cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Timescale for hygroscopic conversion of calcite mineral particles through heterogeneous reaction with nitric acid

Atmospheric heterogeneous reactions can potentially change the hygroscopicity of atmospheric aerosols as they undergo chemical aging processes in the atmosphere. A particle's hygroscopicity influences its cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) properties with potential impacts on cloud formation and climate. In this study, size-selected calcite mineral particles were reacted with controlled amounts of nitric acid vapour over a wide range of relative humidities in an aerosol flow tube to study the conversion of insoluble and thus apparently non-hygroscopic calcium carbonate into soluble and hygroscopic calcium nitrate. The rate of hygroscopic change particles undergo during a heterogeneous reaction is derived from experimental measurements for the first time. The chemistry of the reacted particles was determined using an ultrafine aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer (UF-ATOFMS) while the particles' hygroscopicity was determined through measuring CCN activation curves fit to a single parameter of hygroscopicity, kappa. The reaction is rapid, corresponding to atmospheric timescales of hours. At low to moderate HNO3 exposures, the increase in the hygroscopicity of the particles is a linear function of the HNO3(g) exposure. The experimentally observed conversion rate was used to constrain a simple but accurate kinetic model. This model predicts that calcite particles will be rapidly converted into hygroscopic particles (kappa>0.1) within 4 h for low HNO3 mixing ratios (10 pptv) and in less than 3 min for 1000 pptv HNO3. This suggests that the hygroscopic conversion of the calcite component of atmospheric mineral dust aerosol will be controlled by the availability of nitric acid and similar reactants, and not by the atmospheric residence time.
D. Z. Phillips on the grammar of “God”

In this essay dedicated to the memory of D. Z. Phillips, I propose to do two things. In the first part I present his position on the grammar of God and the language game in some detail, discussing the confusion of “subliming” the logic of our language, the contextual genesis of sense and meaning, the idea of a world view, language game, logic, and grammar internal to each context, the constitution of the religious context, and the grammar of God proper to that context. In the second part I present my appreciative critical reflection by arguing that the conception of context and language game must be made more dialectical, that the grammar of God needs more systematic metaphysical analysis, and that a greater sense of the radical transcendence of God over a language game is necessary in order to avoid reductionism always inherent in any contextual approach.
A simplified and more standardized technique for recording multiple precordial electrocardiograms

Abstract 1. 1. A simple, rapid, and clinically valid technique is described for recording multiple precordial lead electrocardiograms. 2. 2. The technique employs an clastic belt carrying six precordial electrodes; for the placement of these only the first and sixth precordial positions need be defined. 3. 3. With this procedure the precordial electrode placements are distributed equidistantly over the precordium. Certain theoretical advantages of such placements that are in fixed relation to the thorax, rather than to the heart, are discussed briefly.
Making ends meet: String unification and low-energy data.

We examine the effects that may resolve the disagreement between string-scale unification and low-energy data. These include string threshold corrections, nonstandard hypercharge normalizations, light supersymmetric thresholds, intermediate gauge structure, and extra matter beyond the minimal supersymmetric standard model. We explicitly evaluate these effects within the flipped $\mathrm{SU}(5)$, $\mathrm{SO}(6)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\mathrm{SO}(4)$, and various $\mathrm{SU}(3)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\mathrm{SU}(2)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\mathrm{U}(1)$ string models, and surprisingly find that the only way to reconcile string unification with low-energy data is through certain types of extra matter. Remarkably, many of the realistic string models contain precisely this required matter in their massless spectra.
Transient response of sampled-data systems

IT IS KNOWN that the z-transform method1−4 can be readily used for analysis and design of sampled-data systems. This method is essentially a Laplace transform technique in which the sampled output is related to the input by system functions in the form of z-transforms. These system functions can be generally regarded to consist of zeros and poles, in the form of rational polynomial in the variable z, where z is defined as ∊Ts and T is the sampling period. The purpose of this digest is to investigate in detail the effect of the locations of the poles and zeros of the transfer function on the transient response of sampled-data systems when subjected to step input.
Cyclophosphamide therapy in life-threatening vascular tumors

