cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Intraoperative high-dose-rate brachytherapy for paranasal sinus tumors.

Abstract Purpose Advanced and recurrent tumors of the paranasal sinuses can be difficult to irradiate to high doses with standard external beam radiotherapy (EBRT), conventional brachytherapy, or intraoperative electron beams. We, therefore, explored the role of intraoperative high-dose-rate brachytherapy (IOHDR) as a boost to EBRT in primary tumors or as sole adjuvant treatment in recurrent disease. Methods and materials Between 1992 and 1998, 34 patients with locally advanced tumors arising in the paranasal sinuses were treated with IOHDR after maximal surgical excision. Twenty-seven patients with new primaries underwent gross resection and 10–12.5 Gy IOHDR followed by 45–50 Gy EBRT. Seven previously irradiated (45–63 Gy) patients with recurrent disease were treated with 15–20 Gy of IOHDR alone after gross excision. Local control and overall survival were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log–rank test. Results After a mean follow-up of 6 years (range 34–120 months), the 1-, 3-, and 5-year actuarial survival rate was 80%, 62%, and 44%, respectively. The overall local control rate at 1 and 5 years was 75% and 65%, respectively, and distant failure was documented in 44% of patients. Subgroup analysis revealed that the presence of gross disease after surgical resection was the strongest prognosticator, with a 5-year survival and local control rate of 17% and 50%, respectively, compared with 60% and 68%, respectively, for microscopic disease. The local control rates of patients with new primaries were similar to those of patients treated for recurrent disease (63% vs. 71%), probably because gross residual disease occurred only in the group of patients with new primaries. The addition of EBRT to IOHDR increased the 5-year disease-free survival rate from 27% to 44% but had no effect on local control (64% vs. 65%). Conclusion IOHDR can be safely used to deliver a high radiation dose to locally advanced and recurrent tumors in the paranasal sinuses. In an attempt to improve outcome, we are now adding limited-dose EBRT (20–30 Gy) after 17.5 Gy of IOHDR in previously irradiated patients and increasing the EBRT dose for both microscopic (50–54 Gy) and gross residual disease (60–65 Gy) after 15 Gy of IOHDR in previously unirradiated patients. Chemosensitization should also be considered in previously irradiated patients and in those with gross residual disease. Interstitial boosting techniques, which can deliver higher doses at depth, should also be considered in patients with gross residual disease.
Social Skills of Older People: Conversations in Same- and Mixed-Age Dyads.

Previous research has indicated a relation between lack of social skills and loneliness in young adults. This framework was extended to study older adults’ social skills in two experiments examining conversational interactions among older, young, and mixed‐age dyads. The conversations were coded for social skill using partner attention statements as the measure of social skill. Partner attention statements includes partner references, questions, and topic continuations. The Beck Depression Inventory, the UCLA Loneliness Scale, and a measure of social anxiety were administered to study the relation of these psychosocial variables to young and older adults’ social skills. In neither study was depression or social anxiety related to self‐reported loneliness for either young or older adults. Furthermore, loneliness was not related to young or older adults’ social skill as measured by partner attention. However, social anxiety was related to social skill during intergenerational conversations: Both young and o...
Fluorinated Gate Oxide Films Utilized in Polysilicon Thin Film Transistors

Silicon dioxide films have been grown on polysilicon films at low temperatures in dry ambients by utilizing NF 3 - enhanced oxidation, which affords markedly enhanced oxidation kinetics. This facilitates thin film transistor applications, for which low thermal budget processing is essential. The grown oxide films are thicker than corresponding oxides grown on (100) single crystal silicon. Thin film transistors having a polysilicon self-aligned gate structure were fabricated on polycrystalline silicon. The gate oxide films were thermally grown by NF 3 -enhanced oxidation at 650°C or 800°C. Electrical characterization of the TFTs having 800°C gate oxides showed on/off current ratios up to 5×10 7 , effective electron mobilities (μ neff ) of 26 to 38 cm 2 /Vsec, threshold voltage (V T ) values of 0±0.7 V and subthreshold swing (S) values as low as 0.3 V/dec. The devices were stable under dc electrical stressing at a field of 3 MV/cm. Further, the source to drain current activation energy was determined as a function of the gate voltage. The 650°C gate oxide TFTs exhibited on/off current ratio of 10 5 , V T of 3.5 V, Uneff of 10 cm 2 /V.sec and S of 0.7 V/dec.
Visual dysfunction in Parkinson disease without dementia

