cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hemodynamic, Biochemical, and Ventilatory Parameters are Independently Associated with Outcome after Cardiac Arrest

Hypotension, hyperglycemia, dysoxia, and dyscarbia may contribute to reperfusion injury, and each is independently associated with poor outcome (PO) after cardiac arrest. We investigated whether the combined effects of these physiological derangements are associated with cardiac arrest outcomes. This institutional review board-approved retrospective cohort study included consecutive resuscitated cardiac arrest patients that received targeted temperature management at Maine Medical Center from 2013 to 2015. We abstracted demographics, intra-arrest factors, and physiological parameters. The primary outcome was dichotomized cerebral performance category (CPC 1–2 vs 3–5) at hospital discharge. After comparing demographics, clinical factors, and persistent post-arrest physiological derangements in patients with good and PO, we constructed a logistic regression model comprised of clinical and demographic factors separately associated with severity, and physiology variables, attempting to evaluate the independent effects of persistent physiological derangements on outcome. Sixty-eight of 222 (31%) patients had CPC 1–2 (good outcome [GO]) at discharge. In bivariate analysis, factors associated with PO included increased time from collapse to resuscitation, non-shockable rhythm, and age-combined Charlson comorbidity index. In multivariate analysis, each persistent physiological derangement incrementally decreased the likelihood of GO [OR GO per derangement 0.71 (interquartile range [IQR] 0.51–0.99), p = 0.042, area under the curve (AUC) for final model 0.769]. Uncorrected physiological derangements in the first 24 h after cardiac arrest are independently associated with PO. Although causality cannot be established, these findings support preclinical models suggesting that aggressive normalization of physiology after resuscitation may be a reasonable strategy to decrease reperfusion injury.
THE INTERACTION OF PATHOGENETIC MECHANISMS IN BOVINE HIGH MOUNTAIN (BRISKET) DISEASE

I. ABSTRACT High Mountain (Brisket) Disease refers to the syndrome of congestive right heart failure in cattle, particularly associated with residence at high altitude. Overwhelming evidence has shown that the chronic alveolar hypoxia of high altitude and the resulting pulmonary hypertension are the underlying factors in the pathogenesis of this disease under these environmental conditions. However, a wide variety of modifying conditions may play an important role in the epidemiology of this disease. These conditions in some instances may bring about the failure syndrome without the existance of an altitude hypoxia component, but are of particular importance in the development of the disease in animals which have only a moderate altitude induced pulmonary hypertension. These modifying or contributing factors include cardiomyopathies, alveolar hypoxia from causes other than altitude, primary pulmonary parenchymal disease, and pulmonary vascular disease or functional alterations. In some instances plant toxins or allergens, both known and unknown, may be significant contributing factors or agencies in the development of this syndrome.
Eurasianism versus IndoGermanism: Linguistics and mythology in the 1930s' controversies over European prehistory.

In 1935, the Russian linguist Prince Nicolai S. Trubetskoi and the French mythologist Georges Dumezil engaged in a vicious debate over a seemingly obscure subject: the structure of Northwest Caucasian languages. Based on unknown archival material in French, German, and Russian, this essay uses the debate as a pathway into the 1930s scientific and political stakes of IndoEuropeanism - the belief that European cultures emerged through the spread of a single IndoEuropean people out of a single "motherland." Each of the two authors held strong commitments to visions of European order and its origins - in "Eurasia" for Trubetskoi and a Northern European Heimat for Dumezil. The North Caucasus, long a privileged site for Russian and European scholars, now became key to the renegotiation of the origins and reach of imagined prehistoric IndoEuropean conquerors, but also the 1930s' debate over the value of different disciplines (linguistics, mythology, archaeology, folklore studies) for the origins of language, myth, and the European deep past. As a moment in the history of modern speculations about prehistory, pursued in the shadow of Nazi scholarship, the debate transformed fields of research - notably linguistics, comparative mythology, and structuralism - and the assumptions about the shape of Europe.
Anatomically Separate Rod and Cone Signaling Pathways

The mammalian retina is composed of a complex array of neural circuits that carry information from rod and cone photoreceptors, the first stations for vision in the retina, to the brain, where the signals ultimately form our perceptions of the visual environment. This brief review is intended as a summary of the retinal circuitry mediating rod and cone vision, commonly referred to as scotopic and photopic vision, respectively.
Studies on levamisole-induced agranulocytosis

