cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Estrogens and cognition: Friends or foes?: An evaluation of the opposing effects of estrogens on learning and memory.

Abstract This article is part of a Special Issue “Estradiol and cognition”. Estrogens are becoming well known for their robust enhancement on cognition particularly for learning and memory that relies upon functioning of the hippocampus and related neural systems. What is also emerging is that estrogen modulation of cognition is not uniform, at times enhancing yet at other times impairing learning. This review explores the bidirectional effects of estrogens on learning from a multiple memory systems view, focusing on the hippocampus and striatum, whereby modulation by estrogens sorts according to task attributes and neural systems engaged during cognition. We highlight our findings showing that the ability to solve hippocampus-sensitive tasks typically improves under relatively high estrogen status while the ability to solve striatum-sensitive tasks degrades with estrogen exposures. Though constrained by dose and timing of exposure, these opposing enhancements and impairments of cognition can be observed following treatments with different estrogenic compounds including the hormone estradiol, the isoflavone genistein found in soybeans, and agonists that are selective for specific estrogen receptors, suggesting that activation of a single receptor type is sufficient to produce the observed shifts in learning strategies. Using this multi-dimensional framework will allow us to extend our thinking of the relationship between estrogens and cognition to other brain regions and cognitive functions.
Captivated and Grossed Out: An Examination of Processing Core and Sociomoral Disgusts in Entertainment Media

While disgust repels and offends us, it has functionally evolved over time to compel our attention—both to core disgusts (i.e., blood, guts, body products) and sociomoral violations (i.e., injustices, brutality, racism)—making it a quality of many entertainment messages that may keep audiences engrossed and engaged. An experiment exposed participants to two types of core disgusts and sociomoral disgusts in TV/film messages and collected self-report emotional responses, psychophysiological indicators of dynamic emotional and cognitive processing, and recognition memory for content. Results demonstrate that no two disgusts are alike: Sociomoral disgusts captivate our attention and elicit a slower, more thoughtful response pattern than core disgusts, and the nature of the core disgust elicits different responses as well.
The Changing Role and Responsibilities of a Chairman—Letters

To the Editor.— I have just finished reading Dr Brent9s article on chairmanships in the July issue of Pediatrics (1992;90:50-57). As someone who aspires to this role in the future, I found his advice invaluable. The reading list at the end was large and I wondered if he could prioritize it for me. Where should I start? I would like to read some of the suggested books on academic administration that are listed. Please guide me to some of the best (and most available) of the ones that are listed.
Educational Sound Symbols for the Visually Impaired

Acoustic-based computer interactivity offers great potential [1], particularly with blind and visually impaired users [2]. At Indiana University's School of Informatics at IUPUI, we have developed an innovative educational approach relying on "audemes," short, nonverbal sound symbols made up of 2-5 individual sounds lasting 3-7 seconds - like expanded "earcons"[3] - to encode and prompt memory. To illustrate: An audeme for "American Civil War" includes a 3-second snippet of the song Dixie partially overlapped by a snippet of Battle Hymn of the Republic , followed by battle sounds, together lasting 5 seconds. Our focus on non-verbal sound explores the mnemonic impact of metaphoric rather than literal signification. Working for a year with BVI students, we found audemes improved encoding and long-term memory of verbal educational content, even after five months, and engaged the students in stimulating ways.
Optimizing the decay rate in the damped wave equation: a numerical study

We present a numerical study of optimizing the rate of decay of solutions of the linear damped wave equation. This optimal damping design is formulated as finding a damping term that would optimize the spectral abscissa of the related differential operator. The problem is discretized to a finite-dimensional problem by a Legendre pseudospectral method. The supremum of the real part of the spectrum of the finite-dimensional operator is optimized for the constant and non-constant damping terms. Numerical experiments yield results in excellent agreement with analytical or prior numerical work. They also show that this approach provides an accurate and flexible framework for future optimal damping design studies.
Developing A Customized Program Assessment Methodology For Assurance Of Learning: A Case Study

For most academic institutions, selecting and/or designing a Program Assessment methodology for Assurance of Learning is a challenging task. This paper describes the steps taken to establish goals, values and criteria driving this process for a College of Business. In this case analysis, we document the options we explored in finding the right vehicle for our particular situation. Our experience with a beta test and full rollout of our Program Assessment is detailed. After considerable research and a trial and error process, we have implemented a hybrid Program Assessment approach for our undergraduate students. This approach includes a business simulation product that has been customized and tailored for our institution along with locally developed major field exams. Our lessons learned from this experience include issues surrounding student resistance, faculty engagement, logistics, and the need to use multiple assessment vehicles.
Prostate ultrasound image analysis: localization of cancer lesions to assist biopsy

