cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nonoperative management of periappendiceal abscess in children: A comparison of antibiotics alone versus antibiotics plus percutaneous drainage

Abstract Purpose To determine the optimal nonoperative management of periappendiceal abscess in a pediatric population, we compared the therapeutic efficacy and cost-effectiveness of antibiotics alone versus antibiotics plus percutaneous drainage (PD). Methods We conducted a 10-year retrospective chart review of pediatric patients less than 18 years of age who had acute perforated appendicitis complicated by periappendiceal abscess. Group 1 consisted of patients (N = 35) who received nonoperative management with antibiotics only. Group 2 consisted of patients (N = 11) who underwent PD and also received antibiotics. Group 1 was subdivided into groups 1A and 1B. Group 1A consisted of patients (N = 25) who responded to antibiotics treatment. Group 1B consisted of patients (N = 10) who were initially treated with antibiotics but subsequently required PD. Patients' demographics, initial clinical presentation, abscess size and location, length of hospital stay, outcome, and complications were compared among these groups. Results Median hospital stay of group 1A and group 2 was identical at 6 days. Group 1B had a significantly longer median hospital stay of 13 days. There were no deaths and no significant long-term complications in any group. One patient in group 1A returned to the emergency room (ER) for abdominal pain and was readmitted for observation. Four patients in group 1B returned to the ER shortly after discharge and required readmission. One of these 4 patients developed acute pancreatitis in addition to enlarging abscess and underwent surgical drainage. There were no documented failures or complications of treatment in group 2 prior to interval appendectomy with the exception of 1 patient lost to follow-up. The presence of small bowel obstruction at the time of admission was an independent predictor of increased length of stay. Conclusions Antibiotic therapy alone can be effective in a majority of patients and is recommended as initial management. To prevent potential complications and increased cost, PD should not be delayed if clinical symptoms persist or the abscess remains unchanged. Reimaging 6 days after initiation of antibiotic therapy with ultrasound or MRI is recommended to identify patients who would progress on antibiotics alone or who need to receive drainage without delay. Level of evidence Level III.
Perceptions among the U.S. population of value of Japanese encephalitis (JE) vaccination for travel to JE-endemic countries

Abstract Introduction Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a rare but potentially severe disease among travelers. JE vaccine in the United States costs $500–$600 for a 2-dose series and is safe and effective but rare serious adverse events can occur. Our survey investigated likelihood of vaccine receipt for travel. Methods An electronically-administered survey was conducted among U.S. adults. Participants were presented a hypothetical scenario on travel to a JE-endemic country and JE vaccine characteristics and responded on likelihood of vaccination. Results Overall, 6384 (59%) of 10,904 persons completed the questions. Population estimates indicated 32% would be likely and 42% were unlikely to be vaccinated, and 26% were unsure. Among those likely to get vaccinated, important factors were disease risk and severity, and vaccine safety. Among those unlikely, cost, disease risk, and possibility of serious side effects ranked highest. Conclusions There is population heterogeneity in perception of JE disease risk and value of vaccination.
Dynamic Islanding in Power Systems Based on Real-Time Operating Conditions

During cascading failure in a power system, intentional controlled islanding is deemed as the last resort that prevents complete power system collapse. However, there exist two major challenges in the process of partitioning a power system: (a) optimal coordination of circuit breakers to trip candidate transmission lines, and (b) ensuring large steady state and transient stability margins to prevent further outages in smaller islands. This paper addresses the challenge of creating stable partitions. Contrary to the traditional methods, the developed islanding method is considered to be dynamic, i.e. the lines to be disconnected during an island are not pre-determined, rather, depend on real-time system conditions. Highly stable partitions alleviate frequency problems in the smaller islands, minimize load loss, and reduce dependency on large black-start units. Simulations are performed on synthetic Illinois 200-Bus system considering different number of islands and loading conditions.
11 – Concerns over the Adequacy of Previous Remediation Efforts

Publisher Summary This chapter presents an orderly example of how to raise issues where little research or information is available and suggests areas of inquiry that will be common to many sites. A “background” sample showing 16 ppm arsenic was found about 200 ft from the drinking reservoir. The District of Columbia was concerned that no health risk assessment was performed on arsenic even though many samples revealed extraordinarily high levels. Stressed vegetation is evident at numerous places throughout the site. Arsenic is a known herbicide, and these areas need further assessment to determine if arsenic is causing the problem. Fish tissue studies from the Potomac River indicate arsenic contamination. Further sampling must be done to assure the District of Columbia that the site is not the source for this arsenic. The District of Columbia felt that the Army placed too high a reliance on the expertise of its personnel in assessing whether or not more work needed to be done because of the limitations of the technology employed, the uniqueness of the site, use of only ordnance protocols, the subsequent discovery of ordnance and chemicals in areas not searched, and prior documented gaps in the knowledge of World War I experimental ordnance.
Adjunctive therapy of congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia with biphosphonates in children

