cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Endovascular thrombolysis to salvage central venous access in children with catheter-associated upper extremity deep vein thrombosis: technique and initial results

Nine patients (average age 8.3 years, range 20 days to 17 years; average weight 31 kg, range 2.7-79 kg) with catheter-associated UE-DVT underwent upper extremity venous thrombolysis with the goal of access salvage. Catheter directed therapy with alteplase (tPA), balloon angioplasty, and mechanical thrombectomy was used in all cases. The mean total dose of TPA was 15 mg (range 1-40 mg). Venous access was ultimately preserved in all patients. No stents or superior vena cava filters were used. There was one episode of symptomatic clinically suspected pulmonary embolism managed by systemic tPA and heparin without long term sequaele. Mean imaging and clinical follow-up was 351 ± 208 and 613 ± 498 days respectively. Endovenous thrombolysis for catheter-associated upper-extremity DVT in children may be safe and effective and could be considered particularly in patients in whom long-term venous access is needed.
Regional Model Simulations of Marine Boundary Layer Clouds over the Southeast Pacific off South America. Part II: Sensitivity Experiments*

Abstract The sensitivity of a regional climate model to physical parameterizations and model resolution is investigated in terms of its simulation of boundary layer stratocumulus (SCu) clouds over the southeast Pacific. Specifically, the physical schemes being tested include shallow cumulus convection, subgrid vertical mixing, cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC), and drizzle. As described in Part I, the model with standard settings captures the major features of the boundary layer in the region, including a well-mixed marine boundary layer, a capping temperature inversion, SCu clouds, and the boundary layer regime transition from the well-mixed layer near the coast of South America to a decoupled cloud layer over warmer water to the west. Turning off the shallow cumulus parameterization results in a dramatic increase in the simulated SCu clouds while the boundary layer structure becomes unrealistic, losing the decoupled regime over warm water. With reduced penetrative mixing at the top of shallow cu...
An evaluation of the relative performance of alternatively structured resource rent taxes

Abstract This paper is motivated by the observation that although both the Australian and British governments have imposed resource rent taxes (RRTs) on their petroleum industries, these taxes have different structures, with the British form featuring both a higher threshold rate-of-return on capital above which tax is payable ( r ), and a higher rate of tax for these excess profits ( t ), than the Australian form. The analysis in the paper finds that the revenue-generating performance of alternatively structured RRTs depends both on the profit margin on extracted resource and on the riskiness of the resource deposit. Hence no single structure is superior in all situations, although a low r, t pair is better if profit margins and riskiness are low, while a high r, t pair is better if these factors are high. It is suggested that the choice of RRT structure should be conditional on an ex ante evaluation of these factors.
The North Pacific Study

Preparations are underway to investigate the nature of large-scale fluctuations of sea-surface temperatures using a buoy array extending 2000 miles across the North Pacific. These fluctuations appear to be of common occurrence and interrelated with anomalous weather conditions and changes in the distribution of rainfall, marine productivity, and marine organisms. Although monthly mean sea-surf ace temperatures are available from ships' data, very little is known of the associated events below the sea surface, or what oceanographic and meteorological processes are involved in the onset, development, and decay of the anomalies. A pilot study of the sea-surface temperature data is providing some hints of the nature of the events. The buoys to be used have been under development at Scripps for many years. They are simple taut-moored catamaran buoys recording meteorological parameters and water temperatures to 500 meters, Qne O? two Convair Monster buoys will be used, as well as a few Seripps current-meter buoys, Present Scripps' buoys have survived winds in excess of 95 knots while moored in water over 3QOQ fathoms in depth, and have yielded the first very long continuous records of temperatures in the open sea.
Echocardiographic Features of Flail Aortic Valve

This patient had an attack of subacute bacterial endocarditis involving the aortic valve. He developed fulminating congestive heart failure secondary to acute aortic regurgitation, terminating in the prosthetic replacement of his aortic valve. The echo from the aortic valve demonstrated marked coarse fluttering of the cusps, both in systole and in diastole. The two cusps did not coapt in diastole. The echo from the mitral valve showed features of acute aortic regurgitation. The carotid pulse tracing showed marked slurring in its descending limb. The postoperative echocardiogram showed absence of these findings. We suggest that a diagnosis of flail aortic valve be considered in patients suffering from significant isolated aortic regurgitation in the absence of calcification of the aortic valve and with a negative VDRL test for syphilis.
The Distinct Roles of the N-terminal Copper-binding Sites in Regulation of Catalytic Activity of the Wilson's Disease Protein

