cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Biophotolytic membranes: Simplified kinetic model of photosynthetic electron transport

Abstract The ability to isolate and stabilize thylakoid membranes from photosynthetic organisms (cyanobacteria, green algae, or higher plants) facilitates their study as photocatalysts in processes for the production of hydrogen from water using solar energy (biophotolysis). The feasibility of immobilizing photosynthetic membranes with retention of their electron transport capability was explored in this study. The method of immobilizing chloroplast thylakoid membranes which was observed to best preserve their photochemical activity involved the following steps: 1. (1) mixing an aqueous suspension of thylakoid membranes (isolated from Spinacia oleracea ) with an aqueous suspension of 1.5% (w/v) collagen; 2. (2) adding glutaraldehyde to a concentration of 0.01% (w/v) and cross-linking for 20 min at 0 °C; 3. (3) casting the collagen-thylakoid mixture on a flat surface; and 4. (4) freeze-drying the cast mixture to form a macroporous collagen-thylakoid film composite. Films prepared by this immobilization technique had a very open, sponge-like fibrous structure with a bulk density of 0.049 g/cm 3 of film. Photosynthethic electron transport activities of free and immobilized thylakoid membranes were determined by measuring the photoproduction of oxygen with a Clark-type polarographic probe using potassium ferricyanide as the electron acceptor (Hill reaction). A simplified kinetic model of the photosynthetic electron transport system (PETS) was formulated based on a reaction scheme which is consistent with current concepts of photosynthesis. The kinetic model relating electron transport rate (O 2 evolution) to incident light intensity is a rectangular hyperbolic function, in agreement with the observed behavior of both immobilized The photocatalytic properties of the collagen-thylakoid film were characterized with respect to electron transport kinetics. A simplified kinetic model of the photosynthetic electron transport system was formulated based on a reaction scheme which is consistent with the current concept of photosynthesis. The model accounts for the significant features of photosynthetic electron transport and yet has sufficient simplicity to be useful in the eprocess engineering of photosynbetic reactor systems. The dependence of initial reaction rates on incident light intensity predicted by the kinetic model was experimentally verified for both free and immobilized thylakoid membranes. Initial-rate data were used to evaluate the parameters of the kinetic model. Future kinetic studies might fruitfully focus on dissolved O 2 catalyst-poisoning effects, as well as photoinactivation and/or photoinhibition effects.
The moderation of lean manufacturing effectiveness by dimensions of national culture: Testing practice-culture congruence hypotheses

Abstract The successful use of lean manufacturing (LM) practices requires more than the use of tools. Although manufacturing facilities worldwide use LM practices, dimensions of a nation׳s culture may moderate LM׳s effect on operating performance. Based on operational and organizational behavior literature, we develop moderation hypotheses based on the congruence between dimensions of national culture and LM practices. Data from more than 1400 facilities in 24 countries show that LM is most effective in countries that value high uncertainty avoidance, low assertiveness, low future orientation, and low performance orientation. The results partially support our theory as to how LM effectiveness is sensitive to national cultural dimensions, and will help production managers adapt LM practices worldwide.
Aeration of medical plastics.

Because the metabolic reaction that gives ethylene oxide its sterilizing qualities also takes place with human protein, it is imperative that any residual gas be removed before the sterilized material is used on the patient. This paper presents a method of estimating aeration time required following sterilization of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) to reduce toxic residues to a desired level. The method proposed involves calculation of the coefficient of diffusivity, and the use of a simplified diffusion equation to estimate aeration time.
Experiments on the forced wake of an airfoil

The effect of initial flow conditions on the wake of an airfoil is examined in an experiment which uses the ‘strip heater’ technique to externally force the airfoil wake. The strip heaters are used to introduce waves into the top and bottom boundary layers of a thin symmetric airfoil which are subsequently amplified and introduced to the wake. The evolution and interaction of the waves in the wake is the primary interest of this study. A linear stability analysis is applied to the mean velocity profiles in order to understand the frequency selection process in the wake. It is seen that the mean velocity profile adjusts itself in order to become more receptive to the forced frequency of oscillation, resulting in the suppression of previously existing frequencies. The amplitude of oscillations in the wake can be controlled by varying the phase relation between two input signals. In this respect, cancellation and enhancement of the oscillations is possible. The linear stability analysis is applied to the cancellation/enhancement flow to verify the level of cancellation achieved. The receptivity of the system to external forcing is established. A substantial reduction in drag is achieved for forcing frequencies near the centre of the receptivity range.
Parallel latent semantic analysis using a graphics processing unit

Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA) can be used to reduce the dimensions of large Term-Document datasets using Singular Value Decomposition. However, with the ever expanding size of data sets, current implementations are not fast enough to quickly and easily compute the results on a standard PC. The Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) can solve some highly parallel problems much faster than the traditional sequential processor (CPU). Thus, a deployable system using a GPU to speedup large-scale LSA processes would be a much more effective choice (in terms of cost/performance ratio) than using a computer cluster. In this paper, we presented a parallel LSA implementation on the GPU, using NVIDIA R Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) and Compute Unified Basic Linear Algebra Subprograms (CUBLAS). The performance of this implementation is compared to traditional LSA implementation on CPU using an optimized Basic Linear Algebra Subprograms library. For large matrices that have dimensions divisible by 16, the GPU algorithm ran five to six times faster than the CPU version.
Excitatory amino acid receptors, neural membrane phospholipid metabolism and neurological disorders.

