cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The drive to survive: unplanned extubation in the ICU.

Study objectives To assess the consequences of unplanned extubation (UE) in the ICU Design Case-control study Setting Fourteen-bed, medical-surgical ICU of a university-affiliated community teaching hospital Patients One hundred patients who underwent UE compared to 200 control patients who underwent mechanical ventilation (MV) without UE between January 1, 1999, and June 30, 2004 Interventions None Measurements and results Patients with UE had longer ICU and hospital length of stay (LOS) and longer duration of MV than did control subjects. Hospital mortality was 20% among UE and 35% among control patients (p = 0.011). Of the 100 patients with UE, reintubation within 48 h (UE R+) was required in 44 patients and no reintubation within 48 h (UE R−) was required in 56 patients. ICU and hospital LOS; duration of MV; rate of ICU-acquired infections; ICU pharmacy, laboratory and diagnostic imaging charges; and mortality were all much higher among UE R+ patients than among UE R− patients. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that age was the only predictor of the need for reintubation after UE and that age and the need for reintubation were the only predictors of mortality after UE Conclusions UE was associated with increased hospital and ICU LOS but decreased mortality in this heterogeneous population of critically ill adult patients. These findings were entirely explained by the divergent outcomes of the UE R+ and UE R− groups. Patients with UE who did not require reintubation had remarkably good outcomes. It remains incumbent on ICU teams to institute protocols for regular identification of patients ready to be liberated from MV
Origin of electronic and optical trends in ternary In 2 O 3 (ZnO) n transparent conducting oxides (n=1,3,5) : Hybrid density functional theory calculations

Ternary oxides formed from zinc and indium have demonstrated potential for commercial optoelectronic applications. We present state-of-the-art hybrid density functional theory calculations for Zn-poor and Zn-rich compositions of the crystalline ${\text{In}}_{2}{\text{O}}_{3}{(\text{ZnO})}_{n}$ compounds. We reveal the origin of the redshift in optical transitions compared to the two component oxides: symmetry forbidden band-edge transitions in ${\text{In}}_{2}{\text{O}}_{3}$ are overcome on formation of the superlattices, with Zn-O contributions to the top of the valence band. Increasing $n$ results in the localization of the conduction-band minimum on the In-O networks. This enhanced localization explains why Zn-poor compounds (lower $n$) exhibit optimal conductivity.
Cyclic loading behavior of EBF links constructed of ASTM A992 steel

Abstract Cyclic loading tests were conducted to study the behavior of link beams in steel eccentrically braced frames. A total of thirty-seven link specimens were constructed from five different wide-flange sections, all of ASTM A992 steel, with link length varying from short shear yielding links to long flexure yielding links. The occurrence of web fracture in shear yielding link specimens led to further study on the cause of these fractures. Since the link web fracture appeared to be a phenomenon unique to modern rolled shapes, the potential role of material properties on these fractures is discussed. Based on the test data, a change in the flange slenderness limit is proposed. The link overstrength factor of 1.5, as assumed in the current U.S. code provisions, appears to be reasonable. The cyclic loading history used for testing was found to significantly affect link performance. Test observations also suggest new techniques for link stiffener design and detailing for link-to-column connections.
EKG abnormalities in pediatric patients with myotonic dystrophy

Electrocardiographic (EKG) abnormalities are frequent in patients with myotonic dystrophy; cardiac complications may lead to significant morbidity and mortality. The charts of 17 pediatric patients with myotonic dystrophy were reviewed to ascertain the frequency of EKG abnormalities and cardiovascular symptoms. Fifteen of 17 patients had abnormal EKGs with sinus bradycardia being the most common abnormality. Only 1 of 17 patients had cardiovascular symptoms. Four patients had moderate to severe weakness and 3 of them had a conduction disturbance (i.e., first-degree AV block or intraventricular conduction delay). Two of the remaining 13 patients with mild weakness had conduction disturbances. No pediatric patients had progressive EKG abnormalities during follow-up. Baseline EKG study of pediatric patients with myotonic dystrophy is recommended because abnormalities are frequent and usually asymptomatic. Frequent follow-up EKGs are probably unnecessary unless the patient is symptomatic or has heart block.
Mediastinal Granuloma Associated with Pericarditis

