cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
HEMOTHORAX FOLLOWING PENETRATING THORACIC INJURY (GUNSHOT WOUND) IN GERIATRIC PATIENT: A CASE REPORT AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

Introduction: Penetrating chest trauma is highly lethal. Studies have reported up to 60% mortality depending on the mechanism of injury. While penetrating chest trauma is less common than blunt trauma, it can be more deadly. High-velocity gunshot injury resulting in penetrating thoracic trauma in geriatric patients poses a significant challenge for the traumatic surgeon. Hemothorax is usually a consequence of penetrating chest trauma. It can be caused by intercostal arterial bleeding, especially the posterior part. Initial treatment, including chest tube drainage insertion, is needed to avoid lung compression and to assess future treatment needed. Purpose: To report the patient survival from massive hemothorax caused by penetrating Thoracic injury caused by an air rifle, treated by chest tube insertion and posterolateral thoracotomy to take out the bullet several days after. Case Report: 70-year male patient came to the Emergency Room (ER) Adihusada Hospital Surabaya with a penetrating chest injury caused by an air rifle on the right side of the chest. The patient had chest pain, shortness of breath, and hypoxia. By inserting a chest tube, emergency management was done by a general surgeon due to the massive right hemothorax. An immediate chest tube insertion was needed to overcome the patient’s breathing problem to assess the future treatment needed. Chest X-ray and CT-Scan was done immediately after the patient’s hemodynamic were stable. Three days after hospitalizing, the Cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon performed posterolateral thoracotomy to take the bullet out of the chest. Conclusion: Seven days postoperatively, the patient was discharged from the hospital without any complications and stable hemodynamic. The patient went to the outpatient department for follow-up one week after.
Vesting Requirements and Key Benefit-Formula Features of State and Local Government Pension Plans

State and local governments provide pensions to their employees instead of or along with Social Security coverage. The Great Recession and other events have adversely affected some state and local budgets, leading to pension reforms that aim to lower benefits and bolster funding levels. Using data for 2016–2019 from fund financial reports and independent research center databases, this article examines three key components of standard pension benefit formulas: vesting periods, final-average-salary computation periods, and benefit multipliers. This analysis is the first to examine those characteristics at the level of individual benefit tiers in state and local pension systems, and more significantly, to weight the statistics by the number of active members within each tier. Results are shown for tiers grouped by Social Security coverage status, worker occupation group, and whether the tier is open or closed to new hires.
Traveling Waves with Finitely Many Pulses in a Nerve Equation

Some reaction-diffusion equations which model the nerve axon are known to support a traveling wave with a solitary pulse. Conditions which previously established the existence of solutions with two pulses are here used to show the existence of solutions with n pulses for any n2. Provided are extensive motivating geometric arguments as well as the analytic results and explicitly computed solutions for the piecewise linear FitzHugh-Nagumo equations.
On Leaving Normal Behind

I'm still here to tell you this story so, already, you know mistakes were made. Look: A conference room deep within the labyrinth of a large Midwestern hospital, its windowless walls the color of nowhere, its lights glaring like lidless eyes, its air leaden with the sadnesses it has swallowed. Over there, sitting side by side at the far end of the table, those are my parents, and, over here, at this end, the white-haired man with his back to us?opening his file, reading over his notes, taking a pen from his pocket, glancing down at his watch?is the doctor. No. As we had been told repeatedly when we were referred to him: The Doctor. And those white-coated people lining either side of the table?looking at their notebooks, at each other, at the ceiling, at the floor; looking anywhereanywhere anywhere but at my parents?are his interns, resembling jurors waiting to announce a guilty verdict. The Doctor clears his throat and they turn, in one motion, to face him. My parents disappear, leaving statues in their place. "It's pancreatic cancer," he says, not bothering with a prelude, and, up and down the table, the interns lift their pens. Notes for December 23, 1974:, they are writing. How to tell parents that their child will soon be dead.
Contribution of semen trait selection, artificial insemination technique, and semen dose to the profitability of pig production systems: A simulation study.

