cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Impact of changing pathogens and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns in the treatment of serious infections in hospitalized patients.

The selection of drug-resistant pathogens in hospitalized patients with serious infections such as pneumonia, urinary tract infections (UTI), skin and skin-structure infections, and primary or secondary bacteremia has generally been ascribed to the widespread use of antimicrobial agents. Issues of concern regarding gram-negative bacilli include the expression of extended spectrum β -lactamase-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae and constitutive resistance in some Enterobacteriaceae caused by Bush group 1 β -lactamases. Current concerns with gram-positive pathogens are increasing multidrug resistance in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus , enterococci, and coagulase-negative staphylococci, and increasing incidence of penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae . Contemporary treatment strategies for pneumonia in hospitalized patients mandate early empiric therapy for the most likely gram-positive and gram-negative pathogens. Newer β -lactams, such as fourth-generation cephalosporins, may be useful in the treatment of pneumonia, including those cases associated with bacteremia. Combination β -lactam/ β -lactamase inhibitor drugs, an aminoglycoside co-drug, or a carbapenem may also be indicated. The initial treatment of UTI in the hospital setting also may be empirically treated with the newer cephalosporins, combination broad-spectrum penicillins plus an aminoglycoside, a quinolone, or a carbapenem. Current problems in treating UTI include the emergence of extended spectrum β -lactamase-producing Escherichia coli , the tendency of fluoroquinolones both to select for resistant strains of major UTI pathogens and to induce cross-resistance among different drug classes, and β -lactam and vancomycin resistance of enterococci and coagulase-negative staphylococci. Treatment of skin and skin-structure infections is complicated by the coexistence of gram-positive and gram-negative infections, which may be drug resistant. Both fourth-generation β -lactams and carbapenems may have in vitro activity against these pathogens; however, where these drugs—with their increased spectra and lower affinity for β -lactamases and less susceptibility to β -lactamase hydrolysis—fit into the therapeutic armamentarium remains to be determined. Initial clinical studies appear to be promising, nonetheless. The ability of both nosocomial and community-acquired pathogens to develop resistance to powerful broad-spectrum agents presents a great challenge for prescribing patterns and in the development of new drugs to be relatively resistant to inactivation.
Postnatal development of inflammation in a murine model of Niemann-Pick type C disease: immunohistochemical observations of microglia and astroglia.

Abstract Niemann–Pick type C (NPC) is a rare and fatal neurovisceral storage disorder that is currently untreatable. In most cases, NPC is caused by mutations of the NPC1 gene, which encodes a glycoprotein playing an important role in cholesterol transport. Mice lacking the NPC1 gene exhibit several pathological features of NPC patients and have been widely used to provide insights into the mechanisms of the disease. In the present study, we analyzed the postnatal development of pathological manifestations of inflammation in several brain regions of NPC1−/− mice. Brain sections from NPC1−/− and wild-type (NPC1+/+) mice were immunostained with the MAC1 antibody, which recognizes microglia, with antibodies against glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), which recognize astrocytes, and with antibodies against the cytokine interleukin-1β (IL-1β). Numbers of MAC1 immunopositive cells were markedly increased in several brain regions of NPC1−/− mice as early as 2 weeks of age. This effect was particularly evident in globus pallidus, ventral lateral thalamus, medial geniculate nucleus, and cerebellum. MAC1-immunopositive cells had enlarged cell bodies and shorter processes, suggesting they were in an active state. By 4 weeks, most brain structures exhibited enhanced microglial activation in NPC1−/− mice, and this was maintained at 12 weeks. At 2 weeks, reactive astrocytes were only observed in the ventral lateral thalamus while they were present throughout the brain of NPC1−/− mice at 4 weeks of age. Moreover, the astroglial reaction coincided with up-regulation of the cytokine, interleukin-1β, in most, but not all brain regions. In particular, no interleukin-1β up-regulation was observed in regions devoid of neuronal degeneration. These results suggest that microglial activation precedes and might be causally related to neuronal degeneration, while astrocyte activation might be a consequence of neuronal degeneration.
Characterization of nonlinear viscoelastic behavior using a dynamic mechanical approach

The authors present a method to characterize nonlinear viscoelastic behavior using measurements from dynamic (oscillatory) mechanical tests. Frequency-derived measurements are transformed into time-domain properties providing the capability to predict long-term material performance without a lengthy experimentation program. Results are presented for thin-film high-performance polymer materials used in the fabrication of high-altitude scientific balloons. Predictions based on a linear test and analysis approach are shown to deteriorate for moderate to high stress levels expected for long-duration balloon systems. Tests verify that nonlinear viscoelastic response is induced by large stresses. Thus, an approach is developed in which the stress-dependent behavior is examined in a manner analogous to modeling temperature-dependent behavior with time-temperature correspondence and superposition principles. The development leads to time-stress correspondence and superposition of measurements obtained through dynamic mechanical tests. Predictions of material behavior using measurements based on linear and nonlinear approaches are compared with experimental results obtained from traditional creep tests. Excellent agreement is shown for the nonlinear model
Platinum black sinters for heat exchangers at very low temperatures

