cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Spine centers of excellence: applications for the ambulatory care setting

Centers of excellence (COE) are designed to deliver high-quality, cost-effective healthcare by providing specialized and comprehensive multidisciplinary care for a given condition and have become attractive option to both insurers and healthcare providers given their promise of creating value. The criteria that constitute and define a COE may be delineated by a number of entities with a stake in value-based healthcare delivery including professional societies, the federal government, insurers and businesses seeking to control costs while guaranteeing outcomes for their employees. COEs accomplish this goal through a number of means, the first and most essential of which is centralization of organization wherein a variety of specialists are integrated under a single hospital system to improve communication between providers and decrease overall variability of care delivery. In this system, the patient is tracked throughout the entire spectrum of care from diagnosis, through non-operative or surgical intervention, and postoperative care. The centralized model in turn allows for standardization of protocols and multidisciplinary team input which helps to inform case selection, improve patient screening, make treatment more uniform and ultimately allow for dynamic and continual modification of best practices. This model lends itself particularly well to orthopedic subspecialties where patients often require specialized pre-, intra- and post-operative care from a variety of providers. However, despite their apparent benefits, studies evaluating outcomes after implementation of COEs have been less than favorable, and further research is needed in this area to support their widespread adoption. The growth of the ambulatory surgery center in orthopedics provides a new opportunity for the development, evaluation and evolution of spine COEs. Although the direct value of COEs is yet to be firmly established, they provide guidelines for best practices in outpatient spine surgery and a framework for how spine care can be transitioned safely and effectively to the outpatient setting.
Beyond butadiene : activation parameters for thermal stereomutations and cycloreversion of cyclobutanes from a photochemical cyclodimerization of the rigid, all-trans triene 4a-methyl-2,3,4,4a,5,6-hexahydro-2-methylenenaphthalene

Enthalpies of stabilization of polyenyl radicals, recently determined by thermal cis-trans isomerization about double bonds, are incorporated into a model for thermal cyclodimerization (and its reverse, cycloreversion) of polyene based on the ethylene-cyclobutane paradigm. This model accommodates the butadiene-divinylcyclobutane equilibrium satisfactorily. When the model is applied to polyenes of higher order, enthalpies of activation in both directions are predicted to be strikingly lowered as the order of the polyene increases. Photochemical dimerization at -75 o C of optically pure triene (R)-3 of the title, produces a single dimer (of three allowed), to which a cyclobutane structure in the anti and, tentatively, endo,endo configuration, (R,R)-4 a,n,n, is assigned
Hounds follow those who feed them: What can the ethnographic record of hunter-gatherers reveal about early human-canid partnerships?

Abstract The establishment of early human-canid partnerships involving the use of dogs in hauling and/or hunting is often nominated as a process that underwrote technological, economic and demographic changes in prehistoric human populations. Inferences about the uses of prehistoric canids are bolstered by reference to ethnographic analogues. Archeologists, however, lack an inferential framework encompassing a systematic analysis of the ethnographic record that identifies the circumstances that support and constrain the use of canids. This paper presents comparative analyses of hunter-gatherer ethnographic records that show the importance of provisioning in supporting dogs engaged in energetically demanding activities. Canid thermoregulation in concert with work load intensity require significant investments provisioning dogs that can greatly inflate the subsistence efforts of hunter-gatherers. These data suggest that anthropogenic food refuse could not have established or supported an indigenous working dog population. Prehistoric human-dog interactions in colder biomes that involved the use of dogs working in haulage and/or hunting could only be supported after intentional provisioning regimes emerged and were incorporated into hunter-gatherer subsistence systems. The importance of human provisioning in the use of working dogs has implications for understanding the circumstances that supported the formation of early human-canid working relationships and the domestication process.
Synapomorphies Behind Shared Derived Characters: Examples from the Great Apes’ Genomic Data

Phylogenetic systematics (e.g., cladistics) is one of the most important analytical frameworks of modern Biology. It seems to be common knowledge that within phylogenetics, ‘groups’ must be defined based solely on the synapomorphies or on the “derived” characters that unite two or more taxa in a clade or monophyletic group. Thus, the idea of synapomorphy seems to be of fundamental influence and importance. Here I will show that the most common and straightforward understanding of synapomorphy as a shared derived character is not sufficient and eventually must be rejected in favor of Nelson’s relational interpretation of such term. Arguing for this point and using three examples from previously published Apes’ genomic matrices, I explicitly demonstrate that the relationship (Pongo (Gorilla (Homo, Pan))) with Hylobatidae as a sister taxon, may be successfully recovered by three-taxon statement analysis (3TA) and three-taxon statement average consensus analysis (3TS-ACA) even if all of the evident standard shared derived molecular characters of the relationship (Pongo (Gorilla (Homo, Pan))) with Hylobatidae as a sister taxon, have been excluded from the molecular alignments. Neither conventional Maximum Parsimony nor Maximum Likelihood or Bayesian Inference can do this in such situation. Thus, our results show that the relationship (Pongo (Gorilla (Homo, Pan))) with Hylobatidae as a sister taxon has appeared, in some way, behind standard shared derived characters: the last ones could be excluded, but the relationship remains the same.
A Novel Mobile Phone App Intervention With Phone Coaching to Reduce Symptoms of Depression in Survivors of Women’s Cancer: Pre-Post Pilot Study

