cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Exposure to Intravenous Opioids Is Associated With Future Exposure to Opioids in Hospitalized Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.

Abstract Background & Aims Opioid use is associated with increased mortality in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Hospitalized patients with IBD often receive high-potency intravenous opioids (IVOPIs). It is not known whether exposure to IVOPIs affects post-discharge opioid use or complications. We investigated the association between inpatient administration of IVOPIs and a post-discharge opioid prescription (OPIRx) in patients with IBD. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study of 862 adults with IBD hospitalized at a large urban academic health system from March 1, 2017 through April 10, 2018. We collected clinical data from the electronic health records and used multivariable mixed-effect logistic regression to assess the association between inpatient opioid exposure and OPIRx-within 12 months while adjusting for confounders. IV and non-IVOPI exposures were evaluated as binary variables. IVOPI exposure was also evaluated as a continuous variable in IV morphine mg equivalents/length of stay (IVMMEs/day). Results Multivariable mixed-effect logistic regression demonstrated a significant association between IVOPIs and OPIRx (IV vs no IVOPIs odds ratio [OR], 3.3; 95% CI, 1.7–6.4 and IVMMEs/day OR, 1.1; 95% CI, 1.0–1.1). Subgroup analysis of patients with IBD flares (n = 621) identified a significant association between IVOPIs and OPIRx (IV vs no IVOPIs OR, 5.4; 95% CI, 2.6–11.0). Among patients who did not receive IVOPIs, there was a significant association between oral/transdermal opioids and OPIRx (non-IVOPIs vs no opioids OR, 4.2; 95% CI, 1.0–16.8). Conclusions Inpatient IV and non-IV opioid use are associated with post-discharge opioid exposure in patients with IBD, with a dose-dependent effect. Alternative analgesics should be considered for hospitalized patients with IBD, to minimize risk of future opioid use.
Tracking respiratory mechanics around natural breathing rates via variable ventilation

Measuring respiratory resistance and elastance as a function of time, tidal volume, respiratory rate, and positive end-expiratory pressure can guide mechanical ventilation. However, current measurement techniques are limited since they are assessed intermittently at non-physiological frequencies or involve specialized equipment. To this end, we introduce ZVV, a practical approach to continuously track resistance and elastance during Variable Ventilation (VV), in which frequency and tidal volume vary from breath-to-breath. ZVV segments airway pressure and flow recordings into individual breaths, calculates resistance and elastance for each breath, bins them according to frequency or tidal volume and plots the results against bin means. ZVV's feasibility was assessed clinically in five human patients with acute lung injury, experimentally in five mice ventilated before and after lavage injury, and computationally using a viscoelastic respiratory model. ZVV provided continuous measurements in both settings, while the computational study revealed <2% estimation errors. Our findings support ZVV as a feasible technique to assess respiratory mechanics under physiological conditions. Additionally, in humans, ZVV detected a decrease in resistance and elastance with time by 12.8% and 6.2%, respectively, suggesting that VV can improve lung recruitment in some patients and can therefore potentially serve both as a dual diagnostic and therapeutic tool.
Stormwater Efficiency of Bioretention Functions and Reactor Modelling Systems

Bioretention is a practical modern best management practices for stormwater control and are a conspicuous sort of vegetated stormwater foundation that functions for the different ecosystem. This paper discussion focusses on bioretention system functions (BSF) and reactor modeling (RM) review. Bioretention plays an essential role in carbon sequestration, as an alleviation process, to reduce global warming in the environment. Also, it functions for runoff infiltration, storage, and water uptake by vegetation. The base layer of a bioretention actively improves the denitrification capacity of the system and promotes the effective removal of phosphorus and nitrogen. Bioretention design soil ratio, plant types, and flow regime influence the efficiency of contaminants removal in the denitrification process. Bioretention beautifies the environment, and the utilization of compost in bioretention is on account of its water-holding and improved infiltration capacity, thereby improving water quality. The reactor modeling chemical description is through equations and kinetic models. The chemical computation of biological processes of pollutant nutrient removal from stormwater is in the form of a number equation. The models explored are first-order removal model, second order, plug flow patterns models, Monod and multiple Monod kinetics, continuous stirred-tank reactor model, and tank-in Series flow models.
Backward transfer influences from quadratic functions instruction on students’ prior ways of covariational reasoning about linear functions

Abstract The study reported in this article examined the ways in which new mathematics learning influences students’ prior ways of reasoning. We conceptualize this kind of influence as a form of transfer of learning called backward transfer. The focus of our study was on students’ covariational reasoning about linear functions before and after they participated in a multi-lesson instructional unit on quadratic functions. The subjects were 57 students from two authentic algebra classrooms at two local high schools. Qualitative analysis suggested that quadratic functions instruction did influence students’ covariational reasoning in terms of the number of quantities and the level of covariational reasoning they reasoned with. These results further the field’s understanding of backward transfer and could inform how to better support students’ abilities to engage in covariational reasoning.
Survival of the Oyster Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin) in the Laboratory Under the Effects of Oil Drilling Fluids Spilled in the Laguna de Tamiahua, Mexico

