cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clinical Decision Support Tools and a Standardized Order Set Enhances Early Enteral Nutrition in Critically Ill Children

BACKGROUND Critically ill children in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) have unique nutrition needs that are challenging to achieve and thus are at high risk of malnutrition. There is increasing evidence that children who reach caloric goals early have improved outcomes. The purpose of this initiative was to implement an enteral nutrition (EN) algorithm in a tertiary care PICU utilizing clinical decision support tools (CDSTs) and a standardized order set within an electronic health record. METHODS A quality improvement initiative was undertaken to implement an EN feeding protocol using electronic CDSTs, including a new standardized order set. RESULTS In a historical cohort of 376 patients, only 18% met goal EN in the first 48 hours of admission. The EN protocol was implemented in 272 patients who met 88% goal feed volume within 48 hours of intensive care unit admission. Median time to start EN (1.7 vs 1.3 days, P < 0.0001) and time to goal nutrition (2.8 vs 2.2 days, P < 0.001) improved after project implementation. Length of stay in the PICU was significantly reduced following protocol implementation (202 hours pre-implementation vs 156 hours post implementation, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS We used CDSTs and standardized order sets to implement a nutrition algorithm to facilitate and likely improve the nutrition care of critically ill children.
Mental health professionals' evaluations of the integral intake, a metatheory-based, idiographic intake instrument

This study assessed mental health experts' comparative evaluations of the two existing published idiographic intake instruments, the Adlerian-based Life-Style Introductory Interview (LI) and the Multimodal Life History Inventory (MI), along with Marquis' (2002; in press) newly developed Integral Intake (II), grounded in Ken Wilber's (1999d) integral theory. Fifty-eight counseling/psychotherapy educators and experienced mental health practitioners perused the three instruments and then used the author-developed Evaluation Form to respond to open-ended questions, as well as to rate and rank them on 11 dimensions: the instrument's overall helpfulness, comprehensiveness, and efficiency, and 8 fundamental dimensions of clients (thoughts, emotions, behaviors, physical aspects, culture, environmental systems, spirituality, and what is most meaningful to them). Respondents evaluated the LI consistently worst, and the II better than the MI on all three instrument dimensions and four of the eight client dimensions....
Creep Crack Growth in High-Temperature Impure Helium Environments

Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) designs for very-high-temperature reactors (VHTR) employ intermediate heat exchanger (IHX) for which the material demands are extreme. Currently, Alloy 617 and Alloy 800H are considered to be among the candidate materials for the high-temperature, helium-cooled environments that are planned for these systems. The primary helium coolant is expected to operate at temperatures at or above 750 °C, and creep crack growth (CCG) of these candidate alloys is of particular concern for their reliability in VHTRs for long-term service. Using an apparatus that was designed and constructed in-house, CCG testing was conducted on compact tension specimens at temperatures up to 850 °C in controlled environments, including air and impure helium, following ASTM standard E 1457-07. Overall, our CCG testing revealed that Alloy 617 exhibits superior resistance to creep crack growth compared to Alloy 800H. Trends observed in the mechanical behavior and microstructure of the candidate alloys as a function of environment will be discussed.
Quadriplegic Sexuality: Demystifying Misconceptions

A common misconception about people with quadriplegia is that they cannot or do not have sex. Most research on sex and disability focuses on anatomy and physiology. Research regarding sex as leisur...
China's Changing Political Warfare: The Case of Japan

Abstract Efforts by the People's Republic of China to influence Japan to espouse policies favored by Beijing have been far less noticeable than those involving other countries, particularly Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom. In part, this is due to the more closed nature of Japanese society compared to other democratic states. Ironically, Japan has been criticized for what some observers see as exclusionary attitudes. In this sense, such attitudes have provided a measure of protection from China's efforts. Some of these attempts at political influence have succeeded nonetheless. Japan's desire to participate fully in the Chinese market, as well as the forces of globalization, have increased its vulnerability, while the government recently has undertaken efforts to address these vulnerabilities.
Symptom Screening at Illness Onset of Health Care Personnel With SARS-CoV-2 Infection in King County, Washington.

This study assessed the spectrum of initial symptoms at the onset of polymerase chain reaction–confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among health care personnel in King County, Washington.
Prediction of Intrinsic Ferroelectricity and Large Piezoelectricity in Monolayer Arsenic Chalcogenides

Two-dimensional materials that exhibit spontaneous electric polarization are of notable interest for functional materials. However, despite the prediction of many two-dimensional polar materials, t...
Public Online Interest in Injuries Sustained by National Football League Quarterbacks

Purpose To use Google search data to determine the public’s interest in learning about athletic injuries sustained by NFL quarterbacks and to investigate how long this interest persists after the injuries. Methods We identified starting NFL quarterbacks during the 2019–2020 season online and used the official NFL injury report to determine whether an injury had occurred to a quarterback. We used the Google Trends tool to analyze search trends around a quarterback’s injuries from July 22, 2019, to October 22, 2019. Google trends data was extracted as relative search volume over time. We then compared the results to the expected search forecast derived from an autoregressive integrated moving algorithm (ARIMA) model. Results All 6 injured quarterbacks were associated with increases (64% to 100%) in relative search volumes for terms related to their injury. Furthermore, the data showed a consistent increase in search engine activity around the injuries associated with NFL quarterbacks in the first 3 days, marking a particularly influential time frame for public engagement. Conclusion Our data show an increase in Google traffic surrounding the injuries of prominent NFL quarterbacks within the first 3 days following their injuries. Clinical Relevance Social media can provide a platform for patient education through increasing patient awareness and knowledge regarding athletic injuries.
Exposure to glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists reduces glaucoma risk.