Wilson's disease protein (WNDP) is a copper-transporting ATPase essential for normal distribution of copper in human cells. Recent studies demonstrate that copper regulates WNDP through several mechanisms. Six metal-binding sites (MBS) at the N terminus of WNDP are predicted to be involved in copper-dependent regulation of WNDP; however, specific roles of MBS remain poorly understood. To address this issue, we generated WNDP variants with mutations or truncation in the N-terminal region and characterized their functional properties. We show that copper cooperatively stimulates catalytic activity of WNDP and that this effect requires the presence of both MBS5 and MBS6. Mutations of MBS6 or MBS1-5 result in non-cooperative activation of the enzyme by copper, whereas the deletion of MBS1-4 does not abolish cooperativity. Our data further suggest that MBS5 and MBS6 together regulate the affinity of the intramembrane-binding site(s) for copper. Analysis of the copper-dependent stimulation of catalytic phosphorylation demonstrate that the MBS6 and MBS1-5 mutants have a 7-8-fold lower EC50 for copper activation, suggesting that their affinity for copper is increased. This conclusion is confirmed by a markedly decreased inhibition of these mutants by a copper chelator bathocuproine disulphonate. In contrast, deletion of MBS1-4 does not affect the affinity of sites important for catalytic phosphorylation. Rather, the MBS1-4 region appears to control access of copper to the functionally important metal-binding sites. The implications of these findings for intracellular regulation of WNDP are discussed.
Air flow and intelligibility of speech of normal speakers and speakers with a prosthodontically repaired cleft palate

In recent years there has been an increase in the use of physiologic tests for the analysis of air flow and pressure required for speech production. Qualitative and quantitative evaluations of these aspects have been made in subjects with normal and defective speech. 1-4 Various methods have been used to determine velopharyngeal function. The techniques that have been used in diagnosis and management have included radiography, air flow and pressure measurements, and use of the trained ear of the speech pathologist. In 1965 Skoog 5 stated that conclusions concerning the velopharyngeal system were even then based on inadequate information. This may have been due to a lack of means for objective study of the structures involved with the velopharyngeal mechanism during connected speech. Objective records using respirometric techniques for air flow and pressure measurements have been used and correlated with listener perception of speech intelligibility. A phenomenon termed hypernasality, generally exhibited in the speech of cleft-palate patients, may contribute to listeners' judgments of unintelligible speech. It cannot be assumed, however, that hypernasality is either the greatest or the sole contributor to reduced intelligibility. As Moll 6 reported, "... speech dimensions must be defined ultimately in terms of listener perception, nasal voice quality is defined best as a perceptual dimension." The fact that air may be inappropriately directed into the nasal cavity with or without a judgment of hypernasality could contribute to listener perception of unintelligible speech. Inappropriate air direction, resulting from velar insufficiency, may establish the relationship between ~ *Associate Professor. Communication Disorders Program. **Associate Professor, Speech and Hearing Clinic. air flow and perception of intelligibility, an important factor in the speech process. By establishing the relationship between air flow and perception of intelligibility, a check-and-balance system can be developed to provide more comprehensive rehabilitation for cleft-palate speakers. This study was designed to assess the relationship between air flow and listeners' identification of certain fricatives in selected words for normal and cleft-palate speakers. METHOD
Graft copolymer of polymethyl methacrylate‐g‐polycarbonate urethane and the fully gelled grafted networks

Graft copolymers of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)-graft-polycarbonate urethane (PCU) (PMMA-g-PCU) and the fully gelled mutually crosslinked network composed of both PMMA and PCU (PMMA-PCU-N) were prepared. Unlike the previously synthesized one phase PCU/PMMA simultaneous interpenetrating polymer networks (IPN's), both of these new materials exhibited two distinct T' g s (from DSC and DMA studies) at all compositions studied. The two-phase nature of the graft and network polymer was confirmed by TEM with domain sizes smaller than those found in the blends of the linear PCU and PMMA chains
No Discrimination against Brilliant Women

32 men and 32 women took an intelligence test, listened to an audio recording of two individuals taking the test (one of whom performed at a brilliant level and one of whom performed at an average ...
Pattern symmetry and colored repetition in cultural contexts

Abstract The application of a mathematical principle, symmetry, to an area so highly variable as human culture seems remarkable until one discovers that the principle uncovers hitherto unknown consistencies in human behavior. In Sec. 2, the types of analyses which have shown how symmetry is manifested in culture are discussed. However, not all patterns created by cultural groups maintain structural symmetry when combined with other stylistic aspects. In Sec. 3, colored patterns on pre-Columbian textiles from Peru, which have colorings inconsistent with their underlying structural symmetry are discussed.
The aberrant formation of (−)-N-methylanabasine from N-methyl-Δ1-piperideinium chloride in Nicotiana tabacum and N. Glauca

Abstract The administration of N-methyl-[2-14C]-Δ1-piperideinium chloride to Nicotiana tabacum and N. glauca plants led to the formation of (−)-[2′-14C]-N-methylanabasine, having the same specific activity as the administered radioactive compound. Radioactive anabasine of lower specific activity was also isolated from these plants. When dl -[2-14C]-lysine, a well established precursor of anabasine, was fed to these species, negligible activity was detected in N-methylanabasine, which had been added to the harvested plants in order to trap any activity which might have resided in this alkaloid. It is therefore concluded that N-methylanabasine is not an intermediate in the biosynthesis of anabasine from lysine, and its formation in the present work is an example of an aberrant biosynthesis.
Dietary protein increases intestinal calcium absorption and improves bone balance: An hypothesis

