cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lateral thoracotomy for epicardial pacemaker placement in patients with congenital heart disease

Objectives Our institution adopted a lateral thoracotomy approach to epicaridal pacemaker implantation with the objective of avoiding epicardial scar tissue and to achieve adequate lead pacing and sensing. We sought to assess the short-term outcomes of this approach. Methods A single-centre review was conducted in paediatric patients and adults with congenital heart disease or inherited arrhythmia syndromes who underwent a lateral thoracotomy for epicardial pacemaker placement from August 2010 to January 2016. Patient histories were recorded along with outcomes including complications, lead and generator performance. Results Twenty-one operations were performed in 20 patients (median age 17 years, range 3 months-49 years), including 19 pacemakers and 2 implantable-cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs). Prior epicardial pacemakers had been placed in 11 (55%) patients, including 3 with multiple pacemakers. Most patients had undergone at least 1 prior cardiac operation, with a mean of 3.2 (range 0-7) prior cardiac operations. Through our lateral thoracotomy approach, 17 of the 19 attempted atrial leads (89%) and 20 of the 20 attempted ventricular leads (100%) were successfully implanted with acceptable pacing thresholds. Complications included 1 (5%) bleeding, 2 (10%) pacemaker pocket revisions and 1 late death at 6 months unrelated to the pacemaker. There were no lead failures at a mean follow-up period of 27.5 months (range of 0.7-56.1 months). Conclusions The lateral thoracotomy is a useful approach for epicardial pacemaker implantation in patients with congenital heart disease or inherited arrhythmia syndromes including those with multiple prior operations.
Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing

Abstract In this chapter, we share our perspective as nursing faculty regarding what we believe students of nursing science, nursing faculty, and librarians for health sciences need to know about information literacy and Evidence-Based Practice (EBP). We begin by discussing basic epistemological concepts of how nurses know what they know. Then we introduce common EBP models used in nursing practice and discuss several factors impacting efficacious clinical utilization. Finally, we consider how information literacy has moved beyond accessing traditional research via databases and now includes accessing information via health informatics data systems. This discussion is framed within the extensive web of national health policies and laws.
Fast hyperspectral phase and amplitude imaging in scattering tissue.

Hyperspectral imaging in scattering tissue generally suffers from low light collection efficiency. In this Letter, we propose a microscope based on Fourier transform spectroscopy and oblique back-illumination microscopy that provides hyperspectral phase and amplitude images of thick, scattering samples with high throughput. Images can be acquired at >0.1 Hz rates with spectral resolution better than 200 cm-1, over a wide spectral range of 450-1700 nm. Proof-of-principle demonstrations are presented with chorioallantoic membrane of a chick embryo, illustrating the possibility of high-resolution hemodynamics imaging in thick tissue, based on transmission contrast.
A study of vascular wound healing in a rabbit model of type I diabetes.

The pathophysiology of restenosis following balloon catheterization involves a sequence of events similar to wound healing (1). Mechanical stress and mitogens released by cells at the site of injury activate quiescent vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) of the contractile phenotype to dedifferentiate to the synthetic phenotype and, subsequently, divide. Activated VSMC of the synthetic phenotype migrate through breaks in the internal elastic lamina to the intima where they continue to proliferate and synthesize abundant extracellular matrix (ECM), resulting in an increased neointimal mass. This intimal hyperplasia has been suggested to contribute to a decrease in lumen diameter and patency of the vessel resulting in ischemic symptoms. It should be noted, however, that the contribution of intimal thickening to the pathophysiology of restenosis has recently been questioned.
A History of Dwight D. Eisenhower's Oral Health

This paper reviews the oral health history of President Eisenhower from his early years as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Tank Corps to the last years of his life. It includes first hand accounts of his oral care when President, provides evidence that his periodontitis stabilized after he quit smoking, documents the destructive effects of his parafunctional grinding on his dentition and how he was plagued with fracturing teeth the last fifteen years of his life. Finally, it shows the special care Eisenhower was given both as a renowned leader and a medically compromised patient.
Grandparents of disabled grandchildren: Hopes, fears, and adaptation.

The impact of childhood disability on grandparents has been largely ignored. The author reviews the roles and meanings of grandparenthood, then explores the potential impact of a disabled grandchil...
General Transformations of Object Representations in Human Visual Cortex.

