cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Solar models with rotating cores

IT is possible to achieve low solar neutrino fluxes with solar models with rapidly rotating cores1–3. But to achieve a flux consistent with the 1 SNU (1 SNU = 10−36 neutrino capture per (target atom s−1) upper limit of Davis4, the rotation must be so rapid that the approximate treatment of rotation used is of doubtful validity. Further it is difficult to obtain a result simultaneously giving a flux less than 1 SNU and a solar oblateness consistent with observation5. Sakurai6 has shown that it is possible for Eddington–Sweet circulation to transfer angular momentum both inwards and outwards in solar models with rotating cores on a time scale much less than the solar lifetime. Thus as the Sun evolves, its rotating core gets smaller while its outer part spins up. This suggestion has led us to investigate the possibility that this spin-up might lead to the onset of some transient phenomenon, such as the sudden beginning of thermal convection. Under special circumstances, a transient state can lead to temporarily depressed neutrino fluxes7–10. It was hoped that the transient phase induced by spin-up, coupled with an already depressed flux due to the rotating core would lead to a flux of less than 1 SNU while requiring less extreme transients or rotation than is necessary when these effects are applied separately. In addition, a mechanism for the transient would be provided. Unfortunately this hope has not been realised and additional problems with rotating solar models have been discovered.
An improved method for suppressing protein background in PFG NMR experiments to determine ligand diffusion coefficients in the presence of receptor.

Abstract In NMR diffusion experiments to study ligand-protein binding equilibria, the spectral background due to broad protein resonances can contribute significantly to the measured ligand signal intensity resulting in erroneous binding affinities. One method to suppress the protein spectral background involves coupling a CPMG pulse train before or after the BPPSTE pulse sequence to allow for differential T2 relaxation of the broad protein resonances. Here, we present an improved method, the Gra dient P hase E ncoded S pin-lock (GraPES) experiment that integrates the relaxation filter into the diffusion period. Compared with sequential CPMG-BPPSTE pulse sequences, GraPES offers effective suppression of the protein background with improved signal-to-noise ratios and shorter experiment times.
Multi-investigator evaluation of the efficacy and safety of cefprozil, amoxicillin-clavulanate, cefixime and cefaclor in the treatment of acute otitis media.

Cefprozil was evaluated in the treatment of acute otitis media with effusion in three open, randomized, multicenter comparative clinical trials. In two trials, 891 pediatric patients were enrolled to either cefprozil or amoxicillin-clavulanate dosage regimens. The treatment groups were comparable in demographic characteristics, and presented with otalgia, middle-ear effusion, or inflamed or bulging tympanic membrane on otoscopic examination. In all patients, tympanocentesis and a culture were required. Two cefprozil oral doses were evaluated, 30 mg/kg/day and 40 mg/kg/day divided into two equal doses (b.i.d.). Amoxicillin-clavulanate was administered at 40 mg/kg/day in three divided doses (t.i.d.). The recommended duration of therapy was ten days. The predominant bacteria isolated were Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis. The overall satisfactory clinical response rates were similar for cefprozil (83%) and amoxicillin-clavulanate (81%). The bacteriological response rates did not differ significantly, at 84% and 82%. Cefprozil eradicated the most common pathogen, Streptococcus pneumoniae, more often at 91%, vs. 84% for amoxicillin-clavulanate. The eradication rates were similar against Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis. The patients treated with cefprozil had a lower rate of adverse clinical events (11%) compared to those with amoxicillin-clavulanate (20%). More gastrointestinal adverse experiences, including diarrhea, were reported in the amoxicillin-clavulanate-treated patients. In Study 3, cefprozil 30 mg/kg/day (b.i.d.) was compared to cefaclor 40 mg/kg/day (t.i.d.) and cefixime 8 mg/kg/day (q.d) in the treatment of acute otitis media in 388 pediatric patients. The patients were treated for 10 days, with a follow-up of 18 days. The overall clinical cure rates were 85%, 89% and 85%, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
To Again Feel the Creative Voice

Science and mathematics education needs to serve several (possibly contradictory) motivating goals. One is found in the movement for a universal literacy in the central principles and methods of the disciplines. The second is the need to provide the experiences and background that makes possible the production of scientists and engineers. A complication in both efforts is that the formal education takes place over many years, and the application of the layers of information, understanding, and sophistication need also be aware of the age of the student and what has come before. These efforts require clear ideas as to the end goal of the process and attention to assessment. Receiving less attention is the need to also feed and nurture the creative side of those who would become professionals, as creative approaches will be a central and necessary aspect of their work and thought. In this paper, I address the use of a course in mathematical modeling taught over a period of 25 years to undergraduate students of mathematics, mathematics education, computer science, and engineering, as a method to open up creative pathways. Through an historical discussion of the role and nature of creativity in the sciences and mathematics, a process to have students find their creative voice is described in the context of this course.
Evaluation of limnocorrals for studying the effects of phytotoxic compounds on plankton and water chemistry in aquaculture ponds.

