cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Phase I randomized double‑blind placebo‑controlled single‑dose safety studies of Bowman‑Birk inhibitor concentrate

In previously performed animal studies and Phase I–II human trials, Bowman-Birk inhibitor concentrate (BBIC) appeared to be a promising cancer chemopreventive agent. The present study describes the results of two phase I randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trials performed in male subjects to assess the safety and toxicity of the original and new formulations of BBIC administered in a single dose as a suspension in orange juice. The dose of BBIC varied from 800–2,000 chymotrypsin inhibitor (CI) units. The BBI concentration in the serum samples collected from the subjects was analyzed by a dot-blot analysis procedure using the 5G2 monoclonal antibody, which is specific for reduced BBI. A total of 41 subjects were enrolled, 20 in the initial BBIC study and 21 in the second BBIC study. In these human trials, no clinically relevant changes in hematological or biochemical parameters were observed. Overall, BBIC was found to be well-tolerated. For these BBIC single-dose phase I trials, there was no dose-limiting toxicity for BBIC, even at the highest dose evaluated, and there were no apparent differences between the clinical trial results for the two formulations of BBIC. The bioavailability of BBI in the second clinical trial, which used the new BBIC formulation, was approximately 40 to 43% of the BBI bioavailability reached in the first clinical trial, which used the original BBIC formulation. The observed bioavailability difference was attributed to the different BBIC formulations used in these two clinical trials. These trials demonstrated that BBIC is safe when administered in a single dose of up to 2,000 CI units. Therefore, the results from the two trials indicate that a multi-dose trial of BBIC may be safely performed with doses of up to 2,000 CI units per day.
Future Directions for Functional Mapping

Summary: The intracarotid amobarbital procedure and direct cortical stimulation are commonly used techniques for functional mapping in candidates for epilepsy surgery. The role of these two procedures has been challenged recently. Emerging technologies recently applied to functional mapping include optical imaging, functional positron emission tomography studies, transcranial magnetic stimulation, magnetoencephalography, and fast magnetic resonance imaging. Studies have used these new technologies and the potential for these procedures to replace the established but more invasive techniques is being considered.
Gene patents, patenting life and the impact of court rulings on US stem cell patents and research

In June 2013, the US Supreme Court ruled that naturally occurring genes were unpatentable in the case Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics. Up until this decision, Myriad Genetics was the only company in the USA that could legally conduct diagnostic testing for BRCA1 and 2, genes that are linked to familial breast and ovarian cancer. The court case and rulings garnered discussion in public about patenting biological materials. This paper will describe the progression of the Myriad Genetics case, similar US rulings and biological intellectual property policies. In addition, it will discuss the impact of the case on biological patents – specifically those for human embryonic stem cells.
Flicker noise characterization and analytical modeling of homo and hetero-junction III–V tunnel FETs

Temperature dependent transfer characteristics measurements confirm that the current in heteroJn TFET is limited by band-to-band tunneling at Vds=500mV at low temperature. HeteroJn TFETs exhibit lower noise compared to homoJn TFET where the current transport is dominated by band-to-band tunneling alone. However, at 300K, heteroJn TFETs have comparable noise performance due to the strong presence of trap assisted tunneling (Nit∼1013 cm−2). A carrier number fluctuation based model is developed, for the first time, to explain the flicker noise advantage of heteroJn TFETs over homoJn TFETs. HeteroJn TFETs not only provide higher drive currents but also exhibit lower flicker noise levels and hence make them suitable candidate for future low Vcc digital and analog applications.
Rural-urban differences in primary care physicians' practice patterns, characteristics, and incomes.

ABSTRACT: Context:Low salaries and difficult work conditions are perceived as a major barrier to the recruitment of primary care physicians to rural settings. Purpose: To examine rural–urban differences in physician work effort, physician characteristics, and practice characteristics, and to determine whether, after adjusting for any observed differences, rural primary care physicians' incomes were lower than those of urban primary care physicians. Methods: Using survey data from actively practicing office-based general practitioners (1,157), family physicians (1,378), general internists (2,811), or pediatricians (1,752) who responded to the American Medical Association's annual survey of physicians between 1992 and 2002, we used linear regression modeling to determine the association between practicing in a rural (nonmetropolitan) or urban (standard metropolitan statistical area) setting and physicians' annual incomes after controlling for specialty, work effort, provider characteristics, and practice characteristics. Findings: Rural primary care physicians' unadjusted annual incomes were similar to their urban counterparts, but they tended to work longer hours, complete more patient visits, and have a much greater proportion of Medicaid patients. After adjusting for work effort, physician characteristics, and practice characteristics, primary care physicians who practiced in rural settings made $9,585 (5%) less than their urban counterparts (95% confidence intervals: −$14,569, −$4,602, P < .001). In particular, rural practicing general internists and pediatricians experienced lower incomes than did their urban counterparts. Conclusions: Addressing rural physicians' lower incomes, longer work hours, and greater dependence on Medicaid reimbursement may improve the ability to ensure that an adequate supply of primary care physicians practice in rural settings.
Livestock variation of linked microsatellite markers in diverse swine breeds