Abstract Excitatory amino acids and their receptors play an important role in membrane phospholipd metabolism. Persistent stimulation of excitatory amino acid receptors by glutamate may be involved in neurodegenerative diseases and brain and spinal cord trauma. The molecular mechanism of neurodegeneration induced by excitatory amino acids is, however, not known. Excitotoxin induced calcium entry causes the stimulation of phospholipases and lipases. These enzymes act on neural membrane phospholipids and their stimulation results in accumulation of free fatty acids, diacylglycerols, eicosanoids and lipid peroxides in neurodegenerative diseases and brain and spinal cord trauma. Other enzymes such as protein kinase C and calcium-dependent proteases may also contribute to the neuronal injury. Excitotoxin-induced alteration in membrane phospholipid metabolism in neurodegenerative diseases and neural trauma can be studied in animal and cell culture models. The models can be used to study the molecular mechanisms of the neurodegenerative processes and to screen the efficacy of therapeutic drugs for neurodegenerative disease and brain and spinal cord trauma.
Morphological and physiological characteristics of pancreas-specific venular permeability induced by Monastral blue B

Leaky blood vessels in the microcirculation can be detected in vivo by injecting an animal with colloidal pigments such as Monastral blue B (MbB) or carbon black. We have previously used the MbB labeling method in the spontaneously diabetic BB/W or rat and detected increased vascular permeability restricted to the venules of the pancreas. We now report the morphological and physiological characteristics of this phenomenon in additional rat strains. Susceptibility to pancreatic labeling with MbB among strains was found to be a highly variable, heritable characteristic, but in no strain did vessels label in any organ other than the pancreas. Pancreatic labeling by MbB was dose dependent, was observed in both inbred and outbred rats, and was not related to major histocompatibility complex haplotype. Enhanced permeability was induced by MbB within minutes of its administration as a result of the formation of gaps between endothelial cells; these gaps then closed within 15 min. Pretreatment with silica or carrageenan, agents known to affect macrophage function, completely blocked pancreatic MbB venular labeling, but the effect was reversible over a period of several days. We hypothesize that presence of MbB in the pancreatic circulation induces organ-specific venular leakage either by a direct effect on pancreatic endothelial cells or via the local release of a mediator.
Market-making costs in Treasury bills: A benchmark for the cost of liquidity

Abstract We focus on market-making costs by examining the daily bid–ask spreads for off-the-run, one-month Treasury bills around two liquidity-changing events. Event one, Salomon Brothers’ supply shock, results in a roughly 2.5-basis-point increase in the spread because of an increase in ask prices; and event two, the Long-Term Capital Management demand shock, results in a doubling of the spread because of a decrease in bid prices. Our results provide a benchmark for researchers examining bid–ask spreads of securities that include a liquidity premium, a risk premium, and an asymmetric information premium.
Child welfare research: How adequate are the data?

Abstract This paper provides an overview of recent efforts to improve data collection on the child welfare population, with particular emphasis on measuring outcomes for children at risk of abuse or neglect and at risk of placement, as well as children in foster care, kinship care, and adoption. Although a great deal of progress has been made in improving the data available to study the child welfare population, further improvements are needed if we are to assess the performance of the child welfare system in promoting safety, permanency, and child and family well-being.
Effects of repeated cocaine on medial prefrontal cortical GABAB receptor modulation of neurotransmission in the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system

Increased excitatory output from medial prefrontal cortex is an important component in the development of cocaine sensitization. Activation of GABAergic systems in the prefrontal cortex can decrease glutamatergic activity. A recent study suggested that sensitization might be associated with a decrease in GABAB receptor responsiveness in the medial prefrontal cortex. Therefore, the present study examined whether repeated exposure to cocaine-modified neurochemical changes in the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system induced by infusion of baclofen into the medial prefrontal cortex. In vivo microdialysis studies were conducted to monitor dopamine, glutamate and GABA levels in the medial prefrontal cortex and glutamate levels in the ipsilateral nucleus accumbens and ventral tegmental area during the infusion of baclofen into medial prefrontal cortex. Baclofen minimally affected glutamate levels in the medial prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens or ventral tegmental area of control animals, but dose-dependently increased glutamate levels in each of these regions in animals sensitized to cocaine. This effect was not the result of changes in GABAB receptor-mediated modulation of dopamine or GABA in the medial prefrontal cortex. The data suggest that alterations in GABAB receptor modulation of medial prefrontal cortical excitatory output may play an important role in the development of sensitization to cocaine.
HER-2/neu oncogene amplification in stage I and stage III ovarian papillary serous carcinoma

