cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development of a Decision-Making Tool to Select Optimum Preventive Maintenance Treatments in a Hot and Humid Climate:

Preventive maintenance treatments are widely used throughout the United States to extend pavement service life (PSL), and therefore, defer costly rehabilitation activities. However, optimizing the ...
Binge Drinking in Adolescence and Early Adulthood: The Salience of PTSD and PTSD-Linked Strain Sensitivity from a Developmental Perspective

Background: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been identified by past research as a risk factor for substance use. Further, past research has indicated that individuals with PTSD may demons...
IVC Filter Placement: Accepted and Relative Indications

Despite the widespread clinical use of inferior vena cava filters (IVCF), there remains significant heterogeneity and controversy in their placement guidelines. The guideline variability stems from the rather poor quality in existing data and what has emerged as a result is a broad disparity in adherence to said guidelines. The classic indications are reasonably well agreed upon, but relative, extended, and prophylactic indications are not. In addition to limited data on outcomes and the appropriateness of prophylactic indications, there is the lack of data on unique patient populations. Those unique populations include pediatrics, trauma, and pregnancy. This chapter will discuss accepted and relative indications of filter placement and provide an overview of the opinions of several of the major societies: Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR), American College of Radiology (ACR), Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe (CIRSE), American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), American Heart Association (AHA), and British Society for Haematology (BCHS).
One-component rapid Norrish Type II photoinitiation of bulk photo-CuAAC polymer networks

Networks formed using photo-initiated copper-catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition (photo-CuAAC) polymerizations exhibit extraordinary toughness and high stability making them an ideal material for applications ranging from dental composites to membranes. The current design for photoinitiation of solvent-free CuAAC networks is accomplished under blue light using a Norrish Type II initiating system comprising camphorquinone (CQ) and a tertiary amine (TA). Although TAs are required for rapid polymerization kinetics, their presence in the network can act as a plasticizer and is often malodorous and toxic. Here, a one-component, Type II photoinitiation scheme for the photo-CuAAC polymeriziation is achieved by incorporating the TA coinitiating species into the backbone of the polymer network as a crosslinking moiety. Formulations with the polymer network-incorporated TA exhibited rapid polymerization kinetics, reaching >90% conversion with just 5 min of 470 nm irradiation at 30 mW cm−2. Varying the structure of the amine centered trialkynes allowed for tunability of the glass transition temperature from 53 to 82 °C. Moreover, only catalytic amounts of the amine-centered alkyne monomers were required to replace the external TA without adversely affecting the rapid polymerization kinetics or the thermomechanical properties of the network. Development of such monomers further demonstrates the tunability of bulk photo-CuAAC polymer network properties and expands upon their broad range of applications.
Regularized structural equation modeling with stability selection.

Regularization methods such as the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) are commonly used in high dimensional data to achieve sparser solutions. Recently, methods such as regularized structural equation modeling (SEM) and penalized likelihood SEM have been proposed, trying to transfer the benefits of regularization to models commonly used in social and behavioral research. These methods allow researchers to estimate large models even in the presence of small sample sizes. However, some drawbacks of the LASSO, such as high false positive rates (FPRs) and inconsistency in selection results, persist at the same time. We propose the application of stability selection, a method based on repeated resampling of the data to select stable coefficients, to regularized SEM as a mechanism to overcome these limitations. Across 2 simulation studies, we find that stability selection greatly improves upon the LASSO in selecting the correct paths, specifically through reducing the number of false positives. We close the article by demonstrating the application of stability selection in 2 empirical examples and presenting several future research directions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Native American Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Exacerbations in a Tertiary Academic Medical Center - A Pilot Study.

Purpose The prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and comorbidities (eg diabetes and obesity) among Native American (NA) population are higher than among the general US population. However, studies of COPD in NAs are scarce. Oklahoma has the largest NA population affiliated with federally recognized tribes in the country and is an ideal location for such research. A pilot study was designed to investigate the characteristics of NA patients with COPD exacerbations in a tertiary academic medical center. Patients and methods We conducted a retrospective exploratory study of NA adults with COPD exacerbation hospitalizations and/or emergency department visits at the University of Oklahoma Medical Center between July 2001 and June 2020. Medical records were reviewed to confirm COPD exacerbation and outcomes, including death, mechanical ventilation, intensive care unit (ICU) stay, home oxygen, and 30-day readmission. Additional collected data included socio-demographics, body mass index, diabetes, other COPD comorbidities and clinical variables. Results Of 630 encounters reviewed, 159 met the inclusion criteria, representing 91 patients. Most patients were female (64%), obese or overweight (68%), and had diabetes (42%) or hypertension (71%). Mean age was 60 years old, but women were 5 years younger than men. Among the 76 patients with COPD hospitalizations, 31 patients (41%) had an intensive care unit (ICU) stay and 19 (25%) were intubated in their last hospitalization. Among 9 patients (10%) with 30-day readmissions, 8 were female. Medicare, Indian Health Service, Tribal health service, or Medicaid were the most frequently used payment sources. Sex, diabetes, and obesity were not associated with hospital length of stay, 30-day readmission or supplemental O2 use. Conclusion Hospitalized NA COPD patients at this tertiary care center had multiple comorbidities. Many required ICU care and intubation. Larger studies of the risk and mitigating factors for COPD health outcomes in NA patients are needed.
Introducing the YIMBYs: Renters, housing, and supply-side politics in Los Angeles:

This paper advances debates around the financialization of housing with a case study of Los Angeles’s yes-in-my-back-yard (YIMBY) groups. In response to the post-2008 affordable housing crisis, YIM...
Blind Detection Design for AF Two-Way Relaying Over Frequency Selective Channels

This paper considers an amplify-and-forward two-way relay system with frequency selective fading channels. The knowledge of channel state information is assumed not available for all nodes. An efficient transmission and signaling scheme is proposed to identify the transmitted symbols and multi-tap channel coefficients using the M-ary phase shift keying transmitted symbols. A blind receiver is derived using the least square error criterion. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed transmission and signaling scheme outperforms an existing conventional training scheme where pilots are applied to estimate the channel coefficients.
Aging Does Not Exacerbate Muscle Loss During Denervation and Lends Unique Muscle-Specific Atrophy Resistance With Akt Activation

Sarcopenia, or age-related skeletal muscle atrophy and weakness, imposes significant clinical and economic burdens on affected patients and societies. Neurological degeneration, such as motoneuron death, has been recognized as a key contributor to sarcopenia. However, little is known about how aged/sarcopenic muscle adapts to this denervation stress. Here, we show that mice at 27 months of age exhibit clear signs of sarcopenia but no accelerated denervation-induced muscle atrophy when compared to 8-month-old mice. Surprisingly, aging lends unique atrophy resistance to tibialis anteria muscle, accompanied by an increase in the cascade of mTORC1-independent anabolic events involving Akt signaling, rRNA biogenesis, and protein synthesis during denervation. These results expand our understanding of age-dependent stress responses and may help develop better countermeasures to sarcopenia.
Butler Interprets Aquinas

This essay examines whether the Catholic magisterium's use of Aquinas to condemn homosexual acts is actually Thomistic. Rather than being aligned with the magisterium, Aquinas advances a moral epistemology better illuminated by the work of philosopher Judith Butler. Deploying Butler as a means of immanent critique, I show how magisterial attempts to argue against lesbian and gay sex fail on their own terms. Reading Aquinas alongside Butler shows us why we need not choose between fidelity to Thomistic natural law and affirmation of lesbians and gays.
Wegener's granulomatosis: current and upcoming therapies

Wegener's granulomatosis is a complex multisystem disease that can be associated with morbidity and mortality. The introduction of cyclophosphamide and glucocorticoids brought about the potential for long-term survival and provided the opportunity and impetus to explore treatment options that can reduce the toxicity of therapy and lessen the likelihood of relapse. With the growth of knowledge regarding disease pathophysiology and the increasing ability to selectively target the immune system, the potential options for therapeutic investigation have continued to expand. Careful study of new agents through rigorously designed trials is essential to answering questions of safety and efficacy in Wegener's granulomatosis.
Computational Complexity and Mathematical Proofs

This paper discusses howthe major computational complexity classes, P, NP and PSPACE, capture different computational properties of mathematical proofs and reveal newq uantitative aspects of mathematics.
Chapter 2: Ring-Expanded (‘Fat‘) Purines and their Nucleoside/Nucleotide Analogues as Broad-Spectrum Therapeutics

Publisher Summary This chapter describes a family of ring-expanded purines, informally referred to as “fat” or f-purines, as well as their nucleoside/nucleotide analogues (RENs/RENTs) that have broad applications in chemistry, biology, and medicine. Although purine itself has never been found in nature, substituted purines, such as adenine and guanine, or their respective nucleoside derivatives, adenosine and guanosine, are the most ubiquitous class of nitrogen heterocycles and play crucial roles in wide variety of functions of living beings As nucleotides (AMP,GMP), they are the building blocks of nucleic acids (RNA/DNA). They serve as energy cofactors (ATP, GTP), as part of coenzymes (NAD/FAD) in oxidation-reduction reactions, as important second messengers in many intracellular signal transduction processes (cAMP/cGMP), or as direct neurotransmitters by binding to purinergic receptors (adenosine receptors). Therefore, it is not surprising that the analogues of purines have found utility both as chemotherapeutics (antiviral, antibiotic, and anticancer agents) and pharmacodynamic entities (the regulation of myocardial oxygen consumption and cardiac blood flow). While they can act as substrates or the inhibitors of the enzymes of purine metabolism to render their chemotherapeutic action, their ability to act as agonists or antagonists of A1/A2A receptors is the basis for the modulation of pharmacodynamic property.
Ruetsche on the pristine and adulterated in quantum field theory