Objective: To determine the profiles of visual dysfunction and their relationship to motor and cognitive dysfunction and to disability in mild to moderate Parkinson disease (PD) without dementia. Methods: Seventy-six independently living participants with mild to moderate PD and 161 neurologically normal older adults were studied using a comprehensive battery to assess visual acuity, contrast sensitivity (CS), visual speed of processing and attention, spatial and motion perception, visual and verbal memory, visuoconstructional abilities, executive functions, depression, and motor function. Results: Participants with PD scored significantly worse on all tests of vision and cognition compared with normal elderly persons. Reduced CS contributed to deficits on tests of spatial and motion perception and attention in participants with PD. Impairments in visual attention and spatial perception predicted worse cognitive function. Worse performances on tests of visual speed of processing and attention, spatial and motion perception, visual construction, and executive functions correlated with measures of postural instability and gait difficulty (in the Motor section of the Unified Parkinson9s Disease Rating Scale). Impairments in motor function, visual memory, mood, and executive functions predicted worse disability as measured by Schwab–England Activities of Daily Living Scale. Conclusions: Patients with mild to moderate Parkinson disease showed impaired visual perception and cognition compared with elderly control subjects. Visual dysfunction contributes to parkinsonian disability through its influences on cognition and locomotion.
The Structure and Origin of the Plasmodium of Rhopalura ophiocomae(Phylum Orthonectida)

Abstract Adult orthonectids develop from germinal cells within a cytoplasmic matrix called a plasmodium. This is generally assumed to be formed by the parasite. In the case of Rhopalura ophiocomae, which lives in the brittle star Amphipholis squamata, the plasmodia occupying the perivisceral coelom are closely associated with the walls of the genital bursae or the gut, and they are covered by peritoneum. They have been reported to contain scattered small nuclei distinct from those within germinal cells, embryos, and adults, but the results of the present study indicate that such nuclei probably do not exist. Furthermore, electron micrographs show that some plasmodia are in continuity with the cytoplasm of contractile cells that lie beneath the peritoneum of a genital bursa or the gut of the host. The matrix of a plasmodium of R. ophiocomaeappears, therefore, to consist of cytoplasm of a contractile cell. It is proposed that after a contractile cell has been entered by an infective cell of the parasite, it hypertrophies, bulging progressively farther into the perivisceral coelom and lifting up the peritoneum, which remains in intimate contact with it.
Nesting Habitat Requirements of the Brown Pelican and Their Management Implications

VISSER, J.M.; VERMILLION, W.G.; EVERS, D.E.; LINSCOMBE, R.G., and SASSER, C.E., 2005. Nesting habitat requirements of the brown pelican and their management implications. Journal of Coastal Research, 21(2), e27‐e35. West Palm Beach (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Because of the severe land loss in coastal Louisiana, many natural nesting areas for the Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) are disappearing. Based on field measurements, geographical information system analysis, and a review of the relevant literature, we developed design criteria for the optimal artificial breeding habitat for Brown Pelican. Brown Pelican colonized islands had at least 70% open water within 20 km surrounding the island. Persistent pelican colonies occurred at least 7 km from the mainland and 0.3 km from the nearest island. Long-term colonized islands were between 10 and 70 ha in size with the shrub and dune habitat ranging from 2 to 20 ha on these islands. Pelicans preferred nesting in shrubs, and nesting occurred at an average elevation of 30 cm above mean sea level. We recommend that management for pelican nesting habitat includes loafing habitat: a beach that is at least 28 m wide is recommended.
Dependence of the induced optical second-order nonlinearity profile of poled silica samples on poling conditions

Recently, we reported a fast and simple iterative inverse Fourier transform algorithm that allows for the first time to determine the second-order optical nonlinearity profile of thin films uniquely from a classical Maker fringe measurement. In this work, we have applied this novel technique to study the quantitative effects of the poling time and poling field on the second-order nonlinearity profile of thermally poled silica (Infrasil) samples. This study has enabled us to optimize the poling conditions and produce a record peak nonlinear coefficient d33 of 1.35 pm/V (poling at 9.6 MV/m and 280 °C for 15 minutes). This coefficient is 70% larger than typical values reported for conventional poling conditions (~5 MV/m for 15 minutes). This investigation also yielded values for a number of interesting poling parameters, in particular the diffusion depth of the positive species injected into the sample during poling as a function of poling conditions. These results are important for understanding the physics of the induced nonlinearity and for optimizing future optical devices in poled silica.
Optical Resolution of D,L Amino Acids by Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry

Optical scanning and resolution of D, L amino acids by gas-liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry
Collecting, analyzing and visualizing tweets using open source tools

This tutorial introduces various open source tools and methods to archive tweets on a user's local machine and convert them into topic clouds for quick content analysis. For more in-depth analysis of the content, basic natural language processing techniques such as n-grams and term extraction are introduced along with PHP/Python scripting.
Early hormonal therapy stabilizes hemodynamics during donor procurement