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and second cause of cancer deaths in American men. Transrectal ultrasound imaging has been an acclaimed choice for systematic analysis of the internal architecture of the prostate gland and also for guiding the selection of biopsy tissue cores from suspicious lesions. The current accuracy of visual interpretation for identifying the presence of cancer from prostate ultrasound images is low. The present study addresses the statistical distribution of digital gray scale values to compare cancerous and noncancerous biopsy sites within a gland. Analyses of selected features from these data, for a limited number of cases, indicate significant differences between cancerous and non-cancerous biopsies with a retrospective biopsy classification accuracy of approximately 80%. This approach therefore shows promise for objective interpretation with improved accuracy. >
DISCRETE TOMOGRAPHY AND FUZZY INTEGER PROGRAMMING

We study the problem of reconstructing binary images from four projections data in a fuzzy environment. Given the uncertainly projections,we want to find a binary image that respects as best as possible these projections. We provide an iterative algorithm based on fuzzy integer programming and linear membership functions. Discrete Tomography (DT) deals with the reconstruction of digital images from their projections. The projections of an image are defined by the number of pixels of the colors on each line. Digital images are most commonly represented by inte- ger matrices. The problem of reconstructing monocolored images (blackand white) from two projections is well known (14). However, image processing in general and image reconstruction in particular is often characterized by uncertain and possi- bly inconsistent information. Since fuzzy programming is considered appropriate for solving real-world problems it seems reasonable to apply fuzzy programming methods to the reconstruction problem. In this paper, we propose a fuzzy approach for reconstructing binary images, which, instead of reconstructing projections exactly as in the deterministic recon- struction problem, recovers them as much as possible. The remainder of this paper is organized as follows. First, in Section 2, we briefly review fuzzy set theory and fuzzy programming and then, in Section 3, we present the problem of discrete tomography and image reconstruction. In Section 4, we discuss the application of fuzzy programming in image reconstruction and finally conclude the last section with a summary of our results.
Glucagon metabolism in nonhuman primate pregnancy

Abstract Rhesus monkey basal plasma glucagon levels in the nonpregnant female adult, near-term mother, fetus, and neonate are in the same range reported in human subjects. Glucagon does not cross the placenta in the third trimester in either the maternal-to-fetal or fetal-to-maternal direction. Although the maternal and neonatal pancreatic alpha cells respond to glucagonogenic stimuli of intravenous alanine and insulin-induced hypoglycemia, the fetal alpha cells do not. The causes for the change in both pancreatic beta- and alpha-cell responsiveness to physiologic stimuli in the transition from fetal to newborn life are not known.
Physiology of Cells in the Central Lobes of the Mormyrid Cerebellum

The cerebellum of mormyrid electric fish is unusual for its size and for the regularity of its histology. The circuitry of the mormyrid cerebellum is also different from that of the mammalian cerebellum in that mormyrid Purkinje cell axons terminate locally within the cortex on efferent cells, and the cellular regions of termination for climbing fibers and parallel fibers are well separated. These and other features suggest that the mormyrid cerebellum may be a useful site for addressing some functional issues regarding cerebellar circuitry. We have therefore begun to examine the physiology of the mormyrid cerebellum by recording intracellularly from morphologically identified Purkinje cells, efferent cells, Golgi cells, and stellate cells in in vitro slices. Mormyrid Purkinje cells respond to parallel fiber input with an AMPA-mediated EPSP that shows paired pulse facilitation and to climbing fiber input with a large all-or-none AMPA-mediated EPSP that shows paired pulse depression. Recordings from the somas of Purkinje cells show three types of spikes in response to injected current: a small, narrow sodium spike; a large, broad sodium spike; and a large broad calcium spike. Efferent cells, Golgi cells, and stellate cells respond to parallel fiber input with an EPSP or EPSP-IPSP sequence and show only large, narrow spikes in response to intracellular current injection. We conclude that the physiology of the mormyrid cerebellum is similar in many ways to the mammalian cerebellum but is also different in ways that may prove instructive concerning the functional circuitry of the cerebellum.
Effect of a Dissolved Electronegative Gas (Sulphur Hexafluoride) on High Field Conduction in Liquid Dielectrics

As recently as 1959 it was believed that the best criterion of liquid purity was high electrical strength and low electrical conductivity. It was then discovered that in the case of n-hexane1 minute quantities of dissolved oxygen resulted in an increase in the breakdown strength and enabled conductivity measurements to be made up to extremely high stresses. Since then the effect of oxygen in several dielectric liquids has been closely investigated. It was found that it had a stabilizing effect on conduction currents in transformer oil and resulted in a considerable reduction in conduction current pulse activity2,3. Accumulated evidence indicates that it is the electronegative character of oxygen which is important.
Call timing is determined by response call type, but not by stimulus properties, in the treefrog Dendropsophus ebraccatus

