cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Factors that modify the risk of intraoperative seizures triggered by electrical stimulation during supratentorial functional mapping.

Abstract Objective Intraoperative mapping via electrical stimulation is the gold standard technique for surgeries close to the eloquent cortex. However, it can trigger seizures which immediately impact patient’s safety. We studied whether administration of antiepileptic drugs (AED) prior to and/or at the beginning of the surgery decreases the probability of triggering seizures, while adjusting for other risk factors. Methods 544 consecutive intraoperative mapping cases performed at a tertiary care center for epilepsy and brain tumor surgery were included in the study. Using a multivariate logistic regression analysis, we analyzed the independent impacts of AED loading at time of surgery, preoperative AED maintenance, history of seizures, type of stimulation paradigm, lobar location of stimulation, age, opioid administration and pathology on the probability of triggering seizures. Results Seizures were identified in 135 patients. Intravenous loading with AED decreased the odds of triggering seizures by 45% (OR = 0.55, p = 0.01), Penfield (versus multipulse train) stimulation and diffuse (versus well circumscribed) pathology increased it twice (OR = 1.97, p = 0.01) and 2.4 times (OR = 2.42, p = 0.003) respectively. No other factors had a significant impact. Conclusions Seizures triggered during mapping occur frequently and are multifactorial. Significance Loading with AED independently reduces the risk of their occurrence.
Preterm birth disrupts the development of feeding and breathing coordination

Preterm infants face a variety of challenges associated with safe feeding, but obtaining high-resolution longitudinal data to understand these challenges in humans is challenging. We used a pig mod...
Plasmonics sheds light on the nanotechnology of daguerreotypes.

The capturing of images has become one of our most universal and commonplace technologies. As a digital electronic technology, it has permanently transformed society by revolutionizing personal recording and interpersonal communication. It has also revolutionized modern science, changing the way data are obtained and expanding our ability to study complex physical and biological processes. It is easy to forget that, in the recent past, the capturing of static and dynamic images involved time-consuming multistep chemical processes. The chemical recording of images begins with the preparation of a surface with photoactive chemicals that create regions of contrast upon exposure to light or, alternatively, realistic coloration patterns corresponding to the captured image, followed by additional chemical processing steps that would slow or altogether halt the photoactive chemistry, preserving the image as a relatively permanent record. The very first chemically captured images were demonstrated by Daguerre in the 1830s and dominated the first era of photography until more streamlined methods were developed (Fig. 1 A ). These first images have unique optical characteristics, including high resolution across their contrast range, a high sensitivity to viewing angle, and occasionally, subtle coloration. Because of the long exposure times required for capturing an image, the subject matter was frequently buildings or landscapes imaged under natural lighting, and many of these images show the surprisingly realistic coloration of a blue sky background. The subject matter of these earliest photographic images—daguerreotypes—have in many cases been permanently altered or even destroyed by natural and human events, making many of them invaluable historical records. Our understanding of the underlying physical and chemical processes that constitute these first images is essential for the development of effective preservation methods. Until now, however, the actual nanometer-scale physical … [↵][1]1Email: halas{at}rice.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
U.S. Providers’ Perceptions of the Psychosocial Needs of Seriously Ill Patients of South Asian Origin: Implications for Health Social Work

The number of individuals of South Asian origin receiving health care in the United States is rapidly growing, yet little is known about their psychosocial needs. To better inform the provision of culturally competent social work services for this patient population, researchers sought to describe U.S. health care providers' perceptions of the psychosocial needs of seriously ill patients of South Asian origin. To do so, they conducted a multimethod qualitative descriptive study, collecting data during focus groups and individual interviews of health care providers (N = 57) and analyzing them via directed content analysis. Identified patient needs included addressing financial and legal problems, challenges completing activities of daily living, spiritual or existential concerns, psychosocial experiences of unresolved physical symptoms, and psychological distress. Providers also emphasized the importance of supporting patients' family members to aid in their caregiving abilities and to enhance their quality of life. As social workers in U.S. health care settings encounter a growing number of patients of South Asian origin, a more comprehensive understanding of their psychosocial needs is imperative. Study findings suggest that health social workers should provide psychosocial care that encompasses culture-specific needs and psychosocial care that can be provided in a culturally responsive manner.
Severely blunted early heart rate response during treadmill exercise is associated with above average exercise capacity.

