cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Recommended healthcare among elderly cancer survivors

6045 Background: Earle and colleagues (2003, 2004) have published conflicting information regarding recommended services among cancer survivors: breast cancer survivors had higher rates than person...
Regulating in Pandemic: Evaluating Economic and Financial Policy Responses to the Coronavirus Crisis

The United States is currently trying to manage a fast-moving public health crisis due to the coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19). The economic and financial ramifications of the outbreak are serious. This Working Paper discusses these ramifications and identifies three interrelated but potentially conflicting policy priorities at stake in managing the economic and financial fallout of the COVID-19 crisis: (1) providing social insurance and a social safety net to individuals and families in need; (2) managing systemic economic and financial risk; and (3) encouraging critical spatial behaviors to help contain COVID-19 transmission. The confluence of these three policy considerations and the potential conflicts among them make the outbreak a significant and unique regulatory challenge for policymakers, and one for which the consequences of getting it wrong are dire. This Working Paper — which will be continually updated to reflect current developments — will analyze the major legislative and other policy initiatives that are being proposed and enacted to manage the economic and financial aspects of the COVID-19 crisis by examining these initiatives through the lens of these three policy priorities. It starts by analyzing the provisions of H.R. 6201 (the “Families First Coronavirus Responses Act”) passed by the house on March 14, 2020, subject to subsequent Technical Corrections of March 16, 2020, and then passed by the Senate without amendment and signed by the President on March 18, 2020. Next, it analyzes the provisions of H.R. 748 (the “Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act” or the “CARES” Act) enacted into law on March 27, 2020. By doing so, this Working Paper provides an analytical framework for evaluating these initiatives.
Breakup of He 6 incident on Bi 209 near the Coulomb barrier

A neutron-\ensuremath{\alpha}-particle coincidence experiment was performed to study breakup of $^{6}\mathrm{He}$ on a $^{209}\mathrm{Bi}$ target at an incident energy of 22.5 MeV. Direct breakup, as well as breakup through the ${2}^{+}$ excited state of $^{6}\mathrm{He}$ and also the $^{5}\mathrm{He}$$+n$ channel, could be distinguished. A total breakup cross section of $205\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}65$ mb was measured. The data compare well with a coupled-channels calculation that assumes a 50% reduction in the B(E1) computed from a pure $^{4}\mathrm{He}$$+2n$ cluster configuration, in agreement with results obtained at much higher energies. A value of $\mathrm{B}(\mathrm{E}2\ensuremath{\Uparrow})=5.4\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.7{e}^{2}{\mathrm{fm}}^{4}$ is deduced for the ${2}^{+}$ state in $^{6}\mathrm{He}$.
The evolution of a buoyant river plume in response to a pulse of high discharge from a small midlatitude river

Author Posting. © American Meteorological Society, 2020. This article is posted here by permission of American Meteorological Society for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Physical Oceanography 50(7),(2020): 1915-1935, https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-19-0127.1.
Identifying cohort differences in children undergoing partial intracapsular tonsillectomy vs traditional tonsillectomy for sleep disordered breathing.

Abstract Objective Partial intracapsular tonsillectomy (PIT) is a well-established technique for reducing post-operative morbidity in pediatric patients with sleep disordered breathing (SDB). Although tonsillar re-growth rates are reported as low, risks of symptom recurrence or need for completion tonsillectomy are clear disadvantages when compared to traditional tonsillectomy (TT). We aim to identify cohort differences to better guide clinical decision making and identify patient-specific factors that may influence this decision. A secondary aim was to evaluate potential risk factors for tonsillar regrowth. Methods Retrospective chart review of pediatric patients who underwent TT or PIT for SDB between 2015 and 2019 at a tertiary care academic medical center. Records were reviewed for age, gender, race, body mass index, comorbidities, diagnosis, apnea-hypopnea index, pre-operative Brodsky tonsil size, length of stay, post-operative hemorrhage, tonsillar regrowth, symptom recurrence, and need for completion tonsillectomy. Results 315 patients were included: 174 underwent TT and 141 underwent PIT. Patients undergoing TT were more likely to have a sleep study showing OSA (OR 3.01, p 4 years: 0%; p = 0.049). Race and pre-operative tonsil size were not associated with regrowth. Conclusions Our study supports the low incidence of tonsillar regrowth in PIT and suggests an association with younger age. Moreover, we found that patients undergoing TT are more likely to be older, have OSA, asthma, and other comorbidities.
Global Health and Public Health Majors and Minors at 411 Universities, 2019-2020.

