cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
3D printed modeling contributes to reconstruction of complex chest wall instability.

Abstract Background Three-dimensional printed models are increasingly used in many fields including medicine and surgery, but their use in the planning and execution of complex chest wall reconstruction has not been adequately described. In cases of non-union or prior attempts at chest wall reconstruction which have failed, there can be substantial deviations from expected chest wall anatomy. We report a novel technique for pre-operative planning and surgical execution of complex chest wall reconstruction, assisted by 3D printing. Our objective was to utilize 3-D volumetric modeling coupled with 3-D printing to produce patient-specific models for chest wall reconstruction in complex cases. Methods Soft tissue reconstruction 0.75 mm slice thickness computed tomography (CT) imaging data was loaded into medical CAD software for segmentation. Lung, muscle, foreign bodies, and bony structureswere separated due to the differences in density between them. The 3D volumetric mesh was then quality checked and stereolithography files (STL) were made which were able to be utilized by the 3D printer. The STL files were exported to a Objet 500 material jetting printer that utilized several UV light cured photopolymers. Results As an example case, we discuss a 55 year old male who underwent resuscitative thoracotomy. In the early post-operative period, he developed a pulmonary hernia in the 6th intercostal space, repaired with wire cerclage reapproximation of ribs. He developed a symptomatic mobile chest wall at the site of prior repair with additional concern for dissociated anterior cartilage. In preparation for operative repair, a 3D printed model was created, demonstrating fractured cartilage anteriorly as well a saw effect through the six and seventh ribs. An additional model was created using the normal ribs from the right side in mirror image reflection to quantify the degree and precise geometry of mal-alignment to the left chest. These models were then utilized to determine the operative approach via a thoracotomy incision to remove the cerclage wires, followed by parasternal incision, reduction and plating of the sternocostal non-union bursa Rib non-unions were plate stabilized. Repeat imaging in follow-up has demonstrated continued appropriate alignment and the patient reported improvement in his symptoms. Conclusion At present, the cost of 3-D printing remains substantial, but given the improved planning in complex cases, this cost may be recaptured in the reduction of operative time and improved outcomes with reduced re-operation rates. We believe that the early adoption of this technology by surgeons can help improve surgical quality and provide enhanced individualized patient care. These patient-specific models facilitate identification of features which are often not detected with standard 3-D reconstructed CT rendering. Centers should pursue the integration of 3-D printed models into their practice and active collaborations between surgeons and modeling experts should be sought at every available opportunity.
Hemophilia C: A Case Report With Updates on Diagnosis and Management of a Rare Bleeding Disorder

Â Hemophilia C or factor XI deficiency is a rare clotting disorder with prevalence of only 1 per 1 million. A 24-year-old male with multiple abdominal surgeries complicated by wound infections and poor healing was admitted to plastic surgery service for an elective abdominoplasty. Hematology was consulted for increased intraoperative and postoperative bleeding. Laboratory workup showed high-normal activated plasma thromboplastin time of 31 s (reference: 23 - 34 s), prothrombin time (PT) of 15 s (reference: 11.8 - 14.3 s) and internationalized normal ratio (INR) of 1.2. Patient had normal factors VIII, IX, XIII levels and normal von Willebrand's factor level. The factor XI level came back at 0.28 (0.44 - 1.43 U/mL) diagnostic for intermediate factor XI deficiency. Factor XI is responsible for thrombin generation after clotting is initiated as well as clot stabilization. The confirmatory test is factor XI assay. The management of factor-XI deficiency is based on history of bleeding and nature of the procedure. J Hematol. 2019;8(3):144-147 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jh522 Â
Disparities in Mental Health Care Utilization and Perceived Need Among Asian Americans: 2012-2016.

Objective:The objective was to examine mental health treatment access disparities between Asians and whites in the United States as well as the role of perceived and objective need and barriers to ...
Three-Dimensional Additively Manufactured Microstructures and Their Mechanical Properties

Metal additive manufacturing (AM) allows for the freeform creation of complex parts. However, AM microstructures are highly sensitive to the process parameters used. Resulting microstructures vary significantly from typical metal alloys in grain morphology distributions, defect populations and crystallographic texture. AM microstructures are often anisotropic and possess three-dimensional features. These microstructural features determine the mechanical properties of AM parts. Here, we reproduce three “canonical” AM microstructures from the literature and investigate their mechanical responses. Stochastic volume elements are generated with a kinetic Monte Carlo process simulation. A crystal plasticity-finite element model is then used to simulate plastic deformation of the AM microstructures and a reference equiaxed microstructure. Results demonstrate that AM microstructures possess significant variability in strength and plastic anisotropy compared with conventional equiaxed microstructures.
IMPLICATIONS OF BORDER-MAKING AND BORDER-CROSSING FOR THE CONTROL OF LIVESTOCK DISEASES IN COLONIAL SOUTHERN AFRICA, 1890-1960