adia HM. Treatment of Campylobacter-assocated enteritis with erythromycin. Am J Dis Child 1983;137:282-85. 11. Pal CH, Gillis F, Tuomanen E, Marks M1. Erythromycin in treatment of Campylobacter enteritis in children. Am J Dis Child 1983;137:286-88. 12. Mandal BK, Ellis ME, Dunbar EM, Whale K. Double-blind placebo-controlled trial of erythromycin in the treatment of clinical campylobacter infection. J Antimicrob Chemother 1984;13:619-23. 13. Andremont A, Tancrede C. Reduction of the aerobic gramnegative bacterial flora of the gastrointestinal tract and prevention of travellers' diarrhea using oral erythromycin. Ann Microbiol 1981;132B:419-27. 14. Harris JC, DuPont HL, Hornick RB. Fecal leukocytes in diarrheal illness. Ann Intern Med 1972;76:697. 15. Hamill PVV, Drizd JA, Johnson CL, et al. Physical growth: National Center for Health Statistics percentiles. Am J Clin Nutr 1979;32:607. 16. Lennette EH, Balows A, Hausler WJ Jr, Truant JP, eds. Manual of clinical microbiology, 3rd ed. Washington, D.C.: American Society for Microbiology, 1980. 17. Devenish JA, Schiemann DA. An abbreviated scheme for identification of Yersinia enterocolitica isolated from food enrichments on CIN (cefsulodin-irgasan-novobiocin) agar. Can J Microbiol 1981;27:937. 18. Gracey M, Burke V, Robinson J. Aeromonas-associated gastroenteritis. Lancet 1982;2:1304, 19. Moseley SL, Huq I, Alim ARMA, et al. Detection of enterot0xigenic Escherichia coli by DNA clone hybridization. J Infect Dis 1980;142:892. 20. Nelson JD, Kusimiesz H, Jackson LH. Comparison of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and ampicillin therapy for shigellosis in ambulatory patients. J PEDIATR 1976;89:491-93. 21. Haltalin KC, Nelson JD, Kusmiesz HT. Comparative efficacy of naldixic acid and ampicillin for severe shigellosis. Arch Dis Child 1973;48:305. 22. Riceiardi ID, Ferreira MCS. The age distribution in children with Campylobacter enteritis. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 1980;74:687. 23. Olarte J, Perez G1. Campylobacter jejuni in children with diarrhea in Mexico City. Pediatr Infect Dis 1983;2:18-20. 24. Walder M. Epidemiology of Campylobacter enteritis. Scand J Infect Dis 1982;14:27-33. 25. Billingham JD. Campylobacter enteritis in the Gambia. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 1981;75:641-44. 26. Blaser M J, Glass RI, Huq MI, et al. Isolation of Campylobacterfetus subsp, jejuni from Bangladeshi children. J Clin Microbiol 1980;I 2:744-47. 27. Naqvi SH, Dunkel LM, Clapper MA. Age-specific presentation of Carnpylobacter enteritis in children. Clin Pediatr 1983;22:98-100.
403: The effect of body mass index on survival following heart transplantation: A critique of the ISHLT’s revised listing criteria for heart transplantation

THE EFFECT OF BODY MASS INDEX ON SURVIVAL FOLLOWING HEART TRANSPLANTATION: A CRITIQUE OF THE ISHLT’S REVISED LISTING CRITERIA FOR HEART TRANSPLANTATION M.J. Russo, J.M. Chen, A. Moskowitz, K.N. Hong, R.R. Davies, F. Cheema, D.D. Ascheim, M. Argenziano, M.C. Oz, A.C. Gelijns, Y. Naka, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, NY, NY; International Center for Health Outcomes and Innovation Research, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, NY, NY; Division of Cardiology, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, NY, NY
Toward Competent Writing in the Workplace

Findings from a comparison of undergraduate and on-the-job writers recommend some changes in traditional methods of teaching technical writing in college. Freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and “compet...
Thoracic Outlet Arterial Compression: Prevalence in Normal Persons:

The prevalence of thoracic outlet compression of the subclavian or axillary artery was determined in both upper extremities of 130 normal individuals. Photoplethysmographic (PPG) recordings were made simultaneously in each index finger during performance of Adson, Costoclavicular, and hyperabduction maneuvers. Significant arterial obstruction resulted from one or more of these maneuvers in 78 subjects (60%) and was bilateral in 43 individuals (33%). Thoracic outlet arterial compression is common in normal persons and thus has little diagnostic value in symptomatic patients.
Population viability analysis based on combining Bayesian, integrated, and hierarchical analyses

Abstract Several methods used in fisheries stock assessment models that can be applied to population viability analysis are presented. (1) Integrated analysis allows the use of all information on a particular population, and ensures that all model assumptions and parameter are consistent throughout the analysis, that uncertainty is propagated throughout the analysis, and that the correlation among parameters is preserved. (2) Bayesian analysis allows for the inclusion of prior information, and is a convenient way to represent uncertainty. (3) Random-effects models based on hierarchical modeling allow information to be shared among parameter estimates and allow the separation of process error from estimation error. (4) Non-parametric representation of parameters allows for a more flexible relationship among the parameters. (5) Robust likelihood functions provide an automatic method to reduce the influence of outliers when the data sets are large. These methods are applied to artificial data sets provided by the Extinction Risk Working Group of the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) using AD Model Builder software (Otter Research™).
Large negative and positive delay of optical pulses in coherently prepared dense Rb vapor with buffer gas

We experimentally study the group time delay for a light pulse propagating through hot {sup 87}Rb vapor in the presence of a strong coupling field in a {lambda} configuration. We demonstrate that the ultraslow pulse propagation is transformed into superluminal propagation as the one-photon detuning of the light increases due to the change in the transmission resonance line shape. Negative group velocity as low as -c/10{sup 6}=-80 m/s is recorded. We also find that the advance time in the regime of the superluminal propagation grows linearly with increasing laser field power.
Reconstruction of electron spectra from depth doses with adaptive regularization