A common form of signal competition in acoustically chorusing animals involves the precise timing of calls relative to those of other nearby individuals. In this study, I present a detailed description of nonrandom timing of both advertisement and aggressive calls in males of the Neotropical treefrog Dendropsophus ebraccatus. I used playback tests to measure call delays for both advertisement and aggressive calls given in response to synthetic advertisement and aggressive call stimuli presented with either a fixed or random timing arrangement. Call delays for a given response call type were nonrandomly distributed and did not differ depending on the fixed or random periodicity of stimulus presentation or on the stimulus call type. In general, advertisement call responses overlapped the playback stimuli, while aggressive calls were given with a much longer delay and did not overlap the playback stimuli. A second test involved the presentation of low pulse number advertisement and aggressive call stimuli to determine if males were capable of nonrandom timing to truncated stimuli. These playbacks also assessed whether they responded more aggressively to truncated aggressive call stimuli. Males usually showed synchrony in response to truncated calls of both types, more commonly in response to truncated advertisement calls. There were no differences in aggressive responses to truncated advertisement or aggressive calls. Call delays appear to be a property solely of the type of call that the male produces, regardless of the kind of stimulus. Thus, there may be a conflict between the ability to discriminate between signals and the ability to rapidly respond to these signals with an appropriate call delay.
They Teach Concepts, Don’t They?

In specifying the "primitive first requirements" for teaching concepts, I will overlook here a common prejudice that you would expect from an old-timer in programed instruction, namely that the instruction will provide for meaningful student information-processing activities with feedback, and will restrict consideration to the purely formal surface requirements that sufficient information be there for
Marfan-Like Skeletal Phenotype in the Tight Skin (Tsk) Mouse

Tight skin (Tsk) is an autosomal dominant mutation located on mouse chromosome 2 and is associated with an intragenic duplication of the fibrillin 1 (Fbn1) gene. Mutant mice (Tsk/+) display a tightness of skin in the interscapular region, lung emphysema, myocardial hypertrophy, skeletal overgrowth, and kyphosis. It is hypothesized in this study that in Tsk mice the mutation in Fbn1 alters bone cell metabolism. A detailed study of the Tsk skeletal phenotype revealed that Tsk mice have significantly longer femurs and axial skeleton as well as vertebral abnormalities. Cortical and trabecular bone volumes were significantly decreased in Tsk femurs from 2- and 4-month-old mice (13% and 39%, respectively) as well as trabecular thickness, number, connectivity, and surface area. These skeletal differences were also associated with a reduction in bone mineral density in mutant mice. Expression of the osteoblast-specific genes Col1a1, BSP and OC was examined in marrow stromal cell cultures at various time points. A decrease in the rate of maturation of the Tsk cells was indicated by a delay in the appearance of OC expression. These initial experiments demonstrated a significant role of the fibrillin 1 protein in the extracellular matrix of bone cells.
Thermal buckling of nonhomogeneous plates

Abstract Thermal buckling of flat plates is treated through the use of a method utilizing the second variation of the potential energy. The method is developed in detail for simply supported plates where the modulus of elasticity varies as a consequence of nonuniform heating. The results when simplified for homogeneous material agree favorably with published data. A limited experimental verification using epoxy plates gives favorable agreement with the theory. This work has possible application to flat reactor fuel plates and structural members when nonhomogeneity may be an important factor.
Magnetization near the surface: Heisenberg model

Abstract We present an exact solution of the Mills' equation, a Landau-Ginsberg type equation for the spatial and temperature dependence of magnetization near the surface within Heisenberg model.
The Structure of a High Fidelity DNA Polymerase Bound to a Mismatched Nucleotide Reveals an “Ajar” Intermediate Conformation in the Nucleotide Selection Mechanism

To achieve accurate DNA synthesis, DNA polymerases must rapidly sample and discriminate against incorrect nucleotides. Here we report the crystal structure of a high fidelity DNA polymerase I bound to DNA primer-template caught in the act of binding a mismatched (dG:dTTP) nucleoside triphosphate. The polymerase adopts a conformation in between the previously established “open” and “closed” states. In this “ajar” conformation, the template base has moved into the insertion site but misaligns an incorrect nucleotide relative to the primer terminus. The displacement of a conserved active site tyrosine in the insertion site by the template base is accommodated by a distinctive kink in the polymerase O helix, resulting in a partially open ternary complex. We suggest that the ajar conformation allows the template to probe incoming nucleotides for complementarity before closure of the enzyme around the substrate. Based on solution fluorescence, kinetics, and crystallographic analyses of wild-type and mutant polymerases reported here, we present a three-state reaction pathway in which nucleotides either pass through this intermediate conformation to the closed conformation and catalysis or are misaligned within the intermediate, leading to destabilization of the closed conformation.
Changes in norepinephrine concentration following chronic administration of phencyclidine (PCP) to genetically hypertensive and normotensive rats