In 1965, 970.12 m3 of oil drilling fluid were spilled in the Laguna de Tamiahua, Mexico. Laboratory experiments were carried out to determine possible effects of this upon the oyster Crassostrea virginica. It was found that drilling fluid reduced the survival of oysters to a significant degree in concentrations above 200 ppm. At turbidities between 200 and 500 ppm, there was 50% survival on the seventh day. Tunino in concentrations between 90 and 170 ppm had a drastic effect upon survival which was 50% between the fourth and fifth days. Bentonita in 110 to 190 ppm resulted in 50% survival on the eighth day. Barita in concentrations between 50 and 65 ppm did not produce noxious effects on the survival of the oysters. Natural mud in concentrations from 200 to 500 ppm was favorable for the survival of oysters.
Theory of Propensity

Boolean logic and set theory are so closely bound up that it is hard to say which is the foundation of which. Yet, we may say that the backbone of this theoretical complex is the Axiom of Comprehension. But, this Axiom, at the same time, is precisely the most vulnerable assumption in the whole of logical philosophy. While the binary-valued characteristic function of predicates is instrumental in expressing the Axiom of Comprehension, our analysis of scientific obervation, in particular in psychology, suggests that we have to introduce what we call a “propensity function.” This is, roughly speaking, a continuous-valued generalization of the characteristic function. Whereas the characteristic function leads to a distributive logic, we can derive a non-distributive logic from the propensity function. If we further introduce the assumption of compatibility (experimental results of two predicates do not depend on the order of the two observations), we can derive distributive logic, the usual laws of probability, set theory and the usual notion of extension of a predicate (Law of Comprehension). If we do not adopt the assumption of compatibility, our theory provides the framework for quantum mechanics, and hopefully, for future psychology. This way of deriving logic from a probability-like propensity function seems to be more desirable than the usual way of positing logical laws without unifying justification, because we can derive first a more general logic and then therefrom a more restrictive logic as a special case using a small number of clearly stated postulates. The necessity for modification of the Quinian definition of ontological commitment will be indicated.
Validation of self-reported pain reduction after diagnostic blockade.

Objective. The criterion commonly used to determine whether radiofrequency neurotomy may be recommended is based on patient-reported, short-term pain relief following facet block injections. This study evaluated the concordance between two commonly used outcomes for pain relief: the pain numerical rating scale (NRS) and the global perceived improvement (GPI) scale. Design. This is a retrospective cohort study. Methods. Data were obtained from a consecutive cohort of patients through a review of the electronic medical records, with the following inclusion criteria: medial branch facet blocks at either cervical or lumbar spinal regions. Outcome Measures. Pain NRS (baseline, postprocedure, and hourly up to 6 hours) and GPI scale are expressed as percent improvement at 6 hours, relative to baseline. Results. The percent improvement in pain NRS corresponded to 49%, 43%, 34%, 21%, and 36% for baseline vs immediately post-block, 1 hour, 3 hours, 6 hours and average of all postscores, respectively. Average GPI reported at 6 hours was 44%, and differed significantly only to the baseline vs 6 hours percent improvement on the NRS ( P < 0.01). Multiple regression analysis indicated that there were no demographic or baseline factors that accounted for the discrepancy between GPI vs NRS. Conclusions. Asking patients about their pain relief in retrospect can be misleading. It is possible that patients' report on the GPI is weighed by their total experience of pain reduction and retrospective recall. Therefore, when choosing to address percent improvement on NRS measures, it is important to take into account multiple instances of NRS measures following treatment.
Process Capability Indices, Nonparametric

The capability of a manufacturing process is a measure of the ability of the process to consistently produce items within engineering specifications. Most early attempts to assess the capability of a process were based on the assumption that the quality characteristic of interest follows a parametric distribution, usually normal. Several studies of process data indicate that many quality characteristics follow nonnormal distributions.Further, theoretical and empirical studies of measures of process capability indicate that violations of the assumption relating to the distribution of the quality characteristic can produce serious errors in conclusions about the capability of the process. This article reviews methods that have been developed to assess process capability within a nonparametric framework. Such methods require few specific assumptions about the distribution of the quality characteristic. The methods reviewed in this article include those based on nonparametric tolerance limits, nonparametric estimates of the process yield, and indices based on the percentiles of the process distribution. Keywords: extreme value theory; kernel estimate; natural tolerance; nonparametric; process capability; process fallout rate; process yield
Scientific Knowledge and Rural Policy: A Long‐distant Relationship

