cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An analysis of auditory brainstem responses in infants

Abstract Acoustic brainstem responses (ABRs) were recorded from 148 infants from 4 to 60 weeks of age. 28 subjects returned to the laboratory 3 or more times for additional recordings. Filtered clicks of 1, 2, 4 and 8 kHz were presented at two intensities, 30 and 50 dB HL re the average threshold for a group of young adults. Responses to a broadband click, 50 dB nHL, were also recorded. The latencies of waves I, III and V were measured. Wave I latencies for the 8 kHz filtered click showed no change but those for lower frequencies decreased with age. The latency decreases with age were largest for wave V, and, among the filtered clicks, was largest for the responses to 1 kHz. Best-fitting curves were determined for latency vs. age for each filtered click and for the broadband click. Wave V —Wave I latency differences showed that the rostral conduction time for responses to the 8 kHz FC decreased with age and, for the 1 kHz filtered click (50 dB), remained constant. The early development of basal regions in the cochlea is viewed as insuring the delivery of a wide range of frequencies to rostral segments of the auditory system. The limiting feature of maturation is at rostral sites. The immature auditory system appears to be fully capable of transducing low frequency stimuli, but not high frequencies.
Differences Between Membranoproliferative Glomerulonephritis Types I and III in Clinical Presentation, Glomerular Morphology, and Complement Perturbation

Data for 26 patients with membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, type I (MPGN I) and 22 with membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, type III (MPGN III), as distinguished by glomerular ultrastructure, were analyzed to determine differences in presentation, complement perturbation, and glomerular morphology by light microscopy. MPGN III was detected with greater frequency by the chance discovery of hematuria and proteinuria in the otherwise healthy individual (MPGN III, 63%; MPGN I, 30%; P = .01) and never, in the absence of renal failure, presented with systemic symptoms such as ease of fatigue, weight loss, and pallor, as may patients with MPGN I. The more frequent detection of MPGN III by chance is evidence that its onset is insidious and that for long periods it produces no symptoms or signs. Glomerular proliferation is also less than in MPGN I. Further, in MPGN III, the complement perturbation and glomerular immunofluorescence give no evidence of classical pathway activation, for which there is abundant evidence in MPGN I. Even with severe hypocomplementemia in MPGN III, C3 nephritic factor, another cause of hypocomplementemia, is rarely detectable and then in very low concentration: The cause of the complement perturbation in MPGN III has so far escaped identification. Although these observations give evidence that MPGN III is distinct from MPGN I, there is compelling evidence from other studies that a predisposition to both types is inherited and that similar genetic factors are operative in the two types. Because their genetic basis appears to be the same, it must be concluded that despite their differences, types I and III are variants of the same disease.
A strontium and neodymium isotopic study of Apollo 17 high-Ti mare basalts: Resolution of ages, evolution of magmas, and origins of source heterogeneities

The geochronological and compositional differences between previously identified magma types (A, B1, B2, and C) were investigated using high-precision Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd isotopic data for a set of Apollo 17 high-Ti mare basalt samples chosen to span the range of each of the magma types. These data, combined with previously reported geochemical ages, suggest that Apollo 17 volcanism was initially dominated by an eruption of Type B basalts. Data obtained from new whole-rock Sr and Nd isotopic analyses exhibited distinct differences in initial Sr and Nd isotopic compositions between Types A, B1, B2, and C basalts and were found to be consistent with existing petrogenetic models.
Particle-size and analytical considerations in the mineral-magnetic interpretation of soil loss from cultivated landscapes

Abstract Prior research has highlighted the potential for using soil magnetism as a rapid estimator of total cumulative soil loss on cultivated land. In this study, the influences of particle size, choice of magnetic measurement and initial conditions on a proposed model linking surface soil magnetism and soil loss are described and evaluated. Output model curves are generated for several parameter sets corresponding to different model assumptions and physical scenarios. Output is also compared to a new high-resolution surfacial magnetism data set from a cultivated site, Gilbert Farm in northwestern Alabama (USA), to further evaluate the model. Magnetic susceptibility values at Gilbert Farm range from 150 to 220 (×10 −8 ) m 3 kg −1 in a control soil profile. The original model output ranges from 180 to 192 (×10 −8 ) m 3 kg −1 and many magnetism values in the cultivated area fall outside this range. Introduction of a particle-size sorting correction factor decreases the range of output values and results in even greater numbers of out-of-range observations. However, there is evidence suggesting that particle-size distributions in the upper soil at this site are not strongly affected by differences in water erosion mechanism. Lower tillage depths cause magnetic susceptibility values to come in range, but may be unrealistic and create a twin-value problem for complex magnetic profiles. Use of the remanence (SIRM)/volume susceptibility ( κ lf ) ratio profile, with values ranging from 35 to 120 mA m −1 /10 −5 SI, instead of magnetic susceptibility as used in the original model, was found to eliminate out-of-range and twin value. Anomalous magnetism values were identifiable and treatable on the high resolution magnetism maps, but other types of natural spatial variation remain at issue.
Flux-proof or “sometimes no one can read labels in the dark”: Carolee Schneemann and the Fluxus paradox

