cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Role of Palliative Care in Withdrawal of Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Cardiogenic Shock.

Abstract Context As the use of venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) increases, decisions regarding withdrawal from VA-ECMO increase. Objectives To evaluate the clinical characteristics of patients withdrawn from VA-ECMO and the role of palliative care consultation in the decision. Methods We retrospectively reviewed adult patients with cardiogenic shock requiring VA-ECMO at our institution, who were withdrawn from VA-ECMO between January 1, 2014 and May 31, 2019. The relationship between clinical characteristics and palliative care visits was assessed, and documented reasons for withdrawal were identified. Results Of 460 patients who received VA-ECMO, 91 deceased patients (19.8%) were included. Forty-two patients (44.8%) had a palliative care consultation. The median duration on VA-ECMO was 4.0 days (interquartile range 8.8), and it was significantly longer for patients with palliative care consultation than those without (8.8 days vs. 2.0 days, P Conclusion Shorter duration of VA-ECMO support and presence of brain injury were associated with fewer palliative care visits. Decisions around withdrawal of VA-ECMO support might be less complicated when patient's medical conditions deteriorate quickly or when neurological prognosis seems poor.
Eating Behaviors Are Associated With Physical Fitness and Body Composition Among US Army Soldiers.

Abstract Objective Examine associations between soldiers’ eating behaviors, compliance with body composition and fitness standards, and physical performance. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Eight Army installations. Participants US Army Soldiers (n = 1,591; 84% male). Main Outcome Measures Characteristics, eating behaviors, compliance with body composition and physical fitness standards, and fitness level were assessed via questionnaire. Analysis Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression. Results Eating mostly at a dining facility was associated with lower odds of body composition failure (odds ratio [OR], 0.44; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.26–0.73); whereas, eating at a fast rate (OR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.05–2.17) or often/always ignoring satiety cues (OR, 2.12; 95% CI, 1.06–4.27) was associated with higher odds of body composition failure. Eating mostly fast-food/convenience meals (OR, 1.75; 95% CI, 1.19–2.59) and eating at a fast rate (OR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.04–1.93) was associated with higher odds of physical fitness failure. Skipping breakfast was associated with lower odds of high physical performance (OR, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.23–0.74); whereas, nutrition education was associated with higher odds of high physical performance (OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01–1.04). Conclusions and Implications As eating behaviors are modifiable, findings suggest opportunities for improving the specificity of Army health promotion and education programs.
Uncertainty Quantification in Friction Model for Earthquakes using Bayesian inference.

This work presents a framework to inversely quantify uncertainty in the model parameters of the friction model using earthquake data via the Bayesian inference. The forward model is the popular rate- and state- friction (RSF) model along with the spring slider damper idealization. The inverse model is to determine the model parameters using the earthquake data as the response of the RSF model. The conventional solution to the inverse problem is the deterministic parameter values, which may not represent the true value, and quantifying uncertainty in the model parameters increases confidence in the estimation. The uncertainty in the model parameters is estimated by the posterior distribution obtained through the Bayesian inversion.
Mönckeberg Arteriosclerosis of the Facial Vasculature Presentation on CBCT: A Case Report.

Monckeberg arteriosclerosis, also known as Monckeberg sclerosis or Monckeberg medial calcinosis, is a well-documented phenomenon in medicine due to its association with a number of serious systemic conditions and aging. This article presents a unique case of Monckeberg arteriosclerosis in the oral facial region demonstrated clearly on cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). The reporting of Monckeberg arteriosclerosis in dental literature is uncommon even though the radiographic features of the head and neck on plain film and CBCT are unique to the condition. As dentistry and medicine strive to move toward an integrated one-health model, it will be important for dental practitioners to recognize this condition during dental radiographic evaluation. A practitioner's understanding of the potential medical implications and the need for appropriate referral to a medical colleague could be lifesaving for a dental patient.
Inequalities around fashioned bodies, style, and beauty: A seminar examining social injustices related to the apparel industry, discipline, and/or personal aesthetics

The seminar was centered around scholarship related to or addressing social justice or social justice issues in the apparel industry, our discipline, or personal and/or community aesthetics and styles. We focused on work examining underrepresented populations such as: (a) people of color, (b) the LGBTQ+ community, (c) people of a variety of abilities, and/or (d) other groups that have a history of oppression, discrimination, or power and privilege inequalities. The seminar had a non-traditional “arrangement” in the room with “exhibits” of scholarly work and “mini talks” from each presenter. Our goal was to initiate and encourage these discussions to go beyond the seminar session and for the participants to engage in dialogue at their home institutions and programs while building a network of people in the seminar to dialogue about in the future.
The Biochemistry of Ruminant Nutrition

