cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clinical competency statement: Training pathways for implantation of cardioverter defibrillators and cardiac resynchronization devices.

G t r N m Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) are widely sed for the management of patients with life-threatening entricular arrhythmias. The indications for ICD therapy re expanding as the results of clinical trials for primary revention of sudden cardiac death have shown that survival s improved in patients with serious heart disease when CDs are implanted prophylactically, i.e. before a patient as had a potentially lethal arrhythmia. The results of hese clinical trials will continue to be incorporated into the urrent and upcoming American College of Cardiology/ merican Heart Association/North American Society of acing and Electrophysiology Guidelines for Implantation f Cardiac Pacemakers and Antiarrhythmia Devices. Another important recent development in cardiac pacing as been resynchronization therapy. It has been found that entricular dyssynchrony, a common finding in patients ith heart failure, can be corrected by pacing the left venricle via a branch of the coronary sinus simultaneously or ear-simultaneously with standard right ventricular pacing. linical trials of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) ave demonstrated improvements in quality of life, New ork Heart Association class, and exercise capacity when ompared to standard medical therapy in patients with heart ailure and intraand interventricular conduction delays. As increasing numbers of patients receive these devices, t is necessary that physicians involved in the care of these atients have knowledge and expertise in the indications, echniques for implantation, complications, programming nd follow-up of these devices. Completion of a fellowship
GaAs Schottky barrier varactor diodes for submillimeter wavelength power generation

The development of GaAs Schottky barrier diodes for frequencies well into the submillimeter wavelength range is discussed. These devices have the highest cutoff frequencies yet obtained for varactor diodes and have produced sufficient output power to drive Schottky mixers at frequencies as high as 640 GHz. The fundamental design tradeoff between cutoff frequency and capacitance modulation is explored. As the doping density is increased and the anode diameter is reduced, the dynamic cutoff frequency increases, reaching a maximum of roughly 5 THz. It is concluded that the maximum output frequency from harmonic multipliers based on standard GaAs varactor diodes will be about 1 THz.
Simulations of OH nightglow emission in the occurrence of sprites

[1] Recent observations on sprites have revealed that the electron energies in the luminous lightning discharge channels above thundercloud tops could be in the range of a few electron volts. Sprites are transient luminous flashes, and each flash lasts from a few to tens of milliseconds. Because some chemical reaction rates are highly dependent on temperature, it is speculated that sprites might have a significant effect on the chemistry of the atmosphere. This study is aimed to investigate how OH nightglow emission in the MLT region is affected when sprites occur. Simulations of OH nightglow emission at temperatures of ∼200 K and 400 K were performed; the former represents the normal temperature in the absence of sprites, while the latter is the assumed temperature when sprites occur. The simulation results, ignoring dynamical effects, indicate that the number density of atomic O in the nightglow region is not very sensitive to a higher temperature but that of HO2 and O3 is reduced by 45% and 0.5%, respectively, while the production of OH is enhanced by a factor of 2.6. The column-integrated OH brightness shows a significant 16% increase when the temperature is at 400 K. The study indicates that sprites should produce a measurable effect on the OH brightness in the mesosphere.
An unidentified chloramine decomposition product—I. Chemistry and characteristics

Abstract This paper reports on a study of the chemistry and structural characteristics of an unidentified product found in organic free aqueous solution in the chloramination disinfection of drinking water. Mass balance on decomposing chloramine solutions were made using spectrophotometric, titrimetric and ion chromatographic methods in the presence and absence of added nitrite. The concentration of the unidentified product was determined from the difference of the measured and predicted chloramine spectra. Nitrite is believed to have an important role in the formation of the unidentified product. Added nitrite can dramatically increase the concentration of this product, and it is believed that nitrite may be involved in its formation during slow chloramine decomposition. Nitrite is not expected to be stable in the presence of chloramines as predicted from prior studies. Nitrite was observed, however, in rapidly decomposing solutions of dichloramine. Nitrate, chloride and nitrite were observed in photolysis of the unidentified product. The unidentified product contains both nitrogen and chlorine, and has an estimated molar absorptivity of 5000 M −1 cm −1 from the mass balance of chloride if one chlorine per molecule is assumed. Nitrate was also observed along with the unidentified product in slow chloramine decomposition at near or above neutral pH; however, the unidentified product was not detected in chloramine solutions at pH 3.5, but nitrite was observed. The formation of the unidentified product is not believed to be acid or base catalyzed, but is proportional to the total oxidant lost in slow monochloramine decomposition. Monochloramine is not likely involved in the rate-limiting step in the formation of the unidentified product.
Analysis of Pioneer Saturn results continues