Carolee Schneemann's relationship to Fluxus has notoriously been described as controversial. Anette Kubitza's essay is questioning the continued, arbitrary and possibly personally motivated exclusion of Schneemann's art from publications and exhibitions of Fluxus art in the US. It intends to renew a discussion of Flux-ness in part of Schneemann's oeuvre, taking a close look at early performances such as Glass Environment for Sound and Motion (1962) and Looseleaf (1964), as well as at her later environment Electronic Activation Room (1970–1), realized in Cologne with John Lifton, and works created in connection with the British Fluxshoe group in the 1970s. While Kubitza's essay is not an attempt to finally establish Schnemann as a Fluxus artist, Schneemann's early connection with Fluxus can be considered not only an important step to the artist's innovative, more radical body and performance pieces that placed her at the forefront of these new genres and later of feminist art. It also acknowledges her pivo...
Use of restenting should be minimized with intracoronary radiation therapy for in-stent restenosis.

Restenting at the time of intracoronary radiation therapy (IRT) for in-stent restenosis (ISR) potentially increases the risk of late total occlusion (LTO) of the treated vessel. Prolonged antiplatelet therapy with clopidogrel (6 months) has been shown to be effective in reducing LTO risk. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of restenting on clinical outcomes following IRT for ISR with 6 months of clopidogrel. We retrospectively evaluated 1,275 patients with 6-months clinical follow-up who were enrolled in radiation trials for ISR using gamma- and beta-emitters conducted at Washington Hospital Center. Patients were analyzed according to whether additional stents were deployed at the time of IRT. The predominant indication for restenting was to optimize the final angiographic result in the event of tissue prolapse or to cover edge dissections. All patients received a minimum of 6 months of clopidogrel. Baseline clinical and angiographic characteristics were similar between the restented and nonrestented groups. Radiation was delivered successfully in all cases. At 6 months, patients treated with additional stents and IRT had a significantly higher rate of target vessel revascularization than patients without additional stents (24.6% vs. 18.7%; P = 0.011). Restenting caused more frequent late thrombosis, late total occlusion, and Q-wave myocardial infarction than no restenting (4.0% vs. 2.2%, P = 0.09; 6.1% vs. 4.3%, P = 0.14; and 1.9% vs. 0.4%, P = 0.009, respectively). Restenting for the treatment of ISR is associated with increased adverse events and should be avoided after intracoronary radiation therapy for in-stent restenosis, as restenting results in a higher recurrence rate and the potential for increased late total occlusion.
Development of a probucol-releasing antithrombogenic drug eluting stent.

The success of drug eluting stents (DESs) has been challenged by the manifestation of late stent thrombosis after DES implantation. The incomplete regeneration of the endothelial layer poststenting triggers adverse signaling processes precipitating in thrombosis. Various approaches have been attempted to prevent thrombosis, including the delivery of biological agents, such as estradiol, that promote endothelialization, and the use of natural polymers as coating materials. The underlying challenge has been the inability to release the biological agent in synchronization with the temporal sequence of vascular wound healing in vivo. The natural healing process of the endothelium after an injury starts after a week and may take up to a month in humans. This article presents a novel DES formulation using a hemocompatible polyurethane (PU) matrix to sustain the release of probucol (PB), an endothelial agonist, by exploiting the greater difference in the solubility parameters of PB and PU. This results in the formation of crystalline PB aggregates retarding drug release from PU. The physicochemical properties of PB in PU were confirmed using differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction. Drug-polymer compatibility was examined using infrared spectral analysis. Also, in vitro studies using primary human aortic endothelial cells resulted in the selection of 5% w/w PB as the optimal dose, to be further tested in vitro and in vivo. This work develops and tests a promising new DES formulation to enable faster endothelial cell proliferation poststenting, potentially minimizing the incidence and severity of thrombotic events after DES implantation. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2012.
Problem of changing gauge in Polyakov's theory: Relation between light-cone and conformal gauges.

The problem of the change of gauge in string theory is discussed in the context of the functional-integral formulation of the theory. The equivalence between the light-cone and conformal gauges is shown. By performing a proper change of variables in commuting and ghost fields in the functional integral of Polykov's theory, the string theory in the conformal gauge is obtained from the light-cone gauge-fixed theory. Finally, the problem of changing gauge has been generalized to the higher-genus surfaces. It has been shown that string theory in the conformal gauge is equivalent to the light-cone gauge-fixed theory of strings, for surfaces with an arbitrary number of handles.
Palladium-catalyzed coupling of thiol esters with aryl and primary and secondary alkyl organoindium reagents.

Thiol esters and organoindium reagents undergo palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling under mild conditions to give ketones in moderate to excellent yields. Aryl and primary/secondary alkyl organoindiu...
Meaning-making in memories: a comparison of memories of death-related and low point life experiences.

