cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Treatment and revaccination of children with paraneoplastic opsoclonus-myoclonus-ataxia syndrome and neuroblastoma: The Memorial Sloan Kettering experience.

Objective To review the treatment and revaccination of neuroblastoma-associated opsoclonus-myoclonus-ataxia syndrome (OMAS) patients at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). Procedure Institutional Review Board approval was obtained for this retrospective study of patients with neuroblastoma-associated OMAS followed at MSK from 2000 to 2016. Results Fourteen patients (nine female) were 9-21 (median 17) months old at diagnosis of neuroblastoma and OMAS syndrome. They had stage 1 (n = 12), stage 2B, or intermediate-risk stage 4. Tumor histology was favorable in 11 patients, unfavorable in two, and unknown in one patient. No patient had amplified MYCN. All patients underwent tumor resection at diagnosis. Anti-neuroblastoma treatment was limited to chemotherapy in one patient. Overall survival is 100% at 3-16 (median 10) years. For OMAS, 13 patients received intravenous immune globulin (IVIg), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and rituximab, and one received ACTH and IVIg. Seven patients experienced OMAS relapse. For these relapses, five patients received low-dose cyclophosphamide and two received rituximab. The mean total OMAS treatment was 20-96 (median 48) months. Seven patients started rituximab ≤3 months from diagnosis and did not relapse. The other six experienced OMAS relapse. To date, six patients have been revaccinated at a minimum of 2 years after completion of OMAS therapy without OMAS recurrence. Conclusions Patients with neuroblastoma-associated OMAS had excellent overall survival. Early initiation of rituximab, IVIg, and ACTH may reduce risks of OMAS relapse. Revaccination can be resumed without exacerbation of OMAS. Further investigation with a larger cohort of patients is needed.
Reply: Examining the Correlation between Altmetric Score and Citations in the Plastic Surgery Literature.

BACKGROUND Social media are transforming the dissemination of published research. This influence brought the advent of a new metric, altmetrics, which seeks to quantify the influence of research in real time based on an article's attention online. This study aims to determine the correlation between altmetrics ratings for articles with traditional bibliometrics of impact factor and citation rate. METHODS The 10 most cited articles in the top 15 plastic surgery journals were determined for 2013 and 2016. The 2013 articles allow for a 5-year lag time, whereas 2016 data provide another timepoint for comparison. Altmetric scores and citation count were collected for each article. Impact factor and Twitter account age were determined for each journal. Statistical analysis was completed using descriptive statistics, and Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients. RESULTS In both 2013 and 2016, there was a weak positive correlation between citations and Altmetric score (r = 0.2620, p = 0.0012; r = 0.3564, p < 0.0001, respectively) and between impact factor and the Altmetric score (r = 0.2419, p = 0.0040; r = 0.3887, p = < 0.0001, respectively). Twitter was the main contributor to the Altmetric score in both 2013 and 2016. CONCLUSIONS Altmetric scores and traditional bibliometrics are not strongly correlated with one another in the plastic surgery literature at this point in time. Still, the short- and long-term impact of a publication might be determined through the combined analysis of citation count, impact factor, and Altmetric scores.
Candida meningitis and ventriculitis after IV brown heroin use: a case series. (P5.108)

Objective: To describe the clinical presentation of candida infection of the central nervous system (CNS) in three immunocompetent patients with a history of intravenous brown heroin abuse. Background: Candida infection of the CNS is rare and is generally associated with immunosuppression or invasive neurological procedures. However, it can be seen in immunocompetent patients with a history of intravenous drug abuse (IVDA), specifically brown heroin. The diagnosis of fungal infections in the central nervous system is challenging as fungal culture in the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) has poor sensitivity and it may take several weeks to grow. Design/Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 3 cases of chronic meningitis attributed to Candida infection. The clinical features, risk factors, imaging spectrum, CSF and ophthalmological findings, and response to treatment were analyzed. Results: The patients ages ranged from 24–39 years old. There were similarities in the presentation including chronic headaches, nausea, vomiting, weight loss, and visual impairment. All patients had a recent history of IV brown heroin use. Two of the patients had concurrent ophthalmologic findings including endolphthalmitis and papilledema. MRI brain with and without contrast demonstrated leptomeningeal enhancement, hydrocephalus, and ventriculitis. CSF in all patients demonstrated a robust lymphocytic pleocytosis (89–7775 cells/mm3), elevated protein (220 – 550 mg/dl), and low glucose (9–24 mg/dl). CSF culture grew Candida albicans in case 1, Candida dublinensis in case two, and the third case was positive for a serum fungitell assay although culture remained negative. After antifungal therapy with voriconazle, all patients showed improvement in symptoms, imaging, and CSF abnormalities. Conclusions: IV brown heroin use is a risk factor for central nervous system infection with Candidal species. All of these patients had similar clinical presentations, MRI findings, and CSF profiles. Ophthalmologic examination was critical in the diagnosis of these patients. Antifungal therapy was associated with clinical and radiologic improvement is all cases. Disclosure: Dr. Vivar has nothing to disclose. Dr. Baldwin has nothing to disclose.
Emanant themes of blended learning in K-12 educational environments: Lessons from the Every Student Succeeds Act

