cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Expression of a functional Kir4 family inward rectifier K+ channel from a gene cloned from mouse liver.

Since the cloning of the first inward rectifier K+ channel, ROMK1 (Kir1.1a: Ho et al. 1993), a large family of related Kir channel genes has been identified. These genes have been divided into seven subfamilies (to date) based on their predicted protein sequences (Doupnik et al. 1995), and there is a strong correlation between structure and function within each subfamily. Kir3 channel activity is modulated by G-protein βγ subunits (Reuveny et al. 1994), Kir6 channel activity is modulated by intracellular [ATP] (Inagaki et al. 1995), Kir2 channels are strong inward rectifiers, and are subject to modulation by various effectors including extracellular pH (Coulter et al. 1995), intracellular [ATP] (Collins et al. 1996), PKC activity (Henry et al. 1996), G-protein (Cohen et al. 1996), and [Mg2+] (Chuang et al. 1997), and Kir1 and Kir4 channel activity is subject to modulation by intracellular pH (Tsai et al. 1995; Doi et al. 1996; Fakler et al. 1996; Shuck et al. 1997). An additional level of complexity of channel function arises from the demonstration that some Kir channels form as heteromultimers in native tissue (Kir3 channels, Krapivinsky et al. 1995), or require additional protein subunits to form functional channels (Kir6 channels: Inagaki et al. 1995). However, relatively little is known about the molecular correlates of channels in native tissue and whether the channels form as homo- or heteromultimers. Kir4.1 channel subunits have been demonstrated to form heteromultimeric channels with Kir1.1 (Glowatzki et al. 1995) and Kir5.1 (Pessia et al. 1996). Because the function of a heteromultimeric channel can be affected by the activity of a single subunit, it is important to know how the activity of each subunit can be modulated in homomeric expression. The first Kir4 channel, Kir4.1 (variously named BIR10, KAB-2 or BIRK1) was cloned from rat brain (Bond et al. 1994; Bredt et al. 1995; Takumi et al. 1995). In the last year, other members of this subfamily have been cloned from salmon brain (Kubo et al. 1996) and from human kidney and skeletal muscle (Gosset et al. 1997; Ohira et al. 1997; Shuck et al. 1997). While some confusion over channel nomenclature persists (see Discussion), the channel best classified as Kir4.2 cloned from human kidney has been reported not to express functional channels in Xenopus oocytes (Shuck et al. 1997). In this paper, we report the successful expression of a Kir4.2 channel cloned from mouse liver. The expressed channel is an inward rectifier, but is subject to a unique combination of modulatory mechanisms, including sensitivity to changes in intracellular pH, protein kinase C (PKC) activity, and extracellular [K+] ([K+]o).
Electromagnetic analogies to general-Hamiltonian effective-mass electron wave propagation in semiconductors with spatially varying effective mass and potential energy.

It is shown that exact, quantitative electromagnetic analogies exist for all forms of the general Hamiltonian [R. A. Morrow and K. R. Brownstein, Phys. Rev. B 30, 678 (1984)], which applies to single-band effective-mass electron wave propagation in semiconductors. It is further shown that these analogies are valid for propagation in the bulk, propagation past abrupt interfaces between materials, and propagation within one- and two-dimensionally inhomogeneous materials. These results indicate that the correct form of the single-band effective-mass Hamiltonian can be determined through appropriate wave-function-amplitude-sensitive experiments. Wave-function-phase-sensitive experiments (such as the measurement of electron wave refraction directions) are not adequate to specify completely the Hamiltonian. The present analogies suggest many wave-function-amplitude-sensitive experiments that can be used to determine the correct form of the Hamiltonian. The results of the present analysis are broadly applicable to general effective-mass propagation, unlike other recent work that has treated specific cases.
Mapping Irrigated Lands at 250-m Scale by Merging MODIS Data and National Agricultural Statistics

Accurate geospatial information on the extent of irrigated land improves our understanding of agricultural water use, local land surface processes, conservation or depletion of water resources, and components of the hydrologic budget. We have developed a method in a geospatial modeling framework that assimilates irrigation statistics with remotely sensed parameters describing vegetation growth conditions in areas with agricultural land cover to spatially identify irrigated lands at 250-m cell size across the conterminous United States for 2002. The geospatial model result, known as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Irrigated Agriculture Dataset (MIrAD-US), identified irrigated lands with reasonable accuracy in California and semiarid Great Plains states with overall accuracies of 92% and 75% and kappa statistics of 0.75 and 0.51, respectively. A quantitative accuracy assessment of MIrAD-US for the eastern region has not yet been conducted, and qualitative assessment shows that model improvements are needed for the humid eastern regions where the distinction in annual peak NDVI between irrigated and non-irrigated crops is minimal and county sizes are relatively small. This modeling approach enables consistent mapping of irrigated lands based upon USDA irrigation statistics and should lead to better understanding of spatial trends in irrigated lands across the conterminous United States. An improved version of the model with revised datasets is planned and will employ 2007 USDA irrigation statistics.
On the Loss of Hydraulic Permeability in Ceramic Membranes