Through clever analysis of the Pioneer 11 results for Saturn, Francis Birch (see Forum) has deduced that Saturn's core must be composed of lighter materials than those of the earth's core. The original summary in EOS (‘Pioneer Saturn Results Summarized’) did not contain such analysis because the celestial mechanics and gravitational data from Pioneer 11 that were released by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) were then only in crude form. For example, at that time, values for the core radius were uncertain by at least ± 10%, and for the core mass by +30% to 100% (this tolerence still does not weaken Birch's conclusions).
Reductive substitution of nickelocene; interception of a monohydrido intermediate in the hydrogenation of 2,3,4,5-tetraphenylcyclopentadienone (tetracyclone)

Abstract Reductive substitution 1 of nickelocene with tetracyclone affords bis(tetracyclone)nickel(0) (1), η3-1,2,3,4-tetraphenyl-5-ketocyclopentenylcyclopentadienylnickel (2) and trans-1,2,3,4-tetraphenylcyclopenten-1-one-5 (3); evidence is presented that 2 is an intermediate in the formation of 3 from 1.
Anxiety and Career Exploration: Gender Differences in the Role of Self-Construal.

Abstract Given the social nature of many tasks involved in exploring and committing to a career, we hypothesized that social anxiety would correlate to exploration and commitment, even after controlling for general anxiety. We also hypothesized that self-construal and gender would interact with social anxiety in relation to exploration and commitment. In a sample of predominantly European American undergraduates ( n = 161), higher social anxiety associated with lower vocational commitment for both women and men, after accounting for general anxiety. For women, interdependence was also associated significantly with vocational commitment. Social anxiety correlated to environmental exploration only for men low in independence. Neither social anxiety nor self-construal associated with environmental exploration for women or foreclosure for either group.
Nb4N3: Polymorphism in crystalline niobium nitrides.

Local-density-based electronic structure methods are applied to \ensuremath{\gamma}-NbN (tetragonal ${\mathrm{Nb}}_{4}$${\mathrm{N}}_{3}$) to compare it to the strong-coupling superconductor NbN (rocksalt structure) and to the recently proposed Pm3m NbN phase, (NbO structure) which has a similar transition temperature. In certain respects \ensuremath{\gamma}-NbN is intermediate between the other phases, as might be expected, but overall the electronic spectrum more closely resembles rocksalt NbN. The N ion in \ensuremath{\gamma}-NbN is more highly charged (${\mathrm{N}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$) than in the other two phases. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
Temporal spatial expression and function of non-muscle myosin II isoforms IIA and IIB in scar remodeling

Scar contracture is believed to be caused by the cell contractility during the remodeling phase of wound healing. Cell contractility is mediated by non-muscle myosin II (NMMII) and actin, but the temporal-spatial expression profile of NMMII isoforms A and B (IIA and IIB) during the remodeling phase and the role of NMMII in scar fibroblast tissue remodeling are unknown. Human scar tissue immunostained for IIA and IIB showed that both isoforms were highly expressed in scar tissue throughout the remodeling phase of repair and expression levels returned to normal after the remodeling phase. Human scar tissue immunostained for β-, γ- and α-smooth muscle actin showed that all isoforms were consistently expressed throughout the remodeling phase of repair. The β- and γ-smooth muscle actin were widely expressed throughout the dermis, but α-smooth muscle actin was only locally expressed within the dermis. In vitro, fibroblasts explanted from scar tissue were shown to express more IIA than fibroblasts explanted from normal tissue and scar fibroblasts contracted collagen lattices to a greater extent than normal fibroblasts. Blebbistatin was used to demonstrate the function of NMMII in collagen lattice contraction. In normal tissue, fibroblasts are stress-shielded from external tensile stress by the extracellular matrix. After dermal injury and during remodeling, fibroblasts are exposed to a matrix of increased stiffness. The effect of matrix stiffness on IIA and IIB expression was examined. IIA expression was greater in fibroblasts cultured in collagen lattices with increasing stiffness, and in fibroblasts cultured on glass slides compared with polyacrylamide gels with stiffness of 1 kPa. In conclusion, NMMII and actin isoform expression changes coordinately with the remodeling phase of repair, and NMMII is increased as matrix stiffness increases. As NMMII expression increases, so does the fibroblast contractility.
A novel approach for the computation of orthonormal polynomial expansions

Abstract In this paper we present a novel technique for the computation of orthonormal polynomial expansions. The proposed method is very straightforward; given a function to be expanded in a polynomial series, we first use the FFT to compute a vector of Fourier coefficients. Then, using a change of basis transformation, we go from the Fourier coefficients to the polynomial coefficients. Convergence properties for this new approach are investigated.
Single crystal growth of Hg1-xCdxTe

It has been found that single crystals of Hg1-xCdxTe with volumes of about 3 cm3 can be obtained using a new method for crystal growth. Experimental details of the new technique as applied to Hg1-xCdxTe are discussed. Single crystal growth mechanisms are proposed which involve crystallization from a two-phase mixture followed by recrystallization of the solid. Evidence for the unusually high quality material is obtained from electron-beam microprobe analyses, electrical properties, and magneto-optical spectra.
A geographic study of tie strength in social media