Abstract Blended learning (BL) is an instructional design structure that facilitates the benefits of technology, paired with face-to-face instruction, to address the variance in student learning. BL has been widely utilized in education with the rapid development of technology. While the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015) of the United States emphasizes supporting states to implement BL by facilitating the use of technology, it is unclear how states intend to operationalize BL in practice based on the federal statute. Therefore, this study investigated how many states referenced BL and how they operationalized BL in state ESSA plans by using thematic analysis. Results suggested a total of 17 states addressed BL in their finalized state ESSA plans. While these states referenced BL in various titles and parts, the researchers identified three major themes that operationalize BL, including (a) BL leveraging technology to support learning, (b) BL in professional development, and (c) BL as an alternative pathway. In the discussion, the researchers noted the ambiguity of the definition of BL among stakeholders (e.g., states) as well as the possibility of the use of BL towards enabling personalized learning in K-12. The researchers also discussed how to empower educators in the context of BL.
Answering a factual question today increases one's confidence in the same answer tomorrow - independent of fluency.

We investigated the cognitive processes that cause confidence to increase. Participants were asked 48 general-knowledge questions either once or three times, without feedback. After 2 min (Experiment 1) or 48 h (Experiment 2) they were asked the same questions again, and rated their confidence. Repeated questioning increased confidence but not accuracy. This increase, which replicated research on episodic memory in the eyewitness literature (e.g., Shaw, Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied 2: 126–146, 1996), occurred even though accuracy was only around 25%. A mediation analysis identified response repetition, but not fluency, as a mechanism underlying growth in confidence. Thus, the basis for confidence judgments appears to be whether one's current response has been generated previously. In sum, answering a factual question increases confidence, but not accuracy, and this happens because learners use response repetition as a cue for confidence judgments.
Serum Electrolyte Concentrations Following Intravenous Administration of a 50% Dextrose Solution Bolus to Fresh Dairy Cows

Ketosis in postpartum dairy cows is often treated by intravenous administration of 50% dextrose solution. Intravenous administration of dextrose to humans increases urinary excretion of calcium, potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus. Low blood levels of these electrolytes have been associated with recumbency in dairy cows. The objective of this study was to determine whether intravenous bolus treatment with 50% dextrose solution would decrease serum electrolyte levels in postpartum Holstein cows.
Multimodality Imaging of Large-Vessel Vasculitis, From the AJR Special Series on Inflammation.

Large vessel vasculitis (LVV) is a non-infectious inflammation of the large vessels, including the aorta and its main branches. Imaging plays an essential role in diagnosing LVV, given the challeng...
On the Sum of Random Variables

In “statistics”, an experiment yields outcomes x1x2x3…; a common model is that these are observed values of random variables X1X2X3…. As in the simple cases of testing and estimation in Part I, what becomes meaningful are functions of the observations; such (measurable) functions are calledstatistics.One of the most commonly used functions is the simple sum
Unaccusativity in Dutch: Integrating Syntax and Lexical Semantics

The relation between the meaning and the syntax of lexical items is among the more frustrating issues in linguistics: on the one hand it seems clear that the meaning of a lexical item determines at least to some degree the syntactic behavior of its participant roles; on the other hand, attempts to characterize the relation explicitly tend not to be very successful. In this paper I look at the unaccusative/unergative distinction in Dutch as an example of a distinction for which it is felt that some semantic correlates should be available (e.g. in traditional grammar, Pollmann, 1975; Perlmutter, 1978; Zaenen, 1988) but for which it has also been argued that no semantic criteria can be found (Hoekstra, 1984; and more generally, Rosen, 1984). Rosen (1984) remarks a propos of semantic criteria for unaccusativity that “one cannot state a semantic criterion that actually works: not animacy of the argument, not agentive or volitional meaning, not existential or presentential meaning”. I will show that even this state of affairs does not mean that one has to reject all forms semantic grounding of a particular syntactic behavior. Following Pesetsky (1987), I will call the hypothesis that such grounding can be found, the “transparency hypothesis”.
Comments on 'A huge reservoir of ionized gas around the Milky Way: accounting for the missing mass?' (2012 ApJL, 756, 8) and 'The warm-hot gaseous halo of the Milky Way' (arXiv1211.3137)

The two papers referred to in the title, claiming the detection of a large-scale massive hot gaseous halo around the Galaxy, have generated a lot of confusion and unwarranted excitement (including public news coverage). However, the papers are seriously flawed in many aspects, including problematic analysis and assumptions, as well as mis-reading and mis-interpreting earlier studies, which are inconsistent with the claim. Here we show examples of such flaws.
Integer feasibility of random polytopes: random integer programs