It might seem that philosophy of science has fallen on hard times. When not being pilloried by famous scientists, philosophy of science receives scant attention from the educated public. This is not to say that work in philosophy of science is not flourishing; but surely what is flourishing most—in terms of number of jobs, number of publications, etc.—is the philosophy of the specific sciences, such as physics and biology. So does ‘‘general philosophy of science’’ have a future? Will that subject cease to exist, to be completely replaced by philosophical investigation of the specific sciences? Judging by its title, Laura Ruetsche’s book Interpreting Quantum Theories would seem to confirm the trend toward fragmentation in philosophy of science. And indeed, the book does discuss quantum theory in great detail and depth; it would certainly make for difficult reading for somebody with no college-level training in physics. But if you thought that Ruetsche’s book adds another nail to the coffin of general philosophy of science, then you thought wrong. Ruetsche’s book is set apart from many of the recent books of the philosophy of physics, not only in its engagement with the quantum theory of infinite systems (including quantum field theory), but also in its explicit engagement with questions from general philosophy of science. In fact, while Ruetsche does much to advance our understanding of the quantum theory of infinite systems, her challenge to the ‘‘received view’’ of what it means to interpret a scientific theory will be of interest to anyone working in any subfield of philosophy of science. The claim that general philosophy of science has something to say for foundational work in the particular sciences was defended by Larry Sklar in his book Theory and Truth. Similarly, philosophers such as Arthur Fine and Bas van Fraassen have argued that work on the foundations of physics bears directly on the big questions in general philosophy of science (e.g., realism vs. antirealism).
Relaxor ferroelectric polymers

An exceptionally high electrostrictive response was observed in electron irradiated polyvinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene (P(VDF-TrFE)) copolymer. Moreover, the transverse strain of the material can be tuned over a large range by different sample treatment conditions. For example, in uniaxially stretched films, the strain can be comparable or even larger than the longitudinal strain, while in unstretched films, the transverse strain is quite small. The polarization and dielectric results also show that the material exhibits typical ferroelectric relaxor behavior with a high dielectric constant and low dielectric loss at room temperature. The results suggest that the electron irradiation breaks up the coherent polarization domain in normal ferroelectric P(VDF-TrFE) copolymer into nano-polar regions which transforms the material into a ferroelectric relaxor with an ultrahigh electrostrictive response.
Are Exaggerated Health Complaints Continuous or Categorical? A Taxometric Analysis of the Health Problem Overstatement Scale.

A taxometric analysis of 3 factor scales extracted from the Health Problem Overstatement (HPO) scale of the Psychological Screening Inventory (PSI; R. I. Lanyon, 1970, 1978) was performed on the data from 1,240 forensic and psychiatric patients. Mean above minus below a cut, maximum covariance, and latent-mode factor analyses produced results indicative of dimensional latent structure for the exaggerated health complaints construct. The outcome of this and several other recent taxometric investigations indicates that across 3 different domains of feigning (i.e., psychiatric symptoms, memory problems, and health complaints), the overall feigning construct is ordered continuously along 1 or more dimensions rather than partitioned into discrete categories of malingerers and nonmalingerers. These findings call for more research on the extent to which the different domains of feigning share 1 or more dimensions in common.
Suq el-lahamin — An arab market place in the Old City of Jerusalem

The roofed-over market street, known as Suq el-Lahamin and located in the Old City of Jerusalem, has been in existence since 1152 AD. The street itself has been in existence since 70 AD. within the span of 125 m the Suq is comprised of 83 shops with none of the shopkeepers owning the site of their business. The concentration of shops and obvious grouping of similar types of businesses led to the formulation of a questionnaire to help answer a series of questions some of which were: rent-ownership patterns, means of transporting merchandise to the shops, and shop hours. Of a more personal nature some of the other questions asked were: the amount of rent paid, marriage status, and the number of sons and daughters in each shopkeeper's family.
C-Fiber Responses in the Ventrolateral Column of the Cat Spinal Cord

Saphenous nerve C-fiber volleys generate, in the ventrolateral column of the cat spinal cord, a conducted postsynaptic response revealed by averaging the integrated temporally dispersed axonal discharges. This finding is compatible with the hypothesis that the feline ventrolateral column includes a major pathway related to nociception.
Cognitive orientation, precompetition, and actual competition anxiety in collegiate softball players.