Background: Psychological distress is a major issue among survivors of women’s cancer who face numerous barriers to accessing in-person mental health treatments. Mobile phone app–based interventions are scalable and have the potential to increase access to mental health care among survivors of women’s cancer worldwide. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the acceptability and preliminary efficacy of a novel app-based intervention with phone coaching in a sample of survivors of women’s cancer. Methods: In a single-group, pre-post, 6-week pilot study in the United States, 28 survivors of women’s cancer used iCanThrive, a novel app intervention that teaches skills for coping with stress and enhancing well-being, with added phone coaching. The primary outcome was self-reported symptoms of depression (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale). Emotional self-efficacy and sleep disruption were also assessed at baseline, 6-week postintervention, and 4 weeks after the intervention period. Feedback obtained at the end of the study focused on user experience of the intervention. Results: There were significant decreases in symptoms of depression and sleep disruption from baseline to postintervention. Sleep disruption remained significantly lower at 4-week postintervention compared with baseline. The iCanThrive app was launched a median of 20.5 times over the intervention period. The median length of use was 2.1 min. Of the individuals who initiated the intervention, 87% (20/23) completed the 6-week intervention. Conclusions: This pilot study provides support for the acceptability and preliminary efficacy of the iCanThrive intervention. Future work should validate the intervention in a larger randomized controlled study. It is important to develop scalable interventions that meet the psychosocial needs of different cancer populations. The modular structure of the iCanThrive app and phone coaching could impact a large population of survivors of women’s cancer.
A novel quantitative real-time PCR diagnostic assay for fecal and nasal swab detection of an otariid lungworm, Parafilaroides decorus.

Abstract Parafilaroides decorus, also known as sea lion lungworm, is a metastrongyloid nematode that infects otariid hosts, such as the charismatic California sea lion, Zalophus californianus. P. decorus causes bronchointerstitial pneumonia, respiratory distress, reduced ability to swim, dive and hunt and as a result, increased mortality particularly in young animals. Respiratory disease is a leading cause of stranding and admission to rehabilitation centers on the Pacific coast. Low-coverage genomic sequencing of four P. decorus individuals analyzed through Galaxy's RepeatExplorer identified a novel repeat DNA family we employed to design a sensitive quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay for diagnosing infections from fecal or sputum samples. The assay detects as little as 10 fg of P. decorus DNA and a linear regression model developed using a standard curve can be used to estimate the concentration of P. decorus DNA in a sample, ± 0.015 ng. This knowledge can be leveraged to estimate the level of parasite burden, which can be used to design improved treatments for animals in rehabilitation. Improved treatment of infections will aid in more animals being successfully released back into the wild.
Post Prostatectomy Pathologic Findings of Patients With Clinically Significant Prostate Cancer and no Significant PI-RADS Lesions on Preoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Abstract Objectives We present postprostatectomy pathology results from a series of prostate cancer (Pca) Gleason grade group ≥2 patients who did not have findings suggestive of cancer on preoperative pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods We performed an institutional retrospective study of prostate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations done from October 2015 to February 2018. We identified patients who underwent prostatectomy for Pca Gleason ≥3 + 4 diagnosed on prostate biopsy with no associated MRI findings suggestive of malignancy and analyzed their postprostatectomy pathologic findings and MRI imaging results. Results At our institution, 850 men with Pca received MRI between 2015 and 2018, and 156/850 patients received robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy. Thirty-three patients (33/156 = 21%) had negative MRI for PIRAD 3 or greater but had a biopsy showing significant Pca. Their mean (range) age was 62.7 (50-86) years. Their median (interquartile range) PSA, and PSA density were, 4.6 (3.7) ng/mL and 0.12 (0.05) ng/mL/cm2, respectively; all not significantly different from patients with visible lesions on MRI who underwent surgery. On post prostatectomy pathology, 27/33 (82%) men had Pca Gleason score 7 or greater. The most common pattern was infiltrative growth with cancer glands intermingling between benign glands. Conclusion We describe the pathologic and imaging findings in an extensive series of men with clinically significant Pca with no significant lesions on preoperative MRI. Our results support the importance of patient counseling on the risk of missing significant Pca on MRI in isolation from other clinical variables.
Governance, Institutional Coordination, and Socio-Spatial Justice: Reflections from Latin America and the Caribbean

Dysfunctional governance and institutional coordination are two of the aspects hindering improvements in socio-spatial justice in the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region. This is no minor issue in a region with one of the largest levels of informality and inequality in the world and where poverty rates are again expanding after showing encouraging retreats in the previous decades. Some of the governance challenges include unclear and unstable institutional structures for decision-making, insufficient mechanisms for citizen participation, and a lack of political will and appreciation for the benefits of planning. This chapter discusses governance and institutional coordination in LAC and suggests governance reform solutions for improving socio-spatial justice in formal and informal settlements by analysing current conditions and learning from cases of different cities and countries in the region.
The scale transformed power prior for use with historical data from a different outcome model

