cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Complications of endovenous lasers

Endovenous laser ablation (EVLA) and radiofrequencey ablation have become the procedures of choice for the treatment of superficial venous insufficiency. Their minimally invasive technique and safety profile when compared with operative saphenectomy have led to this change. As EVLA has replaced saphenectomy as the procedure of choice, the distribution of complications has changed. We evaluated the most common and most devastating complications in the literature including burns, nerve injury, arterio-venous fistula (AVF), endothermal heat-induced thrombosis and deep venous thrombosis. The following review will discuss the most frequently encountered complications of treatment of superficial venous insufficiency using EVLA. The majority of the complications described can be avoided with the use of good surgical technique and appropriate duplex ultrasound guidance. Overall, EVLA has an excellent safety profile and should be considered among the first line for treatment of superficial venous reflux.
The Role of Eddies in Determining the Structure and Response of the Wind-Driven Southern Hemisphere Overturning: Results from the Modeling Eddies in the Southern Ocean (MESO) Project

Abstract The Modeling Eddies in the Southern Ocean (MESO) project uses numerical sensitivity studies to examine the role played by Southern Ocean winds and eddies in determining the density structure of the global ocean and the magnitude and structure of the global overturning circulation. A hemispheric isopycnal-coordinate ocean model (which avoids numerical diapycnal diffusion) with realistic geometry is run with idealized forcing at a range of resolutions from coarse (2°) to eddy-permitting (1/6°). A comparison of coarse resolutions with fine resolutions indicates that explicit eddies affect both the structure of the overturning and the response of the overturning to wind stress changes. While the presence of resolved eddies does not greatly affect the prevailing qualitative picture of the ocean circulation, it alters the overturning cells involving the Southern Ocean transformation of dense deep waters and light waters of subtropical origin into intermediate waters. With resolved eddies, the surface-t...
Theology, Science, and Relationality: Interdisciplinary Reciprocity in the Work of Wolfhart Pannenberg

The material anthropological proposals of Wolfhart Pannenberg are best interpreted in light of the methodological reciprocity that lies across and holds together his treatments of theology and science. In the context of a response to a recent book on Pannenberg by Jacqui Stewart, this article outlines a new interpretation of his theological engagement with the human sciences. I provide a model of the relationality that links these disciplines in Pannenberg's work and commend its general contours as a resource for the ongoing reconstruction of the interdisciplinary dialogue vis-a-vis the concerns of late modernity.
A practical method for the production of flowering Easter lilies from callus cultures

Abstract Callus cultures were established from immature leaf explants of Easter lily ( Lilium longiflorum Thunb. cv. ‘Nellie White’). These callus cultures were induced to undergo organogenesis within 3 weeks upon subculture to medium containing 0.1 mg l −1 of both 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and 6-benzylaminopurine. The regenerated plantlets were acclimatized under a mist and transferred to greenhouse conditions at a 100% success rate. Plants exposed to supplemental lighting produced an average of four flowers per plant, were 20 cm shorter and flowered six and a half weeks sooner than plants maintained under normal day length conditions, where only 63% of the plants flowered. On average, plants supplied with supplemental lighting required 29 weeks (8 weeks of acclimation, 9 weeks in 15 cm pots under normal greenhouse conditions, and 12 weeks under supplemental lighting) from the time of establishing in the greenhouse to full bloom. The number of abnormal plants observed was less than 2%. Maintaining plants in 6 cm × 4 cm × 5.5 cm growing trays produced miniature Easter lily plants, each with a single flower.
The chest wall in acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Purpose of reviewThere has recently been renewed interest in the chest wall during mechanical ventilation, related to lung-protective ventilation strategies, as well as in the role of abdominal pressure in many facets of critical illness. The purpose of this review is to address relevant issues rela
How Health Policy Influences Quality of Care in Pediatrics

The primary focus of child health policy for the last twenty years has been on improving health care coverage and access. More recently, the focus has shifted to include not only coverage, but also the quality of the care received. This article describes some "voltage drops" in health care that impede delivery of high quality health care. The growing emphasis on quality is reflected in provisions of the new Child Health Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA) legislation. In addition to providing funding for health coverage for over four million more children, it also includes the most significant federal investment in pediatric quality to date.
Relation of Anxiety and Adherence to Risk-Reducing Recommendations Following Myocardial Infarction