Abstract 1. 1. Chronic treatment of genetically hypertensive and normotensive rats with phencyclidine (PCP) resulted in changes in norepinephrine (NE) concentration in regions of the brain and in the adrenal gland. 2. 2. Chronic PCP treatment resulted in an 18% increase in hypothalamic NE in hypertensive rats and a 20% increase in NE in the medial lower brainstem of normotensive rats. 3. 3. Hypertensive rats also showed a 28% decrease in adrenal NE after PCP treatment.
Optimal I‐Intersection assignments for graphs: A linear programming approach

An intersection assignment for a graph is the assignment of a set to each vertex so that edges correspond to pairs of sets which overlap. Intersection assignments are studied in which each set is a real interval, perhaps of specified minimum length. In particular, linear programming methods are used to see how to minimize the measure of the union of intervals in such an assignment, and how to maximize the sum of the lengths of the intervals in such an assignment. The results have application to a variety of scheduling problems.
Tent construction and social organization in Vampyressa nymphaea (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) in Costa Rica

In this paper I report on a harem mating system and tent use by Vampyressa nymphaea Thomas 1909 (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) in the leaves of Pentagonia donnell-smithii (Rubiaceae). There are no previously published reports of roosting behaviour or social organization in this species or of the social organization of bats which make tents. The eleven species of phyllostomid bats which are known to use tents are all in the subfamily Stenoderminae (reviewed in Kunz 1982; see also Choe & Timm 1985, Koepcke 1984, Timm in press). Each bat species seems to use a specific pattern of cuts and to prefer certain plants.
Regioselective and Stereoselective Nucleophilic Ring Opening Reactions of A Phenyl-Substituted Aziridine: Enantioselective Synthesis of β-Substituted Tryptophan, Cysteine, and Serine Derivatives

The asymmetric synthesis of β-phenyl-substituted cysteine, tryptophan, and serine derivatives was successfully developed. In this approach, the key intermediate, enantiomerically pure 3-phenylaziridine-2-carboxylic ester 7, was prepared from α,β-unsaturated ester 1 by employing the Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation. The aziridine 7 was treated with 4-methoxybenzylthiol, indole, and acetic acid to give β-phenyl-substituted cysteine, tryptophan, and serine, respectively, in a clean SN2 type ring opening at the C3 position. This general approach can be used to synthesize a variety of β-substituted novel amino acids.
"Learning by doing"--resident perspectives on developing competency in high-quality discharge care.

Background Reducing readmissions and post-discharge adverse events by improving the quality of discharge care has become a national priority, yet we have limited understanding about how physicians learn to provide high-quality discharge care.
Relationships Between Midembryonic 5-HT2 Agonist and/or Antagonist Exposure and Detour Learning by Chickens

The importance of serotonin (5-HT) as both a transmitter and a regulatory signal during development of many species is well established. The availability of 5-HT receptor subtype agonists and antagonists will enable pharmacological dissection of the importance of one or more of the 5-HT receptors for their involvement in the mediation of developmental insults by drugs that are less selective but include actions upon serotonergic function. Such insults include exposure to cocaine or opiate withdrawal, both of which are blocked or attenuated by 5-HT2 antagonists. The 5-HT2 receptor agonist dimethoxyiodophenylaminopropane (DOI), like cocaine, causes vasoconstriction during embryogenesis, herniated umbilici in hatchlings, and altered detour learning by young chickens after injection into eggs at late stages of embryogenesis. The 5-HT2 antagonist ritanserin (RIT) blocks or significantly attenuates these effects. This study describes an effect of DOI on posthatch detour learning when injected earlier during embryogenesis (i.e., on embryonic day 12, E12) which is opposite its effect when injected later (i.e., on E15). Both effects are blocked by an inactive dose of RIT (0.3 mg/kg egg) and by a higher dose of RIT (0.9 mg/kg egg), which itself retards posthatch detour learning following E12 injection. Thus, excessive stimulation or blockade of 5-HT2 receptors around midembryogenesis can cause a similar behavioral teratogenic outcome. The data are discussed in relation to the likelihood that potential use of 5-HT2 antagonists for treating pregnant women and their fetuses who are not at risk is nil.
ICD waveforms: What really matters?

M A i w n T a c d t c s z t s v s H q Manufacturers of consumer products are required to proide uniform specifications that realistically characterize ey aspects of product performance. For example, automoile manufacturers are required to realistically characterize uel consumption during both city and highway driving. In ontrast, specifications for lifesaving implantable cardioerter-defibrillator (ICD) shocks are inconsistent, particuarly for the most commonly cited parameter, shock energy. urthermore, whereas fuel efficiency has a direct relationhip to the cost of operating a car, shock energy does not ave a direct—or even a close—relationship with defibrilation efficacy. In the current issue of Heart Rhythm, Thammanomai t al compare ICD shock waveform parameters for U.S. CD manufacturers under uniform laboratory conditions. he authors report differences among manufacturers with egard to shock energy and even greater differences with egard to shock voltage and waveform duration, parameters hat strongly influence defibrillation efficacy but receive ittle clinical attention.
Chemical modifications of transfer rna species. Heavy atom derivatization of aminoacyl tRNA.

