cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of setup for Intego PET Infusion System in ambient air environment.

2055 Background: The Medrad® Intego PET Infusion System (Bayer HealthCare LLC, Whippany, NJ) allows an easy and safe way for automated injecting PET patients through a multi-dose vial of 18F-FDG. The setup of using this infusion system, a fully shielded mobile unit, consists of needle-puncturing the shielded multi-dose vial. However, there is no specific direction for the setup environment in the Intego manual. The proposed USP General Chapter indicates the setup attachment or needle-puncture can be performed in an ambient air environment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if 18F-FDG product remains sterile and pyrogen free after puncturing a multi-dose vial per the proposed instructions. Methods: Two Intego PET Infusion Systems involved in this study were aseptically setup and used in our uptake rooms. Air supplied to this room is filtered at the air handling unit (pre-filter efficiency: MERV [minimum efficiency reporting value] 7, final filter efficiency: MERV 14) with ACPH (air change per hour) 7.3-7.7. All vials tested were taken from these infusion systems over a 22-day period. The vials were used for one clinical day and stored until microbiological assessments were made the next day. Thirty 18F-FDG vials had sterility testing performed in the clean room using remaining volume of the vial. Sterility testing was performed by incubating 1 mL of 18F-FDG solution in Trypticase Soy Broth and 1 mL of 18F-FDG solution in Fluid Thigolycollate. Results were read on days 3, 7, and 14 after incubation. Endotoxin tests were also run on each vial with Endosafe PTS Endotoxin Testing System involving 18F-FDG solution dilution of 1:100. A small sample was placed on a cartridge and results were read same day. All results were expressed either pass or fail. Results: Sterility passed at each check point for all 30 vials. Endotoxin passed for each of all 30 vials. Conclusions: Based upon our limited evaluation, we found no evidence against the current setup practice of 18F-FDG multi-dose vials in the Intego PET Infusion Systems in our facility. However, the tested sample size (n=30) might not be sufficient to justify this setup environment. Additionally, these results may not be applicable to other facilities as the ambient air quality of the area/room where they setup the Intego PET Infusion System(s) might be different from ours.
Pantheist Monstrosities: On Race, Gender, Divinity, and Dirt

Most commonly attributed to the philosopher Baruch Spinoza, pantheism teaches that what we mean by “divinity” is the immanent, creative-destructive power of the universe itself. God, in other words, is the material universe. This heretical teaching infamously led to Spinoza’s 1656 excommunication from his Jewish community in Amsterdam. In subsequent centuries, pantheism has suffered nearly universal rejection—usually in the form of ridicule—by western philosophers and theologians. This chapter investigates the reasons behind this often panicked repudiation, suggesting that the horror over pantheism has less to do with theological orthodoxy or philosophical rigor than with a visceral reaction to matter, which is persistently racialized and feminized in the tradition that refuses to ascribe divinity to it.
RNA-seq and network analysis reveal unique glial gene expression signatures during prion infection

Prion diseases and prion-like disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, are characterized by gliosis and accumulation of misfolded aggregated host proteins. Ablating microglia in prion-infected brain by treatment with the colony-stimulating factor-1 receptor (CSF-1R) inhibitor, PLX5622, increased accumulation of misfolded prion protein and decreased survival time. To better understand the role of glia during neurodegeneration, we used RNA-seq technology, network analysis, and hierarchical cluster analysis to compare gene expression in brains of prion-infected versus mock-inoculated mice. Comparisons were also made between PLX5622-treated prion-infected mice and untreated prion-infected mice to assess mechanisms involved in disease acceleration in the absence of microglia. RNA-seq and network analysis suggested that microglia responded to prion infection through activation of integrin CD11c/18 and did not adopt the expression signature associated with other neurodegenerative disease models. Instead, microglia acquired an alternative molecular signature late in the disease process. Furthermore, astrocytes expressed a signature pattern of genes which appeared to be specific for prion diseases. Comparisons were also made with prion-infected mice treated with PLX5622 to assess the impact of microglia ablation on astrocyte gene expression during prion infection. In the presence of microglia, a unique mix of transcripts associated with A1- and A2-reactive astrocytes was increased in brains of prion-infected mice. After ablation of microglia, this reactive astrocyte expression pattern was enhanced. Thus, after prion infection, microglia appeared to decrease the overall A1/A2-astrocyte responses which might contribute to increased survival after infection. RNA-seq analysis indicated dysregulation of over 300 biological processes within the CNS during prion disease. Distinctive microglia- and astrocyte-associated expression signatures were identified during prion infection. Furthermore, astrogliosis and the unique astrocyte-associated expression signature were independent of microglial influences. Astrogliosis and the unique astrocyte-associated gene expression pattern were increased when microglia were ablated. Our findings emphasize the potential existence of alternative pathways for activating the A1/A2 paradigm in astrocytes during neurodegenerative disease.
'Utilization of telemetry monitoring for non-cardiac conditions in non-critical patients: what are the trends and perceptions amongst medical residents?'

