cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Accuracy and safety of medication histories obtained at the time of intensive care unit admission of delirious or mechanically ventilated patients.

PURPOSE: Obtaining an accurate medication history from patients on hospital admission is a priority in pharmacy practice. Timely and accurate histories are imperative as they may help determine the etiology of illness and prevent medication errors. We conducted a quality improvement project to assess the accuracy of alternate-source medication histories obtained for critically ill patients who were delirious or mechanically ventilated at the time of intensive care unit admission. METHODS: Included patients were 18 years of age or older, admitted to the medical intensive care unit from August 2017 through January 2018, and had a medication history obtained from a family member or outpatient pharmacy due to active delirium or mechanical ventilation. Patients were directly interviewed after resolution of delirium or extubation. Discrepancies between the initial and follow-up histories were documented and categorized using the National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCC MERP) Index for Categorizing Medication Errors. RESULTS: Forty patients were included. One hundred four discrepancies were documented, with a median of 2 discrepancies per patient. The most common types of discrepancies were addition (51.9%), followed by omission (24.0%). NCC MERP index category A (51%) was the most common error classification identified. CONCLUSION: Discrepancies between initial and follow-up medication histories occurred at a frequent rate in delirious or mechanically ventilated patients; however, these discrepancies tended to be of low risk severity.
Modeling and tracking phase and frequency offsets in low-precision clocks

This paper considers the problem of tracking carrier phase offsets in distributed multi-input multi-output (DMIMO) systems. Unlike conventional MIMO systems, each antenna in a DMIMO system is driven by an independent oscillator. To achieve coherent communication, e.g., distributed beamforming and/or nullforming, the time-varying offsets of these oscillators must be accurately tracked and compensated. While Kalman filtering has been used to optimally track phase and frequency offsets, it is well-known that the Kalman filter requires exact knowledge of the process and measurement noise parameters. This paper presents a general method for computing oscillator process and measurement noise parameters from an Allan variance characterization of the carrier phase offset measurements. Numerical results are presented using measured data from several N210 Universal Software Radio Peripherals (USRPs) at two different carrier frequencies. Using the estimated process and measurement noise parameters, the tracking performance is also evaluated on measured data from the USRPs and compared to theoretical predictions. Distributed beamforming and nullforming performance is also characterized using empirical phase prediction error statistics from the measured data.
Abstract 14963: The Accessory Papillary Muscles and Papillary Muscle Hypertrophy are Associated with Sudden Cardiac Arrest of Unknown Cause

Introduction: The cause of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in a considerable number of patients remains unknown. The present study was performed for elucidating the associations between the morphology of the papillary muscles and SCA. Hypothesis: The morphology of the papillary muscles should be associated with SCA. Methods: We retrospectively included 190 patients with SCA. History, laboratory data, ECG, echocardiography, coronary angiography, and cardiac CT/MRI were analyzed for elucidation of causes of SCA. We compared incidence of the accessory papillary muscles between the patients with SCA of unknown cause (including idiopathic ventricular fibrillation) and the patients with SCA of known causes. We also compared incidence of the accessory papillary muscles between the patients with SCA of unknown cause and age- and sex-matched 2-fold patients without SCA. The accessory papillary muscles were defined as the papillary muscles with origins separated from the anterolateral and posteromedial papillary muscle...
How Do Differences In State Corporate Income Tax Systems Affect Compliance Cost Burdens

Prior multistate tax research on differences in state tax rules, while investigating the effects on revenue, investment, and tax burden, is silent regarding the effect on compliance costs. We investigate factors that explain state income tax compliance costs for large firms. We find that state compliance costs are about twice the relative federal burden. Such costs increase in the number of filing states, controlling for the number of returns filed, firm size, federal compliance costs and variables proxying for state tax complexity. Our evidence that multistate disconformity increases compliance cost burdens informs the debate about the costs of tax competition.
Group Information Seeking in a Computer-simulated Environment: An Application to Emergency Response

Groups in risky, time-constrained situations may be confronted with problems that cannot be solved by following predefined procedures. They must therefore engage in a collective search for relevant information, cooperating and collaborating as they move towards the deadline. This research develops theory about the impact of risk and time pressure on group information seeking processes. The theory is to be evaluated in the domain of emergency response, where both risk and time pressure are present, along with a pervasive need for decision making groups. A computer-simulated emergency environment is designed and developed to serve as the testbed for evaluating the theory. Implications from the results of this research should help lead to better systems to support group information seeking and decision making by expanding our understanding of the underlying cognitive processes involved.
Relationship between selected volleyball skill components and team performance of men's Northwest "AA" volleyball teams.

