cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Infrared spectrum of CO2 intermedions on gold and catalysis of CO + O2 by gold and compounds of other metals

Abstract Some of the bands in the infrared spectra determine by Huber [1], resulting from the interaction of gold with a CO/O2 matrix at 4 K are now indicated to be due to adsorbed carbon dioxide intermedions. The three normal models are shown to be due to a single carbon dioxide intermedion. The shifts in vibrational frequencies are from 1336.5, 667.2, and 2349.3 cm−1 for the gas phase molecule to 850,356, and 1807 cm−1 for the adsorbed intermedion for the v1, v2, and v3 modes, respectively. The v1 mode becomes infrared active as a result of the bending of the molecules to C2v by the apparent addition of electrons. By matching the vibrational frequencies of carbon monoxide and oxygen intermedions, the mechanism of the oxidation of carbon monoxide catalyzed by gold is indicated to be insertion of CO into O2 to form a CO3 intermediate. Copper, zinc, palladium, chromium 4+, titanium 4+, manganese 7+, nickel 2+, and ruthenium 1+ are also indicated to catalyze the oxidation of carbon monoxide by this same mechanism.
Expressed genes in interleukin-4 treated Bcellsidentified by cDNA representational differenceanalysis

Abstract Interleukin-4 (IL-4) stimulates B cell growth and differentiation, such asinducingmature B cells to switch to IgG1 and IgE production. To further characterize IL-4effects on Bcells, we used a sensitive PCR-based subtraction approach to isolate genes expressedin IL-4treated cells. Our approach combined an adaptation of the genomic representationaldifferenceanalysis (RDA) method to cDNA analysis with a physical separation method(magnetic beaddepletion). This cDNA RDA technique allowed us to perform subtraction on therelatively smallnumber of highly, characterized, purified B cells that can be convenientlyprepared. In the hopesof removing genes responsible for general cell growth, we subtractedcDNA made fromlipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated B cells from cDNA from LPS+IL-4stimulated B cells.Two rounds of subtraction resulted in greater than 100-fold enhancement ofexpectedIL-4-induced Cγ1 cDNA. At that point, we cloned this subtraction library and analysed154randomly picked clones for sequence similarities. From these clones, 37 individual geneswereobtained. Most of these genes (30) could be functionally identified by sequence similarity.Theseincluded genes encoding Cγ1 (1), cytoskeletal components (4) and products involved inDNAreplication (3), metabolism (5), signal transduction (4), transcription (4), translation (6)andtransport (3). Only 7 genes had no similarity to known sequences in the GenBank, EMBLorSwiss Prot databases. One unknown gene (designated Fig1 for IL-Four InducedGene1) and one gene with homology to the human transcription factor E4BP4 were confirmedbyNorthern blot analysis to be induced 10–20-fold by IL-4 treatment. This list of expressedgenesin LPS+IL-4 treated B cells may shed further insight on the action and mechanism ofIL-4stimulation of cells.
Assessing Teamwork Skills of Foodservice Directors and Subordinates

Abstract The development of teamwork skills is a concern for foodservice organizations. Teamwork provides the opportunity to achieve better outcomes with fewer resources. The promise of increased effectiveness (quality/appropriateness of service) coupled with greater efficiency (cost containment/employee satisfaction) explains part of the substantial lure of teamwork in healthcare and other organizations. If teamwork is to be implemented in the dietetics/foodservice arena, assessment of the personnel's knowledge, skill, and ability to perform teamwork must be the first step in planning the development process. The members of the Management in Health Care Systems Practice Group were surveyed to request willingness for their subordinates and themselves to participate in a study regarding their teamwork skills, knowledge, and ability. The Teamwork Knowledge Skill Ability test was administered to 73 foodservice directors and 528 subordinates. The majority of subordinates worked in hospitals (78%), were female (79%), participated in decision-making groups at work (69%), and were diet-aides (29%) or supervisors (19%). The foodservice directors described themselves as situational leaders (77%) and persons who include the staff in decision-making groups (77%). The test is a 35-item, multiple choice questionnaire which is designed to measure the essential knowledge, skills, and abilities that individuals must have to work in teams. Five major subcategories, which include conflict management, collaborative problem solving, communication, goal setting and performance management and planning and tasks coordination, are represented. The participants overall mean Teamwork score was 19.5 out of 35 questions. Results suggest a need for the development of teamwork skills especially in the area of collaborative problem solving and communication.
A two-list synchronization procedure for discrete event simulation

The traditional mechanism for maintaining a list of pending events in a discrete event simulation is the simple linked list. However, in large scale simulations this list often becomes cumbersome to maintain since the number of pending events may become quite large. As a result, the execution time required by the simple linked list is often a significant portion of total simulation time. Several papers have been published suggesting improved synchronization procedures. The most efficient procedures reported are the time-indexed procedure and the two-level procedure. Both methodologies are much more efficient than simple linked lists; however, neither has been adopted by a general purpose simulation language. Further, both procedures require external parameter definition, which is a major handicap to their adoption by a general purpose language. This paper introduces a new sychronization procedure, the two-list procedure, which is much faster than simple linked lists for large pending event files. This procedure was designed for implementation in Fortran, and properly implemented it is transparent to the user. Thus it is ideal for adoption by general purpose simulation languages.
Unilateral Sclerocornea and Tracheal Stenosis: Unusual Findings in a Patient with Goldenhar Anomaly

