cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Anatomic and functional lesions resulting in partial or complete upper airway obstruction

HE CAUSES OF upper airway obstruction are many and varied. The clinical presentation (acute over hours, or chronically over days to weeks), as well as the age of the patient are important in distinguishing among the various causes of airway obstruction. In pediatric patients, congenital airway anomalies (laryngeal malacia, subglottic stenosis, laryngeal webs, and vascular rings) are the most common cause, whereas in adults, malignant neoplasms of the aerodigestive tract dominate (Figs 1 through 3). Other causes of stridor and upper airway obstruction include inhalational burns, foreign body aspiration, subglottic edema due to anaphylaxis or intubation, recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis, and local compression by tumor. Importantly, many of these entities are best assessed by indirect or direct visualization/ laryngoscopy; however, radiologic imaging using plain films, CT, or MR may provide valuable and diagnostic information. In this article, the causes of upper airway obstruction and their workup and management are discussed. Importantly, the role of imaging in establishing the diagnosis as well as specific causes of airway obstruction are also addressed. Emphasis is on when to use imaging in suspected airway obstruction, rather than on specific radiologic findings, because imaging is frequently obtained only following management of the airway. In assessing upper airway obstruction in children, congenital malformations and developmental anomalies, aspirated foreign bodies, epiglottis, and masses in the soft tissues of the neck are most commonly encountered. In children, extralaryngeal masses that may cause secondary airway obstruction include benign neoplasms, such as plexiform neurofibromas, lymphangiomas, hemangiomas, and subglottic teratomas. 1 Many congenital malformations involving the
Gender differences among long-distance backpackers: A prospective study of women Appalachian Trail backpackers.

Objective Backpacking is a popular recreational activity, yet the differential experiences of women are unknown. The objective was to compare women with men backpackers to determine the extent to which injuries and illnesses limit endurance outdoor recreational activities. Methods This was a prospective cohort surveillance survey of 334 persons who hiked the Appalachian Trail for ≥7 days. At the end of their hike, 280 subjects completed a questionnaire. Male hikers served as controls for injury and illness. Results Women comprised 26% (72 of 280) of the sample. The mean (± SD) duration of hiking was 144±66 days covering 1570±680 miles. Fifty-seven percent (41 of 72) of women and 72% (150 of 208) of men attained their goal ( P =.02). The occurrence of individual musculoskeletal problems, such as strains, sprains, arthralgias, tendonitis, and fractures, were similar ( P =.9) between sexes. The occurrence of diarrhea (56%) was also similar (relative risk [RR] 1.0; P =.9) between sexes. Of regularly menstruating women, 87% (43 of 49) had menstrual changes while hiking, such as change in frequency (45%) or character (43%) (RR 3.1; 95% CI, 2.0–4.8; P Conclusions Women had similar experiences as compared with men when backpacking. Menstrual changes were very common including amenorrhea. Prolonged amenorrhea raises concern for potential bone mineral density loss, and OCPs should be considered to prevent such loss.
Fluorescent labeling of dissociated fetal cells for tissue culture.

Abstract The ability to pre-label cells used in transplantation experiments would have the potential benefits of identification of cell type and associated processes and the analysis of graft migration in the host. We have used an in vitro tissue culture system as a model to test several fluorescent dyes for this application. Fetal rat hippocampal tissue (E 17 –E 18 ) was dissociated and incubated in the presence of carboxyfluorescein ester (CFSE), rhodamine-B dextran amine (RBD), Dil, or rhodamine-labeled latex microspheres. Cells were cultured in defined medium for up to 1 month. Cells labeled with CFSE were initially bright but faded over several days. RBD labeled the soma of cells, but fluorescence intensity was lost over a period of a few weeks. Cells labeled with Dil possessed brilliant staining of neuronal processes for weeks. Latex microspheres brightly labeled the soma but not the processes of neurons; fluorescent debris and sterility were problems with this label. We conclude that CFSE and Dil have significant potential usefulness in vitro as markers of cell viability and process formation with mammalian fetal CNS cells, whereas RBD is much less permanent. Latex microspheres may be suitable for pre-labeling of cells for transplantation if purification and sterility can be enhanced over present preparations.
Modification of wheat gluten with citric acid to produce superabsorbent materials

Wheat gluten was reacted with citric acid to produce natural superabsorbent materials able to absorb up to 78 times its weight in water. The properties of the modified gluten samples were characterized using Fourier Transform Infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and water uptake. The reaction between gluten and citric acid was examined for gluten : citric acid ratios of 0.38 : 1 to 0.75 : 1 at temperatures from 100 to 130°C. More citric acid reacted for samples containing higher citric acid concentrations and at higher temperatures. FTIR analyses indicated the presence of carboxylate groups on the modified gluten samples, which resulted in modified samples having higher water uptake values than neat gluten. The sample with a gluten:citric acid ratio of 0.5 : 1 and reaction temperature of 120°C had the largest water uptake value. Also, all modified gluten samples had lower thermal stability than neat gluten. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013
Singular perturbation method for reducing the model order in optimal control design

The optimal control for a high-order model of the plant is approximated by some functions obtained from two low-order models, the second being the sensitivity model of the first. The resuiting system is optimally sensitive with respect to the change of model order. The method is aimed at improving the "low-order design" in critical cases when the plant order is too high for the iterative optimization procedures to be practical.
Regulation of heat shock protein message in Jurkat cells cultured under serum-starved and gravity-altered conditions.