.— Two studies were conducted to evaluate the potential use of limnocorrals (in situ enclosures) for evaluating the effects of phytotoxic compounds on phytoplankton community structure and water quality. Limnocorrals consisted of open-bottomed, fiberglass cylinders that were 2.44 m in diameter and 1.53 m high. The enclosures were placed in an aquaculture pond and allowed to settle 10–20 cm into the bottom mud, forming a watertight seal that isolated approximately 5.5 m3 of pond water. The first study evaluated the effect of water mixing on environmental conditions within limnocorrals. Mixing was accomplished by injecting air through airstones suspended inside the enclosures. Conditions in unmixed limnocorrals rapidly deviated from conditions in the pond and in aerated enclosures, with overall phytoplankton biomass decreasing while abundance of cyanobacteria and concentrations of soluble reactive phosphorus increased. Conditions in limnocorrals with continuous mixing also deviated from conditions in the pond. Environmental conditions among replicate mixed enclosures were, however, relatively consistent and stable for at least 2 wk. The second study evaluated the use of limnocorrals for testing the effects of phytotoxic compounds on phytoplankton community structure and water quality. A commercial chelated copper algicide was added to randomly selected, mixed limnocorrals at the label-recommended rate. The algicide killed nearly all phytoplankton in the treated enclosures within 1 wk; however, treated limnocorrals were rapidly recolonized by green algae and diatoms. Conditions in untreated limnocorrals remained relatively stable and consistent among replicates for 16 d, after which total phytoplankton biomass began to decrease, possibly due to nutrient depletion within the enclosures. Although conditions inside the enclosures deviated with time from those in the surrounding pond water, mixed limnocorrals appear to provide a convenient and reliable method for short-term studies of algicides and other water quality manipulations.
The incredible journey of mankind: Helicobacter pylori as the narrator

Over the past decade, sequence differences between microbes from various geographical areas have been studied with the intent to interpret population movements of their hosts. An organism that is a reliable storehouse of such data, by virtue of its long association with its human host, is Helicobacter pylori. Functional and comparative analyses of its genome provide fascinating insights into human behaviour in the ancient past.
Multidecadal climate variability and climate interactions affect subalpine fire occurrence, western Colorado (USA).

This study investigates the influence of climatic variability on subalpine forest fire occurrence in western Colorado during the AD 1600–2003 period. Interannual and multidecadal relationships between fire occurrence and the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) were examined, in addition to the effects of phase interactions among these oscillations. Fires occurred during short-term periods of significant drought and extreme cool (negative) phases of ENSO and PDO and during positive departures from mean AMO index. At longer time scales, fires exhibited 20-year periods of synchrony with the cool phase of the PDO, and 80-year periods of synchrony with extreme warm (positive) phases of the AMO. Years of combined positive AMO and negative ENSO and PDO phases represent “triple whammies” that significantly increased the occurrence of drought-induced fires. Fires were synchronous with this phase combination over 0–30 year periods and distinctly asynchronous with the opposite phase combination. Overall, because fires are synchronous at supra-annual to multidecadal time scales with warm AMO events, particularly when combined with cool ENSO and PDO phases, this suggests that we may be entering a qualitatively different fire regime in the next few decades due to the recent shift in 1998 to a likely long-term warm AMO phase. Although uncertainty remains regarding the effects of CO2-induced warming at regional scales, given the multidecadal persistence of the AMO there is mounting evidence that the recent shift to the positive phase of the AMO will promote higher fire frequencies in the region.
Non-Abelian bosonization: Stress-energy correlation functions

We demonstrate that, in 1+1 dimensions, the effective action produced by massless fermions moving in external gravitational and gauge fields is identical with that produced by a suitably defined sigma model which includes a Wess-Zumino term. This equivalence holds provided that the two models have the same conformal anomaly, a condition that we investigate in detail.
Geomembranes containing powdered activated carbon have the potential to improve containment of chlorinated aromatic contaminants.

Breakthrough across high-density polyethylene (HDPE) was measured for 2,3′,4′,5-tetrachlorobiphenyl and a higher-solubility surrogate, 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene. Addition of powdered activated carbon (0.14 g carbon/cm3 membrane) reduced pseudo-steady-state flux through thin HDPE membranes by approximately 60%. Breakthrough curves for activated carbon-containing membranes were best described by a model in which sorption to the carbon was limited by the rate of diffusion from the bulk membrane to the carbon particle surfaces. Field-scale estimates based on this model show a substantial (over 10 orders of magnitude) reduction in flux for the activated carbon-containing HDPE compared with pure HDPE. The flux of 2,3′,4′,5-tetrachlorobiphenyl through a composite membrane with thin layers of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with 0.05 g carbon/cm3 and pure HDPE was 69% lower than expected for a similar layered membrane without the sorptive scavenger. This flux reduction was achieved with less than a third of the carbon use...
Systematic Study of the Photoluminescent and Electroluminescent Properties of Pentacoordinate Carboxylate and Chloro Bis(8-hydroxyquinaldine) Complexes of Gallium(III)