Background: There has been rapid growth in the popularity of undergraduate degrees in global and public health, but that growth has not been evenly distributed across different types of institutions of higher education. Objective: To examine the prevalence of undergraduate global and public health majors and minors and related degrees at a diversity of higher education institutions in the United States during the 2019–20 academic year. Methods: We examined curricular offerings at the top 100 national universities, national liberal arts colleges, regional universities, and regional colleges included in the 2020 U.S. News and World Report rankings. With ties, the dataset included 411 of the 1600 ranked U.S. colleges and universities. Findings: In total, 101 (25%) of the 411 schools offer a general public health, community health, or global health major, 105 (26%) a minor, and 144 (35%) a major and/or minor. When subdisciplines and other population health related programs are included, 160 (39%) offer a major, 183 (45%) a minor, and 227 (55%) a major and/or minor, including 83% of national universities, 57% of regional universities, 45% of national liberal arts colleges, and 35% of regional colleges. Global health programs, usually minors, are offered by 32% of national universities and 8% of national liberal arts colleges. Conclusions: Global and public health have become common areas of primary and secondary study at the bachelor’s level at diverse schools in the United States. Although these degree pathways are especially prevalent at large urban universities, schools of all sizes, types, and locations have invested in offering educational programs in population health areas.
A Highly Interactive System for Processing Large Volumes of Ultrasonic Testing Data

Automated ultrasonic testing (UT) of big structures poses particular problems related directly to economics and productivity. Generally, UT examinations on these large structures are performed with multiple channels to reduce scan time and collect data from various orientations. The amount of resulting data also is quite large. Traditional approaches have relied on up-front gating and signal thresholding to reduce the amount of data recorded. This has been a practical approach, as the capability of data processing and recording devices has also been limited. Even with the incorporation of computer technology, most systems performing UT of large structures still operate on this same data acquisition principle. General purpose computer configurations lack the performance to provide any substantial improvement in data analysis. Computer resources have been focused on number crunching, data summary, and data comparison using general criteria such as signal amplitude and sound path location. In practice, examiners use this type of system to identify areas of concern and then perform “re-looks” while observing the instrument A-scan display. Years of experience are then applied in interactive analysis of the A-scans for final resolution. For the particular area of concern, as much additional information as possible is collected (e.g., different angles and orientations) to provide information crucial to the final disposition. If the system collected the proper data and was capable of presenting these data in a meaningful format, this manual “re-look” procedure would not be necessary.
High pulse energy, femtosecond fiber laser for two-photon imaging

We demonstrate an all-fiber thulium-doped laser system that can generate 105-nJ pulses with a repetition rate of 21 MHz at 1890nm. The amplified pulses can be compressed to a pulse duration of 280 fs.
Alternative Adjustments to Analysts' Earnings Forecasts: Relative and Complementary Performance

This study examines the relative and complementary performance of alternative earnings forecast adjustments using a common set of consensus analysts' earnings forecasts. We document that a simple adjustment to analysts' earnings forecasts, based solely on cross-sectional relationships between actual and forecasted earnings in the prior year, performs as well as more complicated adjustment methods, i.e., composite forecasts and persistence adjusted forecasts. A forecast adjustment that is based on prior year earnings and returns, however, provides significant incremental reductions in forecast error and dominates all of the other adjustment methods.
Tuning the Mechanical and Geometric Properties of Electrochemically Aligned Collagen Threads Toward Applications in Biohybrid Robotics.

Electrochemically aligned collagen (ELAC) threads fabricated by the isoelectric focusing (IF) of collagen have previously shown potential in tissue engineering and more recently in the fabrication of biohybrid robot structures. For applications in biohybrid robotics, ELAC structures are needed that are both robust and compliant enough to facilitate muscle actuation. However, studies on the effects of IF parameters, and the interactions of such fabrication parameters, on the mechanical and geometric properties of resulting ELAC threads have not been previously found in literature. Understanding the impact of these manufacturing parameters on the material properties is critical to facilitate biohybrid robot design. In this study, the effects of IF duration, IF voltage, and collagen solution concentration were investigated and showed statistically significant effects on adjusting ELAC properties via single-factor experiments. The interactions between parameters exhibited significant joint effects on ELAC property tuning through two-factor experiments. Scanning electron microscopy and 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic (TNBS) assays revealed the correlation between high mechanical properties and a combination of low porosity and high degree of crosslinking. By simply tuning IF parameters without changing other fabrication steps, such as crosslinker concentration, ELAC threads with a wide range of mechanical and geometric properties were fabricated. The average tensile modulus of the resulting ELAC threads ranged from 198 ± 90 to 758 ± 138 MPa. The average cross-sectional area ranged from 7756 ± 1000 to 1775 ± 457 μm2. The resultant mapping between IF parameters and ELAC thread properties enabled the production of strong and flexible threads with customizable properties.
“Trends Come and Go”: Early Childhood Rural Special Education Teachers’ Use of Reported Practices During Mathematics Instruction:

Data suggest students are not meeting grade-level expectations in mathematics. If high-quality instruction is not provided, the inequitable outcomes observed in schools will be maintained. The goal...
Reconstructing SNP Allele and Genotype Frequencies from GWAS Summary Statistics

