cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Age-Related Variances in Patients with Tibial Plateau Fractures.

Tibial plateau fractures account for approximately 8% of fractures in the elderly population. Treatment strategies in the elderly are similar to those for younger patients; however, practitioners must account for the elevated comorbidity burden in this population. To date, few studies have analyzed age-based outcomes in patients with tibial plateau fractures. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine age-related variances in demographics, fracture characteristics, mechanism of injury, and complications. A 10-year retrospective review was conducted to identify patients who received treatment for a tibial plateau fracture. There were 351 patients (360 tibial plateau fractures) who were identified and subsequently stratified according to their age at the time of injury. Patients were classified as elderly if they were 65 years of age or older at the time of injury; all other patients were included in the control cohort. These two cohorts were analyzed using bivariate analysis to isolate for age-related variations with respect to risk factors, mechanism of injury, and complications. There were 351 patients (360 tibial plateau fractures) with a median follow-up of 1.84 ± 2.44 years who met inclusion criteria. There were a greater proportion of women in the elderly cohort as compared with the younger cohort (60.0 vs. 43.4%, p = 0.06). Elderly patients were significantly more likely to present with diabetes (33.3 vs. 16.1%, p = 0.01) or osteoporosis (14.3 vs. 1.6%, p = 0.001). Younger patients were significantly more likely to require further surgery to address ligament (12.6 vs. 0%, p = 0.008), meniscus (20.9 vs. 7.1%, p = 0.036), or cartilage pathology (13.6 vs. 0%, p = 0.005). There was no difference in the arthroplasty conversion rate (4.8% elderly vs. 7.9% control, p = 0.755). While elderly patients presented with a greater comorbidity burden, they had equivalent or better short-term outcomes when compared with their younger peers when treated with open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF). Despite the recent interest in primary total knee arthroplasty for elderly patients with tibial plateau fractures, the results of this study suggest that elderly patients may respond well when treated with ORIF following a tibial plateau fracture.
Optimizing Return on Investment in Biomass Conversion Networks under Uncertainty Using Data-Driven Adaptive Robust Optimization

Abstract Bioconversion networks provide a means of turning raw biomass feedstock into useful biochemicals and fuels. These networks can display not only how crops and plants can be converted into bioproducts, but also how organic waste and other unconventional feedstocks can be used to create useful products as well. In order to determine the economic feasibility of the conversion pathways in these networks, an economic measure of design profitability such as return on investment must be used. Given a bioconversion network containing 216 technologies and 172 materials/compounds, we propose a two-stage adaptive robust mixed integer fractional programming model capable of measuring the economic success of bioconversion technology pathways. The proposed approach yields the processing pathways with optimal return on investment subject to minimum demand and maximum capacity constraints.
Pion Double Charge Exchange in p-shell Nuclei

Doubly differential cross sections for inclusive pion double charge exchange (DCX) on 6,7Li, 9Be, and 12C have been measured at the Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility with incident positive and negative pions of energies 120, 180, and 240 MeV. These new data, together with our previous studies of DCX on nuclei with A = 3, 4, 16, 40, 103, and 208, provide a detailed picture of the systematics of this reaction over the entire periodic table.
Ion irradiation of III–V semiconductor surfaces: From self-assembled nanostructures to plasmonic crystals

Ion-irradiation of semiconductor surfaces has emerged as a promising approach to generate a variety of self-organized nanostructures. Furthermore, the combination of focused-ion-irradiation with molecular-beam epitaxy provides unprecedented design and control of surfaces and interfaces of hybrid materials at the atomic level during fabrication. In this review, we describe the directed self-assembly of nanostructure arrays ranging from islands to nanorods to 3-dimensional nanoparticle (NP) arrays. First, we discuss focused-ion-irradiation of III–V surfaces, which leads to preferential sputtering of group V species, followed by the formation of group III-rich metallic nanostructures. For continued irradiation beyond a threshold dose, the nanoparticle (NP) evolution is determined by the sputtering yield and the local ion beam angle of incidence, resulting in arrays of nanoparticles, nanorods, or nanoparticle chains. In addition to describing the formation of close-packed embedded Ga:GaAs nanocomposites using overgrowth of focused-ion-beam fabricated NP arrays, we discuss the surface plasmon resonances of NP arrays as well as the influence of both surface and buried NP arrays on the GaAs photoluminescence efficiency. Finally, we discuss the potential of “plasmonic crystals” for plasmon-enhanced optoelectronics.
Active and Passive Radiative Transfer Simulations for GPM-Related Field Campaigns

Using a three-dimensional radiative transfer model combined with cloud-resolving model output, we simulate active and passive sensor observations of clouds and precipitaiton. This combination of tools allows us to diagnose the contributions of various hydrometeor types. Radar multiple scattering is most closely associated with the presence of graupel. At W-band, massive amounts multiple scattering in deep convection can decorrelate the reflectivity profile from the vertical structure, but for less intense events, multiple scattering could be a useful indicator of riming. For passive sensors, polarization differences at 166 GHz indicate the presence of horizontally-aligned frozen particles with pronounced aspect ratios, while high concentrations of more isotropic aggregates and graupel dampen the polarization difference while also contributing to the lowest brightness temperature depressions. The insights into remote sensing measurements will facilitate the development of improved algorithms and advanced sensors.
Polar Format-Based Compressive SAR Image Reconstruction With Integrated Autofocus