Current evidence shows that telemetry monitoring is commonly overutilized for ‘non-cardiac’ diseases such as COPD exacerbation, pneumonia, pulmonary embolism and sepsis. This issue has not been add...
Common Errors Made during Biofeedback Training and Research Studies

Errors made by clinicians and experimentalists in biofeedback studies are often forgotten and not taught or passed on. Hence, each beginning student, researcher, or practitioner has to reexperience the morass of possible mistakes—who. as a professional, wants to look like a fool? The following essay illustrates some mistakes that commonly occur, based on our own hard-won and sometimes painfully embarrassing experience. Murphy’s Law states that if anything can go wrong, it will; it is our hope that if we illustrate some of the obvious and not so obvious mistakes, they will not be repeated. Making mistakes is not stupidity: repeating a mistake, however, is; and correcting a mistake is the learning process by which we grow and expand our knowledge and competence.
Same-Day vs One-Day Discharge: Rates and Reasons for Emergency Department Return After Hospital-Based Total Joint Arthroplasty.

Abstract Background As short stay and outpatient total joint arthroplasties (TJAs) are more widely adopted, it is important to assess whether reducing length of stay leads to increased emergency department (ED) visits or readmissions. Methods This is a retrospective review of 1743 primary TJA patients with same-day discharge (SDD) or 1-day length of stay between January and December 2019. Patients who returned to the ED or were readmitted within 30 days of TJA were identified, and chart review was performed to identify their primary reason for revisit. Results Patients discharged on the day of surgery (n = 203, 11.6%) were more likely to be younger (P Conclusion SDD of eligible patients does not increase the risk of 30-day return to the ED. Continued analysis of risk factors for return and readmission will improve prospective identification of patients who can safely be discharged on the day of surgery, and future quality improvement initiatives should target the most common reasons for ED return.
Adding exogenous biglycan or decorin improves tendon formation for equine peritenon and tendon proper cells in vitro.

Tendon injuries amount to one of the leading causes of career-ending injuries in horses due to the inability for tendon to completely repair and the high reinjury potential. As a result, novel therapeutics are necessary to improve repair with the goal of decreasing leg lameness and potential reinjury. Small leucine-rich repeat proteoglycans (SLRPs), a class of regulatory molecules responsible for collagen organization and maturation, may be one such therapeutic to improve tendon repair. Before SLRP supplementation can occur in vivo, proper evaluation of the effect of these molecules in vitro needs to be assessed. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of purified bovine biglycan or decorin on tendon proper and peritenon cell populations in three-dimensional tendon constructs. Equine tendon proper or peritenon cell seeded fibrin three-dimensional constructs were supplemented with biglycan or decorin at two concentrations (5 nM or 25 nM). The functionality and ultrastructural morphology of the constructs were assessed using biomechanics, collagen content analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and gene expression by real time – quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). SLRP supplementation affected both tendon proper and peritenon cells-seeded constructs. With additional SLRPs, material and tensile properties of constructs strengthened, though ultrastructural analyses indicated production of similar-sized or smaller fibrils. Overall expression of tendon markers was bolstered more in peritenon cells supplemented with either SLRP, while supplementation of SLRPs to TP cell-derived constructs demonstrated fewer changes in tendon and extracellular matrix markers. Moreover, relative to non-supplemented tendon proper cell-seeded constructs, SLRP supplementation of the peritenon cells showed increases in mechanical strength, material properties, and collagen content. The SLRP-supplemented peritenon cells produced constructs with greater mechanical and material properties than tendon proper seeded constructs, as well as increased expression of matrix assembly molecules. These findings provide evidence that SLRPs should be further investigated for their potential to improve tendon formation in engineered grafts or post-injury.
Molecular imaging can identify the location to perform a frozen biopsy during intraoperative frozen section consultation.

Background Intraoperative frozen section (FS) consultation is an important tool in surgical oncology that suffers from sampling error because the pathologist does not always know where to perform a biopsy of the surgical specimen. Intraoperative molecular imaging is a technology used in the OR to visualize lesions during surgery. We hypothesized that molecular imaging can address this pathology challenge in FS by visualizing the cancer cells in the specimen in the pathology suite. Here, we report the development and validation of a molecular-imaging capable cryostat called Smart-Cut. Methods A molecular imaging capable cryostat prototype was developed and tested using a murine model. Tumors grown in mice were targeted with a NIR contrast agent, indocyanine green (ICG), via tail vein injection. Tumors and adjacent normal tissue samples were frozen sectioned with Smart-Cut. Fluorescent sections and non-fluorescent sections were prepared for H&E and fluorescent microscopy. Fluorescent signal was quantified by tumor-to-background ratio (TBR). NIR fluorescence was tested in one patient enrolled in a clinical trial. Results The Smart-Cut prototype has a small footprint and fits well in the pathology suite. Fluorescence imaging with Smart-Cut identified cancerous tissue in the specimen in all 12 mice. No false positives or false negatives were seen, as confirmed by H&E. The mean TBR in Smart-Cut positive tissue sections was 6.8 (SD±3.8). In a clinical application in the pathology suite, NIR imaging identified two lesions in a pulmonary resection specimen, where traditional grossing only identified one. Conclusion Molecular imaging can be integrated into the pathology suite via the Smart-Cut device, and can detect cancer in frozen tissue sections using molecular imaging in a murine model.
Effect of flue gas temperature on NO2 adsorption by aged recycled concrete Waste: DRIFTS, TGA and BET study