Electron spectral reconstruction of medical accelerators from measured depth doses is a practical method for providing the input initial phase space distribution at the patient surface that is required by Monte Carlotreatment planning systems. The posed inverse problem of spectral reconstruction is ill conditioned and this may lead to nonphysical oscillations in the reconstructed spectra. Use of a variational method of solution with a regularization technique removes the oscillations but tends to smooth the sharp (deltalike) energy peak that is a common feature in electron spectra generated by medical accelerators. Because the sharp peak contains a large percentage of the electrons in the spectrum, an accurate estimate of the peak width, height and position is critical to the success of the technique for spectrum reconstruction with regularization. We propose use of an adaptive regularization term as a special form of the general Tichonov regularization function. The variational method with the adaptive regularization term is applied to reconstruct electron spectra for the 6, 9, and 18 MeV electron beams of a Varian Clinac 2100C accelerator and proves to be a very simple, effective and accurate approach. Results using this variational method with adaptive regularization almost perfectly reconstruct electron spectra from depth dose distributions.
Private sector shrinkage and the growth of industrialized economies: Reply*

Further tests and thoughts on the OECD data lead me to conclude that, if anything, my 1986 paper underestimated the magnitude of the inverse relation between economic growth and government size. If one takes the nominal-based measure of government scale, as advised by Saunders, the significance levels, coefficient magnitudes and goodness of fits improve over what I found with my initial investigation. I would suggest that Saunders reconsider his reluctance to believe that the size of the public sector is unrelated to economic growth in OECD countries over this time period.
Pre-Therapy Adaptation of Stuttering and Its Relation to Speech Measures of Therapy Progress

Three measures of stuttering adaptation were obtained on 20 stutterers prior to the beginning of an eight-week residential therapy program. Following therapy each subject was evaluated using six sc...
Constitutive protein kinase A activity in osteocytes and late osteoblasts produces an anabolic effect on bone

Osteocytes have been implicated in the control of bone formation. However, the signal transduction pathways that regulate the biological function of osteocytes are poorly defined. Limited evidence suggests an important role for the Gs/cAMP pathway in osteocyte function. In the present study, we explored the hypothesis that cAMP-dependent kinase A (PKA) activation in osteocytes plays a key role in controlling skeletal homeostasis. To test this hypothesis, we mated mice harboring a Cre-conditional, mutated PKA catalytic subunit allele that encodes a constitutively active form of PKA (CαR) with mice expressing Cre under the control of the osteocyte-specific promoter, DMP1. This allowed us to direct the expression of CαR to osteocytes in double transgenic progeny. Examination of Cre expression indicated that CαR was also expressed in late osteoblasts. Cortical and trabecular bone parameters from 12-week old mice were determined by μCT. Expression of CαR in osteocytes and late osteoblasts altered the shape of cortical bone proximal to the tibia-fibular junction (TFJ) and produced a significant increase in its size. In trabecular bone of the distal femur, fractional bone volume, trabecular number, and trabecular thickness were increased. These increases were partially the results of increased bone formation rates (BFRs) on the endosteal surface of the cortical bone proximal to the TFJ as well as increased BFR on the trabecular bone surface of the distal femur. Mice expressing CαR displayed a marked increase in the expression of osteoblast markers such as osterix, runx2, collagen 1α1, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). Interestingly, expression of osteocyte marker gene, DMP1, was significantly up-regulated but the osteocyte number per bone area was not altered. Expression of SOST, a presumed target for PKA signaling in osteocytes, was significantly down-regulated in females. Importantly, no changes in bone resorption were detected. In summary, constitutive PKA signaling in osteocytes and late osteoblasts led to a small expansion of the size of the cortical bone proximal to the TFJ and an increase in trabecular bone in female mice. This was associated with down-regulation of SOST and up-regulation of several osteoblast marker genes. Activation of the PKA pathway in osteocytes and late osteoblasts is sufficient for the initiation of an anabolic skeletal response.
A duplex "Gemini" prodrug of naltrexone for transdermal delivery.

Abstract Transdermal naltrexone delivery is desirable in the treatment of narcotic dependence and alcoholism. The purpose of this study was to increase the delivery rate of naltrexone (NTX) across human skin by using a novel prodrug. A duplex “gemini” prodrug of naltrexone was synthesized and evaluated. In vitro human skin permeation rates of naltrexone and prodrug were measured using a flow-through diffusion cell system. Drug concentrations in the skin were quantitated at the end of the diffusion experiment. The prodrug was hydrolyzed on passing through the skin and appeared mainly as naltrexone in the receiver compartment. The prodrug provided a significantly higher naltrexone equivalent flux across human skin in vitro than naltrexone base. The naltrexone equivalent solubilities of naltrexone and the prodrug in the donor solution were not significantly different. No significant increase in drug concentration in the skin after prodrug treatment, as compared to naltrexone, was observed. The naltrexone equivalent permeability from the prodrug exceeded the permeability of naltrexone base by two-fold. Due to the design of this prodrug, toxicities associated with this compound should be nonexistent, because only naltrexone and carbon dioxide (carbonic acid) are released when the prodrug is cleaved.
Accountability Requirements and Professional Development in the US Adult Basic and Literacy Education System

