cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluating the Safety of the Hand Surgery Procedure Room: A Single-Center Cohort of 1,404 Surgical Encounters.

Purpose Performing hand surgeries in the procedure room (PR) setting instead of the operating room effectively reduces surgical costs. Understanding the safety or complication rates associated with the PR is important in determining the value of its use. Our purpose was to describe the incidence of medical and surgical complications among patients undergoing minor hand surgeries in the PR. Methods We retrospectively reviewed all adult patients who underwent an operation in the PR setting between December 2013 and May 2019 at a single tertiary academic medical center by 1 of 5 fellowship-trained orthopedic hand surgeons. Baseline patient characteristics were described. Complication rates were obtained via chart review. Results For 1,404 PR surgical encounters, 1,796 procedures were performed. Mean patient age was 59 ± 15 years, 809 were female (57.6%), and average follow-up was 104 days. The most common surgeries were carpal tunnel release (39.9%), trigger finger release (35.9%), and finger mass or cyst excision (9.6%). Most surgeries were performed using a nonpneumatic wrist tourniquet (58%), whereas 42% used no tourniquet. No patient experienced a major medical complication. No procedure was aborted owing to intolerance. No patient required admission. No intraoperative surgical or medical complications occurred. Observed complications included delayed capillary refill requiring phentolamine administration after a trigger thumb release performed using epinephrine without a tourniquet (n = 1; 0.1%), complex regional pain syndrome (n = 3; 0.2%), infection requiring surgical debridement (n = 2; 0.2%), and recurrent symptoms requiring reoperation (n = 8; 0.7%). Conclusions In this cohort of patients in whom surgery was performed in a PR, there were no major intraoperative surgical or medical complications. There was a low rate of postoperative infection, development of complex regional pain syndrome, and a low need for revision surgery. These observations do not support the concern for safety as a barrier to performing minor hand surgery in the PR setting. Type of study/level of evidence Therapeutic IV.
Topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective To compare the efficacy and safety of topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) against placebo and active controls for improving pain and physical function of patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). We hypothesize that topical NSAIDs will be safe and effective for relieving symptoms in patients with knee OA. Methods The authors performed a systematic review according to the PRISMA guidelines, searching PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases. Randomized control trials that investigated topical NSAIDs that are widely available in many countries against both placebo and active controls in primary knee osteoarthritis were included. Studies that investigated other treatment modalities or treated nonspecific OA were excluded. A meta-analysis was performed to quantify the effect sizes and heterogeneity of the NSAIDs used. Results Upon initial search, 259 records were identified with 18 studies remaining after duplicate removal, abstract, and full-text screening. All NSAIDs demonstrated statistically significant reduction in at least one parameter of OA symptoms. The majority of included studies (66.7%) evaluated diclofenac. In the meta-analysis, standardized mean differences (SMD) of topical NSAIDs versus placebo were calculated and interpreted as having moderate effect size for improvement in pain (0.365, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.240, 0.490) and physical function (0.354, 95% CI 0.268, 0.493). With regard to safety, studies that used patches or dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) in the carrier reported a higher incidence of adverse events (AEs) than other carriers. Skin AEs were higher in the treatment group than the placebo group and gastrointestinal AEs were lower in the treatment group than placebo. Conclusion Topical diclofenac and ketoprofen are the most rigorously studied topical NSAIDs in the treatment of knee OA and have demonstrated the most significant reduction in pain and improvement of function. Ibuprofen was effective for pain relief and physical function improvement, but more high-powered studies are needed to make a confident comparison of efficacy. Additionally, the 'carrier' used to deliver the topical NSAID has an impact on the adverse event profile. This has safety implications for prescribers and pharmaceutical development. Topical diclofenac is widely available internationally and is the only topical NSAID approved for over-the-counter use in the US. It should be recommended to patients as a first-line conservative management for OA of the knee.
How Online Community Activities Affect Members’ Community Relationships: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of East and West

Modern online communities include people around the world, and community platforms are increasingly important for global businesses’ marketing strategies. Although online communities are a global phenomenon, most empirical research has been conducted in the West, which is significantly and culturally distinct from other important regions. This study analyzes the link of various online activities to community aspects to consider potential cross-cultural differences. A proposed taxonomy details online community activities, and a proposed framework of online community behavior is based on functional and hedonic theory. The empirical test uses data from online communities in the United States and China and reveals both differences and similarities in the online behaviors exhibited. For example, Chinese participants are driven by rational-functional routes to express loyalty to the community. Furthermore, whereas entertainment activities appear as mainly hedonic opportunities in the United States, Chinese participants also derive rational benefits from entertainment applications. These results can help global companies prioritize their online community activities for various countries.
Point-of-Care Ultrasound Predicts Clinical Outcomes in Patients With COVID-19.