Abstract We have investigated a series of Pt black sinters for use as heat exchangers to cool liquid or solid helium to temperatures below 1 mK. They had thicknesses between 60 and 80 μm and specific surface areas up to 39.7 m 2 /g and 304 m 2 /cm 3 . The sintering was on highly polished Cu surfaces of 12.7×15.2 mm 2 , a geometry close to one we plan to use in neutron scattering experiments from solid 3 He. The electrical resistivity of one broken piece of sinter was about 60 μΩ cm which should be sufficient to give good thermal contact internally. Since the sinters were bonded very well to the copper surface, good thermal contact between the helium and the bulk metal is expected even at very low temperatures.
Dynamic Mechanical Studies of Nylon 6.6 Fibers in Water/Glycerol Baths

A method was developed for measuring the dynamic mechanical properties of nylon (or other) fibers in mixtures of water and glycerol, so that the effect of the chemical activity of water on the α transition could be estimated. As might be expected, the α transition appeared to move to lower temperatures with increasing water in equilibrium with the fiber. The bath was an open system, i.e. some water evaporated while the rest was being run. To obtain dynamic mechanical responses for constant water/glycerol mixtures, the glycerol content of the bath was monitored at different temperatures in a time-scheduled test, and a polynomial interpolation scheme was implemented. The results were interpreted with a method which derives a mobile, non-crystalline fraction, X, and an internal viscosity, η, from tan δ and G, For a wide range of water fraction and temperature, η behaved like the viscosity of an Eyring liquid. Furthermore, over a wide range of temperature and water fraction, X was linear with mol fraction wat...
University-industry linkages in nanotechnology and biotechnology: evidence on collaborative patterns for new methods of inventing

The nanotechnology and biotechnology “revolutions” are so-called because their enabling technological breakthroughs were not simply inventions, but discoveries of entirely new methods of inventing. We hypothesize that university participants in either or both of these areas will exhibit greater collaboration with industry than researchers in other areas. We explore this hypothesis for 454 faculty members who conducted research that was patented during the period 1994–1999. Because our data include patents, publications, and funding at the individual level, we are able to examine the industry interaction of faculty who participated in the nanotechnology and biotechnology revolutions, as well as the interaction of faculty contributing to other areas of patentable science. We examine a variety of linkages, including sponsored research, consulting, publication with firm employees and measures of the potential for cross-campus collaboration. The results are striking in that they show significant differences in collaborative behavior across patent types and across the major program areas biological sciences, physical sciences and engineering. The results are consistent with a greater degree of tacit knowledge within the new methods of inventing. We also find significant differences in the embryonic nature and importance of patents across areas.
Cancellative residuated lattices

Cancellative residuated lattices are natural generalizations of lattice-ordered groups (� -groups). Although cancellative monoids are defined by quasi-equations, the class CanRL of cancellative residuated lattices is a variety. We prove that there are only two commutative subvarieties of CanRL that cover the trivial variety, namely the varieties generated by the integers and the negative integers (with zero). We also construct examples showing that i nc ontr ast to � -groups, the lattice reducts of cancellative residuated lattices need not be distributive. In fact we prove that every lattice can be embedded in the lattice reduct of a cancellative residuated lattice. Moreover, we show that there exists an order-preserving injection of the lattice of all lattice varieties into the subvariety lattice of CanRL. We define generalized MV-algebras and generalized BL-algebras and prove that the cancellative integral members of these varieties are precisely the negative cones of � -groups, hence the latter form a variety, denoted by LG − .F urthermo re we prove that the map that sends a subvariety of � -groups to the corresponding class of negative cones is a lattice isomorphism from the lattice of subvarieties of LG to the lattice of subvarieties of LG − . Finally, we show how to translate equational bases between corresponding subvarieties, and briefly discuss these results in the context of R. McKenzie's characterization of categorically equivalent varieties.
A Two-Dimensional Analytical Solution for Short-Channel Effects in Nanowire MOSFETs

This brief presents an analytical solution of the electrostatic potential for nanowire MOSFETs in the subthreshold region by solving Poisson's equation in two dimensions (2D) in both semiconductor and gate insulator regions under cylindrical coordinates. Combining the analytical solution with the current continuity equation, one can derive an expression for the subthreshold current, from which the important parameters for short-channel effects (SCEs), such as threshold voltage rolloff, drain-induced barrier lowering, and subthreshold slope degradation, are analytically extracted. The 2D analytical model for SCEs has been validated by the numerical simulation results.
Multiendpoint mechanistic profiling of hepatotoxicants in HepG2/C3A human hepatoma cells and novel statistical approaches for development of a prediction model for acute hepatotoxicity