Abstract Importance Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists regulate blood glucose and are commonly used to treat Type II Diabetes Mellitus. Recent work has shown that treatment with the novel GLP-1R agonist, NLY01, decreased retinal neuroinflammation and glial activation to rescue retinal ganglion cells in an animal model of glaucoma. Objective In this study, we used an insurance claims database to examine whether GLP-1R agonist exposure impacts glaucoma risk. Design, Setting, and Participants A retrospective cohort of adult patients who initiated a new GLP-1R agonist (i.e., exenatide, liraglutide, albiglutide, dulaglutide, semaglutide, or lixisenatide) was 1:3 age, gender, race, active diabetes medication classes, and year of index date matched to a cohort of patients who initiated a different class of oral diabetic medication during their time in the database. Exclusion occurred for Exposure Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist. Main Outcomes and Measures New diagnosis of primary open angle glaucoma, glaucoma suspect, or low tension glaucoma. Results Cohorts were comprised of 1,961 new users of GLP-1R agonists matched to 4,371 unexposed controls. After IPTW, age was the only covariate imbalanced (SMD >0.1) between cohorts. Ten new diagnoses of glaucoma (0.51%) were present in the GLP-1R agonist cohort compared to 58 (1.33%) in the unexposed controls. After adjustment, GLP-1R exposure conferred a reduced hazard of 0.54 (95%CI: 0.35-0.85, P =0.007), suggesting that GLP-1R agonists reduce the risk for glaucoma. Conclusions and Relevance GLP-1R agonist use was associated with a statistically significant hazard reduction for a new glaucoma diagnosis. Our findings support further investigations into the use of GLP-1R agonists in glaucoma prevention.
Inference of Control Structures in Adaptive Networked Systems

A networked system is made up of three layers of abstraction: an infrastructure sub-system that realizes the physical & logical resources, a service-support system that maps the infrastructure components into usable objects, and an adaptation support system that decides on suitable allocation of resources to various applications to attain a desired QoS behavior. The system layers are under purview of different administrative regimes, interacting via inter-layer service interfaces (such as IaaS/SaaS layers in a cloud-hosted service). In this setting, the service-support system has multiple stake-holders: such as QoS adaptation agents, resource-aware end-users, QoS auditors, and reconfiguration managers. These stake-holders often need to dynamically infer the control structures employed in the service-support system (e.g., the topological placement of content caching sites in a CDN). Obtaining an accurate system tomography in the face of changing external environment conditions is critical to the realization of diverse stake-holder goals. The paper outlines the strategies and mechanisms to infer the system-internals for specific needs. Topology inferencing in a rate-adaptive video multicast network of content caching/rendering sites (e.g., NetFlix) is also described.
Experimental effects of a preschool STEM professional learning model on educators’ attitudes, beliefs, confidence, and knowledge

Early science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education matters for young children’s learning and their academic trajectories (McClure et al., 2017), but teachers must be empowered and su...
Adolescents’ Perceptions About Cancer and Preferences for Cancer Education

BackgroundCancer is one of the leading causes of death within the United States. Adolescence remains a critical stage of development in which new cognitive skills and lifestyle factors related to c...
Identification of Parameters in Finite Leaky Aquifer System

Existing methods for analyzing leaky artesian systems are graphical procedures which involve inflection-point estimation and extrapolation of field data, or superposition and matching, or both, of field data to a family of theoretical curves provided that analytical solutions are attainable. At present, there is not analytical method that treats a leaky artesian system of finite configuration. A systematic procedure for the identification of aquifer parameters in a finite leaky artesian system is developed that converts field observations directly to system parameters. The parameters to be identified are the transmissivity and storativity of the main aquifer and the leakage factor of the system. The algorithm involves finite difference approximation and quasilinearization in conjunction with least-squares optimization. Examples that demonstrate the applicability of the algorithm are presented.
Potential climate impact of black carbon emitted by rockets

[1] A new type of hydrocarbon rocket engine is expected to power a fleet of suborbital rockets for commercial and scientific purposes in coming decades. A global climate model predicts that emissions from a fleet of 1000 launches per year of suborbital rockets would create a persistent layer of black carbon particles in the northern stratosphere that could cause potentially significant changes in the global atmospheric circulation and distributions of ozone and temperature. Tropical stratospheric ozone abundances are predicted to change as much as 1%, while polar ozone changes by up to 6%. Polar surface temperatures change as much as one degree K regionally with significant impacts on polar sea ice fractions. After one decade of continuous launches, globally averaged radiative forcing from the black carbon would exceed the forcing from the emitted CO2 by a factor of about 105 and would be comparable to the radiative forcing estimated from current subsonic aviation.
Winning in asia, u.s. style: market and nonmarket strategies for success

