cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Young Guns: Youth, the Second Amendment, and Florida Law

Following the February 2018 Parkland, Florida massacre, in which a lone gunman murdered 17 people and injured 17 others, a bipartisan coalition of Florida lawmakers passed the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act. Among the most noteworthy of the Act’s policy reforms is its provision declaring that “[a] person younger than 21 years of age may not purchase a firearm. The sale or transfer of a firearm to a person younger than 21 years of age may not be made or facilitated by a licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, or licensed dealer,” a restriction presumably enacted in response to the fact that the Parkland shooter had legally purchased his weapons at the age of eighteen. Critics of this provision allege that it violates the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The National Rifle Association (NRA), in a lawsuit filed just hours after the Florida law went into effect, challenged the age restriction’s validity on this basis. Whether the plaintiffs’ position is correct is an issue that has divided jurists and distinguished legal commentators. Here, I argue that there are powerful cases to be made for both the constitutionality and the unconstitutionality of Florida’s age restriction on gun sales. I describe what I believe to be the most powerful arguments for each position and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each. In assessing the merits of constitutionally based arguments, I use judicial precedent as a guidepost; ultimately, however, I adhere to the philosophy of originalism in deciding constitutional questions. All told, although I expect that courts will probably uphold it against the Second Amendment challenge, whether they should do so is much closer question, one to which I do not have a firm answer. I contribute to the literature by engaging in a more in-depth historical analysis, as well as a more fine-grained inquiry into the factual justifications for Florida’s law in particular.
EMX: Overcoming Silicon Chip EM Simulation Challenges for Passive Circuit Analysis and Model Development

Silicon-chips present several challenges for traditional electromagnetic (EM) tools. In this paper we review how the Cadence EMX Planar 3D Solver has been designed to overcome these issues. Specifically, we discuss necessary features for PDK support: meshing requirements, solver options, and ease-of-use enhancements in the Cadence Virtuoso design environment. EMX can be used as part of scalable model generation process for a variety of typical components, for example inductors, transformers and baluns. These scalable models can then be used for synthesis of optimal components that meet the user-supplied specifications.
Congressional Restoration of Tribal Civil Jurisdiction

This brief article argues that Congress should enact a law that restores inherent tribal civil regulatory and adjudicatory authority.
The Criminalization of Foreign Relations

Overcriminalization has rightly generated national condemnation among policymakers, scholars, and practitioners alike. And yet, such scholarship often assumes that the encroachment of criminal justice stops at our borders. This Article argues that our foreign relations are also at risk of overcriminalization due to overzealous prosecution, overreaching legislation, and presidential politicization—and that this may be particularly problematic when U.S. criminal justice supplants certain nonpenal U.S. foreign policies abroad. This Article proposes three key reforms— presidential distancing, prosecutorial integration, and legislative de-escalation—to assure a principled place for criminal justice in foreign relations.
When is imaging enough

Paper presented at the World Conference on Pediatric Neurosurgery 2000: State of the Art and Perspectives for the Third Millenium, Martinique, 27 November to 4 December 1999. "When is imaging enough" is a question which is easily answered. Imaging never provides sufficient information upon which to perform surgical treatment for epilepsy. Neither structural, nor functional, neuroimaging can yet identify epileptogenicity. Discrete structural [...]
Bank of Japan’s Monetary Easing Measures: Are They Powerful and Comprehensive?

With policy rates near the zero bound, the Bank of Japan (BoJ) has introduced a series of unconventional monetary easing measures since late 2009 in response to lingering deflation and a weakening economy. These measures culminated in a new Asset Purchase Program under the Comprehensive Monetary Easing (CME) which differs from typical quantitative easing in other central banks by including purchases of risky asset in an effort to reduce term and risk premia. This note assesses the impact of monetary easing measures on financial markets using an event study approach. It finds that the BoJ’s monetary easing measures has had a statistically significant impact on lowering bond yields and improving equity prices, but no notable impact on inflation expectations.
Kinase and Phosphatase Signaling Enzymes: Structure and Dynamics in Solution

Protein kinases and phosphatases are commonly described as the writer and eraser of cellular communication. Owing to their rather large molecular sizes (∼35 kDa), NMR spectroscopy has historically had a limited role in the elucidation of their function. This has significantly changed over the past 10 years. For all families (ser/thr and tyr kinases and phosphatases), NMR spectroscopy has provided a large number of novel biological insights. In this article, we describe this progress with a special focus on the impact of the NMR studies on the detailed understanding of biological function. Keywords: phosphatase; kinase; signaling; structure; dynamics; NMR spectroscopy
Evaluation of Crisis Intervention Programs and Personnel: A Summary and Critique

: Many of the suicide prevention centers that developed throughout the country during the last decade have evolved into general crisis intervention services. At the same time, they have stimulated the development of a wide variety of agencies that utilize nonprofessional volunteers who, primarily through telephone contact, provide helping services to people in crisis. This paper presents a critique of three particular problem areas relating to the use of volunteer personnel, along with a summary of research aimed at providing new technologies for their solution. Methods have been developed for rating on-the-job performance of crisis intervention workers, based upon criteria that are thought to have general application to crisis intervention centers. Efforts to describe personality characteristics of volunteers are reported, along with suggestions for the direction of additional investigations. Finally, the issue of assessing the outcome of crisis intervention cases is summarized. A four-phase conceptualization of the crisis intervention process is proposed, and appropriate measures of outcome at each point in the process are suggested. The overall significance of this type of research is discussed in terms of the need for standards by which to evaluate crisis intervention services.
Time of ovulation; a correlation between basal temperature, the appearance of the endometrium, and the appearance of the ovary.

