents by themselves. The rank order of efficacies of lanthanides to potentiate the GABA responses and to generate currents correlated inversely with the hydrated ionic radii of these ions. The GABA-induced currents were recorded from the rat dorsal root ganglion neurons in primary culture by the whole-cell patch-clamp technique. Lanthanides at 1 mM reversibly potentiated the GABA responses (times of control): lutetium (Lu3+) 12.4 +/- 0.1 > erbium (Er3+) 11.4 +/- 0.2 > terbium (Tb3+) 9.3 +/- 0.5 > europium (Eu3+) 5.4 +/- 0.4 > neodymium (Nd3+) 4.1 +/- 0.2 > cerium (Ce3+) 3.3 +/- 0.2 > lanthanum (La3+) 2.4 +/- 0.2 (n = 10). The enhancing effect of Tb3+ was dose dependent, with an EC50 356 +/- 12 microM (n = 10), and weakly voltage dependent, increasing with hyperpolarization. The amplitudes of currents induced by various lanthanides (1 mM) were (percentage of 10 microM GABA-induced current) Lu3+ 101 +/- 8 > Er3+ 57 +/- 8 > Tb3+ 33 +/- 3 > Eu3+ 20 +/- 2 > Nd3+ 14 +/- 2 approximately Ce3+ 13 +/- 0.6 > La3+ 10 +/- 0.2 (n = 4). Tb3+ reversibly induced currents in a dose- dependent manner with an EC50 of 863 +/- 0 microM (n = 5).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The Importance of Type, Amount, and Timing of Internet Use for Understanding Psychological Distress

Objective. Few social scientists have examined how Internet usage, including using the Internet for health purposes, may affect mental health. This study assesses whether the type or amount of online health activities and the timing of Internet use are associated with psychological distress. Methods. We use data from the National Cancer Institute's 2005 Health Information National Trends Survey. Results. When we compare Internet users to non‐Internet users, using the Internet and using the Internet for health purposes are negatively associated with distress. However, among Internet users, the number of online health activities is positively associated with distress. Greater distress is also associated with using the Internet on weekdays and looking online for information on sun protection. Conclusions. Internet usage is not necessarily positively associated with psychological distress. The effects depend on the type, amount, and timing of Internet usage.
The University of Illinois Manufacturing Research Center

The University of Illinois, recognizing the importance of coordinated engineering research activities, has initiated a program in manufacturing research and education to serve industry's needs. This program is being coordinated through the Manufacturing Research center (MRC). The MRC provides a forum within which industry can participate in research through sponsorship of projects. It enhances the education of students who will become a pool of trained professionals sensitive to industry's needs. The Center also facilitates the transfer of technology from academia to industry and addresses the need for the continuing education of industrial staff. The mission, organizational structure, and technical area being supported by the MRC are described. >
Application of automated crystallography for transmission electron microscopy in the study of grain-boundary segregation.

Abstract Analytical Electron Microscopy (AEM) has brought significant progress in the study of grain-boundary segregation. Using X-ray energy-dispersive spectrometry (XEDS) in the AEM, elemental segregation information can be related to the crystallographic character of the same boundary via conventional Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) diffraction techniques. While significant efforts have been made to improve XEDS analysis of sub-nanometer segregation layers, the methods for crystallographic characterization of grain boundaries have remained the same for several decades and labor-intensive processes. Recently, a method termed Automated Crystallography for TEM (ACT) was developed, which automates crystallographic characterization of grains under TEM observation. In the present work, we combine ACT and X-ray mapping via EDS in AEM for the study of Sb grain-boundary segregation in a rapidly solidified Cu–0.08 wt% Sb alloy. In contrast with previous reports, a large degree of anisotropy in Sb segregation level between different boundaries is found. ACT results suggest that one of the several grain boundaries observed with no detectable Sb segregation is very close to a Σ 3 coincidence-site lattice structure. The reason for the observed anisotropy in the present alloy is discussed, based upon McLean's theory of segregation.
Solubility equilibria in basalt aquifers: The Columbia Plateau, eastern Washington, U.S.A.