The economic impact of selection for semen traits on pig production systems and potential interaction with artificial insemination (AI) technique and semen dose remains partially understood. The objectives of this study were to compare the financial indicators (gross return, net profit, cost) in a three-tier pig production system under one of two selection strategies: a traditional strategy including nine paternal and maternal traits (S9) and an advanced strategy that adds four semen traits (S13). Maternal traits included the number of pigs born alive, litter birth weight, adjusted 21-day litter weight, and the number of pigs at 21 days, and paternal traits included days to 113.5 kg, back fat, average daily gain, feed efficiency, and carcass lean percentage. The four semen traits included volume, concentration, progressive motility of spermatozoa, and abnormal spermatozoa. Simultaneously, the impact of two AI techniques and a range of fresh refrigerated semen doses including cervical AI with 3 × 10(9) (CAI3) and 2 × 10(9) (CAI2) sperm cells/dose, and intrauterine AI with 1.5 × 10(9) (IUI1.5), 0.75 × 10(9) (IUI0.75), and 0.5 × 10(9) (IUI0.5) sperm cells/dose were evaluated. These factors were also evaluated using a range of farrowing rates (60%-90%), litter sizes (8-14 live-born pigs), and a selected semen collection frequency. The financial impact of the factors was assessed through simulation of a three-way crossbreeding system (maternal nucleus lines A and B and paternal nucleus line C) using ZPLAN. The highest return on investment (profit/cost) of boars was observed at 2.33 collections/wk (three periods of 24 hours between collections). Under this schedule, a significant (P < 0.0001) interaction between the selection strategy and the AI technique-dose combination was identified for the gross return; meanwhile, significant (P < 0.0001) additive effects of the selection strategy and AI technique-dose combination were observed for the net profit. The highest gross return was obtained under S13 with IUI0.75 and IUI0.5. The net profit of S13 was 34.37% higher than the traditional S9 (P < 0.0001). The net profit favored IUI0.5 with relative differences of 4.13%, 2.41%, 1.72%, and 0.43% compared to CAI3, CAI2, IUI1.5, and IUI0.75, respectively. The advanced selection strategy proposed including four semen traits is recommended on the basis of the higher profitability relative to the traditional strategy.
Solar energy harvesting system with integrated battery management and startup using single inductor and 3.2nW quiescent power

This paper presents a 3.2nW quiescent power solar energy harvesting system. The control circuit is designed in an asynchronous fashion that scales the effective switching frequency of the converter with the level of the power transferred. The on-time of the converter switches adapts dynamically to the input and output voltages for peak-current control and zero-current switching. The chip integrates self-startup, battery management, supplies 1V regulated rail with single inductor and supports power range of 10nW to 1μW. For input power of 500nW, the proposed system achieves an efficiency of 82%, including the control circuit overhead, while charging a battery at 3V from 0.5V input. In buck mode, it achieves a peak efficiency of 87% and maintains efficiency greater than 80% for output power of 50nW-1μW with input voltage of 3V and output voltage of 1V.
Where Does Universal Expansion Equal Gravitational Attraction

A comparison of the attractive motion experienced by masses due to gravitational interaction over relatively short distances with the recessional motion of masses at relatively large distances (that adhere to the velocity increases described by Hubble's v = Hr relation) is presented to demonstrate the similarities between the two motions. Based on the similarities of the two motions, and the observation that gravitational acceleration decreases as distance increases while recessional acceleration decreases as distance decreases the distance at which the two accelerations are equal in magnitude but in opposite directions resulting in zero net acceleration is calculated and compared to similar results provided by Chernin et al. [1]. The summation of the attractive gravitational acceleration and the recessional acceleration is presented and plotted depicting a smooth, continuous transition from gravitational attraction to universal expansion. The underlying cause of these accelerations is not addressed.
Power of concordant versus discordant sib pairs at different penetrance levels

Knowing the answers, we used the GAW11 data set to compare the power and efficiency of discordant versus concordant affected sib pairs for qualitative traits at different levels of penetrance. Samples of 200 concordant sib pairs outperformed discordant sib pairs for low penetrance (40%) and 70% penetrance models while at 90% penetrance they performed equally well. Increasing the sample size of discordant sib pairs to twice that of concordant pairs was not enough to reach the power of concordant sib pairs at the 40% and 70% penetrance models. For low penetrance using a combination of concordant and discordant sib pairs resulted in higher power than using discordant sib pairs alone. At 90% penetrance, the power of concordant and discordant sib pairs was similar in the region close to the gene while concordant sib pairs performed better at locations further from the gene.
A new approach to conformant planning using CNF

In this paper, we develop a heuristic, progression based conformant planner, called CNF, which represents belief states by a special type of CNF formulae, called CNF-state. We define a transition function ՓCNF for computing the successor belief state resulting from the execution of an action in a belief state and prove that it is sound and complete with respect to the complete semantics defined in the literature for conformant planning. We evaluate the performance of CNF against other state-of-the-art conformant planners and identify the classes of problems where CNF is comparable with other state-of-the-art planners or scales up better than other planners. We also develop a technique called one-of relaxation which helps boost the performance of CNF. We characterize the domains where this technique can be applied and validate this idea by proposing a new set of benchmarks that is really difficult for other planners yet easy for CNF.
Gene Flow in Seed Plants

Gene dispersal (flow, or migration) within and between plant populations has been of continuous interest to plant breeders and seed producers for many decades. Economic considerations have stimulated studies of gene flow as a function of distance, breeding system, pollinating agent, and planting design in numerous domestic plants. Only during the past two decades have a large body of plant evolutionists become interested in information accruing from these studies, and in the rates of gene flow in wild populations. Their efforts have concentrated primarily on related problems such as adaptations for and mechanics of pollen and seed (or fruit) dispersal, plant-pollinator coevolution, adaptive radiation in pollination and seed dispersal mechanisms, and colonization and the alteration of species boundaries. Early in this century, anecdoctal evidence on the movement of pollen and seed vectors, dispersal of pollen by wind, and the range extensions of weed species led to the casual assumption that gene flow must be extensive, and that it must play a major role in the cohesion of populations and population systems. This view eroded as more information became available and was more critically interpreted (e.g., Grant, 1958, 1971; Ehrlich and Raven, 1969; Stebbins, 1970a; Bradshaw, 1972).
Illegal Entry as Crime, Deportation as Punishment: Immigration Status and the Criminal Process