PART I: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK Analyzing American Firms' Market and Nonmarket Strategies in Asia V.K.Aggarwal U.S. Foreign Direct Investment in Asia S.Urata PART II: CASE STUDIES American Presence in Accountancy Services in Japan F.Kimura Finding the Right Chemistry: The U.S. Chemical Industry in Asia K.Lin The American Automobile Industry in Asia B.Crawford & N.Biziouras American Telecommunications in Japan T.Yamada American Software in Asia: Enterprise Software in Japan and Beyond T.Nakagawa Market and Nonmarket Strategies of the U.S. Electronics Industry J.Ravenhill PART III: CONCLUSION Lessons from American Firms' Strategies in Asia V.K.Aggarwal
A Bayesian statistical model to characterize blood pressure increase in salt-sensitive hypertension in the rat (856.6)

In salt-sensitive rat models of hypertension, characteristic patterns of increase in blood pressure (BP) are observed when salt intake in the diet is increased. In this study, we used a Bayesian st...
Early Intracellular Events in the Replication of Bacteriophage T4 Deoxyribonucleic Acid V. Further Studies on the T4 Protein-Deoxyribonucleic Acid Complex

Abstract Soon after infection parental deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) enters a structure sedimenting fast to the bottom of a sucrose gradient. The addition of chloramphenicol (CM) prevents formation of this structure, whereas treatment with Pronase releases DNA which sediments thereafter with the speed characteristic of phenol-extracted replicative DNA. It is assumed therefore that the structure responsible for fast sedimentation of replicative DNA is a newly synthesized protein. Those fast-sedimenting complexes contain preferentially the replicative form of parental DNA; this was proven by density labeling experiments. Progeny DNA labeled with 3H-thymidine added after infection can also be detected preferentially in this fast-sedimenting moiety. The association of the DNA with the complexing protein is of a colinear or quasi-colinear type. This was proven by introducing double-strand scissions into DNA embedded in the replicative complex; double-strand scissions do not liberate DNA from the fast-sedimenting complex. Despite the apparent intimate relation between protein and DNA, DNA residing in complexes is fully sensitive to the action of nucleases. Shortly prior to the appearance of the fast-sedimenting complex, parental DNA displays still another characteristic: at about 3 min after infection, it sediments faster than reference, but sizeably slower than the complex which appears at roughly 4 to 5 min after infection. The transition between these two fast-sedimenting types of moieties is not continuous. This fast-sedimenting intermediate, which appears at 3 min after infection, cannot be inhibited by the addition of CM either at the moment or prior to infection. Fast-sedimenting intermediate can be destroyed by sodium dodecyl sulfate, Pronase, or phenol extraction. The progeny DNA labeled with 3H-thymidine between 3 and 3.5 min after infection can be recovered in fast-sedimenting intermediate. The contribution of newly synthesized progeny DNA is so small that it cannot be detected as a shift of the parental density in a density labeling experiment. Small fragments of progeny DNA recovered in fast-sedimenting intermediate are not covalentlv attached to parental molecules and represent both strands of T4 DNA.
The Third Amendment, Privacy and Mass Surveillance

We live in an era of mass surveillance. Advertisers, corporations and the government engage in widespread data collection and analysis, using such avenues as cell phone location information, the Internet, camera observations, and drones. As technology and analytics advance, mass surveillance opportunities continue to grow. The growing surveillance society is not necessarily harmful or unconstitutional. The United States must track people and gather data to defend against enemies and malevolent actors. Defenses range from stopping attempts to breach government computers and software programs, to identifying and thwarting potential terroristic conduct and threats at an embryonic stage. Yet, without lines drawn to limit mass data gathering, especially in secret, unchecked government snooping likely will continue to expand. A sitting Secretary of State even recently acknowledged that the government has “sometimes reached too far” with its surveillance. The stakes for drawing lines demarcating privacy rights and the government’s security efforts have never been higher or more uncertain. This paper argues that the forgotten Third Amendment, long in desuetude, should be considered to harmonize and intersect with the Fourth Amendment to potentially limit at least some mass government surveillance. While the Fourth Amendment has been the sole source of search and seizure limitations, the Third Amendment should be added to the privacy calculus because it provides a clear allocation of power between military and civil authorities and creates a realm of privacy governed by civil law. Consequently, in today’s digital world it would be improper to read the words of the Third Amendment literally, merely as surplusage. Instead, the Amendment’s check on government tyranny should be viewed as restricting cybersoldiers from focusing surveillance instrumentalities on and around private residences or businesses in an intrusive way – or using proxies to do so -- that would serve as the functional equivalent of military quartering in the civil community.
Water storage at the Panola Mountain Research Watershed, Georgia, USA