This reviewed introduced the development of Congenital Pseudarthrosis of the Tibia adjunctive therapy with Biphosphonates in children, integrated the research of articles in the world over the past years, which including based research and the clinical research, and detailed described the structure, mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics, and adverse effects of Bisphosphonates, as well as use in children, the research of Bisphosphonates in treatment of Congenital Pseudarthrosis of the Tibia, and future prospects. Key words: Congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia; Neurofibromatosis; Bisphosphonates
A Risk-Stratified Peri-Operative Protocol for Reducing Surgical Site Infection after Cesarean Delivery

Background: Surgical site infections (SSI) are multifaceted. Pre-operative, intra-operative, and post-operative factors influence the risk of developing an infection. Our objective was to evaluate ...
Special Issue on Foundations of Social Computing: Enabling Social Applications via Decentralized Social Data Management

An unprecedented information wealth produced by online social networks, further augmented by location/collocation data, is currently fragmented across different proprietary services. Combined, it can accurately represent the social world and enable novel socially aware applications. We present Prometheus, a socially aware peer-to-peer service that collects social information from multiple sources into a multigraph managed in a decentralized fashion on user-contributed nodes, and exposes it through an interface implementing nontrivial social inferences while complying with user-defined access policies. Simulations and experiments on PlanetLab with emulated application workloads show the system exhibits good end-to-end response time, low communication overhead, and resilience to malicious attacks.
A rare case of persistent pseudohypobicarbonatemia arising from chemistry analyzer-specific interference.

Abstract Background Major discrepancies between concentrations of serum total carbon dioxide (tCO2) obtained from chemistry analyzers and calculated bicarbonate from blood gas analyzers should prompt laboratory investigation. Here, we present a rare case of pseudohypobicarbonatemia unrelated to the common causes such as hypertriglyceridemia and hyperproteinemia, but was caused by a low concentration of paraproteins. Case A 75-year-old man with persistent fevers was found to have a low concentration of serum tCO2 ( Results Mixing studies revealed non-linearity of serum tCO2, suggesting the presence of interfering substances. Triglyceride concentrations were normal. Serum electrophoresis revealed a 0.4 mg/dl M-protein. The patient’s serum tCO2 concentrations were repeated on different chemistry analyzer platforms – including Siemens, Roche, and Abbott – which demonstrated that the interference was specific to the Siemens chemistry analyzer. Serum tCO2 was significantly elevated after ultrafiltration of paraprotein, which confirmed the root cause of pseudohypobicarbonatemia. Conclusion Laboratory professionals should be aware that spuriously low serum tCO2 concentrations may result from unique interfering substances, such as paraproteins, that are both patient- and chemistry analyzer-specific.
Introduction to the Special Issue on Interoception and Suicidality.

Abstract Empirically informed theories of suicide highlight the importance of identifying factors that lead from suicide ideation to suicidal behavior. Interoceptive dysfunction may be one such differentiating factor. Interoceptive dysfunction refers to a disconnection from the internal sensations of the body, which can cause difficulty in truly understanding and knowing one’s own body. Specifically, interoceptive dysfunction may lead to such disconnection from the self that the body comes to be seen as “other” and potentially even “nonhuman.” A burgeoning body of research supports these theoretical links and also highlights the need for methodologically rigorous studies that employ careful measurement of these constructs. Thus, this special section is devoted to articles that advance the understanding of the relationship between interoception and suicidality. A more nuanced understanding of the relationship between interoceptive dysfunction and suicidality is critical for improving suicide prevention and treatment efforts.
APPLICABILITY OF HIGH SPEED CRAFT AND HIGH SPEED NAVAL CRAFT CLASSIFICATION RULES TO CURRENT MISSION REQUIREMENTS

The paper describes the content of and background to the development of the Guide for Building and Classing High Speed Naval Craft. It explains the role of ABS and the Naval Administration in the design and classificationprocess. Focusing on the hull requirements, it discusses some of the important design load parameters, acceptance criteria, and the reasons for the similarities and differences between standards for naval craft and commercial craft. It concludes with a brief description of the machinery requirements.
Van Nes Rotationplasty and Hip Reconstruction in the Treatment of Proximal Femoral Focal Deficiency (PFFD)

References and Suggested Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 426 Abstract We present a case of a 3 year old, otherwise healthy, child born with proximal femoral focal deficiency (PFFD) Aitken type B. The child has severe leg length discrepancy with the foot on the affected side at level just distal to the contralateral knee. The hip was dysplastic with large ossification defect of the proximal femur and marked varus alignment. Her knee was also dysplastic with significant flexion contracture. She was felt not to be a candidate for leg equalization procedures, and since she had relatively normal ankle and foot, modified Van Nes rotationplasty was recommended as the best treatment option. Her treatment consisted firstly of modified Van Nes rotationplasty followed by hip reconstruction osteotomy as staged procedures 1 year apart. She has become functional rotationplasty prosthesis user with below the knee amputation-like function and a stable hip.
Wave Propagation and Dispersion Characteristics in Anisotropic Medium

