cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Water diffusion-exchange effect on the paramagnetic relaxation enhancement in off-resonance rotating frame

The off-resonance rotating frame technique based on the spin relaxation properties of off-resonance T1rho can significantly increase the sensitivity of detecting paramagnetic labeling at high magnetic fields by MRI. However, the in vivo detectable dimension for labeled cell clusters/tissues in T1rho-weighted images is limited by the water diffusion-exchange between mesoscopic scale compartments. An experimental investigation of the effect of water diffusion-exchange between compartments on the paramagnetic relaxation enhancement of paramagnetic agent compartment is presented for in vitro/in vivo models. In these models, the size of paramagnetic agent compartment is comparable to the mean diffusion displacement of water molecules during the long RF pulses that are used to generate the off-resonance rotating frame. The three main objectives of this study were: (1) to qualitatively correlate the effect of water diffusion-exchange with the RF parameters of the long pulse and the rates of water diffusion, (2) to explore the effect of water diffusion-exchange on the paramagnetic relaxation enhancement in vitro, and (3) to demonstrate the paramagnetic relaxation enhancement in vivo. The in vitro models include the water permeable dialysis tubes or water permeable hollow fibers embedded in cross-linked proteins gels. The MWCO of the dialysis tubes was chosen from 0.1 to 15 kDa to control the water diffusion rate. Thin hollow fibers were chosen to provide sub-millimeter scale compartments for the paramagnetic agents. The in vivo model utilized the rat cerebral vasculatures as a paramagnetic agent compartment, and intravascular agents (Gd-DTPA)30-BSA were administrated into the compartment via bolus injections. Both in vitro and in vivo results demonstrate that the paramagnetic relaxation enhancement is predominant in the T1rho-weighted image in the presence of water diffusion-exchange. The T1rho contrast has substantially higher sensitivity than the conventional T1 contrast in detecting paramagnetic agents, especially at low paramagnetic agent volumetric fractions, low paramagnetic agent concentrations, and low RF amplitudes. Short pulse duration, short pulse recycle delay and efficient paramagnetic relaxation can reduce the influence of water diffusion-exchange on the paramagnetic enhancement. This study paves the way for the design of off-resonance rotating experiments to detect labeled cell clusters/tissue compartments in vivo at a sub-millimeter scale.
Strength of filled rubbers: Temperature, rate, and oxygen effects

The time taken to break under fixed load has been measured for three SBR–filler systems. Two SBR–HAF black systems were used, one vulcanized with sulfur and the other with dicumyl peroxide; the third system was an SBR–silica formulation. Measurements at several temperatures between 30 and 100°C. allowed the computation of an activation energy for the breaking process: 45 kcal./mole for all three systems. By measuring the tensile strength of the filled stock in air and vacuum at various temperatures, it was shown that the presence of oxygen seriously decreases the strength of the filled stock at high temperatures, an effect not present in the gum stock or in silicasilicone stocks.
A Revised Estimate of the Life Span for Lake Nasser

A number of estimates of the potential life span of Lake Nasser located in Egypt and Sudan have been made in the past several years. Published estimates range from as little as 20 years (Sterling 1970) to over 1500 years (Makary 1982). The wide range of differing values is a function of many variables, including computation method, input data, and theoretical assumptions underlying the mathematical approach taken. Such a broad range of values is typical of sedimentation studies performed for areas that lack an adequate historic data base. One of the chief constraints to development of a reliable estimate the Lake Nasser's case has been lack of sufficient historical data on which to construct a useful data base. Enough information of this type has been collected since the reservoir's formation in 1964 to permit a realistic assessment of its life span. Granted the obvious need to determine the useful lifetime of this or any other reservoir, it is now possible to assess the reliability of the current official estimate for Lake Nasser. By applying appropriate modifications and additional data to the official estimate, an improved estimate was made. The time forecasted for filling of the reservoir by the official estimate is 362 years, somewhat less than the original design life of 500 years. By taking into account changes in the hydrological regime of the Nile after 1964 and another compaction factor, an estimate of 535 years was made. The additional time before filling estimated in the revision is significant for decision rules governing operation of the Aswan High Dam.
On looking for neural networks and "cell assemblies" that underlie behavior. II. Neural realization of the mathematical model.