The properties of inorganic membranes are dependent on the surface chemistry of the material, which in turn are affected by parameters such as temperature, pH, and chemisorption of molecules. For both silica and γ-alumina membranes, a significant reduction in water hydraulic permeability was observed after heat treatment or exposure to organic solvents. For silica membranes, the water permeability reduction due to heating at 140°C has been attributed to the removal of physically adsorbed water, which exposes hydrophobic surface patches covered by isolated hydroxyl groups. In the case of γ-alumina membranes strong adsorption of a wide range of organic compounds can result in significant permeability loss.
Midterm to long-term followup of staged reimplantation for infected hip arthroplasty.

Most reports on two-stage reimplantation have focused on the short-term cure rate of infection, but little is known about long-term reinfection-free survival or mechanical durability. We retrospectively reviewed 168 patients (169 hips) with infected arthroplasty, all of whom had two-stage reimplantation for the treatment of an infected total hip arthroplasty between 1988 and 1998. In the second stage, the femoral component was fixed with antibiotic-loaded bone cement in 121 hips; the remaining femoral components and all acetabular components were uncemented. The minimum followup time was 2 years (mean, 7 years; range, 2–16 years). At most recent followup, 12 hips (7.1%) were reoperated on for reinfection and 13 hips (7.7%) were revised for aseptic loosening or osteolysis. Apparently aseptic loosening occurred on one or both sides of the joint in 24 hips (14.2%). The 10-year survivals free of reinfection and mechanical failure were 87.5% and 75.2% respectively. Nineteen hips dislocated and eight underwent revision surgery for instability. The method of femoral component fixation, either with or without cement, did not correlate with risk of infection, loosening, or mechanical failure. Based on these results, the method of fixation used for the femoral component during two-stage reimplantation surgery should be based on the surgeon’s preference for fixation combined with the assessment of femoral bone stock.
Sensitivity Analysis with Mixture of Epistemic and Aleatory Uncertainties

The study on epistemic uncertainty due to the lack of knowledge has received increasing attention in risk assessment, reliability analysis, decision making, and design optimization. Different theories have been applied to model and quantify epistemic uncertainty. Research on sensitivity analysis for epistemic uncertainty has also been initialized. Sensitivity analysis can identify the contributions of individual input variables with epistemic uncertainty to the model output. It then helps guide the collection of more information to reduce the effect of epistemic uncertainty. In this paper, an effective sensitivity analysis method for epistemic uncertainty is proposed when both epistemic and aleatory uncertainties exist in model inputs. This method employs the unified uncertainty analysis framework to calculate the plausibility and belief measures. The gap between belief and plausibility measures is used as an indicator of the effect of epistemic uncertainty on the model output. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov distance between the two measures is used to quantify the main effect and the total effect of each independent variable with epistemic uncertainty. By the Kolmogorov-Smirnov distance, the importance of each variable is ranked. The feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated with two engineering examples.
Strategic choices, export orientation and export performance of SMEs in Nigeria

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of entrepreneurial export orientation on the performance of SMEs in Nigeria.Design/methodology/approach – The study follows a quantitative research design using survey methods with statistical treatment. Several t‐tests and correlation tests were used to ascertain whether differences exist between proactive export orientation and conservative export orientation and performance.Findings – The findings indicate that proactive entrepreneurs were more engaged in the export market than conservatives. The findings also suggest that firms that adopted proactive orientation achieved higher performance, profitability, and growth compared with those that adopted a conservative orientation. It was also found that proactive entrepreneurs allocated more financial resources for export activities than conservative entrepreneurs.Research limitations/implications – The research was limited to four cities; a broader geographic sampling to include larger urban...
An approach to colleague evaluation of classroom instruction

Academic institutions across the country are becoming increasingly interested in involving colleagues in the assessment of classroom teaching. This article will assist instructional developers who consult with faculty members and their departments in an effort to improve and evaluate teaching performance. It briefly reviews the literature on colleague evaluation of classroom teaching, discusses the issues developers should consider when assisting in the design of colleague visitation programs, and suggests guidelines for instituting such programs.
Encapsulation of Essential Oils in Zein Nanospherical Particles

