cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Exercise‐induced laryngeal obstruction (EILO) in children and young adults: From referral to diagnosis

OBJECTIVE To identify different presentations, referral patterns, comorbidities, and laryngoscopy findings in children and young adults with exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction (EILO). METHODS We performed a retrospective chart review of 112 patients, age <26 years, with EILO between 2013 and 2016. RESULTS Of the 112 patients who met criteria, 91 were female and 21 were male. Patients were most frequently referred by pulmonologists (60.7%). The majority of patients (93%) participated in organized sports, most of them at a competitive level. The mean age at symptom onset was 13.8 ± 3.3 years, and the mean age of diagnosis was 15.4 ± 3.0 years. Sixty-seven (59.8%) patients presented with a prior diagnosis of asthma, the majority of whom had failed asthma treatment. The most common symptoms reported were dyspnea (93.8%), wheezing/stridor (78.6%), and throat tightness (48.2%). Ninety-one (81.3%) patients had spirometry performed, with 46 (51.1%) showing inspiratory loop flattening. On flexible laryngoscopy, 87 (78.4%) of 111 patients had paradoxical vocal fold motion. Supraglottic involvement was observed to obstruct the airway in 26 (23.9%) patients, with patterns of obstruction similar to those observed in children with laryngomalacia. CONCLUSION Most patients participated in competitive sports, were female, and presented with exertional dyspnea. Most patients were diagnosed with exercise-induced asthma but treated unsuccessfully. Almost one-quarter of our patients showed supraglottic collapse obstructing the airway. Exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction is a more descriptive term than paradoxical vocal fold motion or vocal cord dysfunction, which only describe vocal fold involvement. The time to diagnosis of EILO was shorter than previously reported, suggesting that awareness of this condition is increasing. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 4 Laryngoscope, 130:E400-E406, 2020.
A cellulose-based therapeutic polymer to deter intravenous drug abuse.

Abstract Prescription opioids have widely been abused as an epidemic. In this research, we developed a drug composition based on the crosslinked carboxymethylcellulose (XCMC) and a drug model that can effectively deter abuse by injection via multiple mechanisms. The anionic nature of the XCMC is responsible for complexing the cationic opioids in aqueous solutions, minimizing the free drug amount accessible for extraction. The crosslinked nature of the polymer is responsible for its swelling and partial containment of the drug solution within the swollen polymer’s network, thus minimizing the available volume for subsequent injection. We have shown that XCMC can efficiently interact with cationic drugs in the form of physical blends and chemical complexes in different aqueous solvents, forming abuse-deterrent complexes. The complexation efficiency was affected by the solution pH and ionic strength, as well as the drug to polymer ratio in the formulation. The in vitro dissolution studies were conducted in two stages, the stage I in 0.1 M HCl and the stage II in water and pH 7.5 phosphate buffer. These studies confirmed the proper drug release under the legitimate conditions of use. Therefore, the XCMC polymers have a great potential to be used as deterring agents in developing opioid medications with abuse-deterrent properties.
Data use for equity?: How data practices incite deficit thinking in schools

Abstract The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine how the organizational aspects of data use influence deficit thinking in schools. Participants included 52 educators (i.e., teachers, instructional facilitators, and leaders) from eight schools within seven Arkansas school districts. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Analysis of data led to the identification of three themes: shifting the focus from instruction to accountability measures; viewing students as numbers, not people; and, creating an unsafe professional environment. These themes demonstrate how organizations framed data use and implemented specific data practices which prompted teachers to engage in deficit thinking. These themes contribute to our understanding of how deficit thinking is fueled by specific data practices established at the local level and can be used by school leaders to enact data practices which support the development of more equitable schools.
A Survey of Multiple Interactions Between Plants and the Urban Environment

It is well acknowledged that plants in urban areas provide multiple ecosystem services. They contribute improving ambient quality and mitigating negative impacts of human presence, beautifying the anthropic environment, and promoting place identity and cultural heritage. However, the existence of plants in general, and trees in particular, cannot be considered independent on urban activities and infrastructures. Release of plant volatile compounds is profoundly affected in urban environments, in turn modifying plant relationships with other living organisms, both plants and animals, and affecting air chemistry and quality. Plants also interfere with stone artifacts, cultural and historical heritage. Plant-human coexistence requires precise and adequate managing measures, which have often been ignored in cities’ government and planning. Plants and humans (and human’s infrastructures) are frequently considered as independent from each other and plant requirements are often disregarded, thus causing difficult or erroneous management and/or environmental damage. We review some of the most important ecosystem services provided by plants in urban environment, and also focus on possible negative effects of plants that may become relevant if urban vegetation is improperly managed and unintegrated in proper city planning, both of historical centers and of recent or new neighboroughs.
Depletion of the Microbiome Alters the Recruitment of Neuronal Ensembles of Oxycodone Intoxication and Withdrawal