Abstract Oncogene amplification has been implicated in the genesis and progression of many cancers. Overexpression of the HER-2/neu proto-oncogene occurs in 20–30% of ovarian epithelial cancers, in which it may be of prognostic significance. Oncogene overexpression is traditionally studied using immunohistochemistry. In this study we used fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) to determine HER-2/neu amplification in ovarian papillary serous carcinoma and compared the frequency of amplification in two stages of the disease. Archival tissues from 23 cases of papillary serous ovarian carcinoma (9 cases of stage I and 14 cases of stage III) were analyzed by FISH using a HER-2/neu probe and a chromosome 17 centromere control probe. Determination of the level of amplification was performed according to the standard protocols of the Cytogenetics Laboratory at Rhode Island Hospital. Of the 23 cases successfully analyzed, the frequency of amplification among stage I tumors was 22% (2/9) and the frequency of amplification among stage III tumors was 71% (10/14). These results are significant ( P = 0.036). The frequency of stage I tumors among amplified cases was 17% (27/12) and the frequency of stage III tumors among amplified cases was 83% (10/12). This study not only confirms the presence of a subset of ovarian papillary serous carcinoma with HER-2/neu gene amplification, but it also indicates that HER-2/neu oncogene amplification is more likely to be associated with a more advanced stage. Thus, the present data are consistent with the hypothesis that HER-2/neu amplification, similar to HER-2/neu protein over expression, is a prognostic marker of poor outcome.
Working nonstandard schedules and variable shifts in low-income families: Associations with parental psychological well-being, family functioning, and child well-being.

Longitudinal data from the New Hope Project--an experimental evaluation of a work-based antipoverty program in Milwaukee, Wisconsin--was used to explore concurrent and lagged associations of nonstandard schedules and variable shifts with parental psychological well-being, regularity of family mealtimes, and child well-being among low-income families. Working a combination of variable shifts and nonstandard hours was associated concurrently with lower teacher-reported school performance and engagement and higher levels of externalizing behavior problems. Fixed nonstandard schedules were associated with lagged decreases in parent-reported school performance, whereas working variable shifts was associated with lagged increases in parent-reported school performance.
THE COMBINATION OF ENZYME AND SUBSTRATE : I. A METHOD FOR THE QUANTITATIVE DETERMINATION OF PEPSIN. II. THE EFFECT OF THE HYDROGEN ION CONCENTRATION.

1. A quantitative method for the determination of pepsin is described depending on the change in conductivity of a digesting egg albumin solution. 2. The combination of pepsin with an insoluble substrate has been followed by this method. 3. The amount of pepsin removed from solution by a given weight of substrate is independent of the size of the particles of the substrate. 4. There is an optimum zone of hydrogen ion concentration for the combination of enzyme and substrate corresponding to the optimum for digestion. 5. It is suggested that the pepsin combines largely or entirely with the ionized protein.
Alkali Metal Ions As Probes of Structure and Recognition Properties of Macrocyclic Pyridyl Urea Hosts

We report the one-pot synthesis of three symmetrical macrocyclic pyridyl urea hosts. X-ray crystal studies were used to confirm the structures of the free hosts and their host·guest complexes with alkali metal ions. These solid-state studies revealed the interactions that were important for binding cations (Li+, Na+, and K+). The affinity of these hosts for alkali metal salts were evaluated in solution (CD3CN), and the stoichiometries of the solution complexes were compared with their solid-state structures. Two of these hosts showed high affinity for LiBF4, which was primarily due to strong interactions between the urea oxygens and the cations with pyridine nitrogens contributing additional stabilizing interactions.
Construct validity evidence for the interpretation of drinking restraint as a response conflict.

Abstract A style of control over alcohol consumption, termed restrained drinking , has been identified as an important predictor of drinking behavior and a possible risk factor for more serious alcohol problems. This control style is hypothesized to involve a cyclical pattern of drinking in which the specific phase (restraint or binging) depends on the balance between opposing response tendencies. A survey study of 429 college students supported the important predictions that restrained drinkers experience more response conflict, as evidenced by stronger impulses to drink (cravings and preoccupation with alcohol) as well as stronger inhibitions against drinking (social commitment to drinking goals, self-esteem threat of excessive consumption, and negative expectancies) compared to unrestrained drinkers. Restrained drinkers additionally reported more cyclical and extreme patterns of drinking, more reduction of alcohol consumption below preferred levels, and more costs of drinking reduction compared to unrestrained drinkers. This pattern of results occured after controlling for habitual levels of alcohol consumption. These findings support important theoretical predictions concerning a restrained drinking style and provide further evidence of its importance in the early identification of the development of alcohol problems.
Bioethanol production from dedicated energy crops and residues in Arkansas, USA