Unlike depression, the relation between anxiety and the adherence to risk-reducing recommendations after myocardial infarction (MI) has not been well studied. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of anxiety on adherence after MI. Patients (n = 278) hospitalized for MI were assessed for anxiety using the Beck Anxiety Inventory during the hospitalization (baseline) and at 4 months of follow-up. The measures of adherence included following a low-sodium, low-fat diet, exercising regularly, taking medications, decreasing stress, carrying medical supplies, increasing socialization, following a diabetic diet, measuring blood glucose levels, and smoking cessation (where applicable). Baseline anxiety was associated with younger age, female gender, hypertension, tobacco use, depression, and current mood disorder. At 4 months of follow-up, anxiety was also associated with living alone, a history of coronary artery disease, and Killip class >1. An anxiety summary score was calculated to assess anxiety across both points. Summary anxiety was associated with worse adherence to exercise, reducing stress, increasing socialization, and smoking cessation but with better adherence to carrying supplies (all p <0.05). After controlling for demographic, cardiovascular, and psychological factors, summary anxiety predicted worse adherence to reducing stress (p = 0.004) and increasing socialization (p = 0.033) and was the only significant predictor of worse adherence to smoking cessation (p = 0.001) and better adherence to carrying supplies (p = 0.04). Anxiety during the initial hospitalization and 4 months later was associated with lower adherence to many important risk-reducing recommendations after MI. In conclusion, additional research is needed to evaluate whether treating anxiety can improve adherence in this setting.
Immobility of ascorbic acid in the stimulated testis of rat and dog.

Abstract Ascorbic acid (AsA) concentrations in rat testes were studied to determine whether the fall of AsA associated with increased steroidal output in the adrenal gland and the ovarian corpus luteum also occurs in the testis. Results show that there is no fall of testicular AsA after acute administration of HCG, ICSH, or FSH to normal rats, or of ICSH, HCG, or ACTH to hypophysectomized rats. Administration of HCG or FSH for 10 days also failed to induce a fall of testis AsA. Experimentally induced unilateral cryptorchidism was shown to induce a fall of AsA concentration in the cryptorchid testis of normal and hypophysectomized rats. This effect was not enhanced by prolonged HCG administration. In a final experiment on dogs it was found that under acute HCG stimulation the spermatic vein blood concentration of testosterone increased many times over the control concentration, but still there was no diminution in AsA concentration when one testis removed before HCG administration was compared to the remaining testis removed 2 hr later. It is concluded that, at variance with the adrenal gland and ovarian corpus luteum, the AsA concentration in the testis of the rat and of the dog bears no relationship to increased steroid output by the testis.
Correlation between cardiac actomyosin ATPase activity and systolic ejection time in different species

Abstract 1. 1. A study was conducted to determine if actomyosin ATPase (AM) is correlated with cardiac function in three species, rats, dogs, and humans. 2. 2. Mg 2+ stimulated ATPase averaged 0.327 ± 0.031, 0.260 ± 0.026, and 0.180 ± 0.015 and Ca 2+ stimulated activity averaged 0.602 + 0.041, 0.291 + 0.028; and 0.258 + 0.019 μ mol/mg/min for rat, dog and human actomyosin samples. Both Mg 2+ and Ca 2+ ATPase were highly correlated with systolic ejection time ( r = −0.99 and −0.90) and maximum heart rate ( r = 0.95 and 0.98). 3. 3. The correlation of an increase in AM ATPase activity with increasing maximal heart rate in different species is of physiological importance to provide adequate perfusion of the heart during diastole.
Force control deficits in chronic stroke: grip formation and release phases

The aim of the study was to develop a novel approach for quantifying stair-stepping in a trajectory tracking task with the goal of understanding how age and stroke-related differences in motor control contribute to force control deficits. Nine stroke participants, nine age-matched controls, and nine young healthy adults performed an isometric gripping task while squeezing, holding, and releasing a cylindrical device. The visual tracking task involved three different rates of force production (5, 10, and 20% maximal force/s). Four outcome measures determined force control deficits: (a) root mean square error, (b) standard deviation, (c) step number, and (d) mean pause duration. Our findings indicate that step number, and especially mean pause duration, differentiated force control deficits in the three groups more effectively than the traditional root mean square error. Moreover, stroke participants showed the largest force control deficits during the grip release phase compared to age-matched and young healthy controls. Importantly, step number and mean pause duration quantified stair-stepping while measuring different constructs than root mean square error. Distinct step and duration interruptions in force modulation by persons post-stroke during the grip release phase provide new information with implications for motor recovery during rehabilitation.
Development Of A Software Driven Medical Laser System For Tissue Fusion At 1.32 μm

We report the development of the first software driven medical laser system for tissue fusion. The laser system consists of a specially modified neodymium YAG laser head that operates at a wavelength of 1.319 μm rather than the fundamental 1.064 μm wavelength. Laser surgery software developed expressly for this system relieves the operating surgeon of the task of identifying the correct laser power levol, spot size, and time exposure for a. given laser wavelength and mode structure. For each tissue type, the above parameters vary from one thickness to another based on volume of tissue that requires heating and coagulation. This critical data is encoded on a floppy disk with hard disk back-up that is accessed by the laser microprocessor system. The surgeon inputs the tissue type and tissue thickness; and using that input, the microporocessor automatically adjusts the laser parameters for delivery by a fiber optic delivery system. Fiber optic delivery greatly increases operating flexibility and minimizes interference with standard surgical procedures.
Scarp-bounded benches in Gorgonum Chaos, Mars: Formed beneath an ice-covered lake?