We study the Chance-Constrained Integer Feasibility Problem, where the goal is to determine whether the random polytope P(A,b)={x ϵ Rn : Aix ≤ bi, i ϵ [m]} obtained by choosing the constraint matrix A and vector b from a known distribution is integer feasible with probability at least 1-e. We consider the case when the entries of the constraint matrix A are i.i.d. Gaussian (equivalently are i.i.d. from any spherically symmetric distribution). The radius of the largest inscribed ball is closely related to the existence of integer points in the polytope. We find that for m up to 2O(√n) constraints (rows of A), there exist constants c0 1 such that with high probability (ɛ = 1 /poly(n)), random polytopes are integer feasible if the radius of the largest ball contained in the polytope is at least c1√log(m/n)); and integer infeasible if the largest ball contained in the polytope is centered at (1/2,...,1/2) and has radius at most c0√log(m/n)). Thus, random polytopes transition from having no integer points to being integer feasible within a constant factor increase in the radius of the largest inscribed ball. Integer feasibility is based on a randomized polynomial-time algorithm for finding an integer point in the polytope. Our main tool is a simple new connection between integer feasibility and linear discrepancy. We extend a recent algorithm for finding low-discrepancy solutions to give a constructive upper bound on the linear discrepancy of random Gaussian matrices. By our connection between discrepancy and integer feasibility, this upper bound on linear discrepancy translates to the radius bound that guarantees integer feasibility of random polytopes.
Real-time scheduling using compact task graphs

The generation of a real-time schedule from a task precedence graph is complex and time consuming. In order to improve the efficiency of generating schedules, we propose a scheduling algorithm based upon the compact task graph (CTG) representation. In addition to precedence constraints, a CTG explicitly expresses the potential for interleaving the execution of tasks on a single processor and overlapping the execution of task on multiple processors. The CTG is compact since it expresses the potential for overlapping and interleaving without the generation of smaller tasks. If a task cannot be scheduled to meet its deadline through interleaving and overlapping, then selected tasks are split into smaller tasks which increases the feasibility, and hence the complexity, of scheduling the task. Thus, in effect our approach increases the complexity of scheduling a usual task graph only if it is essential. Our results demonstrate that a significant reduction in the time of scheduling is achieved using CTGs and our algorithms that exploit the CTGs. We also show how CTGs can be used for distributed on-line scheduling.
The Law of Nations as Constitutional Law

Courts and scholars continue to debate the status of customary international law in U.S. courts, but have paid insufficient attention to the role that such law plays in interpreting and upholding several specific provisions of the Constitution. The modern position argues that courts should treat customary international law as federal common law. The revisionist position contends that customary international law applies only to the extent that positive federal or state law has adopted it. Neither approach adequately takes account of the Constitution’s allocation of powers to the federal political branches in Articles I and II or the effect of these powers on judicial precedent applying the law of nations throughout U.S. history. Several specific powers — such as the powers to send and receive ambassadors, declare war, issue letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules governing captures — can only be understood by reference to background principles of the law of nations. At the time of the Founding, it was reasonably assumed that U.S. courts would recognize the traditional rights of foreign sovereigns under the law of nations as a means of respecting the Constitution’s allocation of specific foreign relations powers to the political branches. Considered in this light, the Supreme Court’s decisions applying traditional principles derived from the law of nations throughout U.S. history have largely — if not exclusively — served to implement this allocation of powers. From this perspective, both the modern and the revisionist positions rest partly on erroneous premises. The modern position errs in claiming that the best way to read Supreme Court precedent applying the law of nations is that federal courts have independent Article III power to adopt such law as federal common law. Consistent with the original public meaning of the Constitution, this precedent is better read to apply certain traditional principles of the law of nations when necessary to uphold the political branches’ recognition, war, reprisal, and capture powers under Articles I and II. The revisionist position overlooks the role of these powers by requiring the political branches or states to adopt traditional principles of the law of nations before courts may apply them. Historical understandings and judicial practice suggest that courts must apply traditional principles of the law of nations not only when the federal political branches or the states have adopted them, but also when Articles I and II require courts to do so. In such instances, the law of nations functions as constitutional law.
Special features of a VLIW architecture

This paper describes some of the special features of a very long instruction word architecture that is based on a percolation scheduling (PS) compiler. The architecture exploits fine-grain (instruction-level) parallelism in order to speed up program execution. Recent developments in low-level code transformations have been successful in exposing this parallelism. In order to take advantage of the capabilities of the PS compiler, the authors have devised a novel multi-way branch scheme that improves the overall performance of the architecture and allows speculative execution of the operations in the branch and branch delay slots. They have also adopted a modified instruction execution pipeline, which reduces the frequency of data hazards in the processor. >
Cell‐Surface Receptors: Structure, Activation, and Signaling