Widespread clinical trials of leavo-tetramisole (levamisole) as an immunopotentiating agent in rheumatoid arthritis, metastatic carcinoma, and immunodeficiency states have been complicated by agranulocytosis (AGC) in 2.5%–13% of patients. Other than a relationship with prolonged high dosage, very little is known regarding the pathogenesis of levamisole-induced AGC. Whereas leukoagglutination was negative, fluorochromatic microgranulocytotoxicity (GCY) tests were positive with serum from 10 of 10 acutely neutropenic patients. The antibody was IgM, reacted with 100% of unrelated granulocytes, but not with T or B lymphocytes. Some sera also reacted with monocytes and the myeloid cell line, K-562. Tests for antigen-antibody complexes or cold autoantibodies were negative. Although clinical evidence strongly suggests a haptene (drug) mechanism, in vitro mixing experiments were also negative. An alternative choice parallels the model of aldomet- induced Coombs'-positive hemolytic anemia. Finally, GCY first became positive 2–3 mo prior to the onset of AGC on two patients, suggesting the possibility of identifying those at risk well before the onset of neutropenia.
F1 query: declarative querying at scale

F1 Query is a stand-alone, federated query processing platform that executes SQL queries against data stored in different file-based formats as well as different storage systems at Google (e.g., Bigtable, Spanner, Google Spreadsheets, etc.). F1 Query eliminates the need to maintain the traditional distinction between different types of data processing workloads by simultaneously supporting: (i) OLTP-style point queries that affect only a few records; (ii) low-latency OLAP querying of large amounts of data; and (iii) large ETL pipelines. F1 Query has also significantly reduced the need for developing hard-coded data processing pipelines by enabling declarative queries integrated with custom business logic. F1 Query satisfies key requirements that are highly desirable within Google: (i) it provides a unified view over data that is fragmented and distributed over multiple data sources; (ii) it leverages datacenter resources for performant query processing with high throughput and low latency; (iii) it provides high scalability for large data sizes by increasing computational parallelism; and (iv) it is extensible and uses innovative approaches to integrate complex business logic in declarative query processing. This paper presents the end-to-end design of F1 Query. Evolved out of F1, the distributed database originally built to manage Google's advertising data, F1 Query has been in production for multiple years at Google and serves the querying needs of a large number of users and systems.
Arguing About Sanctuary

“Sanctuary” has come to mean many things. This article suggests a way of understanding the arguments for and against sanctuary. I start by suggesting a working definition of the term. It includes not only the more obvious dimension of insulation from enforcement but also the related dimension of promoting immigrant integration. In turn, these dimensions suggest further nuances. I then identify and analyze five categories of arguments for sanctuary measures and the responses that they may prompt. The five categories are as follows. The first invokes structural limits on federal authority, based largely on the Tenth Amendment and the Spending Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The second invokes constitutional protection of state and local decisionmaking prerogatives. This category, like the first, relies on the Tenth Amendment, but it has a different rhetorical and political resonance. The third category relies on substantive limits on arrests and detention, such as the Fourth Amendment. The fourth category cites the need for state and local governments to restore fairness, equity, and proportionality to the immigration law system that federal legislation over the past several decades has eliminated. Arguments in the fifth category emphasize the need to safeguard the rule of law by assuring transparency and non-discrimination in immigration enforcement. I devote extra attention to this fifth category, which has persuasive power that often goes underappreciated or neglected altogether, in spite of its deep roots in U.S. history. I do not suggest that any one category of argument or combination of arguments is consistently more persuasive for all settings or audiences. My goal is more general — to help readers become informed more fully about these categories of arguments, and to understand their implications not just in courts but in the making of immigration policy. Some arguments may be successful in litigation but counterproductive in many political arenas. Other arguments may have political traction but be less persuasive in the courts. Choices among arguments also have important implications for emphasizing (or ignoring) the connections between sanctuary measures and other immigration law issues, including DACA and federal preemption of state and local immigration enforcement measures, as well as the connections between sanctuary and other law enforcement topics. These connections are not obvious, but they have important implications for litigation strategy, political alliances, and ultimately for emerging law.
Cervical Cancer Screening Access, Outcomes, and Prevalence of Dysplasia in Correctional Facilities: A Systematic Review.

Background: Incarcerated women often access health care primarily through contact with correctional systems. Cervical cancer screening within the correctional system can address the preventable outcome of cervical dysplasia and cancer in this high-risk population. Materials and Methods: A search of PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, and ClinicalTrials.gov was conducted for articles published between January, 1966 and December, 2018. All studies on a population of jailed or incarcerated females and at least one of the following outcomes: cervical cancer or dysplasia, pap smear screening, knowledge about screening, treatment of cervical dysplasia, and compliance with follow-up were analyzed. Results: Forty-two studies met inclusion criteria. All 21 studies with prevalence outcomes described a higher prevalence of cervical dysplasia and cancer in the women involved with corrections, compared to a variety of different sources that served as community control groups. The data on screening outcomes were inconsistent. Follow-up compliance for abnormal results was poor, with a study finding that only 21% of women were rescreened within 6 months of the recommended time period. Knowledge about cervical cancer and screening was evaluated in eight studies and was poor across all studies. Conclusion: Women involved in correctional systems have a higher prevalence of cervical dysplasia and cancer than women in the general population. Acceptance of screening varies, and no published interventions have been shown to improve screening within the prison system. Treatment and compliance with follow-up recommendations are extremely poor and should be a focus of future research.
Ten years of the CRPD’s adoption in China: challenges and opportunities