This article examines the extent to which social science evidence is considered by community leaders in small towns and rural areas. It uses secondary analysis of 18 transcriptions from interviews in rural regions within two Canadian provinces to examine what types of support (if any) are used by respondents to justify their claims and assess the extent to which they depend on systematically collected and analysed evidence. The results indicate that the respondents seldom provided justification for their claims and when they did, scientific evidence was infrequently used. Instead, the respondents most often used examples from their personal experience or public meetings as support. Comparative analysis of the two rural region showed that the pattern of support was different in each – with respondents from British Columbia (BC) relying more on personal examples and those from Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) relying more on public presentations or the internet. The results suggest that much work needs to be done to make social science evidence available and useful to those in small towns and rural places. According to those results, the most strategic way to begin is through existing networks, community groups, and local examples.
Automatic Cardiac Output Measurement (ACOM): Clinical applications of a new noninvasive tool

This study sought to validate a new noninvasive method to measure cardiac output, in the clinical setting, using color Doppler flow integration. This method, the automatic cardiac output measurement (ACOM), using color Doppler was recently developed and validated in vitro. ACOM was performed at the aortic valve and in the left ventricular outflow tract in 106 subjects (60 men, mean age 52 ± 18) and compared with the echocardiographic pulsed-wave Doppler and a 2-D volume method. In 14 patients the noninvasive methods were correlated with the thermodilution technique. ACOM was feasible in 101 subjects (95%). The correlation factor between the values obtained with ACOM in the apical 5-chamber view and apical long-axis view was 0.75 at the aortic valve and 0.74 in the left ventricular outflow tract. Interoperator variability for ACOM in the apical 5-chamber and apical long-axis views were 0.93 and 0.75, respectively. The best comparison of ACOM with the pulsed-wave echo-Doppler technique occurred in the apical long-axis view (n = 79, r = 0.62), whereas the correlation with the 2-D volume method was poor. The most favorable comparison of ACOM with the thermodilution technique (n = 14) was also obtained in the apical long-axis view (5.408 ± 1.72 vs. 3.356 ± l.281/min. [mean ± SD], r = 0.71). Assuming the thermodilution technique as ‘gold standard’, the pulsed-wave echo-Doppler technique showed a better correlation (5.408 ± 1.72 vs. 4.664 ± l.281/min., r = 0.84). ACOM is a useful, reproducible, noninvasive tool for rapid automated measurements of cardiac output. There is, however, an underestimation when compared with the pulsed-wave Doppler echocardiography and the thermodilution techniques. Good 2-D echocardiographic images, adequate color filling of the outflow tract and high frame rates are prerequisites for accurate values. Further refinements of this new technique are needed to enhance its clinical value in the future.
How Antonio Graduated on out of Here: Improving the Success of Adult Students with an Individualized Writing Course.

Adult students are more anxious about writing for school, less familiar with academic conventions, and more likely to drop out than younger students. For students learn- ing to move between personal, work, and academic discourse communities, the ongoing and explicit writing instruction argued for in the research of Sternglass, Herrington and Curtis, Carroll, and Beaufort is particularly vital. Writing Workshop at DePaul University's School for New Learning is one model for providing this instruction. The course works for students with a broad range of learning styles, prior knowledge, needs, and goals because it is indi- vidualized and because it is focused on developing writers rather than on teaching specific kinds of writing. It is open to any student struggling with writing, from incoming basic writers to seniors stuck on final projects. Writing Workshop has improved access for and the reten- tion and success of our adult students. This article shows the need for a class like Writing Workshop, explains how it works, discusses challenges, and describes the experience of the at-risk, nontraditional, adult students in one Writing Workshop class.
Mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptor steroid binding and localization in colonic cells

In rat colon epithelium glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids regulate Na transport by binding to distinct receptors and stimulating different pathways. The distribution and intracellular localization of mineralocorticoid (MR) and glucocorticoid (GR) receptors in colonic Na-absorbing surface cells and Cl-secreting crypt cells is unknown. Surface and crypt cells were sequentially isolated from rat distal colon by EDTA chelation and mechanical dissociation. Cell viability was confirmed by trypan blue exclusion and low rates of 2',7'-bis(2-carboxyethyl)-5(6)-carboxylfluorescein leak. Histologic examination, alkaline phosphatase activity, and rates of [3H]leucine incorporation confirmed separation of surface from crypt cells. Scatchard analysis of [3H]aldosterone and [3H]triamcinolone acetonide binding demonstrated that the number of MR decreased from 7,228 +/- 1,067 in surface to 2,299 +/- 434 receptors/cell in crypt cells, whereas the number of GR increased from 20,857 +/- 4,241 in surface to 58,598 +/- 8,207 receptors/cell in crypt cells. The dissociation constants were 2.8 +/- 0.4 nM for the MR and 12 +/- 3 nM for the GR. Indirect immunofluorescence using the specific anti-MR antibody hMRsN and the anti-GR antibody BuGR-2 demonstrated that both unliganded receptors were cytoplasmic and translocated to the nucleus after hormone binding. These data indicate that both surface and crypt cells are potentially responsive to mineralocorticoids and glucocorticoids and that both the MR and GR require hormone for nuclear translocation.
Utility of the Late Life Function and Disability Instrument as an Outcome Measure in Patients Participating in Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation: A Preliminary Study

