cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Frequency and Documentation of Medication Decisions on Discharge from the Hospital to Hospice Care

Objectives To quantify the frequency and type of medication decisions on discharge from the hospital to hospice care. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting A 544-bed academic tertiary care hospital in Portland, Oregon. Participants A total of 348 adult patients (age ≥18 y) discharged to hospice care between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2016. Measurements Data were collected from an electronic repository of medical record data and a manual review of patients' discharge summaries. Our outcomes of interest were the frequency and type of medication decisions documented in patients' discharge summaries. Medication decisions were categorized as continuation, continuation but with changes in dose, route of administration, and/or frequency, discontinuation, and initiation of new medications. We also collected data on the frequency of patient/family in the participation of medication-related decisions. Results Patients were prescribed a mean of 7.1 medications (standard deviation [SD] = 4.8) on discharge to hospice care. The most prevalent medications prescribed on discharge were strong opioids (82.5%), anxiolytics/sedatives (62.9%), laxatives (57.5%), antiemetics (54.3%), and nonopioid analgesics (45.4%). However, only 67.8% (213/341) of patients who were prescribed an opioid on discharge to hospice care were also prescribed a laxative. Discharging providers made a mean of 15.0 decisions (SD = 7.2) per patient of which 28.5% were to continue medications without changes, 6.7% were to continue medications with changes, 30.3% were to initiate new medications, and 34.5% were to discontinue existing medications. Patients and/or family members were involved in medication decisions during 21.6% of discharges; patients were involved in 15.2% of decisions. Conclusion Patients averaged more than 15 medication decisions on discharge to hospice care. However, it was rarely documented that patients and/or their families participated in these decisions. J Am Geriatr Soc, 2019.
The Present Relevance of Christopher Lasch’s The Culture of Narcissism for Studying the Sociology of Morality

Christopher Lasch’s most influential book The Culture of Narcissism was first published in 1979 but many of the issues he raised still have relevance, including for sociologists who wish to use ideas on psychology to create a firm basis for understanding principles and practices in society that can underlie a Sociology of Morality, something that is now only developed in a very preliminary way. Though this book was well-received by the public at large this book had much less influence in academic circles, both in liberal arts curricula and in business schools. I discuss some of the reasons for this, and then go on to details of this book and in particular how Lasch was influenced by rather dour psychoanalysts such as Melanie Klein and Otto Kernberg who emphasized the seriousness of narcissism-inducing ego weakness dating back to the conditions of early childhood. Even if one discounts the prevalence of the pathologies Lasch feels are the norm, since it can be argued that less serious narcissism is prevalent also, the discussion of cultural changes in modern society that stimulate and condone narcissism make this book a useful reference on this subject. I also refer to the work of such sociologists as Eva Illouz, Richard Sennett, and Michael Mann, and the earlier work of Pitirim Sorokin. I end by recounting that in the 40 years since this book was published, the cultural environment that is conducive for encouraging narcissism has remained in place, and in terms of the use of technology as a substitute for direct communication between people, the cultural environment that encourages fantasies has become even more pervasive.
Palladium(0)-catalysed cross-coupling of 2-trimethylsilylpyridine with aryl halides

Abstract A general method for the Hiyama coupling reaction between aryl halides and 2-trimethylsilylpyridine has been developed. These conditions have been successfully applied to the synthesis of bis-heteroaryl systems, a key disconnection for the pharmaceutical industry in the synthesis of drug-like molecules.
Preliminary Results: The Gaussian Measure and Hermite Polynomials

In this chapter we study the Gaussian measure in \(\mathbb {R}^d\) for d ≥ 1 and several of its properties. Then, we study the problem of the Gaussian measure for balls in \(\mathbb {R}^d,\) which is crucial in Chapter 4 for studying the associated covering lemmas for that measure. For completeness, we consider Hermite polynomials, which are orthogonal polynomials, with respect to the Gaussian measure, and discuss in detail most of their properties. The interested reader will find the properties and identities of all classical orthogonal polynomials listed in the appendix.
Detection and Quantification of Spongospora subterranea Sporosori in Soil by Quantitative Real-Time PCR.

Powdery scab on potato tubers is caused by the obligate soilborne biotroph Spongospora subterranea and is known to cause substantial losses in potato production. The pathogen also infects roots of susceptible hosts, forming galls which can negatively affect root function. S. subterranea is also the vector of Potato mop-top virus, which causes a tuber necrosis disease that can, depending on temperature and cultivar, render potato tubers unmarketable. In this study, we adapted a published protocol to develop a sensitive and robust quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assay using specific primers and probes for detecting and quantifying S. subterranea sporosori in soil types that differ in physical properties, including organic matter content and soil pH. For the first time, an external control was utilized and applied directly to the soil prior to DNA extraction, which facilitated normalization of S. subterranea sporosori soil levels from sample to sample. The duplex qPCR protocol was demonstrated to be highly sensitive, capable of detecting and quantifying as few as 1 sporosorus/g of soil, with consistently high qPCR efficiency and the coefficient of determination (R2) values ranging from 94 to 99% and 0.98 to 0.99, respectively. The protocol was successfully implemented in enumerating S. subterranea sporosori in naturally infested field soil collected from several states and in artificial potting mixes with high organic matter content ranging from 64 to 71%. The qPCR method developed can be useful for potato growers to avoid agricultural soils highly infested with S. subterranea and in the development of risk assessment models in the future that incorporate cultivar susceptibility to powdery scab and soil infestation levels.
Ambiguity and Uncertainty of Engineering Projects and Defining Goals in Engineering Capstone Courses

