cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Connectivity and seasonality: the 1918 influenza and COVID-19 pandemics in global perspective

The goal of this article is to demonstrate the value of a global perspective on pandemics for understanding how global pandemics caused by novel viruses can unfold. Using the example of the 1918 influenza pandemic, two factors that were central to the evolving pattern of global pandemic waves, connectivity and seasonality, are explored. Examples of the influences of these factors on pandemic waves in different locations are presented. Viewing the 1918 pandemic through the lens of compartmental models of infectious diseases, our analysis suggests that connectivity played a dominant role in the initial stages. With the passage of time and the progressive infection and consequent immunization of more and more people, however, the role of seasonality increased in importance, ultimately becoming the driving force behind the emergence of future waves of infection. Implications of these observations for pandemics caused by novel viruses such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic are discussed.
Mask Mandates, Misinformation, and Data Voids in Local News Coverage of COVID-19

Local news sources in the United States have been dwindling for years. Although newsrooms are shrinking, the American public generally trust their local news sources. Crisis events like the COVID-19 pandemic are circumstances where people are actively searching for information and some of what they will find will inevitably be misinformation given the volume of misinformation being created and the affordances of social media services that encourage viral spread. It is critical to understand if local news is spreading misinformation or acting as a cross-cutting information source. This study uses local news data from a media aggregator and mixed methods to analyze the relationship between local news and misinformation. Findings suggest that local news sources are serving as cross-cutting information sources but occasionally reinforce misinformation. We also find a worrying increase of anti-mask stories and accompanying decrease of pro-mask stories after a mask mandate is enacted.
The Effect of Platelet-Rich Plasma Leukocyte Concentration on Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair: A Network Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Background:It is unclear whether leukocyte-poor (LP) or leukocyte-rich (LR) varieties of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) as an adjuvant to arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR) result in improved tend...
Colin Gray: An enduring legacy

Colin Gray is very well known for his contributions to public policy debates on nuclear strategy and other national security issues. In addition, he deserves equal credit for his accomplishments as...
Authoritarian Roads Not Taken: Institutional Trajectories and Authoritarian Constitutionalism in Interwar Eastern Europe

Contemporary authoritarian regimes are more alike than they have been in decades, with most conforming to a constitutional structure that imitates liberal democracies, although many seek to innovate beyond this framework. This paper explores a prior era of authoritarian constitutional innovation, the twenty years of postwar independence among the states of Interwar Eastern Europe. This paper attempts a systematic conceptual categorization among Interwar-era authoritarian regimes in the Baltic states, East-Central Europe, and the Balkans over the period 1919-1939, identifying models akin to modern electoral authoritarianism as well as more unusual schemas conceptualized here as ‘authoritarian constitutionalism.’ Instead of asking why Eastern European states fell away from democracy during the interbellum, this paper asks what forms of authoritarianism took hold in a period when authoritarian institutional creativity was at an historic high. Leveraging data on regime, political system, and institutional configurations across all Eastern European authoritarian regimes, the paper groups institutional patterns and tracks their evolution over the Interwar era, introducing the concept of ‘authoritarian constitutionalism,’ a form of institutionalized authoritarian rule often left as a residual category or marked by ideological signifiers, to better explain the congruence of political and constitutional order across regional cases. Dynamics of authoritarian institutional experimentation are further illustrated with vignette case studies of the electoral authoritarian regime in Poland and the authoritarian constitutionalist regime of Konstantin Pats’ Estonia.
Hepatitis B exposure in emergency medical personnel: Prevalence of serologic markers and need for immunization☆

Abstract To assess the occupational risk of hepatitis B infection in emergency medical personnel, a seroepidemiologic survey of 87 emergency medical technicians and paramedics was conducted. Serologic markers indicating exposure to hepatitis B virus were detected in 18 percent. The prevalence of markers was associated with race (p = 0.006), with a relative risk of 3.5 (95 percent confidence interval 1.42 to 8.63) for nonwhites. Seropositivity was not associated with age, sex, previous clinical hepatitis, or blood transfusion. There was a suggestion that duration of employment as an emergency medical technician was related to the prevalence of hepatitis B markers (p = 0.11). Efforts to control the risk of hepatitis B infection in this profession are complicated by unique problems with postexposure prophylaxis and uncontrolled exposure to blood. Immunization with hepatitis B vaccine would be the optimal strategy to reduce infection in this high-risk occupation.
Binding of undamaged double stranded DNA to vaccinia virus uracil-DNA Glycosylase