18 patients awaiting gynecological surgery at the Sloane Hospital fo r Women pretested for regular temperature charts for their menstrual cy cle were studied to determine the correlation between basal body temperature and the appearance of the endometrium and the ovary with the time of ovulation. Patients were admitted several days prior to their expected temperature rise and all were operated upon on the day on which their temperature showed the characteristics rise indicative of ovulation. An endometrial biopsy was obtained and both ovaries examined at the time of surgery. Attempts were made to classify the patients into chronological groups as measured by the age of their corpora lutea. 6 were without evidence of ovulation. 2 were grouped as less than 12 hours after ovulation. 4 had corpora lutea of about 24 hours. 2 had a 36-hour corpus luteum and 2 had 48-hour and 72-hour or longer. The endometriums showed much less progressive change evidence of luteal activity appearing only after corpora lutea were at least 36 hours. In spite of possible 24-36 hour variations between actual temperature rise and time of operation further differences indicate there is some variation in the time at which different corpora lutea begin to elaborate progesterone. A discussion following this paper covers the clinical advisability of using the temperature charts especially for artificial insemination.
Wavelets and fractals: a comparative study

Wavelets and fractals can be used as analyzing tools in many areas of sciences and engineering. However, they seem to have many areas of similarities. This paper explores these potential areas, what they are and how they can be used, at least, in a theoretical sense. Some promising results have been found and are documented. >
Quadrifilar helix antenna for enhanced air-to-ground communications

Communications systems for air-to-ground channels and airborne ground-to-ground relays are often hindered by polarization losses between the airborne antenna and the terrestrial antenna. For man-personal terrestrial communications via a handheld radio, the linear (vertical) polarized whip or flexible stub antenna is traditionally used for its simplicity, ruggedness and size. For airborne platforms that provide hemispherical coverage to a terrestrial region, typical antennas include bent monopole and blade antennas, which also exhibit linear (vertical) polarization. Significant RF losses of over 20 dB can occur due to polarization misalignment when the terrestrial radio antenna is tilted off-axis to the vertical position or when the aircraft in the communications link banks in a “racetrack” flight path in order to provide radio coverage to a desired terrestrial region. In order to ensure a stable communications link, it is critical that these polarization losses be minimized. One method for ensuring this is to replace the vertically polarized antenna on the airborne platform with a low-profile circularly polarized antenna. The uniform 3 dB polarization losses that will occur at all tilt angles due to the vertical-to-circular polarization link can be compensated for in the rest of the communication system design much more easily than the intermittent >20 dB polarization losses that might occur in the vertical-to-vertical polarization link.
Effect of State Health Insurance Mandates on Employer-provided Health Insurance

We determine the impact of the change in the number of state health insurance mandates from 2004 to 2006 on the probability that an individual has employer-provided health insurance (EPHI). We hypothesize that increasing the number of mandates will decrease the probability that an individual has EPHI. Using the within-state variation of the number of mandates, we show that each additional mandate causes approximately a 0.2 percentage point decrease in the probability that an individual has EPHI. Importantly, using a two-stage least squares model, we are able to clearly demonstrate that these results are not biased by endogeneity.
Leveraging Business Through Consultant Relations (With a Postscript on the Andersen/Enron Effect)

In the complex world of business-to-business (B2B) marketing, three varieties of stakeholder have great influence on company reputation and revenue growth: media, analysts, and consultants. The last of these publics is the least understood and least systematically cultivated. The first three parts of this article look at who the major management and technology consultants are, what they do, and why they matter to B2B corporations as a source of direct and leveraged business. The fourth section explores organizational options as well as the most effective strategies and tactics for managing relations with consultants. The fifth section focuses on the soft and hard results of a consultant relations (CR) program that need to be examined in order to evaluate its true effectiveness; and the last section, “a postscript,” investigates the sea-change that has occurred in the top-tier consultant community in the years since scandal brought down both Enron and Andersen in 2001.
Purification of mouse brain phosphoserine phosphohydrolase and phosphotransferase.

Abstract Mouse brain phosphoserine phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.3.) that has been partially purified 150-fold or greater tolerates heating at 52 ° for several hours, resulting in a preparation that is 1200- to 1500-fold enriched over an aqueous homogenate of brain. Sucrose-gradient centrifugation of the purified enzyme shows one symmetrical peak of activity, with an estimated molecular weight of about 47,000. The enzyme, which underwent prolonged heating during purification, retains its sensitivity to inhibition by l -serine. However, the degree of inhibition is dependent upon the incubation temperature, with elevated temperature decreasing the effectiveness of serine as an inhibitor. The inhibition by serine of the phosphohydrolysis of phosphoserine is compatible with an ordered release of products, with serine released first. The enzyme also catalyzes a phosphoryl group transfer from phosphoserine to serine. Preliminary analysis of this activity is also consistent with a mechanism whereby there is an ordered product release.
When Push Comes to Shove: A Teacher Gets Sued

In this case, a teacher is sued by a student who claims the teacher injured her while he was breaking up a schoolyard fight. The case provides an opportunity for explaining the legal obligations of schoolteachers to supervise students. It also provides a setting for discussing state indemnification laws that may benefit teachers as well as insurance concerns. The case can be taught in conjunction with standard education law texts.
Nutritional status and survival in end-stage renal disease patients.

