cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Functional status impairment is associated with unplanned readmissions.

Abstract Objective To determine whether functional status on admission to a Comprehensive Integrated Inpatient Rehabilitation Program (CIIRP) is associated with unplanned readmission to acute care. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Academic hospital-based CIIRP. Participants Consecutive patients (N=1515) admitted to a CIIRP between January 2009 and June 2012. Interventions Patients' functional status, the primary exposure variable, was assessed using tertiles of the total FIM score at CIIRP admission, with secondary analyses using the FIM motor and cognitive domains. A propensity score, consisting of 25 relevant clinical and demographic variables, was used to adjust for confounding in the analysis. Main Outcome Measures Readmission to acute care was categorized as (1) readmission before planned discharge from the CIIRP, (2) readmission within 30 days of discharge from the CIIRP, and (3) total readmissions from both groups, with total readmissions being the a priori primary outcome. Results Among the 1515 patients, there were 347 total readmissions. Total readmissions were significantly associated with FIM scores, with adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the lowest and middle FIM tertiles versus the highest tertile (AOR=2.6; 95% CI, 1.9–3.7; P P =.002, respectively). There were similar findings for secondary analyses of readmission before planned discharge from the CIIRP (AOR=3.5; 95% CI, 2.2–5.8; P P =.002, respectively), and a weaker association for readmissions after discharge from the CIIRP (AOR=1.6; 95% CI, 1.0–2.4; P =.047 and AOR=1.3; 95% CI, 0.8–1.9; P =.28, respectively). The FIM motor domain score was more strongly associated with readmissions than the FIM cognitive score. Conclusions Functional status on admission to the CIIRP is strongly associated with readmission to acute care, particularly for motor aspects of functional status and readmission before planned discharge from the CIIRP. Efforts to reduce hospital readmissions should consider patient functional status as an important and potentially modifiable risk factor.
Synergistic effects of pH and aluminum concentrations on the life expectancy of tilapia (mozambica) fingerlings

Acid deposition on surface water causes a decrease of aquatic life. It has also been shown that increased acidity causes an increase in concentration of aluminum ions in these waters. Very little research has been done on effect of pH and aluminum on tropical aquatic organisms, particularly fish. Therefore, this study was undertaken to find the effect of pH and aluminum on tropical fish. Tilapia species of fish was chosen because it is abundant and is widely used as food in many communities in Kenya particularly around Lake Victoria. It is less sensitive to most toxic substances than most other aquatic species. Therefore, any toxicant that affects Tilapia, would most likely be toxic to other aquatic organisms.
Translation of mammalian globin messenger RNAs in an avian reticulocyte cell-free system.

Abstract Rabbit and mouse globin messenger RNAs when added to a duck reticulocyte cell-free system behave similarly and are translated with equally high efficiencies in the avian system. An enhancement of total amino acid incorporation occurs upon addition of these mammalian globin mRNAs to the duck system suggesting that mRNA may be limiting in this system.
Modeling arsenite oxidation by chemoautotrophic Thiomonas arsenivorans strain b6 in a packed-bed bioreactor

Abstract Arsenic is a major toxic pollutant of concern for the human health. Biological treatment of arsenic contaminated water is an alternative strategy to the prevalent conventional treatments. The biological treatment involves a pre-oxidation step transforming the most toxic form of arsenic, As (III), to the least toxic form, As (V), respectively. This intermediate process improves the overall efficiency of total arsenic removal from the contaminated water. As (III) oxidation by the chemoautotrophic bacterium Thiomonas arsenivorans strain b6 was investigated in a fixed-film reactor under variable influent As (III) concentrations (500–4000 mg/L) and hydraulic residence times (HRTs) (0.2–1 day) for a duration of 137 days. During the entire operation, seven steady-state conditions were obtained with As (III) oxidation efficiency ranging from 48.2% to 99.3%. The strong resilience of the culture was exhibited by the recovery of the bioreactor from an As (III) overloading of 5300 ± 400 mg As (III)/L day operated at a HRT of 0.2 day. An arsenic mass balance revealed that As (III) was mainly oxidized to As (V) with unaccounted arsenic (≤ 4%) well within the analytical error of measurement. A modified Monod flux expression was used to determine the biokinetic parameters by fitting the model against the observed steady-state flux data obtained from operating the bioreactor under a range of HRTs (0.2–1 day) and a constant influent As (III) concentration of 500 mg/L. Model parameters, k = 0.71 ± 0.1 mg As (III)/mg cells h, and K s = 13.2 ± 2.8 mg As (III)/L were obtained using a non-linear estimation routine and employing the Marquardt–Levenberg algorithm. Sensitivity analysis revealed k to be more sensitive to model simulations of As (III) oxidation under steady-state conditions than parameter K s .
Modified Bentall Operation With Bioprosthetic Valved Conduit: Columbia University Experience

