cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
サイズ排除クロマトグラフィーによる高分子平均分子量共同測定*IV.第2回ラウンドロビンテスト結果報告*(その2)ベースラインの引き方について

第2回ラウンドロビンテストにおいて,数平均分子量の相対標準偏差が高い値になった理由として,ベースラインの設定の問題が考えられた.ベースライン設定には,(1)ポリマーピークの始点と溶媒起因ピークの終点を直線で結ぶ方法,(2)ポリマーピークの始点とポリマーピークが出終わり,溶媒起因ピークが出始める間の最低位置との間を結ぶ方法,がある.(1)又は(2)を採用した測定機関を別々の群とし,示差屈折計で得られた数平均分子量の値から測定上の問題のあるデータを除いた後のそれぞれの相対標準偏差を求めたところ,(1)では5.2~7.1%,(2)では7.3~9.3%と著しく改善されることが見いだされた.又,(2)の方法で得られた数平均分子量計算値は(1)の方法で得られた値の1.13~1.23倍であった.ベースラインの設定法を統一することは良好な相対標準偏差を得るために不可欠であると言える.理想的には(1)のような設定が望ましいが,溶媒起因ピークの妨害やカットオフ分子量の設定値の問題などにより,測定値のばらつきが大きくなる傾向が認められた.カットオフ分子量を2500~3000と大きくする必要がある.この点,(2)のようなベースラインの設定は問題点が少ないが,反面,低分子量部分を無視することになる.
Different physiological signatures of sweat gland secretory and duct cells in culture.

Human eccrine sweat gland cells grown in culture were found to lose their characteristic shape, becoming flattened and organized into multilayers. The resting membrane potentials of the cultured se...
Clinical observation of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in triple negative breast cancer with Paclitaxel Liposome and Kappa

Objective To evaluate clinic curative effect and adverse reaction of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in triple negative breast cancer with paclitaxel liposome and carboplatin.Methods 34 Cases breast cancer had accepted neoadjuvant chemotherapy with paclitaxel liposome 135 mg/m2 and carboplatin AUC=6,every patient accept four cycles at least and one timing is 3 weeks.Pretreatment was not used before and after paclitaxel liposome.Results All patients were evaluable,9 cases(26.5%) were CR,17 cases(50%) were PR,toltal effective rate were 76.5%,and 7 cases(20.6%) were pCR.The main adverse reaction include marrow suppression,abnormal results of liver function studies and alopecia,the incidence rate were 61.8%,35.3% and 32.4% respectively,most of side effects were grade Ⅰ-Ⅱ.There are no serious hypersensitivity and death during treatment.Conclusion Clinic curative effect and adverse reaction of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer with paclitaxel liposome and carboplatin was better and adverse reaction were fewer.Tolerance of breast cancer patients is better
Development of effective and efficient operations for NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive mission

NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) is an earth orbiting mission which launched 1/31/2015, successfully completed an aggressive Commissioning plan, and is currently collecting Science data. A 90-day, activity-rich Launch and Commissioning Phase required 7 days per week operations with heavy staffing. It was followed by a steep ramp down to a very small operations team performing mostly unattended (“lights out”) operations. Completing Commissioning ahead of schedule despite major inflight anomalies was made possible by transitioning development experts into operations, preparing sequences for all baseline activities and selected contingency scenarios prior to Launch, and developing tools to streamline routine activities (sequence generation/validation, data management, telemetry query and reporting, long term trending). Powerful operations analysis tools coupled with development experience allowed the team to quickly troubleshoot, work around, and recover from a variety of significant anomalies (including several safemode entries) and still maintain schedule. To enable lights out operation, SMAP developed a reliable infrastructure relying heavily on automation. Orbit determination was successfully automated to simplify Navigation. Automatic command generation and radiation was implemented for benign routine commanding. This capability was phased in during Commissioning, and now accounts for 95–100% of SMAP commanding during the week. SMAP also developed reliable autonomous monitoring and notification systems for non-receipt of data, detection of anomalous data, and auto-commanding failures. Upon detection of problems, SMAP uses a role-based email/text notification tool to disposition anomalies. These capabilities allow the SMAP mission operations center to be largely unattended. System engineers are cross-trained to perform numerous tasks including command radiation, scheduling, and sequence integration and testing. Choosing simplification over optimization allows most tasks to be performed by a handful of people. These are some of the efficiencies that have enabled successful small team operations in the Science Phase.
Partisan Differences in Nonpartisan Activity: The Case of Charitable Giving

How do political identities shape seemingly non-political behaviors, such as consumption activity? This paper explores the extent to which political divisions impact apolitical behaviors, focusing on the case of voluntary donations to charitable organizations. Drawing on recent work showing partisans’ differing use of “conspicuous consumption,” we develop and test expectations as to how charitable activity may differ for Democrats and Republicans. Using three national surveys, including an original two-wave panel study, we find sizable differences in overall giving between partisans, with Republicans giving more to charity on average. We show that partisan differences in religiosity, and not differences in beliefs about government spending or desires to signal economic status, explain partisan gaps in giving. Our findings contribute to our understanding about the broader consequences of political fragmentation in the United States and provide further evidence for the social, as opposed to ideological, roots of political identity.
The Ultrastructural Organization of Actin and Myosin II Filaments in the Contractile Ring: New Support for an Old Model of Cytokinesis