Cell-surface receptors constitute the major route by which signals are conveyed from the extracellular to the intracellular environment of cells. This article focuses on the three major types of cell-surface receptors: catalytic tyrosine kinase receptors, cytokine receptors, and seven-transmembrane receptors. The structure of the extracellular portions of these receptors enables them to recognize specific signals, such as growth factors, cytokines, peptides, and hormones. Binding of these signals changes the conformation of the receptors themselves, which translates to modulation of intracellular pathways. These pathways regulate diverse cellular functions such as proliferation, survival, and apoptosis. In the case of genetic diseases, mutations have been identified in many receptors, and these mutations result in aberrant signaling. By understanding the structural and molecular reasons for the pathological phenotypes, better pharmacological agents can be generated to treat these receptor-driven diseases. Keywords: cell-surface receptors; ligand binding; protein–protein interacting domains; receptor activation; signaling
Platelet-activating factor in plasma of patients with sickle cell disease in steady state

The role of platelet-activating factor (PAF) in the pathogenesis of microvascular vaso-occlusion in sickle cell disease (SCD) is not known. In order to assess a role for PAF in vaso-occlusion in patients with SCD in steady state conditions, we measured plasma PAF level and plasma PAF acetylhydrolase activity as indices of PAF metabolism in vivo. We also studied PAF synthesis, from (3H)-acetate, by purified platelets stimulated with A23187. PAF was extracted from plasma of ten patients with SCD in steady state and from age-matched controls. PAF, purified by thin-layer chromatography, was quantitated by radioimmunoassay. PAF level (mean +/- SEM, pg/ml) in plasma of controls was 393 +/- 65, which was significantly lower than the 797 +/- 62 measured in plasma of patients with SCD. There was no difference in acetylhydrolase activity between the two groups. PAF synthesis (mean +/- SEM, nmol/10(6) cells) by platelets of controls without exogenous lyso-PAF was 1.69 +/- 0.24, higher than the 0.59 +/- 0.038 synthesized by platelets of patients with SCD. Incubation of platelets with 1.0 micromol/L lyso-PAF increased PAF synthesis by controls to 8.93 +/- 1.76, still higher than the 4.59 +/- 0.98 synthesized by platelets of patients with SCD. Our data show that patients with SCD are susceptible to a higher circulating levels of PAF in vivo during steady-state conditions. We speculate that higher levels of PAF may be a contributing factor to the persistent stress and inflammatory state of the microcirculation of patients with SCD.
Daily Activities and Sleep Quality in Young Adults

Daily activity levels were investigated as related to sleep quality in young adult college students aged 18 to 30 years. 85 participants (20 men, 65 women) completed the Young Adult Daily Activity Scale (YADAS). This 37-item checklist has 34 items based on focus group discussion points of college students' typical daily activities and three blank items for students to include their daily activities if not in the listing. The tabulation of type and amount of waking daily activities represents a unique measurement of factors that may affect sleep quality. The participants also rated their typical sleep quality using a standard 5-point scale (low indicating poor sleep). Correlations of sleep ratings and activities were not significant.
Deep‐UV Photochemistry and Patterning of (Aminoethylaminomethyl)phenethylsiloxane Self‐Assembled Monolayers

The 193 nm photochemistry of (aminoethylaminomethyl)phenethylsiloxane (PHDA) self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) under ambient conditions is described. The primary photodegradation pathways at low exposure doses (< 100 mJ cm -2 ) are benzylic C-N bond cleavage (ca. 68 %), wilh oxidation ot the benzyl C to the aldehyde, and Si- C bond cleavage (ca. 32 %). Amine-containing photoproducts released from the SAM during exposure remain physisorbed on the surface, where they undergo secondary photolysis leading to their complete degradation and removal after ca. 1200 mJ cm -2 . NaCl(aq) post-exposure rinsing removes the physisorbed materials, showing that degradation of the original PEDA species (leaving Si-OH) is subsuantially complete after ca. 450 mJ cm -2 . Consequently, patterned, rinsed PEDA SAMs function as efficient templates for fabrica tion of high-resolution, negative-tone, electroless metal and DNA features with good selectivity at low dose (i.e., ca. 400 mJ cm -2 ) via materials grafting to the intact amines remaining in the unirradiated PEDA SAM regions.
Platelet serotonergic markers and tridimensional personality questionnaire measures in a clinical sample

A group of patients with major depressive disorder, with and without comorbid obsessive—compulsive disorder, completed the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ). Harm Avoidance scores were found to be high compared to published age-matched norms and to display a significant positive correlation with Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores. Platelet 125 I-lysergic acid diethylamide ( 125 I-LSD) and 3 H-paroxetine binding B max values were measured to test Cloninger's hypothesis that Harm Avoidance scores would correlate significantly with measures of serotonergic function. A significant inverse correlation was found between Harm Avoidance scores and 125 I-LSD B max values. Correlations between 3 H-paroxetine B max values and TPQ scale scores were not significant. These results suggest an alternative view of the literature relating platelet 5-hydroxytryptamine-2a receptors and mood disorders in that the temperament dimension, Harm Avoidance, may explain prior inconsistencies involving links with depression and suicidality.
Pesticide-induced immunotoxicity: are Great Lakes residents at risk?