A panel of nine framework microsatellites (MS) linked to the Calcium Release Channel (CRC) locus on swine chromosome 6 (SSC6) was developed from the consensus genetic map. MS were screened across groups of unrelated animals from Yorkshire, Hampshire, Duroc, Landrace and Meishan swine breeds. Unique MS alleles for Yorkshire, Duroc, Landrace and Meishan breeds, and statistically significant (P < .05) associations between breeds and allele frequencies were found for each MS. Although breed marker heterozygosities ranged from 0.0 (S0035 in Duroc) to 0.92 (S0087 in Meishan), Correspondence Analysis identified MS alleles uniquely associated with either the Meishan breed, western breeds or alleles common to all breeds. Furthermore, an overall marker heterozygosity of < 0.70 demonstrates the need for multiple MS panels to accommodate reduced within-breed differences for identification of quantitative trait loci (QTL), marker assisted selection (MAS) programs or parental identification in commercial breeds.
Affective disorder: VI. A family history study of prevalences, sex differences and possible genetic factors.

1. 1.|This is a study of the family histories of 748 consecutive admissions to a psychiatric hospital and 250 stratified controls from a general hospital ill population. A sub-group of 366 affectively disordered patients in particular was studied. A systematic interview was used. 2. 2.|Prevalence of affective disorder in parents of a non-psychiatric hospital population was 2 ±0.62 per cent. 3. 3.|Psychiatric patients with a diagnosis other than that of an affective disorder exhibited a higher frequency of parental affective disorder than would have been expected from the data of our control population. 4. 4.|These non-affective disorder patients with a parental history of affective disorder showed a loading toward alcoholism and personality disorder. 5. 5.|Compared to parents of controls who had no psychiatric illness, parents of affectively disordered patients manifested a much higher rate of affective disorder (p <0·01) and showed five times the prevalence of alcoholism. 6. 6.|Affectively disordered patients with a parental history of affective disorder showed a higher percentage of affectively disordered siblings than did a group of similar patients without a parental history. 7. 7.|Affective disorder appears to manifest itself more in females than in males, but both sexes transmit the disorder equally to their children. 8. 8.|Neither a simple dominant gene with complete penetrance hypothesis nor an X borne dominant gene hypothesis is satisfied as a mode of transmission by the data.
Agricultural origins from the ground up: Archaeological approaches to plant domestication

The timing, geographical locations, causes, and consequences of crop domestication have long been major concerns of archaeologists, and agricultural origins and dispersals are currently more relevant than ever to scientists seeking solutions to elusive problems involving food insecurity and global health disparities. Perennial research issues that archaeologists continue to tackle include (1) thinking outside centers of origin that were based on limited and insufficient past knowledge; (2) distinguishing between single and multiple domestications of specific crops; (3) measuring the pace of domestication; and (4) decoupling domestication from agricultural economies. Paleoethnobotanists have expanded their toolkits to include analysis of ancient and modern DNA and have added increasingly sophisticated techniques in the field and the laboratory to derive precise chronological sequences to assess morphological changes in ancient and often fragmentary archaeobotanical remains and to correctly interpret taphonomy and context. Multiple lines of archaeological evidence are ideally brought together, and whenever possible, these are integrated with information from complementary sources. We discuss current perspectives and anthropological approaches to research that have as their goals the fuller and broader understanding of ancient farming societies, the plants that were domesticated, the landscapes that were created, and the culinary legacies that were passed on.
Effects of three reward-nonreward ratios on discrimination learning in preschool children☆

A study was run to determine if correct-choice performance on free-choice trials would vary with changes in the ratio of rewarded to nonrewarded (RN) forced trials in a discrimination learning task. The Ss were 30 3- to 5-year-old children. The task involved learning to choose the correct 1 of 2 differently colored cars and rolling it down a runway. Four blocks of 6 forced trials were interspersed among 4 blocks of 4 free-choice trials. In each forced-trial block, 10 Ss were given and RN ratio of 15, 10 were given an RN ratio of 33, and 10 an RN ratio of 51. The results, indicating an increase in number of correct responses as the RN ratio decreased, were tentatively viewed as supporting the hypothesis that nonreward is a more important determinant of learning in a 2-choice discrimination task than is reward.
Cluster-Based Epidemic Control through Smartphone-Based Body Area Networks

Increasing population density, closer social contact and interactions make epidemic control difficult. Traditional offline epidemic control methods (e.g., using medical survey or medical records) or model-based approach are not effective due to its inability to gather health data and social contact information simultaneously or impractical statistical assumption about the dynamics of social contact networks, respectively. In addition, it is challenging to find optimal sets of people to be quarantined to contain the spread of epidemics for large populations due to high computational complexity. Unlike these approaches, in this paper, a novel cluster-based epidemic control scheme is proposed based on Smartphone-based body area networks. The proposed scheme divides the populations into multiple clusters based on their physical location and social contact information. The proposed control schemes are applied within the cluster or between clusters. Further, we develop a computational efficient approach called UGP to enable an effective cluster-based quarantine strategy using graph theory for large scale networks (i.e., populations). The effectiveness of the proposed methods is demonstrated through both simulations and experiments on real social contact networks.
Performance of a miniature magnetic position sensor for three-dimensional ultrasound imaging