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the concurrent validity of the Late Life Function and Disability Instrument (LLFDI) in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and to evaluate the accuracy of information obtained through self-report questionnaire versus interview formats. Methods: The study included 29 patients older than 60 years attending an outpatient cardiac rehabilitation program. Participants completed the LLFDI, three additional self-report criterion measures, and six performance-based tests; they completed the LLFDI a second time via interview. We used descriptive statistics, correlations, and t-tests to analyze the data. Results: All LLFDI components were correlated (rs=0.36–0.83) with the self-report criterion measures. The Function Component of the LLFDI was moderately correlated with the 6-Minute Walk Test (r=0.62), timed up-and-go (r=−0.58), walking speed (r=−0.57), and timed sit-to-stand (r=−0.56) scores. The LLFDI demonstrated a ceiling effect (10%) only in the Disability Limitation component. All LLFDI component scores obtained via self-report questionnaire were correlated with scores obtained via interview; except in a single subcategory, there was no difference between LLFDI scores obtained through self-report questionnaire and those obtained through interview. Conclusions: Results indicate that the LLFDI has appropriate validity for older patients (>60 years) with CHD and can be completed independently by patients rather than administered by clinicians.
Causal quantum mechanics with phase and particle velocities equal

A relativistic theory of causal quantum mechanics for a scalar particle is proposed in which the phase velocity is equal to the particle velocity. A particle is viewed as a classical point particle that moves along a wave normal attached to a surface of constant phase. A prescription is derived for the particle trajectories in a standing wave which gives rise to periodic motion in the bound-particle case. The old quantum theory of Bohr and Sommerfeld is obtained in the geometricaloptics approximation. The observed particle density is the wave intensity (in agreement with ψψ* of the traditional theory). The problems of a free particle, a particle reflected from a mirror, and the simple harmonic oscillator are considered.
Speaker reliability guides children's inductive inferences about novel properties

Abstract Prior work shows that children can make inductive inferences about objects based on their labels rather than their appearance ( Gelman, 2003 ). A separate line of research shows that children's trust in a speaker's label is selective. Children accept labels from a reliable speaker over an unreliable speaker (e.g., Koenig & Harris, 2005 ). In the current paper, we tested whether 3- and 5-year-old children attend to speaker reliability when they make inductive inferences about a non-obvious property of a novel artifact based on its label. Children were more likely to use a reliable speaker's label than an unreliable speaker's label when making inductive inferences. Thus, children not only prefer to learn from reliable speakers, they are also more likely to use information from reliable speakers as the basis for future inferences. The findings are discussed in light of the debate between a similarity-driven and a label-driven approach to inductive inferences.
A Reporting and Response Model for Culture and Child Maltreatment

As our society becomes increasingly culturally diverse, there is a growing concern in the mental health field as to whether clinicians are able to accurately distinguish different cultural parenting discipline practices from child maltreatment. Clinicians in various fields continue to differ on what is reportable. Although there is literature describing characteristics of various ethnic minority groups, there are limited data to support why clinicians do what they do and no decision-making model to guide a clinician's reporting behavior when working with clients from different cultures. This article focuses on cultural discipline practices rather than healing practices (e.g., coining) that may be challenging to assess. The authors propose a model to guide clinicians through the decision-making process and discuss interventions and clinical responses that may be most appropriate when presented with different scenarios involving cultural parenting discipline practices and child maltreatment. Finally, limitations of the presented model along with future clinical and research directions are discussed.
Imperfections in and ion diffusion through oxide layers on silicon

Abstract The cathodic current (silicon negative) through a thermally grown silicon oxide layer on silicon in aqueous solution is examined. By observations of hydrogen evolution, it is found that the current flows through localized areas of the oxide, through flaws. Contaminants are deposited on the surfaces before oxidation to test the electrical properties of the resulting flaws. The most degrading impurities are calcium and barium. An induction time, required before current flow begins, is measured as a function of oxide thickness. The measurements are interpreted using a model ascribing the time lapse to the time necessary for positive ions to diffuse through the oxide. The theoretical fit is good, leading to a value for the ion mobility of 2 × 10-14 cm2/ V s. This is lower than the value obtained by Woods and Williams, who also measured mobility with no metallization, and the discrepancy is discussed. It is pointed out that our value is probably also too high for a perfect material, for our value is the mobility in the neighborhood of flaws.
The spontaneous firing patterns of forebrain neurons. III. Prevention of induced asymmetries in caudate neuronal firing rates by unilateral thalamic lesions.