ediastinal granulomas may be caused by an inflammatory process developing primarily in a group of lymph nodes or may M be secondary to an infection in the lungs, pleura, or pericardium. Rarely, a granuloma may result from secondary infection of a mediastinal cyst. Factors in the route of lymphatic drainage may determine the most likely site of lymphadenopathy and possible granuloma formation. If the primary lesion initiating the chronic inflammatory process is within the lung, the hilar and lateral mediastinal nodes, such as the paratracheal group, are most likely to be involved. When the primary inflammatory process is within the pericardium, that group of lymph nodes which drains the lymph from the heart and pericardium is most likely to be affected. Since some of this group of lymph nodes lie deeply imbedded in the midportion of the mediastinum, a granulomatous process resulting from the necrosis and partial liquefaction of these nodes may result in the development of a mediastinal granulomatous mass in an uncommon location. The treatment of such a lesion may present special diagnostic and therapeutic problems. The case herewith reported is that of a granulomatous mass occurring in intimate relationship with the great vessels in the mediastinum which became manifest following pericarditis. The importance of differentiating such a case from the vast majority of other mediastinal granulomatous masses lies in the recognition that such a patient requires a different surgical approach if undue operative hazard is to be avoided. One of the lymph node groups draining lymph from the heart and pericardium lies behind the thymus medial to the ascending aorta and in relation to the right pulmonary artery. If these nodes become involved in an extensive granulomatous process, with central liquefaction and perinodal inflammatory infiltration, the inflammatory reaction is very likely to become intimately associated with the walls of those portions of the aorta and pulmonary artery which are in close proximity. Therefore, the most direct surgical approach that permits good visual-
Covalent Exchange vs Superexchange in Two Nickel Oxides

Abstract It is pointed out that the peculiar antiferromagnetic order found in NdNiO3and the ferromagnetic coupling of the Ni2+in the Li layers of Li1−xNi1+xO2,x≤ 0.08, to the ferromagnetic NiO2sheets can be accounted for by a shift of the Ni3+–O2−= Ni2+–O−equilibrium to the right, which introduces a magnetic coupling carrying the sign of covalent exchange rather than superexchange.
Failure of the dinitrophenol-induced fall in plasma protein-bound iodine to stimulate augmented TSH production.

THE fall in circulating protein-bound iodine induced by thyroidectomy or by antithyroid agents results in hypertrophy and hyperplasia of anterior pituitary basophils, and this is presumed to reflect increased TSH production. That this is not an invariable result, however, is brought out in the present study with dinitrophenol (DNP). DNP administration depresses the concentration of protein-bound iodine in plasma of the rat, but affects neither the anterior pituitary basophils nor the size and histological structure of the thyroid gland.
Preemptive expediting to improve project due date performance

Project expediting is often viewed as a corrective action taken in response to prior scheduling errors and is usually applied in the later stages of projects when it appears that predefined due dates will not be met. However, large-scale projects with uncertain activity durations tend to have numerous probabilistic network paths with complex interactions that require some level of expediting to ensure successful scheduling outcomes. Because potential expediting options are consumed over time, delaying expediting efforts until the later stages of projects is likely to result in higher expediting costs or poorer due date performance. This research introduces a preemptive expediting approach that evaluates the probability of completion before the due date throughout the life of a project and selects expediting options per a prespecified probability tolerance or expediting budget. An experiment demonstrates the benefits of this preemptive approach.
Effect of temperature, atmospheric condition, and particle size on extinction in a plume of volatile aerosol dispersed in the atmospheric surface layer

The objective of this work is to study the effects of ambient temperature, atmospheric condition, and particle size on the extinction coefficient of diesel fuel and fog oil smoke. A first-order closure model is used to describe the turbulent diffusion of the smoke in the atmospheric surface layer. Mean values of wind speed and diffusivity in the vertical direction are obtained by the use of the Monin-Obukhov similarity theory. The 2-D crosswind line source model also includes the aerosol kinetic processes of evaporation, sedimentation, and deposition. Numerical results are obtained from simulations on a supercomputer.
Correlation Equations for Turbulent Thermal Convection in a Horizontal Fluid Layer Heated Internally and from Below

High Rayleigh number thermal convection in a horizontal fluid layer with uniform volumetric energy sources and a constant rate of bottom heating is studied analytically by a simple boundary layer approach. Heat transfer characteristics of the layer are defined in terms of local boundary-layer variables. Correlation equations are derived for the upper and the lower surface Nusselt numbers as functions of two independent Rayleigh numbers, based respectively on the surface to surface temperature difference and the volumetric heating rate. Variation of the turbulent core temperature, which so far has not been determined successfully by existing analytical methods, is obtained. This is found to depend on a single dimensionless parameter which measures the relative rates of internal and external heating. Results of this study are presented with available experimental data.
Baby-Babble-Blanket: infant interface with automatic data collection

The Baby-Babble-Blanket (BBB), a pad with pressure-sensitive switches linked to a Macintosh computer, was developed to provide infants or developmentally delayed children with a communication/environmental control system. Lying on the pad, infants use early movements, such as head rolling or leg raising, to produce digitized sound. The BBB software automatically collects data on the overall number of switch activations and on particular switches in a variety of conditions and graphs them. Possible important uses of the BBB are to train cause-effect skills, to increase the overall amount of movement, or to encourage particular movements. Preliminary data were collected on a 5-month-old infant with club feet, hydrocephaly, and poor muscle tone to determine what movements the infant could use to access the pad, and whether the use of particular body parts could be increased by the ability to access the digitized mother's voice. Results suggest that the infant could activate the device by two different moveme...
Biogeomorphic controls on sedimentation and substrate on a vegetated tidal freshwater delta in upper Chesapeake Bay

