cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inverse treatment planning using volume-based objective functions

The results of optimization of inverse treatment plans depend on a choice of the objective function. Even when the optimal solution for a given cost function can be obtained, a better solution may exist for a given clinical scenario and it could be obtained with a revised objective function. In the approach presented in this work mixed integer programming was used to introduce a new volume-based objective function, which allowed for minimization of the number of under- or overdosed voxels in selected structures. By selecting and prioritizing components of this function the user could drive the computations towards the desired solution. This optimization approach was tested using cases of patients treated for prostate and oropharyngeal cancer. Initial solutions were obtained based on minimization/maximization of the dose to critical structures and targets. Subsequently, the volume-based objective functions were used to locate solutions, which satisfied better clinical objectives particular to each of the cases. For prostate cases, these additional solutions offered further improvements in sparing of the rectum or the bladder. For oropharyngeal cases, families of solutions were obtained satisfying an intensity modulated radiation therapy protocol for this disease site, while offering significant improvement in the sparing of selected critical structures, e.g., parotid glands. An additional advantage of the present approach was in providing a convenient mechanism to test the feasibility of the dose-volume histogram constraints.
Alkaline degradation of fructofuranosides

Abstract The degradation of fructose with aqueous Ca(OH) 2 gives products similar to the same reaction with glucose. The fructofuranosyl linkage in glycosides cleaves at 130–140°C and the fructose so released degrades to products that are different in proportion to those from free fructose under similar reaction conditions. Non-reducing glycopyranosides are resistant to alkaline degradation at lower temperatures, methyl α- d -glucopyranoside and α,α′-trehalose at even 250°C. For purposes of comparison, the alkaline degradation of glucose, lactose, and xylose was also studied. The relative contributions of the intermediate enediols to the reaction pathways are discussed.
Seriously ill hospitalized patients’ perspectives on the benefits and harms of two models of hospital CPR discussions

Objective To describe seriously ill patients’ perspectives on expert-endorsed approaches for hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) discussions.
Nonblack Patients With Sickle Cell Disease Have African βs Gene Cluster Haplotypes

Of 18 nonblack patients with sickle cell disease, 14 had sickle cell anemia, 2 had hemoglobin SC disease, and 2 had hemoglobin S-β°-thalassemia. The β s gene cluster haplotypes that were determined in 7 patients were of African origin and were identified as Central African Republic, Central African Republic minor II, Benin, and Senegal. The haplotype Central African Republic minor II was present on the β°-thalassemia. chromosome in 2 patients. None of 10 patients whose α-gene status was determined had α-thalassemia-2. These data strongly support the concept that the β s gene on chromosome 11 of these individuals is of African origin and that the α-gene locus on chromosome 16 is of white or native American origin. The clinical severity of the disease in these nonblack patients is appropriate to their haplotype without α-thalassemia-2 and is comparable with that of black patients. All persons with congenital hemolytic anemia should be examined for the presence of sickle cell disease regardless of physical appearance or ethnic background. ( JAMA . 1989;261:2991-2994)
Ant-plant symbioses: Stalking the chuyachaqui

Abstract According to Quechua-speaking peoples, orchard-like stands (‘Supay Chacras’) of two Amazonian ant-plant species are cultivated by the devil, or ‘Chuyachaqui’. These “devil gardens” offer extreme examples of specializations that have evolved repeatedly in ant-plant associations. Numerous investigations are beginning to disclose the identity of the Chuyachaqui — the forces behind evolutionary specialization in ant-plant symbioses. These developments have important implications for our understanding of modes of coevolution in symbiotic mutualism, remarkable convergent similarities in the form of ant-plant symbioses on different continents, and pronounced intercontinental differences in the diversity and taxonomic composition of associates.
Dissolution of olivine during natural weathering

Abstract Naturally weathered olivine occurring as phenocrysts in Hawai’ian volcanic rocks from several volcanic centers and regolith/outcrop settings, and as tectonized olivines from several metadunite bodies in the southern Appalachian Blue Ridge, are all similarly corroded by natural weathering. Conical (funnel-shaped) etch pits occur as individual pits, base-to-base pairs of cone-shaped pits, or en echelon arrays. Etch-pit shapes and orientations in the smallest etch-pit arrays visible in conventional scanning electron microscopy resemble even smaller features previously reported from transmission electron microscope investigations of olivine weathering. Etch pits occur in samples with chemical and/or mineralogical evidence of weathering, and/or are associated with, or proximal or directly connected to, fractures or exposed outcrop surface, and therefore are formed by weathering and not inherited from pre-weathering aqueous alteration (e.g., serpentinization, iddingsitization) of these parent rocks. Many etch pits are devoid of weathering products. Natural weathering of olivine is surface-reaction-limited. Similarity of corrosion forms from naturally weathered olivine from multiple igneous and metamorphic parent-rock bodies suggests that olivine weathers in the same manner regardless of its specific crystallization/recrystallization history, eruption/weathering/exposure ages of the olivine’s host rock, and the local regolith history.
The last Swan song for the Swan-Ganz catheter?

