cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mapping transit-based access: integrating GIS, routes and schedules

Accessibility is a concept that is not entirely easy to define. Gould (1969) once stated that it is a 'slippery notion... one of those common terms that everyone uses until faced with the problem of defining and measuring it'. Considerable research over the last 40 years has been devoted to defining and measuring accessibility, ranging from access to jobs within an hour's travel time to the ease at which given places can be reached. This article is concerned with the measurement of access provided by transit. It includes a review of past work on measuring accessibility in general and with respect to transit services in particular. From this overview of the literature, it can be seen that current methods fall short in measuring transit service access in several meaningful aspects. Based on this review and critique, we propose new refinements that can be used to help overcome some of these shortcomings. As a part of this, we define an extended GIS data structure to handle temporal elements of transit service. To demonstrate the value of these new measures, examples are presented with respect to mapping accessibility of transit services in Santa Barbara, California. Finally, we show how these measures can be used to develop a framework for supporting transit service analysis and planning.
Nile Delta vegetation response to Holocene climate variability

A 7000 yr palynologic record from Burullus Lagoon, Nile Delta, Egypt, is assessed to investigate changes in terrestrial vegetation in response to Nile flow. Previous studies in this region have shown that sea-level rise in the early to mid-Holocene, and markedly increased human land use during the past several centuries, altered vegetation in and around the lagoon. The pollen record from this study documents changes in delta vegetation that likely reflect variations in Nile flow. We suggest that Cyperaceae pollen is a sensitive marker of precipitation over the Nile headwaters and the resultant Nile flow. Decreases in Cyperaceae pollen, interpreted as a marker for diminished Nile flow, as well as the increase in relative abundance of microscopic charcoal, occurred at ca. 6000–5500, ca. 5000, ca. 4200, and ca. 3000 cal. yr B.P. (calibrated years before present). These correspond to extreme regional and global aridity events associated with a more southerly mean position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone. These changes, also recorded by other proxy studies, indicate that several marked regional drought events affected the Nile Delta region and impacted ancient Egyptian and Middle Eastern civilizations.
An example of three-dimensional frame buckling

Abstract Physical test results are presented to resolve existing disagreements in the literature concerning the collapse load of an L-shaped frame which fails through torsional buckling. Available computer solutions for this problem are compared with particular attention given to the symmetry of the geometric stiffness matrix.
Extended bifrontal craniotomy for midline anterior fossa meningiomas: minimization of retraction-related edema and surgical outcomes.

Objective Meningiomas of the anterior cranial base can be approached with a variety of techniques. The extended bifrontal approach is often thought to be associated with increased morbidity because of the need for extensive removal of the bone and longer surgical times. The authors have attempted to quantitate retraction-related edema occurring after surgery to determine whether the extra bone removal limits retraction and reduces the chance of brain injury. Methods Charts were reviewed for patients who underwent extended bifrontal craniotomies performed for meningiomas at the University of California, San Francisco, between 1997 and 2005. Magnetic resonance imaging scans obtained before and after surgery were reviewed for brain edema as indicated by fluid-attenuated inversion recovery/T2 abnormality and grouped into four categories: A, no edema; B, edema restricted to the gyrus rectus; C, edema beyond the gyrus rectus; and D, extensive bifrontal edema. Results Forty-five patients were identified. Fifty-four percent of patients had tumors with a diameter of more than 4 cm. Simpson Grade 2 or 3 resection was achieved in 82% of patients, and the average operative time was 12.3 hours. Vision outcome was favorable in 74% of patients. Extent of fluid-attenuated inversion recovery abnormality remained unchanged in 87.5%, with 91% of patients in categories A or B edema remaining in those categories after surgery. There were no infections and there were two cerebrospinal fluid leaks. Conclusion The extended bifrontal approach is a safe surgical procedure with limited morbidity that the authors think: 1) prevents secondary brain injury from excessive retraction; 2) offers great flexibility of view for the surgeon; and 3) should be considered the preferred approach compared with the standard bifrontal craniotomy for large tumors of the anterior cranial base.
Ideology, ethics, and history: A reply to Feyerabend, Rachlin, and Leahey