In this article, we develop a polar format-based algorithm for recovering synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery from sparsely/randomly sampled data in the presence of motion compensation/phase errors. Our method integrates conventional SAR autofocus algorithms into an $\ell _{1}$ norm penalized image recovery problem. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach using a real airborne SAR data set covering a large scene.
‘Web of Violence’, Depression, and Impairment in a Clinical Sample of Adolescents

Youth exposure to ‘web of violence’ is associated with impairments in mental and physical health. The current study aimed to identify subgroups of violent events, such as maltreatment, bullying perpetration and peer victimization and explore how these relate to depressive symptoms, hopelessness, and impairment among a sample of clinically-referred youth. A sample of 151 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18 years was evaluated at a mood disorders program in an outpatient hospital-based clinic. Cluster analysis was used to identify subgroups based on ‘web of violence’ experiences. Group differences were then analyzed by demographics and clinical variables. Overall, rates of exposure to maltreatment, peer victimization and bullying perpetration were high. Cluster analysis identified two subgroups of adolescents which can be characterized as low versus high exposure groups. The high exposure group reported more severe depressive symptoms, greater hopelessness, and more impairment than the low exposure group. Among this clinical sample, distinct subgroups of youth were identified that differed based exposure to maltreatment and peer fighting and victimization. Adolescents in the high exposure group showed significantly worse clinical outcomes compared to the low exposure group. These findings further highlight the importance of a comprehensive assessment for involvement in violence when evaluating adolescents with depression.
Simple inheritance, complex regulation: Supergene-mediated fire ant queen polymorphism.

The fire ant Solenopsis invicta exists in two alternate social forms: monogyne nests contain a single reproductive queen and polygyne nests contain multiple reproductive queens. This colony-level social polymorphism corresponds with individual differences in queen physiology, queen dispersal patterns and worker discrimination behaviours, all evidently regulated by an inversion-based supergene that spans more than 13 Mb of a "social chromosome," contains over 400 protein-coding genes and rarely undergoes recombination. The specific mechanisms by which this supergene influences expression of the many distinctive features that characterize the alternate forms remain almost wholly unknown. To advance our understanding of these mechanisms, we explore the effects of social chromosome genotype and natal colony social form on gene expression in queens sampled as they embarked on nuptial flights, using RNA-sequencing of brains and ovaries. We observe a large effect of natal social form, that is, of the social/developmental environment, on gene expression profiles, with similarly substantial effects of genotype, including: (a) supergene-associated gene upregulation, (b) allele-specific expression and (c) pronounced extra-supergene trans-regulatory effects. These findings, along with observed spatial variation in differential and allele-specific expression within the supergene region, highlight the complex gene regulatory landscape that emerged following divergence of the inversion-mediated Sb haplotype from its homologue, which presumably largely retained the ancestral gene order. The distinctive supergene-associated gene expression trajectories we document at the onset of a queen's reproductive life expand the known record of relevant molecular correlates of a complex social polymorphism and point to putative genetic factors underpinning the alternate social syndromes.
New Labels for Old Ideas: Predictive Processing and the Interpretation of Neural Signals

Philosophical proponents of predictive processing cast the novelty of predictive models of perception in terms of differences in the functional role and information content of neural signals. However, they fail to provide constraints on how the crucial semantic mapping from signals to their informational contents is determined. Beyond a novel interpretative gloss on neural signals, they have little new to say about the causal structure of the system, or even what statistical information is carried by the signals. That means that the predictive framework for perception can be relabeled in traditional, non-predictive terms, with no empirical consequences relevant to existing or future data. To the extent that neuroscientific research based on predictive processing is both innovative and productive, it will be due to the framework’s suggestive heuristic effects, or perhaps auxiliary empirical claims about implementation, rather than a difference in the information-processing structure that it describes.
Potential caveats of putative microglia-specific markers for assessment of age-related cerebrovascular neuroinflammation

The ability to distinguish resident microglia from infiltrating myeloid cells by flow cytometry-based surface phenotyping is an important technique for examining age-related neuroinflammation. The most commonly used surface markers for the identification of microglia include CD45 (low-intermediate expression), CD11b, Tmem119, and P2RY12. In this study, we examined changes in expression levels of these putative microglia markers in in vivo animal models of stroke, cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), and aging as well as in an ex vivo LPS-induced inflammation model. We demonstrate that Tmem119 and P2RY12 expression is evident within both CD45int and CD45high myeloid populations in models of stroke, CAA, and aging. Interestingly, LPS stimulation of FACS-sorted adult microglia suggested that these brain-resident myeloid cells can upregulate CD45 and downregulate Tmem119 and P2RY12, making them indistinguishable from peripherally derived myeloid populations. Importantly, our findings show that these changes in the molecular signatures of microglia can occur without a contribution from the other brain-resident or peripherally sourced immune cells. We recommend future studies approach microglia identification by flow cytometry with caution, particularly in the absence of the use of a combination of markers validated for the specific neuroinflammation model of interest. The subpopulation of resident microglia residing within the “infiltrating myeloid” population, albeit small, may be functionally important in maintaining immune vigilance in the brain thus should not be overlooked in neuroimmunological studies.
Responding to Wobbly Classrooms through Scaffolded, Peer-Led, Small-Group Presentations of Personal Learning Goals: The Beyond the Book Tool:

Teaching topics that implicate student identities, traumas, and/or activism is challenging because students often come with very personal attachments to curricular and extracurricular topics, such ...
Ambiguity under growing awareness

Abstract In this paper, we study choice under growing awareness in the wake of new discoveries. The decision maker's behavior is described by two preference relations, one before and one after new discoveries are made. The original preference admits a subjective expected utility representation. As awareness grows, the original decision problem expands and so does the state space. Therefore, the decision maker's original preference has to be extended to a larger domain, and consequently the new preference might exhibit ambiguity aversion. We propose two consistency notions that connect the original and new preferences. Unambiguity Consistency requires that the original states remain unambiguous while new states might be ambiguous. This provides a novel interpretation of ambiguity aversion as a systematic preference to bet on old states than on newly discovered states. Likelihood Consistency requires that the relative likelihoods of the original states are preserved. Our main results axiomatically characterize a maxmin expected utility (MEU) representation of the new preference that satisfies the two consistency notions. We also extend our model by allowing the initial preference to be MEU, and characterize reverse full-Bayesianism, which is an extension of the reverse Bayesianism of Karni and Viero (2013) to MEU preferences.
Clinical touch points: Using the PREP framework to improve critical thinking among pre-licensure nursing students

Abstract Clinical care plan assignments and the use of concept mapping traditionally incite critical thinking and clinical judgment skills for pre-licensure nursing students. An ongoing debate in the literature apropos the effective use of both tools, either used alone or collectively, and which tool best promotes increased critical thinking skills among nursing students. Typically, the use of both tools requires the student to complete at least some elements of the assignment outside of the clinical setting after the clinical experience concludes. Standard clinical tasks take precedence during the clinical experience leaving little to no time to complete paperwork such as care plans or concept maps. This paper reconnoiters the concepts of critical thinking and clinical judgment among pre-licensure nursing students, the techniques to enhance these critical skills, and proposes a framework to promote an innovative solution for nurse educators and students easily deployed during clinical experiences with assignment recommendations following the clinical experience.
THE LEGITIMATIZATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE’S DIGITAL MEDIA PRACTICES WITHIN NEOLIBERAL CONTEXTS AND ECOLOGIES

This panel focuses on different ways that practices of children, youth, and families are legitimatized (and deligitimatized) in schools, homes, and market places. With a focus on media consumption, the four papers examine the lived realities of families in the late 2010’s, a time period dominated by Trump-era politics, neoliberal ideologies, digital capitalisms and dilemmas of trust. In this moment, children and youth are positioned variously as in need of media literacy, parental regulations, and social controls. Simultaneously, children and youth are looked to as the future generation of political activists, savvy consumers, and promotional actors. In these polarized and sometimes conflicting positions, particular practices are recognized and condoned, while others are subject to intense scrutiny. We ask a number of questions: what discursive constructions are available for children and youth engaging with digital media? What options do parents have in terms of positioning themselves and their parenting in relation to children and media? In what ways are hierarchies of value enacted and replicated in relation to media and education? These questions are all framed by larger questions from the field of child studies and how the child is framed in various discourses - civic, parental, promotional and educational.
Bullshit Human Rights: Breitbart News’ “Cartel Chronicles” and the Militarized Framing of Humanitarian Crisis on the US-Mexico Border

Drawing on a qualitative content analysis of roughly 700 articles published on the Breitbart News ‘Cartel Chronicles’ site between 2015 and 2021, this article analyzes the ways conservative citizen...
Visual Intelligence through Human Interaction

Over the last decade, Computer Vision, the branch of Artificial Intelligence aimed at understanding the visual world, has evolved from simply recognizing objects in images to describing pictures, answering questions about images, aiding robots maneuver around physical spaces, and even generating novel visual content. As these tasks and applications have modernized, so too has the reliance on more data, either for model training or for evaluation. In this chapter, we demonstrate that novel interaction strategies can enable new forms of data collection and evaluation for Computer Vision. First, we present a crowdsourcing interface for speeding up paid data collection by an order of magnitude, feeding the data-hungry nature of modern vision models. Second, we explore a method to increase volunteer contributions using automated social interventions. Third, we develop a system to ensure human evaluation of generative vision models are reliable, affordable, and grounded in psychophysics theory. We conclude with future opportunities for Human–Computer Interaction to aid Computer Vision.
Double and Triple Binds: How Status, Gender, and Race Influence the Work of State Prekindergarten Leaders

