cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tectonic drivers for vegetation patterning and landscape evolution in the Albany River region of the Hudson Bay Lowlands

Summary 1 Groundwater‐peatland interactions were assessed by a regional survey in the Hudson Bay Lowlands, where the rapid rate of isostatic uplift has perturbed hydrological flow systems across a 6000-year chronosequence. 2 A 24 000 km 2 study area along the Albany River consists of 55% fen, 35% bog and 10% mineral soil. The peatland vegetation may be further subdivided into 11 noda, which are closely related to different water levels, ranges in water chemistry, and peat landform type. Species richness generally declines with increasing water level and acidity, whereas the gradient from bog to extremely rich fen is marked by the changing abundance and occurrence of fen-indicator species. 3 Bog landforms are restricted to physiographic settings where surface waters flow downwards and the bog vegetation is therefore isotated from the influence of geogenous waters. In contrast, fens are located in areas where mineral solutes are transported to the peat surface either by upwelling groundwater or by advective/dispersion along lateral flow paths. 4 Peatlands spread across the study area between 6000 and 3000  , coinciding with the emergence of new land from the sea. The release of organic acids from the nearly continuous peat cover acidified this calcareous landscape, leading to the convergence of the surface-water chemistry into four discrete groupings of pH vs. calcium. 5 Isostatic uplift, however, continues to alter the topography, fluvial geometry and groundwater flow systems of the lowlands, maintaining diverse peatland types on land surfaces of similar age. The formation of water-table mounds under the interfluvial divides and rising moraine system spurred the development of raised bogs, whereas the formation of regional seepage faces for goundwater on the margins of the moraine and rivers of the till plain maintains large areas of fen. 6 Although peatland succession seems to follow predictable pathways within a given hydrogeological setting, these pathways are locally altered by tectonic drivers that continually modify surface and groundwater flow systems. In this large peat basin the pace and pathway of peatland succession seems to be driven by tectonic rather than climatic forcing.
Physiological responses of Brahman and Hereford steers to an acute ergotamine challenge.

Research was conducted to evaluate the sensitivity of Bos indicus and Bos taurus cattle to a tall fescue ergopeptine alkaloid by assessing vital sign responses. Eight Polled Hereford and seven Red Brahman steers received bolus i.v. injections of ergotamine tartrate and saline vehicle in a simple cross-over design. Physiological traits measured 30 min and immediately before and 30, 60, and 90 min after treatment were respiration rate, rectal temperature, skin temperature at the tailhead and tail tip, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate. Blood samples were collected immediately before and 105 min after treatments to determine plasma prolactin and cortisol concentrations. Steers were fed a fescue-free diet in drylot. Ambient temperature and relative humidity averaged 31 degrees C and 55%, respectively, during data collection. No breed x treatment x time interactions were apparent for vital signs. The treatment x time interaction was significant (P < .05) for blood pressure and skin temperature. Ergotamine increased (P < .01) blood pressure and decreased (P < .01) skin temperature. The breed x treatment x time interactions were significant for prolactin (P < .1) and cortisol (P < .01). Ergotamine decreased plasma (P < .01) prolactin and increased (P < .01) cortisol concentrations in both breeds, despite some breed variation. Across all traits, Brahman and Hereford steers responded similarly to acute ergotamine exposure, indicating that the breeds are alike in acute sensitivity to a systemically administered ergopeptine alkaloid associated with fescue toxicosis.
Deepwater: A Computer-Based Business Ethics Simulation Game

This paper explores the use and limitations of simulation games in the teaching of business ethics. This exploration consists of presenting two fundamental objections to using business ethics simulation games to teach business ethics. These objections appear to have not been previously articulated in the business ethics literature. Then I describe a competitive business ethics simulation game that I developed based on the 2012 BP Gulf oil spill and present some results from using this simulation in an undergraduate business ethics course over the past year and a half.
Are social supports in late midlife a cause or a result of successful physical ageing

Background. Many studies have noted a strong association between poor social support and premature mortality. A limitation of such studies has been their failure to control adequately for confounders that damage both social supports and physical health.Methods. A 50-year prospective multivariate study of 223 men was used to examine the possible causal relationships between social supports and health. Alcohol abuse, prior physical health and mental illness prior to age 50 were controlled. Relative social supports were quantified over the period from age 50 to 70.Results. Adequacy of social supports from age 50 to 70 was powerfully correlated with physical health at age 70 (P<0·001). However, such social supports were also powerfully predicted by alcohol abuse (P<0·001), smoking (P<0·001) and indicators of major depressive disorder (P<0·01) assessed at age 50. When prior smoking, depression and alcohol abuse were controlled, then the association of physical health with social supports was very much attenuated. Some facets of social support like religion and confidantes were unassociated with health even at a univariate level. Surprisingly, in this sample friends seemed more important for sustained physical health than closeness to spouse and to children.Conclusions. While social supports undoubtedly play a significant role in maintaining physical well-being in late life, much of the association between poor social supports and mortality may be mediated by alcoholism, smoking and pre-morbid psychopathology.
Adaptive data analysis via sparse time-frequency representation