Several reports have emphasized that putative laboratory surrogates of nutrition, such as serum albumin, creatinine, and cholesterol concentrations are statistically more powerful independent predicto
Development of heterogeneities in the subcontinental Mantle: Evidence from the Ferrar Group, Antarctica

Tholeiitic lava flows (Kirkpatrick Basalts) and dolerite sills and dikes (Ferrar Dolerites) of the Jurassic Ferrar Group from Antarctica and dolerite sills from Tasmania, Australia are characterised by initial strontium isotope ratios ranging from 0.7089 to 0.7153. The mean and standard deviation of 85 analyses is 0.7115±0.0012. Some of the scatter in the initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios can be attributed to sample inhomogeneity, analytical uncertainties and sample alteration. The published major element data show well-defined trends that are consistent with an evolution by fractional crystallization. Recognition of a parental magma is difficult due to the fractionated nature of the rocks. Trace element analyses, particularly the rare earth elements (REE) support a differentiation model. Compared to mid-ocean ridge basalts, Ferrar Group rocks are enriched in light REE. Kirkpatrick Basalts from the central Transantarctic Mountains show significant correlations between initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios and major elements only for SiO2 and CaO. The general lack of strong correlation is the basis for rejecting the possibility of wholesale contamination by sialic material as a possible cause of the high 87Sr/86Sr ratios. Selective contamination of the basaltic magmas is a possibility and cannot be completely discounted. It would probably involve a fluid phase in order to transport and mix the light REE, Rb, 87Sr, and other elements. By analogy with selective contamination of ocean ridge basalts by sea water it is difficult to envisage a similar process acting on magma emplaced in a non-marine environment. Because of the elevated values of the initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios, their similar average value over 2,500 km and the large volume of magma involved (4× 105 km3) a mantle origin for the high Sr ratios is preferred. Models to account for the enrichment of Rb and light REE in the Antarctic mantle during or prior to the Jurassic include: 1. addition of continental material from a Palezoic Mesozoic subduction zone; 2. metasomatism of volatile elements from the lower mantle; and 3. evolution of a mantle with a high Rb/Sr ratio.
The influence of isosorbide dinitrate and molsidomine on migration of polymorphonuclear neutrophils in vivo

There is evidence that accumulation of polymorphonuclear neutrophils exacerbates injury to the tissues during acute myocardial infarction. To evaluate the influence of the vasodilator drugs, isosorbide dinitrate and molsidomine on migration of polymorphonuclear neutrophils, the "skin chamber" method was used. The number of neutrophils harvested from the chamber after oral treatment with isosorbide dinitrate increased from 27.65 +/- 9.02 X 10(6)/cm2 to 69.08 +/- 11.41 X 10(6)/cm2. Migration of neutrophils after molsidomine did not change significantly. Both drugs exert a similar effect on vascular smooth muscle cells. The difference in the influence on migration of granulocytes might be the result of an additional effect of molsidomine on formation of thromboxane and/or effects on the lipoxygenic pathway of arachidonic acid.
Cataloging the Repertoire of Nature's Blowtorch, P450

Veith et al. (2009) analyzed over 17,000 compounds for interaction with the five major human cytochrome P450 drug-metabolizing enzymes. Analysis of the results provides some structural insight and framework for expansion.
Warfarin sodium for anticoagulation of atherosclerotic miniature swine.

Warfarin sodium (Coumadin) has been used as an effective anti-coagulating agent in human medicine for many years, although careful monitoring of its effects are necessary to avoid excessive anticoagulation. Previous experience with this drug for chronic anticoagulation therapy in miniature swine has been limited. The effect of warfarin sodium was studied by measuring prothrombin time in twelve 8-month-old Hanford miniature swine. The pigs had been fed a high-cholesterol diet and had undergone a prior coronary artery abrasion procedure for development of an atherosclerotic coronary disease model. Atherosclerosis was induced by feeding a high-cholesterol diet. Baseline prothrombin time ranged from 12.8 to 15.0 s (13.7 s mean). Prothrombin time was determined daily for the first 5 days of treatment and at least twice weekly thereafter until the animals were sacrificed. Animals received warfarin for 37–41 days. Prothrombin time could be increased 33–50% by once daily oral administration of warfarin 0.04–0.08 ...
Detection of Giardia in environmental waters by immuno-PCR amplification methods.