In this chapter, we derive the general dispersion and constitutive relations for a gyrotropic medium. A detailed analysis of wave propagation in an electrically gyrotropic or gyroelectric medium will be given. We then obtain the dispersion relations in terms of angle \( \theta \), which is the angle between the wave normal and the external magnetic field, and in terms of the transverse component of the wave vector, \( {k_\rho } \). We will analyze the plane waves in a gyroelectric medium and consider the cut off and resonance conditions for the principle waves. We then use the results to construct the Clemmow-Mually-Allis (CMA) diagram and tabulate the frequency bands over which the wave can propagate in each region on this diagram.
Scaling controllable adhesives to grapple floating objects in space

As the number of rocket bodies and other debris in Earth's orbit increases, the need to capture and remove this space junk becomes essential to protect new satellites. A low cost solution may include gecko-inspired directional adhesives, which require almost no compressive preload to generate adhesion and are therefore suitable for surface grasping in space where objects are free floating. Current individual adhesive units with a pair of opposed pads achieve a limit of 13N normal to the surface. Instead of using a single large unit to generate high levels of adhesion, using multiple small gripper units is desirable to prevent single-point failures and to conform to higher curvatures. For this strategy to succeed, it is essential to distribute the overall force evenly, to minimize the overall preload normal to the surface, and to prevent local failures from propagating over the array. We present two load sharing mechanisms. The first uses nearly-constant force springs in parallel. The second uses a tendon and pulleys in series. Both allow a 4-unit gripper to maintain the same adhesive stress as a single unit. A normal adhesive load to compressive preload ratio of 100:1 is demonstrated. Zero gravity experiments and air bearing floor experiments demonstrate the gripper's functionality in a simulated space environment. Design considerations are discussed for further scaling, with the trade-offs among load sharing, suitability for different surfaces, and failure sensitivity.
An Empirical Investigation of Beliefs, Work, and Fertility

We study the effect of culture on important economic outcomes by using the 1970 Census to examine the work and fertility behavior of women 30-40 years old, born in the U.S., but whose parents were born elsewhere. We use past female labor force participation and total fertility rates from the country of ancestry as our cultural proxies. These variables should capture, in addition to past economic and institutional conditions, the beliefs commonly held about the role of women in society, i.e. culture. Given the different time and place, only the beliefs embodied in the cultural proxies should be potentially relevant to women's behavior in the US in 1970. We show that these cultural proxies have positive and significant explanatory power for individual work and fertility outcomes, even after controlling for possible indirect effects of culture (e.g., education and spousal characteristics). We examine alternative hypotheses for these positive correlations and show that neither unobserved human capital nor networks are likely to be responsible. We also show that the effect of these cultural proxies is amplified the greater is the tendency for ethnic groups to cluster in the same neighborhoods.
USING A SHELLFISH HARVEST STRATEGY TO EXTRACT HIGH NITROGEN INPUTS IN URBAN AND SUBURBAN COASTAL BAYS: PRACTICAL AND ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS

ABSTRACT Ecosystem services provided by dense populations of filter-feeding bivalves include the potential for sequestration of nutrients acquired by feeding on phytoplankton whose growth is stimulated by urban and suburban nutrient input. Using transplanted oysters, Crassostrea virginica, the potential of using an aquaculture approach to grow, harvest, and therefore remove nitrogen from coastal bays with high nutrient input was studied. Jamaica Bay—urban high nitrogen input (input ∼5.8 × 10s kgN/y)—was contrasted with Great South Bay—suburban and medium nitrogen input (input ∼8.5 × 105 kgN/y)—both located on the south shore of western Long Island, NY. A growth period of June–October was used with a harvest in October as the basis for an estimate, and nitrogen in soft tissues and shell was measured in October, minus the starting values, because both tissue and shell would be removed at the time of harvest. Nitrogen sequestration potential was determined from growth in aquaculture cages, extrapolated to 50...
Cylindrically and Spherically Layered Media

This chapter contains sections titled: Cylindrically Layered Media��-��Single Interface Case Cylindrically Layered Media��-��Multi-Interface Case Source in a Cylindrically Layered Medium Propagator Matrix��-��Cylindrical Layers Spherically Layered Media��-��Single Interface Case Spherically Layered Media��-��Multi-Interface Case Source in a Spherically Layered Medium Propagator Matrix��-��Spherical Layers This chapter contains sections titled: Exercises for Chapter 3 References for Chapter 3 Further Readings for Chapter 3
Computer simulation of oxygen sensor-based micro immunosensors

