cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Results and morbidity of percutaneous nephrolithotripsy

Abstract The medical records of the first 210 patients treated with percutaneous nephrolithotripsy at Duke University Medical Center were reviewed. Eleven patients were treated for bilateral stones for a total of 221 renal units. The procedure failed in 6 patients (2.7%). Stone fragments were retained in 55 patients (24.9 %), with unplanned fragments in 41 cases (18.6 %). Open surgery was subsequently performed in 4 patients (1.8%). There were no nephrectomies or deaths in our patients. Percutaneous nephrolithotripsy is a highly successful method for removal of upper tract stones and has a complication rate no higher than that of open surgical procedures.
Invariants and Related Liapunov Functions for Difference Equations

Abstract Consider the difference equation x n+1 = f(x n , where xn is in Rk and f : D → D is continuous where D ⊂ Rk. Suppose that I : Rk → R is a continuous invariant, that is, I( f(x) ) = I( x ) for every x ∈ D . We will show that if I attains an isolated minimum or maximum value at the equilibrium (fixed) point p of this system, then there exists a Liapunov function, namely ±(I( x ) − I( p )) and so the equilibrium p is stable. This result is then applied to some difference equations appearing in different fields of applications.
Implementation of Breast MRI into a Private Practice

As clinical research in the last several years has continued to reveal the importance of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) use in breast imaging, we forged ahead to implement breast MRI in our private practice workflow. The initial start-up costs were prohibitive, so our facility decided to start our MRI experience with a mobile unit. This enhanced our experience and comfort level and initiated our ongoing negotiations for MRI growth with our referring doctors, our patients, and our local insurers. It has been a learning curve for everyone involved with the implementation process. In the end, we established an outpatient MRI practice and built a stationary MRI suite that has suited our work environment. This happened slowly, always with serious consideration to finances, local environment, and workflow issues.
Anesthetic complications in dogs undergoing hepatic surgery: cholecystectomy versus non-cholecystectomy

Abstract Objective To determine if dogs that undergo laparotomy for cholecystectomy suffer from a greater number or magnitude of perianesthetic complications, including hypotension, hypothermia, longer recovery time, and lower survival rate, than dogs that undergo laparotomy for hepatic surgery without cholecystectomy. Study design Retrospective cohort study. Animals One hundred and three dogs, anesthetised between January 2007 and October 2011. Methods The variables collected from the medical record included age, weight, gender, surgical procedure, pre-operative bloodwork, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) status, emergency status, total bilirubin concentration, anesthetic agents administered, body temperature nadir, final body temperature, hypotension, duration of hypotension, blood pressure nadir, intraoperative drugs, anesthesia duration, surgery duration, time to extubation, final diagnosis, days spent in the intensive care unit (ICU), total bill, survival to discharge, and survival to follow-up. Results No significant difference in body temperature nadir, final temperature, presence of hypotension, duration of hypotension, blood pressure nadir, the use of inotropes, or final outcome was found between dogs undergoing cholecystectomy and dogs undergoing exploratory laparotomy for other hepatic disease. Dogs that had cholecystectomy had longer anesthesia durations and longer surgery durations than dogs that did not have cholecystectomy. No significant differences existed for temperature nadir (34.8 versus 35.3 °C; non-cholecystectomy versus cholecystectomy), final temperature (35.6 versus 35.9 °C), time to extubation (30 versus 49 minutes), duration of hypotension (27 versus 21 minutes), or MAP nadir (56 versus 55 mmHg). Hypotension occurred in 66% and 74% and inotropes were used in 64% and 53%, for non-cholecystectomy and cholecystectomy patients, respectively. Conclusions and clinical relevance Dogs that underwent cholecystectomies did not suffer a greater number of anesthesia complications than did dogs undergoing hepatic surgery without cholecystectomies.
Nondividing cells: a safer bet for integrating vectors?

Most integrating vectors used in gene therapy insert their DNA in actively transcribed, gene-rich regions, a feature that increases chances of adverse events developing after vector integration. In this issue of Molecular Therapy, Bartholomae and colleagues report that lentiviral vectors integrate less frequently in actively transcribed genes of postmitotic neuronal and retinal cells in rodents than in rapidly dividing cells.1 This may be good news for researchers developing treatments for disorders of these cell types because it could mean a lesser likelihood of genotoxicity following gene transfer. Bartholomae et al. also show that low levels of expression of the integration tethering protein LEDGF was associated with reduced integration in genes, as has been seen in human cells.2
Mapping to nucleotide resolution of pseudouridine residues in large subunit ribosomal RNAs from representative eukaryotes, prokaryotes, archaebacteria, mitochondria and chloroplasts.