Although our understanding of effects of space flight on human physiology has advanced significantly over the past four decades, the potential contribution of stress at the cellular and gene regulation level is not characterized. The objective of this ground-based study was to evaluate stress gene regulation in cells exposed to altered gravity and environmentally suboptimal conditions. We designed primers to detect message for both the constitutive and inducible forms of the heat shock protein, HSP-70. Applying the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), we probed for HSP-70 message in human acute T-cell leukemia cells, Jurkat, subjected to three types of environmental stressors: (1) altered gravity achieved by centrifugation (hypergravity) and randomization of the gravity vector in rotating bioreactors, (2) serum starvation by culture in medium containing 0.05% serum, and (3) temperature elevation (42 degrees C). Temperature elevation, as the positive control, significantly increased HSP-70 message, while centrifugation and culture in rotating bioreactors did not upregulate heat shock gene expression. We found a fourfold increase in heat shock message in serum-starved cells. Message for the housekeeping genes, actin and cyclophilin, were constant and comparable to unstressed controls for all treatments. We conclude that gravitational perturbations incurred by centrifugal forces, exceeding those characteristic of a Space Shuttle launch (3g), and culture in rotating bioreactors do not upregulate HSP-70 gene expression. In addition, we found RT-PCR useful for evaluating stress in cultured cells.
Purification and Kinetic Analysis of Acetylcholinesterase From Western Corn Rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE, EC 3.1.1.7) was purified from western corn rootworm (WCR, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera) beetles by affinity chromatography. The purification factor reached over 20,000-fold with a specific activity of 169.5 mmol/min/mg and a yield of 23%. The Vmax values for hydrolyzing acetylthiocholine (ATC), acetyl-(b-methyl)thiocholine (AbMTC), propionylthiocholine (PTC), and S-butyrylthiocholine (BTC) were 184.8, 140.5, 150.2, and 18.8 mmol/min/mg, respectively, and Km values were 19.7, 18.5, 14.1, and 11.0 mM, respectively. The first three substrates showed significant inhibition to the AChE at higher concentrations, whereas BTC showed inhibition at the concentrations of 0.25‐2 mM but activation at >4 mM. AChE activity was almost completely inhibited by 1 mM eserine and BW284C15, respectively, but only 12% of AChE activity were inhibited by ethopropazine at the same concentration. These results suggested that the purified AChE from WCR was a typical insect AChE. Insecticides or their oxidative metabolites, chlorpyrifos-methyl oxon, carbofuran, carbaryl, malaoxon, and paraoxon, used in in vitro kinetic study exhibited high inhibition to AChE purified from WCR. However, chlorpyrifos-methyl oxon and carbofuran showed at least 36- and 4-fold, respectively, higher inhibitory potency than the remaining insecticides examined. Results from our in vitro inhibition of AChE agreed quite well with the previously published in vivo bioassay data. Arch. Insect Biochem. Physiol. 39:118‐125, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Relaxation in the s = {1}/{2} isotropic Heisenberg chain at T = ∞: Towards a simple intuitive interpretation

This work reports a significantly improved estimation of the on-site dynamical spin pair correlation function in the s = 12 isotropic Heisenberg chain at T = ∞ with respect to an earlier study (Phys. Rev. B 46 (1992) 14617) which has received some attention in the literature. The calculations have been performed using a recently developed technique for estimating unsolvable infinite continued fractions which are relevant for calculating the relaxation functions. This improvement became possible due to an important advance in the machine based computation of quantum mechanical commutators by M. Bohm and H. Leschke (Physica A 199 (1993) 116). The work reported here builds on the results of Bohm and Leschke and provides new predictions on the behavior of the on-site dynamical spin pair correlation function. This work also provides insights into possible ways to qualitatively understand the complex relaxation at high temperatures associated with a hermitian operator A(t) in a system described by a hermitian Hamiltonian H = H0 + H1, where none of these three operators commutes with one another.
Mortality and follow-up colonoscopy after colorectal cancer