Abstract The emergence of genomewide association studies (GWAS) has led to the creation of large repositories of human genetic variation, creating enormous opportunities for genetic research and worldwide collaboration. Methods that are based on GWAS summary statistics seek to leverage such records, overcoming barriers that often exist in individual-level data access while also offering significant computational savings. Here, we propose a novel framework that can reconstruct allelic and genotypic counts/frequencies for each SNP from case-control GWAS summary statistics. Our framework is simple and efficient without the need of any complicated underlying assumptions. Illustrating the great potential of this framework we also propose three summary-statistics-based applications implemented in a new software package (ReACt): GWAS meta-analysis (with and without sample overlap), case-case GWAS, and, for the first time, group polygenic risk score (PRS) estimation. We evaluate our methods against the current state-of-the-art on both synthetic data and real genotype data and show high performance in power and error control. Our novel group PRS method based on summary statistics could not be achieved prior to our proposed framework. We demonstrate here the potential applications and advantages of this approach. Our work further highlights the great potential of summary-statistics-based methodologies towards elucidating the genetic background of complex disease and opens up new avenues for research.
Divergent effects of invasive macrophytes on population dynamics of a snail intermediate host of Schistosoma Mansoni.

Abstract Vectors and intermediate hosts of globally impactful human parasites are sensitive to changes in the ecological communities in which they are embedded. Sites of endemic transmission of human schistosome can also be invaded by nonnative species, especially aquatic plants (macrophytes). We tested the effects on macrophyte invasions on experiment snail and schistosome populations created in 100 L mesocosm tanks. We established macrophyte-free mesocosms and those containing one of four widespread macrophyte species that are inedible to snails (duckweed, hornwort, water lettuce, or water hyacinth) and then tracked edible resources (periphyton algae) and the abundance, reproduction, and infection of snail intermediate hosts for 16 weeks. We predicted that the three floating macrophytes would reduce periphyton, thereby reducing snail reproduction, abundance, and infections. In contrast, we predicted that hornwort, which is submerged and provides substrate for periphyton growth, would increase snail reproduction and abundance. As predicted, all floating macrophytes decreased periphyton, but only water hyacinth significantly decreased snail reproduction and abundance. Snail abundance increased significantly only with water lettuce. We hypothesize that this unanticipated increase in snails occurred because water lettuce produced abundant and/or high quality detritus, subsidizing snails despite low periphyton availability. Unfortunately, we detected too few infections to analyze. Aquatic macrophytes exert strong species-specific effects on snail populations. Therefore, efforts to manage invasive plants in endemic sites should evaluate changes in resources, snails, and transmission potential. We recommend caution with management efforts that produce large amounts of detritus, which might stimulate snail populations and therefore risk of human exposure.
Intravascular Large B-Cell Lymphoma

Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma (ivLBCL) is an aggressive form of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma with a markedly poor prognosis. It commonly presents with central nervous system (CNS) symptoms and a wide variety of cutaneous manifestations, including maculopapular eruptions, ulcerated nodules, and infiltrated indurated plaques. Because the tumor cells lodge in the vasculature, in cases without obvious cutaneous disease a biopsy of a small cutaneous hemangioma may yield the diagnosis. ivLBCL has had numerous names in the literature, including angiotropic lymphoma, malignant angioendotheliomatosis, and angioendotheliomatosis proliferans systemisata. These names reflect the incorrect initial belief that the neoplastic cells were of endothelial origin; they are in fact derived from post–germinal center B cells [1, 2]. This chapter discusses the clinical presentation, prognosis, treatment, histopathology, immunohistochemistry, molecular characteristics, and differential diagnosis of iVLBCL. The chapter closes with two clinical cases featuring patients with ivLBCL.
The Mean World Effects of Reality Television- Perceptions of Antisocial Behaviors Resulting from Exposure to Competition-Based Reality Programming

Reality-based television programming has become a dominant force in television over the past seven years and a staple of most networks’ primetime lineups. This relatively quick change in the television landscape and the sudden increase in viewers’ consumption of reality television necessitate an investigation into the impact these shows are having on their viewers. This dissertation examines the effects of competition-based reality shows (such as Survivor and Big Brother) on viewers’ perceptions of society through the application of cultivation effects research methodology. Previous cultivation research has shown that heavy consumers of television will have a different or altered perception of society as compared to those who watch little television. The current research examined whether or not increased consumption of competition-based reality programming would lead to increased perceptions of antisocial behaviors in everyday life such as lying, manipulation, and ruthlessness (those behaviors commonly depicted on competition-based reality programs). Study I looked at competition-based reality television shows in general and how they effected perceptions of society. Participants (607) provided data to test six hypotheses. Findings indicated that increased consumption of competition-based reality programming was positively correlated with increased perceptions of lying and manipulation in society. No significant relationships were found between these shows and increased perceptions of ruthlessness or increased perceptions of antisocial behaviors and television consumption in general. Study II looked more specifically at competition-based reality dating programs and the effects they have on viewers’ perceptions of dating and relationships. Participants (557) provided data to test three hypotheses. Ultimately, findings did not show any significant relationships between consumption of competition-based reality dating shows and increased perceptions of lying, manipulation, or ruthlessness in dating, or dating as a competition. The dissertation ends with a brief discussion of the limitations, an examination of how these findings impact cultivation effects research and reality television production, and recommendations for future research in this area.
Questionnaire Measurement of Infant and Child Temperament