Three essential oils, oregano, red thyme, and cassia (100% pure oil), were encapsulated by phase separation into zein nanospheres. Topographical images indicated that the powders were made up of irregularly shaped particles ( approximately 50 mum) containing close-packed nanospheres. Approximately 31% of the oregano encapsulated particles had mean diameters greater than 100 nm compared to 19% for the zein alone particles. In vitro digestion of zein particles with pepsin at a concentration ratio of 10:1 was complete after 52 h in phosphate-citrate buffer, pH 3.5, at 37 degrees C by spectroscopic analysis. Nonenzymatic, aqueous in vitro release of essential oils from encapsulated zein particles was carried out in phosphate buffered saline at pH 7.4 and 37 degrees C. Release occurred at varying rates over 20 h probably from different locations within the closely packed nanospheres of different sizes. Gel electrophoresis SDS-PAGE of zein incubated with freeze-dried swine manure solids at 37 degrees C indicated that preformed microbial enzymes capable of digesting zein within minutes were present in the manure. Except for differences in size of nanospheres, no structural differences were resolved by several microscopic methods, suggesting that the oil and proteins phases were blended during phase separation.
Fracture toughness of Al4%Mg/Al2O3p composites

Abstract Fracture toughness tests were carried out on Al4%Mg/Al2O3p composites containing different sizes and volume fractions of alumina particulates. The results indicated that the fracture toughness was dependent on the interparticle spacing provided the particulate size was below a critical size. The critical particle size corresponds to the situation wherein the energy release rate on particulate cracking is sufficient to trigger dynamic unstable crack extension.
The influx of inflammatory cells into nasal washings during the late response to antigen challenge. Effect of systemic steroid pretreatment.

Previous studies have demonstrated symptoms and mediator release occurring as long as 11 h after nasal challenge with antigen in selected allergic subjects. Pretreatment with systemic steroids reduced symptoms and mediators including histamine, TAME-esterase activity, and kinins. The aims of the present study were to characterize the cell influx during the late-phase response to antigen challenge and to determine the effect of pretreatment with systemic steroids on this response. We examined cytospin slides of nasal washings obtained before and hourly for 11 h after nasal antigen challenge in 10 asymptomatic allergic subjects with a history of seasonal rhinitis and 5 normal, nonallergic subjects. Allergic subjects received oral prednisone (20 mg 3 times a day) or placebo in a random, double-blind crossover manner for 2 days before each of 2 challenges 1 month apart. On placebo days, a mixed cell influx occurred in allergic subjects during the late response that was 50-fold greater than the cell influx in ...
Radiographic assessment of disease progression in rheumatoid arthritis patients enrolled in the cooperative systematic studies of the rheumatic diseases program randomized clinical trial of methotrexate, auranofin, or a combination of the two.

Objective. To determine the radiographic progression of disease in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients from the Cooperative Systematic Studies of the Rheumatic Diseases clinical trial of auranofin (AUR) versus methotrexate (MTX) versus a combination of the two. Methods. Baseline (week-0) and study-end (week-48) hand/wrist radiographs in 200 of the 211 patients who completed this multicenter trial (95%) were scored blindly by 2 readers for the presence of erosions and joint space narrowing (JSN). Both intraobserver reliability and interobserver reliability were 0.80 for erosions (P ≤ 0.001); intraobserver reliability and interobserver reliability were both 0.75 for JSN (P ≤ 0.001). Results. Worsening erosion and JSN scores occurred in all 3 treatment groups, but the difference from baseline reached significance only in the AUR group. Conclusion. Clinical improvement has been clearly documented in all 3 treatment groups in this trial. Radiographic deterioration occurs in RA even when clinical features improve, but progression of disease as determined radiographically may be slowed by treatment with MTX.
Rational spline estimators of the quantile function

There exist several interpolation methods used in conjunction with the order statistics for estimating a quantile function: the simple step function estimator, linear interpolation, quasi-quantile estimators, the Hermitian quantile function estimator, kernel estimators and Bernstein polynomial estimators, to name a few. In this note we explore using monotone rational splines for developing quantile function estimators. Delbourgo and Gregory [1] give a representation of a piecewise rational cubic function that is a monotone interpolant. The piecewise cubic interpolant is a generalization of their earlier rational quadratic monotone interpolant defined and analyzed in Gregory and Delbourgo [2] and Delbourgo and Gregory 3-4. We construct and examine the estimators based on these interpolants in terms of their exact bootstrap expressions for the finite sample size bias and variance estimates given sample profiles from a standard normal population. Recommendations for the choice of quantile estimator are given.
Into--and out of--City Schools: The Retention of Teachers Prepared for Urban Settings.

This retrospective, longitudinal study compares the career paths of graduates of Harvard University's master's-level teacher education program (TEP) before and after it adopted an urban emphasis in 2001. I surveyed all graduates of TEP, 1985–2006, which yielded a sample of 636. Using discrete-time survival analysis, I examined where respondents taught and whether, when, and why they left teaching. I found that graduates of TEP's urban-focused program were more likely to teach in urban schools than the comparison cohorts but less likely than prior cohorts to stay in teaching. However, compared to the non-urban cohort members that were working in urban schools, urban cohort members were no more likely to exit. I further found that Whites and males in the urban cohorts were more likely to exit than members of these groups in previous cohorts, whereas females of color who prepared for urban settings were much less likely to leave than their counterparts who had received more general preparation. A large numbe...
Inhibition of hepatitis C virus by the cyanobacterial protein Microcystis viridis lectin: mechanistic differences between the high-mannose specific lectins MVL, CV-N, and GNA.

