cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Minimally Invasive Trigeminal Ablation: Transoral Approach for Targeting V2.

Background Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a chronic orofacial pain syndrome, which manifests as severe pain in the distribution of any trigeminal nerve branch. Though traditionally responsive to anticonvulsant therapy, TN can become refractory to medications and require surgical intervention. Case Description We present a case of V2 TN that was treated with minimally invasive trigeminal ablation. The patient presented with a 6-year history of type 1 TN and had failed the maximum tolerated doses of carbamazepine and gabapentin. There was no evidence of vascular compression on neuroimaging. After the patient refused stereotactic radiosurgery, she was offered minimally invasive trigeminal ablation. At 5 months postoperatively the patient reported complete alleviation of pain with tolerable sensorineural numbness. Conclusions The endoscopic approach allows for precise targeting of V2, which is ideal in patients undergoing targeted neuroablation for pain. This is the first documented case of a transoral endoscopic approach toward ablative V2 TN management.
Influence of structural parameters on the performance of gold-coated photonic crystal fiber polarization filter

We propose a gold-coated photonic crystal fiber (PCF) polarization filter and study the influencing parameters from a structural viewpoint. In this structure, small air holes and elliptical air holes near the core are used to increase the birefringence, and we have chosen two air holes with large diameter to coat with the metal Au. The designed filter showed a loss of 403.76 dB / cm in the y-polarization direction at the wavelength of 1.38 μm. However, the loss in the x-polarization direction was negligible, and can be selectively filtered out. Hence, light in a certain polarization direction achieves the effect of communication band filtering. We have used the finite-element method to simulate and analyze the influence of the structural parameter on fiber filter performance. The results reveal that the thickness of the metal layer, the diameter of the coated metal hole, and the asymmetry around the gold-coated hole significantly influence the position and coupling strength of the resonant response point between the surface plasmon and the core mode. In summary, the design parameters need to be optimized for maximum filtering performance of PCF. The present study opens up avenues for further research in communication band fiber filters.
Association between occupational voice use and occurrence of voice disorders: a meta-analysis

Purpose: This meta-analysis has two aims: 1) to provide a quantitative assessment of the occurrence of voice disorders among different occupational voice users, 2) and to determine whether being an occupational voice user (teacher, broadcaster, call-center worker, etc.) is associated with an increased occurrence of voice disorders. Method: A random-effect meta-analysis of the available scientific literature was conducted on the occurrence of voice disorders among occupational voice users. Comprehensive literature searches were conducted using two computerized databases: PubMed/MEDLINE, and Scielo. As a measure of association, the odds ratio (OR) with corresponding 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was used. Heterogeneity was assessed by chi-square and I2 and draw in forest plots. Results: Voice disorders are related with occupational voice use independently of type of prevalence with a pool OR of 2.39 for current voice disorders, 1.88 for 12-months prevalence, and 2.43 for life-time and unspecified recall period. Heterogeneity test (I2) among these articles is 68% for current voice disorders, 0% for 12-months voice disorders, and 66% for life-time and unspecified recall period. Although around 70% of the total number of included publications assessed the occurrence of voice disorders among teachers as occupational voice users, an analysis per occupation was performed to identify possible influence of this factor in the occurrence of voice disorders. Studies that include just teachers as the group of occupational voice users (n=12) reported ORs ranging from 1.20 to 4.61. Heterogeneity test (I2) among these articles is 17%. Studies that include telemarketers, newsreaders, and sellers as the group of occupational voice users (n=6) reported ORs ranging from 0.85 when future vocal professionals were compared future non-vocal professionals to 4.58 when newsreaders were compared with non-newsreaders. Heterogeneity test (I2) among these articles is 40%. Conclusion: Occupational voice users have a higher likelihood of having voice disorders. Results of this meta-analysis show that teachers had a slightly lower likelihood (pool OR=1.95) than telemarketers, broadcasters, and sellers (pool OR=2.75) for having a voice disorder regardless the type of prevalence. Nevertheless, due the weak to moderate quality of the included studies, the results should be taken with caution.
Understanding the demographics of U.S. woodturners and their knowledge of spalted wood

ABSTRACTWoodworkers have used spalted wood (wood decayed and coloured by fungi) for marquetry and intarsia for over 500 years. However despite the long history and ubiquitous nature of the material...
Capital Investment for Optimal Exploitation of Renewable Resource Stocks in the Age of Global Change

Abstract The world is rapidly changing, and biotic resources and their users are adapting. Determining how ecological and economic interactions determine the outcomes of this adaptation is critical to understanding the future of natural resources. We model a two-species fisheries as a stylized system to investigate the adaptation strategies of a harvester faced with shifting species composition in an ecological community. We explore how interspecies interactions and pricing effects jointly determine the optimal adaptation strategy. We consider two interacting species that are harvested jointly, but where the harvester may exert effort towards each species differentially provided she invests in reproducible capital that allows targeting. The possible adaptation strategies comprise changes in how people interact with natural capital (for example, changing harvest levels) and investment in reproducible or human capital, which may be a substitute or complement for natural capital stocks. We find that the market price of the harvested species exerts a particularly strong impact on the adaptation strategy; all else equal, unequal prices tends to drive extreme targeting or avoidance of a new species. Economic and ecological factors can necessitate investment at equilibrium, and early, transient management decisions for beneficial species may, like with nuisance species, produce large benefits.
THE INHIBITION OF MIXED-FUNCTION OXIDATION REACTIONS BY AMPHETAMINES IN LIVER AND LUNG MICROSOMES