Summary Specific heavy atom derivatization of valyl and arginyl tRNA's from E. coli has been effected by the use of the N-hydroxysuccinimide esters of certain carboxylic acids. The derivatized tRNA's have been separated from underivatized material and shown to be stable under the conditions required for crystallization.
Differentiation of Speakers With Glossectomies by Acoustic and Perceptual Measures

Speech recordings of 50 patients who had undergone glossal resection procedures were subjected to several analyses, including intelligibility ratings, range of second formants across vowels, and a ...
A Numerical Investigation of Coastal Frontogenesis and Mesoscale Cyclogenesis during GALE IOP 2

Abstract The Pennsylvania State University-NCAR Mesoscale Model is used to examine the structure and dynamics of coastal frontogenesis and mesoscale cyclogenesis observed during intensive observation period 2 (IOP 2) of the Genesis of Atlantic lows Experiment (GALE). The model accurately simulates many of the observed mesoscale Features including cold-air damming to the cast of the Appalachian Mountains, a coastal trough, coastal frontogenesis, and mesoscale cyclogenesis. The coastal front becomes apparent approximately 6 h after the formation of a coastal trough in the vicinity of the Gulf Stream. An analysis of the model results indicates that both latent beating from banded precipitation over the Gulf Stream and surface sensible heating contribute to trough development. The deformation resulting from the isallobaric accelerations, associated with the pressure changes that occur as the coastal trough forms, initiates the coastal frontogenesis. Numerical sensitivity tests reveal that the diabatic process...
Characterization of Nanoporous TiO 2 Surface Defects by Temperature Dependent Electron Transport Studies on Dye Sensitized Solar Cells

Temperature dependent, dark current-voltage characteristics (I-V-T) of dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) were used to study the TiO2 surface defects on photovoltaic performance. Three kinds of DSSCs were used for this study. (1) DSSC with no surface treatment, (2) DSSCs with Al2O3 and (3) HfO2 treatments. Activation energy of charge transport, obtained from the I-V-T of the three DSSCs, suggest that Al2O2 and HfO2 surface treatment on the nanoporous TiO2 effectively suppressed the electron capture by the surface states from the conduction band of TiO2 and the consecutive electron transfer to the electrolyte in which the TiO2 is permeated. The reference DSSC showed activation energy of 1.03eV while the DSSCs with Al2O3 and HfO2 surface treatment showed 1.27 and 1.31eV respectively. The higher activation energy, in case of HfO2 surface treatment, suggest that electronically active TiO2 surface states present near to the redox potential of the electrolyte was reduced and hence resulted in improved photovoltaic performance than Al2O3 treated DSSC and the reference DSSC.
Support and Strain in Pregnant and Parenting Adolescents' Sibling Relationships.

Social support and social strain in adolescent mothers’ sibling relationships were investigated. Participants were 536 (93% African American), primarily low-income, adolescents attending an alterna...
Lung transplantation for pulmonary hypertension.

AbstractAlthough medical therapies for pulmonary arterial hypertension have greatly improved, it remains a chronic and fatal disease. For patients who are refractory to medical therapy, lung transplantation is an important treatment option. This review discusses issues pertaining to indications for transplant, preparation for transplant and listing, operative issues, and outcomes for patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.
A fibrin patch-based enhanced delivery of human embryonic stem cell-derived vascular cell transplantation in a porcine model of postinfarction left ventricular remodeling

It is unknown how to use human embryonic stem cell (hESC) to effectively treat hearts with postinfarction left ventricular (LV) remodeling. Using a porcine model of postinfarction LV remodeling, this study examined the functional improvement of enhanced delivery of combined transplantation of hESC-derived endothelial cells (ECs) and hESC-derived smooth muscle cells (SMCs) with a fibrin three-dimensional (3D) porous scaffold biomatrix. To facilitate tracking the transplanted cells, the hESCs were genetically modified to stably express green fluorescent protein and luciferase (GFP/Luc). Myocardial infarction (MI) was created by ligating the first diagonal coronary artery for 60 minutes followed by reperfusion. Two million each of GFP/Luc hESC-derived ECs and SMCs were seeded in the 3D porous biomatrix patch and applied to the region of ischemia/reperfusion for cell group (MI+P+C, n = 6), whereas biomatrix without cell (MI+P, n = 5), or saline only (MI, n = 5) were applied to control group hearts with same coronary artery ligation. Functional outcome (1 and 4 weeks follow-up) of stem cell transplantation was assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. The transplantation of hESC-derived vascular cells resulted in significant LV functional improvement. Significant engraftment of hESC-derived cells was confirmed by both in vivo and ex vivo bioluminescent imaging. The mechanism underlying the functional beneficial effects of cardiac progenitor transplantation is attributed to the increased neovascularization. These findings demonstrate a promising therapeutic potential of using these hESC-derived vascular cell types and the mode of patch delivery.
The Computer—Extension's Delivery System of the Future