Abstract Removing NO2 from cement kilns can have tremendously beneficial effects on the environment and human health. Sequestering NO2 in demolished concrete is an innovative, cost-effective, and sustainable approach to remove NO2 flue-gas from cement kilns and other industrial plants to minimize their environmental impact. Another notable advantage of this approach was signified by our recent discovery of NO2 sequestered Recycled Concrete Aggregate (NRCA) acting as a corrosion inhibitor when recycled backed into new concrete. This paper focuses on NO2 sequestration by the waste concrete at elevated temperatures that are representative of those found in the cement kilns flue gas exhaust. The gas-phase uptake experiments were performed for 1, 2, and 20-years old concrete samples to reflect the variable age of NRCA. The mechanistic studies of NO2 adsorption to concrete surfaces at 27 °C, 150 °C, and 250 °C temperatures that simulate flue gas temperatures were obtained by time-resolved Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform spectroscopy (DRIFTs) and gas-phase analysis. The results showed that NO2 sequestration increased with an increase in temperature. Most importantly, the 20-year-old concrete still had significant uptake capacity, which shows that aged waste concrete can be used to reduce air pollution and then recycled back into new concrete structures to prevent corrosion. These findings were also supported by TGA, BET, and XRD results. The XRD data indicated a presence of alite, belite, ettringite, portlandite, and dolomite, where the increased fractions of portlandite and hydrates were correlated to higher NO2 uptake. Moreover, the BET results indicated notable changes in the microstructure of the concrete at elevated temperatures, which also contributed to changes in the NO2 uptake capacity of concrete.
Aiding and Abetting Anhedonia: Impact of Inflammation on the Brain and Pharmacological Implications.

Exogenous administration of inflammatory stimuli to humans and laboratory animals and chronic endogenous inflammatory states lead to motivational deficits and ultimately anhedonia, a core and disabling symptom of depression present in multiple other psychiatric disorders. Inflammation impacts neurotransmitter systems and neurocircuits in subcortical brain regions including the ventral striatum, which serves as an integration point for reward processing and motivational decision-making. Many mechanisms contribute to these effects of inflammation, including decreased synthesis, release and reuptake of dopamine, increased synaptic and extrasynaptic glutamate, and activation of kynurenine pathway metabolites including quinolinic acid. Neuroimaging data indicate that these inflammation-induced neurotransmitter effects manifest as decreased activation of ventral striatum and decreased functional connectivity in reward circuitry involving ventral striatum and ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Neurocircuitry changes in turn mediate nuanced effects on motivation that include decreased willingness to expend effort for reward while maintaining the ability to experience reward. Taken together, the data reveal an inflammation-induced pathophysiologic phenotype that is agnostic to diagnosis. Given the many mechanisms involved, this phenotype represents an opportunity for development of novel and/or repurposed pharmacological strategies that target inflammation and associated cellular and systemic immunometabolic changes and their downstream effects on the brain. To date, clinical trials have failed to capitalize on the unique nature of this transdiagnostic phenotype, leaving the field bereft of interpretable data for meaningful clinical application. However, novel trial designs incorporating established targets in the brain and/or periphery using relevant outcome variables (e.g., anhedonia) are the future of targeted therapy in psychiatry. Significance Statement Emerging understanding of mechanisms by which peripheral inflammation can affect the brain and behavior has created unprecedented opportunities for development of pharmacological strategies to treat deficits in motivation including anhedonia, a core and disabling symptom of depression well represented in multiple psychiatric disorders. Mechanisms include inflammation and cellular and systemic immunometabolism and alterations in dopamine, glutamate, and kynurenine metabolites, revealing a target-rich environment that nevertheless has yet to be fully exploited by current clinical trial designs and drugs employed.
La aproximación del desarrollo hacia un consenso global