Plant or microbial lectins are known to exhibit potent antiviral activities against viruses with glycosylated surface proteins, yet the mechanism(s) by which these carbohydrate-binding proteins exert their antiviral activities is not fully understood. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is known to possess glycosylated envelope proteins (gpE1E2) and to be potently inhibited by lectins. Here, we tested in detail the antiviral properties of the newly discovered Microcystis viridis lectin (MVL) along with cyanovirin-N (CV-N) and Galanthus nivalis agglutinin (GNA) against cell culture HCV, as well as their binding properties toward viral particles, target cells, and recombinant HCV glycoproteins. Using infectivity assays, CV-N, MVL, and GNA inhibited HCV with IC50 values of 0.6 nM, 30.4 nM, and 11.1 nM, respectively. Biolayer interferometry analysis demonstrated a higher affinity of GNA to immobilized recombinant HCV glycoproteins compared to CV-N and MVL. Complementary studies, including fluorescence-activated cell sort...
Evaluation of digital dermoscopy in a pigmented lesion clinic: clinician versus computer assessment of malignancy risk.

Digital dermoscopy systems employ computer-based algorithms to quantitate features of pigmented skin lesions (PSLs) and provide an assessment of malignancy risk. We evaluated interobserver concordance of PSL malignancy risk between a pigmented lesion specialist and an artificial neural network (ANN)–based automated digital dermoscopy system. While digital dermoscopy provides a reliable means of image capture, storage, and comparison of PSLs over time, the ANN algorithm requires further training and validation before the malignancy risk assessment feature can be widely used in clinical practice.
Rejuvenation of continental lithosphere beneath an intracratonic basin

Abstract The effective elastic thickness of the lithosphere in the Williston Basin region has been determined for several time intervals by fitting an elastic flexure equation to the shape of the basin over time. The elastic thickness increases from about 40 km just after the basin began subsiding (450 m.y. B.P.) to about 80 km at the present. These results agree well with the increasing elastic thickness with age predicted for a cooling, 250 km-thick plate (taking elastic thickness to be depth to the 450°C isotherm) if we assume a thermal age of the lithosphere of about 500 m.y. Radiometric dates of basement in the area, however, generally yield ages of 1.7 b.y. (Churchill Province) and 2.5 b.y. (Superior Province). Because basement ages are generally much greater than the inferred lithospheric thermal age in the Williston Basin region, we suggest that lithosphere in this area was thermally rejuvenated, about 500 m.y.B.P., by the same process(es) responsible for the thermal subsidence of the basin. Temperatures were not high enough in the upper crust to reset most radiometric clocks. Additional support for a thermal event 500 m.y.B.P. comes from fission-track ages and a single Rb-Sr age of basement rocks of about 500 m.y. Lithospheric rejuvenation has been modelled using a one-dimensional finite-difference thermal model. The base of a 250 km-thick plate is heated from 1333°C to 1850°C (approximately the solidus of basalt at that depth) for approximately 100 m.y. With conduction only, the depth to the 450°C isotherm slowly decreases, then slowly increases after heating ceases. Rapid thinning and slow thickening of the lithosphere can be achieved only if convective thinning is simulated in the model. The model with convection yields results consistent with the observed increase in lithospheric thickness as well as the observed subsidence of the basin over time.
Jane Jacobs and ‘The Need for Aged Buildings’: Neighbourhood Historical Development Pace and Community Social Relations

Jacobs argued that grand planning schemes intending to redevelop large swaths of a city according to a central theoretical framework fail because planners do not understand that healthy cities are organic, spontaneous, messy, complex systems that result from evolutionary processes. She argued that a gradual pace of redevelopment would facilitate maintenance of existing interpersonal ties. This paper operationalises the concept of pace of development within a cross-sectional framework as the ‘age diversity of housing’. Analysis of a population-based multilevel community survey of Chicago linked with census housing data predicts individual perceptions of neighbourhood social relations (cohesion, control, intergenerational closure and reciprocal exchange). A gradual pace of redevelopment resulting in historical diversity of housing significantly predicts social relations, lending support to Jacobs’s claims.
Computer-Aided Detection of Centroblasts for Follicular Lymphoma Grading Using Adaptive Likelihood-Based Cell Segmentation

