cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Changes to benthic community structure may impact organic matter consumption on Pacific Arctic shelves

Changes in species composition and biomass of Arctic benthic communities are predicted to occur in response to environmental changes associated with oceanic warming and sea-ice loss. Such changes will likely impact ecosystem function, including flows of energy and organic material through the Arctic marine food web. Oxygen consumption rates can be used to quantify differences in metabolic demand among species and estimate the effects of shifting community structure on benthic carbon consumption. Closed-system respirometry using non-invasive oxygen optodes was conducted onboard the R/V Sikuliaq in June 2017 and 2018 on six dominant species of benthic macrofauna from the northern Bering and southern Chukchi Sea shelves, including five bivalve species (Macoma sp., Serripes groenlandicus, Astarte sp., Hiatella arctica and Nuculana pernula) and one amphipod species (Ampelisca macrocephala). Results revealed species-specific respiration rates with high metabolic demand for S. groenlandicus and A. macrocephala compared to that of the other species. For a hypothetical 0.1-g ash-free dry mass individual, the standard metabolic rate of S. groenlandicus would be 4.3 times higher than that of Astarte sp. Overall, carbon demand ranged from 8 to 475 μg C individual-1 day-1 for the species and sizes of individuals measured. The allometric scaling of respiration rate with biomass also varied among species. The scaling coefficient was similar for H. arctica, A. macrocephala and Astarte sp., while it was high for S. groenlandicus and low for Macoma sp. These results suggest that observed shifts in spatial distribution of the dominant macrofaunal taxa across this region will impact carbon demand of the benthic community. Hence, ecosystem models seeking to incorporate benthic system functionality may need to differentiate between communities that exhibit different oxygen demands.
Urban Economy: Real Estate Economics and Public Policy

Urban Economy: Real Estate Economics and Public Policy analyses urban economic change and public policy in a more practical way than a typical urban economics book. The book has a distinctive framework that considers the underlying reasons, and the consequences of urban change for real estate investors and policy makers. Part 1 covers the basics of urban economics and real estate markets, including housing and commercial. Part 2 looks at the reformulation of urban systems and the reasons why. It then considers the consequences for real estate markets and investment of decentralisation forces and emerging technology. The issues that arise for urban public policy are then discussed, notably transport policies, public finance and sustainability, before a chapter examining housing neighbourhood and housing market dynamics and a shift from spatial change to regeneration. Part 3 reverses the dominant perspective of Part 2 to assess the effectiveness of how property led policies can positively influence a local economy and urban regeneration. The chapters consider several important policy questions and constraints and draw on a number of case studies that illustrate the benefits and drawbacks. The book includes chapter objectives, self-assessment questions, chapter summaries, learning outcomes, case studies, global data and statistics and is a new textbook for core courses in urban economics and real estate economics on global Real Estate, Planning and related degree courses.
Unexpected Interruptions in the Inhaled Epoprostenol Delivery System: Incidence of Adverse Sequelae and Therapeutic Consequences in Critically Ill Patients.

OBJECTIVES Inhaled epoprostenol is a continuously delivered selective pulmonary vasodilator that is used in patients with refractory hypoxemia, right heart failure, and postcardiac surgery pulmonary hypertension. Published data suggest that inhaled epoprostenol administration via vibrating mesh nebulizer systems may lead to unexpected interruptions in drug delivery. The frequency of these events is unknown. The objective of this study was to describe the incidence and clinical consequences of unexpected interruption in critically ill patients. DESIGN Retrospective review and analysis. SETTING Stanford University Hospital, a 605-bed tertiary care center. PATIENTS Patients receiving inhaled epoprostenol in 2019. INTERVENTIONS No interventions. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Clinical indication, duration of inhaled epoprostenol delivery, mode of respiratory support, and documented unexpected interruption. In 2019, there were 493 administrations of inhaled epoprostenol in 433 unique patients. Primary indications for inhaled epoprostenol were right heart dysfunction (n = 394; 79.9%) and hypoxemia (n = 92; 18.7%). Unexpected delivery interruptions occurred in 31 administrations (6.3%). Median duration of therapy prior to unexpected interruption was 2 days (interquartile range, 2-5 d). Respiratory support at the time of unexpected interruption was mechanical ventilation (61.3%), high-flow nasal cannula (35.5%), and noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (3.2%). Adverse sequelae of unexpected interruption included elevated pulmonary artery pressures (n = 12), systemic hypotension (n = 8), hypoxemia (n = 8), elevated central venous pressure (n = 4), and cardiac arrest (n = 1). Therapeutic interventions following unexpected interruption included initiation of inhaled nitric oxide (n = 21), increase in vasoactive medication (n = 2), and increase in respiratory support (n = 2). Most of the adverse events were Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events grade 3 and 4 (93.5%). CONCLUSIONS A retrospective review of patients receiving inhaled epoprostenol via vibrating mesh nebulizer in 2019 revealed interruptions in 6.3% of administrations with most of these interruptions requiring therapeutic intervention. The true incidence of unexpected interruption and subsequent rate of unexpected interruption's requiring intervention is unknown due to the reliance on unexpected interruption identification and subsequent documentation in the electronic medical record. Sudden interruption in inhaled epoprostenol delivery can result in severe cardiopulmonary compromise, and on rare occasion, death.
ELECTRON TRANSPORT IN RHIZOBIUM JAPONICUM. ISOLATION OF CYTOCHROME c DEFICIENT MUTANTS