A two-dimensional computer model of an oxygen sensor-based micro immunosensor was developed based on the finite element method. The results showed the feasibility of the model immunosensor. The working range of the model sensor was about 3 decades, which agrees well with the experimental data reported in the literature. Significantly different performance was also found between a sensor in a stop-flow setup and a sensor in a flow cell. >
Adrenergic mechanisms do not contribute to age-related decreases in calf venous compliance

Limb venous compliance decreases with advancing age, even in healthy humans. To test the hypothesis that adrenergic mechanisms contribute to age-associated reductions in limb venous compliance, we ...
CIMGEN—A COMPUTER AIDED SOFTWARE ENGINEERING TOOL FOR DEVELOPMENT OF FMS CONTROL SOFTWARE

The bottleneck in creation of Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS) is the development of control software. This paper presents a systematic approach to automate the development of control software for flexible manufacturing cells both at the workstation and cell controller level. Context-free grammars are proposed as the formal basis, and the FMS system is controlled as a byproduct of recognizing the context free grammars. The underlying system architecture, along with the physical, system and functional models are presented for the various components of the FMS. Implementation of the proposed approach is also discussed.
Integrating multidimensional geophysical data

Surveys that utilize multiple geophysical methods offer greater insights about the subsurface because each one generally yields different information. Common approaches to integrating or ‘fusing’ multidimensional geophysical data are investigated utilizing computer graphics, geographical information system (GIS), mathematical and statistical solutions. These approaches are synthesized into graphical, discrete and continuous domains. It is shown that graphical approaches allow complex visualizations of the subsurface, but only images are generated and their dimensionality tends to be low. Discrete methods incorporate any number of geophysical dimensions, allow application of powerful Boolean operations, and produce unambiguous maps of anomaly presence or absence, but many of these methods rely on arbitrary thresholds that define only robust anomalies. Continuous data integrations offer capabilities beyond other methods because robust and subtle anomalies are simultaneously expressed, new quantitative information is generated, and interpretive data are derived in the form of regression weights, factor loadings, and the like, that reveal interrelationships and underlying dimensionality. All approaches are applied to a common data set obtained at Army City, Kansas, a World War I era commercial complex that serviced troops in nearby Camp Funston (now Fort Riley). Utilizing data from six geophysical surveys (magnetic gradiometry, electrical resistivity, ground-penetrating radar, magnetic susceptibility, soil conductivity, aerial thermography), various data integrations reveal the structure of this nearly forgotten town. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The history and evolution of optically accessible research engines and their impact on our understanding of engine combustion

The development and application of optically accessible engines to further our understanding of in-cylinder combustion processes is reviewed, spanning early efforts in simplified engines to the more recent development of high-pressure, high-speed engines that retain the geometric complexities of modern production engines. Limitations of these engines with respect to the reproduction of realistic metal test engine characteristics and performance are identified, as well as methods that have been used to overcome these limitations. Finally, the role of the work performed in these engines on clarifying the fundamental physical processes governing the combustion process and on laying the foundation for predictive engine simulation is summarized.
Application of photopigment biomarkers for quantifying microalgal community composition and in situ growth rates

Abstract In estuarine waters, phytoplankton are exposed to rapidly changing conditions that may affect community structure and function. In this study we determined the effects of mixing, turbidity, and limiting nutrient (N) additions on natural phytoplankton growth rates and algal group-specific biomass changes. Mesocosm bioassays were used to quantify the short-term (2–3 day) responses of phytoplankton from the Neuse river estuary, NC. Growth rates were higher under static conditions in N-amended tanks, while biomass of most algal groups was higher under mixed, turbid conditions with N additions. Shifts in community composition did not follow any consistent pattern but each factor influenced phytoplankton growth, biomass, and community composition. Differing growth responses to nutrient additions, mixing, and turbidity resulted in taxonomically-distinct communities. These results highlight the complexity of phytoplankton community structuring processes in estuarine waters. The combination of biomarker quantifications and the radiolabeling method is a useful tool for assessing phytoplankton responses and offers insights into the mechanisms driving blooms and bloom species in estuarine waters.
Cognitive appraisal theory: A psychoeducational approach for understanding connections between cognition and emotion in group work

Abstract A cognitively oriented psychoeducational model for specifying the connection between thoughts and feelings in group work is introduced. This approach is based on cognitive appraisal theory, an emerging area of research in social psychology that attempts to specify the precise links between cognitive evaluations of events and resultant discrete emotions. Such a model could be particularly useful in facilitating dialogue among group members about the various ways in which thoughts translate into emotions and to appreciate the commonalties and differences in these experiences that result from one's subjective evaluations of events. Included is a suggested four-stage psychoeducational model and a case example with multicultural group members.
An RNA fraction from myeloblastosis virus having properties similar to transfer RNA