HepG2/C3A human hepatoma cells were exposed to serial concentrations of seven known hepatotoxicants for 48h. Six endpoint assays were selected to model different mechanisms of acute hepatotoxicity. Each compound produced a unique concentration-response pattern across all endpoints. The endpoints did not correlate strongly, suggesting that each endpoint monitored an independent cellular process. Prediction models were developed using five statistical methods. The models used only known hepatotoxicants for the training set. The zero concentration (control) and all concentrations not significantly different from control were programmed as non-toxic levels and concentrations significantly different from control as toxic levels. So, rather than a binary classification of each compound (i.e., toxic or non-toxic), the models gave a prediction of the concentration, if any, at which a compound showed behavior similar to liver toxicants at their toxic concentrations. The discriminant analysis model gave the best overall performance with positive and negative predictive values of 1.00 and 0.83, respectively. Ten additional compounds were tested using this prediction model. The model predicted liver active concentrations for each compound that were consistent with their known biologically active concentrations. This model system may be useful for predicting concentration levels at which unknown compounds would display undesirable liver activity.
INTERSTIMULUS AND INTER-RESPONSE TIME VARIABLES IN REACTION TIMES TO REGULARLY RECURRING VISUAL STIMULI.

As an addendum to a previous study, it is demonstrated that having Ss react to either every fourth, every second, or every stimulus in a series of regularly recurring flashes of light results in three nearly identical positive linear relationships between reaction time and interstimulus time interval. This similarity of functions is interpreted as being due to covert reacting by S to the stimulus flashes to which no overt reaction is required. As a consequence of such covert responding, readiness to react becomes synchronized with the interstimulus time interval and does not vary appreciably with the inter-response time interval.
The uniquely human capacity to throw evolved from a non-throwing primate: an evolutionary dissociation between action and perception

Humans are uniquely endowed with the ability to engage in accurate, high-momentum throwing. Underlying this ability is a unique morphological adaptation that enables the characteristic rotation of the arm and pelvis. What is unknown is whether the psychological mechanisms that accompany the act of throwing are also uniquely human. Here we explore this problem by asking whether free-ranging rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta), which lack both the morphological and neural structures to throw, nonetheless recognize the functional properties of throwing. Rhesus not only understand that human throwing represents a threat, but that some aspects of a throwing event are more relevant than others; specifically, rhesus are sensitive to the kinematics, direction and speed of the rotating arm, the direction of the thrower's eye gaze and the object thrown. These results suggest that the capacity to throw did not coevolve with psychological mechanisms that accompany throwing; rather, this capacity may have built upon pre-existing perceptual processes. These results are consistent with a growing body of work showing that non-human animals often exhibit perceptual competencies that do not show up in their motor responses, suggesting evolutionary dissociations between the systems of perception that provide understanding of the world and those that mediate action on the world.
YBCO Tape Conductor Characterization Probe for Various Temperatures and Fields

An experimental probe has been designed and built to measure the critical current of YBCO tapes and cables as a function of magnetic field and temperature. The probe allows controlling the temperature between 4.2 and 80 K in liquid and gaseous helium ambient, and can be used in two different test facilities, providing magnetic fields up to 2 and 14 T, respectively. Critical current measurements were performed on a single YBCO tape at self-field at temperatures between 20 and 70 K.
Reading Women/Women Reading: The Making of Learned Women in Antebellum America

In the spring of 1847, a year before her graduation from one of the many female academies and seminaries in the nineteenth-century United States, Bessie Lacy wrote to her father, the prominent Presbyterian minister Drury Lacy, about the future she imagined for herself. Edgeworth Seminary, the school she was attending in Greensboro, North Carolina, was providing her a formal education, and Lacy readily acknowledged her debt to one of the South's leading female educational institutions. Simultaneously, however, Lacy made clear that her informal education had been equally important. Undertaken through intensive reading, that education made possible the future she now imagined. Once she had completed her schooling at the seminary, Lacy proposed that she and her father begin reading "Locke, Bacon, Stuart, [and] Blackstone." They would take their "recreation," as she described it, in "the beauties of Shakespeare, Milton, Spenser, Cowper [and] Scott." They would also "take a peep at the Classical writers," although that would be done "only for old acquaintance sake." That she was delighted with the project she had designed was obvious: "Oh! won't we have a fine time reading together in your study," she wrote to her father. The reading in which Lacy was immersing herself would prepare her for a second project. She and classmate Maggie Morgan
A reduction in hospitalization, length of stay, and hospital charges for croup with the institution of a pediatric observation unit.