In Padilla v. Kentucky, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the Sixth Amendment required counsel to advise clients pleading guilty that conviction might result in deportation. The Court rested its decision on the idea that this information was important to the client’s decision-making process. However, the Court did not explore a stronger reason for developing a more precise understanding of a client’s immigration status: namely, the effect of that status on ordinary criminal prosecutions, such as burglary or assault. This Article proposes that under current law, immigration status can have substantial effects on the criminal prosecution and sentencing of non-citizens for ordinary non-immigration crimes. This Article examines the position of non-citizens in the United States. For some non-citizens, particularly those without legal status, courts treat unlawful entry or removability as a quasi-crime, negatively affecting the case in ways similar to the effect of a prior criminal conviction. For other non-citizens, particularly but not exclusively those with legal status, the possibility of deportation is treated as a quasi-punishment, which sometimes mitigates other punishments or affects charging decisions if deportation or the overall package of sanctions would be too harsh. This Article proposes that it is consistent both with fairness to all individuals in the United States and with widely accepted principles of criminal justice to consider – carefully – immigration status in the criminal process.
Periodic Solutions of Certain Differential Equations with Piecewise Constant Argument

Existence criteria are derived for the eventually periodic solutions of a class of differential equations with piecewise constant argument whose solutions at consecutive integers satisfy nonlinear recurrence relations. The proof characterizes the initial values of periodic solutions in terms of the coefficients of the resulting difference equations. Sufficient conditions for the unboundedness, boundedness, and symmetry of general solutions also follow from the corresponding properties of the difference equations.
Environment Analysis Near a Highway Using Computational Fluid Dynamics

Air pollution has been proven as a significant risk factor for multiple health conditions. A major portion of urban air pollution is attributed to vehicle emissions. In this study, a high school which is close to an interstate highway is numerical simulated to estimate the impact of traffic emissions on air quality. Two probability density functions, Weibull distribution and Rayleigh distribution, were used in wind data statistical analysis. A numerical method was used to estimate the wind speed at study site based on the wind data in meteorology stations. Both indoor and outdoor environment were simulated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The airflow and the dispersion of particulate air pollutants emitted from the highways surrounding the high school building were analyzed. The wind flow was simulated using Reynolds-Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) model. The particulate matters are tracked using Lagrangian model. For the indoor simulation, the standard k-e model is employed to model the air-phase turbulence. Discrete phase model (DPM) and Eulerian multiphase model were utilized for the particle phase, respectively. The comparison shows that the Lagrangian approach has better agreement since the dispersed-phase volume fractions are less than 10%.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Online learning to optimize transmission over an unknown Gilbert-Elliott Channel

This paper studies the optimal transmission policy for a Gilbert-Elliott Channel. The transmitter has two actions: sending aggressively or sending conservatively, with rewards depending on the action chosen and the underlying channel state. The aim is to compute the scheduling policy to determine which actions to choose at each time slot in order to maximize the expected total discounted reward. We first establish the threshold structure of the optimal policy when the underlying channel statistics are known. We then consider the more challenging case when the statistics are unknown. For this problem, we map different threshold policies to arms of a suitably defined multiarmed bandit problem. To tractably handle the complexity introduced by countably infinite arms and the infinite time horizon, we weaken our objective a little: finding a (OPT − (∈ + δ))-approximate policy instead. We present the UCB-P algorithm, which can achieve this objective with logarithmic-time regret.
Absent proximal coronary arteries associated with pulmonic atresia

Abstract A 2 month old infant had coronary arteries that were not connected to either the aorta or pulmonary artery but arose from the right ventricle and several associated anomalies: atresia of the pulmonic valve with intact ventricular septum, a small right ventricle and an Ebstein-like anomaly of the tricuspid valve. Cardiac catheterization and autopsy data are employed to discuss the abnormal perfusion of the myocardium which led to subendocardial infarction.
Uptake and translocation of zinc by intact plants

Certain cations were added to nutrient solution cultures, in which intact bean plants were being grown, in an attempt to establish whether they influenced either entry of radiozinc (Zn*) into these plants or translocation of this element from the roots to the tops, or both. The Zn*-level in the culture solution was maintained at 5µM and the concentrations of the added cations were varied from zero through 60µM in the highest treatments. When copper was present as the added cation at the Zn*-level (5µM), Zn*-uptake was severely reduced but internal translocation was not especially altered. When zinc was present as the added cation it exerted the expected competition on Zn*-uptake and in addition exerted an unexpected, suppressing effect on Zn* being translocated to the tops. Manganese, as an added cation, has an effect on Zn*-uptake only at high concentrations (30µM or more) but it did not alter the internal Zn* distribution. Cadmium behaved similarly to copper in its influence on Zn*-uptake and translocation. It is concluded that the general effect of added cations on Zn*-uptake and translocation in intact bean plants is predominantly to inhibit uptake, not internal distribution.
Design of reflectance confocal microscopes for clinical applications