The Goldenhar anomaly (GA) is a heterogeneous field defect of uncertain cause and wide variability of expression, characterized by facial phenotypes, usually asymmetric and unilateral, accompanied by various combinations and gradations of cardiac, skeletal, renal, and central nervous system defects. We report the pathologic findings in a 5-month-old boy with GA, tracheal stenosis, and left unilateral sclerocornea. To the best of our knowledge this is the first description of sclerocornea in a patient with GA.
Cannulation of the axillary artery for cardiopulmonary bypass: safeguards and pitfalls.

Abstract Background The ascending aorta is the customary site for arterial cannulation for cardiopulmonary bypass. Favorable experience at our institution and elsewhere using axillary artery cannulation in treating type A aortic dissections has caused us to broaden our indications for using this site for arterial cannulation for cardiopulmonary bypass. Methods Medical records, operative notes, and perfusion records were reviewed in all patients in whom the axillary artery was cannulated directly or by a graft for cardiopulmonary bypass from January 1, 2000 through August 30, 2002. Results Seventy-five patients underwent axillary artery cannulation during the 32-month interval. Eleven patients had ascending aortic dissections, 20 had extensively diseased ascending aortas, and 44 were individuals undergoing repeat cardiac procedures. The right axillary artery was used in 72 patients and the left in 3. In 16 patients the artery was cannulated directly, and in 59 the arterial cannula was inserted into a prosthetic graft that had been anastomosed to the axillary artery. Axillary artery cannulation was satisfactory in 95% (71 of 75) of the cases in which it was used. Conclusions Cannulation of the axillary artery for cardiopulmonary bypass is a dependable approach for procedures including reoperations, aortic dissections, and extensively diseased ascending aortas.
The impact of race on perceptions of criminal injustice

Based on a stratified sample of 239 residents of Cincinnati, Ohio, the present study explored whether African Americans and Whites differ in their perceptions of racial injustice in the criminal justice system. The data revealed a cleavage in the extent to which the races believed that Black citizens would be differentially stopped by the police, given a speeding ticket, jailed, and sentenced to death. The effect of race remained strong even when controls were introduced for sociodemographic characteristics, experience with the criminal justice system, experience with crime, neighborhood disorder, and political and crime related ideology. Perceptions of injustice, moreover, were strongest among the least affluent African Americans. The possibility that the racial divide in perceived criminal injustice both reflects and contributes to a larger racial chasm in how Black and White citizens understand and experience their lives in American society is explored.
The Effects of Language Brokering Frequency and Feelings on Mexican‐Heritage Youth's Mental Health and Risky Behaviors

Language brokering is the communication process where individuals with no formal training (often children of immigrant families) linguistically mediate for 2 or more parties (usually adult family members and individuals from mainstream culture). This study examined the direct and indirect effects of language brokering on mental health and risky behaviors. Mexican-heritage youth (N = 684) from schools in Phoenix, AZ, completed surveysat3wavesfrom7ththrough8th grades.Languagebrokeringfrequencyandnegative brokering feelings were positively associated with family-based acculturation stress, which waspositivelyassociatedwithalcoholuseandotherriskybehaviors.Yet,brokeringfrequency was negatively associated with other risky behaviors, and positive brokering feeling was negatively associated with cigarette use. Implications for these findings are discussed.
Normalizing the MMPI

Effective psychological services require recognition of a client's strengths as well as weaknesses. Personality tests such as the MMPI, however, focus attention upon the abnormal and deviant attributes of personality. Therefore, a psychologist should have an understanding of various adaptive behaviors that may be indicated by moderately elevated MMPI scale scores. Because most of the literature deals with the pathological ramifications of scale elevations, the authors developed a conceptual perspective of counterpart descriptors for each MMPI clinical scale. These descriptors are presented so that apparently contradictory sets of behaviors for elevated scores on any given scale can be viewed on a continuum from adaptive to maladaptive behavior. An armamentarium of MMPI personality traits should include positive as well as negative considerations to provide a fully comprehensive basis for the formulation of realistic assessments of human potentialities.
SU-E-T-451: Is Rotational IMRT More Susceptible to Delivery Uncertainties than Dynamic IMRT?