Abstract Classic geomorphic theory on the dynamics of delta evolution posits a purely physical mechanism for spatial and temporal patterns of sediment accumulation over decades to centuries. Meanwhile, intertidal marsh vegetation that grows on deltas is well known to influence short-term fluid mechanics and sediment transport. This dichotomy points toward a large gap in the understanding of the role of vegetation in delta evolution as a function of spatial and temporal scale. In the research reported here, substrate characteristics and seasonal sedimentation rates in a tidal freshwater delta at the head of a Chesapeake Bay tributary were studied to assess the existence and extent of physical–ecological interactions on a delta over the seasonal to interannual time scale. Both vegetation data and sediment variables showed significant spatial variations at this time scale. When multiple regression analysis was used to compare vegetated versus nonvegetated conditions on the studied delta, 84% of the spatial variation in sedimentation with vegetation was explained by plant association and distance to the nearest distributary channel. In contrast, only 33% of the spatial variation in sedimentation could be explained when no vegetation was present, and in that case, the dominant variable was distance to the subtidal front. Spatial variability in organic content was less sensitive to vegetation and strongly influenced by the distance to the subtidal front. Substrate grain size parameters were explained by distance to the subtidal front and to the nearest distributary channel. This research demonstrates that sediment sequestration, and thus delta evolution, is highly predictable at the habitat scale and is driven by a strong interplay between abiotic and biotic variables.
INSIGHTS INTO THE REPEAT VACATION PHENOMENON

Abstract The study focused upon the repeat visitor. Data were collected with a structured questionnaire at two Texas Highway Visitor Centers and through indepth personal interviews with a small sample. A majority of the sample were returning to a destination that had been visited before. Compared to those visiting a destination for the first time, repeat visitors were more likely to be older individuals seeking relaxation and visiting a friend and/or relatives on their vacation. The qualitative component of the study uncovered five factors which contributed to people returning to a familiar destination. They were a reduced risk that an unsatisfactory experience would be forthcoming; an assurance that they would find “their kind of people” there; emotional childhood attachment; to experience some aspects of the destination which had been omitted on a previous occasion; and to expose others to an experience which had previously been satisfying to respondents.
Evidence for a role for GABA(A) and NMDA receptors in ethanol inhibition of long-term potentiation.

We have investigated the mechanisms by which acute ethanol inhibits the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) in area CA1 of the rat hippocampal slice. In a previous report [Alcohol. Clin. Exp. Res. 21 (1997) 404] we demonstrated that ethanol produces only a modest inhibition of pharmacologically isolated N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDAR) in the CA1 region of the hippocampus. Moreover, this level of inhibition was not sufficient to account for ethanol's complete inhibition of LTP induction in this brain region. One possible explanation of these results is that we may have underestimated ethanol's ultimate effect on the NMDAR by focusing on pharmacologically isolated NMDAR responses. Ethanol might indirectly inhibit the NMDAR by, for example, potentiating the GABA(A)R. To explore this possibility, we first examined the effects of the GABA(A)R antagonist picrotoxin (PTX) and the allosteric GABA(A)R modulator flunitrazepam on NMDAR responses. We demonstrate that these modulators of GABA(A)R activity significantly affect the magnitude of synaptically evoked NMDAR responses. We next examined the effects of ethanol on NMDAR responses in the presence and absence of PTX. We see a significantly greater ethanol inhibition of the NMDAR when GABA(A)Rs are functional, i.e. in the absence of PTX. These data suggest that ethanol produces an inhibition of the NMDAR indirectly by affecting the GABA(A)R neurotransmission. Moreover, we found that ethanol inhibition of NMDAR activity, both directly through actions on the NMDAR, and indirectly, possibly through potentiation of GABA(A)R activity, is sufficient to account for ethanol's complete blockade of LTP induction.
Artificial groundwater recharge, II. Rectangular recharging area

Abstract The nonlinear, partial-differential equation characterizing the unsteady flow in an unconfined aquifer receiving uniform vertical recharge from a rectangular spreading basin is solved numerically. The method of solution consists of the alternating-direction implicit scheme with an inhomogeneous grid spacing. The numerical solution is compared with an available linearized solution for a flow system in which the rate of recharge is much smaller than the hydraulic conductivity of the underlying aquifer. The comparison shows that the values of the maximum height of the water table obtained from the numerical scheme are always higher than those calculated from the linearized solution.
Conceptualizing Learning from the Everyday Activities of Digital Kids

This paper illustrates the intensified engagement that youth are having with digital technologies and introduces a framework for examining digital fluency—the competencies, new representational pra...
Uncertainty in exhaustible natural resource economics: The irreversible sunk costs of Hotelling