In this paper, we investigate the interplay of distance and tie strength through an examination of 20 million geo-encoded tweets collected from Twitter and 6 million user profiles. Concretely, we investigate the relationship between the strength of the tie between a pair of users, and the distance between the pair. We identify several factors -- including following, mentioning, and actively engaging in conversations with another user -- that can strongly reveal the distance between a pair of users. We find a bimodal distribution in Twitter, with one peak around 10 miles from people who live nearby, and another peak around 2500 miles, further validating Twitter's use as both a social network (with geographically nearby friends) and as a news distribution network (with very distant relationships).
Assessment of the clothing and textile component in fashion merchandising programmes

The purpose of the study was to examine the importance of the educational criteria to graduates of fashion merchandising programmes. A 74-item questionnaire based on the core curricular competencies identified by the International Textiles and Apparel Association (ITAA) and course objectives of two fashion merchandising programmes was developed. The questionnaires were mailed to 296 alumni of two universities. The response rate was 37%. Twenty-four (32%) of the criteria were rated as most important or very important. Of these, 42% were based on the ITAA core competencies and 58% on course objectives. An additional analysis was conducted to determine whether managers rated the criteria differently from merchandisers. t-Tests determined that there was a significant difference in only 10 of the criteria. The results of this study provided a means to assess two fashion merchandising programmes. It also provided an initial validation of the ITAA core competencies from a fashion merchandising perspective and a preliminary examination of the educational criteria for a fashion merchandising core.
Negative Control Contributes to an Extensive Program of Meiotic Splicing in Fission Yeast

Despite a high frequency of introns in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, regulated splicing is virtually unknown. We present evidence that splicing constitutes a major mechanism for controlling gene expression during meiosis, as 12 of 96 transcripts tested, which encode known components as well as previously uncharacterized ORFs, retain introns until specific times during differentiation. The meiotically spliced pre-mRNAs include two cyclins, rem1 (discovered by Ayte and Nurse) and crs1. Consistent with the use of regulated splicing to block protein production, expression of crs1 in vegetative cells is toxic. Analyses of gene chimeras indicate that splicing is prevented in mitotically growing cells via inhibition, in contrast to the positive control of meiotic splicing in budding yeast. Most strikingly, splicing of crs1 and rem1 is regulated by sequences located outside the coding regions, far from the target introns, a phenomenon previously observed only in metazoans.
The average vertical mixing coefficient for the oceanic thermocline

The new estimate of the average vertical mixing coefficient for the oceanic thermocline, based on all GEOSECS tritium data, is 1.7 ± 0.2 cm 2 s -1 . DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0889.1984.tb00243.x
Is the central Piedmont suture a low-angle normal fault?

In the crystalline southern Appalachians, the Carolina are terrane is in fault contact with the Piedmont terrane along a seismically reflective surface dipping toward the hinterland and called the central Piedmont suture. The central Piedmont suture may be interpreted as a thrust, but existing data also support a Silurian-Devonian, normal-slip origin: (1) There are lower-grade rocks in the hanging wall than in the footwall. (2) A normal-fault solution allows simultaneous metamorphism of the Piedmont terrane and Carolina terrane, prior to their juxtaposition along the central Piedmont suture. (3) Mineral ages in the Piedmont terrane are older in the west than in the east, consistent with an eastward-progressive unroofing. (4) Along the western edge of the Carolina terrane, a linear belt of Devonian subalkalic to alkalic granitoids and gabbro-norites with low initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios may represent mantle-derived magmas along the axis of rifting that are contemporary with major crustal extension. The westernmost Piedmont terrane includes the Chauga belt. The Chauga belt comprises metavolcanic and metaplutonic units similar in rock type and age to those of the western Carolina terrane. Chauga belt rocks are interpreted to be the westernmost exposures of the Carolina terrane, translated west on the lower plate by extension. The Piedmont and Carolina terranes may thus compose a single lithotectonic element. The Piedmont terrane would represent the basement on which the arc was constructed; the terrane was uplifted during extension along a major low-angle normal fault, recognized today as the central Piedmont suture.
Multiple-soliton solutions of the perturbed KdV equation

The perturbed KdV equation through O(e) is investigated. The Hirota’s bilinear method is mainly used in this work. The study highlights the multiple-soliton solutions and the multiple singular soliton solutions of the perturbed KdV equation.
The role of knee immobilizers in cancer patients with femoral neuropathy.