Abstract Objective There have been no studies that demonstrate surveillance colonoscopy decreases mortality in patients with a history of colorectal cancer. The purpose of this study was to compare the mortality of patients with colorectal cancer who received at least one colonoscopy after their diagnosis with patients who had no further procedures after adjusting for age, race, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and comorbidity using the national Veterans Affairs (VA) databases. Methods We studied a cohort of 3546 patients within the VA national databases with a new diagnosis of colorectal cancer during fiscal year 1995–1996. Patients with inflammatory bowel disease, metastatic disease at presentation, or who died within 1 yr of initial diagnosis were excluded. We collected data for demographics, comorbidities, colonoscopies, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. The primary outcome was adjusted 5-yr mortality. Results In the adjusted analysis, the risk of death was decreased by 43% (hazard ratio = 0.57, 95% CI = 0.51–0.64) in the group who had at least one follow-up colonoscopy compared with patients who had no follow-up colonoscopies. Conclusions This study strongly supports a mortality benefit for follow-up colonoscopy in patients with a history of nonmetastatic colorectal cancer.
Probabilistic automata for architecture-based reliability assessment

Non-functional properties, such as reliability and performance, should be assessed as early as possible in a system's life cycle for cost effectiveness reasons. Hence, several software architecture-based reliability assessment techniques have been proposed. These techniques quantitatively analyze a system's or a component's behavior, which is typically represented using probabilistic generative automata. However, we demonstrate that generative automata do not appropriately capture information available in an operational profile. Furthermore, we overview other existing probabilistic automata formalisms; we identify their features and shortcomings when capturing an operational profile. As a way to circumvent the identified deficiencies, we introduce probabilistic component interface protocols, a new probabilistic automata formalism that supports intuitive and direct mapping of an operational profile. Finally, we discuss how to derive the analysis-oriented generative models from the probabilistic component interface protocols.
Nested polymerase chain reaction for detection of Ehrlichia equi genomic DNA in horses and ticks (Ixodes pacificus)

Abstract A nested polymerase chain reaction for detecting Ehrlichia equi in horses and ticks (Ixodes pacificus) was developed. A major second-round PCR product of 928 bp could be readily visualized in ethidium bromide-stained agarose minigels. An internal probe was used to verify the identity of the amplified product by non-radioactive (digoxigen-based) Southern blotting: additional confirmation was provided by DNA sequence analysis. A dilution study testing the sensitivity of the PCR indicated that DNA derived from ≤7.6 but > 3 infected neurophils was sufficient to generate a PCR signal. The specificity of the PCR was examined using a panel of rickettsiae, of which only E. equi and the closely-related human granulocytotropic ehrlichia produced PCR bands. In an in vivo infection study, E. equi DNA was detected in blood buffy-coat cells of an experimentally-infected horse on days three through 14 post-inoculation. In a separate study, three of six adult I. pacificus that as nymphs had been fed on an experimentally infected horse were found to be PCR-positive for E. equi.
Effect of Illness Severity and Comorbidity on Patient Safety and Adverse Events

The objective was to investigate the effect of admission health status on hospital adverse events and added costs. Secondary data were from merged administrative and clinical sources for Mayo Clinic Rochester, Minnesota hospital discharges in 2005 (N = 60,599). This was a retrospective cross-sectional study of the effect of demographics, diagnosis group, comorbidity, and admission illness severity on adverse events, incremental costs, and length of stay (LOS) using the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety Indicators and provider-reported events with harm. Estimates are derived from generalized linear models. Admission severity increased the likelihood of all types of adverse events (7.2% per unit acute physiology score for any event); 7 specific comorbidities were associated with increased events and 2 with decreased events. High admission severity increased incremental costs and LOS. Selected comorbidities increased incremental LOS but had no significant effect on incremental costs. Adverse event reporting should incorporate comorbidity and admission severity. Reimbursement incentives to improve patient safety should consider adjustment for admission health status.
Fundamental Reform of Payment for Adult Primary Care: Comprehensive Payment for Comprehensive Care

Primary care is essential to the effective and efficient functioning of health care delivery systems, yet there is an impending crisis in the field due in part to a dysfunctional payment system. We present a fundamentally new model of payment for primary care, replacing encounter-based imbursement with comprehensive payment for comprehensive care. Unlike former iterations of primary care capitation (which simply bundled inadequate fee-for-service payments), our comprehensive payment model represents new investment in adult primary care, with substantial increases in payment over current levels. The comprehensive payment is directed to practices to include support for the modern systems and teams essential to the delivery of comprehensive, coordinated care. Income to primary physicians is increased commensurate with the high level of responsibility expected. To ensure optimal allocation of resources and the rewarding of desired outcomes, the comprehensive payment is needs/risk-adjusted and performance-based. Our model establishes a new social contract with the primary care community, substantially increasing payment in return for achieving important societal health system goals, including improved accessibility, quality, safety, and efficiency. Attainment of these goals should help offset and justify the costs of the investment. Field tests of this and other new models of payment for primary care are urgently needed.
working‐class women's networks in a sectarian state: a political paradox