Abstract Since increasing dietary protein increases urinary calcium, it is hypothesized that high protein diets increase bone resorption and decrease bone mineral density (BMD). However, most cross-sectional studies with BMD or rates of bone loss as the principal outcome, indicate that high protein diets are associated with higher (not lower) BMD and slower (not faster) rates of bone loss. Three recent diet-controlled isotopic calcium studies showed no net loss of calcium from bone during high protein diets in humans. In 1 of these 3 studies, we showed that a high protein diet increased urinary calcium by increasing intestinal calcium absorption. Importantly, during the high protein diet, there was a significant reduction in the fraction of urinary calcium of bone origin and a trend toward a reduction in the rate of bone turnover. All of the 3 isotopic studies suggest that higher protein diets actually improved calcium retention. Based on these data, we suspect that adults who naturally consume a moderately low protein diet are at risk for accelerated bone loss. In this review, we develop the hypothesis that a high protein diet has salutary effects on the skeleton, in part because it increases intestinal calcium absorption.
Estrogen replacement therapy and cognitive decline in memory-impaired post-menopausal women.

Abstract Background: Estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) may delay dementia-related cognitive decline in post-menopausal women, but few studies have longitudinally examined this relationship and none has controlled for baseline functioning or concurrent medication. Methods: We report the results of a 1-year retrospective longitudinal study examining cognitive functioning in female estrogen and nonestrogen users ( n = 3128) who presented to the state of California memory disorder clinics in a naturalistic multisite study of senile dementia, Alzheimer's type (SDAT), and other cognitive impairments. Results: At baseline, estrogen users had significantly lower rates of SDAT diagnoses (possible and probable) than nonestrogen users, and significantly higher rates of the lesser diagnoses of "cognitive impairment" and "no dementia." ERT was significantly associated with higher cognitive functioning at baseline and at 1 year follow-up ( n = 358). Nonestrogen users deteriorated significantly from baseline to follow-up; estrogen users did not. Results were similar in groups matched on baseline Blessed-Roth Dementia Rating Scale (BRDRS) ratings ( n = 32) and in a variety of subpopulations. Conclusions: These findings are consistent with estrogen acting as a protective factor against cognitive deterioration in post-menopausal women with SDAT and other cognitive impairments, and may suggest an increased effect in earlier stages of cognitive impairment.
Made you look! Consciously perceived, irrelevant instructional cues can hijack the attentional network

Functional neuroimaging studies of endogenous cued attention suggest that a fronto-parietal attentional network keeps track of current task objectives in working memory and enhances activity in posterior sensory regions that underlie the perceptual processing of behaviorally relevant stimuli. Relatively little is known, however, about whether consciously perceived, irrelevant instructional cues can hijack the attentional network, leading to an enhancement of the perceptual processing of irrelevant stimuli. Using a cross-modal attentional cueing task in combination with functional magnetic resonance imaging, we found that such irrelevant cues can indeed hijack the attentional network, as indexed by increased activity in (a) frontal regions that control attention and (b) sensory cortices that underlie the perceptual processing of task-irrelevant stimuli. Furthermore, we found that in left ventrolateral (but not dorsolateral) prefrontal regions, the magnitude of this increased activity varies with whether an irrelevant instructional cue is presented simultaneously with (versus after) a relevant instructional cue. These findings show that consciously perceived, irrelevant instructional cues can activate inappropriate task objectives in working memory, resulting in a hijacking of the attentional network. Moreover, they reveal different time courses of hijacking effects in ventrolateral and dorsolateral prefrontal regions, consistent with models in which these regions make distinct contributions to cognitive control.
Thermal Conductivity of High Contrast Nanoparticle Composites

In this paper, we investigated the thermal conductivity of three-dimensional nanocomposites composed of randomly distributed nanoparticles with large thermal conductivity differences in the constituents. Nanoparticles in composite materials fabricated by processes such as hot press or spark plasma sintering tend to be randomly distributed. For composites made of particles with high thermal conductivity contrast ratio, percolation theory predicts the existence of a continuous phase of high thermal conductivity material when its volumetric concentration reaches beyond the percolation threshold. Such a continuous phase can provide a low resistance pathway for phonon transport in the nanocomposites. Therefore, the thermal conductivity of the composites is expected to increase significantly with increasing concentration of the high thermal conductivity nanoparticles. However, when the characteristic size of the nanoparticles is comparable or smaller than the phonon mean free path, the interface between two materials causes phonon scattering and significant thermal resistance in the highly conductive phonon pathway. Such an additional thermal resistance can reduce the magnitude of the thermal conductivity improvement in the nanocomposites. In this study, the Monte Carlo simulation was employed to generate the nanoparticle random distribution and to simulate phonon transport in the nanocomposites. The effects of particle size, thermal conductivity contrast and interface characteristic on thermal conductivity of the nanocomposites are discussed.© 2007 ASME
Patterns of School Readiness among Head Start Children: Meaningful Within-Group Variability during the Transition to Kindergarten.