Despite recent advances in our understanding of the components and spatial regulation of the contractile ring (CR), the precise ultrastructure of actin and myosin II within the animal cell CR remains an unanswered question. We used superresolution light microscopy and platinum replica transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to determine the structural organization of actin and myosin II in isolated cortical cytoskeletons prepared from dividing sea urchin embryos. Three-dimensional structured illumination microscopy indicated that within the CR, actin and myosin II filaments were organized into tightly packed linear arrays oriented along the axis of constriction and restricted to a narrow zone within the furrow. In contrast, myosin II filaments in earlier stages of cytokinesis were organized into small, discrete, and regularly spaced clusters. TEM showed that actin within the CR formed a dense and anisotropic array of elongate, antiparallel filaments, whereas myosin II was organized into laterally associated, head-to-head filament chains highly reminiscent of mammalian cell stress fibers. Together these results not only support the canonical "purse-string" model for contractile ring constriction, but also suggest that the CR may be derived from foci of myosin II filaments in a manner similar to what has been demonstrated in fission yeast.
Photo-co-carcinogenesis of Topically Applied Retinyl Palmitate in SKH-1 Hairless Mice

Cosmetic products that contain retinyl palmitate are popular as antiaging skin treatments; however, recent studies suggest a risk for enhanced skin tumor development with topical retinyl palmitate applications and exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR). In this study, we investigated the potential of retinyl palmitate to enhance UVR-induced photo-co-carcinogenesis. Groups of 36 male and 36 female SKH-1 hairless mice were exposed to simulated solar light (SSL) and treated with the control cream or creams containing retinyl palmitate, 5 days per week for 40 weeks. Other groups of mice were exposed to SSL and received no cream treatment or received cream treatments and were exposed to ultraviolet-A or ultraviolet-B. Mice were monitored for the development of skin tumors, and the incidences and multiplicities of squamous cell neoplasia were determined by histopathology. In both the absence and presence of SSL, mice administered the control cream developed skin tumors earlier and had higher incidences and multiplicities of skin squamous cell neoplasms than mice that received no cream treatment. Compared to the control cream groups, mice exposed to SSL and administered the retinyl palmitate creams demonstrated earlier onsets of skin tumors and had increased incidences and multiplicities of squamous cell skin neoplasms.
Leadership Matters: Crafting a Smart Beta Portfolio with a Founder-CEO Twist

Smart beta strategies have attracted considerable interest among institutional investors, and it appears this trend has not yet abated. This article suggests an alternative weighting mechanism based on specific management characteristics. In particular, we focus on publicly traded founder-CEO–led companies. Virtually all U.S. large-cap indexes contain at least some founder-CEO–led companies, and recent academic research suggests this variable may be responsible for significant portfolio alpha generation. Our evidence suggests that the founder-CEO factor may be significant not only in building a U.S. large-cap portfolio, it could also very well be one of the most significant factors in explaining excess returns. If true, then a smart beta orientation would be to simply overweight founder-CEO securities within the benchmark index or reduce the allocation to the benchmark index and add an incremental investment in a founder-CEO index. We provide a detailed analysis of a founder-CEO index, spanning several positive and negative economic cycles, and discuss the merits of pursuing this investment strategy. Our evidence suggests that investment managers would be wise to consider this strategy, especially if they can commit to a longer-term investment horizon.
Endocannabinoid-mediated potentiation of nonnociceptive synapses contributes to behavioral sensitization

There is considerable interest in the analgesic potential of cannabinoids. However, there is evidence that the cannabinoid system can have both pro- and antinociceptive effects. This study examines...
Game Schedules and Rate of Concussions in the National Football League.

Background:Concussion prevention in the National Football League (NFL) is an important priority for player safety. The NFL now has modified game schedules, and one concern is that unconventional ga...
Parameterization and Analysis of Peptide-Based Catalysts for the Atroposelective Bromination of 3-Arylquinazolin-4(3H)-ones

We report the development of a method to parameterize and predict the performance of structurally flexible β-turn-containing peptide catalysts, using the atroposelective bromination of 3-arylquinazolin-4(3H)-ones as a case study. The multivariate correlations obtained for tetrapeptides of two β-turn types, type I′ pre-helical and type II′ β-hairpin, indicate that although one conformer may be associated with a more dominant contribution to the observed enantioselectivity, it is possible that multiple conformers contribute to a complex transition state ensemble.
Validation of the All Patient Refined Diagnosis Related Group (APR-DRG) Risk of Mortality and Severity of Illness Modifiers as a Measure of Perioperative Risk.