Genomic DNA was extracted either directly from Giardia muris cysts seeded into environmental surface waters or from cysts isolated by immunomagnetic beads (IMB). A 0.171-kbp segment of the giardin gene was PCR-amplified following “direct extraction” of Giardia DNA from seeded Cahaba river water concentrate with moderate turbidity (780 JTU's), but DNA purified from seeded Colorado river water concentrates with high turbidity (2 × 105 JTUs) failed to amplify. However, if the cysts were first separated by the IMB approach from seeded Cahaba or Colorado river waters, and the DNA released by a freeze-boil Chelex®100 treatment, detection of G. muris by PCR amplification could be achieved at a sensitivity of 3 × 100 or 3 × 101 cysts/ml, respectively. If, however, the G. muris cysts used to seed even moderately turbid river waters (780 JTUs) were formalin treated (which is conventionally used for microscopic examination), neither direct extraction nor IMB purification methods yielded amplifiable DNA. Use of immunomagnetic beads to separate Giardia cysts from complex matrices of environmental surface waters followed by DNA release and PCR amplification of the target giardin gene improved the reliability of detection of this pathogen with the required sensitivity.
A Comparison of the Acute Behavioral Effects of Alkylbenzenes Using a Functional Observational Battery in Mice

Abstract A Comparison of the Acute Behavioral Effects of Alkylbenzenes Using a Functional Observational Battery in Mice. Tegeris, J. S., and Balster, R. L. (1994). Fundam. Appl. Toxicol. 22, 240-250. The acute neurobehavioral effects of six alkylbenzenes (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, propylbenzene, m-xylene, and cumene) were evaluated alter 20-min inhalation exposures using a functional observational battery (FOB) in mice. In order to do this, an explicit protocol for the FOB developed for rats by Moser was adapted for use in mice with inhalation exposures. All six alkylbenzenes, in the concentration range of 2000 to 8000 ppm, produced a nearly identical profile of effects, a profile that was also produced by ip administration of the central nervous system depressant drug pentobarbital. These effects included changes in posture, decreased arousal and rearing, increased ease of handling, disturbances of gait, mobility, and righting reflex, decreased forelimb grip strength, increased landing foot splay, and impaired psychomotor coordination. The response to various sensory stimuli was also decreased by the alkylbenzenes and pentobarbital. These acute effects of alkylbenzenes were short-lived, with recovery beginning within minutes of removal from the exposure chamber. The finding that the alkylbenzenes produce a profile of neurobehavioral effects similar to that of pentobarbital is consistent with a growing body of other evidence that many solvents produce a profile of acute effects similar to that of central nervous system depressant drugs and ethanol.
Early scrotal exploration in all cases is the investigation and intervention of choice in the acute paediatric scrotum

The acute scrotum in the paediatric population is a clinical dilemma where a definitive diagnosis can only truly be made at surgical exploration. We postulate that surgical exploration in all cases allows truly accurate diagnoses, treats the torted appendage testes and enables the validity of clinical signs associated with scrotal pathology to be assessed. We retrospectively reviewed all boys less than 15 years old who presented to our institution with scrotal pain over a 2 year period. A total of 121 patients attended of whom 113 had exploratory surgery, 31 (27%) had testicular torsion, 64 (57%) had a torted appendage testis, 12 (11%) had epididymitis, 1 (1%) had fat necrosis and 5 (4%) had no abnormality detected. On exploration 9 (29%) of the torted testis were unsalvageable and thus required excision. The initial clinical impression was frequently demonstrated to be flawed. Two patients with testicular torsion presented with a painless swelling and two further patients had necrotic testes despite a history of pain for less than 4 h. A normal cremasteric reflex and a visible blue dot were detected in boys with testicular torsion. Doppler ultrasound scans were not reliable with 50% sensitivity to clearly differentiate between torsion of the testis and that of the appendage testis. Absolute dependence on clinical features can lead to a misdiagnosis of testicular torsion. The surgical treatment of torted appendage testis is safe, allowing accurate diagnosis and pain relief with minimal morbidity. Early scrotal exploration of all cases with testicular pain ensures maximal testicular salvage.
Broadside-coupled coplanar waveguide: Studies of hybrid modes and dominant-mode operation

Hybrid modes in the broadside-coupled coplanar waveguide (CPW) are examined for the first time using the full-wave spectral-domain method. Various numerical results for the characteristic impedances and effective dielectric constants are obtained to study the behaviors of the dominant and higher-order modes as well as to assess the operating range of the dominant propagation modes in this structure. Criteria to enhance the dominant-mode frequency range are also discussed. Over the dominant-mode frequency range, the dispersion is low. However, variation of the characteristic impedances is more pronounced than that of the effective dielectric constants, indicating the need for dynamic characteristic impedances for accurate circuit designs. The results in the low-frequency limit agree well with those obtained using a quasistatic approach. Also, the calculated effective dielectric constants of the dominant odd mode match closely the existing data for the effective dielectric constants of a shielded conductor-backed CPW. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Lower bounds to fundamental frequencies and buckling loads of columns and plates