This article examines the challenges and opportunities of implementing the CRPD's rights-based model in China, especially the effects of the diminishing space for civil society on the nascent disab...
Interaction of Iron with Alumina Refractory Under Flash Ironmaking Conditions

A novel flash ironmaking technology (FIT) based on the direct reduction of iron ore concentrate by a reducing gas such as hydrogen, natural gas, or coal gas has been developed at the University of Utah. A proper choice of refractories is expected to play an important role in the development of FIT and its scale-up. In this work, the interaction of iron with alumina refractory under flash ironmaking conditions has been investigated. A thermodynamic basis for the interaction phenomena has been developed by considering the Fe-Al-O system, and a kinetic model based on solid-state diffusion is proposed to describe the growth of the hercynite (FeAl2O4) spinel formed as a result of the interaction between Fe, O (from H2O and CO2), and Al2O3. Experiments were conducted with Fe powders and pure Al2O3 in the temperature range 1200 to 1500 °C under gas atmospheres relevant to flash ironmaking, and the reacted samples were analyzed using XRD, SEM-EDX, and EPMA techniques. The analyses of reacted samples confirmed the formation of the hercynite (FeAl2O4) spinel phase and the thickness of the FeAl2O4 spinel as measured using elemental line scans in SEM-EDX and EPMA varied in the range of 0.5 to 1.3 mm. Results showed that the proposed model suitably describes the growth of the hercynite spinel layer, which obeyed the parabolic rate law at all temperatures. The parabolic rate constants were obtained and the diffusion-controlled growth of the FeAl2O4 layer strongly depended on temperature. Furthermore, using the kinetic model, an expression for the effective diffusivity ( $$ \overline{{D_{\text{eff}} }} $$ ) was obtained and its values at the experimental temperatures were determined. The solid-state diffusion was an activated process, as expected, with an activation energy value of 231 kJ/mol.
Compressing bistatic SAR target signatures with sparse-limited persistence scattering models

Here, the authors study the modelling of bistatic synthetic aperture radar (SAR) target signatures. They focus on building concise models inspired by physical phenomenology that explain target reflectivity over a wide range of bistatic angles and target pose. A regularised inversion method is proposed that decomposes the target into a set of scattering centres with limited persistence by utilising the model-based sparsity of scattering coefficients. The resulting sparse model can be used for online estimation of target signatures at much faster speeds than simulation or database approaches. Based on the prior work on parametric models derived for canonical reflectors, the authors hypothesise that the scattering coefficient as a function of the viewing angle is embedded in a low-dimensional subspace spanned by a set of functions or dictionary atoms that have a support, which is concentrated in the viewing angle domain. Exploiting the differentiability of the observation model in the scattering centre locations and the parameters associated with the basic functions, the authors propose a method to estimate the scattering centre locations in the continuum avoiding gridding errors. Using numerical simulations, they verify that the proposed method obtains a succinct representation of these objects using a sufficiently small set of scattering centres.
The relative contributions of visual and semantic information in the neural representation of object categories.

Introduction How do multiple sources of information interact to form mental representations of object categories? It is commonly held that object categories reflect the integration of perceptual features and semantic/knowledge-based features. To explore the relative contributions of these two sources of information, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to identify regions involved in the representation object categories with shared visual and/or semantic features. Methods Participants (N = 20) viewed a series of objects that varied in their degree of visual and semantic overlap in the MRI scanner. We used a blocked adaptation design to identify sensitivity to visual and semantic features in a priori visual processing regions and in a distributed network of object processing regions with an exploratory whole-brain analysis. Results Somewhat surprisingly, within higher-order visual processing regions-specifically lateral occipital cortex (LOC)-we did not obtain any difference in neural adaptation for shared visual versus semantic category membership. More broadly, both visual and semantic information affected a distributed network of independently identified category-selective regions. Adaptation was seen a whole-brain network of processing regions in response to visual similarity and semantic similarity; specifically, the angular gyrus (AnG) adapted to visual similarity and the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC) adapted to both visual and semantic similarity. Conclusions Our findings suggest that perceptual features help organize mental categories throughout the object processing hierarchy. Most notably, visual similarity also influenced adaptation in nonvisual brain regions (i.e., AnG and DMPFC). We conclude that category-relevant visual features are maintained in higher-order conceptual representations and visual information plays an important role in both the acquisition and neural representation of conceptual object categories.
Properties and treatments of pulps from recycled paper. Part I. Physical and chemical properties of pulps

The mechanical, physical, and chemical properties of recycled pulps were evaluated after a series of treatments designed to improve and/or modify the pulp characteristics. Tensile strength, bursting strength, and apparent density of the pulps decreased with recycling. However, the tear strength, in most cases, increased after the first recycle and then decreased after the second recycle. Carboxyl content and WRV of pulps also decreased with recycling. Chemical treatments did not increase the bonding ability of recycled pulps and, in most cases, decreased the physical properties of the pulps. Altering the physical state of the cellulose microstructure through additional swelling did not appear to be a significant factor for strength restoration. It may be that the hemicelluloses plan a greater role in recycling than originally thought.
Quality of timely adjuvant chemotherapy for veterans with colorectal cancer.