The ruminant animal has two special adaptations for which it is characteristically noted. The first of these is the adaptation of the digestive tract to the ingested nutrients. One part of this is anatomical in the form of the four-compartment stomach and one part is biochemical in the form of rumen fermentation. The second is the adaptation of the tissues to the end products of digestion, notably the short chain, volatile fatty acids and the simultaneous production of large quantities of bacterial cell protein. The animal thus has a capacity for utilization of feedstuffs not usable by other species. These include cellulose and inorganic nitrogen. The large storage compartment made up mostly by the rumen also gives the animal a capacity for surviving comparatively long periods without feed or water.
Artificial Intelligence in Tactical Human Resource Management: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract Digitization within Human Resource Management (HRM) has resulted in Artificial Intelligence (AI) becoming increasingly prevalent in Human Resource Management Systems (HRMS) and HR Information Systems (HRIS). The tactical procedures of recruitment, employee performance evaluation and satisfaction, compensation and benefit analysis, best practice analysis, discipline management, and employee training and development systems have seen a growth in the incorporation of AI. To better understand this evolution, we seek to explore publication sources and literature that feature the application of AI within HRM. By utilizing a systematic literature review methodology, this paper identifies which tactical HRIS (T-HRIS) components are featured in literature and how each T-HRIS component is represented. This paper gives insight to which component of tactical HRM/HRIS receives attention and identifies gaps in research to give direction to future research agendas.
Performance analysis of spectrally versatile forward-looking ground-penetrating radar for detection of concealed targets

Stepped-Frequency Radars (SFRs) have become increasingly popular with the advent of new technologies and increasingly congested RF spectrum. SFRs have inherently high dynamic range due to their small IF bandwidths, allowing for the detection of weak target returns in the presence of clutter. The Army Research Laboratory’s (ARL) Partnership in Research Transition program has developed a preliminary SFR for imaging buried landmines and improvised explosive devices. The preliminary system utilizes two transmit antennas and four receive antennas and is meant to act as a transitional system to verify the system’s design and imaging capabilities. The SFR operates between 300 MHz and 2000 MHz, and is capable of 1-MHz step-sizes. The SFR system will eventually utilize 16-receive channels and will be mounted on ARL’s existing Forward-Looking Ground Penetrating Radar platform, as a replacement for the existing Synchronous Impulse REconstruction (SIRE) radar. An analysis of the preliminary SFRs radio frequency interference mitigation, spectral purity dynamic range, and maximum detectable range is presented here.
Development and Validation of the College Campus Environment Scale (CCES): Promoting Positive College Experiences

One of the essential factors related to student success and satisfaction with a higher education experience is the college environment in which learning takes place. The purpose of this study was to develop a scale, the College Campus Environment Scale (CCES), to measure characteristics of college campus environments valued by students. A model emerged with the following six factors: Academic and Career Expectations, Athletics, Health, Role Models and Mentors, Safety, and Social and Extracurricular Activities. The CCES demonstrates good evidence of reliability and validity and can be utilized by researchers and college personnel to promote positive college experiences for students.
Maternal smoking, pregnancy complications, and perinatal mortality

Analysis of data from the Ontario Perinatal Mortality Study has shown that perinatal mortality increases directly with the level of maternal smoking during pregnancy. Increases in smoking level are associated with increases in the frequency of early fetal deaths and of neonatal deaths due to premature delivery. These deaths in turn are associated with smoking-related increases in the incidence of bleeding during pregnancy, abruptio placentae, placenta previa, and premature and prolonged rupture of the membranes.
Bisphosphonates and risk of subtrochanteric, femoral shaft, and atypical femur fracture: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Although there is strong evidence that bisphosphonates prevent certain types of osteoporotic fractures, there are concerns that these medications may be associated with rare atypical femoral fractures (AFF). Recent published studies examining this potential association are conflicting regarding the existence and strength of this association. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies examining the association of bisphosphonates with subtrochanteric, femoral shaft, and AFF. The random-effects model was used to calculate the pooled estimates of adjusted risk ratios (RR). Subgroup analysis was performed by study design, for studies that used validated outcome definitions for AFF, and for studies reporting on duration of bisphosphonate use. Eleven studies were included in the meta-analysis: five case-control and six cohort studies. Bisphosphonate exposure was associated with an increased risk of subtrochanteric, femoral shaft, and AFF, with adjusted RR of 1.70 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.22–2.37). Subgroup analysis of studies using the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research criteria to define AFF suggests a higher risk of AFF, with bisphosphonate use with RR of 11.78 (95% CI, 0.39–359.69) as compared to studies using mainly diagnosis codes (RR, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.18–2.22), although there is a wide confidence interval and severe heterogeneity (I2 = 96.15%) in this subgroup analysis. Subgroup analysis of studies examining at least 5 years of bisphosphonate use showed adjusted RR of 1.62 (95% CI, 1.29–2.04). This meta-analysis suggests there is an increased risk of subtrochanteric, femoral shaft, and AFF among bisphosphonate users. Further research examining the risk of AFF with long-term use of bisphosphonates is indicated as there was limited data in this subgroup. The public health implication of this observed increase in AFF risk is not clear.
Competent Diplococcus pneumoniae Accept Both Single- and Double-Stranded Deoxyribonucleic Acid