Capstone courses have become more widely employed in engineering and engineering technology curricula in the US and around the world in the last thirty years. The courses use a problem-based learning approach and are team-based. Students are tasked to form teams, define their projects’ purpose and goals, investigate concepts of solving problems, and finally implement the most feasible solutions. There are many variations in these courses. Some are offered in one semester, others take place in two or more consecutive semesters. The courses exist in many different engineering branches with a variety of specific requirements. However, the main idea of capstones remains the same: students must take an active role in their own learning and demonstrate proficiency in learning outcomes of their respective programs. In many cases, however, students are not ready to perform well, not because they lack technical knowledge in their respective field, but because they don’t understand the major philosophical contradiction between the ambiguous nature of engineering projects and the need for defining explicit goals of these undertakings. This issue creates stress and frustration, not just for students, but also for instructors, who often don’t recognize the problem of ambiguity that the students encounter. This is also true in many cases because engineering faculty members are experts in their technical fields, not in the philosophy of engineering education. This paper looks at the complexities of the issue in order to help students and instructors improve learning and reduce unnecessary anxiety.
Updates with Multiple Service Classes

A source submits status update jobs to a service facility for processing and delivery to a monitor. The status updates belong to service classes with different service requirements. We model the service requirements using a hyperexponential service time model. To avoid class-specific bias in the service process, the system implements an M/G/1/1 blocking queue; new arrivals are discarded if the server is busy. Using an age-of-information (AoI) metric to characterize timeliness of the updates, a stochastic hybrid system (SHS) approach is employed to derive the overall average AoI and the average AoI for each service class. We observe that both the overall AoI and class-specific AoI share a common penalty that is a function of the second moment of the average service time and they differ chiefly because of their different arrival rates. We show that each high-probability service class has an associated age-optimal update arrival rate while low-probability service classes incur an average age that is always decreasing in the update arrival rate.
Device-to-Device Communications in Millimeter Wave Band: Impact of Beam Alignment Error

Exploiting the millimeter wave (mmWave) band has recently attracted considerable attention as a potential solution to widespread deployment of device-to-device (D2D) communication challenges, namely, spectrum scarcity and interference. However, its directional nature makes the utilization of mmWave band a challenging task as it requires careful beam alignment between the D2D transmitter and receiver. In this paper, we investigate the impact of inaccurate angle-of-arrival (AoA) estimation as a beam alignment impairment on the performance of a directional mmWave D2D network. We have used tools from stochastic geometry to quantify the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) coverage probability in the presence of beam misalignment, which can be applied to evaluate D2D network performance. Moreover, the analytical results are verified to be reliable and effective through extensive simulations. Finally, the coverage probability of the D2D network with erroneous beam alignment is compared to the network with perfect beam alignment. The numerical results indicate that the beam misalignment can lead to significant losses in the network’s coverage probability.
Functional Principal Component Analysis: A Robust Method for Time-Series Phenotypic Data

Molecular breeding relies on careful assessment of phenotypic traits linked to DNA markers so that causal genes can be identified and desirable crop alleles selected. Over the past decade, DNA markers have become abundant with the rapid advancement of next-generation sequencing technology, including
Student Evaluations of Teaching: Unidimensionality, Subjectivity, and Biases.

This work contributes to the literature raising concerns with the use of SET (student teaching evaluation) scores to evaluate teaching effectiveness and to motivate or demotivate faculty tenure and...
Fibrin-Based Biomaterial Systems to Enhance Anterior Cruciate Ligament Healing

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears are a common and potentially career-ending injury, particularly for athletes and soldiers. Partial and complete ruptures of this ligament cause instability in the knee, and the ACL does not have the capacity for healing due, in part, to its position within the highly thrombolytic synovial fluid environment of the knee joint. Traditional methods of ACL reconstruction, such as graft replacement with attached bone anchors for bone integration, restore stability, but do not prevent the development of post-traumatic osteoarthritis. To enhance therapeutic treatment options, novel fibrin-based technologies and repair techniques have been recently explored and show promise for improved patient outcomes. Through modification of existing surgical methods, such as the use of fibrin glues incorporating growth factors and cells and the implementation of scaffolds containing platelet-rich plasma, platelet-rich fibrin, and other blood derivatives, surgeons are attempting to overcome the shortcomings of traditional treatments. This mini-review will detail current efforts using fibrin-based treatments and discuss opportunities to further enhance ACL healing.
Is There Cultural Progress