You can hardly pick up a farm magazine today without seeing stories on "ComputersNewest Farm Implements," or some such title. Major TV advertisements during the Super Bowl heralded the arrival of computers for the family farm. Salesmen are stumbling over each other with hardware to sell; when discussions about the accompanying software necessary to make the hardware useful are opened, the salesmen quickly change the subject. Yet, looking ahead over the next decade or two, the arrival of the computer on the farm, with the vital software necessary, will be a significant-perhaps the most significanttechnological innovation on the family farm during that period of time. The magnitude of its potential is difficult to behold and certainly defies description at this point in time. The major question remaining at the moment is: "When will the knowledge base of American agriculture-the land-grant universities and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-turn their collective talents to building viable software to allow the computer to function on the American family farm?" Robert C. Kramer, program director, W. K. Kellogg Foundation, makes the following predictions for 1990:
The incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia using the PneuX System with or without elective endotracheal tube exchange: A pilot study

Background The PneuX System is a novel endotracheal tube and tracheal seal monitor, which has been designed to minimise the aspiration of oropharyngeal secretions. We aimed to determine the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in patients who were intubated with the PneuX System and to establish whether intermittent subglottic secretion drainage could be performed reliably and safely using the PneuX System.
On K1-theory of the Euclidean space

Abstract The algebraic functor K 1 of the ring of continuous functions of three variables is computed.
Making Globalization Good: The Moral Challenges of Global Capitalism

Introduction 1. The Moral Imperatives of Global Capitalism: An overview 2. Private Morality and Capitalism: Learning from the past 3. Institutions and Morality: An economist's appraisal 4. Towards a New Paradigm of Development 5. Transformation of Society: Implications for globalization 6. Global Social Justice: The moral responsibilities of the rich to the poor 7. The Ethical Framework of the Global Market Economy 8. The Challenge of Global Capitalism: A Christian perspective 9. The Challenge of Global Capitalism: An Islamic perspective 10. Global Convenant: A Jewish perspective on globalization 11. The Challenge of Global Capitalism: The perspective of eastern religions 12. A Universal Culture of Human Rights and Freedom's Habits: Caritapolis 13. On the Political Relevance of Global Civil Society 14. [to be confirmed] 15. Governments and Supranational Agencies 16. Conclusion
Thermomicromechanical Damage in Composites

A thermomicromechanical model of failure is presented based on thermodynamic principles, that is, using the balancing laws: the conservation of momentum and the e rst and second laws of thermodynamics. The model is oriented toward damage initiation and damage progression in a composite structure under an intense pressure shock wave. A micromechanical damage approach is considered where three damage modes are modeled: tensile damage, shear damage, and interphase or material mismatch discontinuity between the composite’ s matrix and e ber. A homogenization technique is incorporated in the development to simplify the representation of the nonhomogeneous material. A summary of the equations for the thermomicromechanical model of failure is presented where a damage parameter D is dee ned to characterize the lamina’ s damage based on energy dissipation. Numerical analyses are presented to demonstrate the model characterization to damage. Nomenclature c≤ = specie c heat at a constant strain D = damage parameter d = power of dissipation H = Heavyside unit step function K = bulk modulus qi = component of the heat e ux vector t = time uv = internal energy vi = component of the velocity C vi = component of the acceleration a v = coefe cient of thermal expansion C = inelastic proportionality constant D = difference between the e ber and matrix residual strains d ij = Kronecker delta e ij = total Cauchy strain tensor e ej = elastic portion of the Cauchy strain tensor e inj = inelastic portion of the Cauchy strain tensor ¯ e ij = difference between the e ber and matrix residual strains g = entropy h = thermodynamic absolute temperature l , k = Lame’ s constants q = mass density r ij = Cauchy symmetric stress tensor w v = free energy x = tensile damage parameter x D = interfacial damage parameter $ = shear damage parameter
A simple explanation for taxon abundance patterns

For taxonomic levels higher than species, the abundance distributions of the number of subtaxa per taxon tend to approximate power laws but often show strong deviations from such laws. Previously, these deviations were attributed to finite-time effects in a continuous-time branching process at the generic level. Instead, we describe herein a simple discrete branching process that generates the observed distributions and find that the distribution's deviation from power law form is not caused by disequilibration, but rather that it is time independent and determined by the evolutionary properties of the taxa of interest. Our model predicts—with no free parameters—the rank-frequency distribution of the number of families in fossil marine animal orders obtained from the fossil record. We find that near power law distributions are statistically almost inevitable for taxa higher than species. The branching model also sheds light on species-abundance patterns, as well as on links between evolutionary processes, self-organized criticality, and fractals.
Upper Lobe Pulmonary Parenchymal Calcification in a Patient with AIDS and Pneumocystis carinii Pneumonia Receiving Aerosolized Pentamidine