We introduce a new adaptive method for analyzing nonlinear and nonstationary data. This method is inspired by the empirical mode decomposition (EMD) method and the recently developed compressed sensing theory. The main idea is to look for the sparsest representation of multiscale data within the largest possible dictionary consisting of intrinsic mode functions of the form {a(t )c os(θ(t))} ,w herea ≥ 0i s assumed to be smoother than cos(θ(t)) and θ is a piecewise smooth increasing function. We formulate this problem as a nonlinear L 1 optimization problem. Further, we propose an iterative algorithm to solve this nonlinear optimization problem recursively. We also introduce an adaptive filter method to decompose data with noise. Numerical examples are given to demonstrate the robustness of our method and comparison is made with the EMD method. One advantage of performing such a decomposition is to preserve some intrinsic physical property of the signal, such as trend and instantaneous frequency. Our method shares many important properties of the original EMD method. Because our method is based on a solid mathematical formulation, its performance does not depend on numerical parameters such as the number of shifting or stop criterion, which seem to have a major effect on the original EMD method. Our method is also less sensitive to noise perturbation and the end effect compared with the original EMD method.
Female advocacy and royal protection in tenth-century England: the legal career of Queen AElfthryth.

The last twenty-five years have witnessed significant changes in our understanding of female agency and identity in Anglo-Saxon law. Traditional accounts of women's legal status had emphasized women's relative independence as well as their ability to dispose of property and pursue legal disputes without male spon sorship or protection. In Sir Frank Stenton's oft-quoted judgment, "there can be no doubt that Old English society allowed to women, not only private influence, but also the widest liberty of intervention in public affairs."1 However, following Anne Klinck's call for "considerable qualification" of this "received view," such assertions largely have been replaced by an understanding similar to that recently articulated by Clare Lees and Gillian Overing: that under the law, "a woman's name might in fact be said to be wife, mother or widow" and that her agency remains "a less vocal presence than the louder agency of her male relations."2
Differences in mechanical properties between human and porcine aortic root

Recently, percutaneous aortic valve (PAV) replacement has been investigated as an endovascular alternative for the treatment of aortic stenosis. Percutaneous valve intervention requires a thorough material characterization of the human aortic root and ascending aorta for successful PAV deployment and function. Recent PAV clinical trials have been conducted on animal models under the assumption that animal tissues are closely related to human (1, 2). However, various adverse effects detected after device implantation such as device fracture, myocardial infarction, peripheral embolism, aortic injury, perivalvular leak and access site injury have been reported (3, 4). We hypothesize that the biomechanical interaction between the device and the host tissue plays an important role that determines the efficacy of the PAV treatment. Thus, there is a need obtaining the mechanical properties of the host tissues for the future analysis of device-tissue interaction. In this study, we characterized the mechanical properties of aged human aortic tissues and compared them to porcine tissues to determine whether animal studies are appropriate for the PAV trials. Our results suggest there are significant differences between porcine and human aortic tissues and the efficacy of animal models for PAV simulation should be further investigated.
The impact of strategy and integration mechanisms on enterprise system value: Empirical evidence from manufacturing firms

This paper ‘‘conceptualizes the fit’’ of enterprise resource planning systems in manufacturing firms by conducting a study to identify how well organizational strategies and integrating mechanisms fit managements expectations of the systems value. The empirical findings indicate that the extent of BPR, competitive strategy, adequacy of end-user training, role of steering committee, package functionality, integration of IT, and manufacturing decisions related to technology, workforce, quality, production planning and organization are important determinants of managements perceptions of system value. � 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Effects of Handling, Administration of a Local Anesthetic, and Electrical Dehorning on Plasma Cortisol in Holstein Calves

Effects of handling, administration of a local anesthetic, and electrical dehorning on plasma cortisol were measured in Holstein heifer calves. Jugular blood was sampled from 24 calves (age, 7 to 16 wk) within 1 to 2 min after entering their pen (baseline, 0800 h). All calves were then haltered, placed in a restraint chute, an unheated electrical dehorner applied to each horn stump, and a second jugular blood sample obtained 30 min later (handling). Calves were then divided into control and test groups (12 calves). For the next 2 consecutive d the sequence of sampling blood and handling were the same except that 1) for control calves a heated dehorner was used on d 2 (dehorning), and 2) for test calves the cornual nerve of each horn stump was injected with 5 ml lidocaine prior to applying an unheated dehorner on d 2 (administration of anesthetic) and a heated dehorner on d 3 (combination of anesthetic and dehorning). Handling, injection of an anesthetic, and dehorning were stressful and increased plasma cortisol of calves 5.4, 16.8, and 28.3 ng/ml above baseline, respectively. Dehorning and the combination of injecting lidocaine and dehorning resulted in similar increases in plasma cortisol. Different responses in plasma cortisol in individual calves exposed to similar stimuli suggest that synthesis and release of cortisol can be modified.
Medical Treatment of Recurrent Candidemia in a Patient With Probable Candida parapsilosis Prosthetic Valve Endocarditis