Globally, one of the major technologic goals is to achieve cost-effective lignocellulosic ethanol production from biomass feedstocks. Lignocellulosic biomass of four dedicated energy crops [giant reed (Arundo donax L.), elephantgrass (Pennisetum purpureum (Schumach), Miscanthus x giganteus (Illinois clone), and (clone Q42641) {hybrid of Miscanthus sinensis Anderss. and Miscanthus sacchariflorus (Maxim)}, Hack. called giant miscanthus, and sugarcane clone US 84-1028 (Saccharum L. spp. hybrid)] and residues from two crops [soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) litter and rice (Oryza sativa L.) husk] were tested for bioethanol production using cellulose solvent-based lignocellulose fractionation (CSLF) pretreatment and enzymatic (cellulase) hydrolysis. Giant miscanthus (Illinois), giant reed, giant miscanthus (Q42641), elephantgrass, and sugarcane all yielded higher amount of glucose on a biomass dry weight basis (0.290-0.331 g/g), than did rice husk (0.181 g/g) and soybean litter (0.186 g/g). To reduce the capital investment for energy consumption in fermentation, we used a self-flocculating yeast strain (SPSC01) to ferment the lignocellulosic biomass hydrolysates. Bioethanol production was similar to 0.1 g/g in dedicated energy crops and less in two crop residues. These methods and data can help to develop a cost-effective downstream process for bioethanol production.
Adolescent sexual behavior and attitudes: a Costs and Benefits approach.

Abstract Purpose The majority of past research conceptualized adolescent sexual attitudes as a single factor that included both Costs and Benefits of sexual behavior. The current study examined the independent influences of attitudes concerning the costs, such as embarrassment and pregnancy, and benefits, such as physical pleasure, of sexual intercourse on reports of actual engagement in sexual intercourse controlling for age, gender, religion, and cognitive ability. Methods This study utilized data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Participants were 14,871 adolescents aged 15 and older who completed the Wave I In-Home Interview. Hierarchical regression was used to examine the relation between Costs and Benefits and the variables of age, gender, religion, and cognitive ability. Logistic regression was used to predict engagement in sexual intercourse at Wave I and Wave II from measures of costs, benefits, age, gender, religion, and cognitive ability. Results The measure of Costs and Benefits demonstrated good psychometric properties. Both Costs and Benefits were significantly associated with concurrent and future sexual activity after controlling for demographic variables (age, religion, gender, cognitive ability). In addition, both Costs and Benefits also predicted sexual initiation between Waves I and II. Conclusions The current study demonstrated the importance of both Costs and Benefits in predicting later sexual activity. Although attitudes concerning costs were slightly more influential in predicting sexual activity, our results suggest that interventions designed to delay sexual activity should include components of both Costs and Benefits.
Infrared spectroscopy characterization of the chemistry of C4 hydrocarbons on Pt(111) single-crystal surfaces

The uptake and thermal chemistry of a number of C 4 hydrocarbons on Pt(111) single-crystal surfaces were characterized by reflection-absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS). The compounds studied include butane, 1-butene, cis-2-butene, trans-2-butene, and 1,3-butadiene as well as 1-iodobutane, 2-iodobutane, 1-bromo-2-butene, and 1-bromo-3-butene, precursors for the formation of corresponding alkyl and alkenyl intermediates. Much of the chemistry reported here agrees with previous work on similar systems, and conforms with the general idea of hydrogenation, dehydrogenation, and H-D exchange reactions occurring by single hydrogen incorporation and elimination steps according to the so-called Horiuti Polanyi mechanism. In addition, though, a couple of surprising observations are presented of particular relevance to the mechanism of carbon-carbon double bond isomerizations. In particular, it was seen that although the isomerization of trans- to cis-2- butene is more favorable and occurs at lower temperatures than the reverse cis-to-trans conversion, β-hydride elimination from the common 2-alkyl intermediate produces trans-2-butene preferentially. This indicates that it is the relative adsorption energy of the alkene what determines selectivity in these reactions.
Scaling community structure: how bacteria, fungi, and ant taxocenes differentiate along a tropical forest floor

Taxa with smaller individuals tend to have shorter generation times and higher local abundance and diversity. The scaled specialization hypothesis (SSH) posits that taxocenes of smaller individuals should differentiate more rapidly and thoroughly along physiochemical gradients of a given age and extent. In a Panama rainforest, we evaluated how bacteria, fungi, and ants responded to two such gradients: one topographic and the other arising from nine years of NPK fertilization. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) delineated bacteria and fungi operational taxonomic units (OTUs); traditional taxonomy delineated the ants. Bacteria had higher local species richness than fungi and ants (averaging 48 vs. 30 vs. 6 OTUs in <0.25 m2). Bacteria OTUs were also more widely distributed (17% of OTUs were found on ≥50% of sample plots compared to 3% for fungi and ants). Consistent with SSH, bacterial composition differed across short-term (+N and +P) and long-term (topographic) gradients; fungal tax...
Expression of the cDNA for mouse β-nerve growth factor protein in Escherichia coli