Abstract The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between team performance in volleyball and the skill components of serving, service reception, setting, spiking, spike defense, and free ball passing as measured by adapted charting procedures. A purposive sample of 107 games between the best “AA” teams in each of 9 Northwest volleyball tournaments was charted. The results of the study indicated that, considered together, the volleyball skills studied were significantly related to team performance. Further analysis of the nature of the relationship revealed that the order of volleyball skills most influential in predicting team success was spiking, followed by spike defense, service reception, setting, serving, and free ball passing, respectively.
Series Representations of Lévy Processes from the Perspective of Point Processes

Several methods of generating series representations of a Levy process are presented under a unified approach and a new rejection method is introduced in this context. The connection of such representations with the Levy-Ito integral representation is precisely established. Four series representations of a gamma process are given as illustrations of these methods.
Retrofitting the 5045 klystron for higher efficiency

The 5045 klystron has been in production and accelerating particles at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory for over 25 years [1]. Although the design has undergone some changes there are still significant opportunities for improvement in performance. Retrofitting the 5045 for higher efficiencies and a more mono-energetic spent beam profile is presented.
Chaos in traveling waves of lattice systems of unbounded media

We describe coupled map lattices (CMLs) of unbounded media corresponding to some well-known evolution partial differential equations (including reaction-diffusion equations and the Kuramoto-Sivashinsky, Swift-Hohenberg and Ginzburg-Landau equations). Following Kaneko we view CMLs also as phenomenological models of the medium and present the dynamical systems approach to studying the global behavior of solutions of CMLs. In particular, we establish spatio-temporal chaos associated with the set of traveling wave solutions of CMLs as well as describe the dynamics of the evolution operator on this set. Several examples are given to illustrate the appearance of Smale horseshoes and the presence of the dynamics of Morse-Smale type.
Sphingosine kinase A is a pleiotropic and essential enzyme for Leishmania survival and virulence.

Sphingosine kinase is a key enzyme in sphingolipid metabolism, catalysing the conversion of sphingosine or dihydrosphingosine into sphingosine-1-phosphate or dihydrosphingosine-1-phosphate respectively. In mammals, sphingosine-1-phosphate is a powerful signalling molecule regulating cell growth, differentiation, apoptosis and immunity. Functions of sphingosine kinase or sphingosine-1-phosphate in pathogenic protozoans are virtually unknown. While most organisms possess two closely related sphingosine kinases, only one sphingosine kinase homologue (SKa) can be identified in Leishmania, which are vector-borne protozoan parasites responsible for leishmaniasis. Leishmania SKa is a large, cytoplasmic enzyme capable of phosphorylating both sphingosine and dihydrosphingosine. Remarkably, deletion of SKa leads to catastrophic defects in both the insect stage and mammalian stage of Leishmania parasites. Genetic and biochemical analyses demonstrate that proper expression of SKa is essential for Leishmania parasites to remove toxic metabolites, to survive stressful conditions, and to cause disease in mice. Therefore, SKa is a pleiotropic enzyme with vital roles throughout the life cycle of Leishmania. The essentiality of SKa and its apparent divergence from mammalian counterparts suggests that this enzyme can be selectively targeted to reduce Leishmania infection.
HIGH FREQUENCY VENTILATION IN THE MANAGEMENT OF HYALINE MEMBRANE DISEASE

Controlled 24 and 96 hour experiments compared the efficacy of HFV and an intermittent "sigh" to PPV/PEEP in the management of premature baboons with HMD. Twenty-five animals were delivered by hysterotomy at 140+/−3 days, resuscitated and managed with conventional ICU techniques. Ten of the animals were placed on either HFV or PPV and sacrificed after 24 hours. The a/A ratio was maximized by adjustment of the MAP. Frequency was kept at 10Hz in the HFV animals and pCO2 regulated by adjustment of VT. The a/A ratio was higher and mean airway pressure (MAP) lower in the HFV animals during the 24 hr period. Lungs of the HFV baboons were more evenly aerated at necropsy. Fifteen additional prematures were ventilated for 96 hours using an oscillator (HFO) or flow interrupter (HFFI) at 10Hz or PPV/PEEP. Clinical management was as in the first experiment. a/A ratios were higher and MAP lower in the high frequency groups in the first 48 hours; these differences were not present by 96 hours. In both experiments, HFFI resulted in better oxygenation at lower pressures than did either HFO or PPV, but led to more pressure-related lung injury. Animals ventilated with HFO had an abundance of active type II pneumocytes with a stratified surface layer. Hepatic derangement was also seen in this group. These studies suggest that HFV with an appropriate strategy decreases both oxygen and pressure exposure early in the course of HMD.
GC–MS analysis of phenolic compounds in fuels after conversion to trifluoroacetate esters

