cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Initiation patterns of statin therapy among adult patients undergoing intermediate to high‐risk non‐cardiac surgery

Background A growing body of literature has been produced on the potential role of statins in reducing perioperative cardiac events in patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery. However, evidence remains inconsistent, and little is known about the patterns of perioperative statin use in routine care. Objectives The objective of this study was to examine patterns of perioperative statin initiation among adults undergoing non-cardiac elective surgery in the USA. Methods Using data from a large US healthcare insurer, we identified patients aged ≥18 years who underwent moderate-risk to high-risk non-cardiac elective surgery between 2003 and 2012 and initiated statins within 30 days before surgery. We evaluated temporal trends of statin initiation and patient characteristics. In a matched analysis, we assessed the effect of temporal proximity to surgery on the likelihood of statin initiation. Results Of 460,154 patients undergoing surgery, 5628 (12 per 1000 patients) initiated a statin within 30 days before surgery. Statin initiation increased from 8 per 1000 patients in 2003 to 15 in 2012 (p = 0.0022). The increase was more pronounced among patients undergoing vascular surgery (149 initiators per 1000 patients by the end of 2012) and with Revised Cardiac Risk Index (RCRI) score ≥2 (72 per 1000 patients). Proximity to surgery, in particular vascular surgery, was predictive of statin initiation. Conclusions Despite the lack of robust evidence, perioperative statin initiation progressively increased from 2003 to 2012, particularly among patients undergoing major vascular surgery and with higher RCRI score. These trends were largely attributable to the initiation of statins in anticipation of non-cardiac surgery rather than routine dyslipidemia treatment. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Associative Virtues and Hume's Narrow Circle

This article offers a straightforward reading of Hume's ‘narrow circle’ – the boundary employed to define those with whom we sympathize in assessing an agent's moral character – that follows from a more careful look at his account of virtue. Hume employs a principle that can be understood as a virtue ethical equivalent of associative obligation, which thereby delimits the boundaries of this circle. This reading avoids concerns about unjustified partiality, moral blind spots, and demandingness, and shows a clear path for reaching uniform moral judgments; it also offers a new perspective on virtue of interest for contemporary virtue ethics.
Optimal design in pediatric pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic clinical studies

It is not trivial to conduct clinical trials with pediatric participants. Ethical, logistical, and financial considerations add to the complexity of pediatric studies. Optimal design theory allows investigators the opportunity to apply mathematical optimization algorithms to define how to structure their data collection to answer focused research questions. These techniques can be used to determine an optimal sample size, optimal sample times, and the number of samples required for pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies. The aim of this review is to demonstrate how to determine optimal sample size, optimal sample times, and the number of samples required from each patient by presenting specific examples using optimal design tools. Additionally, this review aims to discuss the relative usefulness of sparse vs rich data. This review is intended to educate the clinician, as well as the basic research scientist, whom plan on conducting a pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic clinical trial in pediatric patients.
Outcomes of hospitalizations for myocardial infarctions and cerebrovascular accidents in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objective Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have increased risks of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and cerebrovascular accident (CVA), but it is not known whether they have worse outcomes after AMI or CVA compared with patients without SLE. This study compared in-hospital mortality, length of stay, and other measures of severity (congestive heart failure or need for coronary artery bypass grafting after AMI; discharge to a skilled nursing facility after CVA) between patients with SLE and patients without SLE who were hospitalized for AMI or CVA. Methods Data on all patients hospitalized in California with either AMI or CVA from 1996 to 2000 were abstracted from a state hospitalization database. Outcomes after AMI were compared between 519 patients with SLE and 214,771 patients without SLE, and outcomes after CVA were compared between 905 patients with SLE and 293,326 patients without SLE. Analyses were performed separately for men and women. Results Among women with AMI, there were no differences in the risk of in-hospital mortality, long length of stay, or congestive heart failure between patients with SLE and those without SLE, but women with SLE were less likely to undergo coronary artery bypass grafting. Outcomes after AMI did not differ between men with SLE and men without SLE. Among women with CVA, there were no differences in outcomes between patients with SLE and patients without SLE. Men with SLE were almost twice as likely to have a long length of stay after CVA than were men without SLE. Conclusion Outcomes after AMI and CVA are generally similar between patients with SLE and those without SLE.
Tachykinin substance P signaling involved in diesel exhaust-induced bronchopulmonary neurogenic inflammation in rats