Abstract Jones VA, Stubblefield MD. The role of knee immobilizers in cancer patients with femoral neuropathy. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2004;85:303–7. Objective To determine the utility of knee immobilizers for cancer patients with femoral neuropathy. Design Retrospective case series with chart reviews and telephone interviews. Setting Teaching hospital, inpatient setting, and 1-year follow-up as outpatients. Participants Five cancer patients with femoral neuropathy (4 men, 1 woman; age range, 51–76y). Inclusion criteria were (1) diagnosis of femoral neuropathy, (2) receipt of knee immobilizer as an inpatient, and (3) ability to discuss opinions about knee orthotics at 1-year follow-up. Intervention Knee immobilizer. Main outcome measures Number of falls with and without knee immobilizer, ambulatory distance with and without immobilizer, subjective rating of activity level, and feeling of stability with and without immobilizer. Results Patients reported that the knee immobilizer reduced their number of falls by up to 10-fold, increased ambulatory distance between 105 and 420ft (31.5 and 126m), improved their feeling of stability, and increased overall activity levels. Conclusions Patients can benefit from knee immobilizers during their rehabilitation efforts: risk of falls decreased, ambulation distance increased, and relative peace of mind was achieved with the orthotic's use.
Structuring of the Ampte magnetotail barium releases

A new instability is proposed to explain the observed large-scale structuring of the magnetotail AMPTE barium releases. The stability theory is based on a modified set of MHD equations which allows for large Larmor radius effects, i.e., ρi ∼ Rc which is typical of the AMPTE releases (here ρi is the ion Larmor radius and Rc is the transverse radius of the cloud). The mode is driven by the deceleration of the cloud and the density gradient at the edge of the cloud. The predicted linear growth rate and eigenmode structure are consistent with AMPTE observations.
SAT: A Security Architecture Achieving Anonymity and Traceability in Wireless Mesh Networks

Anonymity has received increasing attention in the literature due to the users' awareness of their privacy nowadays. Anonymity provides protection for users to enjoy network services without being traced. While anonymity-related issues have been extensively studied in payment-based systems such as e-cash and peer-to-peer (P2P) systems, little effort has been devoted to wireless mesh networks (WMNs). On the other hand, the network authority requires conditional anonymity such that misbehaving entities in the network remain traceable. In this paper, we propose a security architecture to ensure unconditional anonymity for honest users and traceability of misbehaving users for network authorities in WMNs. The proposed architecture strives to resolve the conflicts between the anonymity and traceability objectives, in addition to guaranteeing fundamental security requirements including authentication, confidentiality, data integrity, and nonrepudiation. Thorough analysis on security and efficiency is incorporated, demonstrating the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed architecture.
Perimenstrual symptoms and symptoms at midlife in Puebla, Mexico.

ABSTRACTObjectives To examine perimenstrual symptoms in relation to hot flushes and depressive symptoms among 755 pre- and postmenopausal women aged 40–60 years drawn from a general population in Puebla, Mexico.Methods Hot flushes and depressed mood during the past 2 weeks were queried, along with cramps and other symptoms experienced during or before menstruation. Relationships among perimenstrual symptoms were examined by factor analyses. Logistic regression was used to assess determinants of hot flushes and determinants of depressed mood at midlife.Results Fifty-four percent of the women reported abdominal cramping (colicos) during menstruation; fewer reported irritability (8%) and depressed mood (9%). Gastrointestinal complaints were most frequently volunteered (12%), followed by breast tenderness (10%) and mid-back pain (9%). Emotional symptoms clustered separately from perimenstrual symptoms. In bivariate analyses, abdominal cramping and waist pain were associated with hot flushes at midlife (p <0.0...
Comparison of load cells and wrist-actigraphy for unobtrusive monitoring of sleep movements

Accurate assessment of mobility in bed presents challenges to clinicians and researchers alike. Mobility is traditionally assessed by either overnight polysomnograph recording or wrist actigraphy. This paper describes an alternative system for unobtrusive and continuous monitoring of sleep movements that uses load sensors installed at the corners of a bed. This work is focused on the detection and classification of clinically relevant types of movement based on the forces sensed by load cells. The accuracy of the system for detecting movement has been evaluated using data collected in a laboratory setting. We also present a comparison of the proposed system with wrist-actigraphy.
Blank Spots in Collective Memory: A Case Study of Russia:

The dynamics of collective remembering are examined by analyzing what happens when a “blank spot” in history is filled with information that had previously not been available or publicly acknowledged. Taking Russian accounts of the secret protocols of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939 as a case study, it is argued that “schematic narrative templates” that shape deep collective memory give rise to a tendency to maintain this memory and help it overcome the “narrative rift” that occurs when embarrassing episodes from the past are publicly acknowledged. Schematic narrative templates are set forth as underlying strong conservative forces that resist change in collective memory at a deep level. It is suggested that debates grounded in formal history may help overcome this resistance to change but that such efforts will be limited as long as the forces of deep collective memory are not recognized.
Molecular Pathways: ROS1 Fusion Proteins in Cancer