Summary Unilateral lesions interrupting striatal outputs and input (MFB lesions) produce a marked slowing of neuronal firing in the caudate nucleus contralateral to the side of the lesions without affecting neuronal firing in the ipsilateral caudate nucleus. Although the MFB lesion also interrupts the nigrostriatal pathway and depletes the ipsilateral striatum of dopamine and its associated enzymes, the slowing of unit firing rates is apparently due to interruption of striatal outputs rather than inouts. Unilateral thalamic lesions placed ipsilateral to MFB lesions in either the ventral anterior-ventro-lateral nuclei (VA-AL) or in the center median-parafascicular nuclei (CM-PF) prevent the MFB lesion-induced asymmetry in caudate neuronal firing rates. These thalamic lesions do not, however, restore the striatal dopamine content depleted by the MFB lesion. Unilateral CM-PF lesions in otherwise intact cats do not alter caudate unit firing rate nor do they affect striatal dopamine. VA-AL lesions in otherwise intact cats produce a bilateral slowing in the spontaneous firing of neurons in the caudate nuclei, again, without altering caudate dopamine concentrations. These results provide further evidence that caudate dopamine concentration per se does not appear to be a potent variable in controlling the spontaneous firing rates of striatal neurons.
Investigating Parental Roles in Students' Learning of Mathematics from a Cross-National Perspective

This study investigates the roles parents in the United States of America and parents in the People’s Republic of China play in their children’s mathematics learning. It also examines the relationship between parental involvement and students’ mathematical problem-solving performance. In the study, 232 US sixth-grade students and 310 Chinese sixth-grade students along with their parents were surveyed. The results of this study support the argument, from a broader cross-national perspective, that parental involvement is a statistically significant predictor of their children’s mathematics achievement. Cross-nationally, Chinese parents seemed to play a more positive role than do the US parents.
Structure of a Shock Wave in Fully Ionized Hydrogen

The Fokker-Planck equations are used to examine the structure of a shock wave in fully ionized hydrogen. This is done by assuming a bimodal Maxwellian distribution for the protons in the interior of the shock and noting that the electrons are in thermal equilibrium with themselves but not necessarily with the protons. The method is essentially an extension of that used by Mott-Smith tn his analysis of the Boltzmann equation for a shock wave in a gas of neutral atoms. (auth)
Competitive Lobbying and Supermajorities in a Majority-rule Institution

This paper presents a complete information model of competitive lobbying in a majority-rule institution where lobbying consists of providing politically-valuable resources to legislators. Legislators have three roles. First, they act as allies or opponents in deciding whether to consider a lobbyist's offer. Second, they act as agenda-setters in deciding whether to bring a policy alternative to a vote. Third, they vote on the agenda. The stationary equilibria include minimal majorities and supermajorities and involve unilateral, counteractive and preemptive lobbying. Supermajorities are recruited either to influence agenda formation or to preempt the opposing lobbyist.
Girl Royalty: The 1959 Coronation of Japan's First Miss Universe

On 19 July 1959, over 200,000 people turned out along Ocean Boulevard in Long Beach, California to watch the city's 8th annual Miss Universe parade. Even more watched live coverage on TV (Ryon). At...
Hydroboration. 92. Investigation of Practical Methods for the Synthesis of Optically Pure Isopinocampheylchloroborane for the Asymmetric Hydroboration of Representative Prochiral Alkenes

A quantitative study was made of the preparation of the optically pure borane reagent, isopinocampheylchloroborane (IpcBHCl), potentially valuable for asymmetric hydroboration. IpcBHCl (87−90%) in equilibrium with 5−6.5% of IpcBCl2 and IpcBH2, respectively, can be prepared conveniently by a number of relatively simple operations: (1) the reaction of isopinocampheylborane (IpcBH2) with anhydrous hydrochloric acid (HCl) in ethyl ether (EE); (2) the reaction of stoichiometric amounts of IpcBH2 with isopinocampheyldichloroborane (IpcBCl2) in EE; and (3) the reduction of IpcBCl2 with trimethylsilane (Me3SiH) or lithium aluminum hydride (LAH) in EE. The reduction of IpcBCl2 with Me3SiH in pentane proceeds extremely slowly to provide the desired reagent, IpcBHCl. However, in EE, the reduction proceeds much faster, providing an equilibrium mixture of 90% IpcBHCl, 5% IpcBH2, and 5% IpcBCl2. We also investigated the reduction of IpcBCl2 with Me3SiH in pentane and dichloromethane (CH2Cl2) in the presence of known a...
Structure and mechanism of COPI vesicle biogenesis.