This study characterizes the molecular neurotoxicity of diesel exhaust (DE) on the tachykinin substance P (SP) signaling system in the lungs. A total of 96 female Fischer 344/NH rats (~175 g, ~4 weeks old) were randomly assigned to eight groups in a 2×4 factorial design: capsaicin versus non-capsaicin (vehicle) pretreatment, and filtered room air versus two exposure levels of DE with diesel engine room control. The rats were exposed nose-only to room air or low (35.3 µg/m3) and high concentrations (669.3 µg/m3) particulates directly from a Cummins N14 research engine at 75% throttle for 4 h/day, 5 days/week, for 3 weeks. The findings showed that exposure to DE dose-dependently induced bronchopulmonary neurogenic inflammation, both in capsaicin- and vehicle-pretreated rats, as measured by plasma extravasation, edema, and inflammatory cells. DE inhalation affected the SP signaling processes, including stored SP depletion and the gene/protein overexpression for neurokinin-1 receptor. DE also significantly reduced the activity of neutral endopeptidase, a main degradation enzyme for SP. Consequently, these changes may be regarded as critical factors that switched neurogenic pulmonary responses from their protective functions to a detrimental role that perpetuates lung inflammation. These changes may possibly be associated with the mass concentration of DE particles due to their physico-chemical characteristics. Moreover, capsaicin-pretreated rats had more sensitivity to these levels of DE exposure due to stimulation of bronchopulmonary C-fibers. However, the effects of capsaicin treatment were not consistent and apparent in this study. Taken together, our findings suggest that neurokininergic mechanisms may possibly be involved in DE-induced lung inflammation, but that bronchopulmonary C-fibers did not dominate DE-induced inflammatory abnormalities.
Duration of response to teacher questions and statements

Abstract To examine the effectiveness of teacher questions in stimulating student participation, 26 high school discussion classes were tape-recorded and the duration of utterances timed by stopwatch. Analyses of variance performed on class mean duration of student response revealed three findings. (1) No significant difference was observed between response to questions and response to declarative statements. (2) By question type, opinion questions received significantly longer responses than factual ones, and closed longer than open; no differences were observed for six other ways of classifying questions. (3) Response to questions appeared unrelated to selected characteristics of classroom, teacher, and student. The findings offer little support to current emphases in theory and practice on the use of questions in discussion classes. The study may be situated within a body of recent research that has failed to validate traditional claims for the efficacy of teacher questions.
Rheological impacts of particle softness on wetted polymer-grafted silica nanoparticles in polymer melts

Well-characterized dispersions of silica nanoparticles, stabilized by end-tethered poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) chains in PDMS melts have been investigated to better understand the impact of the graft layer on bulk properties. The relative “softness” of completely wet, dispersed particles is examined by varying the melt molecular weight (P = 2–13 kg/mol) and particle core radius (ac = 16–600 nm). As P decreases at constant graft molecular weight (N = 25 kg/mol) and graft density (Σ ≈ 0.17 chains/nm2), enhanced stretching of the brush is supported by polymer scaling theory predictions. Using rheology, particle interactions for systems of varying particle volume fraction (i.e., interparticle separation distance) have been studied. Through steady shear and oscillatory rheological experiments, we have observed a liquid–solid transition that depends on particle softness, or the ratio of the brush height to particle core radius. At particle volume fractions above the liquid–solid transition, an increase in mechanical properties, namely storage modulus and relative viscosity, in lower molecular weight melts occurs due to higher interparticle repulsions from greater stretching of the brush. Moreover, plateau moduli, G′∞, for particle concentrations above the liquid–solid transition, scale with the interparticle separation distance with a dependence corresponding to a repulsive interaction potential. Ultimately, elucidation of the role of the graft layer on nanoparticles dispersed in polymer melts will aid in the formulation of nanomaterials in applications such as coatings, optics, catalysis, and plastics.
Effects of prior shock and scopolamine on aggressive behavior and blood glucose levels in the rat.

The present experiment studied shock-elicited aggression (SEA), interspecific attack, and blood glucose levels, as a function of prior experience with foot shock and scopolamine administration. Prior experience with shock and fighting increased later SEA frequencies, although prior shock experience, without the opportunity to fight had little effect, relative to control animals. Prior shock experience increased mouse attack, but had no effect on frog attack. Scopolamine injections decreased SEA and frog attack, during the first postinjection hour. However, SEA was less affected by scopolamine in animals with prior shock experience. It was also found that prior shock unpaired animals produced larger increases in blood glucose than did prior shock to paired animals. Scopolamine increased blood glucose levels in all animals regardless of shock-fighting history. However, animals with a prior history of foot shock showed greater blood glucose elevations at lower scopolamine dosages than did animals without a prior history of shock. These results suggest that although SEA, and frog and mouse attack may be different models of animal aggression, they have at least some biochemical and experiential determinants in common.
Maroteaux-Lamy syndrome (mucopolysaccharidosis type VI): a single dose of galsulfase further reduces urine glycosaminoglycans after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Abstract Background Maroteaux–Lamy syndrome, or mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) type VI, is the autosomal recessive lysosomal disorder resulting from deficient N-acetylgalactosamine 4-sulfatase (ARSB) and the consequent accumulation of glycosaminoglycan (GAG). Patients fully engrafted after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) demonstrate several indicators of metabolic correction such as reduction in liver size, absence of hepatic ultrastructural pathology, and patients do not develop cervical cord compression. Engrafted patients demonstrate reduction in urine GAG achieving near-normal levels. Hypothesis We presumed that HSCT engraftment from a normal individual would provide sufficient systemic enzyme to accomplish maximal metabolic correction, and that no additional benefit would accrue from additional therapy such as with intravenous recombinant human ARSB protein, galsulfase. Materials and methods A 22-year-old male had received an allogeneic bone marrow transplant from an HLA-identical sibling donor, and remained fully engrafted after 20 years. In response to his request regarding the potential benefit of enzyme replacement therapy, we administered a single, standard dose of galsulfase while monitoring urine GAG daily, before and after the treatment. Results Urine GAG declined from slightly high pre-treatment levels (7.63 mg GAG/mmol creatinine; range 7.0–8.5, N = 3) progressively declining below the age-specific normal range ( Conclusions Somewhat surprisingly, the biomarker urine GAG was significantly reduced after a single treatment of intravenous galsulfase thus suggesting that supplemental enzyme replacement therapy might improve the clinical outcome for donor-engrafted patients with MPS VI.
Neurobehavioral assessment in the information age