Because of their extensive experience with death and dying, hospice volunteers may be more successful at engaging in meaning-making regarding their death-related experiences than their low point life experiences (e.g., job loss). Consequently, their memories of death-related experiences will manifest more meaning-making strategies (e.g., benefit-finding) than their low point memories. Fifty-two hospice volunteers wrote memory narratives of death-related and low point experiences and provided ratings of their memories. Results show that death memory narratives exhibit more meaning-making strategies, are rated as more emotionally positive, and are more frequently rehearsed. The long-term significance of the use of meaning-making strategies is discussed.
Principal Instructional Leadership Can Reverse the Under-Representation of Black Students in Gifted Education.

Researchers and educators have been aware for decades that Black students are under-represented in gifted education, yet few have dis cussed the importance of the principal's role in addressing this problem. The principal can help to improve the representation of Black stu dents in gifted education by focusing on teacher supervision and eval uation, staff development, and quality control.
Corticosterone receptors decline in a site-specific manner in the aged rat brain.

Abstract Putative glucocorticoid receptors were measured in the brain and pituitary glands of young and aged rats in vivo and in vitro. Adrenalectomized rats were injected with a set dose of radiolabeled corticosterone plus unlabeled corticosterone; 2 h later [3H]corticosterone levels were measured in purified nuclear pellets from pituitary and 5 brain regions. Substantial decreases were seen in aged subjects in the maximal number of corticosterone binding sites in hippocampus and amygdala; all other regions showed no age-related changes. In contrast, there were no declines in the nuclear uptake of [3H]dexamethasone (DEX) in the aged rat brains. Since DEX interacts selectively with non-neuronal receptors in vivo, the deficit in glucocorticoid binding is selective for neurons. Subsequent studies assessing glucocorticoid receptor levels in cytosol preparations in vitro significant declines in hippocampus and amygdala quantitavely comparable to the decline observed in nuclear binding in these loci. This suggests that the primary deficit leading to nuclear depletion may be the reduction of cytosolic receptor number, rather than other possible factors such as the reduction in receptor affinity or translocation of steroid-receptor complex. This decline may play a role in a number of limbic functions which are influenced by glucocorticoids and shows deficits with age.
The stability of lamellar γ-γ′ structures

Abstract The stability of stress-annealed γ-γ′ lamellar structures in nickel-base superalloy single crystals was investigated. Three single-crystal alloys were stress annealed in tension at 1000°C to form lamellae perpendicular to the applied stress. The rate of lamellar thickening under various thermal and creep exposures was then examined. For unstressed aging at 1000°C, two of the alloys exhibited an initial increase in thickness followed by a plateau region where the lamellar thickness remained constant. The third alloy showed more pronounced thickening at this temperature. For aging at 1100°C, two alloys exhibited continuous but slow lamellar coarsening, whereas the third alloy showed pronounced thickening plus spheroidization. Thickening appeared to occur mainly at faults and irregularities in the lamellar structure. Resistance to lamellar thickening was correlated with high magnitudes of lattice mismatch, which promoted a more regular lamellar structure and a finer spacing of misfit dislocations. In some additional experiments, specimens which were tension annealed prior to compressive creep testing exhibited an earlier onset of tertiary creep in comparison with as-heat-treated specimens. This was associated with accelerated lamellar coarsening in the stress-annealed specimens.
Intergenerational transmission of values over the family life course

Abstract Literature consistently shows that parents transmit their values to children, but less is known about the persistence and timing of value transmission over the life course, how the quality of intergenerational relationships moderates the strength of transmission, and how transmission may be sensitive to the type of value considered. We addressed our research questions using 1971 and 2000 waves of the Longitudinal Study of Generations (LSOG). The sample consisted of 775 parent–child dyads in which parents averaged 44 years old in 1971 and their offspring averaged 48 years old in 2000. Religious beliefs and gender role attitudes were the two values considered. We found intergenerational value similarity with regard to children's values in 2000 were mostly the result of early transmission. The quality of the parent–child relationship strengthened the contemporaneous transmission of religious beliefs and the lagged transmission of gender role attitudes. The transmission of gender role attitudes was considerably weaker and less stable over time than it was for religious orientation but tended to have a lagged impact under conditions of high solidarity. We discuss the role of parents’ influence on their children's value orientations in terms of a relational, life course, and societal process.
Characterizing Rheological Properties of Binder and Blending Efficiency of Asphalt Paving Mixtures Containing RAS through GPC