Genetic alterations that lead to constitutive activation of kinases are frequently observed in cancer. In many cases, the growth and survival of tumor cells rely upon an activated kinase such that inhibition of its activity is an effective anticancer therapy. ROS1 is a receptor tyrosine kinase that has recently been shown to undergo genetic rearrangements in a variety of human cancers, including glioblastoma, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), cholangiocarcinoma, ovarian cancer, gastric adenocarcinoma, colorectal cancer, inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor, angiosarcoma, and epithelioid hemangioendothelioma. These rearrangements create fusion proteins in which the kinase domain of ROS1 becomes constitutively active and drives cellular proliferation. Targeting ROS1 fusion proteins with the small-molecule inhibitor crizotinib is showing promise as an effective therapy in patients with NSCLC whose tumors are positive for these genetic abnormalities. This review discusses the recent preclinical and clinical findings on ROS1 gene fusions in cancer.
Faculty Perceptions Of Student Credibility Based On Email Addresses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate faculty perceptions of student credibility based on email addresses. The survey was conducted at an upper division business school in Michigan where all students have completed at least two years of college courses. The survey results show that a student’s selection of an email address does influence the faculty’s perception of their credibility. An email address that consists of a nickname reduces the faculty’s perception of student credibility as well as the domain name of the email service used by the student The reduced credibility may have a negative impact on the faculty member’s perception of the student.
Query processing in Oracle DBMS

This talk presents a broad overview of recent features in Oracle query processing including query optimization, parallel and serial executions, and analytics and OLAP. It describes Oracle's global query optimizer, which integrates logical transformation and cost-based physical optimization to allow an extensive set of possibly interdependent transformations to be performed in a cost based manner; it discusses the adaptive nature of the physical optimizer that uses feedback loop to improve upon its previous decisions. Some novel query execution techniques as well as Oracle's parallel shared-disk architecture are described. The talk outlines Oracle extension for analytics and OLAP features and their integration into the database engine. The challenges of building state-of-the-arts query optimizer and execution engine are highlighted.
Fluorinated liquid-enabled protein handling and surfactant-aided crystallization for fully in situ digital microfluidic MALDI-MS analysis

A droplet (digital) microfluidic device has been developed that enables complete protein sample preparation for MALDI-MS analysis. Protein solution dispensing, disulfide bond reduction and alkylation, tryptic digestion, sample crystallization, and mass spectrometric analysis are all performed on a single device without the need for any ex situ sample purification. Fluorinated solvents are used as an alternative to surfactants to facilitate droplet movement and limit protein adsorption onto the device surface. The fluorinated solvent is removed by evaporation and so does not interfere with the MALDI-MS analysis. Adding a small amount of perfluorooctanoic acid to the MALDI matrix solution improves the yield, quality and consistency of the protein–matrix co-crystals, reducing the need for extensive ‘sweet spot’ searching and improving the spectral signal-to-noise ratio. These innovations are demonstrated in the complete processing and MALDI-MS analysis of lysozyme and cytochrome c. Because all of the sample processing steps and analysis can be performed on a single digital microfluidic device without the need for ex situ sample handling, higher throughput can be obtained in proteomics applications. More generally, the results presented here suggest that fluorinated liquids could also be used to minimize protein adsorption and improve crystallization in other types of lab-on-a-chip devices and applications.
A 10b 120MSample/s time-interleaved analog-to-digital converter with digital background calibration

Digital calibration using adaptive signal processing corrects for offset mismatch, gain mismatch, and sample-time error between time-interleaved channels in a 10-b 120-Msample/s pipelined analog-to-digital converter (ADC). Offset mismatch between channels is overcome with a random chopper-based offset calibration. Gain mismatch and sample-time error are overcome with correlation-based algorithms, which drive the correlation between a signal and its chopped image or its chopped and delayed image to zero. Test results show that, with a 0.99-MHz sinusoidal input, the ADC achieves a peak signal-to-noise-and-distortion ratio (SNDR) of 56.8 dB, a peak integral nonlinearity of 0.88 least significant bit (LSB), and a peak differential nonlinearity of 0.44 LSB. For a 39.9-MHz sinusoidal input, the ADC achieves a peak SNDR of 50.2 dB. The active area is 5.2 mm/sup 2/, and the power dissipation is 234 mW from a 3.3-V supply.
Production and repair of chromosome damage in an X-ray sensitive CHO mutant visualized and analysed in interphase using the technique of premature chromosome condensation.