The elucidation of the human and mouse genomes provides new opportunities for exploring the genetic underpinnings of complex mammalian behaviors. This information also provides new windows into the pathophysiology and treatment of neuropsychiatric diseases. Optimal use of the rapidly escalating numbers of mouse lines engineered for these purposes is hindered, however, by practical and theoretical limitations of common behavioral analyses. New strategies combining automated behavioral monitoring and information technologies are currently under development in both academic and industrial settings. These hold promise, both for improving the throughput of mouse behavioral assessment and for providing new insights into the neurobiology of mammalian behavioral regulation.
Technical Basis for BWRVIP Stainless Steel Crack Growth Correlations in BWRs

An intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC) growth model for unirradiated, thermally sensitized stainless steels and a methodology for assessment of through-wall crack growth in horizontal weld heat affected zones (HAZs) of boiling water reactor (BWR) core shrouds has been developed. This empirical model accounts for the variability of important IGSCC parameters such as coolant conductivity, stress intensity factor, K, temperature and electrochemical corrosion potential (ECP) in providing a conservative, yet realistic assessment of the crack growth rate. Data from various sources were used to derive the empirical crack growth correlation, including work from Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)-sponsored research, work sponsored by the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and in-plant crack arrest verification system (CAVS) data as well as laboratory data developed by the General Electric Nuclear Energy (GENE). The combined database from all the sources was evaluated to ensure that only relevant data was used in the model development. This refined database was used to derive the crack growth correlation using pattern recognition and multivariate modeling tools. For practical application to crack growth evaluation of stainless steel components, three approaches were developed for dispositions of flaws, i.e., a K-independent approach, a conservative 95th percentile K-dependent approach and a plant specific approach using actual BWR water chemistry data. An example problem representing actual BWR shroud conditions is presented that demonstrates how the current crack growth model, the weld residual stress and K can be used to perform a plant-specific evaluation of flawed shrouds. The results of this example demonstrated that significant operating periods are likely for most flawed conditions in BWR core shroud welds before ASME Code Section XI core shroud safety margins are challenged.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Design for energy: Modeling of spectrum, temperature and device structure dependences of solar cell energy production

Abstract Solar photovoltaic energy generation can benefit from high efficiency, environment specific design. In this work, a model is developed to assess the electrical energy produced by concentrator solar cells during specific time frames with varying realistic weather conditions and cell temperatures. The model is applied to a comparative study of the spectral and temperature sensitivities of efficiency and energy production for tandem junction and spectrally split parallel junction solar cell structures. Direct normal solar spectra in a representative sunny site, Tucson, Arizona are calculated using the SPCTRAL2 model at 15-minute intervals throughout a year with real-time meteorological data input. The corresponding efficiencies of the two devices under 500 times concentration at cell temperatures deduced from thermal modeling with real-time ambient temperatures are computed. Both device structures comprise the same materials, InGaP, GaAs and Ge, and each device design is optimized to standard operating conditions (AM1.5D spectrum and a cell temperature of 25 °C). The two devices are compared for their efficiencies and power/energy output at (i) 15 min intervals (instantaneous values), (ii) daily and (iii) yearly time spans. Despite efficiency loss due to series resistance that is three times as high as that for the tandem junction, the parallel junction has a higher daily averaged efficiency every single day, and its yearly averaged efficiency is 1.2% absolute higher, meaning an additional annual energy production of 19.2 MWh per m 2 cell area. Besides energy forecast and assessment, the developed method can be used to obtain optimum solar cell designs for maximum energy production under varying geographical and climatic conditions.
Tensile Strength and Toughness of Soil—Cement—Fly-Ash Composite Reinforced with Recycled High-Density Polyethylene Strips

An experimental investigation was conducted to evaluate the split tensile load-deformation strength and toughness properties of a granular soil chemically stabilized with cement and fly ash, and me...
Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Glycoprotein E Mediates Retrograde Spread from Epithelial Cells to Neurites