A miniature magnetic position sensor used for three-dimensional ultrasound imaging was tested for precision and accuracy in vitro. The sensor alone was able to locate points with root-mean-square (rms) uncertainty of 1.7 mm and accuracy of 0.05 ± 0.62 mm over its specified operating range of 50 cm. With an ultrasound imaging system, a point was located from arbitrary viewing windows with 2.4-mm rms uncertainty and 0.06 ± 0.68 mm accuracy. If viewing windows were limited to those representative of a typical ultrasound examination, the system could achieve rms uncertainty in point location of < 1 mm. Performance was not affected by operation of the imaging system when the sensor was mounted on an ultrasound scanhead. Sensitivity to metals in the operating environment was also measured.
Exploring music preference: Meaningfulness of music as a function of emotional reactions

Determining and utilizing music that is preferred and meaningful has been thought to increase participation and interest in music education and therapy. This study examines the relationship of emotional responses to specific music to the amount of meaningfulness associated with that music. In one quasi-experiment, participants selected music that elicited observable emotional reactions (chills/shivers, tears/crying and laughter/smiling) as well as music not producing these reactions and used a Likert–type scale to rate perceived meaningfulness of these pieces. In a second quasi-experiment, participants selected music considered personally meaningful or not particularly meaningful, and the occurrence of emotional reactions to this music was determined. Music associated with emotional reactions appeared to exhibit higher levels of meaningfulness than music not exhibiting emotional reactions. Music perceived as meaningful appeared to exhibit more frequent occurrences of emotional reactions than music conside...
Dysphagia Management in Acute and Sub-acute Stroke

Swallowing dysfunction is common after stroke. More than 50% of the 665 thousand stroke survivors will experience dysphagia acutely of which approximately 80 thousand will experience persistent dysphagia at 6 months. The physiologic impairments that result in post-stroke dysphagia are varied. This review focuses primarily on well-established dysphagia treatments in the context of the physiologic impairments they treat. Traditional dysphagia therapies including volume and texture modifications, strategies such as chin tuck, head tilt, head turn, effortful swallow, supraglottic swallow, super-supraglottic swallow, Mendelsohn maneuver and exercises such as the Shaker exercise and Masako (tongue hold) maneuver are discussed. Other more recent treatment interventions are discussed in the context of the evidence available.
The effects of ethanol and the serotonin1A agonist ipsapirone on the expression of the serotonin1A receptor and several antiapoptotic proteins in fetal rhombencephalic neurons

Abstract Previously, this laboratory demonstrated that ethanol reduces the number of developing serotonin (5-HT)-containing neurons by increasing apoptosis. We also found that 5-HT1A agonists attenuate the proapoptotic effects of ethanol and the ethanol-mediated reduction of fetal 5-HT neurons. These neuroprotective effects are mediated in part by the ability of 5-HT1A agonists to activate the phosphatidyl 3′-kinase (PI-3K) prosurvival pathway. NF-κB is one of the downstream effectors activated by this pathway. In the present study, we used quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to determine the effects of 50 mM ethanol and 100 nM of ipsapirone, a 5-HT1A agonist, on the expression of several NF-κB-dependent antiapoptotic genes: X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP), cIAP1, cIAP2, Bcl-2, and Bcl-xl. We also investigated the effects of ethanol and ipsapirone on the expression of the gene encoding the 5-HT1A receptor. The results demonstrate that ethanol reduces the expression of several prosurvival genes: XIAP, cIAP1, cIAP2, Bcl-2, and Bcl-xl. Importantly, the ethanol-mediated reduction in the expression of XIAP and Bcl-xl was prevented by co-treatment with ipsapirone. Thus, the damaging effects of ethanol are likely to involve a reduction in several prosurvival proteins. Moreover, the protective effects of ipsapirone on ethanol-treated neurons might involve their ability to prevent the reduction of XIAP and Bcl-xl. Although ipsapirone treatment decreased the expression of cIAP1, Bcl-2, and Bcl-xl in control neurons, our prior studies suggest that their survival is not reduced by ipsapirone. We also observed an increased expression of the 5-HT1A receptor in ipsapirone-treated control neurons.
Population Genomic Analysis of Strain Variation in Leptospirillum Group II Bacteria Involved in Acid Mine Drainage Formation