The in memoriam article about Jeremy Swan [1] coincided with the recent report by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Acute Respiratory Disease Syndrome (ARDS) Clinical Trials Network [2]. The latter may sound like the last nail on the coffin of the Swan–Ganz catheter. The controversy surrounding the benefits and risks of the use of the Swan–Ganz catheter is nothing new. It was merely a decade ago that a series of articles in JAMA [3,4] suggested that a moratorium be placed on its continued use. However, the editorial [5] accompanying the ARDS article has a more sobering tone: “It still has a role in diagnosis and in certain types of treatment, particularly the treatment of patients with suspected pulmonary arterial hypertension and right ventricular dysfunction [5]”. I also concur with Shure [5] that Swan–Ganz catheter may also have a role in patient populations not included in the NHLBI study [2], such as those with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or with conditions requiring complex fluid management. As for a moratorium on the use of the Swan–Ganz catheter, only a bad workman blames his tools [6]. Perhaps it is not the Swan–Ganz catheter but the technique of placement or the treatment following its use that is at fault [6]. Furthermore, as Shure [5] said in her editorial, if an effective new therapeutic modality that requires information obtained only by the Swan–Ganz catheter emerges, the latter still will play an important role in management of such patients. Therefore, with the passing of
Selective targeting of alveolar type II respiratory epithelial cells by anti-surfactant protein-C antibody-conjugated lipoplexes

Alveolar type II (ATII) respiratory epithelial cells are essential to normal lung function. They may be also central to the pathogenesis of diseases such as acute lung injury, pulmonary fibrosis, and pulmonary adenocarcinoma. Hence, ATII cells are important therapeutic targets. However, effective ATII cell-specific drug delivery in vivo requires carriers of an appropriate size, which can cross the hydrophobic alveolar surfactant film and polar aqueous layer overlying ATII cells, and be taken up without inducing ATII cell dysfunction, pulmonary inflammation, lung damage, or excessive systemic spread and side-effects. We have developed lipoplexes as a versatile nanoparticle carrier system for drug/RNA delivery. To optimize their pulmonary localization and ATII cell specificity, lipoplexes were conjugated to an antibody directed against the ATII cell-specific antigen surfactant protein-C (SP-C) then administered to C57BL/6 mice via the nares. Intranasally-administered, anti-SP-C-conjugated lipoplexes targeted mouse ATII cells with >70% specificity in vivo, were retained within ATII cells for at least 48h, and did not accumulate at significant levels in other lung cell types or viscera. 48h after treatment with anti-SP-C-conjugated lipoplexes containing the test microRNA miR-486, expression of mature miR-486 was approximately 4-fold higher in ATII cells than whole lung by qRT-PCR, and was undetectable in other viscera. Lipoplexes induced no weight loss, hypoxemia, lung dysfunction, pulmonary edema, or pulmonary inflammation over a 6-day period. These findings indicate that ATII cell-targeted lipoplexes exhibit all the desired characteristics of an effective drug delivery system for the treatment of pulmonary diseases that result primarily from ATII cell dysfunction.
The mass spectra of reissert compounds

A series of Reissert compounds containing the quinoline, isoquinoline and phthalazine nuclei show the common feature in their mass spectra of the initial loss of the N-substituent and either of the substituents attached to the adjacent carbon atom.
The Ideology of Dispute Processing in State Agencies

During the past two decades many legal reformers have assisted in the development of governmental and private or communitycontrolled forums for dispute resolution (Harrington 1985a). Beside affecting the scope of judicial authority over conflict resolution, these forums can use complaints and disputes to assist or extend agency law enforcement efforts, to inform the policy process, and to establish a pattern of order in the polity. Thus, the conception of political order held by personnel of these institutions can have important consequences for the distribution of resources within the political regime. Yearly these institutions address thousands of disputes, reassign untold sums, and define the scope and power of economic and political institutions. In this article we seek to evaluate empirically hypotheses about the degree to which the ideological commitments of the personnel of governmental alternative dispute resolution forums correspond to the ideology of non-judicial dispute processing. Second, we examine hypotheses about the effect of their ideological commitments on the outcomes of dispute processing as perceived by their clientele. The institutional object of this study, non-adjudicatory dispute processing institutions (NDPs), are broadly defined to include any institutionalized dispute processing activities and practices operating in the "shadow of the law." Since the "boundaries among these dispute processing techniques are shifting and often blurred" (Sarat 1988: 709), we have included within the scope of our inquiry social practices or activities like conflict mediation and negotiation, whether proactive or reactive in nature, which operate outside the formal legal authority of courts. We also have avoided the implication that NDP will "resolve" disputes. Based
Effect of Therapy with Methylprednisolone on the Size of Myocardial Infarcts in Man