In animal models of infection, glycoprotein E (gE) is required for efficient herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) spread from the inoculation site to the cell bodies of innervating neurons (retrograde direction). Retrograde spread in vivo is a multistep process, in that HSV-1 first spreads between epithelial cells at the inoculation site, then infects neurites, and finally travels by retrograde axonal transport to the neuron cell body. To better understand the role of gE in retrograde spread, we used a compartmentalized neuron culture system, in which neurons were infected in the presence or absence of epithelial cells. We found that gE-deleted HSV-1 (NS-gEnull) retained retrograde axonal transport activity when added directly to neurites, in contrast to the retrograde spread defect of this virus in animals. To better mimic the in vivo milieu, we overlaid neurites with epithelial cells prior to infection. In this modified system, virus infects epithelial cells and then spreads to neurites, revealing a 100-fold retrograde spread defect for NS-gEnull. We measured the retrograde spread defect of NS-gEnull from a variety of epithelial cell lines and found that the magnitude of the spread defect from epithelial cells to neurons correlated with epithelial cell plaque size defect, indicating that gE plays a similar role in both types of spread. Therefore, gE-mediated spread between epithelial cells and neurites likely explains the retrograde spread defect of gE-deleted HSV-1 in vivo.
Motivational Interviewing, Nonadherence to Medical Treatment, and Families:

Counselors and other clinicians are increasingly faced with treatment adherence issues particularly when counselling individuals and families dealing with medical conditions. Since motivational int...
Crime and Architectural Style An Examination of the Environmental Design Hypothesis

Historically, social scientists have argued that human behavior is, to a large degree, a response to environmental conditions. Recently, a group of criminologists have posited a direct relationship between certain environmental structures and reported crime rates. Studies exploring this area have pointed to the association between crme rates and highrise residences as support for their position. However, several serious weaknesses exist in this previous research. High-rise structures are generally either in high crime areas or are luxury apartments with guarded entrances. In addition, such research is generally based on official crime data. The present study investigates, through victimization techniques, the experiences of residents of several high- and low-rise structures in a traditionally low crime area: the college campus. In addition, measures of the respondent's sense of community were employed to address the self-policing hypothesis of the environmental design approach. Although causality cannot be inferred from the findings, a positive association was observed between high-rise areas and property crime rates. Furthermore, both of these variables were negatively associated with the respondents' sense of community. Language: en
Comparison of dorsal and ventral spinal root regeneration through semipermeable guidance channels.

Semipermeable guidance channels have been shown to support nerve regeneration in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) possibly through interactions with the wound healing environment. This study quantitatively assesses the ability of such channels to support regeneration in the PNS segment of the spinal roots across a 4 mm gap and compares the resultant dorsal and ventral root regeneration. Acrylic copolymer guidance channels with a molecular weight (Mw) cutoff of 50,000 Da were used in a transected rat spinal root model. Cohorts of 23 animals (11 ventral, 12 dorsal) were examined at four weeks; 6 animals (3 ventral, 3 dorsal) at ten weeks; and 10 animals (5 ventral, 5 dorsal) at twenty-four weeks post-implantation. Both the dorsal and ventral roots were able to regenerate across the gap within the semipermeable channel. At all time periods, the regenerated dorsal roots contained fewer myelinated axons than found in the contralateral control root and consisted of an abundance of collagenous tissue. In contrast, by ten weeks the regenerated ventral roots contained twice the contralateral control number of myelinated axons and were composed predominantly of large, myelinated axons. At twenty-four weeks the number of unmyelinated axons was also quantified, with the regenerated dorsal root containing only one-fifth of the control number and the regenerated ventral root containing more than four times the control. Due to the proximity of the dorsal root lesion to the axonal cell bodies, the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neuronal cell loss was investigated at four weeks post-implantation. A comparison of the cell numbers on the experimental side to those on the contralateral control side yielded a mean E/C ratio of 1.07, suggesting that a significant cell loss is an unlikely causative factor in the impairment of regeneration in the dorsal root. This study reports a difference in the regenerative capacities of dorsal and ventral roots using semipermeable guidance channels. Future studies involving variations in the regenerative environment may help determine the factors responsible for the different regenerative capabilities of the spinal roots.
Measurement of coating physical properties and detection of coating disbonds by time-resolved infrared radiometry

This paper describes the principles and applications of time-resolved infrared radiometric (TRIR) imaging to characterization of coating systems. Examples are given of its application to the measurement of coating properties such as thickness and thermal diffusivity and to the detection of regions of coating disbond. Results are shown for coatings of different thicknesses, for test specimens containing artificial disbonds, and for thermal barrier coating specimens exhibiting real disbonds. A theoretical model describing the time development of the surface temperature of a coating during step heating is presented and the experimental results show good agreement with this model. Methods for applying the technique for inspection of large areas of coating as would be required in a process control or in service inspection environment are discussed and examples of parallel data acquisition using line heating sources are presented.
Retinal degeneration in choroideremia: deficiency of rab geranylgeranyl transferase