Part I (P. H. Greene,Bull. Math. Biophysics,24, 247–275, 1962) discussed a number of formal properties of animal behavior, and presented evidence that these properties would follow naturally from a model in which patterns of neural activity in perception or motor action constituted the resonant responses of linear neural networks. Equations were derived for parameters characterizing networks which would possess desired resonant responses. These equations expressed purely mathematical requirements. The present paper shows that a simple neural model would be entirely adequate to meet these requirements. According to this model, an input locus may become functionally connected to a particular resonant response mode by firing at a frequency which comes to approach the resonant frequency of that mode. The information in a complicated “cell assembly” of the type considered could be transmitted through a nerve tract by a very simple frequency code. One neurological guess is that frequency-coded inputs excite the transients in dendritic networks. If the amplitude of the pattern becomes large, as it would near resonance, the all-or-none axonal response would become excited. This axonal response would tend to augment resonant patterns and disrupt other patterns, for a reason inherent in any linear network. Since resonant responses are automatically present in any linear network, unless special processes suppress them, they must have led to overt behavior in animals first possessing such networks. Evolution either suppressed this feature or exploited it. Since its properties resemble those of animal behavior, the latter might be suspected. Some implications are presented regarding what a physiologist might have to look for when he studies a neural system.
STRUCTURAL CHARACTERIZATION AND HYDROCHLOROFLUOROCARBON REACTIVITY ON ZINC-EXCHANGED NAX

Solid-state MAS NMR and synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction have been used to study the reactivity and structure of Zn2+-exchanged NaX. Dehydrated ZnX with a Zn:Na ratio of 3.6:1 was refined in th...
Use of laser-assisted photodynamic therapy for leukoplakia in the larynx

Photodynamic therapy is a method for achieving selective tissue destruction of neoplastic and atypical proliferative cells using a chemical photosensitizer, which accumulates within the tumor, and a light source to activate a free radical cascade. This method has been used for a variety of malignant and premalignant conditions. We have been using photodynamic therapy in the larynx for intractable and difficult keratosis with atypia using a nebulized formulation of aminolevulinic acid activated with the 585-nm pulse dye laser (Cynosure, Chelmsford, MA). We can perform this procedure in the office under local anesthesia using a flexible nasopharyngoscope with a 2.5-mm working channel. We have found it to be a valuable adjunct for patients with widespread keratosis and dysplasia. In this article, we describe our methodology and application of this technology.
Shooting-and-bouncing ray method for 3D indoor wireless propagation in WLAN applications

The paper presents a measurement based validation of a three-dimensional, "shooting-and-bouncing ray" (SBR) implementation of multi-bounce geometrical optics (GO) in a complex indoor environment for the 802.11b WLAN application. A transmitter was placed at a fixed interior location. A cart-mounted power meter was moved along several hallway routes on two floors to collect signals at regular intervals. A 3D CAD model of the building was developed for input to the propagation model, including interior wall detail. Material properties of the wall and floors were optimized to improve the comparison, but within reasonable constraints imposed by their known properties. Measurement routes were characterized for input to the model to predict densely sampled single levels along the same paths. The paper presents graphical and statistical comparisons of the measured signal levels and predictions of the 3D GO computer model. These comparisons show that the SBR propagation model performs very well in this highly complex scattering environment at 2.42 GHz. Background on the implemented model and its computational performance are also given.
Web-based clinical decision support system for triage of vestibular patients

Abstract Objectives: We sought to use a clinical decision support system (CDSS) to save costs and to improve scheduling of vestibular patients in an otolaryngology clinic. Study Design and Setting: We conducted a concurrent review of 50 vestibular patients scheduled in the University of Missouri otolaryngology clinic with or without testing based on the outcome of a CDSS. The CDSS was implemented using Web-based technology. Charges incurred by the health care system through tests determined by the CDSS were compared with those incurred using the standard procedure of ordering hearing tests and electronystagmography for all patients. Results: Thirty-nine tests were prescheduled using the CDSS. Twenty-five additional tests were ordered after the visit. The CDSS resulted in savings of $37,904.00 in charges to the health care system. The CDSS showed high specificity and variable sensitivity. Conclusion: A Web-based CDSS can be used to better manage and coordinate patient encounters. Significance: One important reason to use a CDSS in health care management is to lower costs. (Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2003;128:48-53.)
Retinoic Acid Receptor-α Is Stabilized in a Repressive State by Its C-Terminal, Isotype-Specific F Domain

Retinoic acid receptors (RARs) are hormone-regulated transcription factors that play multiple roles in vertebrate development and differentiation. Three isotypes of RARs, alpha, beta, and gamma, are encoded by distinct genetic loci and possess distinct transcriptional properties. Typically, RARalpha represses target gene transcription in the absence of hormone, whereas RARbeta and gamma fail to repress under these conditions. This inability of RARbeta and RARgamma to repress transcription is due to intramolecular interactions between helix 3 and helix 12 of the hormone binding domains of these isotypes that inhibit corepressor binding while favoring coactivator binding. We report here that the converse ability of RARalpha to repress requires the integrity of the receptor F domain, a domain that maps C-terminal to helix 12, varies in sequence among different nuclear receptors, and is of poorly understood function. The F domain appears to help stabilize helix 12 of RARalpha in a more open position that enhances corepressor binding and inhibits coactivator binding in the absence of hormone. Intriguingly, the RARalpha F domain is isotype autonomous in its function. We speculate that the RARalpha F domain may dock elsewhere on the receptor surface, and this intramolecular interaction may maintain RARalpha helix 12 in an open, repression-competent conformation.
Temperature dependence of the field-induced phase transformation in Ni50Mn37Sn13