Uracil-DNA glycosylases are evolutionarily conserved DNA repair enzymes. However, vaccinia virus uracil-DNA glycosylase (known as D4), also serves as an intrinsic and essential component of the processive DNA polymerase complex during DNA replication. In this complex D4 binds to a unique poxvirus specific protein A20 which tethers it to the DNA polymerase. At the replication fork the DNA scanning and repair function of D4 is coupled with DNA replication. So far, DNA-binding to D4 has not been structurally characterized. This manuscript describes the first structure of a DNA-complex of a uracil-DNA glycosylase from the poxvirus family. This also represents the first structure of a uracil DNA glycosylase in complex with an undamaged DNA. In the asymmetric unit two D4 subunits bind simultaneously to complementary strands of the DNA double helix. Each D4 subunit interacts mainly with the central region of one strand. DNA binds to the opposite side of the A20-binding surface on D4. Comparison of the present structure with the structure of uracil-containing DNA-bound human uracil-DNA glycosylase suggests that for DNA binding and uracil removal D4 employs a unique set of residues and motifs that are highly conserved within the poxvirus family but different in other organisms. The first structure of D4 bound to a truly non-specific undamaged double-stranded DNA suggests that initial binding of DNA may involve multiple non-specific interactions between the protein and the phosphate backbone.
Discovery and Classification of Human Herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6)

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the events that led to the discovery of the human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6). HHV-6 was discovered in early 1985 in Dr. Robert Gallo's Laboratory of Tumor Cell Biology from peripheral blood and splenic tissue of AIDS patients. In the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of at least 6–8 patients with B-cell lymphoma were large, refractile cells always either single or, occasionally, two or more together. These cells began to disappear after a few days in culture, even in the presence of IL-2. The individuals with these cells were all AIDS patients with or without lymphoma. This chapter reviews the nomenclature and classification of HHV-6. The International Committee on the Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV)-endorsed nomenclature consists of the designation of herpesviruses by serial Arabic number and the family or sub-family of the natural host of the virus for example HHV-6, HHV-7, etc. The ICTV classified human herpesviruses into three sub-families, i.e. alpha, beta, and gamma, and eight human herpesviruses, i.e. HSV-1, HSV-2, VZV, CMV, HHV-6, HHV-7, EBV, and HHV-8 were put into these sub-families on the basis of their biological properties, before DNA sequences of the individual members of the family were known. ICTV also classified a small number of herpesviruses as to genera , based on DNA sequence homology and similarities in genomic sequence demonstrated by immunologic methods.
Computer modeling of detonators

A mathematical model of detonators which describes the resistance of the exploding bridgewire or exploding foil initiator as a function of energy deposition will be described. This model includes many parameters that can be adjusted to obtain a close fit to experimental data. This has been demonstrated using recent experimental data taken within Sandia National Laboratories.
Experimental characterization of in-package microfluidic cooling on a System-on-Chip

This paper, for the first time, experimentally demonstrated the in-package microfluidic cooling on a commercial System-on-Chip (SoC). The pinfin interposer attached to the commercial SoC achieved energy efficient cooling for the SPLASH-2 benchmark suite in measurement. The low-power piezoelectric pump controlled by the SoC ensures the thermal integrity and reduces the system-level energy consumption through leakage reduction. The measurements demonstrated that the in-package fluidic cooling improves the SoC's energy-efficiency and reduces design footprint compared to the external passive cooling.
Dielectric properties and phase transitions of [Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3]0.905(PbTiO3)0.095: Influence of pressure

Studies of the influences of temperature, hydrostatic pressure, dc biasing field, and frequency on the dielectric constant $({\ensuremath{\varepsilon}}^{\ensuremath{'}})$ and loss $(\mathrm{tan}\ensuremath{\delta})$ of single crystal ${[\mathrm{P}\mathrm{b}(\mathrm{Z}\mathrm{n}}_{1/3}{\mathrm{Nb}}_{2/3}{)\mathrm{O}}_{3}{]}_{0.905}{(\mathrm{P}\mathrm{b}\mathrm{T}\mathrm{i}\mathrm{O}}_{3}{)}_{0.095},$ or PZN-9.5 PT for short, have provided a detailed view of the ferroelectric (FE) response and phase transitions of this technologically important material. While at 1 bar, the crystal exhibits on cooling a cubic-to-tetragonal FE transition followed by a second transition to a rhombohedral phase, pressure induces a FE-to-relaxor crossover, the relaxor phase becoming the ground state at pressures \ensuremath{\geqslant}5 kbar. Analogy with earlier results suggests that this crossover is a common feature of compositionally disordered soft mode ferroelectrics and can be understood in terms of a decrease in the correlation length among polar domains with increasing pressure. Application of a dc biasing electric field at 1 bar strengthens FE correlations, and can at high pressure restabilize the FE response. The temperature-pressure and temperature-electric field phase diagrams were established. In the absence of dc bias the tetragonal phase vanishes at high pressure, the crystal exhibiting classic relaxor behavior. The dynamics of dipolar motion and the strong deviation from Curie-Weiss behavior of the susceptibility in the high-temperature cubic phase are discussed.
Helmholtz surface wave tomography for isotropic and azimuthally anisotropic structure