A detailed analysis of the structural, optical absorption, photoluminescent, and electroluminescent properties of a series of pentacoordinate bis(8-hydroxyquinaldine)gallium(III) complexes, i.e. q‘...
Engaging students in science controversy through an augmented reality role-playing game

POSIT (developing Public Opinions on Science using Information Technology) is an augmented reality role-playing game for networked handheld computers. It is designed to improve engagement in science controversies and develop skills in evaluating evidence and forming arguments. Groups of high school or college students investigate a scenario based on a fictionalized science controversy. They gather evidence from virtual characters and items situated in real locations and compete to develop the most persuasive arguments. Preliminary results suggest that this is a promising approach and further design experiments are needed.
Decreased expression of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-5 during N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)retinamide-induced neuronal differentiation of ARPE-19 human retinal pigment epithelial cells: Regulation by CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein

Insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-binding protein-5 (IGFBP5), an important member of the IGF axis involved in regulating cell growth and differentiation, acts by modulating IGF signaling and also by IGF-independent mechanisms. We identified IGFBP5 by microarray analysis as a gene differentially regulated during N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)retinamide (4HPR)-induced neuronal differentiation of human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. IGFBP5 is expressed in human RPE cells, and its expression, mRNA as well as protein, is greatly decreased during the 4HPR-induced neuronal differentiation. Exogenous IGFBP5 does not block the neuronal differentiation indicating that IGFBP5 down-regulation may not be a prerequisite for the neuronal differentiation. IGFBP5 down-regulation, similar to neuronal differentiation, is mediated by the MAPK pathway since U0126, an inhibitor of MEK1/2, effectively blocked it. The overexpression of transcription factor CCAAT/enhancer binding protein-β (C/EBPβ) inhibited the 4HPR-induced down-regulation of IGFBP5 expression and the neuronal differentiation of RPE cells. Interestingly, the binding of C/EBPβ to the IGFBP5 promoter was decreased by the 4HPR treatment as indicated by gel shift and chromatin immunoprecipitation analyses. Further, the deletion of C/EBP response element from IGFBP5 promoter markedly decreased the basal promoter activity and abolished its responsiveness to 4HPR treatment in reporter assays, suggesting that the expression of IGFBP5 is regulated by C/EBP. Thus, our results clearly demonstrate that the IGFBP5 expression is down-regulated during 4HPR-induced neuronal differentiation of human RPE cells through a MAPK signal transduction pathway involving C/EBPβ. J. Cell. Physiol. 224: 827–836, 2010. Published 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Changes in verbal and nonverbal conversational behavior in long-term interaction

We present an empirical investigation of conversational behavior in dyadic interaction spanning multiple conversations, in the context of a developing interpersonal relationship between a health counselor and her clients. Using a longitudinal video corpus of behavior change counseling conversations, we show systematic changes in verbal and nonverbal behavior during greetings (within the first minute of conversations). Both the number of prior conversations and self-reported assessments of the strength of the interpersonal relationship are predictive of changes in verbal and nonverbal behavior.We present a model and implementation of nonverbal behavior generation for conversational agents that incorporates these findings, and discuss how the results can be applied to multimodal recognition of conversational behavior over time.
Salinity tolerances of 62 strains of Pflesteria and Pfiesteria‐like heterotrophic flagellates (Dinophyceae)

SUMMARY The salinity tolerance of 62 strains of Pfiesteria and Pfiesteria-like heterotrophic dinoflagellates was measured. All strains were acclimated at 12 psu for at least 1 year before experimentation. Strains isolated from the Chesapeake Bay and Neuse River systems tolerated lower salinities than strains isolated from the Wilmington River system (P< 0.005). Swimming cells were still observed after 5 days at 0.5 psu for one strain, and at 1 psu for most other Chesapeake Bay and Neuse River strains. Swimming cells for the Wilmington River were still observed after 5 days at 3–5 psu, but no swimming cells were observed at ≤ 2 psu. With regard to the upper salinity tolerance, the Wilmington River strains tolerated higher salinities than the Chesapeake Bay and Neuse River systems (P< 0.005). Most Wilmington River strains were swimming after 5 days at salinities ≥ 50 psu, whereas the Chesapeake Bay and Neuse River system strains rarely had swimming cells at salinities exceeding 35–45 psu. For all three water systems and for both lower and higher salinities, cells apparently encysted in many instances. However, when salinities were returned to 12 psu, swimming cells often re-appeared. Statistically significant geographic differences in salinity tolerance suggest a geographic adaptation has occurred and that salinity tolerance is under genetic control. The results also suggest there is diversity among the strains.
Contingent query sequences within adult-child discourse.