Abstract According to Pindyck (2007) there are three important aspects of uncertainly in environmental economics: (1) the benefits and costs of environmental policy tend to be highly non-linear, (2) environmental policy tends to involve important irreversibilities, where investment in pollution abatement can impose an irreversible, sunk cost on society, and where certain pollutants can stay in the environment forever and build up to cause even more future harm in which case investment in abatement can cause an irreversible, sunk benefit to society, and (3) environmental policy involves long time horizons and yet the discount rate society should use is uncertain for determining the net present value of costs and benefits of pollution abatement. These same uncertainties also affect non-renewable, exhaustible, natural resource economics and in particular the use of the Hotelling rule: (1) the costs, benefits and transversality conditions of using the Hotelling rule can be highly non-linear, (2) the Hotelling rule involves important sunk cost irreversibilities, which will be explained here, and (3) the Hotelling rule can involve long time horizons with uncertain discount rates. All three of these problem make it extremely difficult for a market to use in any way the Hotelling rule, yet by the sheer number of articles in non-renewable natural resource economics, one would believe that it is the basis of all resource markets. In this article, we concentrate on the sunk cost irreversibilities of using the Hotelling rule. The idea of the Hotelling rule is to optimally store a non-renewable resource, but the optimization is highly dependent on the actual reserves that are available to extract. However, reserves of underground exhaustible resources are often unobservable at the beginning stages of extraction which makes using the Hotelling Rule difficult.
Systemic adoptive transfer of immunity and low‐dose irradiation eradicate metastases of 13762a rat mammary adenocarcinoma

Rats cured of poorly immunogenic 13762A tumor by a combination of surgery and cyclophosphamide (CY) treatments produced peritoneal exudate cells (PEC) that prevented tumor growth when transferred to naive recipients, but they were ineffective against established tumor. A highly immunogenic 13762A clone (18A) induced PEC lymphocytes that completely reversed the growth of established primary tumor and of lymph-node metastases. 18A-immune PEC alone strongly inhibited tumors of 7 days' duration, but only moderately suppressed 14-day tumors, and had no effect on 21-day tumors. Irradiation (450 R) of rats prior to tumor transplantation improved the effectiveness of the PEC given at 7 days, but the benefit had gone by 14 days. Long-term T-cell depletion prior to tumor challenge allowed PEC inhibition of 7- and 14-day tumors, but not 21-day tumors. The most potent strategy was the administration of 450 R followed immediately by immune PEC. When rats with 21-day tumors were so treated, the metastases grew temporarily to a maximum diameter of 2-5 cm and then completely regressed. We concluded that a combination of immune T cells and 450 R can cure established, massive metastases, probably through a combination of an increase in the numbers of T-cell effectors and elimination of suppressor cells.
Analysis of carbon in SrTiO3 grown by hybrid molecular beam epitaxy

Secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) was used to investigate carbon impurity concentrations in stoichiometric SrTiO3 films grown by a hybrid molecular beam epitaxy approach that uses an effusion cell to supply strontium, a rf plasma source for oxygen and a metal organic titanium source (titanium tetra isopropoxide). The carbon concentration in the films was measured as a function of growth parameters. At sufficiently high growth temperatures (>800 °C), the films contain a few ppm of carbon. The challenges in accurately quantifying low carbon concentrations are discussed. A carbon-containing contamination layer is detected on the surfaces of SrTiO3 substrates and air-exposed films by SIMS and in scanning transmission electron microscopy. The contamination layer could be removed by high-temperature predeposition oxygen plasma cleaning.
Bubble coalescence in basalt flows: comparison of a numerical model with natural examples

Gas accumulation in magma may be aided by coalescence of bubbles because large coalesced bubbles rise faster than small bubbles. The observed size distribution of gas bubbles (vesicles) in lava flows supports the concept of post-eruptive coalescence. A numerical model predicts the effects of rise and coalescence consistent with observed features. The model uses given values for flow thickness, viscosity, volume percentage of gas bubbles, and an initial size distribution of bubbles together with a gravitational collection kernel to numerically integrate the stochastic collection equation and thereby compute a new size spectrum of bubbles after each time increment of conductive cooling of the flow. Bubbles rise and coalesce within a fluid interior sandwiched between fronts of solidification that advance inward with time from top and bottom. Bubbles that are overtaken by the solidification fronts cease to migrate. The model predicts the formation of upper and lower vesicle-rich zones separated by a vesicle-poor interior. The upper zone is broader, more vesicular, and has larger bubbles than the lower zone. Basaltic lava flows in northern California exhibit the predicted zonation of vesicularity and size distribution of vesicles as determined by an impregnation technique. In particular, the size distribution at the tops and bottoms of flows is essentially the same as the initial distribution, reflecting the rapid initial solidification at the bases and tops of the flows. Many large vesicles are present in the upper vesicular zones, consistent with expected formation as a result of bubble coalescence during solidification of the lava flows. Both the rocks and model show a bimodal or trimodal size distribution for the upper vesicular zone. This polymodality is explained by preferential coalescence of larger bubbles with subequal sizes. Vesicularity and vesicle size distribution are sensitive to atmospheric pressure because bubbles expand as they decompress during rise through the flow. The ratio of vesicularity in the upper to that in the lower part of a flow therefore depends not only on bubble rise and coalescence, but also on flow thickness and atmospheric pressure. Application of simple theory to the natural basalts suggests solidification of the basalts at 1.0±0.2 atm, consistent with the present atmospheric pressure. Paleobathymetry and paleoaltimetry are possible in view of the sensitivity of vesicle size distributions to atmospheric pressure. Thus, vesicular lava flows can be used to crudely estimate ancient elevations and/or sea level air pressure.
Keeping the bureaucratic peace