This paper examines how state prekindergarten (PreK) leaders in the United States believe their gender, race, and the status of the field influenced their work experiences. Qualitative methods were...
Molecular Genetics of the Acquired Long QT Syndrome

The previous chapter has outlined the clinical conditions under which arrhythmias occur in patients with the congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS). One such condition - identified in only a handful of patients to date — is administration of a QT-prolonging drug; this finding indicates that the congenital form of LQTS and the drug-associated form overlap. Moreover, as the availability of molecular genotyping expands, individuals with mutations in LQTS disease genes with no manifest phenotype are being identified, and anecdotal clinical data also support the contention that drug administration in such individuals may unmask the genotype by provoking Torsades de Pointes (TdP). More generally, it seems increasingly clear that abnormal repolarization is a common feature of acquired heart disease, and may play a role in the development of arrhythmias in diverse settings, such as heart failure (1), hypertrophy (2), or atrial fibrillation (3). It is the goal of this chapter to outline the role genetic factors may play a role in determining cardiac repolarization and arrhythmias in the “acquired” long QT syndrome, i.e. that provoked by administration of drugs or the presence of heart disease.
Systems of Regression Equations

Alfred Cowles III hailed from an established Chicago publishing family, his father and uncle having founded the Chicago Tribune and Cleveland Leader, respectively (Grier, 2013). For a short time after WWI Cowles successfully ran a Chicago investment firm that acquired and restructured small railroads. His firm also published a stock market newsletter providing fundamental analysis and recommendations on railroad stock issues as well as other investments, and for a time there was even an Alfred Cowles Railroad.
Use of Shape for Automated, Optimized 3D Radiosurgical Treatment Planning

Conformal treatment planning for radiosurgical dose delivery is challenging for irregularly shaped target volumes. Spheres of radiation dose, called “shots”, must be positioned within a target image to yield an acceptable cumulative dose distribution. An automated solution has been developed that uses target shape, as represented by the 3D medial axis transform, to determine optimal shot positions, sizes, and number. These parameters are determined from successive 3D skeletons of unplanned target volumes. Essentially, target shape is replicated by the arrangement of shots comprising the 3D skeleton, forcing a conformal solution. Optimization is determined by the ratio of uncovered to total target volume and the smallest number of shots. Use of the medial axis transform reduces a 3D optimization problem to 1D with corresponding savings in computation time. Clinical cases in 3D demonstrate this approach as a replacement for manual planning.
The Climatic Influence of Drake Passage

The influence of Drake Passage on the earth's temperature distribution is explored in an idealized coupled model. In a version of the model without Drake Passage the temperature distribution is symmetric about the equator, due in large part to the fact that the meridional overturning in the ocean is symmetric about the equator with deep water formation in both hemispheres. With Drake Passage open, the overturning takes on the form of an interhemispheric conveyor with deep water formation primarily in the opposite (northern) hemisphere. Surface temperatures rise in the northern hemisphere and fall in the southern hemisphere as the ocean transports a large amount of heat northward across the equator. The magnitude of the thermal asymmetry between the hemispheres depends on the depth of the circumpolar channel and the strength of the winds over the channel. The opening of Drake Passage also leads to the formation of a low-salinity intermediate water mass reminiscent of Antarctic Intermediate Water. The intermediate water mass is associated with a warming and thickening of the thermocline that extends from the circumpolar channel into the highest latitudes of the northern hemisphere. Paleoclimatic implications of this work are discussed.
Carbonate Cementation in Deep-Ocean Sediments

Carbonate cementations can become significant design factors in design of deep ocean foundations. The writers have tested approximately 60 ft (18 m) of core obtained from water depths of about 9,800 ft (3,000 m) in the Labrador Basin. Test results presented herein support the contention that carbonate cementation plays an important role in the strengths of some deep ocean sediments and needs to be considered in design.
Isolation of Gastric Vitamin B12-binding Proteins Using Affinity Chromatography: I. PURIFICATION AND PROPERTIES OF HUMAN INTRINSIC FACTOR

Abstract Human intrinsic factor has been isolated from gastric juice. The protein was purified 853-fold with a yield of 85% utilizing affinity chromatography on vitamin B12-Sepharose as the sole purification technique. The final preparation was homogeneous based on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and sedimentation equilibrium ultracentrifugation. The isolated protein (20 µg) corrected vitamin B12 malabsorption when given to a patient with pernicious anemia in a standard Schilling test. Human intrinsic factor binds 30.1 µg of vitamin B12 per mg of protein and contains a single vitamin B12-binding site with an association constant for vitamin B12 of 1.5 x 1010 m-1. The molecular weight determined by sedimentation equilibrium ultracentrifugation was 45,200 to 47,700 while that determined by amino acid and carbohydrate analyses was 44,200. The protein contains 15.0% carbohydrate which accounts for the elevated molecular weight values (59,000 to 66,000) obtained using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and gel filtration. In the presence of vitamin B12, human intrinsic factor aggregates to form dimers and higher molecular weight oligomers. When vitamin B12 binds to human intrinsic factor, the spectral maximum for vitamin B12 shifts from 361 nm to 362 nm and the absolute absorbance at 361 nm increases by 32%.
Modeling of Cables with High and Low Tension Zones using a Hybrid Rod-Catenary Formulation