Introduction Chronotropic response with exercise is evaluated by peak heart rate (HR) achieved. Since most of the exercise-related chronotropic response occurs early after exercise is initiated, we investigated whether the HR achieved with a standard dose of exercise (Bruce stage 2) is associated with exercise capacity. We hypothesized that those with a blunted or disproportionate HR response at this exercise dose would have reduced exercise capacity compared to those with a typical HR response. Material and methods We reviewed 3,084 consecutive normal maximal treadmill stress echocardiographic reports acquired from individual adults over a 1.5-year period. We examined for association between stage 2 Bruce HR with age and sex-adjusted exercise capacity. Results After adjustment for age and sex, Bruce stage 2 HR was inversely associated (β = -0.08, p < 0.01) with exercise duration. Thus for every additional 10 beats per minute achieved in stage 2, exercise duration was generally shortened by about 45 s. Most of the subjects (92%) who had a stage 2 Bruce HR response below the 10th percentile had above average or average exercise capacity for their age and sex. Conclusions Lower Bruce stage 2 HR was associated with increased exercise capacity. Severely blunted HR response was associated with above average exercise capacity. Caution should therefore be exercised in attributing exercise intolerance to a blunted HR response when making a diagnosis of chronotropic incompetence.
Analysis of a Modification to the Sexual Experiences Survey to Assess Intimate Partner Sexual Violence.

Greater accuracy is needed in the assessment of sexual victimization that occurs in intimate relationships. Existing assessment strategies in the literature often represent two distinct approaches ...
The Combined Endoscopic Endonasal Far Medial and Open Postauricular Transtemporal Approaches As a Lesser Invasive Approach to the Jugular Foramen: Anatomic Morphometric Study With Case Illustration.

BACKGROUND Access to the jugular foramen (JF) requires extensive approaches. An endoscopic endonasal far medial (EEFM) approach combined with a postauricular transtemporal (PTT) approach may provide adequate exposure with limited morbidities. OBJECTIVE To provide a quantitative anatomic comparison of the EEFM, the PTT, and the combined EEFM/PTT approaches. A clinical case of the combined approach is presented. METHODS Five cadaveric heads were dissected. Each specimen received PTT and EEFM approaches on opposite sides followed by an EEFM approach on the side of the PTT approach. Morphometric and quadrant analyses were conducted. Three groups were obtained and compared: PTT (group A), EEFM (group B), and combined (group C). RESULTS Group B had a significantly higher area of exposure of the JF as compared to group A (112.3 and 225 mm2, respectively, P = .004). The average degree of freedom (DOF) in the cranio-caudal plane for groups A and B was 63.6 and 12.6 degrees, respectively (P < .00001). Group A had a higher DOF in the medial-lateral plane than group B (49 vs 13.4 degrees, respectively, P < .00001. The average volume of exposure in groups A and B was 1469.2 and 1897.4 mm3, respectively (P = .02). By adding an EEFM approach to the PTT approach, an additional 56.1% of the anterior quadrant was exposed, representing a 584.4% increase in the anterior exposure. CONCLUSION The PTT and EEFM approaches provide optimal exposures to different aspects of the JF and in combination may constitute a less invasive alternative to the more extensive approaches.
Cataloguing the response by emergency veterinary hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic via weekly surveys.

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has presented veterinary emergency hospitals with unique challenges. Rapid online surveys represent an efficient way of collating responses to rapidly shifting circumstances. Methods Fifty, 24-h small animal emergency veterinary hospital representatives were recruited to participate in weekly surveys in April 2020 to catalog changes due to COVID-19 pandemic. Key findings The majority of emergency veterinary hospitals surveyed reported significant changes to day-to-day operations as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Significance Reporting of weekly survey results provides useful information on how emergency veterinary hospitals with similar challenges are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Decoupling of magnetism and electric transport in single-crystal (Sr1-x A x )2IrO4 (A = Ca or Ba).

We report a systematical structural, transport and magnetic study of Ca or Ba doped Sr2IrO4 single crystals. Isoelectronically substituting Ca2+ (up to 15%) or Ba2+ (up to 4%) ion for the Sr2+ ion provides no additional charge carriers but effectively changes the lattice parameters in Sr2IrO4. In particular, 15% Ca doping considerably reduces the c-axis and the unit cell by nearly 0.45% and 1.00%, respectively. These significant, anisotropic compressions in the lattice parameters conspicuously cause no change in the Neel temperature which remains at 240 K, but drastically reduces the electrical resistivity by up to five orders of magnitude or even precipitates a sharp insulator-to-metal transition at lower temperatures, i.e. the vanishing insulating state accompanies an unchanged Neel temperature in (Sr1-x A x )2IrO4. This observation brings to light an intriguing difference between chemical pressure and applied pressure, the latter of which does suppress the long-range magnetic order in Sr2IrO4. This difference reveals the importance of the Ir1-O2-Ir1 bond angle and homogenous volume compression in determining the magnetic ground state. All results, along with a comparison drawn with results of Tb and La doped Sr2IrO4, underscore that the magnetic transition plays a nonessential role in the formation of the charge gap in the spin-orbit-tuned iridate.
Greek Theater in Ancient Sicily

Studies of ancient theater have traditionally taken Athens as their creative center. In this book, however, the lens is widened to examine the origins and development of ancient drama, and particularly comedy, within a Sicilian and southern Italian context. Each chapter explores a different category of theatrical evidence, from the literary (fragments of Epicharmus and cult traditions) to the artistic (phylax vases) and the archaeological (theater buildings). Kathryn G. Bosher argues that, unlike in classical Athens, the golden days of theatrical production on Sicily coincided with the rule of tyrants, rather than with democratic interludes. Moreover, this was not accidental, but plays and the theater were an integral part of the tyrants' propaganda system. The volume will appeal widely to classicists and to theater historians.
Inflammatory stromal cells in the myeloma microenvironment.