[1] Level, bench-like platforms edged with scarps facing the interior of the Martian Gorgonum Chaos basin may have formed in conjunction with an ancient ice-covered lake. These benches, however, lack the typical features of shorelines associated with wave and current transport and erosion, such as crescentic embayments, spits, barrier islands, and wave-cut cliffs. Rather, the basin-facing platform edges are commonly rounded and cumulate in planform, often evenly encircling buttes protruding above the level of the benches. The benches are postulated to have been formed by outward growth in a quiescent environment, possibly by deformative lateral flow of sediment below the ice-water interface in a perennially frozen lake due to the weight of the ice overburden.
Proliferative and functional capacity of bursal lymphocytes after transfer to agammaglobulinemic chicks

Abstract Line 96 chicks, isogenic for the strong B histocompatibility locus were rendered agammaglobulinemic through in ovo testosterone propionate treatment followed by cyclophosphamide administration on the first and second day posthatching. Sex-chromosomally marked bursal cells of 4-week-old normal donors were injected intravenously or intraperitoneally into X-irradiated, 4-week-old recipients and immediately challenged by the same route with Brucella abortus and sheep erythrocytes. As measured by serum agglutinin titers, intravenously transferred cells were nearly as capable of responding to sheep erythrocytes as to Brucella abortus whereas intraperitoneally transferred cells responded almost exclusively to only Brucella abortus . Humoral antibody, IgM and IgG production was demonstrable up to 48 days after intravenous cells transfer in recipients repeatedly challenged with antigen. Reversion to an agammaglobulinemic, immunologically incompetent state then occurred and coincided at that time with the disappearance of dividing donor cells in the cell recipients. Proliferation of intravenously transferred bursal cells was observed primarily in the spleen, to a lesser degree in bone marrow, with only very few dividing bursal cells being found in the thymus. In response to antigenic stimulation, bursal cells responded with a two to tenfold expansion of their cell population. Histologically, the development of plasma cells in the spleens of recipients after successful cell transfers was readily demonstrated but distinct germinal follicle development did not occur. PHA-nonresponsiveness of bursal cells and PHA-responsiveness of thymus cells was employed to substantiate the transfer of primarily bursal cells without significant contamination with donor thymus-derived cells.
Denoising and 4D visualization of OCT images

We are using Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) to image structure and function of the developing embryonic heart in avian models. Fast OCT imaging produces very large 3D (2D + time) and 4D (3D volumes + time) data sets, which greatly challenge ones ability to visualize results. Noise in OCT images poses additional challenges. We created an algorithm with a quick, data set specific optimization for reduction of both shot and speckle noise and applied it to 3D visualization and image segmentation in OCT. When compared to baseline algorithms (median, Wiener, orthogonal wavelet, basic non-orthogonal wavelet), a panel of experts judged the new algorithm to give much improved volume renderings concerning both noise and 3D visualization. Specifically, the algorithm provided a better visualization of the myocardial and endocardial surfaces, and the interaction of the embryonic heart tube with surrounding tissue. Quantitative evaluation using an image quality figure of merit also indicated superiority of th new algorithm. Noise reduction aided semi-automatic 2D image segmentation, as quantitatively evaluated using a contour distance measure with respect to an expert segmented contour. In conclusion, the noise reduction algorithm should be quite useful for visualization and quantitative measurements (e.g., heart volume, stroke volume, contraction velocity, etc.) in OCT embryo images. With its semi-automatic, data set specific optimization, we believe that the algorithm can be applied to OCT images from other applications.
Experimental results of joint processing of Hartmann sensor and conventional image measurements to estimate large aberrations

In this paper we report experimental results for a new technique for estimating aberrations which extends the strength of an aberration which may be sensed using Hartmann sensor technology by means of an algorithm which processes both a Hartmann sensor image and a conventional image formed with the same aberration. We find that the theory and the experiment match well within the experimental error, and that very strong defocus aberrations can be accurately sensed with this technique.
Magnetic phase diagram of slow cooled β-phase CoGa alloys

Abstract Measurements of the Faraday balance and ac susceptibility performed on slow cooled CoxGa1−x are reported for 0.49 ≤ x ≤ 0.58. Measurements were performed in the temperature range 0.5 K 0.56. A magnetic phase diagram is proposed.
Bulk and near-surface annealing behavior of the 0.8 eV luminescence in semi-insulating gallium arsenide

An annealing study of the 0.8 eV photoluminescence band in LEC GaAs has been performed, using a combination of 10 min annealing steps over a temperature range of 800–1100° C and one hour furnace annealing steps at 500–700° C. Results show that the defect responsible for the luminescence is stable in bulk material under all annealing conditions that have been investigated. In combination with earlier results, this demonstrates a stability of the defect to temperatures in excess of 900° C and indicates a parallel with the annealing behavior of the 0.67 eV band in semi-insulating GaAs. The observed annealing behavior is very different in the near-surface region, indicating an important role of As out-diffusion.
Apparent ridges for line drawing

Three-dimensional shape can be drawn using a variety of feature lines, but none of the current definitions alone seem to capture all visually-relevant lines. We introduce a new definition of feature lines based on two perceptual observations. First, human perception is sensitive to the variation of shading, and since shape perception is little affected by lighting and reflectance modification, we should focus on normal variation. Second, view-dependent lines better convey smooth surfaces. From this we define view-dependent curvature as the variation of the surface normal with respect to a viewing screen plane, and apparent ridges as the loci of points that maximize a view-dependent curvature. We present a formal definition of apparent ridges and an algorithm to render line drawings of 3D meshes. We show that our apparent ridges encompass or enhance aspects of several other feature lines.
Pressure tuning of the charge-density wave in the halogen-bridged transition-metal solid Pt2Br6(NH3)4.