The All Patient Refined Diagnosis Related Group (APR-DRG) is an inpatient visit classification system that assigns a diagnostic related group, a Risk of Mortality (ROM) subclass and a Severity of Illness (SOI) subclass. While extensively used for cost adjustment, no study has compared the APR-DRG subclass modifiers to the popular Charlson Comorbidity Index as a measure of comorbidity severity in models for perioperative in-hospital mortality. In this study we attempt to validate the use of these subclasses to predict mortality in a cohort of surgical patients. We analyzed all adult (age over 18 years) inpatient non-cardiac surgery at our institution between December 2005 and July 2013. After exclusions, we split the cohort into training and validation sets. We created prediction models of inpatient mortality using the Charlson Comorbidity Index, ROM only, SOI only, and ROM with SOI. Models were compared by receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) curve, area under the ROC curve (AUC), and Brier score. After exclusions, we analyzed 63,681 patient-visits. Overall in-hospital mortality was 1.3%. The median number of ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes was 6 (Q1-Q3 4–10). The median Charlson Comorbidity Index was 0 (Q1-Q3 0–2). When the model was applied to the validation set, the c-statistic for Charlson was 0.865, c-statistic for ROM was 0.975, and for ROM and SOI combined the c-statistic was 0.977. The scaled Brier score for Charlson was 0.044, Brier for ROM only was 0.230, and Brier for ROM and SOI was 0.257. The APR-DRG ROM or SOI subclasses are better predictors than the Charlson Comorbidity Index of in-hospital mortality among surgical patients.
Forensic psychiatry, one subspecialty with two ethics? A systematic review

Forensic psychiatry is a particular subspecialty within psychiatry, dedicated in applying psychiatric knowledge and psychiatric training for particular legal purposes. Given that within the scope of forensic psychiatry, a third party usually intervenes in the patient-doctor relationship, an amendment of the traditional ethical principles seems justified. Thus, 47 articles, two book chapters and the guidelines produced by the World Psychiatric Association, the American Association of Psychiatry and the Law, as well as by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of psychiatrists, were analyzed. The review revealed that the ethics of correctional forensic psychiatry and those of legal forensic psychiatry do not markedly differ from each other, but they are incongruent in terms of implementation. In an effort to better understand which ethical principles apply to forensic psychiatry, a chronological review of the literature published from 1950 to 2015 was carried out. The ethics of correctional forensic psychiatry are primarily deontological. The principle of justice translates into the principle of health care equivalence, the principle of beneficence into providing the best possible care to patients, and the principle of respect of autonomy into ensuring confidentiality and informed consent. The ethics of legal forensic psychiatry are rather consequentialist. In this latter setting, the principle of justice is mainly characterized by professionalism, the principle of beneficence by objectivity and impartiality, and the principle of respect of autonomy by informed consent. However, these two distinct fields of forensic psychiatry share in common the principle of non maleficence, defined as the non collaboration of the psychiatrist in any activity leading to inhuman and degrading treatment or to the death penalty.
Technologies for Detecting Metals in Single Cells

In order to fully understand the metallomics of an organism, it is essential to know how much metal is present in each cell and, ideally, to know both the spatial and chemical distributions of each metal (i.e., where within the cell is a metal found, and in what chemical form). No single technique provides all of this information. This chapter reviews the various methods that can be used and the strengths and weaknesses of each.
First-Principles and Thermodynamics Study of Compositionally Tuned Complex Metal Oxides: Cation Release from the (001) Surface of Mn-Rich Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide.

Compositional tuning of nanoscale complex metal oxides (CMOs) can lead to enhanced performance and favorable properties for a variety of energy-related applications. However, investigations of the ...
Verb Variability and Morphosyntactic Priming With Typically Developing 2- and 3-Year-Olds.

Purpose This study was specifically designed to examine how verb variability and verb overlap in a morphosyntactic priming task affect typically developing children's use and generalization of auxi...
MP05-09 TRENDS IN EXTENDED-DURATION POSTOPERATIVE VENOUS THROMBOEMBOLISM PROPHYLAXIS FOLLOWING RADICAL CYSTECTOMY AMONG COMMERCIALLY INSURED PATIENTS IN THE UNITED STATES

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES:Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is an important cause of morbidity following radical cystectomy (RC) for bladder cancer. Accumulating evidence suggests that the risk of pos...
Treatment with inhaled nitric oxide is associated with improved survival in preterm neonates diagnosed with pulmonary hypoplasia

Purpose: We conducted this study to test our hypothesis that inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) therapy is associated with improved survival in preterm neonates with pulmonary hypoplasia (PH). In the setting of preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM), an otherwise normally developed fetus may develop PH. PPROM-associated PH often presents as severe hypoxic respiratory failure and may be complicated by persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN). Given the high mortality rate of PH among preterm neonates, many neonatologists prescribe iNO as a rescue therapy despite the limited evidence of its safety and effectiveness in this patient …
Complexity And Availability for Fusion Power Plants: The Potential Advantages of Inertial Fusion Energy

Probably the single largest advantage of the inertial route to fusion energy (IFE) is the perception that its power plant embodiments could achieve acceptable capacity factors. This is a result of its relative simplicity, the decoupling of the driver and reactor chamber, and the potential to employ thick liquid walls. We examine these issues in terms of the complexity, reliability, maintainability and, therefore, availability of both magnetic and inertial fusion power plants and compare these factors with corresponding scheduled and unscheduled outage data from present day fission experience. We stress that, given the simple nature of a fission core, the vast majority of unplanned outages in fission plants are due to failures outside the reactor vessel itself. Given we must be prepared for similar outages in the analogous plant external to a fusion power core, this puts severe demands on the reliability required of the fusion core itself. We indicate that such requirements can probably be met for IFE plants. We recommend that this advantage be promoted by performing a quantitative reliability and availability study for a representative IFE power plant and suggest that databases are probably adequate for this task.
What Makes for a Good OCT for Glaucoma