Abstract A general derivation of expressions for lower bounds to fundamental frequencies and buckling loads is given for the class of structures governed by linear elastic theory in the prebuckling state. These expressions involve two Rayleigh quotients both of which are upper bounds for the fundamental frequency under a prescribed load. The displacement trial functions must satisfy force and kinematic continuity but no other conditions are required. Thus, if appropriate high order base functions are used, the finite element procedure can be used to systematically narrow the difference between the upper and lower bounds. The theory is illustrated with several column and plate problems. The finite element method is applied to uniform and nonuniform columns with a representative set of boundary conditions. Elementary trial functions are used to show that reasonable bounds can also be obtained for plates subjected to known states of stress. Since the lower bound is obtained with a variation of the classical technique of Rayleigh, these results indicate that the method may be suitable for conservatively estimating buckling loads and fundamental frequencies of engineering structures.
Visual signal processing, speechreading and related issues

People with hearing loss make use of visual speech cues to supplement the impoverished speech signal. This process, known as speechreading (or lipreading) can be very effective because of the complementary nature of auditory and visual speech cues. Despite the importance of visual speech cues (for both normal-hearing and hearing-impaired people) research on the visual characteristics of speech has lagged behind research on the acoustic characteristics of speech. The field of acoustic phonetics benefited substantially from the availability of powerful techniques for acoustic signal analysis. The substantial, recent advances in optical signal processing have opened up new vistas for visual speech analysis analogous to the way technological innovation revolutionized the field of acoustic phonetics. This paper describes several experiments in the emerging field of optic phonetics.
Ventilatory control in ALS

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal, progressive neurodegenerative disease. ALS selectively causes degeneration in upper and lower (spinal) motor neurons, leading to muscle weakness, paralysis and death by ventilatory failure. Although ventilatory failure is generally the cause of death in ALS, little is known concerning the impact of this disorder on respiratory motor neurons, the consequences of respiratory motor neuron cell death, or the ability of the respiratory control system to "fight back" via mechanisms of compensatory respiratory plasticity. Here we review known effects of ALS on breathing, including possible effects on rhythm generation, respiratory motor neurons, and their target organs: the respiratory muscles. We consider evidence for spontaneous compensatory plasticity, preserving breathing well into disease progression despite dramatic loss of spinal respiratory motor neurons. Finally, we review current and potential therapeutic approaches directed toward preserving the capacity to breathe in ALS patients.
Proceedings, 109th Annual Meeting Medical Library Association, Inc. Honolulu, HI May 15–20, 2009

The Medical Library Association (MLA) held its 109th annual meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii, May 15–20, 2009, at the Hawaii Convention Center. The meeting theme was “iFusions.” Total attendance was 1,425. Additional meeting content—including the meeting program and various electronic presentations from business, plenary, poster, and section presentations—can be found via the MLA '09 website . The MLA '09 Blog is available at http://www.npc.mlanet.org/mla09/ and links to the MLA '09 photos on Flickr .
The second cyclopropannulene: cycloprop-[8]annulene.

Reacting (at 0 °C) a mixture of CH2Cl2 and monobromo[8]annulene (C8H7Br) with potassium tert-butoxide in hexamethylphosphoramide (HMPA) and following with exposure to potassium metal led to the formation of the anion radical of an HMPA-[6.1.0]bicyclononatetraene condensation product, in which two HMPA fragments are geminal and attached to the number 9 carbon. When the reaction sequence is carried out in THF, the dianion of cycloprop[8]annulene is predominantly formed. Neutral cycloprop[8]annulene can be isolated via the I2 oxidation of the THF solution. The NMR analysis reveals that the eight-membered ring is nearly planar, and the three-membered ring is more like a dimethylenecyclopropane than it is like a cyclopropene. Further, the chemical shifts due to the protons on the eight-membered ring are nearly 2 ppm further upfield than are those for [8]annulene itself, suggesting a paratropic ring current.
Intramolecular exchange of methyl groups in μMethyl-μ-diphenylaminotetramethyldialuminum and its intermolecular exchange with trimethylgallium

Abstract Intramolecular exchange of the methyl groups in μ-methyl-μ-diphenylaminotetramethyldialuminum (I) proceeds via a first order process with activation parameters, E a  13.7 ± 0.45 kcal/lmol, °H‡  13.0 ± 0.6 kcal/mol and °S‡ –5.8 ± 3.6 e.u. at 290 K. A mechanism involving a single bridge opening is proposed for this exchange. The exchange between I and trimethylgallium was examined and found to proceed via a process first order in I and independent of the concentration of Ga(CH 3 ) 3 with activation parameters E a  20.7 ± 0.8 kcal/lmol, °AH‡  20.1 ± 0.8 kcal/mol and °S‡ +16.0 ± 4.2 e.u. at 290 K. A mechanism for this process is proposed in which the rate-determining step is the opening of the methyl bridge accompanied by substantial distortion in I.
Non–Avalanche-Related Snow Immersion Deaths: Tree Well and Deep Snow Immersion Asphyxiation