Follicular lymphoma (FL) is one of the most common lymphoid malignancies in the western world. FL has a variable clinical course, and important clinical treatment decisions for FL patients are based on histological grading, which is done by manually counting the large malignant cells called centroblasts (CB) in ten standard microscopic high-power fields from HE as a result, suffers from considerable inter and intrareader variability even when used by expert pathologists. In this paper, we present a computer-aided detection system for automated identification of CB cells from H&E-stained FL tissue samples. The proposed system uses a unitone conversion to obtain a single-channel image that has the highest contrast. From the resulting image, which has a bimodal distribution due to the H&E stain, a cell-likelihood image is generated. Finally, a two-step CB detection procedure is applied. In the first step, we identify evident nonCB cells based on size and shape. In the second step, the CB detection is further refined by learning and utilizing the texture distribution of nonCB cells. We evaluated the proposed approach on 100 region-of-interest images extracted from ten distinct tissue samples and obtained a promising 80.7% detection accuracy.
Sleep and circadian temperature rhythms in winter depression

Winter depression as associated with a phase-delay of the temperature rhythm in a constant routine is discussed. Bright morning light treats the depression and phase-advances the temperature rhythm. There is a need for a small inexpensive temperature monitoring device to diagnose and treat circadian rhythm problems. The preliminary data indicate that the circadian rhythm is abnormally timed in patients with winter depression relative to their sleep and that effective treatment with bright light in the morning tends to phase-advance their rhythm to a more normal time. >
RATED ASSOCIATION VALUES OF PRONOUNCED ITEMS.

One common aspect of experiments in verbal learning has been the use of either visually-presented items (the verbal symbols were presented on cards, memory drum tapes, slides, or strip film) or of vocally spelled items (E spelled items aloud to Ss) . Thus, experiments have been designed to investigate various aspects of verbal learning when the material was presented in a form that can be characterized as visual or spelled. Underwood and Schulz (1960) demonstrated that Ss believe that the pronounceabiliry of an item is an important determiner of the ease with which verbal symbols are learned. Subsequent learning of items rated as to apparent degree of pronounceability, substantiated the belief, i.e., those items rated as being most highly pronounceable were learned better than items rated as being less pronounceable. Such evidence indicates that research into the learning of pronounced verbal symbols is needed. When an E desires to study the learning of visual or spelled verbal symbols, he can select his items from any of several lists, e.g., Glaze (1928), Noble ( 1952), Underwood and Schulz (1960), Cieutat ( 1963), etc. However, the investigator of the learning of po?zoanced verbal symbols does not have lists of scaled items with numerical association or meaningfulness values. Whether association values, meaningfulness, similarity, and pronounceability of visual or spelled items are about the same as those for pro?zounced items is a matter of conjecture and considerable importance. The present study was undertaken to provide some information about the comparative rated association values of pronounceable items that are presented visually (V), orally (O), and both visually and orally (B) .
Analysis of the binary complexity of asymptotically fast algorithms for linear system solving

Two significant developments can be distinguished in the theory of algebraic algorithm design. One is that of fast algorithms in terms of counting the arithmetic operations, such as the asymptotically fast matrix multiplication procedures and related linear algebra algorithms or the asymptotically fast polynomial multiplication procedures and related polynomial manipulation algorithms. The other is to observe the actual bit complexity when such algorithms are performed for concrete fields, in particular the rational numbers. It was discovered in the mid-1960s that for rational polynomial GCD operations the classical algorithm can lead to exponential coefficient size growth. The beautiful theory of subresultants by Collins [7] and Brown & Traub [5] explains, however, that the size growth is not inherent but a consequence of over-simplified rational arithmetic. Similar phenomena were observed for the Gaussian elimination procedure [2], [9].
A Rapid Ribosome Profiling Method Elucidates Chloroplast Ribosome Behavior in Vivo

The profiling of ribosome footprints by deep sequencing has revolutionized the analysis of translation by mapping ribosomes with high resolution on a genome-wide scale. We present a variation on this approach that offers a rapid and cost-effective alternative for the genome-wide profiling of chloroplast ribosomes. Ribosome footprints from leaf tissue are hybridized to oligonucleotide tiling microarrays of the plastid ORFeome and report the abundance and translational status of every chloroplast mRNA. Each assay replaces several time-consuming traditional methods while also providing information that was previously inaccessible. To illustrate the utility of the approach, we show that it detects known defects in chloroplast gene expression in several nuclear mutants of maize (Zea mays) and that it reveals previously unsuspected defects. Furthermore, it provided firm answers to several lingering questions in chloroplast gene expression: (1) the overlapping atpB/atpE open reading frames, whose translation had been proposed to be coupled, are translated independently in vivo; (2) splicing is not a prerequisite for translation initiation on an intron-containing chloroplast RNA; and (3) a feedback control mechanism that links the synthesis of ATP synthase subunits in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii does not exist in maize. An analogous approach is likely to be useful for studies of mitochondrial gene expression.
Cost analysis of early extubation after coronary bypass surgery