Abstract Objectives The aim of the study was to assess the impact of an observation unit (OU) on hospital resource utilization for patients with croup. Methods A retrospective review with the use of a historical control was performed for 2 years of nondischargeable emergency department (ED) patients with croup. Results The total number of ED patients with croup was 694 in the first year and 789 in the second year. Hundred seventy patients were enrolled, 66 in the first year and 104 in the second year (76 admitted to the OU and 33 admitted to the ward). There was a reduction in the ward admission rate from 9.5% to 4.2% ( P P = .03). The median charge for the pre-OU group was $1685 vs $1327 for the post-OU group ( P = .03). Conclusions After the introduction of the OU, hospitalization was reduced, and the overall resource utilization for the care of nondischargeable ED patients with croup was reduced.
Finding effective subnetwork markers for cancer by passing messages

It is generally difficult to predict cancer outcome based on individual genes, and recent research results have shown that the use of pathway or subnetwork markers can improve the accuracy and reliability of such prediction. In this work, we propose a novel method for identifying subnetwork markers that can accurately predict cancer metastasis. The proposed method takes an efficient message passing approach to search for non-overlapping subnetwork markers in the human protein interaction network. Experimental results show that this method can identify robust subnetwork markers that may lead to enhanced cancer classifiers.
Effect of liquefaction time on semen parameters in chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) ejaculates

Ejaculates were obtained from eight adult male chimpanzees trained to use an artificial vagina. Spontaneously liquefied fractions were collected at 0-1, 1-2 and 2-4 h after ejaculation. The mean volumes of the spontaneously liquefied fractions did not differ significantly among the three fractions. The total number of sperm, the percentage of motile sperm and the percentage of live sperm decreased significantly (P < 0.005) between the 0-1 and 1-2 h fractions. Citrate concentration and alpha-glucosidase activity (mU/ml) decreased significantly (P < 0.005) from 0-1 to 1-2 to 2-4 h fractions. The volume of the liquefied fraction correlated positively (P < 0.001) with total protein and with total citrate at 0-1, 1-2 and 2-4 h. The total number of sperm correlated positively total with total alpha-glucosidase activity at 0-1, 1-2 and 2-4 h. Among the biochemical parameters measured, total protein and total citrate correlated positively at 0-1, 1-2 and 2-4 h. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Schistosoma mansoni: post-transformational surface changes in schistosomula grown in vitro and in mice.

Abstract The development of schistosomula during the first 4 days after transformation from cercariae has been examined in parasites isolated from the lungs of mice and in organisms cultured in lactalbumin and rabbit serum or in the defined serum-free medium, RPMI 1640. The development of organisms grown under all three conditions was the same. Schistosomula increased in length from 67 to 110 μm and decreased in width from 24 to 18 μm, so that the volume remained constant at approximately 2.7 × 104 μm3. The increase in length occurred mainly in the torso or posterior three-quarters of the worm which increased from 49 to 88 μm or 80%, whereas the head increased from 18 to 22 μm or 22%. The spines were lost from the surface that was most rapidly lengthening by gradual resorption into the tegument and were replaced by pits mainly during the first 3 days. These changes resulted in a 325% increase in the surface area of the schistosomula, from 1.2 × 104 to 3.9 × 104 μm2. In addition, the openings of the acetabular ducts, the ventral sucker, and the tail socket all became smaller and flatter over the four-day period. Internally, the major changes were the loss of the acetabular ducts in the pre- and post-acetabular glands and an increase in size of the caecum. In summary, these experiments show that the surface of the schistosomulum is extensively remodeled before intravascular migration occurs and demonstrate the efficacy of RPMI 1640 as a culture medium for schistosomula in the first 4 days after transformation.
The Opportunities and Limitations of Tribal Consultation in Studies Conducted Under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act

Proposed construction and development projects that require Federal permits are subject to review under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, which requires that the Federal decision-maker take into account the project's potential effects on cultural resources listed or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Over the years and especially after 1990 when the National Park Service released Bulletin 38, Guidelines for Evaluating and Documenting Traditional Cultural Properties (TCPs), Section 106 review has increased the consideration of designating TCPs and consultation with the Indian tribal organizations that value them. Bulletin 38 defines TCPs as places that have been historically important in maintaining the cultural identify of a community.
Geology of Bartelso Oil Field, Clinton County, Illinois: ABSTRACT

The paper gives the location, stratigraphy, structure, production, and oil and water analyses of this field. Subsurface contour maps on the top of the Herrin (No. 6) coal, the base of the Golconda limestone, and on the top of the Devonian producing horizon show two small domes. Analysis was made of an oil and water sample from the field and statistics are given. The Cypress producing graph seems to show the production from that horizon to be declining while that from the Devonian is too recent for any definite estimate. End_of_Article - Last_Page 944------------
Neuromuscular blockade in the emergency department

This article presents a comprehensive review of neuromuscular blocking agents and their uses in the emergency department. These medicines are divided into two categories: depolarizing relaxants (including succinylcholine and decamethonium) and nondepolarizing relaxants (including d-tubocurarine, pancuronium, atracurium, and vecuronium). Also reviewed are pharmaco-kinetics, toxicity, and principal applications of these important agents.
Evidence for micro-biological induction of {101} montmartre twinning of gypsum (CaSO4 ⋯ 2H2O)