Electron transport mutants of Rhizobium japonicum 61A76 were isolated and have been partially characterized spectrally and biochemically. Mutants which are almost totally deficient in cytochromes c and aa 3 and with a reduced amount of cytochrome b grow normally under aerobic conditions. These mutants are symbiotically infective but form ineffective nodules.
Effect of short-term aspirin use on C-reactive protein.

Markers of inflammation, such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and fibrinogen, have been shown to be predictive of cardiovascular disease. In the Physicians Health Study, the magnitude of reduction in the risk of myocardial infarction with aspirin therapy was related to baseline CRP levels, raising the possibility that the protective effect of aspirin may be due to antiinflammatory properties in addition to its antiplatelet effect. We therefore investigated whether aspirin therapy lowers CRP levels. Because heavy physical exertion is a well-known trigger of myocardial infarction, we also investigated the effect of aspirin on CRP levels before and after strenuous exercise. Thirty-two healthy men, aged 29 ± 6 years, were enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, parallel study. Blood samples were obtained immediately before and after maximal treadmill exercise at baseline and following 7 days of aspirin therapy (81 or 325 mg). The levels of CRP, as measured by ELISA, increased by 13% following exercise (P < 0.0001). However, aspirin did not significantly alter CRP levels, either at rest (0.81 ± 0.13 mg/L before aspirin vs. 0.78 ± 0.13 mg/L on aspirin) or following exercise (0.92 ± 0.13 mg/L before aspirin vs. 0.86 ± 0.13 mg/L on aspirin), P = 0.73. When the resting and postexercise data were combined, the levels were 0.87 ± 0.13 mg/L before aspirin and 0.82 ± 0.13 mg/L on aspirin (a nonsignificant 6% reduction, P = 0.20). In conclusion, in healthy male subjects CRP levels were not significantly reduced by short-term aspirin therapy. Our data, taking together with other reports, suggest that aspirin may not affect the levels of inflammatory markers. However, further studies are needed with a longer duration of therapy, among subjects with coronary heart disease, and using additional markers of inflammation besides CRP to determine the long-term effects of aspirin use.
Experimental Study of Viscoelastic Effects and Aging on Elevated Temperature Damage and Failure in Polymer Composites

An experimental investigation of microcracking andphysical aging effects in polymer matrix composites isdescribed. The goal of the study was to assess the impactof aging on damage accumulation, in terms ofmicrocracking, and the impact of damage on aging andviscoelastic behavior. Results indicate that while theaging times studied have only a limited influence ondamage evolution, elevated temperature and viscoelasticeffects have a profound effect on the damage mode seen forcertain laminates. Some results are counterintuitive,including the lower strain to failure and the catastrophicfailure mode observed at elevated temperatures. Fracturetoughness for transverse cracks is seen to increase withtemperature, however no significant effect of damage onthe aging or viscoelastic properties of the laminates wasobserved.
Electron Localization in Granular Metals

Granular metals (GM) consist of a mixture of finely divided metals and dielectric particles. When the volume fraction x of the metal is large the GM’s exhibit metallic behavior—a positive temperature coefficient of resistivity, superconductivity, and ferromagnetism. In this limit the dielectric acts as impurity scattering centers. As x is reduced below about 0.7, nonmetallic behavior sets in, and properties such as superconductivity,1 ferromagnetism,2 and electrical conductivity3 undergo drastic change. In this work we have used electron tunneling into GM’s to observe directly the development of an energy gap in the tunneling density of states associated with the metal-nonmetal transition.
“We didn't know what it was going to be until we built it”: Exploring processes of collaboration across disciplinary boundaries

This poster reports on findings from a study of the processes used by an interdisciplinary academic team to work across domain boundaries. Interdisciplinary research holds much promise to address complex social problems, but there has been little work addressing the work processes of time-limited academic teams. The project takes a social constructionist approach, using the social worlds perspective (Strauss, 1978), the intrinsically transient social worlds model (Kazmer, 2010), and boundary objects theory (Star & Griesemer, 1989) as sensitizing concepts, and grounded theory, situational analysis, and social network analysis as methods. This paper discusses the iterative nature of the project and its work, the need for both specialist and generalist work roles, and the need for team members to be willing to take chances and fail.
Summarizing similarities and differences among related documents