Background. Although early extubation after coronary bypass surgery has been shown to reduce length of stay, a systematic cost analysis of its economic benefit has not been reported, and previous studies have used hospital charges that are typically confused with actual costs. Methods. A consecutive series of 690 patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery during a 24-month period were studied to determine the effect of early extubation, defined as removal of the endotracheal tube within 8 hours of arrival to the intensive care unit, on length of stay and hospital costs. Patients in group 2 (n = 362) who underwent coronary bypass surgery in 1995, subsequent to the initiation of an early extubation protocol, were compared with those in group I (n = 328) operated on in 1994, before implementation of early extubation. To reflect true hospital resource consumption, only costs (not charges) directly related to patient health care (variable direct cost) were analyzed. Results. Baseline characteristics such as age, gender, previous myocardial infarctions, section fraction, reoperations, diabetes, and left main stenosis were similar in both groups. Operative mortality for the entire group was 3.3% and did not differ between the two groups ; the incidence of serious morbidity was 10.9% for the entire group. Early extubation was accomplished in 38% of patients in group 2 versus 3% in group 1 (p < 0.001), and postoperative length of stay declined from 9.4 days to 7.7 days (p < 0.01). This was accompanied by a significant (p = 0.001) reduction in variable direct cost per case. Conclusions. Early extubation after coronary bypass surgery is an effective strategy of reducing length of stay and does not appear to impact on either morbidity or mortality. An additional benefit is significant cost savings realized through accelerated recovery and control of resource use.
Rapporteur summary: role of technology in the cost of health care

Although medical technology appears to be the driving force behind the rate of increase of real national health expenditures, market imperfections are of greater concern. The market falls short of efficiently allocating health services because of perverse financial incentives and a lack of consumer and physician understanding of the value of many medical services. Making the best use of new and old technology requires better-informed health care decisions, which can help to counter the market imperfections.
Improved DC and RF performance in Si/SiGe n-MODFETs with ion-implanted buried p-well doping

The dc and RF characteristics of Si/SiGe n-MODFETs with buried p-well doping incorporated by ion implantation are reported. At a drain-to-source biasV/sub ds/ of +1 V devices with 140-nm gate length had peak transconductance g/sub m/ of 450 mS/mm, and maximum dc voltage gain A/sub v/ of 20. These devices also had "off-state" drain current I/sub off/ of 0.15 mA/mm at V/sub g/=-0.5 V. Control devices without p-well doping had A/sub v/=8.1 and I/sub off/=13 mA/mm under the same bias conditions. MODFETs with p-well doping had f/sub T/ as high as 72 GHz at V/sub ds/=+1.2 V. These devices also achieved f/sub T/ of 30 GHz at a drain current, I/sub d/, of only 9.8 mA/mm, compared to I/sub d/=30 mA/mm for previously published MODFETs with no p-well doping and similar peak f/sub T/.
Preliminary Evidence for a Sex-Specific Relationship between Amount of Cannabis Use and Neurocognitive Performance in Young Adult Cannabis Users

Accumulating evidence suggests neuropsychological deficits from cannabis use, with a burgeoning area of preclinical research indicating possible sex-differences. However, few studies have examined how cannabis use may differentially impact neurocognition in male and female cannabis users. As such, we examined potential sex-differences in associations between amount of cannabis use (across several time-frames) and neurocognitive performance among young adult regular cannabis users. Consistent with previous studies, more cannabis use was generally associated with poorer episodic memory and decision-making, but not other measures of inhibitory control. However, patterns of results suggested sex-specific dissociations. In particular, more cannabis use was more consistently associated with poorer episodic memory performance in females than males. Conversely, more cannabis use was associated with poorer decision-making performance for males, but not females. These results provide further evidence for residual cannabis-associated neurocognitive deficits and suggest the importance of examining the impact of cannabis on neurocognition separately for males and females.
Integrated wall stress: a new methodological approach to assess ventricular workload and myocardial contractile reserve

Background: Wall stress is a useful concept to understand the progression of ventricular remodeling. We measured cumulative LV wall stress throughout the cardiac cycle over unit time and tested whether this “integrated wall stress (IWS)” would provide a reliable marker of total ventricular workload. Methods and results: We applied IWS to mice after experimental myocardial infarction (MI) and sham-operated mice, both at rest and under dobutamine stimulation. Small infarcts were created so as not to cause subsequent overt hemodynamic decompensation. IWS was calculated over one minute through simultaneous measurement of LV internal diameter and wall thickness by echocardiography and LV pressure by LV catheterization. At rest, the MI group showed concentric LV hypertrophy pattern with preserved LV cavity size, LV systolic function, and IWS comparable with the sham group. Dobutamine stimulation induced a dose-dependent increase in IWS in MI mice, but not in sham mice; MI mice mainly increased heart rate, whereas sham mice increased LV systolic and diastolic function. IWS showed good correlation with a product of peak-systolic wall stress and heart rate. We postulate that this increase in IWS in post-MI mice represents limited myocardial contractile reserve. Conclusion: We hereby propose that IWS provides a useful estimate of total ventricular workload in the mouse model and that increased IWS indicates limited LV myocardial contractile reserve.
Evaluation and Management of a Patient With Congestive Heart Failure