A conduit was made by sewing a bovine pericardial valve into a graft conduit with the pseudo-sinuses of Valsalva. The graft collar below the valve cuff ring was sewn to the aortic annulus with interrupted pledgeted sutures. From August 2005 to February 2008, 68 patients underwent aortic root replacements with this technique. Operative mortality was 2.9% (2 acute aortic dissection patients died). During median follow-up of 11 months, 1 patient had reoperation for conduit failure due to infectious endocarditis. This technique is safe and feasible with favorable early outcomes. Because the valve is sewn above the outflow tract, superior hemodynamics are achieved. Reoperation may be accomplished by removal of the valve rather than full root re-replacement.
The residual neuropsychological effects of cannabis: the current status of research

Evidence for the residual neuropsychological effects of cannabis must first be separated from evidence regarding (i) the acute effects of the drug, (ii) attributes of heavy cannabis users, and (iii) actual psychiatric disorders caused or exacerbated by cannabis. The remaining evidence must then be subdivided into (a) data supporting a 'drug residue' effect during the 12-24 h period immediately after acute intoxication and (b) data suggesting a more lasting toxic effect on the central nervous system which persists even after all drug residue has left the system. We reviewed the literature, comparing both 'drug-administration' studies in which known amounts of cannabis were administered to volunteers, and 'naturalistic studies' in which heavy marijuana users were tested after some period of abstinence. The data support a 'drug residue' effect on attention, psychomotor tasks, and short-term memory during the 12-24 h period immediately after cannabis use, but evidence is as yet insufficient to support or refute either a more prolonged 'drug residue' effect, or a toxic effect on the central nervous system that persists even after drug residues have left the body. We describe possible study designs to address these latter questions.
Spectral classification using pattern-recognition techniques. II. Application to curium energy levels

Curium energy levels have been classified according to configuration using pattern-recognition techniques. Four features\char22{}energy level, Land\'e $g$, $J$, and isotope shift\char22{}have been used to describe each level. Forty levels have been assigned with high probability based on consistent results obtained by various pattern recognition techniques. This represents an increase of 9% for even levels and 19% for odd levels. In addition, 14 levels have been assigned to one of two possible configurations. Pattern recognition in general, as applied to atomic energy-level classification, is discussed.
Racism on Trial the Chicano Fight for Justice: Ian F. Haney Lopez; Cambridge, MA: Belknap/Harvard University Press, 2003, 324 pages

In this book, Haney Lopez proposes and develops the notion of common sense racism in the context of the Chicano Movement in Los Angeles in 1968. Through the narration of the events the author expli...
Joint transceiver designs using lattice reduction algorithms

This paper proposes a novel linear transceiver design using lattice reduction algorithms. We propose a novel transceiver optimization problem that aims to minimize the sum of mean square errors (MSEs) of information symbols in a lattice-reduced domain. To alleviate the high complexity of solving the optimization problem, we devise an alternating algorithm to find a sub-optimal solution with low complexity. Since the optimized sum of MSEs of the information symbols in the lattice-reduced domain is smaller than that of information symbols, the proposed design achieves better error performance. Simulations are conducted to validate the superior performance of the proposed design.
Neuroimaging studies of bipolar depression: functional neuropathology, treatment effects, and predictors of clinical response

Abstract Functional brain imaging studies suggest that prefrontal and anterior paralimbic components of basal ganglia-thalamocortical circuits have altered function in bipolar depression. Abnormal anterior cortical activity is a common finding in not only bipolar, but also unipolar and secondary depression. In addition, increases in subcortical anterior paralimbic activity may occur in bipolar and unipolar depression, consistent with corticolimbic dysregulation. Variability in findings may be related to differences in methodology, patterns of depressive symptoms, illness subtypes, medications, and treatment responses. Emerging data are beginning to reveal specific biochemical disturbances in prefrontal and anterior paralimbic components of basal ganglia-thalamocortical circuits in bipolar and unipolar disorders. These include changes in serotonergic and dopaminergic neurotransmission, in N-acetyl aspartate, choline, gamma-aminobutyric acid, and glutamate, phospholipid concentrations, and in high energy phosphate metabolism. Although functional brain imaging studies have advanced our knowledge of the neurobiology of bipolar depression, it remains to be established whether clinical applications will develop to facilitate diagnosis and more effectively target treatments.
High-Speed Imaging Optical Pyrometry for Study of Boron Nitride Nanotube Generation

A high-speed imaging optical pyrometry system is designed for making in-situ measurements of boron temperature during the boron nitride nanotube synthesis process. Spectrometer measurements show molten boron emission to be essentially graybody in nature, lacking spectral emission fine structure over the visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum. Camera calibration experiments are performed and compared with theoretical calculations to quantitatively establish the relationship between observed signal intensity and temperature. The one-color pyrometry technique described herein involves measuring temperature based upon the absolute signal intensity observed through a narrowband spectral filter, while the two-color technique uses the ratio of the signals through two spectrally separated filters. The present study calibrated both the one- and two-color techniques at temperatures between 1,173 K and 1,591 K using a pco.dimax HD CMOS-based camera along with three such filters having transmission peaks near 550 nm, 632.8 nm, and 800 nm.
Axenic Cultivation of Entamoeba histolytica

Entamoeba histolytica (National Institutes of Health strain 200) has been maintained in axenic culture through 50 transfers over a period of 6 months. The medium used is diphasic and contains a cell-free extract of chick embryo which is essential for growth. Inocula of 50,000 amoebas yield 150,000 to 200,000 organisms in 72 hours of incubation at 35°C. An extract prepared from boiled embryos supports growth equally well.
To flip or not to flip? Assessing the inversion barrier of the tetraphenylene framework with enantiopure 2,15-dideuteriotetraphenylene and 2,7-dimethyltetraphenylene.