The brain actively represents incoming information, but these representations are only useful to the extent that they flexibly reflect changes in the environment. How does the brain transform representations across changes, such as in size or viewing angle? We conducted a fMRI experiment and a magnetoencephalography experiment in humans (both sexes) in which participants viewed objects before and after affine viewpoint changes (rotation, translation, enlargement). We used a novel approach, representational transformation analysis, to derive transformation functions that linked the distributed patterns of brain activity evoked by an object before and after an affine change. Crucially, transformations derived from one object could predict a postchange representation for novel objects. These results provide evidence of general operations in the brain that are distinct from neural representations evoked by particular objects and scenes. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The dominant focus in cognitive neuroscience has been on how the brain represents information, but these representations are only useful to the extent that they flexibly reflect changes in the environment. How does the brain transform representations, such as linking two states of an object, for example, before and after an object undergoes a physical change? We used a novel method to derive transformations between the brain activity evoked by an object before and after an affine viewpoint change. We show that transformations derived from one object undergoing a change generalized to a novel object undergoing the same change. This result shows that there are general perceptual operations that transform object representations from one state to another.
Inhaler use and education characteristics among English and non-English speaking patients: A pilot needs assessment survey.

Abstract Objective Identify inhaler use characteristics among English (ESP) and non-English speaking patients (NSP) to develop quality improvement efforts. Methods Outpatients were surveyed for technique confidence, education, preferences and disease control. We compared characteristics between ESP and NSP. Results Of 197 respondents, 75% were ESP, 25% were NSP. Compared to NSP, ESP responders were more likely female (57% vs 31%, p = 0.001), used inhalers for a longer time (10 vs 6 years, p = 0.008) and had higher rates of metered dose inhaler use (85% vs. 60%, p Conclusions These findings will be used to further develop quality inhaler education efforts at our institution. Practical implications Local patient preferences should be considered when designing inhaler education programs.
A Novel Jamming Attacks Detection Approach Based on Machine Learning for Wireless Communication

Jamming attacks target a wireless network creating an unwanted denial of service. 5G is vulnerable to these attacks despite its resilience prompted by the use of millimeter wave bands. Over the last decade, several types of jamming detection techniques have been proposed, including fuzzy logic, game theory, channel surfing, and time series. Most of these techniques are inefficient in detecting smart jammers. Thus, there is a great need for efficient and fast jamming detection techniques with high accuracy. In this paper, we compare the efficiency of several machine learning models in detecting jamming signals. We investigated the types of signal features that identify jamming signals, and generated a large dataset using these parameters. Using this dataset, the machine learning algorithms were trained, evaluated, and tested. These algorithms are random forest, support vector machine, and neural network. The performance of these algorithms was evaluated and compared using the probability of detection, probability of false alarm, probability of miss detection, and accuracy. The simulation results show that jamming detection based random forest algorithm can detect jammers with a high accuracy, high detection probability and low probability of false alarm.
Mechanistic analysis of light-driven overcrowded alkene-based molecular motors by multiscale molecular simulations

We analyze light-driven overcrowded alkene-based molecular motors, an intriguing class of small molecules that have the potential to generate MHz-scale rotation rates. The full rotation process is simulated at multiple scales by combining quantum surface-hopping molecular dynamics (MD) simulations for the photoisomerization step with classical MD simulations for the thermal helix inversion step. A Markov state analysis resolves conformational substates, their interconversion kinetics, and their roles in the motor's rotation process. Furthermore, motor performance metrics, including rotation rate and maximal power output, are computed to validate computations against experimental measurements and to inform future designs. Lastly, we find that to correctly model these motors, the force field must be optimized by fitting selected parameters to reference quantum mechanical energy surfaces. Overall, our simulations yield encouraging agreement with experimental observables such as rotation rates, and provide mechanistic insights that may help future designs.
Assessing Selection Bias in Regression Coefficients Estimated from Non-Probability Samples, with Applications to Genetics and Demographic Surveys

Selection bias is a serious potential problem for inference about relationships of scientific interest based on samples without well-defined probability sampling mechanisms. Motivated by the potential for selection bias in (a) estimated relationships of polygenic scores (PGSs) with phenotypes in genetic studies of volunteers, and (b) estimated differences in subgroup means in surveys of smartphone users, we derive novel measures of selection bias for estimates of the coefficients in linear and probit regression models fitted to non-probability samples, when aggregate-level auxiliary data are available for the selected sample and the target population. The measures arise from normal pattern-mixture models that allow analysts to examine the sensitivity of their inferences to assumptions about non-ignorable selection in these samples. We examine the effectiveness of the proposed measures in a simulation study, and then use them to quantify the selection bias in (a) estimated PGS-phenotype relationships in a large study of volunteers recruited via Facebook, and (b) estimated subgroup differences in mean past-year employment duration in a non-probability sample of low-educated smartphone users. We evaluate the performance of the measures in these applications using benchmark estimates from large probability samples.
Yttrium Acetate-Derived Particle Coatings for Mitigating Oxidation and Corrosion of Inconel 625