AbstractUse of recycled asphalt shingles (RAS) into asphalt mixture has become more popular in asphalt paving industry due to dwindling natural resources and potential economic benefits. However, one critical question arises as to how much of aged asphalt binder in RAS can be effectively blended with virgin binder during mixing and construction. This paper presents a laboratory study in which gel permeation chromatography (GPC) was used to determine the blending efficiency of RAS. A correlation was first established between percentages of large molecules (LMS) obtained from GPC and rheological properties of RAS binders. Then the relationship was used to estimate the blending efficiency of RAS binders. The effects of aggregate size, RAS content, and mixing time on blending efficiency were evaluated. The test results show that the percentage of LMS was highly correlated with the complex shear modulus (G*) of asphalt binder. Increasing mixing time led to a better blending of RAS mixture. Aggregate size did n...
On the nonuniqueness of the load wave form in a reaction rate mean fatigue crack growth model

Abstract A reaction rate model for mean fatigue crack growth (FCG) under periodic load variation is employed. It is shown that a specified (loadmax, loadmin) or (Smax,R) is not sufficient to uniquely determine the crack growth rate at constant temperature T and environment E. Further, given a periodic load wave form and (T, E), it is shown that there is a family of different load wave forms that produce the same crack growth rate.
A filter free dual transmission grating spectrometer for the extreme-ultraviolet

We report the design and laboratory testing of a prototype dual-grating filter-free extreme ultraviolet (EUV) spectrometer that has potential as a highly stable instrument for measuring absolute solar irradiance in the X-ray through far ultraviolet spectral range. The instrument is based on the same freestanding transmission gratings and silicon photodiodes used on the successful Solar EUV Monitor (SEM) aboard SOHO and the EUV Spectrophotometer (ESP) part of the EVE instrument suite to be flown on SDO. Its two gratings, placed in series, along with a simple baffle structure provide excellent out of band "white" light rejection. Because the instrument does not use any thin film filters or reflective optics it is not susceptible to the degradation and instability associated with such optical elements. We present photometric efficiency data from laboratory tests with a Helium and Hydrogen discharge light source and measurements of "white" light rejection taken using the Mt Wilson Observatory 60' solar telescope.
Characterization of Venera 15/16 Geologic units from Pioneer Venus reflectivity and roughness data

Geologic units have been defined for the surface of Venus from Venera 15/16 image data. A characterization of these geologic units is carried out using information on surface properties derived from Pioneer Venus (PV) reflectivity and rms slope data. The geologic context provided by Venera 15/16 units allows additional, more specific interpretations of surface radar properties to be made. Characterization of Venera units results in the definition of four groups of Venera units: (1) smooth rocky units, 2) rough rocky units, (3) rough high dielectric units, and (4) diffusely scattering units. On the basis of correlations of surface morphology to spatial and statistical distributions in rms slope and reflectivity data, we test models for the origin of the surface properties of some units. We conclude that plains and tectonic units can be contrasted in terms of the average roughness of the surface and that tectonic deformation appears to roughen the surface at 0.5- to 10-m and 5- to 50-cm scales. This tectonic weathering process appears to dominate the erosional regime of Venus. Unlike Earth or Mars, production and transport of soils dominates only a small portion (less than or equal to 5%) of the surface. Some of the Venera units display distinctive spatial and statistical distributions of PV radar data. In particular, apparent low reflectivity in the tesserae appears to be caused by small (5-50 cm) rock fragments on the surface which cause diffuse scattering at Pioneer Venus wavelengths. Analysis of models for the formation of these fragments suggests that they are due to the pervasive deformation undergone by the tesserae. Finally, aspects of this study have been used to extend results of Venera image data analysis southward of 30 deg. N lat, resulting in it prediction of the distribution of tessera. Such results can aid in Magellan investigations.
Optical properties of 1D photonic crystals with correlated and uncorrelated disorder

We introduce both correlated disorder and uncorrelated disorder to one-dimensional dielectric periodic structures and investigate their effects on light transmission, localization length, density of photonic states and decay rate of resonant modes. The photonic bandgaps are more robust against uncorrelated disorder due to the preservation of long-range structural order. While correlated disorder enhances light localization near the band edges, uncorrelated disorder causes a divergence of localization length near the gap edges. The correlated disorder induces a larger fluctuation of decay rates for the bandgap modes than the pass band modes. In contrast, the resonant modes near the pass band center experience the strongest fluctuation of decay rates in the presence of uncorrelated disorder.
Double Effect and the End‐Not‐Means Principle: A Response to Bennett

Proponents of double-effect reasoning — relying in part on a distinction between intention and foresight — assert that it is worse intentionally to cause harm than to cause harm with foresight but without intention. They hold, for example, that terror bombing is worse than tactical bombing in so far as terror bombing is the intentional harming of non-combatants while tactical bombing is not. In articulating the ethical relevance of the intended/foreseen distinction, advocates of double effect employ the Kantian end-not-means principle. Jonathan Bennett has recently argued that this principle cannot ground the ethical relevance of the intended/foreseen distinction. He holds that the principle demands that one benefit others while double effect deals with acts that do not benefit others. Thus, he maintains, the intended/foreseen distinction does not have ethical import and double effect is not tenable. I argue for a reading of the end-not-means principle that grounds the ethical relevance of both the intended/foreseen distinction and double effect.
A psychoeducational intervention for schizophrenic patients

Abstract Most psychoeducational programs have been designed for family members of schizophrenic patients rather than for the patients themselves. This program was constructed to systematically educate inpatients/outpatients about their disorder and address their concerns and misperceptions in order to increase compliance with medical regimen and improve patients' self-management. This didactic-experiential intervention educates patients about the nature of schizophrenia, its course, causes, prevalence, drug treatments, common misperceptions about medication, non-drug treatments, stress factors, legal advocay issues, and community resources. The program's rationale, goals, format, instructional aids, pre/post intervention assessment tools, and content material are presented.
The relationship of hydrogen peroxide-producing lactobacilli to bacterial vaginosis and genital microflora in pregnant women.