The cDNA coding for the mature beta-nerve growth factor (beta-NGF) has been cloned into a plasmid expression vector, pAS1, and expressed in Escherichia coli. The cDNA fragment in pAS1 is under the control of strong phage transcriptional and translational initiation elements that provide for regulated expression of cloned genes in E. coli. The protein, produced in bacteria at a level of about 0.0005-0.1% of cell protein, was purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation and ion exchange chromatography. The recombinant NGF was biologically active in the PC12 neurite outgrowth assay, and formed a band at Mr of about 11,000 to 12,000, when electrophoresed on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel and Western-blotted.
Effect of combination treatment with zanoterone (WIN 49596), a steroidal androgen receptor antagonist, and finasteride (MK-906), a steroidal 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor, on the prostate and testes of beagle dogs.

The effects of the steroidal androgen receptor antagonist zanoterone (WIN 49596) and the steroidal 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor finasteride (MK-906) either alone or in combination on prostatic size, histomorphology, and biochemistry were determined in the intact male dog. Additionally, the effects of treatment with zanoterone and/or finasteride on testicular size, serum testosterone and LH levels, and spermatogenesis were determined in the same dogs. Daily oral treatment for 16 weeks with either zanoterone alone at 10 mg/kg.day or finasteride alone at 1.0 mg/kg.day reduced (P < 0.05) the size of the prostate, resulted in mild to moderate diffuse glandular atrophy of the prostate, and decreased prostatic DNA and prostatic arginine esterase (the primary canine prostatic protein) levels compared to those in intact controls. These changes occurred with no effect on testicular weight, testicular histomorphology, daily sperm production, or serum LH levels. Serum testosterone concentrations were increased (P < 0....
Acute poliomyelitis studies of streptococci isolated from throats and raw milk in relation to one epidemic

Summary The results of an epidemiologic and experimental study of an epidemic of poliomyelitis, apparently due to raw milk, are reported. The etiologic importance in acute epidemic poliomyelitis of streptococci having characteristic cataphoretic velocity and virulence and specific antigenic properties, that have been described repeatedly previously, is again emphasized by the results of this study.
Effects of catecholamine-depleting medullary knife cuts on corticotropin-releasing factor and vasopressin immunoreactivity in the hypothalamus of normal and steroid-manipulated rats.

Single and dual immunohistochemical staining techniques were used to assay the effects of disruption of brain stem catecholaminergic inputs on corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) immunoreactivity in parvocellular neurosecretory neurons of the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVH) in normal and in adrenalectomized (ADX) rats treated with dexamethasone or vehicle. The results may be summarized as follows: (1) In adrenally intact rats, confirmed unilateral transection of ascending catecholaminergic pathways near their origins in the medulla produced a decrement in the number of CRF-immunoreactive cells that could be detected on the side of the brain ipsilateral to the cut. No effect on AVP immunoreactivity in the parvocellular division of the PVH was evident. Staining for both peptides in terminals in the external lamina of the median eminence tended to show modest decreases on the lesioned side of the brain. Compatible results were obtained in comparing the effects of bilateral transections with controls. (2) Unilaterally lesioned ADX rats treated with vehicle showed the expected enhancement in CRF immunostaining in the parvocellular division of the PVH, though the response on the side ipsilateral to the lesion was blunted relative to that seen contralaterally; the effect of ADX on AVP immunoreactivity on the ipsilateral side was more markedly reduced, but still showed evidence of enhancement (i.e., could be colocalized in some CRF immunoreactive perikarya). (3) Unilaterally lesioned ADX rats treated with dexamethasone showed no evidence of enhanced CRF or AVP immunoreactivity in perikarya or terminals on either side of the brain. The generally lower levels of staining for both peptides seen on the lesioned side across conditions suggest that the effect of interruption of ascending catecholaminergic pathways on peptide dynamics in the PVH is dissimilar to that of ADX, is manifested via different mechanisms, and that at least some types of feedback inhibition of corticotropin-releasing peptides by adrenal steroids do not require intact catecholaminergic inputs to be exhibited.
Models of conflict resolution in Japanese, German, and American cultures.