Two chiral tetraphenylenes, 2,15-dideuteriotetraphenylene (7) and 2,7-dimethyltetraphenylene (15) were synthesized and resolved to address the tetraphenylene inversion barrier problem. Neutron diffraction investigation of enantiopure 7 showed that the molecule retained its chirality integrity during its synthesis from enantiopure precursors and therefore rules out the possibility of the tetraphenylene framework possessing a low-energy barrier to inversion. Thermal study on 15 and tetraphenylene 1 further revealed that their inversion barriers were not overcome up to 600 °C, at which temperature these compounds underwent skeletal contraction into triphenylene with activation energies of 62.8 and 58.2 kcal/mol, respectively. This result is supported by computational studies which yielded an inversion barrier of 135 kcal/mol for tetraphenylene as a consequence of the peri-hydrogen repulsions at its planar conformation.
Ultrastructural immunocytochemical characterization of isotocin, vasotocin and neurophysin neurons in the magnocellular preoptic nucleus of the goldfish

We describe the ultrastructural localization of isotocin, vasotocin and neurophysin in the magnocellular preoptic nucleus of the goldfish. With the aid of immunocytochemical techniques, we see staining both in classical neurosecretory granules and in diffuse agranular form throughout somata and processes. Signs of cellular and synaptic interactions between chemically identified neurons include axon terminals which contain vasotocin immunoreactivity and membrane specializations (puncta adhaerentia) between adjacent somata. Our investigations provide an anatomical basis for neuroendocrine and neurotransmitter-like functions of peptidergic neurons in the teleost preoptic nucleus.
Inhibition of ultraviolet B–induced c-fos gene expression and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase activation by (-)-epigallocatechin gallate in a human keratinocyte cell line

(-)-Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the major polyphenol isolated from green tea, is an active chemoprevention agent against cancer. However, the molecular mechanisms that underlie the inhibitory effects of EGCG are not well understood. In this study, we tested the effects of EGCG on ultraviolet (UV) B radiation–induced c-fos gene expression in a human keratinocyte cell line, HaCaT. EGCG inhibited UVB-induced steady-state message and transcriptional activation of the c-fos gene in a dose-dependent manner. Western analyses further indicated that EGCG had an inhibitory effect on UVB-induced accumulation of the c-fos protein within the same dose range. To further examine the mechanism by which EGCG inhibits UVB-induced c-fos expression, we tested the effect of EGCG on upstream activators of the c-fos gene. We found that EGCG significantly inhibited activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase but not c-jun NH2-terminal kinase or extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase activation. Our previous studies have indicated that UVB-induced c-fos expression may play a key role in UVB-induced activation of the activator protein-1 transcription factor and EGCG-inhibited, UVB-induced activation of AP-1 in HaCaT cells. Because AP-1 is important for tumor promotion and c-fos is a major component of AP-1, the inhibitory effects of EGCG on c-fos expression may further explain the anti–tumor-promoting effects of EGCG. Mol. Carcinog. 24:79–84, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Linkage between crystallographic texture and surface roughness in niobium films synthesized by ion beam assisted deposition

Abstract The development of texture in thin films under ion bombardment is due to the preferential growth of the aligned grains in the film relative to the unaligned grains. The difference in growth rates between aligned and unaligned grains causes the surface to roughen with increasing film thickness. Hence, the development of texture and roughness are rooted in the same physical processes; differential sputtering caused by ion channeling. Experiments were performed to test the validity of a model for the development of roughness and texture. Results of Nb films deposited onto Si substrates using ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) confirmed that both surface roughness and texture increase linearly with film thickness up to a critical value. That the critical thickness range is 114–250 nm supports a growth mechanism for texture development in Nb films.
Molecular architecture via coordination: self-assembly of pseudohexagonal A2(3)X2(3)-macrocycles

[formula: see text] The interaction of two complementary ditopic building blocks, each incorporating 120 degrees angles between the active coordination sites, in methylene chloride at room temperature results in the spontaneous self-assembly of platinum-based assemblies of hexagonal shape.
Socialization and Social Judgments among Inner-City African-American Kindergartners