OBJECTIVES: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) detects the pulmonary manifestations of COVID-19 and may predict patient outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study at four hospitals from March 2020 to January 2021 to evaluate lung POCUS and clinical outcomes of COVID-19. Inclusion criteria included adult patients hospitalized for COVID-19 who received lung POCUS with a 12-zone protocol. Each image was interpreted by two reviewers blinded to clinical outcomes. Our primary outcome was the need for intensive care unit (ICU) admission versus no ICU admission. Secondary outcomes included intubation and supplemental oxygen usage. RESULTS: N = 160 patients were included. Among critically ill patients, B-lines (94 vs 76%; P < .01) and consolidations (70 vs 46%; P < .01) were more common. For scans collected within 24 hours of admission (N = 101 patients), early B-lines (odds ratio [OR] 4.41 [95% confidence interval, CI: 1.71-14.30]; P < .01) or consolidations (OR 2.49 [95% CI: 1.35-4.86]; P < .01) were predictive of ICU admission. Early consolidations were associated with oxygen usage after discharge (OR 2.16 [95% CI: 1.01-4.70]; P = .047). Patients with a normal scan within 24 hours of admission were less likely to require ICU admission (OR 0.28 [95% CI: 0.09-0.75]; P < .01) or supplemental oxygen (OR 0.26 [95% CI: 0.11-0.61]; P < .01). Ultrasound findings did not dynamically change over a 28-day scanning window after symptom onset. CONCLUSIONS: Lung POCUS findings detected within 24 hours of admission may provide expedient risk stratification for important COVID-19 clinical outcomes, including future ICU admission or need for supplemental oxygen. Conversely, a normal scan within 24 hours of admission appears protective. POCUS findings appeared stable over a 28-day scanning window, suggesting that these findings, regardless of their timing, may have clinical implications.
Bacterial disease and the iron status of plants

An antibiotic from a Pseudomonas syringae van Hall (1902) strain chelates iron and is similar to microbial high-affinity Fe(III) transport compounds termed siderophores. The previously unidentified basic amino acid residues of syringomycin, a hexapeptide phytotoxin from P. syringae, were identified as δ-N-hydroxyornithyl residues. This amino acid is common to hydroxyamate siderophores. These antibiotics inhibit the growth of the eucaryotic organisms, Geotrichum candidum, Ceratocystis ulmi and a Rhodotorula species. Of the 176 bacterial strains examined for antibiosis, inhibition by many strains increased on media containing Fe(III). The nature of the antibiotic activities of these isolates is discussed in relation to the possible commonality to known antibiotics, siderophores and phytotoxins produced by fluorescent pseudomonad species. The enhancement by iron of phytotoxin production supports the contention that the iron status of plants and the ability of a pathogen to acquire iron may significantly affect the progression of bacterial plant disease.
Current technics for obstetric analgesia and anesthesia

T HIS is an analysis of twenty-four answers to an inquiry sent out by Dr. B. C. Hirst regarding the technic for obstetric analgesia and anesthesia used in a number of clinics, distributed as follows : California 2, Canada 1, Conneclicut 1, Illinois 2, Louisiana 1, Massachusetts 1, Michigan 1, Minnesota 2, Missouri 3, New Jersey 1, New York 6, Pennsylvania 1, and Wisconsin 2. In three of the clinics reporting the department of anesthesi:s of the hospitals cooperates in the administration of obstetric anesthetics. Two of the replies were from the departments of anesthesia of the respective hospitals.
Reliability-based serviceability limit state design for immediate settlement of spread footings on clay

Abstract While many spread footings constructed on clayey soils are designed using consolidation settlement analyses for the serviceability limit state (SLS), immediate settlement, or undrained displacement, of the footing may also contribute a significant portion of the total and/or differential settlement. Owing to possible magnitudes in immediate settlement, and with regard to stress history, assessment of the contribution of immediate settlement comprises an essential task for the understanding of the performance of a foundation system. This study proposes a simple reliability-based design (RBD) procedure for assessing the allowable immediate displacement of a spread footing supported on clay in consideration of a desired serviceability limit state. A relationship between the traditional spread footing bearing capacity equation and slope tangent capacity is established, then incorporated into a bivariate normalized bearing pressure–displacement model to estimate the mobilized resistance associated with a given displacement. The model was calibrated using a high quality database of full-scale loading tests compiled from various sources. The loading test data was used to characterize the uncertainty associated with the model and incorporated into an appropriate reliability-based performance function. Monte Carlo simulations were then used to calibrate a resistance factor with consideration of the uncertainty in the bearing pressure–displacement model, bearing capacity, applied bearing pressure, allowable displacement, and footing width. An example is provided to illustrate the application of the proposed procedure to estimate the bearing pressure for an allowable immediate displacement of a footing at the targeted probability and serviceability limit state.
Effects of remedial actions on LMPs