SUMMARY The growth of the Earthscope/USArray Transportable Array (TA) has prompted the development of new methods in surface wave tomography that track phase fronts across the array and map the traveltime field for each earthquake or for each station from ambient noise. Directionally dependent phase velocities are determined locally by measuring the gradient of the observed traveltime field without the performance of a formal inversion. This method is based on the eikonal equation and is, therefore, referred to as ‘eikonal tomography’. Eikonal tomography is a bent-ray theoretic method, but does not account for finite frequency effects such as wave interference, wave front healing, or backward scattering. This shortcoming potentially may lead to both systematic bias and random error in the phase velocity measurements, which would be particularly important at the longer periods studied with earthquakes. It is shown here that eikonal tomography can be improved by using amplitude measurements to construct a geographically localized correction via the Helmholtz equation. This procedure should be thought of as a finite-frequency correction that does not require the construction of finite-frequency kernels and is referred to as ‘Helmholtz tomography’. We demonstrate the method with Rayleigh wave measurements following earthquakes between periods of 30 and 100 s in the western US using data from the TA. With Helmholtz tomography at long periods (>50 s): (1) resolution of small-scale isotropic structures, which correspond to known geological features, is improved, (2) uncertainties in the isotropic phase velocity maps are reduced, (3) the directionally dependent phase velocity measurements are less scattered, (4) spurious 1-psi azimuthal anisotropy near significant isotropic structural contrasts is reduced, and (5) estimates of 2-psi anisotropy are better correlated across periods.
The Mammal Family Tree

Evolutionary biologists have long aimed to understand the relationships between the major groups of mammals and the pattern and timing of the evolution of these groups and their characteristics. On page 521 of this issue, Meredith et al. ( 1 ) report an important step toward this end by providing the first matrix-based molecular phylogeny that incorporates essentially all modern mammal families.
Pillared clays as a new class of sorbents for gas separation

High-surface-area, Zr-pillared, layered clays are synthesized and characterized for their adsorption properties. Although large free interlayer spacings are claimed in the literature (as also found in this work, 14.3 A), the limiting pore size is the narrow interpillar spacing. The distribution of interpillar spacing is determined by molecular probing and adsorption data along with a theoretical framework available from the literature. Interpillar spacing can be tailored by controlling the number density of pillars inserted during the ion exchange (oligomer inserting) step. The following variables in the ion exchange solution result in lowering the pillar density: higher pH, lower oligomer concentration, and introduction of competitive cations. By changing these variables, peak interpillar spacing is shifted by nearly 2 A (from 5 to 7 A). The versatility of pillared clays as sorbents for kinetic separation (i.e., separation based on diffusivity differences) has been demonstrated by the separations of air and xylene isomers.
Attitudes and behaviors about pesticide residues, susceptibility to cancer, and consumption of fruits and vegetables

Abstract Nutrition educators are encouraging increased consumption of fruits and vegetables as a source of fiber, nutrients and anti-carcinogens. However, media messages about the health effects of pesticide residues have created fear about consuming fresh produce. A survey was sent to 2,000 Washington state residents to assess attitudes and behaviors related to concern about pesticide residues, perceived susceptibility to cancer, and consumption of fruits and vegetables. The survey included questions that were developed to assess each of the attitude and behavior variables. Multiple regression analysis indicated that 41% of the residue-reducing behavior and 44% of the health concern about pesticides was explained by the variables. Individuals with health concerns regarding pesticides had higher scores for residue-reducing behaviors, environmental concern, and perceived susceptibility to cancer. Respondents with low concerns about pesticides had a higher trust in regulation and saw greater benefits for pesticide use. Concerns beyond personal health, such as environmental concern, appear to contribute to concerns about pesticide residues. Fear of pesticide residues does not appear to diminish nutrition behaviors related to fruit and vegetable consumption.
Loss of an X chromosome in aggressive angiomyxoma of female soft parts: A case report

Abstract Cytogenetic analysis of an aggressive angiomyxoma of the vulvar region of a 16-year-old female revealed loss of one X chromosome (45,X,−X) in eight of 20 metaphase cells analyzed. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) performed on disaggregated cells from paraffin embedded lesional tissue confirmed loss of an X chromosome in 31 % of cells. Cytogenetic analysis performed on peripheral blood showed a normal chromosomal complement (46,XX). Thus, loss of one X chromosome appears to be confined to the neoplasm. This anomaly has not been previously described in aggressive angiomyxoma.
Effect of milk feeding on intestinal bilirubin absorption in the rat

The hypothesis that the etiologic mechanism of the late-onset, prolonged, unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia of the breast-fed infant, known as the breast milk jaundice syndrome, results from exaggeration of intestinal bilirubin absorption has been investigated in an adult rat model, which permits quantitative measurement of the enterohepatic circulation of bilirubin. After instillation of unconjugated bilirubin in buffer into the duodenum, 25% of the dose was absorbed and appeared in bile. Administration of bilirubin in human milk or cow milk formula resulted in a marked reduction in absorption to 2%. Administration of bilirubin in milk from mothers of infants with breast milk jaundice syndrome not only failed entirely to prevent the absorption of bilirubin, but enhanced late absorption, to produce a total absorption of 60% of the bilirubin dose. Thus, although normal milk significantly retarded intestinal bilirubin absorption and diminished the bilirubin load to the liver, milk from mothers of infants with breast milk jaundice syndrome appeared to enhance the enterohepatic circulation of bilirubin and to increase the total hepatic bilirubin load. This exaggeration of the enterohepatic circulation of bilirubin may be related to the increased concentrations in these milks of long-chain nonesterified fatty acids.
The Influence of Hatchery Rearing Practices on Salmon Migratory Behavior: Is the Tendency of Chinook Salmon to Remain within Puget Sound Affected by Size and Date of Release?