Polycrystalline Ni 50 Mn 37 Sn 13 alloy was fully homogenized such that the structural and magnetic transitions were clearly separated from each other in temperature. The sequence of transitions on cooling is: (1) austenite Curie point; (2) austenite to martensite structural and coupled ferromagnetic to paramagnetic transitions (first-order); and (3) martensite Curie point. Most notably, we found the field-induced transformation occurs from paramagnetic martensite to ferromagnetic austenite. The field-induced transition has a temperature dependence of −10 kOe K −1 over a narrow temperature range.
Membrane Hemifusion Is a Stable Intermediate of Exocytosis

Summary Membrane fusion during exocytosis requires that two initially distinct bilayers pass through a hemifused intermediate in which the proximal monolayers are shared. Passage through this intermediate is an essential step in the process of secretion, but is difficult to observe directly in vivo. Here we study membrane fusion in the sea urchin egg, in which thousands of homogeneous cortical granules are associated with the plasma membrane prior to fertilization. Using fluorescence redistribution after photobleaching, we find that these granules are stably hemifused to the plasma membrane, sharing a cytoplasmic-facing monolayer. Furthermore, we find that the proteins implicated in the fusion process—the vesicle-associated proteins VAMP/synaptobrevin, synaptotagmin, and Rab3—are each immobile within the granule membrane. Thus, these secretory granules are tethered to their target plasma membrane by a static, catalytic fusion complex that maintains a hemifused membrane intermediate.
Interactions Defined between S100A13 and Annexin Peptides: Insight into Non-Classical Secrection

S100A13 is a calcium binding chaperone protein, known to be involved in the non-classical export of signal peptide less proteins such as fibroblast growth factor (FGF-1) and interleukin-1α across the cell membrane. It has also been shown that the interaction of S100A13 with Annexin II, which exhibits an inducible flip-flop mechanism across the cell bilayer, helps the multiprotein release complex to traverse the membrane bilayer. The interaction of S100A13 and annexin II has been characterized using various biophysical techniques including multidimensional NMR spectroscopy. Results of the Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) experiments show that holo-S100A13 exhibits preferential binding to annexin II with high affinity in the micro molar rang compared to apo-S100A13. Equilibrium guanidine hydrochloride denaturation monitored by steady-state fluorescence and limited trypsin digestion analysis reveals holo-S100A13 is significantly stabilized upon binding to annexin II peptide compared to apo-S100A13. ANS (8-anilino-1-napthalene sulfonate) binding experiments indicates that the presence of annexin II peptide does not increase the solvent availability of hydrophobic residues in holo-S100A13. Availability of the solvent-exposed hydrophobic surface(s) in apoS10013 does not facilitate its interaction with the annexin II peptide, which is unique characteristic of S100A13. 1H-15N- HSQC NMR experiments reveal that the binding site of annexin II peptide on holo-S100A13 is modestly different from other S100/Annexin interactions. S100 proteins typically interact with more than one Annexin protein. In order to define the specificity of S100A13 for Annexin 2, the interaction of S100A13 with other Annexin peptides was characterized and data characterizing these interactions will be presented. Finally, defining the interaction between S100A13 and Annexin 2 peptide will give much needed insight into the non-classical release of the signal peptide-less protein Fibroblast Growth Factor-1
Medullary and spinal efferents of the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus and adjacent mesopontine tegmentum in the rat.

The medullary and spinal efferents of the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus and adjacent mesopontine tegmentum were investigated by employing (1) the anterograde autoradiographic methodology and (2) the retrograde transport of HRP and/or WGA-HRP in combination with choline acetyltransferase immunohistochemistry. The anterograde experiments identified five descending pathways from the mesopontine tegmentum: (1) Probst's tract, which descends in the dorsolateral reticular formation in close relation to the nucleus of the solitary tract; (2) a ventrolateral branch of Probst's tract that extends ventrolaterally alongside the spinal trigeminal nucleus; (3) a ventromedial branch of Probst's tract that extends ventromedially through the gigantocellular field of the medulla; (4) the medial reticulospinal tract, which descends in parallel with the medial longitudinal fasciculus and turns ventrolaterally along the dorsal surface of the inferior olive to enter the ventrolateral funiculus of the spinal cord; and (5) a crossed ventromedial pathway, which descends in a ventral paramedian position through the magnocellular field of the medulla. The origins of these pathways reflected a rough lateral-to-medial topography of mesopontine tegmental cell groups. The parabrachial nucleus, situated furthest laterally, for example, projected primarily through Probst's tract and its ventrolateral branch. The pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus, midbrain extrapyramidal area, and the subceruleal region, situated more medially, projected descending axons largely through the ventromedial branch of Probst's tract. The pontine tegmental field, situated furthest medially and ventromedially, was the largest contributor to the medial reticulospinal tract. The retrograde transport experiments confirmed these general organizational features. The combination of retrograde transport with choline acetyltransferase immunohistochemistry established that the cholinergic pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus contributes a large portion to the mesopontine tegmental innervation of the medullary reticular formation. A much smaller number of cholinergic pedunculopontine neurons project as far as the spinal cord. Spinal projections from the mesopontine tegmentum originate largely from non-cholinergic neurons of the midbrain extrapyramidal area, subceruleal region, Kolliker-Fuse division of the parabrachial nucleus, and pontine tegmental field.
Crisis and Innovation