The inhibition of microsomal mixed-function oxidations (MFO) by amphetamines was greatest for those compounds capable of forming metabolic intermediate (MI) complexes with cytochrome P-450 at fast rates. Ethylmorphine N-demethylase was least sensitive, p-nitroanisole O-demethylase was intermediate, and benzopyrene hydroxylase was the most sensitive reaction to amphetamine inhibition. Formation of MI complexes prior to initiating MFO reactions increased the degree of inhibition by adding a noncompetitive component to the initial competitive inhibition. This increased inhibition was only evident in microsomes from phenobarbital-pretreated animals, not those from untreated or 3-methylcholanthrene-pretreated animals. Hepatic MFO reactions in rabbit were more susceptible to inhibition than those of rat. In rabbit, lung benzopyrene hydroxylase was more susceptible to inhibition than liver. The formation of MI complexes from amphetamines can be a significant contributing factor to the inhibition of mixed-function oxidase reactions.
Endothelial Glycocalyx Layer Properties and Its Ability to Limit Leukocyte Adhesion

Abstract The endothelial glycocalyx layer (EGL), which consists of long proteoglycans protruding from the endothelium, acts as a regulator of inflammation by preventing leukocyte engagement with adhesion molecules on the endothelial surface. The amount of resistance to adhesive events the EGL provides is the result of two properties: EGL thickness and stiffness. To determine these, we used an atomic force microscope to indent the surfaces of cultured endothelial cells with a glass bead and evaluated two different approaches for interpreting the resulting force-indentation curves. In one, we treat the EGL as a molecular brush, and in the other, we treat it as a thin elastic layer on an elastic half-space. The latter approach proved more robust in our hands and yielded a thickness of 110 nm and a modulus of 0.025 kPa. Neither value showed significant dependence on indentation rate. The brush model indicated a larger layer thickness (∼350 nm) but tended to result in larger uncertainties in the fitted parameters. The modulus of the endothelial cell was determined to be 3.0–6.5 kPa (1.5–2.5 kPa for the brush model), with a significant increase in modulus with increasing indentation rates. For forces and leukocyte properties in the physiological range, a model of a leukocyte interacting with the endothelium predicts that the number of molecules within bonding range should decrease by an order of magnitude because of the presence of a 110-nm-thick layer and even further for a glycocalyx with larger thickness. Consistent with these predictions, neutrophil adhesion increased for endothelial cells with reduced EGL thickness because they were grown in the absence of fluid shear stress. These studies establish a framework for understanding how glycocalyx layers with different thickness and stiffness limit adhesive events under homeostatic conditions and how glycocalyx damage or removal will increase leukocyte adhesion potential during inflammation.
Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 Impacts p53 Target Gene Induction in UVB-irradiated Keratinocytes and Human Skin

The tumor suppressor protein p53 limits mutagenesis in response to ultraviolet-B (UVB) light exposure by activating the transcription of genes that mitigate the damaging effects of UVB radiation on DNA. Because most nonmelanoma skin cancers (NMSCs) occur in older individuals, it is important to understand the process of mutagenesis in the geriatric skin microenvironment. Based on previous studies demonstrating that geriatric skin expresses lower levels of the growth factor insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) than young adult skin, a role for IGF-1 in the regulation of p53 target genes was investigated in both human keratinocytes in vitro and human skin explants ex vivo. The products of the p53 target genes p21 and DNA polymerase eta (pol η) were found to be increased by UVB exposure in both experimental systems, and this induction was observed to be partially abrogated by depriving keratinocytes of IGF-1 in vitro or by the treatment of keratinocytes in vitro and human skin explants with an IGF-1 receptor antagonist. Because p21 and pol η function to limit mutagenic DNA replication following UVB exposure, these results suggest that NMSC risk in geriatric populations may be due to age-dependent decreases in IGF-1 signaling that disrupt p53 function in the skin.
Enhancing cancer literacy among Appalachian Kentucky middle and high school students.

11008Background: Kentucky has the highest rates of overall cancer incidence and mortality in the United States and the Appalachian region of the state experiences the highest burden of the disease....
The prevalence of posterolateral tibial baseplate overhang: An anatomical CT study.