‘Audit culture and the politics of accountability, new managerialism, and neoliberal governance’, American Anthropological Association Invited Roundtable Session, Chicago, 21 November 2003
True and False Recognition in MINERVA2: Explanations from a Global Matching Perspective

Abstract This paper investigates false recognition of semantically related distractor items. Using the Deese (1959) false memory paradigm, we investigated the predictions that MINERVA2 (Hintzman, 1988) makes for true (exemplar) and false (prototype) recognition. In MINERVA2, exemplar recognition is primarily due to a high degree of similarity to a single memory trace and prototype recognition is due to the summing of smaller amounts of similarity across many memory traces. MINERVA2 predicts that: (1) while performance for exemplars and prototypes increases at approximately the same rate at low levels of learning, additional learning produces a greater increase in performance for exemplars than for prototypes; (2) reducing the number of exemplars studied will decrease performance more for prototypes than for exemplars; and (3) decreasing associative strength of an exemplar to a prototype should increase exemplar performance while decreasing prototype performance. The results of four experiments support the predictions of the model and are consistent with the notion that true recognition is primarily due to a high degree of match to a single trace, while false recognition is due to the summing of smaller amounts of similarity to numerous traces.
The aesthetics of legal rhetoric: The ambiguities of race in Adarand v. Pena and the beginning of the end of affirmative action

For scholars interested in understanding the intimate relationship between law and communication, few cases can rival the symbolic value of the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education (1954). Yet less than a half century after Brown, Americans face the possibility that in the name of “equality”; the nation is having to renegotiate the ways in which the federal government provides legal and equitable remedies to individuals in a purportedly color‐blind world. In the summer of 1995 a divided Supreme Court decided the Adarand case and in the process raised the level of judicial scrutiny that would be used in federal affirmative action cases. This article focuses on the aesthetic dimensions of judicial rhetoric and argues that the law can be viewed as a judicial performance rather than simply a formalistic set of rules. Using the Adarand decision as a case study, the essay illustrates some of the ambiguities and contradictions that occur when jurists grapple with competing visions of race, equ...
INCIDENCE OF CONTRALATERAL VESICOURETERAL REFLUX FOLLOWING UNILATERAL EXTRAVESICAL DETRUSORRHAPHY (URETERONEOCYSTOSTOMY)

AbstractPurpose: The development of contralateral vesicoureteral reflux following different types of unilateral antireflux surgery has been reported to be as high as 22%. We review our recent experience with unilateral extravesical detrusorrhaphy in regard to the incidence of postoperative contralateral vesicoureteral reflux.Materials and Methods: Between 1990 and 1995, 72 children underwent unilateral extravesical detrusorrhaphy. Of 73 refluxing renal moieties (1 patient had reflux in both moieties of a completely duplicated kidney) reflux grade was II in 35 (48%), III in 25 (34%), IV in 11 (15%) and V in 2 (3%). Common sheath reimplantation for complete ipsilateral duplication was performed in 16 patients.Results: One patient had grade I postoperative ipsilateral vesicoureteral reflux resulting in a success rate of 98.6%. In 4 patients (5.6%) contralateral vesicoureteral reflux developed, and was grade II in 3 and grade I in 1. In all patients contralateral reflux resolved at 16, 17, 18 and 31 months of...
Partial trisomy 3p syndrome.

Two cousins with an unbalanced chromosome translocation (partial trisomy 3p) are described. Both children have a clinically recognizable syndrome of square facies with prominent cheeks, narrow bitemporal regions, psychomotor retardation and congential heart disease. Extended family studies showed one other individual proven to have partial trisomy 3p karyotype, two retarded individuals with congenital heart disease who probably had it, and 14 balanced carriers of the translocation t(l;3)(q43;p21). This report confirms the characteristic clinical appearance of affected individuals and emphasizes the frequency in which congenital heart disease is the presenting feature of partial trisomy 3p. An additional 22 cases of partial 3p trisomy are reviewed.
A biological model of aphasia rehabilitation: Pharmacological perspectives

Background: Aphasia is a multi‐modality disturbance of speech, language, and memory caused by neurological injury, particularly stroke. Aims: This review article views aphasia as fundamentally a di...
Photorespiration in diatoms III. Glycolate:Cytochrome c reductase in the diatom Cylindrotheca fusiformis