Optical coherence tomographt (OCT) is now used daily for the diagnosis, therapeutic decision-making, and follow-up of glaucoma. In order for OCT to serve its purpose efficiently, correct interpretation of its output requires good knowledge of what constitutes a good and bad scan. A good scan is characterized by the absence of any artifact whereas a bad scan has one or multiple artifacts that must be recognized. Failure to identify the artifacts can lead to misdiagnosis and inappropriate management. This chapter presents the various types of scan artifacts obtained with different OCT devices in glaucoma clinics and explains how to identify them.
Factors affecting opioid management for injured children after hospital discharge.

Abstract Introduction Prescription opioid misuse is a national crisis. Injured children often receive opioid medication at hospital discharge, but the role these prescriptions play in the opioid crisis has not been fully elucidated. Whether these opioids are administered, the duration of severe pain requiring opioids, and what the final disposition of unused opioids is in this population remain unknown. Methods A survey of parent/guardian perceptions of their child's pain after injury, duration of opioid administration, opioid storage and disposal, and perceptions of opioid education was designed. During a 12-month period, parents of injured children admitted to an ACS Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center were prospectively enrolled by convenience sample. Surveys were in two steps with an enrollment survey prior to discharge and a follow-up survey 7–10 days after discharge. Results Seventy of 114 (61.4%) enrolled parents/guardians completed follow-up survey. Of the 79.1% that reported an opioid prescription for their child, 92.5% filled it. Of those reporting on opioid usage, 10.4% never used the opioid, 75% used opioids 7 days. Of those who filled the opioid prescription, 83.7% reported having leftover doses. Reasons for discontinuing opioids included the child no longer had pain (87.2%), the child ran out of medication (5.1%), other (7.7%). Regarding storage, 53.3% reported utilizing an unlocked bathroom cabinet, and 81.3% unlocked kitchen space. Of those reporting unused opioids, 83.3% reported not disposing them, and 38.2% reported no plan for disposal. Conclusion The majority of parents/guardians of injured children report resolution of severe pain requiring opioids within 72 h of hospital discharge, and virtually all by 7 days. The majority of injured children were prescribed a greater number of doses than they needed to treat their pain. Many parents/guardians store opioids in unsecure locations and a significant proportion report no plan to dispose of unused opioid doses. Further investigation is warranted to quantify and address the gap between pain control needs and opioid prescribing practices. The rate of unsecure storage and plan to retain unused opioids are potential targets for discharge opioid education. Type of study Cross-sectional survey. Level of Evidence Level IV.
More than “just a driver”: A study of professional women racecar drivers' agency in motorsport

Abstract Objectives Motorsport is among the largest sports nationally and globally (Ross, Ridinger, & Cuneen, 2009), and racecar driving constitutes a leading motorsport (Pflugfelder, 2009). Missing, however, is empirical work that captures professional female racecar drivers' agentic experiences (Pflugfelder, 2009). In that racecar driving is one of few sports in which women compete alongside men, insight into how women drivers navigate this performance arena can offer a unique perspective on contemporary gender dynamics. Design Qualitative study design informed by a cultural praxis agenda consisted of semi-structured interviews with 8 current or former professional female racecar drivers. Method This study adopted an abductive (inductive and deductive) approach (Sparks & Smith, 2014). Inductive analysis allowed researchers to capture women's diverse agentic experiences. Deductive analysis using cultural praxis and gender (poststructural) perspectives offered a more nuanced understanding of women's agentic experiences and their potential (dis)empowering effects. Results Results highlights four key themes: (1) entry into racecar driving: family and fatherly influence; (2) marginalizing beliefs, behaviors, and industry barriers; (3) navigating the space: negotiating gender and its (dis)empowering effects; and (4) promoting girls and women in autoracing. Results reveal various dimensions of sexism and sportswomen's agentic experiences. Conclusion Researchers can heed women drivers' call for knowledge translation efforts that attend to their unique needs and strengths, and disseminate empirical findings in accessible ways. Future research that takes up a cultural praxis agenda is vital to contest constraining gender binaries and deficit-based discourses about women athletes for the promotion of gender equity in motorsport.
Rejoinder of “On studying extreme values and systematic risks with nonlinear time series models and tail dependence measures”

I am pleased that my review article has stimulated such broader and thoughtful discussions in probability theory, theoretical statistics, estimation methods, and applications. The discussants have ...
Changes in sleep amount and sleep quality due to the COVID-19 pandemic confinement associate with ratings of health and stress