As always, I find myself in Professor Feyeraband’s debt in this case, for articulating many of the underlying presuppositions of my argument about animal consciousness. In a deeper sense, I am grateful to Professor Feyerabend for his inspiring and pioneering work towards a realistic philosophy of science, one which engages the welter of ethical, social and epistemological problems of science that had been declared non-problems by fiat in a great deal of traditional philosophy of science, much of which should properly be dubbed philosophy of science fiction, and which served to legitimate and provide intellectual underpinnings and credibility for the dubious ideology he and I discuss. Indeed, what else but adherence to such a dogmatic ideology could explain some of the incredible responses I have encountered from highly intelligent and accomplished scientists. How else can one explain the physician who told me that a given drug did not really make me feel better because it was theoretically counterindicated “You didn’t feel better,” he announced with the confidence of the expert, “you only thought you felt better.” Here ideology in this case faith in reductionistic explanation of drug action is stronger than logic! Similarly, how else can one explain the now-famous case of the time I had served on a panel on animal pain with a well-known pain physiologist who spent the better part of an hour trying to show that since the electrochemical activity in the cerebral cortex of the dog differed dramatically from the electrochemical activity in the cerebral cortex of humans, and since the cerebral cortex is the information processing area of the brain, the dog didn’t reall? feel pain in any sense that we do. My time came for rebuttal. Though I am usually long-winded, in this case my response was quite brief. I said, “Dr. X, you are justly acclaimed for your work in pain. ” “Thank you,” he said. “You do that work on dogs, do you not?” I queried. “I do,” he replied. “You extrapolate the results to people, do you not?“, I queried. “That is correct,” he said. “In that case,” I said, “I have nothing else to say!” In other words, either his paper was false, or his research work was he could not have it both ways. Once again, ideology and confidence in one’s expert status allowed him to be cavalier about making sense! How else can one explain the fact that, in a similar vein, although analgesics are always tested on rodents, rodents never receive analgesics? How else can one explain the fact that the same psychologist who uses intentional and mentalistic
Intravaginal PGE2 in early abortion.

Abstract Intravaginal PGE2 was administered to 10 women in early (less than 50 days) pregnancy. Complete abortion was effected in 8, an incomplete abortion in one and one was a failure. Significant systemic side effects were noted in all subjects. Urinary hCG excretion rates prior to and on the 2nd and 14th day after PGE2 showed a decrease in all successfully aborted subjects and an initial decrease but a subsequent rise in the failure subject. Plasma concentrations of progesterone and estradiol-17β showed no significant alterations during the early (less than 2 hours) administration of PGE2 but decreased significantly in all subjects just prior to expulsion, and at intervals thereafter. Estradiol-17β and progesterone alterations appeared to parallel each other indicating a common source, the corpus luteum. The mechanism by which PGE2 may effect early abortion is discussed.
Taxonomic status and relationships of Sorex obscurus parvidens Jackson, 1921, from California

Abstract The San Bernardino shrew, Sorex obscurus parvidens Jackson, 1921, is a population inhabiting the San Bernardino and San Gabriel mountains of southern California. For the past 9 decades, this population has been considered either a subspecies of S. obscurus Merriam, 1895, S. vagrans Baird, 1857, or S. monticola Merriam, 1890; or an undifferentiated population of S. ornatus Merriam, 1895. Aside from the changing taxonomic landscape that contextualizes the genus Sorex, previous study of S. obscurus parvidens has been retarded by the perception of limited available samples (typically, fewer than 8 specimens); misinterpretation of the provenance of specimens identified as S. obscurus parvidens; misunderstanding of the type locality; and inclusion of specimens of this taxon in the type series of another species with which S. obscurus parvidens has been both contrasted and allied at different times. My investigation of S. obscurus parvidens indicates that it is a distinctive population that is morpholog...
Mycophenolate mofetil therapy for lupus nephritis refractory to intravenous cyclophosphamide

Abstract Intravenous (i.v.) cyclophosphamide has been the treatment of choice for diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis (DPGN) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, there is little guidance in the medical literature about what to do when this therapy fails. Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), a new immunosuppressive agent, has been used successfully in patients with solid organ transplants and rheumatoid arthritis. We report two patients with diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis who responded favorably to MMF therapy after i.v. cyclophosphamide failed. (Am J Kidney Dis 1998 Aug;32(2):318-22)
Three-dimensional echocardiography in ischemic heart disease

The ability of two-dimensional echocardiography to detect and to evaluate the extent of wall motion abnormalities is limited by the use of few selected, nonparallel, views of the whole left ventricle. This leads to an incomplete appreciation of the spatial relationships between various cardiac structures and inaccuracy in quantitative data as a result of using of geometric assumptions. Dynamic volume-rendered three-dimensional echocardiography has the ability to overcome the above limitations. In this article we review the use of volume-rendered three-dimensional echocardiography in the diagnosis and assessment of ischemic heart disease, including complications related to myocardial infarction.
Modeling width adjustment in meandering channels

Abstract Widening in sinuous channels occurs when the retreat of the outer bank exceeds the advance of the opposite bank. An analytical model is presented to simulate width adjustment in meandering channels of non-cohesive bank material resulting from bank erosion of two interactive processes: basal erosion and bank collapse. Bank collapse refers to the avalanche of non-cohesive material in the upper part of bank above water surface resulting from over-steepening of the bank surface due to basal erosion. The rate of basal erosion, including lateral erosion and bed degradation, is calculated as a function of the longitudinal gradient of sediment transport rate and strength of secondary flow. The transverse bed slope is treated as a variable that increases as channel sinuosity increases until the transverse bed slope reaches its maximum value. By simplifying the bank-collapse process for non-cohesive materials, the present study shows that the rate of bank-line retreat is determined by lateral erosion rate, near-bank bed-degradation rate, sediment grain size, and difference between flow depth and bank height. The time-dependent widening processes of two meandering channels in the laboratory are selected to test applicability of the model. The result shows that the simulated bank lines at individual time intervals closely match the experimental measurements. Whether the sinuosity of a meandering channel will increase or decrease is primarily determined by didtribution of the lngitudinal gradient of sediment transport rate along the channel.
Midbrain and pontine unit responses to lordosis-controlling forms of somatosensory stimuli in the female golden hamster