The transforming activity of fractionated complementary strands of Diplococcus pneumoniae deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) bands at the position of fully denatured DNA in CsCl at pH 11.0, and is completely (> 99.8%) destroyed by digestion with exonuclease-I. These results prove that pure single strands transform the normally prepared competent cells of this species. Their efficiency is about 0.5% that of native DNA of comparable size.
A method of constructing plastic display jars

A simple and inexpensive method of fabricating transparent plastic, large capacity, rectangular display jars for preserved wet specimens is described. Simple tools are used, including a holder for a tape-type heating element and a bending jig which are easily fashioned from available material. The jars are permanent, moisture tight, and provide quality and uniformity at low cost.
Interpretation of Three-Dimensional Images of Macromolecules

The question of observed density changes, being statistically significant, arises legitimately in any experiment where the result is derived by averaging over a number of measurements. The question can be answered by application of statistical hypothesis testing, but this requires knowledge of another type of information—the three-dimensional (3D) variance. This chapter describes significance assessment and 3D variance estimation. The question of reconstruction representing something real arises due to the fact that, even to a larger extent than the electron crystallographic approach, the single-particle approach to electron microscopic structure research involves a large battery of complex operations with a number of discretionary choices of parameters. There also exists an ambiguity in the combination of 2D classification and 3D reconstruction. Taken together, these uncertainties require some type of validation and testing of the results for experimental consistency. Electron crystallography also involves many discretionary choices such as exclusion of data in the merging process. The reconstructed 3D density distribution should be statistically significant and reproducible in a strict sense. The meaning of a 3D density distribution involves different kinds of representation and a juxtaposition of the represented molecule with existing knowledge.
Design Allowables from Regression Models Using Data from Several Batches

Regression analysis is useful when limited data on a material is obtained under various experimental conditions, and design allowables are required for certain (perhaps different) conditions. Since composite material properties typically exhibit considerable variability, and since composite material testing is expensive, the use of regression methodology for the efficient analysis of experimental data is even more important than for metals. However, test data for composites often come from several batches, with nonnegligible between-batch variability. The usual approach when confronted with such data is to combine all batches at each test condition, and then to use conventional regression methodology to determine allowables. This approach does not take the variability between batches into account, and, consequently, the allowables can be nonconservative. New methodology has been developed for regression allowables in the presence of between-batch variability that overcomes this limitation for a wide class of practical situations. This article discusses the interpretation of statistically-based design allowables, particularly for realistic situations where the data come from several batches over a test matrix of fixed conditions. A computer program (available from the author), which is an implementation of the new methodology, is used to analyze a set of graphite/epoxy compressive strength data.
Egg-feeding in the freshwater piscicolid leech Cystobranchus virginicus (Annelida, Hirudinea)

. Leeches are common terrestrial and aquatic annelids, parasitizing or feeding on a wide range of host taxa. Here we report evidence for an unusual feeding behavior of egg-feeding in the piscicolid leech Cystobranchus virginicus. We identified distended specimens of C. virginicus in the nests of at least 4 different fish species: Campostoma anomalum, Moxostoma carinatum, Moxostoma sp. (either M. anisurum and/or M. breviceps), and Nocomis leptocephalus. We collected a total of 41 leeches from the nests of these host species and documented at least 1 leech in 19 of 55 nests (35%), with many sites containing multiple leeches. Individuals of C. virginicus were not identified feeding on any of the 41 adult specimens of Moxostoma spp. or the 635 adult specimens of Nocomis leptocephalus examined, and were never found in the absence of active host spawning (26 sites). These results are consistent with individuals of C. virginicus being an opportunistic or possibly even an obligate egg-feeder, potentially timing their own reproductive activities with the spawning of their fish hosts. The current distribution of C. virginicus has been expanded to include North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The potential for leech species to induce mortality in developing fish eggs could be a concern for fish conservation and merits further investigation.
Visible and Invisible Realms

Margaret Wiener Visible and Invisible Realms: Power, Magic and Colonial Conquest in Bali. Chicago; University of Chicago Press, 1995. 445 pp., illustrations. (Winner of the Victor Turner Prize for Ethnographic Writing.)
Mitochondrial phosphoprotein metabolism.