Working-class women in Camp Trad, Lebanon, created networks cutting across Lebanese, Palestinian, Syrian, Christian, Muslim, and other national, religious, ethnic, and cultural affiliations to create a genuine, local-level political culture and to carry out politically legitimate functions. These heterogeneous networks challenged sectors of the Christian ruling class. Performing essential service, order, and linkage functions; transforming the participants' values, identities, and behavior; and boding a potential for unified identity and action at a historical conjuncture in which sectarianism was being contested; the intersectarian character of the networks threatened the sectarian ideology of leadership. The predominantly Christian sectarian establishment, simultaneously faced with national and regional social, economic, and political unrest, attacked key mixed and Muslim-dominated neighborhoods, destroying the women's heterogeneous networks. [women, working class, networks, sectarianism, Lebanon]
NUCLEOSYNTHESIS BY CHARGED-PARTICLE REACTIONS.

Among the many fields of scientific endeavor in which nuclear physics plays a significant role, none is more breathtaking in scope than astrophysics. Indeed, all physical knowledge is clearly relevant in understanding our universe because of the limitless ranges of temperature and density which are believed to have existed in different regions and at different times. Most objects in the universe are, of course, not accessible for experimental analysis in the laboratory and our fragmentary knowledge of these objects can be derived only indirectly through the study of various kinds of radiation. It is therefore essential for physicists to investigate and understand as completely as possible those areas of physics which contribute in an important way to the structure and evolution of our universe, especially those which are verifiable in the laboratory.
DESIGN AND EVALUATION OF A MODULATOR CIRCUIT FOR A SELF-ENERGIZED WIRELESS SENSOR

This paper presents the design, simulation, and experimental verification of an electronic modulator circuit, which is a critical functional component for an acoustic wireless sensor that can simultaneously measure temperature and pressure within an injection mold. Through a stack of piezoceramic rings, the sensor is powered by energy harvested from the mold pressure differential. Based on the concept of nonlinear network theory, the amount of energy for pressure and temperature modulation is quantitatively defined by calculating the current and voltage thresholds of the modulator circuit. Results from the analytical model have shown that by optimizing the parameters of the circuit, the sensor can be properly powered by energy harvested from the molding process for data acquisition and transmission. The simulation result was then experimentally verified using a prototyped circuit. Pressure measurement resolution of 0.12% of the full scale (100 MPa) and temperature sensitivity of 4.8 kHz/°C were obtained from the experiments.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
A meta-analysis of the factor structure of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS): the effects of language.

Background: Given the lack of consensus on the factor structure of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), as well as the fact that the GDS factor structure appears to vary across diverse cultural and/or language groups, the present meta-analysis examined whether the factor structure of the GDS varies by language.Methods: A total of 26 published studies using exploratory factor analysis (14,669 participants; 10 languages) were included in the meta-analysis. The factor structure of the GDS was assessed in the overall sample as well as in each language that had been examined in at least two different studies.Results: The analysis of the full sample resulted in a four-factor structure, whereas analyses of the individual languages produced structures with 4 to 6 factors. The mean variable cosines between languages ranged from 0.612 to 0.839, suggesting that the different languages produced distinct factor structures. The three factors of dysphoria, social withdrawal-apathy-cognitive impairment, and positive mood were commonly observed across different languages. Of these, the positive mood factor was the most similar across the languages.Conclusions: These results provide strong evidence of language differences in the factor structure of the GDS. The findings suggest a need for researchers and clinicians to be careful when administering the GDS in different languages, as well as a need to take structural differences into account when interpreting results of the GDS.
On the knowledge structure of multi-solution variables, including quantified statements

Abstract This article is concerned with the development of a theory for reasoning about variables that can assume multiple solutions. Yager discusses the representation of three types of canonical statements: affirmative, disfirmative, and quantified. Measures of surety and rebuff are introduced that measure, respectively, the degree to which one is sure that a value occurs and the degree to which one rebuffs its occurrence. By restricting a variable to one solution by way of a uniquely quantifying proposition, Yager holds that it is possible to obtain the theory of possibility.
Application of extended state space to nonlinear ship rolling

Abstract It is well known in the field of marine hydrodynamics that the added mass, damping and wave exciting forces are functions of frequency (Newman, 1977. Marine Hydrodynamics. MIT Press, Cambridge). Although most previous studies of nonlinear ship rolling motion have assumed that these forces do not vary with frequency, in this study the frequency dependent added mass and damping coefficients are approximated in the time domain with extended state space variables. Using numerical time simulation (integration), the extended state space model is compared to the constant coefficient model with a constant frequency forcing and the results for two constant value approximations of the added mass and damping are compared to the extended state space model with a multiple component pseudo random forcing.
Automating the recording and improving the presentation of the anesthesia record