Abstract Introduction Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) is used in patients with osteoarthritis who have failed conservative management to reduce pain, improve functional outcomes and ultimately quality of life. However, less than optimal patient satisfaction has led to continued improvements in design and technology of TKA. One factor that can limit patient satisfaction is postero-lateral overhang of the tibial baseplate. The purpose of our study is to utilize pre-operative CT scans to assess the prevalence of posterolateral tibial overhang with the use of a symmetric tibial baseplate component in a popular knee system with robotic assistance. Methods Ninety-eight (98) consecutive patients who underwent robotic-assisted total knee arthroplasty (TKA) were included in this study. Using both the most medial aspect of the tibial tubercle and the medial ⅓ of the tibial tubercle as reference points, we quantified the extent of posterolateral overhang when determining the rotation of the tibial component. Results Using the most medial aspect of the tibial tubercle as a reference point for rotation of the tibial baseplate, 63% of the instances of reviewed CT scans (369/588) had posterolateral overhang. Furthermore, 81% (406/588) had posterolateral overhang when using the medial ⅓ aspect of the tibial tubercle as the reference for rotation of the tibial baseplate. The average posterolateral tibial baseplate overhang was 1.5 mm (range 0–8 mm) when using the most medial aspect of the tibial tubercle and 2.4 mm (range 0–8 mm) when using the medial ⅓ tibial tubercle as the centering point for the tibial baseplate. Discussion Tibial baseplate overhang could lead to potential pain from irritation of soft tissues. To our knowledge, this is the first study that was able to valencquantify the amount of tibial baseplate overhang using pre-operative CT scans. Rotational alignment of the tibial baseplate needs to be balanced to ensure minimal lateral overhang while achieving sufficient external rotation of the tibial component. An asymmetric tibial component may provide a compromise in certain situations. Level of evidence Diagnostic level IV case series.
Comparing extracellular enzymatic hydrolysis between plain peptides and their corresponding analogs in the northern Gulf of Mexico Mississippi River plume

Abstract Peptide analogs, such as leucine-methylcoumarinylamide (Leu-MCA) and Lucifer yellow anhydride-tetraalanine (LYA-Ala4), are often used as proxies to quantify extracellular peptidase activities, but how accurately these analogs represent natural peptides remains unclear. Here we compared hydrolysis rates of tetrapeptides alanine-valine-phenylalanine-alanine (AVFA) and tetraalanine (Ala4) with their corresponding LYA analogs along a salinity gradient in the northern Gulf of Mexico Mississippi River plume. Hydrolysis rates were generally similar, but not always, between natural peptides and their analogs in the plume water. For example, hydrolysis rates were similar between LYA-AVFA and AVFA at all stations except one. In contrast, hydrolysis rates of LYA-Ala4 were significantly higher than those of Ala4 at low-salinity (18–19) stations, but significantly lower at one high-salinity (36) station. These results suggest that relative activities of different types of peptidases, measured by the analogs or peptides, depended on biological and chemical properties at each station, such as abundance of certain “opportuni-trophic” bacteria, including Flavobacterium , Ruegeria and Roseobacter . The produced fragments and amino acids from peptide hydrolysis implied further that the hydrolysis pathway depended on specific peptide substrate, and that the LYA tag affected the hydrolysis pathway. Taken together, this study validates the technique of using LYA analogs to study extracellular enzymatic activities, particularly the overall hydrolysis rate, and provides insights into the patterns of extracellular enzymatic activities in estuarine environments.
A Decomposition Algorithm for the Oriented Adjacency Graph of the Triangulations of a Bordered Surface with Marked Points

In this paper we consider an oriented version of adjacency graphs of triangulations of bordered surfaces with marked points. We develop an algorithm that determines whether a given oriented graph is an oriented adjacency graph of a triangulation. If a given oriented graph corresponds to many triangulations, our algorithm finds all of them. As a corollary we find out that there are only finitely many oriented connected graphs with non-unique associated triangulations. We also discuss a new algorithm which determines whether a given quiver is of finite mutation type. This algorithm is linear in the number of nodes and is more effective than the previously known one.
Requirements analysis for future automated air traffic control over the North Pacific

A computer simulation which models current and future operating environments, including traffic demands, route structures, winds, and separation criteria, is described. Metrics are defined to highlight parameter sensitivities for optimizing direct operating costs, and to provide an assessment of time and fuel penalties under suboptimum operating conditions. The results are intended to help the designers of the future North Pacific (NOPAC) system increase airspace capacity and operational efficiency. Requirements are established for further research to automate air traffic control (ATC) functions for future real-time closed-loop control of aircraft over the ocean. >
A linear programming heuristic for optimal planning

I introduce a new search heuristic for propositional STRIPS planning that is based on transforming planning instances to linear programming instances. The linear programming heuristic is admissible for finding minimum length plans and can be used by partial-order planning algorithms. This heuristic appears to be the first non-trivial admissible heuristic for partial-order planning. An empirical study compares Lplan, a partial-order planner incorporating the heuristic, to Graphplan, Satplan, and UCPOP on the tower of Hanoi domain, random blocks-world instances, and random planning instances. Graphplan is far faster in the study than the other algorithms. Lplan is often slower because the heuristic is time-consuming, but Lplan shows promise because it often perfonns a small search.
Improving the simulation of extreme precipitation events by stochastic weather generators