Substance use disorders have a complex etiology. Genetics, the environment, and behavior all play a role in the initiation, escalation, and relapse of drug use. Recently, opioid use disorder has become a national health crisis. One aspect of opioid addiction that has yet to be fully examined is the effects of alterations of the microbiome and gut-brain axis signaling on central nervous system activity during opioid intoxication and withdrawal. The effect of microbiome depletion on the activation of neuronal ensembles was measured by detecting Fos-positive (Fos+) neuron activation during intoxication and withdrawal using a rat model of oxycodone dependence. Daily oxycodone administration (2 mg/kg) increased pain thresholds and increased Fos+ neurons in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) during intoxication, with a decrease in pain thresholds and increase in Fos+ neurons in the periaqueductal gray (PAG), central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA), locus coeruleus (LC), paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT), agranular insular cortex (AI), bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), and lateral habenula medial parvocellular region during withdrawal. Microbiome depletion produced widespread but region- and state-specific changes in neuronal ensemble activation. Oxycodone intoxication and withdrawal also increased functional connectivity among brain regions. Microbiome depletion resulted in a decorrelation of this functional network. These data indicate that microbiome depletion by antibiotics produces widespread changes in the recruitment of neuronal ensembles that are activated by oxycodone intoxication and withdrawal, suggesting that the gut microbiome may play a role in opioid use and dependence. Future studies are needed to better understand the molecular, neurobiological, and behavioral effects of microbiome depletion on addiction-like behaviors.
CRISPR-addressable yeast strains with applications in human G protein–coupled receptor profiling and synthetic biology

Genome stability is essential for engineering cell-based devices and reporter systems. With the advent of CRISPR technology, it is now possible to build such systems by installing the necessary genetic parts directly into an organism's genome. Here, we used this approach to build a set of 10 versatile yeast-based reporter strains for studying human G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs), the largest class of membrane receptors in humans. These reporter strains contain the necessary genetically encoded parts for studying human GPCR signaling in yeast, as well as four CRISPR-addressable expression cassettes, i.e. landing pads, installed at known safe-harbor sites in the yeast genome. We showcase the utility of these strains in two applications. First, we demonstrate that increasing GPCR expression by incrementally increasing GPCR gene copy number potentiates Gα coupling of the pharmacologically dark receptor GPR68. Second, we used two CRISPR-addressable landing pads for autocrine activation of a GPCR (the somatostatin receptor SSTR5) with its peptide agonist SRIF-14. The utility of these reporter strains can be extended far beyond these select examples to include applications such as nanobody development, mutational analysis, drug discovery, and studies of GPCR chaperoning. Additionally, we present a BY4741 yeast strain created for broad applications in the yeast and synthetic biology communities that contains only the four CRISPR-addressable landing pads. The general utility of these yeast strains provides an inexpensive, scalable, and easy means of installing and expressing genes directly from the yeast genome to build genome-barcoded sensors, reporter systems, and cell-based factories.
From Stewardship to Creation Spirituality: The Evolving Ecological Ethos of Catholic Doctrine

The relationship between the Catholic Church and the world’s poor is complicated by the link between concern for the earth and concern for the poor. To historically situate this relationship, in this article I examine thirty papal encyclical letters and three other salient documents issued by six Popes, spanning a period between publication of Rachel Carson’s 1962 Silent Spring (a common starting-point for modern environmentalism) and Pope Francis’ 2015 Laudato si’ [‘Praise Be to You’]: On Care for our Common Home encyclical on climate change. Encyclicals were coded for changes in Catholic doctrine using a typology developed by sociologists of religion: from a ‘Stewardship Ethic’ rooted in individual sin, to an ‘Eco-Justice’ ethic, which bridges concern for the environment with concern for the poor, and finally, to an ethic of ‘Creation Spirituality’, which views humans and nature as inseparable. This analysis offered evidence of significant doctrinal shifts in Catholic social teaching toward a distinctively ‘greener’ reading of the tradition. Research on the religion–environment connection that focuses on describing and interpreting change over time offers robust means by which to assess whether, how, and to what extent religious organizations and their adherents engage with environmental issues.
Biogeographic parallels in thermal tolerance and gene expression variation under temperature stress in a widespread bumble bee.