A speciation-solubility geochemical model, WATEQ2, was used to analyse geographically-diverse groundwater samples from the aquifers of the Columbia Plateau basalts in eastern Washington. The groundwater samples compute to be at equilibrium with calcite which provides both a solubility control for dissolved Ca and a pH buffer. Amorphic ferric hydroxide, Fe(OH)3 (a), is at saturation or modestly oversaturated in the few water samples with measured redox potentials. Most of the groundwater samples compute to be at equilibrium with amorphic silica (glass) and wairakite, a zeolite, and are saturated to oversaturated with respect to allophane, an amorphic aluminosilicate. The water samples are saturated to undersaturated with halloysite, a clay, and are variably oversaturated with regard to other secondary clay minerals. Equilibrium between the groundwater and amorphic silica presumably results from the dissolution of the glassy matrix of the basalt. The oversaturation with respect to the clay minerals other than halloysite indicates that their rate of formation lags the dissolution rate of the basaltic glass. The modeling results indicate that metastable amorphic solids limit the concentration of dissolved Si and suggest the same possibility for Al and Fe. The results also suggest that the processes of dissolution of basaltic glass and formation of metastable secondary minerals are continuing even though the basalts are of Miocene age and presumably have undergone a long history of contact with groundwaters. The computed solubility relations are found to agree with the known assemblages of alteration minerals in the basalt fractures and vesicles, if account is taken of both the difficulty of identifying amorphic phases and the slow rate of formation of clay minerals at low temperatures. Because the chemical reactivity of the bedrock will influence the transport of solutes in groundwater, the observed solubility equilibria are important factors with regard to chemical-retention processes associated with the possible migration of nuclear waste stored in the earth's crust. Specifically, the occurrence of secondary minerals will enhance the sorption of dissolved radionuclides. Speciation-solubility geochemical models provide an important means of determining these solubility-equilibria relationships.
Increased sensitivity and discrimination in screening through an immobilized-resin microbiological assay method

Problems with present bioactive microbial product screening techniques include low sensitivity and insufficient discrimination capabilities. These problems are addressed by our new immobilized-resin microbiological assay. This technique concentrates bioactive samples on macroporous polymeric resins that are immobilized in hydrogel beads. These beads are then subjected to elution in the wells of an agar diffusion microbiological assay medium. With a strong base anion exchanger, the sensitivity to ampicillin of the β-lactam-supersensitiveEscherichia coli mutant ESS-22-31 was increased 10-fold. Similar increases in sensitivity were obtained in the detection of streptomycin using a weak acid cation exchanger withBacillus subtilis and for cycloheximide by a neutral resin andSaccharomyces cerevisiae NRRL-Y-139. A judicious choice of resin type and eluent permitted a selective sensitivity increase based on the charge or hydrophobic nature of the desired product. This selectivity imparts a discrimination capability to the technique.
New bioacoustic signal processing techniques

The engineering principles and techniques applicable to the study and eventual non-invasive detection of aneursyms are being studied at the University of Cincinnati. Reported statistics indicate the ruptures of a subarachnoid aneurysm is the cause of 2% of all sudden deaths, is 68% mortal and leaves 21% mentally deficient otherwise. Surgical survival after hemorrhage is rated at 77% and 90% if detected. Statistics indicate that a patient's chances for a productive life are good if the aneursym can be detected and surgically treated. Approximately 12% of all polycystic and 15% of al migrane patients have aneurysms. These statistics are not high enough to warrant the risk of angiography for pre-bleed analysis however. Angiography, which entails patient risk and hospitalization, is the only presently available test for the above conditions.
Performance of large fan-filter units for cleanroom applications

Abstract Fan-filter units (FFUs) are widely used in clean space to re-circulate and remove particles out of the airflows directed to cleanrooms or minienvironments. Energy and aerodynamic performance of FFUs may largely influence both energy efficiency and effectiveness in contamination control in the cleanroom design, qualifications, and operation. This article presents laboratory-measured performance of seven relatively new and large FFUs, with a section size of 122-cm×122-cm, or 4-ft×4-ft. In addition, this article includes a comparison of the performance of these large FFUs with that of smaller, 122-cm×61-cm (or 4-ft×2-ft) FFUs that were previously tested. The comparison was based upon a set of performance metrics such as total pressure efficiency (TPE) and energy performance index (EPI). This article found that there were wide variations in the energy performance of FFUs, and that using a consistent evaluation method can generate comparable FFU performance information. When operating at the maximal setting of speed control dials used to control their respective fan-wheel speeds, the larger units in this study tended to be more energy efficient than their smaller counterparts. The energy efficiency level of the same unit may vary considerably, depending on actual operating conditions such as airflow speeds and pressure rise across the units. Furthermore, this article provides recommendations for further investigations to improve energy efficiency of FFU applications.
A Vision of Modernization: An Article on a Drawing by Bah Rmpent, a Child of the Sengoi Semai, a Traditionally Nonviolent Indigenous People of the Malaysian Peninsula

The core of this article is a pastiche, consisting of a sketch of the life of Bah Rmpent, a nine-year-old Sengoi Semai boy, in 1992; a stone-cold poem about the finality of genocide, by Robert Frost; and a newspaper account of building a dam on the last Whitewater river of peninsular Malaysia. The whole is sandwiched between an introductory interpretation and explanatory endnotes.
Two subtilisin‐like proteases from soybean