Fungal endocarditis is considered an absolute indication for valve replacement surgery. We describe the successful medical treatment of recurrent Candida parapsilosis candidemia with sequential treatment with amphotericin B and fluconazole in a patient with probable prosthetic valve endocarditis. Because of the presumed effectiveness of amphotericin B and fluconazole in the treatment of this patient, medical therapy should be considered as potentially useful in the treatment of recurrent C parapsilosis fungemia or endocarditis or both.
Toward principles for the design of ontologies used for knowledge sharing

Recent work in Artificial Intelligence is exploring the use of formal ontologies as a way of specifying content-specific agreements for the sharing and reuse of knowledge among software entities. We take an engineering perspective on the development of such ontologies. Formal ontologies are viewed as designed artifacts, formulated for specific purposes and evaluated against objective design criteria. We describe the role of ontologies in supporting knowledge sharing activities, and then present a set of criteria to guide the development of ontologies for these purposes. We show how these criteria are applied in case studies from the design of ontologies for engineering mathematics and bibliographic data. Selected design decisions are discussed, and alternative representation choices and evaluated against the design criteria.
The Dartmouth Atlas of Musculoskeletal Health Care

The Center of the Evaluative Clinical Sciences. Dartmouth Medical School. James N. Weinstein, principal investigator, and John D. Birkmeyer, editor. Chicago: AHA Press; 2000. 203 pages. $125.00 (nonmembers) or $75.00 (AHA and AAOS members). This is the fifth “atlas” in the Dartmouth series addressing regional variations in health care in the United States. As such, it conforms to the high standards of clarity and thoroughness set by the earlier atlases. The figures, largely in the form of maps showing “Health Referral Regions” in the United States, are beautifully reproduced but are something of an eye-test for anyone trying to determine activity at the level of an individual region. The maps very clearly show the wide range of variation in the factors …
Molecular Dynamics of Methanol Monocation (CH3OH+) in Strong Laser Fields

Experimental studies by Yamanouchi and co-workers indicate that an intense 40 fs 800 nm laser pulse can cause CH3OH+ to isomerizes during the pulse. The potential energy surfaces of methanol neutral, monocation, and singlet and triplet dication were explored using the CBS-APNO, CBS-QB3, CAM-B3LYP, and B3LYP levels of theory. Ab initio classical trajectories were calculated in the presence of a 2.9 × 1014 W/cm2 800 nm laser field for methanol monocation on the ground state potential energy surface using the CAM-B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level of theory. With only zero point energy, CH3OH+ gained less than 15 kcal/mol from the 40 fs laser pulse, which was not enough to overcome any of the barriers for isomerization or fragmentation. To simulate extra energy deposited during the ionization process, 75, 100, and 125 kcal/mol of vibrational energy was added to the initial structures. After 400 fs, the distribution of product was CH2OH+ + H (79–81%), HCOH+ + H2 (9–13%), CH2OH2+ (1–3%), CH3+ + OH (1–3%), and CH2+ + H2O (...
Effect of recombinant tumor necrosis factor-α on three-dimensional growth, morphology, and invasiveness of human glioblastoma cells in vitro

✓ In order to investigate the antiproliferative and anti-invasive effects of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α on human glioblastoma cells, an in vitro three-dimensional (anchorage-independent) assay was performed using Matrigel, a mixture of extracellular matrix proteins. Four glioblastoma-derived cell lines, including one cloned line, were cultured in Matrigel with or without TNF-α. In the Matrigel containing TNF-α, three of the four cell lines, including the cloned line, showed significant growth inhibition in a dose-dependent manner. Dramatic three-dimensional morphological differences were observed between TNF-treated and untreated glioblastoma cells cultured in Matrigel. Untreated cells formed large and highly branched colonies throughout the gel. In contrast, the majority of TNF-treated cells demonstrated truncated branching processes and, at a high TNF-α dose, an increasing number of cells remained in relatively small spherical aggregates, their cell processes being significantly reduced. Quantitative...
Context-dependent effects of freshwater mussels on stream benthic communities