Abstract RNA from avian myeloblastosis virus can be resolved into two major fractions. The low-molecular-weight RNA fraction amounts to about 20% of the viral RNA. A little less than half of the RNA in this fraction appears to be tRNA. RNA from the virus will attach amino acids and transfer the amino acids to peptide chains under the conditions in vitro established for cellular tRNA. A portion of the low-molecular-weight RNA fraction from the virus chromatographs similar to tRNA on methylated albumin-kieselguhr columns and DEAE columns. The distribution of the different types of tRNA from the virus appears to be different from that found in the infected cell. These results suggest that functional tRNA is part of the virus particle.
Orientations of beta-strand traces and near maximum twist

A β-sheet is composed of multiple β-strands that are stabilized by inter-strand hydrogen bonds. It has been discovered that a β-sheet is right-handed twisted. We have developed a geometrical method to investigate the relationship between the twist of a β-sheet and the orientations of β-strand traces. The results from forty-one β-sheets suggest that the set of β-traces that has similar orientations as those in the observed set of β-traces has near maximum twist angle AMT among other sets with various orientations.
Preoperatively Misclassified, Surgically Removed Benign Renal Masses: A Systematic Review of Surgical Series and United States Population Level Burden Estimate

Purpose: A significant proportion of renal masses removed for suspected malignancy are histologically benign with the probability inversely proportional to lesion size. To our knowledge the number of preoperatively misclassified benign renal masses treated with nephrectomy is currently unknown. Given the increasing incidence and decreasing average size of renal cell carcinoma, this burden is likely increasing. We estimated the population level burden of surgically removed, preoperatively misclassified benign renal masses in the United States.Materials and Methods: We systematically reviewed the literature for studies of pathological findings of renal masses removed for suspected renal cell carcinoma based on preoperative imaging through July 1, 2014. We excluded studies that did not describe benign pathology and with masses not stratified by size, and in which pathology results were based on biopsy. SEER data were queried for the incidence of surgically removed renal cell carcinomas in 2000 to 2009.Result...
Functional neuroimaging strategies for assessing novel targets for antidepressants

Functional brain imaging using positron emission tomography (PET) has demonstrated clear, reproducible patterns of brain activity in psychomotor retarded vs. anxious/agitated major depression, bipolar disorder (mania vs. depression), and obsessive–compulsive disorder. With various treatment interventions, whether pharmacological or behavior modification without drug, there are also consistent changes in brain activity that correlate with improvement, regardless of the intervention modality. Evidence indicates that the brain systems thus identified represent final common pathways of psychopathology, and thus also treatment response, in the respective conditions. Some animal models of depression show similar brain function abnormalities. Thus, there is a clear potential to test novel agents in these models to see if they induce regional changes in imaged brain functions similar to those of established treatments. This talk will review the evidence, and give several clear strategies to implement such work.
Inhibition of acetylcholinesterase from electric eel by (−)- and (+)-physostigmine and related compounds

Abstract Unnatural (+)-physostigmine (2) inhibited acetylcholinesterase (AChE) from electric eel considerably less than natural (−)-physostigmine ( 1 ), but 2 may because of its possible lower toxicity still be an interesting anticholinesterase agent. (−)-Eseroline ( 3 ), a major metabolite of (−)-physostigmine (1) and a potent narcotic analgetic, and its unnatural (+)-antipode ( 4 ), were both poor inhibitors of the enzyme. (−)-Dihydrose-cophysostigmine ( 5 ), a ring-open analog of (−)-physostigmine was less, but (−)- N -methylphysostigmine ( 6 ) much more potent than the natural alkaloid. The availability of compounds related to (−)- and (+)-physotigmine by improved chemical synthesis suggests that further structural variation may well lead to other biologically interesting AChE inhibitors. Physostigmine (Eserine) Eseroline Cholinesterase
Beam Transport Optics for High-Power Laser Systems

Beam transport optics receive output energy from the laser cavity and deliver it to the work site. Depending on the application, this may require a few simple elements or large complex systems. Collection of the laser energy depends on the spatial and temporal energy distribution as well as the wavelength and polarization of the laser cavity and output coupler. Transport optics can perform a variety of functions, including beam formatting, frequency doubling, and distribution to one or more work sites while maintaining or even improving the beam quality. The beam may be delivered to work sites as focused spots or images, projected to distant targets, or propagated through various media for sensing or photochemical processing.
Evaluation of decision-tree rating scales for mental workload estimation

Recent studies suggest that a decision-tree rating scale called the Modified Cooper-Harper (MCH) rating scale is a globally sensitive indicator of change in mental loading (Wierwille and Casali 1983 a). The present study was directed at developing refinements in the scale and at obtaining additional background information. The MCH scale and five design variations of the scale were studied in two independent aircraft-simulator experiments. Aspects studied were the decision-tree structure, the number of categories, the decision sequence and the effects of computer implementation. Results using the rating scales indicate that the MCH scale and its computerized version are generally more consistent than the others. Attendant questionnaire results indicate that pilots base their ratings on the same factors that researchers believe are the important elements of the multidimensional construct of workload.
The pediatric surgeons' contribution to in utero treatment of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome.