The author developed 3 models for resolving conflict from previous literature: resolving conflict by (a) deferring to status power (b) applying regulations, and (c) integrating interests. Preference for a model is argued to be influenced by culture, which filters information and guides members toward a particular model. The normative conflict models of Japanese, German, and American business managers are predicted from their group rankings on 3 dimensions of cultural variation: ( a) hierarchical differentiation, (b) explicit contracting, and (c) polychronicity. The majority of specific hypotheses about cultural group, dimensions, and conflict model are confirmed. Implications of these findings for international business managers as well as cross-cultural researchers are discussed.
Pretreatment for the cardiovascularly compromised geriatric dental patient: Geriatric Dentistry

Summary As more elderly patients seek dental care, dentists will increasingly be confronted with growing numbers of ill patients on multiple medication regimes. Because cardiovascular disease is the largest disease entity in this age group and the greatest cause of morbidity and mortality, this paper has focused on the major types of cardiovascular disease, and the cardiac medications routinely prescribed. Possible interactions with dental procedures or medications and alternative dental treatments and medications are discussed. The need for the dentist to continually assess the stability of the patient's health and compliance with his or her prescribed treatment regimen is stressed, because through an awareness of the patient's medical status and level of compliance the dentist can determine a course of dental treatment that will not jeopardize the geriatric patient's already compromised cardiovascular health.
Neonatal mitral and tricuspid valve repair for in utero papillary muscle rupture.

Background Papillary muscle rupture in the fetus and neonate is a rare event that leads to severe mitral or tricuspid insufficiency and is associated with high perinatal mortality. We undertook surgical repair of this lesion in the neonatal period and report on our midterm results. Methods Three neonates with tricuspid insufficiency and 1 infant with mitral insufficiency, all due to papillary muscle or chordal rupture, underwent surgical repair with artificial chordal replacement and a modification of the de Vega annuloplasty technique that allowed external adjustment of the annulus size under transesophageal echocardiographic guidance after separation from cardiopulmonary bypass. Results All patients recovered well from the operation. There have been no late deaths and no valve-related complications. On discharge, all 3 patients had evidence of trace to mild atrioventricular valve regurgitation. At a median follow-up of 33 months (range, 7 to 50; 123 patient-months), all 4 patients are growing normally. Three patients have had no change in the degree of tricuspid or mitral regurgitation. One patient required reoperation at 54 months postoperatively for acute mitral insufficiency secondary to separation of an artificial chorda from the ventricular wall. Conclusions Surgical repair of critical neonatal tricuspid and mitral insufficiency associated with papillary muscle or chordal rupture is feasible and can result in good early and midterm results. Our modification of the De Vega annuloplasty technique with the ability to externally adjust the size of the annulus under echocardiographic guidance may improve the accuracy of the repair in the neonate.
Welfare, Work and Material Hardship in Single Parent and Other Households

ABSTRACT Recent changes to programs of income support for the poor have focused attention on how work requirements and incentives affect earnings and employment of welfare recipients. The predominant way of thinking of these issues, at least In broader political discourse, assumes that obtaining work or improving wages are desirable goals for welfare recipients and their families. However, recent research has begun to suggest that single parents and their families are not always better off In the labor force. This paper uses the 1991 and 1992 panels of the Survey of Income and Program Participation to examine welfare, work and well-being in a broader context. The paper finds an apparent advantage of work over welfare for most households, but not for single parent households. In addition, material hardship is found to have strong effects on subsequent labor market participation and welfare use.
Rank-order tournaments and worker incentives

It has been shown that a single rank-order tournament fails to provide incentives after the completion of the tournament. The firm may attempt to monitor workers afterwards, but this undercuts the rationale for tournaments—the minimization of monitoring costs. Proper incentives are possible in the context of tournaments only if they are continuously repeated. The nature of these secondary tournaments depends, however, on the information gleaned from tournament results. If the result of the tournament reflects random luck, winners and losers continuously compete for a prize equal to their expected marginal revenue product. If firm-specific aptitudes are revealed, the firm may seek to exploit its monopsony power over winners of the initial contest by reducing the prize structure of later tournaments below expected marginal revenue product. If the results reflect individual-specific differences in ability, a hierarchy of tournaments results.
Two contrasting cases of anaphylaxis seen simultaneously.

INTRODUCTION Anaphylaxis is a disease in which the expertise of an allergist is required to determine the cause and guide in the management of either allergen-induced anaphylaxis, exercise-induced anaphylaxis, or idiopathic anaphylaxis. We present two cases of anaphylaxis seen simultaneously in our allergy and immunology service. The marked difference in the nature of these cases illustrates the diagnostic ability required to differentiate the problems.
Observed suppression of room temperature negative differential resistance in organic monolayers on Si(100)

The ultrahigh vacuum scanning tunnelling microscope was used to probe charge transport through two different organic monolayers adsorbed on the Si(100) substrate at room temperature. I?V measurements were taken on monolayers of 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidinyloxy (TEMPO) and cyclopentene for degenerately doped n-type and p-type substrates. Initial I?V measurements for transport through the TEMPO monolayer exhibited a suppression of negative differential resistance (NDR) relative to previously reported charge transport through isolated molecules. I?V measurements were also performed on isolated cyclopentene molecules and cyclopentene monolayers. Similarly to TEMPO monolayers, the cyclopentene monolayers exhibited attenuated NDR behaviour relative to isolated molecules. The observed NDR suppression suggests that the high packing density of organic monolayers influences charge transport through molecule?semiconductor junctions.
Metal quinolinolate-fullerene(s) donor-acceptor complexes: evidence for organic LED molecules acting as electron donors in photoinduced electron-transfer reactions