This summarization approach exploits the results of recent progress in information extraction to represent salient units of text and their relationships. By exploiting meaningful relations between units and the perspective from which the comparison is desired, the summarizer can pinpoint similarities and differences, generate composite summaries, and align text segments. These techniques have also been evaluated.
Flying inverted pendulum trajectory control on Robust Intelligent Sensing and Control Multi-Agent Analysis Platform

We demonstrate trajectory control of the tip of an inverted pendulum atop a small unmanned aerial vehicle. In this paper we discuss how exploiting the differential flatness of combined systems provides a realization of adequate control. A differential flatness controller is derived for trajectory control of a pendulum tip. Simulation results are presented for tip trajectory tracking with and without added noise. A framework for hardware demonstration is established. Vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) system capabilities are further explored as well as active/passive manipulation using quadrotors.
Chapter 30. Altered Drug Action in the Elderly

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the altered drug action with age by using the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic hypotheses of altered drug action with age. The reasons for altered drug action, and perhaps for the increased incidence of adverse drug reactions with age, are multifactorial. Physiologic changes with age interact with the pathophysiologic changes and sociogenic changes, resulting in altered and more unpredictable drug action in the aged. Genetic factors certainly play a role. Many patient-related factors, such as anemia, cardiac failure, degenerative vascular disease, the patient's state of hydration, and others will also affect drug action. Older people are less able to regulate blood glucose levels, blood pH, pulse rate, blood pressure, and oxygen consumption, but to varying degrees. All of these can be exaggerated by drug therapy, particularly, if drugs are used in the usual dose or if multiple drugs are used. With age, there is a progressive depletion of dopamine in the extrapyramidal centers of the brain. Alterations in pancreatic and adrenal hormone levels result in decreased glucose tolerance with age and an increased susceptibility of elderly to drug-induced hypoglycemia. There is also a decreased production of sex hormones. In females, reduced estrogen levels have been correlated with a greater incidence of osteoporosis. Decreased thyroid levels make elderly people more sensitive to the action of digitalis and increase the risk to drug-induced hypothermia. The most important age-related changes in pharmacokinetics are those associated with metabolism and excretion, because these processes markedly influence the accumulation and pharmacological effects of drugs. With advancing age, there are functional and morphological changes in the intestinal tract that may affect the rate and extent of absorption. Changes in pharmacokinetics since age are unpredictable because of the large variety of factors other than age that can influence drug metabolism.
Vomiting As A Manifestation Of Borderline Personality Disorder In Primary Care

Background: Patients with borderline personality disorder often are found and treated in psychiatric setting following episodes of self-mutilation, such as wrist-slashing. Family physicians care for many patients with borderline personality disorder, but in primary care settings wrist-slashing or other physical mutilation is a less common presenting problem. Frequently these patients complain of such symptoms as nausea and vomiting that do not so obviously suggest psychopathology. Methods: Three primary care patients with borderline personality disorder in whom episodic vomiting was the chief complaint are presented. Hypotheses from the literature about the neurobiology of vomiting and self-mutilation are discussed. Results: Vomiting is a primary care analogue of self-mutilation in some patients with borderline personality disorder. Conclusions: Family physicians should include careful history taking to corroborate other features of borderline personality disorder in evaluating patients with persistent, episodic vomiting. Obtaining a history of early sexual abuse or chronic interpersonal problems as an adult should not only mitigate the compulsion for extensive, costly, and invasive gastrointestinal system evaluations in such patients, but also suggest more effective treatment strategies.
Neutralinos in an extension of the minimal supersymmetric standard model as the source of the PAMELA positron excess

We consider a scenario within the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) extended by a singlet chiral superfield, in which neutralino dark matter annihilates to light singletlike Higgs bosons, which proceed to decay to either electron-positron or muon-antimuon pairs. Unlike neutralino annihilations in the MSSM, this model can provide a good fit to the PAMELA cosmic ray positron fraction excess. Furthermore, the singletlike Higgs bosons can induce a large Sommerfeld enhancement and provide an annihilation rate sufficient to accommodate the observed positron excess.
Cell confinement in patterned nanoliter droplets in a microwell array by wiping

Cell patterning is useful for a variety of biological applications such as tissue engineering and drug discovery. In particular, the ability to localize cells within distinct fluids is beneficial for a variety of applications ranging from microencapsulation to high-throughput analysis. However, despite much progress, cell immobilization and maintenance within patterned microscale droplets remains a challenge. In particular, no method currently exists to rapidly seed cells into microwell arrays in a controllable and reliable manner. In this study, we present a simple wiping technique to localize cells within arrays of polymeric microwells. This robust method produces cell seeding densities that vary consistently with microwell geometry and cell concentration. Moreover, we develop a simple theoretical model to accurately predict cell seeding density and seeding efficiency in terms of the design parameters of the microwell array and the cell density. This short-term cell patterning approach is an enabling tool to develop new high-throughput screening technologies that utilize microwell arrays containing cells for screening applications.
Caries Detection In Dental Radiographs