This study explores the relations between certain socialization experiences and social judgments among poor, inner-city African-American kindergartners. 54 mothers and their children took part in this investigation. Consistent with the domain distinction literature, children made judgments about the seriousness, rule contingency, context contingency, and punishment deserved for familiar moral and social-conventional transgressions. Mothers were queried regarding their child-rearing values and discipline practices and described their children's peer network and social experiences. Results indicated that children distinguished between moral and social-conventional issues when explaining why they were wrong and in terms of rule and home context contingency criteria, but not the other judgment criteria. Mothers placed high value on conformity and most often ignored or talked to children about their misbehavior. More frequent use of talking, less ignoring, and less denial of privileges by mothers predicted children's making the domain distinction. Discussion focuses on methodological limitations and directions for future research.
95Mo and 183W NMR studies of triply bonded dinuclear M(III) and related MC (M = Mo or W) complexes

95Mo and 183W NMR data are reported for a series of dinuclear triply bonded M(III) (M = Mo or W unless specified) and related [MCR]3+ complexes. Complexes of general formulae M2L6 (L = [OCMe3]− or [NMe2]−, M = Mo, L = [CH2CMe3]−, [CH2SiMe3]−, [OCH2CMe3]− or [OCHMe2]− and M2(OCHMe2)6L2 (L = C5H5N, 12Me2PCH2CH2PMe2 or 12MeNHCH2CH2NHMe) exhibit very deshielded resonances in the δ-2430–3695 (M = Mo) and δ-4196–4736 (M = W) regions. The novel M2(O2CMe)4(CH2CMe3)2 complexes exhibit resonances which are shielded relative to the above complexes and related M2(O2CR)4 complexes. The M(CXMe3)(CH2XMe3)3 (X = C or Si) complexes, which contain formal MC triple bonds, exhibit resonances at δ 1400 and 1845 (M = Mo), and δ 2867 and 3613 (M = W), respectively. The tungsten alkylidyne complexes exhibit septet 183W resonances due to coupling of 183W and CH2XMe−3 protons (2JW-H = 10.5 Hz). The magnitude of the nuclear shielding in these related species increases in the order: [MM]4+ (σ2π4δ2) < [MM]6+ (σ2π4) < [MM]6+ (π4δ2) ∼ [MC]3+ < [MN]3+. The nuclear deshielding appears to be related to the extreme covalency of the multiple bond in which the metals are involved.
Robust control charts

When a process is first submitted to statistical quality control, a standard procedure is to collect 20–40 subgroups of about five units each and then to construct control charts, such as charts and R charts, with limits determined by the data. These control charts are then used to detect problems in control such as outhers or excess variability in subgroup means that may have a special cause. In this article, the robustness of these charting procedures is investigated. If the number of false alarms when the process is in control is held constant, the most sensitive procedures for detecting the out-of-control state are those that plot a subgroup statistic that is sensitive to outliers (e.g., mean or range) but determine the control limits in a resistant fashion. Ordinary charting procedures, such as the standard and R charts, perform less well, and the worst performance is turned in by procedures in which the subgroup statistics are themselves resistant (e.g., median charts). To illustrate the point that ...
Natural Order or Divine Will: Maimonides on Cosmogony and Prophecy

In Guide 2.32 Maimonides notes that just as there are three opinions concerning prophecy (as discussed earlier in 2:13), so are there three opinions concerning cosmogony. Scholars have tended to assume that Maimonides, despite what he says, must have seen some more important correspondence between the two sets of opinions than their number. I argue that although for Maimonides what the two sets of opinions have in common is indeed their number, what he wishes to direct the careful reader's attention to is that the number of opinions in both cases is actually two rather than three.
Formation of cluster roots and mycorrhizal status of Comptonia peregrina and Myrica pensylvanica in Maine, USA

Extent of cluster (proteoid) root formation in the field was examined in relation to availability of P and successional status of the site in two actinorhizal, N2-fixing shrubs. Comptonia peregrina (L.) Coult. and Myrica pensylvanica Loisel. In C. peregrina cluster roots were present at all 13 sites and comprised between 0.2 and 19% of total fine root dry weight. Cluster root formation was most extensive at recently disturbed sites and was negatively correlated with cover of associated woody species (r =−0.85), litter depth (r =−0.81) and available (extractable) soil P (r =−0.75). In M. pensylvanica cluster roots were present at all 11 sites and comprised between 6 and 20% of total fine root dry weight. On mineral soils (n = 6), extent of cluster root formation was negatively correlated (r =−0.86) with cover of associated woody species and with litter depth (r =−0.78; P= 0.07). Comptonia peregrina and M. pensylvanica lack functional mycorrhizae at these sites because only intracellular infections were found and these lacked arbuscules. None of 22 non-N2-fixing, dominant woody species associated with C. peregrina and M. pensylvanica formed cluster roots. Cluster roots probably allow C. peregrina and M. pensylvanica to obtain sufficient P from nutrient-poor soils in the absence of functional mycorrhizae. Extensive cluster root formation on disturbed, early successional sites may aid these species in colonizing these sites because they have to form only one symbiosis (with Frankia) and not two (with Frankia and a mycorrhizal fungus).
The Prophetic Alchemy of Jim Wallis

In God's Politics evangelical minister Jim Wallis uses what I call “prophetic alchemy,” a strategy meant to reconcile and combine two opposing viewpoints—particularly liberal secularists and conservative Christians—into one progressive agenda for social change. Prophetic alchemy is magical thinking through argument, and as rhetorical strategy it participates in Kenneth Burke's alchemic tropes, particularly transcendence and division. In this article I review prophetic rhetoric as a genre, situate Wallis's rhetorical efforts in the timeline of the Protestant dialectic between progressive and conservative ideologies, and then analyze God's Politics as it participates in prophecy by attempting to reconcile opposing audiences through the symbolic power of prophetic alchemy.
Blood spot-based measures of glucose homeostasis and diabetes prevalence in a nationally representative population of young US adults.