Even before the 2001 enactment of the No Child Left Behind legislation, the education bill that holds schools in the US accountable for student achievement, ‘adult education [had] become part and parcel of the new federal trend to encourage the setting of national education goals and standards and holding programs accountable for demonstrating achievements’ (Sticht 1998). Now, almost ten years after enacting the Workforce Investment Act (1998), the legislation that required states to report how adult students were making progress towards educational and work goals, the field is just beginning to take stock of whether accountability has helped or hurt our adult education system. In the US school system (kindergarten to 12th grade for children five to 18), several researchers have investigated the effect of stronger accountability requirements on professional development systems. Berry et al. (2003), in a study of 250 teachers and principals in schools across six Southeastern US states found that results were mixed: Although high-stakes accountability systems help focus professional development efforts on the curricular needs of students, little evidence exists to support the claim that such systems help teachers change their practice to enhance student learning...A tendency exists…to narrow the focus of professional development activities to tested subjects or provide general support that is disconnected from curricular needs. (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development 2004:3)
Composite families of maps

The theory of composite families of maps is introduced and some results for composite families of unimodal maps topologically equivalent to the logistic map are presented.
Teaching the Introduction to Religions: Religious Pluralism in a Post‐Colonial World

Taking seriously the implications of post-colonial theory, the authors revisit the introductory course (normally “World Religions”) as a course on the plurality of religions in contemporary U.S. culture. They explain the structure of the course, and discuss practical and ethical issues around student field visits to learn about other religions.
HPLC assay for albendazole and metabolites in human plasma for clinical pharmacokinetic studies.

A sensitive and selective HPLC chromatography method using UV detection (295 nm) was developed for the determination of albendazole, albendazole sulfoxide (ABZSO), and albendazole sulfone (ABZSO2) in human plasma. Albendazole, ABZSO, ABZSO2, and the internal standard, oxibendazole, were extracted from human plasma by loading onto a conditioned C(18) SPE cartridge, rinsing with 15% methanol, and eluting with 90% methanol. Samples were evaporated under a stream of nitrogen, reconstituted with mobile phase, 1.25% triethylamine in water-methanol-acetonitrile (72:15:13, v/v/v) (pH* 3.1), and injected onto a Waters muBondapak Phenyl 3.9 x 300 mm HPLC column. Mobile phase flow rate was 1.0 ml/min. The retention times of albendazole, ABZSO, ABZSO2, and the internal standard were approximately 24.4, 7.9, 13.4, and 11.3 min, respectively. Total run time was 30 min. The assay was linear for concentration ranges in human plasma of 20-600 ng/ml for albendazole, 20-1000 ng/ml for ABZSO, and 20-300 ng/ml for ABZSO2. The analysis of quality control samples demonstrated excellent precision. Coefficients of variation for albendazole (20, 400, 600 ng/ml) were 6.7, 8.1 and 7.0%; ABZSO (20, 400, 800 ng/ml) were 6.0, 8.5 and 5.9%; ABZSO2 (20, 150, 300 ng/ml) were 3.1, 3.9 and 2.3%, respectively. The method appears to be robust and has been applied to a pharmacokinetic study of albendazole in healthy volunteers.
Calibration and image reconstruction for The Hurricane Imaging Radiometer (HIRAD)

The Hurricane Imaging Radiometer (HIRAD) is a new airborne passive microwave synthetic aperture radiometer designed to provide wide swath images of ocean surface wind speed under heavy precipitation and, in particular, in tropical cyclones. It operates at 4, 5, 6 and 6.6 GHz and uses interferometric signal processing to synthesize a pushbroom imager in software from a low profile planar antenna with no mechanical scanning. The retrieval algorithm (and the HIRAD instrument itself) is a direct descendant of the nadir-only Stepped Frequency Microwave Radiometer that is used operationally by the NOAA Hurricane Research Division to monitor Tropical Cyclones [1,2]. HIRAD participated in NASA's Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP) mission during Fall 2010 as its first science field campaign. HIRAD produced images of upwelling brightness temperature over a ∼70 km swath width with ∼3 km spatial resolution. The calibration and image reconstruction algorithms that were used to verify HIRAD functional performance during and immediately after GRIP were only preliminary and used a number of simplifying assumptions and approximations about the instrument design and performance. The development and performance of a more detailed and complete set of algorithms are reported here.
Conservation properties of oil fog used as an atmospheric tracer