SummaryProduction and repair of chromosome damage were studied in interphase xrs-5 cells by means of premature chromosome condensation (PCC). The results obtained were compared with those previously reported for CHO cells. Production of chromosome damage per unit of absorbed radiation dose was in xrs-5 cells larger by a factor of 2·6 than in CHO cells (5·2 breaks per cell per Gy). Changes in chromatin structure, associated with the radiation-sensitive phenotype of xrs-5 cells, that increase the probability of conversion of a DNA double-strand break (dsb) to a chromosome break are invoked to explain this effect. Repair of chromosome breaks as measured in plateau-phase G1 cells was deficient in xrs-5 cells and the number of residual chromosome breaks was practically identical to the number of lethal lesions calculated from survival data. This observation suggests that non-repaired chromosome breaks are likely to be manifestations of lethal events in the cell. The yield of ring chromosomes scored after a few...
Do unsafe tetanus toxoid injections play a significant role in the transmission of HIV/AIDS? Evidence from seven African countries

Objectives: Although sexual transmission is generally considered to be the main factor driving the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa, recent studies have claimed that iatrogenic transmission should be considered as an important source of HIV infection. In particular, receipt of tetanus toxoid injections during pregnancy has been reported to be associated with HIV infection in Kenya. The objective of this paper is to assess the robustness of this association among women in nationally representative HIV surveys in seven African countries. Methods: The association between prophylactic tetanus toxoid injections during pregnancy and HIV infection was analysed, using individual-level data from women who gave birth in the past five years. These data are from the nationally representative Demographic and Health Surveys, which included HIV testing in seven African countries: Burkina Faso 2003 (N = 2424), Cameroon 2004 (N = 2600), Ethiopia 2005 (N = 2886), Ghana 2003 (N = 2560), Kenya 2003 (N = 1617), Lesotho 2004 (N = 1278) and Senegal 2005 (N = 2126). Results: Once the odds ratios (OR) were adjusted for five-year age groups and for ethnic, urban and regional indicators, the association between prophylactic tetanus toxoid injections during pregnancy and HIV infection was never statistically significant in any of the seven countries. Only in Cameroon was there an association between previous tetanus toxoid injection and HIV positivity but it became weaker (OR 1.53, 95% CI 0.91 to 2.57) once urban location and ethnic group were adjusted for. Conclusions: Although the risk of HIV infection through unsafe injections and healthcare should not be ignored and should be reduced, it does not seem that there is, at present and in the seven countries studied, strong evidence supporting the claim that unsafe tetanus toxoid injections are a major factor driving the HIV epidemic.
Optical transmission of narrowband mm-wave signals using telecommunications-grade DFB lasers

Using an uncoated monolithic single-contact distributed feedback (DFB) laser, transmission of 2 Mb/s data at a subcarrier frequency of 35 GHz over 2.2 km of optical fiber by resonant modulation is demonstrated. Modulation response of 60 MHz with more than 1 GHz of enhancement at round trip frequency, carrier-to-noise ratio and bit-error-rate results are reported. The tolerance of the resonant round-trip frequency to the DFB facet cleaving process and the device length uncertainty due to cleaving is also addressed in detail by computer simulation.
Image reconstruction for dynamic PET based on low-order approximation and restoration of the sinogram

Many image-reconstruction methods have been proposed to improve the spatial resolution of positron emission tomography (PET) images and, thus, to produce better quantification. However, these techniques, which are designed for static images, may be inadequate for good reconstruction from dynamic data. The authors present a simple, but effective, reconstruction approach intended specifically for dynamic studies. First, the level of noise in dynamic PET data is reduced by smoothing along the time axis using a low-order approximation. Next, the denoised sinograms are restored spatially by the method of projections onto convex sets. Finally, images are reconstructed from the restored sinograms by ordinary filtered backprojection. The authors present experimental results that demonstrate substantial improvements in region-of-interest quantification in actual and simulated dopamine D-2 neuroreceptor-imaging studies of a monkey brain.
An implementation of IEEE 1149.1 to avoid timing violations and other practical in-compliance improvements

An implementation of the IEEE 1149.1 standard, commonly called the JTAG (Joint Test Action Group) standard and created to address the time and cost issues associated with developing digital systems, is presented in this paper. Rules are given for removing gated clocks, registering all the TAP controller outputs, and daisy-chaining the boundary-scan cell clocks, resets, and control signals in a direction opposite to that of TDI to TDO signal. Several major advantages are obtained as a result of these implementation rules. Timing issues that occur while shifting between the boundary cells when the design is in layout are eliminated. During EXTEST instruction execution, skew is introduced between the toggling pad outputs to minimize damaging power spikes. Due to the elimination of the gated clocks, scan can be inserted without additional DFT logic. A method for inserting scan is given which mostly eliminates timing issues during shifting. Since the TAP controller outputs are fully registered and the gated clocks are recommended to be enables, more observe and control locations are available for an ATPG tool to easily create a high fault coverage pattern for the JTAG logic.
Comparative statistical methods in the analysis of burn victims

Data on 70 burn patients aged 60 years or more who were treated at a regional burn centre were analysed using both univariate and multivariate methods. The univariate analyses provide information on ways in which individual patient characteristics are independently related to mortality and morbidity. These analyses result in simplistic understandings of the role each variable plays in subsequent patient outcomes but no information is provided on how these measures interact with one another. Even probit analysis, while providing useful estimates of mortality rates, traditionally considers only one variable at a time or must duplicate the procedure for separate subgroups of the sample. However, discriminant analysis permits the assessment of the overall contribution of various factors that are mutually present. Additionally, these techniques provide a mechanism to predict individual outcomes for each patient. The present study demonstrates that discriminant analysis of information easily available at the time of burn injury is useful in predicting mortality but not morbidity. The fact that morbidity is not predicted suggests the search for other factors that predispose a patient to subsequent complications.
Radiation fields of circular loop antennas by a direct integration process