Abstract 1. 1. Rat-liver mitochondria incubated at 20° in a medium of KCl, Tris, Versene, and containing 32 P, rapidly take up the tracer into ATP and phosphotein fractions. Phospholipids are not labelled under these conditions. 2. 2. Inhibitors of electron transport and of oxidative phosphorylation reduce the rate of labelling of the phosphoproteins. In the presence of these inhibitors the phosphoproteins fail to reach control levels of radioactivity at any time. 3. 3. The turnover of mitochondral ATP is also reduced by inhibitors of electron transport and oxidative phosphorylation. In contrast to the phosphoproteins, mitochondrial ATP reaches the same isotopic equilibrium both in the presence and absence of inhibitors within a few minutes. 4. 4. Oligomycin, however, does not inhibit phosphoprotein turnover at concentrations at which the labelling of ATP is greatly reduced. 5. 5. It is proposed that mitochondrial phosphoproteins lie on a cyclic pathway between intermediates of the oxidative phosphorylation system and ATP.
PANCREATIC ALPHA AND BETA CELL FUNCTION IN CHILDREN WITH CYSTIC FIBROSIS (CF)

Inappropriate plasma glucagon responses to oral glucose have been reported in diabetes (DM), and it has been suggested that alpha cell dysfunction is a characteristic of genetic DM. To further evaluate this hypothesis, plasma glucagon and insulin were measured in children with CF following standard oral glucose (GTT) or intravenous arginine (ATT) tolerance tests. CF patients were classified as being normal (Group A) or variably abnormal (Group B) on the basis of the glucose responses to the GTT. During the GTT plasma glucagon declined by a mean of 64 ± 22 pg/ml in A (p < 0.05) and by 34 ± 7 pg/ml in B (p < 0.01), (A vs. B ns.) while plasma insulins peaked at a mean of 28 ± 5 μU/ml in A and 48 ± 15 μU/ml in B. The ATT resulted in a significantly greater glucagon response at 30 min. in A than B, 622 ± 39 pg/ml vs. 238 ± 74 pg/ml (p < 0.005); while the peak insulin responses were low in both groups, 13 ± 2.6 vs. 21 ± 2.2 μU/ml. These data suggest (1) suppressibility of glucagon to glucose persists despite carbohydrate intolerance in CF patients in contrast to reported non-suppressibility in genetic DM. (2) Insulin responsiveness is obtunded in CF patients in both groups. (3) CF affects pancreatic alpha and beta cell function as well as exocrine function.
The development of protective immunity in canine scabies

Seven of eight dogs that had been previously infested with Sarcoptes scabiei var. canis and then cured, expressed protective immunity when experimentally reinfested with scabies. All seven dogs that expressed resistance were spontaneously cleared of scabies by 64 days after they were experimentally reinfested. Five of the eight dogs were free of scabies by 24 days. The sequential changes in the inflammatory/immune cellular infiltrate in the scabietic lesions of each dog were determined during the sensitizing infestation, cure and the subsequent experimental reinfestation (challenge). During the initial infestation and in the subsequent challenge reinfestation, dogs developed mixed cellular infiltrates in their scabietic lesions that contained mononuclear cells, neutrophils, plasma cells and mast cells. Reinfestation induced more rapid increases in the densities of these cells than had occurred during the sensitizing infestation. Mononuclear and mast cells were the most numerous infiltrating cells during the sensitizing phase. During the challenge phase the most numerous infiltrating cells were mononuclear cells and neutrophils. The sensitizing and challenge infestations induced circulating scabies-specific antibody responses, but the response was more rapid during the reinfestation challenge. Both the cell-mediated response in the skin and the circulating antibody response waned in parallel with clearing of the mites following reinfestation.
Effect of dietary conjugated linoleic acid on the quality characteristics of chicken eggs during refrigerated storage

Twenty-four, 79-wk-old White Leghorn hens were assigned randomly to three diets containing 0, 2.5, or 5.0% conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). The diets were fed for 4 wk to determine the effect of dietary CLA on quality characteristics of eggs. Eggs were collected daily and stored at 4 C for 1, 7, 21, or 49 d. At the designated times, the eggs were processed to evaluate water content, fatty acid composition, color, proportions and pH of yolk and albumen. Firmness of yolk after the eggs were hard-cooked was also determined. The proportions of myristic, palmitic, stearic, CLA (9-cis, 11-trans CLA and 10-trans, 12-cis CLA isomers), and unidentified fatty acids in egg yolk lipids were increased as dietary CLA increased, but those of palmitoleic, oleic, linoleic, linolenic, arachidonic, and docosahexaenoic acid were decreased. Duration of refrigeration increased the proportion of egg yolk but decreased the contents of albumen and yolk lipids after 21 d or longer of storage. Egg yolk pH increased as refrigeration time increased, regardless of dietary treatment, but the increase was greater in the eggs produced by hens fed the CLA diets. Albumen pH increased significantly after 7 d of storage but remained unchanged until 21 d and then decreased by 49 d. Dietary CLA had no effect on the pH of albumen until 49 d of storage. After 49 d storage, egg albumen pH from hens fed CLA diets was lower than that of albumen from hens fed the control diet. Yolk color was not influenced by the dietary CLA and storage, but the egg yolk surface from hens fed CLA diets sometimes had relatively dark color with light spots. Dietary CLA and storage of CLA eggs increased the firmness of hard-cooked egg yolk. The texture of yolks from hard-cooked CLA eggs was rubbery and elastic, and the yolks were more difficult to break using an Instron. It was speculated that the quality changes of CLA eggs were related to the increase of yolk water content, the movement of ions between yolk and albumen through yolk membrane, and the changes of egg yolk pH during storage.
New compounds: 2, 4‐dinitrobenzenesulfenamides