78Background: National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) recommends adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with high risk stage II or stage III colorectal cancer (CRC). Treatment within 8 weeks of su...
Land use regulations and the dispersion of the IT Industry in the San Francisco Bay area

Urban economists have recently found evidence that land use regulations prevent the efficient migration of workers among regions, generating losses in output. By contrast, there is a lack of work that directly considers the relationship between land use regulations and the geography of firms and industries. Since the 1980s, the IT industry has dispersed from its historical core, Silicon Valley, around the broader San Francisco Bay Area. This study finds that restrictive land use practices have limited IT firm creation in Silicon Valley, pushing the industry to less productive parts of the regional economy. Los economistas urbanos han encontrado pruebas recientemente de que las reglamentaciones sobre el uso de la tierra impiden la migracion eficiente de trabajadores entre las regiones, lo que genera perdidas de produccion. En cambio, hay una carencia de estudios que consideren directamente la relacion entre las regulaciones del uso de la tierra y la geografia de las empresas e industrias. Desde los anos 80, la industria de la informatica se ha dispersado desde su nucleo historico en Silicon Valley al resto de la bahia de San Francisco. En este estudio se constata que las practicas restrictivas de uso de la tierra han limitado la creacion de empresas informaticas en Silicon Valley, lo que ha forzado a esta industria hacia partes menos productivas de la economia regional. 都市経済学の研究者らは、最近、土地利用規制により労働者の効率的な地域間移住が妨げられ、生産の損失が生み出されていることを示すエビデンスを見出している。その一方で、土地利用規制と企業と産業の地理との関連性を直接的に検討した研究は行われていない。IT産業は、1980年代より、かつての中心地であったシリコン・バレーからより広大なサンフランシスコのベイアリア周辺に拡散している。本研究から、土地利用規制の実施により、シリコン・バレーにおけるIT企業の創設が制限され、IT産業が地域経済の比較的生産性の低い部門に押しやられたと考えられる。
The impact of parental health mindset on postoperative recovery in children.

Author(s): Kain, Alexandra; Mueller, Claudia; Golianu, Brenda J; Jenkins, Brooke N; Fortier, Michelle A | Abstract: BackgroundMindset, or one's beliefs about the ability to change one's outcomes, has been studied in the educational domain but not in surgical settings. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of parental health mindset on children's recovery.MethodsParticipants were part of a larger National Institutes of Health-funded trial that included 1470 children undergoing outpatient tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. We used measures of parental coping style (Monitor Blunter Style Scale; MBSS) and medication attitudes (Medication Attitudes Questionnaire; MAQ) to validate the Health Beliefs Scale (HBS; Criterion validity, Cohen's kappa). HBS categorizes parents as having a growth mindset, or the belief that health can be changed, or a fixed mindset, which reflects the belief that individuals cannot change their health. Next, we identified demographic and personality variables (eg, temperament, anxiety) as predictors for the HBS. Finally, we examined the relationship between the HBS with postoperative outcomes.ResultsFindings supported criterion validity of the HBS. Parents with a growth mindset reported seeking out more medical information (MBSS, 7.15n±n3.32 vs 6.22n±n3.38, Pnln.001, CIn=n-1.387 to -0.471) and reported fewer misconceptions regarding analgesic use (MAQ, 22.11n±n4.09 vs 21.41n±n4.25, Pn=n.035, CIn=n0.046 to 1.229). In assessing outcomes, we found that fixed-mindset parents rated their children's postoperative pain as more severe on days 1 (9.22n±n3.82 vs 8.37n±n3.71, Pn=n.007, CIn=n0.234 to 1.459) and 3 (8.13n±n4.28 vs 7.27n±n4.28, Pn=n.007, CIn=n0.094 to 1.638) and reported that their children received more doses of ibuprofen on postoperative day 1 (2.91n±n1.24 vs 2.44n±n1.44, Pn=n.041, CIn=n0.089 to 0.848). There was no difference in children's self-reported pain scores between groups (Pn=n.585).ConclusionsThese findings, coupled with recent mindset intervention studies in the educational space, suggest that parent mindset is an important target for clinical intervention in the context of children's surgical recovery.
Investigating Mississippian landscapes, places, and identities through geophysics