The GC–MS characteristics of trifluoroacetate esters of phenolic compounds are discussed. Linear temperature programmed retention indices and total ion current MS response factors of over 120 phenolic esters are reported. The main GC advantages from analysis of trifluoroacetate esters as compared to plain phenols are enhanced volatility and improved resolution. For example, the elution temperature of a given phenol is typically 50 °C greater than that of the corresponding trifluoroacetate ester. Also, while retention of compounds with two trifluoroacetate groups is only moderately greater than mono esters, underivatized dihydroxy compounds are very difficult to elute from any GC column. Complete resolution of isomeric C0-, C1- and C2-alkylphenol esters is readily achieved on conventional fused silica GC columns; resolution of the corresponding underivatized compounds requires specialized GC columns with low temperature limits. In general, mass spectra of trifluoroacetate esters are more characteristic of a given structure than those of the corresponding phenols and may be more rigorously interpreted towards structural elucidation. A table in the report summarizes some of the more important spectral features used in compound identification. Example applications in analysis of coal-, shale- and petroleum-derived materials are presented. Selected ion monitoring is used to determine individual phenolic components in whole distillates; reconstructed ion chromatograms are used to illustrate distributions of selected species as a function of fuel storage and thermal stress.
Somatostatin modulates effects of angiotensin II in adrenal glomerulosa zone.

The octapeptide angiotensin II is a major regulator of the adrenal glomerulosa zone, acting both as an acute stimulus of aldosterone secretion and as a trophic hormone which increases steroidogenic enzymes and angiotensin II receptors in glomerulosa cells1,2. Angiotensin II also mediates the adrenal effects of altered sodium balance, and is essential for the aldosterone response to sodium restriction3,4. However, the adrenal effects of angiotensin II are attenuated during sodium loading, suggesting that other local or humoral factors modulate its actions on adrenal glomerulosa function5,6. Somatostatin, the somatotropin release inhibiting factor of the hypothalamus, has been shown to inhibit the secretion and action of several pituitary7,8 and non-pituitary hormones9–13. Because Somatostatin has been found in several non-neural tissues, and seems to act as a local regulator of endocrine function, we have now examined the possibility that it may also modulate the effects of angiotensin II in the adrenal glomerulosa cell. Our studies have shown that low concentrations of Somatostatin specifically inhibit the production of angiotensin II-stimulated aldosterone, and that this action is mediated by specific, high-affinity receptors for Somatostatin in the zona glomerulosa.
Keratoconus Detection Using Corneal Topography

UNLABELLED PURPOSETo review the topographic patterns associated with keratoconus suspects and provide criteria for keratoconus screening. METHODS Case study using maps from the NIDEK OPD-Scan II and OPD Station to highlight patterns seen in keratoconic corneas. RESULTS Five criteria are listed for the detection of keratoconus: 1) apex of the cone is not centered at the 6-o'clock semi-meridian, 2) cone should appear round on the tangential map, 3) keratometry >45.00 diopters, 4) corneal thickness at the apex of the cone is approximately 30 microm thinner than the corresponding distance above the pupil center, and 5) topographic patterns are not symmetric. CONCLUSIONS Standard corneal topography maps and simple clinical evaluation criteria are fundamental to detect keratoconus suspects and keratoconus.
The Zucker rat: Absent circadian corticosterone periodicity and elevated β-endorphin concentrations in brain and neurointermediate pituitary

Abstract Studies performed on Zucker fa fa rats revealed the absence of circadian periodicity of plasma corticosterone concentrations, food and water intake and activity in the genetically obese rats while such periodicity was present in their lean littermates. Plasma corticosterone levels after 30 minutes immobilization stress did not differ between groups. Immunoreactive (IR) β-endorphin concentrations were significantly higher in brains and neurointermediate lobes of the fa fa rats while there was not a significant difference between fa fa and lean rats in anterior pituitary or plasma concentrations. Ion exchange chromatography revealed that fa fa and lean neurointermediate lobe IR β-endorphin (which elutes with a Kav similar to synthetic camel β-endorphin) was separable into multiple molecular species, one of which corresponded to the authentic molecule; in contrast the majority of anterior pituitary IR β-endorphin corresponded to authentic β-endorphin. The proportions of the various forms of β-endorphin were qualitatively similar in fa fa and lean when comparing their respective profiles in brain and pituitary.
In vitro study of pulsed Ho:YAG laser meniscectomy

The ablation of ex vivo human samples of meniscus using the pulsed holmium:YAG (Ho:YAG) laser was studied. Delivery was by optical fiber in contact with the tissue. The rate of ablation was determined as (mm/pulse) for a range of pulse energies. Ablation with tissue in air versus under saline yielded similar rates of ablation, with the under-saline rate slightly higher. Experiments with two optical fiber sizes (200 micrometers and 600 micrometers ) suggested that total pulse energy [J/pulse] rather than radiant exposure [J/cm2/pulse] may be the better predictor for ablation rate. For comparison, results of a study of continuous Nd:YAG laser ablation of chicken breast using two beam sizes are also presented which suggest that total beam power [W] rather than irradiance [W/cm2] may be the better predictor for ablation rate. Comparison with the efficiency of simple boiling water indicates that laser ablation (both pulsed and continuous) is only about 10% as efficient as boiling water.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Investigation of Nematic Ordering Using Raman Scattering