Storage is a major component of a catchment water balance particularly when the water balance components are evaluated on short time scales, that is, less than annual. We propose a method of determining the storage–discharge relation using an exponential function and daily precipitation, potential evapotranspiration (PET) and baseflow during the dormant season when evapotranspiration (ET) is low. The method was applied to the 22-year data series of the 0.41-ha forested Panola Mountain Research Watershed, Georgia. The relation of cumulative daily precipitation minus daily runoff and PET versus baseflow was highly significant (r2 = 0.92, p < 0.0001), but the initial storage for each year varied markedly. For the 22-year study period, annual precipitation and runoff averaged 1240 and 380 mm, respectively, whereas the absolute catchment storage range was ~400 mm, averaging 219 mm annually, which is attributed to contributions of soil water and groundwater. The soil moisture of a catchment average 1-m soil depth was evaluated and suggests that there was an active (changes in soil storage during stormflow) and passive (a longer-term seasonal cycle) soil water storage with ranges of 40–70 and 100–120 mm, respectively. The active soil water storage was short term on the order of days during and immediately after rainstorms, and the passive or seasonal soil storage was highest during winter when ET was lowest and lowest during summer when ET was highest. An estimate of ET from daily changes in soil moisture (ETSM) during recessions was comparable with PET during the dormant season (1.5 mm day−1) but was much lower during the growing season (June through August); monthly average SMET and PET ranged from 2.8 to 4.0 mm day−1 and from 4.5 to 5.5 mm day−1, respectively. The growing season difference is attributed to the overestimation of PET. ETSM estimates were comparable with those derived from hillslope water balances during sprinkling experiments. Master recession curves derived from the storage–discharge relation adjusted seasonally for ET (1.5 and 4.0 mm day−1 during the dormant and growing seasons, respectively) fit actual recessions extremely well. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The capabilities and art of state-dependent Riccati equation-based design

State-dependent Riccati equation (SDRE) techniques are general design methods which provide a systematic and effective means of designing nonlinear controllers, observers, and filters. The paper provides an overview of the capabilities of SDRE control and goes into detail concerning the art of carrying out effective SDRE designs for both systems that conform and do not conform to the basic structure and conditions required by the method. The paper is centered around the SDRE nonlinear regulator. The following situations which prevent a straightforward application of the SDRE method to the control problem at hand are addressed: the existence of state-independent terms, the existence of state-dependent terms which do not go to zero as the state vector goes to zero, the existence of nonlinearity in the controls, and the existence of uncontrollable and unstable but bounded state dynamics.
Transient Loss of MHC Class I Tetramer Binding after CD8+ T Cell Activation Reflects Altered T Cell Effector Function

Engagement of the Ag receptor on naive CD8+ T cells by specific peptide-MHC complex triggers their activation/expansion/differentiation into effector CTL. The frequency of Ag-specific CD8+ T cells can normally be determined by the binding of specific peptide-MHC tetramer complexes to TCR. In this study we demonstrate that, shortly after Ag activation, CD8+ T cells transiently lose the capacity to efficiently bind peptide-MHC tetramer complexes. This transient loss of tetramer binding, which occurs in response to naturally processed viral peptide during infection in vitro and in vivo, is associated with reduced signaling through the TCR and altered/diminished effector activity. This change in tetramer binding/effector response is likewise associated with a change in cell surface TCR organization. These and related results suggest that early during CD8+ T cell activation, there is a temporary alteration in both cell surface Ag receptor display and functional activity that is associated with a transient loss of cognate tetramer binding.
Laboratory sanctions for proficiency testing sample referral and result communication: A review of actions from 1993-2006

Abstract Context.—The Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA) regulations for proficiency testing (PT) include prohibitions against intentional PT sample referral or result communication, and specify sanctions against laboratories that violate these regulations. There has been little published analysis of sanctions against clinical laboratories because of PT violations. Objective.—To examine the application of principal sanctions as reported by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services annually in the Laboratory Registry and to examine relevant aspects of judicial hearings and appeals in these cases. Design.—The Laboratory Registry was examined for all available years (1993–2006) to determine the incidence of application of principal sanctions for PT violations. In addition, the decisions from the US Department of Health and Human Services hearings and appeals were reviewed to better understand the judicial disposition of these cases. Results.—During the 14-year period examined, 78 ...
On Adaptive Combination of Regression Estimators

Consider the problem of choosing between two estimators of the regression function, where one estimator is based on stronger assumptions than the other and thus the rates of convergence are different. We propose a linear combination of the estimators where the weights are estimated by Mallows' CL. The adaptive estimator retains the optimal rates of convergence and is an extension of Stein-type estimators considered by Li and Hwang (1984, Ann. Statist., 12, 887-897) and related to an estimator in Burman and Chaudhuri (1999, Ann. Inst. Statist. Math. (to appear)).
Ambiguity and competitive decision making: some implications and tests