The ability to cooperate is a vehicle of progress. This vehicle is enhanced by cultural maturity, a concept that can be understood in the context of psychological maturity. In this Chapter I note that psychological components of cooperation help to define cultural maturity. I establish a claim that has subsequently become popular that cooperation and culture can be a product of natural selection. The focus here is on the growth in the ability to empathize, and through this to cooperate, as a measure of cultural maturity.
Non–Vitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulant Use in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation and Associated Intracranial Hemorrhage: A Focused Review

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia and predisposes patients to an increased risk of embolic stroke. After nearly 60 years, warfarin is no longer the only effective therapeutic option for patients with AF. Large randomized trials have consistently shown that non–vitamin K oral anticoagulants (NOACs) including dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban, and edoxaban significantly reduce from the risk of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) compared with warfarin. We provide a focused review regarding the NOACs and ICH in AF patients by summarizing findings of these large clinical trials, mechanisms of lower ICH, reversal strategies with specific agents, and monitoring strategies.
Learning from Examples via Self-Explanations

Abstract : This paper summarizes the results of our investigation of: 1) how students learn to solve simple mechanics problems; 2) what is learned when they study worked-out examples in the text; and 3) how they use what has been learned from the examples while solving problems. We also provide justifications for why mechanics problems were chosen, why we examined learning from examples, and how we can capture the understanding of examples by asking students to generate explanations. The underlying assumption of our research is that differences in students' abilities to learn to solve problems arise from the degree to which they have encoded the relevant knowledge from the text, and use this knowledge to parse and understand the worked-out examples. We found that not only do the good students, those who subsequently had greater success at solving the end-of- the-chapter problems, generate a greater amount of explanations, but moreover, the quality of their explanations was better in that it explicated the tacit knowledge, as well as related the example statements to principles and concepts introduced in the text. Good students were also more accurate at monitoring their comprehension of the example statements. Accuracy was important because awareness of misunderstanding usually led to episodes of self-explanations. Worked-out examples were also used in different ways by good and poor students. Keywords: Individual differences.
Hurley on Simulation

It is a tragedy that Susan Hurley was taken from us (by cancer) at the height of her powers. She was a philosopher of impressive insight and knowledge. Even if one didn't accept her distinctive philosophico-scientific views, one had to admire her scholarship, vigor, and inventiveness. Despite her illness, she made a long trip to the 2007 Pacific Division meeting of the American Philosophical Association to participate in an author-meets-critics session on Simulating Minds (Goldman 2006), from which her current paper is derived. I will disagree here with a number of her points, but I was and remain highly appreciative of her insightful and thoughtful commentary.
Dynamic modeling of wheeled mobile robots for high load applications

This paper examines dynamic modeling of differentially and conventionally steered wheeled mobile robots (WMRs) for high load applications such as highway maintenance and construction. Dynamic models including an accurate tire representation are developed for both types of WMRs. In addition to these dynamic models, both kinematic and simplified dynamic models are also developed for purposes of comparison. The simplified dynamic model utilizes a greatly simplified tire representation. Through the use of simulation, the limits of validity of each of the models is determined thus allowing for the selection of the model most appropriate for a given application. Additionally, the accuracy of the dead reckoning vehicle tracking process is investigated. >
Environmental enrichment facilitates cocaine-cue extinction, deters reacquisition of cocaine self-administration and alters AMPAR GluA1 expression and phosphorylation.

This study investigated the combination of environmental enrichment (EE) with cocaine-cue extinction training on reacquisition of cocaine self-administration. Rats were trained under a second-order schedule for which responses were maintained by cocaine injections and cocaine-paired stimuli. During three weekly extinction sessions, saline was substituted for cocaine but cocaine-paired stimuli were presented. Rats received 4-h periods of EE at strategic time points during extinction training, or received NoEE. Additional control rats received EE or NoEE without extinction training. One week later, reacquisition of cocaine self-administration was evaluated for 15 sessions, and then GluA1 expression, a cellular substrate for learning and memory, was measured in selected brain regions. EE provided both 24 h before and immediately after extinction training facilitated extinction learning and deterred reacquisition of cocaine self-administration for up to 13 sessions. Each intervention by itself (EE alone or extinction alone) was ineffective, as was EE scheduled at individual time points (EE 4 h or 24 h before, or EE immediately or 6 h after, each extinction training session). Under these conditions, rats rapidly reacquired baseline rates of cocaine self-administration. Cocaine self-administration alone decreased total GluA1 and/or pSer845GluA1 expression in basolateral amygdala and nucleus accumbens. Extinction training, with or without EE, opposed these changes and also increased total GluA1 in ventromedial prefrontal cortex and dorsal hippocampus. EE alone increased pSer845GluA1 and EE combined with extinction training decreased pSer845GluA1 in ventromedial prefrontal cortex. EE might be a useful adjunct to extinction therapy by enabling neuroplasticity that deters relapse to cocaine self-administration.
An Axiomatic Specification for Sequential Memory Models