Distinct trafficking pathways within the secretory and endocytic systems ensure prompt and precise delivery of specific cargo molecules to different cellular compartments via small vesicular (50–150 nm) and tubular carriers. The COPI vesicular coat is required for retrograde trafficking from the cis-Golgi back to the ER and within the Golgi stack. Recent structural data have been obtained from X-ray crystallographic studies on COPI coat components alone and on COPI subunits in complex with either cargo motifs or Arf1, and from reconstructions of COPI coated vesicles by electron tomography. These studies provide important molecular information and indicate key differences in COPI coat assembly as compared with clathrin-based and COPII-based coats.
The role of sulfur-containing groups in ammonia retention on activated carbons

Two carbons with different contents of sulfur were prepared and oxidized either by heating in air or by chemical treatment. The materials were then tested as adsorbents of ammonia in dynamic conditions, at room temperature. Their chemical and structural features were analyzed by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analyses, potentiometric titration and sorption of nitrogen. It was found that not only oxygen-containing groups but also sulfur-containing groups enhance ammonia adsorption. In particular, sulfonic groups play a predominant role. In the presence of superoxide anions, they are converted into sulfates that react with ammonia to form ammonium sulfates. These salts are strongly retained in the micropores of the adsorbents.
Photoinjector-driven chirped-pulse free-electron maser

A compact, high repetition rate (2.142 GHz in burst mode), relativistic (5 MeV) photoinjector facility is currently under construction at the UC Davis Department of Applied Science, on the LLNL site. Photoelectron bunches are produced by irradiating a high quantum efficiency Cs2Te photocathode with a train of 100 UV (210 nm), ultrashort (250 fs) laser pulses. These bunches are accelerated in a 1-1/2 cell, (pi) -mode, X-band rf structure energized by a 20 MW, 8.568 GHz SLAC klystron. The peak current is 0.25 kA (0.25 nC, 1 ps bunches), with a normalized emittance (epsilon) < 2.5 (pi) mm-mrad. This prebunched electron beam is then transversally accelerated in a cylindrical waveguide by a 30-mm period, 10 period long helical wiggler. The peak wiggler field is adjusted to 8.5 kG, so that the group velocity of the radiated electromagnetic waves matches the axial velocity of the electron bunch (grazing condition). Chirped pulses in excess of 2 MW power are produced with an instantaneous bandwidth extending from 125 GHz to 225 GHz, and pulse duration of 15 ps.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Eocene fossil is earliest evidence of flower-visiting by birds.

Birds are important pollinators, but the evolutionary history of ornithophily (bird pollination) is poorly known. Here, we report a skeleton of the avian taxon Pumiliornis from the middle Eocene of Messel in Germany with preserved stomach contents containing numerous pollen grains of an eudicotyledonous angiosperm. The skeletal morphology of Pumiliornis is in agreement with this bird having been a, presumably nectarivorous, flower-visitor. It represents the earliest and first direct fossil evidence of flower-visiting by birds and indicates a minimum age of 47 million years for the origin of bird–flower interactions. As Pumiliornis does not belong to any of the modern groups of flower-visiting birds, the origin of ornithophily in some angiosperm lineages may have predated that of their extant avian pollinators.
Polyblends. III. Correlation of the viscoelastic data for polyblends of NBR and plasticized vinyl chloride compositions with theories of polycomposite behavior

Viscoelastic data obtained on the polyblends described in the previous two papers together with some new data have been correlated with various theories derived for the viscosity and continuum properties of polycomposites, to gain insight into the nature of compatible domain interactions. Unmodified theories of Mooney, Eilers and Van Dyck, Guth and Smallwood, and Kerner did not correlate with the observed viscoelastic data. However, when the Kerner relation was substantially altered (after allowing for phase inversion following procedures of Halpin and Tsai as modified by Nielsen), an adequate description of torsional modulus behavior at ambient temperature was obtained. To characterize tensile modulus (100%), however, a new expression was necessary. Both procedures invoked in a critical modulus for the blend with respect to composition at which phase inversion was initiated. The critical volume fraction associated with this modulus increased inversely with the Tg of the filler; when the filler Tg was below the ambient temperature, the blends behaved as mixed rubbers, and torsional modulus ratios followed the lower Kerner relation at all blend compositions. It was concluded that polyblends having isochronal modulus–temperature curves that shift with composition over the temperature scale yet are anomalously broad as in the present work should be classified as systems exhibiting restricted molecular mixing. The restricted molecular mixing character exhibited by the polyblends could be explained by a plurality of mixed-phase responses to deformation produced in a morphology of interlocking microdispersions. Favourable polarity effects and high filler ductility were considered responsible for the domain interactions. No evidence was found for true molecular compatibility in the blends. An analysis of temperature effects on the blend viscoelasticity resulted in a temperature analog of the composition behavior.
School Context, Precollege Educational Opportunities, and College Degree Attainment Among High-Achieving Black Males

Access to high-quality educational opportunities is central to growing postsecondary degree attainment. This study employs secondary data analysis of the public-use National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS:88/00) to examine how school context and precollege educational opportunities influence college degree attainment among high-achieving Black males. Findings show that approximately 40 % of high-achieving Black males attained a bachelor’s degree or higher 8 years after high school. Binary logistic regression analysis indicates that attending an urban school decreases the likelihood of bachelor’s degree attainment. Attending a private school, on the other hand, has the opposite effect—it increases the likelihood of bachelor’s degree attainment. Results also indicate that although participating in a gifted and talented program increases the likelihood of bachelor’s degree attainment among high-achieving Black males, participating in Advanced Placement has no effect. Implications for educators in K-16 educational settings are discussed.
Infrared spectra of Ne, Kr, and Xe