Contrary to most formal models of decision making under risk and uncertainty that are built on the basis ofprescriptive behavioral principles or axioms, this paper derives adescriptive model of decision making under ambiguity based on principles of behavior, i.e. principles that describehow people behave as opposed to how theyshould behave. The model assumes that people evaluate the impact of ambiguous probabilities by first anchoring on a given value of the unknown probability and then adjusting this by the net effect of imagining or “trying out” other values the probability could take. The mental simulation process incorporates giving differential weight to the ranges of probability values above and below the anchor where such weight reflects individual and situational variables. In particular, the assumption that people are cautious as opposed to reckless in making decisions leads to attributing more weight to possible values of probabilities below the anchor when considering potential gains, and the reverse when faced with potential losses. Two experiments test implications of the model for situations involving competitive decisions. The first concerns legal decision making, the second involves the purchase and sale of industrial equipment. Both experiments validate predictions that (a) the effects of ambiguity depend on both the sign of payoffs and the level of probabilities, and (b) two parties to a negotiation or transaction may be differentially sensitive to ambiguity. Finally, the model is compared to other models of ambiguity proposed in the literature, and directions are suggested for future work.
Low HL—A2 Frequency and Periodontitis1

The frequency of HL-A2 was significantly low (21%) in patients with periodontitis when compared to controls who were free of periodontal disease (61%). The effect was most pronounced in females in whom HL-A2 was present in 12.5% (2 out of 16). This finding suggests that genes controlling susceptibility to microbial agents may be linked to the HL-A LOCUS.
Approximating codimension ⩾3 σ-compacta with locally homotopically unknotted embeddings

Abstract The proof of Stan'ko's embedding approximation theorem is simplified and extended to a relative version for non-locally-compact σ-compact subsets of arbitrary topological manifolds.
A Zero-Sum Game: Are Today's Economics Crunching Counselor Services?

There's a sense of urgency in the need for counselors, this author believes; but when money is allocated for counselor positions, more than sincere expressions of need must be considered. Today's economics argue against an even mildly optimistic viewpoint, he says.
Surface activity of perfluorodecanoyl end-capped poly(ethylene oxide) and associated adsorption behavior to the air-water interface

Abstract The structure and adsorption kinetics of poly(ethylene oxide) end-capped with perfluorodecanoyl groups either at one or both ends have been characterized. These nearly monodisperse polymers with molecular weights in the range of 400–16 K g/mol are effective nonionic surfactants with very high surface activity. For aqueous solutions with concentrations in the range of 2–8 mg/ml, surface tensions determined by the drop-volume method are as low as 13.6– 18.0 mN/m at 20°C. At high surface coverage, close-packed PEO chains with one end capped form a brush-like structure at the interface. Polarized infrared reflectance spectroscopy showed that perfluoroalkyl groups were nearly perpendicular to the air–water interface. The molecular area per chain was 30–32 A2 for poly(ethylene oxide) capped only at one end and 36–40 A2 for poly(ethylene oxide) with both ends capped. Only 22% of poly(ethylene oxide) chains with both ends capped form loops at the interface, while the remaining chains form an extended structure at high surface coverage.
Intracellular chloride activity and pH during polar lobe formation and cytokinesis in eggs and embryos of Ilyanassa obsoleta

The objectives of this study were to compare membrane potential, intracellular chloride activity, and intracellular pH in unfertilized and fertilized eggs of Ilyanassa obsoleta throughout polar lobe formation and cytokinesis. Membrane potential, psi m, was measured with single- and double-barrel microelectrodes containing 3 M KCl. Chloride activity, (Cl)c, was measured with single-barrel, chloride-sensitive microelectrodes. Intracellular pH, pHc, was measured with double-barrel microelectrodes, utilizing an antimony-filled barrel to monitor pHc. Unfertilized eggs having a psi m of -13.7 mV displayed an average (Cl)c of 29.9 mM, whereas at electrochemical equilibrium, (Cl)ce, it would be 155.7 mM. This suggests that Cl is pumped out of the cell in eggs that are not fertilized. Fertilized eggs had a psi m of -78.2 mV and a (Cl)c of 18.6 mM. At electrochemical equilibrium, (Cl)ce would be 12.1 mM, thus suggesting that Cl is pumped into the cell in fertilized eggs. Double-barrel microelectrodes measured a psi m of -69.0 mV and a pHc of 7.3 in fertilized eggs. The psi m, (Cl)c, and pHc remained stable as fertilized eggs underwent the cellular shape changes involved in forming first, second, and third polar lobes and first cleavage.
Reference Velocity Selection By a Generalized Lloyd Method

SUMMARY Downward continuation methods require the selection of one or more references velocities. How many, and which, reference velocities are selected affects performance and image quality. The velocity selection problem can be treated as a quantization problem. Applying a modied version of Lloyd’s algorithm to select the reference velocities results in an optimal description of arbitrary velocity elds. Comparison between Lloyd’s selected velocities and standard selection techniques are shown on a 2-D synthetic
Recent variability in the southern oscillation: isotopic results from a tarawa atoll coral.