“Sol paint” that yields yttrium-based compounds was prepared by mixing four chemical ingredients, yttrium acetate tetrahydrate precursor, diethanolamine, isopropyl alcohol, and hydrochloric acid, and then applied as oxidation/corrosion resistant coatings for Inconel 625 substrates. Annealing the coatings at 500°C developed a coalescent microstructure of coarse particles consisting of amorphous yttrium carbonate as the major component and crystalline yttrium oxide (Y2O3) as the minor one. At 700°C, the yttrium carbonate was transformed into Y2O3 by decarbonation. Increasing the annealing temperature to 900°C led to the formation of the YCrO3 phase yielded by interaction between Y2O3 and the Cr2O3 which had arisen from the oxidation of the underlying Inconel; the YCrO3 phase created a particle coating with a densified microstructure. There were two key factors in mitigating the degree of oxidation of Inconel at 900°C in air: (1) an uptake of oxygen by Y2O3 in the coatings, and (2) a densified coating layer that suppresses the diffusion and permeation of oxygen through it. Furthermore, inhibiting the rate of NaCl-caused corrosion was not only due to the excellent coverage of particle coatings over the entire surfaces of the substrates, but also may be associated with a good adherence of the coatings to the substrates.
Saxon Words and Romance Words

Many English words are of Anglo-Saxon origin, while many others are of Latin, French, or Romance origin. Saxon words tend to be short and plain; Romance words tend to be long and formal. Legal writers can use these differences to write readable prose, to draft streamlined contracts, and to create forceful, memorable phrasing in persuasive documents. This article gives the background of Saxon and Romance words, provides advice for choosing between the two types, and offers before-and-after examples.
Unified Representation of Geometric Primitives for Graph-SLAM Optimization Using Decomposed Quadrics.

In Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (SLAM) problems, high-level landmarks have the potential to build compact and informative maps compared to traditional point-based landmarks. This work is focused on the parameterization problem of high-level geometric primitives that are most frequently used, including points, lines, planes, ellipsoids, cylinders, and cones. We first present a unified representation of those geometric primitives using \emph{quadrics} which yields a consistent and concise formulation. Then we further study a decomposed model of quadrics that discloses the symmetric and degenerated nature of quadrics. Based on the decomposition, we develop physically meaningful quadrics factors in the settings of the graph-SLAM problem. Finally, in simulation experiments, it is shown that the decomposed formulation has better efficiency and robustness to observation noises than baseline parameterizations. And in real-world experiments, the proposed back-end framework is demonstrated to be capable of building compact and regularized maps.
Fire in Floodplain Forests of the Southeastern USA

Nowadays forest fires are so rare in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley and other floodplains of the southeastern USA that these floodplains appear fireproof. Fire was once much more common across the Southeastern Coastal Plain, including in these forested floodplains. Even so, fire was not the fundamental ecological disturbance in floodplain forests that it was in adjacent uplands; flooding served that role here. Other disturbances, like hurricanes, tornados, and beavers opened floodplain forests and may have been antecedents to fires. Since the arrival of Europeans, the disturbance regime in perhaps no other ecoregion in the continental USA has been so fundamentally altered. Levee- and dam-building have radically changed the hydrology of most of these river floodplains. Logging, agricultural conversion, urbanization, and road-building have further altered ecosystem structure and function. Fire is exceedingly rare in modern, closed-canopy floodplain forests, where fuels remain moist year-round, well-drained sites are converted from canebrakes to crop fields, and fires that once burned across adjacent uplands are either halted by habitat fragmentation or actively suppressed. This chapter will discuss the role of fire in floodplains of the southeastern USA in the context of other ecological and human-caused disturbances historically, presently, and looking to the future.
Inner shell excitation by strong field laser rescattering: optimal laser conditions for high energy recollision

We address the challenge of finding the optimal laser intensity and wavelength to drive high-energy, strong field rescattering and report the maximum yields of K-shell and LI-shell hole creation. Surprisingly, our results show laser-driven rescattering is able to create inner shell holes in all atoms from lithium to uranium with the interaction spanning from the deep IR to x-ray free electron laser sources. The calculated peak rescattering follows a simple scaling with the atomic number and laser wavelength. The results show it is possible to describe the ideal laser intensity and wavelength for general high-energy laser rescattering processes.
Is Obesity/Adiposity-Based Chronic Disease Curable: The Set Point Theory, the Environment, and Second Generation Medications.

Adiposity-Based Chronic Disease (ABCD) is a chronic disease and requires life-long treatment and follow-up. Obesity protects obesity through altered regulation of caloric intake and set point mechanisms that maintains a high equilibrium body weight. Lifestyle interventions and obesity medications do not permanently alter the set point which often makes weight loss achieved by lifestyle short-lived and operates to drive weight regain once medications are discontinued. Bariatric surgery procedures can alter appetite and lower the "set point" for equilibrium body weight via unknown mechanisms. However, few patients attain ideal body weight following surgery, many regain weight, and all require long-term follow-up for the disease. The excess adiposity of ABCD gives rise to complications that impair health and confer morbidity and mortality; however, the genetic risks and potential interactions between genes and environment that give rise to complications also cannot be eliminated. The equilibrium body weight around which set point mechanisms operate can be modified by environment, which underscores the importance of a less obesogenic environment for prevention and treatment of ABCD on a population basis. If ABCD will eventually be curable, this will depend on a clear understanding of the molecular mechanisms that determine the set point regulation of body weight, and an ability to permanently modulate the set point to oscillate around and a lean body mass. The conceptualization of ABCD as a chronic disease, however, does present us with opportunities for primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention to avert disease progression. For tertiary care, the advent of new, more effective, second-generation obesity medications will allow clinicians to treat-to-target via active management of body weight into a target range that will ameliorate specific complications.
A pheromone-aided multipath qos routing protocol and its applications in manets