In 1982 Hubert, Wachs, Peters-Martin, and Gandour published a review on the psychometric adequacy of various paper-and-pencil measures used to assess temperament. This review documented a number of problems with available instruments, including inconsistent stability, low interparent agreement and questionable construct, and concurrent and predictive validity. In spite of the pessimistic conclusions of this review, plus the equally pessimistic conclusions of more recent reviews involving such issues as the definition of temperament (Crockenberg, 1986; Bornstein, Gaughran, & Homel, 1986), research on temperament continues at an “exponential” pace (Bates, 1986). Given that this continued interest involves efforts to generate new measures of temperament, as well as to revise old measures, an updated review of the psychometric adequacy of temperament questionnaires seems in order. Specifically, our concern was whether the psychometric problems documented by Hubert et al. in 1982 have continued to exist.
Organometalloidal derivatives of the transition metals : IV. A Mössbauer and infrared spectral study of the iron—silicon or carbon bond in the system (η5-C5H5)Fe(CO)2R

Abstract A Mossbauer effect spectral investigation of the compounds (η5-C5H5)Fe-(CO)2R, where R represents a range of alkyl and silyl groups, reveals enhanced s-electron density at the iron nucleus for the silyl compounds. Coupled with an infrared spectral analysis, the data suggest that superior σ-donation by the silyl group, as compared with the alkyl group, is the major reason for this enhancement, rather than significant iron—silicon retrodative π-bonding. Such π-bonding effects may, however, be observed for the phenylsilyl complexes, (η5-C5H5)-Fe(CO)2SiPhnMe3-n.
Management Forecasts at Walgreen Company: The Best Laid Plans

This paper provides a unique comparison of a firm?s own confidential financial forecasts and what actually transpired. In January 1990 the Walgreen Company, the national leader in the drugstore industry by sales and profit measures, generated five-year financial projections solely for internal use. They reveal how Walgreen Company planned to allocate its expanding annual cash flows: despite reinvestment of cash into ongoing expansion at a record rate and periodic dividend increases, the Company planned to hold $1.05b in cash and marketable securities in 1994. In striking contrast to Walgreen?s internal forecasts, the firm held only $108.4m in 1994 -almost $1 billion less than projected. This paper examines in detail the causes and consequences of the deviations from the company?s plans. While many financial ratio measures indicate excellent performance over this period, other data hint that agency concerns may well be relevant even in a high growth firm like Walgreen Company. The findings in this paper suggest that whether in the future companies like these will be able to successfully defend themselves against the perils raised by Jensen (1993) depends vitally on a firm?s ability to adapt and respond as its growth opportunities change.
The origin of the galactic center annihilation radiation

Observations of the e+−e− annihilation radiation from the Galactic Center suggest that something truly extraordinary is occurring there. We review the observations of this intense, time‐varying, 0.511 MeV emission and discuss the implications of these and other recent observations of the positron production process, the annihilation region and the fundamental nature of the Galactic Center source.
Successful development and implementation of' a tactical emergency medical technician training program for United States federal agents.

Introduction:The emerging need for tactical operations in law enforcement often places personnel involved at risk. Tactical operations often are carried out in environments in which access to emergency care is limited. With the war against terrorism expanding, special operations involving United States federal agents are occurring worldwide. Currently, there are very few tactical medicine curricula training traditional emergency medical services (EMS) providers to operate in these high-risk missions. Trainees in existing programs must have previous EMS experience, and are selected from a wide range of backgrounds. The goal of this study is to examine a Special Agent Emergency Medical Technician (SAEMT) training curriculum developed specifically for federal special agents with prior experience in tactical operations, but without previous medical training.Methods:An analysis of the SAEMT Program given to federal agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Quantico, Virginia between July 2000 and April 2002 was performed. The SAEMT curriculum provided enrolled agents 181.5 hours of training in tactical emergency topics, including medical mission planning, logistics, operations, evacuation, and weapons training. In addition, SAEMT concurrently provides emergency medical technician (EMT) training. All of the participants were DEA agents with no previous medical training. Upon completion of the course, all participants took the National Registry of EMT-Basic examination. Measured endpoints included course completion rate and performance on certifying examinations.Results:Ninety-five agents were enrolled and successfully completed the SAEMT course between July 2000 and April 2002. Of the agents enrolled, 84 (88%) passed the National Registry of EMTs-Basic examination within two attempts.Conclusion:The SAEMT Program provides basic emergency medical training to federal special agents with no previous medical experience. The design of this program provides a useful template to meet the expanding demand for tactical emergency medical personnel.
Role of renin-angiotensin system in hypotension-evoked thirst: studies with hydralazine