[1] Stochastic weather generators are commonly used to generate scenarios of climate variability or change on a daily timescale. So the realistic modeling of extreme events is essential. Presently, parametric weather generators do not produce a heavy enough upper tail for the distribution of daily precipitation amount, whereas those based on resampling have inherent limitations in representing extremes. Regarding this issue, we first describe advanced statistical tools from ultimate and penultimate extreme value theory to analyze and model extremal behavior of precipitation intensity (i.e., nonzero amount), which, although interesting in their own right, are mainly used to motivate approaches to improve the treatment of extremes within a weather generator framework. To this end we propose and discuss several possible approaches, none of which resolves the problem at hand completely, but at least one of them (i.e., a hybrid technique with a gamma distribution for low to moderate intensities and a generalized Pareto distribution for high intensities) can lead to a substantial improvement. An alternative approach, based on fitting the stretched exponential (or Weibull) distribution to either all or only high intensities, is found difficult to implement in practice.
Multinational Information Sharing and Collaborative Planning Limited Objective Experiments

Abstract : This paper describes Multinational Collaboration and Information Sharing Limited Objective Experiment (LOEs) that examine multinational aspects of joint command and control concepts at the US Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM). LOEs are designed to be both exploratory and structured, so there is an element of discovery that is extremely useful. LOEs also examine assertions made by joint concepts. The LOE was completed in November 2001 and focused on collaborative planning with multinational partners planning a rapid decisive operation when planning time is short. The LOE compared courses of action (COAs) developed using traditional planning with COAs developed using integrated planning. Australia, Germany, United Kingdom, and United States formed traditional and integrated planning staffs, which were formed into independent planning teams linked through a secure global network. The two planning teams were presented with identical situations and background information, and using identical collaboration software asked to develop COAs in the allotted time. Senior subject matter experts from participating nations evaluated COAs for suitability, completeness, and accuracy to determine which process, traditional or integrated, produced a superior plan when planning time was short. Evaluations were blind since evaluators knew neither the process used nor the lead nation.
Flow Characteristics and Charge Exchange Effects in a Two-Dimensional Model of Electrothermal Plasma Discharges

Electrothermal (ET) plasma discharges are capillary discharges that ablate liner materials and form partially ionized plasma. ET plasma discharges are generated by driving current pulses through a capillary source with peak currents on the order of tens of kA and pulse lengths on the order of $$100\,\upmu \hbox {s}$$ . These plasma discharges can be used to propel pellets into magnetic confinement fusion devices for deep fueling of the fusion reaction, ELM mitigation, and thermal quench of the fusion plasma. ET plasma discharges have been studied using 0D, 1D, and semi-2D fluid models. In this work, a fully 2D model of ET plasma discharges is presented. The newly developed model and code resolve inter-species interaction forces due to elastic collisions. These forces affect the plasma flow field in the source and impede the development of plasma pressure at the exit of the source. In this work, these affects are observed for discharge current pulses peaking at 10 and 20 kA. The sensitivity of the model to the inclusion of charge exchange effects is observed. The inclusion of charge exchange has little effect on the integrated, global results of the simulation. The difference in total ablated mass for the simulations caused by the inclusion of charge exchange reactions is <1 %. Differences in local plasma parameters are observed during discharge initialization, but after initialization, these differences diminish. The physical reasoning for this is discussed and recommendations are made for future modeling efforts.
Improved Identification and Differentiation of Varicella-Zoster Virus (VZV) Wild-Type Strains and an Attenuated Varicella Vaccine Strain Using a VZV Open Reading Frame 62-Based PCR

A new method was developed to identify and differentiate varicella-zoster virus (VZV) wild-type strains from the attenuated varicella Oka vaccine strain. The PCR technique was used to amplify a VZV open reading frame (ORF) 62 region. A single specific amplicon of 268 bp was obtained from 71 VZV clinical isolates and several laboratory strains. Subsequent digestion of the VZV ORF 62 amplicons with SmaI enabled accurate strain differentiation (three SmaI sites were present in amplicons of vaccine strain VZV, compared with two enzyme cleavage sites for all other VZV strains tested). This method accurately differentiated the Oka vaccine strain from wild-type VZV strains circulating in countries representing all six populated continents. Moreover, the assay more reliably distinguished wild-type Japanese strains from the vaccine strain than did previously described methods.
Implementation of sampling-based turbo decoder for noncoherent BFSK under Gaussian noise

This paper is concerned with the mathematical analysis for the sampling-based metric calculation for turbo decoding of noncoherent BFSK (NCBFSK) in additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channels, towards application in tactical applications. It is known that for NCBFSK, two decision statistics having Rician and Rayleigh characteristics must be accounted for in the decoding process. Therefore, this paper clarifies the means of using the two NCBFSK demodulator outputs so that sampling-based turbo decoding can be realized in simulation. Results for the simulations of the named waveform performances are shown for turbo coding rates 1/3, 2/3 and 3/4 under AWGN and a comparative assessment is presented.
Catabolic pathway for 2‐nitroimidazole involves a novel nitrohydrolase that also confers drug resistance