Abstract Consider a uniformly oriented nematic liquid crystal sample within which the direction of average molecular alignment is described by a unit vector n called the director. While the molecules, on the average, are oriented with their long axes parallel to n, at any instant in time a particular molecule may be oriented with its long axis at some angle θ with respect to n due to thermal fluctuations. The azimuthal angle φ about the director can be shown by symmetry to be unimportant. Thus, the angular distribution function f(θ) is symmetric about n and depends only on the angle θ. With the assumption that n and -n are equivalent physical states of the system, f(θ) can be expanded in terms of Legendre polynomials in the form(1)
Rasmussen's encephalitis presenting as focal cortical dysplasia

Rasmussen's encephalitis is a rare syndrome characterized by intractable seizures, often associated with epilepsia partialis continua and symptoms of progressive hemispheric dysfunction. Seizures are usually the hallmark of presentation, but antiepileptic drug treatment fails in most patients and is ineffective against epilepsia partialis continua, which often requires surgical intervention. Co-occurrence of focal cortical dysplasia has only rarely been described and may have implications regarding pathophysiology and management. We describe a rare case of dual pathology of Rasmussen's encephalitis presenting as a focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) and discuss the literature on this topic.
Ought the Young Make Health Care Decisions for their Aged Selves

Though the chief responsibility for providing for the health care of older Americans has been (and should remain) society's, there has been increasing interest in private solutions. Individual provision, however, would require not only adequate wealth but prudent planning, demanding in turn more discipline, self-control, and foresightedness than many individuals are normally capable of. One possible corrective is pre-commitment, a strategy of binding oneself to a plan chosen to allocate resources optimally over the life span. Though pre-commitment may have some important uses, however, it is far from clear that people should be encouraged or enabled to rely upon it for old-age health care planning. The present paper examines some of the philosophical and policy concerns attendant to the use of pre-commitment strategies for resource allocation in old age.
Sources and information: Community colleges and part‐time faculty

This chapter summarizes resources from the recent literature on part-time community college faculty.
Mental health consultation to a preschool following the murder of a mother and child.

The murder of a five-year-old boy and his mother disrupted the entire small community of the preschool he had attended. A two-stage mental health intervention consisting of separate group sessions with the preschoolers, teachers, and parents was initiated to help them work through their grief and fear and to reverse their increasing isolation from one another. The reassuring presence of adults who were not struggling with the crisis and the creation of a supportive milieu relieved the children's anxiety, enabling them to discuss their fears and fantasies about the deaths, and alleviated the anxious mistrust and sense of lost personal security of the teachers and parents. The teachers were able to resume their professional functioning, and the parents were better able to assist their affected children.
On the decoupling of a second RHO in forward πN scattering

Abstract A general sum rule is used to provide accurate information about the Regge ϱ parameters in the forward direction. When combined with high energy data an upper limit for a ϱ′ pole is placed at one-tenth the strength of the ϱ pole.
The fluidity of Chinese hamster ovary cell and bull sperm membranes after cholesterol addition.

Abstract Cell plasma membrane fluidity is affected by membrane lipid and protein composition as well as temperature. Altering the cholesterol content of a membrane can change membrane fluidity at different temperatures and this may affect cell survival during cryopreservation. In these experiments, we examined the effect that adding cholesterol to the membranes of Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO) and bull sperm had on cell plasma membrane fluidity and cell survival when cells were cooled to 5 °C or were cryopreserved. Cells were treated with 0, 1.5 or 5.0 mg cholesterol-loaded cyclodextrin (CLC), stained with N -((4-(6-phenyl-1,3,5-hexatrienyl)phenyl)propyl)trimethylammonium- p -toluenesulfonate (TMAP-DPH) to evaluate membrane fluidity and with propidium iodide to evaluate cell viability, prior to analysis by flow cytometry at 23, 5 °C, and after cryopreservation. CHO cells exhibited a single cell population with all cells having similar membrane fluidity. Membrane fluidity did not change when temperature had been reduced and then returned to 23 °C ( P P P
Frontline therapy in mantle cell lymphoma: The role of high-dose therapy and integration of new agents

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a unique lymphoma subtype comprising 6% to 8% of new lymphoma diagnoses. It is generally considered to be incurable with standard lymphoma therapies. The median overall survival (OS) is often reported to be 3 to 4 years, but more recent data suggest that the median OS may be longer than 5 years. There is considerable heterogeneity in MCL, with some patients succumbing to their disease in less than a year and others surviving for more than 10 years. The biology of MCL is reasonably well understood, and targeted therapies based on this knowledge are in development. Clinical trials incorporating new agents into standard therapies are under way. The optimal frontline treatment strategy is not defined and is a source of controversy. Intensive therapies administered to younger patients appear to produce better-quality remission than standard treatments, and one randomized clinical trial demonstrates improved OS with an intensive approach. Additional randomized clinical trials defining standard approaches are needed.
Determination of pre-steady-state rate constants on the Escherichia coli pyruvate dehydrogenase complex reveals that loop movement controls the rate-limiting step.