(2002). Cognitive Orientation, Precompetition, and Actual Competition Anxiety in Collegiate Softball Players. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport: Vol. 73, No. 3, pp. 335-339.
On the potential for high-resolution lidar to improve rainfall interception estimates in forest ecosystems

Closing the gaps in the water budget of forested ecosystems is a first-order challenge, with immediate implications for regional water supply, ecosystem function, and landscape biogeochemistry. Rainfall interception by vegetated canopies can be as great as 50% of total rainfall. There is considerable uncertainty in predicting this ecosystem property, which makes it one of the primary constraints in spatial water budgeting. Interception is largely controlled by vertical structure and canopy gaps on a relatively small scale. Emerging remote sensing technologies, such as lidar (light detection and ranging), now offer an unprecedented opportunity to quantify canopy architecture in three dimensions across the landscape. Use of such high-resolution spatial data, along with improved rainfall interception models, will aid in ecosystem process studies and the development of tools and incentives that could influence land-use policy and decision making in the future.
A versatile synthesis of tetrabenzporphyrins

Abstract The reaction of isoindole with aldehydes in the presence of metal salts gives the corresponding metallo-tetrabenzporphyrins in excellent yield. The synthesis of zinc tetrabenzporphyrin and its meso-tetraphenyl and hexadecafluoro derivatives is described.
California's emergency credential teachers: examining program conditions for sustainability and effectiveness

The Summer Institute for Teacher Education (SITE), a one-year program, emerged in response to a California State University directive to increase the number of credentialed teachers. This article explains the rationale and program approach, describes the participants of the first two cohorts—SITE 1999 and SITE 2000, and uses yearly program evaluations to discuss the program goals and outcomes. It concludes with implications for the preparation of teachers of color and the institutional conditions needed to promote sustainability and teacher effectiveness. Three goals differentiated SITE from the regular program: (1) to create a one-year credential program to increase the yearly number of credentialed elementary teachers, (2) to offer a program for training the growing number of California's emergency credentialed teachers, and (3) to provide the contextual conditions and culturally responsive curricular content needed for successful sustained service to children, especially those attending high-poverty, l...
A LCL-resonant isolated multiport DC-DC converter for power management of multiple renewable energy sources

This paper proposes a new LCL-resonant, isolated, multiport, DC-DC converter for power management of multiple renewable energy sources. The proposed converter has the advantages of simple topology and using minimum number of power switches since it only uses one controllable switch in each port to which a source is connected. The proposed converter contains a LCL-resonant circuit to make the main switch work under zero-current switching (ZCS) and zero-voltage switching (ZVS) conditions. Compared to the corresponding hard-switching converter, the proposed converter has a lower voltage stress across the main switch and higher efficiency. The proposed converter is capable of simultaneous maximum power point tracking (MPPT) for multiple renewable energy sources, which can be of different types, capacities and voltages. Experimental results are provided to validate the proposed converter for MPPT control of a solar system consisting of three different photovoltaic (PV) panels.
Biological Rationale for the Intramedullary Canal as a Source of Autograft Material

Bone harvested by intramedullary reaming offers a minimally invasive alternative to harvesting bone from the iliac crest, which has long been considered the gold standard for autogenous bone grafting. The biologic potential of intramedullary reaming material has been studied both in vitro and in vivo. The material provides osteogenic, osteoinductive, and osteoconductive properties that are comparable to the material harvested from the iliac crest. In addition to the ability to obtain a large volume of bone, the graft harvested by the Reamer-Irrigator-Aspirator has been shown to be rich in growth factors, including BMP-2, TGF-beta1, IGF-I, FGFa, and PDGFbb.
MR-guided stereotactic navigation.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging allows precise localization of brain regions specialized for different perceptual and higher cognitive functions. However, targeting these deep brain structures for electrophysiology still remains a challenging task. Here, we propose a novel framework for MRI-stereotactic registration and chamber placement for precise electrode guidance to recording sites defined in MRI space. The proposed “floating frame” approach can be used without usage of ear bars, greatly reducing pain and discomfort common in standard stereotactic surgeries. Custom pre-surgery planning software was developed to automatically solve the registration problem and report the set of parameters needed to position a stereotactic manipulator to reach a recording site along arbitrary, non-vertical trajectories. Furthermore, the software can automatically identify blood vessels and assist in finding safe trajectories to targets. Our approach was validated by targeting different regions in macaque monkeys and rats. We expect that our method will facilitate recording in new brain areas and provide a valuable tool for electrophysiologists.
A clinical trial of a-methyl-para-tyrosine in mentally ill patients.

Seventeen mentually ill patients, most of them with schizophrenia, and one normal subject were treated with a-methyl-para-tyrosine, an inhibitor of tyrosine hydroxylase. Gradually increasing doses up to 2,000 mg daily were given for approximately 41 days. This agent did not have any antipsychotic properties in these patients but it did have marked sedative effect. No parkinsonian symptoms or other side effects were seen. The significance of an agent such as a-methyl-para-tyrosine in the treatment of affective disorders (manic states) is discussed.
Antibiotic exposure promotes fat gain.