Caries, or the decay of teeth are difficult to automatically detect in dental radiographs because of the small area of the image that is occupied by the decay. Images of dental radiographs have distinct regions of homogeneous gray levels, and therefore naturally lead to a segmentation based automatic caries detection algorithm. The difficulty is that the area occupied by the caries is very small and would not be detectable using thresholding algorithms that are not area independent such as the multiclass IS ODATA clustering algorithm or the bimean clustering algorithm [3].
Receptor-free nanomechanical sensors

Nanomechanical response of molecular adsorption has been demonstrated as the basis for a number of extremely sensitive sensors. Molecular adsorption on microcantilevers results in nanomechanical motion due to adsorption-induced surface stress variation. Chemical selectivity in nanomechanical sensors is achieved by immobilizing receptors on the cantilever surface. Although receptor-based detection has high selectivity for biomolecular detection, it fails when applied to small molecule detection. Nanomechanics, however, offer new possibilities for achieving chemical selectivity that do not use any receptors. For example, small thermal mass or high temperature sensitivity of a cantilever beam could be used for detecting molecular adsorption using photothermal effects and physical property variation due to temperature. Here we describe two such techniques for achieving chemical selectivity without using any receptor molecules.
Implementation of a Diabetes Prevention Program in Public Housing Communities

Objective The purpose of this study was to describe the process of implementing a diabetes prevention program provided by homecare nurses to residents of public housing communities. Design and Sample A cluster randomization pilot study was conducted comparing enhanced standard care (2 interactive classes on diabetes prevention) to a diabetes prevention program (7 interactive classes and behavioral support). The sample (n = 67) was primarily female (79%), nonwhite (76%), unpartnered (83%), with a mean age of 40 years, and an average of 3 children. Mixed methods were used to evaluate the implementation process. Measures Data were collected on attendance, attrition, and protocol implementation. Interviews were conducted with nurses and community health workers who assisted with program implementation. Results Homecare nurses were able to implement a diabetes prevention program in public housing communities, with a protocol implementation of 83% across classes and groups. Attendance was suboptimal with 60% for the enhanced standard care group and 54% for the diabetes prevention group. Nurses and community health workers were resourceful and positive about program implementation. Conclusion Linking existing resources, such as a homecare agency with a public housing community, is one approach to disseminate diabetes prevention programs.
Inductive acuity and the acquisition of language

This study attempted to assess the inductive explanation of language acquisition. It was predicted that inductive acuity, operationally defined by reference to Kagan's concept of Reflection-Impulsivity, would facilitate syntactic and semantic development. Results indicated that children who are superior inductors scored higher on semantic tests, but not on syntactic tests. It was suggested that distinct learning strategies may be involved in the acquisition of syntax and semantics. Various theoretical implications of these findings for models of language encoding were discussed. Suggestions for subsequent research were offered.
Qualifying confidentiality obligations.

For millennia, philosophers have relished the challenge of offering normative constructs or rules that boast a universal application, and have just as much relished attacking and deflating similar ...
Estimates of radioactive decay by the emission of nuclei heavier than α-particles☆

Abstract We estimate the lifetimes for radioactive decay of a nucleus by the emission of α-particles or heavier fragments like 14 C, by treating these processes as extreme cases of spontaneous fission. The lifetime is accordingly written as a frequency factor of the order of collective nuclear oscillations (10 −21 −10 −22 sec) times a Gamow penetrability factor for the appropriate deformation-energy barrier. For the very asymmetric decays, an approximation to the barrier is obtained by combining the Coulomb repulsion between the fragments with the nuclear proximity potential (up to contact) and interpolating smoothly between the contact configuration and the configuration of the parent nucleus. We give a closed formula for the penetrability factor and find that, to within about one power of ten, we can account for the recently observed branching ratios between α-particle and 14 C emissions from 222,223,224 Ra. We apply our method to calculate branching ratios for other exotic decays (involving isotopes of O and Ne among others) and estimate that there may be a number of such decays that will be accessible to observation.
Mayflies (Ephemeroptera) of the Great Plains. IV: South Dakota

The faunal inventory of the Great Plains state of South Dakota includes 15 families, 40 genera, and 77 species of Ephemeroptera, including the first published state records for 37 species, and 187 new county records for 64 of the species. The mayfly fauna of South Dakota includes transcontinental species, widespread species, many species that typify the central lowlands of North America, and some 18 species that find their eastern range limits in South Dakota, five species that find their northern range limits in South Dakota, and 16 species that find their western range limits in South Dakota and often additional states directly north or south of South Dakota.
Revision of the Nearctic species of the genus Stiropius Cameron (=Bucculatriplex Auct.) with the description of a new related genus (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