Abstract Background Hemodynamic instability has been implicated in the loss of otherwise transplantable organs. We examined the hypothesis that administration of hormonal therapy early during donor management would stabilize hemodynamics and increase the number of organs procured. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 133 consecutive donor records from a single organ procurement organization. Controls (C) received no early hormonal therapy. A steroid group (S) received methylprednisolone only and a combination hormonal therapy group (CH) received thyroxine, methylprednisolone, dextrose, and insulin at the start of donor management (t 0h ). Adrenergic support was adjusted to maintain mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) at ≥60 mm Hg. Doses of adrenergic agents were assessed at t 0h , 4 hours (t 4h ), and just prior to procurement (t proc ). Results Baseline characteristics were similar in all groups. Dosages of adrenergic agents decreased over time in all groups. A significant decrease in adrenergic requirements was seen in the CH group compared with the C group at t 4h and t proc . A trend toward decreased adrenergic requirements was noted in S compared with C at t 4h and t proc . Slightly more total organs were procured from S and CH compared with C. Conclusions Significantly less adrenergic support was required with early use of CH. A similar (although nonsignificant) reduction was seen with S. The benefit(s) of CH vs corticosteroids alone remains uncertain and requires further study.
Independence, Deference, and Voter Participation: The Behaviour of the Electorate in Early-Eighteenth-Century Kent

Independent or deferential: the voters of the reign of Queen Anne have been subjected to statistical analysis and their honour has been vindicated. Recent studies of the behaviour of the early-eighteenth-century electorate have declared that these voters were independent. The mid-eighteenth-century electorate, in contrast, was deferential, and the difference between the two electorates has led to speculation about the relation of voter behaviour to social and political structure. Since the politics of Anne' reign was dominated by party, it has been suggested that the existence of party depended, in part, on the presence of an independant electorate. As the structure of mid-century politics can be described without reference to party, it has likewise been postulated that the disappearance of party is a symbol of oligarchic subversion of electoral independence. Yet it may be that the importance of party and other formal political structures as indices of change in the conduct and society of eighteenth-century Englishmen has been overestimated. If the early-eighteenth-century electorate was not as independent as recent interpretations suggest, there is no need to assume a subtle but radical alteration of social structure to explain an alteration in voter behaviour. Change in political structure may not be significantly related to the behaviour and society of England's voters.
Raman scattering study of the high-temperature vibrational properties and stability of CaGeO3 perovskite

The vibrational properties of metastable Ca-GeO3 perovskite are investigated as a function of temperature using Raman scattering. Mode-assignments are derived from polarized spectra of optically oriented single crystals. Neither symmetry-breaking structural transformations nor soft-mode behavior is revealed in the Raman spectra between room temperature and 650° C. Only a small decrease in the local static octahedral tilt angles can be inferred from the Raman data over this temperature range. A Landau extrapolation of the lowest frequency Ag modes suggests that these modes become critical near 2000° C, a temperature that is above the extrapolated zero pressure melting point.
Partnering for Innovation: Company Profiles and Introductions for E-resource Management

Commercial partnerships are becoming more prevalent in e-resource management for both libraries and publishers. Recently, several technologies/services, including AquaBrowser, Endeca, eRights, Grokker and ScholarlyStats, have garnered attention. For these five products, company representatives and customers were invited to provide a profile containing a brief general description of the technology/service, its purpose, the targeted customer base, the relationship or advantages of the product to libraries and resources needed for implementation.
Effects of Forward- and Backward-Facing Steps on the Crossflow Receptivity and Stability in Supersonic Boundary Layers

The effects of forward- and backward-facing steps on the receptivity and stability of three-dimensional supersonic boundary layers over a swept wing with a blunt leading edge are numerically investigated for a freestream Mach number of 3 and a sweep angle of 30 degrees. The flow fields are obtained by solving the full Navier-Stokes equations. The evolution of instability waves generated by surface roughness is simulated with and without the forward- and backward-facing steps. The separation bubble lengths are about 5-10 step heights for the forward-facing step and are about 10 for the backward-facing step. The linear stability calculations show very strong instability in the separated region with a large frequency domain. The simulation results show that the presence of backward-facing steps decreases the amplitude of the stationary crossflow vortices with longer spanwise wavelengths by about fifty percent and the presence of forward-facing steps does not modify the amplitudes noticeably across the steps. The waves with the shorter wavelengths grow substantially downstream of the step in agreement with the linear stability prediction.
Trace Formulas for Multivariate Operator Functions

We extend results on Taylor-like approximations of single-variable operator functions of contractions to the multivariate case, with perturbations allowed to be in normed ideals of \({\mathcal{B}(\mathcal{H})}\). Our results follow from properties of partial derivatives of multivariate operator functions established in the paper.
A Comparison of Coulomb Friction and Friction Stress Models Based on Multidimensional Nanocontact Experiments