Spectroscopic identification and characterization of covalent and noncovalent intermediates on large enzyme complexes is an exciting and challenging area of modern enzymology. The Escherichia coli pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex (PDHc), consisting of multiple copies of enzymic components and coenzymes, performs the oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate to acetyl-CoA and is central to carbon metabolism linking glycolysis to the Krebs cycle. On the basis of earlier studies, we hypothesized that the dynamic regions of the E1p component, which undergo a disorder–order transition upon substrate binding to thiamin diphosphate (ThDP), play a critical role in modulation of the catalytic cycle of PDHc. To test our hypothesis, we kinetically characterized ThDP-bound covalent intermediates on the E1p component, and the lipoamide-bound covalent intermediate on the E2p component in PDHc and in its variants with disrupted active-site loops. Our results suggest that formation of the first covalent predecarbox...
On two-dimensional cell patterns

Abstract The condition that the motions encountered in the solution of the Benard problem be cellular is found to be equivalent to the condition that they be doubly periodic in their dependence on the horizontal variables x and y. Because the periodicity condition can be formulated analytically, it becomes possible to classify all of the possible cellular convection patterns. The general classification of the cell patterns is given, and certain specific patterns are illustrated schematically.
Health Information Technology: Will It Make Higher Quality and More Efficient Healthcare Delivery Possible?

Holding a new promise for improving efficiency and quality and reducing cost, Health Information Technology (HIT) has become the latest national priority. Selecting three evidence-based national quality indicator systems/models as examples, this paper examines relationships between quality of care and HIT as well as their economic implications. The analysis focuses on the three systems' overall goals; targeted healthcare facilities; data sources; quality indicator measures; data format/standardisation; stages of development; levels of adaptation; and complexity of IT infrastructure including inter-operability, patient involvement, resource requirements, and potential financial gains. The discussion concludes that although enormous challenges are ahead, through joint efforts by all partners and players relating to the healthcare system, the Electronic Health Record (EHR) information system has a potential to fundamentally transform the healthcare delivery to a high-quality and efficient system, which will ultimately benefit patients.
A Case Study of an Academic Retention Program

A 12-week retention program designed to assist at-risk students with test-taking, study and career skills through individual and group counseling was examined. Sixty-nine percent of the program participants attained a cumulative GPA ≥ 2.0 by the end of the intervention compared to 43% of the control group. Further, 55% of the original program participants remained successful through the following semester compared to 28% of the control group. Though retention was relatively better for program participants, concomitant improvement in study skills was not reported. Alternative explanations for improved retention are considered.
Normalized performance indices for message passing parallel programs

Existing tools for locating performance bottlenecks of message passing parallel programs either provide visualizations or profiles of program executions only; they do not highlight the cause of poor program performance. From the perspective of the application, the location and cause of performance problems in terms of procedures, processors and data structures are all important. Identifying the cause of poor performance necessitates the need to expose how well the underlying algorithm has been mapped onto the parallel machine.In this paper, we present a suite of normalized performance indices that provide a convenient mechanism for focusing on a location with poor performance. These indices are complemented by additional indices that highlight the cause of the performance failure in terms of processors, procedures and data structure interactions.With the help of examples from the NAS benchmark suite, we show that the automatically generated indices help detect potential causes of poor performance. These indices are generated from execution traces (augmented with data structure information) obtained from monitoring program executions on the Intel iPSC/860.
“I Don’t Need a Shotgun, Just a Look”: Representing Manhood in Secular and Religious Magazines

In this article, we examine gender representations in secular and religious media. Based on comparative content analysis of six secular and religious magazines, we analyze how both types of media represented manhood in ways that facilitate the elevation of men at the expense of women. Specifically, we demonstrate how religious and secular magazines represented fatherly and spousal manhood by emphasizing inherent gender differences, male leadership, protection and control, and reasons to excuse men for failing to live up to familial and marital expectations. In conclusion, we draw out implications for understanding the importance of comparative analyses of secular and religious media, the insights that such analyses provide for the study of contemporary secular and religious dynamics, and the reproduction of gender inequalities.
A simple method for keeping allergenic extracts at a temperature near 4 °C during in-office use for skin testing and immunotherapy

Abstract A method is needed for keeping ragweed pollen aqueous allergenic extracts at a temperature near 4 °C while they are in use for skin testing and immunotherapy in order to prevent deterioration in potency from warming. A polystyrene foam icebox is described which can be cooled with sacks of coolant which have been reduced to a temperature of −17 °C in the freezing compartment of a standard refrigerator. Both icebox and coolant can be readily obtained from standard commerical sources and are inexpensive. When sufficient adequately cooled coolant is properly employed, this icebox will maintain the temperatures of allergenic extracts in the desirable range of 2 ° to 4 °C while they are in use for skin testing and immunotherapy.
The effect of stroke on object recognition.

