cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of radiopharmaceuticals on radioenzymatic assays of aminoglycoside antibiotics: interference by gallium-67 and its elimination.

Radionuclides currently used in clinical medicine were evaluated for their possible interference with radioenzymatic assays of aminoglycoside antibiotics. Of the radiopharmaceuticals tested, only 67 Ga citrate interfered with the radioenzymatic assay of gentamicin. Radioenzymatic assay of serum samples obtained from patients receiving 67 Ga yielded gentamicin concentrations falsely elevated by more than 1 μg/ml for approximately 1 week after 67 Ga administration. A procedure was developed to eliminate 67 Ga interference with radioenzymatic assays of aminoglycoside antibiotics. After 67 Ga citrate was spotted onto phosphocellulose filter disks, the filters were immersed in 7.2 N HCl, and radioactivity was removed by successive extractions of the acid phase with diisopropyl ether. After three extractions, less than 0.1% of the original radioactivity remained. Similar extraction of disks containing 14 C-adenylylated gentamicin or tobramycin or 14 C-acetylated amikacin had no effect on 14 C radioactivity. The concentrations of aminoglycosides in serum standards supplemented with 67 Ga citrate were determined accurately by radioenzymatic assays followed by extraction with diisopropyl ether. Concentrations of gentamicin in six serum samples from patients injected with 67 Ga during gentamicin therapy, as determined by radioenzymatic assay and extraction, were within 9% of the results obtained by reassay of the same samples after the decay of 67 Ga.
Practical Confidence Intervals for Regression Quantiles

Routine applications of quantile regression analysis require reliable and practical algorithms for estimating standard errors, variance-covariance matrices, as well as confidence intervals. Because the asymptotic variance of a quantile estimator depends on error densities, some standard large-sample approximations have been found to be highly sensitive to minor deviations from the iid error assumption. In this article we propose a time-saving resampling method based on a simple but useful modification of the Markov chain marginal bootstrap (MCMB) to construct confidence intervals in quantile regression. This method is compared to several existing methods with favorable performance in speed, accuracy, and reliability. We also make practical recommendations based on the quantreg package contributed by Roger Koenker and a new package rqmcmb2 developed by the first two authors. These recommendations also apply to users of the new SAS procedure PROC QUANTREG, available from Version 9.2 of SAS.
Optimization of polyphosphate degradation and phosphate secretion using hybrid metabolic pathways and engineered host strains

Polyphosphate degradation and phosphate secretion were optimized in Escherichia coli strains overexpressing the E. coli polyphosphate kinase gene (ppk) and either the E. coli polyphosphatase gene (ppx) or the Saccharomyces cerevisiae polyphosphatase gene (scPPX1) from different inducible promoters on medium- and high-copy plasmids. The use of a host strain without functional ppk or ppx genes on the chromosome yielded the highest levels of polyphosphate, as well as the fastest degradation of polyphosphate when the gene for polyphosphatase was induced. The introduction of a hybrid metabolic pathway consisting of the E. coli ppk gene and the S. cerevisiae polyphosphatase gene resulted in lower polyphosphate concentrations than when using both the ppk and ppx genes from E. coli, and did not significantly improve the degradation rate. It was also found that the rate of polyphosphate degradation was highest when ppx was induced late in growth, most likely due to the high intracellular polyphosphate concentration. The phosphate released from polyphosphate allowed the growth of phosphate-starved cells; excess phosphate was secreted into the medium, leading to a down-regulation of the phosphate-starvation (Pho) response. The production of alkaline phosphatase, an indicator of the Pho response, can be precisely controlled by manipulating the degree of ppx induction. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 59:754–761, 1998.
Poly(vinyl chloride-g-butyl rubber)

The synthesis of poly(vinyl chloride-g-butyl rubber) and some of its physical properties are described. The key to the synthesis involves copolymerization initiation of an isobutylene–isoprene charge by a PVC/Et2AlCl initiator system with 1,2-dichloroethane as solvent. The graft is a thermoplastic; cast films are flexible and optically clear. Proof of grafting is the crosslinking with S2Cl2 of the pentane-extracted product in THF solution. Crosslinking the butyl rubber moiety in the graft reduces overall stress properties.
National Ignition Facility (NIF) program update

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is a 192 beam, 1.8 megajoule laser currently under construction at LLNL. The laser requires approximately 7,500 meter- class optical components, each with a 40 cm square aperture. Since 1995, new technologies have been developed and precision-optics manufacturing facilities have been established in cooperation with a variety of US companies. The results of the efforts to date will be described.
Quantification of bird migration using Doppler Weather Surveillance Radars (NEXRAD)

Wind Energy is considered as the green and free energy. It can be harvested any time wherever there are high winds. One of the concerns with turbine is with birds and bats. There are reports of birds and bats fatalities around wind turbine. One way to investigate this issue is to monitor wind turbine areas. Researchers have used marine radars for this purpose. Weather radars commonly known as NEXRAD have also been used for monitoring purposes. The advantage of NEXRAD is that it can provide bird migration movements over a broad geographical scale and can be accessed free of charge. This work proposes image processing based algorithm for retrieval of biological information from NEXRAD data. The method is limited to the radar range up to 80 km. It will be useful to wildlife biologists, wind farm developers and policy makers.
Impacts of reaction and curing conditions on polyamide composite reverse osmosis membrane properties