Formalizations of concurrent memory models often represent memory behavior in terms of sequences of operations, where operations are either reads, writes, or synchronizations. More concrete models of (sequential) memory behavior may include allocation and free operations, but also include details of memory layout or data representation. We present an abstract specification for sequential memory models with allocation and free operations, in the form of a set of axioms that provide enough information to reason about memory without overly constraining the behavior of implementations. We characterize a set of “well-behaved” programs that behave uniformly on all instances of the specification. We show that the specification is both feasible—the CompCert memory model implements it—and usable—we can use the axioms to prove the correctness of an optimization that changes the memory behavior of programs in an LLVM-like language. Open image in new window
Crystal Structure of Arp2/3 Complex

We determined a crystal structure of bovine Arp2/3 complex, an assembly of seven proteins that initiates actin polymerization in eukaryotic cells, at 2.0 angstrom resolution. Actin-related protein 2 (Arp2) and Arp3 are folded like actin, with distinctive surface features. Subunits ARPC2 p34 and ARPC4 p20 in the core of the complex associate through long carboxyl-terminal alpha helices and have similarly folded amino-terminal alpha/beta domains. ARPC1 p40 is a seven-blade beta propeller with an insertion that may associate with the side of an actin filament. ARPC3 p21 and ARPC5 p16 are globular alpha-helical subunits. We predict that WASp/Scar proteins activate Arp2/3 complex by bringing Arp2 into proximity with Arp3 for nucleation of a branch on the side of a preexisting actin filament.
Cardiac damage produced by direct current countershock applied to the heart

This study examined the pathophysiology of the myocardial damage produced by direct current shock over a dose range of 10 to 90 wattseconds, applied directly to the heart in 26 dogs. The extent of injury produced was assessed with creatine kinase depletion and light and electron microscopy, and was correlated with in vivo imaging and tissue distributions of the isotopes technetium-99m pyrophosphate and thallium-201. Changes in intramyocardial temperature and regional myocardial blood flow were also measured. Uptake of technetium-99m pyrophosphate occurred exponentially with graded increases in shocks, and this agent was more sensitive than thallium-201 in detecting injury both on imaging and at tissue level. The threshold for significant injury was approximately 30 watt-seconds, and on electron microscopy a characteristic feature was marked dehiscence of the intercalated disks between the damaged myocytes. The use of different-sized paddles did not appear to affect the total number of cells damaged. However, with large paddles the injury was more superficial and spread over a wider area. With short time intervals between successive shocks, a greater amount of injury occurred, in part because of a compounding of the thermal component of the damage. Hypothermia can reduce the degree of injury.
Enabling Collaborative data sharing in Google

Most of existing online social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, are designed to bias towards information disclosure to a large audience. Google recently launched a new social network platform, Google+. By introducing the notion of ‘circles’, Google+ enables users to selectively share data with specific groups within their personal network, rather than sharing with all of their social connections at once. Although Google+ can help mitigate the gap between the individuals' expectations and their actual privacy settings, it still only allows a single user to restrict access to her/his data but cannot provide any mechanism to enforce privacy concerns over data associated with multiple users. In this paper, we propose an approach to facilitate collaborative privacy management of shared data in Google+. We extend and formulate a multiparty access control model, named MPAC+, to capture the essence of collaborative authorization requirements in Google+, along with a multiparty policy specification scheme and a policy enforcement mechanism. We also discuss a proof-of-concept prototype of our approach and describe system evaluation and usability study of our prototype.
Direct texturization of as sawed mono-crystalline silicon solar wafers: Solar cell efficiency as a function of total silicon removal

Sawed p-type Czochralski wafers with a bulk resistivity of 1–5ωcm were subjected to single step texturization process by using a non-alcoholic chemical etching formulation. The minimum amount of silicon removal required for achieving optimum solar cell efficiencies was estimated by measuring cell efficiency as a function of silicon loss. The surface damage layer of as cut wafers was found to be approximately 6μm deep as indicated by the minority carrier lifetime measurements. However for attaining minimum surface reflectivity it was required to remove at least 20μm of silicon from the initial wafer. Further removal of silicon offered no additional improvements in surface reflectivity or the solar cell efficiency.
Tumor necrosis factor–alfa in nonhealing venous leg ulcers