Non-avalanche-related snow immersion death (NARSID), or snow immersion asphyxiation, is a significant winter mountain hazard for skiers and snowboarders. This phenomenon occurs predominately in western North America, where large tree wells and deep snowpacks develop. Although statistics are difficult to procure, snow immersion asphyxiation has resulted in more than 70 documented deaths in the past 2 decades. The primary purpose of this review is to examine the existing literature on NARSID to help prevent such dangerous accidents through educating wilderness medicine professionals and fostering public awareness. The exact duration of burial to time of death and the cause of death are not precisely known but can be postulated from accident reports, experimental snow burial studies, and avalanche literature. In most cases, death probably occurs within 15 to 30 minutes from the time of burial. However, survival after prolonged burial in a tree well and deep snow is possible. The cause of death is asphyxiation, probably due to one of the mechanisms that produce asphyxia in avalanche burial victims: positional asphyxia, airway obstruction, or carbon dioxide displacement asphyxia. Prevention of snow immersion asphyxiation begins with skiers and snowboarders staying within the limits of their skills, using the proper tools for deep powder, staying in control at all times, and employing a buddy system. A skier or snowboarder who falls near or into a tree well should tuck, roll, and try to land upright, grab the tree trunk or a branch, and yell or blow a whistle to alert partners. If buried upside down, the person should stay calm and create an air pocket, which is probably of paramount importance. Skiers and snowboarders should use avalanche safety equipment to lessen the risk of snow submersion asphyxiation.
Increasingly ruth: Toward understanding sex reassignment

Both the clinician and the patient present accounts of a 44-year-old male's search for a comfortable gender identity. The juxtaposition of these two perspectives illustrates many of the dilemmas inherent in the therapy of gender dysphoria. Ruth underwent sex reassignment surgery in 1976—one year after the assumption of a full-time female gender role. Six months after surgery, she made a serious suicide attempt. At age 50, she has now consolidated her feminine gender identity and has become a thoughtful, unusually honest, articulate person. The physician's “objective” and the patient's retrospective perspectives provide evidence of the psychodynamic nature of transsexualism and the limitations of evaluation criteria for sex reassignment surgery.
Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of tetracyclines in urine and plasma

Abstract The high-performance liquid chromatographic separation and quantitative analysis of oxytetracycline, tetracycline, and chlortetracycline from urine and plasma were effected on an octadecylsilane reversed-phase packing. The calcium complexes of the tetracyclines were extracted from urine and plasma with ethyl acetate and then reextracted into hydrochloric acid. Following the injection of the hydrochloric acid extracts onto the column, the individual tetracyclines were eluted isocratically and quantitated spectrometrically. Concentrations of less than 1 μg/ml in urine and 1.5 μg/ml in plasma were quantitatively determined with a relative standard deviation of less than 5%.
Solid‐state NMR Evidence of 4‐, 5, and 6‐Fold Aluminum Sites in Roller‐Quenched SiO2‐A12O3 Glasses

The structures of roller-quenched SiO2-Al2O3 glasses containing 10 to 50 wt% Al2O3 were investigated by TEM and high-resolution 27Al and 29Si magic angle sample spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MASS-NMR) spectroscopy. The chemical shifts observed in the NMR spectra of these phase-separated (on the TEM scale) glasses provide evidence, for the existence of all three (4-, 5-, and 6-jold) Al-coordination units in these glasses and for the presence of A1 in both the Si-rich and Si-poor phases.
Differential reelin-induced enhancement of NMDA and AMPA receptor activity in the adult hippocampus.

The developmental lamination of the hippocampus and other cortical structures requires a signaling cascade initiated by reelin and its receptors, apoER2 (apolipoprotein E receptor 2) and VLDLR (very-low-density lipoprotein receptor). However, the functional significance of continued reelin expression in the postnatal brain remains poorly understood. Here, we show that reelin application to adult mice hippocampal slices leads to enhanced glutamatergic transmission mediated by NMDA receptors (NMDARs) and AMPA receptors (AMPARs) through distinct mechanisms. Application of recombinant reelin enhanced NMDAR-mediated currents through postsynaptic mechanisms, as revealed by the variance-mean analysis of synaptic NMDAR currents, assessment of spontaneous miniature events, and the levels of NMDAR subunits at synaptic surface. In comparison, nonstationary fluctuation analysis of miniature AMPAR currents and quantification of synaptic surface proteins revealed that reelin-induced enhancement of AMPAR responses was mediated by increased AMPAR numbers. Reelin enhancement of synaptic NMDAR currents was abolished when receptor-associated protein (RAP) or the Src inhibitor 4-amino-5-(4-methylphenyl)-7-(t-butyl)pyrazolo[3,4-d]-pyrimidine (PP1) was bath applied and was abrogated by including PP1 in the recording electrodes. In comparison, including RAP or an inactive PP1 analog PP3 in the recording electrode was without effect. Interestingly, the increased AMPAR response after reelin application was not blocked by PP1 but was blocked by the phosphoinositide-3′ kinase (PI3K) inhibitors wortmannin and LY294002 [2-(4-morpholinyl)-8-phenyl-1(4H)-benzopyran-4-one hydrochloride]. Furthermore, reelin-induced, PI3K-dependent AMPAR surface insertion was also observed in cultured hippocampal neurons. Together, these results reveal a differential functional coupling of reelin signaling with NMDAR and AMPAR function and define a novel mechanism for controlling synaptic strength and plasticity in the adult hippocampus.
Endometrial stromal sarcoma: review of Mayo Clinic experience, 1945-1980.