Abstract The pseudouridine (Ψ) residues present in the high molecular mass RNA from the large ribosomal subunit (LSU) have been sequenced from representative species of the eukaryotes, prokaryotes and archaebacteria, and from mitochondrial and chloroplast organelles. Ribosomes from Bacillus subtilis , Halobacter halobium , Drosphilia melanogaster , Mus musculus , Homo sapiens , mitochondria of M. musculus , H. sapiens and Trypanosoma brucei , and Zea mays chloroplasts were examined, resulting in the exact localization of 190 Ψ residues. The number of Ψ residues per RNA varied from one in the mitochondrial RNAs to 57 in the cytoplasmic LSU RNA of D. melanogaster and M. musculus . Despite this, all of the Ψ residues were found in three domains, II, IV and V. All three are at or have been linked to the peptidyl transferase center according to the literature. Comparison of the sites for Ψ among the species examined revealed four conserved or semi-conserved segments. One is the region 1911 to 1917, which contains three Ψ or modified Ψ in almost all species examined. This site is also juxtaposed to the decoding site of the 30 S subunit in the 70 S ribosome and has been implicated in the fidelity of codon recognition. Three additional sites were at the peptidyl transferase center itself. The juxtaposition of the conserved sites for Ψ with the two important functions of the ribosome, codon recognition and peptide bond formation, implies an important role for Ψ in ribosome function. We report some new putative modified nucleosides in LSU RNAs as detected by reverse transcription, correct a segment of the sequence of Z. mays chloroplasts and D. melanogaster LSU RNA, correlate the secondary structural context for all known Ψ residues in ribosomal RNA, and compare the sites for Ψ with those known for methylated nucleosides in H. sapiens .
Potential effect of cyclooxygenase-2-specific inhibitors on the prevention of colorectal cancer: a cost-effectiveness analysis.

Abstract Purpose To estimate the potential cost-effectiveness of colorectal cancer chemoprevention with cyclooxygenase-2–specific inhibitors (COX-2 inhibitors). Methods Using a decision analytic Markov model, we estimated the discounted cost per life-year saved for three strategies: a COX-2 inhibitor alone; as an adjunct to colonoscopy every 10 years in persons at average risk of colorectal cancer; and as an adjunct to colonoscopy every 5 years in persons with first-degree relatives who had colorectal cancer. Results In the base case, the incremental cost per life-year saved with a COX-2 inhibitor alone compared with no screening was $233,300 in persons at average risk of colorectal cancer and $56,700 in persons with 2 first-degree relatives who had the disease. Chemoprevention was both less effective and more costly than screening. The incremental cost per life-year saved with a COX-2 inhibitor as an adjunct to screening was $823,800 in persons at average risk and $404,700 in persons with 2 first-degree relatives who had colorectal cancer. Combining a COX-2 inhibitor with less frequent screening was not as cost-effective as screening at currently recommended intervals. Cost-effectiveness estimates were highly sensitive to the cost of COX-2 inhibitors and their effect on the risk of cancer. Conclusion Chemoprevention of colorectal cancer with COX-2 inhibitors is likely to incur substantially higher costs per life-year saved than are currently recommended screening strategies. COX-2 inhibitor use as an adjunct to screening may increase life expectancy, although at prohibitive costs, and is unlikely to result in less frequent screening.
Species differences in hormones: yes, it does matter.

Abstract Laboratory Animal Endocrinology. Hormonal Action, Control Mechanisms and Interactions with Drugs By David D. Woodman. Chichester, UK, Wiley, 1997, $189.95 (vii+567 pages), ISBN 0-471-97262-2.
Insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I and IGF-binding activity in normal and fast-growing chickens

Insulin-like growth factor(IGF)-binding activity were characterized in sera normal, fast growing, and very fast growing chicken strains. In contrast to a previous report, specific IGF-binding activity was observed in this nonmammalian species. Age-related IGF-binding activity levels did not differ between strains. IGF-I levels were significantly higher for the normal as compared to the 2 fast growing strains. Chromatographic studies show that IGF-I is associated with acid-dissociable high MW complexes in chicken serum, and the MW patterns are similar to human serum. Circulating levels of IGF-I or IGF-binding activity do not account for accelerated somatic growth in inbred large-bodied chicken strains.
An integrative model of mouse cardiac electrophysiology from cell to torso

Aims Although the transgenic mouse has become an important new tool in the study of human diseases and the design of new therapies, a complete picture of cardiac electrophysiology in the mouse, from genome to body surface, is lacking. A computational model of the mouse heart is presented, which is used to study the impact of ion-channel and structural manipulations on the distributions of extracellular potentials on the heart and body surface. Methods A model of the mouse heart anatomy, fibre organization and torso geometry was constructed from DTMRI images. An anisotropic bidomain model, with a modified Pandit et al. model for the ionic currents, was used to represent the electrical properties of the tissue. Spatial heterogeneity in the ion currents was introduced by modulating the transient outward current. A sinus beat was simulated in hearts with different tissue and membrane properties and the extracellular potentials were computed at both the heart and body surface. Results The simulated transmembrane patterns in the heart, and the timing and morphology of the simulated ECG waveforms were consistent with experimental measurements. In addition, the patterns of activation and recovery and the waveforms of the corresponding ECG were found to be relatively insensitive to changes in cell type distribution and tissue anisotropy. Conclusion Because of the small size of the heart, an integrative model of mouse electrophysiology can be simulated from cell to torso, enabling a new tool to study how extracellular signals might be used to detect molecular changes underlying an arrhythmogenic substrate.
MBE growth of high Sn-percentage GeSn alloys with a composition-dependent absorption-edge shift