Deeply sampled community genomic (metagenomic) datasets enable comprehensive analysis of heterogeneity in natural microbial populations. In this study, we used sequence data obtained from the dominant member of a low-diversity natural chemoautotrophic microbial community to determine how coexisting closely related individuals differ from each other in terms of gene sequence and gene content, and to uncover evidence of evolutionary processes that occur over short timescales. DNA sequence obtained from an acid mine drainage biofilm was reconstructed, taking into account the effects of strain variation, to generate a nearly complete genome tiling path for a Leptospirillum group II species closely related to L. ferriphilum (sampling depth ∼20×). The population is dominated by one sequence type, yet we detected evidence for relatively abundant variants (>99.5% sequence identity to the dominant type) at multiple loci, and a few rare variants. Blocks of other Leptospirillum group II types (∼94% sequence identity) have recombined into one or more variants. Variant blocks of both types are more numerous near the origin of replication. Heterogeneity in genetic potential within the population arises from localized variation in gene content, typically focused in integrated plasmid/phage-like regions. Some laterally transferred gene blocks encode physiologically important genes, including quorum-sensing genes of the LuxIR system. Overall, results suggest inter- and intrapopulation genetic exchange involving distinct parental genome types and implicate gain and loss of phage and plasmid genes in recent evolution of this Leptospirillum group II population. Population genetic analyses of single nucleotide polymorphisms indicate variation between closely related strains is not maintained by positive selection, suggesting that these regions do not represent adaptive differences between strains. Thus, the most likely explanation for the observed patterns of polymorphism is divergence of ancestral strains due to geographic isolation, followed by mixing and subsequent recombination.
Sleep Disturbance in Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia (FM), characterized by diffuse myalgia, multiple topographically specific tender points, chronic fatigue, psychosocial distress, and disturbed, unrefreshing sleep, is a significant health problem. Clinical survey studies suggest that the majority of FM patients present with insomnia complaints, including difficulty initiating sleep, sleep maintenance problems, or persistent nonrestorative sleep. Studies of clinical FM patients have shown that a worsening of sleep enhances subsequent daytime distress and pain complaints, whereas exacerbations of daytime pain or psychosocial distress often are followed by increased nocturnal sleep disruption. Given such findings, it seems reasonable to speculate that sleep disturbance is mechanistically important to the etiology or symptom maintenance of the FM syndrome. This article provides an overview of FM-related sleep difficulties and their treatment.
The Release of Mercury from Dental Amalgam: The Mechanism and in vitro Testing

Dissolution of mercury from the Ag-Hg matrix phase of dental amalgam is distilled water and synthetic saliva, and the mercury evaporation from the solutions, were studied in vitro. The main objectives of the study were to evaluate the factors that affect the results of the mercury release tests, and to consider the possible mechanisms of the release in vivo. Specimens were exposed to the liquids in open or closed bottles, and the changes in the mercury concentration were determined by cold-vapor Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry. Concentration vs. time tests showed the dissolution rate decreasing with time. Tests involving sequences of short and long exposures with solution changes showed higher average rates for short-term dissolution into the fresh solution than for the longer preceding exposures. The differences were attributed to a stifling effect of the concentration of elemental mercury on the dissolution. It is believed that mercury dissolved mainly in the elemental form and that a continuous increase in the concentration was made possible by oxidation in the solution. In open cells, some of the mercury was lost by evaporation. The analysis showed that the results of mercury dissolution tests depend on many test variables, such as time, solution volume, oxidation and evaporation conditions, etc. Evaporation, dissolution, and evaporation/dissolution mechanisms of the mercury release in vivo were considered. It was concluded that the dissolution/evaporation model best described the mercury release from dental amalgam restorations.
Fabrication of a complex-shaped mirror for an extreme ultraviolet lithography illumination system

We propose and discuss several fabrication processes for a complex-shaped mirror, which is a fly-eye mirror, used in an extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) illumination system. The mirror has a complex reflective surface consisting of many concave mirror elements that are sections of a sphere; the top of each element is arc shaped. In the present study, we focus on one process in which all elements are fabricated individually and then arranged side-by-side to form the mirror. Thus, as the first step in this process, we fabricate the arc-shaped elements made of invar with electroless nickel plating. The resultant reflective surfaces have a peak-to-valley (PV) surface accuracy of 0.31 μm. The surfaces have the rms roughnesses of about 0.23 and 0.35 nm in areas of 110×140 μm and 1×1 μm, respectively. The slope accuracies of the surfaces relative to the bottom surfaces are –166 and 43 arc-sec in the y and x directions, respectively. Thus, the mirror elements for the fly-eye mirror can be fabricated very accurately with smooth surfaces, although the mirror elements have a special shape compared to that of general optics.
Identification of a transferable tetracycline resistance plasmid (pCW3) from Clostridium perfringens