Starting from the radiation characteristics of a differential current element, the vector potential produced by a single-turn circular loop antenna is formulated in terms of a general loop current by a direct integration process. Evaluation of the resulting integrals for a limited number of specific loop current distributions leads to generalized expressions for both the standing-wave and traveling-wave cases. Radiation fields can be found from the integrated vector potential expressions. This technique represents only a slight modification of the one used by Sherman, but it extends his work in such a way that the results are equivalent to those obtained by Knudsen in a somewhat different manner.
Molecular Composition, Structure, and Sensitivity of Explosives

High explosives, blasting agents, propellants, and pyrotechnics are all metastable relative to reaction products and are termed energetic materials. They are thermodynamically unstable but the kinetics of decomposition at ambient conditions are sufficiently slow that they can be handled safely under controlled conditions. The ease with which an energetic material can be caused to undergo a violent reaction or detonation is called its sensitivity. Sensitivity tests for energetic materials are aimed at defining the response of the material to a specific situation, usually prompt shock initiation or a delayed reaction in an accident. The observed response is always due to a combination of the physical state and the molecular structure of the material. Modeling of any initiation process must consider both factors. The physical state of the material determines how and where the energy is deposited in the material. The molecular structure in the solid state determines the mechanism of decomposition of the material and the rate of energy release. Slower inherent reaction chemistry leads to longer reaction zones in detonation and inherently safer materials. Slower chemistry also requires hot spots involved in initiation to be hotter and to survive for longer periods of time. High thermal conductivity also leads to quenching of small hot spots and makes a material more difficult to initiate. Early endothermic decomposition chemistry also delays initiation by delaying heat release to support hot spot growth. The growth to violent reaction or detonation also depends on the nature of the early reaction products. If chemical intermediates are produced that drive further accelerating autocatalytic decomposition the initiation will grow rapidly to a violent reaction.
The MDS-ANAVA technique for assessing knowledge representation differences between skill groups

Knowledge representation is one of important factors that determine human performance on cognitive tasks. Due to different levels of experience, different groups of people may develop different knowledge representations which lead to different levels of performance on cognitive tasks. If knowledge representation differences exist between skill groups such as experts and novices, those differences can be used to guide the training of novices for skill acquisition, and to assist the design of jobs and tools for performance enhancement. A technique is presented in this paper for assessing knowledge representation differences between skill groups, based on multidimensional scaling (MDS) of dissimilarity data and analysis of angular variance (ANAVA). The MDS-ANAVA technique was applied to two sets of dissimilarity data that were obtained from ten experts and ten novices in the computer domain, one set concerning 23 concepts in C computer programming, and another set concerning 21 concepts in the UNIX operating system. Knowledge representation differences from the MDS-ANAVA technique are compared with those from the hierarchical clustering technique. The MDS-ANAVA technique shows several advantages to the hierarchical clustering technique in testing the statistical significance of knowledge representation differences between skill groups and revealing features underlying knowledge representations of skill groups.
Evaluation of Accuracy and Reproducibility of Peak Flowmeters at 1,400 m

Peak flow meters provide physicians and patients with objective measures about changes in pulmonary obstruction. We evaluated eight models of peak flowmeters and measured their accuracy and reproducibility with methods recently recommended by the National Asthma Education Program (NAEP). Waveforms from the American Thoracic Society's spirometer testing set were used to drive a computer-controlled syringe. Testing was done at Salt Lake City at an altitude 1,400 m. It appears that the original Wright peak flowmeter has been used as the "de facto" standard. We found that the original Wright peak flowmeter overestimated flows in its midrange; and, as a consequence, most of the other peak flowmeters also overestimated peak flows. The overestimation of peak flows may have been understated because of the 1,400-m altitude testing site. To the credit of the instrument manufacturers, we were pleasantly surprised with the quality, accuracy, and reproducibility of presently available peak flowmeters; however, as a result of our testing, we suspect that with little effort, manufacturers of peak flowmeters could improve the accuracy of their devices. Standardized testing methods and equipment should make the task of peak flowmeter design, manufacture, and testing even easier. We trust that manufacturers of peak flowmeters will respond appropriately and improve their instruments.
A pulse in a binary sediment