Tris(quinolinolate)aluminum(III) (AlQ3) is the most widely used molecule in organic light-emitting devices. There exists a strong demand for understanding the photochemical and photophysical events originating from this class of molecules. This paper provides the first report on the electron donor ability of MQ(n) (M = Al or Zn for n = 3 or 2) complexes covalently connected to a well-known electron acceptor, fullerene. To accomplish this, fullerene was functionalized with 8-hydroxyquinoline at different ligand positions and their corresponding zinc(II) and aluminum(III) complexes were formed in situ. The weakly fluorescent metal quinolinolate-fullerene complexes formed a new class of donor-acceptor conjugates. The stoichiometry and structure of the newly formed metal quinolinolate-fullerene complexes were established from various spectroscopic methods including matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and computational density functional theory studies. Electrochemical studies involving free-energy calculations suggested the possibility of photoinduced electron transfer from excited metal-quinolinolate complex to the appended fullerene entity. Femtosecond transient absorption studies confirmed such a claim and analysis of the kinetic data allowed us to establish the different photophysical events in sufficient detail. The novel features of this class of donor-acceptor conjugates include faster charge recombination compared to charge separation and decay of the charge-separated state to populate the low-lying fullerene triplet state in competition with direct charge recombination to the ground state.
Pediatric Infectious Diseases: 60 Years of Contributions by Military Pediatricians

* Abbreviations: AAP — : American Academy of Pediatrics CSD — : cat-scratch disease ETEC — : enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli NAMRU-3 — : Naval Medical Research Unit 3 RSV — : respiratory syncytial virus USUHS — : Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences To describe the many contributions that uniformed pediatricians have made to the field of pediatric infectious diseases is a complicated task. Part of the difficulty is that for the decades after the end of World War II, a number of talented and brilliant physicians spent short periods of time in the military to fulfill their service obligations. Investigators such as Floyd Denny and Lew Wannamaker published their seminal works on group A β-hemolytic streptococci and rheumatic fever while on active duty in the US Air Force.1 Some of the early work on vaccines for common childhood infections was done by investigators who, at least for a portion of time, wore a military uniform. In addition, many of the contributions of military physicians were often made alongside and in concert with their civilian colleagues. In an attempt to illustrate some of the more significant contributions of military pediatricians to the field of pediatric infectious disease, however, a good starting point would be the work of Colonel Ogden Bruton. His early work performed over 60 years ago in many ways began the military legacy of clinical research in a variety of important areas of pediatric infectious disease but in particular those areas where the disciplines of clinical immunology and infectious disease have overlapped. While evaluating children at what was then known as Walter Reed General Hospital in 1951, Colonel Ogden Bruton observed an 8-year-old boy with recurrent pneumonia. Dr Bruton noted the unusual pattern of this child’s pneumonias, and while analyzing the child’s immune system, noted a lack of serum immunoglobulin. Dr Bruton’s observations eventually led to his reporting of the first primary immunodeficiency disease ever to be described, Bruton’s agammaglobulinemia. Both Dr Bruton’s discovery of the disease as well as his attempts at treating it with specific immunotherapy in the … Address correspondence to Michael Rajnik, MD, Department of Pediatrics, F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Rd, Bethesda, MD 20814. E-mail: mrajnik{at}usuhs.mil
Crossover: online pests plaguing the off line world

During the past 10 years, several technological trends have emerged that significantly and positively affected today's world. Two in particular are noteworthy: the apparently unbounded desire to network any and all devices and deployment of Microsoft's operating systems in everything from consumer PCs and business servers to embedded devices. We could well see the telecommunications boom; the rise of the Internet, and the rush to connect everything to it as one of humanity's milestones, not far removed from, that of the invention of the telephone or telegraph. Computer networking, over the Internet, particularly, has democratized the publishing of information, made massive amounts of information and services accessible to the general public, and enabled new business models. But everything has a dark side. Along with its benefits, the Internet has brought about such things as cybercrime, computer worms, online fraud, spam, and denial-of-service attacks, among other online unpleasantness. This down side is considered in the article.
Quality level and price in Turkish durum wheat market

This study has been made to assess the influences and effects of durum wheat quality characteristics on the prices in Turkish durum wheat market. The current prices are determined as the result of the applied analysis, in respect to the quality characteristics of durum wheat. The Turkish durum wheat varieties are compared with the wheat varieties of other countries, from where Turkey is importing durum wheat in respect to the quality characteristics. It has been assessed that hectoliter and glassware are the major factors that have the greatest effect and influence on Turkish durum wheat market in respect to the quality aspects.
Doppler Optical Coherence Tomography: Real-Time Optical Sectioning for Microfluidics