Ad hoc wireless networks are wireless networks that utilize multi-hop relaying without the aid of a fixed infrastructure or centralized coordinator. Routing in ad hoc wireless networks is made additionally challenging by the dynamic nature of the communication channel. In this thesis, we present an ant-based multipath QoS routing protocol that utilizes a link metrics combining multiple weighted criteria. We apply the proposed scheme to various fields in ad hoc wireless networks and study the performance via simulations. We present an energy-efficient multipath routing algorithm, named PPRA, utilizing the proposed metrics. We also study the performance of our scheme considering both energy and latency for two classes of traffic: latency-critical and latency-non-critical. Our study indicates that PPRA shows good minimum energy performance, an important factor for maximized network lifetime, with small amount of additional overhead. We investigate the performance of our scheme for a geocasting protocol that we designed combining anycasting, restricted broadcasting, and local broadcasting. The proposed scheme, named GeoPPRA, reduces the routing overhead significantly. Also, GeoPPRA performs energy-efficient load balancing that increases network lifetime. Simulation results show significant reductions of routing overhead and energy consumption and show comparable performance to the state of the art geocasting protocols. We then apply PPRA to a security context in order to avoid malicious packet dropping. Ad hoc wireless networks are more vulnerable to Denial of Service (DoS) attacks since nodes are assumed to be trustworthy and cooperative. In our approach, messages are distributed over multiple paths between source and destination. In proportion to the throughput of each path, a routing table is updated and, subsequently, paths that contain malicious nodes are naturally avoided. Simulation results show that our scheme can avoid most of the paths that contain malicious nodes. For delay-sensitive applications, it is important to minimize the probability that the end-to-end packet transfer delay is greater than a certain threshold. We propose an overlay framework that considers both delay and mobility to satisfy the QoS requirements of delay-sensitive applications. Also, we propose network and application layer QoS and mobility management schemes which utilize both reactive and proactive methods.
An introduction to models and decompositions in operator theory

Decompositions and models for Hilbert-space operators have been active research topics in recent years, and this book is intended as an introduction to this area of operator theory, working from an abstract point of view. The approach is elementary in that all the proofs only use standard results of single operator thoery, although many of the questions posed in the text lead on to open problems.
O-GlcNAc Modified Residues of IRS1 Impact Postprandial Lipid Metabolism

Posttranslational modifications of IRS1 mediate and modulate the pleiotropic effects elicited by insulin. O-GlcNAc modification of IRS1 correlates with attenuated insulin signaling. We identified O...
On a question of B. H. Neumann

The automorphism group of a free group Ant(F k ) acts on the set of generating k-tuples (g 1 ,...,g k ) of a group G. Higman showed that when k = 2, the union of conjugacy classes of the commutators [g 1 , g 2 ] and [g 2 , g 1 ] is an orbit invariant. We give a negative answer to a question of B.H. Neumann, as to whether there is a generalization of Higman's result for k > 3.
The Broadcasters’ Transition Date Roulette: Strategic Aspects of the DTV Transition

The analog to digital “DTV transition” completed in June 2009 was a technological event unprecedented in scale in the broadcast television industry. The final analog cutoff for TV stations culminated more than ten years of complex regulatory decisions. Facing concerns that costs and revenue could change dramatically, stations chose when to transition in response to both market and regulatory forces. The history of broadcasting reveals a continual interplay between consumer demand, technological change, and regulation. This article describes the various forces that influenced the DTV transition, and empirically examines the stations’ decisions regarding when to switch. The economic and strategic aspects of the stations’ business decisions are modeled with tools from decision theory and game theory that reveal the costs and benefits of switching to DTV. In the decision theoretic model we develop, a station’s management considers only its own power costs and the effect of its own decision on its viewership when deciding to switch early. The game theoretic model incorporates strategic thinking, where a station manager considers the impact of other stations’ decisions on its profit when making its choice. The stations’ decisions are in line with the predictions of the models. The results indicate that station managers considered their cost savings and the potential to lose viewers, but also that they were thinking strategically when they made their transition decisions. The results thus provide insight into the stations’ decision-making process, which can help market observers and regulators better understand the calculus of the industry.
Ochratoxin A: Isolation and Subsequent Purification by High-Pressure Liquid Chromatography