Low-temperature MBE growth of up to Ge 0.926 Sn 0.074 alloys on lattice-matched In 0.10 Ga 0.90 As resulted in high-quality material as determined by AFM, TEM, and XRD. Samples show longer wavelength absorption-edge shifts with increasing Sn incorporation.
I Want Justice: A Performance About Impunity in Argentina

This performance is about the effects of impunity on subjectivity. It was produced in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the return of democracy in Argentina in 2003. This commemoration coinc...
Effect of sprayer-wheel injury on the yield of potatoes

A comparison of yield from sprayer-wheel injured and uninjured replicates of 24 varieties of potatoes grown in 1947 in Tioga County, New York, seem to justify the following conclusions: 1. Under favorable conditions of high elevation, high soil fertility level, and ample rainfall for potato plant growth, yield may be reduced from 10 to more than 50 per cent by vine injury caused by sprayer and tractor wheels. 2. In any well planned variety test a few instances of no yield reduction from wheel injury may occur. These must be explained on the basis of experimental error, soil variability or some other influential factor not always obvious. 3. The extent of wheel injury to the growing potato plant does not appear to bear any significant relation to season of maturity or habit of growth of the variety. 4. Potato experiments and particularly potato variety yield tests should be so designed that the factor of sprayer-wheel injury can be either neutralized or taken into account in the interpretation of results.
'REAL MEN REAWAKEN THEIR FATHERS' HOMESTEADS, THE EDUCATED LEAVE THEM IN RUINS': THE POLITICS OF DOMESTIC REPRODUCTION IN POST-APARTHEID RURAL SOUTH AFRICA'

An historical ethnography of generational conflicts in a rural community in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, this paper engages debates on the consequences of global neo-liberalism in local contexts. Through cash from migrant labor, rural household heads exercised power over domestic economics. Ideologically this power translated into the symbolic articulation of two institutions of social reproduction-the school and initiation rite such that the educated and potentially alienated subjects yielded by the former were resocialized through the latter into local subjects of the chief and sons of their fathers. With rising unemployment rates since the 1980s, however, the older men lost the material base for their monopoly over this symbolic structure. The generational conflicts that ensued reflected at once the attendant contradictions in social consciousness and consequent struggles to renegotiate the symbolic purchase of the relations between schooling and initiation.
Exploring Mechanisms of Fluidic Thrust Vectoring Using a Transverse Jet and Suction

Fluidic flow control methods, such as transverse injection or suction, have been shown to be effective for thrust vector angle control of the flow issuing from a rectangular channel. The Reynolds number based on the channel height was 39,000. The objective of the current work was to explore the operating mechanism of these independent fluidic approaches and to consider the performance when they are combined in a single configuration. Suction vectors the flow via static pressure control near the jet exit, where the pressure boundary condition extends into the channel to produce finite vectoring at the exit of the jet. Transverse injection within the channel produces a recirculation zone that contributes to the vectoring effect due to the alteration of the wall static pressure distribution. The influence of suction on the vectoring performance is dependent on the level of transverse injection, with a degraded suction effect at higher transverse injection rates. Suction is effective when it is able to disturb and enhance the mixing of the jet shear layer.
The evolution of thoracolumbar injury classification systems.

Abstract Background context An ideal classification system for thoracolumbar (TL) spine fractures should facilitate communication between treating physicians and guide treatment by means of outlining the natural history of injuries. The classification scheme should also be comprehensive, intuitive, and simple to implement. At the present time, no classification system fully meets these criteria. In this review, the authors attempt to describe the evolution of TL fracture classification systems from their inception to the present day. Purpose To review the evolution of TL injury classification schemes, particularly in regard to the progression of thought on the importance of biomechanical stability, injury mechanism, and neurologic status. Study design Review article. Methods The article reviews the salient classification systems that have addressed TL injuries since Boehler's first attempt in 1929. This progression culminates in the Thoracolumbar Injury Severity Score/Thoracolumbar Injury Classification and Severity Score (TLISS/TLICS), a system which incorporates features from earlier scales and represents the most comprehensive grading scale to date. Results Each successive system played an important role in advancing contemporary understanding of TL injuries. Most classifications were, however, based on a single individual's, or a comparatively small group's, retrospective review of a case series. In most instances, these grading systems were never validated or modified by their original developers, a shortcoming that prevented their continued evolution. Despite the many advantages of the TLISS/TLICS system, more work in terms of refining the classification and defining its validity remains to be performed. Conclusions The classification of TL injuries has evolved significantly over the course of the last 75 years. Most of these schemes were limited by their complexity, relevance, and/or poor reliability. The TLISS classification system represents the most recent evolution as it combines several important factors capable of guiding the management of TL injuries. Nonetheless, more research regarding this rating scale remains to be performed.
Vulnerability Of Fiber Optic Cables To Thermal Pulses