. The New World rogadine genus Stiropius Cameron is revised for the Nearctic region and a new related genus from the Americas, Viridipyge, is decribed. Bucculatriplex Viereck is found to be a junior subjective synonym of Stiropius Cameron. Three Nearctic species are recognized: S.bucculatricis (Ashmead) comb.n., S.californicus sp.n. and S.wagneri sp.n. A single Nearctic specis of Viridipyge is described as new: V.prunicola, and a Neotropical species, V.letifer (Mann) comb.n., is found to be congeneric. The biology and systematic relationships of both genera are discussed; the two genera appear to represent a relatively basal branch of the Rogadini lineage.
Induction Effects in Terrestrial Magnetism. Part III. Electric Modes

It can be shown that the currents in the earth's core which give rise to the externally observable magnetic field do not form a complete set of solutions of the field equations. There exists a second set of solutions composed of the modes of the electric type which produce a magnetic field inside the metallic sphere, but appear at the outside only through an electric field too weak to be measured. For reasons of symmetry the most important terms among the electric modes are the quadrupoles. The theory of inductive coupling by fluid motion, developed previously, is here applied to the interaction of the magnetic and electric modes. The system again is non-conservative, and work is done on the field by the fluid, or vice versa. It is shown that the interaction between the magnetic dipole and electric quadrupole modes constitutes a basic amplifier mechanism which amplifies the quadrupole mode until the magneto-mechanical forces exerted by the field upon the fluid begin to slow down the motion, thus prohibiting further increase of the field. This internal quadrupole field is likely to be much larger than the ordinary magnetic dipole field. Further analysis leads one to interpret the couplings between the magnetic and electric modes as a feed-back amplifier whereby the field can be maintained through the power delivered to it by the fluid motion. A survey of possible sources of power for this process indicates that the power for the maintenance of the field is provided from the rotational energy lost by the earth as it is slowed down through the action of the lunar tide.
Spectral collocation/domain decomposition method for viscoelastic flow simulations in model porous geometries

Abstract A domain decomposition spectral collocation (DDSC) method is developed for the solution of steady-state, non-linear viscoelastic flow problems. It is applied in simulations of viscoelastic flows through model porous media, represented by arrays of cylinders. The technique uses a splitting of the computational domain in sub-elements, in a fashion similar to finite elements. At each element, the solution is represented by using high-order, orthogonal polynomials. Static condensation is used for the solution of the linearized system of equations, resulting from the application of Newton's method. This approach is suggested by the limited connectivity between neighboring elements. Mesh converged solutions have been obtained for the flow of an Oldroyd-B fluid through a square array of cylinders, up to We = 5.0 and for the flow past a single row of cylinders, up to to We = 4.0.
A proposed recommender system for eliciting software sustainability requirements

Sustainability is not considered sufficiently in developing modern software systems. In spite of the looming threats of global climate change and environmental degradation [1], software companies are more concerned with product “time-to-market” than long-term product impacts. The research goal of this project is to overcome the barriers of incorporating sustainability into the software engineering process through the use of a recommender system to be used during requirements engineering. This system will recommend the kinds of sustainability requirements that should be considered in a given system, based on application domain, deployment locale, etc, and in so doing will lessen the workload of eliciting appropriate sustainability requirements. This research builds on an ongoing research project on Software Engineering for Sustainability.
A High-Frame-Rate CCD-Based Diagnostic For Laser Beam Quality

A laser beam quality diagnostic has been developed for making up to 500 measurements per second in the 1-to 5-μm spectral range. The primary sensors are a PtSi detector array and a separate PtSi total power detector. The computer-driven diagnostic includes a beam stabilization servo and focus scanning device for finding the best laser focus.
Coherent ultraviolet generated by wave packets interacting with χ (3) in Rb and K atoms

Wavepackets formed from the ns and (n-2)d states of Rb and K (n equals 8 for K, 11 and 12 for Rb) have been observed by four wave mixing in pump-probe experiments. The temporal behavior of the wavepacket is observed by monitoring the coherent ultraviolet radiation generated near the alkali mp 2P yields 2S1/2 resonance transitions (7 <EQ m <EQ 12 for Rb) when a approximately 100 fs, red probe pulse ((lambda) approximately 620 nm) is scattered by the wavepacket established by an earlier (identical) pump pulse. The spatial and spectral characteristics of the ultraviolet emission are well-described by axially phase-matched, four wave mixing and all of the prominent frequency components of the wavepackets are associated with energy differences between pairs of excited states for which (Delta) l equals 0 or 2. These results demonstrate that the wavepacket modulates (chi) (3) of the medium, thus rendering the wavepacket detectable.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The taxation of capital income in an open economy: the importance of resident-nonresident tax treatment

Abstract The authors develop a simulation model of the United States and the rest of the world to demonstrate how international capital mobility alters the incidence and capital formation incentives of taxes on capital income. The model explicitly recognizes that U.S. and foreign investors hold a different mix of assets in each country. Only a modest degree of international mobility is necessary to substantially alter closed-economy patterns of tax incidence. Differences in the tax treatment of residents and foreigners are particularly important in evaluating tax reductions at the individual level or the integration of corporate and individual income taxes.
STUDIES ON VIRULENCE : IV. INFLUENCE ON VIRULENCE OF PNEUMOCOCCI OF GROWTH ON VARIOUS MEDIA.