In this article, Shiller articulates the need for innovationenhancing regulation, not regulation that arbitrarily ties markets down. In the several years since the crisis began in 2007, only the first couple of stages of crisis response have been experienced. Other stages are expected. The next stage will be one in which the markets are made fundamentally more resilient and less prone to crisis.The final stage of response will be one in which the scope and depth of financial markets are expanded in order to move closer to completing the fundamental task of risk management, broadly construed.Together, all of these stages of response might take 10 years or longer.
DISPERSIVE EFFECTS IN A MODIFIED KURAMOTO–SIVASHINSKY EQUATION

ABSTRACT We study the limiting behavior of the Kuramoto–Sivashinsky/Korteweg-de Vries (KS/KdV) equation We show that in the appropriate sense, the solutions of KS/KdV tend to the solutions of the standard Korteweg-de Vries equation as . The proof relies, to a large extent, on precise estimates for oscillatory integrals that yield pointwise bounds on Green's functions.
Values in the Economics of Climate Change

Economics has played an important role in assessing climate change impacts, and the effects of various individual and policy response strategies. Proponents of a key role for economics in analysis of climate change policies and goals argue that its capacity to incorporate and compare a variety of costs and benefits makes it uniquely useful for normative assessment. Critics of economic analysis of climate change have questioned not only its empirical capacities, but also its fundamental usefulness given some of the important but often implicit assumptions on which it is based. After reviewing this debate and its implications for public policy on climate change, the paper sketches a way in which more technical economic analysis and public dialogue might be combined.
Recent changes in tropospheric circulation over the central equatorial Pacific

During the past five years an unusually prolonged warm event has occurred in the equatorial Pacific ocean. As recently discussed by Trenberth and Hoar [1996], this prolonged warm event represents a major climate perturbation in the historical record of the Southern Oscillation. The region most affected by the warm event is the central equatorial Pacific. Upper air observations from this region are sparse. However, since 1986 observations of tropospheric winds have been made nearly continuously using the Christmas Island VHF wind profiler. These profiler observations are examined for evidence of a deep tropospheric change in circulation during the past five years by comparing observations for 1990–1995 with those taken before 1990. It is shown that there has been a substantial decrease in the magnitude of tropospheric zonal winds observed at Christmas Island. At the same time, the magnitude of the pressure difference between Tahiti and Darwin has also been substantially reduced. These observations are consistent with a prolonged warm event in which the centers of active convection over the western Pacific have moved eastward toward the dateline. We conclude that there has been a reduction in the tropospheric zonal winds over the central equatorial Pacific that are normally associated with the gradients of surface pressure and SST across this region.
Myelodysplasia with Isolated Trisomy 15: A 15-Year Follow-up Without Specific Therapy

A 41-year-old patient manifested pancytopenia with macrocytosis following pesticide exposure. She was later found to have myelodysplasia with trisomy 15. Over a 15-year period of observation, and with no specific therapy, her hematological disorder remains stable, despite persistence of the chromosomal aberration. This and similar reported observations suggest that the course of this uncommon form of myelodysplasia is often indolent and not accurately predicted by application of the widely used International Prognostic Scoring System for the myelodysplastic syndromes.
Identifying Temporal Codes in Spontaneously Active Sensory Neurons

The manner in which information is encoded in neural signals is a major issue in Neuroscience. A common distinction is between rate codes, where information in neural responses is encoded as the number of spikes within a specified time frame (encoding window), and temporal codes, where the position of spikes within the encoding window carries some or all of the information about the stimulus. One test for the existence of a temporal code in neural responses is to add artificial time jitter to each spike in the response, and then assess whether or not information in the response has been degraded. If so, temporal encoding might be inferred, on the assumption that the jitter is small enough to alter the position, but not the number, of spikes within the encoding window. Here, the effects of artificial jitter on various spike train and information metrics were derived analytically, and this theory was validated using data from afferent neurons of the turtle vestibular and paddlefish electrosensory systems, and from model neurons. We demonstrate that the jitter procedure will degrade information content even when coding is known to be entirely by rate. For this and additional reasons, we conclude that the jitter procedure by itself is not sufficient to establish the presence of a temporal code.
Molecular Dynamics Investigation of Cl− and Water Transport through a Eukaryotic CLC Transporter