In the western tropical Pacific, the interannual migration of the Indonesian Low convective system causes changes in rainfall that dominate the regional signature of the El Nino—Southern Oscillation (ENSO) system. A 96-year oxygen isotope record from a Tarawa Atoll coral (1°N, 172°E) reflects regional convective activity through rainfall-induced salinity changes. This monthly resolution record spans twice the length of the local climatological record and provides a history of ENSO variability comparable in quality with those derived from instrumental climate data. Comparison of this coral record with a historical chronology of EI Nino events indicates that climate anomalies in coastal South America are occasionally decoupled from Pacific-wide ENSO extremes. Spectral analysis suggests that the distribution of variance in this record has shifted among annual to interannual periods during the present century, concurrent with observed changes in the strength of the Southern Oscillation.
Metabolites of methyl- and dimethylcarbamate insecticide chemicals as formed by rat liver microsomes.

Critical interpretation of toxicology and residue studies on an insecticide chemical is possible only when the metabolism of the compound is understood. Biologically active metabolites may be formed, particularly if the modification on the molecule occurs at a site other than the toxophoric grouping. In this respect, metabolites of carbamates formed by mechanisms other than initial hydrolysis at the carbamic ester site may be of importance. Mammals, and microsomal enzymes of liver, carry out many types of hydroxylation reactions including, among others, aromatic hydroxylation, aliphatic hydroxylation, N-dealkylation, O-de-alkylation, and sulfoxidation (1, 2). Groupings which are potentially susceptible to such hydroxylation reactions are present in methylcarbamate insecticide chemicals.
Direct Electron-Positron Pair Production by 200-GeV Negative Pions

We have studied direct electron-positron pair production by the collision of 200-GeV ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ mesons with a neon target. The data consist of 622 direct pairs with momenta ranging from 10 MeV/c to 7.5 GeV/c. We have measured the total production rate to an accuracy of 10% and studied the relevant momentum and electron-positron momentum partition spectra. In contrast to several recent experiments, we find excellent agreement with the predictions of quantum electrodynamic calculations.
Drugs and rhetorical devils.

It is well-known among students of persuasive communication that we can be unified and mobilized in terms both of what we love in common and of what we mutually hate. Indeed some theorists and perhaps all demagogues suspect that whereas the key to personal achievement may lie in ‘positive thinking’, collective triumph frequently depends on the power of negative thinking—on the ability to create a rhetorical devil. Eric Hoffer generalized the principle when he observed that, ‘Mass movements can rise and spread without belief in a God, but never without belief in a devil’ (1).
Coexistence of ankylosing spondylitis and Behcet's disease. Two cases with atypical presentation and course.

The prevelance of ankylosing spondylitis or sacroiliitis in Behcet's disease has been the subject of debate for some time. Two cases with atypical presentation and course are discussed. The first patient was a young woman with Behcet's disease whose primary complaint was neck pain. X‐ray examination showed severe cervical involvement, characteristic of the type seen in women with ankylosing spondylitis. She subsequently developed anterior uveitis. The second patient was a man suffering from back pain and limited movement of his neck and back. When he was referred to our outpatient clinic, his severe anemia became the subject of the whole investigation. He was diagnosed with Behcet's disease with ankylosing spondylitis accompanied with amyloidosis and an end‐stage renal failure.
Urban Incomes, Worker's Democracy and the Spring Uprising

While the recent economic reforms in the People's Republic of China have undoubtedly affected the incomes of the urban population, the impact has been neither universal nor evenly distributed. Changes in enterprise management and labor policies have also redistributed authority among China's urban population. This paper examines official Chinese statistics to explore the differential effects of the reforms on urban incomes; it seeks to determine who have been the beneficiaries and who have been the sufferers since 1978. In addition, it reviews the development of enterprise and labor reforms to reveal which segments of the urban population have gained economic power and security and which segments have lost. Results indicate that the size and breadth of the popular uprising in the spring of 1989 reflect the underlying economic hardship for segments of China's urban population.
Acetylcholine Promotes Binding of α‐Conotoxin MII at α3β2 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors

α-Conotoxin MII (α-CTxMII) is a 16 amino acid peptide with the sequence GCCSNPVCHLEHSNLC containing disulfide bonds between Cys2-Cys8 and Cys3-Cys16. This peptide, isolated from the venom of the marine cone snail Conus magus, is a potent and selective antagonist of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). To evaluate the impact of channel-ligand interactions on ligand binding affinity, homology models of the heteropentameric α3β2-nAChR were constructed. The models were created in MODELLER using crystal structures of the Torpedo marmorata-nAChR (Tm-nAChR, PDB ID: 2BG9) and the Aplysia californica-acetylcholine binding protein (Ac-AChBP, PDB ID: 2BR8) as templates for the α3 and β2 subunit isoforms derived from rat neuronal nAChR primary amino acid sequences. Molecular docking calculations were performed with AutoDock to evaluate interactions of the heteropentameric nAChR homology models with the ligands acetylcholine (ACh) and α-CTxMII. The nAChR homology models described here bind ACh with commensurate binding energies to previously reported systems, and identify critical interactions that facilitate both ACh and α-CTxMII ligand binding. The docking calculations revealed an increased binding affinity of the α3β2-nAChR for α-CTxMII with ACh bound to the receptor, which was confirmed through two-electrode voltage clamp experiments on oocytes from Xenopus laevis. These findings provide insights into the inhibition and mechanism of electrostatically driven antagonist properties of the α-CTxMIIs on nAChRs.
Benefits from incorporation of combined cycle propulsion