This article explores the implications of border-making and border-crossing for the control of livestock diseases in colonial Southern Africa. Using archival documents and oral histories, it argues that the movement of livestock and wild animals across borders, which affected the epidemiology of livestock diseases and threatened the livestock industry, led to international scientific conferences and cooperation in disease control among countries such as Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and South Africa. This scientific cooperation included efforts to control East Coast Fever, Trypanosomiasis, and Foot and Mouth Disease. Hence, this article shows how critical border-making and border-crossing processes were in shaping the historical trajectories of the various social spaces in Southern Africa. In addition, given the permeable colonial borders, livestock diseases unequivocally challenged the idea of the inside and the outside as two self-evident positions because the contestation of the borders through various cross-border movements contributed to inter-colonial scientific cooperation to control livestock diseases. What is often overlooked is that although veterinary policies were, in theory, supposed to be applied indiscriminately, Africans and their livestock, considered as diseased in European circles, bore the brunt of these policies. Hence, this article also examines how livestock policies emerging from these international conferences affected African villagers, whose livelihoods and cultures were rooted in livestock keeping. What worsened the situation was that, due to their paternalistic attitudes, colonial officials rarely explained their actions to Africans, actions that included mass slaughter of and restrictions on the movement of African-owned livestock.
Swimming-induced pulmonary edema

Swimming-induced pulmonary edema occurs when fluid accumulates in the lungs in the absence of water aspiration during swimming and produces acute shortness of breath and a cough with blood-tinged sputum. We report a case of a 58-year-old female athlete presenting with acute dyspnea during the swimming portion of a half-triathlon competition. She had complete resolution within 24 h of presentation.
Primary Erythromelalgia Complicated by Cellulitis: A Case Report and Review of Literature.

Background: Erythromelalgia is a rare disease with increasing incidence. It manifests as episodic painful red extremities triggered by heat. External cooling provides temporary symptomatic relief but may lead to complications such as cellulitis. Management includes trigger control, behavioral therapy and pain management. Case Presentation: A 47-year-old African American male presented to the hospital with worsening bilateral lower extremity pain for three months. It was episodic, triggered by running and associated with erythema and swelling. Patient used cold water immersion and air conditioning for pain relief. One week prior to presentation, he developed painful blisters on his feet. On presentation, vital signs were stable, patient was afebrile. Acute infection was ruled out and he was discharged with outpatient rheumatology follow up for erythromelalgia. He returned one week later with worsening symptoms. CT scan of lower extremities indicated bilateral cellulitis. Patient was managed by medicine, dermatology, rheumatology, and podiatry for cellulitis, fungal infection, trench foot and primary erythromelalgia with antibiotics, antifungals, gabapentinoids and behavioral therapy. His infection resolved and pain improved. He was discharged with outpatient rheumatology follow up. Discussion: Erythromelalgia is a highly debilitating disease with episodes of burning erythematous extremities triggered by increase in skin temperature. Patients seek pain relief by excessive external cooling. Pathophysiology involves gain of function mutation in voltage gated sodium channels causing autoregulatory dysfunction of skin. Underlying disease mechanisms are ambiguous and may involve unidentified genetic components and unknown triggers. It is a clinical diagnosis. Therapy requires a multidisciplinary approach. Complications should be promptly addressed given attention next to symptomatic relief. There is a lack of disease specific treatment and complete remission is unlikely. Our patient responded well to gabapentinoids and behavioral therapy.
A mathematical model to estimate the potential reduction of preterm mortality in sub-Saharan Africa with WHO-recommended interventions to improve preterm birth outcomes

PURPOSE Preterm birth (PTB), a leading cause of neonatal mortality, has the highest burden in low-income countries. In 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) published recommendations for interventions to improve preterm outcomes. This analysis uses the Maternal and Neonatal Directed Assessment of Technology (MANDATE) model to evaluate …
Mindfulness for Pediatric Health Conditions

Mindfulness interventions are commonly used to manage psychological and physiological distress associated with pediatric health conditions. Mindfulness approaches are particularly well-suited to pediatric illnesses because many of these conditions are chronic and mindfulness encourages both acceptance of what one cannot change and engagement in behaviors that improve functioning. Rather than seeking to ameliorate illness, mindfulness encourages nonjudgmental present awareness and moving in the direction of one’s values. This chapter provides an introduction to mindfulness practices for pediatric health conditions along with illustrations of how clinicians can apply mindfulness principles in their practice with pediatric patients. We provide descriptions of how to adapt mindfulness principles for use with children and adolescents, considering cognitive developmental differences that influence the type of intervention content appropriate across different ages. Finally, we provide examples of mindfulness intervention application for common chronic conditions (i.e., pain, gastrointestinal distress, obesity) to assist the practitioner in tailoring mindfulness interventions to these populations.
Reversal of Polymicrobial Biofilm Tolerance to Ciprofloxacin by Blue Light plus Carvacrol.