Global temperature changes have emphasized the need to understand how species adapt to thermal stress across their ranges. Genetic mechanisms may contribute to variation in thermal tolerance, providing evidence for how organisms adapt to local environments. We determine physiological thermal limits and characterize genome-wide transcriptional changes at these limits in bumble bees using laboratory-reared Bombus vosnesenskii workers. We analyze bees reared from latitudinal (35.7-45.7°N) and altitudinal (7-2154 m) extremes of the species' range to correlate thermal tolerance and gene expression among populations from different climates. We find that critical thermal minima (CTMIN) exhibit strong associations with local minimums at the location of queen origin, while critical thermal maximum (CTMAX) was invariant among populations. Concordant patterns are apparent in gene expression data, with regional differentiation following cold exposure, and expression shifts invariant among populations under high temperatures. Furthermore, we identify several modules of co-expressed genes that tightly correlate with critical thermal limits and temperature at the region of origin. Our results reveal that local adaptation in thermal limits and gene expression may facilitate cold tolerance across a species range, whereas high temperature responses are likely constrained, both of which may have implications for climate change responses of bumble bees.
Whole-Lung Lavage

Whole-lung lavage is a therapeutic procedure performed to remove material from the lung. Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis caused by a disruption in surfactant metabolism is the most frequent indication for whole-lung lavage but is very rare in pediatrics. This chapter reviews the indications, necessary equipment, preparations, and different techniques for performing whole-lung lavage at our center.
Antibody Responses in Seropositive Persons after a Single Dose of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccine.

Responses of Seropositive Persons to a Single SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Some persons who have recovered from Covid-19 have antibodies to the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. In 43 such persons who had receive...
tiRNA signaling via stress-regulated vesicle transfer in the hematopoietic niche

Abstract Extracellular vesicles transfer complex biologic material between cells, whose role in in-vivo organismal physiology is poorly defined. Here, we demonstrate that osteoblastic cells in the bone marrow elaborate extracellular vesicles that are taken up by hematopoietic progenitor cells in vivo. Genotoxic or infectious stress rapidly increased stromal-derived extracellular vesicle transfer to granulocyte-monocyte progenitors. Stimulating osteoblastic cells with parathyroid hormone or activating its receptor enhanced extracellular vesicle transfer, myeloid recovery post radiation and improved animal survival from Candida sepsis. The extracellular vesicles contained tiRNAs known to modulate protein translation. 5’-ti-Pro-CGG-1 was preferentially abundant in osteoblast-derived extracellular vesicles and when transferred to granulocyte macrophage progenitors, increased protein translation, cell proliferation and myeloid differentiation. Therefore, EV-mediated tiRNA transfer provides a stress modulated signaling axis distinct from conventional cytokine-driven stress responses. One sentence summary Stress regulated tiRNA transfer alters hematopoiesis
Synthesis, structure, electronic characterization, and halogenation of gold(III) phlorin complexes

The metalation chemistry of the phlorin, which is a non-aromatic tetrapyrrole macrocycle containing a single sp3-hybridized meso-carbon has remained underdeveloped, as compared to that of more trad...
Targeted Muscle Reinnervation in the Hand: A Technical Roadmap

Purpose Targeted muscle reinnervation (TMR) transfers cut the nerve endings to the motor nerves of the nearby muscles to reduce neuroma pain and/or enhance prosthetic function. To guide surgeons, anatomic "roadmaps" describe nerve transfer options for TMR at various locations. This study aimed to landmark and measure motor entry points (MEPs) to the hand interossei muscles in the context of TMR for digital nerve neuroma management. Methods Ten fresh-frozen cadaveric hands were dissected to describe the innervation arising from the deep branch of the ulnar nerve to the dorsal interossei (DIs) and palmar interossei (PIs) muscles. The location of MEPs relative to the bone and soft tissue landmarks and the size of the target nerves were measured. Results The MEPs for the DIs and PIs were found in the central third of the metacarpal. The MEPs to the PIs averaged 23.3-24.7 mm from the median nerve. The length of nerve proximal to the MEP was limited, ranging between 6.5 ± 2.6 mm for the first PI and 10.5 ± 2.7 mm for the second PI. Similarly, minimal nerve proximal to the MEP of the DI was available for mobilization. Access to the first PI innervation required substantial release of the thenar musculature. Motor nerve diameter averaged 0.85-0.97 mm. Conclusions In considering TMR for the management or prevention of digital nerve neuromas, the motor branches to the second and third PIs are the most accessible and best approached volarly, whereas motor branches to the DIs take more direct routes into the muscle, making volar exposure difficult. Nerve length proximal to the MEP is short, requiring that most of the nerve length for neurorrhaphy comes from the digital nerve. Size mismatch at the neurorrhaphy site is favorable compared to more proximal TMR. Clinical relevance Targeted muscle reinnervation in the hand is technically feasible for a patient with a symptomatic neuroma after digital amputation.
Should I allow my confirmatory factors to correlate during factor score extraction? Implications for the applied researcher