Background Venous leg ulcers are responsible for more than half of all lower extremity ulcerations, affecting more than one million Americans annually. Studies have demonstrated alterations in levels of proinflammatory cytokines in patients with chronic wounds, including tumor necrosis factor–alfa (TNFα), which may be implicated in wound chronicity. Objective To test the hypothesis that recalcitrant venous leg ulcers have increased local tissue TNFα as compared to normal skin. Methods Five patients with nonhealing healing chronic venous leg ulcers were recruited. Two 4-mm punch biopsy specimens were obtained: one from the wound margin and one from noninvolved, non–sun exposed normal skin on the flexor aspect of the forearm. Tissue samples were processed using fixed with formalin stained by immunohistochemistry for TNFα. Qualitative and quantitative comparisons were made for the presence of TNFα receptor in all tissue samples, specifically comparing the presence of TNFα in nonhealing venous leg ulcer samples versus normal skin. Results The overall staining score for nonhealing venous leg ulcers was significantly higher compared to respective normal skin samples ( P = .01). In addition, immunostaining for TNFα was significantly less in the two nonhealing venous leg ulcers that were present for the shortest duration compared to the other ulcers of longer duration ( P = .048). Limitations The small sample size may mitigate the clinical implications of findings. Conclusions Increased levels of TNFα in nonhealing venous leg ulcers, especially those of longer duration, implies that excessive inflammation may be causal in wound chronicity and suggests potential therapeutic alternatives.
Limiting case fires arising from fuel tank/pipeline ruptures

Liquid and liquefied gas fuels will continue to play a predominant role in the energy picture of this country. Critical safety problems arise in connection with their storage and transportation. The problems become intrinsically serious in connection with military and civil aircraft operations, and accidents involving them. In an attempt to classify the varieties of fires which could arise with fuel tanks, an examination of such variables as the rupture size and location, pressure difference across the rupture, thermal properties, physicochemical properties, etc., is made to identify the circumstances when a pool fire, a flowing film fire, a falling film fire, a spray fire, and a gas fuel jet fire would evolve. Based on this framework, a review of scientific literature is made to seek an understanding of the basic heat and mass transfer phenomena involved in the associated diffusive combustion process. Areas in need of future scientific research are identified.
Bioaccumulation, biotransformation, and metabolite formation of fipronil and chiral legacy pesticides in rainbow trout.

To assess the fate of current-use pesticides, it is important to understand their bioaccumulation and biotransformation by aquatic biota. We examined the dietary accumulation and enantioselective biotransformation of the chiral current-use pesticide fipronil, along with a mixture of selected chiral [α-hexachlorocyclohexane (α-HCH), heptachlor epoxide (HEPX), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) 84, 132, 174, o,p‘-DDT, and o,p‘-DDD] and nonchiral (p,p‘-DDT, p,p‘-DDD) organochlorine compounds in juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Fish rapidly accumulated all compounds, as measured in the carcass (whole body minus liver and GI tract) during the 32 d uptake phase, which was followed by varying elimination rates of the chemicals (half-lives (t1/2s) ranging from 0.6 d for fipronil to 77.0 d for PCB 174) during the 96 d depuration period. No biotransformation was observed for α-HCH, HEPX, PCB 174, o,p‘-DDT, or o,p‘-DDD based on consistent enantiomeric fractions (EFs) in the fish and their t1/2s falling on...
Distinct voltage‐dependent gating behaviours of a swelling‐activated chloride current in human epithelial cells.

1. The swelling-activated chloride current is critical in the homeostatic regulatory volume decrease (RVD) of both excitable and non-excitable cells. Although not activated by voltage, it displays kinetic behaviour similar to voltage-gated Shaker-type potassium currents. We have studied the voltage-dependent properties of this current in single T84 human cell line epithelial cells using whole-cell patch clamp methodology. 2. An external anion permeability sequence of I- > Cl- > methanesulphonate (MeSO3-) was observed for the swelling-activated current. Extracellular application of the chloride channel blocker DIDS (100 microM) resulted in approximately 50% block of the current in a voltage-dependent manner. 3. At positive membrane potentials, the swelling-activated chloride current undergoes time-dependent inactivation. Following such inactivation, recovery of both the inward and outward components of the macroscopic current was found to be voltage dependent. The time constants describing these two individual recovery processes were identical over a range of membrane potentials. In addition, the magnitude of current recovery was directly dependent upon the degree prior inactivation of current at positive voltage. 4. We further observed that the swelling-activated current undergoes a form of steady-state, voltage-dependent inactivation that appears to differ from the inactivation observed at positive potentials. This steady-state inactivation occurred over the physiological voltage range, with a membrane potential at half-maximal inactivation (V1/2) of -72 mV, and differed from the time-dependent inactivation observed at positive membrane potentials, which occurred with a V1/2 of 40 mV. These observations demonstrate two distinct forms of voltage-dependent inactivation, probably reflecting two separate gating processes at the level of the channel. 5. These latter properties are thus anticipated to regulate voltage-dependent chloride efflux under cell swelling conditions and further influence RVD and membrane excitability in cells generating action potentials.
Nick Drake: Dreaming England

What does England sound like? According to Nathan Wiseman-Trowse, it sounds like Nick Drake, the late troubadour of (for the most part) melancholic folk ballads usually performed on solitary guitar...
Developmental changes in the fine structure of rhesus monkey amnion