A compilation of 2, 4-dinitrobenzenesulfenamide derivatives of 72 amines is given. Fifty-one of the derivatives are described for the first time.
Cover Picture: Anisotropy and Dynamic Ranges in Effective Properties of Sheared Nematic Polymer Nanocomposites (Adv. Funct. Mater. 12/2005)

Forest and co-workers report on p. 2029 that nematic polymer nanocomposite (NPNC) films can be processed in steady shear flows, which generate complex orientational distributions of the nanorod inclusions. Distribution functions for a benchmark NPNC (11 vol.-% of 1 nm × 200 nm rods) are computed for a range of shear rates, yielding a bifurcation diagram with steady states at very low (logrolling) and high (flow-aligning) shear rates, and limit cycles (tumbling, wagging, kayaking) at intermediate shear rates. The orientational distributions dictate the effective conductivity tensor of the NPNC film, which is computed for all distribution functions, and extract the maximum principal conductivity enhancement (Emax, averaged in time for periodic distributions) relative to the matrix. The result is a “property bifurcation diagram” for NPNC films, which predicts an optimal shear rate that maximizes Emax. Nematic, or liquid-crystalline, polymer nanocomposites (NPNCs) are composed of large aspect ratio, rod-like or platelet, rigid macromolecules in a matrix or solvent, which itself may be aqueous or polymeric. NPNCs are engineered for high-performance material applications, ranging across mechanical, electrical, piezoelectric, thermal, and barrier properties. The rods or platelets possess enormous property contrasts relative to the solvent, yet the composite properties are strongly affected by the orientational distribution of the nanophase. Nematic polymer film processing flows are shear-dominated, for which orientational distributions are well known to be highly sensitive to shear rate and volume fraction of the nematogens, with unsteady response being the most expected outcome at typical low shear rates and volume fractions. The focus of this article is a determination of the ranges of anisotropy and dynamic fluctuations in effective properties arising from orientational probability distribution functions generated by steady shear of NPNC monodomains. We combine numerical databases for sheared monodomain distributions[1,2] of thin rod or platelet dispersions together with homogenization theory for low-volume-fraction spheroidal inclusions[3] to calculate effective conductivity tensors of steady and oscillatory sheared mesophases. We then extract maximum scalar conductivity enhancement and anisotropy for each type of sheared monodomain (flow-aligned, tumbling, kayaking, and chaotic).
Non-stationary signal analysis and transient machining process condition monitoring

Abstract Non-stationary machine condition monitoring is very important in modern automated manufacturing processes. In this research, an innovative non-stationary (transient) signal analysis approach has been developed for non-stationary machine condition monitoring. It is based on time–frequency distribution analysis and a singular value decomposition approach. The singular value decomposition method is used to extract features from the time–frequency distribution data. These features will serve as machine condition indices and can be easily incorporated for on-line machine condition monitoring and diagnosis. Satisfactory results have been obtained through simulation and experimental data. Experimental studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed method for transient machine and process condition monitoring.
Short-term controls over inorganic phosphorus during soil and ecosystem development

Abstract Geochemical sorption and biological demand control phosphorus (P) retention and availability in soils. Sorption and the biota predominantly utilize the same inorganic form of P, from the same soil pool, on the same time scale, and thus are likely to compete for P as it flows through the available pool. In tropical soils, P availability is typically quite low and soil geochemical reactivity can be quite high. We tested whether greater P sorption strength in tropical soils resulted in lower biological uptake of available P. Since the strength of soil sorption and biological demand for P change as ecosystems develop and soils age, we used soils from the two upper horizons from three sites along a 4.1 million-year-old tropical forest chronosequence in the Hawaiian archipelago. We evaluated the strength of geochemical sorption, microbial demand, and the partitioning of added available P into biological versus geochemical soil pools over 48 h using a 32 PO 4 tracer. Soil sorption strength was high and correlated with soil mineral content. The amount of added phosphate geochemically sorbed versus immobilized by microbes varied more between the organic and mineral soil horizons than among soil ages. Microbial activity was a good predictor of how much available P was partitioned into biological versus geochemical pools across all soils, while sorption capacity was not. This suggests that microbial demand was the predominant control over partitioning of available P despite changes in soil sorption strength.
Operating a wide-area remote observing system for the W. M. Keck Observatory