This study is a population-based investigation of children's school readiness with a national sample of low-income children, utilizing data from the Family and Children's Experiences Survey (FACES; 2000--2003). Guided by a developmental ecological framework, we posed 3 research questions: (a) How do children's early school readiness skills in the social and cognitive domains overlap (as they enter preschool)? (b) Do these configurations of school readiness skills meaningfully predict children's school adjustment by the end of kindergarten? (c) In addition to the patterns of children's school readiness identified at the beginning of their first Head Start year, do relevant family and classroom context factors help to predict and/or moderate end-of-kindergarten outcomes? Results revealed 5 distinct patterns of school readiness for this national sample of low-income children. These profiles related in meaningful ways to end-of-kindergarten outcomes, such that children in more competent preschool profiles did better over time. Moreover, these patterns of school readiness identified at the beginning of the Head Start year were the most consistent predictors of end-of-kindergarten performance, controlling for demographic and context factors. However, results revealed that proximal contextual influences in the family (i.e., maternal education and parenting style) and classroom (i.e., teacher experience, teacher education, and adult-child ratio) further predicted end of kindergarten performance across preacademic and social domains. Findings illuminated significant within-group patterns and variability among an at-risk population, relevant for informing early childhood education and early intervention. Supplemental materials: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0028884.supp
Relativized counting classes: relations among thresholds, parity, and mods

Abstract Well-known complexity classes such as NP, co-NP, ⊕P (PARITY-P), and PP are produced by considering a nondeterministic polynomial time Turing machine N and defining acceptance in terms of the number of accepting paths in N . That is, they are subclasses of P #P[1] . Other interesting classes such as MOD k P and C + P are also subclasses of P #P[1] . Many relations among these classes are unresolved. Of course, these classes coincide if P = PSPACE. However, we develop a simple combinatorial technique for constructing oracles that separate counting classes. Our results suggest that it will be difficult to resolve the unknown relationships among different counting classes. In addition to presenting new oracle separations, we simplify several previous constructions.
Stochastic models of decisions about motion direction: behavior and physiology

Roitman and Shadlen [Roitman J. D., & Shadlen M. N. (2002). Response of neurons in the lateral intraparietal area during a combined visual discrimination reaction time task. Journal of Neuroscience, 22, 9475-9489] have published a non-human primate study on visual decision making. They collected both behavioral and neurophysiological data and provided evidence that the data are qualitatively consistent with a mechanism based on accumulating sensory evidence up to a decision threshold. I have previously demonstrated that a time-variant diffusion model can account quite well quantitatively for both the behavioral and the neural data. In this manuscript I discuss how well the data constrains different components and parameters of the computational process. I also discuss the biological plausibility of the model parameters. I will demonstrate that a relatively large class of models, both with and without temporal integration and both stationary and time-variant could account for the behavioral data. Both the single cell recordings from the parietal cortex and previously published data from the extrastriate visual cortex provide additional constraints. Overall, the data favor a diffusion model with time-variant gain and leaky integrators. The integration time constant, however, turns out not to be well-constrained by the data.
A sore throat--potentially life-threatening?

A sore throat, which is most commonly viewed as a minor ailment, can be a manifestation of a life-threatening disorder known as Lemierre’s syndrome caused by Fusobacterium necrophorum. We report a new case of Lemierre’s syndrome that occurred in an otherwise healthy 18-year-old woman, who initially presented with fever and sore throat. The diagnosis was not made until a week later when blood cultures became available. This syndrome should be suspected until proven otherwise in any patient with signs of pharyngitis, a painful swollen neck, and pulmonary symptoms. By presenting this curable, but potentially life-threatening case of Lemierre’s syndrome, we hope to increase the awareness of the early clinical manifestations of Lemierre’s syndrome and to emphasize the importance of careful physical examination with special attention to the neck. Clinicians should be aware that exclusion of streptococcal infection in a patient with severe tonsillar infection does not exclude a bacterial cause.
The Role of Knowledge in Early Literacy

Book reviewed in this article: Beating the Odds in Teaching All Children to Read. By Barbara Taylor, P. David Pearson, Kathleen Clark, and Sharon Walpole. September 30, 1999. The Contexts of Comprehension: Information Book Read Alouds and Comprehension Acquisition. By Laura Smolkin and Carol Donovan. June 30, 2000. The Interplay of Firsthand and Text-Based Investigations in Science Education. By Annemarie Sullivan Palincsar and Shirley Magnusson. March 31, 2000. The Scarcity of Informational Text in First Grade. By Nell Duke. August 31, 1999.
Recent advances in cardiopulmonary-cerebral resuscitation: A review