Abstract Here we report on the impacts of organic solvent properties, reaction conditions, and curing conditions on polyamide composite reverse osmosis membrane separation performance, film structure, and interfacial properties. We provide direct experimental evidence that: (1) MPD diffusivity in the organic phase governs MPD–TMC thin film water permeability, (2) MPD diffusivity and solubility influence MPD–TMC thin film crosslinking in competing ways, (3) water permeability correlates most strongly with MPD–TMC film structure (i.e., crosslinking), and (4) salt rejection correlates most strongly with MPD–TMC film thickness and morphology. Overall, higher flux membranes with good salt rejection appear to comprise thinner, more heavily crosslinked film structures. Such high performance RO membranes are obtained by (1) selecting high surface tension, low viscosity solvents, (2) controlling protonation of MPD and hydrolysis of TMC during interfacial polymerization, and (3) optimizing curing temperature and time based on organic solvent volatility. Finally, although more research is necessary, our results suggest the rugose morphology and relative hydrophobicity of high performance MPD–TMC membranes might enhance concentration polarization and exacerbate surface fouling.
Stuttering Treatment Research 1970–2005: II. Systematic Review Incorporating Trial Quality Assessment of Pharmacological Approaches

Purpose To complete a systematic review, incorporating trial quality assessment, of published research about pharmacological treatments for stuttering. Goals included the identification of treatmen...
Uniform Frontal Illumination of Planar Surfaces: Criteria for Optimal Lighting Design

Obtaining uniform illumination of surfaces is a frequent requirement in machine vision applications. This paper outlines the theoretical and practical means for optimizing the frontal illumination of planar surfaces. Using these analytical techniques, we have analyzed practical lighting arrangements and discuss the significance of symmetry in design for uniform lighting. We find that the choice of criteria for optimality influences the optimal lamp placement; careful attention must be paid to exactly what is meant by `optimal.' Finally, this paper shows how to design practical lamp arrangements to achieve optimality using various criteria.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Studies on the biochemical basis of the interaction of the merozoites of Plasmodium falciparum and the human red cell

The red cell membrane appears to possess receptors for malarial parasites which are species specific. Plasmodium falciparum invades red cells that have the surface sialoglycoproteins, glycophorins A, B and C. Several regions of these molecules are critical to parasite binding. Invasion of red cells by merozoites can be blocked by both antibodies directed to specific sites on glycophorin and tryptic fragments of these molecules. The parasites appear to bind to the red cells in a lectin-like fashion, since three monosaccharides, namely N-acetyl-glucosamine (Glu NAc), N-acetyl-galactosamine (Gal NAc) and N-acetyl-neuraminic acid (Neu NAc), can specifically block parasite invasion in vitro. Neoglycoproteins made by coupling these sugars to BSA are particularly effective. Possible mechanisms of parasite attachment to and invasion of red cells are discussed.
Gamma-rays and X-rays from SN1987A

Detections of γ-rays1 and X-rays2,3 from Supernova 1987A, together with its exponential light curve4, have dramatically confirmed theoretical predictions made two decades ago5–7. We discuss what these observations, in August and September 1987, can already tell us about the supernova. Assuming that all of the high-energy photons originate from 56Co decay, the escaping photon intensities at various energies are related by the characteristics of the scattering medium and the physics of the scattering processes. Considering only these factors, we conclude that the total mass of 56Co implied by the light curve is not uniformly shielded by a thick envelope. Extensive 'mixing' of 56Co (initially 56Ni) and other heavy elements through the supernova envelope might explain the observations. It is likely that a small fraction of the 56Co mass implied by the light curve has been removed by some mechanism to nearly thin regions.
Isocratic high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of thiacetazone by direct injection of plasma into an internal surface reversed-phase column.

This report describes the determination of thiacetazone in human and rat plasma by direct-injection high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Plasma filtrate (50 microliters) was injected directly into the internal surface reversed-phase (ISRP) mixed-functional phenyl column (Capcell Pak, 50 x 4.6 mm, 5 microns) and eluted with an aqueous mobile phase containing 7.5% acetonitrile at a flow-rate of 1 ml/min. With UV detection at 322 nm, thiacetazone eluted at 11.0 min whereas endogenous interferences eluted before 5 min. The lower detection limit for a 50-microliter sample at a signal-to-noise ratio of 5 was 63 ng/ml, which was several hundred fold lower than its cytotoxic concentrations determined from in vitro cell line studies. At a concentration range of 0.17 to 2.7 micrograms/ml, the recovery of thiacetazone was 98.0 +/- 4.4% (mean +/- S.D.). The intra- and inter-day coefficients of variation were 3.0 +/- 1.4% and 4.2 +/- 2.1%, respectively. This method was successfully applied to study the pharmacokinetics of thiacetazone in rats. The direct injection method is simple, requires small sample volume and does not require sample extraction, internal standard, or gradient elution.
Partner violence during pregnancy and risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the association between partner physical or emotional abuse during pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes including perinatal death, low birthweight and preterm delivery. Women, aged 18-65, who attended one of two large primary care practices from 1997-98 were recruited for this study. Ever pregnant women were asked the frequency of abuse during each pregnancy and details of the pregnancy outcomes. Information regarding abuse during pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes was available for 755 women surveyed who reported a live birth or late fetal death, 14.7% indicated that an intimate partner was violent or abusive toward them during a pregnancy (274 of 1862 pregnancies). Abuse during pregnancy was significantly associated with an increased risk of perinatal death (adjusted relative risk [aRR] = 2.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.3, 3.4) and, among live births, with preterm low birthweight (aRR = 2.4; 95% CI 1.5, 4.0) and term low birthweight (aRR = 1.9; 95% CI 1.0, 3.4). Greater abuse frequency was associated with increased risk. Abuse during pregnancy was associated with perinatal deaths and preterm low birthweight deliveries.
Pumping characteristics of small airlift pumps.