Cables under very low tension may become highly contorted and form loops, tangles, knots and kinks. These nonlinear deformations, which are dominated by flexure and torsion, pose serious concerns for cable deployment. Simulation of the three-dimensional nonlinear dynamics of loop and tangle formation requires a 12th order rod model and the computational effort increases rapidly with increasing cable length and integration time. However, marine cable applications which result in local zones of low-tension very frequently involve large zones of high-tension where the effects of flexure and torsion are insignificant. Simulation of the three-dimensional dynamics of high-tension cables requires only a 6th order catenary model which significantly reduces computational effort relative to a rod model. We propose herein a hybrid computational cable model that employs computationally efficient catenary elements in high-tension zones and rod elements in localized low-tension zones to capture flexure and torsion precisely where needed.
Celebrating Organization Theory: The After‐Party

Organization and management theory as a field faces criticisms from several scholars that it has an unhealthy obsession with ‘theory’, while at the same time seeing very little cumulative theoretical progress. Some have even accused the field of being mired in the 1970s. Lounsbury and Beckman counter with an expansive review of several thriving domains of contemporary organizational research that demonstrate the theoretical vibrancy of the field. This article responds by seeking to define ‘theoretical progress’ in ways that extend beyond just the volume of articles produced. It finds that 1970s-era classics have seen a surge of citations since the turn of the twenty-first century, consistent with a view of limited progress. It concludes by outlining three areas of problem-driven research eminently worthy of attention from organizational researchers.
Annual Fecal Occult Blood Testing can be Safely Suspended for up to 5 Years After a Negative Colonoscopy in Asymptomatic Average-Risk Patients

Annual Fecal Occult Blood Testing can be Safely Suspended for up to 5 Years After a Negative Colonoscopy in Asymptomatic Average-Risk Patients
Synthesis of phased array far-field patterns by focusing in the near-field

A phased-array focusing technique is described that results in far-field antenna patterns being formed at distances as close as one array diameter. This will allow experimental verification of adaptive-array far-field performance in an anechoic chamber of reasonable size. This phased-array focusing technique accounts for parallax effects by matching the null locations of the actual far-field pattern with null locations created in the antenna pattern at close range. In this manner, the gain, beamwidth, and sidelobe behavior of the antenna pattern observed in the near field can be matched exactly to the corresponding far-field pattern. The required array excitation function is determined by inversion of the array pattern matrix. The near-field focusing technique was experimentally verified using a 32-element, linear, L-band phased array. The focused antenna patterns were measured directly by a probe on a linear scanner running parallel to and an array diameter away from the ground plane. Very good agreement with theoretical predictions was achieved. >
Application of Cryogenics to Electronics

One of the impediments to the application of cryogenics to electronic apparatus is the incompatibility of equipment developed for operation in an ambient environment with a cryogenic environment. The need for the development of cooling and packaging concepts optimized for operation at cryogenic temperature is discussed The opportunities for high efficiency cryocoolers for temperatures of 10 K and below are presented. An entropy flow view of refrigerated cooling is presented. The available methods of refrigeration for operating electronic components at cryogenic temperature are outlined briefly. The three-stage modular Collins-cycle cryocooler that is being developed at the MIT and AMTI is described.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Design, synthesis, and evaluation of opioid analogues with non-peptidic beta-turn scaffold: enkephalin and endomorphin mimetics.

We have identified a μ-selective opioid receptor agonist without a cationic amino group in the molecule from libraries of bicyclic β-turn peptidomimetics. The biologically active conformation of the lead is proposed to mimic an endomorphin type III 4 → 1 β-turn conformation.
Life Cycle Inventory of CO2 in an Enhanced Oil Recovery System

Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) has been identified as a method of sequestering CO2 recovered from power plants. In CO2-flood EOR, CO2 is injected into an oil reservoir to reduce oil viscosity, reduce interfacial tension, and cause oil swelling which improves oil recovery. Previous studies suggest that substantial amounts of CO2 from power plants could be sequestered in EOR projects, thus reducing the amount of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere. This claim, however, ignores the fact that oil, a carbon rich fuel, is produced and 93% of the carbon in petroleum is refined into combustible products ultimately emitted into the atmosphere. In this study we analyze the net life cycle CO2emissions in an EOR system. This study assesses the overall life cycle emissions associated with sequestration via CO2-flood EOR under a number of different scenarios and explores the impact of various methods for allocating CO2 system emissions and the benefits of sequestration.
Use of high molecular weight solutes in the study of isolated intracellular structures.