Chronic wound infections are often caused by multi-species biofilms and these biofilm-embedded bacteria exhibit remarkable tolerance to existing antibiotics, which presents huge challenges to control such infections in the wounds. In this investigation, we established a polymicrobial biofilm composed of P. aeruginosa, S. aureus, K. pneumoniae, and A. baumannii. We tested a cocktail therapy comprising 405-nm blue light (BL), carvacrol (Ca), and antibiotics on the multispecies biofilm. Despite the fact that all strains used to form the biofilm were susceptible to ciprofloxacin (CIP) in planktonic cultures, the biofilm was found to withstand ciprofloxacin as well as BL-Ca dual treatment, mainly because K. pneumoniae outgrew and became dominant in the biofilm after each treatment. Strikingly, when ciprofloxacin was combined with BL-Ca, the multispecies biofilms succumbed substantially and were eradicated at an efficacy of 99.9%. Mechanistically, BL-Ca treatment increased membrane permeability and potentiated the anti-biofilm activity of ciprofloxacin, probably by facilitating ciprofloxacin’s entrance of the bacteria, which is particularly significant for K. pneumoniae, a species that is refractory to either ciprofloxacin or BL-Ca dual treatment. The results suggest that bacterial membrane damage can be one of the pivotal strategies to subvert biofilm tolerance and combat the recalcitrant multispecies biofilms.
Optical rotatory dispersion studies of poly(l‐α‐methylbenzyl methacrylate) and poly(menthyl methacrylate) in solution

Optical rotatory dispersion studies were carried out on solutions of poly(l-α-methylbenzyl methacrylate) and poly (l-menthyl methacrylate) samples of varying tacticity. Monomeric analogues α-methylbenzyl pivalate and menthyl pivalate were also investigated in the same way. Ultraviolet spectra of the α-methylbenzyl series were obtained. The general shape and form of the optical rotation spectra were similar for the several α-methylbenzyl polymer samples and monomer analogue. The isotactic polymer showed generally higher optical activity than both the syndiotactic and atactic polymers and the monomeric analogue. This was found to be true in several solvent systems. The ratio of the optical activity of the polymer to that of the monomer increased uniformly with decreasing wave length. The temperature dependence of optical activity was small. The ultraviolet spectra of polymeric and monomeric species were very much the same down to the lowest wave lengths measured, of the order of 210 mμ. The menthyl polymers and monomer analogue also showed optical rotation spectra which were similar to each other. For this material all polymers had higher optical activity than the monomeric analogue, but in contrast to that which was found for the α-methylbenzyl systems, the syndiotactic and atactic polymers showed higher optical rotation than the isotactic material. The relationship of the optical activity of the polymers in solution to the specific conformational structure present is obscured partly by solvent interaction and partly by the fact that the effects of polymer structure on optical activity are small since the asymmetric carbon or carbon atoms are connected by several intermediate bonds to the skeletal backbone of the molecule. The importance of the excited states of the important chromophoric groups of the polymer molecule on the optical activity is discussed.
Characterization of Corticotropin‐Releasing Factor (CRF) Receptors

Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and its receptors play a major role in regulating an organism's response to physical, emotional and environmental stress. While the primary role of CRF is the regulation of adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) secretion from the pituitary and modulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal axis, CRF is also widely distributed in the central nervous system where it produces a broad spectrum of autonomic, electrophysiological and behavioral effects consistent with a neurotransmitter or neuromodulator role in the brain. Methods are provided for characterizing the receptor proteins through which CRF exerts its function. A well-characterized radioligand receptor binding assay is provided that yields quantitative information about the affinity and density of receptors in a variety of tissues, while another procedure utilizes similar kinetic theories but, in contrast to the homogenized or whole cell suspension approach, makes use of slide-mounted tissue sections.
Characterization of two structurally related Xenopus laevis protein tyrosine phosphatases with homology to lipid-binding proteins

We have chosen Xenopus laevis as a model system to study how protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPases) function in growth and development. As an initial step, we have previously isolated in a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based protocol cDNA fragments which correspond to sequences within the catalytic domains of PTPases (Yang, Q., and Tonks, N. K. (1993) Adv. Protein Phosphatases 7, 359-372). Two of these PCR products, designated X1 and X10, have now been used to screen a X. laevis ovary cDNA library to obtain complete coding sequences for two distinct PTPases. The X1 cDNA encodes a protein (PTPX1) of 693 amino acids (approximately 79 kDa); the X10 cDNA encodes a protein of 597 amino acids (approximately 69 kDa). Both PTPX1 and PTPX10 lack potential membrane spanning sequences and therefore can be classified as non-transmembrane/cytoplasmic PTPases. While the overall structure of these PTPases are similar, sharing segments of 95% amino acid identity, they differ in that PTPX1 contains a unique 97-amino acid insert between the N-terminal segment and C-terminal catalytic domain. The absence of complete identity between PTPX1 and PTPX10 suggests that these two sequences are the products of separate genes and not the result of alternative splicing. This conclusion is confirmed by PCR analysis of Xenopus genomic DNA. Both PTPases share sequence identities in their N-terminal segments with two lipid-binding proteins, cellular retinaldehyde-binding protein and SEC14p, a phospholipid transferase. In addition, the unique insert sequence of PTPX1 shares identity with PSSA, a protein involved in phosphatidylserine biosynthesis. Sequence comparison suggests that PTPX10 is the Xenopus homolog of the human PTPase Meg-02, while PTPX1 is a structurally related yet distinct PTPase. Intrinsic PTPase activity of PTPX1 and PTPX10 was demonstrated in lysates of Sf9 cells infected with recombinant baculoviruses encoding either enzyme. PTPX1 can be recovered in both soluble and membrane fractions from Xenopus oocytes with the membrane form exhibiting approximately 4-fold higher activity than the soluble form.
Methylation of Mammalian Deoxyribonucleic Acid III. TERMINAL VERSUS INTERNAL LOCATION OF 5-METHYLCYTOSINE IN OLIGODEOXYRIBONUCLEOTIDES FROM NOVIKOFF HEPATOMA CELL DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID

Abstract DNA-pyrimidine clusters isolated from Novikoff rat hepatoma cells labeled with [methyl-14C]methionine were previously subfractionated on DEAE columns at acid pH. Each subfraction of differing over-all base composition was sequentially treated with Escherichia coli alkaline phosphatase and venom or bovine spleen phosphodiesterase. The resulting digests were analyzed for the quantity of 14C in the deoxyribonucleoside and 5'- or 3'-deoxyribonucleotide fractions. With the sole exception of the dinucleotide 5-methyl-CpT, very little 5-methylcytosine is located at the 5' terminus of pyrimidine clusters in this DNA. Most DNA-5-methylcytosine occurs at the 3' end of pyrimidine clusters although substantial percentages of label can be found internally. Solitary cytosine residues (i.e. ...PupCpPu...) are also methylated in this DNA. This relatively detailed "map" of 5-methylcytosine distribution in Novikoff cell DNA will be useful in examining factor (or factors) that might contribute to the observed specificity of the DNA-cytosine methyl transferase reaction.
Disruption of Cerebrospinal Fluid Flow through the Olfactory System May Contribute to Alzheimer's Disease Pathogenesis

Plaques and tangles may be manifestations of a more substantial underlying cause of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Disease-related changes in the clearance of amyloid-β (Aβ) and other metabolites suggest this cause may involve cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow through the interstitial spaces of the brain, including an archaic route through the olfactory system that predates neocortical expansion by three hundred million years. This olfactory CSF conduit (OCC) runs from the medial temporal lobe (MTL) along the lateral olfactory stria, through the olfactory trigone, and down the olfactory tract to the olfactory bulb, where CSF seeps through the cribriform plate to the nasal submucosa. Olfactory dysfunction is common in AD and could be related to alterations in CSF flow along the OCC. Further, reductions in OCC flow may impact CSF hydrodynamics upstream in the MTL and basal forebrain, resulting in less efficient Aβ removal from those areas-among the first affected by neuritic plaques in AD. Factors that reduce CSF drainage across the cribriform plate and slow the clearance of metabolite-laden CSF could include aging-related bone changes, head trauma, inflammation of the nasal epithelium, and toxins that affect olfactory neuron survival and renewal, as well as vascular effects related to diabetes, obesity, and atherosclerosis-all of which have been linked to AD risk. Problems with CSF-mediated clearance could also provide a link between these seemingly disparate factors and familial AD mutations that induce plaque and tangle formation. I hypothesize that disruptions of CSF flow across the cribriform plate are important early events in AD, and I propose that restoring this flow will enhance the drainage of Aβ oligomers and other metabolites from the MTL.
DYNAMICAL ELECTROWEAK SYMMETRY BREAKING

In theories of dynamical electroweak symmetry breaking, the electroweak interactions are broken to electromagnetism by the vacuum expectation value of a fermion bilinear. These theories may thereby avoid the introduction of fundamental scalar particles, of which we have no examples in nature. In this note, we review the status of experimental searches for the particles predicted in technicolor, topcolor, and related models.
On a Class of Precessional Phenomena and Their Stability in the Sense of Liapunov, Poincaré and Lagrange

The stability of a class of precessions in the sense of Liapunov, Poincare and Lagrange is investigated in this paper.
Toward a hardware accelerated future