Doppler optical coherence tomography (DOCT) is an emerging imaging modality demonstrated in 1991 for the first time and is a functional extension of optical coherence tomography (OCT) to including flow measurement. DOCT allows not only high-resolution, non-invasive, cross-sectional imaging but also simultaneous real-time visualization of sample structure and flow. DOCT is often compared to clinical Doppler ultrasound. However, the spatial resolution of clinical Doppler ultrasound is limited to approximately 100 μm due to the relatively long wavelength of acoustic waves. DOCT takes advantage of the short coherence length of broadband light sources in order to achieve cross-sectional images with micrometer (2–10 μm) scale resolution. DOCT is also superior to ultrasound in that DOCT is operated in non-contact-mode. The last four years have witnessed an era of technology revolution in DOCT, introduced by the Fourier-domain technology that shows tremendous advantage over time-domain DOCT. Fourier-domain Doppler optical coherence tomography (FDDOCT) instruments have higher imaging speed and higher system sensitivity which are able to overcome motion artifacts and enhance minimum measurable velocity, respectively. Because of the aforementioned merits, FDDOCT has a broad range of clinical applications including ophthalmology, cardiology, urology, etc with information of tissue microstructure and blood flow. However, FDDOCT has seldom been applied to diagnose microfluidic devices. In this keynote paper, system configuration, principle behind, and applications of FDDOCT for microfluidics will be covered.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Isotopic studies and refined structure for the dimethyl ether–CS2 dimer

Abstract Rotational spectra of two additional isotopomers of the 1:1 dimer between dimethyl ether (DME) and carbon disulfide (CS2) have been measured by Fourier-transform microwave spectroscopy, allowing an inertial fit of the structure of this complex. The isotopic data are consistent with a structure in which the CS2 is aligned nearly perpendicular to the plane of the heavy atoms in DME, with internal motion of the CS2 from one side of the DME to the other leading to an inversion splitting, ΔE, of 90.34 MHz. This corresponds to a barrier to the tunneling motion of 69(10) cm−1. Ab initio calculations give two structures that are fairly consistent with the experimental rotational constants. One of these is similar to the experimental structure derived from the moments of inertia of three isotopic species, while in the other the CS2 is aligned roughly along the lone pair direction of the DME, similar to previously observed hydrogen bonded complexes.
Mode decomposition scheme for ideal magnetohydrodynamic plane waves in space-time coordinates

[1] Exact nonsinusoidal plane wave solutions of the linearized equations of ideal magnetohydrodynamics are used to develop a decomposition scheme for extracting the forward and backward propagating components of the fast, slow, and Alfven modes from measured data. The decomposition technique is formulated in the space-time domain for waves propagating in one direction. The different wave modes are extracted by means of projection operators that are expressed in matrix form. Because the elements of these matrices are constants, the same projection operators can be used to obtain the mode decomposition in the frequency (Fourier) domain. The projection operators are identical to those obtained by Glassmeier et al. (1995) although they are derived here by different means. In the case of wave propagation parallel or perpendicular to the background magnetic field the wave modes are degenerate and require separate treatment. These special cases are included in the present analysis so the resulting decomposition scheme encompasses all possible propagation directions.
Tocqueville and the Religion of Democracy

Abstract The relationship between religion and democracy is a perennial debate in democratic theory. Recent arguments have been made that certain religions, especially Anglo-Protestantism, are particularly conducive to democracy. Other scholars argue that democracy can be made to fit almost any religion. This article sheds theoretical light on this confusion by construing religion differently. Although there are many religions in the world, they are all informed by an underlying dogma (i.e., an epistemological framework). On the basis of an interpretation of Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America, I establish two dogmas determining the shape of political and social life: the dogma of equality and the dogma of inequality. By establishing the character of these dogmas, it is demonstrated that democracy rests on the dogma of equality, but it requires religious habits to be liberal.
Extensive sex- and/or hormone-dependent expression of rat housekeeping genes.

Aim. Identify sex- and hormone - independent housekeeping genes in rat liver by using a commercially available quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction array designed to measure the expression of 32 rat housekeeping genes. Results. We found that the levels of five of the genes were sexually dimorphic, 22 genes were overexpressed, and one was underexpressed in multi-hormone-deficient hypophysectomized rats of both sexes. Only three genes fulfilled the stability criteria determined by geNorm and NormFinder as suitable housekeeping genes. Normalizing quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction data with either of these three genes alone, the geometric means of any two of the genes, or even the geometric mean of all the three genes, produced similar results. In contrast, application of unproven housekeeping genes could lead to erroneous conclusions, having found that insulin-like growth factor 1 messenger RNA levels could be calculated dramatically either as male or as fem...