Abstract Oil fog used as a tracer of atmospheric motions is usually considered to be conserved in the sense of negligible evaporation loss. However, small drops can evaporate at a rapid pace. Lidar measurements of optical backscatter from a fog plume containing drops of a medium oil, which is typical of those suggested for battlefield obscuration, suffered significant losses in daytime. Backscatter from drops of a heavy oil with low volatility were nearly conserved. The physics of the evaporation process for oil drops in a diffusing plume are summarized. The rate and extent of evaporation depend on the molecular weight of the oil, on the temperature, and on the amount of plume dispersion. If a partially evaporating oil fog is to be detected optically, the signal is better conserved if drop sizes are large enough to be in the Mie rather than the Rayleigh scatter regime. Researchers should confirm the conservative property of an oil fog tracer if the analysis requires accurate measurements of concentration.
A Method of Augmenting the Cheek Area Through SMAS, subSMAS, and Subcutaneous Tissue Recruitment During Facelift Surgery

BACKGROUND As the human face ages, there is a depletion of fat that occurs in the submalar region. Various techniques such as fat transfers, fillers, alloplastic implants, and composite rhytidectomies have been used to augment this area in the past. OBJECTIVE To describe a technique that augments the submalar areas during facelift surgery without the use of fat transfer, fillers, alloplastic implants, or a risky composite technique. METHOD An oval is scribed over the depressed submalar areas preoperatively. During facelift surgery, a fusiform area is scribed over the SMAS. This fusiform is scribed so that the medial end is directed at the center of the submalar depression, and the lateral end is toward the posterior earlobe. A defect is created within the lateral aspect of the fusiform, but not the medial portion. The fusiform is subsequently closed with a 2-0 Ethibond suture using three horizontal mattress sutures and two interrupted sutures. Upon closure of this defect, SMAS, subSMAS, and subcutaneous tissue overlying the SMAS are recruited into the submalar defect by the simple phenomenon of dog-ear formation. Additionally, there is a component of frank elevation of the tissues inferior to the medial aspect of the fusiform and submalar space. RESULTS The aforementioned technique has been performed on 123 patients over 7 years and has resulted in consistently good improvement in the submalar space. The procedure is not difficult to learn, and good results can be achieved with initial cases. The learning curve was not found to be steep, with good results being achieved quickly. CONCLUSION Depression of the submalar space plays a significant role in creating an aged face. In the past, various fillers and/or alloplastic implants have been used to augment this region. A low-risk method is described that mobilizes SMAS, subSMAS, and subcutaneous tissues into the submalar space through the phenomenon of dog-ear formation after fusiform closure.
Finding a Needle in a Haystack: Methods for Sampling in the Bisexual Community

Researchers focusing on sexual minority populations face certain difficulties in identifying and recruiting participants for research. Using the author's own research and experiences recruiting bisexual-identified participants as an example, she discusses several strategies and techniques that were adopted based on the literature to recruit a diverse sample for research. This article provides a practical discussion of the techniques that worked, as well as those that did not, to assist others who are struggling with recruitment and sampling of bisexuals and other hard-to-find populations.
The pathogenesis of HLA-associated psoriasis.

Abstract Genes for HLA antigens Bw17 and B13 are associated with psoriasis in about half of all cases of the disease. Differences between HLA - Bw17 and B13 associated psoriasis warrant separate designation of these two forms in studies of the disease and its treatment. Frequency of the genes and of psoriasis may be maintained by hypothetical resistance to specific infectious diseases. Since most of the functions regulated by genes known to be closely linked to HLA genes are immunologic, it may be hypothesized that psoriasis is immunologically determined. There is no evidence that psoriasis is caused by cutaneous infection. Cross-reactions between streptococcal and HLA antigens are not HLA type-specific. There is no direct evidence that circulating immune-complexes cause psoriasis, but HLA-B13 psoriasis is frequently preceded by streptococcal upper respiratory infection. The presence of immune-complexes containing streptococcal antigens should be looked for in the serum and skin lesions of B13 psoriasis. Although stratum corneum autoantibodies are found in normal serum, titers should be determined in psoriatics of known HLA types and correlated with localization of immuno-globulin in the stratum corneum in lesions. The possibility that keratinocytes bearing particular HLA antigens may be complement receptors should be explored.
Positional Effects of the Knee and Ankle on the Ends of Acute Achilles Tendon Ruptures

Conservative management of acute Achilles tendon ruptures in a plantarflexed short leg cast or functional brace is a viable alternative to surgery. The ideal plantarflexion angle to allow the free ends of the tendon to oppose one another has not been clearly defined. The purpose of this cadaveric study was to define a plantarflexion angle where the free Achilles tendon ends reliably oppose one another. Ten cadaveric legs amputated at the distal femur were obtained. A laceration of the Achilles tendon was made 4 cm above the calcaneal insertion. A joint-spanning external fixator was placed across the knee. With differing degrees of knee flexion (0, 45, and 90 degrees), the diastasis between the free ends of the Achilles tendon was measured as the ankle was moved from 20 degrees of dorsiflexion to 30 degrees of plantarflexion (—20, —10, neutral, 10, 20, and 30 degrees). Regardless of knee flexion angle, the ankle plantarflexion angle where the free ends of the Achilles tendon opposed one another was 28.0 (9...
The role of future longitudinal studies in ICU survivors: understanding determinants and pathophysiology of brain dysfunction.