The use of steroids to decrease the size of the infarct and the mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction has long been the subject of controversy. In the present study, two large doses of methylprednisolone were administered intravenously to 14 patients with relatively uncomplicated myocardial infarction within 17 hours after the onset of symptoms, whereas a comparable group of 15 patients with myocardial infarction served as controls. The size of the infarct was assessed utilizing serial measurements of serum levels of creatine phosphokinase and its myocardial isoenzyme, the MB form of creatine phosphokinase. There was no significant difference between the two groups of patients with regard to peak cumulative levels of total creatine phosphokinase and the MB form of creatine phosphokinase. Similarly, there was no difference between the two groups in mortality or in the incidence of malignant ventricular arrhythmias, atrioventricular Mock, congestive heart failure, or extensions of the infarct We conclude that high intravenous doses of steroids given early in the course of myocardial infarction have neither deleterious nor beneficial effects.
Abnormal Neural Sensitivity to Monetary Gains Versus Losses Among Adolescents at Risk for Depression

Major depressive disorder aggregates within families, although the mechanisms of transfer across generations are not well understood. In light of converging biological and behavioral evidence that depressive symptoms are associated with impaired reward processing, we examined whether adolescent girls with a parental history of depression would also exhibit abnormal reward sensitivity. We performed a negative mood induction and then recorded the feedback negativity, a neural index of reward processing, while individuals completed a gambling task. High-risk adolescents reported greater sadness following the mood induction compared to low-risk adolescents. Among the high-risk group, sadness was strongly associated with a blunted feedback negativity, even after controlling for baseline mood and trait neuroticism. This suggests that high-risk adolescents are more reactive to negative stimuli, which significantly alter neural sensitivity to monetary gains and losses. The feedback negativity might be used to identify information processing abnormalities in high-risk populations prior to the onset of a major depressive episode.
Alloy Design of Intermetallics for Protective Scale Formation and for Use as Precursors for Complex Ceramic Phase Surfaces

This paper highlights some evolving new design approaches to developing intermetallic alloys capable of protective scale formation and/or for their use as precursors for functional complex ceramic phase surface synthesis. The unique characteristics of intermetallics present challenges to achieving protective scale formation, but also offer the potential for leveraging novel phenomena not generally observed in conventional alloys. Examples will be drawn from the oxidation of aluminides (Fe{sub 3}Al, Nb{sub 2}Al, NbAl{sub 3}, Ti{sub 3}Al, TiAl), silicides (MoSi{sub 2}, Mo{sub 5}Si{sub 3}, Mo-Si-B, Ti{sub 5}Si{sub 3}), and Laves phases (Cr{sub 2}Nb, Cr{sub 2}Ta, Nb(Cr,Al){sub 2}, Ti(Cr,Al){sub 2}). Recent work also suggests that intermetallics can be used as precursors for the synthesis of functional complex ceramic phase surfaces by gas-metal reactions (oxidation, nitridation, carburization, etc.). The potential for using such reaction phenomena to synthesize layered or composite surfaces of ternary nitrides (carbides, borides, etc.) of technological interest such as Ti{sub 3}AlC{sub 2}, bimetallic nitride and carbide catalysts (e.g. Co{sub 3}Mo{sub 3}N or Co{sub 3}Mo{sub 3}C), and magnetic rare earth nitrides (Fe{sub 17}Sm{sub 2}N{sub x} or Fe{sub 17}Nd{sub 2}N{sub x}), from intermetallic precursors is discussed.
Promising Practices in E-Supervision: Exploring Graduate Speech-Language Pathology Interns’ Perceptions

E-supervision has a potential role in addressing speech-language personnel shortages in rural and difficult to staff school districts. The purposes of this article are twofold: to determine how e-supervision might support graduate speech-language pathologist (SLP) interns placed in rural, remote, and difficult to staff public school districts; and, to investigate interns’ perceptions of in-person supervision compared to e-supervision. The study used a mixed methodology approach and collected data from surveys, supervision documents and records, and interviews. The results showed the use of e-supervision allowed graduate SLP interns to be adequately supervised across a variety of clients and professional activities in a manner that was similar to in-person supervision. Further, e-supervision was perceived as a more convenient and less stressful supervision format when compared to in-person supervision. Other findings are discussed and implications and limitations provided.
The differential action of intravenous lidocaine on cerebellar inhibition and cerebellar disfacilitation.

Abstract Consistent with previously reported reduction by lidocaine of cerebellar disfacilitation of spinal monosynaptic reflexes 11 , intravenous lidocaine markedly reduced cerebellar disfacilitation of neurons from the ventral portion of Deiters' nucleus in cats anesthetized with chloralose urethane. Lidocaine was less effective in depressing the activation of ventral Deiters' neurons by vestibular nerve stimulation. Lidocaine did not reduce cerebellar inhibition of fastigial neurons, nor did it antagonize cerebellar or GABA-induced inhibition of neurons from the dorsal portion of Deiters' nucleus. Lidocaine did depress the activity of dorsal Deiters' and fastigial neurons. These results indicate that lidocaine-induced reduction of both cerebellar disfacilitation of ventral Deiters' neurons and of spinal monosynaptic reflexes is mediated not by blocking of Purkinje inhibition, but by removal of the facilitatory background activity which is normally reduced by cerebellar stimulation.
Apparent absence of transposable elements related to the P elements of D. melanogaster in other species of Drosophila.