Abstract Natural gypsum crystals twinned on d{101} have been found almost exclusively in deposits from saline lakes and secondary mine alterations. The presence of α-amylase, an enzyme excreted into soils and water by bacteria, fungi, algae, and plant roots, was found to induce d{101} twinning of gypsum crystals formed by diffusion in laboratory growth experiments. From this evidence, extensive deposits of d{101} twinned crystals such as those of the Paris Basin are proposed to form in the α-amylase concentrations that results from certain microbial blooms.
Hewlett packard's seismic grade MEMS accelerometer

HP has recently made its plans to develop an ultrahigh-resolution seismic sensing solution public. This solution is being developed with Royal Dutch Shell Corporation for oil and gas exploration [1]. Central to delivering this system is HP's new single axis seismic grade MEMS accelerometer. The HP device uses both bulk micromachining methods and standard thin film technologies as well as HP's new three phase sensing technology. This sensor detects motion when an array of electrodes located on the proof mass moves relative to a stationary array of electrodes across a fixed gap. Initial characterization shows a flat noise power spectral density of &#60; 100 nG/vHz over a bandwidth of DC-200 Hz. The device exhibits a linear response to +/− 150mG with a sensitivity of over 25 V/g within the specified bandwidth.
On the Overdetermined Celestial Fix

We present an algorithm for computing the best position fix (in the least-squares sense) from a sequence of observations of any number of celestial bodies. This algorithm has several advantages, most notably that it does not rely on an initial guess of the position, is computationally expedient, and is simple enough to program on the more sophisticated hand-held calculators. We present the mathematical background for this algorithm, a description of its implementation, examples of its use on both simulated and “real” data, and an estimate of the error on the derived position.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and Connectivity Mapping: Tools for Studying the Neural Bases of Brain Disorders

There has been an increasing emphasis on characterizing pathophysiology underlying psychiatric and neurological disorders in terms of altered neural connectivity and network dynamics. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) provides a unique opportunity for investigating connectivity in the human brain. TMS allows researchers and clinicians to directly stimulate cortical regions accessible to electromagnetic coils positioned on the scalp. The induced activation can then propagate through long-range connections to other brain areas. Thus, by identifying distal regions activated during TMS, researchers can infer connectivity patterns in the healthy human brain and can examine how those patterns may be disrupted in patients with different brain disorders. Conversely, connectivity maps derived using neuroimaging methods can identify components of a dysfunctional network. Nodes in this dysfunctional network accessible as targets for TMS by virtue of their proximity to the scalp may then permit TMS-induced alterations of components of the network not directly accessible to TMS via propagated effects. Thus TMS can provide a portal for accessing and altering neural dynamics in networks that are widely distributed anatomically. Finally, when long-term modulation of network dynamics is induced by trains of repetitive TMS, changes in functional connectivity patterns can be studied in parallel with changes in patient symptoms. These correlational data can elucidate neural mechanisms underlying illness and recovery. In this review, we focus on the application of these approaches to the study of psychiatric and neurological illnesses.
Antioxidant and free radical scavenging properties of N-acetylcysteine amide (NACA) and comparison with N-acetylcysteine (NAC)

The antioxidant potential of N-acetylcysteine amide (NACA), also known as AD4, was assessed by employing different in vitro assays. These included reducing power, free radical scavenging capacities, peroxidation inhibiting activity through linoleic acid emulsion system and metal chelating capacity, as compared to NAC and three widely used antioxidants, alpha-tocopherol, ascorbic acid and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). Of the antioxidant properties that were investigated, NACA was shown to possess higher 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate (DPPH) radical scavenging ability and reducing power than NAC, at all the concentrations, whereas the scavenging ability of H(2)O(2) differed with concentration. While NACA had greater H(2)O(2) scavenging capacity at the highest concentration, NAC was better than NACA at lower concentrations. NAC and NACA had a 60% and 55% higher ability to prevent beta-carotene bleaching, respectively, as compared to control. The chelating activity of NACA was more than 50% that of the metal chelating capacity of EDTA and four and nine times that of BHT and alpha-tocopherol, respectively. When compared to NACA and NAC; alpha-tocopherol had higher DPPH scavenging abilities and BHT and alpha-tocopherol had better beta-carotene bleaching power. These findings provide evidence that the novel antioxidant, NACA, has indeed enhanced the antioxidant properties of NAC.
Not just fun and games: applications of virtual reality in the identification and rehabilitation of cognitive disorders of the elderly.