Two subtilisin-like proteases (SLP) were identified in soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.). The first, SLP-1, was localized in seed coats early in seed development, but became undetectable with anti-SLP-1 antibodies as seed fill progressed. A partial purification of SLP-1 was achieved using a two step chromatographic procedure. NH 2 -terminal sequence analysis of the partially purified enzyme permitted primers to be designed that were used to amplify cDNA encoding SLP-1. A genomic clone encoding SLP-1 was also obtained. Characterization of the cDNA and partially purified SLP-1 revealed the initial translation product was an 82 694 MW precursor. After removal of a signal peptide, the mature protein was formed by removal of an NH 2 -terminal propeptide. A COOH-terminal peptide also appeared to be removed from some of the protease molecules. DNA blot analysis suggested that at least one additional SLP gene was present in soybean. The second gene, SLP-2, was subsequently cloned and characterized. Although the coding regions for SLP-1 and SLP-2 were homologous, their promoters were quite divergent. RT-PCR revealed that SLP-2 message was found in the mature plant and in cotyledons of germinating seeds. Although SLP-2 mRNA could be identified in developing seeds, the message was at least an order of magnitude less abundant than that for SLP-1, and it was mis-spliced such that a chain termination event would preclude obtaining a product. As with SLPs from other organisms, the functions of the soybean proteases are unknown. However, SLP-1 is one of only a few proteins from soybean seed coats that have been described.
The live attenuated chimeric vaccine rWN/DEN4Δ30 is well-tolerated and immunogenic in healthy flavivirus-naïve adult volunteers.

Abstract WNV has become the leading vector-borne cause of meningoencephalitis in the United States. Although the majority of WNV infections result in asymptomatic illness, approximately 20% of infections result in West Nile fever and 1% in West Nile neuroinvasive disease (WNND), which causes encephalitis, meningitis, or flaccid paralysis. The elderly are at particular risk for WNND, with more than half the cases occurring in persons older than sixty years of age. There is no licensed treatment for WNND, nor is there any licensed vaccine for humans for the prevention of WNV infection. The Laboratory of Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health has developed a recombinant live attenuated WNV vaccine based on chimerization of the wild-type WNV NY99 genome with that of the live attenuated DENV-4 candidate vaccine rDEN4Δ30. The genes encoding the prM and envelope proteins of DENV-4 were replaced with those of WNV NY99 and the resultant virus was designated rWN/DEN4Δ30. The vaccine was evaluated in healthy flavivirus-naive adult volunteers age 18–50 years in two separate studies, both of which are reported here. The first study evaluated 10 3 or 10 4 PFU of the vaccine given as a single dose; the second study evaluated 10 5 PFU of the vaccine given as two doses 6 months apart. The vaccine was well-tolerated and immunogenic at all three doses, inducing seroconversion to WNV NY99 in 74% (10 3 PFU), 75% (10 4 PFU), and 55% (10 5 PFU) of subjects after a single dose. A second 10 5 PFU dose of rWN/DEN4Δ30 given 6 months after the first dose increased the seroconversion rate 89%. Based on the encouraging results from these studies, further evaluation of the candidate vaccine in adults older than 50 years of age is planned.
Idiopathic intestinal pseudo-obstruction in a family

A patient with severe manifestations of idiopathic intestinal pseudo-obstruction is presented. Three members of his family suffer from similar symptoms but in a much milder form. The disease has a wide range of clinical and radiologic presentations and its diagnosis is dependent upon the exclusion of all known causes of intestinal pseudo-obstruction. A high incidence of associated megacystis in this family as well as in some reported cases in the literature lead us to conclude that idiopathic intestinal pseudo-obstruction is not a primary disease of the gastrointestinal tract. Its etiology remains obscure.
The analysis of volatiles from thermally oxidized virgin olive oil using dynamic sorption–thermal desorption and solid phase micro-extraction techniques

Summary Virgin olive oil was thermally oxidized by heating in a conventional oven. Volatiles produced during this process were isolated either by dynamic headspace-thermal desorption (DHS-TD) with Tenax-TA trapping material, or solid phase micro-extraction (SPME) with nonpolar polydimethysiloxane (PDMS) and polydimethysiloxane-divinylbenzene (PDMS/DVB) fibres. Volatiles collected in the former case were isolated by using gas chromatography (GC) and characterized by an ion trap mass spectrometer, while those extracted by SPME were isolated by GC and characterized by the use of a time-of-flight-mass spectrometer (TOFMS). More compounds were isolated by DHS-TD compared to SPME which is, however, a quick process that can be even faster when combined with the high speed chromatography equipment of TOFMS. Fifty-eight compounds were isolated from olive oil samples using the PDMS/DVB bi-polar fibres and 39 using the nonpolar PDMS. A quick descriptive analysis of oxidized olive oil is best obtained by using the SPME technique with a PDMS/DVB bi-polar fibre.
Dynamical behaviour of magnetosphere boundary following impact by discontinuity in the solar wind

Dynamical behavior of magnetosphere boundary following impact by discontinuity in solar wind
Effects of convex transverse curvature on wall-bounded turbulence. Part 1. The velocity and vorticity