Single-cell RNA sequencing identifies an inflammatory subpopulation of mesenchymal stromal cells in patients with multiple myeloma.
Present Status of Transurethral Resection of the Prostate for Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy

SUMMARY In order to carefully evaluate the transurethral resection operation, we have on two occasions analyzed our morbidity and mortality in 4000 consecutive cases by means of a data punch system and a computerized study. 3 , 4 In our last series of 2223 resections, 30 deaths occurred giving an overall mortality of 1.3 per cent. The staff mortality was 0.7 per cent and the resident mortality 1.9 per cent. This incidence of death is fairly constant in most of the clinics where a large number of transurethral resections are done and is much lower than any comparable series of open prostatectomies. Myocardial disease in this group of elderly patients is in all series the most important cause of death and emphasizes the need again of careful preoperative evaluation and constant electrocardiographic monitoring during the operation. The causes of death in this series are presented in Table 1. The average incidence of nonfatal complications is contained in Table 2. Hematuria, early and late, and epididymitis are the most frequently seen complications in this group. Careful hemostasis in the operating room and recognition of the type of bleeding is, of course, essential and will reduce this complication to a negligible figure. Late hemorrhaging usually is due to incomplete resection or excessive activity of the patient. Percutaneous vasal interruption continues to decrease the annoying complication of epididymitis. Judicious replacement of blood loss is important in the older group of patients and an accurate measurement of the blood loss can be determined by measuring the hemoglobin in the irrigating wash fluid. Approximately 25 per cent of our patients received blood either preoperatively or during the operation. Azotemia continues to be a significant factor in the incidence of morbidity and mortality in both of our studies. By giving azotemic patients at least two weeks of catheter drainage and good supplementary care, there has been a marked decrease in the mortality and morbidity in this group of patients. Figure 2 compares the problems encountered in the patients with normal renal function preoperatively and those who are azotemic. The azotemic patient had an increase in mortality from 2.5 to 9 times greater than comparable age group patients with normal renal function. Azotemia itself is not the sole cause of increased mortality and morbidity, but does identify an anemic, debilitated, poorly nourished, chronically ill patient who responds poorly to the trauma of surgery and who is more likely to hemorrhage and resists infection inadequately. All of our studies reveal increased morbidity and mortality in the older age groups and this again emphasizes the importance of treating the disease of prostatism when it is diagnosed rather than waiting for the complications of the disease and forcing the patient to be operated on later under poor circumstances. Any amount of residual urine indicates a decompensated bladder, and infection and impaired renal function are far advanced signs of prostatism.
Literature review of the interaction of select inorganic species on the set and properties of cement and methods of abatement through waste pretreatment

It is a well-known fact that many inorganic species that may be present as a component of a complex aqueous waste can have an adverse effect upon the set of cements and subsequent properties of a final waste form product. Chemical species such as sulfates, aluminates, borates, phosphates, and zinc, to name a few, especially when present in combination, can result in false sets, flash sets, and expansive mineral phases along with many other unwanted changes in physical properties. Generally, the approach is to adjust the type of additives present in a waste form formulation to compensate or sometimes to rely upon raw waste dilution to minimize of mitigate potential problems. Another approach which is discussed in this paper, in addition to a comprehensive literature review, is based upon an understanding of the chemistry of the waste solution and its components: that is, the authors rely upon pretreatment of the waste solution to prevent interactions during or after solidification. Various types of precipitation options are available for the removal of certain waste species, or they may simply alter them to a stable, more insoluble form. Undesirable reactions in the cementitious solid phase, as well as some of the various wastemore » pretreatment options which are available, are discussed.« less
11 – Biological networks

Biological organisms have evolved processes and information propagation models over billions of years. These processes are quite complex but lend themselves to graph modeling. These models can reveal interdependent processes and characteristics of the network that make it robust to environmental challenges. Our own attempts to classify living organisms, such as taxonomic classification schemes, also tend toward graph models. This chapter explores how network science has been used in biology and bioinformatics, especially genomic networks and cellular metabolic networks, as well as new applications in post-genomic biological systems analysis. It explores the analysis of large data sets, through concepts such as graph alignment and weighted networks. It will also explore the fact that these networks within our bodies have been guided and refined by natural selection over millions of generations.
From nonholonomy to holonomy: Time-optimal velocity control of differential drive robots

There is a large body of literature studying problems such as consensus, flocking, or formation control of multi-agent systems using simple dynamic models, such as first-order integrators. This raises the question of how to implement such results on nonholonomic mobile robot platforms, for example, differential-drive or unicycle-type robots. Since the nonholonomic constraints must be taken into account when commanding a desired velocity change for such robots, we investigate the problem of reaching a desired velocity in minimum time. Using the Pontryagin Maximum Principle, we investigate the time-optimal control for systems with bounded wheel torques as the control input.
Substorm plasma sheet ion pressure profiles