With complex models becoming increasingly popular in the social sciences, many researchers have begun using latent variable modeling in multiple-steps, saving, estimating, or otherwise extracting factor scores from one confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for use in a second inferential analysis. With two or more factors identified in a CFA, there exist few practical guidelines as to how researchers should proceed. In Study 1, we examine two common practices when CFAs have two or more factors: Fitting separate CFAs or allowing them to correlate in the model used for extraction. We provide a simulation study to demonstrate the bias introduced in each of the two approaches. In Study 2, we demonstrate that the between-factor correlation bias can be mitigated through the use of a different estimator; using ten Berge estimation shows near zero bias on the critical correlations between factors. Finally, we demonstrate this with an example dataset.
Analog SKED

Analog data can now be handled by SKED. Through the use of F3s, input, output, decisions, and analyses can be performed on analog data. A new command has been added to SKED. The trade off between number of boxes and resolution is discussed.
Chapter 2: Russia’s Development as a Top Player in World Grain Trade

During the late Soviet period, Russia (along with the Soviet Union as a whole) was a major importer of grain, as well as soybeans and soybean meal, which were used to help feed the country’s growing livestock sector. The substantial reform-driven contraction in the livestock sector during the 1990s largely eliminated the need for grain imports. Beginning around 2000, Russia began to export grain, and into the 2010s it became major supplier on the world market. During 2016–2019, Russia exported on average 44 million metric tonnes a year, 10–14 percent of total world grain exports. The country’s dominant grain export is wheat, with Russia providing in the late 2010s around 20 percent of world market sales, thereby supplanting the United States as the world’s top wheat supplier. This chapter examines how Russia has developed into a major grain exporter, with the focus on how growing grain production since 2000 has generated surpluses for foreign sale.
Sexual activity and contraceptive practices among teenagers in the United States, 1988 and 1995.

This report presents national estimates of sexual activity and contraception among teenagers aged 15-19 years in the US. Information are presented for the years 1988 and 1995 according to age race and other important demographic and social factors. Descriptive tables of numbers and percents are presented and interpreted. Data for females are from the National Survey of Family Growth and data for males are from the National Survey of Adolescent Males. Highlighted are the results on sexual experience and activity contraceptive use and other aspects of sexual behavior. About 17.5 million teenagers had sexual intercourse at least once in 1995 with 29% of females and 19% of males having unprotected recent sexual intercourse. The condom remained the most popular method of contraception. These results show that between 1988 and 1995 the overall level of teenagers sexual risk-taking appears to have declined. These shifts in sexual and contraceptive behavior help explain declines over the past decade in teenage pregnancy and birth rates. However not all teenagers have participated in the movement towards less risk-taking and long-standing racial differences persist. These suggest the need to give special attention to the groups of teenagers who are lagging behind their peers.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid Synthesis in Cell-free Extracts IV. PURIFICATION AND CATALYTIC PROPERTIES OF DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID POLYMERASE III

DNA polymerase III, an enzyme essential for DNA replication, has been purified more than 10,000-fold from cell-free extracts of Escherichia coli. The enzyme, judged to be 10 to 20% pure, requires all four deoxynucleoside 5′-triphosphates, Mg++, ethanol, and native DNA for maximal activity. It is present in amounts sufficient to account for the in vivo rate of replication. DNA polymerase III activity is inhibited by sulfhydryl inhibitors and by salt; it is not inhibited by antiserum directed against DNA polymerase I. The most active template for DNA polymerase III is DNA degraded partially by exonuclease III. Linear duplex DNA, single-stranded DNA, or DNA with single strand scissions is not used as template. The enzyme requires a primer to initiate synthesis and polymerization proceeds in the 5′ to 3′ direction by covalent extension of the primer.
How Robust Is Your Structured Finance Transaction

Structured finance transactions are increasingly under scrutiny by tax authorities. They are suspicious that the driving motivation behind such transactions is tax avoidance. This places all structured finance transactions in a spotlight of tax uncertainty and makes them a source of potential disclosures under Section 404 of the U.S. Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX 404) and the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Interpretation No. 48 (FIN 48) (Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes).This paper sets out principles successfully implemented in South Africa to overcome and decrease risk exposure on structured finance transactions. The South African tax authority (South African Revenue Service or SARS) aggressively pursues and investigates structured finance transactions, causing turmoil in the financial services sector. The principles applied may also be applicable in other jurisdictions around the world.
CREB: a multifaceted regulator of neuronal plasticity and protection

Since its initial characterization over 20 years ago, there has been intense and unwavering interest in understanding the role of the transcription factor cAMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB) in nervous system physiology. Through an array of experimental approaches and model systems, researchers have begun to unravel the complex and multifaceted role of this transcription factor in such diverse processes as neurodevelopment, synaptic plasticity, and neuroprotection. Here we discuss current insights into the molecular mechanisms by which CREB couples synaptic activity to long-term changes in neuronal plasticity, which is thought to underlie learning and memory. We also discuss work showing that CREB is a critical component of the neuroprotective transcriptional network, and data indicating that CREB dysregulation contributes to an array of neuropathological conditions.
Transmit antenna diversity for OFDM-based W-LANs with a priori channel state information