Purpose: To investigate whether rotational IMRT is susceptible to delivery uncertainties. Methods: Dosimetric effects of variation in dose rate, gantry position and MLC leaf positions were evaluated by incorporating their corresponding uncertainties into recalculated RapidArc treatment plans for four head‐and‐neck (HN) and four prostate test cases via modifications in gantry angles or MLC leaf positions. Total monitor units per aperture and therefore per plan were held fixed. The dose distributions and dose‐value histograms of the original and modified plans were compared using 3D Gamma analysis and dose indices of planned treatment volumes (PTV) and organs at risk (OAR). Results reported below used 2%–2 mm Gamma test pass rate criterion. Results: For a 50% normally distributed random variation in dose rate (sigma = 1.3° in gantry angle), all HN plans had a 99.7% Gamma test pass rate. For HN PTVs, an increase in dose rate variation resulted in a decrease in minimum dose and an increase in maximum dose; for nearly all OARs, no more than a 0.4% dose difference was observed. For HN plans, a 5° rotational shift resulted in a 96.2% average pass rate. Dose distributions were sensitive to systematic variations especially above 1 mm; HN plans modified with a −2 mm shift in the X1 bank resulted in a 97.3% pass rate, and PTVs and OARs received a 3.8% higher dose on average. Uniformly distributed random shifts of +/−2 mm in aperture MLC leaf positions showed no significant change in mean dose (<0.5%) and resulted in a 100% pass rate Conclusions: Rotational IMRT deliveries were found to be very tolerant to random errors in dose rate, gantry position and MLC leaf position. Clinically acceptable treatments may be delivered successfully using RapidArc despite large fluctuations in dose rate and gantry position.
Changes in fibrin-stabilizing factor levels in relation to maternal hemorrhage and neonatal disease.

Changes in Fibrin-stabilizing Factor Levels in Relation to Maternal Hemorrhage and Neonatal Disease
Modules of injective dimension one over Prüfer domains

Abstract Modules of injective dimension one over Prufer domains are studied in order to obtain new characterizations of almost maximal Prufer domains in terms of injective and decomposition properties of their torsion-free modules.
Moderators of mood-congruent encoding: Self-/other-reference and affirmative/nonaffirmative judgement

Abstract An experiment investigated mood-congruent encoding (MCE) of personal information about the self and a parent, and identified two moderators of MCE: self-/other-reference, and affirmative/nonaffirmative judgement. More specifically, the results indicated that elated mood facilitated encoding of affirmatively rated positive material under conditions of both self- and other-reference, whereas depressed mood facilitated encoding of affirmatively rated negative material under conditions of self-reference only. Material that had received non affirmative ratings did not evidence MCE. A similar pattern of mood-congruent judgement (MCJ) also occurred, elated mood increasing affirmative judgements of both self- and other-referent positive material, and depressed mood increasing affirmative judgements of self- but not other-referent negative material. Inhibitory effects characterised neither MCE nor MU: Elated mood did not decrease recall or judgements of negative material, and depressed mood did not decrea...
Remarks on evolution of space-times in 3+1 and 4+1 dimensions

A large class of vacuum space-times is constructed in dimension 4+1 from hyperboloidal initial data sets which are not small perturbations of empty space data. These space-times are future geodesically complete, smooth up to their future null infinity, and extend as vacuum space-times through their Cauchy horizon. Dimensional reduction gives non-vacuum space-times with the same properties in 3+1 dimensions.
EFFECTS OF POSTMYELOGRAPHIC REMOVAL OF METRIZAMIDE IN DOGS

Using a paired crossover trial, the effects of postmyelographic removal of metrizamide injected via the cerebellomedullary cistern were studied in 16 normal dogs. Each animal received a routine and a withdrawal myelogram. Seizure activity, changes in spinal evoked motor potentials and body temperature were measured following each myelogram. The amount of metrizamide removed was determined by densitometrically analyzing radiographs of cerebrospinal fluid/metrizamide aliquots recovered during the withdrawal procedure. There was a significant decrease in the number of seizures for withdrawal versus nonwithdrawal myelography (p < 0.01). The mean amount of metrizamide withdrawn per dog was 29% of the total injected.
Hybrid Optical-Ultrasonic Technique for Biomedical Diagnostics

We report the development of a diagnostic system combining time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy and ultrasound backscatter microscopy and its application in diagnosis of tumors and atherosclerotic disease. This system allows for concurrent evaluation of distinct compositional, functional, and micro-anatomical features of normal and diseased tissues.
Radiation Damage Studies and Operation of the DØ Luminosity Monitor

Abstract The D0 Luminosity Monitor (LM) employs scintillating wedges with photomultiplier tube readout to detect particles from inelastic collisions in p interactions at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. The Luminosity Monitor provides a real-time measurement of the relative luminosity during data-taking, and, with the determination of the effective inelastic cross section, it also provides an absolute measurement of the luminosity delivered to the D0 Experiment, which is later used for normalization of D0 physics results. In the course of normal Tevatron operations these scintillators accrue significant radiation damage. Operating parameters are monitored and adjusted to compensate for this degradation, and the scintillators are periodically replaced to facilitate stable performance. Results from radiation damage studies to the scintillator as well as the stability of the luminosity measurement will be presented.
Why spawning salmon return to their natal stream: The immunological imprinting hypothesis

The immune system of salmonids is remarkably similar to that of mammals, including the presence of B and T lymphocytes and a highly diverse antibody repertoire. However, fish lack bone marrow. Instead, development of immune cells takes place in the anterior kidney, which also houses long-lived, immunoglobulin-secreting plasma cells (LLPCs). These LLPCs should protect adult salmon against pathogens that are encountered upon return to their natal grounds for spawning. Here I present a hypothesis which links immune memory in the form of LLPCs to chemical imprinting and the highly accurate return rates of adults to their natal streams.
Intracellular pH and the metabolic status of dormant and developing Artemia embryos.