Abstract In the last decade, geophysical survey data has increasingly been used by North American archaeologists to address more theoretically driven research questions. The articles in this special issue build on this trend. In this introductory article, we contend that geophysical survey data can help archaeologists to better understand the social identities of so-called Mississippian peoples in Midwestern and Southeastern North America. Methodologically, geophysical surveys produce data on entire sites and landscapes within a short period of time, with a scope and efficiency that cannot be achieved through traditional excavation techniques. Perhaps more importantly, Native American senses of identity, both past and present, are tied to landscapes, places, and movement, all of which can be studied using non-invasive geophysical survey techniques. Therefore, geophysical surveys can and should be an integral tool in the study of Mississippian identity as well as the identities of other indigenous groups throughout the Americas.
Translational activation by an alternative sigma factor in Bacillus subtilis

Sigma factors are an important class of bacterial transcription factors that lend specificity to RNA polymerases by binding to distinct promoter elements for genes in their regulons. Here we show that activation of the general stress sigma factor, {sigma}B, in Bacillus subtilis paradoxically leads to dramatic induction of translation for a subset of its regulon genes. These genes are translationally repressed when transcribed by the housekeeping sigma factor, {sigma}A, owing to extended RNA secondary structures as determined in vivo using DMS-MaPseq. Transcription from {sigma}B-dependent promoters liberates the secondary structures and activates translation, leading to dual induction. Translation efficiencies between {sigma}B- and {sigma}A-dependent RNA isoforms can vary by up to 100-fold, which in multiple cases exceeds the magnitude of transcriptional induction. These results highlight the role of long-range RNA folding in modulating translation and demonstrate that a transcription factor can regulate protein synthesis beyond its effects on transcript levels.
A Feynman-Kac based numerical method for the exit time probability of a class of transport problems

Abstract The exit time probability, which gives the likelihood that an initial condition leaves a prescribed region of the phase space of a dynamical system at, or before, a given time, is arguably one of the most natural and important transport problems. Here we present an accurate and efficient numerical method for computing this probability for systems described by non-autonomous (time-dependent) stochastic differential equations (SDEs) or their equivalent Fokker-Planck partial differential equations. The method is based on the direct approximation of the Feynman-Kac formula that establishes a link between the adjoint Fokker-Planck equation and the forward SDE. The Feynman-Kac formula is approximated using the Gauss-Hermite quadrature rules and piecewise cubic Hermite interpolating polynomials, and a GPU accelerated matrix representation is used to compute the entire time evolution of the exit time probability using a single pass of the algorithm. The method is unconditionally stable, exhibits second order convergence in space, first order convergence in time, and it is straightforward to parallelize. Applications are presented to the advection diffusion of a passive tracer in a fluid flow exhibiting chaotic advection, and to the runaway acceleration of electrons in a plasma in the presence of an electric field, collisions, and radiation damping. Benchmarks against analytical solutions as well as comparisons with explicit and implicit finite difference standard methods for the adjoint Fokker-Planck equation are presented.
Systematic identification and replication of factors associated with human papillomavirus vaccine initiation among adolescents in the United States using an environment-wide association study approach.

Objective Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination coverage is low among adolescents in the USA. Identification of factors associated with HPV vaccine initiation (receipt of ≥1 dose) is critical for improving uptake. Our objective was to systematically investigate all eligible factors available in a nationally representative sample of adolescents to identify drivers of HPV vaccine initiation using a novel methodological approach. Methods We performed multiple cross-sectional analyses using data from the adolescent component of the National Immunization Surveys (NIS)-Teen between 2014 and 2019. Study participants were parents or caregivers of adolescents aged 13–17 years. Exposure variables measured sociodemographic and geographical characteristics, health conditions and healthcare provision. We tested the association between each factor and HPV vaccine initiation using univariate logistic regression and multivariate logistic regression adjusted for mother’s age, mother’s education level, mother’s marital status, poverty status and adolescent’s sex. We validated findings for each type of analysis within surveys, between surveys (across years 2014–2019) and across several subgroups (age, sex, poverty status and race/ethnicity). Results Six factors were replicated in the multivariate analysis. Most replicated factors characterised the role of healthcare providers and healthcare-seeking behaviours. After adjustment, provider HPV recommendation remained the most strongly associated with HPV vaccine initiation (2019 NIS-Teen: OR 13.4, 95% CI 11.3 to 17.3, p Conclusions This is the first study to explore the association between all available factors in the NIS-Teen and HPV vaccine initiation in a systematic manner. Our study suggests that healthcare-seeking behaviours and interactions with the health system may be drivers of HPV vaccine initiation and warrant further study. Addressing these factors could improve the rate of HPV vaccine initiation among adolescents in the USA.
RADGAN: Applying Adversarial Machine Learning to Track-Before-Detect Radar