Reflectance confocal microscopy provides real time, cellular resolution images of in-vivo and ex-vivo tissues and been cleared by the FDA and international regulatory agencies for medical applications. Clinical applications of reflectance confocal microscopy are being tested in single- and multi-center clinical trials. In this talk I will review the design challenges of sub-surface imaging with confocal microscopy and techniques to compare instrument performance between different sites.
The developmental origins of spatial navigation: Are we headed in the right direction?

Navigation depends upon neural systems that monitor spatial location and head orientation. Recent developmental findings have led some to conclude that these systems are innate. Such claims are premature. But also, there are more meaningful ways to arrive at answers about developmental origins than by invoking the outdated nature-nurture dichotomy.
Towards collaborative component-based modelling

Collaborative modelling enables dispersed users to develop component-based system models in group settings. A realization of such an approach requires coordinating and maintaining the causality of the users’ activities. We propose the Collaborative DEVS Modelling (CDM) approach and its realization based on the Computer Supported Collaborative Work (CSCW) and the Discrete Event System Specification (DEVS) concepts and technologies. The CSCW concepts are introduced into the DEVS modelling framework in order to support model development in virtual team settings. A set of modelling rules and tasks enabling collaborative, visual, and persistent model construction and synthesis is developed. To support separate groups of modellers to independently develop models, the realization of CDM supports independent modelling sessions. An illustrative example is developed to demonstrate collaborative and incremental model development. The design of the CDM realization and future research are briefly described.
Protests about having to structure time off to enable the NHS to work at weekends as it does in the week may be hypocritical

Yes, the NHS should work at weekends for urgent and emergency care, as Keogh says.1 Putting patients first means adapting work practices to achieve a better service for everyone, including ourselves and our families—we are all potential patients. Would we want to wait in agony over a …
APPLICATIONS OF ULTRAFAST LASER SPECTROSCOPY TO THE STUDY OF SEMICONDUCTOR PHYSICS

This article reviews the application of some of the principal methods of picosecond and femtosecond laser spectroscopy to the investigation of the dynamics of carriers, phonons and surface structure in semiconductors. The measurement of the temporal evolution of photoinduced luminescence, absorption, reflection and scattering in semiconductors makes it possible to obtain the lifetimes of photogenerated electrons, holes, excitons and phonons in both the bulk and quantum wells and superlattice structures. The information produced by these studies is necessary for the basic understanding of the underlying physics of semiconductors. In addition, the parameters obtained from these studies are needed for evaluating ultrafast transport, switching, photoconductive response and imaging in semiconductor materials, which will determine their limitations for use in high-speed and high-frequency devices and computers. For measuring time resolved luminescence, the principal techniques used, namely, the streak camera, the optical Kerr gate and the up-conversion gate are thoroughly discussed. Several pump and probe methods are described for the determination of time resolved absorption, reflection and Raman scattering. For absorption measurements where the probe wavelength differs from the pump, the former is generated in nonlinear media by means of stimulated Raman scattering and the supercontinuum for the UV and visible regions and by parametric and difference frequency generation for the near- and mid-IR. Nonlinear optics techniques considered are degenerate and nondegenerate four-wave mixing and transient grattings among which photon echoes yield the momentum relaxation of hot electrons. Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) and phase conjugate Raman scattering (PC) are described to determine phonon dephasing times and the nonlinear susceptibility, χ3.
Age-Dependent Impairment of KATP Channel Function Following Brain Injury

Previous studies observed that endothelin-1 (ET-1) contributed to ATP-sensitive K+ (K(ATP)) channel impairment 1 h following fluid percussion brain injury (FPI) in the newborn pig. The present study was designed to determine the effect of FPI on K(ATP) channel activity as a function of time in newborn (1-5 days old) and juvenile (3-4 weeks old) pigs equipped with a closed cranial window. FPI of moderate severity (1.9-2.1 atm) was produced by using a pendulum to strike a piston on a saline-filled cylinder that was fluid coupled to the brain via a hollow screw inserted through the cranium. Cromakalim, a K(ATP) agonist, produced dilation that was blunted for at least 72 h post FPI, but dilator responsiveness was restored within 168 h post FPI in the newborn pig (15+/-1% and 27+/-2% vs. 5+/-1% and 11+/-1% vs. 13+/-1% and 26+/-2% for responses to 10(-8), 10(-6) M cromakalim before, and 72 and 168 h after FPI). Similar inhibited responses were observed for calcitonin gene-related peptide, 8-Bromo cGMP, and the nitric oxide (NO) releasers SNP and SNAP. In contrast, cromakalim-induced dilation was blunted for at least 4 h, but dilator responsiveness was restored within 8 h post FPI in the juvenile pig (15+/-1% and 27+/-1% vs. 9+/-1% and 15+/-2% vs. 18+/-1% and 28+/-1% for 10(-8), 10(-6) M cromakalim before, and 4 and 8 h post FPI). Similar inhibition of dilations of other agonists also occurred in the juvenile. CSF ET-1 increased to a greater level and remained elevated for a longer period of time in the newborn compared to the juvenile pig. BQ123, an ET-1 antagonist, pretreatment partially restored decremented agonist induced dilation following FPI in the newborn and juvenile pig (5+/-1% and 11+/-1% vs. 11+/-1% and 21+/-1% for responses to 10(-8), 10(-6) M cromakalim 72 h post FPI in the newborn in the absence and presence of BQ123). These data indicate that K(ATP) channel function is impaired to a greater extent and for a longer time period in the newborn versus the juvenile pig. These data also show that ET-1 contributes to such impaired vascular responsiveness to a greater extent in the newborn versus the juvenile pig. These data furthermore suggest that the newborn is more sensitive to traumatic vascular injury than the juvenile.
Thymoma in the offspring of a patient with Isaacs syndrome