The purpose of this study was to examine developmental changes in the amnion with regard to: (1) the fine structure of the epithelial cells, (2) the nature and permeability of the intercellular junctions, and (3) the structure of extracellular matrix components in the subepithelial compartment. Comparisons were made between amnion from 26-72 and 146-170 days of gestation. Early in gestation, epithelial cells were squamous and had few apical microvilli; late in gestation, cells were cuboidal with numerous microvilli and a well-developed glycocalyx. Epithelial cells from early gestation had large glycogen stores, well-developed Golgi apparatus, granular ER, and relatively few 10 nm cytoplasmic filaments. Later, cells were similar except for less glycogen, somewhat more lipid droplets, and numerous 10 nm cytoplasmic filaments. Lateral cell borders were complexly interdigitated at both ages and desmosomes were the predominant type of cell junction. Occasional tight junctions were observed early in gestation; no tight junctions were observed near term. After exposure to peroxidase in vitro, reaction product was present in the intercellular spaces, and the epithelial cells demonstrated very limited pinocytosis. Early in gestation, the basal cell surface was smooth, had no specialized junctions, and was underlain by a complete basal lamina (BL). Late in gestation, the basal surface was thrown into numerous folds, had hemidesmosome-like junctions, and an incomplete BL. Early in gestation, the BL contained ruthenium red-positive particles; later, these particles were absent. Early in gestation, the BL had a layer of interstitial collagen fibrils beneath it; late in gestation, a thick layer of 12 nm microfibrils was interposed between the BL and the interstitial collagen. The microfibrillar layer appeared at about 72 days of gestation, when it was apparently formed between the basal cell surface and the partially detached basal lamina. The results support the view that amniotic epithelial cells remain metabolically active throughout gestation and that the intercellular pathway is important in the movement of certain large molecules across the epithelium. The microfibrillar layer may provide structural strength for the amnion late in gestation.
Memory: proline induces retrograde amnesia in chicks

Intracerebral injection of L-proline, 1 minute after one-trial avoidance training of chicks, impaired memory 24 hours later. Chicks injected with proline 1 or 4 hours after training and controls injected with L-isoleucine at intervals after training, showed no impairment of memory 24 hours after training. The retrograde impairment of long-term memory induced by proline occurred without the convulsions or electrographic events usually associated with retrograde amnesic treatments.
Effect of diltiazem on left ventricular mass and diastolic filling in mild to moderate hypertension.

It is still uncertain whether antihypertensive therapy with calcium antagonists in general, and diltiazem in particular, can reduce left ventricular (LV) mass index and improve LV diastolic filling in hypertension. Therefore, 24 patients with mild to moderate hypertension (diastolic blood pressure 95 to 114 mm Hg before therapy) were randomly assigned to receive either a sustained-release preparation of diltiazem (n = 13) or placebo (n = 11) for 16 weeks in a double-blind, parallel-group protocol. M-mode and pulsed Doppler echocardiograms were performed at baseline and at the end of monotherapy. Echocardiograms were read blindly by 2 independent observers. The patients who received placebo exhibited no change in blood pressure, cardiac dimensions or LV function. Diltiazem significantly reduced both systolic pressure (151 ± 14 to 139 ± 12 mm Hg) and diastolic pressure (101 ± 4 to 90 ± 7 mm Hg, both p < 0.05). Posterior wall and septal wall thicknesses decreased, but the changes were not statistically significant. End-diastolic dimension was reduced by diltiazem from 53 ± 5 to 51 ± 5 mm (p < 0.05). LV mass index decreased significantly with diltiazem by 10%, from 125 ± 21 to 113 ± 23 g/m2 (p < 0.05). The LV wall thickness to radius ratio remained unchanged during both diltiazem and placebo treatments. Changes in LV mass index and blood pressure did not correlate, suggesting that this response is influenced by factors other than pressure reduction alone. The Doppler-derived diastolic filling indexes (peak velocity of early filling, peak velocity of late filling and their ratio) were abnormal at baseline and did not change during diltiazem treatment despite the reduction in LV mass.
Carnitine uptake and fatty acid utilization by diploid cells aging in culture

Abstract Uptake of carnitine by cultured human fetal lung flbroblasts (WI-38 and IMR-90) and by smooth muscle cells from calf aorta and from human uterus was found to be temperature dependent and saturable. IMR-90 cells showed an apparent K m of 6–8 μM and a V of 21–28 pmol/h/10 6 cells for l -carnitine. Transport was abolished by N -ethylmaleimide and was inhibited variably by octanoyl- d -carnitine, d -carnitine, and carbonyl cyanide p -trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone. Although WI-38 and IMR-90 cells accumulate lipids as they age in culture, they take up carnitine as rapidly as do smooth muscle cells of aorta and uterus that do not exhibit such accumulation. Comparison of the rates of carnitine uptake by IMR-90 fibroblasts during the logarithmic phase of growth shows no difference between “young” and “old” cultures. In contrast, when confluent or postconfluent monolayers were compared and uptake expressed as a function of cell number, cells grown from late passages took up carnitine more rapidly than did cells grown from early passages. However, when account was taken of cell size, and carnitine expressed as a function of cell volume, the differences in carnitine uptake between early and late passages were no longer apparent for the confluent or postconfluent monolayers examined. Moreover, late passage fibroblasts took up and oxidized radioactive palmitate at least as rapidly as did cells from early passages. Our results suggest that accumulation of lipid in aging fibroblasts is not due to decreased carnitine uptake or fatty acid oxidation.
Targeting Drug-Metabolizing Enzymes for Effective Chemoprevention and Chemotherapy