Standard external CPR (SECPR) steps A, B, and C can maintain the brain's viability if started immediately, but not after prolonged arrest times. "New CPR" (simultaneous ventilation-compression CPR, SVC-CPR) is not suitable for basic life support, and may not be physiologically superior to optimally performed SECPR. The superiority of interposed abdominal compression CPR (IAC-CPR) over SECPR for basic life support is also uncertain. Open-chest CPR is physiologically superior to all external CPR methods studied thus far. Open-chest CPR should again be taught to physicians, and used more often after prolonged cardiac arrest. In intractable cases of cardiac arrest, particularly after prolonged arrest times or cold water drowning, cardiopulmonary bypass appears promising. After restoration of normal perfusion pressures and blood gases, a brain-oriented intensive care protocol for the support of extracerebral organs leads to better outcome than "usual care." Reflow promoting measures, particularly intracarotid hypertensive hemodilution, ameliorate postarrest brain damage and should be developed for clinical use. Barbiturates have been shown to exert no breakthrough effect on outcome after cardiac arrest, but are safe in the hands of those skilled in advanced intensive care. Barbiturates may be of adjunctive value after prolonged cardiac arrest, particilarly when used to suppress seizures, facilitate controlled ventilation, and reduce intracranial pressure. Calcium entry blockers have been shown in animal models to improve hemodynamics and cerebral outcome postarrest, but not consistently. Needed are systematic studies of the multiple organ systems failure of the postresuscitation syndrome, as well as development and testing of etiology-specific multifaceted therapies. Treatments effective after cardiac arrest also might benefit patients with other acute insults.
Sibling Differences in School Attendance and Child Labour in Ethiopia

This paper examines the effects of sibling composition on children's school attendance and participation in market and domestic work in Ethiopia. The major finding is that earlier-born males in rural areas are more likely to attend school than their younger siblings. A similar effect is apparent for rural females and urban children as well, though it is not as robust to varying estimation methods and sensitivity tests. In both areas, the chances of participation in market work are higher for older children, particularly males, while in domestic work, which remains largely the domain of female children, being an earlier-born girl also increases the odds of working. These effects of birth order on work are largely unaffected by the gender of the younger siblings or by the age difference with the last child.
Diffusion of gaseous fluoromethanes in air

Abstract A simple uniform-pressure diffusion apparatus has been used to measure the diffusivities of the gaseous fluorocarbons CF 4 and CF 2 Cl 2 in air at atmospheric pressure and room temperature (293 K). The diffusion coefficients are found to be D (CF 4 —air) = 0.121 cm 2 s −1 and D (CF 2 Cl 2 —air) = 0.098 cm 2 s −1 . The observed diffusion flux ratios are in agreement with Graham's diffusion law.
Dynamics of strained ring systems as studied by ESR and saturation transfer sensitive spectroscopic techniques

Abstract Effective spin-lattice relaxation rates for the cyclopentyl-1-carboxylic acid radical in X-irradiated 1,1-cyclopentanedicarboxylic acid measured by saturation-recovery and electron spin echo techniques are found to be determined by van Vleck and Raman mechanisms. Analysis of ESR, ELDOR, ENDOR, and passage spectra permitted characterization of the temperature dependence of the ring inversion frequency as τ c −1 = 3.35 × 10 11 exp(−1540/ T ), implying a barrier to ring inversion of 3 kcal. The magnetic resonance and double resonance spectra at low temperatures are characterized by nearly isotropic beta hyperfine couplings of 56 and 112 MHz which are averaged by the dynamic ring puckering to yield a value of 84 MHz at ambient temperatures. The gamma couplings are not resolved in the ENDOR spectra but from the linewidth of the ENDOR line at the free proton frequency a value of 3 MHz is established as the upper limit for these couplings.
Effects of granulocyte‐macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (GM‐CSF) on neutrophil kinetics and function in normal human volunteers

Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) (250 microg/m2) was administered subcutaneously to 7 normal volunteers for up to 14 days to study its effects on neutrophil kinetics and function. With treatment, blood neutrophil counts rose gradually to peak at 3 1/2 times baseline by day 14. At day 5 marrow mitotic cells were increased and post-mitotic cells decreased, and the transit time through the post-mitotic marrow pool accelerated (normal = 6.4 days, GM-CSF = 3.9 days; P 0.05); or the neutrophil turnover rate (normal = 78.5 +/- 11.9 x 10(7)/cells/kg/day, GM-CSF = 91.4 +/- 19.8 x 10(7)/cells/kg/day, P > 0.05). GM-CSF reduced the number of neutrophils migrating to skin chambers (normal = 104 +/- 25.0 x 10(6)/cells, GM-CSF = 48.6 +/- 16.0 x 10(6)/cells; P < 0.05). Treatment increased expression of CD11b/CD18 but not Fcgamma receptors (CD16, CD32, CD64). Treatment also stimulated the in vitro neutrophil respiratory burst in response to a variety of agonists, and this enhancement persisted for the duration of treatment. All subjects experienced local and systemic adverse effects and developed eosinophilia. This study indicates that GM-CSF at a dose of 250 microg/m2 causes neutrophilia chiefly by accelerating delivery of neutrophils from the marrow to the blood and by decreasing migration from the blood to the tissues, with only a modest effect on neutrophil production and blood half-life.
Angular variation of electron paramagnetic resonance spectrum: simulation of a polycrystalline EPR spectrum.