From the study of different tissue extracts as media for the growth of pneumococci used in an automatic transfer device, certain inferences are warranted: 1. Media made from calf lung or heart, or from horse skeletal muscle maintain virulence over a long period of time. Conversely, media made from calf spleen lead to a decrease in virulence. 2. Lung medium causes an increase in virulence of seven strains of pneumococci. 3. Virulence is maintained in normal horse serum; but, it rapidly decreases in immune serum, or in pneumococcus antibody solution, a finding which confirms the work of Stryker. Immune serum freed from protective antibody gives results similar to normal serum. 4. Rabbit medium made from the entire animal apparently is less suitable for the maintenance of virulence of pneumococci than medium made in the same way from guinea pig.
Pregnancy, HLA allogeneic challenge, and implications for AIDS etiology

Abstract Because of the large HLA genetic polymorphism, a human fetus usually has several paternal HLA antigens allogeneic to its mother. The maternal γ-immunoglobulin (IgG) antibody response to fetal HLA alloantigens is noncytotoxic and associated with local suppression of maternal cell-mediated immunity (CMI) at the maternal–fetal interface . When mother and fetus are syngeneic for most HLA antigens, an increased risk exists for a maternal anti-placental cytotoxic CMI responses, compromising fetal survival. Local suppression of maternal CMI by an anti-HLA IgG response may have evolved to protect the fetoplacental unit from a maternal CMI cytotoxic reaction against expressed developmental neoantigens. A negative aspect of this adaptive response is that infectious organisms bearing HLA-homologous alloantigens (e.g. human immunodeficiency virus type 1, HIV-1) may generate a systemic IgG response suppressing CMI. Findings are reviewed suggesting this is an etiologic factor in the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).
Backscatter Coefficient Measurements Using a Reference Phantom to Extract Depth-Dependent Instrumentation Factors:

In previous work, we demonstrated that accurate backscatter coefficient measurements are obtained with a data reduction method that explicitly accounts for experimental factors involved in recording echo data. An alternative, relative processing method for determining the backscatter coefficient and the attenuation coefficient is presented here. This method involves comparison of echo data from a sample with data recorded from a reference phantom whose backscatter and attenuation coefficients are known. A time domain processing technique is used to extract depth and frequency dependent signal ratios for the sample and the reference phantom. The attenuation coefficient and backscatter coefficient of the sample are found from these ratios. The method is tested using tissue-mimicking phantoms with known scattering and attenuation properties.
Multivariable Adaptive Control System

A multivariable control system in which the parameters of the plant transfer function matrix are unknown functions of time is described in this paper. It is a sequel to a previous one1 dealing with a single variable control system. A scheme is presented here in which the parameters of the plant transfer function are tracked and the controller transfer function matrix is adjusted in such a way as to keep the overall system optimized. The system may be realized in terms of ordinary analog computer elements. Information is given in a form which may be readily inserted into a controller for realization of a general type of adaptive control system.
Abrupt Structural Changes in Polyanionic Gels Evoked by Na-Ca Ion Exchange: Their Biological Implications

Anionic polyelectrolyte gels, synthetic or natural, undergo abrupt structural changes when the monovalent counterions in the gel, e.g., Na + , are replaced with divalent cations, e.g., Ca 2+ . These structural changes are caused by the preferential binding of Ca to the polyelectrolyte chains and the ability of Ca 2+ to form crosslinks between two neighboring chains. Strong lyotropic (Hofmeister) effects of anions, such as fluoride, phosphate, aspartate and chloride, on the repetitiveness of abrupt structural changes in the gel strands are demonstrated. These findings have important biological implications.
Future of Natural Products from Plants in the Struggle with Emerging Diseases: Case of Food-Borne Pathogens and Leishmaniasis

ABSTRACT Plants have been used medicinally throughout history. Before the beginning of the 19th century, many herbs were considered conventional medicines and were included in medical curricula and formularies. In the United States two important factors fostered a schism between the use of mainstream drugs and herbal therapies: (1) the development of a pharmaceutical industry and (2) the formation of the Food and Drug Administration which created regulatory changes. It is estimated that nearly 80% of the world's population use plants as drugs and one in three Americans use some type of herbal remedy. Consumer interest in “natural” therapies is on the rise in the U.S. and elsewhere and corporate researchers are searching for new drugs among ancient remedies and new classes of compounds to combat infectious diseases worldwide. Infectious diseases continue to be the foremost cause of death worldwide. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported a 58 percent rise in deaths from infectious dise...
Evaluating an electricity and magnetism assessment tool: Brief electricity and magnetism assessment

The Brief Electricity and Magnetism Assessment (BEMA), developed by Chabay and Sherwood, was designed to assess student understanding of basic electricity and magnetism concepts covered in college-level calculus-based introductory physics courses. To evaluate the reliability and discriminatory power of this assessment tool, we performed statistical tests focusing both on item analyses (item difficulty index, item discrimination index, and item point biserial coefficient) and on the entire test (test reliability and Ferguson's delta). The results indicate that BEMA is a reliable assessment tool.
Management of asymptomatic severe aortic stenosis: is aortic valve replacement indicated?