espanolEl desarrollo esta presente en la obra de los primeros economistas clasicos pero se consolida como disciplina especifica a partir de la II Guerra Mundial. Su evolucion ha sido muy rica en amplitud y profundidad, pero en el periodo 1950–1990 se caracteriza por la presencia condicionante de dilemas o escuelas de pensamiento de naturaleza dicotomica (industria vs agricultura, neoliberalismo vs neoestructuralismo). En el periodo 1990–2020 se produce una cierta convergencia de las escuelas de pensamiento que permite la progresiva adopcion de un consenso global sobre desarrollo hoy expresado en los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible. La clave de esa convergencia son los conceptos de desarrollo humano y desarrollo sostenible. Estos dos conceptos han ofrecido un marco muy propicio para la convergencia y facilitado que las teorias del desarrollo adopten un enfoque multidimensional mas cercano a la realidad y mas sensible a los problemas de las mas desfavorecidos y vulnerables. EnglishThe concept of development was already present in the works of the first classical economists though it only became a discipline in its own right after WWII. Progress since then has been ample and profound. While the period between 1950 and 1990 was characterised by the conditioning pres-ence of dilemmas or schools of thought of a dichotomous nature (industry vs agriculture, neoliberalism vs neostructuralism), a certain convergence took place between 1990 and 2020 that allowed for the adoption of a global consensus on development, which has found expression in the Sustainable Global Development Goals. The key to said conver-gence have been the concepts of human and sustainable development, which have offered a highly pertinent framework for this process and have allowed theories on development to adopt a multidimensional focus that more accurately reflects the realities and hardships experienced by the most vulnerable and underprivileged. francaisLe developpement est present dans les travaux des premiers economistes classiques, mais s’est consolide comme une discipline specifique apres la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Son evolution a ete tres riche en ampleur et en profondeur, mais dans la periode 1950-1990, elle s’est caracterisee par la presence determinante de dilemmes ou d’ecoles de pensee de nature dichotomique (industrie contre agriculture, neo-liberalisme contre neo-structuralisme). Au cours de la periode 1990-2020, il y a eu une certaine convergence des ecoles de pensee qui a permis l’adoption progressive d’un consensus mondial sur le developpement, aujourd’hui exprime dans les Objectifs de Developpement Durable. La cle de cette convergence reside dans les concepts de developpement humain et de developpement durable. Ces deux concepts ont fourni un cadre de convergence tres favorable et ont facilite l’adoption par les theories du developpement d’une approche multidimensionnelle, plus proche de la rea-lite et plus sensible aux problemes des plus defavorises et des plus vulnerables.
Genocide: A Normative Account

1. Introduction: problems of genocide Part I. The Nature of Value of Groups: 2. Nominalism and the constituents of social groups 3. Identifying groups in genocide cases Part II. The Harm of Genocide: 4. Harm to a group itself 5. Harms to identity of a group's members Part III. Elements of Genocide: 6. Destroying groups in whole or in part 7. Collective and individual intent 8. Motive and destruction of a group 'as such' Part IV. Responsibility for Genocide: 9. Complicity and the Rwandan genocide 10. Incitement to genocide and the Rwandan media case 11. Instigating, planning, and intending genocide in Rwanda Part V. Special Problems of Genocide: 12. Genocide and humanitarian intervention 13. Reconciliation, criminal trials, and genocide.
Honor, Shame, and European Definitions of Murder

lurking behind what were oftentimes construed as counterfeit or misleading exteriors. Political reason did not exist in opposition to sentiment; rather, properly managed sympathies and attachments were crucial to the colonial project. The latent fear of revolt, resentment, and misplaced affections made colonial administrators’ anxieties real and spurred the implementation of colonial policies on the ground. Patricidal mixed-blood children, violence-prone plantation workers, and native nurse-maids made defining and harnessing the passions and sentiments of the colonized a principal preoccupation of colonial administrators. These epistemic anxieties and uncertainties are detailed in chapter 6. The murder of a Dutch planter and his family sparked a plethora of competing truth claims, rumors, and envisioned events surrounding counterinsurgent acts of violence. These divergent colonial narratives and rumors of “vengeful natives” and “rebel groups” delimit and subvert foundations of trust and hierarchies of credibility while distorting the margins between fiction and truth. One of Stoler’s greatest contributions in this book is her critique of Western “reason” as a founding principle of colonialist studies across the globe. Her critique of contemporary postcolonial analyses lies in the “assumption that the mastery of reason, rationality and the inflated claims made for Enlightenment principles have been at the foundation of colonial regimes” (p. 57) and should therefore be the center point of critical postcolonial studies. As Stoler states, “If reason was a hallmark of the colonial, it was neither pervasive nor persuasive” (p. 58). Throughout the book, Stoler challenges the claim that the application of European principles of reason and rationality to colonialist politics was the colonial state’s most prevailing and “insidious” form of knowledge production and technology of rule. Her criticisms belie two main points: that functional accounts of colonial reason and rationality exclude or overshadow the equal importance of sentiments and attachments and that colonialist political rationalities and epistemic paradigms were ambiguous, contingent, and highly uncertain. By attending to both the logos and the pathos of empire, Stoler underscores the ways in which “the politics of empire bleeds into the texture of the personal” (p. 278).
Higher serum insulin-like growth factor-1 is associated with better cognitive performance in persons with mild cognitive impairment.