Abstract The marine migrations of Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp., and especially Chinook salmon O. tshawytscha, vary greatly in duration and spatial extent. In Puget Sound, Washington, most Chinook salmon migrate from freshwater to the coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean before returning to spawn in their natal streams. However, some leave freshwater but remain in the semi-estuarine waters of Puget Sound until they mature and then return to freshwater to spawn. The objective of our study was to determine the effect of rearing conditions and hatchery location on the prevalence of this alternative pattern of marine distribution by hatchery-produced Chinook salmon in Puget Sound. We used coded wire tag recovery data to analyze the effect of release region, age, size, and date of release on the proportion of fish showing resident-type behavior, defined as recovery in Puget Sound fisheries outside the period when maturing salmon return from the coast. Based on 226 different release groups from 26 hatcheries ...
Cost-sensitive partitioning in an architecture synthesis system for multicluster processors

Application-specific instruction processors (ASIPs) have great potential to meet the challenging demands of pervasive systems. This hierarchical system automatically designs highly customized multicluster processors. In the first of two tightly coupled components, design space exploration heuristically searches the basic capabilities that define the processor's overall parallelism. In the second, a hardware compiler determines the detailed architecture configuration that realizes the parallelism.
Response of a sloping aquifer to constant replenishment and to stream varying water level

The problem of seepage from a stream into an adjacent unconfined aquifer of semi-infinite extent, underlain by an impermeable sloping bed was considered in this study as a problem of one-dimensional unsteady-state groundwater flow. It was assumed that the water level in the stream gradually rises to a certain height, according to a known exponential function of time, while the aquifer was assumed to be replenished at a constant rate from ground surface. Applying the Laplace transformation method derived an analytical solution to an extended and linearized form of the nonhomogeneous Boussinesq equation used to describe the phreatic surface in sloping aquifers. The comparison of the analytical solution with a numerical solution obtained by applying the finite difference Mac Cormack explicit computational scheme to the nonlinear Boussinesq equation illustrates the validity of the new analytical solution and the effectiveness of the linearization. Some nondimensional diagrams are also presented to show the variation of the water table height and the seepage rate as well as their sensitivity to various sets of parameter values.
The Unsaturated Fatty Acids of Milk Fat III. Geometrical Isomerism

Summary Infrared absorption spectra were recorded for C 18 , C 16 , C 14 , C 12 , and C 10 monoethenoid methyl ester fractions of milk fat and for three C 18–20 fractions, each containing different distributions of polyethenoid constituents. The spectrograms were compared with the available spectral data for pure saturated and unsaturated esters of long chain fatty acids. The presence of only minor absorption at 2.8 to 2.9 μ in all curves was interpreted as evidence that sample preparation occasioned no appreciable oxidation with concurrent hydroperoxidic hydroxyl formation and geometric isomerism. The C 18 to C 12 monoethenoid fractions showed an absorption band near 10.35 μ , which is attributed to the presence of trans isomers. Approximate concentrations of trans components ranged from 14 to 27 % , of the monoethenoid methyl esters. An absorption peak characteristic of a terminal double bond in the C 10 fraction provided strong evidence that the unsaturated bond of decenoic acid occurs between the ninth and tenth carbons. Absorption bands at 10.35 μ were observed in the C 18–20 fractions containing polyethenoid methyl esters, but it was not clear whether the trans component (s) were isomeric forms of one or more of the nonconjugated polyethenoid esters or of the methyl oleate present. In one of the C 18–20 fractions, which contained approximately 15% conjugated dienoic constituent, the infrared spectrum showed the configuration of the conjugated double bonds to be principally cis-trans.
Convergence properties of an empirical error criterion for multivariate density estimation

Abstract For the purpose of comparing different nonparametric density estimators, Wegman (J. Statist. Comput. Simulation 1 225–245) introduced an empirical error criterion. In a recent paper by Hall (Stochastic Process. Appl. 13 11–25) it is shown that this empirical error criterion converges to the mean integrated square error. Here, in the case of kernel estimation, the results of Hall are improved in several ways, most notably multivariate densities are treated and the range of allowable bandwidths is extended. The techniques used here are quite different from those of Hall, which demonstrates that the elegant Brownian Bridge approximation of Komlos, Major, and Tusnady (Z. Warsch. Verw. Gebrete 32 111–131) does not always give the strongest results possible.
A microcomputer-based quantitative morphometric analysis system for computing areas of amorphous patches.