Several organophosphate and organochlorine compounds, including pesticides commonly found in the Great Lakes basin, have the potential to induce immunotoxicity. Because of biomagnification and accu...
Media Exposure, Perceived Similarity, and Counterfactual Thinking: Why Did the Public Grieve When Princess Diana Died?1

Judgments of perceived similarity to Princess Diana and counterfactual thinking, in conjunction with media exposure, were examined as competing explanations that might account for the public's affective responses to the fatal accident of Princess Diana. Shortly after the accident, 222 introductory psychology students were surveyed. Results indicate that each of these constructs contributed uniquely to predict negative affective responding. An interaction was found such that persons high in perceived similarity had high levels of counterfactual ruminations and negative responding, regardless of their media exposure, whereas media exposure largely predicted the responses of those low in perceived similarity. Possible causal sequences involving these constructs, social comparison theory, and work on media-related stress are discussed.
Ontogeny of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid. II. Electroencephalographic effects.

Abstract The ontogeny of petit mal-like seizures induced by γ-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) was investigated. The prodrug of GHB, γ-butyrolactone (GBL) was administered in varying dosages under continuous EEG monitoring from cortical and depth electrodes to rats varying in postnatal age from 1 to 85 days. The brain pharmacokinetics of GHB were determined at various ages as was the effect of ethosuximide on GBL-induced EEG changes. In adult rats, GBL produced a predictable sequence of electrical events beginning with spike bursts and progressing to polyspiking separated by low voltage activity. In 1-day-old rats, GBL produced voltage suppression with stupor. Poorly organized spiking appeared at postnatal day 3 and by day 9 marked burst suppression with polyspiking separated by low voltage activity was noted. However, the full array of electrical events seen in adult rats did not appear until day 28. Ethosuximide was ineffective against GHB seizure until the third postnatal week of life. GHB had a longer half-life in brain in the first week of postnatal life. These data suggest that in the rodent, petit mal-like seizure activity may require a fully mature brain and raise the possibility of different mechanisms being responsible for the various stages of EEG changes induced by GBL.
Fast, generic gradient high performance liquid chromatography coupled to fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry for the accurate mass analysis of mixtures

Fast gradient high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has been combined with a commercially available Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometer for the routine and high performance analysis of mixtures. With this combination we were able to separate and detect, under high mass accuracy conditions, a six-component drug mixture in less than 5 minutes. The fast gradients described are now possible due to the development of mechanically robust, ultra pure silica packing materials, which allow relatively high flow rates (ca. 1 mL/min for a 2 mm diameter column). For the six compounds present in the model mixture, relative mass errors of less than 1 ppm were obtained (based on an external calibration) providing sufficient mass accuracy to make unequivocal assignments of empirical formulae. Preliminary results of fast gradient HPLC/FTICR-MS/MS are also shown for the same six-component mixture. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Volcanic shards from Santorini (Upper Minoan ash) in the Nile Delta, Egypt

One of the largest volcanic outbursts recorded in early human history is the cataclysmic eruption of Santorini (Thera) which occurred about 35 centuries ago in the southern Aegean Sea. This explosive event, termed Upper Minoan (or Upper Thera), produced a tephra-fall believed by archaeologists and volcanologists to have been widespread in the eastern Mediterranean1–4. Upper Minoan ash has been found on land in the Aegean and Hellenic Arc regions including Crete5,6 and Rhodes7. To date, however, there has been no confirmed observation of this ash on land across the Mediterranean in North Africa. We now report evidence for the presence of ash ejected from this explosion in sediment cores recovered in the eastern Nile Delta of Egypt. This discovery of Upper Minoan glass shards extends considerably the zone of confirmed ash fall to the southeast of Santorini, and serves as evidence of a major natural phenomenon affecting Egypt during the reign of Pharaohs in the Eighteenth Dynasty. It is quite possible that this ash-fall event may have given rise to texts pertaining to darkening of the sky and veiling of the Sun in early historic records.
Optical Properties of Cadmium Sulfide and Zinc Sulfide from 0.6 Micron to 14 Microns

The index of refraction and the absorption of evaporated films of CdS and ZnS in the spectral region from 0.6 micron to 14 microns were determined from spectrophotometric reflectance and transmittance measurements. The index of refraction of CdS ranged from 2.52 at 0.6μ to 2.26 at 14μ and was independent of deposition rate. The index of ZnS varied from 2.34 at 0.6μ to 2.15 at 14μ and was independent of deposition rate. The absorption coefficient of CdS depended upon the deposition rate from 0.6μ to 6μ and increased beyond 6μ independently of deposition rate. The absorption coefficient of ZnS was approximately 0.001 in the region of investigation. Approximate formulas are given for calculating the index of refraction and absorption from the reflectance and transmittance when the absorption is small. A method is given for preparing the phosphors that yields films for which the index of refraction is independent of the deposition rate. The crystalline structure was investigated by means of x-ray diffraction.
Heat transfer characteristics of in‐ground heat exchangers