Abstract In the sexually receptive female hamster, stimulation of the flanks, perineum, rump, back, or thorax can elicit lordosis. Stimulation of the face or forepaws is disruptive of ongoing lordosis. Single units in the midbrain and pons of sexually receptive female hamsters were tested for responsiveness to these lordosis-controlling stimuli. The animals were either anesthetized with urethane or unanesthetized and paralyzed at the time of recording. The brain stem cells were quite responsive under both conditions, with 81% of 180 neurons responding to somatic stimulation. In the anesthetized animals, somewhat fewer cells responded to somatosensory stimuli, and lordosis-eliciting types of stimuli were more effective than face or forepaw stimulation. In the dorsal midbrain, responsive units lay in the deep tectum, intercollicular region, and a zone lateral to and extending into the central gray. In the ventral midbrain and pontine tegmentum, the responsive cells were not clustered in any particular loci. Some cells in the deep tectum and adjacent regions of the dorsal midbrain displayed opposing changes in firing in response to lordosis-promoting and lordosis-disrupting types of stimuli. Units responding to flank stimulation usually responded to stimulation of either flank alone, but often showed a more pronounced response to bilateral than to unilateral stimulation. It was concluded that the somatosensory properties and anatomical distribution of many of the brain stem neurons were compatible with a role in the control of the lordosis response in the hamster.
A mechanism for induction of the SOS response in E. coli: insights into the regulation of reversible protein polymerization in vivo.

Abstract During normal DNA replication, RecA, the principal recombinational repair enzyme of E. coli, cannot assemble its filament on SSB-bound single-stranded DNA at the replication forks. This behavior is paralleled in vitro, where at low Mg 2+ concentrations RecA can not polymerize on SSB-bound single-stranded DNA. Inhibition of DNA replication in vivo renders RecA able to polymerize on SSB-bound single-stranded DNA and to activate the SOS response. Although the mechanism of SOS induction is still obscure, abundant in vitro observations indicate that RecA filament formation on SSB-bound single-stranded DNA is facilitated at elevated concentrations of ATP, Mg 2+ and spermidine. It is proposed here that inhibition of DNA synthesis in vivo leads to a similar accumulation of ATP and its counter-ions, Mg 2+ and spermidine, resulting ultimately in SOS induction. When DNA synthesis is restored, the concentration of ATP, Mg 2+ and spermidine returns to normal levels, favoring RecA depolymerization. On the basis of the known structure of RecA, a mechanism for reversible RecA polymerization is presented. In a RecA polymer, the monomers are known to interact with each other primarily through hydrophobic, oppositely charged surfaces. In conditions suboptimal for polymerization, these hydrophobic surfaces of the monomers are possibly masked by electrostatic interactions with other, oppositely charged domains of the monomers. There are known recombinational repair proteins whose specific functions are likely to assist in RecA polymerization or depolymerization. Features of reversible polymerization of eukaryotic proteins tubulin and actin are consistent with the possibility that RecA exploits a general principle for the regulation of reversible protein polymerization.
Location and outcome of anticoagulant-associated intracerebral hemorrhage.

The characteristics of patients with anticoagulant-associated intracerebral hemorrhage (AAICH) have not been well characterized in a population-based setting. We attempted to ascertain all patients with ICH in Greater Cincinnati from May 1998 to July 2001 and August 2002 to April 2003 via retrospective review of ICD-9 codes 430–438.9 at all area hospitals and prospective surveillance at tertiary centers. Cases of ICH without coagulopathy and AAICH were compared with multivariate logistic modeling and survival analysis. AAICH occurred in 190 of 1041 ICH cases (18%). In multivariate analysis, predictors of AAICH were cerebellar location of hemorrhage (p=0.01) and a history of coronary artery disease (p<0.001), ischemic stroke (p<0.001), atrial fibrillation (p<0.001) and DVT or PE (p<0.001). Relative to other ICH locations, only cerebellar ICH showed an excess risk of anticoagulant-associated hemorrhage (OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.2 to 4.0). In multivariate modeling the only predictor of cerebellar location of ICH was anticoagulation (p<0.001). Patients with AAICH were more likely to die than other ICH patients. The difference in morality occurred by day one (mortality 33.2% vs 16.3%, p<0.001) and remained stable through one year (mortality 66.3% vs 50.3%, p<0.001). AAICH preferentially affects the cerebellum. Despite its association with amyloid angiopathy, lobar ICH was no more likely to be anticoagulant-associated than deep cerebral ICH. The excess mortality among AAICH patients accures within one day of hemorrhage. Patients with AAICH have a high burden of vascular risk factors. New treatments for AAICH with prothrombotic potential should be evaluated in randomized controlled trials before routine use.
The road to maturation: somatic cell interaction and self-organization of the mammalian oocyte