Because airlift pumps are used extensively in mariculture systems, reliable performance data are required for efficient system operation. This study was initiated when it was found that reliable performance data were not available in the literature for pumps of short length (under 3 m) and small diameter (2–8 cm). Data for so-called high lift pumps are available but initial work showed that the extrapolation of this data to small airlift pumps gives unreliable results. The paper describes the experimental apparatus used to obtain flowrate data for the small airlift pump. These data are presented in tabular form for the benefit of the reader. Empirical equations using “best fit” correlations are also presented for convenience. The paper also presents data on the staging of an airlift pump. That is an airlift pump with a single air inlet but outlets at different vertical locations (stages) along the pump. One possible use for a staged pump is in an intensive culture system where the lower stage would provide flow circulation, while the upper stage would pump culture water from the tank for treatment. Results for a two-stage pump are given and show that, in general, staging reduces pumping efficiency. The final topic deals with tuning the pump for maximum flowrate. It is well known that the optimum liquid flowrate occurs for a relatively small range of air flowrates. Driving the pump with air flowrates greater or less than this optimum flowrate will cause a significant decrease in performance. However, it is shown that the pulsatile nature of the outflow can be used to determine the optimum air flowrate. Experimental results confirm that the measured pulsing frequency correlates well with the maximum liquid flowrate.
Unconventional superconducting order parameters without nodes: The density of states and impurity scattering

We compute the density of states ${\mathit{N}}_{\mathit{s}}$(E) for a superconductor having an order parameter \ensuremath{\Delta}(k^) with the following two properties: (i) \ensuremath{\Vert}\ensuremath{\Delta}(k^)\ensuremath{\Vert} is a constant, independent of k; (ii) the average of \ensuremath{\Delta}(k^) over the Fermi surface vanishes: 〈\ensuremath{\Delta}(k^)〉=0. We particularly stress the effect of impurity scattering. We can do the calculation for an arbitrary Fermi surface, and any order parameter with the above two properties. Since our family of order parameters has no nodes, our results pinpoint the effects due to the vanishing Fermi surface average, 〈\ensuremath{\Delta}(k^)〉=0.
Adjuvant Therapy for Patients Who Have Node-Positive Breast Cancer

The treatment of node-positive breast cancer has improved dramatically in the last 3 decades. Adjuvant therapies have evolved from single-agent chemotherapy to anthracycline- and taxane-based polychemotherapeutics to target-specific trastuzumab, with or without endocrine manipulation and with or without PMRT. Almost 85% of patients who have node-positive disease can now enjoy a 5-year DFS. This progress has come from incremental improvements made over the years. In spite of these advances, lingering questions remain. Is it possible to reduce treatment-associated toxicity? Can patient selection be improved based on tumor genomic profiling? Given the high cost of many of these therapies (37,000 dollars with the newer agents versus $391 for the classic six cycles of intravenous CMF), is it possible to achieve equivalent efficacy and yet reduce the economic cost per patient? Only continued clinical trials and cooperative effort among researchers, clinicians, and patients can answer these questions and improve care for breast cancer.
The Use of the Laitinen Stereoadapter for Three-Dimensional Conformal Stereotactic Radiotherapy