Abstract A method for analysis of irregular areas has been developed for use with histological sections. The analysis is performed utilizing a digitizing tablet and a microcomputer. The advantages of this system are a specialized form of output suited to the analysis of mosaic tissues, disk storage of all data, plotter output for verification, and an inexpensive hardware environment. The program results of determinations of liver patch size in a novel chimeric rat system are described.
A multimedia, multiple pathway risk assessment of atrazine: the impact of age differentiated exposure including joint uncertainty and variability

Abstract This paper addresses the need to evaluate the differences in exposure to pesticides between children and adults. We present a framework for evaluating these differences in exposure to pesticides through multiple exposure pathways. The concentrations in all environmental media were determined as distributions in a companion paper. All parameter values utilized in the calculation of exposure and risk are considered to be distributions, resulting in distributions for output exposure and risk. A sensitivity analysis was completed to determine the relative importance of the parameters with respect to the outcome. A joint uncertainty and variability analysis was also completed to evaluate the relative contribution between uncertain and variable parameters. Exposure to atrazine by a mid-western farming family is presented as a case study. The predicted exposure for a child based on a 14-year exposure period was 1.6 times that calculated using lifetime averaged exposure parameters. This indicates the importance of considering children as a population sub-group when calculating the exposure and risk to pesticides.
Finite element modeling of blood flow-induced mechanical forces in the outflow tract of chick embryonic hearts

Forces exerted by the flow of blood on the walls of the embryonic heart, such as pressures and shear stresses, influence heart development; and deviations from normal flow conditions lead to structural defects. To better understand the effect of blood flow on the development of the heart, it is important to characterize the hemodynamic forces that act on the heart walls. Other studies have attempted to quantify such forces. However, shear stresses on the heart walls cannot be measured directly, and quantifications using in vivo velocity measurements are not yet accurate due to the challenges of obtaining velocity profiles near the moving walls of a beating heart. The objective of this work is to quantify hemodynamic forces on the heart wall of chick embryos that are about 3.5 days of incubation (stage HH21), using a combination of physiological data and finite element (FE) models. We focused on the heart outflow tract (OFT) since at this stage the development of the OFT is very sensitive to hemodynamic forces. In this paper, we present a three-dimensional dynamic FE model that is based on a series of ultrasound images of the OFT. Simulations of the FE model, performed for the ventricular ejection phase of the cardiac cycle, showed a complex blood flow pattern within the OFT and gave temporal and spatial distributions of shear stresses and pressures at the inner surface of the OFT wall.
The debt-equity financing decisions of U.S. startup firms

We examine the debt-equity decisions of startup firms using the Kauffman Firm Survey, the largest database of U.S. startups launched in 2004. To control for sample selection bias and the correlation among financing decisions, we employ a Bivariate Probit-Tobit model. Our results show that several firm characteristics such as growth prospects, firm size, tangible assets, and selling products, as well as owner characteristics such as net worth, experience, education and ethnicity explain the debt-equity decisions in the startup year. In addition, for firms that use debt, we document traits that explain the use of a particular type of business versus personal debt. Larger firms use more business debt, whereas home-based and growth firms use more personal sources of debt. Immigrants, owners who lack work experience and those who invest more time in the business tend to rely more on personal sources of debt.
Chronic inflammation and oxidative stress: the smoking gun for Helicobacter pylori-induced gastric cancer?

Helicobacter pylori is the leading risk factor associated with gastric carcinogenesis. H. pylori leads to chronic inflammation because of the failure of the host to eradicate the infection. Chronic...
Lung transplantation after previous thoracic surgical procedures

Background. This study examined results of lung transplantation after previous thoracic surgical procedures. Methods. Twenty percent of the 69 isolated lung transplantations performed at the University of North Carolina between January 1990 and June 1993 were in patients who had undergone a previous thoracic surgical procedure, and an additional 10% had undergone a previous chest tube placement. Results. No statistically significant increase in morbidity or mortality was observed between those having undergone a previous procedure or chest tube placement and all other patients. Specifically, the length of intubation, length of hospital stay, hospital mortality, or the number of patients who experienced major early complications was not significantly different between these groups. A statistically significant increase in the number of blood products used was observed in the patients with previous thoracic surgical procedures but not with patients having had previous chest tube placements. However, when the data were reanalyzed with respect to the use of cardiopulmonary bypass, those patients requiring bypass had a markedly poorer outcome that reached statistical significance in all of the parameters studied: hospital death, incidence of major complications, length of intubation, hospital stay, incidence of bleeding, and number of blood products used. Conclusions. We conclude that although increased bleeding may be encountered, lung transplantation can be performed successfully in patients who have had previous thoracic surgical procedures without increased major morbidity or mortality; however, the use of cardiopulmonary bypass has been associated with significantly increased morbidity and mortality in our patient population.
A new species of Argomuellera Pax (Euphorbiaceae) from Madagascar

ABSTRACT A new species belonging to the genus Argomuellera Pax from Madagascar is described. This species resembles A. danguyana (Leandri) J.Leonard but differs in being a treelet with nearly entire leaves and a slenderer inflorescence that bears smaller staminate and pistillate flowers.
Metamorphic and structural history of continental crust at a Mesozoic collisional margin, the Ruby terrane, central Alaska