OFDM-based W-LAN systems employ TDD and are typically used in nearly static environments, for which it is reasonable to assume that channel state information can be acquired before transmission. If multiple antennas are provided at the transmitter side, their coefficients can be optimised based on this information. In this paper several different transmitter diversity techniques are investigated, both employing a priori channel knowledge or not. Some practical implementation aspects are also briefly analysed.
Moving object detection using a cesium resonance fluorescence monochromator

Abstract The measurement of Doppler-shifted radiation using a cesium resonance fluorescence monochromator (RFM) is described. The RFM is based on two-step excitation ( 6 2 S 1/2 →6 2 P 0 3/2 →6 2 D 5/2 ) followed by wavelength-shifted fluorescence and detection of resonance photons with sub-Doppler spectral resolution (200 MHz). We demonstrate the resolution of velocity differences by comparing excitation profiles of a reference beam and Doppler-shifted scatter. A rotating disc of variable speed was used to generate the Doppler-shifted photons. Velocity changes on the order of 25 m/s were resolved, and the upper velocity limit (1500 m/s) is limited only by the extent of the frequency scan of the first excitation laser.
Dietary Essential Fatty Acids in the Prevention of Gastric Mucosal Injury

Animal studies have shown that orally administered solubilised arachidonic acid (AA) protects the gastric muscosa against experimentally induced injury as a result of its conversion to cytoprotective prostanoids. Importantly, AA protects both the proliferative zone of the gastric mucosa and the gastric microvasculature, areas which are required to enable prolonged restitution of surface injury after gastric muscosal damage. In contrast to the orally administered synthetic methyl-substituted prostaglandins, which reach the gastric mucosa via the systemic circulaton, prostanoids synthesised from orally administered solubilised AA attain high concentrations at the gastric mucosa but enter the systemic circulation in only very small quantities. Thus, treatment with solubilised arachidonic acid would be expected to exert good cytoprotective effects without some of the adverse effects of synthetic prostaglandins, which probably result from their presence in the systemic circulation in high concentrations for prolonged periods.
Unusual kinetics of uracil formation in single and double-stranded DNA by deamination of cytosine in cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers

Abstract Mutagenesis studies have indicated that the deamination of cytosine in UV-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers is a key part of an error-free process that can account for most of the C→T base specificity that frequently characterizes UV-induced mutagenesis. The kinetics of deamination, as inferred from the mutagenic effect of delayed photoreactivation, is remarkable in its resemblance to a step function. To study the kinetics from a different point of view, we used an enzymatic approach combining photolyase and uracil- N -glycosylase treatment to detect the formation of uracil in UV-irradiated single or double-stranded infectious DNA of phage S13. Formation of abasic sites by removal of uracil was inferred from loss of infectivity. It is concluded that no uracil appeared at 37°C within 20 minutes (single-stranded DNA) or 40 minutes (double-stranded DNA) after irradiation, but following those latent periods, most of the uracil residues rapidly appeared within a brief 14 minute period centered at 29 minutes (single-stranded DNA) and 55 minutes (double-stranded DNA) after irradiation. The timing appears to fully confirm the previous evidence that dimer cytosines in DNA deaminate with step-function-like kinetics. Furthermore, the appearance of uracil was shown to be dependent on the UV-induction of cyclobutane dimers containing cytosine.
Honey bee cognition.

The visual memory of honey bees is stored pictorially. Bees will accept a mirror-image reversal of a familiar pattern in the absence of the original, but prefer the original over the reversal; the matching system of bees, therefore, does not incorporate a mirror-image ambiguity. Bees will not accept a rotation of a familiar vertical pattern, but readily recognize any rotation of a horizontal pattern; the context-specific ability to make a mental transformation seems justified by natural contingencies. Bees are able to construct and use cognitive maps of their home area, though it is possible to create conditions under which they lack useful cues. Other experiments suggest that recruits, having attended a dance in the hive specifying the distance and direction of a food source, can evaluate the "plausibility" of the location without leaving the hive; this suggests a kind of imagination.
Exploring Back Contact Technology to Increase CdS/CdTe Solar Cell Efficiency

The primary routes for increasing CdS/CdTe solar cell efficiency involve increasing free carrier density, reducing bulk and interface recombination, and/or reducing back contact barrier height. This paper focuses on the role of the back contact barrier in increasing cell efficiency. Measurement of barrier height and back surface recombination are outlined and three CdTe/MX/M back contact prototypes, each with particular strengths, are discussed to bring out important issues.
Leakage power dependent temperature estimation to predict thermal runaway in FinFET circuits