A purification method for ochratoxin A, using liquid-liquid extractions and a final cleanup by high-pressure liquid chromatography, is described.
Resilience processes in context : Contributions and implications of bronfenbrenner's person-process-context model

Abstract This article considers resilience as a multiplicity of psychological characteristics that are shaped by the ecological interplay of relational, social, and cultural contexts. Bronfenbrenner's (1979) person-process-context model of human development is examined in terms of its implications for research and for both micro- and macro-level interventions. Attention is given to “the first context” and to the role of early attachment in the cultivation of resilient functioning. Attachment theory and research are reviewed. Themes are extracted from this research to suggest how psychotherapy with trauma survivors can mobilize the resilient capacities of trauma survivors and function as a reparative context. Implications of an ecological perspective and attachment theory and research for national and community-level interventions are considered.
THE MAGNETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY OF PYROLYTIC CARBONS

The magnetic susceptibility of several oriented pyrolytic carbons (pyrolytic graphites) has been measured in the as-deposited condition, and after heat treatment at temperatures up to 3600°C. For pyrolytic carbons deposited at temperatures above 2000°C the susceptibility is substantially larger than that of single-crystal graphite. However, it obeys the electron gas temperature dependence equation of Pacault and Marchand. Heat treatment at temperatures above the deposition temperature causes the anisotropic part of the susceptibility (measured at room temperature) to decrease to a minimum value after treatments near 2900°C before leveling out at the plateau value characteristic of graphite for heat treatment temperatures above 3100°C. The enhanced as-deposited susceptibility is attributed to the combination of large crystallite diameter and turbostratic structure observed in these materials. Possible causes of the susceptibility minimum are suggested. There is some evidence that the susceptibility behavior of pyrolytic carbons deposited at temperatures below 2000°C is similar to that usually observed in other pre-graphitic carbons.
Revision of the Statistical Mechanics of Phonons to Include Phonon Linewidths

Zubarev[1] in 1960 obtained the “smeared” Bose-Einstein (B-E) function in order to take into account the fact that the eigenenergy associated with a fixed phonon wave vector q and fixed polarization index j is not precisely defined but, instead, is smeared by phonon-phonon and phonon-electron interactions. The ratio Γ(qj)/ω(qj) is often quite small, i.e., of the order of 0.01 or less, where Γ is the phonon linewidth and ħ ω is the eigenenergy. However, in strongly anharmonic crystals Γ /ω may be as large as 0.3 at certain points of the Brillouin zone. In such dramatic cases, one would suspect that such phonon linewidths would have some observable effect on the thermodynamic properties. Zubarev represented the effect of “smearing” on the statistical properties by the infinite integral[1], $$ \overline n = \int_{ - \infty }^\infty d \omega \;{\left[ {\exp (\frac{{h\omega }}{{kT}}) - 1} \right]^{ - 1}}\;L(\omega ;\overline \omega ,\Gamma )\;, $$ (1) $$ L(\omega ;\overline \omega ,\Gamma )\; = \;(\Gamma /\pi ){\left[ {{{(\omega - \overline \omega )}^2} + {\Gamma ^2}} \right]^{ - 1}}, $$ (2) in which we have deleted the indices (q,j) for convenience. The term in square brackets in (1) is the usual B-E function, while in L, the usual Lorentzian function, \( \overline \omega \) is the average or center frequency of the distribution.
Spontaneous emission and reflectivity measurements for the characterization of facet-coatings of semiconductor lasers

A new method for measuring the spontaneous emissions and spectral reflectivity of the facet coating of ridge lasers is described and demonstrated. We present results of spectrally-controlled coated quantum-dot laser waveguides.
Plaque Formation by Chlamydia in L Cells

Chlamydiae were found capable of producing plaques in several cell lines. Mouse fibroblast cells, L-929, proved the most sensitive to infection and yielded plaques of the highest clarity. Assay of chlamydial infectivity by plaque titration was at least as sensitive as egg ld50 determination. Among chlamydial isolates of avian, mammalian, and human origin, only slow-growing trachoma-inclusion-conjunctivitis agents did not produce plaques. The plaque assay is highly sensitive, reproducible, and offers a potential tool for investigations requiring accurate measurement of small changes in chlamydial infectivity.
On the capacity and asymptotic performance of MC-CDMA system over Nakagami-m fading channels

The ergodic channel capacity of an MC-CDMA system in the presence of frequency-selective Nakagami-m fading is studied. The channel information is unknown at the transmitter and perfectly known at the receiver. It is seen that a multipath channel may have an advantage or disadvantage for its inherent diversity in the sense of ergodicity, depending on the value of fading parameter, m. Especially, it has no advantage or disadvantage for its inherent diversity in the presence of Rayleigh fading. In the case of a constant multipath intensity profile, when the number of multipaths becomes large, the ergodic capacity approaches the one for the Rayleigh fading channel. In addition to the information theoretic considerations, the asymptotic BER performance for MC-CDMA systems with MMSE reception over Nakagami-m fading channels in terms of the fading parameter, m, the number of multipaths, L, and the average power decay rate, /spl delta/, is also studied. The closed-form expression is also obtained for asymptotic signal-to-interference-plus-noise when the frequency domain channel fading parameter takes on integer values.
Value and Exploitation in a Capitalist Space Economy