Abstract A glycolate (lactate): cytochrome c reductase is described in the marine diatom Cylindrotheca fusiformis. This reductase appears to be a measure of the algal glycolate dehydrogenase operating via the mitochondrial electron transport system. It shows a preference for the L-isomer of lactic acid over the D-isomer and an apparent Km for L-lactate of 33.5·10−4M (standard deviation, 1.1·10−4M). Its affinity for glycolic acid, an apparent Km of 13.4·10−4M (standard deviation, 2.1·10−4M), is significantly greater.
Correlation of surface morphology of polyethylene films to ink adhesion and removal

The basic phenomenon of ink adhesion and removal has been studied by looking at the surface of polyethylene films that have been subjected to a ceramic bead impact ink-removal process where printed polyethylene films, zirconium silicate beads, and water were agitated in a laboratory shaker. AFM images show that the polyethylene packaging film surfaces studied have a typical morphology of polyethylene films crystallized under mechanical stress which consists of rows, approximately 1 µm in width, of lamellar-like structures. Upon impact of the ceramic beads on the polyethylene films, the surface is roughened and the surface rows appear to be deformed. FTIR data show that the surface crystallinity of the PE film decreases with the impact ink removal process. A deinking mechanism is proposed where the beads tear the ink film, abrade the surface and deform the polyethylene substrate.
Resistance Movements, the State, and National Identities

The uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) were primarily centered on profound economic grievances, which protestors addressed directly to state institutions, thereby making the grievances political. As a political scientist, I ask: under what conditions does economic protest transform into political demands? How and why did this happen in the MENA region, and why now? A deep exploration of authoritarian state institutions will be necessary to understand how a young generation that graduated from public educational institutions was unable to find economic opportunities and eventually lost all trust in an inefficient and corrupt state. Workers’ protests and resistance movements had started to organize in the decade before the uprisings and need to be studied as well.
Cell-specific activation of nuclear factor-κB by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi promotes resistance to intracellular infection.

The transcription factor nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) is central to the innate and acquired immune response to microbial pathogens, coordinating cellular responses to the presence of infection. Here we demonstrate a direct role for NF-κB activation in controlling intracellular infection in nonimmune cells. Trypanosoma cruzi is an intracellular parasite of mammalian cells with a marked preference for infection of myocytes. The molecular basis for this tissue tropism is unknown. Trypomastigotes, the infectious stage of T. cruzi, activate nuclear translocation and DNA binding of NF-κB p65 subunit and NF-κB-dependent gene expression in epithelial cells, endothelial cells, and fibroblasts. Inactivation of epithelial cell NF-κB signaling by inducible expression of the inhibitory mutant IκBaM significantly enhances parasite invasion. T. cruzi do not activate NF-κB in cells derived from skeletal, smooth, or cardiac muscle, despite the ability of these cells to respond to tumor necrosis factor-α with NF-κB activation. The in vitro infection level in these muscle-derived cells is more than double that seen in the other cell types tested. Therefore, the ability of T. cruzi to activate NF-κB correlates inversely with susceptibility to infection, suggesting that NF-κB activation is a determinant of the intracellular survival and tissue tropism of T. cruzi.
The design and development of a sales force automation tool using business process management software

A sales force automation (SFA) tool is a computerized system that provides sales team members and managers with the functionality to track sales leads, manage contacts, control customer relations, monitor sales processes, schedule meetings, forecast sales and analyze employee performance. SFA tools aim to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of a sales team; however many commercially available SFA tools are generically structured solutions that do not accommodate the specific needs of a company. However, because of recent interest and developments in business process management (BPM) software, an emerging technology capable of modeling and automating business processes, it is possible for individual firms to custom-design their own sales force automation tools. In general, BPM software tools provide automated support for tracking tasks across multiple departments as they are completed by different employees. This paper discusses the design and development of an SFA tool using BPM software, including the identification of a detailed sales process, an analysis of the reporting capabilities, a model for determining the probabilistic outcomes of the sales process, and a decision-analytic model for optimizing sales force resource allocation.
Network computing capacity for the reverse butterfly network

We study the computation of the arithmetic sum of the q-ary source messages in the reverse butterfly network. Specifically, we characterize the maximum rate at which the message sum can be computed at the receiver and demonstrate that linear coding is suboptimal.
Chlorophyll derivatives as visual pigments for super vision in the red.

The primary event in vision is light-initiated activation of visual pigments. All visual pigments consist of the protein opsin bound to 11-cis-retinal and are responsible for initiating the transformation of light into an electrical signal. In a mouse model, we show that derivatives of chlorophyll can act as visual pigments initiating the transformation of light into an electrical signal and thus change the primary event in vision to initial activation of a chlorophyll derivative. Electroretinographic b-wave amplitudes recorded in response to red and blue light were two-fold greater in mice administered chlorine6, which accumulated in photoreceptor outer segments.
What is the quality of reporting of studies of interventions to increase compliance with antibiotic prophylaxis