Recent research suggests that obesity may be influenced not only by dietary and genetic risk factors, but also by the trillions of microorganisms inhabiting our gastrointestinal tract. Consistent with this notion, Cho et al. (2012) use mice to demonstrate that subtherapeutic antibiotic treatment promotes adiposity.
Accounting for carbon stocks in models of land-use change: an application to Southern Yucatan

To assess the impact of land-use change on carbon stocks, we apply a new methodology, linking ecological and economic modeling, to southern Yucatan, Mexico. A spatial econometric multinomial logit model of ten land-cover classes is estimated (four primary forest categories, three secondary growth categories, an invasive species, and two agricultural land-cover categories), using satellite data on land cover, linked with census socioeconomic data and other biophysical spatial data from 2000. The analysis is novel in that it is the first attempt to link detailed satellite data on land use, with on-the-ground estimates of carbon stocks in a spatial econometric model of land use. The estimated multinomial logit model is then used with two scenarios of future economic growth (“low growth” and “high growth” changes in population, agricultural land use, market access, and education levels) in the region to predict land-cover changes resulting from the economic growth. The per hectare carbon (C) stocks in each land-cover class are derived from previously published estimates of biomass from field sampling across the study region. We consider aboveground-only, aboveground plus soil, transient and non-transient pools of carbon. These estimates are scaled up to the total area in each class according to the predictions of the model baseline and the two development scenarios. Subsequently, the changes in carbon stocks resulting from the predicted land-cover changes are calculated. Under the low growth scenario, carbon stocks declined by 5%; under the high growth scenario, losses were 12%. Including soil C, the proportional losses were lower, but the absolute amount lost was more than double (to 6 Tg C under the low and almost 15 Tg C under the high-growth scenario). This methodology could be further developed for applications in global change policy, such as payments for environmental services (PES) or reduction in emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD).
Inhibitory Plasticity Dictates the Sign of Plasticity at Excitatory Synapses

The broad connectivity of inhibitory interneurons and the capacity of inhibitory synapses to be plastic make them ideal regulators of the level of excitability of many neurons simultaneously. Whether inhibitory synaptic plasticity may also contribute to the selective regulation of single neurons and local microcircuits activity has not been investigated. Here we demonstrate that in rat primary visual cortex inhibitory synaptic plasticity is connection specific and depends on the activation of postsynaptic GABAB–Gi/o protein signaling. Through the activation of this intracellular signaling pathway, inhibitory plasticity can alter the state of a single postsynaptic neuron and directly affect the induction of plasticity at its glutamatergic inputs. This interaction is modulated by sensory experience. Our data demonstrate that in recurrent circuits, excitatory and inhibitory forms of synaptic plasticity are not integrated as independent events, but interact to cooperatively drive the activity-dependent rewiring of local microcircuits.
Fostering lambs by odor transfer: Two-lamb substitution

Abstract Odor specific to individual lambs enables ewes to discriminate between their own and alien offspring. Previous research has demonstrated that many post-partum ewes will adopt a single alien lamb in addition to their own natural lamb if the alien lamb is wearing a jacket impregnated with own-lamb odor (“add-on” odor transfer fostering technique). The following study investigates whether a higher percentage of ewes will adopt “extra” lambs if their own natural young is exchanged for 2 alien lambs (two-lamb substitution). Cloth stockinettes were placed on the natural lambs of 47 multiparous ewes shortly after parturition. Forty-eight to 72 h later, 27 ewes that had given birth to single lambs and 20 ewes that bore twins were given 2 alien lambs in exchange for their own offspring. Approximately half of the ewes in each group received alien lambs wearing jackets impregnated with own-lamb odor (experimental odor transfer group); the remaining ewes received aliens wearing their own jackets (control group). Standard acceptance tests were conducted daily for 5 days. Only 14.3% of the experimental (odor transfer) ewes that bore single young accepted both alien lambs in exchange for their own. However, 90% of the experimental ewes that bore twins accepted both aliens. Control ewes had lower adoption rates of alien lamb pairs. Ewes bearing single young tended to accept only 1 lamb. Experimental ewes that received siblings (twins) were more likely to accept both alien young than ewes that received non-siblings (57.1 vs. 30%, respectively). Ewes that bore single lambs were more likely to accept a single alien lamb if they were presented with non-sibs than sibling pairs (84.6 vs. 42.9%, respectively). It was concluded that two-lamb substitution via the odor transfer fostering technique is inferior to the add-on procedure for increasing the number of lambs reared by ewes. However, it is an effective method for replacing twin sets that have died.
An Examination of the Semantic Relations Reflected in the Language Usage of Normal and Language-Disordered Children

Language samples were obtained from 40 children in order to examine semantic relations reflected in language usage as a function of chronological age (three and five years) and linguistic status (normal and language disordered). Normal-disordered comparisons were made under both matched utterance length and matched age conditions. Results are interpreted as supporting the notion that the disordered-language usage reflected semantic relations consistent with an earlier level of development.
Controlled Precracking of Fracture Mechanics Specimens Using Contact Stresses

A simple method is proposed for introducing precracks into thin-plate fracture mechanics specimens, i.e., compact-tension and double-cantilever-beam specimens, using standard testing equipment and without performing complicated machining operations on the specimens. The surface of the specimen is first scored to a known length, using a scribe, and the specimen is then compressed between polymer blocks. Mismatch between the elastic properties of the polymer and the specimen results in an in-plane tensile stress in the vicinity of the scratch that causes a crack to initiate from the scratch and propagate through the specimen thickness. Provided that certain conditions are met, the crack arrests without significant growth beyond the initial scratch length. The result is a straight, through-thickness precrack of controllable length. Fracture toughness measurements made on glass specimens precracked using the proposed method are in good agreement with literature values for this material.
The effect of otitis media and quality of daycare on children's language development

