cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pathophysiology of the Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome: What Have We Learned From Human Studies?

Clinical studies of ARDS have been successful in determining the most common predisposing clinical disorders and the natural history of this syndrome. Sepsis, gastric aspiration, and major trauma are the most frequently associated high-risk factors. Overall mortality is in the range of 60% to 70%, but is even higher if ARDS is associated with sepsis, severe acidemia, or decreased renal function. It is evident that multisystem failure is responsible for death in many patients, as well as secondary pulmonary and extrapulmonary infections. Pathologic studies have provided descriptive information regarding the acute, subacute, and chronic phases of the syndrome, but little insight into the precise pathogenesis of the initial lung injury or the progressive fibrosing alveolitis and lung destruction that develops in some patients. There has been considerable circumstantial evidence from clinical studies implicating the neutrophil as a potentially important mediator of the early changes in lung endothelial and epithelial permeability. However, not all investigators have found the same alterations in neutrophil function in the circulation or in the lavage from the lungs of patients with ARDS. Also, the heterogeneous etiologies of ARDS make it difficult to be sure that there is a final common pathway for acute lung injury in all ARDS patients. In addition, there are a host of mediators, including products of complement activation and arachidonic acid metabolism, that may be important in amplifying the inflammatory response. Also, abnormalities of surfactant production and collagen turnover, as well as impaired host defenses in the lung, may contribute to the progressive respiratory failure that occurs in some ARDS patients, even though the acute, exudative phase of lung injury has resolved. Future human studies may provide useful information about the mechanisms of the acute lung injury through studies of circulating plasma markers, blood elements, and lavage fluids from high-risk patients. On the other hand, samples of cells and mediators from the airspaces with lavage still may not reflect the critical interactions of mediators and cells with the lung endothelium that lead to the protein-rich pulmonary edema that characterizes the first phase of ARDS. Thus, experimental studies must continue to study the details of the early phases of acute lung injury (see article by Flick, page 455). Finally, it is clear that treatment designed to reduce the severity and the incidence of ARDS must be started early, since the syndrome develops so rapidly in high-risk patients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
The Differential Impact of Alcohol and Interpersonal Violence on the Severity of Violent Traumatic Brain Injuries among American Indians.

Research shows connections between substance use and traumatic brain injury (TBI), high rates of substance use and interpersonal violence (IPV) in American Indians with TBI, and connections between IPV and TBI. This study assessed the effects of substance use at the time of a violent TBI and possible mediators such as American Indian race on injury severity (injury severity score [ISS]). A secondary data analysis of 3,351 individuals who experienced a TBI due to violence was conducted. American Indians with TBI were more likely to experience IPV (χ2 = 4.19; p = .04) and had significantly higher blood alcohol content level (BAC) scores (t = − 16.78; p = .000) than other racial groups. A regression model explained 27% of the variance in ISS. Significant interaction terms uncovered positive relationships between: (a) American Indian race and ISS when the injury aetiology was not IPV and BAC scores were lower than the legal limit, and (b) IPV and ISS when patients were not American Indian. Alcohol was negativ...
Effects of Repeated Ethanol Exposures on NMDA Receptor Expression and Locomotor Sensitization in Mice Expressing Ethanol Resistant NMDA Receptors.

Evidence from a large number of preclinical studies suggests that chronic exposure to drugs of abuse such as psychostimulants or ethanol induces changes in glutamatergic transmission in key brain areas associated with reward and control of behavior. These changes include alterations in the expression of ionotropic glutamate receptors including N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDAR) that are important for regulating neuronal activity and synaptic plasticity. NMDA receptors are inhibited by ethanol and reductions in NMDA-mediated signaling are thought to trigger homestatic responses that limit ethanol’s effects on glutamatergic transmission. Following repeated exposures to ethanol, these homeostatic responses may become unstable leading to an altered glutamatergic state that contributes to the escalations in drinking and cognitive deficits observed in alcohol-dependent subjects. An important unanswered question is whether ethanol-induced changes in NMDAR expression are modulated by the intrinsic sensitivity of the receptor to ethanol. In this study, we examined the effects of ethanol on NMDAR subunit expression in cortical (orbitofrontal, medial prefrontal), striatal (dorsal and ventral striatum) and limbic (dorsal hippocampus, basolateral amygdala) areas in mice genetically modified to express ethanol-resistant receptors (F639A mice). These mice have been previously shown to drink more ethanol than their wild-type counterparts and have altered behavioral responses to certain actions of ethanol. Following long-term voluntary drinking, F639A mice showed elevations in GluN2A but not GluN1 or GluN2B expression as compared to wild-type mice. Mice treated with repeated injections with ethanol (2-3.5 g/kg; i.p.) showed changes in NMDAR expression that varied in a complex manner with genotype, brain region, subunit type and exposure protocol all contributing to the observed response. F639A mice, but not wild-type mice, showed enhanced motor activity following repeated ethanol injections and this was associated with differences in NMDAR subunit expression across brain regions thought to be involved in drug sensitization. Overall, while the results of the study suggest that NMDARs with reduced sensitivity to ethanol favor the development of locomotor sensitization, they also show that intrinsic ethanol sensitivity is not the sole determinant underlying changes in NMDAR expression following repeated exposures to ethanol.
Periodic Temperature-Based Bearing Assessment of a Steel Multigirder Bridge