Lactobacilli provide an important microbial defense against genital colonization by pathogens. The role of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in the control of genital microflora was explored in a cross-sectional study of 275 women in the second trimester of pregnancy. Vaginal cultures were obtained for detection of H2O2-positive and H2O2-negative lactobacilli and other members of the genital microflora. Compared with women with H2O2-negative lactobacilli, women colonized by H2O2-positive lactobacilli were less likely to have bacterial vaginosis, symptomatic candidiasis, and vaginal colonization by Gardnerella vaginalis, Bacteroides, Peptostreptococcus, Mycoplasma hominis, Ureaplasma urealyticum, and viridans streptococci (P less than or equal to .05 for each comparison). In addition to the above organisms, women without vaginal lactobacilli were more likely than those women with H2O2-positive lactobacilli to have Chlamydia trachomatis, and less likely to be colonized by Enterococcus or coagulase-negative staphylococci (P less than .05 for each comparison). Vaginal colonization by group B streptococci or Escherichia coli was not related to the presence of H2O2-positive lactobacilli. These data suggest that the presence of H2O2-positive lactobacilli in the vagina is inversely correlated with infection by some genital pathogens in pregnant women.
Intelligent MapReduce Based Framework for Labeling Instances in Evolving Data Stream

In our current work, we have proposed a multi-tiered ensemble based robust method to address all of the challenges of labeling instances in evolving data stream. Bottleneck of our current work is, it needs to build ADABOOST ensembles for each of the numeric features. This can face scalability issue as number of features can be very large at times in data stream. In this paper, we propose an intelligent approach to build these large number of ADABOOST ensembles with MapReduce based parallelism. We show that, this approach can help our base method to achieve significant scalability without compromising classification accuracy. We analyze different aspects of our design to depict advantages and disadvantages of the approach. We also compare and analyze performance of the proposed approach in terms of execution time, speedup and scale up.
A longitudinal study of Escherichia coli O157 in fourteen cattle herds

Escherichia coli O157 shedding in 14 cattle herds was determined by faecal culture at intervals of approximately 1 month for up to 13 months. The overall prevalence was 1.0% (113/10832 faecal samples) and 9 of the 14 herds were detected as positive. Herds positive 2 years previously (n = 5) had a higher prevalence of positive cattle (median = 1.9%) than herds which had been negative on a previous sampling (n = 8, median = 0.2%). Weaned heifers had a higher prevalence (1.8%) than did unweaned calves (0.9%) or adults (0.4%). For all herds the highest prevalence occurred in the summer months, which resulted in most of the positive faecal samples being collected on a minority of sampling visits.
Working memory deficits after traumatic brain injury: catecholaminergic mechanisms and prospects for treatment -- a review.

Primary objective: To review the neural circuitry and neurochemistry of working memory and outline the evidence for working memory deficits after traumatic brain injury, and the evidence for the use of catecholaminergic agents in the amelioration of these deficits. Current knowledge gaps and research needs are identified.Main outcomes and results: Impairments in working memory are a core component of the cognitive deficits associated with traumatic brain injury. Recent progress in understanding the neural circuitry and neurochemistry of working memory suggests that catecholamines play a central role in the activation and regulation of working memory and thus lays a framework in which to consider the use of catecholaminergic agents (dopaminergic and alpha-2 adrenergic agonists) in the treatment of specific cognitive deficits after traumatic brain injury.Conclusions: The combined methods of cognitive neuroscience, functional brain imaging and neuropharmacology are proposed as an excellent method for studyin...
Genetic analysis of the Salmonella transcription factor HilA

HilA, a Salmonella transcription factor, activates the invF-1 and prgH promoters through binding to the HilA box, which contains 2 copies of a TTKHAT motif separated by a T centered at -45 relative to the start sites of transcription. The N-terminal 112 amino acids of HilA are similar to winged helix-turn-helix DNA binding/transcription activation domains (wHTH DBDs). The remaining 441 amino acids are not similar in sequence to any other well-characterized transcription factors. Here, we report that the wHTH DBD is essential for activation of both promoters, but amino acids 113-554 are only required for normal activation of invF-1. Some alanine substitutions in the putative alpha loop, which connects the recognition and positioning helices in wHTH DBDs, cause a loss-of-activation phenotype. A hilA allele encoding a protein with an alanine substituted for arginine at position 71 in the alpha loop has a loss-of-activation defect exclusively at the prgH promoter. The results suggest distinct roles for one or more domains formed by amino acids 113-554 and for arginine 71 in activation of the 2 promoters.
Use of Antimicrobial Drugs in General Hospitals. II. Analysis of Patterns of Use