Hardware accelerators provide a rare opportunity to achieve orders-of-magnitude performance and power improvements with customized circuit designs. Many forms of hardware acceleration exist—attributes and trade-offs of each approach is discussed. Single-algorithm accelerators, which maximize efficiency gains through maximum specialization, are one such approach. By combining many of these into a many-accelerator system, high specialization is possible with fewer specialization limits. The development of one such single-algorithm hardware accelerator for managing compressed Bloom filters in wireless sensor networks is presented. Results from the development of the accelerator highlight scalability deficiencies in the way accelerators are currently integrated into processors, and that the majority of accelerator area is consumed by generic SRAM memory rather than algorithm-specific logic. These results motivate development of the accelerator store, a system architecture designed for the needs of many-accelerator systems. In particular, the accelerator store improves inter-accelerator communication and includes support for sharing accelerator SRAM memories. Using a security application as an example, the accelerator store architecture is able to reduce total processor area by 30% with less than 1% performance overhead. Using the accelerator store as a base, the ShrinkFit framework allows accelerators to grow and shrink, to achieve accelerated performance within small FPGA budgets and efficiently expand for more performance when larger FPGA budgets are available. The ability to resize accelerators is particularly useful for hybrid systems combining GP-CPUs and FPGA resources, in which applications may deploy accelerators to a shared FPGA fabric. ShrinkFit performance overheads for small and large FPGA resources are found to be low using a robotic bee brain workload and FPGA prototype. Finally, future directions are briefly discussed along with details about the production of the robotic bee helicopter brain prototype.
Disclosure and Civil Penalty Rules in the U.S. Legal Response to Corporate Tax Shelters

Historians and sociologists frequently debate American exceptionalism, or the “view that America can be understood only by appreciating its singular origins and evolution.”1 In some areas, ranging from the death penalty2 to the Bush Administration’s embrace of torture and preemptive war, American exceptionalism has been emergent in recent years rather than a historical constant. In other areas, if the U.S. initially looks different from other economically advanced countries, it may simply have traveled down a common pathway first, without actually being exceptional at all.
Prospective measures of competitive balance: application to money lines in major league baseball

This study examines competitive balance in Major League Baseball (MLB) by looking at the money lines for the games during the regular season. The assertion is that the closer the money lines are to indicating that each team has an equal chance of winning each game, the more competitive balance there is in the league. This study extends the model developed by Bowman et al. (2012), which used point spreads to assess competitive balance in the National Football League (NFL) and the National Basketball Association (NBA). In this study, money lines for the 1999–2011 seasons were used to develop several measures of competitive balance. The results indicate that competitive balance increased rather substantially during this period. A by-product of this research is to identify the most highly rated team and pitcher. In 2002, New York Yankees were the highest rated team and from the year 2000 Pedro Martinez was the highest rated pitcher.
The Basic Immune Simulator: An agent-based model to study the interactions between innate and adaptive immunity

We introduce the Basic Immune Simulator (BIS), an agent-based model created to study the interactions between the cells of the innate and adaptive immune system. Innate immunity, the initial host response to a pathogen, generally precedes adaptive immunity, which generates immune memory for an antigen. The BIS simulates basic cell types, mediators and antibodies, and consists of three virtual spaces representing parenchymal tissue, secondary lymphoid tissue and the lymphatic/humoral circulation. The BIS includes a Graphical User Interface (GUI) to facilitate its use as an educational and research tool. The BIS was used to qualitatively examine the innate and adaptive interactions of the immune response to a viral infection. Calibration was accomplished via a parameter sweep of initial agent population size, and comparison of simulation patterns to those reported in the basic science literature. The BIS demonstrated that the degree of the initial innate response was a crucial determinant for an appropriate adaptive response. Deficiency or excess in innate immunity resulted in excessive proliferation of adaptive immune cells. Deficiency in any of the immune system components increased the probability of failure to clear the simulated viral infection. The behavior of the BIS matches both normal and pathological behavior patterns in a generic viral infection scenario. Thus, the BIS effectively translates mechanistic cellular and molecular knowledge regarding the innate and adaptive immune response and reproduces the immune system's complex behavioral patterns. The BIS can be used both as an educational tool to demonstrate the emergence of these patterns and as a research tool to systematically identify potential targets for more effective treatment strategies for diseases processes including hypersensitivity reactions (allergies, asthma), autoimmunity and cancer. We believe that the BIS can be a useful addition to the growing suite of in-silico platforms used as an adjunct to traditional research efforts.
An interactive data base system for assessing and managing outpatient experiences in residency training

A computerized system is described for assessing and managing a residency program's outpatient experience for its residents. The utilization of MUMPS hierarchical files allows rapid interactive searches, making this system an effective tool for its intended uses. The rationale behind the design of the data files and searches and the usefulness of the data in residency training are discussed.
Adaptive error control during gradient search for an elliptic optimization problem

In this article we describe a cost effective adaptive procedure for optimization of a quantity of interest of a solution of an elliptic problem with respect to parameters in the data, using a gradient search approach. The numerical error in both the quantity of interest and the computed gradient may affect the progression of the search algorithm, while the errors generally change at each step during the search algorithm. We address this by using an accurate a posteriori estimate for the error in a quantity of interest that indicates the effect of error on the computed gradient and so provides a measure for how to refine the discretization as the search proceeds. Specifically, we devise an adaptive algorithm to refine and unrefine the finite element mesh at each step in the search algorithm. We give basic examples and apply this technique to a model of a healing wound.
EFFECT OF THE MORPHOLOGY OF HYDROPHILIC POLYMERIC MATRICES ON THE DIFFUSION AND RELEASE OF WATER SOLUBLE DRUGS