Rab geranylgeranyl transferase (GG transferase) is a two-component enzyme that attaches 20-carbon isoprenoid groups to cysteine residues in Rab proteins, a family of guanosine triphosphate-binding proteins that regulate vesicular traffic. The mutant gene in human choroideremia, an X-linked form of retinal degeneration, encodes a protein that resembles component A of rat Rab GG transferase. Lymphoblasts from choroideremia subjects showed a marked deficiency in the activity of component A, but not component B, of Rab GG transferase. The deficiency was more pronounced when the substrate was Rab3A, a synaptic vesicle protein, than it was when the substrate was Rab1A, a protein of the endoplasmic reticulum. The data imply the existence of multiple component A proteins, one of which is missing in choroideremia.
Relating complexity and precision in control flow analysis

We analyze the computational complexity of kCFA, a hierarchy of control flow analyses that determine which functions may be applied at a given call-site. This hierarchy specifies related decision problems, quite apart from any algorithms that may implement their solutions. We identify a simple decision problem answered by this analysis and prove that in the 0CFA case, the problem is complete for polynomial time. The proof is based on a nonstandard, symmetric implementation of Boolean logic within multiplicative linear logic (MLL). We also identify a simpler version of 0CFA related to η-expansion, and prove that it is complete for logarithmic space, using arguments based on computing paths and permutations.For any fixed k>0, it is known that kCFA (and the analogous decision problem) can be computed in time exponential in the program size. For k=1, we show that the decision problem is NP-hard, and sketch why this remains true for larger fixed values of k. The proof technique depends on using the approximation of CFA as an essentially nondeterministic computing mechanism, as distinct from the exactness of normalization. When k=n, so that the "depth" of the control flow analysis grows linearly in the program length, we show that the decision problem is complete for exponential time.In addition, we sketch how the analysis presented here may be extended naturally to languages with control operators. All of the insights presented give clear examples of how straightforward observations about linearity, and linear logic, may in turn be used to give a greater understanding of functional programming and program analysis.
Personality correlates of the joy of life

Hypothesized that greater diversity of joy and more intense levels of joy would be associated with low hopelessness, high sensation seeking the perception of the world as just, and high sensitization as compared with high repression. It also was predicted that female Ss would score higher in sources of joy and in intensity as compared to males. One hundred and thirty-four college students were administered the Joy of Life Scale, Hopelessness Scale, Sensation Seeking Scale, Just World Scale, and Revised Repression-Sensitization Scale. The hypothesis was supported for sensation seeking in that High Sensation Seekers assigned significantly (p less than .05) higher mean intensity ratings to experiences that produced joy of life, than did Low Sensation Seekers. Contrary to expectation, there was a nonsignificant trend for sensitizers, when compared with repressors, to select fewer joy-related experiences and to evaluate these experiences as less joyful. The experiences that most often led to high levels of joy were those referrable to positive emotional events.
Elementary damping properties in braided composite materials

This paper investigates the damping level trends of three-dimensionally braided composites as a function of matrix material, fiber-matrix interface, fiber braid angle, fiber volume, and axial fiber tow size. With knowledge of such trends, designers may increase the structural damping in a 3-D braided composite component, thereby reducing component vibration, shock response, and fatigue. The logarithmic decrements of the fundamental mode response of cantilevered, 3-D braided composite beam specimens were calculated for comparison. Although the logarithmic decrements of two specimens, differing only in their matrix materials (Tactix 123 and Epon 828), were essentially identical, both were considerably larger than that for steel. The value for the decrement of these two composite specimens' response was taken as a reference. Altering the nature of the fiber-matrix interface by lubricating the fibers before specimen consolidation greatly increased the damping relative to the baseline. Trends of increasing damping were measured with both increasing fiber braid angle and fiber volume. Finally, increasing levels of damping are reported for decreases in axial fiber tow size. Explanations for these trends, based on the possible microscopic and macroscopic nature of the braided composites, are offered.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The decoupling of damped linear systems in free or forced vibration

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to extend classical modal analysis to decouple any viscously damped linear system in non-oscillatory free vibration or in forced vibration. Based upon an exposition of how exponential decay in a system can be regarded as imaginary oscillations, the concept of damped modes of imaginary vibration is introduced. By phase synchronization of these real and physically excitable modes, a time-varying transformation is constructed to decouple non-oscillatory free vibration. When time drifts caused by viscous damping and by external excitation are both accounted for, a time-varying decoupling transformation for forced vibration is derived. The decoupling procedure devised herein reduces to classical modal analysis for systems that are undamped or classically damped. This paper constitutes the second and final part of a solution to the “classical decoupling problem.” Together with an earlier paper, a general methodology that requires only the solution of a quadratic eigenvalue problem is developed to decouple any damped linear system.
A computational model for electron backscattering in electron dosimetry