Purpose. To outline the evidence in the published medical literature suggesting the potential applications of virtual reality (VR) for the identification and rehabilitation of cognitive disorders of the elderly.Method. Non-systematic literature review.Results. VR, despite its more common usage by younger persons, is a potentially promising source of techniques useful in the identification and rehabilitation of cognitive disorders of the elderly. Systems employing VR can include desktop and head-mounted visual displays among other devices. Thus far, published studies have described VR-based applications in the identification and treatment of deficits in navigational skills in ambulation and driving. In addition, VR has been utilised to enhance the ability to perform activities of daily living in patients with dementia, stroke, and Parkinson's Disease. Such investigations have thus far been small, and unblinded.Conclusions. VR-based applications can potentially offer more versatile, comprehensive, and safer...
Taking the footing of a neutral mediator

This study employs conversation analysis as a method for examining conversational footing in order to achieve mediator neutrality in a court-sanctioned mediation program. Data for the study are video recordings of actual mediation sessions. Participants include volunteer mediators and disputants who filed small claims cases at a county justice court. As first described by Goffman, conversational footing describes the various degrees of participation that interactants can have in relation to their own remarks.
The Effect of Subclinical Selenium Toxicosis on Pregnant Beef Cattle

A field investigation conducted by the South Dakota Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratory suggested that subclinical selenium toxicosis in pregnant cows may have contributed to an outbreak of aborted/stillborn calves in a high-selenium region of South Dakota. This study was undertaken to evaluate the relationship between abortion and subclinical selenium toxicosis in the dam and to assess the effects of subclinical selenium toxicosis on the bovine immune system. Fifteen pregnant cows were fed diets containing 0.25 (control), 6.0, and 12.0 ppm selenium beginning at 80-110 days gestation. Although selenium toxicosis has been reported to cause abortion, this study failed to reproduce abortions. A single cow in the 12-ppm selenium treatment group gave birth to a weak calf, which subsequently died. This calf had myocardial lesions consistent with those described for selenium toxicosis and had hepatic selenium levels of 9.68 ppm (wet weight). Elevated dietary selenium resulted in the depression of several leukocyte function parameters in pregnant cows. A statistically significant depression in forced antibody response was identified in both selenium-supplemented groups. A significantly diminished mitogenic response to concanavalin A and pokeweed mitogen was also observed in the 12-ppm selenium group. Although a similar pattern of depression was also observed with phytohemagglutinin, differences were not significant. These findings indicate that even in the absence of clinical alkali disease, elevated selenium levels may adversely affect both pregnancy outcome and the bovine immune system.
Effects of alcohol on Trichinella spiralis.

ConclusionWe conclude that a concentration of 25% alcohol has little direct action on trichinella in vitro but that concentrations as low as 9% interfere with the digestive liberation of encysted trichinella.
Efficient and effective link analysis with precomputed salsa maps

SALSA is a link-based ranking algorithm that takes the result set of a query as input, extends the set to include additional neighboring documents in the web graph, and performs a random walk on the induced subgraph. The stationary probability distribution of this random walk, used as a relevance score, is significantly more effective for ranking purposes than popular query-independent link-based ranking algorithms such as PageRank. Unfortunately, this requires significant effort at query-time, to access the link graph and compute the stationary probability distribution. In this paper, we explore whether it is possible to perform most of the computation off-line, prior to the arrival of any queries. The off-line phase of our approach computes a "score map" for each node in the web graph by performing a SALSA-like algorithm on the neighborhood of that node and retaining the scores of the most promising nodes in the neighborhood graph. The on-line phase takes the results to a query, retrieves the score map of each result, and returns for each result a score that is the sum of the matching scores from each score map. We evaluated this algorithm on a collection of about 28,000 queries with partially labeled results, and found that it is significantly more effective than PageRank, although not quite as effective as SALSA. We also studied the trade-off between ranking effectiveness and space requirements.
Protein-protein interactions in a crowded environment

Protein–protein interactions are important in many essential biological functions, such as transcription, translation, and signal transduction. Much progress has been made in understanding protein–protein association in dilute solution via experimentation and simulation. Cells, however, contain various macromolecules, such as DNA, RNA, proteins, among many others, and a myriad of non-specific interactions (usually weak) are present between these cellular constituents. In this review article, we describe the important developments in recent years that have furthered our understanding and even allowed prediction of the consequences of macromolecular crowding on protein–protein interactions. We outline the development of our crowding theory that can predict the change in binding free energy due to crowding quantitatively for both repulsive and attractive protein–crowder interactions. One of the most important findings from our recent work is that weak attractive interactions between crowders and proteins can actually destabilize protein complex formation as opposed to the commonly assumed stabilizing effect predicted based on traditional crowding theories that only account for the entropic-excluded volume effects. We also discuss the implications of macromolecular crowding on the population of encounter versus specific native complex.
Medicare Drug Coverage And Moral Hazard

This paper explores the effect of more extensive drug coverage in Medicare on the use of and spending for prescription drugs and considers whether any additional use is likely to represent satisfaction of previously unmet needs or whether it represents yet more overuse. Reasonable estimates of the effect on spending strongly suggest that the spending increase will be small and that some of it will go to beneficiaries who do not face high financial barriers at present. Thus, from the viewpoint of improvements in health, national spending on drugs, or pharmaceutical firm revenues, effects are small. The effects of such programs on Medicare’s fiscal future are much more important.
Electromechanical Model of Electrically Actuated Narrow Microbeams