Introduction: In March 2020, an unprecedented number of individuals were confined to their homes in an effort to stem the spread of the novel Coronavirus (Covid-19), however the impact of this confinement on health and behavior is unknown. Long-duration confinement studies have found effects on homeostatic biology and neurobehavioral functions, including reduced sleep durations. This study evaluated how confinement due to Covid-19 has impacted health and stress through changes in sleep. Methods: The Anonymous Survey on Confinement during the COVID-19 Pandemic was available online to any individual ≥18 years of age through the Penn Medicine Clinical Research webpage on May 14, 2020 and the data presented are through October 24, 2020. The survey collected self-reported information on demographics, the amount and quality of sleep, as well as ratings of health and stress. To determine the impact of confinement on these domains, participants were asked to answer questions relative to pre-confinement levels. To test associations between sleep amounts and sleep quality on health and stress, generalized linear models were used and adjusted for age, sex, and race. Results: N=228 participants (n=180 female [79.0%]) were on average 45.0±17.1 years of age. During confinement relative to preconfinement, 41.7% of participants reported sleeping more, 37.3% reported sleeping the same amount, and 21.0% reported less sleep, while 14.0% reported better sleep quality, 47.4% the same, and 38.6% worse quality of sleep relative to pre-confinement. Ratings of worse health during confinement were associated with both reduced sleep amount (β=0.695;P<0.0001) and worse sleep quality (β=0.532;P=0.0002). Lower stress ratings were associated with increased sleep amount (β=0.734;P=0.034), better sleep quality (β=1.396;P=0.0002), better health ratings (β=-0.079;P=0.0045). Conversely, worse sleep quality was associated with higher stress ratings (β=-1.086;P=0.0007). Conclusion: The confinement resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the amount and quality of sleep and good sleep may help to reduce stress and maintain health. These findings highlight the need to further examine how long-term confinement influences human health and behavior and warrant examining what factors or life-style behaviors promote resilience to the negative effects of confinement.
Theoretical studies of Ir5Th and Ir5Ce nanoscale precipitates in Ir

Experimentally, it is known that very small amounts of thorium and/or cerium added to iridium metal form a precipitate, Ir5Th/Ir5Ce, which improves the high-temperature mechanical properties of the resulting alloys. We demonstrate that there are low-energy configurations for nanoscale precipitates of these phases in Ir, and that these coherent arrangements may assist in producing improved mechanical properties. One precipitate/matrix orientation gives a particularly low interfacial energy, and a low lattice misfit. Nanolayer precipitates with this orientation are found to be likely to form with little driving force to coarsen. The predicted morphology of the precipitates and their orientation with the matrix phase provide a potential experiment that could be used to test these predictions.
Precision global measurements of London penetration depth in FeTe 0.58 Se 0.42

We report tunnel diode resonator measurements of in-plane London penetration depth, $\lambda(T)$, in optimally-doped single crystals of Fe(Te$_{0.58}$Se$_{0.42}$) with $T_c\sim$ 14.8 K. Systematic measurements were carried out for six samples with different size and surface roughness. The power-law behavior, $\Delta \lambda(T) = A T^n$ was found for all samples with the average exponent $n_{avg} = 2.3 \pm 0.1$ and the pre-factor $A_{avg} = 1.0 \pm 0.2$ nm/K$^{2.3}$. The average superfluid density is well described by the self-consistent two-gap $\gamma$ model resulting in $\Delta_{_{I}}(0)/k_B T_c$ = 1.93 and $\Delta_{_{II}}(0)/k_B T_c$ = 0.9. By analyzing the data obtained on samples of different size and deliberately introduced surface roughness, it is concluded that the calibration procedure used to obtain $\lambda(T)$ from the measured TDR frequency shift is quite robust and the uncertainty in sample dimensions and the nature of surface roughness play only minor role. The exponent $n$, directly related to the superconducting gap structure, remains virtually unchanged. The calibration - dependent pre-factor $A$ shows some variation, but stays within reasonable margin ruling out some recent suggestions that surface conditions can significantly affect the results. Our results confirm that precision global measurements provide the most objective information regarding temperature - dependent London penetration depth.
Internationalization and the Internet: A New Outlook on International Marketing

The information society and the network organization form the basis for a new business management. Today, we speak of horizontal structures, flexibility in processes, and teamwork. These changes in the global economy have influenced the development of International Business and International Marketing. Moreover, thanks to the Internet, the mass market has become a niche market and companies have more opportunities to access foreign markets. Finally, there are several online tools to potentiate the internationalization of enterprises and brand management, allowing for the construction of long-term relationships with other parts of the supply chain.
Correlation of modification of heart rate recovery with adaptation to myocardial ischemia in a model of sequential exercise testings.