Convex transverse curvature effects in wall-bounded turbulent flows are significant if the boundary-layer thickness is large compared to the radius of curvature (large γ = δ/a). The curvature affects the inner part of the flow if a+, the cylinder radius in wall units, is small. Two direct numerical simulations of a model problem approximating axial flow boundary layers on long cylinders were performed for γ = 5 (a+ ≈ 43) and γ = 11 (a+ ≈ 21). Statistical and structural data were extracted from the computed flow fields. The effects of the transverse curvature were identified by comparing the present results with those of the plane channel simulation of Kim, Moin & Moser (1987), performed at a similar Reynolds number. As the curvature increases, the skin friction increases, the slope of the logarithmic region decreases and turbulence intensities are reduced. Several turbulence statistics are found to scale with a curvature dependent velocity scale derived from the mean momentum equation. Near the wall, the flow is more anisotropic than in the plane channel with a larger percentage of the turbulent kinetic energy resulting from the streamwise velocity fluctuations. As the curvature increases, regions of strong normal vorticity develop near the wall.
A physiologically based pharmacokinetic model for the oxime TMB-4: simulation of rodent and human data

Multiple oximes have been synthesized and evaluated for use as countermeasures against chemical warfare nerve agents. The current U.S. military and civilian oxime countermeasure, 2-[(hydroxyimino)methyl]-1-methylpyridin-1-ium chloride (2-PAM), is under consideration for replacement with a more effective acetylcholinesterase reactivator, 1,1'-methylenebis{4-hydroxyiminomethyl}pyridinium dimethanesulfonate (MMB-4). Kinetic data in the scientific literature for MMB-4 are limited; therefore, a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model was developed for a structurally related oxime, 1,1'-trimethylenebis{4-hydroximinomethyl}pyridinium dibromide. Based on a previous model structure for the organophosphate diisopropylfluorophosphate, the model includes key sites of acetylcholinesterase inhibition (brain and diaphragm), as well as fat, kidney, liver, rapidly perfused tissues and slowly perfused tissues. All tissue compartments are diffusion limited. Model parameters were collected from the literature, predicted using quantitative structure-property relationships or, when necessary, fit to available pharmacokinetic data from the literature. The model was parameterized using rat plasma, tissue and urine time course data from intramuscular administration, as well as human blood and urine data from intravenous and intramuscular administration; sensitivity analyses were performed. The PBPK model successfully simulates rat and human data sets and has been evaluated by predicting intravenous mouse and intramuscular human data not used in the development of the model. Monte Carlo analyses were performed to quantify human population kinetic variability in the human evaluation data set. The model identifies potential pharmacokinetic differences between rodents and humans, indicated by differences in model parameters between species. The PBPK model can be used to optimize the dosing regimen to improve oxime therapeutic efficacy in a human population.
Minimal permutation sets for decoding the binary Golay codes (Corresp.)

For permutation decoding of an e error-correcting linear code, a set of permutations which move all error vectors of weight \leq e out of the information places is needed. A method of finding minimal decoding sets is given, along with minimal sets obtained with this method for the binary Golay codes.
Imaging, distribution, and toxicity of superparamagnetic iron oxide magnetic resonance nanoparticles in the rat brain and intracerebral tumor.

Objective Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents are gaining use in the central nervous system. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the imaging characteristics, distribution, time course, and neurotoxicity of the clinical agents ferumoxtran-10, ferumoxides, and ferumoxytol, and the laboratory preparation MION-46 in rat brain. Methods Iron oxide agents were administered by intracerebral inoculation or intraarterially after osmotic blood-brain barrier opening in normal rats and intravenously in nude rats with intracerebral tumor xenografts. Rat brains were imaged by MRI at multiple time points and then were assessed for iron histochemistry and pathological features. Results After intracerebral injection, MRI signal changes declined slowly over weeks to months. After transvascular delivery, transient (3 d) enhancement was seen with ferumoxtran-10 or ferumoxytol, whereas ferumoxides induced long-term (28 d) signal dropout. No pathological brain cell or myelin changes were detected after delivery of the clinical iron oxide agents to normal brains. In tumor models, ferumoxtran-10 enhanced one small-cell lung carcinoma intracerebral tumor, which correlated with iron staining in cells with macrophage morphological features at the tumor margin. Little enhancement was seen in two other models. Conclusion These studies demonstrate the safety and efficacy of iron oxide-based MRI contrast agents in the brain and provide imaging parameters and time course data for future studies in brain tumors and neurological lesions.
Thermochemistry of MgB/sub 2/ thin film synthesis

We have investigated the thermodynamic and kinetic barriers involved in the synthesis of MgB/sub 2/ films. This work refines our initial conjectures predicting optimal MgB/sub 2/ thin film growth conditions as a consequence of the unusually large kinetic barrier to MgB/sub 2/ decomposition. The small Mg sticking coefficient at temperatures greater than 300/spl deg/C prevents high temperature synthesis with traditional vacuum growth methods. However, as a result of the large kinetic barrier to MgB/sub 2/ decomposition, in-situ thermal processing can be used to enhance the crystallinity and the superconductivity of MgB/sub 2/ films. We used these methods to produce MgB/sub 2/ thin films with relatively high transition temperatures (/spl sim/37 K) by pulsed laser deposition (PLD).
Magnetic frustration, muon probing, and hydrogen bonding in RBa2Cu3Oy