Abstract Uterine sarcomas are uncommon malignancies. We retrospectively examined 24 cases of "high grade" endometrial stromal sarcomas (ESS). The histologic diagnosis was made if there was a high grade sarcoma with a high mitotic index and nuclear anaplasia. Heterologous elements could be present, if focal only. Leiomyosarcomas, mixed mesodermal sarcomas, and carcinosarcomas were excluded. Mitotic index was expressed as the number of mitoses per 10 high-power fields in active areas. Tumor grade was based on nuclear anaplasia. ESS were 5.7% of all uterine sarcomas. Median age was 58.2 years; median duration of symptoms was 67.5 days. Abnormal bleeding was the presenting complaint in 91.7%. Uterine enlargement was seen in 33%; protrusion through the cervical os was seen in 9 cases. Total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy was performed in 95.8%. Twenty patients had myometrial involvement; 5 patients had serosal spread and extrauterine disease; residual disease was seen in 3 patients. Adjuvant radiation was not beneficial. Ten patients had recurrences: 60% in the pelvis, 50% each with subcomponent of abdominal or distant disease. Overall survival was 3.4 years and was significantly associated with extent of disease, size of the primary tumor, and grade.
Mechanistic Features of Boron−Iodine Bond Activation of B−Iodocarboranes

Oxidative addition of the B−I bond of 9-iodo-m-carborane to [(Ph3P)nPd] (n = 3, 4) is reversible, the equilibrium being shifted to the Pd(0) and the iodocarborane. In the presence of [(Ph3P)4Pd] and [Bu4N]Br in THF, 9-iodo-m-carborane undergoes halide exchange to produce 9-bromo-m-carborane. Coordinatively unsaturated Pd(0) and hydrido Pd(II) species generated upon thermal decomposition of [(Ph3P)2Pd(Ph)(O2CH)] and [(Ph3P)2Pd2(Ph)2(μ-O2CH)2] reduce 9-iodo-m-carborane to m-carborane with 100% selectivity. The thermal decomposition of [(Ph3P)2Pd2(Ph)2(μ-O2CH)2] in the presence of excess 9-iodo-m-carborane and PhI (1:1) results in the formation of m-carborane (3%) and [(Ph3P)2Pd2(Ph)2(μ-I)2] (97%), whose structure was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. X-ray analysis of 9-iodo-m-carborane and m-carboran-9-yl(phenyl)iodonium tetrafluoroborate shows that in the iodonium salt the B−I bond is longer by ca. 0.03 A than in the iodocarborane. In contrast, the C−I bond distances in carboran-9-yl(phenyl)i...
Size-specific Metal Complexing Sites in Native Collagen

THERE is evidence that metal ions are involved, directly and indirectly, in the structure and function of the collagens1–11. The direct interactions between collagen proteins and metal ions must be elucidated in order to understand the roles of these ions in connective tissues. One approach is to study the metal binding properties of relatively intact collagen matrices in model systems consisting of water solutions of several ionic salts. Previous experiments have involved the binding of a few ions to purified reconstituted calf-skin collagen12, egg shell matrix13, gelatine14 and bivalent amino-acids15.
THE USE OF A BARIUM MEAL TO EVALUATE TOTAL GASTRIC EMPTYING TIME IN THE DOG

Total gastric emptying time was determined in nine mongrel dogs using a barium meal contrast procedure. Within the group, total gastric emptying time ranged from 7.0–15.0 hours. Comparison of the population mean showed a statistical difference (p − 0.01) from previously published values. Individual dogs showed consistent total gastric emptying time over three trials. The technique can be used to test the effect of a procedure on total gastric emptying time when a normal value has been established for the dog. Due to the wide range of normal values observed, evaluation of clinical patients could be difficult unless there is a gross abnormality in function.
Interrogating 'Malayness': Islamic Transformations among the Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK) Cohort

For over a century no institution in Malaysia has conferred elite and iconic Malay status more than the ‘school for sultans’ sons’, Malay College Kuala Kangsar. Since the 1970s many of the school’s ‘old boys’ have held crucial roles in playing out the primary objectives and principles of the ethnic Malay government: the creation of a powerful Malay capitalist and political class. Analysing old boy cohorts as ‘social generations’, this article traces changing genealogies of MCKK identity. It explores most closely a contemporary group of self-described ‘outlier’ old boys who increasingly critique NEP-era old boys. They seek to abrogate their MCKK connection, arguing that neither its production of status and ethnicity nor its economic and political rewards can be justified in Islam. In this counter-movement, new markers of piety, authenticity and belonging (as well as new networks for social, capitalist and political engagement) have emerged. This cohort seeks to demonstrate a re-fashioned moral identity which recasts business and social practices within a strictly shariah-based Islamic framework. For a small but growing number of the MCKK cohort, representing capitalist success via piety and religion—interrogating Malayness, ethnicity itself and the culture learned in the school for sultans’ sons—is becoming the principal foundation for identity.
Institutional Experience with Voriconazole Compared with Liposomal Amphotericin B as Empiric Therapy for Febrile Neutropenia