[1] The plasma sheet pressure, temperature, and density profiles inferred from DMSP observations are used to investigate substorm growth, expansion, early-recovery, and late-recovery phases. During the growth phase, the pressure peaks at the inner edge of the plasma sheet. The premidnight pressure peak is associated with the temperature peak, while the postmidnight peak is associated with the density enhancement. After the substorm onset, the pressure at the inner edge diminishes. Instead, the pressure peaks at premidnight from X = −10 to −40 RE, which can be associated with temperature enhancement. During the early and late recovery phases, the pressure peaks at postmidnight, which is associated with a cold, dense ion population, possibly resulting from ion outflow and the substorm current systems. In the near-Earth region, the entropy decreases after substorm onset, but the specific entropy appears to be roughly conserved.
Vacuum flash geothermal power plants: second law analysis and optimization

Hibara et al. (1990) describe the concept of a vacuum-flash geothermal steam plant. The idea involves the use of near-boiling-point water available at numerous hot spring areas. The authors show that a steam plant using a vacuum pump to create the flash process for steam generation can compete thermodynamically and economically with binary plants of small capacity. However, the "thermal efficiency" they quote is very low (1.4%) and might discourage the use of such a scheme. This paper examines vacuum-flash plants using second law analysis, a thermodynamically appropriate method to assess the performance of the system (Moran, 1982; DiPippo and Marcille, 1984), and the results are both more revealing and more encouraging.
The Politics of Pits and the Materiality of Mine Labor: Making Natural Resources in the American West

Though workers play a crucial role in the process of procuring natural resources, their role in the anthropology of mining and extraction has continually declined over the past two decades. This gap obscures major industry transformations and their implications for theorizing labor and corporate practice. Ethnographic research in active surface coal mines in the American West suggests that relationships between workers and companies are mediated not just through social institutions and corporate policies but also through the material qualities and histories of the resource itself.
The Impact of Sincerity of Terrorists on Committing Terrorist Activities in Turkey

Research Summary: This study explores the impact of sincerity of terrorists on committing terrorist activities in Turkey. One of the researchers is a Chief of Police in Turkey and has worked in the Anti-terror Department for a considerable part of his professional career. His professional experience has shown that the more sincere a terrorist is the more violent or heedless the terrorist activity is. Thus this research academically and statistically examines this observation and finds that sincerity affects the level of violence. Attachment and adherence to the terrorist organization turn even the characteristically non-violent people into blood seeking terrorists. Policy Implications: Terrorism is still one of the major challenges that the contemporary world faces today. Governments, policy makers, and other stakeholders have great difficulty identifying effective legal mechanisms for fighting terrorism, mainly because of uncertainties regarding both the targets and offenders of terrorist acts. The current study suggests two types of policy implementations. The first is to improve socioeconomic conditions so that people will be less vulnerable to terrorist recruitment, a tactic that requires the identification of risk groups. The second is to detect terrorists and their networks, a tactic that requires the use of different types of intelligence and preventive interventions in the locations that terrorists primarily use for recruitment. The former implementation is a long-term and large-scale project, whereas the latter one is a short-term, small-scale project that appears to be more promising. The two are, however, interrelated. Simply implementing the second tactic could prevent terrorism, but in the absence of the first tactic, terrorist groups will likely find other fertile ground in which to flourish.
Differential behavioral effects of low efficacy positive GABAA modulators in combination with benzodiazepines and a neuroactive steroid in rhesus monkeys

In the clinic, low efficacy positive GABAA modulators might be preferred to high efficacy positive modulators insofar as low efficacy modulators might have comparatively less abuse and dependence liability. Drug discrimination was used to examine the behavioral effects of L-838,417 and bretazenil, two low efficacy positive GABAA modulators that act at benzodiazepine sites, alone and in combination with benzodiazepines and a neuroactive steroid (alfaxolone). In rhesus monkeys (n=5) discriminating midazolam, alfaxolone substituted for midazolam. In four monkeys, L-838,417 and bretazenil did not substitute for, but rather dose-dependently antagonized, midazolam; L-838-417 and bretazenil, as well as flumazenil, enhanced the midazolam-like effects of alfaxolone. L-838,417 and bretazenil substituted for midazolam in a fifth monkey. In a separate group of rhesus monkeys (n=3) that received 5.6 mg kg−1 per day of diazepam and that discriminated flumazenil, L-838,417 and bretazenil substituted for flumazenil. These results demonstrate that L-838,417, bretazenil, and flumazenil can have agonist or antagonist actions in the same animal depending upon whether they are studied in combination with a higher efficacy positive GABAA modulator acting at the same (benzodiazepine) or a different (neuroactive steroid) site. Thus, combinations of low efficacy positive modulators acting at different sites on the GABAA receptor complex could yield drug mixtures with significant therapeutic effects and with reduced abuse and dependence liability, as compared to higher efficacy positive modulators such as currently available benzodiazepines. British Journal of Pharmacology (2006) 147, 260–268. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0706550
Integrating vector overlay information into naval digital map systems