The structure of contingent query sequences within adult–child discourse was examined. The children, aged 1; 11–3; 0 in language stages I–III, demonstrated basic knowledge of the contingent query. Implications for conceptualizations of the young child's communicative competence and for theoretical formulations of the query sequence itself are discussed.
Weibull Analyses of the Fatigue Life of Human Tissues

It is likely that many musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are the result of a gradual accumulation of damage that results from a process of fatigue failure. Studies on the mechanical responses of cadaveric materials to loading provide much of our knowledge of the properties of human tissues and should be of considerable interest to the ergonomist. The purpose of the present investigation was to perform Weibull analyses on data provided in fatigue failure studies of human extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and human lumbar motion segments to evaluate the reliability and fatigue life when these materials are loaded at various levels of their ultimate strength.
Effects of hypergravity on mammary metabolic function: gravity acts as a continuum

Mammary metabolic activity in pregnant rats is significantly increased in response to spaceflight. To determine whether changes in mammary metabolism are related to gravity load, we exposed pregnan...
Sodium and potassium content and viability of mouse mammary gland tissue and acini.

Abstract Isolated acini from lactating mouse mammary glands were prepared by collagenase and hyaluronidase digestion of tissue. Mammary tissue or acini incubated in vitro in tissue culture medium or a similar Ringer's solution lost K and gained Na. Intracellular concentrations approached, but did not equal, the concentrations in the external solution. This ion shift was largely prevented by incubating in a solution with ionic composition resembling mouse milk. In paired experiments, incubation with ouabain (1m M ) caused further increases in Na and decrease in K, suggesting that a functional Na + -K + -ATPase was present. Viability of acini was indicated by normal ATP content and morphology. The ion shift in NaCl-based solutions was slower at 0°C than at 37°C, suggesting that the flux is a membrane-regulated process. Under identical procedures, ion shifts did not occur in thymocytes or a cultured mammary cell line but were seen in both lactating and nonlactating mammary tissue. Nonlactating mammary tissue had a high Na and low K concentration in vivo. As predicted by previous models for the mechanisms of milk secretion, intracellular electrolyte content in mammary epithelial cells appears to be responsive to the ion concentration in the extracellular environment.
1H-NMR study of structure and tacticity in p-t-butylstyrene/methyl methacrylate copolymers

Copolymers prepared by the bulk copolymerization of p-t-butylstyrene (S) and methyl methacrylate (M) were analyzed by 1H-NMR. The spectra showed fine structure in the δ 2.2–3.6 region similar to that reported for styrene/methyl methacrylate copolymers. Reactivity ratios for S-M copolymers determined by classical composition measurements differed markedly from the same ratios determined by NMR when it was assumed that NMR peak-triad assignments could be made by analogy with published styrene/methyl methacrylate assignments. A new set of peak-triad assignments was proposed that reconciles this difficulty and gives good agreement between triad fractions measured by NMR and those calculated from theory.
Assessing convergent validity of health-state utilities obtained using different scaling methods.

A number of empirical studies have attempted to assess the convergent validity of health-state utilities obtained using two or more scaling methods (standard gamble, time tradeoff, rating scale, magnitude estimation, equivalence technique, and willing ness-to-pay). The data from these studies can be mapped onto an N x K matrix, where N and K are the numbers of respondents and health states, respectively, and each matrix cell consists of a pair of health-state utilities, one obtained using scaling method X and the other obtained using scaling method Y. The Pearson's r assessing convergent validity can then be computed as 1) the unraveled correlation over all N x K data pairs, 2) the mean within-respondent correlation, 3) the mean within-health- state correlation, or 4) the correlation of the across-respondents means. These four different ways of computing the correlation do not necessarily yield the same results. The appropriateness of each method of computing the correlation is considered. Key words: conv...
Electron Beam Irradiation Dose Dependently Damages the Bacillus Spore Coat and Spore Membrane

Effective control of spore-forming bacilli begs suitable physical or chemical methods. While many spore inactivation techniques have been proven effective, electron beam (EB) irradiation has been frequently chosen to eradicate Bacillus spores. Despite its widespread use, there are limited data evaluating the effects of EB irradiation on Bacillus spores. To study this, B. atrophaeus spores were purified, suspended in sterile, distilled water, and irradiated with EB (up to 20 kGy). Irradiated spores were found (1) to contain structural damage as observed by electron microscopy, (2) to have spilled cytoplasmic contents as measured by spectroscopy, (3) to have reduced membrane integrity as determined by fluorescence cytometry, and (4) to have fragmented genomic DNA as measured by gel electrophoresis, all in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, cytometry data reveal decreased spore size, increased surface alterations, and increased uptake of propidium iodide, with increasing EB dose, suggesting spore coat alterations with membrane damage, prior to loss of spore viability. The present study suggests that EB irradiation of spores in water results in substantial structural damage of the spore coat and inner membrane, and that, along with DNA fragmentation, results in dose-dependent spore inactivation.
Extension and evaluation of sensitivity analysis capabilities in a photochemical model