Thymoma is a diagnosis most often made in adults, and is exceedingly rare in children. The diagnosis of a thymoma is often times linked to an autoimmune process, and the association of thymoma and myasthenia gravis in children has been previously reported. We present the first description of a child of a parent with Isaacs syndrome (congenital or acquired neuromyotonia) presenting with a thymoma. In our patient, an evaluation of underlying disease led to a presumptive diagnosis of congenital Isaacs syndrome. This case demonstrates that for the rare child diagnosed with thymoma, evaluation for an underlying neurologic disorder should be considered.
Performance of the 2-hour accelerated diagnostic protocol within the American College of Radiology Imaging Network PA 4005 cohort.

Approximately 8 to 10 million patients complaining of chest pain present to emergency departments (EDs) annually in the United States.1 In an attempt to avoid missing the diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), emergency physicians use liberal testing strategies in patients with acute chest pain. This results in more than 50% of ED patients with acute chest pain receiving comprehensive cardiac evaluations (serial cardiac biomarkers and stress testing or angiography) at an estimated cost of $10 to $13 billion annually,2–6 yet fewer than 10% of these patients are ultimately diagnosed with ACS.6–10 Current care patterns for patients with acute chest pain fail to focus health system resources on patients likely to benefit. Among low-risk patients who have ACS rates as low as 2%, stress testing and cardiac imaging is associated with a substantial number of false-positive and nondiagnostic tests, which leads to additional unnecessary and often invasive procedures.11 Consensus among health system leaders, clinicians, and educators is building regarding the need to more efficiently evaluate patients with acute chest pain.12 The 2-hour accelerated diagnostic protocol (ADAPT),13,14 which combines 0- and 2-hour cardiac troponin (cTn) tests, electrocardiograms (ECGs), and an adapted Thombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) score, is a recently developed decision rule designed to identify ED patients safe for early discharge. Previous studies in the Asia-Pacific region have demonstrated that ADAPT can classify 20% of patients with acute chest pain for early discharge while simultaneously achieving high sensitivity (97.9% to 99.7%) for major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at 30 days.13,15 Based on these studies, many believe that ADAPT has the potential to more efficiently focus inpatient resources and objective cardiac testing (stress testing or angiography) on patients likely to benefit. However, the performance of ADAPT within a cohort of US ED patients has yet to be examined. We designed a secondary data analysis of the American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN) PA 4005 cohort to determine the validity of ADAPT in a group of U.S. ED patients with suspected ACS. Specifically we sought to determine if ADAPT can classify 20% or more patients with acute chest pain as safe for early discharge while maintaining high sensitivity and negative predictive value (NPV) for MACE. While the precise value of an acceptable sensitivity and NPV for MACE is a matter of considerable debate, many believe that a successful chest pain risk stratification strategy must achieve >99% NPV (corresponding with a < 1% missed MACE rate among patients with a low-risk assessment) and approach a 99% sensitivity.16
Corporate Liberalism in the American Business Community, 1920–1940

(i.e., big business leaders who believed that intelligent collaboration between business, government, and organized labor was an attainable goal) from World War I through the prosperous 1920s, the despondent 1930s, and the busy and prosperous years of World War II. He concludes that corporate liberal opinion grew more influential in both corporate and governmental circles during and after the period. Throughout the twentieth century, relations between large corporations and the state have provided vast fields for academic conjecture. The national government grounds its legitimacy in doctrines of citizen sovereignty, natural rights of the individual, mass suffrage, majority rule, and the public accountability of elected officials. But big business, as a system of power, rests upon very different bases. Ascending hierarchies of technological expertise, financial and managerial skill, profitability, and power replace the relatively egalitarian assumptions of a republican political system. Direct mass participation in managerial decision-making is largely non-existent, the various paeans to "stockholder democracy" and "pension fund socialism" notwithstanding. Virtual representation of interests enables corporate leaders to make decisions for their respective clienteles and, presumably, in their best interests. Corporate social responsibility, when and where recognized, has generally assumed that simple profit maximization legitimizes industrial operations.'
Gene expression profile from the striatum of amphetamine-treated rats: a cDNA array and in situ hybridization histochemical study.