SUMMARY 1. We asked whether unionid mussels influence the distribution and abundance of co-occurring benthic algae and invertebrates. In a yearlong field enclosure experiment in a south-central U.S. river, we examined the effects of living mussels versus sham mussels (shells filled with sand) on periphyton and invertebrates in both the surrounding sediment and on mussel shells. We also examined differences between two common unionid species, Actinonaias ligamentina (Lamarck 1819) and Amblema plicata (Say 1817). 2. Organic matter concentrations and invertebrate densities in the sediment surrounding mussels were significantly higher in treatments with live mussels than treatments with sham mussels or sediment alone. Organic matter was significantly higher in the sediment surrounding Actinonaias than that surrounding Amblema. Actinonaias was more active than Amblema and may have increased benthic organic matter through bioturbation. 3. Living mussels increased the abundance of periphyton on shells and the abundance and richness of invertebrates on shells, whereas effects of sham mussels were similar to sediment alone. Differences in the amount of periphyton growing on the shells of the two mussel species reflected differences in mussel activity and shell morphology. 4. Differences between living and sham mussel treatments indicate that biological activities of mussels provide ecosystem services to the benthic community beyond the physical habitat provided by shells alone. In treatments containing live mussels we found significant correlations between organic matter and chlorophyll a concentrations in the sediment, organic matter concentrations and invertebrate abundance in the sediment and the amount of chlorophyll a on the sediment and invertebrate abundance. There were no significant correlations among these response variables in control treatments. Thus, in addition to providing biogenic structure as habitat, mussels likely facilitate benthic invertebrates by altering the availability of resources (algae and organic matter) through nutrient excretion and biodeposition. 5. Effects of mussels on sediment and shell periphyton concentrations, organic matter concentrations and invertebrate abundance, varied seasonally, and were strongest in late summer during periods of low water volume, low flow, and high water temperature. 6. Our study demonstrates that freshwater mussels can strongly influence the co-occurring benthic community, but that effects of mussels are context-dependent and may vary among species.
Walking the High Wire: A Practical Guide for Balancing Accountability and Competition in Public Works Service Arrangements

Practitioners often face the challenge of structuring privatized arrangements to best deliver public services. Despite the literature's focus on contracting, there are 10 different service arrangements that can be used to deliver services. Each arrangement balances the strengths of the public and private sectors in different ways. Selecting one of these arrangements for a specific situation can be challenging, and practitioners must understand what they gain and lose with each arrangement. This article proposes a typology of service arrangements based on the dimensions of accountability and competition. Practitioners can use this tool to structure privatized arrangements that best maximize the values of accountability and competition within a particular situation.
High-Throughput Detection of Pathogenic Yeasts of the Genus Trichosporon

The need for a rapid and accurate method for the detection of fungal pathogens has become imperative as the incidence of fungal infections has increased dramatically. Herein, we tested the Luminex 100, a novel flow cytometer, for the detection of the medically important genus Trichosporon. This genus was selected as our proof-of-concept model due to the close phylogenetic relationship between the species. The method, which is based on a nucleotide hybridization assay, consists of a combination of different sets of fluorescent beads covalently bound to species-specific capture probes. Upon hybridization, the beads bearing the target amplicons are classified by their spectral addresses with a 635-nm laser. Quantitation of the hybridized biotinylated amplicon is based on fluorescence detection with a 532-nm laser. We tested in various multiplex formats 48 species-specific and group-specific capture probes designed in the D1/D2 region of ribosomal DNA, internal transcribed spacer regions, and intergenic spacer region. Species-specific biotinylated amplicons were generated with three sets of primers to yield fragments from the three regions. The assay was specific and fast, as it discriminated species differing by 1 nucleotide and required less than 50 min following amplification to process a 96-well plate. The sensitivity of the assay allowed the detection of 10(2) genome molecules in PCRs and 10(7) to 10(8) molecules of biotinylated amplification product. This technology provided a rapid means of detection of Trichosporon species with the flexibility to identify species in a multiplex format by combining different sets of beads.
Barley yellow dwarf virus: effects on carbohydrate metabolism in oat (Avena sativa) during cold hardening

Barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) causes significant losses in yield and in overwintering ability of winter cereals. Mechanisms by which the physiology of plants is affected by the virus are not clear. To see how carbohydrates in the crown of winter cereals were affected by BYDV, fructan isomers of degree of polymerization (DP) 3–5, fructan DP>6 and the simple sugars, glucose, fructose and sucrose, were measured before and during cold hardening in three oat (Avena sativa L.) cultivars, ‘Wintok’, ‘Coast Black’ and ‘Fulghum’. On a fresh weight basis fructan DP>6 decreased by 50% in infected ‘Wintok’ and ‘Coast Black’ and by 25% in ‘Fulghum’. Two DP3, one DP4 and one DP5 isomer were significantly higher than non-infected controls. The percentages of simple sugars in infected crowns were significantly higher than controls in all three cultivars in every week except the first week of hardening. Crude enzyme extracts from BYDV infected plants incubated with sucrose suggested higher invertase and lower sucrose-sucrosyl transferase activity. When incubated with 1-kestose and neokestin, no significant difference was found in fructose fructosyl transferase or in hydrolase activity. The activity of unidentified enzymes catalysing the synthesis of larger (DP>5) fructan was altered by BYDV. The decrease of carbohydrates in the crown induced indirectly by BYDV may alter the plant's capacity to regenerate tillers in the spring. The ability of plants to prevent or tolerate carbohydrate fluctuations induced by BYDV infection may be an important genetically regulated characteristic for developing virus-resistant cultivars.
Self assembled asymmetrically substituted polydiacetylene as a novel second order NLO material