Abstract Drug release mechanisms from, and diffusion processes in, hydrophilic crosslinked polymeric systems were investigated in two macromolecular states: in the glassy and rubbery states during the early part of countercurrent water diffusion, and in the rubbery state after thermodynamic equilibrium between the network and the surrounding dissolution medium (water) was attained. Dilute, aqueous poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) solutions containing theophylline were crosslinked with glutaraldehyde. The crosslinking ratio, X , varied between 0.01 and 0.20 moles glutaraldehyde per mole of PVA repeating unit. Theophylline release from these rubbery matrices was followed as a function of time. It was determined that, within the range of crosslinking ratios studied, the crosslinked macromolecular structure affected the solute diffusion process. Theophylline release from crosslinked PVA slabs, which were originally dehydrated at 30°C, was also measured. The drug release process was significantly impeded in these systems, especially for samples with crosslinking ratio X ≥ 0.10. This behavior was explained in terms of relaxation of the macromolecular chains and possible existence of ordered chain structures. Glass-to-rubber transitions, a result of the countercurrent diffusion of water into the originally dried (glassy) polymer, shifted the fractional release of theophylline from a f ( t 1/2 ) to a f ( t n ) time dependence, with n taking values between 0.50 and 0.76. This type of release behavior indicates anomalous diffusion mechanisms. These results may be helpful in the development of swelling controlled drug delivery systems.
Microblades and Migrations: Ethnic and Economic Models in the Peopling of the Americas

Early microblade assemblages in greater Beringia have been the focus of intense scrutiny because of their relevance to the problem of the peopling of the Americas. Although microblades have been produced in northeast Asia for more than 20,000 years, their manufacture is intensified in the terminal Pleistocene, coincident with the earliest definitive peopling of Beringia. In Alaska, where their manufacture was concentrated in the earliest Holocene period, microblades have often been viewed as diagnostic tools left by discrete ethnic groups (Na-Dene?) who followed the original (proto-Paleoindian?) migration. Alternatively, they have been viewed as a technology adapted for hunting in cold, northern environments, where lithics were relatively scarce, particularly in winter. A compromise view would suggest that such technologies were utilized in low frequencies by earlier populations, but became more prevalent as mammalian megafaunal extinctions took place, when caribou became of prime importance. The absence of such taxa to the south of the ice sheets might offer an alternative to ethnic arguments as an explanation of the limitations of expansion of microblade technologies into continental North America.
Microbial communities of a native perennial bunchgrass do not respond consistently across a gradient of land-use intensification

To test if native perennial bunchgrasses cultivate the same microbial community composition across a gradient in land-use intensification, soils were sampled in fall, winter and spring in areas under bunchgrasses ('plant') and in bare soils ('removal') in which plots were cleared of living plants adjacent to native perennial bunchgrasses (Nassella pulchra). The gradient in land-use intensification was represented by a relict perennial grassland, a restored perennial grassland, and a perennial grass agriculture site on the same soil type. An exotic annual grassland site was also included because perennial bunchgrasses often exist within a matrix of annual grasses in California. Differences in soil resource pools between 'plant' and 'removal' soils were observed mainly in the relict perennial grassland and perennial grass agriculture site. Seasonal responses occurred in all sites. Microbial biomass carbon (C) and dissolved organic C were greater under perennial bunchgrasses in the relict perennial grassland and perennial grass agriculture site when comparing treatment means of 'plant' vs. 'removal' soil. In general, soil moisture, microbial respiration, and nitrate decreased from fall to spring in 'plant' and 'removal' soils, while soil ammonium and net mineralizable nitrogen (N) increased only in 'plant' soils. A canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) of phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiles from all sites showed that land-use history limits the similarity of microbial community composition as do soil C and N dynamics among sites. When PLFA profiles from individual sites were analyzed by CCA, different microbial PLFA markers were associated with N. pulchra in each site, indicating that the same plant species does not retain a unique microbial fingerprint across the gradient of land-use intensification.
Protecting Confederate Soldiers and Mothers: Pensions, Gender, and the Welfare State in the U.S. South, a Case Study from Florida

Southern states used their Confederate pension programs for several purposes. These state welfare programs served to bolster white supremacy, support Democratic party hegemony, and reinforce conservative gender roles. While male applicants for Confederate pensions were expected to demonstrate their continued loyalty to the "lost cause," female applicants were also examined for their sexual behavior. The Confederate welfare systems were thus heavily gendered. Although Southern whites embraced these welfare programs, they did not lead to Southern support for a federal welfare system.
Foraging strategies of cattle in a Y-maze: influence of food availability