Objective: To evaluate the outcome of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) treated using a combination of endoscopic fetal surgery-specific techniques and surgical restraint. Summary Background Data: TTTS is a condition of identical twins that, if progressive and left untreated, leads to 100% mortality. The best treatment option is obliteration of the intertwin placental anastomoses, but fetal surgery carries significant maternal and fetal risks. Even if successful, percutaneous endoscopic laser ablation of placental vessels (LASER) causes premature rupture of membranes (PROM) in 10% to 20% of pregnancies. Patient selection is particularly critical because the progression of the disease is unpredictable. This has prompted many to intervene early, yielding survival rates of ≥ 1 twin of 75% to 80%. Methods: We developed a minimally invasive approach to fetal surgery, a unique membrane sealing technique and a conservative algorithm that reserves intervention for severe TTTS. Pregnancies with TTTS (stages I-IV) managed in the last 8 years were reviewed. LASER was offered in stage III/IV only. Results: Ninety-eight cases of TTTS were managed in a pediatric surgery/ maternal-fetal medicine collaborative Fetal Treatment Program—39 were observed (40%) and 59 underwent LASER (60%). Survival of ≥ twin was seen in 82.7%, and overall survival was 69.4%. These survival rates are similar to, or better than, other comparable series with similar stage distribution (low:high stage ratio 1:1) in which all patients underwent LASER. PROM rate was 4%. Conclusions: Reserving LASER treatment for severe TTTS results in outcomes similar to, or better than, LASER for all stages. Applying fetal surgery-specific endoscopic techniques, including port-site sealing, reduces postoperative complications.
Molecular biology of adrenergic and dopamine receptors and the study of developmental nephrology

Neurotransmitters convey specific messages by binding to receptors on the cell membrane surface. Receptors are linked to membrane-bound, signal-transducing proteins which act as intermediaries in the generation of second messengers that elicit biological responses. Cell surface receptors could be grouped into families that utilize common systems for their signal transmission. These classes include the growth factor receptors, the transporter receptors which internalize their ligands, ion channels, and G-protein-coupled receptors. In the past few years, the cDNAs and/or genes of a number of G-protein-coupled receptors have been cloned. Structural analysis of the G-protein-coupled receptors, as well as the other classes of receptor, shows that those receptors which use a common signaling pathway have similar topographies and share significant sequence homology. Adrenergic and dopamine receptors are examples of receptors coupled to G proteins. This review outlines some strategies in the study of adrenergic and dopamine receptors using molecular biology techniques and how they relate to investigations in developmental nephrology.
Mentor Advice Giving in an Alternative Certification Program for Secondary Science Teaching: Opportunities and Roadblocks in Developing a Knowledge Base for Teaching

Mentoring is often an important component of alternative certification programs, yet little is known about what novices learn about science teaching through mentoring relationships. This study investigated the advice given by two mentor science teachers to their proteges. Findings indicate that mentors gave more advice related to general pedagogical knowledge than science-specific pedagogical content knowledge. Specifically, there was little to no advice related to the topics of inquiry, the nature of science, or the development of scientific literacy. Implications call for an increase in communication between university teacher education programs and school-based mentors, the development of benchmarks to help guide mentor–protege interactions, and the importance of a multiyear induction process.
Union Members and Voluntary Associations: Membership Overlap as a Case of Organizational Embeddedness:

Prevailing conceptions of organizational embeddedness emphasize linkages to exchange partners via elites and contracts. What is neglected, the authors argue, is the nature and potential impact from the voluntary associations of rank-and-file members with the panoply of organizations in their daily lives, including churches, PTAs, and sports teams. The functions of these organizations provide contexts in which individuals trade information and form opinions about organizations and their members. By participating, individuals embed their own organizations in a broader organizational culture. This article treats the embeddedness of unions in the interorganizational network as a factor that has impacted and varied with the decline of organized labor. Organizational affiliation networks containing 18,263 individuals, drawn from the 1974-1994 General Social Survey data, show the isolation of unions in American organizational culture despite their relatively high rates of membership. Chronic aspects of the probl...
Data communication networks — An introduction: Innovative developments are revolutionizing worldwide communications

The authors examines the various types of networks. He then discusses the need for networks, interconnection of networks, and layered communication architectures.
Experimenter bias in the prisoner’s dilemma game

Forty female Ss took part in an experiment designed to determine whether experimenter bias can influence the outcomes of a Prisoner’s Dilemma game. The E attempted to influence the Ss to cooperate or compete by varying her tone of voice and facial expressions while delivering feedback. The results indicated that Ss who had been biased to cooperate produced twice the number of cooperative responses as the Ss who had been biased to compete. Furthermore, analysis of questionnaires administered at the completion of the experiment indicated that the Ss were unaware of the attempt to bias their responses.
Stagflation, new products, and speculation

Abstract The paper looks at the macroeconomic implications of some recent developments in the theory of industrial organization. In a Kaleckian model, firms are assumed to invest heavily early in the product life cycle, thus creating effective demand. Conversely, it is assumed that late in the product life cycle firms hoard, waiting for new products in which to invest. Under reasonable conditions, the rates of growth, unemployment, and inflation can be related to the fraction of new products in the economy.
Effect of verapamil on monocrotaline-induced pulmonary artery hypertension and endothelial cell dysfunction in rats.