Abstract Recent muon-spin-relaxation (μSR) studies on (Pr x Y 1−x )Ba 2 Cu 3 O y and H z YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 have confirmed the muon-probe site location near the BaO planes. Similar behavior for H + in Hydrogen-doped YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 is seen as has been observed for the μ + , namely bonding with oxygen. Thus, the knowledge of the muon-probe site in R123y improves the interpretations of the μSR magnetic studies in (Pr x Y 1−x ) 1237 and the μSR vortex studies in R1237. Magnetic frustration appears to be the key to resolve the physical origin of the CuO-based superconductivity.
Dysregulation of intracellular dopamine stores revealed in the R6/2 mouse striatum

Huntington’s disease is a fatal, neurodegenerative movement disorder characterized by preferential and extensive striatal degeneration. Here, we used fast-scan cyclic voltammetry to study the mobilization and efflux of reserve pool dopamine in striatal brain slices from Huntington’s disease model R6/2 mice. When applying stimulus trains of 120 pulses, evoked dopamine release in wild-type slices was greater than that in R6/2 slices at the higher frequencies (50 and 60 Hz). To quantify cytosolic and reserve pool dopamine levels, amphetamine-induced dopamine efflux was measured after pre-treatment with either tetrabenazine or alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine. Slices from 12-week old R6/2 mice released less dopamine than slices from wild-type mice, while no difference was noted in slices from 6-week old mice. The vesicular release of reserve pool dopamine, mobilized by treatment with cocaine, was shorter lived in R6/2 slices compared to wild-type slices even though peak dopamine release was the same. Moreover, the number of dopamine reserve pool vesicles in R6/2 mice was less than half of that in wild-type. Therefore, our data suggest that the same number of dopamine molecules are present in each reserve pool vesicle in WT and R6/2 mice and that these vesicles are readily mobilized in both genotypes; however, R6/2 mice have fewer dopamine reserve pool vesicles available for mobilization.
Family Violence: An Expanded Perspective

According to the traditional view of family violence, the etiology of child abuse, incest, and spouse abuse is primarily within or between individuals. This individualistic approach has led to the ...
USP7 Attenuates Hepatic Gluconeogenesis Through Modulation of FoxO1 Gene Promoter Occupancy

Hepatic forkhead protein FoxO1 is a key component of systemic glucose homeostasis via its ability to regulate the transcription of rate-limiting enzymes in gluconeogenesis. Important in the regulation of FoxO1 transcriptional activity are the modifying/demodifying enzymes that lead to posttranslational modification. Here, we demonstrate the functional interaction and regulation of FoxO1 by herpesvirus-associated ubiquitin-specific protease 7 (USP7; also known as herpesvirus-associated ubiquitin-specific protease, HAUSP), a deubiquitinating enzyme. We show that USP7-mediated mono-deubiquitination of FoxO1 results in suppression of FoxO1 transcriptional activity through decreased FoxO1 occupancy on the promoters of gluconeogenic genes. Knockdown of USP7 in primary hepatocytes leads to increased expression of FoxO1-target gluconeogenic genes and elevated glucose production. Consistent with this, USP7 gain-of-function suppresses the fasting/cAMP-induced activation of gluconeogenic genes in hepatocyte cells and in mouse liver, resulting in decreased hepatic glucose production. Notably, we show that the effects of USP7 on hepatic glucose metabolism depend on FoxO1. Together, these results place FoxO1 under the intimate regulation of deubiquitination and glucose metabolic control with important implication in diseases such as diabetes.
Information Rate and Capacity in a Crayfish Photoreceptor Nerve Channel

The theoretical basis of our experimental approach to information rate and capacity in a crayfish photoreceptor nerve channel is that used by Shannon [16]. Dispersion curves of conduction times were studied for pulses following short, medium, and long intervals. Although the means were equal (2.6 ms), the standard deviation in the case of pulses following short intervals was larger (0.29 ms) than for medium or long intervals (0.18 and 0.21 ms, respectively). A statistical description of nerve-fiber noise was found and used to compute the information rates (? = 280, 140, and 80 bit/s) for various light intensities. By maximizing ? over all possible input interval distributions, the channel capacity was calculated to be 360 bit/s. Extending the channel to include the entire system defined from light stimulus to probabilistic behavioral output, the overall mutual information rate was estimated to be 0.04 bit/s, the discrepancy between this overall behavioral rate and the capacity of the nerve channel is noted.
Coexistence of magnetic order and heavy-fermion paramagnetism in Ce 5 Sn 3