We develop the scale transformed power prior for settings where historical and current data involve different data types, such as binary and continuous data, respectively. This situation arises often in clinical trials, for example, when historical data involve binary responses and the current data involve time-to-event or some other type of continuous or discrete outcome. The power prior proposed by Ibrahim and Chen (2000) does not address the issue of different data types. Herein, we develop a new type of power prior, which we call the scale transformed power prior (straPP). The straPP is constructed by transforming the power prior for the historical data by rescaling the parameter using a function of the Fisher information matrices for the historical and current data models, thereby shifting the scale of the parameter vector from that of the historical to that of the current data. Examples are presented to motivate the need for a scale transformation and simulation studies are presented to illustrate the performance advantages of the straPP over the power prior and other informative and non-informative priors. A real dataset from a clinical trial undertaken to study a novel transitional care model for stroke survivors is used to illustrate the methodology.
Europeanisation of EU Consumer Law 'Through the Back Door'

European consumers are increasingly exposed to procedural mechanisms deriving from the EU. They are affected by two proceduralisation phenomena: generic developments within the policy of judicial cooperation in civil matters, and 'sectoral proceduralisation', which is the main focus of this special issue – the proceduralisation of consumer law. While the paper briefly presents the first phenomenon and acknowledges its importance for consumers, it places much more emphasis on sectoral proceduralisation, reviewing legislative instruments and the procedural rules they introduce. It argues that, although limited to only a single area of substantive law, this kind of proceduralisation has the potential to affect consumers more significantly than the generic procedural mechanisms. However, this paper concludes that the European Union is in the early stages of the proceduralisation of consumer law. While it is yet to be seen how some of the latest procedural measures will affect consumers, the practical impact of 'proceduralisation of EU consumer law' remains limited at present.
On the Inadmissibility of the Modified Step-Down Test Based on Fisher’s Method For Combining Independentp-Values

Marden and Perlman (1988) have shown that the classical step-down procedure for the Hotelling T 2 testing problem is inadmissible in most cases. Mudholkar and Subbaiah (1980) proposed a modified step- down procedure wherein the p-values associated with the sequence of stepwise F tests are combined according to Fisher’s combination method. In the present paper it is shown that the modified step-down procedure is inadmissible if at least one step is of dimension one.
Variance in the resistance of murine early bone marrow B cells to a deficiency in zinc

Little is known of the effects of nutritional deficiencies on lymphopoietic processes. Nevertheless, deficiencies in zinc adversely affect immune function causing thymic atrophy and lymphopenia in both humans and animals. Previous studies of the effects of zinc deficiency (ZD) on lymphopoiesis in adult mice indicated that a suboptimal intake of zinc caused a 50% or more depletion of the marrow of developing B cells. Thus, interference in the production of lymphocytes by ZD appeared to be a significant factor in the loss of host defence capacity. In the current study three-colour immunofluorescence phenotyping of early bone marrow B lymphocytes (B220+ immunoglobulin-) using flow cytometry demonstrated that a 27-day period of ZD caused a 50-70% decline in pre-B cells (B220+ CD43- immunoglobulin M (IgM)-) for moderate and severely zinc-deficient mice, respectively. Conversely, early pro-B cells (B220+ CD43+ 6C3-) and late pro-B cells (B220+ CD43+ 6C3+) exhibited little or no change in their distribution within the marrow. Indeed, the greater resistance of pro-B cells resulted in a 50% increase in the proportion of this subset within the B-cell compartment of the marrow as the deficiency in zinc advanced. Collectively, the data indicate that the B-cell compartment of the marrow is substantially altered by ZD and the stage specific sensitivity noted among early B cells may be related to chronically elevated levels of glucocorticoids present during ZD or other parameters that affect their survival and resistance to apoptosis.
COMPUTER SIMULATION OF RADIOFREQUENCY CONFINEMENT OF A PLASMA

The basic theory of rf confinement is summarized briefly. Single- particle confinement and multiple-particle confinement are treated in separate sections. (MOW)
The Lingering Effects of Country-Level Governance on Cross-Listed Firms

Consistent with studies suggesting that home-country institutions have lingering effects on cross-listed firms, we find that the liquidity of NYSE-listed, non-U.S. firms is related to the perceived institutional quality and governance of the firm‟s home country. Firms from countries perceived as having stronger institutional quality and governance exhibit lower trading costs and less asymmetric information. The enduring effect of home-country institutions extends to non-microstructure measures of information asymmetry, as we find that analyst coverage is positively related to perceived institutional quality and governance. Perception-based measures better explain differences in trading costs than quantitative measures of shareholder rights and earnings quality.
Trade taxes and international investment