Abstract Purpose We investigated understudied biomarker-based diabetes among young US adults, traditionally characterized by low cardiovascular disease risk. Methods We examined 15,701 participants aged 24 to 32 years at Wave IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health, 2008). The study used innovative and relatively noninvasive methods to collect capillary whole blood via finger prick at in-home examinations in all 50 states. Results Assays of dried blood spots produced reliable and accurate values of HbA1c. Reliability was lower for fasting glucose and lowest for random glucose. Mean (SD) HbA1c was 5.6% (0.8%). More than a quarter (27.4%) had HbA1c-defined prediabetes. HbA1c was highest in the black, non-Hispanic race/ethnic group, inversely associated with education, and more common among the overweight/obese and physically inactive. The prevalence of diabetes defined by previous diagnosis or use of antidiabetic medication was 2.9%. Further incorporating HbA1c and glucose values, the prevalence increased to 6.8%, and among these participants, 38.9% had a previous diagnosis of diabetes (i.e., aware). Among those aware, 37.6% were treated and 64.0% were controlled (i.e., HbA1c Conclusions A contemporary cohort of young adults faces a historically high risk of diabetes but there is ample opportunity for early detection and intervention.
Response to Prey Odors by Oyster Drills, Urosalpinx cinerea cinerea, Urosalpinx cinerea follyensis and Eupleura caudata etterae

Oyster drills, Urosalpinx cinerea (Say), U. c. follyensis B. Baker and Eupleura caudata etterae B. Baker, were divided into unfed groups and groups fed oysters or barnacles. Drills were tested in assays for their ability to detect prey odors of barnacles Balanus balanoides, mussels Mytilus edulis, oysters Crassostrea virginica, and clams, Mercenaria mercenaria. Two‐choice tests determined if drills were equally attracted to specific prey and to water without added prey. Four‐choice tests determined the response of drills to odors of three prey species and control sea water presented simultaneously. Behavior of individual drills was recorded in 80 tests. In two‐choice tests, at least one group of each of the two subspecies of U. cinerea responded significantly to all prey species. In both 2‐ and 4‐choice tests, strongest responses were to barnacles. U. cinerea responded about equally to mussels and oysters; U. c. follyensis reacted more strongly to oysters than to mussels. Diet had little effect on choices...
Norm estimates for the inverse of a general class of scattered-data radial-function interpolation matrices

Abstract In this paper we investigate those radial basis functions h associated with functions whose mth derivative (modulo a scalar multiple) is completely monotonic. Our results apply both to interpolation problems that require polynomial reproduction and to those that do not. In the case where polynomial reproduction is not required and the order m is 0 or 1, we obtain estimates on the norms of inverses of scattered-data interpolation matrices. These estimates depend only on the minimal-separation distance for the data and on the dimension of the ambient space, R s. When the order m satisfies m ⩾ 2, we show that there exist parameters a1, …, am such that the function h(x) + am + am − 1r2 + … + a1r2m − 2 gives rise to an invertible interpolation matrix, and we obtain bounds on the norm of the inverse of this matrix. For interpolation methods in which one wishes to reproduce polynomials of total degree m − 1 or less, bounds for the norm of the inverse of the interpolation matrix are obtained, provided the data contains a πm-1( R s) unisolvent subset. These results apply, in particular, to Duchon's “thin-plate spline” results.
Vaclav Havel and the rhetoric of folly

In the post‐cold war clamor, Czech President Vaclav Havel's “rhetoric of folly” encouraged an unusual reversal of thinking. Havel's discourse, characterized by irony, humility, and empathy, was foremost concerned with the folly of the human endeavor, with people restrained and frequently made ridiculous by their limitations or attempts to overcome them. Yet, Havel's rhetoric urged that folly is a kind of lived wisdom, a motivation for overcoming despair and moving toward hopeful human action during a difficult transitional period in European history.
Factors associated with joint custody awards.