In this work, we propose a methodology to self-consistently solve leakage power with temperature to predict thermal runaway. We target 28nm FinFET based circuits as they are more prone to thermal runaway compared to bulk-MOSFETs. We generate thermal models for logic cells to self-consistently determine the temperature map of a circuit block. Our proposed condition for thermal runaway shows the design trade off between the primary input (PI) activity of a circuit block, sub-threshold leakage at the room temperature and the thermal resistance of the package. We show that in FinFET circuits, thermal runaway can occur at the ITRS specified sub-threshold leakage (150nA/mum, high-performance) for a nominal PI activity of 0.5 and typical package thermal resistance
The thermodynamic properties to the temperature 700 K of naphthalene and of 2,7-dimethylnaphthalene

Abstract Measurements leading to the calculation of the standard thermodynamic properties of the gases are reported for naphthalene (Chemical Abstracts registry number [91-20-3]) and 2,7-dimethylnaphthalene (registry number [582-16-1]). Experimental methods included adiabatic heat-capacity calorimetry, comparative ebulliometry, and differential-scanning calorimetry (d.s.c.). The critical temperature was determined experimentally for each compound, and the critical pressure and critical density were derived from fitting procedures. Vapor-pressure measurements reported in the literature were compared with the results obtained in this research. Enthalpies of vaporization and sublimation were derived from the experimental measurements and compared with literature results. New self-consistent equations for the variation of sublimation pressure with temperature for naphthalene and 2,7-dimethyl-naphthalene were derived. For each compound, literature values for entropies and enthalpies of the liquid phase and the energy of combustion were combined with the present results to derive standard entropies, enthalpies, and Gibbs free energies of formation for the gaseous phase for temperatures between 298.15 K and 700 K. The standard properties for naphthalene(g) were compared with values obtained using statistical mechanics with various fundamental vibrational-frequency assignments available in the literature. A scheme to estimate the standard thermodynamic functions for gaseous alkylnaphthalenes was updated. the size of the barrier to methyl-group rotation in 2,7-dimethylnaphthalene was shown to be of about the same size as that for toluene. Values for standard entropies for 2-methylnaphthalene(g) in the temperature range 300 K to 700 K were estimated.
Re-scaling emotional approaches to music: Basque band Lisabö and the soundscapes of urban alienation

Building on recent studies that have linked music, emotion and geography, this article looks at the musical production of the Basque post-punk band ‘Lisabo’ across its four albums: Ezlekuak (Bidehuts, 2007), Izkiriaturik aurkitu ditudan gurak (Metak, 2005), Ezarian (Esan Ozenki, 2000) and the EP Egan Bat Nonahi (Acuarela, 2002). Melding musical (cultural/textual) studies with a range of geographical and urban theory, this analysis takes on both the sonic immediacy and the lyrical content of the band’s music in an attempt to re-scale emotional approaches to space and place to an urban level. Ultimately, this reading of Lisabo’s emotional soundscapes highlights the role (and omission) of emotion in the production of urban places and simultaneously suggests that our emotional connections with music might form the basis for an embodied musical criticism engaged with space and place at the level of the urban.
Negligible Particle-Specific Antibacterial Activity of Silver Nanoparticles

For nearly a decade, researchers have debated the mechanisms by which AgNPs exert toxicity to bacteria and other organisms. The most elusive question has been whether the AgNPs exert direct “particle-specific” effects beyond the known antimicrobial activity of released silver ions (Ag+). Here, we infer that Ag+ is the definitive molecular toxicant. We rule out direct particle-specific biological effects by showing the lack of toxicity of AgNPs when synthesized and tested under strictly anaerobic conditions that preclude Ag(0) oxidation and Ag+ release. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the toxicity of various AgNPs (PEG- or PVP- coated, of three different sizes each) accurately follows the dose–response pattern of E. coli exposed to Ag+ (added as AgNO3). Surprisingly, E. coli survival was stimulated by relatively low (sublethal) concentration of all tested AgNPs and AgNO3 (at 3–8 μg/L Ag+, or 12–31% of the minimum lethal concentration (MLC)), suggesting a hormetic response that would be counterproductive t...
SU‐E‐T‐258: Commissioning of a Commercial Treatment Planning System Verification Software Package