Injection of rats either with diazoxide (25 mg/kg iv), isoproterenol (0.33 mg/kg sc), or hydralazine (HDZ) (10 mg/kg ip) decreased arterial blood pressure from ∼120 to 70–80 mmHg and stimulated ren...
The Influence of Local Politics on Educational Decisions

This ex post facto, causal-comparative research study examined student reading performance data within a school district before and after a school district-wide decision to alter the reading curriculum in response to local political pressure from parents. Data analysis revealed that test scores dropped to a significantly lower level, especially for students who were economically disadvantaged, after the reading curriculum was altered. This study underscores the importance of making data-driven, rather than politically-influenced, decisions related to pedagogy, curriculum, instruction, and assessment by educational leaders.
A statewide survey of age at first intercourse for adolescent females and age of their male partners: relation to other risk behaviors and statutory rape implications.

In a statewide survey of a representative sample of adolescent girls in 8th–12th grades (N = 4201), information was obtained on age at first intercourse and age of their male partners. Excluding intercourse experiences where physical force was threatened or used, 31% had intercourse by age 15 and 45% by age 16. Contrary to the impression left by studies of teenage mothers, girls who first had sex between age 13 and age 15 or between age 16 and age 18 did not have a large percentage of much older partners (5 or more years older; 12 and 7%, respectively). The percentage of much older partners was higher, however, for girls who had sex in very early adolescence, ages 11–12 (34%). Much older male partners were associated with greater problem behaviors for girls who first had intercourse in very early adolescence (11–12), but less so for those who first had intercourse between age 13 and age 15 (truancy only) and not at all for those who first had intercourse at between 16 and 18. Regardless of partner's age disparity, earlier age at first intercourse during adolescence was associated with a greater number of other problem behaviors. The implications of these findings for recent calls to enforce statutory rape laws more stringently to reduce teenage pregnancy were discussed.
On geometric trilateral-free ( n 3 ) configurations

This note presents the first known examples of a geometric trilateral-free (23 3 ) configuration and a geometric trilateral-free (27 3 ) configuration. The (27 3 ) configuration is also pentalateral-free.
Probing the quark distributions in hadrons with lattice QCD

Abstract We study spacial distributions of quarks in the pion, rho, and proton by calculating quark correlation functions and Bethe-Salpeter amplitudes in quenched lattice QCD.
Radiofrequency of the soft palate in snoring and sleep-disordered breathing

Soft palatal radiofrequency reduces the volume of palatal soft tissue and produces scar tissue to alleviate velopharyngeal vibration and collapse in snoring and mild sleep-disordered breathing. This innovative alternative to laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty or uvulopalatopharyngoplasty is performed in an outpatient setting under local anesthesia with minimal postoperative discomfort, a low incidence of posttreatment sequelae, and good treatment results.
Divergence and Convergence in Enzyme Evolution

Comparative analysis of the sequences of enzymes encoded in a variety of prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes reveals convergence and divergence at several levels. Functional convergence can be inferred when structurally distinct and hence non-homologous enzymes show the ability to catalyze the same biochemical reaction. In contrast, as a result of functional diversification, many structurally similar enzyme molecules act on substantially distinct substrates and catalyze diverse biochemical reactions. Here, we present updates on the ATP-grasp, alkaline phosphatase, cupin, HD hydrolase, and N-terminal nucleophile (Ntn) hydrolase enzyme superfamilies and discuss the patterns of sequence and structural conservation and diversity within these superfamilies. Typically, enzymes within a superfamily possess common sequence motifs and key active site residues, as well as (predicted) reaction mechanisms. These observations suggest that the strained conformation (the entatic state) of the active site, which is responsible for the substrate binding and formation of the transition complex, tends to be conserved within enzyme superfamilies. The subsequent fate of the transition complex is not necessarily conserved and depends on the details of the structures of the enzyme and the substrate. This variability of reaction outcomes limits the ability of sequence analysis to predict the exact enzymatic activities of newly sequenced gene products. Nevertheless, sequence-based (super)family assignments and generic functional predictions, even if imprecise, provide valuable leads for experimental studies and remain the best approach to the functional annotation of uncharacterized proteins from new genomes.
Reduction of blood and liver cholesterol in the rat by straight and branched chain alkyl amines