Purpose of reviewRecent investigations demonstrate that most critical care survivors face significant brain-related morbidity including neurocognitive deficits. While current data on neurocognitive outcomes after critical illness are intriguing, gaps in the literature far exceed what we have learned
Water vapor sorption of hyaluronic acid.

Abstract Water vapor sorption isotherms were obtained for three samples of hyaluronic acid. Reproducible isotherms were obtained for all sodium and potassium hyaluronates while the acid form of one hyaluronic acid sample exhibited increased sorptive capacity for three successive sorption isotherms. The values of Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, hysteresis and “thermodynamic” monolayers indicate that the physical state, such as the degree of crystallinity of the sample, greatly influences its water sorption characteristics. This effect is further demonstrated by the difference in sorptive capacities of the samples studied.
THE EFFECT OF GLUCOSE ON BRAIN ATP, LACTATE, AND GLUTAMINERGIC SYSTEM IN THE NEWBORN PIG. 2242

We have shown that glucose worsens hypoxic ischemic brain injury in the newborn pig and insulin reduces injury. We wish to see if this effect is caused by an increase in brain lactate, accompanied by an increase in brain ATP as in adult animals. Using the same protocol we had used to show the effect of glucose on brain injury, thirty-five 0-3 day old piglets had carotid snares and arterial and venus catheters placed under 1½% isoflurane anesthesia. They were randomly assigned to have their glucose increased to 300± 30 SE mg/dl with glucose infusion G, (n=12) or decreased to 67± 16 mg/dl with insulin I (n=13) or a sham group S (n=10). In the I and G groups at time 0, both carotid arteries were clamped and blood was withdrawn to reduce the blood pressure to two-thirds normal. At time 15 minutes inspired oxygen was reduced to 6%. At time 30 minutes, the brains were frozen in situ in liquid nitrogen, then removed and stored in liquid nitrogen. The shams were anesthetized and their brains were frozen in liquid nitrogen using an identical procedure but without inducing hypoxia or ischemia. Brains were homogenized and lactate and ATP were measured enzymatically, CSF amino acids by HPLC and H{3} MK801 binding by Scatchard Analysis. Brain ATP was 1.7±.09 mmoles/kg wet wt. in the S, 0.98 ± 0.09 in the G, and 0.52± 0.10 in the I, (all differences statistically significant p<.01). Brain lactate levels were 4.3 ± 1.0 mmoles/kg wet wt. in the S, 29.4± 2.6 in the G, and 18.3 ± 1.9 in the I, (all results statistically different p<.01). CSF glutamate was 12.9 ± 8.1 μM in G, 13.5 ± 8.7 in I, and 2.2 ± 0.9 in S (p=ns). Aspartate was 63 ± 21 μM in G, 42 ± 6 in I, and 58 ± 8 in S (p=ns), and glycine was 90 ± 22 μM in 6, 100 ± 22 in I and 84± 17 in S (p=ns). MK801 binding showed a Kd of 6.3 ± 0.4 nM in 6, 6.2 ± 0.3 in I, and 6.0 ± 0.6 in S (p=ns), and a Bmax of 2.3 ± 0.2 pMol/mg protein in G (p=ns), 2.6 ± 0.1 in I (p<.05 vs S), and 2.0 ± 0.2 in S. Although providing additional glucose preserves cellular ATP during hypoxic ischemic brain injury in the newborn pig, it does not change the glutaminergic system, and it worsens outcome by elevating cellular lactate levels above the threshold for cellular injury.
Occipitofrontal switching for simultaneous correction of synostotic frontal and occipital plagiocephaly: a novel surgical technique.

Plagiocephaly has traditionally been corrected by unilateral or bilateral frontal bone advancement or rotation using bone-molding forceps and distraction devices. Complete symmetrical correction of deformed frontal bones is considered almost impossible because the curvature of each frontal bone varies. We evaluated the feasibility of measuring the optimal curvature of frontal and occipital bones using a plaster skull model and applying these measurements to “switch” them for simultaneous correction of frontal and occipital plagiocephaly. A 2-year-old girl suffering from unifrontal flattening visited our clinic. Unilateral coronal synostosis was observed. The 3-D rapid prototype model and skull replica method using thin paper clay were used for preplanned virtual surgery. The triangular bone was harvested from the contralateral bulging side of the occipital bone (“occipitofrontal switching”) for the best optimal curvature in the affected frontal bone. Another triangular bone was harvested from the ipsilateral flattened side of the frontal bone, and bones were switched with each other. Further bending of the frontal or occipital segment was not necessary for optimal curvature. Symmetrical correction was made by switching the triangular bone of the frontal area with that of the contralateral occipital area. Revision has not been necessary, and infection was not observed at 1-year follow-up. Our novel technique of preplanning surgery using a 3-D plaster model for simultaneous correction of frontal and occipital plagiocephaly is effective and time-saving.
Imposing Democracy to Ensure the Peace: The Role of Coercive Socialization