Patients with asymptomatic, severe aortic stenosis are at risk of cardiac death. In this Viewpoint, Pellikka and Sundt assert that aortic valve replacement should be considered in these patients, if surgery is likely to prolong life expectancy. Risk stratification of the asymptomatic aortic stenosis patient remains inadequate, however, and the decision to operate must be individualized, particularly in the elderly. The authors call for a randomized trial to help optimize the selection of patients for surgery.
Laboratory studies to develop general principles for the adjuvant treatment of breast cancer with antiestrogens: problems and potential for future clinical applications

The general pharmacology of tamoxifen in animals and man is reviewed with particular reference to the longterm adjuvant therapy of node-positive breast cancer. Rats with dimethylbenzanthracene (DMBA)-induced mammary carcinomata have been used extensively as a laboratory model to study hormone-dependent cancer. The administration of a 30-day course of tamoxifen (50 µg daily) starting 5, 15, 30, or 50 days after DMBA caused a delay in tumor appearance and decrease in the cumulative number of tumors that were induced by 200 days. Similarly, the administration of increasing doses of tamoxifen (0.2, 3, 50, and 800 µg daily) between 30 and 60 days after DMBA produced a dose-related delay in tumor appearance and a decrease in the cumulative number of tumors at 200 days. Since the tumors that were induced after tamoxifen still responded to ovariectomy, tamoxifen appears to act as an inhibitor of the tumor cell cycle rather than as a tumoricidal agent in this model. This principle was exemplified by comparing a short course (30 day) with a continuous course (170 day) of tamoxifen initiated 30 days after DMBA. The short course of therapy only delayed tumor appearance whereas continuous therapy maintained 90% of the animals in a tumor-free state. These data strongly support the use of long-term (up to five-year) adjuvant therapy with tamoxifen in patients as a suppressive therapy for homone-sensitive metastases.
The role of surgery in American Burkitt's lymphoma in children.

The records of 28 children with the pathological diagnosis of American Burkitt's lymphoma were reviewed. Twenty-three of these children (82%) presented with primary abdominal tumors and 5 with disease located in the head and neck. Twelve required an emergency operation for either intestinal obstruction (3), intussusception (5), or appendicitis (4); the others underwent an elective exploration for tissue diagnosis. Ten patients had disease localized to one particular site. Seven of these 10 children underwent complete resection of the tumor including a right colectomy (4), small bowel segmental resection (1), tonsillectomy (1), and appendectomy (1). Eight children had a subtotal resection of the tumor (less than 90% of tumor burden) and the rest underwent incisional biopsies. Following the diagnosis, all patients received chemotherapy; 8 (29%) also were treated concurrently with radiation therapy. Nineteen patients (70%) remain long-term survivors with a mean survival time of 3.6 years. Eight patients died of either recurrent disease (6) or sepsis secondary to their chemotherapy, with a mean survival time of 6 months. Sixteen patients (57%) developed complications during their hospitalization that required surgical consultation or intervention (acute renal failure [9], pleural effusion [2], intestinal obstruction [5], gastric outlet obstruction [1], and wound infection [1]). No subsequent treatment of these complications resulted in mortality or morbidity. The significant positive determinant for survival was the initial absence of either bone marrow or central nervous system involvement (P less than .05). In those children who had complete resection of their tumor, survival time was greater than 3.7 years.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Police Patrol-Initiated Activities Within a Systems Queueing Model

Officers in police patrol cars operate in a complex stochastic environment. In addition to handling dispatcher-assigned calls for service from the public, they patrol to pose a threat of apprehension to would-be offenders and undertake certain on-site interventions to help improve general public safety. The on-site work, often highly discretionary, is called patrol-initiated activity. It includes issuing tickets for traffic violations, building checks, car checks, pedestrian checks and assisting motorists. In many cities patrol-initiated activities and calls for service consume comparable amounts of officers' time. In this paper we develop a spatially-oriented queueing-type model of a police patrol force that allows each of N patrol cars to be in one of three states: 1 busy, on a call for service; 2 busy, on a patrol-initiated activity; 3 free, on patrol. Designed for computer solution, the model yields N nonlinear equations whose unknowns are the workloads of the N patrol cars. Other performance measures of patrol can be computed easily in terms of the workloads. The incorporation of patrol-initiated activities represents an improvement over previous OR/MS models, and could result in more informed police management decisions regarding patrol beat design, workload smoothing among officers, and reduction of neighborhood-specific inequities in police accessibility. The methods of this paper are potentially applicable to other urban services, including taxi and maintenance operations.
Thinking outside the rainbow: women of color redefining queer politics and identity