The objective of this study was to understand whether experience with otitis media (OM) early in life affected hearing levels of children as well as whether it affected the language development of children at 24 months of age. This study followed 67 daycare-attending infants for several years, performing weekly ear examinations by a nurse and physician and regular hearing testing. The Sequenced Inventory of Communication Development (SICD) was administered to all children at 24 months of age. Children were divided into chronic and non-chronic OM groups. In addition, half the children were in high quality daycare and half were in low quality daycare. Results suggested that children in low quality daycare with chronic OM performed more poorly on the expressive portion of the SICD in comparison to non-chronic children in low quality care. There were no differences on SICD performance for the OM groups in high quality care. Children with chronic OM also showed a hearing loss during episodes of OM while children with non-chronic or infrequent episodes did not show a hearing loss even during bouts of OM. Findings suggest that chronic OM may have adverse effects only when there is a hearing loss associated with OM and children are in a suboptimal environment, like low quality childcare.
Hydrogen Fluoride Inhalation Injury Because of a Fire Suppression System

ABSTRACTAutomatic fire suppression systems (FSSs) use hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) to chemically extinguish fires. At high temperatures, HFC can release hydrogen fluoride (HF), a toxic and potentially lethal gas. We report the deaths of three U.S. military personnel at Bagram Air Base from acute respiratory failure after the FSS in their vehicle received a direct hit from a rocket-propelled grenade. Despite presenting with little to no additional signs of trauma, these individuals all died within 24 hours from HF-induced respiratory failure. When two patients later presented with similar symptoms after damage to their vehicle’s FSS, they were aggressively treated with nebulized calcium and positive pressure ventilation. Both survived. The presence of HFC-containing FSSs in military vehicles may lead to future cases of HF inhalation injury, and further research must be done to help rapidly diagnose and effectively treat this injury.
The insufficience of supervenient explanations of moral actions: Really taking Darwin and the naturalistic fallacy seriously

In a recent paper in this journal (Rottschaefer and Martinsen 1990) we have proposed a view of Darwinian evolutionary metaethics that we believe improves upon Michael Ruse's (e.g., Ruse 1986) proposals by claiming that there are evolutionary based objective moral values and that a Darwinian naturalistic account of the moral good in terms of human fitness can be given that avoids the naturalistic fallacy in both its definitional and derivational forms while providing genuine, even if limited, justifications for substantive ethical claims. Jonathan Barrett (this issue) has objected to our proposal contending that we cannot hold for the reality of supervenient moral properties without either falling foul of the naturalistic fallacy or suffering the consequences of postulating inexplicable moral properties. In reply, we show that Barrett's explicit arguments that we commit either the definitional or derivational form of the naturalistic fallacy fail and that his naturalistic intuitions that supervenience explanations of moral properties by nonmoral properties force us into what we call the explanatory form of the naturalistic fallacy also fail. Positively, his objections help us to clarify the nature of the naturalistic fallacy within an evolutionary based naturalistic ethics and to point out the proper role of both supervenience explanations and moral explanations in such an ethics.
Hormonal regulation of peptide receptors and target cell responses

Regulation of plasma membrane receptors for peptide hormones by the prevailing ligand concentration often causes altered target cell function. Receptor number is determined by hormone-induced changes in membrane conformation, irreversible ligand binding, and processing of ligand–receptor complexes during hormone action.
Peer support and interpersonal psychotherapy groups experienced decreased prenatal depression, anxiety and cortisol

Forty-four prenatally depressed women were randomly assigned to peer support or interpersonal psychotherapy groups at 22 weeks gestation. The peer support group participated in a 20-minute group session once per week for 12 weeks, and the interpersonal psychotherapy group met for one hour per week for 12 weeks. Assessments were conducted before and after the sessions at 22 and 34 weeks gestation. Despite the peer support group having lower socioeconomic status and higher depression scores at the beginning of the treatment period and having shorter group sessions, both groups had lower summary depression (CES-D) scores and lower anxiety (STAI) scores by the end of the treatment period. In addition, cortisol levels decreased for both groups after the last day session, although the decrease was greater for the peer support group. The groups did not differ on neonatal outcomes including gestational age and birthweight. These data suggest that peer support group sessions may be a cost-effective form of treatment for prenatal depression.
Effect of Glucose and NH4+ Levels on Poly(β-hydroxybutyrate) Production and Growth in a Continuous Culture of Alcaligenes eutrophus