We report the pressure dependence up to 95 kbar of Raman-active stretching modes in the quasi-one-dimensional MX chain solid ${\mathrm{Pt}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Br}}_{6}$(${\mathrm{NH}}_{3}$${)}_{4}$. The data indicate that a predicted pressure-induced insulator-to-metal transition does not occur, but are consistent with the solid undergoing either a three-dimensional structural distortion or a transition from a charge-density wave to another broken-symmetry ground state. We show that such a transition can be well modeled within a Peierls-Hubbard Hamiltonian.
Calcium Excretion and Serum Calcium Concentration in Adult Intact and Gonadectomized Rats

Urinary calcium excretion and serum calcium concentration were measured in adult intact and gonadectomized Fischer rats. Intact male rats excreted significantly less calciumcalcium (p<0.01) in their urine than intact female castrated male, or spayed female rats. (Endocrinology 83: 1375, 1968)
Drosophila Insulin Receptor: Lectin-Binding Properties and a Role for Oxidation-Reduction of Receptor Thiols in Activation*

The glycosylation of the Drosophila insulin receptor (DIR) has been compared to that of the rat insulin receptor by examining the binding of receptors to the lectins wheat germ agglutinin, Concanavalin-A, and lentil lectin. Although rat insulin receptors bound and were specifically eluted from all three lectins, only a small fraction of the DIR (< 5%) was retained on wheat germ agglutinin. In contrast, the DIR bound strongly to Concanavalin-A and lentil lectin and was recovered from lentil lectin columns after elution with alpha-methyl-mannoside. The pattern of lectin binding indicates that glycosylation of the DIR and rat insulin receptors differs, with the DIR containing primarily high mannose-type oligosaccharides. After lectin chromatography, the DIR exhibited an elevated level of basal autophosphorylation and kinase activity, which could be restored to a low level by incubation with 0.5 mM dithiothreitol (DTT). DTT did not, however, affect ligand-stimulated kinase activity. The ability of low concent...
A comparison of several vector quantization codebook generation approaches

A review and a performance comparison of several often-used vector quantization (VQ) codebook generation algorithms are presented. The codebook generation algorithms discussed include the Linde-Buzo-Gray (LBG) binary-splitting algorithm, the pairwise nearest-neighbor algorithm, the simulated annealing algorithm, and the fuzzy c-means clustering analysis algorithm. A new directed-search binary-splitting method which reduces the complexity of the LBG algorithm, is presented. Also, a new initial codebook selection method which can obtain a good initial codebook is presented. By using this initial codebook selection algorithm, the overall LBG codebook generation time can be reduced by a factor of 1.5-2. >
Design of Optimal Hygrothermally Stable Laminates with Bending-Twist Coupling by Ant Colony Optimization

4The necessary and sufficient conditions for hygrothermal curvature stability of laminated composite plates have been derived in a prior publication and shown to be material independent. From within these conditions, various couplings are being investigated to determine any improvements over previously known optima. Bending-twist coupling has been investigated in previous work based upon a Sequential Quadratic Programming method to demonstrate the achievable level of coupling under the hygrothermal stability conditions. In this work, the Ant Colony Optimization is adopted as an alternative approach to reach global optima. Comparisons of resulting stacking sequences and associated level of coupling are provided. Results for laminates consisting of two through ten plies made of graphite/epoxy material are presented. The results suggest that the solution to the bending-twist coupling problem consist of multiple global optima. ACO was able to provide new global optimal solutions for laminates consisting of 8-10 plies.
Literacies for Surveillance: Social Network Sites and Background Investigations

In September 2013, civilian contractor Aaron Alexis entered the Washington Navy Yard and murdered twelve people before being fatally shot by police. This incident, together with an incident three months earlier involving Edward Snowden, caused the U.S. government to critically examine their background investigation (BI) process; because both Snowden and Alexis had supposedly slipped through the cracks of their investigations, there must be some flaw in the BI procedure. The U.S. Committee on Oversight and Reform concluded that rules forbidding “background checkers from looking at the Internet or social media when performing checks” was one of the main factors contributing to defective BIs (Report, 2014). Since the report’s release, the Director of National Intelligence has been debating and trialing whether information from the Internet should be used to form a data double for BIs (Kopp, 2014; Rockwell, 2014). Using this conversation as a discussion catalyst, I argue that due to the nature of the data double, if the United States were to adopt the use of social networking sites (SNSs) for security clearance purposes, neglecting to take into account basic principles of SNSs into the process of BIs may lead to misinformation and unfavorable adjudication. Ultimately, being literate about the social practices involved in SNSs and surveillance would benefit not only investigators, but anyone, including academics, looking at individuals in online spaces.
Efficacy of Intramammary Antibiotic Therapy for Treatment of Clinical Mastitis Caused by Environmental Pathogens