A one‐dimensional electron transport algorithm based on the ideas of invariant imbedding has been developed and applied to the problem of electron backscattering in electron dosimetry. Results have been compared with experimental and Monte Carlo results. Agreement appears to be reasonable at low incident energies (0.5 to 10 MeV) and low Z(Z≤65) materials.
NaCl effects on growth and transpiration inSalicornia bigelovii a salt-marsh halophyte

Growth of the annualSalicornia bigelovii Torr. was found to be optimum at about 1 per cent NaCl or somewhat less than is usually reported forSalicornia herbacea L. Extremely poor survival occurs with NaCl concentrations below 0.5 per cent. Growth inhibition at NaCl concentrations above optimum seem to be more severe for root growth than for shoot growth. No effect of NaCl on succulence inS. bigelovii was detected. Transpiration on a fresh weight basis is significantly reduced at NaCl concentrations above that for optimum growth. Possible sites of NaCl action on conductivity to water are discussed.
Reverse Genetics Analysis of Poxvirus Intermediate Transcription Factors

Vaccinia virus transcription is regulated in three stages. An intermediate transcription factor, comprised of virus-encoded polypeptides A8 and A23, was previously identified by in vitro analyses. To investigate its role, we engineered cells that stably expressed both subunits and complemented the replication of A8 and A23 deletion mutant viruses. Without A8 or A23, viral early gene expression and DNA replication occurred but intermediate and late gene expression and resolution of genome concatemers were not detected.
Emphysematous cholecystitis due to Salmonella derby

We present the case of a woman with diabetes mellitus who developed symptoms and signs consistent with gastroenteritis. After admission for hydration, the patient rapidly became critically ill and an abdominal catastrophe was suspected as the cause of her deterioration. Computed tomography of her abdomen was done and revealed gas in the lumen of the gallbladder consistent with emphysematous cholecystitis. She underwent emergent cholecystectomy, which revealed that the gallbladder had already ruptured. Blood cultures grew Salmonella derby. After a prolonged hospitalisation she eventually recovered and was discharged home. Emphysematous cholecystitis, thought to be a variant of acute cholecystitis, is a medical and surgical emergency. Diagnosis relies heavily on imaging findings by ultrasound or computed tomography since the clinical presentation is often non-specific. Cholecystectomy remains the treatment of choice in addition to broad spectrum antibiotics and other supportive measures.
Structural and Electrical Properties of Flip Chip Laminated Metal–Molecule–Silicon Structures Varying Molecular Backbone and Atomic Tether

Formation of electrical contacts to organic molecules by using a scalable technique that preserves molecular integrity is a key development toward reliable fabrication of nanoscale molecular architectures. Here we report the structural and electrical properties of metal–monolayer–silicon junctions fabricated by using Flip Chip Lamination (FCL), a novel, low cost, and nondestructive approach. The effect of junction formation is studied with both aliphatic and aromatic molecular backbones. The ω-functionalized monolayers are first formed on ultrasmooth gold via a thiol linkage and then laminated to H–Si via a thiol or alkene linkage. The application of pressure and temperature enables formation of the nanoscale molecular junctions chemically tethered to two electrodes. The molecular structure and interfacial chemistry within the electrical structure are investigated by using polarized backside-reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy (pb-RAIRS) and current–voltage (I–V) measurements. The confined organic...
Political choices: the role of political skill in occupational choice

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to investigate how political skill relates to career decisions and occupational fit.Design/methodology/approach – The study utilizes undergraduate business majors to determine how their level of political skill influences their choice of career/major in a Holland‐type framework. Hypotheses are tested using logistic regression.Findings – The paper finds that there is general support for the proposition that political skill influences the pursuit of social and enterprising majors/careers.Research limitations/implications – While choice of major is a strong indicator of occupational choice, it is not a direct measure of individual careers. However, the results provide insight regarding how organizational politics relates to individual careers and suggests the need for further study.Practical implications – The paper provides a valuable additional factor for assessing career fit.Originality/value – This paper is the first to critically examine organizational politics w...
Mutational analysis of protein phosphatase 2C involved in abscisic acid signal transduction in higher plants.