This paper demonstrates that international investment disturbs the conventionally understood equivalence between import tariffs and export taxes. Fundamentally, remittances to foreigners introduce an additional pecuniary channel between countries so that two-good Lerner Symmetry generally will not hold. Moreover, because tariffs subsidize investors in the local import competing sector while export taxes can extract rent from foreign investors in the export sector, the pattern of international investment will influence government preferences over trade policy instruments as well as levels. Notably, trade tax symmetry is restored by introducing a third policy tool in the form of a direct a tax on international remittances. Ce memoire montre que l'investissement international bouscule l'equivalence canonique presumee entre tarifs a l'importation et taxe a l'exportation. Fondamentalement, des versements aux etrangers ouvrent un canal additionnel entre pays qui fait que la Symetrie de Lerner ne tient plus. De plus, parce que les tarifs subventionnent les investisseurs dans le secteur national protege, alors que la taxe a l'exportation peut extraire une rente des investisseurs etrangers dans le secteur d'exportation, le pattern d'investissement international va influencer les preferences du gouvernement quant a l'usage d'un instrument de politique commerciale ou un autre et quant a la vigueur avec laquelle il sera utilise. La symetrie des taxes sur le commerce international est restauree en introduisant un troisieme intrument de politique sous la forme d'une taxe directe sur les versements internationaux.
The relationship of delayed hypersensitivity to acquired antituberculous immunity: I. Tuberculin sensitivity and resistance to reinfection in BCG-vaccinated mice

Abstract Specific pathogen-free mice were infected intravenously with different strains of BCG or with M. tuberculosis H 37 R v . Despite marked differences in the resulting levels of tuberculin sensitivity, mice of all groups were comparable in their resistance to challenge with an isoniazid-resistant strain of BCG. A highly virulent strain of M. tuberculosis (Erdman) was no more resistant to inactivation in the tissues of immunized mice than was the drug-resistant strain of BCG. Mice which had been infected with 10 5 M. tuberculosis (Erdman) showed extensive growth of the organism in lung, liver, and spleen; tuberculin sensitivity appeared early, increased rapidly, and then declined. This phenomenon of desensitization was not observed in animals infected with comparable numbers of BCG, but did occur with larger doses of BCG (10 8 ). Spleen cells from these animals were as capable of conferring tuberculin sensitivity upon normal recipients as were cells from tuberculin-sensitive donors. Thus, an absence of peripheral sensitivity does not imply that immunologically committed cells are lacking from the tissues. When animals were challenged with virulent tubercle bacilli 3, 12, and 28 weeks after vaccination, they responded promptly with a major rise in tuberculin sensitivity, thereby demonstrating a persisting memory for mycobacterial antigens. This would explain why specific resistance showed little tendency to wane despite loss of tuberculin sensitivity.
Pseudohypoparathyroidism type Ib is not caused by mutations in the coding exons of the human parathyroid hormone (PTH)/PTH-related peptide receptor gene.

Pseudohypoparathyroidism type Ib (PHP-Ib) is thought to be caused by a PTH/PTH-related peptide (PTHrP) receptor defect. To search for receptor mutations in genomic DNA from 17 PHP-Ib patients, three recently isolated human genomic DNA clones were further characterized by restriction enzyme mapping and nucleotide sequencing across intron/exon borders. Regions including all 14 coding exons and their splice junctions were amplified by polymerase chain reaction, and the products were analyzed by either temperature gradient gel electrophoresis or direct nucleotide sequencing. Silent polymorphisms were identified in exons G (1 of 17), M4 (1 of 17), and M7 (15 of 17). Two base changes were found in introns, 1 at the splice-donor site of the intron between exons E2 and E3 (1 of 17) and the other between exons G and M1 (2 of 17). Total ribonucleic acid from COS-7 cells expressing minigenes with or without the base change between exons E2 and E3 showed no difference by either Northern blot analysis or reverse trans...
Reversible Action of Pullulanase

THE enzyme pullulanase1 is a bacterial R-enzyme in that it is capable of cleaving certain α 1→6 glucosidic bonds where these occur together with α 1→4 glucosidic bonds as in pullulan, starch and dextrins. The substrate specificity of this enzyme has recently been reported2 to embrace oligosaccharides and dextrins containing as few as two 1→4 linked α-D-glucopyranoside units in the ‘A’ chain and two such units in the ‘B’ chain. Thus, a tetra-saccharide linked 2 on 2 is the smallest known substrate for the hydrolytic action of this enzyme2.
The characterization of blend microstructure

Blend microstructure can lie characterized by a wide range of microscopy, spectroscopy and diffraction techniques. The strengths and limitations of the commonly used characterization techniques arc discussed using as examples a range of commercially or scientifically important blends.
Disappearance of Docosahexaenoic and Eicosapentaenoic Acids from Cultures of Mixed Ruminal Microorganisms