In this paper, the authors explore employing Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) toward radar target detection. Current machine learning approaches focus on Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) for real-time detection. Most GANs do not require labeled data, and this paper investigates the use of unsupervised learning methods for detecting radar targets. The approach combines image processing techniques with a track-before-detect inspired image data. The networks can detect Swirling 0 targets at single-dwell output signal-to-noise ratios of 3 dB at a false alarm rate of 10−2 . Consequently, GANs may provide an efficient pre-screening approach to reduce the computational requirements of traditional track-before-detect approaches.
Young, Thomas 1773–1829

Thomas Young was an English polymath with interests ranging from physics to Egyptology. He was born in 1773, in Somerset, England into a large Quaker family (The Quakers are a group of Christians who use no scripture and believe in great simplicity and that truth is continuously revealed directly to individuals from God. They were formed in England in the eighteenth century and were known as the Society of Friends.) and had nine siblings. He was a child prodigy, learnt to read by age two, and taught himself Latin at age six. Young has been described as “The Last Man Who Knew Everything” (Robinson in The last man who knew everything: Thomas Young, the anonymous genius who proved Newton Wrong and Deciphered the Rosetta Stone, among other surprising feats. Pearson Education, New York, 2006 [1]). He died in London in 1829 at the age of fifty-five.
Severe Sepsis Beyond the Emergency Department and ICU: Targeting Early Identification and Treatment on the Hospital Floor

The Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) was created in 2002 with the intent to decrease mortality in severe sepsis through educating the public/influencing public policy (Phase I), defining best practice though the creation of guidelines (Phase II), and improving patient management with the development of a sepsis performance improvement program (Phase III). Phase I included introduction of the Campaign at several major international critical care medicine conferences, beginning with the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) meeting in Barcelona, Spain, in 2002. Phase II was designed to create evidence-based guidelines for managing severe sepsis and septic shock through an international consensus committee, including representation from scientific organizations with interest and expertise in sepsis. Phase III included a performance improvement program designed to measure severe sepsis management and outcomes with focus on diagnosis and management in the emergency department (ED) and the intensive care unit (ICU).
A case of Turkish delight for a UK veterinary nurse

I am immensely proud of my profession and, since qualifying in 1985, I have seen increasing opportunities for veterinary nurses in the UK who wish to be acknowledged as key members of the practice ...
International Business Ethics

A blizzard of ethical issues surrounds transnational corporations. The most-discussed involve labor standards, marketing practices, tax policy, economic impact, human rights, host government relations, and environmental responsibilities. Two distinct schools of thought have arisen about transnational responsibilities: the “minimalist” and “maximalist.” The minimalist argues that a transnational corporation's moral responsibilities are linked tightly to its economic purposes: to make profits for its investors and products or services for the public. Minimalists deny that it is ever the responsibility of the corporation in a host country to raise labor standards, fight corruption, improve the environment, discourage bias, or expand human rights, except insofar as doing so advances its more fundamental mission of making profits. Keywords: international business; ethics; rights
Women, War, and World Order: Gender Difference in Security Attitudes in Europe and the United States, 2002-2011

This paper focuses on a change in the politics of democratic societies with important implications for national security policy: the increasing political mobilization of women. This change takes several forms, including an increase in the political interest and engagement of women, a growing gender differentiation in policy preferences, and an increasing tendency of women to identify with parties of the left. Despite the importance of these changes, they have been neglected by scholars of national security. In this paper, I examine cross-national evidence on gender difference for a number of security policy issues. I draw on survey measures on a wide variety of issues, including support for international involvement, multilateral institutions, the NATO Alliance, opinions of military power and balance of power, international threats, defense spending, and the use of military force. The study covers up to 14 nations. The most important cross-national finding is that overall gender polarization on security policy issues is strongly correlated with the level of the political mobilization of women. Within nations, gender difference is most prominent on issues of military power, the cost of defense, the acceptability of war, and the use of military force. Gender difference toward international involvement and multilateral institutions are smaller. However, gender difference on each of these issues show variation by nation and over time, which suggests that particular contexts condition the degree of gender polarization. Hypotheses that cast gender difference as universal are therefore suspect. I conclude with a discussion of the implications of the findings for theories of gender difference and for the politics of Western security.
Combustion of bagasse: Use of an agricultural-derived waste

Abstract The recent escalation in price of conventional fossil fuels and their uncertain availability has precipitated an intense effort world-wide to develop so called ‘unconventional’ or ‘alternative’ fuels. The waste product from the sugar cane grinding process, termed bagasse, represents an agricultural energy resource which is increasingly used in the sugar industry as a fuel. Currently, the pile burning configuration involving high excess air levels and low combustion efficiencies constitutes the major method of bagasse combustion. This Paper reports on a novel burner which has been developed to burn bagasse efficiently in full-suspension at low excess air levels (down to 5%) thereby generating high combustion efficiencies. To accomplish this excess air level the bagasse was dried to a maximum of 16% moisture and pulverized so that 60–65% passed a 30 US Standard Sieve mesh. A discussion is included concerning optimum methods of bagasse preparation for this system.
Electrode kinetics for a simple redox reaction with adsorbed reactant