Mammalian oocytes go through a long and complex developmental process while acquiring the competencies that are required for fertilization and embryogenesis. Recent advances in molecular genetics and quantitative live imaging reveal new insights into the molecular basis of the communication between the oocyte and ovarian somatic cells as well as the dynamic cytoskeleton-based events that drive each step along the pathway to maturity. Whereas self-organization of microtubules and motor proteins direct meiotic spindle assembly for achieving genome reduction, actin filaments are instrumental for spindle positioning and the establishment of oocyte polarity needed for extrusion of polar bodies. Meiotic chromatin provides key instructive signals while being 'chauffeured' by both cytoskeletal systems.
Extravascular lung water measurement by double indicator dilution in shock and respiratory failure.

Clinical quantitation of water accumulation in the lungs is imprecise. The technique of measuring extravascular lung water (EVLW) with double indicator dilution utilizing cold indocyanine green dye has become practical with the addition of a microprocessor. The technique, insertion of a special thermistor tipped arterial catheter and potential problems are described. Our studies with resuscitation of 27 patients in shock indicate little increase in EVLW at 24 hours. On the other hand 19 patients with Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) had marked increases in EVLW from normal of 5–8 ml/kg to 10.7 to 14.4 ml/kg. No further increases in EVLW were observed in eight ARDS patients requiring fluid resuscitation for associated hypovolemia and hypoperfusion. We feel that measurement of EVLW in critically ill patients offers an opportunity to study the pathophysiology of pulmonary failure.
Emergent Nephrostomy Tube Placement for Acute Urinary Obstruction

Obstructive uropathy and urosepsis constitute a medical emergency and require emergent decompression of the urinary collecting system. Image-guided percutaneous nephrostomy tube placement using ultrasound and fluoroscopy allows for decompression of the obstructed renal collecting system with minimal complications.
Hole initiated mid wave infrared InAs/GaSb strained layer superlattice avalanche photodiode

This work focuses on the performance of a MWIR hole dominated APD. The superlattice (InAs/GaAs/GaInSb/AlSb/GaAs) was specifically designed to have hole dominated avalanching.
Effects of oil pollution on aquatic macroinvertebrate assemblages in Gabon wetlands

Macroinvertebrate assemblages from uncontaminated and contaminated sites in the Gamba Complex (Gabon) were compared, the latter sites having been subjected to ongoing oil spills since the 1970s. Vegetation communities surrounding the sites included savannah, shrub–scrub, palm forest, gallery forest and thick jungle. Aquatic macroinvertebrate diversity was high, but abundances at individual sites were low. No living aquatic macroinvertebrates were found at sites with severe oil deposits, but they were present within a few metres of these sites and their abundance increased as the amount of oil present decreased, within a few metres of such sites. Abundance and taxonomic richness declined with increasing oil levels, suggesting that oil negatively affected macroinvertebrate assemblages. Based on preliminary observations, other significant factors that influenced biodiversity were pH, water permanence, terrestrial vegetation type, and canopy cover. Further sampling of contaminated and clean sites in the regio...
Investigations of Ground Current Phenomena Associated with HV DC Transmission

A brief outline is presented of major considerations when the earth is proposed for use as a return conductor on high-voltage direct-current transmission systems. Approximate values are given of earth potential gradients near an electrode, as determined in 1963 near Tracy switchyard by relatively low magnitude test currents and small spacings of test electrodes. Similar, more precise values are listed from large-scale tests conducted in March 1964 between Tracy switchyard and a point west of Red Bluff, Calif., with larger current flows and an electrode spacing of approximately 175 miles. Disturbances of a significant level are indicated as being confined to very small areas surrounding each electrode. Details of test equipment, transmission line facilities, permanent and temporary ground mats which were used as electrodes, and locations of various oil, gas, and water lines in close proximity to the electrodes are discussed. Design, installation, and general operation of a deep well electrode adjacent to the Tracy switchyard ground mat is described. The shielding effects of separation of ac and dc grounding points, as illustrated by specific test data and confirmed in laboratory experiments, is presented. Some possibilities for use of such shielding in limiting adverse flow of direct current in the neutral circuits of high-voltage ac systems are indicated. Additional tests to obtain further data for use in final designs are suggested.
Regulation of endogenous ENaC functional expression by CFTR and ΔF508-CFTR in airway epithelial cells

The functional expression of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) appears elevated in cystic fibrosis (CF) airway epithelia, but the mechanism by which this occurs is not clear. We tested the hypot...
Symbiosis in sacoglossan opisthobranchs: functional capacity of symbiotic chloroplasts