This paper presents a case study that extends the periodic temperature-based assessment framework to the bearing evaluation of a steel multigirder bridge. The bearing investigation was prompted by the significant and consistently documented rocker bearing reversal at the bridge abutment. This malfunction, although historically identified in inspections, had not been investigated to determine its source nor its corresponding effects on the bridge. The improper function of longitudinal expansion mechanisms such as bearings can induce unintended demands that bridges are not designed to accommodate. A structural health monitoring system was designed and installed with the aim of identifying the root cause of the poor bearing performance and quantifying its effect on the multigirder bridge. As a result of this investigation, it was determined that the expansion bearings of the span were not performing at all and that axial forces were developing in the bridge because of temperature changes. This study also doc...
When veps cry: Two-year-olds efficiently learn novel words from linguistic contexts alone.

ABSTRACTWe assessed 24-month-old infants’ lexical processing efficiency for both novel and familiar words. Prior work documented that 19-month-olds successfully identify referents of familiar words (e.g., The dog is so little) as well as novel words whose meanings were informed only by the surrounding sentence (e.g., The vep is crying), but that the speed with which they identify the referents of novel words lagged far behind that for familiar words. Here we take a developmental approach, extending this work to 24-month-olds. By comparing the performance of 19- and 24-month-olds directly, we document that during this period of rapid vocabulary growth, infants make significant processing gains for both familiar and novel words. We also offer the first evidence to date that, at both 19- and 24-months, the number of verbs infants know predicts their ability to use known verbs to learn novel nouns. These results reveal that 24-month-olds can efficiently learn novel words just by listening to the conversations...
Hunting in Imperial Russia: State Policy and Social Order in L. P. Sabaneev's Writing

This article uses L. P. Sabaneev's writing as a lens through which to examine hunting in imperial Russia. I argue that Sabaneev's narration of the history of hunting in Russia, his description of hunting practices and his arguments for stronger conservation laws and greater state enforcement of those laws illustrate the relatively unusual, among European societies, status of hunting for imperial Russian elites. In brief, Russian sport hunters recognized the continuing importance of productive hunters in Russia, which, unlike many of the European states with which Russian elites were familiar, maintained enormous swathes of wilderness. While adapting technology and forms of hunting from societies to the west, in Sabaneev's account, Russian elites ignored the status obsessions connected with hunting for other European elites. Moreover, Sabaneev's arguments, in the Hunting Gazette, for greater attention to conservation on the part of the government, as the proper representative of all people, combined his ardent monarchism with the scientific and collectivist arguments often associated with progressive thought. The juxtaposition of these views found wide popularity, complicating our sometimes simplistic understandings of class and political tensions in late imperial Russia.
Congenital Coxa Vara

Congenital coxa vara is an abnormal decrease in the femoral neck-shaft angle in children that is caused by a primarily cartilaginous defect in the developing femoral neck. Children often present with a limp, external rotation of the leg, and it can be associated with other skeletal dysplasias. Surgical treatment is often a valgus osteotomy. Timing is dependent on the degree of acetabular dysplasia and patient age.
Current Management of Hyponatremia in Acute Heart Failure: A Report From the Hyponatremia Registry for Patients With Euvolemic and Hypervolemic Hyponatremia (HN Registry)

BackgroundHyponatremia (HN) occurs commonly in patients with acute heart failure and confers a worse prognosis. Current HN treatment varies widely, with no consensus. This study recorded treatment ...
Transgender in the American academy: a review of social work

Gender-non-conforming (GNC) and transgender students, faculty and staff have become more visible on American college campuses. Although policies and programmes to support them are increasing, discrimination remains widespread. Social work is a discipline and profession committed to non-discrimination and inclusion of GNC/trans* social workers and students. In this multilevel review, the authors identify teaching, peer education and advocacy strategies for creating an inclusive, non-oppressive environment for and with GNC/trans* students. We then explore ways that internship faculty can educate, plan, provide resources and build trust to assist GNC/trans* students to have a positive internship experience. The next level examined focuses on the discrimination experienced by GNC/trans* faculty and staff and the allying, advocating and educating roles their colleagues can play. We then conclude the review by examining the strategies that social work administrators can use to foster an inclusive culture for GNC/trans* faculty, staff and students.
Characterization of the Physicochemical and Structural Evolution of Biomass Particles during Combined Pyrolysis and CO 2 Gasification