The primary focus of chemoprevention research is the prevention of cancer using pharmacological, biological, and nutritional interventions. Chemotherapeutic approaches that have been used successfully for both the prevention and treatment of a number of human malignancies have arisen from the identification of specific agents and appropriate molecular targets. Although drug-metabolizing enzymes have historically been targeted in attempts to block the initial, genotoxic events associated with the carcinogenic process, emerging evidence supports the idea that manipulating drug-metabolizing enzymes may also be an effective strategy to be used for treating tumor progression, invasion, and, perhaps, metastasis. This report summarizes a symposium that presents some recent progress in this area. One area of emphasis is the development of a CYP17 inhibitor for treatment of prostate cancer that may also have androgen-independent anticancer activity at higher concentrations. A second focus is the use of a mouse model to investigate the effects of aryl hydrocarbon receptor and Cyp1b1 status and chemopreventative agents on transplacental cancer. A third area of focus is the phytochemical manipulation of not only cytochrome P450 (P450) enzymes but also phase II inflammatory and antioxidant enzymes via the nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 pathway to block tumor progression. A final highlight is the use of prodrugs activated by P450 enzymes to halt tumor growth and considerations of dosing schedule and targeted delivery of the P450 transgene to tumor tissue. In addition to highlighting recent successes in these areas, limitations and areas that should be targeted for further investigation are discussed.
Analysis of Simultaneous Line-to-Ground Faults

A CERTAIN PERCENTAGE of the faults on power systems occur simultaneously at different points in the circuits. Such faults may result from a ground at one location on a circuit which raises the voltage on a healthy phase so that a flashover occurs at a second location. Such faults may also occur on circuits which are physically close to each other, as two circuits on the same poles which flash over because of the same lightning disturbance. It has been estimated that up to 20% of faults on double-circuit lines involve conductors of both circuits.
East Indians in small business: Middleman minority or ethnic enclave?

Abstract The East Indian small business class of Toronto is examined, using middleman minority and ethnic enclave models as an analytic framework. The most apparent feature of this entrepreneurial group is its bifurcated structure: one element is linked to the ethnic community while another is virtually independent of it. While some of the features of middleman minorities are evident, neither middleman nor enclave patterns of ethnic enterprise are clearly apparent. East Indian entrepreneurs follow a more individualistic path, engendered by the absence of a spatially‐concentrated East Indian community and relatively unhindered accessibility to the small business sector of the majority economy.
High-pressure and high-temperature neutron reflectometry cell for solid-fluid interface studies

A new high pressure-temperature (P -T Neutron Reflectometry (NR) cell developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is described that significantly extends the capabilities of solid/fluid interface investigations up to 200MPa ( \(\ensuremath \sim 30000\) psi) and 200 ° C. The cell's simple aluminum construction makes it light and easy to operate while thinned neutron windows allow up to 74% neutron transmission. The wide-open neutron window geometry provides a maximum theoretical \(\ensuremath Q_{{\rm z}}\) range of 0.31A-1. Accurate T and P controls are integrated on the cell's control panel. Built-in powder wells provide the ability to saturate fluids with reactive solids, producing aqueous species and/or decomposing into gaseous phases. The cell is designed for samples up to 50.8mm in diameter and 10.0mm in thickness. An experiment investigating the high P -T corrosion behavior of aluminum on LANL's Surface ProfilE Analysis Reflectometer (SPEAR) is presented, demonstrating the functioning and capability of the cell. Finally, outlooks on high P -T NR applications and perspectives on future research are discussed.
Budgeting for Collection Development in the Electronic Environment

The author uses Brown University experiences to discuss budget processes and politics, user education and issues associated with electronic resources
Characterization of IR focal plane test stations

The design and performance of an IR FPA test system are described. The parameters, techniques, and equipment required for an IR test system are discussed. An analysis of focal planes is presented to extract the last dB of performance, emphasizing the minimization of required device testing time. The CECOM test system is presented, including the instrument controller, the five source types for characterizing IR FPAs, the electronics, and the protective plexiglass enclosure. Critical test parameters and bias and clocking supply specifications are set forth. Printers which display the results are described, and a buffer/spooler is suggested to increase output rate. Data presentation is discussed. Tests on FPAs and readouts, such as dc uniformity, rms noise, 1/f noise, detectivity, linearity, and responsivity, can be conducted in an automated mode. The possibility of automated testing of optical crosstalk, spectral response, and optical area is mentioned. Future improvements to the facility are listed. Improved yields and increased FPA testing throughput in IRFPA production programs can result from the IRFPA test system facilities.© (1990) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
CD-Search: protein domain annotations on the fly