The US Navy's aviation platforms rely on cockpit moving-map displays to provide an accurate geospatial representation of a mission area to the warfighter to enhance situational awareness and improve mission effectiveness. Older digital map systems would simply display digitized, paper aeronautical charts to pilots and navigators. Navy systems now utilize the Tactical Aircraft Moving Map Capability (TAMMAC) as the common digital mapping system (DMS) for naval fixed wing aircraft. TAMMAC provides the enhanced capability to support digital terrain elevation data and imagery, in addition to digitized aeronautical charts. As technology has progressed, a newer model of TAMMAC provides advanced capabilities, including the ability to support vector overlay features integrated with other avionic functions in the DMS. Scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) have experience processing and compiling DMS data, as well as applying human factors principles to improve display design and facilitate pilots' and mission planners' comprehension of complex geospatial data. The goal is to help close the gap in enabling the extended capability of mission-specific vector overlays and to study its use to improve aircrew performance. This paper discusses prototype software developed by NRL that leverages several existing mission support software tools to select and prepare test datasets. The paper also evaluates test results from using these datasets within the DMS and proposes future work motivated by our findings.
Recommendations for the management of special populations: Renal disease in diabetes

Abstract During the past decade, the incidence of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) has risen dramatically, primarily due to an increase in the incidence of diabetes. In patients with diabetes, both hyperglycemia and hypertension are independent risk factors for renal disease. Hypertension is also a risk factor in nondiabetic renal disease and contributes to renal dysfunction by increasing glomerular pressure, glomerular capillary damage, and proteinuria. The resultant nephron damage increases glomerular pressure and damage within remnant functional nephrons, further contributing to deterioration of renal function. In addition to its role in systemic hypertension, angiotensin II has direct effects on the kidney through elevation of glomerular capillary pressure and upregulation of components of the renal injury response. These direct effects of angiotensin II on the kidney support the inclusion of agents that target the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) into treatment regimens for patients at risk for renal disease. Several clinical trials have established the benefits of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) in patients with diabetes. The ACE inhibitors have been shown to delay renal decline in patients with type 1 diabetes, whereas the renoprotective effect of these agents in patients with type 2 diabetes is less clear. The ARBs have been shown to provide significant benefits in patients with type 2 diabetes, both at early (microalbuminuria) and late (proteinuria) stages of renal decline. In the Irbesartan Diabetic Nephropathy Trial (IDNT) and the Reduction of Endpoints in NIDDM with the Angiotensin II Antagonist Losartan (RENAAL) study, ARB therapy significantly reduced the progression of overt nephropathy (composite of doubling of serum creatinine, ESRD, and death), a benefit that has not been shown for ACE inhibitors. Moreover, in RENAAL, losartan significantly reduced the incidence of the individual end point of ESRD. The benefits of ARB therapy in IDNT and RENAAL were associated with significant reductions in proteinuria and were independent of blood pressure reductions. In RENAAL, proteinuria was a strong predictor of both renal and cardiovascular events. These findings underscore the importance of RAS blockade as a strategy for improving clinical outcomes in patients with renal disease.
Fissionability as a Function of Angular Momentum for the Re 181 Compound Nucleus at an Excitation Energy of 70 MeV

A method is described which allows the calculation of the spin dependence of the probability for fission of compound nuclei from experimental data. The method is applied to the study of the behavior of ${\mathrm{Re}}^{181}$ compound nuclei formed in three different ways with an excitation energy of 70 MeV: ${\mathrm{C}}^{12}$+${\mathrm{Tm}}^{169}$, ${\mathrm{O}}^{16}$+${\mathrm{Ho}}^{165}$, and ${\mathrm{Ne}}^{22}$+${\mathrm{Tb}}^{159}$. The experimental fission cross sections were taken from Sikkeland. The fission probability is found to increase with increasing angular momentum in accord with liquid-drop-model calculations.
Satellite‐based near‐real‐time estimation of irrigated crop water consumption

[1] Estimation of evapotranspiration using satellite sensors offers the potential for improved water management in irrigated areas. However, previous applications of remote sensing to estimate crop water use have been retrospective in nature, whereas the spatial resolution of sensors that provide information in real time has been thought to be too coarse for such purposes. We describe application of a variation of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) standard evapotranspiration algorithm for near-real-time method for estimation of actual evapotranspiration based entirely on satellite data. The latency of the approach is typically 3 days to 1 week, although the lag could be reduced. The method works best over areas where there is substantial diversity in vegetation types within the remote sensing window; the contrast in vegetation between irrigated and adjacent unirrigated areas meets this requirement well. The satellite sensors/products are MODIS land cover (MOD12Q1), surface reflectance (MOD09GQ), vegetation indices (MOD13Q1), land surface temperature/emissivity (MOD11A1), and albedo (MCD43A3) and NOAA/NESDIS surface radiation budget (SRB) products derived from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites. The MODIS/SRB evapotranspiration estimates agree favorably with ground flux tower observations and evapotranspiration estimates from a much higher resolution Landsat-based (METRIC) method over irrigated areas of the Klamath River Basin, with instantaneous evapotranspiration biases less than 10% and daily evapotranspiration biases less than 15%. There is a tendency for the MODIS/SRB approach to underestimate, and for the METRIC-based algorithm to overestimate, seasonal evapotranspiration relative to the tower flux observations.
Mercury - Interpretation of optical observations.