The hospital charts were surveyed of 5,288 patients in 20 hospitals that were randomly selected from the 194 general hospitals in Pennsylvania. Antimicrobial drugs were administered to 28% of the patients, with little variation in pattern according to hospital size. Surgical services accounted for 61% of the patients who received antimicrobial drugs, and the proportion of patients receiving such drugs varied from 84% on thoracic and cardiovascular surgical services to 13% on obstetrical services. General medicine accounted for 29% of the patients who received antimicrobial drugs and pediatrics for 9%. Eight percent of the hospital population accounted for 50% of all antimicrobial drugs used. Ampicillin was the most frequently used drug, being given in 22% of all courses, with cephalosporins (18%), benzylpenicillins (14%), and tetracycline (13%) next in order. Approximately 30% of the antimicrobial courses were used for prophylaxis.
Echocardiography, nuclear scintigraphy, and stress testing in the emergency department evaluation of acute coronary syndrome.

The diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD) can usually be secured in a patient who presents to the emergency department (ED) with typical angina, multiple cardiac risk factors, and a markedly abnormal ECG. The difficulty for the emergency physician arises when the patient's history is somewhat atypical, with a few cardiac risk factors present, as well as a somewhat abnormal or completely normal electrocardiogram. 1 Various diagnostic algorithms using myriad diagnostic tests have been formulated to help differentiate cardiac from noncardiac chest pain. The roles of echocardiography, stress testing, and nuclear medicine studies in the ED evaluation of acute coronary syndromes are reviewed in this article.
Oral contraceptive use alters the balance of platelet prostaglandin and thromboxane synthesis

The ability of platelet microsomes to generate platelet aggregating activity on addition of arachidonic acid was evaluated in women taking oral contraceptives and in controls taking no medication but matched for age, sex, and family history. Oral contraceptive users generated significantly more platelet aggregating activity per 100 ug of platelet microsomal protein than controls. Variation in generation of platelet aggregating activity during the menstrual cycle was also observed with highest activity during the third week. These studies show an altered balance of platelet prostaglandin and thromboxane synthesis in oral contraceptive users which may contribute to their increased incidence of thromboembolic phenomena.
Measurement of ambient aerosol hydration state at Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the southeastern United States

Abstract. We present results from two field deployments of a unique tandem differential mobility analyzer (TDMA) configuration with two primary capabilities: identifying alternative stable or meta-stable ambient aerosol hydration states associated with hysteresis in aerosol hydration behavior and determining the actual Ambient hydration State (AS-TDMA). This data set is the first to fully classify the ambient hydration state of aerosols despite recognition that hydration state significantly impacts the roles of aerosols in climate, visibility and heterogeneous chemistry. The AS-TDMA was installed at a site in eastern Tennessee on the border of Great Smoky Mountains National Park for projects during the summer of 2006 and winter of 2007–2008. During the summer, 12% of the aerosols sampled in continuous AS-TDMA measurements were found to posses two possible hydration states under ambient conditions. In every case, the more hydrated of the possible states was occupied. The remaining 88% did not posses multiple possible states. In continuous measurements during the winter, 49% of the aerosols sampled possessed two possible ambient hydration states; the remainder possessed only one. Of those aerosols with multiple possible ambient hydration states, 65% occupied the more hydrated state; 35% occupied the less hydrated state. This seasonal contrast is supported by differences in the fine particulate (PM2.5) composition and ambient RH as measured during the two study periods. In addition to seasonal summaries, this work includes case studies depicting the variation of hydration state with changing atmospheric conditions.
Treatment of Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Evaluation clinique du syndrome de fatigue chronique et description de traitement par l'acyclovir, les antidepresseurs, les inhibiteurs de la monoamine oxydase, les antiinflammatoires non steroidiens et d'autres agents. Si la chimiotherapie reste inefficace, il s'agit alors de conseiller le patient et de l'inciter a changer son mode de vie
Trends in quality of care and barriers to improvement in the Indian Health Service.