Locational marginal pricing (LMP) has been deployed by several wholesale markets in United States. Standard market design (SMD) proposed by FERC has also adopted LMP as the foundation for the open market power industry, LMP values are influenced by system operating conditions. If system is unconstrained, LMP values are flat throughout the network. When system is constrained, because of congestion or abnormal voltages, LMP values differentiate at various locations. Their values reflect the increased cost to deliver energy from marginal units to load buses. For speed and simplicity, most LMP models include merely constraints of transmission congestion and consider the generator unit real power output rescheduling as the only way to alleviate transmission congestion. However, in typical power systems there are other types of remedial actions (RAs) that can be applied to alleviate or eliminate system constraints. These RAs include shunt capacitor/reactor switching, transformer tap/phase shifter adjustment, etc. Remedial actions can affect LMPs by virtue of their effect on system active constraints. In this paper, we examine the effectiveness of remedial actions in smoothing LMP values. We propose an LMP computational models that includes RA effects as well as congestion and voltage constraints. The formulation of the problem is based on the single phase quadratized AC power flow model. The problem is linearized using the efficient co-state method leading to a standard linear program which is solved with standard techniques. An example power system is used to demonstrate the proposed framework. LMP values with and without RAs are computed and compared. Results show that effect of RAs on LMP is noteworthy and appropriate RAs can effectively flatten LMP values.
Negotiating Influence: The Economy, Security Apparatus, and the Assad Regime

Book Review of Bassam Haddad's Business Networks in Syria: The Political Economy of Authoritarian Resilence. Stanford University Press, 2011.
Aplysia cell adhesion molecules and serotonin regulate sensory cell- motor cell interactions during early stages of synapse formation in vitro

Long-term facilitation of sensorimotor synapses of Aplysia in culture by serotonin (5-HT) is accompanied by two changes: an increase in the number of sensory cell branches and varicosities contacting the major axons of the target motor cell L7, and a downregulation of Aplysia cell adhesion molecules (apCAM) from the surface of the presynaptic sensory cell. We tested the hypothesis that the two changes may be linked; the 5-HT-induced decrease of apCAM levels from sensory neurites may defasciculate sensory neurites from each other and make the surface of the motor axons a more attractive substrate for new growth and synapses. We used developing cultures to examine the relationship of neuritic branching, varicosity formation, and efficacy of the connections formed by sensory cells to levels of apCAM expression on the motor cell. We then determined the consequences of 5-HT applied during the early period of interaction between sensory and motor cells (day 1 or 2 in culture) on the pattern of sensory cell growth and synapse formation. We report that the number of sensory cell branches and varicosities, and the ability of sensory growth cones to fasciculate with L7 axons and form chemical connections correlate with the level of apCAM expression on different regions of L7. Early exposure to 5-HT increased the number of sensory cell branches and varicosities contacting newly regenerated distal neurites of L7 to levels that would normally occur when the sensory neurites interact with the major proximal axons of L7. Treatment with 5-HT also modulated the efficacy of the developing synaptic connections. The change in synapse efficacy was accompanied by an increase in the formation of new sensory varicosities and branches with pioneering growth cones extending on the major axons of L7. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that treatment with 5-HT modulates local differences in the expression of cell adhesion molecules on the surface of the interacting cells making motor neurites more attractive for sensory growth cones, thereby affecting new sensory neuritic growth and synapse formation.
The GMFM, PEDI, and CP-QOL and perspectives on functioning from children with CP, parents, and medical professionals.

Objective Many outcome measures assess function of children with cerebral palsy (CP), but establishing meaningful clinical change remains challenging. This study explored correlations between subjective status ratings in several functional domains, made by children, parents, and medical professionals. The ratings were compared with three outcome measures in preparation for longitudinal work to establish minimal clinically important change. Method Children were assessed with the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM), Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI), and Cerebral Palsy Quality of Life Questionnaire for Children (CP-QOL). Respondents provided Likert scale and Linear Analogue Scale ratings of gross motor function, self care, social function, quality of life, and overall function. Correlations were calculated for outcome measure scores and ratings. Results 122 children with CP across all GMFCS and MACS levels, 79 male, aged 8.1 ± 2.9 years generated status ratings by 27 child reports, 122 parent reports, and 110 medical professional reports. Most ratings were moderately to highly correlated between parents and medical professionals. Outcome measure scores were frequently significantly correlated with pertinent ratings from medical professionals and parents but usually not with child ratings. Conclusions Parents and medical professionals have similar perceptions of gross motor, self-care, quality of life, and overall status for children with CP and these perceptions correlate with standard outcome measures, but often do not agree with children's ratings. Longitudinal use of subjective status ratings from parents and professionals should contribute to establishing minimal clinically important differences for CP outcome measures.
Just Paying Attention: Communication for Organizational Attention:

The main premises in this article are that organizational attention is inherently communicative, and can be nurtured through communication interventions. Two communication practices that reflect or...
Curriculum and course materials for a forensic DNA biology course.

The Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission (FEPAC) requires accredited programs offer a “coherent curriculum” to ensure each student gains a “thorough grounding of the natural…sciences.” Part of this curriculum includes completion of a minimum of 15 semester-hours forensic science coursework, nine of which can involve a class in forensic DNA biology. Departments that have obtained or are pursuing FEPAC accreditation can meet this requirement by offering a stand-alone forensic DNA biology course; however, materials necessary to instruct students are often homegrown and not standardized; in addition, until recently, the community lacked commercially available books, lab manuals, and teaching materials, and many of the best pedagogical resources were scattered across various peer-reviewed journals. The curriculum discussed below is an attempt to synthesize this disparate information, and although certainly not the only acceptable methodology, the below discussion represents “a way” for synthesizing and aggregating this information into a cohesive, comprehensive whole. © 2013 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 42(1):15–28, 2014
Postoperative Mediastinal Masses: Report of Two Cases

A mediastinal mass can mimic the presence of cardiovascular disease by simulating cardiac or vascular enlargement on chest radiographs, or by compressing the heart or great vessels with resulting symptoms or signs. This problem of misdiagnosis is particularly acute in patients with prior cardiac surgery for repair of congenital heart lesions. Two such cases are reported. In addition to simulating cardiac disease, at least one, and perhaps both, were related to prior mediastinal surgery.
Poster: Numeric Based Ordering for Preconditioned Conjugate Gradient

The ordering of a matrix vastly impact the convergence rate of precondition conjugate gradient method. Past ordering methods focus solely on a graph representation of the sparse matrix and do not give an inside into the convergence rate that is linked to the preconditioned eigenspectrum. This work attempt to investigate how numerical based ordering may produce a better preconditioned system in terms of faster convergence.
Pulmonary edema as a result of chronic upper airway obstruction

This is the first case of an adult who developed recurrent pulmonary edema as a result of unrecognized chronic upper airway obstruction due to polyarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. The case highlights the importance of considering upper airway involvement in the differential diagnosis of sedentary patients with arthritic joint disease and breathing difficulties.
Hydrothermal Synthesis of Copper Selenides CsCu4Se3 and CsCuSe4

Abstract Synthetic investigations of the Cs-Cu-Se system were carried out in evacuated sealed fused silica ampoules at temperatures below 200°C. Reactions between CsCl,A2Sex (A = Na, K; x = 2, 4, 5), and Cu under hydrothermal conditions were examined. Two phases have been isolated: a layered CsCu4Se3 phase (P4/mmm, Z = 1, a = 4.090(2) A, c = 10.089(2) A, R = 3.83, Rw = 4.39%) and a linear chain CsCuSe4 phase (P212121, Z = 4, a = 5.574(2) A, b = 9.020(2) A, c = 13.931(3) A, R = 2.44, Rw = 3.21%), The structures have isostructural parents KCu4S3 and (NH4)CuS4, respectively. This report illustrates, for the first time, the propensity of polychalcogenide salts to act as reagents in hydrothermal copper chemistry.
Three-dimensional surface mapping simulator: theory, capabilities and operation

Abstract The design of a software system is described which simulates active three-dimensional (3D) optical mensuration by a/lowing user input of the coefficients of an arbitrary-dimension 3D polynomial surface, geometrical parameters relating the relative orientations of the active (projector) and passive cameras, and the pattern (s) to be projected by the active camera. Outputs are the resulting passive image and corresponding surface map. This simulator provides a useful tool for exploring the theoretical, conceptual and practical bases underlying active stereo vision, and allows simple stereo-vision experiments without a large investment in camera, computer and optical hardware.
Not Yet Queer Enough The Lessons of Queer Theory for the Sociology of Gender and Sexuality

This article gauges the progress that sociologists of gender and sexuality have made in employing the insights of queer theory by examining four recent monographs that have utilized aspects of queer theory in their empirical work: Rupp and Taylor (2003), Seidman (2002), Bettie (2003), and Schippers (2000). The article uses the insights of queer theory to push the monographs in an even “queerer” theoretical direction. This direction involves taking more seriously the nonnormative alignments of sex, gender, sexuality, resisting the tendency to essentialize identity or conflate it with the broad range of gender and sexual expression and treating the construction of intersectional subjectivities as both performed and performative in nature. The analysis of these texts also insists that a queer sociological theory situate its emphasis on discursive power more firmly in economic, political, and other institutional processes. Ethnographic methods are proposed as the most useful way of combining queer theory with...
Childhood‐onset schizophrenia

Schizophrenia has been described in children as young as five years of age and should be a diagnostic consideration in any child with psychosis.
Association of topoisomerase II with the hepatoma cell nuclear matrix: The role of intermolecular disulfide bond formation