Protein phosphatase 2C (PP2C) is a class of ubiquitous and evolutionarily conserved serine/threonine PP involved in stress responses in yeasts, mammals, and plants. Here, I present mutational analysis of two Arabidopsis thaliana PP2Cs, encoded by ABI1 and AtPP2C, involved in the plant stress hormone abscisic acid (ABA) signaling in maize mesophyll protoplasts. Consistent with the crystal structure of the human PP2C, the mutation of two conserved motifs in ABI1, predicted to be involved in metal binding and catalysis, abolished PP2C activity. Surprisingly, although the DGH177–179KLN mutant lost the ability to be a negative regulator in ABA signaling, the MED141–143IGH mutant still inhibited ABA-inducible transcription, perhaps through a dominant interfering effect. Moreover, two G to D mutations near the DGH motif eliminated PP2C activity but displayed opposite effects on ABA signaling. The G174D mutant had no effect but the G180D mutant showed strong inhibitory effect on ABA-inducible transcription. Based on the results that a constitutive PP2C blocks but constitutive Ca2+-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) activate ABA responses, the MED141–143IGH and G180D dominant mutants are unlikely to impede the wild-type PP2C and cause hyperphosphorylation of substrates. In contrast, these dominant mutants could trap cellular targets and prevent phosphorylation by PKs required for ABA signaling. The equivalent mutations in AtPP2C showed similar effects on ABA responses. This study suggests a mechanism for the action of dominant PP2C mutants that could serve as valuable tools to understand protein–protein interactions mediating ABA signal transduction in higher plants.
Gender influences outcome of brain injury: progesterone plays a protective role

The contributions of gender and gonadal hormones in the cascade of events following brain injury are largely unexplored. We measured cerebral edema following cerebral contusion in rats under three hormonal conditions to address this issue. Normally cycling females exhibited significantly less edema than males, and pseudopregnant females were virtually spared from post-injury edema. Subsequent studies of ovariectomized females, with or without hormone treatment, indicated that the reduction of cerebral edema was associated primarily with the presence of circulating progesterone. We conclude that progesterone has a protective effect on the brain following traumatic injury.
Successive Refinements in Long-Term Integrations of Planetary Orbits

We report on accurate, long-term numerical simulations of the orbits of the major planets in our solar system. The equations of motion are directly integrated by a Stormer multistep scheme, which is optimized to reduce round-off errors. The physical models are successively refined to include corrections due to general relativity and the finite size of the lunar orbit. In one case, the Earth-Moon system is resolved as two separate bodies, and the results are compared with those based on analytically averaging the lunar orbit. Through this comparison, a better analytical model is obtained. The computed orbits are in good agreement with those of previous studies for the past 5 Myr but not for earlier times. The inner planets exhibit chaotic behavior with a Lyapunov time of exponential separation of nearby orbits equal to about 4 Myr. Modeling uncertainties and chaos in the inner solar system restrict the accuracy of the computations beyond the past 50 Myr. We do not observe marked chaos in the motion of the Jovian planets in our 90 Myr integration, and we infer that the Lyapunov time for those planets is at least 30 Myr.
Microstructure Formation Mechanism of AZ31 Magnesium Alloy Processed by Rheo-Forming

AZ31 magnesium alloy sheets with a cross section of 5mm×50mm were prepared by semisolid metallic rheo-rolling device self-designed, and microstructure formation mechanism of AZ31 magnesium alloy during rheo-rolling was investigated. The results reveal that during the preparation of semisolid slurry, melt firstly nucleates heterogeneously on the surface of sloping plate. Under the vibration and shear of sloping plate, a relatively homogenous temperature field and composition filed are formed around some grains and are favorable for the direct growths of globular grains; meantime, dendrites formed under the vibration and shear are broken up and rounded gradually and better semisolid slurry is formed. During rheo-rolling, under the action of roll interfacial friction and rolling force, laminar flow shear inside the alloy is enhanced, and grains are further broken up and elongated. When the pouring temperature is 670°C, excellent AZ31 magnesium alloy sheet with good microstructure can be obtained.
Nearshore subtidal community structure compared between inner coast and outer coast sites in Southeast Alaska

Processes that structure subarctic marine communities, particularly in glaciated regions, are not well understood. This understanding is needed as a baseline and to manage these communities in the face of future climate-driven changes. This study investigates two coastal regions of Southeast Alaska with the goals to (a) identify and compare patterns of subtidal community structure for macroalgal, fish, macroinvertebrate (>5 cm), and small epibenthic invertebrate (<5 cm) communities between inner coast and outer coast sites and (b) link patterns of community structure to habitat and environmental parameters. Species assemblage and benthic habitat data were used to compare species diversity and community composition at 6 m and 12 m depths at nine inner coast and nine outer coast sites. Multivariate analysis was applied to reduce environmental variables to major gradients, to resolve community structure, and to relate community structure to habitat and environmental variables. Increased salinity and decreased temperature at outer coast sites compared with inner coast sites were associated with community structure, with greater species diversity at outer coast sites at 6 m depth. Invertebrate community composition was associated with benthic habitat, including crust and coralline algae for macroinvertebrates, and algal cover and substrate for small epibenthic invertebrates. This research suggests that marine communities in glaciated regions are strongly influenced by freshwater input and that future climate-driven changes in freshwater input will likely result in marine community composition changes.
Hyponatremia due to antidepressant medications