We describe the Conserved Domain Search service (CD-Search), a web-based tool for the detection of structural and functional domains in protein sequences. CD-Search uses BLAST® heuristics to provide a fast, interactive service, and searches a comprehensive collection of domain models. Search results are displayed as domain architecture cartoons and pairwise alignments between the query and domain-model consensus sequences. Search results may be visualized in further detail by embedding the query sequence into multiple alignment displays and by mapping onto three-dimensional molecular graphic displays of known structures within the domain family. CD-Search can be accessed at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Structure/cdd/wrpsb.cgi.
Providing life-saving health care to undocumented children: controversies and ethical issues

Pediatricians and hospitals with special pediatric expertise are facing the dilemma of rationing care to uninsured, undocumented children, especially for expensive life-saving care such as transplants, chemotherapy, and dialysis. This article reviews a relevant case history and provides a review and discussion of the ethical and policy issues associated with this problem.
High-Constructive, Tidally Influenced Deltaic Sedimentation in Arkoma Basin: Desmoinesian Hartshorne Sandstone: ABSTRACT

The Hartshorne Sandstone and associated fine-grained facies of the Arkoma basin were deposited in a high-constructive, tidally influenced delta system which prograded longitudinally from east to west in an elongate, foreland basin during Ouachita suturing. Prodelta facies (generally mapped as upper Atoka) consists of dark gray, nonfossiliferous shales. Delta front facies deposited near the mouth of an active distributary channel include interlaminated siltstones and sandstones of distal bar origin and ripple-bedded and trough cross-bedded sandstones of distributary-mouth bar origin. Delta front facies deposited in interdistributary areas consists of lenticular, wavy, and flaser-bedded sandstones, siltstones, and shales deposited under the influence of tidal currents. Delta plain facies is sandstone, siltstone, shale, and coal deposited in distributary channels, interdistributary bays, crevasse splays, marshes, and swamps. Distributary channel sandstone bodies display shoestring geometry (50 to 60 m thick), 1 to 3 km wide, tens of km lon ) and internally are unidirectionally trough cross-bedded. Their linear geometry and thickness relative to other delta facies suggest that channels were structurally localized, that the delta was elongate, or a combination of the two. Interdistributary bay facies comprise locally fossiliferous shale and silty shale. Crevasse splay facies coarsen upward from shale through ripple-bedded sandstone to trough cross-bedded sandstone. Marsh and swamp facies are carbonaceous shale and coal. In Arkansas, the Hartshorne displays a single, progradational sequence of prodelta, delta front, and delta plain facies. In Oklahoma, the prodelta and delta front facies are capped by a complex assemblage of delta plain facies which records at least three episodes of active sedimentation followed by delta plain abandonment. Understanding the genesis of these delta plain facies will enhance petroleum and coal exploitation efforts within the Hartshorne of the Arkoma basin. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1499------------
Complex Ginzburg-Landau equations and dynamics of vortices, filaments, and codimension-2 submanifolds

Here we study the asymptotic behavior of solutions to the complex Ginzburg-Landau equations and their associated heat flows in arbitrary dimensions when the Ginzburg-Landau parameter tends to infinity. We prove that the energies of solutions in the flow are concentrated at vortices in two dimensions, filaments in three dimensions, and codimension-2 submanifolds in higher dimensions. Moreover, we show the dynamical laws for the motion of these vortices, filaments, and codimension-2 submanifolds. Away from the energy concentration sets, we use some measure-theoretic arguments to show the strong convergence of solutions in both static and heat flow cases. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Marburg agent disease: In monkeys

Abstract The experimental infection of vervet, rhesus and squirrel monkeys is described. All the monkeys developed a uniformly fatal illness irrespective of the dose or route of infection. In the early stages of illness the animals appeared to be quite healthy, but after incubation periods of 6–13 days they rapidly deteriorated. A petechial skin rash was frequently seen in the later stages of illness. The infectious agent was detected in monkeys' blood, saliva, and urine, often in considerable quantities.
THE " ASTRONOMICAL TELESCOPE " 1611-1650

title RIASSUNTO /title L'Autore fornisce una panoramica dello sviluppo del cos detto telescopio astronomico considerandone la prima descrizione teorica fatta dal Keplero nel 1611 sino alla generale adozione per la ricerca astronomica dopo il 1640. Usato in un primo tempo per lo studio delle macchie solari, questo strumento dette modo di ottenere dopo il 1630 un pi grande campo visivo con ingrandimenti maggiori. Francesco Fontana che sosteneva d'aver fatto telescopi astronomici fin dal 1608 (asserzione che qui esaminata) rese questi strumenti popolari in Italia nel tardo 1630 e a nord delle Alpi essi divennero d'uso comune dopo il 1645 quando il Reitha pubblic il suo Oculus Enoch et Eliae in cui descrisse i telescopi astronomici.