Although anesthesia records have been kept for over a hundred years, there is still discussion of their value and content. Two uses of the record are widely accepted: (1) review after the anesthetic event (as in medicolegal disputes), and (2) support of patient care during the delivery of an anesthetic. Although the anesthetic record is mandatory in much of the world, there is not a single standard for its format. Automating the generation and presentation of the record will enhance its value and help develop a consensus as to content. Merely automating the steps used to produce the manually generated record does not realize the full benefit of automation. For maximum benefit, the primary goal of automation should be to support the uses of the record. Specific techniques that are discussed include increasing time resolution, optimizing the type and location of input and display equipment, and tailoring the human interface. Particular attention is paid to the issue of how much detail is acceptable in the record, how to use visual cues to present detail properly, how to exclude extraneous detail, and how to avoid misleading presentations (erroneous interpretation of the data). Specific elements discussed include line width, the use of color, presentation of gradients, statistical summaries, contexts for reporting data, graphical techniques for increasing data content, and pictorial presentations. Current records are more often confusing because presented information is inconsistently displayed or irrelevant than because too much information is offered, and automation can ameliorate this problem.
State of the Art of Biochemical Genetics

Much of the early progress in biochemical genetics was descriptive. Keen clinical observations enabled the characterization of many disorders. Often, these descriptions relied on clinical observations of easily recognizable changes, such as urine color (dark urine in alkaptonuria) or odor (the smell of maple syrup in maple syrup urine disease or sweaty feet in isovaleric acidemia). Simple chemical tests, such as the use of ferric chloride, enabled the description of still more disorders. Forty years ago, the discovery of a single amino acid substitution in the hemoglobin molecule and the resulting disease, sickle cell anemia, marked the beginning of a new era in biochemical genetics. For the first time, it was shown that protein structure affected function. The description by Watson and Crick 1 of the molecular basis of heredity permitted the understanding of the genetic code and allowed for the present understanding of inherited diseases. Disorders could be understood
Phase transition from baryon to quark matter

THE equation of state of matter compressed to supernuclear densities is of considerable interest in astrophysics. For example, pulsars are stars compressed to densities greater than the density of atomic nuclei and are thought to be composed primarily of neutrons, based on detailed calculations of the equation of state of baryonic matter assuming that interaction potentials for the baryons (nucleons and hyperons) are derived from low energy nuclear physics1. There is, however, considerable evidence from high energy physics that baryons have structure, and it is currently believed that this structure is due to the fact that all hadrons consist of quarks bound by vector gluons2. The fact that free, isolated quarks have not been observed has led to the speculation that quarks may be permanently bound inside hadrons3. Since the quarks inside the nucleon behave as free particles2, the forces confining the quarks apparently become strong only when the distance between quarks exceeds the radius of a nucleon, ∼ 10−13 cm. When the density of matter is increased beyond the point that the mean distance between quarks in different baryons is ≪ 10−13 cm the description of matter as interacting baryons becomes invalid, and instead, a description of matter composed of quarks becomes relevant. At sufficiently high densities matter will behave like a relativistic gas of free quarks4 with P ≃ ρ/3, where P is the pressure and ρ is the energy density of matter. The density at which the baryon to quark transition occurs is of crucial importance to the structure of pulsars. General relativity implies that for a given equation of state there is a maximum energy density for stable stars1. It is therefore of considerable interest to know whether the energy density of baryon matter at the baryon–quark phase transition is less than this maximum value. Indeed, it has recently been suggested5 that the existence of quark matter inside pulsars would allow larger masses for pulsars than was previously thought possible. We will show, however, that there are reasons to doubt this.
Synthesis of 10‐deazapteroic and 11‐deazahomopteroic acids

The syntheses of 10-deazapteroic and 11-deazahomopteroic acids are described. These compounds along with their simple 6-phenylalkylpteridinol relatives were found to be inactive as antimalarial agents against the Plasmodium berghei or Plasmodium gallinaceum strains. 10-Deazapteroie acid was a potent growth inhibitor of Streptococcus faecium both in the pteridine and tetrahydropteridine forms.
The Relationship among Side Effects Associated with Anti-Epileptic Medications in Those with Intellectual Disability.