Abstract Encysted embryos of the brine shrimp Artemia salina have long been known to enter profound dormancy under anaerobic conditions. Utilizing in vivo 31 P nuclear magnetic resonance, we show that the reversible transitions between anaerobic dormancy and aerobic development are accompanied by large (>1 unit) intracellular pH changes, the more acid pH being associated with the dormant state. Furthermore, dormant cyst intracellular pH is independent of that of the buffer, suggesting the potential for pH-mediated regulation of enzyme activities during dormancy. An example concerning cyst nucleotide metabolism is discussed.
VUV-Soft X-Ray Beamline For Spectroscopy And Calibration

We describe the design and performance of the Los Alamos VUV synchrotron radiation beamline, U3C, on the VUV ring of the National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The beamline uses separate function optics to collect and focus the horizontally and vertically diverging beam. The monochromator is a grazing incidence Roland circle instrument of the extended grasshopper design (ERG). A post monochromator refocusing mirror is used to focus or collimate the diverging beam from the monochromator. The beamline control and diagnostics systems are also discussed.
Organizational Changes of the Daughter Basal Complex during the Parasite Replication of Toxoplasma gondii

The apicomplexans are a large group of parasitic protozoa, many of which are important human and animal pathogens, including Plasmodium falciparum and Toxoplasma gondii. These parasites cause disease only when they replicate, and their replication is critically dependent on the proper assembly of the parasite cytoskeletons during cell division. In addition to their importance in pathogenesis, the apicomplexan parasite cytoskeletons are spectacular structures. Therefore, understanding the cytoskeletal biogenesis of these parasites is important not only for parasitology but also of general interest to broader cell biology. Previously, we found that the basal end of T. gondii contains a novel cytoskeletal assembly, the basal complex, a cytoskeletal compartment constructed in concert with the daughter cortical cytoskeleton during cell division. This study focuses on key events during the biogenesis of the basal complex using high resolution light microscopy, and reveals that daughter basal complexes are established around the duplicated centrioles independently of the structural integrity of the daughter cortical cytoskeleton, and that they are dynamic "caps" at the growing ends of the daughters. Compartmentation and polarization of the basal complex is first revealed at a late stage of cell division upon the recruitment of an EF-hand containing calcium binding protein, TgCentrin2. This correlates with the constriction of the basal complex, a process that can be artificially induced by increasing cellular calcium concentration. The basal complex is therefore likely to be a new kind of centrin-based contractile apparatus.
Steep delay of reinforcement gradient in escape conditioning with altruistic reinforcement

Delay of altruistic reinforcement effects resemble those for conventional reinforcement in showing a decreasing monotonic gradient of response speed (100/latency) (p <.001). Results were obtained in a discrete-trials escape conditioning situation, employing the simulated suffering of another person as the noxious
“adapted for heaven”: conversion and culture in western Sicily

This paper examines the phenomenological and sociocultural character of Sicilian Pentecostal conversion and compares this transformational experience to that offered by traditional Sicilian shamanic practice. The approach to religious conversion advocated here is critical of the family of approaches called “deprivation-ideology” approach and features a view of conversion that relies on the existentialist-psychoanalytic synthesis of Herbert Fingarette. This paper advances the idea that the comparative study of religious transformation is best furthered when the conversion experience itself is the center of investigation rather than the cause or consequence of conversion events.
Pressure Broadening of Gas Phase Molecular Ions at Very Low Temperature

A novel apparatus has been developed to produce large quantities of thermal molecular ions at temperatures well below the freezing points of their precursor neutrals. This apparatus has been used to study the pressure broadening of the $J\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}3\ensuremath{-}2$ rotational transition of ${\mathrm{HCO}}^{+}$ in ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$ gas at temperatures in the range 11--30 K.
Early effects of phenobarbital on cytoplasmic RNA in rat liver

Abstract The effect of a single dose of phenobarbital on the appearance of RNA in the microsomal fraction of rat liver was studied during the first 24 h after treatment. Phenobarbital (80 mg/kg) and [14C]orotic acid were administered at the same time and animals killed at various times afterward. The RNA that appeared in the microsomes of rats treated with phenobarbital had a higher specific activity at 12 and 18 h after treatment. In microsomes from rats treated for 12 h, it was found that deoxycholate-soluble RNA and ribosomal RNA increased in specific activity to 127 % and 137 % of control, respectively. It was also found that most of the increased specific activity was in membrane “bound” ribosomes (150 %) as opposed to “free” ribosomes (118 %). These data suggest that phenobarbital caused a moderate general increase in microsomal RNA with a larger increase in membrane bound ribosomes. Cycloheximide pretreatment affected the specific activity of ribosomal RNA in phenobarbital-treated rats to a greater extent than the specific activity of controls. These data may suggest that an early effect of phenobarbital in rat liver is the appearance of ribosomal RNA in the endoplasmic reticulum and that this effect may depend on a translational influence. To determine whether the shift in the ribosomal population caused an increase in protein synthesis, the rate of amino acid incorporation into ribosome-bound polypeptides was examined after a short pulse of [14C]leucine. It was found that in both phenobarbital and control rats, bound ribosomes incorporated leucine 60 % better than free ribosomes; however, phenobarbital caused a uniform increase in the amino acid incorporating capacity of total, bound and free ribosomes (120 % of control).
Watch and wait: conservative management of lower gastrointestinal bleeding.