The spectral reflectivity of Mercury has constant positive slope from 0.32 to 1.05 microns, except for the possibility of an absorption feature in the infrared. The reflectivity curve matches closely the curve for lunar upland and mare regions. Thus, the surface of Mercury is probably covered with lunar-like soil rich in dark glasses of high iron and titanium content. If the absorption band is real, pyroxene is the dominant mafic mineral.
What is it exactly that you do? An introduction.

In 1998 two colleagues and I published, in this journal, a report of the activity of an ethicist in a large teaching tertiary medical center over a period of a month. The title of the article is ‘‘What is it exactly that you do? A ‘snapshot’ of an ethicist at work’’ (Ehleben et al. 1998). I was the ethicist subject in the 1 month snapshot and my co-authors were the Director of Graduate Medical Education (Saltzman) and the Director of Research (Ehleben) at the Georgia Baptist Medical Center in Atlanta, Georgia (now Atlanta Medical Center and owned by Tenet Health). In re-reading this brief report I am struck with how in many ways we were naive about what ethicists do and how they might do what they do. On the other hand, in light of more detailed and disciplined studies done by others in the past 10 years or so including those essays published in this current issue, I am struck with how similar the work we did in Atlanta 15 years ago is to what I and most of my Clinical Ethics Consultant (CEC) colleagues are doing today and which has been the subject of so much discussion especially when the discussion comes to the topic of credentialing CECs and accrediting their training. When I was beginning the ethics program in Atlanta, I was expecting that most of my time would be in providing nursing and house officer (GME) education and that consequently most of the formal ethics consultations would be generated through the nurses and residents and perhaps patients and families after being told that there was such a service. It proved to be true that the majority of my time was spent in education but not of the classroom variety. Nor did the majority of the requests for formal consultations come from the nurses and residents. Attending physicians requested consultations two times more than any other group in the medical center. In addition, we found that most of the education that was provided is what we might describe as curbside consultations. Attending physicians, nurses and residents
Defect subdivision as a technique to repair defects following Mohs surgery.

. Defects following Mohs surgery that cannot be closed primarily or with single flaps may often be reconstructed using the concept of defect subdivision. This involves mentally fragmenting the wound into smaller portions. Each subsegment is reconstructed with a small transposition flap. The closures of the donor sites of these flaps are designed so that each taps into a separate and distinct area of skin laxity. In this way efficient and optimal use is made of available matching regional skin for reconstruction.
The role of envelope fluctuations in an apparent demonstration of suppression in simultaneous masking

Fastl and Bechly [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 74, 754–757 (1983)] reported that the threshold of a brief 900‐Hz signal simultaneously masked by a band of noise, 100 Hz wide, centered at 1000 Hz, was reduced by approximately 8 dB by the addition of an 1150‐Hz tone having a level of 20 dB above that of the narrow‐band masker. They concluded that this decrease in threshold was a demonstration of suppression in simultaneous masking. Here it is argued that Fastl and Bechly’s results simply reflect the poorer detectability of signals masked by higher‐frequency fluctuating maskers (their narrow‐band masker) than by relatively flat‐envelope maskers (their composite narrow‐band plus tonal masker). The results of three experiments support the masker‐envelope explanation. In the first experiment, as in the report of Fastl and Bechly, the masker centered at 1000 Hz (M1) was a narrow‐band noise and the masker centered at 1150 Hz (M2) was a tone. Fastl and Bechly’s result was replicated. However, thresholds obtained when M1 wa...
Functional characteristics of untranslated messenger ribonucleoprotein particles from mouse sarcoma ascites cells. Possible relation to the control of messenger RNA utilization

A portion of the messenger RNA of mouse sarcoma ascites cells occurs as untranslated nucleoprotein particles. These sediment as discrete entities, apparently not attached to other cytoplasmic structures. The RNP§ particles are translated very poorly in the reticulocyte cell-free system, but yield active mRNA upon deproteinization. In contrast, mRNPs generated by runoff from polysomes in starved cells tend to be about as active as the free RNA. The mRNA in the untranslated mRNPs appears to be masked by protein components that prevent its interaction with the protein-synthesizing machinery. The low activity of these mRNPs in the cell-free system cannot be attributed to the presence in the preparations of non-specific inhibitors of translation, as indicated by the fact that they cause little or no inhibition of translation of the active runoff mRNPs in mixed incubations. Exposure of the mRNPs to 0.5 to 0.8 m-NaCl causes varying degrees of activation of individual mRNA species. A portion of the untranslated mRNPs are driven into polysomes when the ascites cells are exposed briefly to low levels of cycloheximide. The species susceptible to this apparent activation show the same characteristics in vitro as those that remain untranslated in the drug-treated cells. They are equally ineffective as RNPs in the reticulocyte cell-free system, and they exhibit similar susceptibilities to activation by salt. We suggest that the maintenance of these RNA molecules in an inactive state in the cell serves to regulate the rate of synthesis of the corresponding polypeptides. Such a regulation could be achieved through polypeptides capable of preventing the translation of their own mRNAs. Excessive production of such polypeptides would then result in feedback inhibition of their synthesis.
Pettengill receives the Whitten Medal