We report resistivity, magnetic, thermodynamic, and neutron-diffraction data for the heavy-fermion compound ${\mathrm{Ce}}_{5}$${\mathrm{Sn}}_{3}$. These data indicate an antiferromagnetic phase transition at ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{N}}$=17.5 K, but at lower temperatures the linear coefficient of specific heat \ensuremath{\gamma}(T)=C(T)/T rises to 1.6 J/f.u. mol ${\mathrm{K}}^{2}$, characteristic of a moderately-heavy-fermion compound. Only a small amount of entropy is liberated by the phase transition (\ensuremath{\ll}R ln2), whereas most of the entropy [(3--4)R ln2] is liberated by heavy-fermion processes. This implies a small ordered moment. Further, neutron diffraction implies a rather complicated magnetic order. We discuss two alternatives: (a) that ordering occurs on the Ce site of higher symmetry, while heavy-fermion behavior occurs on the lower-symmetry Ce site; and (b) that itinerant-fermion antiferromagnetism occurs. Due to the overall low site symmetries, crystal-field effects are strong; in particular, the susceptibility is highly anisotropic (by a factor of at least 20 at low temperatures) and enhanced by the presence of strong ferromagnetic correlations in the heavy-fermion state.
Kinetic Analysis for HO2 Addition to Ethylene, Propene, and Isobutene, and Thermochemical Parameters of Alkyl Hydroperoxides and Hydroperoxide Alkyl Radicals

Thermochemical kinetic analysis for the reactions of HO2 radical addition to the primary, secondary, and tertiary carbon−carbon double bonds of ethylene, propene, and isobutene are studied using canonical transition state theory (TST). Thermochemical properties of reactants, alkyl hydroperoxides (ROOH), hydroperoxy alkyl radicals (R·OOH), and transition states (TSs) are determined by ab initio and density functional calculations. Enthalpies of formation (ΔHf°298) of product radicals (R·OOH) are determined using isodesmic reactions with group balance at MP4(full)/6-31G(d,p)//MP2(full)/6-31G(d), MP2(full)/6-31G(d), complete basis set model chemistry (CBS-q with MP2(full)/6-31g(d) and B3LYP/6-31g(d) optimized geometries), and density functional (B3LYP/6-31g(d) and B3LYP/6-311+g(3df,2p)//B3LYP/6-31g(d)) calculations. ΔHf°298 of TSs are obtained from the ΔHf°298 of reactants plus energy differences between reactants and TSs. Entropies (S°298) and heat capacities (Cp(T) 300 ≤ T/K ≤ 1500) contributions from vibr...
Arterial spin labeling perfusion MRI in pediatric arterial ischemic stroke: Initial experiences

Purpose To investigate the feasibility and utility of arterial spin labeling (ASL) perfusion MRI in characterizing alterations of cerebral blood flow (CBF) in pediatric patients with arterial ischemic stroke (AIS).
Productivity differences, world-market shares and conflicting national interests in linear trade models

Abstract We discuss the classical linear model of international trade. We show that many of the results of the scale economies models carry over to the linear case, notably the critical role of share of world output, and the resulting conflict in the interests of trading partners. We use the linear one-input production functions eijlij and Cobb-Douglas utility. We fix the labor force sizes Lj, the demand parameters dij of the two countries and n, the number of industries. We discuss the equilibrium outcomes of the family of models obtained by varying the productivity coefficients eij subject to maximal productivity condition eijeijmax.
Cytologic diagnosis of fat emboli in peripheral blood during sickle cell infarctive crisis.

A diagnosis of fat emboli can be suspected in a patient presenting with the typical symptoms of the fat embolism syndrome, but is rarely proved pathologically, except at autopsy. We described a 25-yr-old man with sickle cell anemia who developed an infarctive crisis complicated by unexplained fever, neurologic change, and respiratory abnormalities. Blood drawn from the femoral vein and examined cytopathologically yielded necrotic bone marrow elements admixed with fat. The cytologic finding of fat emboli from necrotic bone marrow provided the diagnosis and helped guide subsequent medical intervention. This simple test is recommended for patients at risk for fat emboli to aid in the clinical diagnosis. Diagn. Cytopathol. 17:54–56, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
X-Ray Diffraction Investigation of the TetragonaI-Orthorhombic Transition in YBa2Cu3O6+x in the Temperature Range 300 < T < 1020 K

Several materials of general formula YBa[sub 2]Cu[sub 3]O[sub 6+x] with 0 [le] x [le] 1 have been prepared with accurately known composition using precision gas titration techniques. For each composition, the conversion between the tetragonal and orthorhombic phases at temperatures from ambient to T [le] 1020 K has been followed using high temperature X-ray diffraction. For x [le] 0.4, the phase is tetragonal; for x values of 0.43, 0.45, 0.5, and 0.7, conversion occurs within the temperature ranges 420 K < T < 470 K, 470 K < T < 520 K, 520 K < T < 720 K, and 920 K < T 1020 K, respectively. For x = 0.9 and x [approx] 1 the orthorhombic phase is present for all T < 1020 K. These data indicate that the kinetics of the oxygen ordering, which results in superlattice formation and phase conversion, are fast for temperatures as low as T [approx] 350 K.
A single parity check forward error correction method for high speed I/O