For over a decade, the W. M. Keck Observatory's two 10-meter telescopes have been operated remotely from its Waimea headquarters. Over the last 6 years, WMKO remote observing has expanded to allow teams at dedicated sites in California to observe either in collaboration with colleagues in Waimea or entirely from the U.S. mainland. Once an experimental effort, the Observatory's mainland observing capability is now fully operational, supported on all science instruments (except the interferometer) and regularly used by astronomers at eight mainland sites. Establishing a convenient and secure observing capability from those sites required careful planning to ensure that they are properly equipped and configured. It also entailed a significant investment in hardware and software, including both custom scripts to simplify launching the instrument interface at remote sites and automated routers employing ISDN backup lines to ensure continuation of observing during Internet outages. Observers often wait until shortly before their runs to request use of the mainland facilities. Scheduling these requests and ensuring proper system operation prior to observing requires close coordination between personnel at WMKO and the mainland sites. An established protocol for approving requests and carrying out pre-run checkout has proven useful in ensuring success. The Observatory anticipates enhancing and expanding its remote observing system. Future plans include deploying dedicated summit computers for running VNC server software, implementing a web-based tracking system for mainland-based observing requests, expanding the system to additional mainland sites, and converting to full-time VNC operation for all instruments.
Functional equivalence of the two iron-binding sites of human transferrin

FLETCHER and Huehns1,2 presented evidence that the two iron atoms bound to the serum iron-transport protein, transferrin are not equally available for the synthesis of haemoglobin by immature red blood cells (reticulocytes). They hypothesised that functional differences between the binding sites may serve to regulate the distribution of iron within the body3. Various studies (cited in ref. 4) have been published since, some of which support and some of which contradict this hypothesis. We devised procedures4 to compare the availability of iron at each site of transferrin for reticulocytes in vitro, as well as to compare the availability of iron in diferric and monoferric transferrin. In the homologous system of rabbit reticulocytes and rabbit transferrin, there was no functional difference between the two sites of diferric transferrin or between diferric and monoferric protein. In the heterologous system of rabbit reticulocytes and human transferrin, however, a difference between the sites of diferric transferrin and between diferric and monoferric transferrin was observed. Those studies have now been extended to the homologous system of human reticulocytes and human transferrin. We found no difference in availability of iron at the two sites of human transferrin and only a slight difference in the availability of iron in monoferric and diferric protein.
Proposed initiative would study earth's weathering engine

At the Earth's surface, a complex suite of chemical, biological, and physical processes combines to create the engine that transforms bedrock into soil (Figure 1). Earth's weathering engine provides nutrients to nourish ecosystems and human society mediates the transport of toxic components within the biosphere, creates water flow paths that carve and weaken bedrock, and contributes to the evolution of landscapes at all temporal and spatial scales. At the longest time scales, the weathering engine sequesters CO2, thereby influencing long-term climate change. Despite the importance of soil, our knowledge of the rate of soil formation is limited because the weathering zone forms a complex, ever-changing interface, and because scientific approaches and funding paradigms have not promoted integrated research agendas to investigate such complex interactions. No national initiative has promoted a systems approach to investigation of weathering science across the broad array of geology, soil science, ecology and hydrology. Such a program is certainly needed, and this article describes a platform on which to build the initiative to answer the following question: How does the Earth weathering engine break down rock to nourish ecosystems, carve errestrial landscapes, and control carbon dioxide in the global atmosphere?
Ice-sheet velocity mapping: a combined interferometric and speckle-tracking approach

The first and second RADARSAT Antarctic Mapping Missions (AMM-1 and -2) have now acquired interferometric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) overmuch of the ice sheet. The RADARSAT 24 day repeat cycle is nearly ideal for measuring slow ice motion (e.g. –1 ), but application of SAR interferometry is limited in faster-moving areas. With a 1day repeat period, ERS-1/-2 tandem SAR data are much better matched to fast motion, but are not always available. Fortunately, several authors have demonstrated the ability to measure velocity in fast-moving areas by tracking SAR speckle from image to image, which works well even in the absence of visible features. While these estimates have intrinsically lower resolution and poorer accuracy than direct phase measurements, they serve well in areas where there are no data suitable for conventional interferometry. This paper describes algorithms I have developed for merging interferometric and speckle-tracking data from multiple swaths to form a single seamless mosaic of velocity. At each point in the mosaic, all the available data are combined to produce estimates of the velocity and the associated error. This technique is demonstrated using RADARSAT data collected over Lambert Glacier, Antarctica, during AMM-1 and -2.
Journals of the Century in the American Religious Experience