The decoupled direct method in three dimensions (DDM-3D) provides an efficient and accurate approach for probing the sensitivity of atmospheric pollutant concentrations to various changes in photochemical model inputs. The implementation of DDM-3D for the widely used Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model was updated to account for recent changes in the base model and to include additional chemical mechanisms and advection schemes. The capabilities of CMAQ-DDM-3D were extended to enable execution using multiple processors in parallel and the computation of sensitivities to chemical reaction rate constants. The resulting direct sensitivity modeling system was tested for statistical agreement with the traditional difference method for calculating sensitivities, considering a summer episode in a domain covering the continental United States. Sensitivities to domain-wide and sector specific emissions, initial/boundary conditions, and chemical reaction rates were compared and found to be in good correlation for both primary and secondary air pollutants. The scalability of CMAQ-DDM-3D to the number of processors used in parallel was also examined. Sensitivity calculations were found to scale in a similar way to the base model, where the benefit to model runtime of adding more processors diminished for simulations that used more than eight processors.
Metabolic effects of norepinephrine on the heart in relation to the functional status of the thyroid

Abstract The effect of norepinephrine (NE) on myocardial uptake and oxidation of plasma free fatty acids (FFA) was investigated in anesthetized control, hypo-, and hyperthyroid dogs receiving an infusion of palmitate-1-C14 in the form of FFA. Mean arterial blood pressure, heart rate, cardiac interest, left ventricular work and BMR were not significantly changed by the infusion of NE (0.4 μg./Kg./min.) in any of the groups. In hypothyroid dogs NE increased arterial FFA less than in controls. The elevated FFA was not accompanied by increased myocardial FFA oxidation. In hyperthyroid animals given NE myocardial FFA oxidation and O2 uptake were greater than in control dogs. NE administration decreased the myocardial RQ of control dogs to values that were similar to the ones found in hyperthyroidism and indicated fatty acids as the predominant source of calories. No such marked change was noticed in the hypothyroid animals. Thus, it appears that hypothyroid animals are less sensitive and hyperthyroids are more sensitive than are controls to the metabolic effects of NE in the myocardium.
Planning the separation of conjoined twins with 3D medical imaging, scientific visualization and anatomic illustration

This presentation will examine the intricate details of the visual preparation and planning to surgically separate conjoined twins. One of the rarest congenital malformations, conjoined twins occur approximately 1 in 200,000 live births. Nearly 184 surgical separations have been attempted through the year 2000. The overall success rate, where both twins survive, is approximately 25%. Within the past 24 months Mayo Clinic Rochester has cared for and performed three successful separation surgeries for three different sets of conjoined twins.We'll explore the circumstances surrounding one of those cases and the process of how the visual study transpired during their seventy-five days of hospitalization prior to surgery. Nearly 6,000 radiographic images where acquired, two detailed volumerendered visualization studies were compiled, three different 3D stereolithographic models were developed and five individualized anatomic illustrations created from a vast array of medical images. All developed in an effort to educate a care team of over 70 people.The various state-of-the-art visuals compiled of the twin's anatomy provided a comprehensive "roadmap" for the surgeons, helping them delineate the anatomic structures and formulate an operate plan for a complex separation attempt. The large multidisciplinary care team needed detailed structural knowledge in order to clarify preoperative preparations. For instance, accurate three-dimensional life-size models of the twins anatomy provided critical spacial planning and the anatomic illustrations, printed large, were studied and ultimately posted inside the operating room providing an accurate reference during surgery.This presentation will provide in-depth insight into the complete visual approach to surgical planning, the resulting visuals and how they were utilized before, during and after the surgery.
High Field Electrical Conductivity and Breakdown in Heteroepitaxial Diamond Films

Nominally undoped, heteroepitaxially nucleated diamond films have been grown on Si(001). For different temperatures ranging between room temperature and 490°C the DC- conductivity through the films has been measured for field strengths up to 600kV/cm. In the framework of the Poole-Frenkel theory a fit of the curves is possible for the model of isolated as well as for the model of overlapping coulombic potentials yielding an activation energy of 1.03eV. In addition the breakdown voltage of the films has been measured as a function of the temperature. A drastic linear decrease with temperature is observed. Starting at a dielectric strength of about 1 MV/cm at room temperature the breakdown field decreases by an order of magnitude for 400°C. This observed behaviour is consistent with thermal breakdown based on Poole-Frenkel conduction in the pre-breakdown region.
Tornadoes and Downbursts in the Context of Generalized Planetary Scales

In order to cover a wide range of horizontal dimensions of airflow, the paper proposes a series of five scales, maso, meso, miso (to be read as my-so), moso and muso arranged in the order of the vowels, A, E, I, O, U. The dimensions decrease by two orders of magnitude per scale, beginning with the planet's equator length chosen to be the maximum dimension of masoscale for each planet. Mesoscale highs and lows were described on the basis of mesoanalyses, while sub-mesoscale disturbances were depicted by cataloging over 20,000 photographs of wind effects taken from low-flying aircraft during the past 15 years. Various motion thus classified into these scales led to a conclusion that extreme winds induced by thunderstorms are associated with misoscale and mososcale airflow spawned by the parent, mesoscale disturbances.
Hyponatremia associated with levamisole-adulterated cocaine use in emergency department patients