Abstract Three studies were conducted to investigate how cattle determine where to begin a foraging bout. Studies were designed to measure (1) the inherent tendency of cattle to shift after a successful foraging bout, and (2) the way cattle cognitively change foraging strategies in response to a change in food availability. The apparatus was a Y-maze. Cattle were placed in a start box, allowed to enter either arm of the maze and consume food at the end of the arm alley. One trial consisted of two or three choices. After consumption of a certain amount of food, cattle were returned to the start box and allowed to choose either arm. On the second choice, cattle were allowed to consume all the food (depletion) remaining in the feed box. On the third choice, therefore, cattle had to choose an arm other than the second choice in order to get food. A return to the previous arm was recorded as a ‘stay’. Choice of the other arm was recorded as a ‘shift’. The strategy of each cow was determined using the binomial test. Since cattle could get food (winning situation) on the first choice, the strategies were termed ‘win-stay’ or ‘win-shift’. Initially, cattle displayed either random behavior or a win-stay strategy. Lateral preferences on the first choice were also determined using the binomial test. When cattle did not exhibit a lateral preference, the one-sample runs test was used for further analysis. When cattle were faced with a losing possibility, because food was depleted, they increased the frequency with which they used a win-shift strategy. They continued to shift, even after the possibility of losing was removed. The possibility of losing seems to be very important in decision making of cattle. Apparently, cattle do not have an inherent tendency to shift after a successful bout. Cattle learned strategies to deal with the task.
Cognition in Children With Sensorineural Hearing Loss: Etiologic Considerations

Objectives A considerable amount of literature has documented the impact of hearing impairment on spoken language skills in deaf children referred for cochlear implantation. Critical areas of neurocognitive development in the acquisition of visual (manual) language also appear to be impacted, although the evidence is less robust. The present study focused on the development of visual and fine motor skills in a sample of preschool-age children diagnosed with sensorineural hearing loss with no known neurologic conditions (n = 36).
The evolution of a distributed processing network

Abstract Current trends in information systems technology increase the advantages of developing an increasingly complex distributed processing capacity. Distributed processing networks (DPNs) are expected to evolve gradually from centralized systems into more complex configurations. The introduction of major changes in organizational Structure, such as those precipitated by mergers or acquisitions, also require rapid changes to the DPN. This paper describes four distributed processing configurations. It then presents a case: the evolution of the DPN in a large corporate bank and holding company. This case illustrates configuration changes over the life cycle of the DPN of the bank and provides insight into the process of planning for DPN change. A tendency to return toward centralization is noted in this case; this may cause practitioners to rethink their own DPN growth plans.
Familial hyperphosphatasia with mental retardation, seizures, and neurologic deficits

Three siblings and a first cousin are described who have severe mental retardation, seizures, various neurologic abnormalities, and greatly elevated serum levels of alkaline phosphatase (AP). Each of these patients seemed normal at birth and during early infancy but by the latter part of the first year ceased to develop normally. During the second or third year of life, each began to have major motor seizures. The parents' marriages were consanguineous. Examination of tissues usually involved in conditions associated with hyperphosphatasia were normal; however, clusters of “foam” cells of undetermined significance were found in the rectal lamina propria of 3 of the patients. Enzymatic specificity, inhibition, electrophoretic, antibody, and gel filtration studies of the patients' serum and tissues indicate that their excessive circulating AP is most like that from liver.
Pulmonary disease and drug kinetics.

A number of examples of altered drug disposition in patients with respiratory disease have been reported. These reports have been analysed in terms of absorption, distribution and elimination. The changes have been examined mechanistically in light of the pathophysiology of respiratory disease and the known influence of these physiological parameters on drug disposition. Our analysis has included in vivo and in vitro data from laboratory animals in addition to appropriate data from humans.
Kinetics of Diamond-Like Film Growth Using Filament-Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition

A detailed kinetic model of diamond-like film growth from methane diluted in hydrogen using low-pressure, filament-assisted chemical vapor deposition (FACVD) has been developed. The model includes both gas-phase and surface reactions. The surface kinetics include adsorption of CH3• and H•, abstraction reactions by gas-phase radicals, desorption, and two pathways for diamond (sp3) and graphitic carbon (sp2) growth. It is postulated that adsorbed CH2• species are the major film precursors. The proposed kinetic model was incorporated into a transport model describing flow, heat and mass transfer in stagnation flow FACVD reactors. Diamond-like films were deposited on preseeded Si substrates in such a reactor at a pressure of 26 Torr, inlet gas composition ranging from 0.5% to 1.5% methane in hydrogen and substrate temperatures ranging from 600 to 950°C. The best films were obtained at low methane concentrations and substrate temperature of 700°C. The films were characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Raman spectroscopy. Observations from our experiments and growth rate data from similar experiments reported in the literature [1] were used to estimate unknown kinetic parameters of surface reactions. The proposed model predicts observed film growth rates, compositions and stable species distributions in the gas phase. It is the first complete model of FACVD that includes gas-phase and surface kinetics coupled with transport phenomena.
Colloid and elastic fibre: ultrastructural study on the histogenesis of colloid milium.