3-D conformal therapy is used to treat a variety of tumors by delivering a high dose to the target volume while minimizing dose to surrounding tissue. Conventional irradiation of intracranial lesions involves treating substantial portions of healthy brain. Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) delivers a single fraction to a small lesion targeted by an invasive head frame. The Laitinen stereoadapter is a noninvasive localization/immobilization device that provides the precision of stereotactic techniques (within 2 mm) with the radiobiologic advantage of fractionation. This report describes the Northwestern experience of 3-D conformal Stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) for intracranial lesions using the Laitinen Stereoadapter for reproducible, noninvasive immobilization. 17 patients with 18 isocenters were treated with SRT via noncoplanar, static, and/or rotational beams. Patient age ranged from 3 to 77. Total doses ranged from 1000 to 5580 cGy at 180 to 400 cGy per fraction. Histologies included primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET), recurrent medulloblastoma, mixed germ cell tumor, recurrent juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma, optic glioma, oligodendroglioma, cran-iopharyngioma, meningioma, metastatic carcinoma, and one orbital rhabdomyosarcoma. Patient positioning was checked daily, and verification port films were taken every other day. Port films showed excellent reproducibility of isocenter placement with the Laitinen stereoadapter. Follow-up ranged from 1 to 24 months. Post-treatment radiographic responses were similar to those seen with conventional radiation therapy. The Laitinen stereoadapter is very well tolerated with minimal acute effects. Its use does not require excessive preplanning (i.e., customized oral appliances) and can accommodate any cranial size. Patients can initiate treatment within 24 hours, if necessary. The relocatable frame exploits the accuracy of SRS with the biological advantage of fractionation. We currently use the Laitinen for primary adult and pediatric brain tumors as well as metastatic lesions too large for SRS. Further studies are currently underway to further define its utility.
Wind Flow Characteristics on a Soybean Leaf Compared with a Leaf Model

The purpose of this paper is to describe momentum boundary layer flow parameters on a soybean leaf [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] at various velocities of the bulk air stream and these data are compared with similar measurements on an artificial leaf. The wind structure is measured at three different bulk air velocities (u∞= 39, 148 and 271 centimeters per second) on an individual soybean leaf and is compared to structural effects on an artificial leaf (flat metal plate) in a small closed-circuit wind tunnel. The boundary layers were homogeneous for the metal plate, but only at the lower velocity for the soybean leaf. The boundary layer thicknesses decrease with increasing bulk air velocity for laminar flow regimes, whereas in the turbulent flow regime the boundary layer thickness greatly increases. The effect of turbulence on the soybean leaf boundary layer made the eddy diffusivities at least three times greater than in the laminar flow regime at the calculated roughness height above the leaf surface. The structure of the leaf boundary layer flow is comparable to that of the metal plate only at the lower bulk air velocity.
A switching cascade of hydrazone-based rotary switches through coordination-coupled proton relays

Imidazole, a subunit of histidine, plays a crucial role in proton-relay processes that are important for various biological activities, such as metal efflux, viral replication and photosynthesis. We show here how an imidazolyl ring incorporated into a rotary switch based on a hydrazone enables a switching cascade that involves proton relay between two different switches. The switching process starts with a single input, zinc(II), that initiates an E/Z isomerization in the hydrazone system through a coordination-coupled proton transfer. The resulting imidazolium ring is unusually acidic and, through proton relay, activates the E/Z isomerization of a non-coordinating pyridine-containing hydrazone switch. We hypothesize that the reduction in the acid dissociation constant of the imidazolium ring results from a combination of electrostatic and conformational effects, the study of which might help elucidate the proton-coupled electron-transfer mechanism in photosynthetic bacteria.
Application of micropolar plasticity to post failure analysis in geomechanics

A micropolar elastoplastic model for soils is formulated and a series of finite element analyses are employed to demonstrate the use of a micropolar continuum in overcoming the numerical difficulties encountered in application of finite element method in standard Cauchy–Boltzmann continuum. Three examples of failure analysis involving a deep excavation, shallow foundation, and a retaining wall are presented. In all these cases, it is observed that the length scale introduced in the polar continuum regularizes the incremental boundary value problem and allows the numerical simulation to be continued until a clear collapse mechanism is achieved. The issue of grain size effect is also discussed. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Radiation damage measurements in room-temperature semiconductor radiation detectors

The literature of radiation damage measurements on cadmium zinc telluride (CZT), cadmium telluride (CT), and mercuric iodide is reviewed and supplemented in the case of CZT by new alpha particle data. CZT strip detectors exposed to intermediate energy proton fluences exhibit increased interstrip leakage after 10 10 p/cm 2 and significant bulk leakage after 10 12 p/cm 2 . CZT exposed to 200 MeV protons shows a two-fold loss in energy resolution after a fluence of 5 X 10 9 p/cm 2 in thick planar devices but little effect in 2 mm devices. No energy resolution effects were noted from moderated fission spectrum neutrons after fluences up to 10 10 n/cm 2 , although activation was evident. Exposures of CZT to 5 MeV alpha particle at fluences up to 1.5 X 10 10 (alpha) /cm 2 produced a near linear decrease in peak position with fluence and increases in FWHM beginning at about 7.5 X 10 9 (alpha) /cm 2 .
Ascites production in 9 rat strains

Abstract A simple, inexpensive, and rapid method for inducing large volumes of ascitic fluid in rats is described. The procedure involves intraperitoneal injections of Freund's adjuvant emulsion on alternate days. Antibody activity of the ascitic fluid approximates that found in the serum. Female rats consistently respond better than males. Members of all 9 strains of rats tested produced ascites using this procedure.
The effect of phenobartial dose upon a variety of drinking related response measures