The activities of a branched chain and several straight chain amines (C12 to C18 chain length), and the azasteroid 25-aza-5α-cholestane were compared with those of 20,25-diazacholesterol dihydrochloride, which is a potent hypocholesterolemic agent in the rat. These amines and azasteroids inhibit the Δ24-sterol reductase system in the tobacco hornworm,Manduca sexta (L.), and also block the conversion of C28 and C29 plant sterols to cholesterol, with a resulting accumulation of desmosterol. The effects of these compounds in the rat were determined on body weight gain, cholesterol, desmosterol, and lipid composition of blood, feces, liver, and epididymal fat pad weight. The two azasteroids and the branched chain amine, N,N-dimethyl-3, 7,11-trimethyldodecanamine, had the greatest effect, reducing total plasma lipids and plasma sterols to approximately 40–50% of the levels in control rats and produced a concomitant increase in plasma and liver desmosterol. The branched chain dodecanamine caused a reduction in both feed consumption and body weight gain. The branched and straight chain dodecanamines also severely reduced epididymal fat pad weight. Our results demonstrate that the simple azasteroid, 25-aza-5α-cholestane, is a more potent inhibitor of cholesterol biosynthesis than the diazasterol and that the Δ24-sterol reductase system in a mammal can be inhibited by simple, nonsteroidal, acyclic amines.
Neutrino-Nucleon Interactions in Magnetized Neutron-Star Matter: The Effects of Parity Violation

We study neutrino-nucleon scattering and absorption in a dense, magnetized nuclear medium. These are the most important sources of neutrino opacity governing the cooling of a proto-neutron star in the first tens of seconds after its formation. Because the weak interaction is parity violating, the absorption and scattering cross sections depend asymmetrically on the directions of the neutrino momenta with respect to the magnetic field. We develop the moment formalism of neutrino transport in the presence of such asymmetric opacities and derive explicit expressions for the neutrino flux and other angular moments of the Boltzmann transport equation. For a given neutrino species, there is a drift flux of neutrinos along the magnetic field in addition to the usual diffusive flux. This drift flux depends on the deviation of the neutrino distribution function from thermal equilibrium. Hence, despite the fact that the neutrino cross sections are asymmetric throughout the star, the asymmetric neutrino flux can be generated only in the outer region of the proto-neutron star where the neutrino distribution deviates significantly from thermal equilibrium. The deviation from equilibrium is similarly altered by the asymmetric scattering and absorption, although its magnitude will still be quite small in the interior of themore » star. We clarify two reasons why previous studies have led to misleading results. First, inelasticity must be included in the phase space integrals in order to satisfy detail balance. Second, nucleon recoil must be included in order to find the leading order asymmetric cross sections correctly, even though it can be ignored to leading order to get the zero field opacities. In addition to the asymmetric absorption opacity arising from nucleon polarization, we also derive the contribution of the electron (or positron) ground state Landau level. For neutrinos of energy less than a few times the temperature, this is the dominant source of asymmetric opacity. Last, we discuss the implication of our result to the origin of pulsar kicks: in order to generate kick velocity of a few hundred kmhs{sup {minus}1} from asymmetric neutrino emission using the parity violation effect, the proto-neutron star must have a dipole magnetic field of at least 10{sup 15}{minus}10{sup 16} G. {copyright} {ital 1999} {ital The American Physical Society}« less
Oxide scale stresses in polycrystalline Ni200

An X-ray diffraction method has been successfully used to measure the oxidation stresses at room temperature in annealed and electropolished samples of polycrystalline Ni200 coupons oxidized in the temperature range 760 to 982 C for 4 h. The stresses on the free surface of the oxide were compressive and the average stress through the thickness normal to the oxide layer was found to be tensile. Surface stresses on the oxides formed at temperatures up to 927 C were found to be isotropic and both surface stresses and the average normal stress increased with increasing temperature of oxidation. At 982 C, the surface stresses were lower and this was attributed to the deformation and fracture of oxide layer resulting in stress relation.
An evolutionary perspective on the patterning of maternal investment in pregnancy.

Pregnancy is thought to be a metabolically very expensive endeavor, yet investigations have produced inconsistent results concerning the responsiveness of human birth weight to maternal nutritional stress or nutritional intervention. These findings have led some researchers to conclude that fetal growth is strongly buffered against fluctuations in maternal energy balance, making the fetus in effect a “nearly perfect parasite.” This buffering would appear to be a reasonable adaptive response given the high risk of morbidity and mortality associated with low birth weight. However, a life-history approach leads to the prediction that maternal investment strategies in pregnancy should be geared toward maximizing lifetime reproductive success rather than simply the success of the current pregnancy, and by extension that maternal investment strategies should vary with reproductive value. The physiology of human pregnancy in fact appears to include a number of mechanisms that protect maternal energy resources from diversion to the fetus and preserve them for future reproductive events. These mechanisms include adjustment of blood flow to the uterus and perhaps minor adjustments in gestation length, although evidence for the latter is scant. Suggestions are made for ways of investigating these maternal options.
Upper washita river experimental watersheds: meteorologic and soil climate measurement networks.