Background Despite studies reporting successful interventions to increase antibiotic prophylaxis compliance, surgical site infections remain a significant problem. The reasons for this lack of improvement are unknown. This review evaluates the internal and external validity of quality improvement studies of interventions to increase surgical antibiotic prophylaxis compliance. Study Design Three investigators independently performed systematic literature searches and selected eligible studies that evaluated interventions to improve perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis timing, type, and/or discontinuation. Studies published before the Surgical Infection Prevention project inception in 2002 were excluded. Each study was assessed based on modified criteria for evaluating quality improvement studies (Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence) and for facilitating implementation of evidence into practice (Reach-Efficacy-Adoption-Implementation-Maintenance). Results Forty-six articles met inclusion criteria; 93% reported improvement in antibiotic prophylaxis compliance. Surgical site infections were evaluated in 50% of studies and 65% reported an improvement. Less than 5% of studies used randomization, allocation concealment, or blinding. Nine percent of studies described efforts to minimize bias in the design results and analysis and 13% described a sample size calculation. Approximately one-third of studies described participant adoption of the intervention (26%), factors affecting generalizability (33%), or implementation barriers (37%). Most studies (80%) used multiple interventions; no single intervention was associated with change in compliance. Studies with the lowest baseline compliance showed the greatest improvement, regardless of the intervention(s). Conclusions The methodology and reporting of quality improvement studies on perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis is suboptimal, and factors that would improve generalizability of successful intervention implementation are infrequently reported. Clinicians should use caution in applying the results of these studies to their general practice.
Modeling of air plasma generation by repetitive high-voltage nanosecond pulses

Minimization of the power required to sustain weakly ionized plasmas can be achieved if the energy of ionizing electrons is high, from tens to thousands of electronvolts. These electrons spend about a half of their energy on ionization cascades, in contrast to low-energy (1-3 eV) electrons in conventional discharges that dissipate most of their energy in nonionizing inelastic collisions. High-energy electrons can be injected into the gas as beams. Alternatively, they can be created in situ by applying a very strong electric field for a short time, with a repetition rate matching the rate of recombination. Analytical calculations show that the power budget in the high-voltage, repetitive pulse mode can be significantly lower than in the dc regime, but still much higher than in the case of electron beam ionization. For each pulse length, there exists an optimum electric field that minimizes the power budget. A detailed modeling of spatio-temporal dynamics of pulsed discharges reveal that voltage displacement into the cathode sheath plays a critical role. Fully coupled modeling of nonlocal kinetics of high- and low-energy electrons, ionization processes, charge particle transport, and electrodynamics was performed for a high-voltage pulse developing with a substantial pre-existing plasma. The kinetic modeling shows formation of a large group of high-energy electrons in high-voltage nanosecond pulse and dramatic increase in ionization rate. New effects are indicated, such as field reversal, "two-cathode" effect, and interpulse ionization.
Reproductive Biology of Heterospilus megalopus (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a Parasitoid of Anthonomus grandis

The age-dependent fecundity, longevity, and rate of increase of Heterospilus megalopus Marsh, a parasitoid of the cotton boll weevil ( Anthonomus grandis Boheman), were determined under laboratory conditions at 25 ± 1°C. The longevity of H. megalopus was 62.3 ± 33.5 d in males and 78 ± 32.7 d in females. Lifetime oviposition was 36.1 ± 22 eggs per female, from which 26.8 ± 17 developed into larvae. The preovipositional period lasted 23.6 ± 14.4 d. The fecundity plateau period (determined by cumulative oviposition) lasted 86 d (from 12 to 98 d after emergence), and the females oviposited 0.6 ± 0.1 eggs per day during this period. The net reproductive rate ( R o) was 5.63, the generation time was 9.19 wk, the doubling time was 3.69 wk, and the weekly intrinsic rate of increase ( r m) was 0.188. The potential of this parasitoid as a biological control agent against the boll weevil is limited by its low fecundity and rate of increase.
Who Are Volunteers in Japan

Although Japan has a lower level of volunteering than many other countries, recent studies show slow but steady changes in its voluntary sector. Motivated by the scarcity of generalizable studies on volunteering among Japanese, the author examines the effects of demographic, socioeconomic, and social capital variables on the number of hours volunteered in Japan using data from the 2002 Japanese General Social Survey. Findings show that although demographic, socioeconomic, and social capital variables all help explain the level of volunteering, social capital variables appear to be stronger predictors than the other two types of variables. Religiosity is one of the most significant facilitators of volunteering, even though the large majority of Japanese do not practice organized religion. Frequent face-to-face contact with friends also increases volunteering hours. Most interestingly, individuals who interact more with foreigners volunteer more hours.
Dating rupture events on alluvial fault scarps using cosmogenic nuclides and scarp morphology