It has been previously reported that many species of the order Sacoglossa (Mollusca: Opisthobranchia) contain algal chloroplasts within the cells of their digestive gland and maintain them in a symbiotic condition. In the present study, two species, Elysia hedgpethi Marcus and Placobranchus ianthobapsus Gould, were compared as to their abilities to retain functional chloroplasts in their tissues. Animals were starved for varying lengths of time, and the functional capacity of the plastids was ascertained at intervals. The chlorophyll content of whole animals, and the ability to incorporate 14CO2 were used as the assay for functional capacity. E. hedgpethi decreased in chlorophyll content during starvation until the tenth day, when no chlorophyll was detectable spectrophoto-metrically. Incorporation of 14CO2 paralleled the decline in chlorophyll, and was at control levels by the tenth day. P. ianthobapsus showed no decline in chlorophyll content over 27 days starvation, although the ability to incorporate 14CO2 showed a decrease.
Density and temperature dependence of the momentum distribution in liquid helium 4

Deep inelastic neutron scattering measurements on liquid4He have been carried out for temperatures from 0.35 K to 4.2 K and densities from 0.125 to 0.200g/cm3 at a momentum transfer of 23 A−1. These measurements are at large enough momentum transfer that deviations from the Impulse Approximation are accurately described by current theories and information on the single particle momentum distribution may be extracted from the measured scattering. The scattering exhibits non-Gausian behavior in both the normal liquid and superfluid phases. A distinct change in the scattering, marked by a reduction in the width and increased deviations from the classical Gaussian shape, occurs at the suerfluid transition. We present a comparison of our experimental results with recent calculations at a variety of temperatures and densities and show that theory and experiment are in excellent agreement. We also present model scattering functions, obtained by correcting for instrumental resolution and final state effects, that represent the scattering in the IA limit. Finally, we present values for the average kinetic energy and the Bose condensate fraction over a broad range densities and temperatures.
Intramolecular cycloadditions with 2-(ω-alkenyl)-5-hydroxy-4-pyrones

Abstract Five 5-hydroxy-4-pyrones, bearing unsaturated side chains at the 2-position, undergo thermal or acid catalyzed cycloaddition to yield bicycloadducts.
Brightness effects in diffuse and sharp illusory figures of similar configuration.

The relative frequencies of ‘bright’, ‘dark’, and ‘neither’ reports were similar for diffuse, as compared to sharp-edged illusory circles and rings, whether viewed directly or peripherally, suggesting in this case a shared source of at least part of their illusory brightness alteration.
Relative susceptibilities of caffeine-sensitive and caffeine-resistant strains of Candida albicans to inactivation and mutation by ultraviolet radiation.

Stable variants having increased resistance to growth inhibition by caffeine were obtained from four different absolute, amino acid auxotrophs of Candida albicans. Differences in growth rates and expression of auxotrophy between the resistant (CafR) variants and their sensitive (CafS) progenitors suggest that caffeine resistance arises through suppressor mutations which affect the fidelity of messenger RNA translation. Both CafS and CafR strains of C. albicans are more susceptible to inactivation by ultraviolet radiation (uv) when grown at 37°C rather than 25°C following exposure. Post irradiation growth on caffeine potentiates ultraviolet inactivation of all CafS strains at both temperatures. Depending on its origin, a CafR strain (i) may show greater, lesser or the same intrinsic susceptibility to uv inactivation as its CafS parent at 25°C or at 37°C and (ii) may or may not be refractory to post-irradiation contact with caffeine. CafR variants independently isolated from a given auxotroph are alike in inactivational responses whereas those obtained from different auxotrophs are dissimilar. This implies that different suppressor mutations are unique in the way they affect expression of potentially lethal uv damage and that only one kind of suppressor is obtained by selection for caffeine resistance in a particular auxotroph. The histidine requiring CafR strain WB-2CR is much more resistant to uv inactivation that its CafS parent WB-2. Moreover, post-irradiation survival of WB-2CR is unaffected by caffeine. However, WB-2CR and WB-2 are equally susceptible to uv-induced reversion to prototrophy. In both strains, caffeine does not enhance uv-induced reversion at 25°C or 37°C and exhibits an antimutagenic activity at high uv dosage at 37°C. The findings reinforce previously reported indications that, in C. albicans, (i) caffeine-sensitive excision-repair of uv damaged DNA does not occur and (ii) caffeine potentiates uv cellular inactivation by disturbing post-irradiation synthesis of protein essential for recovery from non-genetic damage.
Low-Thrust Mission Analysis Using an Analytical Traiectorv Ontimization Model

This paper uses an Analytic Trajectory Optimization Model (ATOM) to develop efficient computational techniques for the use in the early phase of low-thrust mission analysis. The validity of the expression for burning time from ATOM is extended over the full acceleration range, from impulsive to continuous burning. The computational techniques are demonstrated in two problems: 1) the selection of propulsion system parameters for maximum payload and 2) the optimization of the "mix" of high-thrust chemical boost and low-thrust electrical propulsion.
Microwave spectrum of 3-cyanocyclopropene

Abstract Microwave measurements of the normal isotopic species of 3-cyanocyclopropene have given the following ground vibrational state rotational constants: A = 19876.036 ± 0.006, B = 3533.743 ± 0.001, and C = 3417.839 ± 0.001 MHz. The value of the 14N quadrupole coupling constant χcc was found to be 1.62 ± 0.05 MHz, and the molecular dipole moment had a value of μT = 4.47 ± 0.04 Debye. The results are compared to those for related molecules, and are discussed qualitatively with respect to the molecular structure.
Variability in case-mix adjusted in-hospital cardiac arrest rates.