A consistent one-dimensional distributed electromechanical model of an electrically actuated narrow microbeam with width/height between 0.5–2.0 is derived, and the needed pull-in parameters are extracted with different methods. The model accounts for the position-dependent electrostatic loading, the fringing field effects due to both the finite width and the finite thickness of a microbeam, the mid-plane stretching, the mechanical distributed stiffness, and the residual axial load. Both clamped–clamped and clamped-free (cantilever) microbeams are considered. The method of moments is used to estimate the electrostatic load. The resulting nonlinear fourth-order differential equation under appropriate boundary conditions is solved by two methods. Initially, a one-degree-of-freedom model is proposed to find an approximate solution of the problem. Subsequently, the meshless local Petrov–Galerkin (MLPG) and the finite-element (FE) methods are used, and results from the three methods are compared. For the MLPG method, the kinematic boundary conditions are enforced by introducing a set of Lagrange multipliers, and the trial and the test functions are constructed using the generalized moving least-squares approximation. The nonlinear system of algebraic equations arising from the MLPG and the FE methods are solved by using the displacement iteration pull-in extraction (DIPIE) algorithm. Three-dimensional FE simulations of narrow cantilever and clamped–clamped microbeams are also performed with the commercial code ANSYS. Furthermore, computed results are compared with those arising from other distributed models available in the literature, and it is shown that improper fringing fields give inaccurate estimations of the pull-in voltages and of the pull-in deflections. 1641
Handbook of medicine in psychiatry

Contributors. Acknowledgments. Preface. Section I: Cardiac Arrest and Airway Obstruction. Cardiac arrest. Choking and laryngospasm. Section II: Abnormal Vital Signs. Fever. Hypertension. Hypotension and orthostasis. Tachycardia. Bradycardia. Section III: Respiratory Distress. Dyspnea. Wheezing. Sleep apnea. Section IV: Pain Symptoms. Chest pain. Abdominal pain. Low back pain. Pain in extremities. Section V: Neurological Symptoms. The unresponsive psychiatric patient. Falls. Head trauma. Headache. Syncope. Seizures. Extrapyramidal syndromes related to neuroleptics. Section VI: Gastrointestinal Abnormalities. Dysphagia. Heartburn. Nausea and vomiting. Diarrhea. Constipation. Gastrointestinal bleeding. Abnormal liver function. Section VII: Signs of Common Infections. Red eye. Sore throat, earache, and upper respiratory infections. Dysuria and pyuria. Cough. Section VIII: Skin and Soft Tissue Abnormalities. Dermatological disorders. Edema. Section IX: Hematological Abnormalities. Neutropenia. Thrombocytopenia. Anemia. Section X: Renal and Electrolyte Abnormalities. Azotemia. Hematuria. Hyponatremia. Hypernatremia and polyuric states. Hypokalemia. Hyperkalemia. Urinary tract obstruction. Section XI: Endocrine and Metabolic Abnormalities. Diabetes mellitus. Hyperlipidemia. Thyroid abnormalities. Hypercalcemia. Obesity. Section XII: Electrocardiographic Abnormalities. ST segment and T wave abnormalities. Arrhythmias. Prolonged Q-Tc interval. Section XIII: Acute Changes in Mental Status. Agitation. Delirium. Section XIV: The Approach to the Patient With Multiple Medical Problems. Risk assessment prior to electroconvulsive therapy. Patients with multiple problems. Index.
Eukaryotic Microbial Communities Associated with Rock- dwelling Foliose Lichens: A Functional Morphological and Microecological Analysis