Background: Heart rate recovery (HRR) has been identified as a reliable predictor of cardiac mortality, correlated with autonomic tone. In a model of sequential exercise testings, we investigated the reproducibility of HRR and the association between HRR modification and myocardial adaptation to ischemia. Methods: We studied 128 patients (mean age 62 ± 9 years, 83% males) with angiographically documented coronary artery disease (CAD) and a first positive exercise testing, who agreed to undergo a second exercise testing after 24 hours. Results: HRR was increased from 25 ± 10 beats/min at the first exercise testing to 30 ± 13 beats/min at the second exercise testing (P < 0.001). Thereafter, participants were divided into two groups: Group I comprised 88 patients who presented augmentation of the HRR in the first compared to the second exercise testing, while group II comprised 40 patients who presented unchanged or reduced HRR. The rate-pressure product (RPP) at 1 mm ST-segment depression (ischemic threshold) at the second compared to the first exercise testing were significantly improved in group I patients (2345 ± 3429 mmHg/min), while it was worsened in group II patients (−630 ± 2510 mmHg/min) (P < 0.001). Conclusions: In a model of sequential exercise testings, myocardial adaptation to exercise-induced ischemia was associated with favorable modification of HRR.
ANTIOXIDANT STATUS OF INSULIN DEPENDENT DIABETICS

Keywords: diabetes, child, selenium, glutathione peroxidase, vitamin A, vitamin E, antioxidants
Simple Case of Optimization for Transient Vibrations

This note describes the calculation of the optimal shape of a cantilever beam under two simple cases of transient loading.
Utility of a composite measure to detect problematic alcohol use in persons with traumatic brain injury.

Cherner M, Temkin NR, Machamer JE, Dikmen SS. Utility of a composite measure to detect problematic alcohol use in persons with traumatic brain injury. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2001;82:780-6. Objectives: To examine factors complicating the study of alcohol-related effects in traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients and to evaluate a composite measure to categorize such patients according to degree of alcohol-related problems. Design: Inception cohort. Setting: Level I trauma center. Patients: Consecutively hospitalized adult TBI patients (n = 156; 73% men; 87% Caucasian; mean age, 30yr; mean education, 12yr). Selection criteria required objective evidence of brain trauma; minimum survival of 1 month postinjury; age 15 years or older; and English speaking. Main Outcome Measures: An index of problematic drinking based on a measure created by combining blood-alcohol level, quantity-frequency of consumption, and the Short Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test. Preinjury characteristics were obtained through structured interview. Results: Participants with highly problematic drinking showed poorer premorbid psychosocial functioning, including lower educational attainment, greater likelihood of problems with the law, lower perceived social support, and greater prevalence of other substance abuse. Conclusion: The composite index is useful in identifying problematic drinkers among TBI patients. Results have implications for interpreting and planning research on the role of alcohol in TBI outcomes.
The Construction of White, Black, and Korean American Identities through African American Vernacular English

Discussions of racialized language rarely consider the linguistic practices of Asian Americans. This article examines one Korean American male student's conversational use of lexical elements from an imagined version of African American Vernacular English (AAVE). Although the speaker's linguistic practices maintain the dominance of whiteness in racial ideologies in the United States, his particular uses of AAVE index his relationship with both whiteness and blackness. He thereby projects a distinctively Korean American male identity in the context of existing discourses of race and gender in the United States.
Amine templated two- and three-dimensional uranyl sulfates.

Structural variability in amine template uranyl sulfate frameworks is observed with two- and three-dimensional structures containing channels of dimensions 7.4 A× 5.1 A, 36 A× 5.8 A, and 10 A× 10 A.
Microwave activation of the mutarotation of α-D-glucose: An example of an interinsic microwave effect

The mutarotation reaction of α-D-glucose in ethanol–water solvent in a modified commercial microwave oven, when compared with control reactions carried out at identical temperatures, shows a non-thermal microwave effect, evidenced both by a more rapid reaction and by a change in relative amounts of α- and β-D-glucose over time.
Influence of Ni nanoparticle addition and spark plasma sintering on the TiNiSn–Ni system: Structure, microstructure, and thermoelectric properties

The electronic and thermal properties of thermoelectric materials are highly dependent on their microstructure and therefore on the preparation conditions, including the initial synthesis and, if applicable, densification of the obtained powders. Introduction of secondary phases on the nano- and/or microscale is widely used to improve the thermoelectric figure of merit by reduction of the thermal conductivity. In order to understand the effect of the preparation technique on structure and properties, we have studied the thermoelectric properties of the well-known half-Heusler TiNiSn with addition of a small amount of nickel nanoparticles. The different parameters are the initial synthesis (levitation melting and microwave heating), the amount of nickel nanoparticles added and the exact pressing profile using spark plasma sintering. The resulting materials have been characterized by synchrotron X-ray diffraction and microprobe measurements and their thermoelectric properties are investigated. We found the lowest (lattice) thermal conductivity in samples with full-Heusler TiNi2Sn and Ni3Sn4 as secondary phases.
Doppler echocardiography in aortic stenosis: feasibility and clinical impact