An increasing percentage of US cocaine has been adulterated with levamisole, an immunomodulator associated with agranulocytosis. We describe 3 emergency department patients with hyponatremia and cocaine use. Despite extensive evaluation, the cause of the hyponatremia was not elucidated but resolved during hospitalization. Because hyponatremia has not previously been associated with cocaine, we sought to uncover a plausible explanation that might be contributing to this new finding. Levamisole was detected in all 3 patients. Although we are unable to confirm causality, we propose that levamisole-adulterated cocaine may have contributed to the hyponatremia described in these patients.
The Testable Implications of Zero-sum Games

We study collective choices from the revealed preference theory viewpoint. For every product set of individual actions, joint choices are called Nash-rationalizable if there exists a preference relation for each player such that the selected joint actions are Nash equilibria of the corresponding game. We characterize Nash-rationalizable joint choice behavior by zero-sum games, or games of conflicting interests. If the joint choice behavior forms a product subset, the behavior is called interchangeable. We prove that interchangeability is the only additional empirical condition which distinguishes zero-sum games from general non-cooperative games.
Hypnosis and phenomenological‐perceptual psychology

The purpose of this article is to provide a phenomenological-perceptual reconceptualization of hypnosis. It is believed that this is more comprehensive than previous descriptions. The author contends that phenomenological-perceptual psychology provides an effective theoretical approach for better understanding hypnosis, hypnotic phenomena and the factors affecting the therapist-client relationship. Hypnotic phenomena can be seen as a function of perception, phenomenal field dynamics, and the need for adequacy. Antisocial acts may be produced during hypnosis as a function of perception and the need for adequacy. Research is suggested to focus on the contribution of the individual therapist who uses hypnosis in relation to positive client change utilizing Combs and Soper (1963) modified Fiedler Q sort with trained judges.
Occurrence of alkylphenols and alkylphenol mono- and diethoxylates in natural waters of the Laurentian Great Lakes basin and the upper St. Lawrence River

Nonylphenol and its ethoxylates are on the second priority substances list (PSL2) to determine if they are ‘toxic’ as defined under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. This study addresses the need for data on their occurrence in surface waters and sediments in Canada. Samples of surface water from 35 sites in the Laurentian Great Lakes basin and the upper St. Lawrence River were analyzed for 4-nonylphenol (4-NP), nonylphenol ethoxylate (NPE1), nonylphenol diethoxylate (NPE2) and 4-tert-octylphenol (4-t-OP). Bottom sediment samples from nine heavily industrialized sites were also analyzed for the same chemicals. Measurable quantities of 4-NP and 4-t-OP were found in 24% of all water samples. Values ranged from <0.010 μg to 0.92 μg/l and from <0.005 to 0.084 μg/l for 4-NP and 4-t-OP, respectively. Of the surface water samples, 58% were found to contain NPE1 and 32% contained NPE2. Their concentrations ranged from <0.020 to 7.8 μg/l for NPE1 and from <0.020 to 10 μg/l for NPE2. All nine sediment samples contained 4-nonylphenol, with values ranging from 0.17 to 72 μg/g (dry weight). The majority of sediment samples also contained detectable levels of the other contaminants. A total of 66% of sediments had detectable amounts of NPE1 and concentrations ranged from <0.015 to 38 μg/g (dry weight), 66% of sediments had detectable amounts of NPE2 and values ranged from <0.015 to 6.0 μg/g (dry weight) and 89% of sediment samples had detectable amounts of 4-t-OP and values ranged from <0.010 to 1.8 μg/g (dry weight). The highest concentrations of the analytes found are well below acute toxicity thresholds, but in some cases there may be cause for concern with regard to long-term effects on reproductive health of fish.
Compact, mobile, low power UWB system for through-wall imaging

A compact Ultra wideband (UWB) bistatic radar system has been developed. Lightweight, portable and low in power consumption, it uses low cost, off-the-shelf components, and is ideally suited for ranging, 3D-imaging, and wall characterization. Tests show excellent pulse width generation, resulting in very broadband transmission (0.5–5.5 GHz) and good receiver dynamic range, resulting in accurate measurement capabilities.
HOUSING DEFECTS IN NEWLY PURCHASED HOMES: IMPLICATIONS FOR FAMILY RESOURCE MANAGEMENT*

The occurrence of unexpected housing defects and the expense of repair can be a sizeable burden for the unprepared home owner. Within the family management framework, unexpected event demands play an important role in the management of resources. To assess the dimension of the problem, a survey of recent home buyers was undertaken to provide empirical data on the incidence and cost of major housing problems, as well as characteristics of the buyer and homes purchased. Multiple regression and profit procedures were used to determine what factors were important in predicting incidence and cost of repair.
Steep solitary waves in water of finite depth with constant vorticity