Abstract Court records of 358 divorce cases involving children from matched counties in two states with opposite legal presumptions concerning joint legal custody were reviewed. The impact of such presumptions upon actual custody awards was examined, as well as the correlation between demographic and other custody arrangement variables and joint legal and physical custody in both states. It was found that the existence of a presumption concerning joint legal custody affected legal but not physical custody award patterns. Significant correlations were discovered between joint custody and the presence of specific language in court orders concerning parental rights/responsibilities and financial support for children; parental education; gender of plaintiff; welfare agency involvement and defendants' requests for custody. Implications of these findings are discussed.
Experiments to Study the Effect of Light on Electron Bubbles in Liquid Helium

We give a survey of recent experimental and theoretical work on the effect of light on electron bubbles in liquid helium. The light-induced change in the bubbles is measured using an ugtrasonic technique. In helium at temperatures above about 1.7 K, we are able to produce and detect electron bubbles in the 1P quantum state. The properties of the electron bubbles are in agreement with theoretical expectations. However, the application of light to bubbles at low temperatures (T>1.5 K) resugts in. changes in the properties of the bubbles that are not yet understood.
A rendezvous with our microbes.

On November 2–3, 2009 an international group of scientists representing multiple disciplines gathered to consider the current state of our understanding of the symbiotic and beneficial relationships between microbes and humans and to define the challenges, gaps in knowledge, and opportunities that this exciting field of study now offers. A number of adjectives come to mind when describing the subject of microbes and health, ranging from ancient and historic , to integrative and interdisciplinary , to timely and pressing . Coexistence and coevolution with microbes has been a theme of life on Earth for all metazoans past and present. Historically, the discovery that microbes are an integral part of us was made as soon as Antonie van Leeuwenhoek peered through his microscope and examined dental plaque sampled from himself and others (without institutional review board approval!). His sense of awe and his early appreciation of the diversity our microbial partners were evident in the words he chose for a letter written to the Royal Society of London in September 1683: > “Though my teeth are kept usually very clean, nevertheless, when I view them in a magnifying glass, I find growing between them a little white matter as thick as wetted flower: in this substance though I could not perceive any motion, I judged there might probably be living creatures. I therefore took some of this flower and mixed it either with pure rain water wherein were no animals, or else with some of my spittle (having no air bubbles to cause a motion in it) and then to my great surprise perceived that the aforesaid matter maintained very many small living animals, which moved themselves very extravagantly. ….The spittle of an old man that had lived soberly, had no animals in it; but the substance upon and between his teeth … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: jgordon{at}wustl.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Molecular Imaging-Assisted Optimization of Hsp70 Expression during Laser-Induced Thermal Preconditioning for Wound Repair Enhancement

Patients at risk for impaired healing may benefit from prophylactic measures aimed at improving wound repair. Several photonic devices claim to enhance repair by thermal and photochemical mechanisms. We hypothesized that laser-induced thermal preconditioning would enhance surgical wound healing that was correlated with hsp70 expression. Using a pulsed diode laser ( λ =1.85μm, τ p =2ms, 50Hz, H =7.64mJcm −2 ), the skin of transgenic mice that contain an hsp70 promoter-driven luciferase was preconditioned 12hours before surgical incisions were made. Laser protocols were optimized in vitro and in vivo using temperature, blood flow, and hsp70 -mediated bioluminescence measurements as benchmarks. Biomechanical properties and histological parameters of wound healing were evaluated for up to 14 days. Bioluminescent imaging studies indicated that an optimized laser protocol increased hsp70 expression by 10-fold. Under these conditions, laser-preconditioned incisions were two times stronger than control wounds. Our data suggest that this molecular imaging approach provides a quantitative method for optimization of tissue preconditioning and that mild laser-induced heat shock may be a useful therapeutic intervention prior to surgery.
Common Sheath Reimplantation Yields Excellent Results in the Treatment of Vesicoureteral Reflux in Duplicated Collecting Systems

AbstractPurpose: We evaluated our 10-year experience with the surgical treatment of vesicoureteral reflux in uncomplicated duplicated collecting systems.Materials and Methods: Between 1984 and 1994, 54 refluxing renal units (8 bilateral) in 37 female and 9 male patients required surgery. Patient age ranged from 7 months to 17 years (average 4.9 at surgery). Postoperative followup (average 14.2 months) included voiding cystourethrography and renal sonography or excretory urography.Results: Common sheath ureteral reimplantation via an intravesical approach was performed in 48 of the 54 refluxing renal units. Of the remaining 6 renal units detrussorrhaphy was performed in 4, and ureteroureterostomy combined with ureteral reimplantation and partial lower pole nephrectomy were done in 1 each. Two treated renal units had persistent postoperative vesicoureteral reflux, which resolved after subureteral polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon) injection. No renal unit had postoperative hydronephrosis. Contralateral reflux...
Mechanism of Action of the Gonadal Steroids Producing Diminution of Growth of Staphylococcus Aureus