Summary form only given. Polymer chains of a novel asymmetric polydiacetylene, poly((8-butoxy carbonyl)methyl urethanyl) 1-(5-pyrimidyl)-octa-1,3-diyne(BPOD) self assemble in an acentric stable polar organization upon spin coating. Spontaneous alignment of the urethane moiety caused by the intramolecular hydrogen bonds between the side groups appears to be responsible for this organization. An abrupt decrease, of SH intensity at around 130/spl deg/C is found to be closely related to the breaking of noncentrosymmety in the films in conjunction with the disruption of these intramolecular hydrogen bonds. The changes observed were reversible below 130/spl deg/C but become irreversible above this temperature. Dielectric and infrared spectroscopy confirm the relaxation of the stable hydrogen bonded polar organization at higher temperatures. The invention of this self assembling second order NLO polymer also opens up numerous possibilities in molecular design for further optimization of properties.
Has Voyager 1 left the heliosphere

In the past few years, scientists have vigorously debated the location of the Voyager 1 spacecraft: Has it left the Sun's vast heliosphere and reached interstellar space? Although the spacecraft has detected fewer and fewer accelerated particles, Gloeckler and Fisk note that magnetic field readings suggest it remains within the heliopause—a region that separates the heliosphere from the interstellar medium.
A New Approach to Learning How to Teach: medical students as instructional designers

As students at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, the student authors were given the opportunity to develop their own creative projects which would be used to teach future medical students. They chose their own topics, planned and researched their projects, and then implemented the projects in interactive digital Adobe Flash files. In the first project they created interactive case-based radiology teaching files. In the second project they integrated photographic images into the existing illustrative anatomy files. Students in subsequent years have learned from these files on computers both at home and in the school’s anatomy lab. The experience of creating the files served as an opportunity for hands-on learning for the student authors, both of the material and of the practice of teaching. In this paper they describe why they undertook these projects, what exactly they did, and the impact their creation had on them. The projects demonstrate that student-driven educational materials are both possible and beneficial. Furthermore, their experience has allowed them to conclude that faculty at other medical schools should consider providing students with opportunities to develop their own creative projects that contribute to the curriculum. Keywords: creative project; teaching; anatomy; radiology; medical school curriculum (Published: 14 July 2011) Citation: Medical Education Online 2011, 16 : 7252 - DOI: 10.3402/meo.v16i0.7252
Comparison of Functional Group Selective Ion–Molecule Reactions of Trimethyl Borate in Different Ion Trap Mass Spectrometers

We report here a comparison of the use of diagnostic ion–molecule reactions for the identification of oxygen-containing functional groups in Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) and linear quadrupole ion trap (LQIT) mass spectrometers. The ultimate goal of this research is to be able to identify functionalities in previously unknown analytes by using many different types of mass spectrometers. Previous work has focused on the reactions of various boron reagents with protonated oxygen-containing analytes in FTICR mass spectrometers. By using a LQIT modified to allow the introduction of neutral reagents into the helium buffer gas, this methodology has been successfully implemented to this type of an ion trap instrument. The products obtained from the reactions of trimethyl borate (TMB) with various protonated analytes are compared for the two instruments. Finally, the ability to integrate these reactions into LC-MS experiments on the LQIT is demonstrated.
Ion Channels, Nanotubes in Living Cells

Living cells are surrounded by a lipid bilayer that separates the internal from the external media. As the very hydrophobic nature of the core of the lipid bilayer prevents the exchange of charged species between the interior and exterior of the cell, there are specialized structures inserted in the lipid bilayer that carry out the exchange of ions. These structures are integral membrane proteins that may be classified as transporters, ion pumps and ion channels. Of special interest here are the ion channels which are proteins specialized to conduct ions across the membrane with the distinguishing characteristic that the ionic flow is driven exclusively by the electrochemical gradient of the conducted ionic species. These channels are found in the cell surface membrane and also in membranes of internal cell compartments.
Understanding the Human Condition through Survey Informatics

Survey informatics leverages two separate but vital areas of research--survey methodology and computer science and engineering--to advance the state of the art in each and improve our understanding of the human experience.
THE ACCUMULATION AND DEPURATION OF NO. 2 FUEL OIL BY THE SOFT SHELL CLAM, Myaarenaria L.

Abstract Young soft shell clams, Mya arenaria , were exposed to subacute concentrations of No. 2 fuel oil-in-water emulsions under simulated winter (4°C) spill conditions. A pattern of accumulation and discharge of petroleum constituents, an experimental depuration time (biological half-life, TB50), and a potential transport mechanism of aromatic compounds from the fuel oil to the clams were experimentally determined. The clams were exposed to single dose concentrations of 10, 50, and 100 ppm of No. 2 fuel oil-in-water emulsion for 28 days. Clams accumulated the greatest amount of hydrocarbons within one week after the initial exposure. The accumulated hydrocarbons decreased each week as the hydrocarbon content of the water decreased. Mass spectrometric analysis determined that the principle compounds accumulated and retained after three weeks of oil exposure were monomethyl, dimethyl, and trimethylnaphthalene isomers. Depletion of oil from the water column and accumulation and discharge of fuel oil constituents appeared to involve a mucus-oil complex formation by the clam. The depuration period was determined when the clams were transferred to an uncontaminated system for 14 days subsequent to the 28 day oil exposure. Accumulated hydrocarbons were rapidly, although incompletely discharged. At the end of the depuration period, mass spectrometric analysis revealed that many of the hydrocarbons present in the clams were dimethyl and trimethylnaphthalene isomers. The biological half-lifes (TB50) calculated were: 10 ppm (50 days); 50 ppm (11 days); 100 ppm (13.5 days).
FOC2-2THE CLINICAL COURSE OF ALCOHOL COMBINED WITH OTHER SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS IN AN AMERICAN INDIAN COMMUNITY SAMPLE