Background Serum insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is a mitogenic peptide involved in the regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis in a wide variety of cells and tissues. Recent research suggests higher circulating levels of IGF-1 are associated with better cognitive performance in healthy older adults and in early stages of Alzheimer's disease, although the cognitive profile associated with elevated IGF-1 has not been examined in persons with mild cognitive impairment. Methods Thirty-one participants (age: 83.71 ± 3.59 years; 58% women) with mild cognitive impairment completed neuropsychological testing and 12-hour fasting blood draw to assess serum IGF-1. Results Partial correlations between serum IGF-1 and neuropsychological measures were conducted, adjusting for insulin, body mass index, and age. Higher IGF-1-values were associated with better global cognition (Modified Mini Mental State Exam: r = 0.39, P = 0.04) and verbal list learning (Hopkins Verbal Learning Test learning: r = 0.38, P = 0.05), Hopkins Verbal Learning Test free recall (r = 0.41, P = 0.03), and Hopkins Verbal Learning Test recognition discriminability (r = 0.46, P = 0.01). A similar trend emerged for executive function as tested by the Frontal Assessment Battery (r = 0.33, P = 0.09). Conclusion Results suggest higher levels of serum IGF-1 are associated with better cognitive performance in persons with mild cognitive impairment, particularly on tests of learning and memory. These findings suggest IGF-1 may be neuroprotective not only in healthy older adults, but also in adults in the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease. Further investigation is needed to clarify the nature of this relationship, particularly prospective studies.
Painting a Counter-Narrative of African Womanhood: Reflections on How My Research Transformed Me

Whereas writing a dissertation can be a fear-inducing experience for a doctoral student, there exists the possibility of not only learning but also self-transformation that can take place through the process. In this article, I reflect on how my choice of a research approach provided me with a transformative research experience. I will describe portraiture as a critical feminist research method that was culturally relevant in undertaking my study of African women leaders. Through this process of conducting research utilizing portraiture as method, I became a supplicant learner.
Uniform Distribution of a Subgraph in a Graph

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a graph M of order r (perhaps having multiple edges but not loops), and discusses the property of a graph G that M is uniformly distributed in it, that is every induced subgraph of G of order r contains the same number of subgraphs isomorphic to M. It turns out that the order of G is bounded unless M = or M is not contained in G at all, or G = μK n (K n with multiplicity μ on every edge), and quite strictly so if M and G are simple. In the latter case, if G ⊇M and G≠ K n then n = |V(G)| ≤ 2r - 2, and it is suspected the true bound is n ≤ r + 2. But the exact bound when G or M may be a multigraph is very much an unsolved problem.
Scenes of fathering: The automobile as a place of occupation

AbstractObjective: While occupations are increasingly analyzed within contexts, other than the home, the ordinary places that facilitate occupations have been overlooked. The aim of this article is to explore the automobile as a place of occupation using data from an ethnographic study of fathers of children with disabilities. Methods: Qualitative data obtained through observations and interviews with the fathers and their families were analyzed using a narrative approach. Properties that influence interactions include opportunities to communicate, the vehicle itself, and electronics. Results: Driving children in the automobile fulfills fathering responsibilities and is a time for connecting. For the fathers in this study, the automobile represents a place for negotiating complex demands of fathering. Conclusions: This study demonstrates not only the importance of the automobile, but also the influence of the immediate space on the construction of occupations.
Conjunction among taxonomic distributions and the Miocene mammalian biochronology of the Great Plains

This paper presents a new means of interpreting the distribution of taxa among taxonomic lists. Traditionally, "similarity" indices have been used to compare lists, and "association" measures have been used to compare taxonomic distributions. It is argued that when sampling regimes are poorly understood, all similarity and association indices are unjustifiable. However, observations that taxa have overlapping (conjunct) or nonoverlapping (disjunct) distributions are universally meaningful. Because greater sampling can only increase the number of known conjunctions and because long lists serve as conjunctional Rosetta Stones, conjunction data sets can be far more reliable than the lists that generate them. One way to account for patterns of conjunction and disjunction is to create theoretical spaces composed of two distributional boundaries or edges for each taxon in each dimension. A parsimonious arrangement of edges implies distributions that always overlap when taxa are conjunct and infrequently overlap when taxa are disjunct. A procedure involving correspondence analysis is shown to minimize the number of implied disjunctions. The method is used to analyze a set of 271 Miocene large-mammal genus lists from the Great Plains region. Biostratigraphic and radiometric data demonstrate that the "best" arrangement of distri- butional edges is temporal and corresponds to an age-range chart. The edge sequence is calibrated to the radiometric time scale and used to compute a detailed genus-level diversity curve and to redefine the boundaries between Miocene Land-Mammal Ages and Subages in the Great Plains. Each of the Miocene Ages can be divided into two or three Subages. Diversity levels are apparently low throughout the Early Miocene and rise sharply during the Middle Miocene. Significant drops in diversity occurred at about 17.4, 11.6, 8.7, and 6.5 Ma. The base of the Barstovian corresponds to the base of the Middle Miocene, and the Clarendonian straddles the Middle-Late Miocene boundary.
Synthesis of α-Si3N4 from carbon coated silica by carbothermal reduction and nitridation

Abstract The production of α-Si 3 N 4 powder was performed by carbothermal reduction and nitridation of carbon coated fumed silica precursor. The precursor is derived from a fumed silica and a hydrocarbon gas (C 3 H 6 ) and provides intimate contact between the reactants. This yields a better distribution of carbon within the silica and inhibits the agglomeration among the oxides of silicon during the reactions, resulting in a more complete reaction and purer product at a comparatively low temperature. The Si 3 N 4 powders produced at 1500 °C for 5 h in flowing nitrogen gas have low oxygen content (1.2 wt%), submicrometer particles (0.3–0.7 μm), high α phase content and no agglomeration.
Some Applications of Photomultiplier Tubes to Spectrographic Analysis