Summary Antibiotic resistance in pathogens can be mediated by catabolic enzymes thought to originate from soil bacteria, but the physiological functions and evolutionary origins of the enzymes in natural ecosystems are poorly understood. 2-Nitroimidazole (2NI) is a natural antibiotic and an analogue of the synthetic nitroimidazoles used for treatment of tuberculosis, Chagas' disease and cancer. Mycobacterium sp. JS330 was isolated from soil based on its ability to use 2NI as a sole growth substrate. The initial step in the degradation pathway is the hydrolytic denitration of 2NI to produce imidazol-2-one and nitrite. The amino acid sequence of 2NI nitrohydrolase is highly divergent from those of biochemically characterized enzymes, and it confers drug resistance when it is heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli. The unusual enzymatic reaction seems likely to determine the flux of nitroimidazole in natural ecosystems and also represents the discovery of a previously unreported drug resistance mechanism in soil before its identification in clinical situations.
A Graph-Theory Framework for Evaluating Landscape Connectivity and Conservation Planning

Connectivity of habitat patches is thought to be important for movement of genes, individuals, populations, and species over multiple temporal and spatial scales. We used graph theory to characterize multiple aspects of landscape connectivity in a habitat network in the North Carolina Piedmont (U.S.A). We compared this landscape with simulated networks with known topology, resistance to disturbance, and rate of movement. We introduced graph measures such as compartmentalization and clustering, which can be used to identify locations on the landscape that may be especially resilient to human development or areas that may be most suitable for conservation. Our analyses indicated that for songbirds the Piedmont habitat network was well connected. Furthermore, the habitat network had commonalities with planar networks, which exhibit slow movement, and scale-free networks, which are resistant to random disturbances. These results suggest that connectivity in the habitat network was high enough to prevent the negative consequences of isolation but not so high as to allow rapid spread of disease. Our graph-theory framework provided insight into regional and emergent global network properties in an intuitive and visual way and allowed us to make inferences about rates and paths of species movements and vulnerability to disturbance. This approach can be applied easily to assessing habitat connectivity in any fragmented or patchy landscape.
Spin-Dependent Forces on Trapped Ions for Phase-Stable Quantum Gates and Entangled States of Spin and Motion

Favored schemes for trapped-ion quantum logic gates use bichromatic laser fields to couple internal qubit states with external motion through a "spin-dependent force." We introduce a new degree of freedom in this coupling that reduces its sensitivity to phase decoherence. We demonstrate bichromatic spin-dependent forces on a single trapped 111Cd+ ion, and show that phase coherence of the resulting entangled states of spin and motion depends critically upon the spectral arrangement of the optical fields. This applies directly to the operation of entangling gates on multiple ions.
1184 PULMONARY VASODILATOR ACTION OF TOLAZOLINE IN THE NEWBORN

Tolazoline has been reported to reduce the elevated pulmonary vascular resistance found in some clinical conditions, including the syndrome of persistence of the fetal circulation in the newborn. Tolazoline, an ≥-adrenergic blocking agent, also has direct actions on cardiac and smooth muscle which are described as “histamine-like.” We evaluated the pulmonary vasodilator effect of tolazoline in newborn lambs before and after the administration of the specific histamine H1- and H2-receptor antagonists, diphenhydramine and metiamide, respectively. Lambs, 0-3 days old, were anesthetized and instrumented for measurement of pulmonary artery pressure, left atrial pressure and pulmonary blood flow. Pulmonary vascular resistance, PVR, was then calculated. Pharmacologic agents were administered in bolus form via the inferior vena cava in the following doses: tolazoline, 1 mg/kg; diphenhydramine, 5 mg/kg; and metiamide, 5 mg/kg. The mean change in pulmonary vascular resistance, %ΔPVR, produced by tolazoline after histamine receptor blockade is given below.
Anesthetic Implications for Patients With Permanent Pacemakers

Anesthesiologists will increasingly be required to treat patients with permanent pacemakers in the periopera tive period. Careful preoperative anesthetic evaluation is mandatory and includes attention to both the initial pathology that led to pacemaker insertion as well as to coexisting disease and treatment. Specific information regarding the patient's pacemaker should be sought, including the type and model, battery state, ability to stimulate the heart, and the expected response to placement of a magnet over the device. Additional preoperative considerations are discussed. Important intraoperative considerations for patients with perma nent pacemakers are also reviewed, including issues of rate-adaptive pacing, electrical interference with pace maker function, and loss of pacing capability. Additional intraoperative anesthetic issues, including the choice of anesthetic technique and the use of invasive monitoring for patients with permanent pacemakers are addressed. Specific considerations for lithotri...
Chebyshev Spectral Methods for Limited-Area Models. Part I: Model Problem Analysis