Abstract Changes in gene/protein expression markedly outlast the transient changes in behavior evoked by a single dose of a psychostimulant. These changes in gene expression are thought to underlie and/or trigger enduring changes in neuroplasticity that lead to drug addiction. We used cDNA arrays to gain a more complete picture of changes in striatal gene expression 1 and 3 h after an acute injection of amphetamine. Consistent, reliable gene expression changes were detected when criteria of at least a 1.5-fold difference and three replicate hybridizations using independent samples were performed. Using these criteria, the mRNA for three immediate early genes (IEGs), coding for activity-regulated cytoskeletal-associated protein (Arc), nerve growth factor-induced protein A (NGFI-A; early growth response protein 1) and nerve growth factor-induced protein B (NGFI-B), were upregulated 1 and 3 h after amphetamine as previously described. Novel genes, RL/IF-1 (coding for IκBα chain) and serum/glucocorticoid-regulated serine/threonine protein kinase (SGK) also were increased throughout the striatum, at 1 but not 3 h. Conversely, amphetamine increased the mRNA coding for the secretogranin II precursor (chromogranin C) only at the 3 h time point when a specific decrease in regulator of G-protein signaling 4 (RGS4) mRNA was also observed. Gene changes and unique patterns of expression were verified by in situ hybridization, providing valuable information about changes in gene expression in response to acute amphetamine.
Why is it so hard to do my work? The challenge of attention residue when switching between work tasks

In many jobs, employees must manage multiple projects or tasks at the same time. A typical workday often entails switching between several work activities, including projects, tasks, and meetings. This paper explores how such work design affects individual performance by focusing on the challenge of switching attention from one task to another. As revealed by two experiments, people need to stop thinking about one task in order to fully transition their attention and perform well on another. Yet, results indicate it is difficult for people to transition their attention away from an unfinished task and their subsequent task performance suffers. Being able to finish one task before switching to another is, however, not enough to enable effective task transitions. Time pressure while finishing a prior task is needed to disengage from the first task and thus move to the next task and it contributes to higher performance on the next task.
Crystallization thermometers for zircon and rutile

Zircon and rutile are common accessory minerals whose essential structural constituents, Zr, Ti, and Si can replace one another to a limited extent. Here we present the combined results of high pressure–temperature experiments and analyses of natural zircons and rutile crystals that reveal systematic changes with temperature in the uptake of Ti in zircon and Zr in rutile. Detailed calibrations of the temperature dependencies are presented as two geothermometers—Ti content of zircon and Zr content of rutile—that may find wide application in crustal petrology. Synthetic zircons were crystallized in the presence of rutile at 1–2 GPa and 1,025–1,450°C from both silicate melts and hydrothermal solutions, and the resulting crystals were analyzed for Ti by electron microprobe (EMP). To augment and extend the experimental results, zircons hosted by five natural rocks of well-constrained but diverse origin (0.7–3 GPa; 580–1,070°C) were analyzed for Ti, in most cases by ion microprobe (IMP). The combined experimental and natural results define a log-linear dependence of equilibrium Ti content (expressed in ppm by weight) upon reciprocal temperature: $$\log ({\text{Ti}}_{{{\text{zircon}}}}) = (6.01 \pm 0.03) - \frac{{5080 \pm 30}}{{T\;(\hbox{K})}}.$$ In a strategy similar to that used for zircon, rutile crystals were grown in the presence of zircon and quartz (or hydrous silicic melt) at 1–1.4 GPa and 675–1,450°C and analyzed for Zr by EMP. The experimental results were complemented by EMP analyses of rutile grains from six natural rocks of diverse origin spanning 0.35–3 GPa and 470–1,070°C. The concentration of Zr (ppm by weight) in the synthetic and natural rutiles also varies in log-linear fashion with T −1: $$\log ({\text{Zr}}_{{{\text{rutile}}}}) = (7.36 \pm 0.10) - \frac{{4470 \pm 120}}{{T\;(\hbox{K})}}.$$ The zircon and rutile calibrations are consistent with one another across both the synthetic and natural samples, and are relatively insensitive to changes in pressure, particularly in the case of Ti in zircon. Applied to natural zircons and rutiles of unknown provenance and/or growth conditions, the thermometers have the potential to return temperatures with an estimated uncertainty of ±10 ° or better in the case of zircon and ±20° or better in the case of rutile over most of the temperature range of interest (∼400–1,000°C). Estimates of relative temperature or changes in temperature (e.g., from zoning profiles in a single mineral grain) made with these thermometers are subject to analytical uncertainty only, which can be better than ±5° depending on Ti or Zr concentration (i.e., temperature), and also upon the analytical instrument (e.g., IMP or EMP) and operating conditions.
The influence of ethyl alcohol on cerebro‐spinal fluid pressure