Abstract Background Although indications for surgery in lower gastrointestinal bleeding (LGIB) are widely described, practice varies. This study was designed to assess outcomes of patients allowed to exceed traditional triggers for surgery because of LGIB. Methods This is a retrospective review of patients at an urban tertiary hospital over a 3-y period that had LGIB necessitating 99m Tc-labeled red blood cell scintigraphy. Traditional indications for operative treatment of LGIB were defined as transfusion of >6 U of packed red blood cells, hemodynamic instability, bleeding lasting >72 h, and rebleeding after cessation of bleeding for >24 h. Results One hundred ninety-four LGIB patients had scintigraphy during the period of study with 180 meeting inclusion criteria. Fifty-six (31%) patients had at least one operative indication, and 32 (60%) were managed nonoperatively without a mortality. There were two (8.3%) mortalities in those who had operative management, one of which was because of exsanguination. Eighteen (32%) patients who met operative criteria were unlocalized. Conclusions Patients with LGIB can be safely managed nonoperatively, even when the bleed is unlocalized and traditional indications for surgery are met. Exsanguinations because of LGIB treated nonoperatively are rare except in patients deemed not to be surgical candidates.
Dendritic cell potentials of early lymphoid and myeloid progenitors.

It has been proposed that there are at least 2 classes of dendritic cells (DCs), CD8α+ DCs derived from the lymphoid lineage and CD8α− DCs derived from the myeloid lineage. Here, the abilities of lymphoid- and myeloid-restricted progenitors to generate DCs are compared, and their overall contributions to the DC compartment are evaluated. It has previously been shown that primitive myeloid-committed progenitors (common myeloid progenitors [CMPs]) are efficient precursors of both CD8α+ and CD8α− DCs in vivo. Here it is shown that the earliest lymphoid-committed progenitors (common lymphoid progenitors [CLPs]) and CMPs and their progeny granulocyte-macrophage progenitors (GMPs) can give rise to functional DCs in vitro and in vivo. CLPs are more efficient in generating DCs than their T-lineage descendants, the early thymocyte progenitors and pro-T cells, and CMPs are more efficient DC precursors than the descendant GMPs, whereas pro-B cells and megakaryocyte-erythrocyte progenitors are incapable of generating DCs. Thus, DC developmental potential is preserved during T- but not B-lymphoid differentiation from CLP and during granulocyte-macrophage but not megakaryocyte-erythrocyte development from CMP. In vivo reconstitution experiments show that CLPs and CMPs can reconstitute CD8α+ and CD8α− DCs with similar efficiency on a per cell basis. However, CMPs are 10-fold more numerous than CLPs, suggesting that at steady state, CLPs provide only a minority of splenic DCs and approximately half the DCs in thymus, whereas most DCs, including CD8α+ and CD8α− subtypes, are of myeloid origin.
Are We There Yet? Reflections on the 2008 Political Scene

Public sociologists have hit the campaign trail this year in blogs, op-eds, essays, and books designed to shine an analytic light on what feels-for better or worse-like the longest running presidential campaign in history. Candidates have been no less prolific, pro viding the public more than one best-selling biography and assorted "campaign books" designed to lay out their political philosophies and the personal experiences that have led them to their convictions. Political sociologists work at the intersec tion of inequality and political participation (see Jeff Manza and Chris Uggen on felony disenfranchisement), or politics and social movements (from the classic works by Doug McAdam to the more contemporary analyses of Kenneth Andrews). Their books are largely directed at a professional audience or the pol icy crowd that frequents the American Prospect or the recent addition to the pan theon, Pathways. Public sociology aimed at understanding the culture of modern politics is a different animal. It is more likely to trade on an insid er's vantage point, its authority deriving partly from the biography of the author or from extraordinary access seldom granted to the garden variety fieldworker. Todd Gitlin's engaging account of the forms of paralysis affecting both Republicans and Democrats, owes a great deal to his own history as an activist and political commentator. It rarely invokes sociology as an analytic framework, but it rests comfortably on the shoulders of organizational studies and social movements literature in ways that are recognizable to the disciplinary specialist. Its contribution lies in the clarity with which it points to contradic tions in political ideology, particularly among Republicans, although the Democrats come in for their fair share of critique. Gitlin is not aim ing to reframe the way sociologists look at the modern political parties but, instead, to lead readers on a tour of the upheavals at the inter section of Clintonian "third way" politics and the radical right turn of the Bush administra tion. 7he Bulldozer and the Big Tent: Blind Republicans, Lame Democrats, and the Recovery of American Ideals, by Todd Gitlin. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2007. 336pp. $25.95 cloth. ISBN: 978471748533.
The Influence of Stress, Gender, and Culture on Type 2 Diabetes Prevention and Management Among Black Men A Qualitative Analysis