Seizures are fairly common in those with intellectual disabilities. In order to treat these seizures, antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are often used and in many cases are effective. However, these medications often create a variety of associated side effects. In order to monitor these side effects, measures such as the SEIZES-B have been used. While many side effects have been found to occur with the use of AEDs, research has not explored if certain side effects are more likely to co-occur. For the current study, 281 people with intellectual disability were administered the SEIZES-B to monitor side effects associated with AEDs. Correlations between side effect subscales were then computed. Several subscales were found to be significantly correlated: hepatic disturbance with dermatological changes and cognitive disturbance; respiratory disturbance with dermatological changes, sedation, and electrolyte disturbance; and cognitive disturbance with sedation and dermatological disturbance. Possible implications of these findings are discussed.
Object shape determination using incomplete data in a stratified medium

Wave scattered by an object in a stratified medium is much different from that in a homogeneous medium. In a stratified medium, the scattered energy is not spread out spherically. Therefore, the scattered far-field consists of two components: free-wave far-field and guided-wave far-field. In many cases only free-wave far-field or only guided-wave far- field can be measured. Our research concerns the problems of determining the shape of scatterer from the incomplete far-field data. We have found that the choice of incident waves is very important in determination of the shape of the unknown object from only free-wave far-field or only guided-wave far-field. We obtained analytical relations of the object, incident wave and scattered free-wave far-field and guided-wave far-field. These relations are used in reconstruction of the shape of unknown object numerically.
A Review of Mathematical Modeling of the Zinc/Bromine Flow Cell and Battery

Mathematical models which have been developed to study various aspects of the zinc/bromine cell and stack of cells are reviewed. Development of these macroscopic models begins with a material balance, a transport equation which includes a migration term for charges species in an electric field, and an electrode kinetic expression. Various types of models are discussed: partial differential equation models that can be used to predict current and potential distributions, an algebraic model that includes shunt currents and associated energy losses and can be used to determine the optimum resistivity of an electrolyte, and ordinary differential equation models that can be used to predict the energy efficiency of the cell as a function of the state of charge. These models have allowed researchers to better understand the physical phenomena occurring within parallel plate electrochemical flow reactors and have been instrumental in the improvement of the zinc/bromine cell design. Suggestions are made for future modeling work.
The soft modes of melting

Evidence is presented for the formation of liquid domains alongside line defects. The oscillations of the line defects with respect to the growing liquid domains are identified as soft modes. Excitation of these soft modes can account for the steep rise of the attenuation of longitudinal sound and the failure of the Clapeyron equation.
Neutrophil apoptosis in the lung after hemorrhage or endotoxemia : Apoptosis and migration are independent of IL-1β

Abstract Hemorrhage and endotoxemia are associated with neutrophil accumulation in the lungs and the development of acute inflammatory lung injury. Because alterations in the rate of apoptosis may affect the number and function of neutrophils in the lungs, we determined the percentage of neutrophils undergoing apoptosis in the lungs of control, hemorrhaged, or endotoxemic mice. In control mice, 18.5 ± 1.2% of pulmonary neutrophils were apoptotic. The proportion of apoptotic neutrophils in the lungs was significantly decreased 1 h after hemorrhage (6.5 ± 1.6%,P
Extracting the zero-gravity surface figure of a mirror

Space-based astronomical instruments such as SIM, the Space Interferometry Mission [1, 2] require high-quality mirrors whose zero-gravity surface figure is specified to nanometer accuracy. Testing, however, necessarily proceeds in 1g, normal earth gravity. Extracting the zero-gravity surface has traditionally been done by combining measurements with the mirror in a number of different orientations, so that the effects of gravity cancel. Here we examine some refinements to that technique, showing that for precise results it is necessary that mount forces as well as gravity forces cancel over the different orientations. These ideas are illustrated with lab experience obtained with a 343 mm diameter spherical mirror (PT-M1), which is a prototype SIM compressor mirror.
EQUILIBRIUM AND EVOLUTION IN MULTIPOLAR MAGNETIC CONFIGURATIONS RESULTING FROM INTERACTIONS AMONG ACTIVE REGIONS

The evolution of magnetic configurations with a current-carrying flux rope for modeling a prominence is investigated. The configurations evolve as a result of the interaction between two or more magnetic source regions. The background field of the system is produced by either two dipoles or four monopoles located on the boundary surface. Our purpose is to study the catastrophic behaviors of the systems' evolutions in response to the change in either the distance between source regions or the strength of background field, and to find the maximum heights that the flux rope can attain before it loses equilibrium and catastrophe occurs. We find that the domain in parameter space over which the flux rope remains in equilibrium is smaller than in the simpler configurations that have been previously investigated. Consequently, the equilibrium heights of the flux rope studied in this work are fairly low, such that the maximum values of these heights compared to the corresponding distances between the active regions vary from less than 3% to about 23%, with an average of about 13.2%, all of which are below 25%. This result has an important observational consequence, namely that a prominence appearing between different active regions will tend to be located in the low corona and will tend to become unstable if its height increases.
Field measurement of small ozone fluxes to snow, wet bare soil, and lake water