Presented is the case of an elderly woman who developed severe hyponatremia while taking tricyclic antidepressants. She met the criteria for the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion induced by drugs. Her symptoms of lethargy, weakness, and gastrointestinal disturbances developed insidiously, allowing the hyponatremia to reach severe levels before a diagnosis was made. A variety of psychoactive drugs, most prominently tricyclic antidepressants, have been reported to produce hyponatremia idiosyncratically in elderly persons.
Determination of periodic states of pressure swing adsorption cycles

This paper compares two methods for the determination of periodic states of adsorption cycles based on mathematical modelling. Emphasis is on pressure swing adsorption, although the methods are valid for cycles of any type. The methods are (1) the traditional, successive substitution approach in which the final condition of a cycle is used as the initial condition of the next cycle, and (2) a new approach for directly determining the periodic states. Rates of convergence of the methods are illustrated using a literature example for air separation using carbon molecular sieve to produce N2.
MpeR Regulates the mtr Efflux Locus in Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Modulates Antimicrobial Resistance by an Iron-Responsive Mechanism

Previous studies have shown that the MpeR transcriptional regulator produced by Neisseria gonorrhoeae represses the expression of mtrF, which encodes a putative inner membrane protein (MtrF). MtrF works as an accessory protein with the Mtr efflux pump, helping gonococci to resist high levels of diverse hydrophobic antimicrobials. Regulation of mpeR has been reported to occur by an iron-dependent mechanism involving Fur (ferric uptake regulator). Collectively, these observations suggest the presence of an interconnected regulatory system in gonococci that modulates the expression of efflux pump protein-encoding genes in an iron-responsive manner. Herein, we describe this connection and report that levels of gonococcal resistance to a substrate of the mtrCDE-encoded efflux pump can be modulated by MpeR and the availability of free iron. Using microarray analysis, we found that the mtrR gene, which encodes a direct repressor (MtrR) of mtrCDE, is an MpeR-repressed determinant in the late logarithmic phase of growth when free iron levels would be reduced due to bacterial consumption. This repression was enhanced under conditions of iron limitation and resulted in increased expression of the mtrCDE efflux pump operon. Furthermore, as judged by DNA-binding analysis, MpeR-mediated repression of mtrR was direct. Collectively, our results indicate that both genetic and physiologic parameters (e.g., iron availability) can influence the expression of the mtr efflux system and modulate levels of gonococcal susceptibility to efflux pump substrates.
The Solvent Extraction Behavior of Rhenium. Part II. The Hydrochloric Acid-Tributyl Phosphate System

Abstract The solvent extraction of heptavalent rhenium from aqueous hydrochloric acid by tributyl phosphate (TBP) in n-dodecane (NDD) has been studied over a wide range of TBP and HC1 concentrations at 25, 40, and 60°C. The extraction was found to proceed according to the reaction 3TBP + H+ + ReO− 4 ⇌ [HReO4 · 3TBP]. A discussion of the possible nature of the organic phase complex is presented, along with values of ΔG, ΔH, ΔS, and the equilibrium constant for the extraction reaction. The behavior of the KReO4-H2O-HCl-TBP system is compared and contrasted with that of the KReO4-H2O-HNO3-TBP system and with the analogous KTcO4 systems.
Corrosion behaviour of experimental alloys in simulated HTGR helium at temperatures in the 750–1050°C

A series of experimental alloys (basically Ni-20 Cr, with addition of one of more of the elements Al, Ti, Si, Nb and Y) has been examined after exposure to controlled purity helium for periods of 1000–6000 hours at 750–1050 °C. This environment was intended to simulate the primary coolant of a high temperature gas-cooled reactor. Alloys containing aluminum were found to be particularly susceptible to internal oxidation at the lower temperatures, but at 950 °C and above carburization became the dominant corrosion mechanism. The most corrosion resistant alloys were Ni-20Cr and Ni-20 Cr containing small amounts of silicon, titanium and niobium. The presence of 1% yttrium dramatically increased the incidence of carburization, even at temperatures as low at 850°C. Korrosionsverhalten experimenteller Legierungen in simuliertem HTGR Helium im Temperaturbereich von 750–1050°C range Eine Anzahl experimenteller Legierungen (grundsatzlich Ni 20 Cr mit Zusatz eines oder mehrerer der Elemente Al, Ti, Nb und Y) wurden untersucht, nachdem sie einer Heliumatmosphare vorgegebener Reinheit 1000 bis 6000 h lang bei 750 bis 1050°C ausgesetzt worden waren. Die Versuche sollten die Bedingungen im primaren Kuhlgas eines Hochtemperatur-gasgekuhlten Reaktors simulieren. Legierungen mit AI waren besonders empfindlich gegen innere Oxidation im Bereich der niedrigeren Temperaturen, wahrend bei mehr als 950 °C Karbidbildung als vorwiegender Korrosionsmechanismus auftrat. Am bestandigsten waren Ni20 Cr und Ni 20 Cr mit geringen Zusatzen von Si, Ti und Nb. In Gegenwart von 1% Y nahm die Karbidbildung schon bei nur 850 °C stark zu.