For three California dairy herds with bulk tank SCC <200,000/ml, twice daily milking, and no mastitis vaccine, 254 quarters with mild clinical mastitis were randomly assigned to three groups. Group A (n = 74) was treated with 62.5 mg of intramammary amoxicillin every 12 h for three milkings. Group C (n = 75) was treated with 200 mg of intramammary cephapirin every 12 h for two milkings. Group O (n = 105) was treated with 100 units of intramuscular oxytocin every 12 h for two or three milkings. Aseptic pretreatment quarter samples revealed 94 (37%) coliforms, 65 (26%) environmental streptococci, 34 (13%) other bacteria, and 61 (24%) with no isolate on bovine blood agar plates. Contagious pathogens were not isolated. Clinical cure (return of quarter and milk to normal) and bacterial cure (absence of primary pathogen isolated pretreatment) were assessed at milking 8 and d 20 after initial treatment. No difference existed in clinical (67.6, 67.7, or 66.7%) or bacterial (43.9, 55.0 or 49.1%) cure rate among groups. Clinical cure rates did not differ when quarters were grouped by etiology, but clinical cure rates for quarters with pathogens other than streptococci or coliforms were lower in group O.
An Array-Based Odometer System for Statistically Significant Circuit Aging Characterization

Variations in the number and characteristics of charges or traps contributing to transistor degradation lead to a distribution of device “ages” at any given time. This issue is well understood in the study of time dependent dielectric breakdown, but is just beginning to be thoroughly addressed under bias temperature instability (BTI) and hot carrier injection (HCI) stress. In this paper, we present a measurement system that facilitates efficient statistical aging measurements involving the latter two mechanisms in an array of ring oscillators. Microsecond measurements for minimal BTI recovery, as well as frequency shift measurement resolution ranging down to the error floor of 0.07% are achieved with three beat frequency detection systems working in tandem. Measurement results from a 65 nm test chip show that fresh frequency and the stress-induced shift are uncorrelated, both the mean and standard deviation of that shift increase with stress, and the standard deviation/mean ratio decreases with stress time.
Talking about Twisters: Relations between Mothers' and Children's Contributions to Conversations about a Devastating Tornado

Mother-child dyads who experienced a devastating tornado talked about the storm and about two affectively more positive or neutral events at each of two time points: 4 months and 10 months after the storm. The conversations were analyzed to determine whether mothers and/or children's contributions differed as a function of event type and whether there were concurrent and/or cross-lagged relations between mothers and children's contributions to the conversations. For both members of the dyads, contributions were similar (and correlated) across event types. Maternal narrative style related to children's levels of participation and to the amount of unique information the children contributed to the conversations, both concurrently and over time; cross-lagged relations were more robust for the tornado relative to the nontornado related events. The implications of the patterns for socialization models of autobiographical memory development are discussed.
Ammonium nitrate: thermal stability and explosivity modifiers

Abstract Two basic approaches to diminish the explosivity of AN have been suggested: dilution of ammonium nitrate (AN) with a chemically inert material or incorporation of small amounts of material which increases the chemical reaction zone [Method of Desensitizing AN and the Product Obtained, United States Patent Office, No. 3,366,468 (1968); Fertilizer additives: can AN be defanged? C&E News (1995) 6]. While small-scale tests of these “deterred” AN formulations appeared promising, larger amounts (30 pounds under confinement) were found to be detonable, though with reduced performance [Institute of Makers of Explosives Report, 1995]. In this study thermal analysis was used to screen a large number of AN formulations in search of possible deterrents. The sodium, potassium, ammonium and calcium salts of sulfate, phosphate, or carbonate as well as certain high-nitrogen organics (urea, oxalate, formate, guanidinum salts) were chosen because they should enhance AN thermal stability and because they could be used with agricultural products. This study considers whether laboratory tests can be used as benchmarks in evaluating explosivity.
Killing fields generated by multiple solutions to the Fischer-Marsden equation