Verapamil, a calcium channel blocker has been used with partial success in cases of primary pulmonary hypertension, as well as to reduce hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension (PH) in rats. However, its effect on monocrotaline (MCT)induced PH in rats is not known. We studied the effect of verapamil on MCT-induced PH. Three weeks after a single injection of MCT, significant PH was noted in the MCT-injected rats compared with control (44.35 ± 3.5 vs. 22 ± 2.5 mmHg). MCT-injected rats on daily verapamil showed significant reduction in PH (31.5 ± 3.4 mmHg). The main pulmonary artery of MCT-injected rats revealed suhendothelial thickening, thinning and fragmentation of elastic laminae, smooth muscle cell hypertrophy and necrosis or loss of smooth muscle cells, and increased amounts of collagen in media and adventitia. In contrast, the main pulmonary artery of MCT + VP-treated rats showed less intimal thickening, some smooth muscle cell hypertrophy, but little necrosis or loss of cells in addition to disappeara...
Clinical potential for the use of neuroprotective agents. A brief overview.

"Stroke treatment seems to be entering a golden age ...." Fisher's observation not only applies to ischemic stroke, but to all the conditions described above, and in the future, possibly (and quite speculatively), to other neurologic diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, even radiation therapy and Bell's palsy. Physicians must sharpen their criteria for decisions regarding therapy and must" ... be prepared to accept what is actually known from scientific data ... rather than to rely on instinct, clinical impression, or the need to do something rather than nothing."
Cell isolation and genotoxicity assessment in gastric mucosa.

It has been claimed that in vitro digestion of in vivo DNA-labeled gastric mucosa is suitable for evaluation of genotoxic effects of drugs or chemicals. This method was then used to show that omeprazole (a novel antiulcer drug) was potentially genotoxic. In this study we have examined the method used and the interaction of omeprazole and its derivatives with purified DNA. The method was shown to enrich for dividing cells (6.92±0.693%, N=43, 2-hr labeling) in the digest from the intact tissue and was therefore unsuitable for estimating unscheduled DNA synthesis in the gastric mucosa induced by chemicals or drugs including omeprazole. It was further shown that neither omeprazole or its acid-activated product, a cationic sulfenamide, were able to react with isolated purified DNA from either a prokaryote (E. coli or a eukaryote (salmon sperm). Hence any conclusions using this method attributing acute genotoxic effects to any chemical are based on unrecognized artifacts of the technique and are unsound. In addition, these results negate the suggestion that omeprazole or its gastric metabolites are genotoxic.
Associative classification of mammograms using weighted rules

In this paper, we present a novel method for the classification of mammograms using a unique weighted association rule based classifier. Images are preprocessed to reveal regions of interest. Texture components are extracted from segmented parts of the image and discretized for rule discovery. Association rules are derived between various texture components extracted from segments of images and employed for classification based on their intra- and inter-class dependencies. These rules are then employed for the classification of a commonly used mammography dataset, and rigorous experimentation is performed to evaluate the rules' efficacy under different classification scenarios. The experimental results show that this method works well for such datasets, incurring accuracies as high as 89%, which surpasses the accuracy rates of other rule based classification techniques.
Neutron-Scattering Study of Soft Modes in Cubic BaTi O 3

The soft optic phonons in the cubic phase of BaTi${\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ have been reinvestigated by the neutron-scattering technique. Measurements were carried out on major symmetry directions for a temperature range between 150 to 450 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C. It is shown that, as in the case of the tetragonal phase, the lowest transverse-optic branches along the [111] direction and one of the branches along [110] rise rapidly with increasing wave vector $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{q}}$. Phonons are well defined except for those at very small $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{q}}$. On the other hand, in one of the branches along [110] and in the degenerate branches along [100] the phonons are overdamped as previously shown by Yamada et al. for small $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{q}}$ values. The present study extends the measurement to the entire zone and corrects the erroneous picture previously given. The most important result of the present study concerns the interaction between the soft optic modes and acoustic modes. Unusual scattering cross sections for both optic and acoustic modes are explained by interference effects in a coupled phonon model with a highly damped optic component. The interference permits, for the first time, a determination of the phase as well as the amplitude of the dynamical structure factors of the phonons involved. The energy of the optically inactive ${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{25}$ mode at the Brillouin zone center was found to be (39 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 2) meV.
Psychiatric Diagnosis in Cocaine Abuse