SUMMARY Synthetic seismograms are generated by an exact method that automatically separates stratigraphic effects from intrinsic effects. Then three different methods are used to derive rather simple expressions for the effective sound speed of a binary sediment for vertical propagation at wavelengths greater than the average layer thickness. A single-scatter theory (SST) is based on the notion that transmitted energy is reflected once less than absorbed energy. A path sum theory (PST) is used to explicitly sum the contribution of rays corresponding to multiple reflections. An averaged-multiple imbedding theory (AMI) is developed that explicitly averages multiple reflections over the distribution of layer thicknesses. Although each of these theories has a different ansatz they all agree remarkably well with numerical simulation and with each other. Unlike some earlier theories, they do not require that the impedance contrast of the layers decrease as the number of layers increases. They take account of the effect of intrinsic attenuation on multiples as well as the primary wave. They use the layer-thickness probability distributions directly rather than the autocorrelation of the reflectivity or the impedance variation. SST is shown to agree with earlier static theories of effective sound-speed in the limit as m ω 0. PST gives a stratigraphic (scattering) Q that vanishes as ω 0. Both PST and AM1 permit scattering losses due to spatial irregularities of the sand-shale interfaces, and they are more accurate than SST if reflection coefficients are large.
How does heart rate recovery after sub-maximal exercise correlate with maximal exercise testing in children with CF?

Abstract Background Disease progression in cystic fibrosis (CF) is marked by worsening exercise tolerance. Further, maximal exercise capacity (VO 2 peak) correlates with survival in CF, but maximal tests are uncomfortable and resource-intensive. A three-minute step test (STEP) has been validated in CF. Heart rate (HR) recovery after exercise correlates with all-cause mortality in adult non-CF populations. We compared HR recovery after the three-minute step test with VO 2 peak in children with CF. Methods : Twenty-four children with CF performed STEP and a maximal exercise test. Correlation between the tests was assessed. Results : Maximum HR on STEP was lower than on the maximal test (140 vs. 190, p 2 peak. In subjects with mild lung disease, faster HR recovery after STEP correlated with higher VO 2 peak. Conclusions : The three-minute step test is a feasible submaximal test in this patient population. HR during and after a three-minute step test may reflect VO 2 peak in children with CF.
Prostaglandin F2α stimulates growth of skeletal muscle cells via an NFATC2-dependent pathway

Skeletal muscle growth requires multiple steps to form large multinucleated muscle cells. Molecules that stimulate muscle growth may be therapeutic for muscle loss associated with aging, injury, or disease. However, few factors are known to increase muscle cell size. We demonstrate that prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) as well as two analogues augment muscle cell size in vitro. This increased myotube size is not due to PGF2α-enhancing cell fusion that initially forms myotubes, but rather to PGF2α recruiting the fusion of cells with preexisting multinucleated cells. This growth is mediated through the PGF2α receptor (FP receptor). As the FP receptor can increase levels of intracellular calcium, the involvement of the calcium-regulated transcription factor nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) in mediating PGF2α-enhanced cell growth was examined. We show that NFAT is activated by PGF2α, and the isoform NFATC2 is required for PGF2α-induced muscle cell growth and nuclear accretion, demonstrating the first intersection between prostaglandin receptor activation and NFAT signaling. Given this novel role for PGF2α in skeletal muscle cell growth, these studies raise caution that extended use of drugs that inhibit PG production, such as nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, may be deleterious for muscle growth.
Three-dimensional structure of the bacterial cell wall peptidoglycan

The 3D structure of the bacterial peptidoglycan, the major constituent of the cell wall, is one of the most important, yet still unsolved, structural problems in biochemistry. The peptidoglycan comprises alternating N-acetylglucosamine (NAG) and N-acetylmuramic disaccharide (NAM) saccharides, the latter of which has a peptide stem. Adjacent peptide stems are cross-linked by the transpeptidase enzymes of cell wall biosynthesis to provide the cell wall polymer with the structural integrity required by the bacterium. The cell wall and its biosynthetic enzymes are targets of antibiotics. The 3D structure of the cell wall has been elusive because of its complexity and the lack of pure samples. Herein we report the 3D solution structure as determined by NMR of the 2-kDa NAG-NAM(pentapeptide)-NAG-NAM(pentapeptide) synthetic fragment of the cell wall. The glycan backbone of this peptidoglycan forms a right-handed helix with a periodicity of three for the NAG-NAM repeat (per turn of the helix). The first two amino acids of the pentapeptide adopt a limited number of conformations. Based on this structure a model for the bacterial cell wall is proposed.
PREPARATION AND MANIPULATION OF MODE-LOCKED TWO-PHOTON STATE

The article describes the quantum properties of mode-locked two-photon state generated through either a Fabry–Perot cavity or a sub-threshold optical parametric oscillator. It is shown that the time correlation function of such a state exhibits a comb-like structure. Different approaches to observe this comb-like feature are thoroughly discussed. The experiment demonstrates several different quantum interference effects with a mode-locked two-photon state. An analysis of the experiment leads to a new control technique of two-photon interference and to a better understanding of time-entangled two-photon state. A novel quantum information coding is predicted if such a state is mixed with a single-mode wide band two-photon state.