Abstract The X-33 program was initiated to develop a testbed for integrated RLV technologies that pave the way for a full scale development of a launch vehicle (Venture Star). Within the Nasa Future X Trailblazer program there is an Upgrade X-33 that focuses on materials and upgrades. The authors propose that the most significant gains can be realized by changing the propulsion cycle, not materials. The cycles examined are rocket cycles, with the combustion in the rocket motor. Specifically, these rocket cycles are: turbopump, topping, expander, air augmented, air augmented ram, LACE and deeply cooled. The vehicle size, volume, structural weight remain constant. The system and propellant tank weights vary with the propulsion system cycle. A reduction in dry weight, made possible by a reduced propellant tank volume, was converted into payload weight provided sufficient volume was made available by the propellant reduction. This analysis was extended to Venture Star for selected engine cycles. The results show that the X-33 test bed could carry a significant payload to LEO (10,000 Ib) and be a valuable test bed in developing a frequent flight to LEO capability. From X-33 published information the maximum speed is about 15,000 ft/sec. With a LACE rocket propulsion system Venture Star vehicle could be sized to a smaller vehicle with greater payload than the Venture Star baseline. Vehicle layout and characteristics were obtained from: http:// www.venturestar.com .
Whispering City: Rome and Its Histories. By R. J. B. Bosworth. (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2011. Pp. xvii, 358. $37.50.)

The subject of this book is the multivocality of Rome, both the physical city with its multiple layers of ancient ruins and subsequent architectural accretions and the psychological city, a “mental...
Centrally-mediated cardiovascular responses to 5-HT

Abstract In rats anesthetized with urethane, intracerebroventricular injections of 50 ng to 25 ug of 5-HT creatinine sulfate produced a rise in arterial blood pressure and a biphasic change in heart rate. These responses were abolished by prior transsection of the spinal cord at Cl. The rise in blood pressure was almost completely blocked by prior intracerebroventricular injection of BOL but the changes in heart rate were affected to a lesser extent. This pattern of response is different from those previously reported as occurring in the cat.
SU‐E‐T‐114: Dose Modification for Cs‐131 Permanent Implants Using Resensitization‐Corrected Normal Tissue BED

Purpose: To apply resensitization (redistribution and reoxygenation) correction to normal tissue BED calculation and have it verified with clinical outcomes. Method and Materials: The BED formalism without resensensitization for permanent implants was BED = D*RE - BF, where D is the prescribed dose, RE = 1 + (β/α)R0/(μr+λ), BF = K*Teff, K = ln(2)/(αTp), and Teff = Taveln(αDTp/T1/2). α and β are LQ parameters, R0 the initial dose rate, μr the repair constant, λ the source decay constant, and Tp the repopulation time. Resensitization can be included in the extended LQ equation (LQR) S = exp[-αD − βG(Tr)D2 + 1/2σ2 G(Ts)D2 + Teff/Tp], where G(Tr) and G(Ts) describe repair and resensitization, and 1/2σ2 represents cell-to-cell diversity. Combining Dale's formalism with LQR led to RE = 1+(β/α)R0/(μr+λ)−(1/2σ2/α)R0/(μs+λ), where μs is the resensitization constant. We used this formula to calculate the BED for normal tissue based on the prescribed dose for Au-198 GYN permanent implants from which we have gained extensive clinical experience. Then, we calculated the dose with Cs-131 which has the equal BED as Au-198. Results: The prescribed doses for Au-198 ranged from 10 to 120 Gy. The converted doses for Cs-131 implants ranged from 9 to 161 Gy (without resensitization correction) and 8.9 to 156 Gy (with resensitization correction), which resulted in the average value of dose conversion factor, Fn (no resensitization correction) = 1.14, and 1.10 for Fr (with resensitization correction) which agreed with the results from the calculation for tumor. The doses derived with 1.10 reduced the complications such as brisk moist desquamation in actual clinical cases. Conclusion: Resensitization correction in BED for normal tissues led to significant reduction in prescription dose and thus in toxicity. The results further show that resensitization correction is needed for permanent implant dose calculation.
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor-mediated synaptic potentials in rat neocortex.

Abstract In the neocortex, fast excitatory synaptic transmission can typically be blocked by using excitatory amino acid (EAA) receptor antagonists. In recordings from layer II/III neocortical pyramidal neurons, we observed an evoked excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) or current (EPSC) in the presence of EAA receptor antagonists (40–100 μM D-APV+20 μM CNQX, or 5 mM kynurenic acid) plus the GABA A -receptor antagonist bicuculline (BIC, 20 μM). This EAA-antagonist resistant EPSC was observed in about 70% of neurons tested. It had a duration of approximately 20 ms and an amplitude of 61.5±6.8 pA at −70 mV ( n =35). The EAA-antagonist resistant EPSC current–voltage relation was linear and reversed near 0 mV ( n =23). The nonselective nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) antagonists dihydro-β-erythroidine (DHβE, 100 μM) or mecamylamine (50 μM) reduced EPSC amplitudes by 42 ( n =20) and 33% ( n =9), respectively. EPSC kinetics were not significantly changed by either antagonist. Bath application of 10 μM neostigmine, a potent acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, prolonged the EPSC decay time. EAA-antagonist resistant EPSCs were observed in the presence of antagonists of metabotropic glutamate, serotonergic (5-HT 3 ) and purinergic (P2) receptors. The EAA-antagonist resistant EPSC appears to be due in part to activation of postsynaptic nAChRs. These results suggest the existence of functional synaptic nAChRs on pyramidal neurons in rat neocortex.
Essential role of the chaperonin CCT in rod outer segment biogenesis.