Summary. Studies were undertaken to characterize the mechanism of action of the gonadal steroids responsible for decreasing growth of Staphylococcus aureus in vitro. Progesterone or testosterone at 20 μg/ml significantly increased the leakage of 14C activity from staphylococci pre-loaded with 14C-glucose. This enhancement of leakage was not detected with Gram negative micro-organisms. Hormonal diminution of total uptake of alanine was relatively independent of temperature and of the phase of culture. Anaerobiosis increased the steroidal diminution of alanine uptake c. 2-fold. Fraction-ation of staphylococci following exposure to various 14C-substrates in the presence of progesterone at 40 μg/ml did not reveal any distinctive influences on macromolecular syntheses. Entry of the labels into cellular pools, however, was altered for 8 of the 10 substrates tested. Exchange experiments detailed the effects of steroids on the efflux of internal alanine and lysine. With progesterone at 40 μg/ml, alanine effluxed from the internal pool 3 times as fast as from the corresponding controls. The opposite effect occurred with lysine and progesterone depressed its exit rate. The stepwise removal of cellular constituents indicated a preferential binding of hormones to cell wall components. Using 14C-progesterone or 14C-diethylstilbestrol, 24% and 29%, respectively, of the added hormone was firmly bound to mucopeptide preparations, compared to 1–5% bound to whole cells or isolated cell walls. We suggest that the hormones interfere with the integrated functioning of membrane-associated processes.
Synthesis and functional analyses of nuclear clusterin, a cell death protein

Nuclear clusterin (nCLU) is an ionizing radiation (IR)-inducible protein that binds Ku70, and triggers apoptosis when overexpressed in MCF-7 cells. We demonstrate that endogenous nCLU synthesis is a product of alternative splicing. Reverse transcriptase-PCR analyses revealed that exon II, containing the first AUG and encoding the endoplasmic reticulum-targeting peptide, was omitted. Exons I and III are spliced together placing a downstream AUG in exon III as the first available translation start site. This shorter mRNA produces the 49-kDa precursor nCLU protein. Ku70 binding activity was localized to the C-terminal coiled-coil domain of nCLU. Leucine residues 357, 358, and 361 of nCLU were necessary for Ku70-nCLU interaction. The N- and C-terminal coiled-coil domains of nCLU interacted with each other, suggesting that the protein could dimerize or fold. Mutation analyses indicate that the C-terminal NLS was functional in nCLU with the same contribution from N-terminal NLS. The C-terminal coiled-coil domain of nCLU was the minimal region required for Ku binding and apoptosis. MCF-7 cells show nuclear as well as cytoplasmic expression of GFP-nCLU in apoptotic cells. Cytosolic aggregation of GFP-nCLU was found in viable cells. These results indicate that an inactive precursor of nCLU exists in the cytoplasm of non-irradiated MCF-7 cells, translocates into the nucleus following IR, and induces apoptosis.
Do faith-based providers respect client autonomy? A comparison of client and staff perceptions in faith-based and secular residential treatment programs

In spite of growing interest in utilizing faith-based providers to deliver services, little research exists on such organizations. This paper explores client (N = 68) and staff (N = 48) views of autonomy, a fundamental social work value, by comparing perceptions at faith-based and secular residential treatment programs. Based upon a postmodern perspective that all organizations convey a particular set of values, and clients will tend to select programs congruent with their preexisting metaphysical values, it was hypothesized that there would be no difference in perceptions of autonomy among consumers or staff. Both hypotheses were supported, suggesting that for consumers who desire faith-based services, such providers do respect client autonomy.
Modular headache theory: a new approach.

Many people experience headaches that do not fulfill the International Headache Society’s criteria for a specific headache disorder, yet behave biologically like that disorder. Others fulfill criteria for one headache disorder but have features of another. To explain these observations, we propose that groups of neurons, called modules, become activated to produce each symptom of a primary headache disorder, and that each module is linked to other modules that together produce an individual’s headache. Headaches develop phenotypic stability through a process referred to as learned stereotypy. This theory has implications for the classification, research, and treatment of primary and secondary headache patients.
Analysis of Spatial Data Structures for Proximity Detection

Abstract Construction is a dangerous business. According to statistics, in every of the past thirteen years more than 1000 workers died in the USA construction industry. In order to minimize the overall number of these incidents, the research presented in this paper investigates to monitor and analyze the trajectories of construction resources first in a simulated environment and later on the actual job site. Due to the complex nature of the construction environment, three dimensional (3D) positioning data of workers is hardly collected. Although technology is available that allows tracking construction assets in real-time, indoors and outdoors, in 3D, at the same time, the continuously changing spatial and temporal arrangement of job sites requires any successfully working data processing system to work in real-time. This research paper focuses is safety on spatial data structures that offer the capability of realigning itself and reporting the distance of the closest neighbor in real-time. This paper presents results to simulations that allow the processing of real-time location data for collision detection and proximity analysis. The presented data structures and performance results to the developed algorithms demonstrate that real-time tracking and proximity detection of resources is feasible.
Use of Ratios by Financial Executives in the U.S. Lodging Industry

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to identify ratios that property-level lodging financial executives consider important and the frequency with which each ratio is referenced. Taken together, these two measures show the usefulness of a ratio for evaluating financial performance. The results clearly emphasize the importance of operating, activity, and profitability ratios as key monitoring ratios, and categorize ratios into ratios referenced frequently and those seldom used.
Experiments on the distributions of local pressure and heat transferon a grid simulating a parachute fabric.