P elements are transposable elements found in P strain, but usually not in M strain, Drosophila melanogaster, and are responsible for the hybrid dysgenesis that occurs when male D. melanogaster of the P strain mate with females of the M strain (ref. 1 and references therein). Several P elements, which vary in length and genetic effects, have now been cloned2. To investigate the evolutionary origin of P elements, we have used a cloned copy of a D. melanogaster P element to look for related sequences in the genomes of six other Drosophila species. We report here that, unlike many other transposable elements found in D. melanogaster, which seem also to be present in other Drosophila species3–6, we have found no sequences closely enough related to P elements to be detected by DNA hybridization in any other Drosophila species. This result supports the hypothesis that P elements have recently invaded D. melanogaster by horizontal transmission.
Androgen Secretion by Rcho-1 Cells is Independent of Extracellular Glutamate Concentration

In primates, progesterone, secreted by the placenta, is important for the maintenance of pregnancy. Androstenedione, a progesterone metabolite, fulfils a similar role in the rodent. Prior work has suggested that glutamate sufficiency and subsequent oxidation is important to placental androgen synthesis, presumably because of the production of NADPH (Trophoblast Res (1993) 7, 77). Rcho-1 cells possess a phenotype similar to that of rat placental giant cells, and secrete androstenedione and progesterone when in the differentiated state (J Endocrinol (1996) 150, 161). Our objective was to determine whether extracellular glutamate concentrations impact hormone synthesis in Rcho-1 cells. Rcho-1 cells were kept in culture under differentiating conditions. Extracellular glutamate concentrations were varied from 0-5 mm, and hormone concentrations assayed by ELISA. Rcho-1 cells secreted both progesterone and androstenedione. There was no direct correlation between the extracellular concentration of glutamate and the secretion of either hormone. Inhibition of transaminases (aminooxyacetic acid) or of glutaminase (6-diazo-5-oxo-l-norleucine) did not alter hormone production. Therefore, extracellular glutamate concentrations did not impact progesterone or androstenedione secretion. These findings may relate to the central position of glutamate in a variety of metabolic pathways, making intracellular depletion of this amino acid difficult to accomplish, or may represent a species specific difference in regulation.
New in situ sensor modeling approach to measurement validation

Measurement error due to sensor degradation (fouling, miscalibration, etc.) is more difficult to identify compared to catastrophic sensor failure. Passive methods previously proposed for sensor-level monitoring are based on power spectrum or multiscale analysis of sensor data. These methods have limitations caused by not accounting for various noise sources and assumptions about sensor noise characteristics, thus resulting in false and missed alarms. In this paper, an online sensor fault detection scheme based on the identification of sensor response characteristics is proposed and evaluated. We develop both robust passive and active in situ techniques to identify sensor response characteristics that relate directly to its health. Using the identified sensor model, various kinds of sensor faults are quantified and mapped into the model parameters. A dynamic model-based estimator is proposed for data reconciliation. These ideas were experimentally validated using thermocouples, flowmeters, and resistance t...
Emergency GOES Imager (EGI)

The Emergency GOES Imager study responds to the potential need for a small, back-up imager for weather observations in the event of failure of one or more of the current GOES satellites. The Emergency GOES Imager (EGI) is designed to be compact and lightweight. Minimal spatial resolution is required in the visible and IR band for the purpose of synoptic forecasts. The ground resolution requirement is 16 km for the 10.2 to 11.2 micrometers IR band and 4 km for the 0.5 to 0.7 micrometers visible band. Due to the small size of the instrument, the EGI has the potential to be deployed either alone on a small launcher or as an auxiliary payload on a larger satellite. The overall size of the EGI is dependent on the orientation of the satellite because of the dependence on amount of solar shielding required for the cooler, and the choice of coolers for specific satellite orientations. Although the EGI design is for an emergency system, the design utilizes recent technology in the form of both a linear IR focal plane array, in front of its constant-motion mirror, and a visible CCD array with a staring-format. The IR array has the potential to present a technical challenge to array manufacturers in the area of calibration, assuming a 0.1 K NEDT. We discuss the means by which the emergency requirements are met with this small and simple system, define the limiting technologies in the design, and explore modifications necessary to expand these requirements.
Small Business and Entrepreneurship

Abstract Small business and entrepreneurship information is another area of strength on the Web. The author covers sites for general and start-up information, sites geared toward women and minorities, sites for advise and counseling, and sites for sources of capital.
Acid cleavable surface enhanced raman tagging for protein detection