Gordon H. Pettengill was honored as the recipient of the Charles A. Whitten Medal at AGU's Spring Meeting in Baltimore on May 28, 1997. The award is given for outstanding achievements in research on the form and dynamics of the Earth and the planets. The citation and Pettengill's response are given here. “Rock solid” is the best description of Gordon Pettengill's research. Always in the forefront, never trivial, Gordon's publications set the highest standards for scientific content and clarity of presentation. His preparation was equally solid, from an undergraduate physics education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to graduate school in physics at the University of California, Berkeley, with only a brief interlude partly spent in Europe in 1944—1945 settling a certain conflict there.
Early caffeine therapy and clinical outcomes in extremely preterm infants.

To determine if early caffeine (EC) therapy is associated with decreased bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) or death, decreased treatment of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), or shortened duration of ventilation. In a retrospective cohort of 140 neonates ⩽1250 g at birth, infants receiving EC (initiation <3 days of life) were compared with those receiving late caffeine (LC, initiation ⩾3 days of life) using logistic regression. Of infants receiving EC, 25% (21/83) died or developed BPD compared with 53% (30/57) of infants receiving LC (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 0.26, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.09 to 0.70; P<0.01). PDA required treatment in 10% of EC infants versus 36% of LC infants (aOR 0.28, 95%CI 0.10 to 0.73; P=0.01). Duration of mechanical ventilation was shorter in infants receiving EC (EC, 6 days; LC, 22 days; P<0.01). Infants receiving EC therapy had improved neonatal outcomes. Further studies are needed to determine if caffeine prophylaxis should be recommended for preterm infants.
The irreducibility of almost all Bessel Polynomials

Abstract The irreducibility of the Bessel Polynomials yn(x) (described below) has been investigated by Emil Grosswald. He has obtained several interesting results on this subject; in particular, using his ideas, it is possible to prove that a positive proportion of the Bessel Polynomials are irreducible. This paper uses a different approach to deduce the stronger result that almost all Bessel Polynomials are irreducible.
Residues gating the periplasmic pathway of LacY.

Abstract X-ray crystal structures of LacY (lactose permease of Escherichia coli) exhibit a large cytoplasmic cavity containing the residues involved in sugar binding and H+ translocation at the apex and a tightly packed side facing the periplasm. However, biochemical and biophysical evidence provide a strong indication that a hydrophilic pathway opens on the external surface of LacY with closing of the cytoplasmic side upon sugar binding. Thus, an alternating-access mechanism in which sugar- and H+-binding sites at the approximate middle of the molecule are alternatively exposed to either side of the membrane is likely to underlie LacY-catalyzed sugar/H+ symport. To further investigate periplasmic opening, we replaced paired residues on the tightly packed periplasmic side of LacY with Cys, and the effect of cross-linking was studied by testing the accessibility/reactivity of Cys148 with the elongated (∼ 29 A), impermeant hydrophilic reagent maleimide-PEG2-biotin. When the paired-Cys mutant Ile40 → Cys/Asn245 → Cys containing native Cys148 is oxidized to form a disulfide bond, the reactivity of Cys148 is markedly inhibited. Moreover, the reactivity of Cys148 in this mutant increases with the length of the cross-linking agent. In contrast, maleimide-PEG2-biotin reactivity of Cys148 is unaffected by oxidation of two other paired-Cys mutants at the mouth of the periplasmic cavity. The data indicate that residues Ile40 and Asn245 play a primary role in gating the periplasmic cavity and provide further support for the alternating-access model.
Unilateral trachyonychia in a patient with reflex sympathetic dystrophy

Reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) is a poorly understood neurovascular disorder characterized by pain, altered sensation, motor disturbance, soft tissue changes, vasomotor changes, and autonomic changes that occurs after trauma to an extremity. Unilateral leukonychia, Beau's lines, nailfold swelling, and nail clubbing have been an observed sequela of RSD. We present a case of a unilateral atypical trachyonychia occurring in the setting of RSD after traumatic fracture of a digit.
Monoiodoglucagon: Synthesis, Purification by High Pressure Liquid Chromatography, and Characteristics as a Receptor Probe*