This paper describes the methods and results of an experimental program to determine the pressure and heat-transfer distributions to an individual fiber of a porous parachute designed to decelerate vehicles from supersonic velocities. An enlarged scale model of the woven mesh was studied in which the simulated fibers were 1 in. in diameter. The geometric porosity of the grid was 25%. A blowdown wind tunnel served as the flow facility. The average velocity of the approaching airflow was 134 fps. The pressure ratio applied across the mesh was considered as the primary variable. Data were taken at six pressure ratios ranging from 11, which was the highest obtainable with the facility used, to 1.5, which was as close to unity as was felt to be of interest. Using a transient energy balance, heating rates to selected fibers were measured. Regions of separated flow covered approximately 70% of the surface area exposed to the flow. Variations in local heat flux were minor such that the average heat transfer to the mesh may be correlated to the forward stagnation point location where theoretical laminar boundary-layer predictions were confirmed.
Hyperbradykininism: a new orthostatic syndrome.

Abstract Five patients presented with a familial syndrome of orthostatic lightheaded-ness or syncope and facial erythema associated with an excessive orthostatic fall in pulse pressure and rise in heart-rate (compared with ninety-four normal subjects), ecchymoses, and purple discoloration of the legs after standing. The five patients almost invariably had plasma concentrations of bradykinin above the normal range and normal plasma-kallikreinogen concentrations. In at least some of the patients, hyper-bradykininaemia was probably caused by impaired destruction of circulating bradykinin, since plasma-bradykininase-I concentrations were commonly below the levels found in normal subjects. There was considerable improvement in symptoms and in the blood-pressure and pulse-rate changes during treatment with propranolol, fludrocortisone, or cypro-heptadine.
System-Level, Unified In-band and Out-of-band Dynamic Thermal Control

High-density computer racks become increasingly commonplace in supercomputing centers and data centers. With tight integration of high-powered computing components in the racks, hot spots or pockets of elevated temperatures on the chips and system can be easily formed when room air circulation is not effective. Hot spots reduce the reliability of high-density systems and increase the chances of thermal emergencies, which further trigger system slowdowns or shutdowns. Techniques such as dynamically scaling down the voltage of the CPUs and fan control are available on today’s systems to reduce heat generation and dissipate heat. Unfortunately, these techniques work independently on their own without cooperation. As a result, to prevent thermal emergencies, systems may work at reduced capacity when full capacity is required. We propose a combined in-band and out-of-band approach to reduce the likelihood of thermal emergency slowdowns and improve the reliability of systems. Our thermal control framework unifies temperature control mechanisms in systems to balance temperature, power consumption, and performance. More precisely, we balance the use of in-band dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) with out-of-band proactive fan control. Our results on a power-aware cluster indicate the coordinated use of fan control and DVFS is more effective than either technique in isolation at reducing average system operating temperatures with expected performance.
Heirarchical microprocessor organization

With the widespread application of microprocessors and the consequent decrease in prices with volume, the possibility has arisen that it may be cost effective to replace large computers with networks of microcomputers in many applications. That this is an obvious idea whose time has come may be adjudged from the quantity of scientific papers read on the subject during 1975. A small apology for adding to their number should be prefaced with the assurance that this is written after a reading of many of them and that it is at least not the same. So saying, we choose to start with a discussion of alternative multiprocessor organizations as they compare for the stated purpose, that is, a potentially large number of microprocessors co-coperating on a single high performance application.
An integrative approach to assess qualitative and quantitative consumer feedback

The increasing availability of consumer feedback on the web provides a wealth of information that organizations can use for product and service improvement. Many consumer feedback sites allow users to enter both a quantitative rating and a qualitative critique. Previous research has used this information disjunctively. This work proposes an innovative approach that integrates the two types of information to identify words that are related to positive or negative consumer ratings. A case study shows that this approach does raise some issues not identified using existing analytical approaches.
A Unique Presentation of Oral Metastases From Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Oral metastases from internal carcinomas are extraordinarily rare. From hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), there is a 1% rate of metastasis to the oral and maxillofacial region, which is most commonly localized to the mandible. However, such metastases can be the initial and only presentation of an occult malignancy. Given the rapidly increasing incidence of HCC in North America and Europe, high clinical suspicion and prompt diagnosis are crucial given its poor prognosis. The authors present a case of a single metastatic HCC tumor to the mandible that clinically manifested as focal periodontitis. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first case of such an initial presentation.
Molecular Conduction through Adlayers: Cooperative Effects Can Help or Hamper Electron Transport

We use a one-electron, tight-binding model of a molecular adlayer sandwiched between two metal electrodes to explore how cooperative effects between molecular wires influence electron transport through the adlayer. When compared to an isolated molecular wire, an adlayer exhibits cooperative effects that generally enhance conduction away from an isolated wire's resonance and diminish conductance near such a resonance. We also find that the interwire distance (related to the adlayer density) is a key quantity. Substrate-mediated coupling induces most of the cooperative effects in dense adlayers, whereas direct, interwire coupling (if present) dominates in sparser adlayers. In this manner, cooperative effects through dense adlayers cannot be removed, suggesting an optimal adlayer density for maximizing conduction.