Early crystal structures of prokaryotic CLC proteins identified three Cl– binding sites: internal (Sint), central (Scen), and external (Sext). A conserved external GLU (GLUex) residue acts as a gate competing for Sext. Recently, the first crystal structure of a eukaryotic transporter, CmCLC, revealed that in this transporter GLUex competes instead for Scen. Here, we use molecular dynamics simulations to investigate Cl– transport through CmCLC. The gating and Cl–/H+ transport cycle are inferred through comparative molecular dynamics simulations with protonated and deprotonated GLUex in the presence/absence of external potentials. Adaptive biasing force calculations are employed to estimate the potential of mean force profiles associated with transport of a Cl– ion from Sext to Sint, depending on the Cl– occupancy of other sites. Our simulations demonstrate that protonation of GLUex is essential for Cl– transport from Sext to Scen. The Scen site may be occupied by two Cl– ions simultaneously due to a high energy barrier (∼8 Kcal/mol) for a single Cl– ion to translocate from Scen to Sint. Binding two Cl– ions to Scen induces a continuous water wire from Scen to the extracellular solution through the side chain of the GLUex gate. This may initiate deprotonation of GLUex, which then drives the two Cl– ions out of Scen toward the intracellular side via two putative Cl– transport paths. Finally, a conformational cycle is proposed that would account for the exchange stoichiometry.
Still's-like innocent murmur can be produced by increasing aortic velocity to a threshold value☆

Abstract Still's murmur is a musical or vibratory systolic ejection murmur found in many normal school-aged children and adolescents. Its origin has been attributed to vibration of a cardiac structure during ventricular contraction, turbulent blood flow, or pressure changes across normal valves. 1 We previously related Still's murmur to a small ascending aorta with concomitant high aortic velocity. 2 Functional murmurs are accentuated in high cardiac output states such as fever, exercise and anemia. Dobutamine, a β 1 agonist with primarily inotropic action at low doses, allows study of high cardiac output states. We investigated whether dobutamine infusion could produce a Stills-like murmur in subjects without murmurs at rest and evaluated those factors correlating best with murmur presence.
The approximation capabilities of the minflex-Laurents, translog, and generalized Leontief forms

This paper compares the approximation capabilities of the minflex-Laurents translog and minflex generalized Leontief cost functions with their translog and generalized Leontief counterparts in Monte Carlo experiments. The minflex Laurent specifications generally provided closer approximations to underlying technical and economic parameters. Imposition of nonlinear restrictions on some of the parameters of the minflex Laurent models yielded measurable improvement in estimated elasticities of substitutions, returns to scale, and rates of technical change.
Advantageous strategies in differential games for a class of suboptimal control laws

Abstract This paper deals with suboptimal control policies in differential games. Sufficient conditions for advantageous strategies of either player are examined for a linear-quadratic game in which the players are constrained to use suboptimal control laws of specified form. The concept of a “bargaining matrix” is employed. Specific scalar and vector examples are included to illustrate the theory.
Two-dimensional carrier-carrier screening in a quantum well.

The behavior of carrier-carrier screening is investigated in a GaAs-GaAIAs quantum well structure by measuring the band-to-band polarization dephasing with femtosecond photon echoes. The variation of the electron-hole polarization dephasing time with the carrier concentration reveals the two-dimensional character of the short range screening between the interacting carriers.
Image recognition with the discrete rectangular-wave transform

In a previous paper [ J. Opt. Soc. Am. A5, 5 ( 1988)] the discrete rectangular-wave transform (DRWT), which is obtained by replacing sines and cosines in the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) by the discrete rectangular-wave function, was found to be superior to the DFT as a feature extractor in recognition tasks in terms of of simplicity, cost of use, and quality of performance. Here the DFT and the DRWT are compared further theoretically and experimentally by using computer simulations with respect to their performance in separating classes and their robustness in the presence of noise. In discriminant analysis, within-class and between-class scatter matrices are used to formulate criteria of class separability. Features are chosen so that they give maximum between-class scatter and minimum within-class scatter. Based on this measure, the DRWT is shown to be superior to the DFT in feature extraction. In noise analysis, performance is discussed in terms of the signal-to-noise ratios of the chosen features in the DRWT and the DFT spectral domains when the input noise is Gaussian. The DRWT leads to higher signal-to-noise ratios than does the DFT.
Bimetallic Borate Derivatives of the Salen Ligands

A series of bimetallic borate derivatives of the Salen ligands have been prepared. They are of the general formula Salen{B(OR)2}2 (where Salen = (N,N‘-1,n-alkylenebis(salicylideneimine); alkylene = ethylene [R = Me (1), Et (6)], propylene [Me (2), Et (7)], butylene [Me (3), Et (8)], pentylene [Me (4), Et (9)], and hexylene [Me (5), Et (10)]) and the analogous Salen(tBu) derivatives (where Salen(tBu) = N,N‘-1,n-alkylenebis(3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylideneimine); alkylene = ethylene [R = Me (11), Et (16)], propylene [Me (12), Et (17)], butylene [Me (13), Et (18)], pentylene [Me (14), Et (19)], and hexylene [Me (15), Et (20)]). All of the compounds were characterized by spectroscopic (1H NMR, IR) and physical (mp, analyses) techniques. X-ray crystallographic data are presented for 1, 4, 7, 10, 12, and 16. Differences among these structures were found to be dependent upon the length of the ligand alkylene “backbone”.
Nontraumatic fat embolism syndrome in sickle cell anemia