A 44-year-old woman initially presented to her primary physician in April 1998 with a cough and dyspnea that had persisted for about 1 month. A chest roentgenogram demonstrated clear lungs but a “globular” cardiac configuration. She was given therapy with amoxicillin combined with clavulanate potassium (Augmentin; GlaxoSmithKline; Research Triangle Park, NC) for 1 week with apparent diminution of the severity of the dyspnea. After feeling fairly well for 1 month, she began experiencing cough, dyspnea, chest pressure, and extreme fatigue. The dyspnea resulted from minimal activity and was associated with orthopnea. The patient’s medical history was unrevealing. Specifically, there was no evidence of prior coronary artery disease (CAD), hypertension, heavy alcohol intake, or recent pregnancy. She then was referred to a cardiologist and was found to have a BP of 100/70 mm Hg, sinus tachycardia at 120 beats/min, and no evidence of jugular venous distension or peripheral edema. A cardiac examination disclosed an apical impulse displaced 2-cm lateral to the midclavicular line, a prominent third heart sound, and a grade 2/6 apical systolic murmur of mitral regurgitation. A chest roentgenogram again demonstrated cardiomegaly with clear lung fields. An echocardiogram disclosed a moderately dilated left ventricle with normal wall thickness and severe global hypokinesis (estimated ejection fraction, 20 to 25%), which is indicative of generalized dilated cardiomyopathy. The left atrium was mildly dilated, and the right heart chambers were normal in size and motion. The patient then was admitted to the hospital and received therapy with digoxin, diuretics, and a lowdose angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor. Her symptoms gradually improved.
Professional change: which trends do nurses endorse?

Resume l'examen des donnees des figures l a 3 a conduit aux commentaires generalises ci-dessus. Nous avons trouve dans un echantillonnage au hasard d'infirmieres professionnelles, d'infirmieres patentees et de personnel domestique une adhesion ouverte a des tendances en relation avec le comportement humain et les valeurs humaines. De plus, du fait d'une selection variee, cet echantillon representatif du nursing est fortement oriente vers le patient. Il n'est cependant pas particulierement porte pour la recherche en matiere de nursing en tant que tendance et les tendances ordonnees en relation avec les equipements nouveaux, les machines en medecine, les ordinateurs, certains programmes federaux et la transplantation d'organes sont faibles. L'interet porte aux tendances en fait de patentes professionnelles a ete mis en evidence par celles couramment eligibles.
Sharps injuries among employees of acute care hospitals in Massachusetts, 2002-2007.

Objective. Sharps with engineered sharps injury protections (SESIPs) have been found to reduce risk of sharps injuries (SIs). We examined trends in SI rates among employees of acute care hospitals in Massachusetts, including the impact of SESIPs on SI trends during 2002–2007.Design. Prospective surveillance.Setting. Seventy-six acute care hospitals licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.Participants. Employees of acute care hospitals who reported SIs to their employers.Methods. Data on SIs in acute care hospitals collected by the Massachusetts Sharps Injury Surveillance System were used to examine trends in SI rates over time by occupation, hospital size, and device. Negative binomial regression was used to assess trends.Results. During 2002–2007, 16,158 SIs among employees of 76 acute care hospitals were reported to the surveillance system. The annual SI rate decreased by 22%, with an annual decline of 4.7% (). Rates declined significantly among nurses (−7.2% per year; ) but not among ...
Magnetic targeting for site-specific drug delivery: applications and clinical potential

Background: Magnetic vehicles are very attractive for delivery of therapeutic agents as they can be targeted to specific locations in the body through the application of a magnetic field gradient. The magnetic localization of a therapeutic agent results in the concentration of the therapy at the target site consequently reducing or eliminating the systemic drug side effects. Objective: The aim of this review is to provide an update on the progress made in the development of the magnetic targeting technique addressing characteristics of the magnetic carriers and limitations of the current targeting magnet systems. Methods: This review discusses fundamental requirements for the optimal formulation of the magnetic carrier, current applications and potentially new approaches for the magnetically mediated, site-specific localization of therapeutic agents, including drugs, genes and cells. Results/conclusion: More efficient targeting magnetic systems in combination with prolonged circulation lifespan and carrie...
DEVELOPMENT OF A COMPREHENSIVE AEROELASTIC ANALYSIS PROCEDURE FOR COMPOSITE WINGS USING LAPLACE DOMAIN METHODOLOGY