Some proposed high speed wireline communications make use of an ADC front end to allow a feedforward equalizer (FFE) to compensate for the frequency dependent loss of the channel. High precision ADCs are expensive in terms of power. The FFE block performs multiplication and addition operations at high speed and further increases the power consumption. This paper proposes a simple forward error correction method by which the ADC resolution and the equalizer complexity can be reduced. A single parity check code implemented together with a threshold detector can provide single error correction capability. With this error correction capability, the number of taps required in the FFE block is shown to be reduced to 3 taps from 6 taps for a channel with 15dB insertion loss at 5GHz frequency with the data rate being 20Gb/s. The effective number of bits (ENOB) required from the ADC is also shown to reduce to about 3.5 bits from 6 bits. The high rate of the code and the very simple decoder architecture make this error correction mechanism well suited for the wireline application.
Fluorescence spectra of atmospheric aerosol at Adelphi, Maryland, USA: measurement and classification of single particles containing organic carbon

Abstract We measured laser-induced fluorescence spectra from individual supermicron-sized atmospheric particles drawn into our laboratory at Adelphi, MD, an urban site in the Washington, DC metroplex. A virtural impactor concentrator is used along with an aerodynamic-focusing-nozzle which forms, within an optical chamber, a focused aerosol jet where single aerosol particles can be interrogated on-the-fly with a pulsed 266-nm-wavelength laser. Sample rates are a few liter per minute, and are size dependent. Crossed-diode laser beams indicate when a particle is traversing the sample region and are used to trigger the UV laser to fire and the gated intensified CCD to record the fluorescence spectrum. Our breadboard fluorescence particle spectrometer measures particles in the 3–10 μm diameter size range. Typical trigger rates are a few per second. The usable spectral range is from about 295 to 605 nm. The majority of the particles have very weak fluorescence (on average 8 percent of particles have fluorescence signals above noise). The spectra were grouped using a heirarchical cluster analysis, with parameters chosen so that spectra typically cluster into 4–12 main categories. From the set of all cluster spectra we chose 8 template spectra for reanalyzing all the data. On average, 92 percent (81–94 percent) of the spectra were similar to these templates (using the same thresholds used for the cluster analysis). The major emission bands of the most commonly occurring spectra have peaks: near 460 nm (28 percent of fluorescent particles on average), a very broad hump, and may be humic acids or humic like substances; near 317 nm (on average 24 percent of fluorescent particles); near 321 and 460 nm (a double hump, 12 percent of fluorescent particles); and near 341 nm (8 percent of fluorescent particles). Some of the fluorescence in spectra peaking in the 317–341 nm range is probably from dicyclic aromatics and heterocyclics, including the amino acid tryptophan in biological particles such as bacteria and spores.
Utilization and cost effectiveness review of shunt series to rule out ventriculoperitoneal shunt malfunction

Purpose: To evaluate the usefulness of the conventional radiographic shunt series in the initial work-up of patients suspected of having ventriculoperitoneal shunt malfunction, and to describe an imaging work-up algorithm. Methods: Charts of 33 patients with shunt series were retrieved from medical records and reviewed. Twelve patients were excluded either because there was no head CT scan done at the time of the shunt series or because the studies were done immediately postoperatively. The remaining 21 patients had a total of 67 shunt series and head CT scans performed to rule out shunt malfunction. Patients' age range was 8 months to 81 years. There were 9 female and 12 male patients. Only three patients were more than 17 years old. Results: In 12/67 cases (18 %) the CT demonstrated normal-size ventricles. In none of these cases did the patients undergo shunt revision. Of the cases where there was an abnormal CT result, 22/67 (33 %) showed increasing hydrocephalus, 5 (7 %) showed enlarged ventricles with no comparison study, and 28 (42 %) showed stable enlarged ventricles. The shunt was revised in 22/67 (33 %) cases. No shunt series was interpreted as demonstrating abnormality of the shunt. Conclusion: Routine shunt series should not be the initial imaging study in the work-up of patients who present to rule out shunt malfunction. They may be helpful following CT and neurosurgical evaluation of those patients who are scheduled to undergo operative shunt revision.
Response of three rice (Oryza sativa) cultivars to pendimethalin application, planting depth, and rainfall

Abstract Greenhouse experiments were conducted to evaluate the response of three rice cultivars (Lemont, Cocodrie, and Wells) to pendimethalin as a function of planting depth, herbicide application timing, and timing of simulated rainfall after herbicide application. In the absence of pendimethalin, emergence of Wells was greater than that of either Cocodrie or Lemont. However, regardless of application timing, Wells was more sensitive to pendimethalin compared to either Cocodrie or Lemont. Emergence of all cultivars was reduced by pendimethalin at planting depths
The effect of abnormal levels of hematocrit on the single breath diffusing capacity