This study used focus-group methodology to seek understanding about the unique influence of stress, gender, and culture on type 2 diabetes mellitus (t2dm) prevention and management among Black men. Twenty men from Iowa were recruited from a larger longitudinal study on Black families; each of these men participated in one of three focus groups. Ninety-five percent of the men in the sample were Black and all were either diagnosed with t2dm (n = 10), were prediabetic (n = 1), or had experience with t2dm through family and friends (n = 9). Our results revealed the existence of significant stress and some pessimism with respect to perceived ability to prevent and manage t2dm. The participants made it clear that, while their families are primary sources of support for managing stress, including t2dm, they can also be a source of stress, particularly with respect to parenting. Black men had mixed opinions on their relationships with respect to their health care providers; some had positive, long-standing relationships while others reported little or no relationship with their providers. In response to life stress, Black men reported experiencing inadequate and disrupted sleep as well as consuming too much alcohol at times. Some of the participants reported engaging in physical activity to manage their stress. The study concluded that, as researchers develop t2dm prevention and management programs, they should continue to consider the unique role that stress in its various forms, plays in the lives of Black men.
Pattern search for optimization

Abstract We describe a relatively inexpensive but rather effective version of pattern search technique to optimize multi-dimensional, implicitly specified, non-smooth functions (those with ridges, plateaus, discontinuities). It is based on the heuristic of repeating the best search direction found in exploratory moves as long as the response function improves. We also deal with the problem of generating adequately dispersed and an apropriate number of starting points to overcome noise and the danger of getting trapped in local optima. After discussing some implementation issues, we describe an area of application, the optimization of five threshold parameters used in the Morph-Fitting Program, a general-purpose module of our Generalized Production Rule System. The latter is then used to predict certain values of macro-economic variables.
Towards real-time prediction of Rift Valley fever epidemics in Africa.

Abstract Outbreaks of Rift Valley fever (RVF) virus in Africa are characterized by distinct spatial and temporal patterns that are directly related to specific environmental parameters associated with mosquito vectors that function in the maintenance (endemic) and transmission (epizootic) cycles of the virus. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellites with limited resolution (1 km) can indirectly measure rainfall inexpensively over subcontinental or continental areas at a high temporal frequency, and identify regions with a high potential for viral activity. Within regions of likely viral activity, mosquito vector-breeding habitats (dambos) are identified and mapped with archived, high-quality, cloud-free, higher resolution data from LANDSAT (thematic mapper resolution 30 m) and SPOT (multispectral resolution 20 m) satellites. Active sensors, like airborne synthetic aperture radar systems (range resolution 1.6 m), are capable of detecting flooded habitats, even through cloud cover. By identifying flooded habitats within regions with a high likelihood of RVF activity, the potential source foci of an outbreak may be detected close to real-time and control efforts implemented prior to the start of a RVF epidemic/epizootic.
An automated PLS search for biologically relevant QSAR descriptors

An automated PLS engine, WB-PLS, was applied to 1632 QSAR series with at least 25 compounds per series extracted from WOMBAT (WOrld of Molecular BioAcTivity). WB-PLS extracts a single Y variable per series, as well as pre-computed X variables from a table. The table contained 2D descriptors, the drug-like MDL 320 keys as implemented in the Mesa A&C Fingerprint module, and in-house generated topological-pharmacophore SMARTS counts and fingerprints. Each descriptor type was treated as a block, with or without scaling. Cross-validation, variable importance on projections (VIP) above 0.8 and q 2⩾0.3 were applied for model significance. Among cross-validation methods, leave-one-in-seven-out (CV7) is a better measure of model significance, compared to leave-one-out (measuring redundancy) and leave-half-out (too restrictive). SMARTS counts overlap with 2D descriptors (having a more quantitative nature), whereas MDL keys overlap with in-house fingerprints (both are more qualitative). The SMARTS counts is the most effective descriptor system, when compared to the other three. At the individual level, size-related descriptors and topological indices (in the 2D property space), and branched SMARTS, aromatic and ring atom types and halogens are found to be most relevant according to the VIP criterion.
Very long-term recall and recognition of well-learned material

Three experiments examined very long-term verbatim memory (from 4 months to 28 years) for lengthy, complex material. Experiments 1 and 2 found that recall (12 and 20 months after the material was last accessed) was at or near ceiling for many participants, and was significantly higher than free-choice recognition, with recognition failure for recallable words (RF) being observed. The magnitude of the effect corresponded to that predicted by the Tulving–Wiseman (1975) function. Experiment 3 found that recall was at or near ceiling for 3 years, then declined dramatically as the retention interval increased. However, given equal amounts of context as retrieval cues, forced-choice recognition remained relatively strong for as long as 28 years. These findings provide evidence of long-term memory for exact details of complex discourse far in excess of previous demonstrations, and, under certain circumstances, extend the RF phenomenon to lengthy, well-learned texts over long retention intervals. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Physical activity and coronary artery calcification in two cohorts of women representing early and late postmenopause.