Abstract The combination of pyrolysis and CO2 gasification was studied to synergistically improve the syngas yield and biochar quality. The subsequent 60-min CO2 gasification at 800 °C after pyrolysis increased the syngas yield from 23.4% to 40.7% while decreasing the yields of biochar and bio-oil from 27.3% to 17.1% and from 49.3% to 42.2%, respectively. The BET area of the biochar obtained by the subsequent 60-min CO2 gasification at 800 °C was 384.5 m2/g, compared to 6.8 m2/g for the biochar obtained by the 60-min pyrolysis at 800 °C, and 1.4 m2/g for the raw biomass. The biochar obtained above 500 °C was virtually amorphous.
Going native on Facebook: a content analysis of sponsored messages on undergraduate student Facebook pages

This paper examines the prevalence and nature of sponsored messages on Facebook. Results of a content analysis of desktop and mobile Facebook pages from 52 undergraduate student subjects showed 53% of sponsored messages in the desktop sample and 100% of sponsored messages in the mobile sample would be categorised as native advertising, as they were located in the user's news feed. Approximately 12% of all news feed posts were sponsored posts and almost 90% of sponsored news feed posts were based on the user's or user's friends' actions. The majority of the sponsoring advertisers were from companies established after the year 2000, and only 11% were leading US advertisers.
The Science and Engineering of Information

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses three clusters of concern or theories regarding information science and engineering: (1) a theory of information, (2) a theory of the information process, and (3) a theory of information systems. In discussing these three concerns of the discipline, the use of a classification—a semiotic one, concerned with relations at the syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic levels is done. The theory of information is concerned with the nature and properties of signs and symbols. The major elements of this theory may be said to be information representation, information relations, information measure, and information structure. The theory of information is also a foundation of the second structural level of information science, the theory of the information process. This theory is concerned with the generation, transmission, transformation, storage, and control of the abstracted content of the fluxes or potentials of mass and energy within physical systems that change in time. The third level of information science and engineering is the theory of information systems. At the syntactical level, the theory of information systems appears to be identical with or closely related to the theory of general systems.
Frailty predicts mortality and complications in chronologically young patients with traumatic orthopaedic injuries.

Abstract Background As morbidity and mortality from traumatic orthopaedic injuries continues to rise, increased research is being conducted on how to best predict complications in at risk patients. Recently, frailty indices have been validated in a variety of surgical subspecialties as predictors of morbidity and mortality. However, the vast majority of research has been conducted on geriatric patient populations, with little evidence on patients who are chronologically young. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of a modified frailty index (mFI) in predicting mortality and complications after pelvis, acetabulum, and lower extremity trauma in patients of all ages. Methods The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database was queried from 2005 to 2014 for all patients who underwent surgery for pelvis, acetabulum, and lower extremity trauma. The sample size was divided into geriatric (age ≥ 60) and young (age Results 56,241 patients were identified to have undergone surgery for pelvis, acetabulum, or lower extremity trauma. 28% of patients were identified under the age of 60. In the young cohort, mFI was a strong predictor of thirty-day mortality (OR 11.02, 95% CI 6.26–19.39, p Conclusion and relevance The mFI score was a significant predictor of morbidity and mortality in chronologically young orthopaedic trauma patients. The use of the mFI score can provide an individualized risk assessment to interdisciplinary teams for perioperative counseling and to improve outcomes.
“In forgetting thou rememb’rest right”: Metaphor and Mis-devotion in John Donne’s Songs and Sonnets

This article revisits the preoccupation with impermanence central to John Donne's Songs and Sonnets by considering how Donne's speakers describe themselves as embedded in unstable metaphors of thei...
A call to maximize impact of the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act through standard inclusion of opioid use disorder treatment curricula in medical schools

Physicians who want to prescribe buprenorphine to treat opioid use disorder require a waiver established by the Drug Addiction Treatment Act (DATA) of 2000, often through completion of an eight-hour training course. This is an issue for a number of reasons, including that opioid overdose deaths continue to rise nationally. However, on October 24, 2018, the SUPPORT (Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment) for Patients and Communities Act was signed into law. This bill allows any physician who graduates in good standing from an allopathic or osteopathic medical school in the United States that incorporates necessary material around opioid misuse in their standard curriculum, without need for any additional training, to prescribe buprenorphine. This perspective piece describes why this is an important first step and what more needs to be done within medical education to combat the opioid epidemic.
An overview of ghrelin O-acyltransferase inhibitors: a literature and patent review for 2010-2019.