A Marxian model of production relations applicable to a space economy, partitioned into regions, is described. The aspatial, "Fundamental Maxian Theorem" is then extended to the regional system. It is shown that the maximum regional exploitation rate exceeds the profit rate in the aggregate economy. Class conflicts and alliances are then considered in light of variable exploitation rates across regions.
Ultrasound-Guided Ganglion Cyst Aspiration

Soft tissue ganglia can occur around multiple joints throughout the musculoskeletal system. These can present clinically as slowly enlarging masses, which may or may not be painful. Cross-sectional imaging can be helpful in both diagnosis and treatment of these lesions. The diagnostic ability of sonography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to define the internal characteristics of periarticular lesions as cystic or solid is invaluable to diagnosis. They can also meticulously outline the regional anatomy, identifying regional neurovascular structures that could potentially pose a problem if surgical excision is considered. We describe a case of a soft-tissue ganglion of the foot, localized immediately deep to a first order branch of the dorsalis pedis artery, diagnosed with magnetic resonance imaging and treated with sonographic-guided aspiration.
Understanding B-cell tolerance through the use of immunoglobulin transgenic models

The appearance of autoantibodies in autoimmune diseases such as lupus suggests that B-cell tolerance to self is breached. Hence it becomes important to unravel the precise cellular and molecular mechanisms that are responsible for violations in various B-cell tolerance checkpoints in autoimmune diseases. B-cell immunoglobulin or B-cell receptor transgenic models have been of immense aid in uncovering many of these key tolerance checkpoints during normal B-cell development. By breeding these transgenic models onto mice that are engineered to lack or hyperexpress various B-cell molecules, including signaling intermediates, researchers have delineated the role of these molecules in B-cell tolerance. These transgenic models have also been useful in delineating the impact of various lupus prone genomes and lupus susceptibility loci on B-cell tolerance. This review focuses on some of the more well-studied B-cell receptor transgenic models and the lessons they have taught us over the past two decades.
An appraisal of certain acute phase reactants in a single blood sample and their value in the diagnosis of acute rheumatic fever.

Summary Certain of the acute phase reactants were performed on the same sample of blood from individuals with the following states: normal, acute respiratory disease, streptococcosis, acute rheumatic fever, acute glomerulonephritis, acute rheumatoid arthritis, inactive rheumatic fever, lupus erythematosus, malignancy, obesity, asthma, and allergic rhinitis. Of the tests performed, the mucoprotein-tyrosine and the antistreptolysin 0 titer when done together appeared to be the most discriminating. It is suggested that the performance of such tests on the same sample of blood might aid in differentiating mild acute rheumatic fever and acute rheumatoid arthritis from each other and also from other disease states.
Linguistic structures and mental operations

The internal representations and mental operations used in verifying a sentence against a pictorial referent are examined in an experiment where the location of the false constituent (subject, verb, or object) varied. The latencies for false sentences were ordered: verb, grammatical subject, grammatical object, with verb mismatches being detected the fastest. An information-processing analysis indicated that both comparison and search operations are employed, and that sentences are represented, in general, as a list of propositions with case-relational information. Context and task demands impose order on the list and lead to different operations on these structures. The depth of processing sentences varies from simple lexical comparisons up to full encoding and usage of syntactic and semantic features and case relations.
Simulation of Asphalt Materials Using Finite Element Micromechanical Model with Damage Mechanics

A theoretical and numerical study of the micromechanical behavior of asphalt concrete was undertaken. Asphalt is a heterogeneous material composed of aggregates, binder cement, and air voids. The load-carrying behavior of such a material is strongly related to the local load transfer between aggregate particles, and this is taken as the microstructural response. Numerical simulation of this material behavior was accomplished by developing a special finite element model that incorporated the mechanical load-carrying response between the aggregates. The finite element scheme incorporated a network of special frame elements, each with a stiffness matrix developed from an approximate elasticity solution of the stress and displacement field in a cementation layer between particle pairs. A damage mechanics approach was then incorporated within this solution, and this approach led to the construction of a softening model capable of predicting typical global inelastic behavior found in asphalt materials. This theory was then implemented within the ABAQUS finite element code to conduct simulations of particular laboratory specimens. A series of model simulations of indirect tension (IDT) tests were conducted to investigate the effect of variation of specimen microstructure on the sample response. Simulation results of the overall sample behavior compared favorably with experimental results. Additional comparisons were made of the evolving damage behavior within the IDT test samples, and numerical results gave reasonable predictions.
Use of sterile compared with tap water in gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures

Abstract Background: Because of the concern for infection risk, use of sterile water has been recommended in the water bottle for endoscopic equipment, although studies evaluating prevalence of contamination of the water bottle with clinical outcomes have not been performed. Methods: Over a 12-week period in three endoscopy rooms at a university teaching hospital, the water bottles were filled on a weekly schedule with either sterile (one room) or tap water. The water bottles were sterilized on a weekly basis with an automated endoscope washer. At the end of each week, an aliquot of the remaining water was transferred to a sterile container, and quantitative cultures for aerobic and facultative anaerobic bacteria were performed by use of a 0.01 ml calibrated loop according to standard protocols. Cultures were performed in a blinded fashion without knowledge of the water source. Follow-up was performed on all patients within 2 weeks of the procedure to determine any potential infectious complications. Results: During the study period, 437 procedures were performed (203 endoscopy, 68 colonoscopy, 38 sigmoidoscopy, 128 endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography). Of a total of 36 cultures (12 sterile), the results of nine (25%) were positive, including thre bottles where sterile water was used. Bacterial isolates included five Flavobacterium sp., for Acinetobacter sp., two Pseudomonas sp., and one Stenotrophomonas maltophilia . Colony counts ranged from 900 to more than 10,000 per ml. On follow-up no patient had development of a clinical infection from any of these organisms. Conclusions: Bacterial growth in the water bottle was infrequent, consisted predominantly of nonpathogenic organisms, and was not associated with clinical complications. Our pilot study suggests that the use of tap water as compared with sterile water may be practical, as well as provide cost savings.
Auditory temporal acuity in normally achieving and learning-disabled college students.

Recent research has suggested that deficits in several metalinguistic/phonological abilities, such as short-term verbal memory and phoneme segmentation, may be etiologic factors in specific reading...
Lithographic impact of thin film effects on advanced BIMOS semiconductor device layer structures

Variations in wafer substrate film stacks can have a significant effect upon the resist critical dimension (CD) and exposure level for layers patterned to fabricate advanced four level metal BIMOS devices. In the fabrication of these VLSI devices, patterning is frequently performed on film stacks of varying thickness and optical properties. PROLITH was used to simulate lithography behavior on actual device film stacks, and the results compared favorably to data collected from actual product wafers. Simulations can be used to accurately predict the exposure changes needed to compensate for changes in film thickness and film stack upon CD. Good agreement was obtained for most cases studied, with less than 3% deviation between the experimental and simulated results being typical. In most cases, the PROLITH simulated data and empirically determined results were in good agreement. Thin film reflectivity is also observed to have a strong influence on CD variation. In via patterning experiments, for example, vias printed with only resist exhibited “reflective notching dominated” CD 3-sigma variation of 0.10 pm greater than that observed where an optimized ARC process was employed under the resist to minimize substrate reflectivity. The significant improvements in CD variation have been generally correlated with reductions and/or optimizations in substrate reflectivity. Electrical probe CD data for backend metal layers has also been evaluated for thin film notching behavior, and as seen for via layer notching, the CD variation is minimized by applying the results from PROLITH reflectivity analysis. The significant improvements in CD variation have been correlated with the reduction and optimization of substrate reflectivity, which is determined by the combination(s) of dielectric and resist contributors.
On the Effects of Moisture on the Brunt-Väisälä Frequency

Abstract Expressions are derived for the Brunt- Vaisala frequency Nm, in a saturated atmosphere, which are analogous to commonly-used formulas for the dry Brunt- Vaisala frequency. These formulas are compared with others which have appeared in the literature, and the derivation by Lalas and Einaudi (1974) is found to be correct. The simplifying assumptions, implicit in derivations by Dudis (1972) and Fraser et al. (1973) are clarified. Numerical examples are presented which suggest that these incomplete formulations for Nm are reasonably accurate approximations, except when the saturated static stability is small. A new formula expressing Nm in terms of moist conservative variables is presented, and an accurate approximation is also given which may be useful when evaluating Nm.
Improved sealed-ingot zone refining technique for growth of CdTe crystals☆

Single crystals of CdTe with volumes up to 10 cm3 have been grown by an improved sealed-ingot zone refining technique, in which large vertical oscillations (e.g., 4 mm at 100 cpm) are imposed on the ingot during the last zone pass. The conductivity and carrier type are correlated with susceptor temperature. The effectiveness of zone refining has been studied by measurements on ingots doped with radiotracers of Fe, Co, Sn, W and Bi. The following distribution coefficients were determined: Fe, 0.53; Co, 0.27; Sn, 0.025.
Synchronous parallelization of Particle Swarm Optimization with digital pheromones