BACKGROUND Although Native Americans experience substantial disparities in health outcomes, little information is available regarding healthcare delivery for this population.
Synthesis of α-tritiated L-histidine, L-arginine and L-lysine☆

Abstract Tritium was introduced into the alpha position of histidine, arginine, and lysine by racemization using the azlactone rearrangement in an anhydrous tritiated medium. The monoacetyl derivatives of histidine and arginine were resolved with acylase I; lysine was converted into its α,ϵ-dichloroacetyl derivative and resolved with acylase IA. The α-tritiated l -amino acids recovered from these reactions had the expected optical rotations. The specific activities of l -[α 3 H]-histidine·HCl·H 2 O, l -[α 3 H]-arginine·HCl, and l -[α 3 H]-lysine·HCl were 3.40 × 10 9 , 4.47 × 10 9 , and 1.03 × 10 9 dpm/mmole, respectively. l -[α 3 H] Arginine·HCl was converted into l -ornithine·HCl and l -citrulline without change in specific activity. l -Arginine and l -citrulline, when subjected to the action of l -amino acid oxidase, gave α-keto-δ-guanidinovaleric and α-keto-δ-carbamidovaleric acids, which were devoid of any activity. ϵ-Cbzo- l -[α 3 H]-lysine was prepared and subjected to the action of l -oxidase. The resulting α-keto-ϵ- N -Cbzo-aminocaproic acid had no activity. l -[α 3 H]-histidine·HCl·H 2 O was oxidized by nonenzymic means to imidazolelactic acid, cyanomethylimidazole, and imidazoleglyoxylic acid; the compounds retained 100, 8, and 2% of the original activity respectively. β-Imidazolyl-pyruvic acid could not be prepared by the action of venom l -amino acid oxidase. Imidazoleacetic acid prepared with this enzyme in the absence of catalase had 6% of the original l -histidine activity. It is concluded that tritium introduced into arginine and lysine by the azlactone rearrangement is exclusively linked to the α-carbon. For histidine, 92% of the label appeared in the α-position, 6% in the β-hydrogen atoms, and 2% in the imidazole ring. The difficulties in the determination of the tritium activity of histidine and its derivatives by liquid scintillation counting can be overcome by the addition of formaldehyde.
Bone marrow MyD88 signaling modulates neutrophil function and ischemic myocardial injury.

Myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88), an adaptor critical for innate immune function, plays a role in neutrophil recruitment and myocardial injury after transient ischemia. However, how MyD88 ...
Quantal density functional theory : Wave function arbitrariness of the noninteracting fermion model

In quantal density functional theory (Q-DFT), the mapping from either a ground or excited state of the interacting system to one of noninteracting fermions with equivalent density is such that the state of the latter model S system is arbitrary. Thus, in principle, there are an infinite number of local (multiplicative) effective potential energy functions that can reproduce the density of the interacting system. In the present work, we note that there is also an arbitrariness in the wave function of the model fermions when the S system is constructed in an excited state. Different wave functions lead to the same density. As the principal requirement of the model system is met, viz. to reproduce the interacting system density, these wave functions are all equally valid representations, irrespective of whether they are eigenfunctions of various symmetry operators. However, the corresponding nonlocal properties such as the Fermi and Coulomb hole charge distributions, and the resulting Pauli and Coulomb energies, will differ. This wave function arbitrariness within Q-DFT is demonstrated via the exactly solvable Hooke's atom. Finally, Q-DFT and Kohn–Sham DFT are contrasted with regard to the state and wave function arbitrariness of the model S system. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2006
“I like to watch”: Analyzing a participation-and-denial phenomenon

Perhaps no activity in contemporary culture is more marked by the co presence of high participation and high denial than is television watching. Furthermore, anecdotal evidence suggests that people with years of ad? vanced education e.g., academics engaged in human science research are more intent on denial than are less formally-educated members of the population. My colleagues invariably preface remarks on recent television programs by reminding their audience that they "rarely get to watch television, but..." In responding to others' (similarly prefaced) comments, they are apt to say "I just happened to see that too, when I flipped on the set to catch the evening news": or, "I caught part of that because the kids (or: my husband/wife, mother/father, housemates) were watching as I went through the living room"; or "You know, I almost never watch television but I thought that would be worth catching so that [one or more appropriate justifications can be inserted here]." This curious downplaying of participation stands in contrast to activities which people claim to do often, although participation studies do not substantiate those claims: engaging in active (in contrast to spectator) sports; going to church, concerts, and the theater; reading academic jour? nals, scholarly books, "serious" literature, and poetry. Readiness to "own up to" (and even over-estimate) engagement in these activities suggests a mundane consensus on their worthwhile nature, in contrast to television watching. In this paper, I use a hermeneutic phenomenological method of analysis in order to discern which aspects of the experience of watching television may be responsible for this widespread participation-and-denial phenomenon. I begin with discussion of that method, since a variety of beliefs about phenomenology and hermeneutic could interfere with under? standing the analysis I undertake here. If the "hermeneutic" part of the term is given primary attention, this method often is associated with determining meaning in written texts. If the "phenomenology" is emphasized, this
Z3-invariants of real and imaginary quadratic fields

Abstract Let Q ((−m) 1 2 ) and Q ((3m) 1 2 ) be a pair of quadratic fields, m > 0, and let λ−, μ−; λ+, μ+ be the respective Iwasawa invariants of the basic Z 3-extensions of these fields. A generalization of a result of Scholz shows that λ− ≥ λ+ and if μ− = 0, then μ+ = 0.
Mechanism and Morality in Patients' Views of Illness and Injury