The accuracy of the Oliver-Pharr approach for nanoindentation experiments critically depends on the interfacial friction condition. Although Coulomb friction is often used in finite element simulations for the correction, the friction stress model may give a more appropriate physical scenario. The measurement of the tangential contact stiffness by a recently developed multidimensional nanocontact system provides a direct verification of these two friction models. Both friction models will predict the tangential stiffness reduction as the consequence of interface microslip, but quantitative comparison to the experiments supports the friction stress model.
Signals and Noise in Evoked Brain Potentials

Event-related brain potentials measured with scalp electrodes are always corrupted by unrelated electrical discharges occurring in the brain. These unrelated electrical discharges, generally referred to as noise, have temporal and spectral characteristics similar to evoked potential waveforms, and they greatly increase the difficulty of detecting and estimating the parameters of the evoked potential waveforms themselves. This problem has been analyzed by computing the probability distributions for measured amplitudes and latencies of ERP components measured in the presence of the ongoing EEG. The analytical results have been verified over a wide range of signal-to-noise ratios by computer simulation. Comparisons of theoretical results to measured data indicate that the latency variations found experimentally greatly exceed what would be expected if they were due only to additive noise. It may be concluded, therefore, that the single ERP is not a signal whose components are deterministically related to the stimulus, but is made up of components that shift significantly in both amplitude and latency from one stimulus application to the next. Using the expressions developed in the paper, it is possible to separate the contributions to the variance due to interference from the ongoing EEG and that inherent in the ERP.
Synthetie approaches to steroidal alkaloids III . An attempted synthesis of ring-e of veratramine†

In an effort to devise an alternative synthesis of the hydroxypiperidine ring present in the alkaloid veratramine, a model synthesis starting from cis-6-phenyl-4-heptenoie acid was explored. This acid was converted to the epoxide of cis-6-phcnyl-1-amino-4-hepten which on heating gave 2-( 1-hydroxy-2-phenylpropyl)pyrrolidine as the only produet. As a reference compound, 2-(1-phenylethyl)-3-hydroxypiperidine was synthesized using a variation of an established procedure.
Importance of prior physical contact with familiar females in the development of a male courtship and mating preference for unfamiliar females in the lizard Anolis sagrei

Males of several species of lizards have been found to discriminate against familiar females by exhibiting a preference to court and mate with unfamiliar females. Here, I tested the hypothesis that prior physical contact with familiar females is necessary for males to court unfamiliar females more intensely than familiar females and to mate preferentially with unfamiliar females in the brown anole, A. sagrei. Recently captured male and female lizards were randomly paired and assigned to either an experimental group or a control group. Males in the experimental group could see their female cage mates but were prevented from having physical contact with them by housing the female in a small glass cage located within the male's cage. Males in the control group could see their female cage mates and were not prevented from having physical contact with them. Paired males and females were housed together for 14 days. Beginning on day 15, males in the two treatment groups were exposed to either their female cage ...
Effect of Student Characteristics on Teachers' Predictions of Student Success

To determine teachers' perceptions of the likelihood of students' academic and social success in general education settings, 384 teachers responded to 1 of 32 possible case studies describing a student, in which gender, reading achievement, social behavior, and attentiveness were manipulated experimentally. Results showed that, in some instances, teachers used irrelevant information in their predictions (e.g., social behavior influenced academic predictions, reading achievement influenced social predictions). Furthermore, teachers demonstrated gender bias in some instances and appeared to make negative predictions when an ambiguous label explained students' reading problems. The author discusses implications for the inclusion of students with special needs in general education classes.
α-Radioactivity of Cerium-142

JOHNSON AND NIER1 have measured the atomic masses of some of the rare-earth isotopes and have shown that the mass difference cerium-142—(barium-138 + helium-4) is equivalent to 1.68 ± 0.10 MeV. Similar results for the naturally occurring samarium and neodymium isotopes show that the α-active isotope of each element is the one having the largest possible decay energy. Rasmussen and others2 suggest that the two or three neutrons just beyond the closed shell of 82 neutrons have decreased binding energies and hence the α-energy has a maximum about 84 neutrons. Johnson and Nier suggest that the α-decay of cerium-142 may take place with enough energy to be experimentally observable. Porschen and Riezler3 examined a sample of un-enriched cerium ammonium citrate using nuclear track plates sensitive to α-particles. No α-activity was observed after a 30-day exposure of 1.2 mgm. of the cerium salt. In 1957 Riezler and Kauw4 reported an alpha activity for an enriched sample of cerium-142. From their results they calculated a half-life of 5.1 × 1015 years with an uncertainty factor of 2.
The effect of aluminum on conditioned avoidance response (CAR) in mice.