Hydrologic, watershed, water resources, and climate-related research conducted by the USDA–ARS Grazinglands Research Laboratory (GRL) are rooted in events dating back to the 1930s. In 1960, the 2927-km² Southern Great Plains Research Watershed (SGPRW) was established to study the effectiveness of USDA flood control and soil erosion prevention programs. The size of the SGPRW was scaled back in 1978, leaving only the 610-km² Little Washita River Experimental Watershed (LWREW) to be used as an outdoor hydrologic research laboratory. Since 1978, the number of measurement sites and types of instruments used to collect meteorologic and soil climate data have changed on the LWREW. Moreover, a second research watershed, the 786-km² Fort Cobb Reservoir Experimental Watershed (FCREW), was added in 2004 to the GRL’s outdoor research laboratories to further study the effects of agricultural conservation practices on selected environmental endpoints. We describe the SGPREW, FCREW, and LWREW and the meteorologic measurement network (historic and present) deployed on them, provide descriptions of measurements, including information on accuracy and calibration, quality assurance measures (where known), and data archiving of the present network, give examples of data products and applications, and provide information for the public and research communities regarding access and availability of both the historic and recent data from these watersheds.
Perceived Injustice Predicts Stress and Pain in Adults with Sickle Cell Disease

Research evidence shows that perceived injustice is a context-based unfair treatment that has negative influence on health outcomes. We examined the contribution of patients' perceived injustice regarding interactions with health care providers to stress and pain in adults with sickle cell disease (SCD). This study was a cross-sectional correlational pilot study. Included in the study were adults with SCD who received their care from a university-affiliated comprehensive sickle cell clinic. Participants were 52 adults whose mean age was 34 ± 11 years (minimum [min] 20 years, maximum [max] 70 years). Most of the patients were African American (n = 48, 92%) and female (n = 41, 79%). Forty-eight patients (92%) reported having a high school diploma or higher. Participants completed the perceived injustice questionnaire, perceived stress questionnaire, and the PAINReportIt, which includes questions to measure pain and demographics. We analyzed the data using the linear regression analyses. Perceived injustice from doctors was a significant predictor of perceived stress (p < .001) and pain (p = .002). Perceived injustice from nurses also was a significant predictor of perceived stress (p < .001) and pain (p = .02). The procedural, distributive, and informational domains of perceived injustice attributed to both doctors and nurses consistently predicted patients' perceived stress, but only the procedural and distributive domains of perceived injustice consistently predicted patients' pain. Findings suggest that perceived injustice was negatively associated with stress and pain in adults with SCD and warrant further investigation in a larger sample.
Aspiration of gastric contents: association with prehospital intubation.

Abstract We prospectively compared the incidence of pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents between patients endotracheally intubated in the prehospital (PH) setting and those intubated in the emergency department (ED). Tracheal aspirates were collected using a standard Leukens trap from all patients as soon as possible after endotracheal intubation. Tracheal aspirates were then tested for the presence of pepsin, a sensitive and specific marker of gastric contents, using a fibrinogen digestion technique. Over 8 months, 168 patients were enrolled. The pepsin assay was positive in 10 of 20 (50%) patients intubated in the PH group, as opposed to 33 of 148 (22%) of those intubated in the ED ( χ 2 P = .008; odds ratio, 3.5; 95% CI, 1.34-9.08). Patients endotracheally intubated in the PH setting are more likely to have aspirated gastric contents than those intubated in the ED.
Microbial Transformations of Natural Antitumor Agents: O-Demethylation of Vindoline by Sepedonium chrysospermum

Vindoline (1a) was transformed to O-demethylvindoline (1b) by Sepedonium chrysospermum ATCC 13378 in 33% yield. Thin-layer and high-pressure liquid chromatographic methods distinguished 1b from previously reported microbial metabolites of vindoline. The structural proof of 1b was based on its mass spectral fragmentation pattern and on its chemical and nuclear magnetic resonance spectral properties.
The association between change in social network characteristics and non-fatal overdose: results from the SHIELD study in Baltimore, MD, USA.