The synthesis of [125I-Tyr10]monoiodoglucagon from glucagon and carrier-free 125I using l,3,4,6-tetrachloro-3-6-diphenylglycouril (Iodogen) and its separation in pure form by reverse phase high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) over C18-μBondapak columns using two consecutive linear gradients between solvent A [40:60 mixture of methanol and 10 mM H3PO4 in H2O (pH adjusted to 3.0 with triethylamine)] and solvent B (50:50 mixture of acetonitrile and 0.1 M Tris-HCl, pH 9.0) is reported. The newly synthesized [125I] monoiodoglucagon is shown to activate adenylyl cyclase in liver membranes with an EC50 between 5- and 8-fold lower than that of native glucagon. Further, it binds specifically to sites on liver plasma membranes that have the characteristics of glucagon receptors in terms of gua-nine nucleotide sensitivity and rates of reaction. It is suggested that [125I-Tyr10]monoiodoglucagon is a suitable probe for studying structural and functional properties of glucagon receptors. (Endocrinology 113: 711, ...
Microarray analysis of retinoid-dependent gene activity during rat embryogenesis: increased collagen fibril production in a model of retinoid insufficiency.

Retinoic acid (RA) is an essential mediator of embryogenesis. Some, but not all, of its targets have been identified. We previously developed a rat model of gestational retinoid deficiency (RAD; Power et al. [1999] Dev. Dyn. 216:469–480) and generated embryos with developmental impairments that closely resemble genetic and dietary models of retinoid insufficiency. Here, we used microarray analysis and expression profiling to identify 88 transcripts whose abundance was altered under conditions of retinoid insufficiency, as compared with normal embryos. Among these, the induction by RAD of genes involved in collagen I synthesis (COL1A1, IA2 and VA2, prolyl-4-hydroxylase-α1) and protein galactosylation (galactokinase, ABO galactosyltransferase, UDP-galactose transporter-related protein) was especially noteworthy because extracellular matrix regulates many developmental events. We also identified several genes involved with stress responses (cathepsin H, UBC2E, IGFBP3, smoothelin). Real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis of selected candidates revealed excellent agreement with the array findings. Further validation came from the demonstration that these genes were similarly dysregulated in two genetic models of retinoid insufficiency, the retinol binding protein null-mutant embryo and the Raldh2 null-mutant embryo. In situ hybridization of RAD embryos found increased collagen IA1 and IGFBP3 mRNA within the connective mesenchyme and vasculature, respectively, and a failure to repress the growth factor midkine within the RAD neural tube. Many of the identified genes were not known previously to respond to retinoid status and will provide new insights to retinoid roles and to the consequences of retinoid insufficiency. Developmental Dynamics 229:886–898, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
How and where does acute pancreatitis begin

• Circumstantial evidence suggests that gallstone-induced pancreatitis is triggered by obstruction of the pancreatic duct. In this report I will review the results of studies conducted during the last decade that have employed the dietinduced, secretagogue-induced, and duct obstruction—induced models of experimental pancreatitis to investigate the early events that lead to the development of acute pancreatitis. In each of these models, digestive enzyme zymogens and the lysosomal hydrolase cathepsin B were found to become colocalized. These observations have led to the hypothesis that intra-acinar cell activation of digestive enzyme zymogens by lyososomal hydrolases may be an important critical event in the development of acute pancreatitis. Recent morphologic studies evaluating the initial 24 hours after ligation of the opossum pancreatic duct indicate that the earliest lesions in this model of hemorrhagic pancreatitis occur in acinar cells. (Arch Surg. 1992;127:1350-1353)
Atrial natriuretic peptide

This report has reviewed some of the cardiovascular aspects of ANP. The emergence of the heart as an endocrine organ requires that numerous questions be asked with regard to the importance of ANP to anesthesia and surgery. It is clear that the interaction of the hormone with other vasoactive compounds, including anesthetic agents, requires further elucidation. The accumulation of more information regarding the regulation of ANP and its cardiovascular setting will define its role in hemodynamic homeostasis in the acute clinical setting. Questions of specific interest to the anesthesiologist that require elucidation are: (1) Does the presence of abnormal ANP levels, associated with specific disease states, affect perioperative cardiovascular function? (2) Do cardiac surgery and CPB affect ANP-adrenergic interaction? (3) What is the relationship among blood volume, blood pressure, cation metabolism, and the ANP-renin-angiotensin system in perioperative patients? (4) What is the role of ANP as a therapeutic modality in surgical patients?
Symmetric Model of Capillary Collapse and Rupture (Keynote)

The breakup of a liquid capillary filament is analyzed as a viscous potential flow near a stagnation point on the centerline of the filament towards which the surface collapses under the action of surface tension forces. The analysis given her is restricted to cases in which the neckdown is symmetric around the stagnation point. We find that the neck is of parabolic shape and its radius collapses to zero in a finite time; the curvature at the throat tends to zero much faster than the radius, leading ultimately to a microthread of nearly uniform radius. During the collapse the tensile stress due to viscosity increases in value until at a certain finite radius, which is about 1.5 microns for water in air, the stress in the throat passes into tension, presumably inducing cavitation there.Copyright © 2007 by ASME