Previous studies have resulted in conflicting data regarding the recovery of the nuclear enzymes topoisomerase (topo) II and topo I in the nuclear matrix fraction. In the present study we have assessed the effect of systematically altering a single extraction procedure on the distribution of these enzymes during the subfractionation of nuclei from HTC hepatoma tissue culture cells. When nuclear monolayers (prepared by treating attached cells in situ with the neutral detergent Nonidet-P40 at 4 degrees C) were isolated in the presence of the irreversible sulfhydryl blocking reagent iodoacetamide, subsequent treatment with DNase I and RNase A followed by 1.6 M NaCl resulted in structures which were extensively depleted of intranuclear components as assessed by phase contrast microscopy and conventional transmission electron microscopy. These structures contained 12 +/- 4% of the total protein present in the original nuclear monolayers. The lamins and polypeptides with molecular weights comparable to those of actin and vimentin were the predominant polypeptides present on SDS-polyacrylamide gels. Western blotting revealed that less than 5% of the total nuclear topo II molecules were present in these structures. In contrast, when the sulfhydryl cross-linking reagent sodium tetrathionate (NaTT) was substituted for iodoacetamide, the same extraction procedure yielded structures containing components of the nucleolus and an extensive intranuclear network. These structures contained a wide variety of nonlamin, nonhistone nuclear polypeptides including 23 +/- 4% of the total nuclear topo II. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis performed under nonreducing conditions revealed that topo II in these nuclear matrices was present as part of a large disulfide cross-linked complex. Treatment of these structures with reducing agents in 1.6 M NaCl released the topo II. In contrast, topo I did not form disulfide cross-linked oligomers and was not detectable in any of these nuclease- and salt-resistant structures prepared at 4 degrees C. To assess the effect of in vitro heat treatment on the distribution of the topoisomerases, nuclear monolayers (isolated in the absence of iodoacetamide and NaTT) were heated to 37 degrees C for 1 h prior to treatment with nucleases and 1.6 M NaCl. The resulting structures (which retained 26 +/- 5% of the total nuclear protein) were morphologically similar to the NaTT-stabilized nuclear matrices and contained 15 +/- 4% of the total nuclear topo II. High-molecular-weight disulfide cross-linked oligomers of topo II were again demonstrated. Attempts to demonstrate these disulfide cross-linked oligomers in intact cells were unsuccessful.
An essential role for the Glut1 PDZ-binding motif in growth factor regulation of Glut1 degradation and trafficking.

Cell surface localization of the glucose transporter, Glut1, is a cytokine-controlled process essential to support the metabolism and survival of hematopoietic cells. Molecular mechanisms that regulate Glut1 trafficking, however, are not certain. Here we show a C-terminal PDZ-binding motif in Glut1 is critical to promote maximal cytokine-stimulated Glut1 cell surface localization and prevent Glut1 lysosomal degradation in the absence of growth factor. Disruption of this PDZ-binding sequence through deletion or point mutation sharply decreased surface Glut1 levels and led to rapid targeting of internalized Glut1 to lysosomes for proteolysis, particularly in growth factor-deprived cells. The PDZ domain protein, GIPC, bound to Glut1 in part via the Glut1 C-terminal PDZ binding motif and we found that GIPC-deficiency decreased Glut1 surface levels and glucose uptake. Unlike the Glut1 degradation observed upon mutation of the Glut1 PDZ-binding domain, however, GIPC-deficiency resulted in accumulation of intracellular Glut1 in a pool distinct from the recycling pathway of the Transferrin Receptor (TfR). Blockade of Glut1 lysosomal targeting after growth factor withdrawal also led to intracellular accumulation of Glut1, a portion of which could be rapidly restored to the cell surface after growth factor stimulation. These data indicate that the C-terminal PDZ-binding motif of Glut1 plays a key role in growth factor regulation of glucose uptake by both allowing GIPC to promote Glut1 trafficking to the cell surface and protecting intracellular Glut1 from lysosomal degradation after growth factor withdrawal, thus allowing potential for a rapid return of intracellular Glut1 to the cell surface upon re-stimulation.
Thermal wave imaging of cracks in metals

Comparaison de deux methodes d'imagerie par onde thermique: microscopie acoustique par balayage et deflexion de faisceau optique ou effet mirage (OBM). Etude des fissures de fatigue dans une eprouvette d'alliage d'aluminium
Synthesis of a Novel Esterase-Sensitive Cyclic Prodrug System for Peptides That Utilizes a “Trimethyl Lock”-Facilitated Lactonization Reaction

This paper describes a unique strategy for preparing cyclic prodrugs of peptides that have increased metabolic stability and increased cell membrane permeability when compared to the linear peptides. By taking advantage of a unique “trimethyl lock”-facilitated lactonization system, an esterase-sensitive cyclic prodrug of a model hexapeptide H-Trp-Ala-Gly-Gly-Asp-Ala-OH was synthesized by linking the N-terminal amino group to the C-terminal carboxyl group. The key intermediate for both approaches was compound 9 with Boc-Ala attached to the phenol hydroxyl group of the “trimethyl lock” linker through an ester bond, which can then be incorporated into the peptide using a normal coupling reagent for peptide synthesis. The synthesis of the linear peptides was accomplished using both solution-phase and solid-phase approaches with the solution-phase approach having the advantage of using the key intermediate 9 most efficiently. Cyclization using standard high-dilution techniques provided cyclic prodrug 13. In 90...
An Elementary School Environmental Education Field Trip: Long-Term Effects on Ecological and Environmental Knowledge and Attitude Development