A 14-year-old girl with sickle cell disease and nephrotic syndrome developed bone pain, followed by pulmonary edema, seizures, coma, and bilateral flaccid paralysis. Fat embolism syndrome was diagnosed by cranial magnetic resonance imaging and an exchange transfusion was performed. Within 3 months, all symptoms had resolved. It is concluded that fat embolism syndrome must be considered as a possible cause of acute neurologic deterioration in patients with sickle cell anemia.
Modeling Sea Turtle Maturity Age from Partial Life History Records

In the absence of direct observations, demographic traits such as age and reproductive status may be modeled through proxies. We examined 35 yr of over 10,000 captures of Hawaiian green turtles (Chelonia mydas) and compared results from skeletochronology studies with mark-recapture records. For 109 turtles that were captured as juveniles and later observed nesting, we estimated maturity age first from skeletochronology-based models of age to length and second by estimating age at first capture using skeletochronology and then adding the time elapsed to first nesting. The second method involving mark-recapture gave younger and less variable age estimates. From these data we developed a scaling rule that calculates that females first bred at 23 yr (95% interval: 16.8–28.1). This result was corroborated by tag returns in the Caribbean and Hawai‘i showing that green turtles first nest at 16–20 yr. We validated this approach using life table models, successfully reconstructing four decades (1973–2012) of nesting surveys at East Island, French Frigate Shoals. We then compared our results with observed somatic growth rates, which suggest that nearshore studies may sample an atypical subset of the population that is chronically sedentary and slow growing. When exact life history traits are unknown, we recommend consulting multiple lines of evidence and independently validating proxy studies.
On the identification of properties and propositional functions

The theory of properties, relations, and propositions (PRPs) promises to play a significant foundational role in logic, philosophy, semantics, and psychology. There is now a growing recognition of this fact by research ers in these disciplines.' Nevertheless, formalizations of PRP theory run into some technical complexities in connection with the treatment of free and bound terms occurring in PRP-abstracts (see, e.g., Bealer, 1979, 1982, 1983; Zalta, 1980; Monnich, 1983). These complexities can be largely avoided by adopting the thesis that properties and propositional functions are identical (see, e.g., Aczel, 1980 and 1987; M6nnich, 1983; Turner, 1987; Chierchia and Turner, 1988). The purpose of this paper is to present some reasons against this thesis despite its short-term technical advantages.2 Philosophically, the propositional-function thesis seems unacceptable on at least two counts. First, it is highly counterintuitive. How im plausible that familiar sensible properties are functions the color of this ink, the aroma of coffee, the shape of your hand, the special painfulness of a burn or itchiness of a mosquito bite. No function is a color, a smell, a shape, or a feeling. Or consider the fact that navy blue is darker than yellow and that it covers the surface of my pen. No function is darker than another function, and no function covers the surface of my pen. To assert otherwise seems to be a category mistake.3 In addition to intuitive objections to the propositional-function thesis, a second philosophical objection is that the thesis threatens the prospect of certain explanations in epistemology, phenomenology, and philo sophical psychology. For example, how are we to explain what is going on in the interplay of sensation and cognition when a person sees that two objects have some sensible quality in common? Or how are we to explain why various shades of color can look so similar? At best, the identification of properties and propositional functions complicates our epistemology, phenomenology, and philosophical psychology in con nection with these and kindred phenomena. My aim, however, is not to dwell on such philosophical objections to the propositional-function thesis, serious as they are. Rather, my aim is to discuss four logical difficulties facing the thesis. (1) The first problem derives from the fact that functions are usually
S-adenosylmethionine blood levels in major depression : changes with drug treatment

Introduction The relationship between plasma levels of S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe), an endogenous methyl donor, and clinical response were studied in patients with a DSM-III-R diagnosis of major depression. Material and methods A double-blind randomized protocol comparing oral SAMe with oral desipramine, involving a total of 26 patients, was employed. Results At the end of the 4-week trial, 62% of the patients treated with SAMe and 50% of the patients treated with desipramine had significantly improved. Regardless of the type of treatment, patients with a 50% decrease in their Hamilton Depression Scale (HAM-D) score showed a significant increase in plasma SAMe concentration. Conclusion The significant correlation between plasma SAMe levels and the degree of clinical improvement in depressed patients regardless of the type of treatment suggests that SAMe may play an important role in regulating mood.
Pharmaceutical Dust Exposure at Pharmacies Using Automatic Dispensing Machines: A Preliminary Study