The effect of ethanol on the cerebro-spinal fluid pressure of six baboons is described. A biphasic response is shown to the intravenous infusion with a mean pressure fall of 3.1 mmHg. It is suggested that both the diuretic effect and the effect of alcohol on cerebral blood flow may be factors involved in the pressure fall.
Hitting the sweet spot for lymphoma

Anyone who has ever played a racket sport, baseball, cricket, and/or golf can attest to experiencing the “sweet spot”—that place where the least jolt is felt on contact. In this issue of Blood , Chen et al show how sugar-decorated liposomes can be used to deliver doxorubicin in a targeted
Note-taker: enabling students who are legally blind to take notes in class

The act of note-taking is a key component of learning in secondary and post-secondary classrooms. Students who take notes retain information from classroom lectures better, even if they never refer to those notes afterward. However, students who are legally blind, and who wish to take notes in their classrooms are at a disadvantage. Simply equipping classrooms with lecture recording systems does not substitute for note taking, since it does not actively engage the student in note-taking during the lecture. In this paper we detail the problems encountered by one math and computer science student who is legally blind, and we present our proposed solution: the CUbiC Note-Taker, which is a highly portable device that requires no prior classroom setup, and does not require lecturers to adapt their presentations. We also present results from two case studies of the Note-Taker, totaling more than 200 hours of in-class use.
Inpatient male alcoholics: predicting program completion time in days and characteristics of fast and slow completers.

Abstract This study relates the origin and validation of an hypothesis-based scale that predicted program completion time (PCT) of inpatient male alcoholics within 8.6 days. It comprises 10 statements from an emotional state and demographic questionnaire's 46 items. The new scale is the ratio of interpersonal relations (IR) items to “recovery facilitating” (RF) items: IR/RF. Cross-validation on two groups of 28 male alcoholic completers yielded validities from 0.49 to 0.52. Combining the scale with other data selected by computer from the same questionnaire raised validity to 0.73 (adjusted) and reduced prediction error 19.8% to 6.9 days. The scale's rationale involves relationship dynamics between “internal strength” (RF) and “external behavior” (IR). It is consistent with: pre/post changes in IR/RF; RF; IR; data and interpretations from Edwards Personal Preference Schedule (EPPS) and California Psychological Inventory (CPI) scores; comparisons of contrasting groups. Profiles of high and low scale score groups show both major differences and similarities. Treatment personnel reactions to high score profile content suggest the scale's potential value for planning patient improvement and for reducing non-completer incidence. The nature of the scale's pre/post changes indicates an additional utility: assessing treatment effectiveness.
Broadband acoustic cloak for ultrasound waves.

Invisibility devices based on coordinate transformation have opened up a new field of considerable interest. We present here the first practical realization of a low-loss and broadband acoustic cloak for underwater ultrasound. This metamaterial cloak is constructed with a network of acoustic circuit elements, namely, serial inductors and shunt capacitors. Our experiment clearly shows that the acoustic cloak can effectively bend the ultrasound waves around the hidden object, with reduced scattering and shadow. Because of the nonresonant nature of the building elements, this low-loss (� 6d B=m) cylindrical cloak exhibits invisibility over a broad frequency range from 52 to 64 kHz. Furthermore, our experimental study indicates that this design approach should be scalable to different acoustic frequencies and offers the possibility for a variety of devices based on coordinate transformation.
Studies in cnidoscolus (Euphorbiaceae) I. Jatropha tubulosa, J. Liebmannii and allied taxa from Central Mexico

Keys to and descriptions and discussions of the geography and ecology of the six members of theCnidoscolus tubulosus alliance (sect.Calyptrosolen) from Central America and Mexico are given.Jatropha tubulosa andJ. liebmannii are typified and recircumscribed.Cnidoscolus tehuacanensis from the Tehuacan Valley andC. rostratus Lundell subsp.hintonii and subsp.glabratus from the Rio Balsas Depression are described as new taxa from Mexico.
Spike Timing-Dependent Synaptic Plasticity in Visual Cortex: A Modeling Study

Recent studies show that synaptic modification depends critically on the relative spike timing of pre- and postsynaptic neurons. Here we explore the functional implications of spike timing-dependent synaptic plasticity in the visual cortex using a model circuit with modifiable intracortical excitatory connections. First we simulated the experiments using two-point stimuli, in which two visual stimuli in a topographically represented feature space were repeatedly presented in quick succession, and found that tuning of the cortical neurons was modified in a manner similar to that observed experimentally. We then explored the dependence of results on the model parameter and identified the intracortical parameters that were critical for the magnitude of the shifts and obtained a simple relationship between the amount of shift and (S = (σEXTCrec_exc)/σINHCrec_inh). Finally we investigated the effects of moving stimuli in a topographically represented visual space and found that they can effectively induce spike timing-dependent modification of the intracortical connections. It suggests the importance of moving stimuli in dynamic modification of the cortical maps through spike timing-dependent synaptic plasticity.
The proximal probe in esophageal pH monitoring: development of a normative database.