Background:It is unknown how in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) rates vary across hospitals and predictors of variability.Objectives:Measure variability in IHCA across hospitals and determine if hospital-level factors predict differences in case-mix adjusted event rates.Research Design:Get with the G
Pleistocene glacial and interglacial stratigraphy of New England, Long Island, and adjacent Georges Bank and Gulf of Maine

Provisional correlations of Quaternary deposits of New England, Long Island, Georges Bank and the Gulf of Maine (Fig. 1, Chart 1) are based on 14C dates and amino acid racemization estimated (AARE) ages, borehole records and stratigraphic sections, shallow seismic profiles, and biostratigraphic analyses obtained since publication of summaries by Schafer and Hartshorn (1965), Muller (1965), and Pratt and Schlee (1969). Stratigraphic units record at least three, and possibly four, middle Pleistocene and late Pleistocene glaciations and intervening nonglacial episodes in the southern coastal zone (Fig. 2) where continental glacial and marine nonglacial units are intercalated. Subsurface seismic units on Georges Bank may record two additional glaciations of middle Pleistocene and early Pleistocene ages. Most of the stratigraphic units shown in Chart 1 are informal units and many of the informal stratigraphic names have not been adopted by all workers, either for older units of the largely abandoned four glaciation chronology advocated by Fuller (1914), Woodworth and Wigglesworth (1934), Kay (1964a), and Flint (1971) or for local units of Wisconsin age. The stratigraphic units and limiting dates are grouped in Chart 1 according to their positions in major lowland areas that controlled the configurations of ice lobes and other sectors of the ice-sheet during late Wisconsin deglaciation.
Determination of the mercury complexation characteristics of dissolved organic matter in natural waters with "reducible Hg" titrations.

A new method for the determination of the concentration and conditional stability constant of dissolved organic matter that binds mercury (Hg) has been developed using an in vitro assay of reducible Hg. The technique is a wet chemical analogue to electrochemical approaches now in use for ligand studies of many other trace transition metals in natural waters. Ligand characteristics are obtained from additions of ionic Hg to buffered lake, river water, and seawater and determination of the wet chemically reducible fraction following equilibration of the spike. This approach is robust, as demonstrated by (i) analysis using three reducing agents of varying strengths, (ii) replicate analyses, (iii) comparison to well-characterized complexing species (chloride and EDTA) using a competitive ion-exchange resin, and (iv) kinetic studies. Results indicate that Hg-complexing equivalents are present in the dissolved phase ( 60 nN concentrations and with log conditional stability constants ...
A GENERAL PARADIGM FOR UNDERSTANDING CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR: EXTENDING EVOLUTIONARY ECOLOGICAL THEORY*

A paradigm is presented for developing and extending Cohen and Machalek's evolutionary ecological theory of expropriarive crime to encompass all criminal behavior. The paradigm uses well-understood concepts from evolutionary ecology to identify the scope and scale necessary for a holistic understanding of crime. It demonstrates how consistent empirical findings and insights from the many disciplines that study crime may be integrated into a single comprehensive theoretical framework. At the micro level, it explains how individual criminal behavior is influenced, but not determined, by systematic interactions between factors at ecological, individual, and societal levels over the life cou.rse. At the macro level, it explains the evolution of population-level characteristics such as the frequency and type of crime-and approaches to crime control-as the cumulative result of the behaviors of individuals and their interactions with one another and the environment. If the proposed relationships between domains of variables can be refined, it appears possible to develop a truly general theory of criminal behavior. Research and policy implications of this approach to understanding crime are discussed.
Exercise and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: modest fitness gains pay big dividends.

Exercise cannot reverse the physiologic and structural deficits of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, but it can reduce disability by improving endurance, breathing efficiency, and dyspnea tolerance, especially in severely impaired patients. An exercise prescription should begin with an assessment of cardiac risk and exercise capacity Initial workloads should be light, increases gradual, and follow-up consistent. Patients need encouragement, and may also need supplemental oxygen and treatment with bronchodilators, mucolytics, and/or corticosteroids. Patients who follow an individualized program can often increase their work capacity 70% to 80% within 6 weeks.
Odor stimuli, training procedures, and performance in a T -maze

This study demonstrates that rats can use odor cues to learn a T-maze discrimination task, thus supporting the findings of a previous study. Furthermore, only a very small quantity of dried food (45 mg) was needed to supply odor for the discrimination. The use of odor cues arising from the food reinforcement can occur during initial training in a T-maze and is not dependent on training procedures which first require animals to use strong odor stimuli to make a discrimination. No definite conclusion about the role of animal odors as cues for a discrimination was possible with the data from this study.
CAPTA and the Residential Placement: A Survey of State Policy and Practice.