A comprehensive procedure has been developed for aeroelastic analysis of composite wings. The load carrying member of the wing is represented as a rectangular composite box beam with taper and sweep. A refined higher-order theory is used to model the displacement field to account for the variations in transverse shear strains through the wall thickness. The finite element method is used to formulate the governing equations of motion. Three-dimensional unsteady aerodynamic computations are performed to obtain generalized aerodynamic forces, using a panel code based on the Doublet Lattice Method. Unsteady aerodynamic forces are approximated as rational functions of the Laplace variable. Eigenvalues of the resulting equations determine the stability of the aeroelastic system. Numerical results are presented showing significant effect of composite ply orientations on flutter and divergence characteristics.
A variational approach to the dynamic stability of high-density plasmas in magnetic containment devices

Variational methods are used to determine the structure of dynamically stable plasmoids. The total energy of the plasmoid is varied subject to a set of constraint integrals on the flow. It is demonstrated that the resulting flow structure results in a plasmoid of the type observed experimentally when the angular momentum of the plasmoid is not conserved. This is the collinear vortex structure. New experimental results are presented which demonstrate that the structures observed in mirror trapping experiments may be of the type predicted by the variational calculation. It is demonstrated that the collinear plasmoid structures can propagate in a surrounding conducting gas as members of a class of non-linear transverse waves that trap and transport fluid mass. They may also exist as standing waves in a surrounding medium which supports currents and acts as a force-bearing shell. The interaction of the non-linear transverse waves (plasmoids) with each other and with the magnetic mirror field produces a reversed-field closed configuration. Experimental results are presented which illustrate these effects and show details of the structures. It is also demonstrated that a modification of these solutions that assumes conservation of angular momentum of the plasmoid describes another type of plasma structure which is centred on the magnetic field lines and moves at right angles to the field. This is the field-aligned plasma structure.
MECHANICAL FACTORS IN LUNG LIQUID DISTRIBUTION

The general principles of microvascular fluid exchange that apply to the lung are similar to those of all body organs. Fluid filtration across the pulmonary capillary membrane is governed by osmotic and fluid pressures of interstitial liquid and capillary blood according to the Starling equation. The degree of interstitial hydration results from a balance between the net filtration and the rate of clearance by lymphatics. Homeostasis in interstitial volume is maintained by compensations in osmotic and fluid pressure gradients and by changes in lymphatic absorption. These principles apply to the lung treated as a single homogeneous unit (38). However, the lung has unique properties with regard to fluid exchange because of its tissue-air interfaces and its ability to change volume with breathing. These properties result in a heterogeneous interstitium in which interstitial pressure is not uniformly distributed through­ out the lung. Because the lung is air-filled, its density is much less than that of a liquid, and the gravitational force results in vertical variations in lung expansion, blood flow and fluid filtration. These variations may affect regional lung water. The distribution of extravascular lung water is uniform throughout the normal lung because the lymphatic clearance matches the normal filtration. However, during abnormally high filtration, lymphatic clearance becomes inadequate and excess microvascular filtrate results in interstitial swelling, alveolar flooding, and eventually impaired gas exchange. This review focuses on the mechanical factors, such as interstitial pressure, resistance, and compliance, that determine the movement of liquid within the lung interstitium
Wall of Worries: Reflections on the Secular Stagnation Debate

This paper offers some reflections on the debate over secular stagnation. It expresses doubts about explanations for the secular decline in real interest rates and economic growth rates that emphasize the possibility of a global savings glut attributable to the rapid growth of emerging markets and increases in income inequality in the advanced economies. It invokes historical evidence to question whether the commercial potential of new advances in technology have been exhausted. The most convincing explanation for the observed excess of desired saving over desired investment and corresponding low level of real interest rates, it concludes, is probably a sharp, ongoing fall in the relative price of investment goods since the middle of the 20th century. Whether this decline will continue is uncertain. The bottom line is that the case for secular stagnation is at best unproven.
How low can you go?: is the system usability scale range restricted?

Previous research suggests that the System Usability Scale (SUS) might not be generating usability scores that span the entire measurement range from 0 to 100, particularly at the lower end of the scale. Most published literature has reported study mean scores that are typically above 40. The use of only a subset of the SUS could change how collected data is interpreted, especially when comparing the relative usability of systems. In this study, participants reported their subjective usability assessments of 14 different voting interfaces using the SUS. Participants were given a packet that contained the 14 ballots presented in random order. After completing each ballot, the participants were given the SUS and asked to rate the usability of the ballot that they had just used. Results showed that nearly the entire range of the available scale was used, with average study scores ranging from 15.4 to 93.0. Nine of the 14 ballot means were below 50, the midpoint of the SUS scale, demonstrating that low end range limitation is not an intrinsic characteristic of the scale. A partial replication was performed with a subset of three ballots (best, worst, and midpoint); the results were nearly identical. Further research is required to characterize systems with low SUS scores.