The peptide hormone ghrelin regulates physiological processes associated with energy homeostasis such as appetite, insulin signaling, glucose metabolism, and adiposity. Ghrelin has also been implic...
Ectopic Tumors of the Lung

Ectopic tissues occurring in the lower respiratory tract are an uncommon finding. Even more unusual is the development of neoplasms from such tissues. In the lung, these tumors include a heterogeneous group of lesions with varied histology and clinical behavior. What unifies these neoplasms is the similar morphological appearance to their counterparts in native locations. Close correlation with clinical examination and radiologic imaging to exclude metastatic disease to the lung, a process which is by far more common, is thus always essential before the diagnosis can be confirmed. Documented primary lung tumors of presumed ectopic origin include the family of glomus tumors, thymoma, melanoma, meningothelial proliferations, teratoma, and ependymoma.
A Late Hellenistic–Early Roman Fortress at Khirbat Mudayna as-Saliya, Central Jordan

Mudayna as-Saliya is a fortress site at the summit of an isolated promontory near the eastern end of Wadi Mujib, central Jordan. Archaeological surveys of the site have exposed potential evidence o...
Discerning the cellular response using statistical discrimination of fluorescence images of membrane receptors

Abstract We demonstrate a statistical modeling technique to recognize T cell responses to different external environmental conditions using membrane distributions of T cell receptors. We transformed fluorescence images of T cell receptors from each T cell into estimated model parameters of a partial differential equation. The model parameters enabled the construction of an accurate classification model using linear discrimination techniques. We further demonstrated that the technique successfully differentiated immobilized T cells on non-activating and activating surfaces. Compared to machine learning techniques, our statistical technique relies upon robust image-derived statistics and achieves effective classification with a limited sample size and a minimal computational footprint. The technique provides an effective strategy to quantitatively characterize the global distribution of membrane receptors and other intracellular proteins under various physiological and pathological conditions.
Association of Treatment With Medications for Opioid Use Disorder With Mortality After Hospitalization for Injection Drug Use-Associated Infective Endocarditis.

Importance Although hospitalizations for injection drug use-associated infective endocarditis (IDU-IE) have increased during the opioid crisis, utilization of and mortality associated with receipt of medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) after discharge from the hospital among patients with IDU-IE are unknown. Objective To assess the proportion of patients receiving MOUD after hospitalization for IDU-IE and the association of MOUD receipt with mortality. Design, setting, and participants This retrospective cohort study used a population registry with person-level medical claims, prescription monitoring program, mortality, and substance use treatment data from Massachusetts between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2015; IDU-IE-related discharges between July 1, 2011, and June, 30, 2015, were analyzed. All Massachusetts residents aged 18 to 64 years with a first hospitalization for IDU-IE were included; IDU-IE was defined as any hospitalization with a diagnosis of endocarditis and at least 1 claim in the prior 6 months for OUD, drug use, or hepatitis C and with 2-month survival after hospital discharge. Data were analyzed from November 11, 2018, to June 23, 2020. Exposure Receipt of MOUD, defined as any treatment with methadone, buprenorphine, or naltrexone, within 3 months after hospital discharge excluding discharge month for IDU-IE. Main outcomes and measures The main outcome was all-cause mortality. The proportion of patients who received MOUD in the 3 months after hospital discharge was calculated. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to examine the association of MOUD receipt with mortality, adjusting for sex, age, medical and psychiatric comorbidities, and homelessness. In the secondary analysis, receipt of MOUD was considered as a monthly time-varying exposure. Results Of 679 individuals with IDU-IE, 413 (60.8%) were male, the mean (SD) age was 39.2 (12.1) years, 298 (43.9%) were aged 18 to 34 years, 419 (72.3) had mental illness, and 209 (30.8) experienced homelessness. A total of 134 individuals (19.7%) received MOUD in the 3 months before hospitalization and 165 (24.3%) in the 3 months after hospital discharge. Of those who received MOUD after discharge, 112 (67.9%) received buprenorphine. The crude mortality rate was 9.2 deaths per 100 person-years. MOUD receipt within 3 months after discharge was not associated with reduced mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.29; 95% CI, 0.61-2.72); however, MOUD receipt was associated with reduced mortality in the month that MOUD was received (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.30; 95% CI, 0.10-0.89). Conclusions and relevance In this cohort study, receipt of MOUD was associated with reduced mortality after hospitalization for injection drug use-associated endocarditis only in the month it was received. Efforts to improve MOUD initiation and retention after IDU-IE hospitalization may be beneficial.
Discussion on paper ‘On studying extreme values and systematic risks with nonlinear time series models and tail dependence measures’ by Zhengjun Zhang

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Zhengjun for his continuing contribution to extreme-value statistics in recent years. In this review paper, some fundamental theories on univar...
Architectural Design of 3D NAND Flash based Compute-in-Memory for Inference Engine

3D NAND Flash memory has been proposed as an attractive candidate of inference engine for deep neural network (DNN) owing to its ultra-high density and commercially matured fabrication technology. However, the peripheral circuits require to be modified to enable compute-in-memory (CIM) and the chip architectures need to be redesigned for an optimized dataflow. In this work, we present a design of 3D NAND-CIM accelerator based on the macro parameters from an industry-grade prototype chip. The DNN inference performance is evaluated using the DNN+ NeuroSim framework. To exploit the ultra-high density of 3D NAND Flash, both inputs and weights duplication strategies are introduced to improve the throughput. The benchmarking on a variety of VGG and ResNet networks was performed across technological candidates for CIM including SRAM, RRAM and 3D NAND. Compared to similar designs with SRAM or RRAM, the result shows that 3D NAND based CIM design can achieve not only 17-24% chip size but also 1.9-2.7 times more competitive energy efficiency for 8-bit precision inference.
George W. Bush Energy Diplomacy