In patients with AIDS-related Pneumocystis carinii infection occurring during aerosolized pentamidine prophylaxis, roentgenographic findings may be atypical. Pulmonary parenchymal calcification due to P carinii is rare. In this case, extensive upper lobe pulmonary parenchymal, splenic, and nodal calcifications occurred after two years of monthly treatments with aerosolized pentamidine.
Selective depletion of rectal lamina propria rather than lymphoid aggregate CD4 lymphocytes in HIV infection

The goal of this study was to examine the changes in lymphocyte populations in rectal mucosa during HIV infection and to study their relationship to mucosal immunity and to systemic depletion of CD4 lymphocytes. Rectal biopsies from 58 HIV-infected subjects and eight controls were studied. Frozen rectal tissue sections were stained with antibodies to CD4, CD3, CD8, and markers for macrophages. HIV-infected subjects were divided into early stage (no opportunistic infections) and AIDS groups. There was profound depletion of rectal lamina propria CD4 lymphocytes (16% and 6% of normal content in early and AIDS groups, respectively). However, lymphoid aggregate CD4 lymphocytes were far less severely depleted (69% and 40% of normal content, respectively). The extent of lymphoid aggregate CD4 lymphocyte depletion generally parallelled the CD4 lymphocyte depletion in the blood. CD8 lymphocyte content in both the lamina propria and lymphoid aggregates usually were increased, particularly in early-stage patients. Macrophage contents were usually normal in the HIV-infected groups. We conclude that rectal lamina propria and lymphoid aggregates are distinct compartments differing markedly in their CD4 lymphocyte content during HIV infection. In light of this and an increased number of apoptotic cells which were noted in rectal lamina propria in HIV-infected subjects, we hypothesize that intestinal lamina propria could be a site of rapid CD4 lymphocyte destruction during HIV infection.
A comparison of the effect of branch prediction on multithreaded and scalar architectures

Speculative instructions execution requires dynamic branch predictors to increase the performance of a processor by executing from predicted branch target routines. Conventional Scalar architectures such as the Superscalar or Multiscalar architecture executes from a single stream, while a Multithreaded architecture executes from multiple streams at a time. Several aggressive branch predictors have been proposed with high prediction accuracies. Unfortunately, none of the branch predictors can provide 100% accuracy. Therefore, there is an inherent limitation on speculative execution in real implementation. In this paper, we show that Multithreaded architecture is a better candidate for utilizing speculative execution than Scalar architectures. Generally the branch prediction performance degradation is compounded for larger window sizes on Scalar architectures, while for a Multithreaded architecture, by increasing the number of executing threads, we could sustain a higher performance for a large aggregated speculative window size. Hence, heavier workloads may increase performance and utilization for Multithreaded architectures. We present analytical and simulation results to support our argument.
Neonatal imitation, gaze aversion, and mother-infant interaction☆

Abstract A relationship between elicited imitation in neonates and social interaction has been proposed by several investigators. The present work examines if such a relationship can be found when studying neonatal imitation, gaze aversion, and mother-infant interaction. Thirty-two infants were observed at 2 to 3 days, 3 weeks, and 3 months of age. Imitation of tongue protrusion and mouth opening was assessed in all three observations. In addition, a face-to-face interaction between mother and child was included when the child reached 3 months of age. The most striking result was a negative relationship between the infants' brief gaze aversion observed at 3 months of age while interacting with their mothers and the infants' imitative reactions at 2 to 3 days, 3 weeks, and 3 months of age. Behaviorally, these patterns indicate that high-imitating infants tend to display fewer episodes of brief gaze aversion when interacting with their mothers.
[14C] 2-deoxyglucose uptake marks systems activated by rewarding brain stimulation

Abstract Autoradiography of sections from the brains of anaesthetized rats injected with [ 14 C] 2-deoxyglucose revealed neural systems unilaterally activated by rewarding electrical stimulation of the medial forebrain bundle. Since this new technique marks neural systems on the basis of their activity, it has great potential in functional neuroanatomy. The potential is easily realized in brain-stimulation studies, where systems may be driven to exceptionally high levels of activity.
Aircraft-Based Aerosol Sampling in Clouds: Performance Characterization of Flow-Restriction Aerosol Inlets

AbstractInteraction of liquid cloud droplets and ice particles with aircraft aerosol inlets can result in the generation of a large number of secondary particles and contaminate aerosol measurements. Recent studies have shown that a sampler designed with a perpendicular subsampling tube located within a flow-through conduit (i.e., a flow-restriction inlet) was best suited for in-cloud sampling. Analysis of field data obtained from different flow-restriction inlets shows that their critical cloud droplet breakup diameters are strongly dependent on design details and operating conditions. Using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, in-cloud sampling performance of a selected inlet can be predicted reasonably accurately for known operating conditions. To understand the relation between inlet design parameters and its sampling performance, however, CFD calculations are impractical. Here, using a simple, representative one-dimensional velocity profile and a validated empirical droplet breakup criteri...
Photodynamic Action Of Benzochlorins