Study Objective. To assess the effectiveness, safety, and cost of empiric treatment of febrile neutropenia before and after implementing an algorithm in which voriconazole was substituted for liposomal amphotericin B (L-AmB). Design. Retrospective cohort analysis. Setting. An 850-bed tertiary care hospital, which is also a referral site for patients with acute leukemia. Patients. Fifty-five adult patients who started empiric antifungal therapy for febrile neutropenia between January 1, 2002, and December 31, 2003, encompassing 58 treatment episodes (defined as a hospitalization during which empiric antifungal therapy was administered). Measurements and Main Results. Medical charts, including patients’ pharmacy and laboratory data, were reviewed. Twenty-six and 32 episodes of L-AmB and voriconazole use, respectively, were identified. No significant differences between the L-AmB and voriconazole groups were noted at baseline. Rates of fever resolution (54% vs 59%, p=0.791) and breakthrough invasive fungal infections (11% vs 12%, p>0.999) were similar for the L-AmB and voriconazole episodes. Premature drug discontinuation due to the prescriber’s perceived lack of efficacy occurred most frequently in the voriconazole group (25% vs 8%, p=0.160). Survival was significantly higher in the voriconazole than in the L-AmB group (100% vs 77%, p=0.006). Adverse effects that were significantly more common in the L-AmB group than in the voriconazole group were elevated serum creatinine levels (27% vs 3%, p=0.017) and electrolyte disturbances (19% vs 0%, p=0.014). Adverse effects reported more frequently in the voriconazole group than in the L-AmB group were visual disturbances (9% vs 0%, p=0.245) and elevated hepatic enzyme levels (9% vs 8%, p>0.999). Mean drug expenditures/episode for initial empiric antifungal therapy were lower for voriconazole than for L-AmB ($1593 vs $4144, or $153 vs $380/day). Conclusion. Our institution’s algorithm incorporating voriconazole into the empiric management of febrile neutropenia was associated with effectiveness outcomes comparable to those observed with L-AmB as well as a lower frequency of adverse effects and overall expenditures for antifungal drugs.
On the role of 17 alpha-estradiol and 17 beta-estradiol in the proliferation of MCF7 and T47D-A11 human breast tumor cells

A comparative study of the proliferative effect of 17 beta-estradiol and 17 alpha-estradiol on human estrogen-sensitive cell lines was performed. When using charcoal-dextran stripped human female sera-supplemented media the administration of the hormones, 17 alpha-estradiol at 3 X 10(-10)M, and 17 beta-estradiol at 3 X 10(-11)M, resulted in a ten-fold increase in cell yield when compared with non-estrogen supplemented controls after cells were grown for periods between 10 to 14 days. No significant metabolization of 17 alpha-estradiol into 17 beta-estradiol occurred as measured by the E2 levels in the supernatants of the cell culture flasks. Increased concentrations of 17 beta-estradiol and 17 alpha-estradiol added to the media bathing C7MCF7-173 cells resulted in a triggering of a partially successful shut-off effect; this phenomenon was not observed with T47D-All cells. These results are compatible with predictions stemming from the indirect and direct negative working hypothesis for the regulation of cell proliferation.
Development of optically flat mirrors using graphite/epoxy laminates

The purpose of this project is to investigate the feasibility of using composite materials to reduce the weight of high quality optical mirrors for space flight applications. The approach that is used to fabricate test optics uses the same optical quality glass material (Zerodur) as the mold used to form the composite. The mold is the actual material that is ground into the finished polished surface, and it is bonded onto the composite during the normal curing of the composite. No secondary bonding is necessary. The mold is now ground away leaving a thin layer of Zerodur that becomes the polished surface. The composite material used in this experiment is P75/ERL1962 laid up in a quasi-isotropic laminate. Its properties will be tailored such that its coefficient of thermal expansion is close to that of the mold in the plane of the laminate. One flat optic has been made and tested. A second flat optic is close to completion, but it has not been tested. The first optic was tested in a cryogenic vacuum chamber using a Zygo interferometer to measure the distortion of the surface of the optic while the chamber was cooled down to 200 K. The measured change in flatness was 0.4 lambda using a test wavelength of 633 nm. The average fiber volume was calculated to be 56.5% with a change in fiber volume from one side to the other of 2.5%.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Model for the crystallization and sintering of unseeded and seeded boehmite gels

Boehmite gels crystallize intoα-alumina with a dendritic morphology and, in thin films, whiskers can be obtained. In bulk gels, vermicular morphologies are observed, their scale depending on the temperature of conversion toα-alumina. In seeded gels, where the phase change toα occurs at a lower temperature, the scale is much finer than in unseeded gels where a higherα-crystallization temperature is required. A model which explains the dendritic morphology is presented; it rests on the hypothesis that the porosity in the gel must be redistributed into the denseα-dendrite and the empty interdendritic space at the crystallization front. The dendrite spacing is then determined by the kinetic balance between the rate of crystallization and the rate at which the local porosity is redistributed. Measurements of the crystallization velocity, combined with the model, successfully explain the scale of the dendritic morphologies in the seeded and unseeded bulk gels, and in the seeded gel films. The model predicts that the scale of the dendritic structure should increase rapidly with crystallization temperature, also in agreement with experimental results. The model suggests processing paths for controlling the whisker diameter in seeded films, and for low-temperature sintering of seeded bulk gels.