Democratic victors hoping to protect war gains by forcing the vanquished to be free must not only overcome the problems associated with imposed democracy but also ensure continued influence over and interests in the newly democratic state. To secure this dual imperative, I argue victors must coercively socialize the vanquished state. I create a framework of coercive socialization and conduct a plausibility probe of the theory by detailing the imposition strategies the United States utilized to transform the Federal Republic of Germany into a reliable democratic partner after World War II. The findings suggest imposing democracy to ensure peace and secure interests is likely to succeed only under even more limited conditions than recent scholarship on imposed democracy allows and also lend insight into why the US effort to impose democracy on Iraq is unlikely to provide the benefits policymakers sought.
San Francisco Bay Area Edge Cities: New Roles for Planners and the General Plan

Edge-city development on the urban fringe of U.S. metropolitan centers has provoked heated debate over metropolitan policy. This article reports on qualitative research of two edge cities in the San Francisco Bay Area Walnut Creek and San Ramon investigating the empirical issues of their growth and analyzing the broader issues of metropolitan planning. I specifically examine the roles of California general plan law and local land use planners in the development of the two edge cities, where planners used the general plan as early as the 1950s to set aside areas of each community for economic diversification. This study finds that the California General Plan law failed to provide regional coordination for edge city growth, particularly on issues of transportation, infrastructure, housing, and environmental quality. In addition, it finds public land use planners took a proactive role in maintaining long-term visions, forming relationships with developers and becoming involved in the physical planning of the...
Homicide-suicide in the United States, 1968-1975

This paper describes for the first time the epidemiology of homicide–suicide events in the whole of the United States using archival data. From 1968 to 1975, there were 2215 homicide–suicide events out of 123,467 homicides. The mean rate of homicide–suicide events was 0.134 per 100,000 per year. The murderers in these events differ from the typical murderer and the typical suicide in socio-demographic characteristics. Details of the characteristics of this population may be valuable for understanding the circumstances of homicide–suicide events and planning preventive measures.
Escaping the Hemoglobin A1c-Centric World in Evaluating Diabetes Mellitus Interventions

Any intervention in patients with diabetes must consider its effect on both the incidence of hypoglycemia and hemoglobin A1c. Yet, there is no single metric that expresses these key factors simultaneously. Such a composite metric would permit clinicians, regulators, manufacturers, payers, and researchers to more easily evaluate the merits of an intervention as well as enable the comparison of qualitatively different interventions. This article proposes a composite metric, the hypoglycemia-A1c score (HAS), as the basis for a more comprehensive approach for the stakeholders in diabetes treatment to better understand how an intervention affects diabetes management. The article also demonstrates how additional parameters such as effects on weight, quality of life, and costs could be included in such a scoring system.
Gendered experiences in midlife: Implications for age identity

Prior work reports that women maintain younger identities than men; however, few studies have explored factors that may produce gendered self-perceptions of age. Drawing on several theoretical streams, including perspectives on the self (e.g., situational identity, the self-enhancement principle, role-identities, and social identity) and the life course (e.g., linked lives), this study examines how gendered experiences in the domains of family, work, and health are related to gender differences in age identity. Data are drawn from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (n=2681). The results indicate that, compared with men, women have significantly worse health, lower levels of perceived control over their marriages/partnerships, a lesser likelihood of employment, and a greater likelihood of having older partners, all of which are associated with older identities. Controlling for these factors, women report significantly more youthful identities than men. The findings also suggest that, rather than acting as markers of one’s age status, family and work roles influence age identity through the patterning of demands that individuals face and the sense of control they have over their lives.
Useful features for human verification in near-infrared periocular images

The periocular region is the part of the face immediately surrounding the eye, and researchers have recently begun to investigate how to use the periocular region for recognition. Understanding how humans recognize faces helped computer vision researchers develop algorithms for face recognition. Likewise, understanding how humans analyze periocular images could benefit researchers developing algorithms for periocular recognition. We conducted two experiments to determine how humans analyze periocular images. In these experiments, we presented pairs of images and asked volunteers to determine whether the two images showed eyes from the same subject or from different subjects. In the first experiment, subjects were paired randomly to create different-subject queries. Our volunteers correctly determined the relationship between the two images in 92% of the queries. In the second experiment, we considered multiple factors in forming different-subject pairs; queries were formed from pairs of subjects with the same gender and race, and with similar eye color, makeup, eyelash length, and eye occlusion. In addition, we limited the amount of time volunteers could view a query pair. On this harder experiment, the correct verification rate was 79%. We asked volunteers to describe what features in the images were helpful to them in making their decisions. In both experiments, eyelashes were reported to be the most helpful feature.
Existence Theorems and Approximation Algorithms for Generalized Network Security Games