Abstract This study considers how spectral methods can be applied to limited-area models using Chebyshev polynomials as basis functions. We review the convergence of Sturm–Liouville series to motivate the use of the Chebyshev polynomials, and describe the tau and collocation projections which allow the use of general (nonperiodic) boundary conditions. These methods are illustrated for a simple model problem, the linear advection equation in one dimension, and numerical results confirm their high accuracy. Time differencing and efficiency are considered in detail using both asymptotic analysis and numerical result from the model problem. The stability condition for Chebyshev methods with explicit time differencing, often thought to be severe, is shown to be less severe than that for finite difference methods when high accuracy is desired. Fourth-order Runge-Kutta time differencing is the most efficient of the many schemes considered. When the accuracy desired is high enough, Chebyshev spectral methods are ...
Compatibility of organic solvents with the Salmonella/microsome test

Abstract We have screened 14 solvents for compatibility with the Salmonella mutagenicity test and have found 12 to be satisfactory under the conditions specified. These 12 solvents are: dimethyl sulfoxide, glycerol formal, dimethyl formamide, formamide, acetonitrile, 95% ethanol, acetone, ethylene glycol dimethyl ether, 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone, p-dioxane, tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol and tetrahydrofuran. The influence of the nutrient broth culture medium on the spontaneous mutation rate of the tester strains is also discussed.
The college and noncollege experience: a review of the factors that influence drinking behavior in young adulthood.

Objective:To place college drinking within its larger developmental context, we reviewed studies that compare drinking behavior among college students with that of their age-matched non-student peers. Among the recurrent themes identified across these studies, we particularly noted discrepancies in the conceptualization and operationalization of both college status and noncollege status. These discrepancies, and other methodological variations, were then examined because they influence conclusions about drinking outcomes. Method:Eighteen studies directly comparing college students with nonstudents were reviewed. Results:College students drank more than noncollege peers and, in general, drank more frequently than did noncollege peers, although these differences were likely the result of factors other than college attendance itself. Younger people drank more than older peers in both groups. College students also tended to be more at risk for alcohol-related problems, including alcohol abuse and alcohol depe...
Justice as fittingness

In Justice as Fittingness Geoffrey Cupit puts forward a strikingly original theory of the nature of justice. He maintains that injustice is to be understood as a form of unfitting treatment - typically the treatment of people as less than they are. Justice is therefore closely related to unjustified contempt and disrespect, and ultimately to desert. Cupit offers a closely argued discussion of what is at issue when people take differing views on what justice requires. He demonstrates that the language of desert provides a suitable idiom in which to address substantive questions of justice, and shows why acting justly may require respect for differing entitlements, contributions, and needs. In the course of the book many important issues in moral and political philosophy are illuminated. Cupit offers a fresh account of the nature of the obligation to keep a promise, explains how requests can generate reasons for action, and suggests a radically new approach to solving the problem of political obligation. This work will offer fascinating insights to political, moral, and legal theorists alike.
Balancing families of sets

Abstract Given k finite sets S 1 ,…, S k , to what extent is it possible to partition their union into two parts A and B in such a way that, for each j , S j ∩ A and S j ∩ B contain approximately the same number of elements? Bounds are found for this and similar questions.
Lipid raft components cholesterol and sphingomyelin increase H+/OH- permeability of phosphatidylcholine membranes

H+/OH- permeation through lipid bilayers occurs at anomalously high rates and the determinants of proton flux through membranes are poorly understood. Since all life depends on proton gradients, it is important to develop a greater understanding of proton leak phenomena. We have used stopped-flow fluorimetry to probe the influence of two lipid raft components, chol (cholesterol) and SM (sphingomyelin), on H+/OH- and water permeability. Increasing the concentrations of both lipids in POPC (palmitoyl-2-oleoyl phosphatidylcholine) liposomes decreased water permeability in a concentration-dependent manner, an effect that correlated with increased lipid order. Surprisingly, proton flux was increased by increasing the concentration of chol and SM. The chol effect was complex with molar concentrations of 17.9, 33 and 45.7% giving 2.8-fold (P<0.01), 2.2-fold (P<0.001) and 5.1-fold (P<0.001) increases in H+/OH- permeability from a baseline of 2.4x10(-2) cm/s. SM at 10 mole% effected a 2.8-fold increase (P<0.01), whereas 20 and 30 mole% enhanced permeability by 3.6-fold (P<0.05) and 4.1-fold respectively (P<0.05). Supplementing membranes containing chol with SM did not enhance H+/OH- permeability. Of interest was the finding that chol addition to soya-bean lipids decreased H+/OH- permeability, consistent with an earlier report [Ira and Krishnamoorthy (2001) J. Phys. Chem. B 105, 1484-1488]. We speculate that the presence of proton carriers in crude lipid extracts might contribute to this result. We conclude that (i) chol and SM specifically and independently increase rates of proton permeation in POPC bilayers, (ii) domains enriched in these lipids or domain interfaces may represent regions with high H+/OH- conductivity, (iii) H+/OH- fluxes are not governed by lipid order and (iv) chol can inhibit or promote H+/OH- permeability depending on the total lipid environment. Theories of proton permeation are discussed in the light of these results.
Correlates of suffering in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Objectives: 1) To determine the prevalence of pain, suffering, poor quality of life, depression, and hopelessness in people with ALS, and the correlates of suffering and poor quality of life; 2) to analyze the relationship between pain, suffering, quality of life, and attitudes toward life-sustaining medical treatment and physician-assisted suicide; and 3) to determine concordance between patients with ALS and their caregivers in rating the patients’ pain, quality of life, and suffering. Methods: Subjects completed a single interview. We measured the subject’s pain, quality of life, suffering, hopelessness, depression, social support, perception of burden to others, level of disability, desire for life-sustaining medical treatment, and interest in assisted suicide. Caregivers also rated the patient’s quality of life, pain, and suffering. Results: A total of 100 subjects with ALS and 91 caregivers participated. Suffering was rated as 4 or greater on a six-point scale by 20% of subjects with ALS, and 19% rated their pain as 4 or greater on a six-point scale. Eleven percent had clinical depression. Physicians frequently failed to recognize and treat pain and depression. The correlates of suffering were increasing pain, hopelessness, and level of disability. The correlates of poor quality of life were poor social support and increasing hopelessness. The correlation between subjects’ and caregivers’ rating of the patient’s suffering was r = 0.47. There was no relationship between subjects’ ratings of pain, suffering, and quality of life, and their interest in life-sustaining treatment or physician-assisted suicide. Conclusion: Many patients with ALS suffer, and their suffering is correlated to pain and hopelessness. Physicians caring for patients with ALS frequently fail to recognize and treat their patients’ pain and depression.
The elimination of tantrum behavior by extinction procedures.