A mounting for two photomultiplier tubes for the Baird spectrograph is described. Leeds and Northrup experimental preamplifiers and ratio recorder are used in conjunction with the photomultipliers. The 60-cycle ac signal system is described. The equipment has been used in three analytical problems: the determination of Li in the flame, uranium isotopic determinations using the hollow cathode and the spark, and the copper spark determination of scandium. The precision of the uranium isotopic determination is discussed.
The Infraciliature and Argyrome of Opisthonecta henneguyi Faureé‐Fremiet

SYNOPSIS. Silver stains of the free-swimming sessiline peritrich Opisthonecta henneguyi reveal the adoral infraciliature as the bases of two membranes, a haplokinety and a polykinety, which diverge at the buccal overture and spiral down the infundibulum to end at the cytostome. A second polykinety parallels the adoral polykinety in the oral half of the infundibulum, and the two form a peniculus. The haplokinety appears as a single row of kinetosomes, the adoral polykinety as a series of transverse rows of three kinetosomes. The peniculus is six kinetosomes in width. The electron microscope shows that the haplokinety is a double row of staggered kinetosomes. Only the external row bears cilia. The polykinety is a complex ciliary membrane, three kinetosomes wide. The three kinetosomes are connected with one another by fibrous bundles passing beneath them. They are linked orally and apically into longitudinal rows of thick, zig-zag, fibrous connections. The kinetosomes of the internal longitudinal row are attached by a dense fiber to a strand of fibrous material interrupted at regular intervals by dense nodes. A section of the wall of the infundibulum is thrown up into longitudinal folds with tubular fibrils running parallel to the folds. These structures, the crests, appear to continue into the cytopharynx. Beneath and around the adoral and infundibular infraciliature and the crests is a fibrous matrix with dense nodes, resembling the reticulated infundibular fiber described by Fauree-Fremiet. The trochal band in silver stains appears as short diagonal rows of kinetosomes. The electron microscope shows 5 to 7 kinetosomes per diagonal row. The kinetosomes of the diagonal rows are linked to thick dense rods which originate just above the trochal band and continue antapically past the kinetosomes for a distance of 10 to 15 μ. The kinetosomes are joined to one another by fibrous strands and each is also connected by a dense fiber to the diagonal rod to its left. Running below the kinetosomes and at right angles to the rods is a system of striated fibers. At the aboral end of the body, a ring, 2 μ in diameter, of argentophilic granules is shown by the electron microscope to be a small circle of kinetosomes. Sessile stages have not been reported for Opisthonecta. The aboral ring is probably a vestigial or non-functioning scopula. The argyrome is represented by circular striae around the body. Each stria bears argentophilic dots on either its apical or its antapical side. Electron microscopy reveals that these dots are pores in the cuticle. The striae themselves may be points of adhesion between the inner cuticle and the outer cuticle, or ridges of cytoplasm between flattened alveoli of the inner cuticle. A dense fiber runs below and parallel to each stria. Opisthonecta shows at least three different kinds of ciliary membranes. Some speculations are offered on the taxonomic affinities of peritrichs based on their infraciliature.
Simulating the effects of weather variables and soil water potential on a corn canopy temperature

Abstract The effect of atmospheric vapor pressure deficit ( VPD ) on canopy-air temperature differnce ( δ T ) of corn ( Zea mays L.) is simulated using a soil—plant—atmosphere model together with weather data for several clear-sky days. Considering empirical dependence of stomatal resistance of corn on the leaf water potential and insolation, the model finds an analytic solution for the leaf water potential which satisfies Monteith's and van den Honert's equations for transpiration. The simulated leaf water potentials are compared with observations. For a large portion of the daylight period a near-linear relationship between δT and VPD is found at various soil water potentials. Among weather variables, the air VPD appears to be the most important factor affecting δT for unstressed canopies. With decreasing soil water potential the sensitivity of δT to wind speed increases. The effect of differing rooting densities on δT is also studied. As the rooting density increases the δT values decrease, indicating that δT v . VPD relationship could change with crop age and the soil strength conditions affecting the root growth.
The development of a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry-based method for the protein fingerprinting and identification of Aeromonas species using whole cells.