Using phenomenological analysis, the authors examined the long-term effects of an environmental education school field trip on fourth grade elementary students who visited Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The authors' findings suggest that one year after the experience, many students remembered what they had seen and heard and had developed a perceived proenvironmental attitude. The authors discuss the phenomenological analysis, cite interviews with students, and draw conclusions on the effect of the field trip.
Field Investigation of a Sandwich Plate System Bridge Deck

This paper presents the results of a live-load test of the Shenley Bridge, the first bridge application of the sandwich plate system technology in North America. The investigation focused on the evaluation of in-service performance including lateral load distribution behavior and dynamic load allowance. Real-time midspan deflections and strain values were measured under both static and dynamic conditions and under various loading configurations to assess the in-service performance. Distribution factors were determined for interior and exterior girders subjected to single and paired truck loadings. In addition, dynamic load allowance was determined from a comparison of the bridge's response under static conditions to the response under dynamic conditions. From a comparison of measured results to AASHTO LRFD, AASHTO standard, and CHBDC provisions, it was determined that the current provisions tend to produce conservative predictions for lateral load distribution, but can be unconservative for dynamic load allowance. As a result of the testing program containing a single field test, a finite-element model was also used for determination of lateral load distribution and yielded predictions similar to measured results. The results from the finite-element models were often less conservative than the code provisions.
Dimerization of Helical β-Peptides in Solution

Molecular simulations are used to examine the aggregation behavior of several β-peptides in explicit water. The particular peptides considered here adopt a helical, rodlike conformation in aqueous solution. Four distinct molecular sequences are considered. Earlier experimental studies have revealed the formation of ordered and disordered aggregates for such molecules, depending on sequence. The simulations reported here, which are conducted by resorting to metadynamics techniques, lead to free energy surfaces for dimerization of the peptides in water as a function of separation and relative orientation. Such surfaces are used to identify the molecular origins for the behaviors observed in the experiments.
Implementing value-added measures of school effectiveness: getting the incentives right

Abstract As part of their efforts to hold schools accountable, several states now calculate and publicize value-added measures of school effectiveness. This paper provides a careful evaluation of the value-added approach to measuring school success with particular attention to its implementation as a tool for increasing student achievement. In practice, even the more sophisticated of the measures currently in use fail to account for differences in resources, broadly defined, across schools and to address the problem of measurement error. The authors find that, as implemented, value-added measures of school effectiveness distort incentives and are likely to discourage good teachers and administrators from working in schools serving concentrations of disadvantaged students. The authors use a large longitudinally-matched data set of fifth grade students in North Carolina to document that approximately two-fifths of the differentially favorable outcome for schools serving advantaged students result from statistical bias associated with measurement error and that correcting for the measurement error leads to significant changes in the relative rankings of schools.
Using Critical Metaphor Analysis to Extract Parents' Cultural Models of How Their Children Learn to Read.

This research presents an empirical study on metaphor based on numerous interviews with parents of young children. Contemporary metaphor theory is complemented by a well-articulated place for culture and the role metaphor plays in cultural understanding. I demonstrate that 1) parents understand learning to read as the acquisition of reading skills; 2) different parents repeatedly use the same metaphors when describing these reading skills; 3) because parents have a folk or common-sense understanding of learning to read, the metaphors help organize their reasoning; 4) the metaphors also index sociocultural information at the level of the communicative event, specifically aspects of morality; 5) the hegemonic structure of this morality is evoked through indirect indexicality and is therefore registered and reproduced below the speaker's threshold of awareness.
Sensitivity of trajectory calculations to the temporal frequency of wind data

A mesoscale primitive equation model is used to create a 36-h simulation of the three-dimensional wind field of an intense maritime extratropical cyclone. The control experiment uses the simulated wind field every 15 min in a trajectory model to calculate back trajectories from various horizontal and vertical positions of interest relative to synoptic features of the storm. The latter trajectories are compared to trajectories that were calculated with the simulated wind data degraded in time to 30 min, 1 h, 3 h, 6h, and 12 h. Various error statistics reveal significant deterioration in trajectory accuracy between trajectories calculated with 1- and 3-h data frequencies. Trajectories calculated with 15-min, 30-min, and 1-h data frequencies yielded similar results, while trajectories calculated with data time frequencies 3 h and greater yielded results with unacceptably large errors.
Electron shells in over-critical external fields

When the charge of a nucleus exceedsZ=Zcr≈ 164–172 the energy of the 1s-electron level is lowered beyond the critical value of −m e c2. Then this bound level is degenerated with negative energy continuum solutions of the Dirac equation and becomes a resonance, whose shape varies and is approximately of Breit-Wigner type forZ−Zcr≳5. The physical meaning of this resonance can be understood most easily if the 1s-level is unoccupied (K-hole). In this case a positron may escape ifZ>Zcr, a process, that can be interpreted as auto-ionization of the positron. This fundamentally new process of quantum electrodynamics of strong fields can be tested experimentally by scattering very heavy ions (Z≧80) on each other since in such collisions superheavy electronic molecules occur (superheavy quasimolecules).
Budget-based control for interactive services with adaptive execution