In order to study the effect of different levels of hematocrit on the single breath diffusing capacity (DLCO), we studied 90 lifelong nonsmokers with either iron deficiency anemia, polycythemia vera or normal hematocrits, age range 9 to 81 years, with expiratory normal flow rates and lung volumes. The DLCO ranged from 10.6 to 41.3 ml/min/mmHg and hematocrit ranged from 28%–64%. We noted a significant relationship between the DLCO and age, height, and hematocrit. We recommend that DLCO measured in the conventional manner be corrected for anemia and polycythemia by incrementing or decrementing the measured value, if expressed as a percent of predicted, by 1.35% for each percent of measured hematocrit below or above the normal values of 44%.
Maternal deprivation and prolonged suckling in the absence of milk alter the frequency and intensity of sucking responses in neonatal rat pups

Abstract Jaw-muscle EMG recordings reveal that 3–5-day-old rat pups suckling an anesthetized non-lactating dam emit one of three different sucking responses every 20–25 sec. The frequency and intensity of two of these responses increase if preceded by lengthy maternal deprivation and decrease during extended suckling in the absence of milk. Sucking in neonatal rats is pervasive, complex in structure, and unlike most other measures of suckling at this age, is affected by deprivation.
Evaluating and Validating Two Methods for Estimating Brain Structure Volumes: Tessellation and Simple Pixel Counting

Developments in imaging technology have made three-dimensional visualization of internal brain structures possible with excellent resolution. Since improved visualization implies improved measurement, these advances hold promise to more accurately measure the volumes of internal structures. As new technologies and techniques emerge, evaluating the relative benefits of measurement methods becomes necessary. We compared and evaluated two methods of estimating volumes from images of brain structures. One method counted pixels within a region of interest, while the other method tessellated the surface between tracings on adjacent slices. Our study assessed both measurement error for true phantom volumes and method disparity for in vivo structures in a randomly selected sample of subjects (n = 100). For our comparisons, we focused on the temporal lobe, ventricular system, and hippocampus. Bias, independence of measurement errors and maximal discrimination of individual differences are properties that are relevant to validating and evaluating measurements of cerebral structure. Pixel counting proved to be the more robust of the two methods, being less sensitive to nuisance-interactions between size of object, shape, and slice thickness. Clinical and research applications of imaging techniques may have distinctive but overlapping needs when evaluating and validating new developments in imaging.
Nonlinear approach for evaluating the properties of materials at elevated temperature

Presented investigations are based on three fundamental relationships for materials: “modulus of elasticity-temperature”, “strength-temperature” i.e. the kinetic nature of solids strength, and nonlinear “stress-strain” dependency. It is shown that for polymers, concrete and polymer concrete insulators the dielectric and mechanical properties decrease with temperature. Preliminary results are promising for predicting dielectric strength and time to failure of insulators knowing their properties at room temperature.
Relation of Filial Responsibility to the Personal and Social Adjustment of Latino Adolescents From Immigrant Families

A multidimensional model of filial responsibility encompassing caregiving activities in the home and perceptions of fairness was examined in relation to multiple self- and teacher-reported indices of competence and distress in a sample of Latino adolescents from immigrant families (N = 129, mean age = 16.8, 64% girls). Whereas most research of Latino adolescents has focused on felt familial obligations and attitudes, this study found that reports of actual caregiving activities were associated with higher competence for the sample as a whole and fewer acting out problems among boys. Perceived fairness was associated with lower levels of distress and moderated the curvilinear association of caregiving with behavioral restraint. High levels of filial caregiving predicted high levels of restraint, but only when the balance of give-and-take at home was perceived as fair. These results are consistent with a model that views filial responsibilities as a source of both personal distress and competence.
Impaired cognition, sensorimotor gating, and hippocampal long-term depression in mice lacking the prostaglandin E2 EP2 receptor.

Abstract Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is a neuronal immediate early gene that is regulated by N-methyl d aspartate (NMDA) receptor activity. COX-2 enzymatic activity catalyzes the first committed step in prostaglandin synthesis. Recent studies demonstrate an emerging role for the downstream PGE2 EP2 receptor in diverse models of activity-dependent synaptic plasticity and a significant function in models of neurological disease including cerebral ischemia, Familial Alzheimer's disease, and Familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Little is known, however, about the normal function of the EP2 receptor in behavior and cognition. Here we report that deletion of the EP2 receptor leads to significant cognitive deficits in standard tests of fear and social memory. EP2−/− mice also demonstrated impaired prepulse inhibition (PPI) and heightened anxiety, but normal startle reactivity, exploratory behavior, and spatial reference memory. This complex behavioral phenotype of EP2−/− mice was associated with a deficit in long-term depression (LTD) in hippocampus. Our findings suggest that PGE2 signaling via the EP2 receptors plays an important role in cognitive and emotional behaviors that recapitulate some aspects of human psychopathology related to schizophrenia.