In this paper, Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) using digital pheromones to coordinate swarms within n-dimensional design spaces in a parallel computing environment is presented. Digital pheromones are models simulating real pheromones emitted by insects for communication to indicate suitable food or nesting location. Particle swarms search the design space with digital pheromones aiding communication within the swarm during an iteration to improve search efficiency. Previous work by the authors demonstrated the capability of digital pheromones within PSO for searching the global optimum with improved accuracy, efficiency and reliability in a single processor computing environment. When multiple swarms explore and exploit the design space in a parallel computing environment, the solution characteristics can be further improved. This premise is investigated through deploying swarms on multiple processors in a distributed memory parallel computing environment. The primary hurdle for the developed algorithm was bandwidth latency due to synchronization across processors, causing the solution duration due to each swarm to be only as fast as the slowest participating processor. However, it has been observed that the speedup and parallel efficiency improved substantially as the dimensionality of the problems increased. The development of the method along with results from six test problems is presented.
Scaling Web sites through caching

A large jump in a Web site's traffic may indicate success, but this increased interest could turn into a nightmare if the site is not prepared to handle the bigger load. Site resources (processors, storage boxes, load balancers, LANs, and the like) could see their utilization rise to levels that generate increasingly long response times. Eventually, one of these resources - the so-called bottleneck resource - will reach 100 percent utilization, pushing the site's throughput to its maximum point. When a Web site becomes overloaded, customers grow frustrated with long waits and rejected requests. This situation can lead to an undesirable loss of site-generated revenue and may even tarnish the reputation of organizations relying on Web sites to support mission-critical applications. In this article, I discuss how caching technologies can improve Web site performance and scalability. I'll provide some simple quantitative expressions to let designers understand the most important trade-offs.
Prescribing controlled substances during a prescription drug epidemic

We are currently in the midst of an epidemic of deaths caused by the misuse of prescription medications. Opioids, benzodiazepines, and stimulants are among the most frequently misused controlled substances and are integral to the neurologist's armamentarium. Thus, the decision to prescribe a controlled substance and how to mitigate the associated risks of their misuse is often vexing to the clinician. This installment in the "Clinical Challenge" series provides a basic narrative overview of the epidemiology of prescription drug misuse, a summary of each of the major classes of misused drugs, and clinical recommendations regarding screening for misuse and reducing the risks associated with prescribing controlled substances.
Field electron emission from an aluminum oxide covered tungsten {112} plane at temperatures up to 1700°K

Field electron emission from an aluminum oxide mono-layer, face specifically adsorbed on a tungsten {112} plane, was measured between 1670°K and room temperature and at local field strength ranging from 17 MV/cm to 35 MV/cm. In a Fowler-Nordheim plot straight lines were obtained up to about 820°K. The work function at 650°K was determined to be 3.2 eV. The experimental values were compared with those determined by Christov's unified theory of field and thermionic emission. Deviations are attributed to the change in the shape of the potential barrier, which is caused by the aluminum oxide adsorption.
Sequential ELISA to profile multiple cytokines from small volumes

Due to the low cost and relative effectiveness the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is widely used to measure the concentration of inflammatory cytokines in plasma and other sources. Blood volume represents a limiting factor in those mouse models requiring repeated sample collection at multiple time intervals to monitor the trajectory of inflammatory processes. The small blood volumes in such scenarios restrict the array of cytokines that can be measured using the traditional ELISA. The implementation of the sequential ELISA protocol presented here can dramatically increase the number of measured cytokines, since the plasma samples are not discarded after the initial assay but re-used to measure additional selected inflammatory proteins in consecutive tests. From the original 20 μl of blood volume collected, up to fifteen cytokines can be successfully assayed in five consecutive cycles. With more unstable cytokines analyzed in the initial cycles, no inter-assay interference and/or deterioration of samples occurs. The sequential ELISA technique based on commercially-available antibody pairs can be an attractive alternative to more advanced, costly methods. Given the simplistic validation procedure, the proposed sequential ELISA protocol has a wide potential for further modifications to include other inflammation-related targets.
Etzioni on Religion: Challenging the Warrior/Preacher' Faultline:

The author examines and criticizes some of the key arguments from Security First, with a focus on issues related to Etzioni's discussion of “Illiberal Moderates.” Etzioni's analysis of Christianity and Islam are found to be problematic. By looking at the just war traditions in both religions, the author finds very different models rather than the parallel ones suggested by Etzioni.
Cover Picture: Molecular “Iron Maidens”: Ultrashort Nonbonded Contacts in Cyclophanes and Other Crowded Molecules (Eur. J. Org. Chem. 17/2004)

The cover picture shows the last step in the synthesis of an in-cyclophane. Like the medieval “iron maiden”, an instrument of torture in which the closing of a spiked door impaled a victim, the final ring closure forces a functional group into the face of a benzene ring. Details are discussed in the Microreview by R. A. Pascal, Jr. on p. 3763 ff.