Aluminum is used in medical products and some parenteral products (Vaccines) contain aluminum. In a study of neurotoxicity of aluminum in mice, four groups of CD1 mice (5 males and 5 females per dose level) were treated as follows: group one drank 1.0% of aluminum (as AlCl3) during the weaning period from day 1 to 8 weeks of age; group two drank AlCl3 from 1 month to 4 months of age; group three mice (1 month old) were injected i.p. with 10, 30 and 100 mg of aluminum/kg/day for two days; group four mice (1 month old) were injected s.c. with 3, 10, and 30 mg of aluminum/kg/day for 2 days. Controls received the vehicle only. All mice were trained for CAR five times at 2 months of age. The CAR of mice that ingested AlCl3 during the weaning period to 8 weeks of age was lowered by 26% compared to the control group, which achieved 46% of CAR after five training sessions. Also, the retention of CAR was reduced to 30% whereas that of the control group remained at the same level after 1 month. CAR values of group two did not differ from those of its control. CAR of group three (at 30 mg/kg i.p.) was 36% lower than controls. CAR of s.c. group four (3, 10, and 30 mg/kg) was lowered to 16%-28% of the control; CAR retention was reduced to 18%. Therefore, the oral ingestion of aluminum induced neurotoxicity in mice which may be seen only at an early age, but injection of aluminum can cause neurotoxicity at any age.
Urinary tract infections: epidemiology, mechanisms of infection and treatment options

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a severe public health problem and are caused by a range of pathogens, but most commonly by Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus saprophyticus. High recurrence rates and increasing antimicrobial resistance among uropathogens threaten to greatly increase the economic burden of these infections. In this Review, we discuss how basic science studies are elucidating the molecular details of the crosstalk that occurs at the host-pathogen interface, as well as the consequences of these interactions for the pathophysiology of UTIs. We also describe current efforts to translate this knowledge into new clinical treatments for UTIs.
Infection of mouse teratocarcinoma stem cells with influenza virus: Normal expression of proteins derived from spliced messenger RNAs☆

Mouse teratocarcinoma stem cells before and after induction of differentiation have been infected with influenza virus. This virus is able to infect the cells irrespective of the state of differentiation. In addition, viral-encoded proteins that are known to be translated from spliced messenger RNAs are produced in normal amounts in the infected cells, and this expression is also independent of differentiation. These results indicate that both the stem cells and their differentiated progeny can efficiently splice the precursor RNAs for these influenza virus messengers.
First- and Second-Order Sensitivity Analysis of a Photochemically Reactive System (a Green's Function Approach)

Local sensitivity analysis of air quality models permits an estimation of the effects of parameter variations, can help assess uncertainties, and distinguishes important from unimportant model feat...
Equivalence of Keyed Relational Schemas by Conjunctive Queries

The concept of two schemas being equivalent is fundamental to database design, schema integration, and data model translation. An important notion of schema equivalence, query equivalence, was introduced by Atzeni et al., and used to evaluate the correctness of schema transformations. The logically equivalent notion of calculous equivalence, as well as three progressively more general notions of schema equivalence were introduced in 1984 by Hull, who showed that two schemas with no dependencies are equivalent (under all four notions of equivalence) if and only if they are identical (up to renaming and re-ordering of attributes and relations). Hull also conjectured that the same result holds for schemas with primary keys. In this work, we resolve the conjecture in the affirmative for the case of query equivalence based on mappings using conjunctive relational queries with equality selections.
Performance of US teaching hospitals: a panel analysis of cost inefficiency.

This research summarizes an analysis of the impact of environment pressures on hospital inefficiency during the period 1990–1999. The panel design included 616 hospitals. Of these, 211 were academic medical centers and 415 were hospitals with smaller teaching programs. The primary sources of data were the American Hospital Association's Annual Survey of Hospitals and Medicare Cost Reports. Hospital inefficiency was estimated by a regression technique called stochastic frontier analysis. This technique estimates a “best practice cost frontier” for each hospital that is based on the hospital's outputs and input prices. The cost efficiency of each hospital was defined as the ratio of the stochastic frontier total costs to observed total costs. Average inefficiency declined from 14.35% in 1990 to 11.42% in 1998. It increased to 11.78% in 1999. Decreases in inefficiency were associated with the HMO penetration rate and time. Increases in inefficiency were associated with for-profit ownership status and Medicare share of admissions. The implementation of the provisions of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 was followed by a small decrease in average hospital inefficiency. Analysis found that the SFA results were moderately sensitive to the specification of the teaching output variable. Thus, although the SFA technique can be useful for detecting differences in inefficiency between groups of hospitals (i.e., those with high versus those with low Medicare shares or for-profit versus not-for-profit hospitals), its relatively low precision indicates it should not be used for exact estimates of the magnitude of differences associated with inefficiency-effects variables.
Measurement of polarization, bloch and charge exchange contributions to the stopping power of C and O ions in carbon