Tissues peripheral to well-developed papules of colloid milium were chosen for biopsy and electron microscopy examination. Evidence was presented that colloid is derived from elastic fibres through sequential degenerative changes. In the upper to middle dermis of the peripheral tissue, a number of abnormal masses in the vicinity of small colloid depositions were observed. Ultrastructurally, those abnormal masses were degenerating elastic fibres in which “electron-dense layers” of normal elastic fibre increased in amount, although their electron density diminished. Electron-light layers were gradually diminished in quantity. Degenerated elastic fibres finally became granulo-fibrillar and were indistinguishable from colloid. Many fibrils which closely resembled 10 nm tubular microfibrils of normal elastic fibre were observed in the granulo-fibrillar substance. Since one stage of the degeneration of elastic fibre which eventually leads to the formation of colloid milium was very similar to that of actinic elastosis, a direct role of sunlight in the formation of colloid milium is suggested.
Human cornea wound healing in organ culture after Er:YAG laser ablation

Purpose: To study the healing process in cultured human corneas after Er:YAG laser ablation. Methods: Human cadaver corneas within 24 hours post mortem were ablated with a Q- switched Er:YAG laser at 2.94 micrometer wavelength. The radiant exposure was 500 mJ/cm 2 . The cornea was cultured on a tissue supporting frame immediately after the ablation. Culture media consisted of 92% minimum essential media, 8% fetal bovine serum, 0.125% HEPES buffer solution, 0.125% gentamicin, and 0.05% fungizone. The entire tissue frame and media container were kept in an incubator at 37 degrees Celsius and 5% CO 2 . Serial macroscopic photographs of the cultured corneas were taken during the healing process. Histology was performed after 30 days of culture. Results: A clear ablated crater into the stroma was observed immediately after the ablation. The thickness of thermal damage ranges between 1 and 25 micrometer. Haze development within the crater varies from the third day to the fourteenth day according to the depth and the roughness of the crater. Histologic sections of the cultured cornea showed complete re- epithelization of the lased area. Loose fibrous tissue is observed filling the ablated space beneath the epithelium. The endothelium appeared unaffected. Conclusions: The intensity and time of haze development appears dependent upon the depth of the ablation. Cultured human corneas may provide useful information regarding the healing process following laser ablation.
Injuries in home health care workers: An analysis of occupational morbidity from a state compensation database

BACKGROUND: Home health services represent one of the fastest-growing segments of the US economy. Home health care workers (HHCWs) might be expected to have a high incidence and increased severity of injury because of inherent difficulty in control over their work environment, and the limited amount of research on injuries in home health care appears to support this hypothesis. METHODS: Using data on workers' compensation claims for 1995-1996 from a large state database, we calculated the incidence, frequency, and types of injuries occurring in this working population. Comparison data were drawn from nursing home (NH) and hospital-based nursing personnel. RESULTS: An incidence of 52 injuries per 1,000 workers per year was calculated; this rate lies between nursing home workers (132/1,000) and hospital-based workers (46/1,000). The percentage of indemnified (> 3 days lost-time) injuries was increased over those occurring in nursing home personnel. Mean number of days lost from work by home health workers was 44, significantly increased from the average 18 and 14 days lost by NH and hospital nursing workers, respectively. Mean indemnity payment was $1,523 and mean medical costs were $1,276 per injury. Permanent partial disability awards were made to 19 (4.9%) of the injured HHCWs during the 2-year study period; back injuries accounted for 63% (12) of these awards. Overexertion injuries and falls accounted for 63% of total injuries in this group of workers, while 13.5% occurred as a result of motor vehicle accidents. The incidence of injury attributed to motor vehicles in HHCWs was 7 per 1,000 workers per year, an order of magnitude greater than in NH and hospital workers. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that injuries to HHCWs, though less frequent than in their nursing home counterparts, result in greater lost time from work and accompanying costs, which may indicate greater severity of injury. Characteristics of home health work, including increased intensity and speed of work, adverse working conditions, and the necessity of motor vehicle transportation as a condition of work may be contributors to injury in this setting. Further investigation of determinants of accidents and injuries in home health care, both in the actual setting where the work takes place and in the way it is structured, is warranted. Language: en
Magnetic resonance imaging of total body fat in young adult men

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers an excellent opportunity to study human body composition. Differentiation of fat and nonfat tissue allows quantitative analysis of adipose tissue volume from MRI images. Cylindrical phantoms containing various proportions of water and oil were scanned using a spin echo sequence with an echo time of 12 ms, a repetition time of 150 ms with 20 mm slices. A previously described method of defining a fat pixel threshold underestimated the known volume of fat in the phantoms by a mean of 9.7%. Eight young male volunteers (mean age, 22 years) were scanned twice in succession using the same protocol as with the phantoms. The volume of fat calculated from images of eight subjects was upwardly adjusted by the amount the pixel thresholding method underestimated the known volumes of fat in the phantoms. The fat volume determined from the images of human subjects was converted to weight and then percent body fat (BF). The mean percent BF of the two MRI scans of the eight subjects...