Eddy-correlation measurements over snow, wet bare soil, and lake water indicate very small vertical ozone fluxes. Adjustments to the small vertical fluxes are needed to take into account the effect of mean Stefan flow associated with evaporation at the surface and the effects of correlation between density variations and vertical wind fluctuations. For snow, the residual resistance calculated for the surface is about 34 s cm-1, indicating that the maximum deposition velocity is abut 0.03 cm s-1. For cold bare soil well saturated with water, the surface resistance is about 10 s cm-1 (maximum deposition velocity of about 0.1 cm s-1). The highest resistances obtained are for transfer to the surface of Lake Michigan, yielding values near 90 s cm-1 for resistance (0.01 cm s-1 for deposition velocity).
An eight-channel computer-controlled scanning electromyograph

A measurement system is described for the computerized detection, digitizing, and storage of electromyographic (EMG) signals from up to eight muscle groups. The use of a channel scanning technique allows almost simultaneous multichannel recording with minimal circuit redundancy. Specifically, the scanning electromyograph allows several EMG preamplifiers to share expensive isolation, signal-conditioning, and interface circuitry. The design incorporates monolithic integrated circuit preamplifiers and includes optical isolation of the preamplifier circuitry for protection of the subject. Hybrid active filter modules allow convenient selection of system bandpass characteristics. Key measurement parameters are software programmable. The scanning electromyograph is inexpensively constructed from readily available componentry. Specifications for all functional blocks within the instrument are comparable to those of commercial instrumentation.
Static subcritical water extraction with simultaneous solid-phase extraction for determining polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on environmental solids.

A rapid and very simple method for extracting polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from soils, sediments, and air particulate matter has been developed by coupling static subcritical water extraction with styrene-divinylbenzene (SDB-XC) extraction discs. Soil, water, and the SDB-XC disc are placed in a sealed extraction cell, heated to 250°C for 15 to 60 min, cooled, and the PAHs recovered from the disc with acetone/methylene chloride. If the cells are mixed during heating, all PAHs with molecular weights from 128 to 276 are quantitatively (>90%) extracted and collected on the sorbent disc and are then recovered by shaking with acetone/methylene chloride. After water extraction, the sorbent discs can be stored in autosampler vials without loss of the PAHs, thus providing a convenient method of shipping PAH extracts from field sites to the analytical laboratory. The method gives good quantitative agreement with standard Soxhlet extraction, and with certified reference materials for PAH concentrations on soil, sediment (SRM 1944), and air particulate matter (SRM 1649a).
Geochemistry of Marine Sediments

The uplift of rocks above sea level on the Earth's surface over geologic time produces material that can be altered into soils and sediments by weathering processes. Over time, a fraction of sediments are sequestered in ocean basins, with most of it stored in the coastal margin. Sediments produced from weathering of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks are transported primarily to the oceans through the world's river systems. The storage of organic matter in marine sediments is largely dependent upon the amount of early diagenesis (processes that alter the structure, texture, and mineralogy of a sediment, turning it progressively into solid hard rock; early diagenesis occurs immediately after deposition or burial of the sediment) that occurs in the upper sediments, which is controlled largely by the “quality” of organic detrital inputs and redox conditions of the sedimentary environment.
Prehospital transport of patients with acute myocardial infarction: A community-wide perspective

Objective The objectives of this population-based study were to examine the use of emergency medical services (EMS) in greater Worcester, Massachusetts, residents (2000 census = 478,000) hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) at all metropolitan Worcester medical centers in four biennial periods between 1997 and 2003. A secondary study aim was to describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with AMI transported to metropolitan Worcester hospitals by EMS, compared with those transported by other means, and their hospital outcomes. Methods We reviewed the medical records of 3805 patients hospitalized for confirmed AMI at 11 greater Worcester medical centers during 1997, 1999, 2001, and 2003. Information about the use of EMS, patient characteristics, and hospital outcomes was obtained through the review of hospital charts. Results A total of 2693 greater Worcester residents with AMI (70.8%) were transported to area hospitals by ambulance. Patients transported by ambulance were older, were more likely to be women, had a greater prevalence of comorbidities, and had a different symptom profile than patients transported by other means. Patients arriving at greater Worcester hospitals by ambulance were more likely to develop serious clinical complications, including heart failure and cardiogenic shock, and die during hospitalization compared with patients not transported by EMS. Conclusions Our results suggest that the majority of greater Worcester residents seeking care for AMI are transported by EMS. Patients transported by ambulance differ from patients transported by other means and are more likely to experience adverse hospital outcomes. The reasons why patients use EMS in the setting of AMI need to be further explored and patients' care-seeking behavior enhanced.
Time-reversal of electromagnetic scattering for small scatterer classification