Dye conjugation is a common strategy improving the surface enhanced Raman detection sensitivity of biomolecules. Reported is a proof-of-concept study of a novel surface enhanced Raman spectroscopic tagging strategy termed as acid-cleavable SERS tag (ACST) method. Using Rhodamine B as the starting material, we prepared the first ACST prototype that consisted of, from the distal end, a SERS tag moiety (STM), an acid-cleavable linker, and a protein reactive moiety. Complete acid cleavage of the ACST tags was achieved at a very mild condition that is 1.5% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) aqueous solution at room temperature. SERS detection of this ACST tagged protein was demonstrated using bovine serum albumin (BSA) as the model protein. While the SERS spectrum of intact ACST-BSA was entirely dominated by the fluorescent signal of STM, quality SERS spectra can be readily obtained with the acid cleaved ACST-BSA conjugates. Separation of the acid cleaved STM from protein further enhances the SERS sensitivity. Current SERS detection sensitivity, achieved with the acid cleaved ACST-BSA conjugate is ∼5 nM in terms of the BSA concentration and ∼1.5 nM in ACST content. The dynamic range of the cleaved ACST-BSA conjugate spans four orders of magnitudes from ∼10 nM to ∼100 μM in protein concentrations. Further improvement in the SERS sensitivity can be achieved with resonance Raman acquisition. This cleavable tagging strategy may also be used for elimination of protein interference in fluorescence based biomolecule detection.
Growth of graphite single crystals from iron-carbon solutions

Graphite crystals grown from hypereutectic solutions of carbon in iron were examined microscopically with a view to establishing the mechanisms of growth. It is proposed that nucleation occurred on a second phase which had been retained in some crystals extracted from the molten solution. The perfection of the crystals, which is compared with that of naturally occurring and pyrolytic graphites, is a function of the extent of decomposition of this second phase and the impurity content of the melt.
Inference for transition network grammars

This paper gives a brief introduction to transition networks and proposes an approach to the inference of transition network grammars.
Analyzing the economic value of the hepatitis B - Haemophilus influenzae type B combination vaccine by reverse engineering a formulary selection algorithm

Combination vaccines for pediatric immunization provide a means to reduce the number of separate injections required to immunize children. This paper reports the results of reverse engineering a vaccine selection algorithm to evaluate the economic value of a hepatitis B-Haemophilus influenzae type B combination vaccine that is currently under federal contract in the United States. This analysis captures the tradeoff between the cost assigned to administering an injection and the price of the vaccine that earns it a place in the lowest overall cost formulary. Given the current United States federally negotiated price for this combination vaccine (as of 9 August 2002), it provides a good economic value for those health-care providers or payers who value the cost associated with administering an injection to be at least US$ 4.02 or 5.01. These two values are a function of the number of doses of the combination vaccine required to be in the lowest overall cost formulary and whether the perinatal hepatitis B dose is administered. Moreover, as the cost of an injection increases, the combination vaccine provides a better value than monovalent vaccines.
An Unbiased Approach To Identify Endogenous Substrates of “Histone” Deacetylase 8

Despite being extensively characterized structurally and biochemically, the functional role of histone deacetylase 8 (HDAC8) has remained largely obscure due in part to a lack of known cellular substrates. Herein, we describe an unbiased approach using chemical tools in conjunction with sophisticated proteomics methods to identify novel non-histone nuclear substrates of HDAC8, including the tumor suppressor ARID1A. These newly discovered substrates of HDAC8 are involved in diverse biological processes including mitosis, transcription, chromatin remodeling, and RNA splicing and may help guide therapeutic strategies that target the function of HDAC8.
ENDOSCOPIC TREATMENT OF VESICOURETERAL REFLUX IN CHILDREN

Endoscopic surgery for vesicoureteral reflux involves injection of a substance beneath the ureterovesical junction (UVJ) to buttress this region. In children, this procedure typically is performed under anesthesia on an outpatient basis, with minimal postoperative pain and a rapid recovery.
Nanoscale subsurface- and material-specific identification of single nanoparticles

We report on high resolution subsurface and material specific differentiation of silica, Au and silica-capped Au nanoparticles using scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) in the visible (λ=633 nm) and mid-infrared (λ=10.7 μm) frequencies. Strong optical contrast is observed in the visible wavelength, mainly because of the dipolar plasmon resonance of the embedded Au nanoparticles which is absent in the infrared. We show that the use of small tapping amplitude improves the apparent image contrast in nanoparticles by causing increased tip-particle and reduced tip-substrate interactions. Experimental results are in excellent agreement with extended dipole model calculations modified to include the capping layer characterized by its refractive index.
The Design and Construction of a 22 Foot Direct-Reading Optical Spectrometer

To meet a number of spectrochemical problems involving relatively complex spectra, a versatile grating spectrometer having high resolution and dispersion and using photomultiplier tubes to measure the intensities of the spectral lines was constructed. A concave diffraction grating having a radius of curvature of 21 feet 10 inches and ruled with 15,000 lines per inch over a 5 inch surface was used in an Eagle mounting designed to cover continuously the range from 2000 Angstrom Units in the first order to 5800 Angstrom Units in the fourth order. Five feet of spectrum are available at any setting of the instrument. To minimize backlash and spurious motion, kinematic principles were used in the design of the adjustments. Vibration absorbers and dampeners were used to minimize the effects of vibration, and constructing the instrument in a completely enclosed room located within an air-conditioned area minimized the effects of temperature changes. Either visual or photographic means may be used to position the exit slits and to adjust the optics. Both scanning and integration techniques are available.
Manufacturing Process Modeling of 100-400 kWe Combined Heat and Power Stationary Fuel Cell Systems