In the process of finding Einstein metrics in dimension n ≥ 3, we can search critical metrics for the scalar curvature functional in the space of the fixed-volume metrics of constant scalar curvature on a closed oriented manifold. This leads to a system of PDEs (which we call the Fischer–Marsden Equation, after a conjecture concerning this system) for scalar functions, involving the linearization of the scalar curvature. The Fischer–Marsden conjecture said that if the equation admits a solution, the underlying Riemannian manifold is Einstein. Counter-examples are known by O. Kobayashi and J. Lafontaine. However, almost all the counter-examples are homogeneous. Multiple solutions to this system yield Killing vector fields. We show that the dimension of the solution space W can be at most n+1, with equality implying that (M, g) is a sphere with constant sectional curvatures. Moreover, we show that the identity component of the isometry group has a factor SO(W). We also show that geometries admitting Fischer–Marsden solutions are closed under products with Einstein manifolds after a rescaling. Therefore, we obtain a lot of non-homogeneous counter-examples to the Fischer–Marsden conjecture. We then prove that all the homogeneous manifold M with a solution are in this case. Furthermore, we also proved that a related Besse conjecture is true for the compact homogeneous manifolds.
Hypomagnesemia in the intensive care unit: Choosing your gastrointestinal prophylaxis, a case report and review of the literature

We report a case of symptomatic hypomagnesaemia in medical intensive care unit that is strongly related to proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and provide literature review. A 65-year-old male with severe gastroesophageal reflux on omeprazole 20 mg orally twice a day, who presented to the hospital with abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, and new onset seizures. On admission, his serum magnesium level was undetectable. Electrocardiogram showed a new right bundle branch block with a prolonged QT interval. The hypomagnesemia was corrected with aggressive magnesium supplementation and hypomagnesemia resolved only after the PPI was stopped. Neurologic and cardiac abnormalities were corrected. This is a life-threatening case of an undetectable magnesium level strongly associated with PPI use. In critically, ill patients with refractory hypomagnesemia, we advocate considering changing gastrointestinal prophylaxis from a PPI to a histamine-receptor blocker.
Shared Mental Models in Military Command and Control Organizations: Effect of Social Network Distance

This paper presents an investigation on the relationship between social network distances and shared mental models in military command and control organizations. Previous research has shown that physical distance is the gold standard for high performance (Olson & Olson, 2000). However, social network distance may be equally or more important, as social network graphs inherently take into account the group’s context and environment (Krackhart, 1994). We conducted this research on a new 56-member command and control organization using computer-based collaborative tools as they engaged in a five day simulation exercise. As military command and control organizations are difficult to evaluate based on outcome and performance, we chose shared mental models as a proxy. We hypothesized that in a command and control organization, social network distance and physical distance are independent of one another. Further we hypothesized that social network distance would be a predictor of mental model congruence. We found that there is a very weak positive correlation between social network distance and physical distance. Further, we found that, controlling for physical distance, social network distance is a predictor of mental model congruence. This research validates that high frequency of communication, mediated by computer based collaborative tools, can effectively generate shared mental models.
Light Differentially Regulates Cell Division and the mRNA Abundance of Pea Nucleolin during De-Etiolation

The abundance of plant nucleolin mRNA is regulated during de-etiolation by phytochrome. A close correlation between the mRNA abundance of nucleolin and mitosis has also been previously reported. These results raised the question of whether the effects of light on nucleolin mRNA expression were a consequence of light effects on mitosis. To test this we compared the kinetics of light-mediated increases in cell proliferation with that of light-mediated changes in the abundance of nucleolin mRNA using plumules of dark-grown pea (Pisum sativum) seedlings. These experiments show that S-phase increases 9 h after a red light pulse, followed by M-phase increases in the plumule leaves at 12 h post-irradiation, a time course consistent with separately measured kinetics of red light-induced increases in the expression of cell cycle-regulated genes. These increases in cell cycle-regulated genes are photoreversible, implying that the light-induced increases in cell proliferation are, like nucleolin mRNA expression, regulated via phytochrome. Red light stimulates increases in the mRNA for nucleolin at 6 h post-irradiation, prior to any cell proliferation changes and concurrent with the reported timing of phytochrome-mediated increases of rRNA abundance. After a green light pulse, nucleolin mRNA levels increase without increasing S-phase or M-phase. Studies in animals and yeast indicate that nucleolin plays a significant role in ribosome biosynthesis. Consistent with this function, pea nucleolin can rescue nucleolin deletion mutants of yeast that are defective in rRNA synthesis. Our data show that during de-etiolation, the increased expression of nucleolin mRNA is more directly regulated by light than by mitosis.
Characterization of Dendrimer-Based Nanocomposites by Saxs and Sans

Dendritic polymers have been used as soluble templates/unimolecular reactors from which nano-clusters of inorganic compounds were synthesized. These organic/inorganic, dendrimerbased hybrid species or “nanocomposites” display unusual properties, i.e., their solubility is deterrnined by the properties of the dendrimer molecules. Since it has been established that there is no covalent bond between the dendrimer host and the inorganic guest, these observations suggest that the guests are physically and spatially restricted by the dendrimer shell. However, this structure has not been verified. In this investigation a preliminary understanding of the physical structure of these dendrimer-based nanocomposites was sought. A model system of PAMAM dendrimer-copper sulfide nanocomposites was studied in various stages of its formation using a combination of small angle X-ray and neutron scattering experiments. The results suggest that little perturbation of the dendritic species occurs on complexation, but indicate that a secondary supermolecular aggregation phenomena occurs within nanocomposite solutions.
Potential effects of UV-B on the chemical environment of marine organisms: a review.