Abstract Background Social network factors have been reported to be associated with non-fatal overdose. Yet, few studies have examined how changes in social network characteristics may influence overdose risk. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between changes in social network and non-fatal overdose. Methods Data for this study came from 659 participants enrolled in the Self-Help in Eliminating Life-Threatening Diseases (SHIELD) study, who reported details about their non-fatal overdose experience between enrollment and a follow-up visit. Social network characteristics were described at both time points and net change in network composition was calculated. Results The sample was predominately male (56%), African–American (96%) and unemployed (78%). Experience of non-fatal overdose between time points was reported by 15%. Older age was associated with non-fatal overdose. Interaction between incarceration status and drug use was statistically significant. Protective factors were having a denser network at baseline and a network that became denser after adjusting for gender, homelessness, incarceration, drug use and total network size. Conclusions Drug users’ social networks are an important target for overdose prevention interventions. Further research on overdose risk and movement of specific network members in and out of networks is warranted.
Analysis of performance impact caused by power supply noise in deep submicron devices

The paper addresses the problem of analyzing the performance degradation caused by noise in power supply lines for deep submicron CMOS devices. We first propose a statistical modeling technique for the power supply noise including inductive /spl Delta/I noise and power net IR voltage drop. The model is then integrated with a statistical timing analysis framework to estimate the performance degradation caused by the power supply noise. Experimental results of our analysis framework, validated by HSPICE, for benchmark circuits implemented on both 0.25 /spl mu/, 2.5 V and 0.55 /spl mu/, 3.3 V technologies are presented and discussed. The results show that on average, with the consideration of this noise effect, the circuit critical path delays increase by 33% and 18%, respectively for circuits implemented on these two technologies.
Broken dental needle retrieval using a surgical navigation system: a case report and literature review

This paper reports a case of fractured needle retrieval in the pterygomandibular space using the Medtronic surgical navigation system. Current literature on needle fracture and retrieval in the oral cavity was also reviewed. A literature search was conducted in the following databases: PubMed, MDConsult, The Cochrane Library, and Google. A variety of keywords were used, including "needle fracture," "broken dental needle," "needle injuries in dentistry," "foreign body retrieval," and "dental needle retrieval." Articles published after 1980 were reviewed. Seventeen articles that involved broken dental needle retrieval were selected.
Thermodynamics of formation of Th-Co alloys

Electromotive force cells have been used to determine the Gibbs free energies, enthalpies, and entropies of formation for Th2Coi7, ThCo5, Th2Co7, ThCo, and Th7Co3. Solid CaF2 was employed as the electrolyte, and measurements were made over the temperature range 917‡ to 1233‡K. Comparison of the Th-Co enthalpy values with Th-Ni values shows that the relative bond strengths associated with thorium-transition metal interactions in the two systems invert between the thorium-poor and thorium-rich regions.
A liquid culture method for rescuing immature embryos of eastern cottonwood

A one-step method to rescue immature embryos of eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides Bartr.) is described. Plantlets developed from 83% of 25-day-old embryos grown in shaken culture on Murashige and Skoog (MS) liquid medium with 2.2 μm indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and from 86% of embryos not supplemented with IAA. In contrast, when the MS medium was solidified with 0.8% agar, plantlets developed from 25% of 25-day-old embryos cultured on medium supplemented with IAA and from 28% of embryos in medium not supplemented with IAA. Eighty eight percent of all plantlets survived a gradual acclimitization to peat plugs in a greenhouse. The one-step liquid-culture method is an effective means of rescuing immature embryos by ovule culture from excised artificially-pollinated female branches in our cottonwood breeding program.
Thin Film Flow of Polymeric Anti-HIV Microbicides: Comparison of 3-D Numerical and Experimental Simulations

In 2008, approximately 33.4 million people were living with HIV worldwide[1]. The rate of infection increases by about 5 million people per year[2], with a significant portion resulting from unprotected sex. A microbicide is a topical formulation that consists of a pharmaceutical agent suspended in a delivery vehicle (e.g. a polymeric liquid also called a “microbicide gel”), and could be a potential tool for preventing HIV transmission during intercourse. The vehicle itself can act as a physical barrier and, if designed with ideal physicochemical properties, might eliminate the need for a pharmaceutical agent altogether. In fact, a vehicle’s ability to coat the epithelium has been singled out as a crucial variable, which might dictate the microbicide’s efficacy[3]. Our overall objective is to develop an effective delivery vehicle that is capable of coating the vaginal epithelium under the influence of gravity, shearing, and compressive forces. The objective of this study is to numerically simulate the evolution of the 3-D free surface of a non-Newtonian fluid spreading under the influence of gravity. In addition, we aim to compare the spreading characteristics of the numerical model with experimental data, while incorporating similar initial conditions. Here, we present the advantages of accounting for lateral spreading in the numerical simulation.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Total serum angiotensin converting enzyme activity in rats and dogs after enalapril maleate (MK-421).

Abstract A centrifugal gel filtration separation of serum angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) from a potent stable inhibitor is described. This, together with a 20 hr assay incubation of very dilute enzyme, permitted the assessment of the effects of enalapril maleate treatment on total serum ACE in rats and dogs. Total serum ACE increased in both species after 1 or 2 weeks at 10 mg/kg/day. Serum ACE in rats was more than doubled; whereas the increase was modest in dogs (48 ± 9% minimum). The effect of the drug on serum ACE combined with inherent variability of ACE precludes use of serum ACE activity as an accurate measure of inhibitor concentration in animals receiving enalapril maleate.