Children in out-of-home care due to familial maltreatment and other developmental and behavioral problems remain at risk for abuse and neglect in the very placements designed for care and treatment. The background of federal involvement in Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) requirements, as well as the states’ responses for addressing protective service responsibilities for residential care, is overviewed. The shift away from direct federal oversight of eligibility standards for child protective systems mandated by CAPTA has apparently contributed to a double standard in protective service activities. The purpose of this study was to provide knowledge of current state child protective services policies and practice regarding out-of-home care through a national survey of state child protective services. Findings of the study suggest that out-of-home protective services would benefit from renewed awareness from social work and child welfare professionals. Calling on states to review their systems for protective services of out-of-home care, the authors recommend collaborative system review between state protective services and the federally funded protection and advocacy programs.
Motor recovery after stroke

This issue is a bonus. This is the first time we have done it and—the publisher assures me—it has not been done by any other Clinics series before. Subscribers to the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America are receiving this additional February 2003 supplement in addition to the scheduled issue. The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) at Northwestern University is a preeminent educational and patient care facility, known for— among other things—its continuing education courses. A little over a year ago, I was contacted by Dr. Don Olson, director of RICs education and training program, to ask if we would be interested in publishing the proceedings of the course Motor Recovery After Stroke: Exploring the Science of Neural Growth, Plasticity and Rehabilitation. The topic was timely, and an expedited publication was needed. Because the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America had already committed to issues well into 2004, we decided to publish an extra issue for February 2003, and RIC obtained a grant to cover much of the cost. This topic is timely, and it is both interesting and important for those of us engaged in neurological rehabilitation. I am pleased with the speed with which it has all come together. Dr. Richard Harvey, the course chair and guest editor of this issue, has been working tirelessly with the contributors and editors to produce this extra issue, and Dr. Elliot Roth’s support has greatly facilitated this effort. George H. Kraft, MD, MS Phys Med Rehabil Clin N Am 14 (2003) xiii–xiv
A quadratic programming approach to path smoothing

This paper presents a method for smoothing a path in an environment with obstacles. Some characteristic nodes of the path are updated in each iteration by solving a quadratic program, which is formulated based on the smoothness constraints and the local environment information. The generated path satisfies the prescribed smoothness constraints, such as bounds on the curvature, and avoids any collision with obstacles. The proposed method is easy to implement and computationally efficient.
Commissioning results of the fast orbit feedback at the ALS

A new fast global orbit feedback system has been designed at the ALS and is in commissioning since last September. The system has two main purposes. The first is to meet the demands of some users for even improved short term orbit stability. The second is to enable the use of more sophisticated insertion device compensation schemes (e.g. tune, beta-beating, coupling) for fast moving insertion devices like elliptically polarizing undulators, without deteriorating the orbit stability. One feature of the fast orbit feedback (with 1 kHz update rate) is the use of standard computer and networking equipment
POLAR spacecraft observations of helium ion angular anisotropy in the Earth’s radiation belts

New observations of energetic helium ion fluxes in the Earth’s radiation belts have been obtained with the CAMMICE/HIT instrument on the ISTP/GGS POLAR spacecraft during the extended geomagnetically low activity period April through October 1996. POLAR executes a high inclination trajectory that crosses over both polar cap regions and passes over the geomagnetic equator in the heart of the radiation belts. The latter attribute makes possible direct observations of nearly the full equatorial helium ion pitch angle distributions in the heart of the Earth’s radiation belt region. Additionally, the spacecraft often re-encounters the same geomagnetic flux tube at a substantially off-equatorial location within a few tens of minutes prior to or after the equatorial crossing. This makes both the equatorial pitch angle distribution and an expanded view of the local off-equatorial pitch angle distribution observable. The orbit of POLAR also permitted observations to be made in conjugate magnetic local time sectors over the course of the same day, and this afforded direct comparison of observations on diametrically opposite locations in the Earth’s radiation belt region at closely spaced times. Results from four helium ion data channels covering ion kinetic energies from 520 to 8200 KeV show that the distributions display trapped particle characteristics with angular flux peaks for equatorially mirroring particles as one might reasonably expect. However, the helium ion pitch angle distributions generally flattened out for equatorial pitch angles below about 45°. Significant and systematic helium ion anisotropy difference at conjugate magnetic local time were also observed, and we report quiet time azimuthal variations of the anisotropy index.
Thylakoid ΔpH-dependent precursor proteins bind to a cpTatC–Hcf106 complex before Tha4-dependent transport