Abstract Amount of water ingested, total laps, duration of drinking, amount per lap, laps per minute, and running velocity were investigated as a function of phenobartial dosage (0 to 60 mg/kg). Twenty-three and a half ( 23 1 2 ) hour water deprived females rats served in the experiment. Amount of water ingested, total laps, and duration of drinking all responded similarly to phenobarbital all rose and subsequently fell as a function of phenobartial dose on the day of drug treatment, rose as a linear function of dose a day later, and had no significant relation with dose 2 days after drug administration. These measures significantly intercorrelate with each other on the day of drug treatment and the day thereafter though not 2 days thereafter. Running velocity largely declines as a function of drug dosage on the day of treatment but is unaffected by the drug thereafter. The other measures show no definite trend. However these measures, running velocity and amount/lap and laps/minute, intercorrelate significantly with each other on the day of treatment and not thereafter. The first group of response measures and the latter group do not consistently correlate with each other. It was concluded that there are two identifiable classes of variables: one motor, which is largely a decremental function of dose, the other uncharacterized, intially rising, then falling as a function of phenobarbital dose on the day of drug treatment.
The Role of Band Bending in Affecting the Surface Recombination Velocities for Si(111) in Contact with Aqueous Acidic Electrolytes

The role of band bending in affecting surface recombination velocity measurements has been evaluated by combining barrier height data with charge-carrier lifetime measurements for Si(111) surfaces in contact with a variety of acidic aqueous electrolytes. Charge-carrier lifetimes and thus surface recombination velocities have been measured by contactless radio frequency photoconductivity decay techniques for long bulk lifetime n-Si(111) samples in contact with 11 M (40% by weight) NH_4F(aq), buffered (pH = 5) HF(aq), 27 M (48% by weight) HF(aq), or concentrated 18 M H_2SO_4. Regardless of the sample history or surface condition, long charge-carrier lifetimes were observed for n-Si(111) surfaces in contact with 11 M NH_4F(aq) or buffered HF(aq). On the basis of previous barrier height measurements, this behavior is consistent with the formation of an electrolyte-induced surface accumulation layer that reduces the rate of steady-state surface recombination even in the presence of a significant density of surface trap sites. A straightforward evaluation of the surface trap state density from the measured surface recombination velocities, S, is thus precluded for such Si/liquid contacts. In contrast, a wide range of S values, depending on the history of the sample and the state of the surface, were observed for n-Si(111) surfaces in contact with 27 M HF(aq). These results in conjunction with previously measured barrier height data indicate that the charge-carrier lifetimes measured for n-Si(111) in contact with 27 M HF(aq) can be directly correlated with the surface condition and the effective surface-state trap density. These conclusions were confirmed by measurements of the apparent S values of n-Si(111) surfaces in contact with various solutions in the presence of the known deep trap, Cu. For Si(111)/HF(aq) contacts, very high (≥920 ± 270 cm s^(-1)) surface recombination velocities were observed when 0.16 mM (10 ppm) Cu^(2+) was in the solution and/or adsorbed onto the Si(111) surface as Cu^0 deposits, whereas low (100 ± 75 or 225 ± 20 cm s^(-1)) apparent surface recombination velocities were measured for Cu-contaminated Si(111) samples in contact with 0.16 mM (10 ppm) Cu^(2+)-containing 11 M NH_4F(aq) or BHF(aq) solutions, respectively.
Compactons, solitons and periodic solutions for variants of the KdV and the KP equations

Studying solitons and solitons with compact support is of important significance in nonlinear phenomena. In this paper we study nonlinear variants of the KdV and the KP equations with positive and negative exponents. We employ the sine-cosine algorithm to back up our analysis. Exact solutions with compactons, solitons, solitary patterns, and periodic structures are obtained for these variants.
Rare Decay Modes of K

Assuming $\ensuremath{\rho}$-meson dominance, the branching ratio $\frac{\ensuremath{\Gamma}({K}^{*}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}K\ensuremath{\pi}\ensuremath{\pi})}{\ensuremath{\Gamma}({K}^{*}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}K\ensuremath{\gamma})}$ has been calculated to be $\frac{1}{63}$. Estimating the ${K}^{*}K\ensuremath{\rho}$ coupling from unitary symmetry and the decay of the ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{0}$ gives $\frac{\ensuremath{\Gamma}({K}^{*}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}K\ensuremath{\gamma})}{\ensuremath{\Gamma}({K}^{*}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}K\ensuremath{\pi})}\ensuremath{\cong}0.15%$, a factor of 5 lower than previous estimates.
Beyond welfare reform: reframing undocumented immigrants' entitlement to health care in the United States, a critical review.