Automatic dispensing machines (ADMs) used in pharmacies concentrate and dispense large volumes of pharmaceuticals, including uncoated tablets that can shed dust. We evaluated 43 employees’ exposures to pharmaceutical dust at three pharmacies where ADMs were used. We used an optical particle counter to identify tasks that generated pharmaceutical dust. We collected 72 inhalable dust air samples in or near the employees’ breathing zones. In addition to gravimetric analysis, our contract laboratory used internal methods involving liquid chromatography to analyze these samples for active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and/or lactose, an inactive filler in tablets. We had to choose samples for these additional analyses because many methods used different extraction solvents. We selected 57 samples for analysis of lactose. We used real-time particle monitoring results, observations, and information from employees on the dustiness of pharmaceuticals to select 28 samples (including 13 samples that were analyze...
Urban and Suburban Community Pharmacists' Experiences with Part D—A Focus Group Study

Background:With the enactment of Medicare Part D, the provision of drug coverage for senior citizens in the US has changed permanently. Not much is currently known about the impact of Part D on urban and suburban pharmacies.Objective:To explore community pharmacists' experiences with Medicare Part D in urban and suburban areas of New York City and adjacent Long Island.Methods:Seven focus groups were held between January 2010 and December 2010, 6 of which were held on St. John's University campus. A convenience sample of pharmacists practicing in chain and independent settings participated in the study. Participation was voluntary and anonymous.Results:Thirty pharmacists participated in the study. They reported that patients are facing challenges in reference to Part D, even 4 years after implementation of the program. Patients are often limited by their lack of computer skills, language skills, or level of education. Pharmacists also reported facing financial challenges because of “slow and low” reimburse...
Effect of lexical cues on the production of active and passive sentences in Broca's and Wernicke's aphasia

This study compared the sentence production abilities of individuals with Broca's and Wernicke's aphasia in an attempt to explore the extent to which impaired lexical retrieval impedes sentence production. The ability to produce active and passive reversible and non-reversible sentences was examined when varying amounts of lexical information was provided. The results showed that both Wernicke's and Broca's aphasic individuals were impaired in passive sentence production and that these difficulties were not overcome when lexical cues (the relevant nouns and uninflected verb) were provided. However when auxiliary and past tense morphemes were provided along with the verb stem, production of passive sentences improved drastically for both groups. Analysis of error patterns, however, revealed differences between the two groups, suggesting that Broca's aphasic subjects may find passive sentences difficult due to problems with retrieving the relevant grammatical morphemes. Subjects with Wernicke's aphasia may have been unable to automatically access the passive sentence structure.
Teaching Ethics in Surgical Training Programs Using a Case-Based Format

Purpose To fulfill a curricular need and to address the ACGME competencies of Professionalism and Systems-based practice, we have developed a case-based approach to teaching ethics to trainees at Washington University in Saint Louis. Development of the Activity and Materials For the past 5 years, we have used a case-based approach to discuss ethical dilemmas with residents in an interactive conference format. Attendees and participants include medical students, residents, fellows, and surgical attendings, as well as members of the hospital ethics committee, nurses, chaplains, and attendings and trainees from other disciplines. Residents and students collect the cases from their daily experiences and discuss them with the group on a monthly basis. Evaluation Component Attitudinal surveys of trainees were completed just before the initiation of the conferences and again 5 years later. Implementation Dates and Experience to Date The program was initiated in October 2002 and is ongoing. The format and the participants have evolved somewhat over this time period. That evolution and some lessons learned are described in this article. Conclusion Our experiences have shown that a case-based approach to teaching ethics to surgical trainees is feasible, relevant, and important to the education of trainees in the current environment.
An Aerobic Exercise: Defining the Roles of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Terminal Oxidases

ABSTRACT The opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa encodes a large and diverse complement of aerobic terminal oxidases, which is thought to contribute to its ability to thrive in settings with low oxygen availability. In this issue, Arai et al. (J. Bacteriol. 196:4206–4215, 2014, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/JB.02176-14) present a thorough characterization of these five complexes, enabling a more detailed understanding of aerobic respiration in this organism.
Non-condensing polymeric nanoparticles for targeted gene and siRNA delivery

Gene therapy has shown a tremendous potential to benefit patients in a variety of disease conditions. However, finding a safe and effective systemic delivery system is the major obstacle in this area. Although viral vectors showed promise for high transfection rate, the immunogenicity associated with these systems has hindered further development. As an alternative to viral gene delivery, this review focuses on application of novel safe and effective non-condensing polymeric systems that have shown high transgene expression when administered systemically or by the oral route. Type B gelatin-based engineered nanocarriers were evaluated for passive and active tumor-targeted delivery and transfection using both reporter and therapeutic plasmid DNA. Additionally, we have shown that nanoparticles-in-microsphere oral system (NiMOS) can efficiently deliver reporter and therapeutic gene constructs in the gastrointestinal tract. Additionally, there has been a significant recent interest in the use small interfering RNA (siRNA) as a therapeutic system for gene silencing. Both gelatin nanoparticles and NiMOS have shown activity in systemic and oral delivery of siRNA, respectively.
Impact of emissions, chemistry and climate on atmospheric carbon monoxide: 100-yr predictions from a global chemistry–climate model