In a series of speeches in 2006, Bush stated that the United States was dangerously dependent on energy supplies from volatile areas. While there is consensus on the dangers of US dependence on imported oil, Democrats and Republicans disagree on how to meet those challenges. And the failure of the country’s energy policy is causally related. Excessive US dependence on oil imported from the Middle East caused the United States to seek alternative sources of energy to implement a policy of extreme diversity in energy sources.
Inability to manage non-severe complications on an outpatient basis increases non-white patient readmission rates after pancreaticoduodenectomy: A large metropolitan tertiary care center experience.

Abstract Background Pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) has a high rate of readmission, and racial disparities in care could be an important contributor. Methods Patients undergoing PD were prospectively followed, and their complications graded using the Modified Accordion Grading System (MAGS). Patient factors and perioperative outcomes for patients with and without postoperative readmission were compared in univariate and multivariate analysis by severity. Results 837 patients underwent PD, the overall 90-day readmission rate was 27.5%. Non-white race was independently associated with readmission (OR 1.83, p = 0.007). 51.3% of readmissions were for non-severe complications (MAGS Conclusions Non-white patients are more likely to be readmitted, particularly for non-severe complications. Follow up protocols should be tailored to address race disparities in the rates of readmission as readmission for less severe complications could potentially be avoidable.
The q, t-Catalan numbers and the space of diagonal harmonics : with an appendix on the combinatorics of Macdonald polynomials

Introduction to $q$-analogues and symmetric functions Macdonald polynomials and the space of diagonal harmonics The $q, t$-Catalan numbers The $q, t$-Schroder polynomial Parking functions and the Hilbert series The shuffle conjecture The proof of the $q, t$-Schroder theorem The combinatorics and Macdonald polynomials The Loehr-Warrington conjecture Solutions to exercises Bibliography.
Predictors of readmission after laparoscopic gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy: a comparative analysis of ACS-NSQIP database.

Readmission rate is an indicator of quality in surgical practice. We aimed to determine the predictors of unplanned early readmissions following stapling bariatric surgeries. From the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database, we identified morbidly obese patients, who underwent either laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) or laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) in 2012 and 2013. Demographic, comorbidities, operative and postoperative parameters of the readmitted (within 30 days) and non-readmitted patients were evaluated using a multivariate logistic regression analysis. A total of 35,655 patients (17,101 LSG and 18,554 LRYGB) were analyzed. Of those, 1758 patients (4.9 %) were readmitted within 30 days of surgery. Multivariate analysis showed the following significant predictors for readmission: Non-Hispanic black ethnicity (OR: 1.56, 95 % CI:1.34–1.81), Hispanic ethnicity (OR: 1.29, 95 % CI:1.05–1.58), totally or partially dependent functional status (OR: 1.94, 95 % CI:1.06–3.55), higher preoperative creatinine (OR: 1.13, 95 % CI:1.04–1.22), lower serum albumin (OR: 0.78, 95 % CI:0.68–0.90), diabetes mellitus on insulin (OR: 1.28, 95 % CI:1.09–1.51), steroid or immunosuppressant use for a chronic condition (OR: 1.61, 95 % CI:1.11–2.33), history of cardiac disease with intervention (OR: 2.05, 95 % CI:1.10–3.83), bleeding disorders (OR: 1.71, 95 % CI:1.15–2.54), LRYGB versus LSG (OR: 1.63, 95 % CI:1.44–1.85), longer operative time (OR: 1.13, 95 % CI:1.07–1.20), concurrent splenectomy (OR: 4.10, 95 % CI:1.05–16.01), and occurrence of any postoperative complication during index admission (OR: 2.61, 95 % CI:1.99–3.42). Ethnicity, baseline functional status, comorbidities, type and duration of surgical procedure, and postoperative complications occurred in the index admission can predict risk of early readmission following LRYGB and LSG.
Wireless interconnection in a CMOS IC with integrated antennas

Improved RF capability and projected increase in die size for CMOS circuits lead to the concept of wireless communications within and between chips. A potential application is wireless clock distribution, proposed as an alternative interconnect system capable of distributing high frequency clock signals at the speed of light using microwaves. The wireless clock distribution system consists of a clock transmitter, located on or off chip, broadcasting a microwave global clock signal at frequencies greater than 15 GHz, and a grid of integrated clock receivers. The global clock signal is received using an integrated dipole antenna. The signal is then amplified using a low-noise amplifier (LNA), frequency divided down to the local clock frequency, buffered, and distributed to provide local clock signals. This IC operating at 7.4 GHz, which integrates antennas and necessary receiver circuits in 0.25 /spl mu/m CMOS with five metal layers on p-substrates, is a first step towards realizing such a system.
The ErY, TbHo, TbEr, DyHo, DyEr and HoEr phase systems