Previous studies showed conflicting results regarding the ability of ruminal microorganisms to hydrogenate docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6, DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5, EPA). To determine the disappearance of DHA and EPA from mixed ruminal cultures, 2 ruminal in vitro experiments were conducted using graded levels of DHA and EPA. The first experiment examined DHA added at 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 mg per culture flask. In the second experiment, EPA was added at 0, 5, 10, and 15 mg per culture flask. Docosahexaenoic acid and EPA were incubated in triplicate in 125-mL flasks, and 5 mL of culture contents was taken at 0, 12, and 24 h for fatty acid analysis by gas liquid chromatography. After 24 h of incubation, 4.1, 4.1, 4.0, and 3.3 mg of DHA disappeared from the 5, 10, 15, and 20 mg of DHA cultures, respectively. In the second experiment, 5, 8.3, and 7.1 mg of EPA disappeared after 24 h of incubation for the 5-, 10-, and 15-mg EPA cultures, respectively. Addition of DHA to cultures increased trans-C18:1 fatty acid accumulation by 105, 91, 82, and 74% for the 5, 10-, 15-, and 20-mg cultures, respectively, compared with control. The addition of EPA increased trans-C18:1 fatty acid accumulation by 56, 64, and 55% for the 5-, 10-, and 15-mg EPA cultures, respectively, compared with control. Addition of DHA and EPA to cultures caused a reduction in C18:1 n-9 and C18:2 n-6 biohydrogenation compared with control. Results from these experiments clearly demonstrate the ability of ruminal microorganism to transform DHA and EPA to other fatty acids causing their disappearance from cultures.
Effect of penicillin on the cell wall of Escherichia coli.

Abstract The effect of penicillin on the cell wall of Escherichia coli has been studied. The walls from normal cells and cells grown with penicillin had the same nitrogen, phosphorus, lipid and reducing-sugar content. Walls from cells grown with penicillin contained less amino sugar than normal walls. The individual amino components of cell walls were quantitatively determined. Walls isolated from cells grown with penicillin contained less glucosamine, muramic acid and diaminopimelic acid than normal walls. The normal incorporation of 14 C-label from invert sugar in the growth medium into cell-wall glucosamine and muramic acid was inhibited by penicillin. It is concluded that penicillin specifically inhibits the synthesis of the “basal structure” of the cell wall. The major portion of wall synthesis is not affected by penicillin, but the abnormal structure formed lacks the mechanical strength of the normal cell wall.
Shear and dilatational relaxation mechanisms of globular and flexible proteins at the hexadecane/water interface.

Proteins adsorbed at fluid/fluid interfaces influence many phenomena: food emulsion and foam stability (Murray et al. Langmuir 2002, 18, 9476 and Borbas et al. Colloids Surf., A 2003, 213, 93), two-phase enzyme catalysis (Cascao-Pereira et al. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2003, 83, 498; 2002, 78, 595), human lung function (Lunkenheimer et al. Colloids Surf., A 1996, 114, 199; Wustneck et al.; and Banerjee et al. 2000, 15, 14), and cell membrane mechanical properties (Mohandas et al. 1994, 23, 787). Time scales important to these phenomena are broad, necessitating an understanding of the dynamics of biological macromolecules at interfaces. We utilize interfacial shear and dilatational deformations to study the rheology of a globular protein, lysozyme, and a disordered protein, β-casein, at the hexadecane/water interface. Linear viscoelastic properties are measured using small amplitude oscillatory flow, stress relaxation after a sudden dilatational displacement, and shear creep response to probe the rheological re...
Unconstrained parametrizations for variance-covariance matrices

The estimation of variance-covariance matrices through optimization of an objective function, such as a log-likelihood function, is usually a difficult numerical problem. Since the estimates should be positive semi-definite matrices, we must use constrained optimization, or employ a parametrization that enforces this condition. We describe here five different parametrizations for variance-covariance matrices that ensure positive definiteness, thus leaving the estimation problem unconstrained. We compare the parametrizations based on their computational efficiency and statistical interpretability. The results described here are particularly useful in maximum likelihood and restricted maximum likelihood estimation in linear and non-linear mixed-effects models, but are also applicable to other areas of statistics.
The abbreviated comprehensive geriatric assessment (aCGA): a retrospective analysis

Abstract Background: A comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) is a multidimensional assessment that is designed to detect health problems. A barrier to conducting the CGA is the length of time required to complete the entire assessment. Objective: To understand what items contained in the instruments that make up the CGA could be compiled to construct an abbreviated CGA (aCGA). Design/setting: A retrospective chart review of patients at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center. Participants: Over 500 charts between 1995 and 2001 were reviewed on patients 70 and over. Measurements: Item-to-total correlations and Cronbach's α coefficient were calculated. Construct validity was assessed using a Pearson's product moment correlation coefficient. Results: Fifteen items were compiled to form the aCGA. Cronbach's α was 0.65–0.92 on each instrument of the entire CGA compared to 0.70–0.94 on the aCGA. Correlations ranged from 0.84 to 0.96 for the entire CGA and the aCGA. Conclusion: An aCGA can be helpful in screening for those seniors who would benefit from the entire CGA.
EFFECTS OF EXHAUST PLUME TEMPERATURE ON VORTEX- WAKE/GROUND INTERACTION