Abstract A tetracycline- and chloramphenicol-resistant strain of Clostridium perfringens, CW92, was shown to carry two plasmids, pCW2 and pCW3. Twenty-four independently derived tetracycline-sensitive mutants were isolated using a variety of curing agents. All were missing pCW3 but still carried pCW2. Tetracycline resistance could be transferred to a sensitive recipient strain by what appears to be a conjugation-like process. The efficiency of transfer was 2.8 × 10−5 transcipients per viable donor cell after a 20-h mating. The transcipients transferred tetracycline resistance at a similar frequency. Ten independently derived tetracycline-resistant transcipients all carried pCW3 as shown by agarose gel electrophoresis. The identity of this plasmid in one of these strains was confirmed by electron microscopy and restriction endonuclease analysis. Therefore, pCW3 (30.6 megadaltons) is a transferable tetracycline-resistance plasmid. No chloramphenicol-sensitive mutants or chloramphenicol-resistant transcipients were isolated. Therefore, pCW2 (36.4 megadaltons) remains cryptic.
Three-dimensional boundary-layer instability and separation induced by small-amplitude streamwise vorticity in the upstream flow

We consider the effects of a small-amplitude, steady, streamwise vorticity field on the flow over an infinitely thin flat plate in an otherwise uniform stream. We show how the initially linear perturbation, ultimately leads to a small-amplitude but nonlinear cross flow far downstream from the leading edge. This motion is imposed on the boundary-layer flow and eventually causes the boundary layer to separate. The streamwise velocity profiles within the boundary layer become inflexional in localized spanwise regions just upstream of the separation point. The flow in these regions is therefore susceptible to rapidly growing inviscid instabilities.
Stochastic Models of Traffic Flow Interrupted by Incidents

Abstract We consider congestion that is caused by irregular occurrences such as traffic accidents, disabled vehicles, adverse weather conditions, spilled loads and hazardous materials. Due to these unexpected events, travel times on the roadways are uncertain. In this paper, we present stochastic models for traffic flow that incorporates uncertain conditions. These models include queueing systems in which customers experience service interruptions from time to time. When a traffic incident happens, either all lanes or part of a lane is closed to the traffic. As such, we model these interruptions either as complete service disruptions where none of the servers work or partial failures where servers work at a reduced service rate. Additionally, the affect of congestion on the traffic flow is also considered. These models are then utilized in estimating the travel times. We present traffic simulation results to show the validity of stochastic models in travel time estimation.
Bulk Synthesis of Exfoliated Two-Dimensional Polymers Using Hydrazone-Linked Covalent Organic Frameworks

Two-dimensional (2D) polymers assemble organic subunits into covalently linked, high-aspect-ratio networks with long-range order. Despite recent advances in 2D polymerization, scalable and general methods to access few- and single-layer materials are limited. Here we exfoliate a hydrazone-linked covalent organic framework (COF) to yield bulk quantities of few-layer two-dimensional (2D) polymers. Immersing the COF powder in several laboratory solvents exfoliates and disperses thin COF-43 samples, which maintain their characteristic periodic hexagonal structure. This phenomenon was characterized using infrared spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and selected area electron diffraction. 2D COFs with reduced interlayer interaction energies offer a new means to access high-aspect-ratio 2D polymers whose structure may be designed using established principles of COF synthesis.
Oscillating improvisation: how entrepreneurial firms create success in foreign market entries over time

This study explores how entrepreneurial firms become successful in foreign market entries over time. The setting is the foreign market entries of entrepreneurial firms with headquarters in Singapore, the U.S., and Finland. There are several findings. Firms with more successful foreign market entries decrease improvisation in opportunity selection but increase improvisation in opportunity execution. In contrast, firms with less successful foreign market entries do the opposite. Intriguingly, data suggest that increased improvisation in opportunity execution may be influenced by decreased improvisation in opportunity selection, whereas decreased improvisation in opportunity execution may be influenced by increased improvisation in opportunity selection. Overall, besides contributing fresh insights about the relationship between improvisation and performance in new venture firms, a central contribution of this study is shedding light on the texture of entrepreneurial cognition and the little known relationship between cognition, action, amended cognitions, and redirected action. Copyright © 2009 Strategic Management Society.
The food safety impact of the Codex sampling plans for Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods: An empirical case study applying the FAO/WHO sampling plan tool

Abstract Sampling plans are specified by the Codex Alimentarius Commission microbiological criteria for Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods. This case study evaluates the direct food safety impact of the Codex sampling plans as estimated by the FAO/WHO web-based microbiological sampling plan analysis tool under different assumptions about the pathogen distribution, test procedures, and the fraction of lots tested. The case study uses L. monocytogenes concentration data available for deli-type salads to empirically illustrate application of the sampling tool. The results indicate that the estimated impact of the sampling plans is dependent on the partitioning of total observed variance into its within- and between-lot components. The presence-absence based sampling plan is relatively insensitive to the substantial uncertainty and variability of the sensitivity of the reference method for detection of L. monocytogenes. The analytical sample size for enumeration impacts the ability of the concentration-based sampling plan to discriminate between compliant and non-compliant lots. Reducing the frequency of lot testing dramatically changes the statistical properties of the sampling schemes. Skip-lot sampling places greater importance on compliance assurance than on the direct, curative impact of lot acceptance sampling.
Postoperative pain guidelines.