The effect of glucose and NH 4 + concentrations on poly(β-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) production was investigated with an NH 4 + :pH-auxostat. Reactor concentrations were controlled between 1.5 μM and 10 mM for NH 4 + and between 1 and 20 g/L for glucose. Dilution rates between 0.07 and 0.24 h -1 were achieved, but little correlation was observed between nutrient concentrations or dilution rate on PHB concentration, which varied between 10 and 20% of the cell dry weight. However experiments demonstrated that glucose levels above 1 g/L affected the growth rate when the culture was NH 4 + -limited, implying a non-Monod growth model. The residual biomass yield on glucose was estimated to be 0.5 g of cells/g of glucose and was independent of dilution rate. However, the estimated yield on NH 4 + decreased linearly with increasing dilution rate between 9 and 6 g of cells/g of NH 4 + . A qualitative model for PHB formation based on the cellular response to the environmental stress of low NH 4 + concentrations is discussed.
Enhanced γ-Aminobutyric Acid–B Receptor Agonist Responses and mRNA Within the Nucleus of the Solitary Tract in Hypertension

Abstract —γ-Aminobutyric acid–B (GABA B ) receptor function and regulation in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) was examined in Sprague-Dawley rats made chronically (4 to 5 weeks) hypertensive with the one-kidney, figure-8 renal wrap model of hypertension. NTS microinjection of the GABA B agonist baclofen produced a pressor response that was enhanced in hypertensive rats compared with the response observed in sham-operated normotensive rats (36±4 mm Hg increase in mean arterial pressure in 8 hypertensive rats compared with 21±2 mm Hg increase in 7 sham-operated normotensive rats, P =0.03). Responses to microinjection of GABA B antagonists (CGP-55845A and SCH-90511), the GABA A agonist muscimol, the GABA A antagonist bicuculline, and the GABA reuptake inhibitor nipecotic acid were not different comparing normotensive sham-operated and hypertensive rats. Renal sympathetic nerve responses to NTS microinjection of these drugs were not different in hypertensive compared with normotensive rats. Micropunches of the NTS were homogenized and reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction was performed to examine mRNA levels for the GABA B receptor. There was a 3-fold increase in GABA B receptor mRNA levels in the caudal NTS of 7 chronically hypertensive rats compared with levels measured in 8 sham-operated normotensive rats ( P =0.01). In conclusion, chronic hypertension is associated with an upregulation of GABA B receptor function; however, the tonic activity of the system does not appear to be different between normotensive and hypertensive rats. The upregulation of GABA B receptor function might be due to an increased number of receptors, as suggested by the elevated levels of GABA B receptor mRNA measured in the NTS of hypertensive rats. All of these alterations suggest that hypertension is associated with dynamic changes in receptor-mediated mechanisms within the NTS, and these alterations could modify baroreflex regulation of cardiovascular function in hypertension.
Surfactant secretion by type II pneumocytes is inhibited by high glucose concentrations.

Delayed fetal lung maturation is observed in poorly controlled diabetic pregnancies. To investigate whether elevated glucose levels inhibit basal surfactant secretion and synthesis in type II cells...
Reaction Discovery Employing Macrocycles: Transannular Cyclizations of Macrocyclic Bis-lactams

Macrocyclic bis-lactams have been synthesized by cyclodimerization of homoallylic amino esters employing a Zr(IV)-catalyzed ester-amide exchange protocol. Base-mediated transannular cyclizations have been identified to access both bicyclic [5-11] and tricyclic [5-8-5] frameworks in good yield and diastereoselectivity. Preliminary mechanistic studies support an olefin isomerization−intramolecular conjugate addition pathway.
Clinical evaluation of left heart function by conductance catheter technique

Methods to obtain pressure-volume loops in humans and their application to clinical diagnosis and treatment of cardiac disease are discussed. The method employs a conductance catheter, micromanometer, and inferior vena caval balloon occluder to reversibly and rapidly vary venous return. Multiple cardiac cycles measured during this manoeuvre are used to derive a variety of systolic and diastolic function indices, as well as estimates of vascular loading, and cardiac energetics. Strengths and weaknesses of the method as well as pressure-volume indexes themselves are briefly discussed. Lastly, three clinical examples are presented which serve to demonstrate how pressure-volume analysis can provide useful clinical information regarding diagnosis and/or treatment in subjects with heart failure symptoms.
Influence of interfacial carbide layer characteristics on thermal properties of copper–diamond composites

Copper–diamond composites are increasingly being considered for thermal management applications because of their attractive combination of properties, such as high thermal conductivity (λ) and low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). In this research, thermal properties of Cu–diamond composites with two different types of interfacial carbides (Cr3C2 and SiC) were studied. The interface thermal conductance (h c) was calculated with Maxwell mean-field and differential effective medium schemes, wherein experimentally measured λ was entered as an input parameter. The λ and h c of both the Cu–Cr3C2–diamond and Cu–SiC–diamond composites are higher than those reported in previous studies for Cu–diamond composites with no interfacial carbides. The value of h c is intimately related to the morphology and thickness of the interface carbide layer, with the highest h c being associated with a thin and continuous interface carbide layer. A lower h c resulting from a thicker Cr3C2 layer can provide an alternate explanation for a previously reported trend in λ of Cu–Cr3C2–diamond composites with different Cr-contents. The experimentally measured CTE was compared with the Turner and Kerner model predictions. The CTE of both the Cu–Cr3C2–diamond and Cu–SiC–diamond composites is lower and better matches the model predictions than the previously reported CTE of Cu–diamond composite with no interfacial carbides. The CTE of Cu–Cr3C2–diamond composites agrees better with the Kerner model than the Turner model, which suggests that deformation during temperature excursions involves shear.
Prosodic abnormalities in schizotypal personality disorder