The effect of exhaust plume temperature on the vortex-wake decent, separation and rebound near the ground is investigated. The three-dimensional, compressible Navier-Stokes (NS) equations are solved numerically. The implicit, upwind, Roe flux-differencing, finite volume scheme is used. The computations of vortex-wake/exhaust plume interaction with the ground are carried out using overlapping zonal method for long distances downstream. Typical velocity profiles of a tip vortex for Boeing 757 and Boeing 747, with and without exhaust plume temperature profiles are used for inflow boundary conditions. The vortex-wake is subjected to crosswind flow and both upwind and downwind vortices are considered. The results of the vortexwake decent, separation and rebound with and without exhaust plume are compared with each other. INTODUCTION With the civil air traffic growth of subsonic aircraft, an increase in the runway capacity is needed. On the other hand, strong wake vortices emanating from large aircraft are necessary to generate the lift needed to sustain the aircraft in flight, but also it can be hazardous to following aircraft. The trailing aircraft, under the influence of those vortex trails could suffer high rolling moments, loss of climb and structure damages. These vortex trails are characterized with high intensity and turbulence, and their kinematical and dynamical characteristics are affected by ground, atmospheric turbulence, stratification and wind shear; among others. The vortex-wake interaction with the ground causes the vortex pair to separate and rebound back to the flight path of the following aircraft. These vortex trails may persist up to several miles and for long periods of time before they decay, and hence they play a major role in sequencing landing and takeoff operations at busy airports. Safety is currently maintained by keeping a minimum safe-separation distance between aircraft to avoid hazardous vortex encounters. The literature shows several wind tunnel and flight measurements1"4 made in the 1970s to analyze the roll-up of a tip vortex, the vortex-wake interaction with the ground including merging and decay, as well as the hazardous effects of these phenomena on trailing aircraft. All of these tests confirmed the phenomena of wake-vortices separation and rebound by interacting with the ground, which was first reported by Dee and Nicholas1.
Ferric iron amendment increases Fe(III)-reducing microbial diversity and carbon oxidation in on-site wastewater systems

Abstract Onsite wastewater systems, or septic tanks, serve approximately 25% of the United States population; they are therefore a critical component of the total carbon balance for natural water bodies. Septic tanks operate under strictly anaerobic conditions, and fermentation is the dominant process driving carbon transformation. Nitrate, Fe(III), and sulfate reduction may be operating to a limited extent in any given septic tank. Electron acceptor amendments will increase carbon oxidation, but nitrate is toxic and sulfate generates corrosive sulfides, which may damage septic system infrastructure. Fe(III) reducing microorganisms transform all major classes of organic carbon that are dominant in septic wastewater: low molecular weight organic acids, carbohydrate monomers and polymers, and lipids. Fe(III) is not toxic, and the reduction product Fe(II) is minimally disruptive if the starting Fe(III) is added at 50–150 mg L −1 . We used 14 C radiolabeled acetate, lactate, propionate, butyrate, glucose, starch, and oleic acid to demonstrate that short and long-term carbon oxidation is increased when different forms of Fe(III) are amended to septic wastewater. The rates of carbon mineralization to 14 CO 2 increased 2–5 times (relative to unamended systems) in the presence of Fe(III). The extent of mineralization reached 90% for some carbon compounds when Fe(III) was present, compared to levels of 50–60% in the absence of Fe(III). 14 CH 4 was not generated when Fe(III) was added, demonstrating that this strategy can limit methane emissions from septic systems. Amplified 16S rDNA restriction analysis indicated that unique Fe(III)-reducing microbial communities increased significantly in Fe(III)-amended incubations, with Fe(III)-reducers becoming the dominant microbial community in several incubations. The form of Fe(III) added had a significant impact on the rate and extent of mineralization; ferrihydrite and lepidocrocite were favored as solid phase Fe(III) and chelated Fe(III) (with nitrilotriacetic acid or EDTA) as soluble Fe(III) forms.
Analysis of retrieved implants: crystallinity changes in ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene.

The extent of in vivo induced structural alterations were evaluated in 13 retrieved implants ranging from two weeks' to seven years' implantation. A statistically signifiant difference in crystallinity was seen between weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing region, regions of the implants. Further, in the weight-bearing region, crystallinity was higher in components implanted for two or more years than in those implanted for less than one-half year. These results were consistent with our prior in vitro study on the effects of sterilization and aging. Taken together, the data indicate that UHMW polyethylene is not a static material but is continually undergoing dynamic changes in vivo.
A new species of Viguiera (Asteraceae: Heliantheae) from Mexico

AlthoughViguiera hidalgoana, a new species from Hidalgo, Mexico, bears a superficial resemblance toV. dentata, it is clearly related to certain woody species of seriesGrammatoglossae.
Field determination of sodium and potassium in feldspars by ion-selective electrodes

Abstract A field-lab technique has been developed to aid in the geochemical exploration for feldspars involving the determination of the K/Na ratio of feldspar samples with recently improved ion-selective electrodes. Feldspar is dissolved in a mixture of m -benzene disulfonic acid and hydrofluoric acid. The solution is neutralized with tetramethylammonium hydroxide in the presence of CDTA. K and Na determinations are then made with ion-selective electrodes in the neutral solution. The precision and accuracy of the technique have been tested and closely approach that of the flame photometer.
Revisiting the Twin Deficits Hypothesis: The Effect of Fiscal Consolidation on the Current Account