Most in-ground heat storage installations use a system of horizontal or vertical plastic pipes to carry heat exchanger fluid. In designing these systems it is generally assumed that the thermal effects of the plastic pipe can be neglected. This paper reports a laboratory study of the pattern of heat flow around fluid-carrying plastic pipe buried in clay soil. Heat flow measurements as well as estimated contact resistances are presented for a number of configurations. In addition, numerical model computations are given for steady-state, transient and cyclic behaviour of several configurations, and it is shown that substantially reduced heat flows are obtained when plastic pipe is used.
Análisis económico del tratamiento de la insuficiencia cardiaca con betabloqueantes

La insuficiencia cardiaca (IC) se ha convertido en una epidemia asociada al envejecimiento y supone una importante carga de los sistemas sanitarios, cuya magnitud se vera incrementada en este siglo. En estudios realizados hace 20 anos en EE. UU. y en Europa se observo que la IC supone un gasto importante en el presupuesto sanitario de los paises occidentales. En Espana diversos estudios llegaron a la misma conclusion. El coste de los cuidados de salud de los pacientes con IC es 2,3 veces superior que en aquellos que no la tienen. Su relacion etiologica con la hipertension, la arteriosclerosis, la diabetes y la obesidad, todas ellas procesos muy frecuentes, hacen suponer que su prevalencia seguira siendo alta. Aunque la incidencia de IC se mantiene estable, la tasa de hospitalizacion por un primer episodio de la misma ha disminuido en los ultimos 20 anos. Sin embargo, todavia sigue siendo superior a la del conjunto de los tumores mas frecuentes, tanto en varones como en mujeres. Durante las hospitalizaciones el tipo de tratamiento utilizado se ha mostrado como uno de los determinantes de la estancia hospitalaria y del coste del ingreso. Los betabloqueantes han demostrado un beneficio claro en el tratamiento de la IC, disminuyendo la mortalidad y las hospitalizaciones, y ademas son coste-efectivos. En Espana existe un unico estudio de costeefectividad de los betabloqueantes, publicado en 2005, antes de la aparicion del estudio SENIORS, con nebivolol. Desde entonces se ha modificado la financiacion del sistema sanitario espanol con la fijacion de precios de referencia para algunos medicamentos. Este estudio pretende realizar un analisis de coste-efectividad actualizado de la utilizacion de los betabloqueantes en la IC.
Effects of spatial parameters on the perceptual organization of a bistable motion display.

In a dynamic visual display which consisted of two alternating frames, each with three line elements, the individual elements which possessed a high degree of spatial correspondence from one frame to the next were paired perceptually and moved about locally. Any remaining elements moved independently and followed different movement rules. When there was no high degree of spatial correspondence of any elements across frames, or when the interval of time between frames was long, the elements behaved as a perceptual unit and moved about as a group. The local pairings and movements appeared to be mediated by a process with different functional characteristics from those of the process which mediated the wholistic movement of the elements as a group.
A rapid specific radioimmunoassay for unconjugated estriol in plasma

Abstract A rapid, non-chromatographic radioimmunoassay for unconjugated estriol in pregnancy plasma has been developed which utilizes a commonly available antiestrogen antisera. Estradiol-17β and estrone demonstrate 135% relative cross-reactivity with our antiserum, as compared with 100% for estriol. Specificity is achieved by purification of estriol with solvent partitioning using benzene: petroleum ether (1:1). The results obtained using this method are similar to a radioimmunoassay utilizing a highly specific, but commercially unavailable, antiestriol antiserum. The method is precise, with coefficients of variation ranging from 3.0 to 8.2%.
Templated Assembly by Selective Removal for Size-Selective Sorting of Biological Materials

This work presents the size-selective sorting of single biological cells using the assembly process known as Templated Assembly by Selective Removal (TASR). We have demonstrated experimentally, for the first time, the selective self assembly and sorting of single SF9 cells (a clonal isolate, derived from Spodoptera frugiperda (Fall Armyworm) IPLB-Sf21-AE cells) into patterned hemispherical sites on rigid assembly templates using TASR. TASR-based size-selective assembly of biological systems represents a potentially valuable tool, with potential for implementation in several biological applications, such as cell sorting for medical research or diagnostics, or isolation of single cells for the study of biological or mechanical behavior.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Characteristics of winter backcountry use in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Numerous backcountry and wilderness use studies have been conducted over the last decade, but nearly all of them have concentrated on peak season and summer use. This study investigates use patterns and user characteristics of winter campers, and implications for the management of winter backcountry overnight use. Use pattern data were collected from 580 backcountry use permits for both winter and summer campers of Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP). A two-page questionnaire was also mailed to 300 of the winter users to survey their characteristics, past backpacking experience, and reasons for winter camping. Backcountry permit data indicate that use patterns differ significantly between winter and summer campers, with winter campers taking shorter, weekend, destination-type trips. Winter campers engage in backcountry camping nearly twice as often during winter as other seasons of the year, both in and outside GSMNP. They are also experienced hikers that tend to avoid camping in Great Smoky Mountains National Park during the summer because of heavy visitor use. This suggests that winter backcountry campers are different enough from peak season campers that management of these two user groups may require different styles.
Goldstick on the 'Two Hats' Problem