Fiber-optic cables are being considered for use in environments where they will be exposed to a potentially damaging thermal radiation pulse. Recognizing the seriousness of this problem, the Harry Diamond Laboratories (HDL) initiated a program designed (a) to test cables in pulsed thermal environments, (b) to identify the damage modes and damage levels of these cables and (c) to develop hardening measures. Tests were performed at the White Sands Solar Facility (WSSF) by Baba, Share, and Wasilik1 on a limited number of fiber-optic cables; results indicated that cable damage--breaching of the cable jackets--occurred in the 30 to 80 cal/cm2 range. Based on these results, hardening techniques were developed; these techniques use thin aluminum and/or white Teflon tape either wrapped over the outer cable jacket or placed under transparent cable jackets. Since these initial tests, other commercial cable types have been tested; in addition, other nonmetallic hardening techniques, which use thin silicone rubber, glass cloth, PVC, or polyimide, have been investigated at thermal fluences up to 150 cal/cm with an associated maximum thermal flux around 80 cal/cm2s. The tests were performed at WSSF and at a Quartz Lamp Bank facility (QLB). All but the thickest cable jackets were found to be "thermally thin" for most of the pulse widths used in this investigation; thus, variations in flux, pulse shape, and pulse width generally had no appreciable effect on damage if the fluence and spectrum were constant. However, much larger fluences (by a factor of 2 to 3) were required at the QLB to produce damage equivalent to that observed at the WSSF. It was concluded that these large differences in damage fluences were due to the differences in spectra between the two sources.
Disulfide-Bond Reshuffling in the Evolution of an Ape Placental Ribonuclease

Disulfide bonds play important roles in the folding and stability of proteins and are evolutionarily conserved. A classic example is RNase A (also known as bovine pancreatic ribonuclease), which contains 4 conserved disulfide bonds among 8 cysteines. However, human RNase 8, a paralog of RNase A uniquely expressed in the placenta, has lost one of the conserved cysteines but gained another, when compared with RNase 8 of various monkeys and with RNase A. We here show that both the loss and gain of the cysteines in human RNase 8 occurred in the common ancestor of African great apes (humans, chimps, and gorillas) 7-13 MYA. Computational predictions suggest changes of disulfide bonding by these cysteine substitutions. Site-directed mutagenesis indicates that if the ribonucleolytic activity is essential for RNase 8's function, the gain of the cysteine must have preceded the loss. Human RNase 8 represents one of the first examples in which the presumable evolutionary change of a disulfide bond involves 1 loss and 1 gain of cysteine, instead of 2 losses or 2 gains. Our results provide the foundation for detailed analysis toward understanding the impact of disulfide-bond reshuffling on the structure, function, and evolution of proteins in general and human RNase 8 in particular.
A Two-Temperature Chemical Non-Equilibrium Model of an Oxygen Cutting Torch Including the Region above the Work-Piece

Summary form only given. There is increasing evidences of deviations from thermal and chemical equilibrium in highly constricted arcs. Although, equilibrium models of such arcs inside cutting torches have been studied, non-equilibrium models including the region above the work-piece are rare. In this paper, we present a two-temperature chemical non-equilibrium model of an oxygen cutting-torch to find the distribution of velocity, temperature, current, potential and pressure over a work-piece. We consider the plasma to consist of two sub-gases: one made of electrons and the other made of all other heavy particles including ions, atoms and molecules. While all the electrons have a temperature Te, all other heavy particles follow a different temperature Th for the same location. Together with mass continuity and momentum equations, separate energy conservation equations are solved for electrons and heavy particles. Apart from electromagnetic body force terms in the momentum equations and joule heating terms in the energy equation, additional energy exchange terms are introduced in the energy equations to account for transfer of energy from one sub-gas to the other. A dedicated property routine that includes chemical as well as temperature non-equilibrium is used to supply properties required for fluid dynamic simulations. Results are presented for different arc currents and geometries. Boundary conditions, appropriate for the model, are discussed.
Isoelectric analysis of neonatal monofocal antibody.

Abstract Sucrose density gradient isoelectric focusing was modified to micro-scale to facilitate analysis of nanogram amounts of IgM and IgG anti-hapten antibodies. This modification was utilized to characterize the antibody produced by neonatal splenic foci against the haptenic dinitrophenyl (DNP) determinant. Such neonatal ‘monofocal’ antibodies had restricted isoelectric spectra, implying their origin from the clonal progeny of a single antibody-forming precursor cell. The majority of neonatal ‘monofocal’ antibodies characterized with respect to isoelectric point and immunoglobulin class were dissimilar, thus indicating diversity in the neonatal precursor cell population.
A search for molecular fossils in the kerogen of Precambrian sedimentary rocks