I ABSTRACT The Ruby terrane is an elongate fragment of continental crustal rocks that is structurally overlain by thrust slices of oceanic crust. Our results from the Kokrines Hills, in the southcentral part of the Ruby terrane, demonstrate that the low-angle schistose fabric formed under high-P /low-T conditions, at peak conditions of 10.8-13.2 kbar and 425-550" C, consistent with the rare Occurrence of glaucophane. White mica 40Ar/39Ar cooling ages from these blueschists indicate that the metamorphism occurred prior to 144 f 1 Ma. The blueschist facies assemblages are partially replaced by greenschist facies assemblages in the eastern Kokrines Hills. In contrast, in the central and western Kokrines Hills, upper amphibolite to lower granulite facies metamorphism associated with extensive late Early Cretaceous plutonism has completely overprinted any evidence of an earlier high-PIT metamorphic history. Deformation accompanying the plutonism produced recumbent isoclinal folds in the plutonic rocks and pelitic gneisses of the wallrock; decompression reactions in the pelitic gneisses suggest that the deformation Occurred during exhumation. Thermochronological data bracket the time of intrusion and cooling below 500" C between 118 f 3 and 109 f 1 Ma. Our data from the schists of the Ruby terrane support the general assumption of many authors that the Ruby terrane was subducted beneath an oceanic island arc. This tectonic history is similar to that described for other large continental crustal blocks in northern and central Alaska, in the Brooks Range, Seward Peninsula and Yukon-Tanana Upland. The current orientation of the Ruby terrane at an oblique angle to these other crustal blocks and to the Cordilleran trend is due to post-collisional tectonic processes that have greatly modified the original continental margin.
Stability and absolute frequency of molecular iodine transitions near 532 nm

A frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser has been stabilized to hyperfine transitions in molecular iodine near 532 nm via modulation transfer spectroscopy. This technique, together with the low noise of the source, yields excellent SNR (500 in a d kHz bandwidth); thus, an impressive frequency stability is achieved. The nearly systematic-free resonance signals obtained by modulation transfer spectroscopy give a correspondingly encouraging reproducibility, estimated to be about +/- 300 Hz. With two such stabilized lasers were found a pressure shift of only -1.3 kHz/Pa over the range 0.4-4.0 Pa and a power-dependent frequency shift of 2.1 kHz/mW. We have also measured the absolute frequency of the component a10 in the transition R(56)32-0 using the D2 line in Rb at 780 nm and an iodine-stabilized 633 nm He-Ne laser as references. The measured frequency is 563 260 223.471 MHz +/- 40 kHz. In turn, the absolute frequency of the D2 line was measured via the frequency difference between the D2 line and the two-photon transition 5S1/2 - 5D5/2 at 778 nm in Rb. Thus we now have realized a pure frequency measurement of this interval and of the 532 nm frequency.
Pharmacokinetics of Cardiovascular Drugs in Children Inotropes and Vasopressors

Infants and children with congenital or acquired heart disease and children with systemic disease often require pharmacological support of their failing circulation. Catecholamines may serve as inotropic (enhance myocardial contractility) or vasopressor (elevate systemic vascular resistance) agents. Noncatecholamine inotropic agents, such as the cardiac glycosides or the bipyridines, may be used in place of, or in addition to, catecholamines. Developmental changes in neonates, infants and children will affect the response to inotropic or pressor therapy. Maturation of the gastrointestinal tract, liver and kidneys alters absorption, metabolism and elimination of drugs, although there are few clear examples of this among the vasoactive drugs considered in this review. Changes in body composition affect the volume of distribution (Vd) and clearance (CL) of drugs. Developmentally based pharmacodynamic differences also affect the responses to both therapeutic and toxic effects of inotropes. These pharmacodynamic differences are based in part upon developmental changes in myocardial structure, cardiac innervation and adrenergic receptor function. For example, the immature myocardium has fewer contractile elements and therefore a decreased ability to increase contractility; it also responds poorly to standard techniques of manipulating preload. Available data suggest that dopamine and dobutamine pharmacokinetics are similar to those in adults. Wide interindividual variability has been noted. A consistent relationship between CL and age has not been demonstrated, although one investigator demonstrated an almost 2-fold increase in the CL of dopamine in children under the age of 2 years. The CL of dopamine appears to be reduced in children with renal and hepatic failure. Fewer data are available regarding the pharmacokinetics of epinephrine (adrenaline), norepinephrine (noradrenaline) and isoprenaline (isoproterenol). Digoxin pharmacokinetics have been extensively evaluated in infants and children. The Vd for digoxin is increased in infants and children. Children beyond the neonatal period display increased CL of digoxin, approaching adult values during puberty. Although it was previously thought that children both needed and tolerated higher serum concentrations of digoxin than adults, more recent studies indicate that adequate clinical response can be achieved with serum concentrations similar to those aimed for in adults, with decreased toxicity. Evaluation of studies of digoxin pharmacokinetics is complicated by the presence of an endogenous substance with digoxin-like activity on radioimmunoassay. Limited studies of amrinone pharmacokinetics in infants and children indicate a dramatically larger Vd, and a decreased elimination half-life in older infants and children, compared with values observed in adults.
A modified edentulous maxillary custom tray to help prevent gagging