Alcohol and other substance use disorders pose major problems of morbidity and mortality in some American Indian communities, but little is known about the clinical characteristics, risk factors and consequences of alcohol use disorder (AUD) combined with other substance use disorders (multiple substance use disorder, MultiSUD) in those communities. Using the …
A Comparison of Retrieval Models for Open Domain Story Generation

In this paper we describe the architecture of an interactive story generation system where a human and computer each take turns writing sentences of an emerging narrative. Each turn begins with the user adding a sentence to the story, where the computer responds with a sentence of its own that continues what has been written so far. Rather than generating the next sentence from scratch, the computer selects the next sentence from a corpus of tens of millions of narrative sentences extracted from Internet weblogs. We compare five different retrieval methods for selecting the most appropriate sentence, and present the results of a user study to determine which of these models produces stories with the highest coherence and overall value.
Frequency comb generation in superconducting resonators.

Superconducting niobium-titanium nitride resonators are used to generate multi-octave frequency combs in the microwave regime.
Novel findings in membrane depolarization-induced force development in vascular smooth muscle (865.11)

A unique phenomenon of vascular smooth muscle (VSM) is its ability to maintain force for a prolonged period of time. The exact mechanism responsible is not known but studies suggest a critical role...
Bone loss, pain and inflammation: three faces of ACPA in RA pathogenesis

In two papers, investigators from the Karolinska Institutet provide an exciting new perspective on the role of antibodies to citrullinated proteins (anticitrullinated protein antibodies or ACPA) in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).1 ,2 The data are intriguing and they point to unexpected mechanisms by which these autoantibodies may drive disease manifestations. By revealing a potential role of ACPA in the bone loss and pain that are cardinal features of RA, the investigative teams have advanced a new concept that may (same comment) account for the signs and symptoms of RA at the onset of synovitis as well as during the period of the most intense activity. The first study by Krishnamurthy et al 1 addressed the basis of RA bone loss. Building on prior research on effects of ACPA on bone,3 the study demonstrates that polyclonal ACPA derived from patients with RA as well as select monoclonal ACPA can induce osteoclastogensis in human monocytes in vitro. This process appears dependent on a combination of intracellular protein citrullination in the osteoclast as well as autocrine production of (interleukin 8) IL-8. Furthermore, in an animal model, the investigators show that intravenous administration of monoclonal ACPA can induce trabecular bone loss as measured by micro computed tomography (microCT). In this model, the administration of ACPA did not induce synovial inflammation, with the inhibition of bone loss by IL-8 blockade but not by tumour necrosis factor (TNF) blockade suggesting a mechanism for bone loss beyond inflammation.1 The second study by Wigerblad et al 2 used similar reagents to explore the effects of ACPA on pain. As the results of the study show, the administration of either polyclonal human ACPA or murinised monoclonal ACPA derived from human RA synovium can induce both spontaneous and evoked pain behaviour in mice. This …
Reported Scope of Practice Variations

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics implemented the Scope of Dietetics Practice Framework to guide dietitians using performance standards. Dietitians (n = 163) gave their opinions about variable practice requests. The findings show that 67% (n = 107) were asked to write diet orders, 85% (n = 136) were asked to make tube feeding decisions, 61% (n = 97) were asked to write parenteral nutrition orders, 19% (n = 29) were asked to feed patients, 40% (n = 64) were asked to write prescriptions, and 12% (n = 19) were asked to care for gastric-tube sites. Dietitians who worked in medical centers (p = .01) performed more clinical practice that are considered variable to scope of practice guidelines.
Wear Characteristics of Fiber-Reinforced Dental Bio-Composites

From the available biocompatible fibers, glass fibers have drawn the most attention due to their esthetic qualities and easy manipulation. While some investigators have studied the effect of the fibers on mechanical properties such as ultimate strength and fracture resistance of these bio-composites [1], the literature survey reflects that there are very few studies on the wear properties of such fiber-reinforced bio-composites. Thus, the main objective of this study is to investigate the wear characteristics of the fiber-reinforced dental bio-composite. The relationship between fiber weight fraction and fiber length of glass fibers incorporated into a dental resin and the wear resistance of these bio-composites is studied for various applied loads. For comparison, a particle filled bio-composite was also subjected to the wear test. The main objective of this study is to gain some insight into the micromechanisms of wear of these dental bio-composites and their relative performance.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Pain Perception in Drug-Free and in Methadone-Maintained Human Ex-Addicts