Abstract The ErY, TbHo, TbEr, DyHo, DyEr and HoEr systems have been studied by thermal, X-ray and metallographic methods. It is known that these properties can be influenced significantly by the presence of non-metallic impurities. Therefore, these measurements were made on very pure metals prepared in this Laboratory and the alloys were carefully analyzed for all possible impurities. These systems are characterized by complete mutual solubility and within our experimental errors, no enrichment of one rare earth over the other was gbserved during solidification or transformation. The solidus and liquidus lines, therefore, fell on top of one another over the entire composition range. The addition of Er to Y or Y to Er lowers the melting point which reaches a minimum at 53 at.% Er. Alloys containing less than 53 at.% Er solidify to a b.c.c. lattice which transforms at lower temperatures to a h.c.p. lattice. Alloys with greater than 53 at.% Er crystallize directly to the h.c.p. solid solution. For the TbHo, TbEr, DyHo and DyEr systems, the melting point appears to decrease linearly with increasing at.% of the lower atomic numbered rare earth. However, when the atomic number of the components are two or more apart, there may be a very slight negative deviation from linearity which reaches a maximum at the composition where the b.c.c. first starts to form from the melt. This is especially evident in the DyEr system in which the negative deviation could be interpreted as a slight change in slope occurring at the composition where the b.c.c. first starts to form from the melt. The b.c.c. starts to form at 10 and 34 at.% Tb in the Tb-Ho and TbEr systems and at 25 and 50 at.% Dy in the DyHo and DyEr systems, respectively. The transformation temperature is lowered linearly from these points with increasing composition of the lighter rare earth to the transition temperature of the pure solute. The HoEr system has a linear variation of melting points with composition. The a and c lattice parameters vary linearly with composition within our experimental errors for the binary systems of adjacent elements. By the time the elements are four apart in the series, TbEr, a distinct deviation from linearity occurs in the plot of lattice constant versus composition which is positive for the a axis and negative for the c axis.
Romero's Enduring Legacy

This paper was delivered as part of the Eighth Nicholas J. Healy Lecture: Admiralty's Greatest Supreme Court Hits, on May 3, 2007, as part of a series of scholarship on landmark admiralty cases. The 1959 decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in Romero v. International Terminal Operating Company, continues to exercise an odd influence on contemporary thinking about admiralty jurisdiction and procedure. To the extent that the Supreme Court's decision explores the division-of-power between state courts and federal tribunals in the fashioning of maritime law, it offers a unique discourse on the juxtaposition of substantive law and jurisdictional competence that is relevant not only for general constitutional interpretation, but also for the every-day work of admiralty practitioners throughout the land. Romero is a tribute not only to the relevance of constitutional theory, but also the imperatives of practice, in making a coherent maritime law for all ages.
Butterfly responses to habitat edges in the highly fragmented prairies of Central Iowa

Summary 1 The behaviour of two butterfly species, a habitat specialist (Speyeria idalia) and a habitat generalist (Danaus plexippus), was tracked at four prairie edges to determine the extent to which edges act as a barrier to emigration. The four edge types studied were crop, road, field and treeline. The edges differed in structure ranging from high-contrast (treeline) to low-contrast (field). 2 S. idalia, the habitat specialist, responded strongly to all edges, even those with low structural contrast. However, S. idalia’s response was strongly affected by conspecific density at crop and field edges; individuals were less likely to exit from high density plots. S. idalia responded to edges both by turning to avoid crossing them, and returning to the plot if they had crossed. 3 D. plexippus responded strongly only to treeline edges. Wind direction and time of year were important factors influencing behaviour at edges for this species. Conspecific density was not a significant factor affecting their behaviour. D. plexippus responded to edges by not crossing them, but rarely returned once they had crossed. 4 In highly fragmented landscapes, such as the one in which this study occurred, butterflies which show little or no response to edges may exhibit high emigration rates because of the high probability of encountering an edge in small habitat patches. Butterflies may respond strongly to even subtle habitat boundaries, but those responses may be modified by the edge structure, local environment or other conditions. Therefore, modifying edge structure may be a way to influence emigration rates, making it a useful tool for conservation.
Nonlinear elastic and inelastic spectra with inherent and supplemental damping

During severe seismic events, structures designed according to current standards yield and develop inelastic deformations. While the acceleration responses are limited by the yielding strength, these structures develop permanent deformations (and possible damage) due to such yielding. Spectra developed for inelastic structures can help in determining the desired yield levels and the associated inelastic deformations. Some structures made of special materials or equipped with innovative structural systems may yield, but can recover the deformation upon unloading and, thus, may avoid permanent deformations. These structures are known as nonlinear elastic. Often the post yielding excursions are very large and may exceed their toughness (or deformability). By introducing damping in form of supplemental devices, it is possible to control such deformations and keep them within acceptable limits. Spectra for such nonlinear elastic structures and inelastic structures are developed herein, by considering both inherent and supplemental damping. The difference between the two types of damping is addressed both theoretically and numerically. Design examples of several simple structures using the newly developed spectra are presented, which illustrate the importance of lower strength and damping in these nonlinear elastic or inelastic systems. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Organo-fn,d0-Mediated Synthesis of Amine-Capped Polyethylenes. Scope and Mechanism