Aspnes et al [2] introduced an innovative game for modeling the containment of the spread of viruses and worms (security breaches) in a network. In this model, nodes choose to install anti-virus software or not on an individual basis while the viruses or worms start from a node chosen uniformly at random and spread along paths consisting of insecure nodes. They showed the surprising result that a pure Nash Equilibrium always exists when all nodes have identical installation costs and identical infection costs. In this paper we present a substantial generalization of the model of [2] that allows for arbitrary security and infection costs, and arbitrary distributions for the starting point of the attack. More significantly, our model GNS(d) incorporates a network locality parameter d which represents a hop-limit on the spread of infection as accounted for in the strategic decisions, due to either the intrinsic nature of the infection or the extent of neighborhood information that is available to a node. We determine that the network locality parameter plays a key role in the existence of pure Nash equilibria (NE): local (d = 1) and global games (d = ∞) have pure NE, while for GNS(d) games with 1
Expansion Opportunity at Triple F Farms: A Case Study

Many farms and ranches consider the decision to expand as one way to remain competitive in today's marketplace. Triple F Farms is contemplating the decision to expand by buying the land and machinery of the ownersmanager's retiring father. Students and outreach audiences are led through the analysis and decision-making process to evaluate the differences in farm size and financial goals and to evaluate how those goals affect the producer's expansion decision. Copyright 2009 Agricultural and Applied Economics Association
Root-Mean-Square Error in Encoded Digital Telemetry

This paper studies the effectiveness of certain group codes in reducing the root-mean-square (rms) error in a digital telemetry link. The zero-sampling-error lower bound on the total error is derived for the case when majority-logic-decodable group codes are used in the channel. Calculated data are presented for several such codes including two new cyclic unequal-error-protection codes.
An incentive-compatible mechanism for efficient distribution of bulk contents on peer-to-peer networks

In recent years, the rapid growth of peer-to-peer (P2P) networks has provided a new paradigm for content distribution. To improve the efficiency of a P2P system, it is important to provide incentives for the peers to participate and contribute their resources. Various attempts have been made to reward/penalize peers by providing service differentiation based on a requesting peer's history or reputation. However, in a truly distributed, non-cooperative environment, maintaining and preventing the untruthful revealing of such information within the community impose larger computation and communication overheads to the system. These problems are further magnified when large-volume contents are being distributed because of the length distribution processes and the update of history or reputation has to keep up with the distribution process. In this paper, we address the incentive provisioning problem for distribution of large-volume content in P2P networks, and present a "seeing-is-believing" incentive-compatible mechanism (protocol) in which a peer will decide how much resources will be assigned to which neighbors based on what it has experienced. The protocol applies a utility-based resource-trading concept where peers will maximize their contributions for a fair or better return, and we show that by adopting this protocol, the system will achieve Cournot Equilibrium. Furthermore, our protocol is lightweight, completely decentralized, and cheat-proof. Experimental results illustrate significant improvements on the distribution efficiency of our protocol over other adopted alternatives.
Globally marketing authenticated places

Purpose – The paper explores authentic places, personalities and products from a range of academic and professional frames.Design/methodology/approach – Authentic pop culture texts and tourist sites – and their associated web sites – are analyzed via three perspectives: Gilmore and Pine's notion of authentic placemaking, Peterson's notion of socially constructed and determined authenticity, and Holt's notion of the authentic slacker‐rebel archetype.Findings – Perceived authenticity plays an important role in driving the consumption of certain types of pop culture and associated touristic sites.Originality/value – The article explores three major perspectives related to authenticity which have not been discussed together previously and is of value to marketing academics as well as stewards of authentic sites.
Imagined transformations of bodies: an fMRI investigation.

A number of spatial reasoning problems can be solved by performing an imagined transformation of one’s egocentric perspective. A series of experiments were carried out to characterize this process behaviorally and in terms of its brain basis, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In a task contrast designed to isolate egocentric perspective transformations, participants were slower to make left-right judgments about a human figure from the figure’s perspective than from their own. This transformation led to increased cortical activity around the left parietal-temporal-occipital junction, as well as in other areas including left frontal cortex. In a second task contrast comparing judgments about inverted figures to judgments about upright figures (always from the figure’s perspective), participants were slower to make left-right judgments about inverted figures than upright ones. This transformation led to activation in posterior areas near those active in the first experiment, but weaker in the left hemisphere and stronger in the right, and also to substantial left frontal activation. Together, the data support the specialization of areas near the parietal-temporal-occipital junction for egocentric perspective transformations. These results are also suggestive of a dissociation between egocentric perspective transformations and objectbased spatial transformations such as mental rotation. # 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Organizational considerations in establishing the Data-Informed District

In the United States, effective data use is proving to be a vexing problem. In response, scholars have recently begun viewing this as a systemic problem, believing there are actions a school district may take to make data use more efficient and tenable throughout the organization. In this article, we add to the knowledge of how school organizations can more effectively use data for educational improvement. Through the lens of the Data-Informed District, we leverage the research on organizational improvement and data use to discuss 3 specific organizational areas in which these districts may improve: establishing common understandings, professional learning for using data, and computer data systems.