Purpose: A commercial software package (Mobius3d, Mobius Medical Systems) was acquired for use as an additional QA tool of our current treatment planning system (TPS). The system reads DICOM RT files generated from the TPS and performs an independent dose calculation for comparison to the TPS. This work summarizes our methods for commissioning a system such as this. Methods: Preliminary comparisons of our TPS and measured data to the QA softwares beam model were done by comparing PDDs and profiles with field sizes ranging from 4&×;4 to 40×40. Static fields and step and shoot IMRT plans were generated on a homogeneous medium for comparisons of 6x photons. For the homogeneous IMRT cases, ion chamber measurements were compared to the dose calculated in the TPS and in the verification system. Results: Analysis of PDD data showed that the average PDD error of the verification model (relative to the TPS) was 0.5% compared to our measured data which was 0.1%. The average infield profile error over all field sizes and depths of the TPS to our reference measured data set was 0.3% whereas the verification system relative to the TPS was 1.7%. Simple beam geometries between the TPS and the verification system were 0.8% difference on average. Ion chamber measurements on a homogeneous phantom differed from the TPS on average by 0.5% whereas the verification system was 2%. The results indicate an adjustment in the beam model of the verification system is needed to better match our current beam model/measured data. Conclusion: Preliminary commissioning results of a commercial QA dose algorithm were completed. Adjustment of the verification softwares beam model is necessary before further testing is done. Further analysis is needed to fully investigate this system to be used clinically as a QA tool of our current TPS. “Evaluation equipment provided by Mobius Medical Systems, LP”
Unit analysis of the pretectal nuclear group in the rat

Unit responses to visual stimuli in the pretectal region of the rat were investigated with steel microelectrodes. Most units could be classified into two broad categories; “phasic” (brief on and off discharges) and “tonic-on” (sustained discharge during the visual stimulus). The responsive region appears to be coextensive with the n. praetectalis anterior (Pta) which can be divided into a dorsal portion containing “phasic” units and a ventral portion containing “tonic-on” units. The projection of the contralateral visual field is a mirror reversal of the field projection onto the superior colliculus. “Tonic-on” units may suserve total luminous flux detection necessary for the pupillary reflex. The topographical organization of units within Pta, as well as their diverse properties may account for residual visual function in animals with extensive lesions of the main visual pathways.
'Expected utility / subjective probability' analysis without the sure-thing principle or probabilistic sophistication

The basic analytical concepts, tools and results of the classical expected utility/subjective probability model of risk preferences and beliefs under subjective uncertainty can be extended to general “event-smooth” preferences over subjective acts that do not necessarily satisfy either of the key behavioral assumptions of the classical model, namely the Sure-Thing Principle or the Hypothesis of Probabilistic Sophistication. This is accomplished by a technique analogous to that used by Machina (1982) and others to generalize expected utility analysis under objective uncertainty, combined with an event-theoretic approach to the classical model and the use of a special class of subjective events, acts and mixtures that exhibit “almost-objective” like properties. The classical expected utility/subjective probability characterizations of outcome monotonicity, outcome derivatives, probabilistic sophistication, comparative and relative subjective likelihood, and comparative risk aversion are all globally “robustified” to general event-smooth preferences over subjective acts.
Quantification of margins and uncertainties: Conceptual and computational basis

In 2001, the National Nuclear Security Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy in conjunction with the national security laboratories (i.e., Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories) initiated development of a process designated Quantification of Margins and Uncertainties (QMU) for the use of risk assessment methodologies in the certification of the reliability and safety of the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile. This presentation discusses and illustrates the conceptual and computational basis of QMU in analyses that use computational models to predict the behavior of complex systems. The following topics are considered: (i) the role of aleatory and epistemic uncertainty in QMU, (ii) the representation of uncertainty with probability, (iii) the probabilistic representation of uncertainty in QMU analyses involving only epistemic uncertainty, and (iv) the probabilistic representation of uncertainty in QMU analyses involving aleatory and epistemic uncertainty.
Paleoceanographic implications of nitrogen and organic carbon isotopic excursions in mid-Pleistocene sapropels from the Tyrrhenian and Levantine Basins, Mediterranean Sea

Abstract Comparison of the total nitrogen and organic carbon isotopic compositions of sediment sequences from the Tyrrhenian and Levantine Basins that contain three same-age sapropels reveals evidence of both similarities and differences in mid-Pleistocene sapropel-forming conditions in the western and eastern Mediterranean Sea. Total δ 15 N values systematically decrease at both locations from 5‰ in background sediments to − 1‰ in the sapropels. The lower δ 15 N values signify that nitrogen fixation was important to the increased marine productivity implied by the higher organic carbon concentrations, which is consistent with widespread salinity stratification of surface waters when sapropels accumulated. Organic δ 13 C values systematically increase from − 25‰ in the background sediments to − 22‰ in the sapropels at the Tyrrhenian site, which confirms that increased marine productivity accompanied sapropel deposition. In contrast, δ 13 C values decrease in the sapropel layers in the Levantine Basin even though organic carbon concentrations are higher in these sapropels. The different types of δ 13 C excursions associated with increased organic matter production at the two locations indicates a difference in the dissolved carbon pool from a combination of greater fluvial delivery of continental carbon and stronger recycling of organic matter in the Levantine Sea than in the Tyrrhenian Sea. This difference implies that the shifts to wetter climate during times of sapropel deposition were stronger in the eastern than in the western Mediterranean.
A simple and accurate means of predicting the locus of constant travel time of an underground scatterer for air-launched bistatic GPR