In this article I examine the ways in which patients discussed illnesses and injuries as life events in structured, open-ended interviews. I show how explanation (identifying cause) and interpretation (identifying reason) were brought together, linking mechanism with morality. Respondents, rather than merely juxtaposing or contrasting mechanism and morality, joined them by using a psychologized view of human beings centering on the notion of “stress.” I claim that “stress” as a coupling element is now a culturally available medico-moral concept in the United States that allows “fact” and “value” to interpenetrate. Although some physicians and stress researchers use “stress” as a medico-moral term, they appear to desocialize it, whereas the study's respondents implicated “stress” in actions and interactions evaluated as undesirable or wrong. As a bridge-symbol, “stress” parallels multivocal ritual and sacred symbols.
Analytical method for the construction of solutions to the Föppl-von Kármán equations governing deflections of a thin flat plate

Abstract We discuss the method of linearization and construction of perturbation solutions for the Foppl–von Karman equations, a set of non-linear partial differential equations describing the large deflections of thin flat plates. In particular, we present a linearization method for the Foppl–von Karman equations which preserves much of the structure of the original equations, which in turn enables us to construct qualitatively meaningful perturbation solutions in relatively few terms. Interestingly, the perturbation solutions do not rely on any small parameters, as an auxiliary parameter is introduced and later taken to unity. The obtained solutions are given recursively, and a method of error analysis is provided to ensure convergence of the solutions. Hence, with appropriate general boundary data, we show that one may construct solutions to a desired accuracy over the finite bounded domain. We show that our solutions agree with the exact solutions in the limit as the thickness of the plate is made arbitrarily small.
Semiparametric RMA Background-Correction for Oligonucleotide Arrays

Microarray technology has provided an opportunity to simultaneously monitor the expression levels of a large number of genes in response to intentional perturbations. A necessary step towards successful use of microarray technology is background correction which aims to remove noise. One of the most popular algorithms for background correction is the robust multichip average (RMA) procedure which relies on an unjustified parametric assumption. In this paper we first check the fitness of the RMA model using a graphical approach and then propose a new background correction method based on a semiparametric RMA model (semi-RMA). Evaluation of the proposed approach based on spike-in data and MAQC (microarray quality control project) data shows our semi-RMA model provides a better fit to microarray data than other approaches.
Gap Junction Coupling Is Required for Tumor Cell Migration Through Lymphatic Endothelium

Objective— The lymphatic vasculature is a well-established conduit for metastasis, but the mechanisms by which tumor cells interact with lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) to facilitate escape remain poorly understood. Elevated levels of the lymphangiogenic peptide adrenomedullin are found in many tumors, and we previously characterized that its expression is necessary for lymphatic vessel growth within both tumors and sentinel lymph nodes and for distant metastasis. Approach and Results— This study used a tumor cell-LEC coculture system to identify a series of adrenomedullin-induced events that facilitated transendothelial migration of the tumor cells through a lymphatic monolayer. High levels of adrenomedullin expression enhanced adhesion of tumor cells to LECs, and further analysis revealed that adrenomedullin promoted gap junction coupling between LECs as evidenced by spread of Lucifer yellow dye. Adrenomedullin also enhanced heterocellular gap junction coupling as demonstrated by Calcein dye transfer from tumor cells into LECs. This connexin-mediated gap junction intercellular communication was necessary for tumor cells to undergo transendothelial migration because pharmacological blockade of this heterocellular communication prevented the ability of tumor cells to transmigrate through the lymphatic monolayer. In addition, treatment of LECs with adrenomedullin caused nuclear translocation of β-catenin, a component of endothelial cell junctions, causing an increase in transcription of the downstream target gene C-MYC . Importantly, blockade of gap junction intercellular communication prevented β-catenin nuclear translocation. Conclusions— Our findings indicate that maintenance of cell–cell communication is necessary to facilitate a cascade of events that lead to tumor cell migration through the lymphatic endothelium. # Significance {#article-title-46}
Comparing outcomes for youth served in treatment foster care and treatment group care

This study compared youth in the Florida Medicaid system prior to entry into treatment foster care or treatment group care, and compared outcomes in the 6 months after treatment. Florida Medicaid data from FY2003/04 through 2006/2007 along with Department of Juvenile Justice, Department of Law Enforcement, and involuntary examination data were used to examine youth receiving out-of-home treatment. Propensity score matching was used to examine the effect of out-of-home treatment on outcomes. Males, older youth, and youth with prior involuntary examinations, felony charges, misdemeanor charges, or inpatient psychiatric treatment were more likely to be placed in treatment group care. Treatment foster care placement was more likely for youth with prior treatment foster care episodes. Propensity matching results indicated that youth in treatment foster care had greater reductions in felony charges, and were less likely to return to out-of-home treatment in the following 6 months. While often placed in group care settings, youth with prior criminal justice encounters, especially for felony charges, may be better served in treatment foster care programs.