A procedure based on homotopy, involving a quick calculation of EPR line positions for various orientations of the external magnetic field by the method of least-squares fitting and Taylor-series expansion, using a known line position at an infinitesimally close orientation of the external magnetic field as the initial value, by using the eigenvectors and eigenvalues of the spin-Hamiltonian matrix in single crystals, has been exploited to simulate a polycrystalline EPR spectrum. This requires rigorous calculations of intensities of resonant lines, along with their positions. Specifically, details are given of the numerical techniques involving time-efficient matrix diagonalization to obtain the eigenvalues and eigenvectors required to calculate positions and intensities of EPR lines by the method of least-squares fitting. Finally, the procedure of how to simulate a polycrystalline EPR spectrum is outlined, the required steps are listed, and illustrative examples are given.
Coiled-coil coactivators play a structural role mediating interactions in hypoxia-inducible factor heterodimerization

The hypoxia-inducible factor complex (HIF-α·aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator (ARNT)) requires association with several transcription coactivators for a successful cellular response to hypoxic stress. In addition to the conventional global transcription coactivator CREB-binding protein/p300 (CBP/p300) that binds to the HIF-α transactivation domain, a new group of transcription coactivators called the coiled-coil coactivators (CCCs) interact directly with the second PER-ARNT-SIM (PAS) domain of ARNT (ARNT PAS-B). These less studied transcription coactivators play essential roles in the HIF-dependent hypoxia response, and CCC misregulation is associated with several forms of cancer. To better understand CCC protein recruitment by the heterodimeric HIF transcription factor, we used x-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy, and biochemical methods to investigate the structure of the ARNT PAS-B domain in complex with the C-terminal fragment of a coiled-coil coactivator protein, transforming acidic coiled-coil coactivator 3 (TACC3). We found that the HIF-2α PAS-B domain also directly interacts with TACC3, motivating an NMR data-derived model suggesting a means by which TACC3 could form a ternary complex with HIF-2α PAS-B and ARNT PAS-B via β-sheet/coiled-coil interactions. These findings suggest that TACC3 could be recruited as a bridge to cooperatively mediate between the HIF-2α PAS-B·ARNT PAS-B complex, thereby participating more directly in HIF-dependent gene transcription than previously anticipated.
Systematic review: Exposure to pets and risk of asthma and asthma-like symptoms.

Abstract Background: Studies of exposure to pets and risk of asthma have yielded conflicting results. Objectives: We performed a systematic review to synthesize the evidence of the effect of exposure to pets in the home on the risk of asthma and asthma-related symptoms. We also assessed differences between the studies as sources of heterogeneity of the results. Methods: We conducted a MEDLINE search (until the end of 1999) using the following boolean search command: (asthma[all] OR wheez*[all]) AND (domestic animal*[all] OR pets[all]). The outcome was limited to either diagnosis of asthma or the symptom of wheezing. The exposure of interest was domestic animals in the home. Appropriate temporal relationship was defined as present in studies with either pet keeping within the first 2 years of life, in the past, or exposure to pets preceding the outcome. Results: Thirty-two of the 217 retrieved articles fulfilled the eligibility criteria. Inappropriate time sequence of the exposure and outcome information was an important source of heterogeneity and an indication of potential selection bias. Therefore we analyzed studies focusing on early exposure or ensuring appropriate temporal sequence. The pooled risk estimates for both asthma (fixed-effects odds ratio, 1.11; 95% CI, 0.98-1.25; heterogeneity, P = .04; random-effects odds ratio, 1.09; 95% CI, 0.89-1.34) and wheezing (fixed-effects odds ratio, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.05-1.35; heterogeneity, P = .03; random-effects odds ratio, 1.17; 95% CI, 0.95-1.44) indicated a small effect, which was limited to studies with a median study population age of over 6 years (fixed-effects odds ratio, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.02-1.40; heterogeneity, P = .04; random-effects odds ratio, 1.15; 95% CI, 0.86-1.56; fixed-effects odds ratio, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.12-1.48; heterogeneity, P = .31). In younger children the harmful effect disappeared for wheezing (odds ratio, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.59-1.08; P = .38). Conclusion: Exposure to pets appears to increase the risk of asthma and wheezing in older children. The observed lower risk among exposed than among unexposed young children is consistent with a protective effect in this age group but could also be explained by selection bias. (J Allergy Clin Immunol 2001;107:455-60.)
Perceptions of School Psychologists Regarding Barriers to Response to Intervention (RTI) Implementation

As Response to Intervention (RTI) models continue to be implemented, an important research question is how school psychologists are experiencing the transition to RTI practice. In order to better understand the experiences of school psychologists, interviews with seven practicing school psychologists regarding their perceptions of barriers and challenges to successful implementation of RTI were conducted. Participants identified a number of potential barriers and challenges, including the need for leadership, structural barriers such as lack of time and training, and resistance from school staff, including school psychologists. These findings should help inform professional development for school psychologists making the transition to practice in an RTI model, and also help in understanding the many possible barriers that arise when attempting significant educational reform efforts such as RTI.
Lack of influence of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) level on hydroxyl radical mediated disinfection of Escherichia coli.