Summary It proved possible to measure the rate of reduction of the strongly adsorbed Cr(NCS) 3 complex without significant co-reduction of unadsorbed complex from the bulk of the solution by employing dilute solutions of the reactant and confining the measurements to times no greater than a few milliseconds. The kinetic data could be fit to a reasonable rate law only if the activity coefficients for both the adsorbed reactant and the activated complex were explicitly introduced. The rate of reduction of the complex appears to be enhanced significantly because of its adsorption despite a lower value of the apparent transfer coefficient which also results from the adsorption. The origin of the adsorptive catalysis is examined in terms of the free energy of adsorption of the activated complex and the possible general relevance of the resulting considerations to the electrode kinetics of adsorbing reactants is discussed.
Attachment of Vibrio cholerae serogroup O1 to zooplankton and phytoplankton of Bangladesh waters.

Abstract Vibrio cholerae serogroup O1, the causative agent of cholera, is capable of surviving in aquatic environments for extended periods and is considered an autochthonous species in estuarine and brackish waters. These environments contain numerous elements that may affect its ecology. The studies reported here examined physical interactions between V. cholerae O1 and natural plankton populations of a geographical region in Bangladesh where cholera is an endemic disease. Results showed that four of five clinical V. cholerae O1 strains and endogenous bacterial flora were attached preferentially to zooplankton molts (exuviae) rather than to whole specimens. One strain attached in approximately equal numbers to both exuviae and whole specimens. V. cholerae O1 also attached to several phytoplankton species. The results show that V. cholerae O1 can bind to diverse plankton species collected from an area where cholera is an endemic disease, with potentially significant effects on its ecology.
Theoretical issues in local public economics: An overview

Abstract The papers in this symposium address several issues concerning decision-making by independent governments in a system of regions. This overview summarizes and to some extent synthesizes these papers in a way that draws out some important themes and places the papers within the context of the existing literature.
Determinants of phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase expression.

Publisher Summary Axelrod and Wurtman, in 1960, demonstrated that the decline in adrenal phenylethanolarnine-N-methyltransferase (PNMT) enzymatic activity following hypophysectomy in rats could be reversed by administration of the synthetic glucocorticoid, dexamethasone. It was more than two decades later those glucocorticoids were shown to increase steady-state levels of PNMT mRNA, primarily by enhancing the rate of PNMT gene transcription. Neurally mediated regulation of PNMT expression in adrenal chromaffin cells occurs predominantly through the influence of cholinergic stimuli on nicotinic and muscarinic receptors. A single neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, is capable of acting through two separate intracellular signaling pathways to stimulate transcription of the PNMT gene. Although the importance of cell-specific determinants has been recognized in a number of systems, only recently have it has been begun to characterize those sequences responsible for the highly restricted expression of PNMT. Not surprisingly, the PNMT gene likewise possesses information that directs the site of its expression. Transient transfections of upstream PNMT promoter regions were conducted utilizing an array of pheochromocytoma, neuroblastoma, glioma, fibroblast, and myoblast continuous cell lines. Deletion of the most distal element produces enhancement of reporter gene expression in nonadrenergic, nonchromaffin cell types. The PNMT mid and proximal cell-specific regions each share approximately 70% sequence similarity with a derived consensus sequence for neural specific silencers. Deletion of the regions of the PNMT promoter between -647 and -572 bp and between -572 and -537 bp produces enhancement of reporter gene constructs transfected into nonneuronal cell types, for example, C6 glioma and L6 myoblast lines. This chapter has demonstrated that the major influences establishing the physiological level of PNMT expression can be classified as hormonal, neural, and cell-specific in nature.
Activity of the T-type calcium channel antagonist Mibefradil in pancreatic cancer xenografts

B49 Background: Pancreatic cancer is the forth leading cancer death in US. More than 80% of pancreatic adenocarcinomas are unresectable on diagnosis. The standard treatment in this setting is gemcitabine. Response rates are lower than 10%. Novel therapies are urgently needed. Mibefradil is a T-type calcium channel inhibitor that exerts a cytostatic effect on cancer cells. Here we explored the activity of Mibefradil in a direct pancreatic cancer xenografts model using a molecular mimicry approach to select tumors more likely to be sensitive to the drug. Methods: We first normalized the activity of Mibefradil across the NCI-60 cell lines and defined cell lines as sensitive and resistant if the normalized GI50 -1, respectively. We used a molecular mimicry approach to predict Mibefradil sensitivity of seven xenografts based on their pathway expression similarity to NCI-60 cell lines. We treated these selected xenografts with Mibefradil 65mg/Kg PO bid for 28 days. Results: Xenograft Panc 219 was predicted as the most sensitive to Mibefradil based on its molecular mimicry with ME2, the top cell line sensitive to Mibefradil. The TGI for Panc 219 was 12%. Xenograft Panc 215 was predicted to be resistant based on its connection to NSCLC4, the top cell line resistant to Mibefradil. The TGI for 215 was 145%. The rest of the xenografts were connected to resistant cell lines and were found to be resistant when treated with the drug. Conclusions: Mibefradil was very effective in treating a patient derived pancreas xenograft model and this activity was correctly predicted based on the activity of the drug against a reference set of cancer cell lines. This approach may help to identify patients for clinical trials with Mibefradil.
Utilitarianism and the Informed Consent Requirement (or: Should Utilitarians be Allowed on Medical Research Ethical Review Boards?)