SummaryCold-induced pain threshold and pain tolerance were measured in drug-free ex-addicts (DFE), in methadone-maintained ex-addicts (MME), and in age-matched nonaddict siblings (NAS). Multiple responses to an ice-water stimulus were obtained for each hand. Resting systolic and diastolic blood pressures were determined across a 15-min period both before and immediately after the pain-testing session. Pain threshold of both ex-addict groups (DFE and MME) was lower than that of NAS. Pain tolerance was slightly but not significantly lower. Ex-addicts further differed from non-addicts in an autonomic response to the experimental situation: The diastolic blood pressure of nonaddicts rose following cold pressor stimulation but there was no rise in the ex-addict groups. Methadone-maintained ex-addicts do not differ from drug-free ex-addicts in pain threshold, pain tolerance, or blood pressure response.We thank the directors, particularly Dr. Mitchell S. Rosenthal of Phoenix House, the staff, and patients of var...
Experimental investigation of premixed turbulent combustion in high reynolds number regimes using PLIF

Premixed turbulent flame structures are imaged with simultaneous formaldehyde and OH PLIF. A new piloted burner was designed to achieve high turbulent Reynolds numbers (Ret) up to 68,000 and low Damkohler numbers (Dat). Primary reaction zones are identified by the overlap of the OH and formaldehyde signals and preheat zones of low temperature secondary reactions are identified from the formaldehyde signal. At low Ret of 600, the primary reaction zones are continuous and products do not mix with reactants. This results in thin preheat layers and relatively thin flamelets. As Ret increases, the primary reaction zones become shredded and disconnected. This allows mixing of the hot products with the reactants and broadens the preheat/secondary reaction zones. Additionally, the reaction layers are typically 4-5 times thicker than those in a laminar flamelet. Interestingly, as Ret increases further, the thickness of the reaction layers only increases slowly, but the total area of reaction regions grows rapidly.
Semantics and pragmatics of (not-)at-issueness in Yucatec Maya attitude reports

English attitude reports like “ x thinks that p ” can be used in two different types of contexts: ones where the Question Under Discussion (QUD) concerns whether or not p is true and ones where the QUD concerns x ’s mental state itself. Yucatec Maya (YM) has two different morphosyntactic forms differing superficially in the presence or absence of the morpheme -e’ , which serves as a topic marker elsewhere in the language. This paper argues that despite these two forms being truth-conditionally equivalent, their use is consistently correlated with which sort of QUD is present in the context. To account for these facts, I develop a particular conception of the relationships between QUDs, relevance, at-issueness, and assertion, building on the account of Simons et al. (2011). Given this theory, I propose a semantics where -e’ encodes that the attitudinal predication is parenthetical — that is, not part of the at-issue proposal (similar to English sentences like “It’s raining, I think”) and instead contributes to what I dub the basis of the proposal. I show that this semantics, together with plausible general pragmatic reasoning, provides an account of the meaning of the two attitude constructions in YM and their distribution in discourse. BibTeX info
Plasmodium falciparum incidence relative to entomologic inoculation rates at a site proposed for testing malaria vaccines in western Kenya

Relationships between Plasmodium falciparum incidence and entomologic inoculation rates (EIRs) were determined for a 21-month period in Saradidi, western Kenya, in preparation for malaria vaccine field trials. Children, ranging in age from six months to six years and treated to clear malaria parasites, were monitored daily for up to 12 weeks to detect new malaria infections. Overall, new P. falciparum infections were detected in 77% of 809 children. The percentage of children that developed infections per two-week period averaged 34.7%, ranging from 7.3% to 90.9%. Transmission by vector populations was detected in 86.4% (38 of 44) of the two-week periods, with daily EIRs averaging 0.75 infective bites per person. Periods of intense transmission during April to August, and from November to January, coincided with seasonal rains. Relationships between daily malaria attack rates and EIRs indicated that an average of only 7.5% (1 in 13) of the sporozoite inoculations produced new infections in children. Regression analysis demonstrated that EIRs accounted for 74% of the variation in attack rates. One of the components of the EIR, the human-biting rate, alone accounted for 68% of the variation in attack rates. Thus, measurements of either the EIR or the human-biting rate can be used to predict corresponding attack rates in children. These baseline epidemiologic studies indicate that the intense transmission patterns of P. falciparum in Saradidi will provide excellent conditions for evaluating malaria vaccine efficacy.
Misoprostol bij de behandeling van miskramen

Vraagstelling Bij een miskraam in het eerste trimester van de zwangerschap adviseert de NHG-Standaard uit 2004 een expectatief beleid. Bij een onvolledige miskraam is een verwijzing naar de gynaecoloog nodig voor een curettage. Behandeling met misoprostol wordt niet genoemd in de standaard, terwijl dit een mogelijk alternatief is om een volledige miskraam te bespoedigen. Onze vraagstelling is dus of de behandeling van een vroege miskraam met misoprostol effectiever is dan een expectatief beleid om een volledige uitdrijving van de vrucht te bereiken.
Nucleic acid hybridization in the diagnosis of viral infections