Photolysis of nitrate, a prevalent constituent in agriculturally impacted waters, may influence pathogen attenuation in such systems through production of hydroxyl radical (•OH). This study focuses...
LESSONS LEARNED FROM AN EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES FIRE SAFETY INTERVENTION

Objective. The authors conducted a pilot study, finding that many households that experienced fires had received prior emergency medical services (EMS) visits, but few had operational smoke alarms. The study hypothesis is that dwellings that received smoke alarms and/or batteries during an EMS call were more likely to have an operational alarm, less property dollar loss, and decreased morbidity and mortality at the time of a subsequent fire. Methods. Smoke detectors and batteries were provided to an urban fire department for placement in unprotected homes at the time of an EMS call from March 1, 1999, through January 31, 2001. After addressing the reason for the 911 EMS call, verification or installation of an operational smoke alarm was performed. The authors examined records for dwellings that had a subsequent fire for outcomes of smoke alarm status, estimated property dollar loss, and number of injuries and fatalities. Results. This program placed 1,335 smoke detectors. Of these, 99 dwellings were foun...
Research at Texas Instruments, Inc.

We are developing a pseudo-parallel, message-passing control structure to allow syntactic, semantic, discourse, and pragmatic information to be accessed at any point in the analysis. The advantages of this approach are two-fold. Firstly, partial results can be exchanged among components in a timely manner to be used to constrain the search space of the components. Secondly, the control structure will permit the nature and context of errors in ill-formed input to be broadcast to other components to find ways to circumvent the error but still comprehend the input. The system is being applied to an analysis of TI's patent descriptions.
The Solar Constant and Terrestrial Magnetism

DR. CHREE has obligingly sent me a copy of his paper entitled “The Relationship between the Solar Constant and Terrestrial Magnetism” (Proc. Roy. Soc. A 109, 1925). He finds no indication in the solar constant data of 1918–1924 of a repetition of departures after a solar rotation period. This finding is quite in accord with ours. We have, indeed, noted the solar rotation period very plainly in some of the data, but only for a few months at a time, as in the year 1915. (See C. G. Abbot, “On Periodicity in Solar Variation”, Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, vol. 69, No. 6, 1918.)
A rate control mechanism for energy efficient many-to-one communication

The many-to-one communication paradigm is extremely relevant in the emerging contexts of hybrid wireless networks as well as data gathering sensor networks. In this model of communication the point of data-convergence (base-station) becomes a bottleneck, thereby imposing a trivial upper bound of W on achievable aggregate capacity [1] where W is the maximum transmission rate possible. Some earlier work on many-to-one communication has considered hierarchical schemes wherein nodes are organized into clusters and intra-cluster communication occurs over a different channel than cluster-head to base-station (BS) communication [1], [2]. However we observe that even within the constraint of a single channel, it is possible to harness the potential for spatial re-use available in the network to obtain greater energy-efficiency while maintaining the same aggregate rate. We envisage a mechanism that exploits the non-linearity inherent in Shannon's equation: W = B log (1 + SINR), and improves on energy consumption by replacing a single high rate transmission with many spatially spread out low rate ones.
Consequences of an eccentric orbit for Fomalhaut b

Fomalhaut b is currently the least massive, directly imaged exoplanet candidate. New observation epochs reveal this object to be moving on a highly eccentric orbit (Kalas et al. 2013), which sets important new constraints. I consider scenarios where Fomalhaut b is the only object interacting with the debris disk, and ones involving an additional unseen planet. I also investigate the possibility that Fomalhaut b is merely a transient dust cloud in light of the revised eccentric orbit. I argue that the scenario best able to match the observational constraints is a super-Earth Fomalhaut b surrounded by a vast cloud of dust that is generated by a population of irregular satellites, with an undetected $\sim$ Saturn-mass planet orbiting interior to the disk and driving the secular dynamics. Testable predictions are summarized that could differentiate between this scenario and other possibilities.
High-throughput diffusion multiples

A diffusion multiple is an assembly of three or more different metal blocks, in intimate interfacial contact, subjected to high temperature to allow thermal interdiffusion to create solid-solution compositions and intermetallic compounds. Using microscale probes, composition-structure-phase-property relationships can be established with an efficiency orders of magnitude higher than conventional one-composition-at-a-time practice. For structural materials, such relationships include phase diagrams, diffusion coefficients, precipitation kinetics, solution strengthening effects, and precipitation strengthening effects. Many microscale probes can also be used to study several materials phenomena. For instance, microscale thermal conductivity measurements can be used to study order-disordering transformation, site preference in intermetallic compounds, solid-solution effect on conductivity, and compositional point defect propensity. This article will use a few examples to illustrate the capabilities and developmental needs of this approach.
Continental thermal isostasy: 2. Application to North America