DURING a study of red algal plastids (‘rhodoplasts’) in vitro, some facts came to light which may have general interest in a study of isolated cell components. Sugars, such as sucrose, are the substances commonly used for the maintenance of the osmotic environment for isolated cellular components1.
Characterization of volatile nylon 6.6 thermal-oxidative degradation products by selective isotopic labeling and cryo-GC/MS.

Aged materials, such as polymers, can exhibit modifications to their chemical structure and physical properties, which may render the material ineffective for its intended purpose. Isotopic labeling was used to characterize low-molecular weight volatile thermal-oxidative degradation products of nylon 6.6 in an effort to better understand and predict changes in the aged polymer. Headspace gas from aged (up to 243 d at 138 °C) nylon 6.6 monomers (adipic acid and 1,6-hexanediamine) and polymer were preconcentrated, separated, and detected using cryofocusing gas chromatography mass spectrometry (cryo-GC/MS). Observations regarding the relative concentrations observed in each chromatographic peak with respect to aging time were used in conjunction with mass spectra for samples aged under ambient air to determine the presence and identity of 18 degradation products. A comparison of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) library, unlabeled, and isotopically labeled mass spectra (C-13 or N-15) and expected fragmentation pathways of each degradation product were used to identify the location of isotopically labeled atoms within the product’s chemical structure, which can later be used to determine the exact origin of the species. In addition, observations for unlabeled nylon 6.6 aged in an O-18 enriched atmosphere were used to determine if the source of oxygen in the applicable degradation products was from the gaseous environment or the polymer. Approximations for relative isotopic ratios of unlabeled to labeled products are reported, where appropriate.
Using a CHN analyzer to reduce carbonate interference in particulate organic carbon analyses

Using a CHN analyzer at a reduced temperature (720°C), the organic carbon of particulates taken from water is oxidized while little, if any, dissociation of carbonate occurs. When necessary for increased precision or for samples with a high CaCO3 content, the small interference of carbonate with organic C determinations can be quantified by running representative samples at different oxidation time intervals and interpolating to time zero. By running replicates, one at 720°C and one at 1100°C, data on organic and inorganic carbon and on nitrogen are obtained with the analyzer.
Production scheduling with history-dependent setup times

We consider a parallel-machine scheduling problem with jobs that require setups. The duration of a setup does not depend only on the job just completed but on a number of preceding jobs. These setup times are referred to as history-dependent. Such a scheduling problem is often encountered in the food processing industry as well as in other process industries. In our model, we consider two types of setup times—a regular setup time and a major setup time that becomes necessary after several “hard-to-clean” jobs have been processed on the same machine. We consider multiple objectives, including facility utilization, flexibility, number of major setups, and tardiness. We solve several special cases assuming predetermined job sequences and propose strongly polynomial time algorithms to determine the optimal timing of the major setups for given job sequences. We also extend our analysis to develop pseudopolynomial time algorithms for cases with additional objectives, including the total weighted completion time, the total weighted tardiness, and the weighted number of tardy jobs. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2012
NASO-GENITAL RELATIONSHIP: INDUCTION OF PSEUDO-PREGNANCY IN RAT BY NASAL TREATMENT

The existence of a naso-genital relationship has been noted repeatedly in medical literature. Many articles (1, 2, 3) relating to nasal and sexual phenomena have been published, yet the nature of this relationship is vague. Clinical reports revealed nasal changes associated with genital involvements, and conversely genital changes with nasal involvements (4, 5, 6, 7). Experimental investigations are few and limited in scope. Most workers have investigated gonadal degeneration after turbinectomy (8, 9,10) or nasal mucosa modification after gonadectomy (11, 12). Recently Collip and his co-workers (13, 14) studied the influence of estrogenic substances on nasal mucosa. To study the nature of the naso-genital association it was necessary to demonstrate, in the laboratory, a measurable reaction in genital behavior to manipulation of the nasal regions; or the converse. In a preliminary study it was shown that the application of silver nitrate solutions to the nasal mucosa induces a modification of the normal an...
Long-term outcome of human leukocyte antigen mismatching in liver transplantation: results of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Liver Transplantation Database.

A perfect or nearly perfect human leukocyte antigen (HLA) match has been associated with better immediate and long-term survival of diseased donor kidney transplants. However, the effect of HLA matching for hepatic allografts remains poorly defined. Using data from the National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Liver Transplantation Database, we investigated the association between HLA mismatches and hepatic allograft survival, disease recurrence, and immunosuppression interactions. A, B, and DR loci were used to calculate total mismatch scores of 0 (no mismatches in any loci) to 6 (mismatches in all loci). Seven hundred ninety-nine adults (male, 55%; female, 45%) underwent 883 liver transplants. The 10-year graft survival according to total mismatch score was as follows: 0-2, 60%; 3-4, 54%; and 5-6, 57%. There was a negative effect of mismatching at the A locus on patient survival, with shorter survival for patients with 1 or 2 mismatches compared with 0 mismatches [P = 0.05, hazard ratio (HR) = 1.6]. Patients on tacrolimus with 1 or 2 mismatches at B or DR loci appeared to have increased rates of patient and graft survival compared to patients with 0 mismatches, with the appearance of a protective effect of tacrolimus (HR = 0.67). The effect of HLA mismatching was more pronounced on certain disease recurrences. DR-locus mismatch increased recurrence of autoimmune hepatitis (P = 0.01, HR = 4.2) and primary biliary cirrhosis (P = 0.04, HR = 2). Mismatch in the A locus was associated with more recurrence of hepatitis C virus (P = 0.01, HR = 1.6) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (P = 0.03, HR = 2.9). Conclusion: Mismatching at the A locus decreases patient survival in liver transplant recipients, and mismatching at the DR and A loci affects recurrence of autoimmune liver diseases and hepatitis C, respectively. (HEPATOLOGY 2008.)
Preliminary Studies of the Mode of Action of Arildone, a Novel Antiviral Agent