The indirect-strategy consequentialist recommends that the consequentialist agent develop certain non-consequentialist feelings and dispositions. It is difficult to see, however, how such an agent could knowingly do this, given her moral beliefs. Goldstick has argued that the problem is not particular to consequentialism; deontologists, too, are obliged to admit the possibility of mental divisions of this sort. I argue, however, that the type of mental division to which the deontologist is committed appears only as a response to a type of genuinely dilemmatic situation which traditional consequentialism cannot recognize. Indeed, the ability of the deontological approach to accommodate cases of conflicting obligations in an intuitively plausible way seems to be a significant point in its favour.
Interstellar cloud evolution and the abundance of formaldehyde

The time scale for essentially complete conversion of C(+) to CO in interstellar clouds can be comparable to, or greater than, dynamical time scales for evolution, therefore suggesting steady state time independent abundances to be inappropriate. The solutions for the time-dependent carbon chemistry in dense clouds, with density not less than 500/cu cm, indicate that significant amounts of neutral carbon will be present throughout a cloud's lifetime. These nonequilibrium values of C I can explain the relatively large abundances observed for formaldehyde, isotopes of carbon monoxide, and other trace molecules
A dual-modal retinal imaging system with adaptive optics

An adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscope (AO-SLO) is adapted to provide optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging. The AO-SLO function is unchanged. The system uses the same light source, scanning optics, and adaptive optics in both imaging modes. The result is a dual-modal system that can acquire retinal images in both en face and cross-section planes at the single cell level. A new spectral shaping method is developed to reduce the large sidelobes in the coherence profile of the OCT imaging when a non-ideal source is used with a minimal introduction of noise. The technique uses a combination of two existing digital techniques. The thickness and position of the traditionally named inner segment/outer segment junction are measured from individual photoreceptors. In-vivo images of healthy and diseased human retinas are demonstrated.
Pulmonary arterial diastolic pressure in acute myocardial infarction

Abstract Pulmonary arterial diastolic pressure has been shown to be a reliable estimate of left ventricular filling pressure. In 91 patients with acute myocardial infarction, the Swan-Ganz flow-directed catheter was used to measure pulmonary arterial diastolic pressure, which was correlated with clinical and radiographic estimates of left ventricular failure. The physical findings of a third sound gallop and rales were significantly correlated with the level of pulmonary arterial diastolic pressure. In the absence of either a third sound gallop or rales, the pulmonary arterial diastolic pressure was found to be increased in 47 percent of the patients. The presence of rales was a less sensitive determinant of left ventricular dysfunction than a third sound gallop alone or in association with rales. Radiographic findings of increasing pulmonary congestion were significantly correlated with the level of pulmonary arterial diastolic pressure. In the absence of radiographic pulmonary congestion, 24 percent of patients had abnormal pulmonary arterial diastolic pressure. We conclude that measurement of pulmonary arterial diastolic pressure increases the objectivity of the clinical evaluation in patients with acute myocardial infarction.
Efficiency wages, agglomeration, and a developing dual economy

In analyzing the implications of rural-urban migration in the presence of efficiency wages and external economies of scale in the urban sector, this paper focuses on structural transformation of a developing dual economy. It compares the agglomeration effects in the urban sector under exogenous wage distortion with that under exogenous wage distortion and external economies of scale and also with the agglomeration under efficiency wages and external economies of scale. It shows that because of the employment enhancing effect of rural-urban migration with efficiency wages, the agglomeration economies are bigger with efficiency wages than with minimum wage distortion in the Harris-Todaro model. In exploiting the existing external economies of scale, this agglomeration reduces the sectoral wage differential, and changes the effects of factor accumulation and commodity price changes in a way that is different from the effects under migration with exogenous wage distortion.
The thin limbs of the loop of Henle

The renal medulla of male rats, fixed by perfusion with 6% glutaraldehyde and postfixed in osmium tetroxide, was examined at different levels by electron microscopy. The descending thin limb of the loop of Henle, identified at its origin from the proximal tubule as well as by its occurrence in the outer medulla, is composed of a single layer of interdigitating cell processes which have smaller basal, lateral, and luminal projections as well as microvilli on the luminal surface. The ascending thin limb of the loop of Henle, identified at its junction with the distal tubule, is composed of interdigitating cell processes which have very few small basal projections and short microvilli. Both types of thin segments have been found at different levels of the inner medulla, but the descending type becomes less frequent and disappears toward the tip of the pyramid. It seems likely, therefore, that the transition between the two types occurs in the descending limbs in the middle layer of the inner medulla. The basement membranes around thin limbs and medullary capillaries are frequently covered with multilayered segments of ground substance. A close association between thin limbs, vessels, and interstitial cells rich in osmiophilic droplets occurs in the inner medulla. Although physiologic evidence at present indicates that the descending and ascending limbs have different functions in countercurrent concentration, certain problems arise in attempting a detailed correlation.
Automatic emotion regulation during anger provocation