This article addresses the main scholarly frames that supported the deservingness of unauthorized immigrants to health benefits in the United States (U.S.) following the passage of the Personal Responsibility Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), known as the Welfare Reform bill, in 1996. Based on a critical literature review, conducted between January 1997 and March 2011, this article begins with an analysis of the public health rhetorics that endorsed immigrants' inclusion into the U.S. health safety net. In this vein, the "cost-saving" and "the effortful immigrant" frames underscore immigrants' contributions to society vis-a-vis their low utilization of health services. These are complemented by a "surveillance" account that claims to protect the American public from communicable diseases. A "maternalistic" frame is also discussed as a tool to safeguard families, and particularly immigrant mothers, in their roles as bearers and caretakers of their American-born children. The analyses of the "chilling" and the "injustice" frames are then introduced to underscore major anthropological contributions to the formulation of counter-mainstream discourses on immigrants' selective inclusion into the U.S. health care system. First, the "chilling effect," defined as the voluntary withdrawal from health benefits, is examined in light of unauthorized immigrants' internalized feelings of undeservingness. Second, an "injustice" narrative highlights both the contributions and the limitations of a social justice paradigm, which advocated for the restoration of government benefits to elderly immigrants and refugees after the passage of PRWORA. By analyzing the contradictions among all these diverse frames, this paper finally reflects on the conceptual challenges faced by medical anthropology, and the social sciences at large, in advancing health equity and human rights paradigms.
Effect of foot-and-mouth disease virus on protein synthesis and ribonucleic acid polymerase activity at various temperatures.

SummaryProtein synthesis in FMDV-infected BHK cells was inhibited in cells incubated at 25 to 41°. The metabolism of infected cells was always highest at 33°. Infected cells incubated at 30 to 41° produced the same high levels of virus, but in times ranging from 12 to 4 hr, respectively. Virus-induced RNA polymerase activity was always highest at 37°, being about twice as great as that formed at any other temperature. The cell-free polymerase system was active from 25 to 50° and showed maximal activity after 60-min incubation at 37°. Sucrose gradient profiles of the products formed under all the conditions employed did not reveal any qualitative differences.
A preliminary screening technique for selected metals at waste sites

Fast neutron activation analysis (FNAA) was investigated as a possible on-site preliminary screening technique for metal contamination of soil. Two metals, Cu and Zn, were used in a laboratory setting to evaluate the possibility of detecting metal contamination of soil at or below the maximum permissible metal concentration in soil. Varying quantities of compounds of the selected metals were mixed into a prepared soil column for analysis of signal intensity as a function of concentration in the soil. Experiments were conducted with a sealed tube neutron generator and a germanium gamma-ray detector. Both metals produced signal levels distinguishable from background soil concentrations at the maximum permissible level.
Rapid monitoring of brain auditory evoked potentials in spontaneous cerebral hypoxia

We present a novel technique for recording and extracting brain auditory evoked potential (BAEP) under hypoxic conditions. We studied the effects of hyperventilation followed by oxygen depletion with electroencephalography (EEG) and BAEP. Our results show that BAEPs can be extracted and analyzed under hypoxic conditions with minimum averaging (400 realizations) allowing real time evaluation of the auditory pathway. This noninvasive technique can be readily extended to evaluation in patients with cerebrospinal injury.
The Effects of Extracellular Calcium on Motility, Pseudopod and Uropod Formation, Chemotaxis and the Cortical Localization of Myosin II in Dictyostelium discoideum

Extracellular Ca(++), a ubiquitous cation in the soluble environment of cells both free living and within the human body, regulates most aspects of amoeboid cell motility, including shape, uropod formation, pseudopod formation, velocity, and turning in Dictyostelium discoideum. Hence it affects the efficiency of both basic motile behavior and chemotaxis. Extracellular Ca(++) is optimal at 10 mM. A gradient of the chemoattractant cAMP generated in the absence of added Ca(++) only affects turning, but in combination with extracellular Ca(++), enhances the effects of extracellular Ca(++). Potassium, at 40 mM, can partially substitute for Ca(++). Mg(++), Mn(++), Zn(++), and Na(+) cannot. Extracellular Ca(++), or K(+), also induce the cortical localization of myosin II in a polar fashion. The effects of Ca(++), K(+) or a cAMP gradient do not appear to be similarly mediated by an increase in the general pool of free cytosolic Ca(++). These results suggest a model, in which each agent functioning through different signaling systems, converge to affect the cortical localization of myosin II, which in turn effects the behavioral changes leading to efficient cell motility and chemotaxis. Cell Motil. Cytoskeleton 2009. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The Layer and Director Structures of Ferroelectric Liquid Crystals

Liquid Crystals are a fascinating state of matter which have long been studied for their rich and diverse physical properties1,2. These materials have become of interest in a variety of applications, mainly due to their large optical anisotropy which is easily manipulated by applied fields and surface interactions. Twisted nematic (TN) devices have proved to be phenomenally useful and as a result, their response to applied fields and surface interactions is well understood.
Computing the cup product structure for complements of complex affine varieties

Abstract Let X= C n . In this paper we present an algorithm that computes the cup product structure for the de Rham cohomology ring H dR • (U; C ) where U is the complement of an arbitrary Zariski-closed set Y in X. Our method relies on the fact that Tor is a balanced functor, a property which we make algorithmic, as well as a technique to extract explicit representatives of cohomology classes in a restriction or integration complex. We also present an alternative approach to computing V-strict resolutions of complexes that is seemingly much more efficient than the algorithm presented in Walther (J. Symbolic Comput. 29 (2000) 795–839). All presented algorithms are based on Grobner basis computations in the Weyl algebra.
Discussion of David Freedman’s “Some Issues in the Foundations of Statistics”