This research explores the numerous ways queer Latinas and Asian/Pacific Islander women are marginalized in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) movement and their racial/ethnic communities in regards to their intersecting, subordinate identities. Through in-depth interviews with 25 queer identified women and ethnographic observation at Gay Pride events, this research examines how the women interviewed make sense of their overlapping oppressions as they affect and frame their experiences and shape their identities. By integrating Collins' notion of the outsider-within along with Sandoval's concept of differential oppositional consciousness, I assert that queer Latinas and Asian/Pacific Islander women experience marginality within the mainstream LGBT movement primarily as a function of invisibility that serves simultaneously as a source of alienation and empowerment, ultimately serving to challenge hegemonic notions of queer identity and politics.
Effect of brushing with sonic and counterrotational toothbrushes on the bond strength of orthodontic brackets.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of brushing with both a sonic and mechanical counter rotary power toothbrush on the bond strength of orthodontic brackets. Forty-five extracted teeth were divided into three random groups and had orthodontic brackets bonded to them. One group was brushed with a counterrotational toothbrush, the Interplak, one group with a sonic toothbrush, the Sonicare, and a third group was not brushed and was held as a control. After the equivalent of 2 years brushing, the teeth were placed in an Instron machine and the shear force to remove the brackets was recorded. Group 1, the counter rotary power brush, had a mean of 107.5 kg/cm2, the second group, the sonic brush, had a mean of 79.7 kg/cm2, and the control group had a mean of 125.4 kg/cm2. Single factor analysis of variance followed by the Fisher-Hayter Multiple Comparison Procedure showed a statistically significant difference between the sonic power brush and the control (P .05). There was no significant difference between the two power brushes (P > .05). (Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop 1999;115:55-60)
Ladies and gents: Public toilets and gender

edited by Olga Gershenson and Barbara Penner, with an afterword by Peter Greenaway Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2009, 250 pages ISBN: 978-1592139408 (paperback) Price $27.95 Reviewed by D...
An investigation of compressive-sensing image reconstruction from flying-focal-spot CT data

Flying-focal-spot (FFS) technique has been used for improving the sampling condition in advanced clinical CT by collecting multiple cone-beam data sets with the focal-spot at different locations at each "projection view". It has been demonstrated that the increased sampling rate in FFS scans can substantially reduce aliasing artifacts in reconstructed images. However, the increase of the sampling density through multiple illuminations at each view can result in the increase of radiation dose to the imaged subject. In this work, we have applied a compressive-sensing (CS)-based algorithm to image reconstruction from data acquired in FFS scans. The results of the study demonstrate that aliasing artifacts observed images reconstructed by use of analytic algorithms can be suppressed effectively in images reconstructed with this CS-based algorithm from only data acquired at one FFS scan.
Expanding directly observed therapy: tuberculosis to human immunodeficiency virus.

The resurgence of tuberculosis and the association between poor treatment adherence and drugresistant tuberculosis in the 1990s emphasized the importance of identifying ways to improve medication adherence. In particular, directly observed therapy improved adherence to tuberculosis therapy for several groups of patients, including those with frequent drug use, mental illness, and unstable housing, thereby contributing to the control of drug-resistant tuberculosis in New York City (1,2). This success was later extended to the delivery of isoniazid preventive therapy to similar patients (3). Still, nonadherence remains the Achilles’ heel of medical treatment for many diseases, including tuberculosis. In this issue of The American Journal of Medicine, Chaisson and colleagues (4) report on a three-arm, random assignment trial of isoniazid adherence. Injection drug users were randomly assigned to directly observed therapy, self-administered therapy with peer counseling and education, or self-administered therapy alone. All participants received either immediate or delayed cash incentives to promote adherence. The study adds two new contributions to the body of adherence research. First, directly observed therapy improved adherence among injection drug users. Second, injection drug users were successfully maintained in monthly care for more than 6 months, perhaps as a result of the cash incentives. This study raises several important questions for adherence strategists. First, why does directly observed therapy yield better results than psychoeducational interventions? Second, what is the role of incentives, especially cash, in improving adherence? Finally, should incentivebased directly observed therapy be used for patients with chronic diseases for which lifetime adherence is required, such as antiretroviral therapy for patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection? DIRECTLY OBSERVED THERAPY VERSUS PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL APPROACHES
Reversible solubility of deoxyhemoglobin S.

Abstract The solubility of deoxyhemoglobin S in 1.96 M phosphate is sensitive to changes in oxygenation and temperature in a manner similar to the widely used in vitro gelation assay. In addition, the pH of the phosphate buffer used in the solubility determination has a profound effect on deoxyhemoglobin S solubility. It is suggested that solubility in 1.96 M phosphate may be a sensitive method of monitoring the aggregation phenomenon of deoxyhemoglobin S.