New observations of the spectra of neutral Ne, Kr, and Xe in the region 0.7 to 5.0 μm with the 2-m NIST FTS provide precise new wavelengths and resolve questions concerning lines that were previously multiply classified.
Repressor of Estrogen Receptor Activity (REA) Is Essential for Mammary Gland Morphogenesis and Functional Activities: Studies in Conditional Knockout Mice

Estrogen receptor (ER) is a key regulator of mammary gland development and is also implicated in breast tumorigenesis. Because ER-mediated activities depend critically on coregulator partner proteins, we have investigated the consequences of reduction or loss of function of the coregulator repressor of ER activity (REA) by conditionally deleting one allele or both alleles of the REA gene at different stages of mammary gland development. Notably, we find that heterozygosity and nullizygosity for REA result in very different mammary phenotypes and that REA has essential roles in the distinct morphogenesis and functions of the mammary gland at different stages of development, pregnancy, and lactation. During puberty, mice homozygous null for REA in the mammary gland (REAf/f PRcre/+) showed severely impaired mammary ductal elongation and morphogenesis, whereas mice heterozygous for REA (REAf/+ PRcre/+) displayed accelerated mammary ductal elongation, increased numbers of terminal end buds, and up-regulation of amphiregulin, the major paracrine mediator of estrogen-induced ductal morphogenesis. During pregnancy and lactation, mice with homozygous REA gene deletion in mammary epithelium (REAf/f whey acidic protein-Cre) showed a loss of lobuloalveolar structures and increased apoptosis of mammary alveolar epithelium, leading to impaired milk production and significant reduction in growth of their offspring, whereas body weights of the offspring nursed by females heterozygous for REA were slightly greater than those of control mice. Our findings reveal that REA is essential for mammary gland development and has a gene dosage-dependent role in the regulation of stage-specific physiological functions of the mammary gland.
The US military's social media civil war: technology as antagonism in discourses of information-age conflict

This article uses the controversy within the United States (US) military over the use of social media by individual military professionals as a window into larger debates about the nature of information-age conflict. Information and associated technologies are now central to the US military imaginary. But the controversy over social media is one indicator that the dominant discourse of information-age conflict is neither stable nor total. The introduction of a new technology can serve as an antagonism that turns latent, potential contradictions into substantive differences for policymaking. Thus, though the US military generally has embraced information and communication technologies (ICTs), the introduction of a particular ICT can still be a source of controversy. Military imaginaries, technologies and the relationships between them remain dynamic, contingent and sometimes contentious.
NANOS: A Germline Stem Cell's Guardian Angel

NANOS is known to be required for germline cell development in a variety of animal species and for the maintenance of germline stem cells in Drosophila. The recent study by Sada et al. has demonstrated that NANOS2, one of the three mammalian homologues, is required intrinsically for maintaining adult mouse spermatogonial stem cell self-renewal.
Relation of diurnal variation of ventricular repolarization to ventricular ectopic activity and modification by sotalol

Abstract The relation between disturbances of ventricular repolarization and malignant ventricular arrhythmias and sudden death has been the focus of intense interest. An example is the long QT syndrome which is characterized by life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias and a prolonged QT interval. The disorder has been ascribed to an abnormally low activity of the right stellate ganglion, 1 failure of the action potential to shorten commensurately with the abbreviated RR interval, 2 or an intracardiac abnormality. Another example is the sudden infant death syndrome which has been attributed to inappropriate adjustment of ventricular repolarization to heart rate changes. 3 Recent investigations have demonstrated a circadian variation of cardiovascular diseases, 4 including sudden cardiac death 5 and ventricular arrhythmias. 6 However, only scant data exist with respect to diurnal changes of ventricular repolarization and its adjustment to fluctuations in heart rate. The present study addressed this question in patients with symptomatic complex ventricular arrhythmia. In addition, the relation of changes in QT interval and the occurrence of ventricular arrhythmias was examined before and after treatment with sotalol, a β-adrenergic blocking agent that prolongs ventricular repolarization. 7,8 This compound is increasingly being recognized as an important class III antiarrhythmic agent. Finally, an attempt was made to elucidate a possible causal relation between sotalol-induced changes in ventricular repolarization and its antiarrhythmic action.
Your Magical, Mystical Ways Part II: A Community Forum on Quality of Life

This column presents the proceedings of a community forum for nursing sponsored by South Dakota State University College of Nursing in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The community forum was entitled Quality of Life & Healthcare Today and featured Dr. Rosemarie Rizzo Parse as the keynote speaker. Several panelists presented papers on quality of life including the following: “Quality of Life Issues for Returning Iraq Veterans,” “Quality of Life Issues in the Student Experience,” “Quality of Life Issues in an Acute Health Crisis,” and “Quality of Life Issues in Nursing Leadership.” Dr. Parse responded to each panelist's presentation with insights that expanded understanding of quality of life and human becoming.
Solidification science in cast MMCs: The influence of merton flemings