Both technical reviewers are external and Phyllis Daley is serving as proxy. A non-disclosure form is not needed for this report.
593 CLUSTERING OF STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS (SA) INFECTIONS IN A PEDIATRIC HEMODIALYSIS (HMD) UNIT

The occurrence of SA A-V shunt infection and bacteremia in 3 of 6 HMD patients (PTS) within a 2 week period prompted evaluation of all HMD patients and personnel. The outbreak began 1 day following initiation of HMD in PT A who had been undergoing peritoneal dialysis prior to the development of severe peritonitis caused by SA. Bacteremia and A-V shunt infection developed at 3, 6, and 13 days in PTS B, C, and D, respectively. At 13 days, PT E presented with tenderness, erythema, and warmth at the site of the A-V shunt, but SA was isolated from the nasopharynx only and symptoms resolved after administration of a single dose of vancomycin. PT F remained asymptomatic and was not colonized with SA. Of the 7 HMD unit personnel, 2 nurses (A,B) were colonized with SA. SA from nurse A was the only strain resistant to methicillin. Analysis of antibiograms, phage susceptibility and plasmid content of the HMD unit strains as well as of 8 nosocomially acquired SA strains isolated from patients in other areas of the hospital revealed that this was not a single source outbreak. Plasmid analysis was particularly useful for identification of the following relations amongst the 5 SA strains isolated from HMD PTS and personnel that were not susceptible to phage typing: identity of PT D and E strains, identity of PT A strain and an apparently unrelated nosocomial strain, and lack of identity of nurse B strain and HMD PTS strains. Epidemiological evaluation of possible nosocomial infections often requires more specialized techniques than those that are routinely used.
Mothers' use of personal pronouns when talking with toddlers.

Abstract The verbal interaction of 2-year-old children (N = 46; 16 girls, 30 boys) and their mothers was audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed for the use of personal pronouns, the total number of utterances, the child's mean length of utterance, and the mother's responsiveness to her child's utterances. Mothers' use of the personal pronoun we was significantly related to their children's performance on the Stanford-Binet at age 5 and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children at age 8. Mothers' use of we in social-vocal interchange, indicating a system for establishing a shared relationship with the child, was closely connected with their verbal responsiveness to their children. The total amount of maternal talking, the number of personal pronouns used by mothers, and their verbal responsiveness to their children were not related to mothers' social class or years of education.
Numerical aspects of time elements

Numerical results have shown that the use of time elements with time transformations provides increased accuracy in the numerical solution of gravitational systems.
Metal-insulator transitions and electron-phonon interactions in organic conductors

Abstract Commensurate 1/4 and 1/3-filled bands in which the electrons are coupled to both intersite phonons and intramolecular vibrations are investigated. Unlike in the 1/2-filled band, the bond order wave and the charge density wave coxexist and interact cooperatively for all values of the two electron-phonon coupling constants. In spite of the coexistence of the two kinds of density waves, solitons have charges that are rational fractions. The relevance of the cooperative interaction in non-half-filled bands to the metal-insulator transitions in segregated stack charge-transfer solids is discussed.
Measuring spatio-temporal pulse distortions using GRENOULLE

We show that GRENOUILLE, the experimentally simple version of frequency-resolved optical gating (FROG) can measure the two spatio-temporal distortions, namely spatial chirp and pulse-front tilt, in addition to the pulse intensity and phase. This is done without a single alteration in the experimental setup. Specifically, pulse-front tilt yields a displacement of the otherwise centered trace along the delay axis while spatial chirp causes a shear to the otherwise symmetrical GRENOUILLE trace. We develop a more general FROG pulse-retrieval algorithm based on the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm, which can retrieve not only the pulse intensity and phase but also both the spatial chirp and pulse-front tilt from GRENOUILLE traces. Lastly, we also show that, by employing the exotic nonlinear crystal Proustite, GRENOUILLE can be extended to measure fiber-laser pulses with wavelengths near 1.5μm. The high nonlinearity of Proustite compensates for the lower output power of fiber lasers. Also Proustite has so high dispersion that it can spectrally resolve these relatively narrowband pulses. We experimentally test all of these innovations and obtain perfect agreement with the expected results.
All “NG” up an Clubs?/ some Notes on the Current Status of Club Theory

This article aims to analyze two aspects of the theory of clubs which are currently matters of some controversy: the question of optimal club size and the distinction between clubs and firms. Both aspects become of interest when the optimal number of clubs is small relative to population. In the case where population is relatively large, the original Buchanan determination of "optimal" club size is essentially correct, but there is no substantive difference between clubs and firms. In the case where optimal club size is relatively large, the Ng criticism of Buchanan's analysis is somewhat more appropriate— though, as we show, only strictly valid in one rather special case. In this quasi-monopoly setting, the distinction between clubs and firms becomes substantive, and is explored in this article under plausible assumptions.
Experimental constraints on the hydrothermal reactivity of organic acids and acid anions: I. Formic acid and formate