Amines of varying Bronsted acidity and steric encumberance are investigated as chain-transfer agents to functionalize polyolefins via organolanthanide-mediated olefin polymerization processes. Ethylene homopolymerizations are carried out with activated Cp′2LnCH(Si(CH3)3)2 (Cp′ = η5-Me5C5; Ln = La, Sm, Y, Lu) precatalysts in the presence of aniline, n-propylamine, N,N-bis(trimethylsilyl)amine, di-sec-butylamine, N-tert-butyl(trimethylsilyl)amine, di-isopropylamine, and dicyclohexylamine. In the presence of these amines, polymerization activities up to 104 g polymer/(mol of Ln·atm ethylene·h) and narrow product polymer polydispersities are observed, consistent with single-site polymerization processes. Amine chain-transfer efficiency follows the trend C6H5NH2 ≈ nC3H7NH2 << [Si(CH3)3]2NH ≈ secBu2NH < N-tBu[Si(CH3)3]NH ≈ iPr2NH < Cy2NH to yield polyethylenes of the structure H(CH2CH2)nNRR′, where an efficient chain-transfer agent is defined as a reagent that both terminates polymer chain growth and facilitate...
Women living with HIV: disclosure, violence, and social support.

This paper describes the frequency of women's disclosure of their HIV status, examines the extent to which they experience adverse social and physical consequences when others learn they are infected, and analyzes correlates of these negative outcomes. There were 257 HIV-positive women between the ages of 18 and 44, recruited from HIV/AIDS primary care clinics and from community sites, who completed a face-to-face interview. Women in the sample were 33 years old on average; 92% were African-American; 54% had less than 12 yeas of education; 56% had used intravenous drugs; and 30% knew they were HIV positive for 5 or more years. There were 97% who disclosed their HIV status; 64% told more than 5 people. Negative consequences associated with others knowing they were HIV-positive were reported by 44%, most commonly the loss of friends (24%), being insulted or sworn at (23%), and being rejected by family (21%). There were 10 women (4%) who reported being physically or sexually assaulted as a result of their being HIV positive, and 16% reported having no one they could count on for money or a place to stay. Violence was widespread in this sample, with 62% having experienced physical or sexual violence, including sexual abuse or rape (27%), being beaten up (34%), and weapon-related violence (26%). Logistic regression analysis indicated that women with a history of physical and sexual violence were significantly more likely to experience negative social and physical consequences when their infection became known to others, adjusting for age and the number of people women had disclosed to, both of which were only marginally significant. Partner notification policies and support programs must be responsive to the potential negative consequences associated with others learning that a woman is HIV positive. The high rates of historical violence in the lives of women living with HIV underscore the need for routine screening and intervention for domestic violence in all settings that provide health care to HIV-positive women.
Mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome (Kawasaki disease): Delayed aortic and mitral insufficiency secondary to active valvulitis

A 2 8/12 year old girl with acute mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome (Kawasaki disease), presented 17 months later with a new onset of mitral and aortic insufficiency. Congestive heart failure rapidly developed and double valve replacement was performed. Pathologic study of the excised valve tissue disclosed active valvulitis. This is the first report of late onset aortic and mitral valvulitis associated with Kawasaki disease.
Helicobacter pylori: a debated factor in gastroesophageal reflux disease.

The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection is steadily decreasing in developing countries, and this has been paralleled by an increasing incidence of gastroesophageal reflux di
The estimated frequency of zero for a mixed Poisson distribution

Abstract The estimated frequencies of a mixed Poisson distribution are investigated. The frequencies are calculated using non-parametric maximum likelihood estimation. It is shown that the estimated frequency of zero is always greater than the observed frequency, and thus is biased.
Positive operators on Krein spaces

A Krein operator is a positive operator, acting on a partially ordered Banach space, that carries positive elements to strong units. The purpose of this paper is to present a survey of the remarkable spectral properties (most of which were established by M.G. Krein) of these operators. The proofs presented here seem to be simpler than the ones existing in the literature. Some new results are also obtained. For instance, it is shown that every positive operator on a Krein space which is not a multiple of the identity operator has a nontrivial hyperinvariant subspace.
Abstract 772: Notch1 affects ABCC1-mediated drug efflux and drug sensitivity in MCF7 breast cancer cells