Objective The aim of this study was to examine the association between physical activity (PA) and coronary artery calcification (CAC) among two cohorts of postmenopausal (PM) women representing early and late postmenopause. Methods The cross-sectional relationship between PA and CAC was examined in 173 younger PM women (mean age ± SD, 56.8 ± 2.9 y) from the Women on the Move Through Activity and Nutrition (WOMAN) study and 121 older PM women (mean age ± SD, 73.9 ± 3.8 y) from the Walking Women Follow-up (WWF) study who had complete PA and CAC data. PA was measured objectively using a pedometer over a 7-day period in both cohorts. CAC was assessed using electron beam tomography. Descriptive statistics were used to describe median levels of PA and CAC, as well as proportions of detectable CAC (0 vs > 0). Results Fifty-seven percent of WOMAN study participants and 74% of WWF study participants had detectable CAC. The median (interquartile range) CAC score was 1.4 (0-23.3) for participants in the WOMAN study and 38.8 (0-264.4) among WWF study participants. Median (interquartile range) step counts were 6,447 (4,823-8,722) steps per day in the WOMAN study and 5,466 (3,610-7,576) steps per day for WWF study participants. Among WWF study participants, there was a statistically significant inverse association between pedometer steps and CAC (P for trend = 0.002); no association was found among WOMAN study participants. Conclusions Among older PM women, higher levels of PA were associated with lower CAC. However, the relationship was not observed in PM women, likely due to the lower prevalence of CAC in this age group.
Generation and correlation of quadriphase-coded signals using acoustic surface waves

The use of acoustic surface waves to generate and correlate a 4-phase 15-bit generalized Barker sequence is described. Experimental results using quartz and LiNbO 3 as substrates are reported.
Analysis of Antidepressant Use Through Hierarchical Disease Analysis

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of antidepressants through use of mutually exclusive disease indications using a managed care database. A claims database from a 225 000 member managed care organisation was used for the study. A hierarchy of mutually exclusive antidepressant indications was developed: ‘Depression’, ‘Other Approved Indication’, ‘Mental Health’, ‘Surrogate Diagnosis’, ‘Other Uses’, ‘Chronic Disease’, and a residual ‘Unclassified’ hierarchical indication group. Patients in the Depression and Other Approved Indication hierarchical groups likely received the antidepressant drugs primarily for these indications and frequently received selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Use of antidepressants in the Mental Health Disorders hierarchical group may have been for a related disease. The patients in the Surrogate Diagnosis, Other Uses, Chronic Diseases, and Unclassified hierarchical groups were significantly older than those patients in the Depression group and tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) use was more frequent than the SSRIs. The patients in the Unclassified diagnosis group may represent antidepressant use that is not adequately documented or not indicated. The Surrogate Diagnosis and Chronic Diseases hierarchical groups total healthcare costs were significantly higher than those observed in patients with a Depression diagnosis. Use of mutually exclusive hierarchical diagnosis groups proved to be a useful strategy for assessing antidepressant drug use. SSRI use was more common in the Depression and Other Approved Indication hierarchical groups. Patients in the Surrogate Diagnosis, Other Uses, Chronic Diseases, and Unclassified hierarchical groups used TCAs more frequently.
Differential impairment of triazolam and zolpidem clearance by ritonavir.

BACKGROUND The viral protease inhibitor ritonavir has the capacity to inhibit and induce the activity of cytochrome P450-3A (CYP3A) isoforms, leading to drug interactions that may influence the efficacy and toxicity of other antiretroviral therapies, as well as pharmacologic treatments of coincident or complicating diseases. METHODS The inhibitory effect of ritonavir on the biotransformation of the hypnotic agents triazolam and zolpidem was tested in vitro using human liver microsomes. In a double-blind clinical study, volunteer study subjects received 0.125 mg triazolam or 5.0 mg zolpidem concurrent with low-dose ritonavir (four doses of 200 mg), or with placebo. RESULTS Ritonavir was a potent in vitro inhibitor of triazolam hydroxylation but was less potent as an inhibitor of zolpidem hydroxylation. In the clinical study, ritonavir reduced triazolam clearance to < 4% of control values (p < .005), prolonged elimination half-life (41 versus 3 hours; p < .005), and magnified benzodiazepine agonist effects such as sedation and performance impairment. In contrast, ritonavir reduced zolpidem clearance to 78% of control values (p < .08), and slightly prolonged elimination half-life (2.4 versus 2.0 hours; NS). Benzodiazepine agonist effects of zolpidem were not altered by ritonavir. CONCLUSION Short-term low-dose administration of ritonavir produces a large and significant impairment of triazolam clearance and enhancement of clinical effects. In contrast, ritonavir produced small and clinically unimportant reductions in zolpidem clearance. The findings are consistent with the complete dependence of triazolam clearance on CYP3A activity, compared with the partial dependence of zolpidem clearance on CYP3A.
How we treat oral chronic graft-versus-host disease

Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) is a major complication of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation that is associated with a diminished quality of life. The oral cavity is frequently affected, with a wide variety of signs and symptoms that can result in significant short- and long-term complications ranging from mucosal sensitivity and limited oral intake to secondary malignancy and early death. This article provides a comprehensive approach to the diagnosis and clinical management of patients with oral cGVHD, with particular attention to differential diagnosis, control of symptoms, and prevention of and screening for secondary complications. The clinical considerations and recommendations presented are intended to be practical and relevant for all clinicians involved in the care of patients with oral cGVHD, with the ultimate goal of improving care and outcomes.
No factories, no problems: the logic of neo‐liberalism in Egypt

Neo‐liberalism is a success of the political imagination. Its achievement is a double one. It makes the window of political debate uncommonly narrow and at the same time promises from this window a prospect without limits. On the one hand it frames public discussion within the elliptic language of neo‐classical economics. The condition of the nation and its collective well being are pictured only in terms of how it is adjusted in gross to the discipline of monetary and fiscal balance sheets. On the other, neglecting the actual concerns of any concrete local or collective community, it encourages the most exuberant dreams of private accumulation — and a chaotic reallocation of collective resources.
Dynamic Instabilities in the Sliding of Two Layered Elastic Half-Spaces

Two flat layered elastic half-spaces, of different material properties, are pressed together and slide against each other with a constant coefficient of friction. Although a nominally steady-state solution exists, an analysis of the dynamic motion yields complex eigenvalues with positive real parts, i.e., a flutter instability. These results demonstrate that self-excited (unstable) motion occurs for a wide range of material combinations. The physical mechanism responsible for this instability is that of slip-wave destabilization. The influence of the properties of the layers on the destabilization ofsliding motion is investigated. These dynamic instabilities lead either to regions of stick-slip or to areas of loss-of-contact. Finally the dynamic stresses at the interfaces between the layers and the semi-infinite bodies are determined and compared to the nominally steady-state stresses. These dynamic stresses are expected to play an important role in delamination.
Tradition and Evolution in Song Style: A Reanalysis of Cantometric Data

This paper reports the results of a reanalysis, using multivariate tech niques, of song-style data reported by Alan Lomax and his associates over the past decade. Lomax et al. have framed out an elaborate case for a causal connection between general cultural evolution and various fea tures of song style, such as text wordiness and melodic embellishment, as measured by the cantometric coding system. In the present paper, certain of these hypotheses are tested with models which include explicit vari ables of societal location. The results of these tests provide considerable support for a diffusional-historic, as opposed to a functional-evolutionary, explanation of song-style variance. On the other hand, certain of Lomax's hypotheses relating vocul qualities to the degree of pi-eiiiat-ital sexual free dom per society received at least moderate support.
Synthesis of Polycarbonate-Layered Silicate Nanocomposites via Cyclic Oligomers

A partially exfoliated bisphenol A polycarbonate nanocomposite has been prepared by using carbonate cyclic oligomers and ditallow dimethyl exchanged montmorillonite (B34). Wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) indicated that exfoliation of this organically modified layered silicate (OLS) occurs after mixing with the cyclic oligomers in a brabender mixer for 1 h at 180 °C. Subsequent ring-opening polymerization of the cyclic oligomers converted the matrix into linear polymer without disruption of the layer dispersion. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that a partially exfoliated structure was obtained, although no indication of layer correlation was observed in WAXD. If linear polycarbonate was similarly treated with B34 in a brabender mixer, only an intercalated hybrid was obtained. Furthermore, conventional melt or solution processing of the B34 with either linear polycarbonate or cyclic oligomers yielded intercalated nanocomposites with interlayer spacings of 3.27 and 3.6−3.8 nm, respectively. The...
Hydrodynamic shearing of biological cells

An understanding of hydrodynamic shearing of biological cells provides basic information about the mechanical properties of cells, their deformations occurring in natural circulations and is necessary for effective design of artificial circulation devices. Several situations including (i) shearing in cone-plate viscometers, (ii) forced flow through tubes and hypodermic needles, as well as (iii) acoustic microstreaming near oscillating bubbles and wires provide controlled shearing. Details of the deformation and disruptions of cells in shear fields are understood by considerations of theory describing emulsification processes. Viscoelastic parameters of the erythrocyte can be obtained using a model based upon the dynamic behavior of polysulfide rubber.
Spontaneously broken spacetime symmetries and Goldstone's theorem.

Goldstone's theorem states that there is a massless mode for each broken symmetry generator. It has been known for a long time that the naive generalization of this counting fails to give the correct number of massless modes for spontaneously broken spacetime symmetries. We explain how to get the right count of massless modes in the general case, and discuss examples involving spontaneously broken Poincare and conformal invariance.