This paper investigates the effect of fiscal consolidation on the current account. We examine contemporaneous policy documents, including Budget Speeches, Budgets, and IMF and OECD reports, to identify changes in fiscal policy motivated primarily by the desire to reduce the budget deficit, and not by a response to the short-term economic outlook or the current account. Estimation results based on this measure of fiscal policy changes suggest that a 1 percent of GDP fiscal consolidation raises the current account balance-to-GDP ratio by about 0.6 percentage point, supporting the twin deficits hypothesis. This effect is substantially larger than that obtained using standard measures of the fiscal policy stance, such as the change in the cyclically adjusted primary balance.
The hydrodynamics of rotating superfluids. II. Finite temperature, dissipative theory

The hydrodynamics of rotating superfluids at finite temperature is formulated, accounting for the elastic properties of the vortex lattice. This theory, which is a generalization of previous work at zero temperature, includes normal fluid motions and dissipation and is used here to investigate the transverse and longitudinal normal modes of the system. Mutual friction, arising microscopically from collisions between the vortex lines and the excitations comprising the normal fluid, leads to a profound change in the nature of the two transverse modes allowed at finite temperatures. One such mode, similar to the Tkachenko mode in zero-temperature theory, is associated with the motion of the total mass current and is damped by first viscosity but unaffected by mutual friction. The other mode, associated with the relative motion of the normal and superfluid-vortex components, is highly damped by mutual friction and cannot propagate at angles greater than a critical angle ϑ c measured from the rotation axis.
Engineering Geology and Construction (Fred G. Bell)

Fred Bell's new book, Engineering Geology and Construction , represents an incredibly ambitious undertaking and highlights the staggering breadth of topics intersecting in the field of engineering geology. At almost 800 pages, it touches a huge array of construction issues, with chapters on land evaluation and site investigation, open excavation and slopes, sub-surface excavations, foundation conditions and buildings, routeways, reservoirs and dam sites, hydrogeology, river and coastal engineering, waste and its disposal, derelict and contaminated land, and geological materials used in construction. Bell provides an excellent overview of these topics. The book will prove useful to the advanced student, the new professional, and the experienced professional who wants to expand his or her exposure and general knowledge. It thoroughly reviews potential problems and solutions for each construction issue, alerting engineering geologists …
The Effects of Noise and Palatal Appliances on the Speech of Five-Year-Old Children

Forty children of age five were divided into two groups according to articulation skill. Each child named pictures while wearing a palatal dental appliance in quiet and in the presence of an intens...
Use of an ingestible telemetry sensor to measure core temperature under chemical protective clothing

Abstract The purpose of this study was to describe core temperatures measured by esophageal temperature and a swallowed, telemetry sensor in women during exercise when wearing clothing with high thermal resistance ( R T , 0.4 m −2 · K −1 ·W −1 ). Resting esophageal temperature ( T es ) averaged 37.11 ± 0.21°C and resting pill temperature ( T pill ) averaged 37.17 ± 0.27°C. The combination of exercise (225 ± 30 W m −2 ), clothing and ambient temperature ( T a = 30°C) caused T es to increase to an average of 38.67 ± 0.28°C and T pill to increase to an average of 38.71 ± 0.33°C during the hour of treadmill walking. The two temperature measurements were compared by least squares regression techniques. For the eight individual experiments run, the regression coefficient ( r ) averaged 0.98 ± 0.01. The calibrated temperature sensor ingested in these experiments provided accurate, usable core temperature data during logistically difficult experimental conditions.
Electrophysiologic studies in critical illness associated weakness: myopathy or neuropathy – a reappraisal

Abstract Objective : Unexplained weakness in critically ill patients is recognized with increasing frequency. However, it is debated whether the condition is a peripheral neuropathy or a myopathy. Diagnostic difficulties can arise from multiple sources that are not generally a factor in other neuromuscular conditions. Conventional electrodiagnostic techniques may provide only non-specific data, clinical examination is often hampered, and muscle biopsy is not a practical screening tool. Method : To improve diagnostic yield, we studied 22 consecutive patients with critical illness associated weakness with additional electrodiagnostic techniques, including direct muscle stimulation, quantitative electromyography, and motor unit number estimation. Results : The applied techniques supported an underlying myopathy in all the patients examined. The diagnosis was confirmed by muscle biopsy in 9 patients. Additional lesser features of neuropathy were concomitantly present in one patient who also underwent sural nerve biopsy. Conclusions : The study suggests that myopathy is much more common than polyneuropathy in critical illness. Suspicion of this entity should be high in this setting even without exposure to corticosteroids or non-depolarizing blocking agents.
Regulation of Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Phosphatase-1 Induction by Insulin in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells EVALUATION OF THE ROLE OF THE NITRIC OXIDE SIGNALING PATHWAY AND POTENTIAL DEFECTS IN HYPERTENSION