The United States has always had a very rich religious history, and the twentieth century saw a parallel enrichment of its journal literature. This flowering of the periodical press did not proceed on an even pace. When World War II ended, most urban and suburban Americans, particularly in the upper Midwest and on either coast, were either members of one of several well-established and somewhat distinct Protestant groups or were Roman Catholics. (Rural Americans, white Southerners, and African Americans had a somewhat greater variety of smaller Protestant denominations, in addition.) The only sizeable group of non-Christians was Jews. Publications reflected this compartmentalized social order. They concerned a specific denomination, and were written by and for its members. New, nationally circulated religious journals did arise intermittently, but not from new religions, or even from religions new to America. Rather, they tended to come from smaller religious groups long resident in the United States whose membership and finances had finally achieved sufficient critical mass to support a periodical published on a regular basis. Publications for the Greek Orthodox community were a typical example.
Detecting groupthink: Methods for observing the illusion of unanimity

While intuitively pleasing, Janis' (1972) groupthink theory has failed to stimulate substantial research. Critics blamed the theory's complexity and confusion. A more coherent model has evolved with concurrence‐seeking logically joining stages of groupthink development. This study reconceptualizes groupthink symptoms as observable group interaction patterns. Two coding systems are proposed for detecting the illusion of unanimity symptom. One detects degree of unanimity while the other assesses the degree of illusory versus substantive nature of that unanimity. Courtright's (1978) laboratory paradigm is replicated. Results support the validity of the coding systems for detecting the illusion of unanimity.
Two-photon-induced anisotropic transient absorption in bacteriorhodopsin

Abstract Two-photon excitation (TPE) of the photocycle of bacteriorhodopsin (BR) with 1064 nm pulses was observed, and the subsequent transient absorption and linear dichroism changes measured at 568 nm. An anisotropy of 0.55 was induced in the ground-state transition of BR. A theoretical formalism is described to treat the isotropic and anisotropic compoment of the two-photon absorptivity measured by a secondary transition dipole that is induced by TPE and probed by polarized fluorescence or transient-absorption methods. The two-photon tensor for BR is found to contain components that are not parallel to the one-photon transition dipole.
Retrieval of Intensive Aerosol Properties from MFRSR observations: Partly Cloudy Cases

An approach for the obtaining column intensive aerosol properties, namely the single scattering albedo (SSA) and asymmetry parameter (ASP), from the Multi-Filter Rotating Shadowband Radiometer (MFRSR) spectral observations under partly cloudy conditions is described. The approach involves the MFRSR-based aerosol retrieval for clear-sky periods and an interpolation of the retrieved column aerosol properties for cloudy periods. The observed weak diurnal variability of SSA and ASP at the surface and the close association of the surface intensive aerosol properties with their column counterparts form the basis of such interpolation. The approach is evaluated by calculating the corresponding clear-sky total, direct and diffuse fluxes at five wavelengths (415, 500, 615, 673 and 870 nm) and compare them with the observed fluxes. The aerosol properties provided by this approach are applied for (i) an examination of the statistical relationship between spectral (visible range) and broadband values of the total normalized cloud radiative forcing and (ii) an estimation of the fractional sky cover. Data collected during 13 days with single-layer cumulus clouds observed at U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility (ACRF) Southern Great Plains (SGP) site during summer 2007 are applied to illustrate the performance and application of this approach.
Gaining precision on the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale-cognitive: A comparison of item response theory-based scores and total scores

Abstract Background The Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-cognitive (ADAS-cog) is a commonly used measure for assessing cognitive dysfunction in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The measure has 11 subscales, each of which captures an important aspect of cognitive dysfunction in AD. Traditional scoring of the ADAS-cog involves adding up the scores from the subscales without regarding their varying difficulty or their strength of relationship to AD-associated cognitive dysfunction. The present article analyzes problems associated with this approach and offers solutions for gaining measurement precision by modeling how the subscales function. Methods We analyzed data collected at the Baylor College of Medicine Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders Clinic from 1240 patients diagnosed with varying degrees of dementia. Item response theory was used to determine the relationship between total scores on the ADAS-cog and the underlying level of cognitive dysfunction reflected by the scores. Results Results revealed that each total score corresponded to a spectrum of cognitive dysfunction, indicating that total scores were relatively imprecise indicators of underlying cognitive dysfunction. Furthermore, it was common for two individuals with the same total score to have significantly different degrees of cognitive dysfunction. Conclusions These findings suggest that item response theory scoring of the ADAS-cog may measure cognitive dysfunction more precisely than a total score method.
The Approach to the Management of the Patient with Neuropathic Pain