Abstract Scarp morphology evolution has commonly been used to estimate the timing of fault-scarp rupture events. However, rates of scarp degradation depend strongly on the geomorphic diffusivity, a parameter that is difficult to constrain independently. This difficulty may lead to large uncertainties in the estimated ages of rupture events. In this study, we have coupled the accumulation of the cosmogenic nuclide 36Cl to a model for scarp morphology in order to constrain the value of the geomorphic diffusivity and thus determine a more accurate rupture chronology than a rupture history based solely on scarp morphology. We measured depth profiles of 36Cl accumulated in situ within alluvial sediments beneath the surface of the Socorro Canyon fault scarp in central New Mexico. The material analyzed consisted of ∼150 individual gravel clasts from each depth interval, amalgamated into a single sample. The alluvium was sampled in three vertical profiles ∼4 m deep. The first profile was ∼1.5 m downslope of the fault plane on the hanging wall, the second ∼1.5 m upslope of the fault plane on the footwall, and the third ∼27 m upslope of the fault plane on the footwall. The third profile, which served as a control, and which soil geomorphic evidence indicated was beneath a stable surface, showed a simple exponential 36Cl profile from which a depositional age of 122±18 ka was calculated. The second profile (on the footwall) showed a 36Cl deficit relative to the control profile, indicating net erosion. The first profile (on the hanging wall) showed a 36Cl excess relative to the control profile, indicating net deposition. Stratigraphic evidence in the hanging wall indicated two rupture events prior to the Late Holocene. We modeled the accumulation of 36Cl in the vicinity of the scarp, simulating erosional redistribution using a diffusion equation for scarp morphology. The model accounted for redistribution of 36Cl along with the sediment and the effects of the changing fault-scarp morphology on the 36Cl production. By matching both the observed hanging-wall and footwall 36Cl profiles to profiles calculated by the model, as well as the observed topographic profile, we obtained ages of 92+16−13 and 28+18−23 ka for the two ruptures. The results of our study indicate that cosmogenic nuclides can be useful in constraining rupture chronologies of fault scarps in alluvium.
On the representation of positive integers as sums of three cubes of positive rational numbers

A one parameter solution of th equation was given by Ryley in 1825. Others were found by Richmond and myself. In the Landau memorial volume [1] recently published, there appears a joint paper, with the above title, of Davenport and Landau dating from 1935. They prove that if n is a positive integer, then positive rational solutions of (1) exist with denominators of order of magnitude O ( n 2 ). Their proof depended upon a two parameter solution of (1) due to Richmond and is very complicated.
Validation of the AKIN criteria definition using high-resolution ICU data from the MIMIC-II database

Recently the Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) Network proposed criteria for the definition of AKI in the critically ill. The minimum hourly urine output rate used to define oliguria (< 0.5 ml/kg/hour) is based exclusively on clinical experience and animal models, not on clinical investigation. Moreover, the minimum duration of oliguria (6 hours) is based on clinical experience and was never experimentally determined. We used a massive database of ICU patients (MIMIC) to continuously vary the observation period and threshold of urine output measurements to determine optimal AKI definitions for improved in-hospital mortality prediction.
Methanol poisoning. V. Role of formate metabolism in the monkey.

The accumulation of formic acid is an important factor in the production of the metabolic acidosis after methanol administration to the monkey. Formic acid accumulation following methanol administration does not occur in the rat, which oxidizes formate at rates that are markedly higher than those seen in the untreated monkey. The objectives of this study were to determine the pathway responsible for formate oxidation in the monkey and to compare the disposition of formate in the monkey with that of the rat. This information was used to increase and decrease the rate of accumulation of formate in the monkey and to increase or decrease the sensitivity of the monkey to methanol poisoning. Results show that a folate-de-pendent pathway is the major route of formate metabolism in the monkey as has been shown previously in the rat. Folate administration to the monkey increases formate oxidation. 4-Methylpyrazole treatment, after the production of metabolic acidosis and formic acidemia in the monkey, reverses the acidotic state and formic acidemia. Although the folate-deficient monkey is the most sensitive animal towards methanol poisoning, formaldehyde did not appear in the blood, body fluids, or tissues. Since formaldehyde does not accumulate in the presence of high methanol and high formate, and since reversal of formate accumulation leads to reversal of the features of the methanol poisoning syndrome, it is suggested that formate rather than formaldehyde is the major determinant of methanol poisoning in monkeys and probably in man.
MOLECULAR GENETIC BASIS OF ADAPTIVE SELECTION:Examples From Color Vision in Vertebrates

A central unanswered question in phototransduction is how photosensitive molecules, visual pigments, regulate their absorption spectra. In nature, there exist various types of visual pigments that are adapted to diverse photic environments. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in the adaptive selection of these pigments, we have to identify amino acid changes of pigments that are potentially important in changing the wavelength of maximal absorption (max) and then determine the effects of these mutations on the shift in max. The desired mutants can be constructed using site-directed mutagenesis, expressed in tissue culture cells, and the functional effect of virtually any such mutant can be rigorously determined. The availability of these cell/molecular methods makes vision an ideal model system in studying adaptive mechanisms at the molecular level. The identification of potentially important amino acid changes using evolutionary biological means is an indispensable step in elucidating the molecular mechanisms that underlie the spectral tuning of visual pigments.