Solitary waves with constant vorticity in water of finite depth are calculated numerically by a boundary integral equation method. Previous calculations are confirmed and extended. It is shown that there are branches of solutions which bifurcate from a uniform shear current. Some of these branches are characterized by a limiting configuration with a 120" angle at the crest of the wave. Other branches extend for arbitrary large values of the amplitude of the wave. The corresponding solutions ultimately approach closed regions of constant vorticity in contact with the bottom of the channel. A numerical scheme is presented to calculate directly these closed regions of constant vorticity. In addition, it is shown that there are branches of solutions which do not bifurcate from a uniform shear flow.
Highly efficient Organic Light-Emitting Diodes from thermally activated delayed fluorescence using a sulfone–carbazole host material

Abstract Organic Light-Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) using the thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitter (4s,6s)-2,4,5,6-tetra(9H-carbazol-9-yl)isophthalonitrile (4CzIPN) are demonstrated using a novel ambipolar host 3,5-di(carbazol-9-yl)-1-phenylsulfonylbenzene (mCPSOB). When doped in a 5 wt.% concentration, OLEDs with EL efficiency values of more than 81 cd/A for current efficacy and 26.5% for external quantum efficiency are reported. These devices exhibit a low turn-on voltage of 3.2 V at 10 cd/m2, as well as reduced efficiency roll-off at high current densities. To the best of our knowledge, these are among the highest ever reported efficiencies for TADF OLEDs, and are even comparable to the highest reported efficiencies for phosphorescent OLEDs.
Defining “Ecolinguistics?”: Challenging emic issues in an evolving environmental discipline

Ecolinguistics is an emerging field of study within the social sciences, with implications for all domains of knowledge production. From its initial emergence within the field of linguistics in the early 1990s, it has meant different things to different scholars, so to date lacks a coherent self definition. Some scholars interpret ecolinguistics to mean the iterative interaction between human discourses and the natural world; others view it as the study of the ecology of language; while others suggest it deals with declining linguistic diversity, broadly. Dr. Arran Stibbe, the convener of the Language and Ecology Forum, generated an informal, 10-year retrospective survey in December 2012 and January 2013, with the goal of the survey to help generate emic conceptions of what ecolinguistics means to various scholars engaged in ecolinguistics. This article summarizes the findings of this survey, while also giving a brief overview of the history of ecolinguistics. It is argued by the author that ecolinguistics represents an emergent, leading edge of the “Ecological Turn” for the past 40 years in academia, and that the insights and methods of ecolinguistics are an underappreciated and underutilized approach to studying human-nature interactions. It is also argued that it would be helpful to both non-specialists and ecolinguists, if in the coming years the field converges around a consensus of ideas that help to provide it with theoretical stability and methodological clarity so ecolinguistics can be better utilized by those working in the AESS.
A Case Study of Occupationally Focused Brief Dynamic Therapy Using Mann's Model of Central Conflict

For most people who work, social and occupational competence is inherent to a sense of well-being and support. When occupational competence is questioned by themselves or others, patients may present to clinicians with complaints of dysfunction in the work setting. For these patients, addressing work issues with immediacy and brevity may quickly resolve difficulties, preventing further escalation. Mann's model of time-limited brief psychodynamic therapy may prove to be a useful tool in addressing these issues. The author reviews the current literature regarding occupational dysfunction combined with literature supporting the usefulness of Mann's model of time-limited brief dynamic psychotherapy. A case is discussed demonstrating the integration of Mann's model into a current occupational theme, elucidating the central conflict as it pertains to the occupational setting.
Snap-through of shallow clamped spherical caps under uniform pressure

Abstract An approximate solution to the axisymmetric snap-through problem for shallow clamped spherical shells is explored. Very simple explicit expressions are obtained for the fully snapped configuration; for the smallest value of the geometric parameter for which snap through can occur, and for the associated critical pressure. The existence of higher modes in the form of isolated closed loops is demonstrated and used to explain the behaviour of the cap near Qcr.
An investigation of previously derived Hyades, Coma, and M67 reddenings

New Hyades polarimetry and field star photometry were obtained to check the Hyades reddening, which was found to be nonzero in a previous study (Taylor, 1978). The new Hyades polarimetry implies essentially zero reddening. Four photometric techniques which are assumed to be insensitive to blanketing are used to compare the Hyades to nearby field stars and are found to yield essentially zero reddening. A simultaneous solution for the Hyades, Coma, and M67 reddenings is made, and the results are E(B-V) = 3 plus or minus 2(sigma) mmag, -1 plus or minus 3(sigma) mmag, and 46 plus or minus 6(sigma) mmag, respectively.
Dendritic cell vaccines for the treatment of prostate cancer

Advanced prostate cancer remains a disease with few options beyond palliation. Over the past few decades, our understanding of immunology has led to the development of novel therapies for the treatment of many malignancies, including prostate cancer. These generally aim to induce T-cell responses against tumor specific antigens to both reduce tumor mass and potentially avoid relapse. One promising technique is to use autologous dendritic cells, the most potent antigen presenting cell. These can be loaded ex vivo with a given antigen and subsequently injected back into the patient to stimulate the desired effect. Recent trials using these techniques have shown promise in extending survival in patients with prostate cancer. This review will discuss relevant biology behind dendritic cell therapy and highlight the key trials found in the literature.
Theoretical wave structure function when the effect of the outer scale is significant