Utilitarianism holds that aggregate welfare (or happiness) is the ultimate standard of right and wrong. This theory determines what is right, among the courses of action possible, by summing the gains and losses to welfare likely to result from each course of action. The right or best thing to do is the course of action that is likely to produce the greatest net sum of welfare. The problem referred to in my subtitle arises because research ethical review boards tend to insist that, to win approval, research projects involving human subjects must obtain the informed consent of those subjects. Moreover, and this is the rub, this requirement is for all intents and purposes absolute. Lack of informed consent is not treated as a welfare loss that can be compensated for by other welfare gains. Informed consent is a requirement independent of welfare gain-and-loss calculations, such that, even where there is reason to believe that a research project would serve to maximize net welfare, the review boards will not approve it unless there is provision for the informed consent of subjects. In short, these boards will do something that seems decidedly unutilitarian: They will recommend a course of action (nonperformance of a research project) though it is likely to produce less welfare than an alternative possible action (performance).
Surfactant improves gas mixing and alveolar ventilation in preterm lambs.

ABSTRACT: Prophylactic treatment with ovine surfactant was evaluated in preterm lambs at risk for development of hyaline membrane disease. Eight mechanically ventilated newborn lambs were treated before delivery and 10 served as controls (gestational age 129–131 d). Lung mechanics, functional residual capacity, alveolar ventilation, efficiency of ventilation, and distribution of ventilation were tested using pressure, flow, and nitrogen elimination (nitrogen washout during 100% oxygen breathing) measurements in the endotracheal tube. The surfactant-treated animals showed significantly improved gas mixing efficiency in the lung with improved alveolar ventilation. Single exponential washout pattern dominated in both groups. Adequate functional residual capacity was established earlier after birth in the treated lambs than in the control animals. Lung mechanics in the treated group showed significant improvement in dynamic lung compliance. Surfactant treatment also improved gas exchange and reduced respirator pressure requirement. We speculate that the main functional effect of surfactant treatment in preterm lambs at risk to develop hyaline membrane disease is to maintain the patency of the peripheral airways in the lung, which improves diffusive gas mixing, alveolar ventilation, and gas exchange. The techniques used in this study should also be useful to evaluate lung function in preterm human infants after specific adaptation of the equipment size.
Small Angle Neutron and X-Ray Scattering of Plasma Glycoprotein Interactions with Lipid Membranes

Fibrinogen and Alpha 1-Antitrypsin (A1AT) are plasma glycoproteins with different, but specific functions. A1AT has been shown to have protective roles of lung cells against emphysema, while fibrinogen is a major factor in the blood clotting process. Most known glycoproteins have been shown to play a role in cellular interactions but the exact role of the glycan chains is still under investigation. Previous electrophysiological measurements show that A1AT has a strong affinity to lipid bilayers, perturbing the function of ion channels present in the membrane. These observed protein-membrane and protein-protein interactions in solution were studied using contrast-matching small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). To establish a structural reference point for each protein in solution, a series of polyethelene glycol-1,500 MW (PEG-1500) induced osmotic stress measurements were performed. The following D2O:H2O contrast matches were used for SANS: 40% for proteins, 15% for lipids and 16% for PEG-1500. Radius of gyration (Rg) approximations using Guinier analysis of A1AT in solution show a structural phase transition when the concentration of PEG-1500 is between 33% and 36% by volume. Significant structural changes were also observed for fibrinogen when the concentration of PEG-1500 was above 40% by volume. These structural changes were compared with changes observed when A1AT was in the presence of three different lipid membranes: POPC, POPS and DLPC and when fibrinogen undergoes polymerization. Bragg peaks produced by lipid membranes show that A1AT interacts with unilamellar vesicles. DLS was used to find suitable concentrations of fibrinogen (4 mg/ml) and thrombin (0.01 units/ml) that would yield a significant signal-to-noise ratio for SANS experiments (or approximately 90 minutes of reaction time). SANS time-resolved measurements show that fibrin structure is affected by its polymerization rate.
Possible Selves and Future Orientation: Exploring Hopes and Fears of Latino Boys and Girls

To explore the structure and function of the aspirations of Latino boys and girls, theoretical and methodological approaches of future orientation and possible selves were integrated. In interviews...