Abstract Background and Objectives: Postoperative pain is the expected but nonetheless undesirable byproduct of all surgical procedures. Humanitarian concerns and recent quasi-governmental regulations have heightened awareness about the importance of treating postoperative pain. This guideline builds upon the foundation created by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research guideline published in 1993, highlights changes that have occurred over the past 10 years, and makes recommendations based on the current scientific evidence. In addition, it takes advantage of the versatile information management inherent in a web-based format to make the information readily available. Methods: A multidisciplinary group of physicians, dentists, nurses, pharmacists, physical therapists, psychologists, and ethicists from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and Department of Defense (DoD) in conjunction with the VHA Office of Quality and Performance and a consultant group developed a postoperative pain algorithm and supporting documentation. The guideline structure and content were determined by a standardized rating of the evidence gleaned from comprehensive electronic searches. Results: An interactive electronic and traditional “paper” guideline with a pre- and postoperative algorithm was developed. A table, which provides a menu of analgesic choices organized by specific operation, was constructed. Preferences for particular analgesic techniques and classes of medications were identified. A postoperative pain interactive pharmacopoeia and printable patient educational materials were also provided. The guideline may be reviewed at the following website: www.oqp.med.va.gov/cpg/cpg.htm . Conclusions: This postoperative pain guideline provides readily accessible information and evidence-based guidance to a variety of providers. It highlights deficiencies in our understanding of the pain and recovery processes and how they might guide our choices of postoperative analgesic techniques. In combination with the powerful system-wide data collection capabilities of the VHA, there may be improved understanding of what techniques are useful. Finally, it may lead to the development of reliable, individualized analgesic plans for specific surgical procedures that incorporate the full range of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic techniques.
Hydrogen absorption-desorption characteristics of mischmetal-Ni-Cr-Mn alloys

Abstract The hydrogen absorption and desorption characteristics of mischmetal (Mm)-Ni-Cr-Mn alloys were investigated. The alloys MmNi5−yCry−zMnz (y = 0.5; z = 0-0.25) were found to have the same hexagonal structure as LaNi5 and MmNi5, and they reacted readily with hydrogen to form the hydrides MmNi4.5Cr0.5H6.3, MmNi4.5Cr0.46Mn0.04H6.3, MmNi4.5Cr0.45 Mn0.05H6.8 and MmNi4.5Cr0.25Mn0.25H6.9 (hydrogen contents (wt.%) of 1.4, 1.4, 1.5 and 1.6 respectively) under a hydrogen pressure of 25 atm at room temperature. The dissociation pressures of these hydrides were dependent on the manganese content (manganese partially substitutes for chromium) and the value of logP became lower than that for MmNi4.5Cr0.5 hydrides as z was increased. The enthalpy changes on hydride formation as determined from the dissociation isotherms for the MmNi4.5Cr0.5−zMnz-H (z = 0.04, 0.05 and 0.25) systems were − 6.7 kcal (mol H2)−1, −7.1 kcal (mol H2)−1 and −7.1 kcal (mol H2)−1 respectively; these values were smaller than that for LaNi5. The dissociation pressures of these hydrides at 20°C were 4.0 atm, 3.0 atm and 1.9 atm respectively. The desorption rate of hydrogen for MmNi4.5Cr0.46Mn0.04 was larger than those for LaNi5 and MmNi5, and a value of 7.3–7.9 kcal mol−1 was obtained for the apparent activation energy of hydrogen desorption. For MmNi4.5Cr0.46Mn0.04 and MmNi4.5Cr0.25Mn0.25 the hydrogen absorption-desorption cycles were repeated 30 times but no variation in the hydrogen absorption capacity was observed. The hydrides of MmNi4.5Cr0.46Mn0.04 MmNi4.5Cr0.45Mn0.05 and MmNi4.5Cr0.25Mn0.25 have properties which make them suitable as stationary hydrogen storage materials.
Romance novels in American public libraries : A study of collection development practices.

In library literature, the collection of romance novels has produced a fairly vociferous debate that has not surrounded other genres. However, there is relatively little in the literature that examines current practices. The authors conducted a national survey, asking libraries how they acquired romance novels for their libraries, what their proportional expenditures were for romance, and the extent of their romance collections. Responses suggested that libraries in general have sizeable romance collections. Some libraries do indeed have smaller collections and spend little or no money on the romance genre. Little is known about public libraries' collection development practices for any genre, and these results help fill that gap in the library literature. Results also suggest that library and information science education, beyond supporting leisure reading, ought to emphasize the roles that leisure reading serves for readers.
Controlling two-species Mott-insulator phases in an optical lattice to form an array of dipolar molecules

We consider the transfer of a two-species Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) into an optical lattice with a density such that a Mott-insulator state with one atom per species per lattice site is obtained in a deep lattice regime. Depending on collisional and transition parameters, the result could be either a 'mixed' or a 'separated' Mott-insulator phase. Such a mixed two-species insulator would be well suited for the formation of dipolar molecules via photoassociation. The resulting array of dipolar molecules could then be used for the formation of a dipolar molecular condensate or for computation. For the case of a {sup 87}Rb-{sup 41}K two-species BEC, however, the large interspecies scattering length makes it difficult to obtain the desired mixed Mott-insulator phase. To overcome this difficulty, we investigate the effect of varying the lattice frequency on the mean-field interaction and propose a favorable parameter regime, under which a lattice of dipolar molecules could be generated.
NALOXONE-INDUCED PULMONARY EDEMA