The gag reflex can be a normal, healthy defense mechanism to prevent foreign objects from entering the trachea. During certain dental procedures, however, gagging can greatly complicate the final result, especially during the maxillary complete denture final impression. A modification can be made to the maxillary custom acrylic resin tray to aid in securing a clinically acceptable elastomeric final impression. This modification involves forming a vacuum chamber at the posterior extent of the custom tray to which a saliva ejector tip is embedded. When the saliva ejector is connected to the low-volume evacuation hose, the chamber will trap any excess impression material that might extrude from the posterior border of the loaded tray. This results in a reduced chance of eliciting the patient's gag reflex.
Engaged Scholarship in the Academy: Reflections from the Margins

This paper represents a series of reflections on collective and individual efforts of diverse women scholars to reconcile alternative views of scholarship within the academy. We document our collective experience with embedding the concept of the “scholarship of engagement” in our practice of research, teaching, and service through a process of collaborative inquiry. In addition, we discuss individual efforts to challenge university colleagues and students (many of whom are teachers in training) to interrogate issues of social justice, diversity, and marginalization in their academic environments. Our experiences provide a critical examination of the supports needed for diverse women faculty who engage in critical dialogues that challenge traditional institutional structures while on the tenure path.
A Blank Slate: Peregrination and Prejudice in Eighteenth-Century Travel Writing

AbstractThis article discusses the different roles the concept of prejudice plays in eighteenth-century travelogues and advice books known as apodemica. Itinerary literature of the period stresses the pragmatic importance of prejudice as a first form of inquiry, but also points to its detrimental effects as a hindrance to authentic experience and unbiased cultural interaction. Prejudice is seen as particularly problematic when it comes to the observation of new phenomena and the recording of experience, whose unmediated character travellers are advised to preserve. Ultimately, the literature suggests that prejudice and rational inquiry do not stand in static opposition to each other, but rather in a relationship where each can serve as source of the other.
Design and Development of Novel Remover for Cu/Porous Low-k Interconnects

At 32nm and below the integration of extreme low-k dielectrics (ELK) with a permittivity of 2.2 or lower will require considerable process optimization at etch and clean to maintain critical dimension (CD) and effective k. Of equal concern is the impact on yield and reliability of lateral Cu etch or incomplete removal of copper oxides (CuOx) during post etch residue (PER) cleaning. These are not new issues but the challenges of solving them in the presence of ELK’s are considerable not least in relation to the question of selectivity towards “damaged low k” interfaces, often described as densified or C depleted layers.
Recruitment of inhibition by enhanced activation of synaptic NMDA responses in the rat cerebral cortex.

Abstract Intracellular recordings of layer V neurons from rat neocortical slices were obtained to examine the effects of reducing extracellular magnesium on inhibition. Magnesium-free solutions induced interictal and ictal-like events in cortical neurons. Changes in synaptic events underlying epileptogenesis were studied when extracellular calcium was raised (from 2 to 3–7 mM) since this delayed seizure activity. With increasing time of exposure of cells to magnesium-free solutions, there was a significant increase in the size and duration of both the depolarizing and slow synaptic hyperpolarizing responses, but the fast synaptic hyperpolarizationsignificantly declined in amplitude. When cells were recorded with cesium acetate-filled microelectrodes slow hyperpolarizing responses were blocked, but depolarization of cells to 0 mV allowed an isolated fast hyperpolarizing response to be recorded following synaptic stimulation. The amplitude of this response was unchanged after exposure to magnesium-free solutions. Synaptic responses of cells initially bathed in an N- methyl- d -aspartate (NMDA) antagonist (CPP) were unchanged by subsequent exposure to magnesium-free solutions. CPP exposure by itself caused in depolarization duration, increase in fast hyperpolarizing amplitude, and decrease in slow hyperpolarization amplitude and duration. When the fast hyperpolarization was viewed in isolation (cesium recording electrodes) at 0 mV, the amplitude of this event was unchanged by exposure to CPP. Given these results stimulus-response characteristics of neocortical neurons were reassessed under control conditions. With higher intensity stimuli larger depolarizing and slow hyperpolarizing responses were evoked, but the fast hyperpolarization showed a decremental response. These effects were reversed when CPP was added. When NMDA activity was enhanced by exposure to magnesium-free solutions or electrical stimulation, the amplitude of excitatory events and slow hyperpolarizations increased, but fast inhibitory responses showed limited capacity for incremental recruitment. This suggests fast inhibition is saturated (maximal) at submaximal levels of excitation, and can be overcome by increasing levels of excitation. Such a process is active under physiological conditions, altering the efficacy of inhibition.
Surgical repair of leaking filtering blebs