This report describes the development of a method to detect the waterborne pathogen Aeromonas using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI–MS). The genus Aeromonas is one of several medically significant genera that have gained prominence due to their evolving taxonomy and controversial role in human diseases. In this study, MALDI–MS was applied to the characterization of seventeen species of Aeromonas. These seventeen species were represented by thirty-two strains, which included type, reference and clinical isolates. Intact cells from each strain were used to generate a reproducible library of protein mass spectral fingerprints or m/z signatures. Under the test conditions used, peak lists of the mass ions observed in each species revealed that three mass ions were conserved among all the seventeen species tested. These common mass ions having an average m/z of 6301, 12,160 or 12,254, and 13,450, can be potentially used as genus-specific biomarkers to identify Aeromonas in unknown samples. A dendrogram generated using the m/z signatures of all the strains tested indicated that the mass spectral data contained sufficient information to distinguish between genera, species, and strains. There are several advantages of using MALDI–MS based protein mass spectral fingerprinting of whole cells for the identification of microorganisms as well as for their differentiation at the sub-species level: (1) the capability to detect proteins, (2) high throughput, and (3) relatively simple sample preparation techniques. The accuracy and speed with which data can be obtained makes MALDI–MS a powerful tool especially suited for environmental monitoring and detection of biological hazards. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Prevalence of Polyps Greater Than 9 mm in a Consortium of Diverse Clinical Practice Settings in the United States

Background & Aims: Colonoscopy is often performed with the goal of identification of patients with serious colon neoplasia. We determined the prevalence of colon masses or polyps greater than 9 mm on the basis of age, gender, race, and procedure indication in diverse clinical practice settings and compared occurrence in patients receiving colonoscopy for screening, surveillance, or evaluation of symptoms. Methods: We obtained patient demographics, procedure indication, and endoscopic findings from colonoscopy reports in the Clinical Outcomes Research Initiative data repository, which receives endoscopy reports from 73 diverse practice sites in the United States. A multivariate model was developed to measure risk variables for a mass or polyps >9 mm. Absolute risk was calculated in the model on the basis of the number needed to endoscope (NNE) to identify 1 patient with a mass or polyp >9 mm. Results: From 2000–2002, colonoscopies in 141,413 unique patients were analyzed. Sixty-nine percent of the reports came from private practice (nonacademic) settings. Increasing age, male gender, and black race were associated with increased risk of mass or polyps >9 mm. In the 50- to 59-year-old average-risk group, 28 women and 18 men would need to have screening colonoscopy to identify 1 patient with a mass/polyp >9 mm. Patients with positive fecal occult blood test results, hematochezia, and anemia had lower NNE, whereas men older than 60 years receiving adenoma surveillance and patients with irritable bowel symptoms had similar NNE compared with average-risk subjects. Conclusions: The prevalence of a colon lesion >9 mm varies on the basis of age, gender, race, and procedure indication. Understanding utilization and outcomes can lead to more optimal use of colonoscopy.
Transfection of mammalian cells with connexins and measurement of voltage sensitivity of their gap junctions

Vertebrate gap junction channels are formed by a family of more than 20 connexin proteins. These gap junction proteins are expressed with overlapping cellular and tissue specificity, and coding region mutations can cause human hereditary diseases. Here we present a summary of what has been learned from voltage clamp studies performed on cell pairs either endogenously expressing gap junctions or in which connexins are exogenously expressed. General protocols presented here are currently used to transfect mammalian cells with connexins and to study the biophysical properties of the heterologously expressed connexin channels. Transient transfection is accomplished overnight with maximal expression occurring at about 36 h; stable transfectants normally can be generated within three or four weeks through colony selection. Electrophysiological protocols are presented for analysis of voltage dependence and single-channel conductance of gap junction channels as well as for studies of chemical gating of these channels.
Spatially resolved infrared observations of Saturn II. The temperature enhancement at the South pole of Saturn

Abstract North-South scans of Saturn at 17.8, 19.7, and 22.7 μm show enhanced emission from the South polar region. This effect is consistent with the polar brightening observed in the 12 μm ethane band (Gillett and Orton, 1975; Rieke, 1975), and it indicates that the temperature inversion is hotter at the South pole than at the equator. A model for the temperature inversion of the South pole is constructed and compared to the observations.
Phase Shifting Circadian Rhythms Produces Retrograde Amnesia

Phase shifting circadian rhythms in rats shortly after passive avoidance training impaired their performance on retention tests. The amnesia was not due to simple performance deficits accompanying the "jet leg" effects of phase shifting or to differences in lighting or circadian phase at training and at testing. Amnesia was associated with specific rhythm reentrainment patterns. These data indicate that disrupting circadian organization can produce retrograde amnesia in rats.
The Structure of Admissible Points with Respect to Cone Dominance

We study the set of admissible (Pareto-optimal) points of a closed, convex setX when preferences are described by a convex, but not necessarily closed, cone. Assuming that the preference cone is strictly supported and making mild assumptions about the recession directions ofX, we extend a representation theorem of Arrow, Barankin, and Blackwell by showing that all admissible points are either limit points of certainstrictly admissible alternatives or translations of such limit points by rays in the closure of the preference cone. We also show that the set of strictly admissible points is connected, as is the full set of admissible points.
Gravel Bed Combustor for Solid Fuel Fired Gas Turbine