Arildone (also known as Win 38020), a novel aryl diketone, inhibited replication of herpes simplex virus type 2 in tissue culture by interfering with an event that occurs prior to 6 h postinfection. The inhibition could be partially reversed by washing. Although the exact mechanism of action is unknown, neither viral deoxyribonucleic acid nor viral proteins were synthesized in the presence of arildone.
Influence of neutron irradiation on the thermal conductivity of vapor‐deposited diamond

The influence of neutron irradiation on the thermal conductivity κ of diamond films fabricated by hot filament (HF) and microwave plasma assisted (MPA) deposition has been studied. The additional thermal resistivity induced by irradiation is similar to that found in single crystal diamond and is due mainly to the formation of clusters of disordered carbon material. Despite a significant difference in κ prior to irradiation, the thermal conductivity of the HF and MPA films is almost the same after a cumulative dose of 2.7×1017 neutrons cm−2.
Memoriam to Harry G. Johnson: An Economist's Economist

Professor Harry G. Johnson, the economist, died on May 8 at the age of 53. His death rated a longish obituary in the New York Times, but went unremarked on the evening news shows. For Professor Johnson was not a public figure. He never deigned to wallow in the swamps of political economy. Rather, he was the quintessential economic scientist. Even his closest friends were hard put to discover his ideological bent, for Harry Johnson professed none. More than that, he escaped all the neat taxonomies: in manifold books and professional‐journal articles, he attacked Keynes where he felt the great Lord was wrong; he criticized the Neoclassicists for their myopia; and he remained distrustful of what he viewed as the overly simplistic analytics proffered by Milton Friedman, his senior colleague at the University of Chicago.
A possible correlation between the growth rate and the extent of DNA damage induced by radiodecay in mouse lymphoma cells.

Abstract The extent of DNA single strand breaks resulting from the beta radiodecay of incorporated [ 3 H ]thymidine in DNA of mouse lymphoma cells appears to be related to the degree of growth inhibition. The extents of damage to DNA and inhibition of growth seem to be functions of the concentration of radioactivity as well as the specific activity of the radiolabeled precursor in the medium. The differences in both concentration (μCi/ml) and in the specific activity of radiolabeled precursors, may help to explain the different responses encountered when using [ 3 H ] and [ 14 C ]thymidine. When cells exposed to [ 3 H ] TdR are transferred to fresh medium, the DNA damage can be repaired. The repair is followed by an increase in the cell number with the rate of growth being similar to that of unexposed cells. Cells exposed continuously to [ 3 H ] TdR in the medium can accommodate to the radioactive stressor by repairing the DNA damage and maintaining this repair capability throughout the exposure.
Understanding the Mechanism of H+-Induced Demetalation as a Design Strategy for Robust Iron(III) Peroxide-Activating Catalysts

The FeIII-TAML (tetra-amido macrocyclic ligand) activators 1 (Y = Cl) and 2 (Y = H2O), a (R = Me, X = H), b (Me, Cl), c (Me, MeO), d (Et, Cl), e (F, H), f (F, Cl), are five-coordinated in the solid state (X-ray crystallography) but are six-coordinated species in water with two H2O axial ligands. The first pKa's of aqueous ligands are in the range of 9.5-10.5. The acid-induced demetalation of 2 follows the equation kobs = k1*[H+] + k3*[H+]3. The rate constants k1* and k3* vary by 5 and 11 orders of magnitude depending on the nature of substituents R. The highest stabilization against the demetalation is achieved for R = F.
Personal experience with ultrasound-assisted lipoplasty: a pilot study comparing ultrasound-assisted lipoplasty with traditional lipoplasty