Objective Patients with schizophrenia speak with blunted vocal affect but little is known regarding the prosody of persons with schizotypal personality disorder (SPD). This work examined expressive prosody in SPD, its relationship to brain structure, and outlined a framework for measuring elements of prosody in clinical populations.
Vibrations of a water adlayer on Ru(0001)

Ab initio vibration spectra have been calculated for two-dimensional arrangements of intact and partially dissociated water molecules adsorbed on Ru(0001) and for an ice-Ih crystal. Dissociation of the non-hydrogen-bonding O-D bonds of a heavy-water bilayer on Ru(0001) eliminates the highest-energy O-D stretch feature, just as is seen in Denzler et al.'s (unpublished) sum frequency generation observations. Reduced zero-point energy, a consequence of replacing O-D stretch vibrations with softer Ru-D modes, stabilizes partially dissociated adlayers relative to adsorption structures made purely of intact water molecules.
Imaging Across Scale: the Promise of Multi-modal Imaging

Comprehending neural function requires techniques that permit measurement of large-scale activity over complex networks even as we gain greater understanding of the foundations of this activity at the level of single or small populations of neurons. The measurement techniques currently available, while having yielded important and relevant information on the complexity of global neural networks, still provide only snapshots of the full picture. At present, recording and analysis remain linked to the spatial or temporal resolution inherent to each technique. Thus, the ability to integrate electro physiological and functional imaging techniques to gain access to the spatio-temporal dynamics of neural activity is an important frontier in modern imaging science.
Estimate of epididymal transit time in the chimpanzee

Abstract During their passage through the epididymis, sperm undergo functional changes which result in their maturation and in their ability to fertilize ova. Maturational changes effected during epididymal transport are attributable to sequential changes in various regions of the plasmalemma of the sperm head and flagella. These functional changes in the plasmalemma result, at least in part, from the sequential binding of proteins secreted by the epididymal epithelium into the epididymal lumen. An estimate of epididymal transit time is essential to such investigations. Time elapsed from a testicular arterial infusion of a single pulse of tritiated-thymidine to the release of 3 H-labeled sperm into the lumen of the seminiferous tubule was about 39 days. Seminal fluid-free 3 H-labeled sperm first appear in the ejaculate about 41±1 days post-infusion. Total transit time for 3 H-labeled Sd2 sperm released into the tubular lumen to appear in the ejaculate is estimated as the difference between these values. Since total transit time is equal to the seminiferous tubule transit time plus the epididymal transit time, epididymal transit time constitutes some lesser portion of the total transit time of 2±1 days.
Modisane’s weddings

‘All Sons of Gaika’, a newly discovered unpublished story by Bloke Modisane, has a marriage plot. The present commentary compares that plot to Modisane’s description of his own wedding in Blame Me on History, his autobiography.
Size-specific dose estimates (SSDE) for a prototype orthopedic cone-beam CT system

Patient specific dose evaluation and reporting is becoming increasingly important for x-ray imaging systems. Even imaging systems with lower patient dose such as CBCT scanners for extremities can benefit from accurate and size-specific dose assessment and reporting. This paper presents CTDI dose measurements performed on a prototype CBCT extremity imaging system across a range of body part sizes (5, 10, 16, and 20 cm effective diameter) and kVp (70, 80, and 90 kVp - with 0.1 mm Cu added filtration). The ratio of the CTDI measurements for the 5, 10, and 20 cm phantoms to the CTDI measurements for the 16 cm phantom were calculated and results were compared to size-specific dose estimates conversion factors (AAPM Report 204), which were evaluated on a conventional CT scanner. Due to the short scan nature of the system (220 degree acquisition angle), the dependence of CTDI values on the initial angular orientation of the phantom with respect to the imager was also evaluated. The study demonstrated that for a 220 degree acquisition sequence, the initial angular position of the conventional CTDI phantom with respect to the scanner does not significantly affect CTDI measurements (varying by less than 2% overall across the range of possible initial angular positions). The size-specific conversion factor was found to be comparable to the Report 204 factors for the large phantom size (20 cm) but lower, by up to 12%, for the 5 cm phantom (i.e., 1.35 for CBCT vs 1.54 for CT). The factors dependence on kVp was minimal, but dependence on kVp was most significant for smaller diameters. These results indicate that specific conversion factors need to be used for CBCT systems with short scans in order to provide more accurate dose reporting across the range of body sizes found in extremity scanners.