Abstract Hydrous pyrolysis of the kerogen in Precambrian sedimentary rocks of a range of ages and thermal histories was used in an attempt to produce normal, iso and anteiso, isoprenoid, sterane and triterpane hydrocarbons whose structures can be related to known biochemical precursors. Gas chromatography—mass spectrometry was used in the selected ion monitoring mode to achieve a sensitivity of one part hydrocarbon in 10 9 of the rock. Small amounts of some of these hydrocarbon classes were found in certain Lower Cambrian and upper Precambrian sediments with normal alkanes predominating. The yields diminished with increasing age, even for well-preserved rocks where the minerals showed little effect of metamorphism. Samples with ages greater than 1.6 × 10 9 years yielded no detectable hydrocarbons. Spontaneous dehydrogenation of kerogen results in cross-linking, cyclization and aromatization of organic structures and extensive transformation of molecular fossils. Little information on the evolution of Precambrian life is contained in the organic matter of the rocks studied in this work. Further advances along this line will depend critically on the discovery of sediments in which the kerogen is better preserved.
Reconstruction of automobile destruction: An example of the interaction between language and memory

Two experiments are reported in which subjects viewed films of automobiled accidents and then answered questions about events occurring in the films. The question, “About how fast were the cars going when they smashed into each other?” elicited higher estimates of speed than questions which used the verbs collided, bumped, contacted , or hit in place of smashed . On a retest one week later, those subjects who received the verb smashed were more likely to say “yes” to the question, “Did you see any broken glass?”, even though broken glass was not present in the film. These results are consistent with the view that the questions asked subsequent to an event can cause a reconstruction in one's memory of that event.
Developing the PTSD Checklist-I/F for the DSM-IV (PCL-I/F): Assessing PTSD Symptom Frequency and Intensity in a Pilot Study of Male Veterans with Combat-Related PTSD

The widely used posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Checklist (PCL) has established reliability and validity, but it does not differentiate posttraumatic symptom frequency from intensity as elements of posttraumatic symptom severity. Thus, the PCL in its existing form may not provide a comprehensive appraisal of posttraumatic symptomatology. Because of this, we modified the PCL to create the PCL-I/F that measures both frequency and intensity of PTSD symptoms via brief self-report. To establish validity and internal consistency of the PCL-I/F, we conducted a pilot study comparing PCL-I/F scores to structured diagnostic interview for PTSD (the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale [CAPS]) in a male combat veteran sample of 92 participants. Statistically significant correlations between the PCL-I/F and the CAPS were found, suggesting initial validation of the PCL-I/F to screen and assess frequency and intensity of combat-related PTSD symptoms. Implications are discussed for screening and assessment of PTSD related to combat and non-combat trauma.
Chemical effect of high level gamma irradiation on blood glucose in vitro

Abstract Furan-2,5-dicarboxylic acid is one of the decomposition products of blood glucose subjected to high energy gamma irradiation.
Identification of a novel DNA regulatory element in the rabbit surfactant protein B (SP-B) promoter that is a target for ATF/CREB and AP-1 transcription factors.

Abstract Surfactant protein B (SP-B) is required for the maintenance of biophysical properties and physiological function of pulmonary surfactant. SP-B is expressed in a cell/tissue-specific manner by the alveolar type II and bronchiolar (Clara) epithelial cells of the lung and is developmentally and hormonally regulated. We previously identified a minimal promoter region containing −236/+39 base pairs (bp) of rabbit SP-B gene that is necessary and sufficient for high level promoter activity in NCI-H441 cells, a cell line with characteristics of Clara cells. In this study, we have characterized the functional importance of a novel DNA regulatory element, termed SP-B CRE, with the sequence TGAGGTCA in the SP-B minimal promoter. The SP-B CRE sequence shared homology to cyclic AMP responsive element (CRE) binding sequence and contained an overlapping nuclear receptor element binding half-site. Mutation of SP-B CRE into a scrambled sequence reduced promoter activity by greater than 70%, whereas mutation into a palindromic consensus CRE increased the promoter activity by 100%. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) and Western immunoblot analysis of affinity purified proteins interacting with SP-B CRE showed that it is a target for binding of members of the activating transcription factor (ATF)/cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB) family of transcription factors, such as CREB, CREM, ATF-1, ATF-2 as well as c-Jun and TTF-1. Overexpression of CREB, ATF-2 and c-Jun inhibited SP-B promoter activity in NCI-H441 cells. These data have shown that members of the ATF/CREB family of transcription factors and c-Jun play important roles in mediating the transcriptional regulation of the SP-B gene.
Polyethylene Glycol-Polyamidoamine Dendritic Micelle as Solubility Enhancer and the Effect of the Length of Polyethylene Glycol Arms on the Solubility of Pyrene in Water