We study the problem of managing a class of interactive services to meet a response time target while achieving high service quality. We focus here on interactive services that support adaptive execution, such as web search engines and finance servers. With adaptive execution, when a request receives more processing time, its result improves, posing new challenges and opportunities for resource management.We propose a new budget-based control model for interactive services with adaptive execution. The budget represents the amount of resources assigned to all pending requests. The budget-based control model consists of two components: (1) a hybrid control mechanism, which combines adaptive and integral controllers and controls the budget in order to meet the response time target with small steady-state error, fast settling time and little runtime overhead, and (2) an optimization procedure, which takes advantage of adaptive execution to maximize the total response quality of all pending requests under a given budget.We implement and evaluate the budget-based control model experimentally in Microsoft Bing, a commercial web search engine. The experimental results show that it achieves more accurate control of mean response time and higher response quality than traditional static and dynamic admission control techniques that control the queue length. We also apply the model to a finance server that estimates option prices, and conduct a simulation study. The simulation results show large benefits for budget-based control. For example, under the same response time and quality requirements, the budget-based model accommodates double the system throughput compared to a traditional queue-based control model.
Sleep Timing and Circadian Phase in Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome

Delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS) is a circadian rhythm sleep disorder in which the timing of the sleep episode occurs later than desired and is associated with difficulty falling asleep, problems awakening on time (e.g., to meet work or school obligations), and daytime sleepiness. The phase relationship between the timing of sleep and endogenous circadian rhythms is critical to the initiation and maintenance of sleep, and significant alteration leads to impairment of sleep quality and duration. The aim of this retrospective study was to determine the phase relationship between sleep-wake times and physiological markers of circadian timing in clinic patients with DSPS. Objective and subjective measures of sleep timing and circadian phase markers (core body temperature and melatonin) were measured in patients with DSPS and compared with age-matched controls. As expected, significant delays in the timing of the major sleep episode and circadian phase of body temperature and melatonin rhythms were seen in the DSPS group when allowed to sleep at their own habitual schedules, but the phase relationship between sleep-wake times and circadian phase was similar between the 2 groups. These results suggest that the symptoms of insomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness in DSPS patients living under entrained real-life conditions cannot be explained by an alteration in the phase relationship between sleep-wake patterns and other physiological circadian rhythms.
Microcavity Plasma Devices and Arrays Fabricated by Plastic-Based Replica Molding

The fabrication of lightweight and optically transparent arrays of microplasma devices having microcavities fabricated by a polymer-based replica molding process is reported. This process enables arrays of microcavity plasma devices and connecting channels with feature sizes as small as 20 mum to be produced inexpensively and precisely over surface areas of at least tens of square centimeters. Devices having transparent electrodes and substrates (including glass and flexible plastic) have been operated successfully at rare gas pressures up to 700 torr. Individual microplasma pixels with cross-sectional dimensions of 200times200 mum2 and 50times50 mum2, as well as plasma channels having widths of 20 and 150 and aspect ratios (channel length:width) as large as 104:1, have been fabricated and tested. Representative voltage-current data for these structures and lifetime measurements for a 20times20 pixel array are presented.
Influence of elastomer distribution on the cryogenic microcracking of carbon fiber/epoxy composites

Carbon fiber/epoxy laminates containing three different types of rubber modifiers, separately and in combination, were developed for testing in a cryogenic environment. Preformed rubber particles, core shell rubber, and solid carboxyl-functionalized rubber were chosen as additives to a model prepreg matrix to control the placement of the rubber within the resulting laminates. Cryogenic microcracking and mode I and II fracture toughness and interlaminar shear strength experiments were performed. Scanning electron microscopy was used to observe fracture surfaces of the rubber-modified laminates. Fracture toughness properties were improved while the ILSS decreased because of the presence of these rubber modifiers. It was observed that the presence of these modifiers significantly reduced the microcrack density of the laminates exposed to cryogenic cycling, and in the case of one, even eliminated microcracking entirely. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 90: 2268–2275, 2003
Further characterization and biologic activity of ragweed antigen—induced neutrophil chemotactic activity in man

We have previously described the appearance in serum of increased neutrophil chemotactic activity (NCA) during bronchospasm induced by inhalation of ragweed antigen in ragweed-sensitive subjects. This NCA is non-complement derived, appears within 1 min after antigen inhalation, and is not seen after methacholine-induced bronchospasm. This article describes further characterization of this chemotactic activity and correlation with in vivo leukocytosis. NCA consistently eluted in the void volume (fraction I) after Sephadex G-150 chromatography of patient serum obtained 10 min postchallenge. Fraction I contained 94% of the NCA of postchallenge whole serum. Both postchallenge whole serum and fraction I deactivated neutrophils to autologous chemoattractants and complement-derived chemotactic factors, but not serum-independent chemotactic factors. NCA was chemotactic for neither human nor guinea pig eosinophils, nor for human mononuclear cells. A significant increase of circulating neutrophils was seen only after antigen-induced bronchospasm and correlated with the increase in NCA. Thus, NCA represents another inflammatory mediator of probable mast cell origin that may explain, at least partially, the accumulation of neutrophils observed in the peripheral blood, skin, and bronchial wall after immediate hypersensitivity reactions.
Phthiriasis palpebrarum: an unusual course of blepharitis.