[1] Continental elevations can be partitioned into contributions from thermal and compositional buoyancy and geodynamic forces. In order to isolate the thermal component, elevations of 36 North American tectonic provinces are adjusted for the effects of compositional thickness and density variations by computing an isostatic adjustment relative to a standard crustal section (2850 kg m−3 density and 39 km thickness). Crustal densities are estimated using an empirical velocity-density relationship. Compositional elevation adjustments applied to North American provinces range from ∼−1100 m in the southern Rocky Mountains to 2300 m in the Gulf of California, with uncertainties ranging from ∼200 m to >600 m. Theoretical thermal buoyancy is estimated by integrating the difference between a geotherm derived from observed values of heat flow and a reference geotherm. The best fitting continental heat flow–elevation model has a reference heat flow of 46.6 mW m−2 at 0 km and a 60:40 partitioning of surface heat flow between reduced and upper crustal radiogenic heat flow. Raw elevations of continental provinces show little correlation with heat flow, while compositionally adjusted elevations show a clear trend with ∼3 km difference between hot and cold provinces. A continental heat flow–elevation plot is used to identify outliers in adjusted province elevations. Anomalous elevations may reflect a nonsteady state thermal regime, dynamically supported elevation, anomalous mantle, or some combination of these states. Discriminating between these elevation sources provides insight into the geodynamics of North America, demonstrating the usefulness of this approach in continental geodynamic studies.
Body Weight Relationships of Newly Hatched Japanese Quail

Abstract Egg and body weight relationships were studied in Japanese quail. The repeatability of weight of eggs laid during a period of 12 days was 0.76. The average weight loss of eggs exposed to pen conditions during the first 12 hours following oviposition was 0.036 ± 0.018 g. The correlation between dam body weight and egg weight was 0.32. On an intrasire basis, the correlations were 0.80 between egg and hatching weight, 0.76 between egg and day-old weight, and 0.84 between hatching and day-old weight. These correlations are very similar to those reported for the domestic fowl.
Prehistoric earthquakes on the Caribbean–South American plate boundary, Central Range fault, Trinidad

Recent geodetic studies suggest that the Central Range fault is the principal plate-boundary structure accommodating strike-slip motion between the Caribbean and South American plates. Our study shows that the fault forms a topographically prominent lineament in central Trinidad. Results from a paleoseismic investigation at a site where Holocene sediments have been deposited across the Central Range fault indicate that it ruptured the ground surface most recently between 2710 and 550 yr B.P. If the geodetic slip rate of 9–15 mm/yr is representative of Holocene slip rates, our paleoseismic data suggest that at least 4.9 m of potential slip may have accumulated on the fault and could be released during a future large earthquake (M > 7).
Prevention and management of postoperative urinary retention after urogynecologic surgery

Postoperative urinary retention (POUR) is a frequent consequence of gynecologic surgery, especially with surgical correction of urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. Estimates of retention rates after pelvic surgery range from 2.5%–43%. While there is no standard definition for POUR, it is characterized by impaired bladder emptying, with an elevation in the volume of retained urine. The key to management of POUR is early identification. All patients undergoing pelvic surgery, especially for the correction of incontinence or prolapse, should have an assessment of voiding function prior to discharge. There are several ways to assess voiding function – the gold standard is by measuring a postvoid residual. Management of POUR is fairly straightforward. The goal is to decompress the bladder to avoid long-term damage to bladder integrity and function. The decision regarding when to discontinue catheter-assisted bladder drainage in the postoperative period can be assessed in an ongoing fashion by measurement of postvoid residual. The rate of prolonged POUR beyond 4 weeks is low, and therefore most retention can be expected to resolve spontaneously within 4–6 weeks. When POUR does not resolve spontaneously, more active management may be required. Techniques include urethral dilation, sling stretching, sling incision, partial sling resection, and urethrolysis. While some risk of POUR is inevitable, there are risk factors that are modifiable. Patients that are at higher risk – either due to the procedures being performed or their clinical risk factors – should be counseled regarding the risks and management options for POUR prior to their surgery. Although POUR is a serious condition that can have serious consequences if left untreated, it is easily diagnosed and typically self-resolves. Clinician awareness of the condition and vigilance in its diagnosis are the key factors to successful care for patients undergoing surgical repair.
A Theoretical Note on the Stochastics of Moderated Multiple Regression

An examination of the stochastics of moderated multiple regression (MMR) reveals that MMR is an appropriate technique when predictors are fixed variables (i.e., values of predictor variables are se...
Postbiopsy Confirmation of MR-Detected Lesions Biopsied Using Ultrasound

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this article is to outline a quick and effective method of confirming MR-sonographic correlation for lesions detected with MRI but percutaneously biopsied using ultrasound. CONCLUSION. Ensuring that a lesion seen on targeted ultrasound is the same as that detected at MRI can be difficult. For benign concordant lesions, a mismatch may only be discovered at 6-month postbiopsy MRI follow-up. However, lesion correlation can be established on the same day as biopsy by obtaining a single unenhanced T1-weighted non–fat-saturated pulse sequence just after percutaneous ultrasound-guided biopsy. Scanning time is less than 4 minutes. Postbiopsy changes and the biopsy clip are easily seen and help verify MR-sonographic lesion correlation.