Unimolecular dendritic micelles designed as solubility enhancers were obtained by coupling polyethylene glycol (PEG) to Starburst polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers. Micelles-750, -2000, and -5000 have a generation 3.0 dendrimer core (32 primary amine end groups) and PEG arms with molecular weights of 750, 2000, and 5000, respectively. The conjugate of dendrimer core and PEG was characterized by MALDI-TOF MS and 1H NMR. 1H NMR was also used to estimate the average number of PEG arms on each dendrimer molecule. A typical hydrophobic compound, pyrene, was sonicated in an excess amount together with micelles at 50 degrees C for 6 h to produce its saturated water solution. The change of the solubility of pyrene was monitored at 334 nm, its maximum adsorption wavelength, by UV-VIS spectra. Concentrated micelles tended to dissolve more pyrene. However, there is no obvious linear relationship between micelle type and the amount of pyrene entrapped within micelles. Micelle-2000 could solubilize more pyrene than micelle-750. It is hypothesized that micelle-5000 did not solubilize more pyrene than micelle-2000 because of the PEG shell disruption by adjacent interpenetration of individual micelles when PEG arm length increased.
A Colonial Lexicon of Birth Ritual, Medicalization, and Mobility in the Congo

Colonial Lexicon of Birth Ritual, Medicalization, and Mobility in the Congo. Nancy Rose Hunt. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1999. vii. 475 pp., photographs, illustrations, notes, glossary, bibliography, index.
An electrically small planar antenna

It has been previously shown that it is possible to match an electrically small antenna to a 50-ohm coaxial line by placing a matching post near the base of the antenna. This antenna was designed to fit in a cubical volume. In this investigation we design a planar antenna which is also electrically small, self-resonant and is matched to a 50-ohm coaxial line; it is mounted over a ground plane. It is also much thinner and could be used for closely spaced array elements. It is actually a modification of an inverted-F antenna where an extra set of parallel wires is added to that antenna. In order to achieve the matching, we place an inductance at its endpoint and use a matching post near the input of the antenna, both of which are connected to the ground plane. We conducted simulations of the antenna configuration for different values of antenna length, width, height, inductance terminations and matching posts. After obtaining satisfactory computational results, we built and tested three of these antennas.
A knowledge-based fault diagnosis platform in smart grid: A conceptual design

Ill-treated faults lead to power service interruptions for end customers, or even large scale outages, such as the case of 2003 North America blackout. In a smart grid environment, it is possible to detect and isolate faults in a timely manner. Fault detection and isolation (FDI) techniques based on measurement of traditional system states are well developed after decades of research efforts, mostly formulated as modules. In smart grids, more information sources are available, such as vision, acoustic, weather monitoring, and social media. A knowledge-based FDI platform is proposed to incorporate all these information sources and fault diagnosis modules. The proposed knowledge-based fault diagnosis architecture supplied well-reasoned results to support operator decision making, while expertise from operators help to improve its performance.
Role of Exercise in Optimizing the Functional Status of Patients with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is frequently concomitant with obesity. This article discusses factors that influence health and functional outcomes of people who develop NAFLD, including increased burden of illness, whole body function, performance, and perception of self-efficacy. Changes in macronutrients, amount of calories consumed, and decreased physical activity all negatively influence patient outcome. The benefits of exercise in this population are also discussed. To be effective, exercise must be performed, regularly and in conjunction with dietary and other behavioral change. Therefore, a lifelong commitment to exercise, activity, and diet are needed if NAFLD is to be successfully treated.
Delayed diagnosis in a rural trauma center

Background. The rapid and accurate diagnosis of all injuries is critical in trauma surgery. Injuries not diagnosed after the secondary survey are not without serious consequences. Therefore, in an effort to decrease this problem a policy was initiated to perform an ongoing serial exam during the entire course of each patient's involvement with the trauma team at Saint Francis Medical Center. Methods. Prospective identification and evaluation of patients admitted to a single trauma service with delayed diagnosis was done from July 1, 1993, to October 31, 1995. Results. Sixty-eight delayed diagnoses were identified in 56 patients, for an incidence of 3% of the total 1876 patients evaluated. The vast majority were nonspinal orthopedic injuries (63%). Of seven missed spinal fractures, only one resulted in permanent paralysis. The remaining injuries missed were 11 injuries located in the head and neck area, 3 arterial injuries, 3 pneumothoraces, and 2 small bowel injuries. Thirty-four percent of the patients required surgical intervention for these injuries and one patient died because of the delay. There was a high association of delayed diagnosis in victims with altered mental status, victims intubated in the field, and individuals requiring immediate operation. Twenty percent of our total missed injuries could have been avoided if a thorough evaluation of initial films had been done. Conclusions. Delayed diagnosis remains a problem in all trauma centers. This study demonstrates that to keep this problem at a reasonable rate, we must: (1) carefully review initial x rays; (2) repeat any study that is not clear; and (3) continue serial examinations of each patient for the entire clinical course. Objective and thoughtful discussion of missed injuries on a routine basis will also keep this problem minimal.
Potassium conductance dynamics confer robust spike-time precision in a neuromorphic model of the auditory brain stem

A fundamental question in neuroscience is how neurons perform precise operations despite inherent variability. This question also applies to neuromorphic engineering, where low-power microchips emu...
Antiretroviral therapy corrects HIV-1–induced expansion of CD8+CD45RA+CD27−CD11abright activated T cells