Body contouring with traditional suction-assisted lipoplasty is currently the most commonly performed aesthetic surgical procedure. In competent hands, traditional lipoplasty has a low complication rate, a short recovery period, and a high patient satisfaction rate. Body contouring with ultrasound-assisted lipoplasty has recently gained considerable attention, and its proponents have claimed many benefits over the traditional method. This pilot study consists of one surgeon's clinical experience with ultrasound-assisted lipoplasty in 100 cases. In 63 of these patients, ipsilateral traditional lipoplasty and contralateral ultrasound-assisted lipoplasty were done on one or more body areas. These patients were blinded in the study. Complication rates, lipocrits from the aspirate, postoperative ecchymosis, postoperative swelling, patient satisfaction, and surgeon satisfaction were then compared for each patient studied. Ten randomly selected patients were also evaluated by an independent panel of reviewers who compared ecchymosis and swelling in ultrasound-assisted versus traditional lipoplasty-treated areas. Their observations in this subset of 10 patients were subjected to statistical analysis. This initial pilot study failed to prove most of the benefits attributed to ultrasound-assisted lipoplasty by other surgeons. However, the method is an evolving technology, and the authors remain optimistic about the role of ultrasound in body sculpting surgery.
V-ATPase functions in normal and disease processes

Eukaryotic cells have evolved a family of ATP-dependent proton pumps known as the vacuolar (H+)-ATPases (or V-ATPases) to regulate the pH of intracellular compartments, the extracellular space, and the cytoplasm. V-ATPases present within intracellular compartments are important for such normal cellular processes as receptor-mediated endocytosis and intracellular membrane traffic, protein processing and degradation and coupled transport of small molecules and ions. They also facilitate the entry of a number of envelope viruses and bacterial toxins, including influenza virus and anthrax toxin. V-ATPases present in the plasma membranes of cells are also important in normal physiology. They facilitate bone resorption by osteoclasts, acid secretion by intercalated cells of the kidney, pH homeostasis in macrophages and neutrophils, angiogenesis by endothelial cells, and sperm maturation and storage in the male reproductive tract. In the insect midgut, they establish a membrane potential used to drive K+ secretion. Plasma membrane V-ATPases are especially important in human disease, with genetic defects in V-ATPases expressed in osteoclasts and intercalated cells leading to the diseases osteopetrosis and renal tubule acidosis, respectively. Plasma membrane V-ATPases have also been implicated in tumor cell invasion. V-ATPases are thus emerging as potential targets in the treatment of diseases such as osteoporosis and cancer.
Regulation of fetal lung phosphatidyl choline synthesis by cortisol: role of glycogen and glucose.

Summary: Twenty pregnant rabbits were studied in pairs. Half were given cortisol subcutaneously on days 24. 25, and 26 of gestation in dosage of 2 nig/kg/day. Half served as controls and received saline. The fetal lungs were studied on the 27th day of gestation by incubating lung slices in the presence of [6-14C]glucose. Glucose consumption significantly increased in the tissues from animals treated with cortisol, 17.61 ± 5.56 (SD) μmol/g wet lung versus 14.28 ± 5.78 (SD) μmol/g in the controls (P < 0.05). The glycogen content of tissues treated with cortisol was significantly reduced compared to the controls, 2.42 ± 0.97 (SD) mg/g wet lung versus 3.81 ± 1.05 (SD) mg/g (P < 0.05). Treatment with cortisol resulted in significantly enhanced incorporation of the 14C label into glycogen and phosphatidl choline (Tables 3 and 4). These data suggest that glucocorticoids affect fetal lung phosphatidyl choline production by promoting glycogenolysis and increasing glucose incorporation into phosphatidyl choline. Speculation: Diminished glycogen content of the fetal lung in the latter part of gestation may reflect increasing utilization for phosphatidyl choline synthesis. Adenosine 3′,-5′-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) increases which occur after glucocorticoid administration may be responsible for activation of glycogen phosphorylases in the lung as they are in the liver. If insulin inhibits glycogenolysis in the lung as it does in the liver, insulin may inhibit phosphatidyl choline synthesis in the lung by preventing glycogen and glucose From serving as precursors.
Relaxation effects in thin film media and their consequences

Abstract Requirements for future high-density recording media are discussed. Simple formulae are given to estimate the effect of media parameters such as coercivity, magnetization, film thickness as well as grain size on achievable areal density. It is found that reducing the grain size is the most important single factor for achieving higher storage densities. A reduction of grain size leads to a strong time dependence of coercivity and will eventually lead to superparamagnetic behavior. We present experimental data on the time dependence of coercivity in the range from 5 ns up to a few 100 μs. A simple formula, which takes the random grain orientation in the media into account, is derived and shown to describe the experimental results more satisfactory than previous theories. Furthermore, we investigate very thin films and show experimental evidence for transition broadening. A simple theoretical estimation shows that, for current media materials, (cubical) grains in the range of 10–14 nm are predicted to be thermally stable.
New chelating agents obtained by the addition of thiols to acetylene dicarboxylic acid

Abstract Four new chelating agents have been obtained by the addition of thiols to acetylenedicarboxylic acid. The thiols used were sodium 2-mercaptoethanesulfonate, mercaptosuccinic acid, N, N-dimethyl-2-mercaptoethylamine, and 3-mercaptopropionic acid. These chelating agents generally possess a very appreciable water solubility, as well as a multiplicity of donor sites. They all have LD50 values greater than 500 mg/kg when given ip to mice in pH 7 solution and three have LD50 values greater than 750 mg/kg; all as the simple compounds.