The wave structure function (WSF) for a plane wave, calculated from the basic Rytov theory, is usually expressed as 6.88(r/r0)5/3, but this does not include the effect of a finite outer scale (or of a nonzero inner scale) of turbulence. When separation distance r is only 5% of the outer scale, this expression overpredicts the WSF by a factor of approximately 2. Accurate evaluations of the Rytov formulas are given for the WSFs of plane and spherical waves in Kolmogorov and von Karman turbulence and for the structure function of the atmosphere's index of refraction. Simple formulas make the results easy to use.
Calibration strategy for 3-D position sensitive CdZnTe spectrometer arrays

A new detector system having two layers of three by three 3-D position sensitive CdZnTe gamma-ray spectrometers is being developed. Each detector module consists of a 1.5times1.5times1.0 cm3 pixellated (11times11 pixels) CdZnTe detector and a VAS_UM2.3/TAT4 ASIC front-end board. Using the 3-D position sensing technique, each detector can be electronically divided into 11times11times40 (40 depth slices) small voxels. The detector response within each voxel is reasonably uniform (variations in weighting potential and electron trapping are minimized) and the energy resolution can be very good (~1% FWHM at 662 keV). A calibration matrix can be derived based on the voxel response so that the performance of entire detector can be very close to the performance of small voxels. However, each voxel needs a reasonable amount of events for the calibration, thus the number of calibration events needed for the whole detector is considerably large - ~50 million for each detector. This requirement poses a challenge to the calibration of the system especially for large arrays. Simply reducing the readout dead time for each event may not be the ultimate solution due to other bottlenecks in the system such as data transfer rate and data processing speed. This paper will analyze the bottlenecks in the current dual-array system and discuss possible strategies to speed up the calibration process.
Renal vein cytokine release as an index of renal parenchymal inflammation in chronic experimental renal artery stenosis

Background Renal parenchymal inflammation is a critical determinant of kidney injury in renal artery stenosis (RAS) but is difficult to assess in the single kidney without tissue samples. Whether renal vein (RV) levels of inflammatory markers reflect active parenchymal inflammation remains unknown. We evaluated the relationship between net RV cytokine release and tissue inflammation in the post-stenotic kidney.
Early brain enlargement and elevated extra-axial fluid in infants who develop autism spectrum disorder

Prospective studies of infants at risk for autism spectrum disorder have provided important clues about the early behavioural symptoms of autism spectrum disorder. Diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, however, is not currently made until at least 18 months of age. There is substantially less research on potential brain-based differences in the period between 6 and 12 months of age. Our objective in the current study was to use magnetic resonance imaging to identify any consistently observable brain anomalies in 6-9 month old infants who would later develop autism spectrum disorder. We conducted a prospective infant sibling study with longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging scans at three time points (6-9, 12-15, and 18-24 months of age), in conjunction with intensive behavioural assessments. Fifty-five infants (33 'high-risk' infants having an older sibling with autism spectrum disorder and 22 'low-risk' infants having no relatives with autism spectrum disorder) were imaged at 6-9 months; 43 of these (27 high-risk and 16 low-risk) were imaged at 12-15 months; and 42 (26 high-risk and 16 low-risk) were imaged again at 18-24 months. Infants were classified as meeting criteria for autism spectrum disorder, other developmental delays, or typical development at 24 months or later (mean age at outcome: 32.5 months). Compared with the other two groups, infants who developed autism spectrum disorder (n = 10) had significantly greater extra-axial fluid at 6-9 months, which persisted and remained elevated at 12-15 and 18-24 months. Extra-axial fluid is characterized by excessive cerebrospinal fluid in the subarachnoid space, particularly over the frontal lobes. The amount of extra-axial fluid detected as early as 6 months was predictive of more severe autism spectrum disorder symptoms at the time of outcome. Infants who developed autism spectrum disorder also had significantly larger total cerebral volumes at both 12-15 and 18-24 months of age. This is the first magnetic resonance imaging study to prospectively evaluate brain growth trajectories from infancy in children who develop autism spectrum disorder. The presence of excessive extra-axial fluid detected as early as 6 months and the lack of resolution by 24 months is a hitherto unreported brain anomaly in infants who later develop autism spectrum disorder. This is also the first magnetic resonance imaging evidence of brain enlargement in autism before age 2. These findings raise the potential for the use of structural magnetic resonance imaging to aid in the early detection of children at risk for autism spectrum disorder or other neurodevelopmental disorders.
New Methods in Tornado Climatology

How climate change might affect tornadoes remains an open scientific question. Climatological studies are often contested due to inconsistencies in the available data. Statistical methods are used to overcome some of the data limitations. A few of these methods including using the proportion of tornadoes occurring on bigtornado days, estimating tornado energy from the damagepath, and modeling counts spatially are described here. The methods move beyond analyses of occurrences by damage ratings and spatial smoothing. Applications of these and related methods will help grow the nascent field of tornado climatology.