A fixed bed, downdraft cumbustor for solid fuels applicable to gas turbine cogeneration or combined cycles is described. The combustor has a refractory gravel bed, with fuel placed on top of the gravel and burning at the fuel-gravel interface. The gravel retains fuel particles in the combustion zone, preventing carryover of unburned char. Combustion temperature is held below the ash fusion temperature by using high excess air through the bed, thereby minimizing particulate ash agglomeration. Previous work on fixed bed, downdraft combustors and coal fired gas turbines is reviewed. Recent results from test firing a 480cm/sup 2/ (0.5 ft/sup 2/) gravel bed combustor at atmospheric pressure with 2 cm (0.75 in.) wood chips are presented. Heat release rates of 3500 MJ/hr m/sup 2/ (300,000 Btu/hr ft/sup 2/) and higher were obtained. Carbon carryover is the exhaust was negligible. Approximately 85 percent of the particulate ash emissions were less than 10 microns.
MicroRNA Expression Profiles of Whole Blood in Lung Adenocarcinoma

The association of lung cancer with changes in microRNAs in plasma shown in multiple studies suggests a utility for circulating microRNA biomarkers in non-invasive detection of the disease. We examined if presence of lung cancer is reflected in whole blood microRNA expression as well, possibly because of a systemic response. Locked nucleic acid microarrays were used to quantify the global expression of microRNAs in whole blood of 22 patients with lung adenocarcinoma and 23 controls, ten of whom had a radiographically detected non-cancerous lung nodule and the other 13 were at high risk for developing lung cancer because of a smoking history of >20 pack-years. Cases and controls differed significantly for age with a mean difference of 10.7 years, but not for gender, race, smoking history, blood hemoglobin, platelet count, or white blood cell count. Of 1282 quantified human microRNAs, 395 (31%) were identified as expressed in the study’s subjects, with 96 (24%) differentially expressed between cases and controls. Classification analyses of microRNA expression data were performed using linear kernel support vector machines (SVM) and top-scoring pairs (TSP) methods, and classifiers to identify presence of lung adenocarcinoma were internally cross-validated. In leave-one-out cross-validation, the TSP classifiers had sensitivity and specificity of 91% and 100%, respectively. The values with SVM were both 91%. In a Monte Carlo cross-validation, average sensitivity and specificity values were 86% and 97%, respectively, with TSP, and 88% and 89%, respectively, with SVM. MicroRNAs miR-190b, miR-630, miR-942, and miR-1284 were the most frequent constituents of the classifiers generated during the analyses. These results suggest that whole blood microRNA expression profiles can be used to distinguish lung cancer cases from clinically relevant controls. Further studies are needed to validate this observation, including in non-adenocarcinomatous lung cancers, and to clarify upon the confounding effect of age.
Nonlinear filtering for spacecraft attitude estimation

Nonlinear filtering techniques are applied to spacecraft attitude estimation using quaternion parameterization for the attitude kinematics. By replacing the angular velocity vector by the gyro output vector, a state dependent noise vector is introduced in the seven-dimensional system equations. The resulting conditional probability density function from the Ito differential rule is governed by the Fokker Planck partial differential equation which is approximated by the second order mean and covariance differential equations. In order to minimize computer loading, the covariance propagation is carried out in six-dimensional state space using a matrix transformation. The star tracker data is used to update the covariance matrix in the seven-dimensional space. The algorithm is simulated for an earth pointing spacecraft mission, using Monte Carlo samples of gyro and star measurements. The performance of the second order filter is compared with the extended Kalman Filter through several simulation runs and drift rates have been identified.
A comparison of rearfoot motion control and comfort between custom and semicustom foot orthotic devices.

Background: Motion control and comfort are primary objectives in orthotic intervention. Semicustom orthotic devices have been presented as a more cost-effective solution than custom orthotic devices. However, no studies have compared their function or comfort to that of custom orthotic devices. Methods: Nineteen uninjured runners were fitted for custom and semicustom orthotic devices. Subjects underwent an instrumented gait analysis of running and walking in no-orthotic, custom orthotic, and semicustom orthotic conditions. Subjects completed visual analog scales for the custom and semicustom orthotic conditions. One-way repeated measures analyses of variance were performed on the rearfoot variables of peak eversion, eversion excursion, eversion duration, and eversion velocity. Two-tailed, dependent t tests were used to compare comfort. Results: Eversion excursion showed significant differences between the conditions: during running, it was reduced in the custom orthotic as compared to the no-orthotic cond...
Thermoluminescence and the shock and reheating history of meteorites - II: Annealing studies of the Kernouve meteorite

Samples of the unshocked, equilibrated chondrite, Kernouve (H6), have been annealed for 1-100 hours at 500-1200 C, their thermoluminescence sensitivity measured and Na, K, Mn, Ca, and Sc determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis. The TL sensitivity decreased with temperature until by 1000 C it had fallen by 40 percent. The process responsible has an activation energy of 8 kcal/mole and probably involves diffusion. Samples annealed 1000-1200 C had TL sensitivities 0.01 times the unannealed values, most of the decrease occurring at 1100 C. This process has an activation energy of 100 kcal/mole and is probably related to the melting of the TL phosphor, feldspar, with some decomposition and loss of Cs, Na and K. Meteorites whose petrography indicates heating above 1100 C by natural shock heating events (shock facies d-f), have TL sensitivities similar to samples annealed above 1100 C.