The possible trends for atmospheric carbon monoxide in the next 100 years have been illustrated using a coupled atmospheric chemistry and climate model driven by emissions predicted by a global economic development model. Various model runs with different assumptions regarding emissions or model parameters have been carried out to investigate the impacts of model and emission uncertainties on the predictions. We have found complicated interactions among emissions, atmospheric chemistry, and climate regarding the distributions and evolution of CO in the atmosphere. Based on the predicted emissions of methane and carbon monoxide, the model predicts an increasing trend of carbon monoxide in the next century with a tropospheric mole fraction of CO in 2100 double its present-day value. Methane emissions are found to have the most important effect on the future atmospheric CO budget. High methane emissions cause significant depletion of tropospheric OH, increase of CO concentrations, and lengthening of lifetimes of many chemical species including CO and CH4. The global average atmospheric lifetime of CO is predicted in our reference model run to be about 0.6 month longer than its present value (approximately 2 months). The predicted emissions of CO increase only slightly over the next century, so the impact of CO emissions on the predicted CO abundance appears to be less important than that of methane. Consequently, maintaining the emissions of CH4 at their current levels can prevent significant future changes in tropospheric chemistry, while similar controlling emissions of CO cannot achieve the same result. This study also indicates that climate variations, especially those causing changes in H2O concentrations, can influence atmospheric trends of carbon monoxide. A two-way interaction between chemistry and climate regarding CO is evident. Specifically, the budget of atmospheric CO affects the destruction of methane and the production of CO2, ozone, and sulfate aerosols and thus affects climate, while the resultant changes in climate modify the budget of CO-CH4 in turn through their effects on H 2O and temperature.
Forbidden triples and traceability: a characterization

Abstract Given a connected graph G , a family F of connected graphs is called a forbidden family if no induced subgraph of G is isomorphic to any graph in F . If this is the case, G is said to be F -free. In earlier papers the authors identified four distinct families of triples of subgraphs that imply traceability when they are forbidden in sufficiently large graphs. In this paper the authors introduce a fifth family and show these are all such families.
Computerized axial tomography to define the distribution of solution after stellate ganglion nerve block.

Abstract Study Objective: To define the spread of local anesthetic after C 6 stellate ganglion nerve block using computerized axial tomography (CAT). Design: Prospective, open descriptive study. Setting: Outpatient pain consult center. Patients: 10 ASA status I patients undergoing stellate ganglion nerve blocks for sympathetically maintained pain. Interventions: Radiocontrast and local anesthetic was given in 5 ml increments to 20 ml total volume for C 6 stellate ganglion nerve blocks in eight patients and C 7 in two patients. Measurements and Main Results: CAT scanning was performed at baseline and after 5, 10, 15, and 20 ml of injectate was administered. Cervical level and pattern of injectate spread was recorded after each increment. Neck pressure above C 6 did not promote caudal spread. One half of the injections were beneath prevertebral fascia. Injections on top of the fascia spread more diffusely around C 6 . All injections in high volume reached the medial aspect of T 1 around the head, not neck, of the first rib. Conclusions: Solutions injected for C 6 stellate ganglion nerve block concentrate medial to the stellate ganglion at T 1 . Thus, they must produce upper extremity sympathectomy by a mechanism other than direct contact with the ganglion.
SIMOX SOI for integrated circuit fabrication

The attributes of silicon-on-insulator technology using a high-dose oxygen-ion implantation, commonly known as SIMOX (Separation by IMplanted OXygen), are described. The discussion covers the preparation of SIMOX wafers; military applications; high-voltage applications; and submicron CMOS, Bi-CMOS, and bipolar applications.
Potential Therapeutic Targets for Cerebral Resuscitation After Global Ischemia

Global cerebral ischemia is caused by the disruption of blood supply to the entire brain, often as a consequence of a cardiac arrest. In humans, 10-min global cerebral ischemia is traditionally considered lethal and irreversible. Despite the continuous development of basic and advanced life support protocols for cardiac resuscitation, statistics on long-term outcome after cardiac arrest have not significantly improved for several decades. The primary clinical challenge is the lack of an effective treatment strategy for cerebral resuscitation. Popular animal models of incomplete or complete forebrain ischemia by two-vessel or four-vessel occlusion are irrelevant to clinical situations, and treatments developed based on these models have thus far not yielded any useful clinical applications. This chapter will review the recent advancements in clinically relevant global ischemia models, the characteristics and mechanisms of brain injuries after global ischemia, and the therapeutic targets that can potentially alter the molecular and cellular cascades for an improved cerebral recovery.