The solidification science of cast metalmatrix composites (MMC) evolved as a subset of the broad field of solidification of monolithic alloys pioneered by Merton Flemings and his students. As a result of advances in solidification, the cast MMC field has evolved from its early incarnation—employing empirical research to engineer novel materials using versatile and cost-effective casting techniques—to using solidification-science-based approaches to tailor advanced materials for application-specific needs. The current and emerging applications of cast MMCs in a variety of automotive, aerospace, electronic packaging, and consumer-good industries exemplify the maturity of the field and the materials. Innovations in composite-forming techniques and efforts at wider industrial acceptance of MMCs will undoubtedly continue. However, the scientific principles underlying the solidification microstructure evolution that governs the composite properties have become well established, to a great extent, due to Flemings’ early, pioneering work on monolithic alloys and some of his more recent studies on solidification of reinforced metals. This paper reviews some aspects of solidification of discontinuously reinforced cast metals that owe their current understanding to Flemings’ contributions, in particular, the scientific understanding of macro- and microsegregation, fluidity and rheology of multiphase slurries, and stircasting, semi-solid casting, and preform infiltration. Current research to develop and test prototype components made from cast composites, including Al-flyash, Cu-graphite, Al-graphite, Al-alumina, and SiC-Al, is also presented, along with directions for future research.
Degradation of octanethiol self-assembled monolayers from hydrogen-atom exposure: A molecular-scale study using scanning tunneling microscopy

Octanethiol self-assembled monolayers were exposed to gas-phase hydrogen atoms, and the resulting changes in the order and chemical structure of the surface were monitored using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Extensive damage to the monolayer was observed in the form of both dark and bright features in STM images. These changes began along domain boundaries and moved into close-packed regions of the monolayer as hydrogen-atom exposure time increased. Increasing exposure also results in an accelerated rate of observed surface changes, indicating that the reactivity of the surface increases as a result of initial gas-surface reactions. Complex restructuring of the alkanethiol monolayer is observed, including defect formation and the disordering of the alkanethiol monolayer. However, in some cases the monolayer demonstrates the capability of self-healing, with local annealing and reordering of close-packed domains. This annealing and reordering likely results from increased mobility of surface-bound alkanethiolates in the vicinity of monolayer defects, or from diffusion and readsorption of transiently formed alkanethiol molecules.
IBM eNetwork host on-demand: the beginning of a new era for accessing host information in a Web environment

This paper describes software technology that makes it possible to run host applications seamlessly in a World Wide Web environment. Web technology has opened up the potential for unprecedented access of data and applications by all types of users. Yet, the incompatibility between host technology (e.g., 3270) and Web technology (e.g., HTTP) has prevented Web users from directly accessing hundreds of thousands of host applications. The cost for re-implementing these applications would be enormous, and the effect to ongoing business would be disruptive. Host On-Demand extends Web access to reach existing host applications directly by using Java™ technology and provides a number of powerful features including: emulation functions on demand, persistent connections, customized session windows, multiple sessions, platform flexibility, and host security. This paper summarizes these features, describes Java implementation techniques, and outlines the need for some new network computing services.
CCD photometry of the globular cluster NGC 5897 - Morphology of the color-magnitude diagram

The paper presents CCD photometry in the B and V bands of the Galactic globular cluster NGC 5897. The color-magnitude diagram (CMD) obtained for this cluster is used to examine the properties of the cluster and to compare the NGC 5897 to the well-known globular cluster M3. It was found that the metallicity of the NGC 5897 is in the range of the metallicity of M3 and that the age of NGC 5897 is about 2 Gyr greater than that of M3. The CMD for NGC 5897 also reveals a significant population of blue straggler stars (BSS) more massive than the cluster subgiant branch stars. A pseudomain sequence is constructed for NGC 5897 and the previously studied (Sarajedini and Da Costa, 1991) global cluster 6101, which includes the BSS and extends to the faintest regions of the unevolved main sequence.
Toward managed care for persons with severe mental illness: implications from a cost-effectiveness study

Abstract: Over the past two decades various models of community-based care for persons with severe mental illness have been developed. This study, which represents the first comparison of the most ...
An approximation for analyzing a broad class of implicitly and explicitly defined estimators

An approximation is presented that can be used to gain insight into the characteristics – such as outlier sensitivity, bias, and variability – of a wide class of estimators, including maximum likelihood and least squares. The approximation relies on a convenient form for an arbitrary order Taylor expansion in a multivariate setting. The implicit function theorem can be used to construct the expansion when the estimator is not defined in closed form. We present several finite-sample and asymptotic properties of such Taylor expansions, which are useful in characterizing the difference between the estimator and the expansion.