Abstract Stroke patients were tested for their ability to recognize familiar objects shown in photographs, and we have confirmed previous reports that damage to the right hemisphere impairs recognition of objects shown at an “unusual angle.” Additionally, these patients were impaired in matching unfamiliar (nonsense) objects which had been rotated. These impairments are discussed in the context of key task demands, particularly the need to extract depth cues from the photographs, and to rotate form elements to determine whether the samples provided different views of the same object. In the context of other work, these results suggest impairment of advanced perceptual skills which are needed to establish relationships of and among features of the forms.
Factor analysis and validity of the Transplant Evaluation Rating Scale in a large bone marrow transplant sample

Abstract Objective: Clinical and methodological challenges are involved in screening bone marrow transplant (BMT) recipients for pretransplant psychosocial adjustment in an attempt to anticipate and prevent behavioral difficulties. Validity of the Transplant Evaluation Rating Scale (TERS), which quantifies the disparate salient elements in a structured clinical assessment, has not been adequately established. This study comprehensively investigated three questions about convergent, internal–structural, and predictive validity of the TERS: how indicative the TERS is of psychosocial difficulties; whether the TERS is uni- or multidimensional; to what degree the TERS predicts long-range adjustment during recovery posttransplant. Methods: Pre-BMT, 345 consecutive patients were prospectively assessed and completed the MMPI. TERS ratings were assigned retrospectively by two raters (interrater reliability r =.89). Results: The TERS showed good convergent validity relative to MMPI subscales, and a clear, simple, two-factor structure accounting for 47% of the variance. On a subset of our sample ( n =29), the factor subscales, “Defiance” and “Emotional Sensitivity,” exhibited differential predictive validity to functional status at 1 year posttransplant. Conclusions: This study, the first large-scale statistical investigation of TERS validity, provided evidence for the validity of the TERS on all three questions. The TERS is indeed indicative of psychosocial risk indexed by MMPI behavioral pathology. It has an understandable, clinically useful factor structure. Its subordinate constructs, Defiance and Emotional Sensitivity, can and should be distinguished conceptually and measured separately. The TERS has clinical utility for specifying behavioral concerns before and guiding proactive intervention after BMT.
Respiration rates and ATP concentrations in the excised gills of the blue crab as a function of salinity.

Abstract 1. The respiration rates and ATP contents of the excised gills of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus , were determined at salinities of 5 and 35s%. 2. Respiration rate was significantly higher at 5 than at 35 and there was virtually no anterior (gills 1–5), posterior (gills 6–8) difference in respiration rate. 3. Acclimation salinity also was shown to have little effect on respiration rate of the gill tissue when tested at 5 and 35. 4. The respiration rates and ATP contents of the individual gills were shown to be directly dependent upon the salinity of the medium. 5. Respiration rate and ATP content of gill tissue was directly related to the size of the gill, and ATP content was inversely related to respiration rate of the tissue. 6. These data indicate that when crab gill tissue is subjected to osmotic stress, the process of cellular accommodation is an energetic process and that the ultimate source of energy is ATP.
Thermodynamics of nematic phases formed from semiflexible chain polymers

In co[poly(ethylene terephthalate)-p-oxybenzoate] containing 30 mole % oxybenzoate units, the ethylene terephthate units crystallize. The copolymer melts in the temperature range 180–210°C to form a nematic phase which, at a higher temperature, transforms to an isotropic liquid. The latent heat of the first transition is 5 cal/g, and the thermodynamic melting temperature, 247°C, is essentially that expected for a random copolymer of this composition. The nematic → isotropic transition occurs at 244°C, with an enthalpy change of 3.2 cal/g (10% of the heat of fusion of poly(ethylene terephthalate)). We conclude that semiflexible polymers form a nematic phase which is rather highly disordered. The model of the nematic phase treated by Flory is modified to increase its entropy through incorporation of chain bends (which must be correlated in position and direction with those in neighboring molecules). This increases the chain extension, as measured by the fraction (1–f) of collinear chain bonds, required to form the nematic phase. For binary polymer-solvent systems, an appropriate scaling of f values leaves the phase diagram as predicted by Flory's treatment essentially unchanged.
Analysis of Changes in Diversity and Abundance of the Microbial Community in a Cystic Fibrosis Patient over a Multiyear Period