Background HIV infection decreases thymic output and induces chronic T-cell activation. Objective To examine the reconstitution of naive and activated T cells. Methods Extended immune phenotyping of CD4 + and CD8 + T-cell subsets was combined with T-cell receptor rearrangement excision circle (TREC) levels and measures of T-cell receptor repertoire perturbations in CD8 + T-cell subpopulation to define the global effect of HIV-1 on T-cell dynamics. Evaluations before and after therapy were performed in HIV-infected children and compared with those in healthy individuals. Results Ten HIV-infected children and adolescents with a broad range of pretherapy CD4 + T-cell counts were compared with healthy individuals. Pretherapy late activated CD8 + T cells (CD3 + CD8 + CD45RA + CD27 − CD11a bright cells) were expanded among HIV-infected subjects. Successful antiretroviral therapy increased the proportion of naive T cells (CD3 + CD4 + CD45RA + CD27 + CD28 + and CD3 + CD8 + CD45RA + CD27 + CD11a dim cells), with a significant decrease in late activated CD8 + T cells. The proportion of naive CD4 + and CD8 + T cells significantly predicted log 10 TREC copies/10 6 PBMCs in infected children and healthy control subjects, with a negative correlation in late activated CD8 + T cells and activated CD4 + T cells. Treatment re-established Gaussian distributions and decreased oligoclonal expansion within the Vβ repertoire of CD8 + CD45RA + T cells, but compared with that seen in healthy children, the proportion of late activated CD8 + T cells remained increased. Conclusion HIV infection strikingly shifts the proportion of naive and late activated CD45RA + CD8 + T cells. Homeostasis within this T-cell population reflects TREC levels and the extent of T-cell receptor Vβ perturbations.
In situ investigation of the calcium-induced proteolytic and salting-in mechanisms causing tenderization in calcium-enhanced muscle

The objective of this experiment was to explore the mechanism(s) of calcium-induced tenderization in calcium-enhanced beef muscle. At 72 h postmortem, beef strip loins (n=15) were injected (9% by weight) with 0.0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, or 0.4 M calcium chloride (CaCl2) with and without 0.05 M zinc chloride (ZnCl2), and aged until 15 days postmortem. Warner–Bratzler shear force peak values indicated that addition of ZnCl2 drastically inhibited tenderization; however, enhancement with CaCl2 still tended to reduce shear values (P=0.07; 0.55 kg) when ZnCl2 was present. In the absence of ZnCl2, the 0.2 and 0.4 M CaCl2 treatments were 18.9 and 32.1% more (P< 0.05) tender than the 0.0 M CaCl2 treatment. SDS-PAGE indicated that addition of zinc reduced breakdown of troponin-T into 31 and 28 kDa components. Transmission electron micrographs indicated that addition of CaCl2 without ZnCl2 caused more frequent Z-line fractures and increased lateral spreading of myofibrils. These results suggest that both calciumactivated enzymatic activity and a non-enzymatic salting-in effect contributed to tenderization of calcium-enhanced muscle. However, the enzymatic mechanism reduced toughness 2.9- to 7.5-fold more than the non-enzymatic mechanism. Calcium-activated enzymatic degradation appears to be the major tenderization mechanism and non-enzymatic salting-in of calcium ions appears to be a minor tenderization mechanism, even at high calcium concentrations. # 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Acute renal failure associated with the use of intraperitoneal carboplatin: A report of two cases and review of the literature

Carboplatin, a new analogue of cisplatin used in the treatment of ovarian carcinoma, has been demonstrated to be less nephrotoxic than its predecessor. To date, hundreds of cycles of therapy have been given without a significant incidence of renal failure. We report herein two cases of acute, nonoliguric renal failure in patients receiving intraperitoneal (IP) carboplatin as chemotherapy for advanced ovarian carcinoma. Each patient had received extensive previous treatment with cisplatin. The baseline serum creatinine levels in the patients were 0.9 and 1.1 mg/dL, respectively. After four cycles of IP carboplatin in Patient 1 and five cycles of IP carboplatin in Patient 2, the serum creatinine levels abruptly rose to 9.0 and 9.5 mg/dL, respectively, within a week after administration of therapy. No other primary etiologies for acute renal failure could be identified in either patient. One patient required hemodialysis briefly. Renal biopsy specimens were obtained from both patients. Patient 1 had focal and moderate interstitial nephritis with mild periglomerular fibrosis. Patient 2 had an edematous interstitium with a diffuse mononuclear cell infiltrate, focal interstitial hemorrhage, and toxic changes in proximal and distal tubules on electron microscopy. Treatment with oral prednisone at 1 mg/kg/day with a rapid taper over 4 weeks was done in both cases with the serum creatinine levels eventually dropping to 4.6 and 2.0 mg/dL, respectively. Acute interstitial nephritis and renal failure to this extent have not been previously reported with carboplatin therapy. The literature regarding carboplatin is reviewed with respect to the pathophysiology of its nephrotoxicity.
The central venous catheter as a source of medical chaos in Munchausen syndrome by proxy.