In this study, we examined the regulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase (MKP-1) expression by insulin in primary vascular smooth muscle cell cultures. Insulin caused a rapid time- and dose-dependent induction of MKP-1 mRNA and protein expression. Blockade of nitric-oxide synthase (NOS) with NG-monomethyl-L-arginine acetate, and cGMP with RpcGMP, completely inhibited MKP-1 expression. Insulin-mediated MKP-1 expression was preceded by inducible NOS (iNOS) induction and cGMP production. Blockade of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-kinase) signaling with wortmannin inhibited insulin-mediated iNOS protein induction, cGMP production, and MKP-1 expression. To evaluate potential interactions between NOS and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways, we employed PD98059 and SB203580, two specific inhibitors of ERKs and p38 MAPK. These inhibitors abolished the effect of insulin on MKP-1 expression. Only PD98059 inhibited insulin-mediated iNOS protein induction. Vascular smooth muscle cells from spontaneous hypertensive rats exhibited a marked decrease in MKP-1 induction due to defects in insulin-induced iNOS expression because of reductions in PI3-kinase activity. Treatment with sodium nitroprusside and 8-bromo-cGMP restored MKP-1 mRNA expression to levels comparable with controls. We conclude that insulin-induced MKP-1 expression is mediated by PI3-kinase-initiated signals, leading to the induction of iNOS and elevated cGMP levels that stimulates MKP-1 expression.
Stochastic geometric network models for groups of functional and structural connectomes

Structural and functional connectomes are emerging as important instruments in the study of normal brain function and in the development of new biomarkers for a variety of brain disorders. In contrast to single-network studies that presently dominate the (non-connectome) network literature, connectome analyses typically examine groups of empirical networks and then compare these against standard (stochastic) network models. The current practice in connectome studies is to employ stochastic network models derived from social science and engineering contexts as the basis for the comparison. However, these are not necessarily best suited for the analysis of connectomes, which often contain groups of very closely related networks, such as occurs with a set of controls or a set of patients with a specific disorder. This paper studies important extensions of standard stochastic models that make them better adapted for analysis of connectomes, and develops new statistical fitting methodologies that account for inter-subject variations. The extensions explicitly incorporate geometric information about a network based on distances and inter/intra hemispherical asymmetries (to supplement ordinary degree-distribution information), and utilize a stochastic choice of network density levels (for fixed threshold networks) to better capture the variance in average connectivity among subjects. The new statistical tools introduced here allow one to compare groups of networks by matching both their average characteristics and the variations among them. A notable finding is that connectomes have high "smallworldness" beyond that arising from geometric and degree considerations alone.
An ethanol-auxostat with on-line gas sensing

Ethanol concentration in a bioreactor was held constant by using the signal from a commercial gas-sensor for organic vapors. The auxostat principle was demonstrated by runs of several hundred hours. All fermentations were open, and only the feed was sterile. The effect of stripping of volatile substrate from the liquid was investigated and compared with the growth curve.
The effect of lead on photoreceptor response amplitude--influence of the light stimulus.

Abstract The mass receptor potential of the excised, superfused retina of the bullfrog was studied. Photoreceptor responses were isolated by addition of sodium aspartate to the Ringer solutions. Responses of the cones were monitored independently from responses of the rods by employing a two-flash method of stimulation which took advantage of the very different rates of rapid dark adaptation of rods and of cones. Stimulation with paired flashes of white light at regular intervals caused enhancement of rod response amplitude in that the response grew larger with subsequent flashes until reaching a stable plateau. The degree of enhancement was directly proportional to the amount of light exposure and increased with either increasing stimulus intensity or decreasing stimulus interval. Only the rod response was affected; the cone response was not enhanced by continued stimulation. The effects of 12·5 μ m PbCl 2 on rod response amplitude were complex. There was a small (less than 10%) but consistent depression of rod response amplitude even when the rods were in the unenhanced state. However, the most striking effect of lead was on the enhanced response, where treatment with 12·5 μ m PbCl 2 led to a depression of about 33%. When added prior to light stimulation, lead significantly decreased the degree to which the rod response could be enhanced, but never prevented enhancement entirely. Removal of lead resulted in a very large increase in the degree to which the rod response was enhanced by light, even when compared to the first, lead-free control. The cone response was unaffected by 12·5 μ m PbCl 2 .
Temperature-sensitive luminescence of tris (β-diketone) europium chelates for monitoring high-speed cationic photopolymerizations

The temperature-dependent luminescence of tris (β-diketone) chelates of europium was used for in situ temperature measurements during cationic photopolymerizations of vinyl ethers. These molecular-level luminescent probes provided a real-time, noninvasive method for monitoring temperature during these high-speed polymerizations. Two specific probes, tris (benzoyl-1, 1, 1-trifluoroacetone) europium and tris (1,1,1,5,5,5,-hexafluoroacetylacetone) europium, met several stringent spectral and performance requirements for application in our system. The luminescence from these probes exhibits a reproducible temperature dependence over a wide temperature range and is not sensitive to changes in viscosity. In situ temperature profiles obtained using this novel technique verified the importance of thermal effects during these highly exothermic photopolymerizations. These studies have demonstrated the utility of the tris(β-diketone) europium chelates for characterizing the temperature during high-speed photopolymerizations that cannot be monitored using conventional techniques. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.