The evolution of pulmonary disease in cystic fibrosis (CF) usually begins when bacteria get trapped in mucus in the lungs and become established as a chronic infection. While most CF patients experience periods of stability, pulmonary exacerbations (PEs) can occur multiple times per year and result in permanent damage to the lungs. Little is known of the shift from a period of stability to a PE, but this shift is likely to be attributed to changes in the bacterial community. Here, we identified changes in the lung microbiota to determine if they reflect patient health, indicate the onset of exacerbations, or are related to antibiotic treatment. In contrast to most bacterial studies on CF, we collected weekly samples from an adult CF patient over a period of 3 years and performed quantitative PCR (qPCR) and Illumina sequencing on those samples. While many DNA-based studies have shown the CF microbiota to be relatively stable, we observed an increase in the total bacterial abundance over time (P < 0.001), while the number of different taxa (bacterial richness) and the number of different taxa and their abundances (diversity) significantly decreased over time (P < 0.03), which was likely due to repeated antibiotic exposure. Using genus-specific primers with qPCR, we observed an increase in the abundance of Burkholderia multivorans, a CF-associated pathogen, prior to the occurrence of a PE (P = 0.006). Combining these DNA-based techniques with frequent sampling identified a potential initiator for exacerbations and described a response of the CF microbiota to time and antibiotic treatment not observed in previous CF microbiota studies.
A review of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Research Program on the prevention and control of hazardous material spills

Abstract This paper is a status report on a number of the projects in progress at the Industrial Waste Treatment Research Laboratory of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at Edison, New Jersey. The actual causes of numerous hazardous material spills have been documented and analyzed to assign priority to operational areas in which spill prevention and control procedures are urgently needed. Spill alert systems are ready for installation on marginally safe earthen holding pond dikes. Fail-safe systems are being evaluated to reduce spillage from overfilling and from transfer line rupture. The handling of spills in municipalities has been addressed with particular attention to the maintenance and utilization of secondary sewage treatment facilities during spill events. Among the physical and chemical treatment systems that have been or are being produced are trailer-mounted units for processing contaminated water. Also, special devices are being designed for the dispersion and recovery — where necessary — of adsorbents and counteractive chemical reagents for in situ treatment of polluted water bodies. Plastic foams have been developed to dike or confine spills and to plug leaks in ruptured containers. A pickup truck-mounted collection unit, consisting of a battery-powered pump and a self-deploying plastic storage bag, has been constructed and tested. Nearing final testing is a “Sea Curtain”, which extends from the bottom of a stream to the air above. The “Curtain” can be used to isolate a water column that is being contaminated by a soluble, sinking, or floating hazardous material discharged from shore or in stream. Gelling and solidification agents have been shown to be effective in immobilizing spilled hazardous materials. Systems are being built to reprocess treatment agents for reuse and to detoxify whatever agents or recovered materials cannot be salvaged. Field-use packets and other easy-to-deploy items are being developed to trace spills in water and to assess the effectiveness of cleanup. Procedures for enhanced, in-place, biological degradation of spilled hazardous materials are under test. The thrust of the Laboratory's program in these and in related projects is toward the demonstration of practical procedures, hardware, and suitably engineered systems for the prevention and control of spills of hazardous materials.
The Role of Cytokines in Infection‐Related Behaviora

: Infections are associated with a specific behavioral pattern that includes hypomotility, hypophagia, increased sleep, decreased libido, and decreased exploration. This behavioral response is considered adaptive and important for the survival of the animal. A similar behavioral pattern was observed following treatment with endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide [LPS]) and cytokines, such as interleukin-1 (IL-1). Because the secretion of these cytokines is induced by LPS and infections, it is possible that they mediate the behavioral responses to infection. We have studied ingestive behavior and locomotor activity in mice following infection with influenza virus, or injection of LPS, IL-1, or IL-6. A lethal dose of influenza virus, LPS, IL-1a and IL-1b each decreased the intake of sweetened condensed milk and 24-hour food pellet intake and decreased locomotor activity. Mouse IL-6 was ineffective. A sublethal dose of influenza virus decreased food pellet intake and locomotor activity, but did not significantly alter milk intake. Indomethacin prevented the behavioral responses to IL-1, and attenuated those to LPS, but had only a very small effect on those to influenza virus. Similar results were obtained with the IL-1-receptor antagonist (IL-1ra); it completely prevented the responses to IL-1, attenuated those to LPS, but, even after chronic high dose administration, attenuated the effects of influenza virus infection only slightly. Our results suggest that while IL-1 may play an important role in the responses to infection, IL-6 does not. Moreover, IL-1 cannot be the only factor contributing to the altered behavior of LPS-injected or influenza virus-infected mice.
Externally modulated mode-locked laser diodes for microwave transmission links

An externally modulated mode-locked laser diode is proposed to transmit high centre frequency, fractional bandwidth microwave signals over optical fibres. We demonstrate the feasibility of this scheme using an external Bragg cell to modulate (at 68.7 MHz) an actively mode-locked laser diode (mode-locked at 2.05GHz).
Diurnal Emergence of Xyleborus ferrugineus (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) from Cacao Trunks in Ecuador and Costa Rica