Abstract Purpose To report the surgical management of leaking filtering blebs occurring after blebitis or persistent hypotony. Design Retrospective, noncomparative case series. Participants Twenty-two eyes of 20 patients with late bleb leak, blebitis or endophthalmitis, hypotony maculopathy, or bleb dysesthesia on presentation to the glaucoma service who required surgical bleb revision from 1990 through 1999. Intervention Pedicle flap, partial excision, and advancement or free conjunctival autologous graft techniques for surgical bleb revision. Type of bleb revision was dependent on the dimensions of the bleb and quality of surrounding conjunctiva. Main outcome measures Preoperative and postoperative intraocular pressure (IOP), status of bleb leak, reoperation for glaucoma, or requirement for postrevision glaucoma medical therapy, with success defined as the need for two or fewer glaucoma medications after revision. Results Eighty-six percent (19/22) of eyes that underwent surgical bleb revision had resolution of leak and IOP control using two or fewer medications after one or more bleb revisions. The preoperative IOP (mean ± standard deviation) was 3.7 ± 2.6 mmHg (range, 0–8 mmHg). After an average follow-up of 21 months (range, 8–108 months), the IOP was 11.0 ± 4.4 mmHg for patients taking 0.6 ± 1.0 glaucoma medications. Eighteen percent (4/22) of eyes required two or more bleb revisions. In one eye, an IOP spike of 36 mmHg developed after revision, which required laser suture lysis on two occasions before the IOP was significantly lowered. The three failures were: one eye that required three or more medications for IOP control, a patient whose eye had a persistent leak after revision and who was not mentally competent to undergo repeat revision, and one eye that required combined glaucoma and cataract surgery after revision. Conclusions Surgical bleb revision has a high success rate of closing late bleb leaks, maintaining glaucoma control, and preserving vision, with few postoperative complications. The appropriate surgical procedure for revision must be based on the individual clinical situation and can result in successful bleb revision.
Guillain-Barré syndrome

The leading cause of acute neuromuscular weakness in the developed world is Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS). Mortality rates vary widely. This article discusses the care and management of patients with GBS, with an emphasis on those patients who require admission to an intensive care unit.
Ezetimibe treatment of pediatric patients with hypercholesterolemia

Objective To review the efficacy of ezetimibe monotherapy for treatment of hypercholesterolemia in pediatric patients. Study design This is a retrospective review of all pediatric patients who received ezetimibe monotherapy as treatment for hypercholesterolemia and for whom follow-up clinical and lipid results were available. Of 36 identified patients, 26 had lipoprotein profiles suggestive of familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), and 10 had profiles suggestive of familial combined hyperlipidemia (FCHL). Results After a mean 105 days of treatment with ezetimibe (range, 32-175 days), total cholesterol (TC) levels decreased from 7.3 ± 1.0 mmol/L to 5.7 ± 1.0 mmol/L ( P P P ≤ .002), and LDL-C levels decreased from 4.7 ± 1.0 mmol/L to 3.8 ± 0.6 mmol/L ( P ≤ .005). For all patients, the mean decrease in individual LDL-C values was 1.5 ± 0.9 mmol/L or 28%. There was no significant change in triglyceride or high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels with ezetimibe. Patients were maintained on ezetimibe with no adverse effects attributable to the medication for as long as 3.5 years. At a mean of 13.6 months (range, 1-44 months) after the initiation of ezetimibe, LDL-C levels remained decreased at 4.0 ± 0.6 mmol/L. Conclusions In this small retrospective series of children and adolescents with hypercholesterolemia, ezetimibe was safe and effective in lowering LDL-C levels.
Novel ceria-polymer microcomposites for chemical mechanical polishing

Abstract Abrasive particles are key components in slurries for chemical mechanical polishing (CMP). Since the particle characteristics determine surface quality of wafers during polishing, in this research, novel abrasive composite particles have been developed. These composite particles contain nanoparticles of ceria dispersed within cross-linked, polymeric microspheres such that the average mass fraction of ceria is approximately 50% in the particles. The microspheres are formed by co-polymerization of N -isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) with 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate (MPS) and contain interpenetrating (IP) chains of poly(acrylic acid) (PAAc). Infrared spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, and transmission electron microscopy are employed to characterize the composite particles. Planarization of silicon dioxide wafers is studied on a bench-top CMP tester and the polished surfaces are characterized by ellipsometry, atomic force and optical microscopy. Slurries formed from the composite ceria–polymer particles lead to lower topographical variations and surface roughness than slurries of only ceria nanoparticles even though both slurries achieve similar removal rates of ∼100 nm/min for similar ceria content. Polishing with the novel composite particles gives surfaces devoid of scratches and particle deposition, which makes these particles suitable for the next generation slurries in CMP.
A rapid method for determining nanogram quantities of uranium in urine using the kinetic phosphorescence analyzer

A procedure for determining total uranium in urine using a pulsed-laser Kinetic Phosphorescence Analyzer (KPA) is described. The chemical procedure is simple and rapid, and the operation of the KPA is straightforward. An inter-laboratory comparison (measuring total uranium by using fused pellet fluorometry, alpha spectrometry, and the KPA) demonstrates accuracy. The detection limit for this method, of 0.06 ng/mL, is readily achieved. The relative standard deviation (RSD) of the measurements at the 1.0 ng/mL level is 5%. Interference studies, which include selected elements found in urine, are discussed. Potential interferences in other matrices such as soil, milk, and water are also examined.