A series of benzochlorins have been prepared and tested for tumoricidal activity using the FANFT-induced rat bladder tumor model. Results indicate that these chlorin derivatives, in combination with red light, can cause significant tumor regression at doses as low as 0.5 - 1.0 mg/kg body weight. This compares favorably with other sensitizers tested in the same model and suggests that further studies on the effectiveness of benzochlorins in photodynamic therapy be performed.
An atomistic model of passive membrane permeability: application to a series of FDA approved drugs

We apply an atomistic model of passive membrane permeability to a series of weakly basic drugs. The computational model uses conformational sampling in combination with an all-atom force field and implicit solvent model to estimate relative passive membrane permeabilities. The model does not require the use of training data for rank-ordering compounds, and as such represents a different approach from the more commonly employed QSPR models. We compare the computational results to previously published experimental PAMPA and Caco-2 permeabilities.
The psychology of hair loss and its implications for patient care.

Hair, especially scalp hair, is imbued with greater social and psychological significance than with biological importance. Hair provides some cranial cushioning and shielding from the sun’s rays; however, throughout history and across cultures, hair conveys considerable symbolism.1‐3 It can serve as a social signal of gender, age, status, values, and group membership. From monks to skinheads, prisoners of war to warriors, “bigwig” European aristocrats to moptop Beatles, and hippies to head-shaven celebrity athletes, hair makes a statement, whether chosen or imposed. Beyond its sociological meanings, hair can become an essential part of self-identity or “body image.” Body image is a psychological concept that refers to one’s perceptions, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors related to one’s physical appearance.4 For many people, hair is a physical attribute that expresses individuality and is central to feelings of attractiveness or unattractiveness. Indeed, scalp hair is rather unique as an actual part of the human body that is readily malleable in altering or managing one’s physical appearance. In a relatively short time, one can color, cut, curl, and/or restyle one’s hair to create the visual image one desires. In contrast, other bodily transformations require substantial time and effort (eg, loss of weight or increase in muscle definition), involve artificial adornments (eg, clothing, cosmetics, and jewelry), or entail surgical procedures (eg, a face lift). For many people (and other primates), hair is a focal aspect of a daily grooming ritual. Preparing one’s hair is preparation to face one’s social world. The expression “bad hair day” is testimony to the psychological importance of hair. Hair loss can turn every day into a bad hair day. The purpose of the present article is to provide the practicing dermatologist useful information and insights about the psychological effects of hair loss, particularly androgenetic alopecia (AGA). This clinically oriented presentation draws upon the scientific literature on the psychosocial sequelae of hair loss5,6 and contemporary perspectives concerning the psychology of physical appearance.4,7,8
Clinical Research with Older African Americans and Latinos: Perspectives from the Community

This study examines the social and health priorities of older African Americans and Latinos and their attitudes about participation in clinical research. Focus group discussions were conducted with...
Legal issues in new venture development

Abstract During 1986, approximately 270 early-stage entrepreneurs sought informotion on almost 1,000 legal issues from the Small Business Student (Legal) Clinic, a program run by the New Venture Development Group at The University of Calgary. Using a combination of legal file information and survey data from 100 of these clients, the authors looked at three central questions: 1. Whether entrepreneurial clients were able to identify legal issues affecting their business, and if so, to what extent? 2. Whether stage of venture development was related to the legal problems identified, and 3. Whether failure to identify legal issues affected subsequent business development. Data from the client surveys was used to determine whether clients were made aware of new legal issues and to assess client follow-through behavior; in particular, whether the clients altered or abandoned their business strategy as a result of receiving new information to determine whether these results varied according to stage of venture development. Client files were placed in four broad categories: concept only, prototype development and business planning, pre-selling and financing, and early operation. The data revealed that new venture clients underestimate the amount of legal support they will require at the early stages of venture development. Ninety-one percent (91%) of clients asked clinic personnel to provide information on one or more additional legal issues of importance to their venture. Client files also indicated that while most clients were able to identify and respond to a perceived need to protect personal property, few were able to identify the myriad of other regulatory controls and legislation which would directly impact on their business venture. Failure to understand relevant legal issues resulted in 44% of all clients altering or abandoning their original business strategy when new legal information was received—many clients in the early operational stages. An assessment of the costs associated with these changes was not made. However, the authors discuss the likely costs incurred by entrepreneurs in a number of common situations. The data also revealed the dominance of certain legal issues at various stages of venture development and suggested some logic for an ordering in the legal priorities of newly developed business. The authors conclude: • University based legal assistance clinics can help entrepreneurs identify legal issues that might otherwise go undetected. • The most common legal issues identified by entrepreneurs were related to the protection of personal assets and business ideas. • Different legal problems tend to dominate at different stages of venture development. • Many clients alter or abandon their original business strategy after receiving new information.