An increase in ultraviolet-B (UV-B) due to depletion of stratospheric ozone may affect growth of marine phytoplankton by altering the chemistry of their environment. Production of bioactive free radicals, photodecomposition of organic matter, and availability of trace metals are likely to be altered by increased UV-B flux. Such changes to the chemical environment may be both deleterious and beneficial to marine phytoplankton. Extracellular free radicals such as OH, Br2−, and CO3− are predicted to have a negligible impact, but superoxide and its decomposition product hydrogen peroxide may react rapidly with cell surfaces and destroy membrane function and integrity. Increased UV-B will enhance the bioavailability of the redox active trace metals Fe and Cu. Thus, in the Fe-limited high latitude ocean, increased Fe availability may promote phytoplankton production, while in other parts of the ocean increased Cu availability may be toxic. Overall, the interdependent direct and indirect effects of UV-B on phytoplankton may compensate for each other and account for the ability of marine ecosystems to be subjected to widely variable UV-B flux without apparent damage.
Using Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG) to Treat Patients with Primary Immune Deficiency Disease

The treatment of primary immunodeficiency disease (PIDD) patients with immunoglobulin obtained from healthy controls, given intravenously, is a relatively recent event, having first been given in 1981. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) replacement in PIDD has been shown to prevent serious/recurrent infections because higher IgG levels can be obtained through IV administration, as opposed to the intramuscular route. Significant variation in IgG levels in controls is dependent on age and sex, which provides the rationale for the concept that there is a "biological IgG trough/level", hereafter called biological IgG level, in PIDD, as there is in healthy controls. Each PIDD patient has a biological IgG level that can be altered by comorbid conditions that evoke IgG loss or changes in metabolism/catabolism. The pharmacokinetic comparison of IVIG vs. SCIG demonstrates the various benefits of each in treating PIDD. Acutely ill PIDD patients should only receive IVIG. "Rush" SCIG treatment can also be used to attain the biological IgG level, but for less emergent care of PIDD. Finally, future opportunities exist to enhance IgG replacement in PIDD, including microbe-specific IgG and IgG subclass-specific enriched preparations.
Understanding Homeless Adults by Testing the Theory of Self-Care:

This article explicates, within a sample of homeless adults, the relationship between self-care agency, self-care, and well-being, while controlling for select basic conditioning factors. Self-care is found to explain 30% of the variance in current well-being. Self-esteem and affect balance, along with the power components of self-care agency, are found to explain 25% of the variance in self-care and, together with select basic conditioning factors, to explain 54% of its variance. Affect is proposed as an energy disposition, a dimension of self-care agency. Recommendations are made to strengthen the homeless individual’s self-care agency.
Pathway-based outlier method reveals heterogeneous genomic structure of autism in blood transcriptome

Decades of research strongly suggest that the genetic etiology of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) is heterogeneous. However, most published studies focus on group differences between cases and controls. In contrast, we hypothesized that the heterogeneity of the disorder could be characterized by identifying pathways for which individuals are outliers rather than pathways representative of shared group differences of the ASD diagnosis. Two previously published blood gene expression data sets – the Translational Genetics Research Institute (TGen) dataset (70 cases and 60 unrelated controls) and the Simons Simplex Consortium (Simons) dataset (221 probands and 191 unaffected family members) – were analyzed. All individuals of each dataset were projected to biological pathways, and each sample’s Mahalanobis distance from a pooled centroid was calculated to compare the number of case and control outliers for each pathway. Analysis of a set of blood gene expression profiles from 70 ASD and 60 unrelated controls revealed three pathways whose outliers were significantly overrepresented in the ASD cases: neuron development including axonogenesis and neurite development (29% of ASD, 3% of control), nitric oxide signaling (29%, 3%), and skeletal development (27%, 3%). Overall, 50% of cases and 8% of controls were outliers in one of these three pathways, which could not be identified using group comparison or gene-level outlier methods. In an independently collected data set consisting of 221 ASD and 191 unaffected family members, outliers in the neurogenesis pathway were heavily biased towards cases (20.8% of ASD, 12.0% of control). Interestingly, neurogenesis outliers were more common among unaffected family members (Simons) than unrelated controls (TGen), but the statistical significance of this effect was marginal (Chi squared P < 0.09). Unlike group difference approaches, our analysis identified the samples within the case and control groups that manifested each expression signal, and showed that outlier groups were distinct for each implicated pathway. Moreover, our results suggest that by seeking heterogeneity, pathway-based outlier analysis can reveal expression signals that are not apparent when considering only shared group differences.
CILIARY MOTION IN PARAMECIUM A Scanning Electron Microscope Study