Abstract In the high velocity regime stopping power is usually described in terms of the Bethe (Z12L0), polarization (Z13L1), and Bloch (Z14L2) contributions. In recent dE/dx transport theory due to Winterbon charge-exchange contributions were set to zero value in the absence of any theoretical or experimental guidance to their magnitude. We have recently carried out precision measurements of the stopping power of C and O ions relative to He for carbon foils ranging in thickness from values sufficiently thin to suppress charge-exchange up to values thick enough to achieve near charge-state equilibrium. These measurements have provided estimates for L0, L1, L2 and charge-exchange energy loss for non-fully stripped heavy ions. The charge-exchange contribution was found to be significant when compared to L1, and L2 and shows a strong variation with projectile Z.
Feasibility of generating hemodynamic pressure curves from noninvasive Doppler echocardiographic signals

AbstractObjectives. This study was designed to determine the feasibility of Doppler generation of accurate, complete right ventricular and pulmonary artery pressure curves in patients with Dopplerm...
Spin-coated Ge 23 Sb 7 S 70 thin films with large photo-induced refractive index change

We demonstrate the preparation of Ge 23 Sb 7 S 70 films by spin-coating techniques with good surface and compositional homogeneity. The films exhibit a large photo-induced refractive index change, which have great potential for photonic device tuning.
Effect of standard-dose versus high-dose epinephrine on myocardial high-energy phosphates during ventricular fibrillation and closed-chest CPR

Study objective: To evaluate the effects of standard-dose versus high-dose epinephrine on myocardial high-energy phosphate metabolism during resuscitation from cardiac arrest. Design: Prospective, nonrandomized, controlled study using a swine model of cardiac arrest and resuscitation. Interventions: After anesthesia, intravascular pressure instrumentation, and ten minutes of ventricular fibrillation arrest, closed-chest CPR was begun. After three minutes of CPR, animals were allocated to receive either 0.02 mg/kg IV standard-dose epinephrine (eight) or 0.2 mg/kg IV high-dose epinephrine (nine). The animals underwent thoracotomy and rapid-freezing transmural myocardial core biopsy for high-energy phosphate analysis 3.5 minutes after epinephrine administration. High-energy phosphate values were blindly determined using high-pressure liquid chromatography. Results: Intravascular pressure (mm Hg) and high-energy phosphate (nmol/mg protein) results for standard-dose epinephrine versus high-dose epinephrine are, respectively, coronary perfusion pressure, 15.3 ± 7.8 versus 23.7 ± 5.5 ( P = .0009); phosphocreatine, 0.4 ± 0.8 versus 6.2 ± 4.4 ( P = .0003); adenosine triphosphate, 9.8 ± 4.8 versus 12.7 ± 5.7 ( P = .30); adenosine diphosphate, 5.4 ± 2.1 versus 6.1 ± 1.3 ( P = .41); and adenylate charge, 0.68 ± 0.12 versus 0.72 ± 12 ( P = .87). Conclusion: High-dose epinephrine does not deplete myocardial high-energy phosphate when given in this model of prolonged ventricular fibrillation. High-dose epinephrine increases coronary perfusion pressure compared with standard-dose epinephrine. High-dose epinephrine administration repletes phosphocreatine during closed-chest CPR, thereby increasing myocardial energy stores.
Development and Measurement Validity of a Task-Technology Fit Instrument for User Evaluations of Information System

Although many researchers have raised concerns about the lack of theoretical underpinnings for the user evaluation construct and the lack of measurement validity for specific instruments measuring it, the construct is still widely used in IS research. This paper reports on the development and measurement validity of a diagnostic tool used in recently published research to evaluate an organization's overall information systems and services. A distinctive feature of this instrument is that it is conceptually based on the task-technology fit theory in which the correspondence between information systems functionality and task requirements leads to positive user evaluations, and positive performance impacts. Specifically, the instrument development was guided by a task model of managerial decision making using recorded organizational information. This model suggested the different information systems functionalities required by users for that task, which then serve as the basis for a “task-technology fit” (TTF) instrument. The instrument thus measures the degree to which an organization's information systems and services meet the information needs of its managers. An extensive test of the measurement validity of the instrument is conducted using a sample of 357 users in 10 companies. It is found to have excellent reliability and discriminant validity for 12 dimensions of TTF, and also exhibits strong predictive validity. Finally, the instrument is compared to two other well-known user evaluation instruments. Though no single instrument can meet all needs, the instrument presented here should be considered an attractive option for researchers and practitioners seeking to measure the effectiveness of organizational information systems.
Elevated Atmospheric CO2 and Soil Biota