Recombinant DNA technology, including molecular cloning and nucleic acid hybridization, is now being applied to problems in clinical virology. Although viral isolation in cell culture remains the most sensitive and specific diagnostic test for many viruses, for some viruses, isolation in cell culture is lengthy or difficult or has not yet been achieved. Utilization of hybridization techniques has already resulted in important new information concerning the pathogenesis of a number of viruses, such as Epstein-Barr virus, hepatitis B virus, and human papillomavirus. In addition, time to diagnosis for viruses such as cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, and varicella-zoster virus can be significantly shortened to 36 to 48 hours, a great improvement over standard isolation with obvious importance for patient management. Hybridization techniques have also been applied to screening of antiviral agents. Although results of studies to date have been encouraging, significant problems remain to be solved before these techniques can be applied in a routine diagnostic laboratory. First, more sensitive assays must be developed. One approach is the generation of probes with higher specific activities. Synthesis of single-stranded probes using recombinant M13 bacteriophage as a template results in probes of higher specific activities that also cannot re-anneal to themselves because they are not complementary. Thus, more probe is available to anneal to sample DNA. Synthesis of cRNA probes that form more stable hybrids with DNA is another approach that is receiving attention. A second problem is reagent safety and stability. The most sensitive and commonly used label in the studies reviewed in this article has been 32P. With its half-life of 2 weeks, potential hazards to personnel, and disposal problems, it is probably not suitable for clinical laboratories. A major step in the development of nonradioactive, stable probes has been synthesis of biotinylated nucleotide analogues that can be efficiently incorporated into DNA or RNA. Biotinylated probes are stable for 1 to 2 years at -20 degrees C, and their use obviates the need for autoradiography, thus shortening reaction times. In addition, very high concentrations of probes can be used without the background problems encountered with radiolabels. To date, biotinylated probes have been significantly less sensitive than those labeled with 32P, but continued efforts to improve sensitivity have yielded promising results.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
A Thermal Dynamical Model Based Adaptive Control of Resistance Spot Welding

Resistance Spot Welding (RSW) is a process in which contacting metal surfaces are joined by the heat obtained from resistance to electric current. Inconsistent welds and insufficient nugget size are some of the problems in RSW. As a remedy to these problems a novel RSW control approach is proposed in this paper. The RSW control design is based on a thermal dynamical model. The proposed controller utilizes the principle of adaptive one step ahead control. The designed controller forces the nugget temperature profile to track a desired reference temperature profile as well as reduce the energy needed to make a weld. The design steps are discussed in details. Also, results of some simulation studies are presented.
Hazardous waste management

This chapter focuses on managing hazardous wastes that are of particular relevance to workplace health and safety. Most companies give overall responsibility for hazardous waste management to a person designated as the hazardous waste manager (HWM), hazardous waste coordinator and hazardous waste engineer. Because, the hazardous waste manifest represents a tightly interlocked system of licensing, documenting, and reporting requirements that impose significant legal liability, much of the effort is devoted to the inplant management of manifests. The responsibility for deciding which company wastes are legally hazardous wastes and therefore subject to regulatory control is solely that of the company. Regulations provide protocols for making that determination.
The HAT Score-A Simple Risk Stratification Score for Coagulopathic Bleeding During Adult Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.

Objective The study objective was to create an adult extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) coagulopathic bleeding risk score. Design Secondary analysis was performed on an existing retrospective cohort. Pre-ECMO variables were tested for association with coagulopathic bleeding, and those with the strongest association were included in a multivariable model. Using this model, a risk stratification score was created. The score’s utility was validated by comparing bleeding and transfusion rates between score levels. Bleeding also was examined after stratifying by nadir platelet count and overanticoagulation. Predictive power of the score was compared against the risk score for major bleeding during anti-coagulation for atrial fibrillation (HAS-BLED). Setting Tertiary care academic medical center. Participants The study comprised patients who received venoarterial or venovenous ECMO over a 3-year period, excluding those with an identified source of surgical bleeding during exploration. Interventions None. Measurements and Main Results Fifty-three (47.3%) of 112 patients experienced coagulopathic bleeding. A 3-variable score—hypertension, age greater than 65, and ECMO type (HAT)—had fair predictive value (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC] = 0.66) and was superior to HAS-BLED (AUC = 0.64). As the HAT score increased from 0 to 3, bleeding rates also increased as follows: 30.8%, 48.7%, 63.0%, and 71.4%, respectively. Platelet and fresh frozen plasma transfusion tended to increase with the HAT score, but red blood cell transfusion did not. Nadir platelet count less than 50×103/µL and overanticoagulation during ECMO increased the AUC for the model to 0.73, suggesting additive risk. Conclusions The HAT score may allow for bleeding risk stratification in adult ECMO patients. Future studies in larger cohorts are necessary to confirm these findings.