Pediculosis and phthiriasis occur in humans when sanitary conditions are inadequate. Typically, Phthirus pubis (crab lice) is found in the hair of the pubic and inguinal regions; Pediculus humanus capitis , in scalp hair; and Pediculus humanus corporis , on the seams of clothing. Phthiriasis palpebrarum, infestation of the eyelashes by P pubis and its ova, is an important entity to recognize and a difficult one, medically and socially, to treat. Presented herein is an interesting case of phthiriasis palpebrarum in two young siblings. Patient Report. A 5-year-old girl from a middle-class family complained of scalp itching. There were several cases of head lice in her camp group. Her parents discovered typical nits in her hair, and after a telephone consult with her pediatrician she was treated with permethrin followed by combing. A careful inspection of other family members revealed scalp hair nits in her mother but not in her father or
Biochemical evidence for minimal vegetation change in peatlands of the West Siberian Lowland during the Medieval Climate Anomaly and Little Ice Age

Peatland vegetation is controlled primarily by the depth of the water table, making peat paleovegetation a useful climate archive. We applied a biochemical approach to quantitatively estimate the plant sources of peat carbon based on (1) neutral sugar compositions of Sphagnum, vascular plants, and lichens and (2) lignin phenol compositions of vascular plants. We used these biochemical indices to characterize vegetation change over the last 2000 years in four peat cores from the West Siberian Lowland (Russia) to investigate climate change during the Medieval Climate Anomaly and Little Ice Age. The vegetation was dominated by Sphagnum in all four cores, but was punctuated by several rapid but transient transitions to vascular plant dominance in the two cores from the southern West Siberian Lowland ( 60°N), possibly indicating permafrost development. However, there was no evidence for sustained vegetation change in response to either climatic event in cores from southern West Siberian Lowland. This suggests that these climatic events were relatively mild in the southern West Siberian Lowland, although the sensitivity of bog plant communities to climate change remains poorly understood.
Genomic and epigenomic approaches to the study of X chromosome inactivation

X chromosome inactivation represents a compelling example of chromosome-wide, long-range epigenetic gene-silencing in mammals. The cis- and trans-acting factors that establish and maintain the patterns and levels of gene expression from the active and inactive X chromosomes remain incompletely understood; however, the availability of the complete genomic sequence of the human X chromosome, together with complementary approaches that explore the computational biology, epigenetic modifications and gene expression-profiling along the chromosome, suggests that the features of the X chromosome that are responsible for its unique forms of gene regulation are increasingly amenable to experimental analysis.
Ineffective Cleaning of Polysulfone Ultrafiltration Membrane Systems and Corrosion by Bisulfite Used as a Sanitizer

Abstract Bisulfite solution was used to sanitize polysulphone ultrafiltration membranes. The ultrafiltration system consisted of a 380-L jacketed vat with agitator, prefilter, centrifugal pump, and two polysulphone ultrafiltration membranes in parallel with valves and pressure gauges before and after the membranes. The system was soiled by recycling 380 L of sweet whey (40°C) for 2.0 h followed by concentrating (by diverting permeate steam to drain) whey for .5 h. The cleaning cycle consisted of acid cleaner (.5 h, 40°C) followed by enzyme cleaner (10.0 h, 40°C) and rinsing (2.0 h, 40°C). A .2% sodium metabisulfite solution was circulated for 5 min and the ultrafiltration unit left idle overnight. Swabs and rinse water samples were taken immediately after soiling, after cleaning, and the next morning to check sanitizing. Samples were plated on plate count agar and potato glucose agar (acidified with tartaric acid to pH 3.5) to determine numbers of bacteria, yeasts, and molds. Effectiveness of bisulfite was pH dependent. At pH 4.7, bisulfite solution was ineffective in controlling microorganisms and at pH 3.5, bisulfite was microstatic. Compared with trials with Antibac B (30 ppm Cl), bisulfite (pH 3.5) was similar for controlling bacteria, yeasts, and molds. Extensive corrosion of stainless steel housings was apparent following long-term contact (2 wk) with bisulfite solution. Laboratory trials using stainless steel fittings, plates, and rubber gaskets found that extensive corrosion and pitting of stainless steel and leaching of gaskets by bisulfite solution required several conditions: low pH, exposure to bisulfite vapors, use of 304 type stainless steel, and oxygen. Intermittent or continuous exposure to acidic bisulfite vapors resulted in corrosion. Antibac B (30 ppm Cl) did not show similar corrosion or leaching effects.