In their report “Impacts of rising atmospheric carbon dioxide on model terrestrial ecosystems” (17 Apr., p. [441][1]), T. H. Jones et al. found that elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) alters the composition of soil fungi and Collembola, but has no effects on total microbial biomass and
A New Species of Ibaliid Wasp in Baltic Amber (Hymenoptera: Ibaliidae)

Abstract A second species of ibaliid wasp (Cynipoidea: Ibaliidae) from Baltic amber is described and figured and represents the first record of the genus Ibalia Latreille from the Eocene. Ibalia (Ibalia) electra Engel and Liu, new species is described on the basis of a single individual preserved in middle Eocene (Lutetian) Baltic amber and exhibits typical features and synapomorphies of the genus Ibalia, subgenus Ibalia. The species is distinguished from its congeners.
HIV-Related Stigma Among African Immigrants Living with HIV/AIDS in USA

Recent advances in the fight against HIV have increased the life expectancy of those infected. Despite these, a number of barriers such as stigma continue to affect HIV prevention and treatment. Although the body of work on HIV stigma is growing, there is a paucity of literature on the experiences of specific sub-groups such as African immigrants living with HIV. Drawing on in-depth interviews with a sample of these immigrants in the US, this study examines their experiences of HIV-related stigma, its impact on their lives, and the means of coping and resistance they adopted. Like other persons living with HIV, study participants experienced interpersonal, internalized and institutional stigma. However, their experiences of, and responses to stigmatization are shaped largely by cultural/religious assumptions and perceptions about HIV learnt from their countries of origin and western media's construction of HIV. The study concludes with broader implications for further conceptualization of stigma.
An approach for deriving emergency planning zones for chemical munitions emergencies

Abstract The selection of an emergency planning zone (EPZ) for hazardous materials is often a difficult technical as well as a political task. This paper descri
Prognostic factors in the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma at a large tertiary referral center.

Introduction Most studies describing the natural history and prognostic factors for malignant pleural mesothelioma antedate accurate pathologic diagnosis, staging by computed tomography, and a universal staging system. We conducted a large single-institution analysis to identify prognostic factors and assess the association of resection with outcome in a contemporary patient population. Methods Patients with biopsy-proven malignant pleural mesothelioma at our institution were identified and clinical data were obtained from an institutional database. Survival and prognostic factors were analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank test, and Cox proportional hazards analysis. A p value Results From 1990 to 2005, 945 patients were identified: 755 men, 190 women; median age, 66 years (range, 26–93). Extrapleural pneumonectomy was performed in 208 (22%), pleurectomy/decortication in 176 (19%). Operative mortality was 4% (16/384). Multimodality therapy including surgery was associated with a median survival of 20.1 months. Significant predictors of overall survival included histology, gender, smoking, asbestos exposure, laterality, surgical resection by extrapleural pneumonectomy or pleurectomy/decortication, American Joint Committee on Cancer stage, and symptoms. A Cox model demonstrated a hazard ratio of 1.4 without surgical resection when controlling for histology, stage, gender, asbestos exposure, smoking history, symptoms, and laterality ( p = 0.003). Conclusions In addition to tumor histology and pathologic stage, predictors of survival include gender, asbestos exposure, smoking, symptoms, laterality, and clinical stage. Surgical resection in a multimodality setting was associated with improved survival.
Relation between the 5d band structure and soft X-ray N6, 7 Emission spectrum of Au

Abstract The N 6, 7 soft X-ray emission spectrum of Au (5 d to 4ƒ transition) has been measured. Distinct structural features are observed. The absolute positions in photon energy of these features are derivable from X-ray and u.v. induced photo-emission spectra. In turn, these experiments agree well with recent band calculations for Au and thus offer further support of the utility of the single particle description of the occupied band structure of metals.
Waves, normal modes and frequencies in periodic and near-periodic rods. Part I

Abstract A systematic approach to the study of normal modes and frequencies of disordered periodic rods is presented within a new transfer matrix framework proposed earlier by the authors. The normal frequency structure and mode localization of multiply-disorder periodic rods are investigated. The Monte Carlo and the perturbation method are applied to study the effects of material parameter uncertainties on normal modes and frequencies of randomly-disordered periodic rods. Some intricate aspects are investigated statistically, and it is shown that for this strongly-coupled elastic system, multiple and/or random disorders lead to more localized modes in or near stop-bands in a more complex way. In addition, high frequency wave localization is a typical feature of such a strongly-coupled but randomly-disordered periodic rod system.
The evaluation of children and adolescents with headache.