GPR imaging often uses contours of constant wave travel time or electrical path length to determine possible locations of buried targets. The intersection points of two contours triangulates the target. If the GPR is above the ground, rays from the source refract at the ground interface as they enter the ground, and as such yield non-intuitive loci of constant travel time. A simple method is presented to determine these loci as a continuous and smoothly connected piecewise combination of conic sections. These loci are compared with FDFD generated contours with good agreement.
Constraints on γ-ray bursters from soft X-ray transients

The Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory's Einstein imaging proportional counter database has been searched for possible X-ray counterparts to gamma ray bursts. The limiting sensitivity was about 10 to the 10th erg/sq cm with a total exposure of about 3 x 10 to the 6th s divided among about 1000 1 deg x 1 deg fields. Four events with a pointlike spatial distribution were detected but their extremely soft spectra makes them unlikely candidates for gamma ray burst counterparts. The results are used to place limits on the X-ray and gamma ray luminosity ratio and log(number)N-log(flux)S relation for gamma ray bursts. The constraints placed on models for their origin are commented on.
Single-cell analysis of murine long-term hematopoietic stem cells reveals distinct patterns of gene expression during fetal migration.

Background Long-term hematopoietic stem cells (LT-HSCs) migrate from the fetal liver (FL) to the fetal bone marrow (FBM) during development. Various adhesion and chemotactic receptor genes have been implicated in the migration of adult LT-HSCs. However, their role in the migration of fetal LT-HSCs is not clearly understood due, in part, to the rare number of these cells in fetal tissues, which preclude classical gene expression analysis. The aim of this study is to characterize the expression of migration related genes in fetal LT-HSC across different anatomical locations during development.
Neuropsychological Function of Normal Boys, Delinquent Boys, and Boys with Learning Problems:

Two studies comparing the sensorimotor function and cognitive styles of normal boys, juvenile delinquents, and boys with learning disabilities are reported. The two clinical groups performed significantly poorer on the Lincoln-Oseretsky Test of Motor Development than normal boys and had particular difficulties on items of the test requiring rhythmical repetition. In a second study, the sequencing skills of normal boys and matched delinquents were compared. Delinquent boys did consistently more poorly on tasks of sensorimotor and symbolic sequencing than normals; tests of spatial ability did not discriminate the groups. Results are discussed in terms of implications for the functional analysis of behavior disturbances.
Outcomes of high-order multiple implantations in women undergoing ovum donation

Increasing numbers of young women with ovarian failure and women of advanced reproductive age (>40 yrs) utilize oocyte donation to treat their infertility. In both groups, women who become pregnant frequently experience multiple gestation, occurring in up to 30% of pregnancies. Advanced maternal age and high-order multiple gestations are associated with an increased risk for obstetric complications. We reviewed the pregnancies of patients with high-order multiple gestations (≥3 gestational sacs) with respect to their antepartum course and neonatal outcomes. Mothers were divided into two groups according to age at conception; Group I (≥40 yr, n = 20) and Group II (<40 yr, n = 10). These 30 high-order multiple gestations were found among 127 successful oocyte donation cycles (23.6% of all pregnant patients). Data regarding pregnancy outcomes were gained by chart review and telephone interview. Results demonstrated spontaneous reductions in the number of implantation sites were similar between groups (Group ...
Comparison of Self-Reported and Medicare Claims-Identified Acute Myocardial Infarction

Background—Cardiovascular disease is often studied through patient self-report and administrative data. However, these 2 sources provide different information, and few studies have compared them. Methods and Results—We compared data from a longitudinal, nationally representative survey of older Americans with matched Medicare claims. Self-reported heart attack in the previous 2 years was compared with claims-identified acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and acute coronary syndrome. Among the 3.1% of respondents with self-reported heart attack, 32.8% had claims-identified AMI, 16.5% had non-AMI acute coronary syndrome, and 25.8% had other cardiac claims; 17.3% had no inpatient visits in the previous 2.5 years. Claims-identified AMIs were found in 1.4% of respondents; of these, 67.8% reported a heart attack. Self-reports were less likely among respondents >75 years of age (62.7% versus 74.6%; P=0.006), with less than high school education (61.6% versus 71.4%; P=0.015), with at least 1 limitation in activitie...