While results from statistical modelling too often receive blind acceptance, we question whether there is any real alternative to use of modelling. This does not diminish the main point of Professor Freedman, which is that healthy scepticism towards models is needed. While agreeing with many of Professor Freedman’s points concerning the “objectivist” debate, we argue that there is a Bayesian school of objectivists that possesses considerable advantages over the classical objectivist school. At the least, the “debate” needs to be enlarged to include this school.
Economic Meaning of a Labor Shortage

Keynes pointed out that in a laissez-faire economy geared to a high level of investment spending, population growth, via its effect on investment, might be an important factor in maintaining prosperity. He also showed, however, that fiscal and monetary policy could be used to counteract fluctuations in private investment and thus maintain a generally high level of income and employment whatever might be happening to population growth.
Photon and Electron Shielding for Neptunium-237

Electron and photon shallow-dose-equivalent (SDE) rates were calculated on the exterior surface of bare and shielded Np-237 spheres. Electron SDE greatly exceeds photon SDE for bare and high atomic-number (Z) shielded spheres. An outer low-Z shield is necessary to minimize SDE from electrons induced by photons in outer edge of Np-237 or inner high-Z shield. Implications of electron SDE on shielding design were considered. Upper limits on electron SDE were calculated.
Foucault, Dewey, and Self‐creation

(1998). Foucault, Dewey, and Self‐creation. Educational Philosophy and Theory: Vol. 30, No. 2, pp. 111-134.
Were there stone-tipped armatures in the South Asian Middle Paleolithic?

The point is a commonly recognized type of flaked stone artifact in global prehistoric records. In South Asia, points have been reported from numerous Middle Paleolithic assemblages. However, throughout much of the Paleolithic, South Asia is conspicuously lacking in formalized points when compared to Africa and western Eurasia. It is often assumed that South Asian Middle Paleolithic points reflect the use of stone-tipped spears in prehistoric hunting activities. However, such a relationship has never been firmly established. Why are South Asian Middle Paleolithic points distinct in their overall indistinctiveness? If some Middle Paleolithic and Middle Stone Age points in Africa and western Eurasia fulfill criteria that do reflect the use of stone-tipped armatures, how do Middle Paleolithic points from South Asia compare? This study ascertains whether a small pan-South Asian sample of points might have been used to tip Middle Paleolithic projectile weaponry. Putative South Asian Middle Paleolithic projectile points were assessed for tip cross-sectional area (TCSA), impact damage, basal modification and point angle from published sources. The results indicate that despite appearances, many South Asian Middle Paleolithic points cannot be ruled out as thrusting/throwing spear tips. Some probable causes of the inconspicuous expression of points in the archaeological record of South Asia are considered.
Cell Type-Specific Interleukin-1β Signaling in the CNS

Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) is a potent and pleiotropic inflammatory cytokine that is highly produced in the CNS under conditions of damage, disease, or stress. This cytokine acts on CNS glia to effect inflammatory responses, mediated in part via activation of the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) transcription factor, and consequent induction of numerous cytokines. Neurons as well as astrocytes in the hippocampus also express the type 1 IL-1 receptor, indicating that this cytokine can influence neuronal function directly, yet IL-1β does not induce production of cytokines in neurons as it does in glia. In contrast, IL-1β regulates synaptic function of hippocampal neurons. Here we demonstrate that different signaling pathways mediate IL-1β actions in neurons as compared with astrocytes. IL-1β activates the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway and induces the activation of CREB in hippocampal neurons, in contrast to the activation of NF-κB in hippocampal astrocytes, demonstrating cell type-specific signaling responses to IL-1 in the brain and yielding distinct functional responses.
Serum electrolyte observations following extracorporeal circulation.

Abstract Our experience has shown that only minor changes occur in the serum electrolytes after open-heart surgery using an extracorporeal circulation. Although there is a slight acidosis and lowering of the CO 2 content, it is only rarely necessary to correct these. Because of poor correlation of CO 2 content and blood pH, measurement of the former is not helpful in diagnosing an acidosis after surgery. There is some postperfusion increase in the blood lactic acid, but much of this increase can be accounted for by the accumulation of lactic acid in the blood used to run the pump-oxygenator. No significant changes are seen in the potassium, chloride, or sodium content of serum.
Primary Pancreatic Lymphoma Associated With Short Bowel Syndrome: Review of Carcinogenesis of Gastrointestinal Malignancies

We describe a case of stage IE diffuse small cleaved B-cell lymphoma involving primarily the head of pancreas in a patient with chronic malabsorption as a result of short bowel syndrome. The association of chronic malabsorption with lymphoma and other cancer is reviewed. The possible role of dietary fat as an etiologic link to this association is speculated.
Passive immunization with anti-glucosaminidase monoclonal antibodies protects mice from implant-associated osteomyelitis by mediating opsonophagocytosis of Staphylococcus aureus megaclusters