INTRODUCTION: Naloxone, an opiate antagonist, is used for complete or partial reversal of opioid effects. Significant adverse reactions of the drug include hypertension, ventricular arrhythmias, cardiac arrest, seizures and pulmonary edema. Questions have arisen regarding the risk of pulmonary edema when using naloxone in opiate dependent patients. The presumed cause of the edema is an adrenergic crisis with a large increase in catecholamines. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a case of acute pulmonary edema following the use of naloxone for methadone overdose. A 49-yearold female with a history of heroine and methadone abuse was brought to the emergency room (ER) following an acute methadone overdose. In the field, she was given a total of 2 mg of intravenous naloxone to reverse the effects of methadone overdosage. Thirty minutes later, she was in severe respiratory distress and was intubated. The vital signs were BP 160/110, HR 76, RR 24, and SpO2 98% on FiO2 of 40%. The physical examination was significant for jugular venous distension and bilateral coarse crackles in all lung fields. The laboratory data included troponin I level of less than 0.10 ng/ml and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) level of 20 pg/ml. The chest radiograph was consistent with pulmonary edema. Echocardiography revealed normal left and right ventricular function and no valvular abnormalities. The patient was treated with bronchodilators, intravenous furosemide and was successfully extubated 8 hours later. A repeat chest radiograph showed resolution of pulmonary infilterates. DISCUSSIONS: In opiate dependent patients, high-dose or rapidly infused naloxone may cause catecholamine release leading to pulmonary edema and cardiac arrhythmias. Pulmonary edema can be either cardiogenic or non-cardiogenic in origin. Cardiogenic edema is unlikely in our patient based on normal echocardiography and BNP level. Non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema is believed to be the direct effect of catecholamines resulting in increased pulmonary-capillary hydrostatic pressure and increased capillary permeability. The responsible mechanisms for the increase in epinephrine in plasma following the administration of naloxone include its direct antagonizing effects on mu-opioid receptors in the adrenal medulla and neurally mediated changes of central sympathetic outflow. The treatment is mostly supportive. It has been suggested that clonidine blunts this response and prevents any significant cardiovascular changes. CONCLUSION: Naloxone induced pulmonary edema has been scarcely reported in literature. It is important to recognize this complication. We emphasize the need for cautious administration of naloxone and for careful observation of patients. It is also suggested that acute opioid detoxification should be performed by trained critical care, anesthesia or emergency room physicians.
Mechanisms that modulate the transfer of spiking correlations

Correlations between neuronal spike trains affect network dynamics and population coding. Overlapping afferent populations and correlations between presynaptic spike trains introduce correlations between the inputs to downstream cells. To understand network activity and population coding, it is therefore important to understand how these input correlations are transferred to output correlations.Recent studies have addressed this question in the limit of many inputs with infinitesimal postsynaptic response amplitudes, where the total input can be approximated by gaussian noise. In contrast, we address the problem of correlation transfer by representing input spike trains as point processes, with each input spike eliciting a finite postsynaptic response. This approach allows us to naturally model synaptic noise and recurrent coupling and to treat excitatory and inhibitory inputs separately.We derive several new results that provide intuitive insights into the fundamental mechanisms that modulate the transfer of spiking correlations.
Automating accessibility: the dynamic keyboard

People with motor disabilities may need to adjust the configuration of their input devices, but often find this an obscure and difficult process. The Dynamic Keyboard exemplifies a potential solution. It continuously adjusts fundamental keyboard accessibility features to suit the requirements of the current user, based on a keyboard use model. Early field results indicate that users have not chosen to take control of these accessibility features from the Dynamic Keyboard, and that a variety of settings are being used. A more detailed ongoing study suggests that automatic adjustment of the key repeat delay feature is acceptable to users, while the debounce feature may not be appropriate for dynamic adjustment.
Y-branch waveguide glass laser and amplifier

A Y-branch channel waveguide laser operating near 1057 nm was fabricated by electric-field-assisted ion exchange in Nd-doped silicate glass. The overall length was 24 mm. Optical pumping was performed with a cw Ti:sapphire laser. Mirrors were bonded to the polished waveguide facets. The slope efficiency was 5.1% when a 4%-transmitting output coupler was used. Threshold was reached at 26-mW absorbed pump power. The device exhibited a single-pass small-signal gain of 0.034 dB/mW when operated as an amplifier. The 3-dB splitting loss of the Y-branch structure was overcome when the absorbed pump power was approximately 85 mW.
An analysis of the thermal response of power chip packages