“This paper reports the successful treatment of tyrant-like tantrum behavior in a male child by the removal of reinforcement… [and] did not involve aversive punishment.” (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)
Studies of crystallization conditions for native and subtilisin-cleaved pig brain tubulin.

Abstract A survey of crystallization conditions for pig brain tubulin, using standard vapor diffusion techniques in sitting drops or capillaries, has resulted in irregular, fragile needles or plates with a largest dimension of 0.5 mm. These occurred in 2.5% PEG (MW 3350), 0.1 m Pipes, pH 6.2 and 6.4, 2–16 m m MgSO4, 10–15 m m DTE, and 0.1 m m GDP at 8 °C. When GTP replaced GDP these aggregates did not form under any of the conditions surveyed (temperature: 8–10 °C; MgSO4: 2–16 m m ; pH 6–7; PEG, MW 3350: 1.25–12.5%). EM observations demonstrated that sheets of rings appear in crystal solutions in the presence of GDP or GTP. These results are consistent with the results of Howard and Timasheff (1986, Biochemistry 25, 8292–8300) that tubulin rings form in the presence of GDP or GTP but more readily in GDP. Tubulin crystallization experiments are hampered by tubulin's high degree of heterogeneity. Much of the variability lies in the carboxyl terminal region. Conditions for limited digestion of the heterodimer by subtilisin, removing only the carboxyl terminus, were determined. Reduction of heterogeneity was demonstrated by isoelectric focusing. The solubilities of native and subtilisin-cleaved tubulin in MgSO4, (NH4)2SO4, PEG (MW 1450, 3350, 10,000), DMSO, and MPD were compared. Subtilisin-cleaved tubulin precipitated more readily than native tubulin under all conditions surveyed, consistent with the removal of the highly acidic carboxyl terminus. Vapor diffusion experiments using subtilisin-cleaved tubulin under conditions where native tubulin forms needles or plates resulted in similar aggregates.
AC response of fractal interfaces

Abstract The small signal ac impedance of the interface between a blocking electrode and a aqueous or solid electrolyte often contains a constant-phase-angle (CPA) element whose impedance has the frequency dependence according to Z ∝ (jω)−ν. Recently it has been demostrated experimentally that the exponent ν is intimately related to the roughness of the interface, with ν approaching 1 when the surface is made increasingly smooth. We propose to model the interface by a fractal called Cantor bar. The equivalent circuit of the model has the property of the CPA element with the exponent ν = 3 − ds, where 2
Reading in patients with brain wounds involving the central visual pathways.

Summary The reading ability of 22 patients with penetrating head injury was investigated. In 12 patients the injury had affected the central visual pathways, producing visual field defects; the remaining 10 patients had suffered lesions in more anterior parts of the brain not involving visual functions, and these patients were used as a control group. The task was to read aloud 56 short sentences, presented not only in the usual format from left to right, but also in 7 other directions, around the clock. Although none of the patients with visual field defects complained of reading difficulties in daily life, their reading times for sentences presented in this fashion were twice as long as those of the control group. However, reading time was not differentially affected by the presence of a blind area in the reading direction.
Examination of Chemical Approaches to Stabilizing Composite-Propellant Combustion