Individuals frequently have to regulate their emotions, especially negative ones, to function successfully. However, deliberate emotion regulation can have significant costs for the individual. Are there less costly ways to achieve emotion regulatory goals? In two studies, we test the hypothesis that more automatic types of emotion regulation might provide the benefits of deliberate emotion regulation without the costs. Study 1 introduces a priming technique that manipulates automatic emotion regulation. Using this priming technique, we show that relative to priming emotion expression, priming emotion control leads to less anger experience in response to a laboratory anger provocation. Study 2 examines the experiential and physiological consequences of automatic emotion regulation. Results suggest that relative to priming emotion expression, priming emotion control reduces negative emotion experience without maladaptive cardiovascular responding. Together, these findings suggest that automatic emotion regulation may provide an effective means of controlling powerful negative emotions.
Improved oxygen isotope temperature calibrations for cosmopolitan benthic foraminifera

Abstract Despite decades of use as a paleoceanographic proxy, considerable uncertainty still surrounds the temperature dependence of benthic foraminiferal δ18O. Widely applied paleotemperature equations may mix non-equilibrium foraminifera with equilibrium synthetic calcite, resulting in temperature sensitivities that are too large. Warm-water foraminiferal calibrations may give temperature sensitivities that are too small for very cold waters. Here we combine new core top measurements from the Florida Straits and the Arctic Ocean with published data to derive new δ18O:temperature relationships for three groups of benthic foraminifera. We derive a quadratic equation for Cibicidoides and Planulina that agrees well with equilibrium synthetic calcite, and that should be applicable over all oceanographic temperatures. We find that Uvigerina is not at equilibrium and is isotopically heavier than Cibicidoides and Planulina by 0.47‰, in contrast to the historically used 0.64‰. Hoeglundina elegans is further enriched and appears to be slightly heavier than equilibrium aragonite. Finally we discuss the implications of the Florida Straits observations for the hypothesis that benthic foraminifera precipitate their shells from a pH-dependent mixture of bicarbonate and carbonate ions.
Theoretical investigations on bond enthalpy additivity deviations in the formation of triplet diradicals from hetero‐substituted 1,3‐dimethylenecyclobutanes

In our continuing effort to understand better the cause of the large positive deviation from bond enthalpy additivity (BEA) observed in the formation of triplet 1,3-dimethylenecyclobutane-2,4-diyl (1c) from 1,3-dimethylenecyclobutane (1a), we performed B3LYP/6–31G* calculations on a series of 1,3-disubstituted cyclobutanes, where the methylene groups in 1a are replaced by hetero groups, specifically O, NH, S, PH and SiH2. The size of the deviation from BEA (ΔBEA) is found to increase consistently with decreasing bond strength of the exocyclic π bonds. DFT calculations were also carried out on related hydrocarbons and the ΔBEA value in each case was found to be in close agreement with that predicted by simple Huckel theory. All of the computational results provide convincing evidence that antiaromaticity is absent in these diradicals, and the positive deviations from BEA, as large as 30.3 kcal mol−1, are due to the more substantial increase in the π electron delocalization in the monoradicals than that in the diradicals. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Soot measurements at the axis of an ethylene/air non-premixed turbulent jet flame

Abstract The size, morphology, and volume fraction of soot particles within the fuel-rich regions of a non-premixed turbulent jet flame fueled by ethylene/air at atmospheric pressure were investigated. Experiments involved thermophoretic sampling followed by transmission electron microscopy and laser extinction techniques to determine mean soot properties of principal interest at various heights along the flame axis. Similar to numerous past studies, soot in this turbulent flame consisted of nearly uniform spherical particles that collected into aggregates of different shapes and sizes. Soot spherule (primary particle) diameters were 19 to 35 nm, in agreement with the narrow size range reported in many combustion environments. With fractal dimensions and prefactors in the range 1.74 ± 0.11 and 2.2 ± 0.4, respectively, aggregate morphology was also found to be almost identical to soot formed in various laminar flames and emitted from turbulent flames. These universal parameters apparently resulted from the dominant cluster-cluster agglomeration mechanism, which was also responsible for the monotonic increase in the average aggregate size with height above the burner. The mean soot volume fraction reached a maximum of 1.1 ppm at a height lower than the peak axial location of the spherule size, while the particle number density varied in the range of 10 10 –10 11 particles/cm 3 with a similar trend. The peak value of the actual specific surface area was 2.5 cm 2 /cm 3 , which was about a factor of three larger than the value estimated by a volume-equivalent spherical model. The results clearly identified various axial zones of prevailing soot nucleation, surface growth, oxidation, and agglomeration processes in the non-premixed turbulent flame considered here.