Neuropathic pain occurs in about 6-7% of the general population and in 15-20% of people with diabetes. It is defined as a disease or disorder of the sensorimotor system and must be distinguished from nociceptive pain, which is a consequence of trauma, injury, or inflammation. A host of other conditions can masquerade as neuropathy including entrapments, fasciitis, and claudication. Pain can derive from damage to unmyelinated C-fibers, Aδ fibers in the periphery, or from mechanisms within the spinal cord, brainstem, and cerebral cortex. A variety of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters are involved and form the basis for targeted drug therapy. More important, however, is the pathogenesis of damage to the pain mechanism, which is multifactorial and includes metabolic disturbances such as hyperglycemia, even impaired glucose tolerance, dyslipidemia, oxidative and nitrosative stress, growth factor deficiencies, microvascular insufficiency, and autoimmune damage to nerve fibers. The approach to managing the patient with neuropathic pain is first to understand and recognize the cause of pain in a particular patient and to use monotherapies or drug combinations directed at the different types and sources of pain. Ultimately, therapy directed at the underlying pathogenesis of neuropathy is needed. The case presented in this report illustrates the complexity of resolution of pain in an individual and the need for a holistic approach to medicine, employing empathy, compassion, and understanding in the relationship between the doctor and the patient to succeed in alleviating pain.
Collimating the Hubble Space Telescope

Collimation techniques for the Hubble Space Telescope before and after the 1993 December servicing mission are discussed. As a first step we convert actuator positions of the HST secondary mirror into tilts and decenters, by means of a conversion matrix. Theoretical estimates of wavefront errors introduced by known amounts of tilts and decenters are related to each other by means of a conversion matrix. Several sets of stellar images taken with the Faint Object Camera over a two year period are analyzed and aberration coefficients derived. A residual coma of approximately 1/19th wave at 632.8 nm is found in the images. We report here the secondary mirror move made, after the refurbishment mission in 1993 December, to remove the coma and the analysis of the images taken after the move to verify the collimation.
High rate synthesis of nanophase materials

Abstract In 1986, Gleiter and co-workers introduced the concept of synthesis of non-agglomerated nanoparticles by rapid condensation from the vapor phase in a reduced pressure environment. The source of the material was an evaporative source, which is ideally suited for low vapor pressure and low melting point metals. In order to broaden the scope of the materials synthesis, we have developed a variation in this process in which the source of the nanophase material is a metalorganic precursor. In this new Chemical Vapor Condensation (CVC) process, the key parameters are gas phase residence time, temperature of the hot-wall reactor, and precursor concentration in the carrier gas. The CVC processing unit is an effective nanoparticle generator which is suitable for many different types of materials. Examples are, SiC, Si 3 N 4 , Al 2 O 3 , TiO 2 , ZrO 2 and other refractory compounds. More recently, we have extended our processing capabilities to include a flat flame combustor unit which is particularly suited to synthesis of oxide phases either as powders, films, coatings or free standing forms. We are laying the groundwork of computer-integrated manufacturing of nanophase oxides by combining a high rate nanopowder production technology with laser diagnostics and computer modeling.
Photometric observation of HAT-P-16b in the near-UV

Abstract We present the first primary transit light curve of the hot Jupiter HAT-P-16b in the near-UV photometric band. We observed this object on December 29, 2012 in order to update the transit ephemeris, constrain its planetary parameters and search for magnetic field interference. Vidotto et al. (2011a) postulate that the magnetic field of HAT-P-16b can be constrained if its near-UV light curve shows an early ingress compared to its optical light curve, while its egress remains unchanged. However, we did not detect an early ingress in our night of observing when using a cadence of 60 seconds and an average photometric precision of 2.26 mmag. We find a near-UV planetary radius of R p = 1.274 ± 0.057 R Jup which is consistent with its near-IR radius of R p = 1.289 ± 0.066 R Jup ( Buchhave et al., 2010 ). We developed an automated reduction pipeline and a modeling package to process our data. The data reduction package synthesizes a set of IRAF scripts to calibrate images and perform aperture photometry. The modeling package utilizes the Levenberg–Marquardt minimization algorithm to find a least-squares best fit and a differential evolution Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm to find the best fit to the light curve. To constrain the red noise in both fitting models we use the residual permutation (rosary bead) method and time-averaging method.
Aging-associated increase in intestinal permeability to polyethylene glycol 900.

Effect of aging on the intestinal permeability to medium size [3H]polyethylene glycol (PEG 900) was examinedin vivo by gavage andin vitro in intestinal everted sacs of rats ranging in age from 5 to 102 weeks. Rats were gavaged with PEG 900 solution and urinary recovery of PEG 900 was measured for 6 hr in order to assess its absorption. Young rats, 5–15 weeks of age, absorbed 1–1.3% of administered PEG 900. In contrast, rats 35–102 weeks of age absorbed 1.8–2.4% of administered PEG 900 (P<0.05 vs younger animals). The increased absorption of PEG 900 with aging is due to changes in intestinal permeability since the total uptake (serosal appearance + tissue uptake) of PEG 900 by jejunum, ileum, and colonic everted sacs was significantly higher (P<0.05) in older rats (100 weeks) than young rats (9 1/2 weeks), while urinary excretion of PEG 900 following intravenous injection was the same in the two age groups. These studies indicate that aging rats have diminished capacity to exclude larger size molecules from penetrating the intestinal mucosa. The diminished barrier functions of the small intestine with aging may allow antigenic or mutagenic compounds to reach the systemic circulation.