Acoustic-mode combustion instability has long plagued the solid-propellant industry, and increased requirements for reduced-smoke propellants, with the elimination of metal oxide participate products that damp acoustic oscillations, is expected to exacerbate this problem. One strategy for alleviating the problem involves identifying approaches to decrease a major source of acoustic energy, the transient burning-rate response of the propellant to pressure oscillations. In this study, a model was developed and used to define potential effects of varying either oxidizer or fuel ablation activation energy on the pressurecoupled response function. Based on calculations with unimodal-oxidizer-size formulations, it appears that increasing oxidizer ablation activation energy at a fixed value of binder ablation activation energy or increasing binder ablation activation energy at fixed oxidizer ablation activation energy can result in a significant reduction of this pressure-coupled burning rate response.
The structure of ARMA solutions to a general linear model with rational expectations

Abstract A parameterc characterization is provided for the complete class of stationary and non-stationary ARMA solutions, generated by the fundamental exogenous innovation, to a general linear univariate model with rational expectations. The dimension of the solution space of ARMA parameters is given and shown to be generically equal to the maximum period forward over which expectations are formed. The validity of deleting common factors in non-stationary ARMA processes is discussed, and specific solution choices often recommended are shown to be ‘common factor’ solutions.
Studies concerning the effect of NaH2PO4 upon experimental dental caries in the adult rat.

Abstract A series of two laboratory studies was conducted in order to evaluate the influence of supplemental phosphate upon the incidence of dental caries in adult rats. The results obtained in the first study indicate that the addition of NaH 2 PO 4 , Na 2 HPO 4 , and a neutral mixture of these salts to a cariogenic diet resulted in dental caries reductions of 61.4, 55.1, and 42.2 per cent, respectively. The results of a second study indicate that much of this anticariogenic effect is mediated systemically since the daily intubation of NaH 2 PO 4 resulted in a caries reduction of 35.6 per cent.
Characterization of suspended matter in the Gulf of Mexico—II particle size analysis of suspended matter from deep water

The number distribution of particles between 0.02 and 8 μm was measured using a transmission electron microscope. The accumulative particle size distribution is given by the hyperbolic equation N = aD−b. Distribution of particles <2 μmappears to be controlled by particle- media interactions with a transitional zone between 2 and 5 μ, after which the distribution is controlled by Stokes settling.
Making and making sense out of academic prose

Abstract Academic prose has not previously been adequately described as a genre in its own right. The concept of deixis is employed to make sense out of academic prose.
Martian clouds observed by Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera

We have made daily global maps that cover both polar and equatorial regions of Mars for Ls 135°–360° and 0°–111° using the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) red and blue wide-angle swaths taken from May 1999 to January 2001. We study the seasonal distribution of condensate clouds and dust clouds during roughly 1 Martian year using these daily global maps. We present the development and decay of the tropical cloud belt and the polar hoods, the spatial and temporal distributions of lee waves and spiral clouds, and an unusual “aster” cloud above the volcanoes, consisting of rays around a central disk, like the flower. The tropical cloud belt contains mostly fibrous clouds during northern spring/early summer and convective clouds during middle/late northern summer. The detailed development and decay of the tropical cloud belt is nonuniform in longitude. Two distinct stormy periods in late summer precede the formation of the north and south circumpolar hoods. The north polar storms in late summer resemble baroclinic frontal systems on Earth but contain both dust and condensate clouds. Spiral clouds occur only in the northern high latitudes and only during northern spring and summer. The north polar hood displays a stationary wave number two structure during the fall and winter. The south polar hood has fewer streak clouds and lee wave clouds than the north polar hood. During this particular year the lee wave cloud abundance in the south had two peaks (in early fall and late winter), and the lee wave cloud abundance in the north had one peak (in early fall).
Oxygen-free Copper at 4 K: Resistance and magnetoresistance

Oxygen-free copper is the most common material used for stabilizing practical superconductors. This type of copper may show residual resistance ratios (RRR) that vary from 50 to 700 in the full soft condition. Knowledge of the exact RRR value is often essential for optimum system design. We have investigated the effect of stress, temper, and reanneal on the RRR and magnetoresistance of several hundred samples of oxygen-free copper from many sources. In this paper we describe the program and present a sampling of the results obtained to date.
The Displaying of Yard Signs as a Form of Political Participation

Despite the ubiquity of yard signs, little is known about how and why individuals display them. Using two original studies of the 2008 presidential race, along with American National Election Study data, we address three points pertaining to this understudied form of political participation. First, what are the correlates of the individuals and households that display signs? Second, what motivates such displays, and to what extent do those motives reflect expressive and communicative desires? Finally, how do individuals obtain signs, and do individuals—rather than parties or candidates—play a role in spreading signs throughout neighborhoods? Our findings suggest that the dissemination of yard signs is not merely a top–down process driven by campaign professionals, but a genuine participatory act that is fueled by individual initiative and social networking.
Effects of Salinity on Preferred and Lethal Temperatures of the Mozambique Tilapia, Oreochromis Mossambicus (peters)

: The final preferred temperature of Oreochromis mossambicus acclimated to freshwater was 32.2 C, which was significantly (P ≤ 0.05) lower than final preferred temperatures of fish acclimated at 15 o/oo and 30 o/oo salinity. The thermal tolerance zone of Oreochromis mossambicug ranged between 15–37 C and was not affected by acclimation to different salinity levels.