Towards the development of a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) vaccine we evaluated a neutralizing anti-glucosaminidase (Gmd) monoclonal antibody (1C11) in a murine model of implant-associated osteomyelitis, and compared its effects on LAC USA300 MRSA versus a placebo and a Gmd-deficient isogenic strain (ΔGmd). 1C11 significantly reduced infection severity, as determined by bioluminescent imaging of bacteria, micro-CT assessment of osteolysis, and histomorphometry of abscess numbers (p < 0.05). Histology also revealed infiltrating macrophages, and the complete lack of staphylococcal abscess communities (SAC), in marrow abscesses of 1C11 treated mice. In vitro, 1C11 had no direct effects on proliferation, but electron microscopy demonstrated that 1C11 treatment phenocopies ΔGmd defects in binary fission. Moreover, addition of 1C11 to MRSA cultures induced the formation of large bacterial aggregates (megaclusters) that sedimented out of solution, which was not observed in ΔGmd cultures or 1C11 treated cultures of a protein A-deficient strain (ΔSpa), suggesting that the combined effects of Gmd inhibition and antibody-mediated agglutination are required. Finally, we demonstrated that macrophage opsonophagocytosis of MRSA and megaclusters is significantly increased by 1C11 (p < 0.01). Collectively, these results suggest that the primary mechanism of anti-Gmd humoral immunity against MRSA osteomyelitis is macrophage invasion of Staphylococcal abscess communities (SAC) and opsonophagocytosis of megaclusters. © 2014 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 32:1389–1396, 2014.
Micro-assembly using optically controlled bubbles

An optically controlled bubble microrobot is presented here, and used to manipulate glass microbeads at up to 350 μm/s. The bubble microrobots were used to pull and push micro-objects into place, demonstrating micro-assembly.
Molecular identification of Taenia serialis coenurosis in a wild Ethiopian gelada (Theropithecus gelada)

Since morphological identification of a larval Taeniid in geladas (Theropithecus gelada) has produced inconsistent results, genetic information is pivotal for species identification. Nuclear and mitochondrial DNA from a coenurus in a wild gelada were compared to published sequences from multiple Taeniid species, confirming the identification of this parasite as Taenia serialis. A demographic analysis finds age to be a strong predictor of coenuri. Tapeworms rarely employ primates as intermediate hosts, and the presence of T. serialis in a wild gelada population may indicate a substantial ecological shift in this parasite's life cycle.
Preoperative Education on Postoperative Delirium, Anxiety, and Knowledge in Pulmonary Thromboendarterectomy Patients

BACKGROUND Delirium is the most common postoperative psychiatric condition in intensive care settings and can lead to increased complications and costs. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the impact of multifaceted preoperative patient education on postoperative delirium, anxiety, and knowledge and to explore predictors of postoperative delirium, days of mechanical ventilation, and days in the intensive care unit (ICU) in patients undergoing pulmonary thromboendarterectomy. METHOD A prospective, randomized controlled trial was conducted on consented patients from October 2011 to April 2013. Patients were randomized in a 1 to 1 ratio to receive either an individualized 45-minute multifaceted preoperative education (experimental group, n = 63) or standard education (control group, n = 66). Participants completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Knowledge Test before and after the education. Data on incidence of delirium, days of mechanical ventilation, ICU days, and cardiopulmonary parameters were collected. RESULTS The experimental group had significantly more knowledge about postoperative care (P< .001) and fewer days of mechanical ventilation (P = .04) than the control group. The 2 groups did not differ significantly in anxiety, incidence of delirium, or ICU days. In exploratory multivariate analyses, hearing impairment was a positive predictor for days of delirium (P = .009), days of mechanical ventilation (P< .001), and ICU days (P= .049), whereas the posttest knowledge was a negative predictor for days of mechanical ventilation (P = .02). CONCLUSION The patient education appeared to be effective in improving knowledge and reducing days of mechanical ventilation. Hearing impairment was an unexpected predictor of adverse outcomes for patients but may be amenable to nursing intervention.
Fast prototyping of real time systems: A new challenge?

As electronic systems become more complex and gather more and more functionality, the attention of the design automation community is gradually drifting away from the chip prototyping problem and starts to focus on the development of system design technology. One might wonder how system prototyping differs from the traditional chip design problem. The author demonstrate that there are indeed some fundamental differences, which will effect the design methodology at both the specification, simulation and implementation levels. On the other hand, the authors also argues that a large part of the chip design methodology is valuable at the system level as well. >
Reduction of threshold voltage at the SOI MOSFET sidewalls due to charge sharing with the front and back interfaces

Summary form only given, as follows. MOSFETs fabricated on silicon-on-insulator substrates have two additional parasitic MOS transistors in parallel with the main front channel. The back-gate transistor is controlled by the substrate with the buried oxide as the dielectric. The sidewall transistor is controlled by the front-gate through the sidewall dielectric. Five-terminal SOI MOSFETs were characterized to determine the threshold voltage at the front, back, and sidewall as a function of the body bias. The threshold voltage shift with body at the front and back interfaces can be explained by the standard bulk body bias equation, but the threshold voltage shift at the sidewall is smaller than that expected from this equation and saturates at large body biases. This anomalous behavior is explained by two-dimensional charge sharing between the sidewall and the front and back interfaces. An analytical model has been developed which accounts for this charge sharing by a simple trapezoidal approximation of the depletion regions and correctly predicts the sidewall threshold voltage shift and its saturation at large body biases. >