A series of hydrothermal experiments covering a range of temperatures from 175 to 260°C examined the decomposition of formic acid and formate and also investigated the production of formate from reduction of CO2. Decomposition rates measured in this study, which were conducted in gold-TiO2 reactors, were several orders of magnitude slower than those reported in previous studies conducted in steel and Ti-metal reactors, indicating the previous studies substantially overestimated the rate of the reaction owing to reactor catalysis. Although experiments were conducted with several different minerals present (hematite, magnetite, serpentinized olivine, NiFe-alloy), the decomposition rates were similar in each experiment once the effects of fluid pH were accounted for, suggesting that the minerals had no effect on the stability of formic acid or formate. At higher temperatures (>225°C), the rates of both the decomposition of formate and the reduction of CO2 to formate were sufficiently rapid that reactions between dissolved CO2 and formate rapidly attained a state of metastable thermodynamic equilibrium. The results suggest that the amount of formate in many subsurface and hydrothermal fluids is likely to be controlled by equilibrium with dissolved CO2 at the prevailing oxidation state and pH of the fluid. This may account for the high concentrations of formate observed in strongly reducing environments such as serpentinites, as well as the low concentrations relative to other organic acid anions in mildly reducing environments such as oil-filed brines and formation waters in sedimentary basins. Although formate has been suggested to be a reaction intermediate in the formation of abiotic hydrocarbons from reduction of aqueous CO2, production of hydrocarbons was not observed in any of the experiments, except for trace amounts of methane, despite high concentrations of formate and strongly reducing conditions.
On one approach to finding eigenvalue curves of linear two-parameter spectral problems

We consider an iteration algorithm for calculating eigenvalue curves of the linear algebraic twoparameter spectral problem, which uses an algorithm for calculating all eigenvalues in a given domain of variation in spectral parameters based on an efficient numerical technique for calculating derivatives of the determinant of a matrix. Numerical examples are presented.
Accounting for medical communication: Parents’ perceptions of communicative roles and responsibilities in the pediatric intensive care unit

Through discourse analysis of transcribed interviews conducted over the phone with parents whose child died in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) (n = 51), this study uncovers parents’ perceptions of clinicians’ and their own communicative roles and responsibilities in the context of team-based care. We examine parents’ descriptions and narratives of communicative experiences they had with PICU clinicians, focusing on how parents use accounts to evaluate the communicative behaviors they report (n = 47). Findings indicate that parental perceptions of communicative responsibilities are more nuanced than assumed in previous research: Parents identified their own responsibilities as participating as part of the team of care, gathering information, interacting with appropriate affect, and working to understand complex and uncertain medical information. Complementarily, parents identified clinician responsibilities as communicating professionally, providing medical information clearly, managing parents’ hope responsibly, and communicating with appropriate affect. Through the accounts they provide, parents evaluate both parental and clinician role-responsibilities as fulfilled and unfulfilled. Clinicians’ management of prognostic uncertainty and parents’ struggles to understand that uncertainty emerged as key, complementary themes with practical implications for incorporating parents into the PICU care team. The study also highlights insights retrospective interview data bring to the examination of medical communication.
Using the line-VISAR to study multi-dimensional and mesoscale impact phenomena

Abstract The line-VISAR is an optical interferometry system that allows velocities to be measured in a spatially and temporally resolved manner. The ability to measure velocity not only as a function of time but also as a function of position represents a significant advance over other diagnostics and opens up several new avenues of research. Over the last few years, the line-VISAR has been used to study a variety of phenomena related to material behavior at the mesoscale such as crushing of granular sugar, non-uniform failure of materials such as the statistics of spall strength, and multi-dimensional configurations such as flyer launch, embedded defects, and material interfaces. Here, we review the studies reported to date that utilized the line-VISAR in the investigation as well as presenting new results on nonuniformity of the phase transformation in iron and hypervelocity flyer launch with the Z machine. As part of the review, we will highlight examples of multi-dimensional applications resulting from impacts over the velocity range of 0.20 to 13 km/s. These examples demonstrate that the line-VISAR can be a valuable addition to the suite of diagnostics for impact and hypervelocity phenomena.
Laser Texturing for Solar Thermal Systems

High solar absorptance and low thermal emittance is desired for absorber surface in solar thermal systems. Molybdenum surface was textured by pulsed fiber laser and reflectance/emittance measurements were performed.
Quantifying specular approximations for angular scattering from perfectly conducting random rough surfaces