PURPOSE. While some evidence suggests an essential role for the chaperonin containing tcomplex protein 1 (CCT) in ciliogenesis, this function remains poorly understood mechanistically. We used transgenic mice, previously generated in our lab, and characterized by a genetically-induced suppression of CCT in rod photoreceptors as well as a malformation of the rod sensory cilia, the outer segments, to gain new insights into this underlying molecular mechanism. METHODS. The CCT activity in rod photoreceptors of mice was suppressed by overexpressing the chaperonin inhibitor, phosducin-like protein short, and the ensuing changes of cellular morphology were analyzed by light and electron microscopy. Protein expression levels were studied by fluorescent microscopy and Western blotting. RESULTS. Suppressing the chaperonin made the photoreceptors incompetent to build their outer segments. Specifically, the CCT-deficient rods appeared unable to expand the outer segment plasma membrane, and accommodate growth of this compartment. Seeking the molecular mechanisms underlying such a shortcoming, we found that the affected rods could not express normal levels of Bardet-Biedl Syndrome (BBS) proteins 2, 5, and 7 and, owing to that deficiency, were unable to assemble the BBSome, a multisubunit complex responsible for ciliary trafficking. A similar effect in response to the chaperonin suppression was also observed in cultured ciliated cells. CONCLUSIONS. Our data provide new evidence indicating the essential role of the chaperonin CCT in the biogenesis of vertebrate photoreceptor sensory cilia, and suggest that it may be due to the direct participation of the chaperonin in the posttranslational processing of selected BBS proteins and assembly of the BBSome.
Lack of β-methylamino-l-alanine in brain from controls, AD, or Chamorros with PDC

High levels of beta-methylamino-l-alanine (BMAA), a putative neurotoxin, have been reported in brain samples from Chamorros and patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) from western Canada. The authors assayed free BMAA in the brains of five control subjects and five patients with AD from the US Pacific Northwest as well as Chamorros with and without Parkinson-dementia complex. In contrast to others, they detected no free BMAA in any of these samples.
Aging and mental health services: An introduction

The rapid rise in the aging population, growing understanding of mental health service needs of the aging, and the opportunity to promote mental well being among the elderly have provided the impetus for this special section of the Journal of Mental Health Administration (JMHA). The papers, selected from among those submitted for this special section, represent service developments, program case studies, applied research, and policy and management issues in delivering mental health services to the elderly. Additional articles on aging and mental health will be presented in subsequent journal issues to keep readers informed in this growing and complex area.
Heterogeneity of antibodies in Goodpasture syndrome reacting with type IV collagen.

Heterogeneity of antibodies in Goodpasture syndrome reacting with type IV collagen. Sera from patients with antiglomerular basement membrane (anti-GBM) antibodies associated with Goodpasture syndrome (GP) or glomerulonephritis were tested by ELISA and electroimmunoblot against whole basement membrane collagen (type IV) isolated from bovine anterior lens capsule (ALC) and bacterial collagenase resistant domains of the collagen molecule, that is, the NC-1 and 7-S domains isolated from either ALC or bovine and human glomerular basement membrane (GBM). 1 Reactivity was high with the NC-1 domain by both the ELISA and the electroimmunoblot techniques. Some of the anti-GBM sera reacted with both the NC-1 and 7-S domains of both human and bovine type IV collagen. At a time when the patients' sera reacted weakly with a collagenase digest of human GBM using a radioimmunoassay, the reactivity with the NC-1 domain was also low, but some of the sera continued to react with the 7-S domain. The data suggest that there may be heterogeneity in the nature of autoantibodies with respect to collagen type IV domain reactivity in the sera of patients with anti-GBM antibody disease.
A general theory of quantum relativity

Abstract The geometric form of standard quantum mechanics is compatible with the two postulates: (1) the laws of physics are invariant under the choice of experimental setup and (2) every quantum observation or event is intrinsically statistical. These postulates remain compatible within a background independent extension of quantum theory with a local intrinsic time implying the relativity of the concept of a quantum event. In this extension the space of quantum events becomes dynamical and only individual quantum events make sense observationally. At the core of such a general theory of quantum relativity is the three-way interplay between the symplectic form, the dynamical metric and non-integrable almost complex structure of the space of quantum events. Such a formulation provides a missing conceptual ingredient in the search for a background independent quantum theory of gravity and matter. The crucial new technical element in our scheme derives from a set of recent mathematical results on certain infinite-dimensional almost Kahler manifolds which replace the complex projective spaces of standard quantum mechanics.