Lichens are widely recognized as important examples of a fungal-algal or fungal-cyanophyte symbiosis; and in some cases they are a major food source for some animal grazers such as caribou ( Rangifer tarandus ), especially in the Arctic during winter. However, relatively little is known about the ecology of their co-associated bacterial and protistan communities. This is one of the first reports of an analysis of microbial communities associated with rock-dwelling foliose lichens ( Flavoparmelia sp.), including a more detailed analysis of the microbial communities associated with segments of the shield-like, radially arranged lobes. Samples were taken from lichens on granite boulders beneath an oak and maple tree stand on the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Campus, Palisades, N.Y. The bacteria and protist members of the lichen associated microbial communities are comparable to recently reported associations for foliose lichens growing on tree bark at the same locale, including the presence of large myxomycete plasmodial amebas, heterotrophic nanoflagellates, and naked and testate amebas. To obtain evidence of possible differences in the microecology of different portions of each radial lobe, three segments of the radial lobe in the shield-like lichen were sampled: 1) inner, more mature, central segment; 2) middle section linking the central and peripheral segments; and 3) outer, peripheral, usually broader, less closely attached segment. The mean densities (number/g) and biomasses (µg/g) of bacteria and heterotrophic nanoflagellates were highest in the older central segment and lowest in the peripheral segment of the radial lobes, especially when expressed on moist weight basis. Large myxomycete plasmodial amebas were typically located in the outermost segment of the radial lobe. The proportion of vannellid amebas ( Vannella spp. and Cochliopodium spp.) were significantly more abundant in the samples of the inner lobes compared to non-vannellid amebas that were more prevalent in the outer lobes. The outer segment of the thallus lobe was typically more spongiose and absorbed more water per unit weight (based on a wet/dry-weight ratio) than the innermost segment. In general, patterns of densities and taxonomic composition of bacteria and eukaryotic microbes intergraded from the inner most segment to the outer part of each lobe – indicating a possible microecological gradient, coincident with the age-related and morphological radial gradations of the lobe. Overall, the evidence shows that the radial variation in the morphology and age-related variables of the three lobe segments may affect the microenvironment of the lobe segments and hence influence the organization of the microbial communities within each segment.
Anhydrous Proton Transport in Polymerized Ionic Liquid Block Copolymers: Roles of Block Length, Ionic Content, and Confinement

Anhydrous proton transport has been investigated in a series of proton conducting polystyrene-block-polymerized ionic liquid (PS-b-PIL) copolymers spanning a range of molecular weights and compositions. The PIL is a macromolecular analogue of imidazolium bis(trifluoromethane sulfonimide) (ImTFSI), a well-known proton conducting ionic liquid, and consists of imidazole linked to a polymer backbone via the 5-carbon. In contrast to prior work on nitrogen-linked imidazolium PILs, carbon-linked imidazolium has two nitrogens which can both function as proton donor/acceptors and participate in Grotthus mechanism conduction. The conductivity of the PIL block is shown to be dramatically impacted upon confinement by a PS block and can exceed the conductivity of the homopolymer in the range of 30–130 °C for PIL-rich block copolymer composition. At high temperature the conductivities track with ionic content while at room temperature the conductivities are nonmonotonic. X-ray scattering reveals a suppression of the pe...
History, Transparency, and the Establishment Clause: A Proposal for Reform

From the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1947 incorporation of the Establishment Clause in Everson v. Board of Education up to the present, the Supreme Court has used historical premises to create, defend, and redefine Establishment Clause doctrine. If one follows the development of that doctrine, however, one finds a disturbing lack of consensus. Originalists on the Court would use the history to bind decision-makers today; living Constitutionalist justices, on the other hand, derive only abstract lessons from history. Most of the scholarly critics have lined up behind one or the other position, either pressing for a doctrine based on an original understanding or advocating a retreat from a historically based Establishment Clause. There is an unmined middle ground, however, in which Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court could bypass arguments about the modern relevance of Establishment Clause history and instead focus on making their own choices transparent. In this article I propose a procedural solution which requires authoring Justices to explain the use of history in their Establishment Clause opinions. The procedural solution offers transparency - and hence clarity and legitimacy - to the Court’s Establishment Clause doctrine.
Aerodynamically Induced Fracture of Ice Shed from the Space Shuttle External Tank

After the STS-107 (Columbia) failure, a major part of the Space Shuttle return-to-flight effort involved risk assessments of Orbiter impact damage due to debris that might be shed by the External Tank (ET) during ascent. One potential source of debris that attracted attention was ice that forms, due to condensation of moisture, on bellows in the liquid oxygen feedline and on brackets holding the line in place. In an effort to gain insight into the fracture characteristics of ice during Space Shuttle ascent, an experiment was designed to investigate the behavior of ice as it accelerates in a supersonic crossflow as well as to study the behavior of ice upon impact with ET insulating foam. These tests demonstrated that ice has good structural resilience to loads associated with aerodynamic acceleration and recontact foam impacts.
Generation of Spurious Modes in Rotated Circular Microphone Array Measurements

Circular arrays of wall mounted microphones are often used to deduce the circumferential mode content of acoustic fields propagating inside circular or annular ducts. When microphone availability is limited, circular arrays of equally spaced microphones can be rotated to multiple circumferential clocking positions, and the data from multiple clocking positions of the array can be combined together using a reference timing signal to increase the modal analysis resolution when analyzing shaft synchronous signals such as fan tone noise. However, when the data sets from different clocking positions are combined, phase errors are introduced due to the inability to precisely align the time history sequences. These phase errors can result in the generation of spurious modes in the modal decomposition analysis. The mode orders and amplitudes of these modes can be deduced from theoretical considerations. These results can help identify the presence of spurious modes in fan rig modal measurements.
A spinal GABAergic mechanism is necessary for bladder inhibition by pudendal afferent stimulation

Electrical stimulation of pudendal afferents can inhibit bladder contractions and increase bladder capacity. Recent results suggest that stimulation-evoked bladder inhibition is mediated by a mecha...