Investigations of the factors controlling diurnal emergence of adults of Xyleborus ferrugineus (F.) from Theobroma cacao L. were conducted under field and laboratory conditions in Ecuador and Costa Rica. Beetle-infested sections of trunks were caged, kept under natural and controlled conditions of light and temperature, and counts of adults emerged made at defined intervals. Emergence in nature was primarily crepuscular. The peak of emergence was sometimes shifted or less sharply defined under artificial conditions but was always observed when either light or temperature was varied with the ambient conditions. Constant light and temperature completely disrupted synchronization of emergence.
Production of polystyrene particles via aerosolization

Aerosolization of polystyrene solutions followed by drying in a tubular furnace produced submicron-sized polystyrene particles. Characterization using x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) revealed that the particles were amorphous, spherical, and free of residual solvent. The average particle size and size distribution varied with furnace temperature, the initial polystyrene solution concentration, and solvent type. The particles' BET-based specific surface area depended upon these parameters as well as the carrier gas flow rate. Analysis of the competing rates of convection, solvent evaporation, droplet collisions, and polymer diffusion help to rationalize the results. The dependence of the solvent evaporation rate on temperature controls the particle diameter, but droplet coalescence cannot be ignored. Long residence times and high furnace temperatures softened the particles; after filtration, polymer diffusion between solid particles produced visual evidence of partial coalescence. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Anode-supported planar solid oxide fuel cells by plasma-enhanced metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (PE-MOCVD) and electrostatic spray deposition (ESD): Fabrication of dense thin layers of yttria-stabilized zirconia by PE-MOCVD

This paper reports a study of plasma-enhanced metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (PE-MOCVD) as a suitable technique for depositing dense, crack-free thin layers of yttria-stabilized zirconia onto porous substrates, as a step in the fabrication of anode-supported planar solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC). Our objective is to present an alternative method by which an SOFC assembly may be fabricated at lower temperature than by conventional methods. PE-MOCVD using zirconium tertbutoxide (ZrTB) -and yttrium hexafluoroacetylacetonate dihydrate (Y6FA) is capable of producing the electrolyte in thin dense layers on smooth surfaces, as demonstrated for Si(110) wafers. If a porous substrate is used, the average surface pore size should not exceed 1–2 μm to obtain a dense film. The crystalline phase of the film was related to the Y6FA concentration in the gas phase using x-ray diffraction. Depth profiling, using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, showed that Y is present (fairly uniform) at all depths of the film. Growth rates are dependent on the applied power but independent of substrate temperature. Film density, however, shows a significant dependence on substrate temperature.
Evaluation of thermal defocusing, nonlinear scattering, and nonlinear quarter-wave stack switches

Thermal defocusing, nonlinear scattering and deflection, and nonlinear quarter-wave stack switches are passive limiters that have the ability to be extremely fast, simple in design, and require little maintenance. In this paper we model the performance of these devices in terms of transmission and/or throughput energy. A simple optical design is considered in which incident radiation from infinity is focused on the device, then recollected and reimaged on a detector plane. Values for the effective nonlinear index of refraction and the nonlinear time response are chosen which limit the incident radiation to a specified optical density. The overall performance of the protection device can then be investigated based on the dynamic range, damage threshold, and linear transmission.
A Fast Delivery Protocol for Total Order Broadcasting

Sequencer, privilege-based, and communication history algorithms are popular approaches to implement total ordering, where communication history algorithms are most suitable for parallel computing systems, because they provide best performance under heavy work load. Unfortunately, post-transmission delay of communication history algorithms is most apparent when a system is idle. In this paper, we propose a fast delivery protocol to reduce the latency of message ordering. The protocol optimizes the total ordering process by waiting for messages only from a subset of the machines in the group, and by fast acknowledging messages on behalf of other machines. Our test results indicate that the fast delivery protocol is suitable for both idle and heavy load systems, while reducing the latency of message ordering.
Gel high-performance liquid chromatographic studies on the elution behavior of chemically deglycosylated human chorionic gonadotropin and its subunits

Abstract The elution behavior of human chorionic gonadotropin and its subunits, and their desialylated and deglycosylated derivatives was studied on gel high-performance liquid chromatography. Using three TSK G-SW columns, excellent separations were achieved for eleven human chorionic gonadotropin derivatives. In a comparison of the native (30% carbohydrate content), asialo (24%) and HF-deglycosylated (8%) subunits, the estimated values of molecular weights on the basis of a series of reference globular proteins deviated in various degrees from the actual molecular weight. The extent of deviation depended on the carbohydrate content and possibly the location of carbohydrate chains. The data from recombination studies suggest that the β-subunit is the dominant determinant for their expanded molecular size.