The thylakoid ΔpH-dependent pathway transports folded proteins with twin arginine–containing signal peptides. Identified components of the machinery include cpTatC, Hcf106, and Tha4. The reaction occurs in two steps: precursor binding to the machinery, and transport across the membrane. Here, we show that a cpTatC–Hcf106 complex serves as receptor for specific binding of twin arginine–containing precursors. Antibodies to either Hcf106 or cpTatC, but not Tha4, inhibited precursor binding. Blue native gel electrophoresis and coimmunoprecipitation of digitonin-solubilized thylakoids showed that Hcf106 and cpTatC are members of an ∼700-kD complex that lacks Tha4. Thylakoid-bound precursor proteins were also associated with an ∼700-kD complex and were coimmunoprecipitated with antibodies to cpTatC or Hcf106. Chemical cross-linking revealed that precursors make direct contact with cpTatC and Hcf106 and confirmed that Tha4 is not associated with precursor, cpTatC, or Hcf106 in the membrane. Precursor binding to the cpTatC–Hcf106 complex required both the twin arginine and the hydrophobic core of the signal peptide. Precursors remained bound to the complex when Tha4 was sequestered by antibody, even in the presence of ΔpH. These results indicate that precursor binding to the cpTatC–Hcf106 complex constitutes the recognition event for this pathway and that subsequent participation by Tha4 leads to translocation.
Proximal and distal esophageal contractions have similar manometric features.

The human esophagus is composed of striated muscle proximally and of smooth muscle distally with a transition zone between the two. Striated muscle contracts much faster than smooth muscle. The cha...
Pulmonary hypertension in pediatric heart transplantation

Pulmonary hypertension can pose a significant problem in the management of children with congestive heart failure. Assessment of pulmonary artery anatomy, pressures and (when possible) pulmonary vascular resistance is critically important in the evaluation of these children when they are under consideration for heart transplantation. Severe, fixed elevation of the pulmonary vascular resistance is a contraindication to heart transplantation because of concerns of acute post-transplant donor right ventricular failure. However, even modest degrees of pulmonary hypertension can complicate the post-operative management of pediatric heart transplant recipients. This review will provide information regarding the recognition, diagnosis, and pre-operative and post-operative management of pulmonary hypertension in patients under consideration for heart transplantation.
Light, nutrients, and herbivore growth in oligotrophic streams

The light: nutrient hypothesis posits that herbivore growth is increasingly constrained by low food quality as the ratio of light to nutrients increases in aquatic ecosystems. We tested predictions of this hypothesis by examining the effects of large seasonal cycles in light and nutrients on the mineral content of periphyton and the growth rate of a dominant herbivore (the snail Elimia clavaeformis) in two oligotrophic streams. Streambed irradiances in White Oak Creek and Walker Branch (eastern Tennessee, USA) varied dramatically on a seasonal basis due to leaf phenology in the surrounding deciduous forests and seasonal changes in sun angle. Concentrations of dissolved nutrients varied inversely with light, causing light: nitrate and light: phosphate to range almost 100-fold over the course of any individual year. Periphyton nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations were much lower than the concentrations of these elements in snails, and they bottomed out in early spring when streambed irradiances were highest. Snail growth, however, peaked in early spring when light: nutrient ratios were highest and periphyton nutrient concentrations were lowest. Growth was linearly related to primary production (accounting for up to 85% of growth variance in individual years), which in turn was driven by seasonal variation in light. Conceptual models of herbivore growth indicate that growth should initially increase as increasing light levels stimulate primary production, but then level off, and then decrease as the negative effects of decreasing algal nutrient content override the positive effects of increased food production. Our results showed no evidence of an inflection point where increasing ratios of light to nutrients negatively affected growth. Snail growth in these intensively grazed streams is probably unaffected by periphyton nutrient content because exploitative competition for food reduces growth rates to levels where the demand for nitrogen and phosphorus is small enough to be satisfied by even low levels of these nutrients in periphyton. Competition for limited food resources in habitats where herbivore densities are uncontrolled by predation or other mortality factors should strongly influence the potential for herbivores to be limited by mineral deficits in their food.
Physiological and nutritional response of beef steers to infestations of the horn fly (Diptera: Muscidae).

Specific physiological and nutritional responses of beef steers to laboratory infestations of horn flies, Haematoma irritans (L.), were measured. Indicators of physiological stress were changes in heart rate, respiration rate, and rectal temperature. Blood cholinesterase, cortisol, creatine phosphokinase, glucose, hemoglobin, lactic dehydrogenase, packed cell volume, total protein, urea nitrogen, and white cell count were measured to assess metabolic changes in response to fly infestation. Dry matter and nitrogen digestibilities and nitrogen retention were used as indices of feed utilization. Beef steers exposed to 100 or 500 horn flies per head had significantly increased heart rates, respiration rates, and rectal temperatures. In addition, water consumption and urine production were significantly increased after exposure of steers to 500 horn flies per head. Urinary nitrogen excretion was significantly increased when steers were exposed to 500 horn flies per head and the value for steers exposed to 100 horn flies was intermediate between these and control steers. Dry matter digestibility and nitrogen digestibility did not differ significantly among treatments, but nitrogen retention was significantly reduced in both fly-infested groups. Blood cortisol concentrations were significantly increased on day 1 in steers exposed to 500 horn flies per head, and were numerically higher on most sampling days at both levels of fly infestation. Higher cortisol levels, combined with increased body temperatures and steer activity, contributed to reduced nitrogen retention in steers exposed to horn flies. No significant difference existed among treatments in levels of other blood components measured and all values were within ranges considered normal.