Abstract The clinical utility of Doppler echocardiography for the assessment of aortic stenosis was prospectively studied in 425 consecutive patients referred to the echocardiography laboratory over 1 year with the clinical diagnosis of aortic stenosis. Optimal peak Doppler velocities were obtained in 405 (95%) patients of all ages. In 108 patients, the severity of aortic stenosis as determined by subsequent cardiac catheterization was compared with that found by Doppler assessment. Categorization of severity was concordant in 8 (89%) of 9 cases of mild aortic stenosis and in 28 (78%) of 36 cases of severe aortic stenosis, but there was considerable diagnostic overlap in cases of moderate stenosis. Forty-nine patients with mild aortic stenosis as determined clinically had moderate or severe stenosis as assessed by Doppler; 7 (14%) of these patients underwent subsequent replacement of the aortic valve. Increased aortic velocity, as determined by Doppler, was associated with a significant incidence of subsequent (mean follow-up period, 22 months) cardiac events (cardiac death, aortic valvar replacement, New York Heart Association functional class III or IV). Patients with mild aortic stenosis as assessed by Doppler (peak aortic velocity 95% event-free survival at 1 year and rarely required cardiac catheterization. Conversely, only 45% of patients with severe aortic stenosis as determined by Doppler were free of a cardiovascular event at 1 year. Although the noninvasive assessment of aortic stenosis should ideally include determination of the area of the aortic valve and the mean aortic gradient by Doppler echocardiography, this is not always possible. Prognostic information derived from peak aortic velocity alone is clinically useful. It has the additional advantage that it is much less laborious and time-consuming to obtain and is obtainable in almost all (99%) patients.
Generalized weighing matrices and self-orthogonal codes

It is shown that the row spaces of certain generalized weighing matrices, Bhaskar Rao designs, and generalized Hadamard matrices over a finite field of order q are hermitian self-orthogonal codes. Certain matrices of minimum rank yield optimal codes. In the special case when q=4, the codes are linked to quantum error-correcting codes, including some codes with optimal parameters.
Biosorption of uranium by Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain CSU immobilized in a novel matrix

Pseudomonas aeruginosa CSU, a nongenetically engineered bacterial strain previously shown to bind dissolved hexavalent uranium (as UO22+ and/or its cationic hydroxy complexes), shows promise as the basis of an immobilized-cell process for removal of dissolved uranium from contaminated wastewaters. A number of polymeric materials, including calcium alginate, polyacrylamide, polysulfone, and polyurethane, were evaluated as possible immobilization matrices for lyophilized biomass of P. aeruginosa CSU. Polyurethane-based materials such as hydrogel were identified as superior candidates for biomass immobilization. A novel polyurethane gel-bead fabrication technique was developed and successfully demonstrated at pilot-plant scale for producing mass quantities of spherical, uniform-size beads. The immobilized bacterial biomass was evaluated via the measurement of sorption isotherms and dynamics within a batch, stirred-tank reactor; and loading and elution behavior within a continuous, upflow, packed-bed columnar reactor. Sorption equilibrium and dynamics in a batch stirred tank were modeled with a pore-diffusion mass transfer model, by which a pore-diffusion coefficient was determined to be approximately 2.0 × 10−6 cm2/s for uranyl ion transport through the polyurethane gel matrix. The biosorbent beads were regenerable with dilute (0.01–0.1 M) sodium carbonate solutions. Preliminary column breakthrough-elution studies indicated that P. aeruginosa CSU biomass immobilized within polyurethane gel beads was effective for removal of uranium from low-concentration, acidic wastewaters.
A protocol for the measurement of myocardial blood volume and water exchange

Background Organ perfusion can be quantified by direct calibration of relative perfusion images using absolute blood volume (ml/100g) [1]. It is well known that for an intravascular gadolinium-based T1 shortening contrast agent, the parenchymal T1 change reflects tissue blood volume [2].However, to accurately quantify blood flow from blood volume, we must describe the compartmentalization effects of intrato extra-vascular water exchange [2,3].
Z-Bisdehydrodoisynolic acid (Z-BDDA): an estrogenic seco-steroid that enhances behavioral recovery following moderate fluid percussion brain injury in male rats.

Several lines of research suggest that estrogens (and estrogenic compounds) are neuroprotective following experimental traumatic brain injury. However, therapeutic use of estrogens in this and other regards remains controversial. Therefore, analysis of estrogen-like compounds without potential problems similar to estrogens seems warranted. (±) Z-Bisdehydrodoisynolic acid (Z-BDDA) is a seco-steroid that has potent estrogenic as well as antioxidant activities in vitro and in vivo. We evaluated the therapeutic potential of Z-BDDA (300 μg/0.1 cc/100 g body weight, sc) to promote the recovery of behavioral function following lateral fluid percussion injury (FPI) to the brain in male rats. Two hours subsequent to FPI, treatment with Z-BDDA began with a bolus subcutaneous (sc) injection followed by booster treatments given 24 and 48 h later. Behavioral testing was initiated on the second day after FPI and results of Z-BDDA treatments were compared to treatment with vehicle only and to sham FPI surgery. Z-BDDA effectively enhanced recovery of coordinated limb movement assessed by locomotor placing performance across the duration of the study. Z-BDDA treated animals also performed better on a spatial memory task in the Morris water maze, showing improved learning curves across days of testing. Vestibulomotor function, measured by beam walk performance, appeared to improve in Z-BDDA treated animals, however these results did not reach statistical significance (p > 0.05). Following cessation of the behavioral testing, all animals underwent assessments of gross neuroanatomical pathology. Cortical lesion size and cell death analysis with Fluoro-jade B failed to reveal Z-BDDA enhanced neuroprotection. These findings support our hypothesis that Z-BDDA can facilitate behavioral recovery following FPI in adult male rats although the mechanism(s) of these effects remain to be determined.
Dependence of expected heterozygosity on locus number with stabilizing selection and drift