The scanning electron microscope (SEM) provides an ideal system for studying the three-dimensional surface structure of biological materials . Our previous work on the protozoan Opalina showed that instantaneous fixation, combined with critical point drying, faithfully preserved the pattern of ciliary coordination and the form of ciliary beat for scanning electron microscopy (1, 2) . I report here new results using these techniques to study ciliary motion in Paramecium multimicronucleatum . In addition, I have compared the suitability of freeze-drying vs . critical point drying as a method for preparing Paramecium for the SEM.
Breeding Biology and Seasonal Capture Success of Northern Flying Squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus) and Red Squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) in Southern New Brunswick

Abstract Sciurids have been poorly studied in the Acadian forests of eastern North America, yet they represent common and ecologically important members of the forest community in the region. I gathered data on capture success and general life history traits of northern flying squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus) and red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) in mature forest at Fundy National Park in southern New Brunswick, Canada. Squirrels were live-trapped over 14 sampling periods between 1999 and 2001. Flying squirrel capture success was considerably greater in summer and fall than in winter and spring, while red squirrels were caught more often in spring and summer than fall and winter. Capture success for both species was positively correlated with maximum daily temperature. Breeding seasons of both species began with male testes developing in winter and spring, followed by female pregnancy and lactation in late spring and summer. Flying squirrels may have also had an additional fall breeding season in the ...
Impacts of Biofuels on Food Prices

For the first time since the Green Revolution, food and fuel commodity prices began to rise in 2001 and reached peak levels in 2008 (FAO 2008; Peters et al. 2009; Trostle 2008a, b). As primary food commodities (e.g., corn, wheat) doubled in price, the biofuel industry expanded manifold within this same period (e.g., ethanol from corn and sugarcane doubled to 65 billion liters; biodiesel from soybean, oil palm, and rapeseed reached 12 billion liters or six times 2001 levels (Martinot and Sawin 2009). Popular opinion has linked biofuel production to the shock in food prices in 2008. Yet, much of the biofuel demand by the US and EU was driven by government mandates and subsidies, which aim to reduce the demand for oil and increase demand for agricultural goods (Hochman et al. 2010). In high-income households and countries, a smaller percentage of crop prices is reflected in the final food price (due to food processing, packaging services). In low-income households and countries, however, crop prices have much larger share of the final food price.
Fourier Analysis of Almost Periodic Functions

The Fourier analysis implies the study of such concepts as Fourier series (which constitutes a special case of the general concept of trigonometric series), Fourier transforms, Fourier integrals, and other related topics. It is well known that these concepts and related methods play a central role in investigating such phenomena as oscillations and waves. They are also relevant in systems theory and other branches of applied science. Fourier analysis also has been for almost two centuries one of the most powerful engines in advancing real analysis, approximation theory, and other fields.
EXPERIMENTAL MEASUREMENTS OF THE INTERFACE THERMAL CONDUCTANCE OF A LITHIUM METATITANATE PEBBLE BED

The thermal properties of the lithium ceramics pebble beds have a significant impact on the temperature profile of the Helium Cooled Pebble Bed blanket and the extraction of heat from the pebble beds to the coolant. The literature review showed a lack of experimental data on the interface thermal conductance (h) of lithium metatitanate pebble beds, therefore the objective of this study is to present experimental values of h. The measuring technique is based on the principles of steady state and axial heat flow methods. The lithium metatitanate pebble bed is single size (O1.7-2.0mm pebbles) with a packing fraction of 61 %. The values of h were measured at the interface of the pebbles with their container's wall (made of stainless steel 316). The results showed that h increased from 1800 to 5300W/m 2 .K with the increase of the wall temperature from 24 to 570 °C. The theoretical values of h, calculated by three models, were compared with the experimental values. The theoretical and experimental values of h showed similar behavior with the increase of temperature. The present values of h will help to create a reliable database of the thermal properties of the lithium ceramics pebble beds.
Approximate undirected maximum flows in o(mpolylog(n)) time

We give the first O(mpolylog(n)) time algorithms for approximating maximum flows in undirected graphs and constructing polylog(n)-quality cut-approximating hierarchical tree decompositions. Our algorithm invokes existing algorithms for these two problems recursively while gradually incorporating size reductions. These size reductions are in turn obtained via ultra-sparsifiers, which are key tools in solvers for symmetric diagonally dominant (SDD) linear systems.
Sewage disposal in medical institutions of rural areas in Wuzhong District of Suzhou City.

[Objective]To understand the status,sanitary quality and existed problem of sewage disposal in medical units in rural areas of Wuzhong District.[Methods]Sewage samples discharged from 16 township hospitals in rural areas and 1 district hospital were collected and tested from 2006 to 2009.[Results]A total of 144 sewage samples were collected from 17 medical institutions, the total eligible rate was 82. 6% . The residual chlorine for district hospital and township hospitals was ( 3. 485 ± 1. 324) mg/L, ( 2. 575 ±1. 053) mg/L,respectively,the difference was significant ( t =3. 163,P 0. 05) .[Conclusion]The total eligible rate of sewage discharged from medical institutions of Wuzhong District is not optimistic. The disinfection effect of sewage discharged from district hospital is better than that from township hospitals. Some problems exist in sewage disposal of medical institutions in rural areas,therefore the supervision should be strengthened.