The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III, Axis I was administered to a consecutive series of 30 cocaine abusers entering outpatient treatment. Another mental disorder was diagnosed only if its onset occured before the onset of any substance dependence disorder. Diagnoses were made on a lifetime basis without regard to hierarchy. Most cocaine abusers had one or more additional diagnoses. We propose a model of two subtypes of cocaine abusers: (1) a primary affective disorder group, which may be split into bipolar versus unipolar ot into severely versus mildly depressed subgroups; and (2) a group with other drug dependencies. The small n, limited sample, and methodological problems with diagnosis in the setting of substance abuse make these findings tentative. Future research should combine larger diagnostic studies with treatment trials to test whether such diagnostic subtypes have prognostic or treatment implications.
Hybrid Transmission for Mobile Robot

This paper presents proposed designs of parallel hybrid transmissions with only one electric motor/generator (MG) and without any rotating clutches. The proposed motor/generator integrated hybrid transmission serves to regulate the engine’s effective gear ratio (engine rotational velocity versus vehicle velocity) by mixing the engine and electric motor powers through a power controlling device. The proposed design provides some of the benefits and flexibility of a power-split design but using conventional available components in a simpler mechanical layout that makes the design compact, mechanically simple, and operationally flexible. Three commonly used transmission gear sets are used for this purpose; Simpson, Ravigneaux, and Type-6206 gear sets. With an electronic control unit, eight major modes of operation including a regenerative braking capability are shown to be feasible in the proposed hybrid transmission; one electric motor mode, two engine modes, two engine/charge modes, and two power modes. Continuously variable transmission (CVT) capability is provided with the second engine/charge mode and with the second power mode. The second power mode can be further subdivided into three hybrid sub-modes that correspond to the direct drive, under-drive, and over-drive of a conventional automatic transmission. The feasibility of the proposed hybrid transmission is demonstrated with a numerical example employing conventional Ravigneaux gear train. The kinematics, static torque, and power flow relations for all operation modes are analyzed in detail.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
A Simulation Study of Predictable Due-Dates

This paper describes a simulation study of assigning attainable or predictable due-dates in hypothetical labor and machine constrained job shop settings of varying size and structure. Several predictable due-date assignment rules are developed based on conditional estimates of individual job flow time derived from initial simulation runs. Mean lateness, mean earliness and mean missed due-dates are used as measures of shop performance to compare the various predictable due-date rules under conditions of varying dispatching rules and shop size and structure. Results indicate that due-dates assigned based on expected job flow time and shop congestion information may provide more attainable due-dates than rules based solely upon job characteristics. In addition, better due-date performance appears to be achieved when due-date oriented dispatching rules are employed and when the shop system is not structurally complex.
Exploring Learning With Teachers and Children: An Administrator's Perspective

Abstract This article involved a series of investigations influenced by the Reggio Emilia approach to early education as well as ideas of Paulo Freire. Within a Reggio-influenced classroom, teacher professional development is seen as essential, whereas for Paulo Freire, both teacher and the student are learners. These 2 ideas were brought together in a long-term action research project within 2 Head Start classrooms in Chicago. Opportunities were created for teachers to connect with children, the classroom program, and the administration, as experiences and learning unfolded for children, teachers, and an administrator. First, teachers used action research to advance understanding of their own learning and teaching process.Carlina Rinaldi (1994)stated that teachers have the “right to think, plan, work and interpret together” (p. 55). Administrative support was integral to this process. Second, the teachers pursued an understanding of what it means to children to learn and what they want to learn. Overall,...
Toward the Measurement of the Distribution of Wealth in Developing Countries

(1977). Toward the Measurement of the Distribution of Wealth in Developing Countries. Review of Social Economy: Vol. 35, No. 1, pp. 1-16.
Perceptions, Barriers, and Knowledge of Inpatient Glycemic Control: A Survey of Health Care Workers

Objectives:To assess knowledge and perceptions of health care workers regarding optimal care for patients with hyperglycemia and identify commonly perceived barriers for the development of a hospital-wide education program.Research Design and Methods:A cross-sectional design was utilized to survey health care workers involved in managing hyperglycemia in an urban, community teaching hospital. Each health care worker received a survey specific to their health care role.Results:Approximately 50% of questions about best clinical practices were answered correctly. Correct responses varied across disciplines (n, mean ± standard deviation [SD]), that is, physicians (n = 112, 53% ± 26%), nurses (n = 43, 52% ± 35%), pharmacists (n = 20, 64% ± 23%), dietitians (n = 5, 48% ± 30%), and patient care assistants (n = 12, 38% ± 34%). Most health care workers perceived hyperglycemia treatment to be very important and that sliding scale insulin was commonly used because of convenience but not efficacy.Conclusion:Knowledge...