Time-reversal operators, or the alternatively labelled, but equivalent, multistatic response matrix methods, are used to show how to determine the number of scatterers present in an electromagnetic scattering scenario that might be typical of UneXploded Ordinance (UXO) detection, classification and removal applications. Because the nature of the target UXO application differs from that of many other common inversion problems, emphasis is placed here on classification and enumeration rather than on detailed imaging. The main technical issues necessarily revolve around showing that it is possible to find a sufficient number of constraints via multiple measurements (i.e. using several distinct views at the target site) to solve the enumeration problem. The main results show that five measurements with antenna pairs are generally adequate to solve the classification and enumeration problems. However, these results also demonstrate a need for decreasing noise levels in the multistatic matrix as the number n of scatterers increases for the intended practical applications of the method.
User cost in oil production

Abstract The assumption of an initial fixed mineral stock is superfluous and wrong. User cost (resource rent) in mineral production is the present value of expected increases in development cost. It can be measured as the difference between in-ground market value and development cost, or estimated approximately from current development cost. For private or national-income accounting, mineral reserves should be treated as a renewable inventory. Adjustment for change in inventory may increase or decrease the income of a mineral producer, but an increase is more likely.
Cyclosporine is required to prevent severe acute GVHD following T-cell-depleted peripheral blood stem cell transplantation

Reduced immunosuppression may improve immune recovery and increase the graft-versus-leukemia effect after allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Furthermore, the requirement for post-transplant immunosuppression following extensive T-cell depletion remains unclear. We therefore evaluated the role of cyclosporine (CSA) in recipients of HLA-identical T-cell-depleted peripheral blood stem cell transplants (PBSCT), followed by donor lymphocyte infusions (DLIs) scheduled on days +45 and +100. Before day+45, successive cohorts of patients received decreasing amounts of CSA: standard-dose (SD) CSA, low-dose (LD) CSA, or no CSA until day+45. LD CSA was as effective as SD CSA in preventing acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). However, moderate-to-severe acute GVHD was significantly more frequent before the day +45 DLI in patients receiving no CSA (33.3 vs 12.7%, P=0.036, including the only four grade III-IV cases). As a result of higher rates of early acute GVHD, more patients in the 'no CSA' group failed to receive any DLI (30.7 vs 7.1%, P=0.01). Overall, there was no difference in the incidence of acute GVHD, as patients receiving CSA developed more GVHD after DLI. Similarly, no significant differences were found in chronic GVHD, transplant-related mortality, or survival. These results define a role for CSA in preventing GVHD at low T-cell doses following PBSCT.
Ultra-thin gates for the transport of phenol from supported liquid membranes to permanent surface modified membranes

Abstract We report on the development of membranes with an ultra-thin hydrophobic layer that can be used to support a liquid membrane or serve as a selective gate without further modification when the pore size is small enough. We use a thin layer of gold deposited on commercially available alumina supports to generate a layer on the surface that can be readily modified with thiols to control the hydrophobicity. Transport of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (TCP) was attained with thiol-modified gold-coated alumina membranes sealed with dodecane. The flux rates through these membranes are five times faster than control experiments through unmodified membranes and show complete selectivity. This provides strong evidence that the flux rates are high enough to be limited by simple diffusion through the alumina support. We have also demonstrated that it is possible to make ultra-thin gates with the alkyl chain itself serving as the hydrophobic barrier. With a 17 carbon chain thiol attached to the membrane in the absence of dodecane, quantitative transport is observed with the same high flux rates observed for the dodecane-treated membranes. Fixing the hydrophobic barrier to the surface should allow for more stable membranes.
Feedback in DSS as a Source of Control: Experiments with the Timing of Feedback

Well-designed feedback can improve decision making but to date there has been no comprehensive study of feedback in decision support systems (DSS) that could guide developers in its design. This work examines the opportunities and means to enhance cognitive control in decision making by providing appropriate feedback with DSS. It concentrates on the timing of feedback, which has been shown to affect the use of feedback and also demonstrates the potential advantages of using information technology over and above manual decision environments. Two experiments test the effects of controlling the timing of cognitive feedback on the user's cognitive control. The first tests the effect of timing one source of cognitive feedback, and the second tests the effect of timing two sources of feedback. The findings suggest that the design of feedback should become a routine part of the development of DSS.
Scaling behavior and surface-plasmon resonances in a model three-dimensional metal-insulator composite.

We calculate the ac dielectric function of a model Drude metal-insulator composite, using a three-dimensional ([ital d]=3) transfer-matrix algorithm. The real part of the effective conductivity, Re[ital g][sub [ital e]]([omega]), reveals (i) a Drude peak that appears only above the percolation threshold [ital p][sub [ital c]]; and (ii) a broad spectrum of surface-plasmon resonances whose lower edge approaches zero frequency at [ital p][sub [ital c]]. Sufficiently near [ital p][sub [ital c]], the dielectric function is consistent with an expected scaling form previously verified in [ital d]=2. The surface-plasmon spectrum resembles effective-medium predictions except for a weak but persistent peak near 0.4[omega]/[omega][sub [ital p]].