Development of multidrug resistance is a major impediment to the successful treatment of cancer. Although many cellular mechanisms are involved in multidrug resistant cancers, overexpression of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) membrane transporters represents one of the main determinants of the multidrug resistance phenotype. We have previously demonstrated a positive correlation of expression of intracellular Notch1 (NIC) and the ABCC1 transporter; we found that NIC contributes to multidrug resistance by upregulation of ABCC1 (S Cho, M Lu et al, PNAS, in press, 2011). In order to determine whether there is a functional relationship between the two proteins, we performed drug efflux experiments. We treated drug-sensitive MCF-7 and multidrug resistant (MDR) MCF-7/VP breast cancer cells with the anticancer drug doxorubicin and measured the amount of drug efflux by flow cytometry over time. The MDR MCF-7/VP cells, which have high levels of activated Notch1 and ABCC1 proteins, exhibited increased doxorubicin efflux, compared to the drug-sensitive MCF-7 cells. Since γ-secretase (GS) is required for the processing of Notch into its active form, NIC, we blocked GS activity using a GS inhibitor, DAPT, in MCF-7/VP cells and assayed drug efflux from them. We found that inhibition of Notch signaling by DAPT blocks ABCC1 mediated drug efflux. To better understand the connection between Notch, ABCC1, and drug efflux, we compared drug efflux in MCF-7 cells stably overexpressing NIC (ICN1-c4, which also overexpress ABCC1), and the “empty vector” control MCF-7 cells (pcDNA3). As expected, we saw increased drug efflux in the ICN1-c4 cells compared to MCF7/pcDNA3 cells. To establish whether the observed drug efflux is ABCC1-specific, we treated ICN1-c4 cells with either the ABCC1-specific inhibitors reversan or probenecid, or with an ABCC1 siRNA to knockdown ABCC1 expression, and then examined these cells for changes in drug efflux. We found that inhibition of ABCC1, by reducing ABCC1 activity or levels in the presence of activated Notch1, blocks drug efflux from ICN1-c4 cells. In addition, we also found that the ABCC1 inhibitor reversan sensitizes ICN1-c4 cells to doxorubicin, and knockdown of ABCC1 reverses the resistance of ICN1-c4 cells to doxorubicin. These results strongly support the idea that Notch1 exerts its effect on ABCC1-mediated drug efflux to a large extent through its induction of ABCC1. Overall, our results reveal a novel functional relationship between expression of Notch and ABCC1. (Supported in part by CA40570 [to WTB] and in part by UIC.) Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 772. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-772
Utility of urinary Clara cell protein (CC16) to demonstrate increased lung epithelial permeability in non-smokers exposed to outdoor secondhand smoke

The objective of this study was to assess the utility of urinary Clara cell protein (CC16) as a biomarker of increased lung epithelial permeability in non-smokers exposed to outdoor secondhand smoke. Twenty-eight healthy non-smoking adults visited outdoor patios of a restaurant and a bar where non-participants smoked and an open-air control with no smokers on three weekend days in a crossover study; subjects visited each site once for 3 h. Urine samples were collected at baseline, immediately post exposure and next morning, and analyzed for CC16. Changes in CC16 across location types or with cigarette count were analyzed using mixed-effect models, which included all subjects and stratified by gender. Urinary CC16 was higher in males (n=9) compared with females (n=18) at all measurement occasions (P<0.002), possibly reflecting prostatic contamination. Urinary CC16 from pre-exposure to post-exposure was higher following visits to restaurant and bar sites compared with the control among females but this increase did not reach statistical significance. Post-exposure to pre-exposure urinary CC16 ratios among females increased with cigarette count (P=0.048). Exposure-related increases in urinary CC16 were not seen among males. In conclusion, urinary CC16 may be a useful biomarker of increased lung epithelial permeability among female non-smokers; further work will be required to evaluate its applicability to males.
Native and exotic plants of fragments of sagebrush steppe produced by geomorphic processes versus land use

Habitat fragmentation and invasion by exotic species are regarded as major threats to the biodiversity of many ecosystems. We surveyed the plant communities of two types of remnant sagebrush-steppe fragments from nearby areas on the Snake River Plain of southeastern Idaho, USA. One type resulted from land use (conversion to dryland agriculture; hereafter AG Islands) and the other from geomorphic processes (Holocene volcanism; hereafter kipukas). We assessed two predictions for the variation in native plant species richness of these fragments, using structural equation models (SEM). First, we predicted that the species richness of native plants would follow the MacArthur–Wilson (M–W) hypothesis of island biogeography, as often is expected for the communities of habitat fragments. Second, we predicted a negative relationship between native and exotic plants, as would be expected if exotic plants are decreasing the diversity of native plants. Finally, we assessed whether exotic species were more strongly associated with the fragments embedded in the agricultural landscape, as would be expected if agriculture had facilitated the introduction and naturalization of non-native species, and whether the communities of the two types of fragments were distinct. Species richness of native plants was not strongly correlated with M–W characteristics for either the AG Islands or the **kipukas. The AG Islands had more species and higher cover of exotics than the kipukas, and exotic plants were good predictors of native plant species richness. Our results support the hypothesis that proximity to agriculture can increase the diversity and abundance of exotic plants in native habitat. In combination with other information, the results also suggest that agriculture and exotic species have caused loss of native diversity and reorganization of the sagebrush-steppe plant community.