I determine expected levels of heterozygosity in two allele multilocus models with mutation, stabilizing selection and drift. In the range 2 to 32 loci, the per locus heterozygosity can depend on the locus number. The per locus heterozygosity for ten loci can be as low as three fourths of the per locus heterozygosity in the limit, as the number of loci gets large. Simulations indicate that this dependence on locus number is not due to the population approaching equilibria at which the mean differs from the optimum, but is due to changes in the substitution rate as a function of the number of loci.
Synthesis of Silicon Nano-Dendrites

Recent interests on the science at nanometer-scale, have led to successful synthesis of a growing number of nanostructures such as zero-dimension semiconductor quantum dots [1] and C 60 fullerene [2] and one-dimensional carbon nanotubes [3], metallic nanowires [4] and inorganic nanorods [5]. More complex structuressjunctions beyond simple dots and lines that are essential for eventual molecular electronic applications, however, have not been realized via non-lithographic methods. Here we report the synthesis of a new branched silicon nanostructure which we call Silicon Nano-Dendrite (SiND) by Laser ablation.
Scapholunate interosseous ligament injuries: a retrospective review of treatment and outcomes in 82 wrists.

Purpose To compare outcomes of treatment for scapholunate instability between acute ( 6 wk) injuries, between complete and partial tears, and among surgical techniques; identify risk factors for surgical failure; and compare ligament reconstruction with repair with or without capsulodesis in the chronic period. Methods We performed a retrospective chart review of 82 primary scapholunate interosseous ligament surgeries, with median follow-up of 150 days. A total of 27 patients underwent surgery in the acute period and 50 in the chronic period. (In 5 patients we were unable to determine acuity or chronicity of injury.) In the chronic period, 16 patients underwent repair with or without capsulodesis, 27 underwent ligament reconstruction, and 7 underwent other procedures. Results Surgical intervention in the acute setting involved more complex injuries, most commonly used direct repair, and produced a significantly lower failure rate than chronic intervention. In the chronic setting, the most common technique was ligament reconstruction, which produced superior radiographic outcomes compared with repair with or without capsulodesis. Isolated scapholunate interosseous ligament injuries undergoing chronic surgical intervention composed the majority of failures. Workers' compensation status and chronic intervention were significant risk factors for failure. Conclusions For chronic injuries, ligament reconstruction produced better radiographic outcomes than repair with or without capsulodesis. Acute intervention (within 6 wk) was preferable to chronic intervention for scapholunate interosseous ligament injuries, and a substantial number of isolated injuries failed to receive treatment in the acute period. Type of study/level of evidence Therapeutic III.
Experimental auger electron spectrum of ammonia

Abstract The first electron excited Auger electron spectrum for gas-phase ammonia has been obtained and is compared with an existing theoretical prediction. Decomposition of the spectrum using a gaussian approximation reveals close agreement in both intensity and energy for the higher energy components provided the theoretical data is shifted toward lower energies by ≈ 2.7 eV. As the transitions involve progressively deeper final state levels there is a general trend of increasing widths and increasing discrepancy towards lower energy with respect to their predicted positions. Such behavior has been seen in other experimental—theoretical comparisons of gas-phase Auger results and while the variation in widths is interpreted in terms of transitions to a manifold of final state vibrational levels, the nature of the differential shift in the lower energy components is unclear.
Simultaneous scheduling of machines and automated guided vehicles in flexible manufacturing systems using genetic algorithms

The problem of simultaneous scheduling of machines and vehicles in flexible manufacturing system (FMS) was addressed. A spreadsheet based genetic algorithm (GA) approach was presented to solve the problem. A domain independent general purpose GA was used, which was an add-in to the spreadsheet software. An adaptation of the propritary GA software was demonstrated to the problem of minimizing the total completion time or makespan for simultaneous scheduling of machines and vehicles in flexible manufacturing systems. Computational results are presented for a benchmark with 82 test problems, which have been constructed by other researchers. The achieved results are comparable to the previous approaches. The proposed approach can be also applied to other problems or objective functions without changing the GA routine or the spreadsheet model.
Met-enkephalin effects on associations formed in utero

Abstract Rat fetuses exposed to an odor stimulus and an aversive stimulus in utero showed an aversion to the odor when tested 16 days postnatally. Fetuses that also received 80 μg/kg Met-enkephalin showed a greater aversion to the odor stimulus than those subjects that did not receive the peptide. The difference between these groups was marginally significant. Control subjects did not show an aversion. But, subjects exposed to the odor and Met-enkephalin without the aversive stimulus, when tested, showed a significant preference for the odor over other control groups. These data show that associative learning in rat fetuses at 20 days of gestation may be enhanced by administration of Met-enkephalin.
Digital System for Converting Spectrophotometric Data to CIE Coordinates, Dominant Wavelength, and Excitation Purity

A data-gathering system automatically enters spectrophotometric data on paper tape. The data are converted to CIE chromaticity coordinates, dominant wavelength, and excitation purity by a digital computer. The computer uses a weighted-ordinate method for calculating the CIE coordinates, and determines the dominant wavelength and excitation purity associated with these coordinates by a table-searching technique. The system is used for both transmittance and reflectance data.