Angular scattering predictions for perfectly conducting random rough surfaces are obtained from rigorous electromagnetic scattering solutions and quantitatively compared with predictions from approximate specular solutions. The theoretical formulation of the electromagnetic scattering solution based on the extinction theorem and the Fresnel and Kirchhoff approximations are presented. One-dimensional random rough surface profiles are generated for a broad range of correlation lengths, rms roughness, wavelengths, and incident angles, including grazing incident angles and surfaces which exhibit significant forward and backscattering. An angular criterion, based on a finite angular region surrounding the specular direction, is used to evaluate the accuracy of the approximations. Surface parameter domains for accurate scattering predictions by the Fresnel and Kirchhoff approximations are evaluated on an angular basis. The regions of validity of both approximations are quantified and these regions are beyond those previously reported.
On the support of solutions to the heat equation with noise

Let be 2-parameter white noise. Let satisfy and suppose that is bounded, nonnegative, with compact support and not identically 0. We show that with probability for all . This complements results of Iscoe and Shiga, who show that for y has compact support
Forebrain projections to the rostral nucleus of the solitary tract in the hamster.

The rostral nucleus of the solitary tract (NST) is the first central site of taste information processing. Specific anatomical subdivisions of the NST receive taste afferent input and contain interneurons and projection neurons that engage ascending or premotor taste pathways. The forebrain projects to the NST and can influence taste responses, but the anatomical relationship between forebrain inputs and the subdivisions of the NST and their cellular elements is not understood. To evaluate this, in this study, we used cholera toxin B (CTb) as a retrograde and anterograde marker. CTb was injected into the rostral NST to label, by retrograde transport, the sources of forebrain inputs. Cells were labeled bilaterally in the lateral and paraventricular hypothalamic nuclei, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, central nuclei of the amygdala, and the agranular and dysgranular divisions of insular cortex. Within the medulla, labeled cells were located in the parvicellular reticular formation and spinal trigeminal nuclei. In addition, labeled cells and anterograde axonal labeling were present in the rostral NST contralateral to the injections. Injections of CTb centered in the dysgranular insular cortex, the site of most forebrain-NST cells, labeled axon endings confined to the rostral NST. These endings were concentrated in the rostral central and ventral subdivisions. Corticofugal endings in the rostral central subdivision are positioned to influence microcircuits that include taste afferent synapses, presumed inhibitory interneurons, and neurons that project to the parabrachial nucleus. The many corticofugal endings in the ventral subdivision synapse among premotor neurons that ultimately influence salivatory and oromotor outflow. Intramedullary CTb labeling after NST injection indicates that the rostral central subdivision also receives projections from the contralateral rostral NST.
Platform Conflicts [Micro Economics]

This column discusses the interplay between platform leaders and other participants. Successful platforms create value, along with the seeds of conflict. These conflicts generate various incentives.
Estimating Binding Affinities of the Nicotinic Receptor for Low-efficacy Ligands Using Mixtures of Agonists and Two-dimensional Concentration–Response Relationships

The phenomenon of ligand-induced ion channel gating hinges upon the ability of a receptor channel to bind ligand molecules with conformation-specific affinities. However, our understanding of this fundamental phenomenon is notably limited, not only because the changes in binding site structure and ligand conformation that occur upon gating are largely unknown but, also, because the strength of these ligand–receptor interactions are experimentally elusive. Both high- and low-efficacy ligands pose a number of analytical and experimental challenges that can render the estimation of their conformation-specific binding affinities impossible. In this paper, we present a novel assay that overcomes some of the hurdles presented by weak agonists of the muscle nicotinic receptor and allows the estimation of their closed-state affinities. The method, which we have termed the “activation-competition” assay, consists of a single-channel concentration–response assay performed in the presence of a binary mixture of ligands of widely different efficacies. By plotting the channel response (i.e., the open probability) as a function of the concentration of each agonist in the mixture, interpreting the observed response in the framework of a plausible kinetic scheme, and fitting the open probability surface with the corresponding function, the affinities of the closed receptor for the two agonists can be simultaneously extracted as free parameters. Here, we applied this methodology to estimate the closed-state affinity of the muscle nicotinic receptor for choline (a very weak agonist) using acetylcholine (ACh) as the partner in the mixture. We estimated the dissociation equilibrium constant of choline (KD) from the wild type's closed state to be 4.1 ± 0.5 mM (and that of ACh to be 106 ± 6 μM). We also discuss the use of accurate estimates of affinities for low-efficacy agonists as a tool to discriminate between binding and gating effects of mutations, and in the context of the rational design of therapeutic drugs.
Addressing crosstalk issue in on-chip carbon nanotube interconnects using negative capacitance

Increasing Crosstalk is one of the most critical concerns for on-chip signal communication in nanoscale integrated circuits. This paper presents a method to use the negative capacitance technique to minimize crosstalk effects in carbon nanotube based interconnect, which is a potential future on-chip communication medium. With some assumptions, it is demonstrated that with careful synthesis and arrangement of CNT bundles, the capacitive coupling can be suppressed significantly. The focus of this paper is proving the concept, and the analysis is from mathematical and qualitative perspective. Its practicality depends on the success in synthesis and manufacturing of CNT in actual IC environment. In the context of current interests and progresses in CNT research it can be inferred the implementation challenge can be overcome in future.