Since power densities in integrated circuits and power semiconductor devices are continuously increasing due to miniaturization of circuitry, the design of optimum heat spreaders and heat sinks for these applications requires rather sophisticated calculational methods. The chips and spreaders are usually rectangular in shape and although the problem is three-dimensional in nature, it is usually approximated by two-dimensional configurations. Steady-state and transient analytic solutions are presented for the axisymmetric, two-dimensional, and three-dimensional spreader geometries, which can be used to calculate the thermal resistance of the base alone. To determine the thermal resistance of the chip-base combination, the one-dimensional chip thermal resistance should be added to that of the base. These analytic solutions provide calculational means which are easier than the numerical methods. The exact analytic steady-state and transient solutions developed for the axisymmetric, two-dimensional, and three-dimensional configurations are in excellent agreement with the numerical calculations. The parametric calculations provide information on the important guidelines that a packaging engineer should bear in mind while designing and optimizing heat spreaders for power semiconductor applications. These points can be summarized as follows: 1) for a given chip area there exists an optimal base area, 2) increasing the base thickness initially decreases the thermal resistance and beyond a certain limit the latter increases with base thickness, and 3) the convective heat transfer coefficient strongly affects the thermal resistance and the usual assumption of an isothermal base is not always appropriate.
Fuzzy contour tracking of human silhouettes

Video-based tracking of contours on the human body has been shown to be useful for many applications, including gait and gesture recognition, posture estimation, and activity analysis. We present a contour tracking method that incorporates a novel edge feature and fuzzy contour template. We apply our method in tracking the motions of older adults exercising in a gym environment. The output of our system is a dynamic fuzzy representation of the spine angle of the subject. We show that the method described in this paper is capable of tracking contours even in cases where human silhouette extraction is poor.
Membership Has Its Privileges: How Voluntary Groups Exacerbate the Participatory Bias

It is well established that individuals who belong to voluntary associations are more likely to participate in democratic politics. This article examines the possibility that the participation-prom...
Demonstration of wavelength conversion at 40 Gb/s data rate in silicon waveguides.

We report an efficient wavelength conversion via four-wavemixing in reverse biased silicon-on-isolator p-i-n rib waveguides and demonstrate, for the first time, the conversion of a high-speed optical pseudo-random bit sequence data at 40 Gb/s. Results give a wavelength conversion efficiency of -8.6dB using a 8cm long waveguide with clear open eye on the wavelength converted signal. Conversion efficiency as functions of pump power and bias voltages has also been investigated. We show a slope efficiency close to 2 as predicted by theory.
Picosecond x-rays from subpicosecond-laser-produced hot-dense matter

Short-pulse, high-intensity laser-plasma interactions are investigated experimentally with temporally and spectrally resolved soft x-ray diagnostics. The emitted x-ray spectra from solid targets with various atomic numbers are characterized for a laser pulse width T, - 400 fs. With low contrast (lo'), the x-ray spectrum in the 1 = 40-100 A spectral region is dominated by line emission, and the x-ray pulse duration is found to be characteristic of a long-scale- length, low-density plasma. Bright, picosecond, broadband emission, characteristic of a short-scale-length, high-density plasma, is produced only when a high laser contrast (10"') is used. It is demonstrated experimentally that the pulse width of laser-produced x-ray radiation may be varied down to the picosecond time scale by adjusting the incident ultrashort-pulse laser flux. The results are found to be in qualitative agreement with the predictions of both a code-independent model of radiation from a collisionally dominated two-level ion and a hydrodynamics code coupled to a detailed-configuration atomic physics model. X-ray film measurements of conversion efficiency, along with pinhole camera measurements of the emission region, reveal very high x-ray brightness. I. INTRODUCTION Short-pulse, high-intensity lasers interacting with solid targets make possible the study of a new class of laser-plasma interactions.' They are unique because, during the ultrashort laser pulse, relatively little expansion occurs, and the density scale length remains much less than the laser wavelength.' This makes possible the direct deposition of a significant amount of the laser energy at close to solid density. Steep plasma temperature and density gradients subsequently cause rapid cooling, resulting in highly non-equilibrium conditions and the concurrent emission of extremely bright ultrashort x-ray pulses. The latter may be used:
Full-Band CQI Feedback by Haar Compression in OFDMA Systems

Implementation of an efficient CQI feedback mechanism is the focus of the study presented in this paper. OFDMA-based systems such as 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) downlink and WiMax require an accurate CQI feedback to allow effective operation of the adaptive modulation and coding. Besides accuracy, such mechanism should impose only a low overhead when using uplink resources for conveying the CQI information. Unlike the Best-M CQI feedback algorithms where only the M highest CQI's and their locations are reported, a full-band feedback method compresses the whole CQI vector and transmits the compressed vector in the uplink channel. In this paper, application of the Haar transform for a full-band CQI report is investigated and its performance is compared against Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT)-based compression schemes. Full-band Haar CQI feedback offers a flexible process for CQI feedback that can be easily adapted to different operating scenarios. Key features of Haar compression are incremental update and very low complexity for compression and decompression. Simulation results indicate that the full-band Haar scheme achieves significantly higher throughput than the DCT-based schemes at low speeds and about the same performance at higher speeds.