Summary Healthy volunteers without symptoms of either gastroesophageal reflux or laryngopharyngeal reflux and without abnormalities on laryngologic examination were recruited for esophageal pH monitoring. Thirty subjects underwent ambulatory 24-hour double-channel pH probe monitoring to establish normative data for the upper probe, which was positioned just above the upper esophageal sphincter. Data were analyzed excluding meal periods plus 2 minutes of postprandial time. The mean, standard deviation, median, and 95th percentile were calculated for various reflux parameters for the following intervals: total study duration, upright time, supine time, and postprandial time. Normal subjects display physiologic reflux above the upper esophageal sphincter (median one event, 95th percentile 6.9 events), and 80.4% of these events occur in the upright position. The reflux area index (RAI) appears to be the most useful parameter to measure laryngopharyngeal reflux severity.
Modulation Detection in Subjects With Relatively Flat Hearing Losses

Modulation detection thresholds were measured as a function of modulation frequency in 5 normal-hearing subjects and in 8 subjects with relatively flat, slight-to-moderate hearing losses. The carri...
Materialism, Conspicuous Consumption, and American Hip-Hop Subculture

Utilizing survey data from over 1,000 American consumers, located in the northeastern part of the United States, we found through the use of multiple regression techniques, that those who prefer to listen to hip-hop score higher on all three aspects of the Richins and Dawson materialism scales than those who don’t. African Americans scored higher than other Americans only in the happiness and centrality factors. Additionally we found that hip-hop listeners scored higher in conspicuous consumption compared to those who claimed not to be listeners of the genre.
Neonatal Borna disease virus infection (BDV)-induced damage to the cerebellum is associated with sensorimotor deficits in developing Lewis rats

Neonatal Borna disease virus (BDV) infection of the brain produces developmental damage to the cerebellum in Lewis rats, with minimal classical inflammatory responses. In the present study, we assessed the consequences of this damage by measuring motor coordination and postural skills in developing (postnatal days 4 to 30) Lewis rats that were neonatally infected with BDV. Neonatal BDV infection-induced motor impairments were selective and correlated with the time course of BDV damage to cerebellar development. BDV-induced motor deficits were not seen until the end of postnatal week 2. By postnatal week 3, BDV-infected rats had deficits in negative geotropism, fore- and hind limb placing and grasping. BDV-infected rats also exhibited deficits in the ability to hold on to a bar and to cross a suspended bar. Neonatal BDV infection induced impairments in the acoustic startle response. Compared to controls, neonatally BDV-infected rats exhibited attenuated habituation of the acoustic startle at postnatal day (PND) 23 and decreased startle responsiveness at PND 30. Prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle remained unaltered in BDV-infected rats. The data demonstrate that neonatal BDV brain infection of rats can be a valuable animal model system for studying the relationship between abnormal brain development and resultant behavioral deficits. Further studies of this model may elucidate specific pathogenic mechanisms that that may have implications in the study of neurodevelopmental human disorders.
Individual differences in response to unfavorable group feedback

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine how individual differences in repression—sensitization moderate the effects of negative feedback in task groups. Seventy-eight research participants, organized into 26 simulated task groups, were asked to work as a team on a series of anagram problems. Participants received either unfavorable individual or team feedback concerning performance. It was predicted that the direct threat associated with individual feedback would increase defensiveness among repressors. This hypothesis was supported; that is, repressors, in comparison to sensitizers, denied the group task as a measure of ability and effort and reported lower attraction to the task and group. It was predicted further that the indirect threat of team level feedback would increase defensiveness among sensitizers. This hypothesis was also supported. Here sensitizers, in comparison to repressors, denied the task as a measure of ability and effort and indicated lower attraction to the task and group. Additional analyses of covariance revealed that the cognitive processes associated with self-attributions (i.e., ability and effort) mediated the reports of task and group attraction. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings and directions for future study are also discussed.
Continuity and separation in symmetric topologies

In this note, it is shown that in a symmetric topological space, the pairs of sets separated by the topology determine the topology itself. It is then shown that when the codomain is symmetric, functions which separate only those pairs of sets that are already separated are continuous, generalizing a result found by M. Lynch.
Line Interferences in the Spectrochemical Determination of Silicon in Steel

The two silicon lines 2881.58 and 2516.12 A commonly used for steel analysis are measured in the presence of known quantities of interfering elements—chromium, vanadium, and molybdenum. The 2881.58-A silicon measurements at 5.25-A/mm dispersion are subject to error when chromium exceeds 0.6%, but at 2.6-A/mm dispersion chromium does not interfere in amounts as high as 2.4%. The 2516.12-A silicon measurements at 5.2-A/mm dispersion are subject to error when vanadium exceeds 0.1%, and at 2.6-A/mm dispersion, essentially the same errors exists. The 2516.12-A silicon measurements at 5.2-A/mm dispersion are also subject to error when molybdenum exceeds 0.2%, but at 2.6-A/mm dispersion the molybdenum does not interfere in amounts as high as 0.9%.