Abstract Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine what percentage of childhood central venous catheters (CVC) are placed in victims of Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSBP) and to evaluate the clinical indications and complications of CVCs in MSBP. Methods: Study design was by retrospective chart review. Data were obtained from the regional children's hospital and regional child abuse consultation network. Patients in the MSBP series were all children who on consultation were determined to be victims of MSBP, from 1974 through 1996. Patients in the central catheter series were all children who had central venous catheters placed 1991 through 1995, excluding children whose catheters were placed for cancer chemotherapy or for chronic renal failure. Consultation records of MSBP cases were abstracted noting the clinical characteristics of victims and perpetrators. Hospital procedure codes were reviewed for children who had CVCs placed. Those who had discharge diagnostic codes that commonly require CVC placement were not reviewed, but charts of children with diagnoses not usually requiring CVCs were evaluated. Descriptive statistics and X 2 and Fisher's Exact test were used for comparisons. Results: Sixteen of ninety-three (17%) of MSBP victims had central lines, including two deaths caused by assault through the lines. Line sepsis occurred in 9 of 16 (56%) patients. Primary reasons for CVC were for administration of medicines that can normally be administered orally or subcutaneously (7) or for severe nutritional depletion (8). All but one of the children had symptoms of multiple organ system involvement. Siblings had frequently been victimized. The mean age of symptom onset was 19 months, yet the mean age at diagnosis was delayed until 82 months. All perpetrators were the mother. Fathers were usually physically or emotionally unavailable. Nearly one third of mothers had prior medical training and one third had themselves been victims of prior physical or sexual abuse. Ten of fifteen mothers previously exhibited Munchausen behavior themselves. Of children at our institution who had central venous catheter placement, 8 of 709 (1.1%) were MSBP victims. Conclusions: CVCs are frequently placed in MSBP victims for physiological problems, malnutrition, or failure to respond to normal treatments. Surgeons should consider requesting systematic evaluation for MSBP in patients seeking CVC placement for diagnoses not usually requiring CVCs lest they become unintentional collaborators in abuse of these children.
Barriers to Hospice Care Among Older Patients Dying With Lung and Colorectal Cancer

Purpose: To identify factors associated with hospice enrollment and length of stay in hospice among patients dying with lung or colorectal cancer. Methods: We used the Linked Medicare-Tumor Registry Database to conduct a retrospective analysis of the last year of life among Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with lung or colorectal cancer at age ≥ 66 years between January 1, 1973, and December 31, 1996, in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program who died between January 1, 1988, and December 31, 1998. Our outcomes of interest were time from cancer diagnosis to hospice enrollment and length of stay in hospice care. We used Cox proportional hazards regression to adjust for demographic and clinical information. Results: We studied elderly patients dying with lung cancer (n = 62,117) or colorectal cancer (n = 57,260). Overall, 27% of patients (n = 16,750) with lung cancer and 20% of patients (n = 11,332) with colorectal cancer received hospice care before death. Median length of stay for hospice...
Behavior therapy and its malcontents—I. Denial of its bases and psychodynamic fusionism

Abstract Historically, behavior therapy is the label applied to therapeutic practices based on experimentally established principles and paradigms of learning. Since the referent of the label is a synthetic construct, it is inappropriate to dispute its meaning as some are now doing. A good deal of criticism has been leveled against behavior therapy by people who are here called “malcontents” because their criticisms are attributable to inadequacies in their understanding of it. The malcontents are subdivided into five sometimes overlapping, groups: (1) those who deny the foundations of behavior therapy, (2) those who advocate some kind of merger with psychoanalysis, (3) those who advocate the accretion of “multimodal” techniques, (4) those who see behavior therapy as based entirely on cognitive change and (5) those who see it as an “exposure” technology. The untenability of the first of these positions is shown in Part I.
Empirical processes of long-memory sequences

Asymptotic expansions of long-memory sequences indexed by piecewise differentiable functionals are investigated, and upper bounds of outer expectations of these functionals are given. These results differ strikingly from the classical theories of empirical processes of independent random variables. Our results go beyond earlier ones by allowing wider classes of function as well as by presenting sharper bounds, and thus provide a more versatile approach for related statistical inferences. A complete characterization of empirical processes for the class of indicator functions is presented, and an application to $M$-estimation is discussed.
Genes selectively expressed in proliferating Dictyostelium amoebae.

Abstract Few eukaryotic genes are expressed only during cell growth and division. We found that the slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum is unusual in that it expresses many genes only during proliferation. Thirty-two percent (304/950) of the sequences in a cDNA library made from vegetative mRNA were homologous to RNAs that are present at high levels during growth but at low or undetectable levels during differentiation when no cell growth occurs. In vitro translation assays confirmed that one-third of the vegetative cell mRNAs decreased in steady-state levels during differentiation. These vegetative cell-specific transcripts identified a diverse coordinately regulated class of genes: (i) 9 of the 10 cDNAs tested hybridized to unique small transcripts ranging from 400 to 620 bases long; (ii) the sequences showed various degrees of homology to related species; (iii) transcript levels synchronously fell by a factor of greater than 20 during development and synchronously increased during germination. This class of genes may play important roles in normal cell proliferation.