Headache can be caused by primary entities (as in migraine or tension-type headache) or the pain may result from secondary causes, such as brain tumors, idiopathic intracranial hypertension, chronic meningitis, hydrocephalus, drug intoxications, paranasal sinus disease, or acute febrile illnesses (eg, influenza). To determine the nature of a child’s headache, the evaluation begins with a thorough medical history, followed by methodic physical examination with measurement of vital signs and complete neurologic examination. The diagnosis of primary headache disorders such as migraine and tension-type rests principally on clinical criteria as set forth by the International Headache Society (http://www.i-h-s.org/). Clues to the presence and identification of secondary causes of headache are uncovered through this systematic process of history and physical examination. The performance of ancillary diagnostic testing rests upon information or concerns revealed during the history and physical examination.
Infectious diseases: Kidney biopsy and HIV: weighing the risks and benefits.

Results of a recent case–control study confirm that HIV positivity is far from a contraindication for performing a kidney biopsy. Nevertheless, this procedure is not without risk of complications, and, regardless of HIV status, the decision of whether to perform it must be made keeping in mind the therapeutic benefits the individual patient is likely to obtain.
SU-GG-J-89: Optimizing Principal Component Models for Interfraction Variation in Lung Cancer

Purpose: To optimize principal component models for modeling interfraction changes in lungcancer by investigating information and structure requirements. Method and Materials: In 16 patients, weekly CT sessions consisting of three repeat intrafraction scans were acquired with active breathing control at end of normal inspiration. The gross tumor volume (GTV) and lungs were delineated on the first week image by a physician, and propagated to all other images using deformable image registration. Principal components analysis (PCA) was used to model the target and lung variability during treatment. Four PCA models were generated for each patient: 1) individual models for the GTV and each lung from one image per week; 2) a composite model of all structures from the weekly images; 3) individual models using all images (weekly plus repeat intrafraction images); 4) composite model with all images. Dominant modes representing 95% of the total variability were used to reconstruct the observed anatomy. Residual reconstruction error between the model‐reconstructed and observed anatomy was calculated to compare the accuracy of the models.Results: Two to seven eigenmodes were necessary to capture 95% variability over all patients. An average of 3.1 and 4.9 modes were required for the weekly plus repeat models, for the GTV and composite models, respectively. The weekly model required one less mode in 40% of patients. For the composite model, the average reconstruction error was 0.7 +/− 0.2 mm, which increased to 1.1 +/− 0.4 mm when the weekly model was used. Using the four dominant modes from the weekly model, 90% of the error was less than 3 mm for 86% of patients and less than 2 mm for 50 % of patients. Conclusion: Simple composite structure models using the four principal modes and weekly imaging is feasible for reproducing observed anatomy. Supported by NIH R01CA116249.
Implantable Gastric Stimulation — The Surgical Procedure: Combining Safety with Simplicity

Implantable Gastric Stimulation is a safe and minimally invasive surgical therapy currently under investigation for the treatment for severe obesity. Over 500 patients have been implanted internationally, and thus far, there have been no major complications or mortalities. While this technology is proving to be the least morbid of the bariatric surgical procedures, it still has the potential to result in devastating complications because of the high-risk nature of operating on severely obese patients. Keeping the risk of a complication to a minimum requires careful attention to preoperative patient preparation, good operative technique, and comprehensive perioperative patient care. In addition, like for all bariatric procedures, the program must have the appropriate equipment and resources to serve this unique patient population. This review will highlight the most significant aspects of each issue.
PEG ileus - A new cause of small bowel obstruction

A case of small bowel obstruction due to a lodged percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube inner bumper is described. Most probably inner bumper lodgement in the terminal ileum is related to its size. Laparotomy was required to remove the bumper and relieve the obstruction. We suggest that all percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy bumpers be retrieved endoscopically when the PEG tube is removed or replaced unless a collapsible inner bumper is used.
Cholecystokinin-pancreozymin as a physiological mediator of gastric acid inhibition.

In conscious dogs with Thiry-Vella loops of duodenum and Heidenhain pouches, gastric acid secretion stimulated by gastrin pentapeptide was depressed by fat emulsion or N/10 HCl in the loop. In contrast, when intravenous methacholine was the acid stimulus, both acid and fat in the loop increased secretion. Both these changes in acid secretion were abolished by local anesthetization of the loop mucosa. Since injected cholecystokinin-pancreozymin preparations depress gastrin pentapeptide stimulated acid secretion and augment methacholine stimulated secretion, it is concluded that in our experiments the mediator of the observed alterations in gastric acid secretion could be cholecystokinin-pancreozymin liberated by the fat emulsion and acid from the loop mucosa.
Segmentation and thickness measurement of glomerular basement membranes from electron microscopy images

An algorithm for segmentation and thickness measurement of the glomerular basement membranes (GBM) in electron microscopy kidney images is presented. Differences in intensities and variations between GBM and other components in the image are employed. Regions of extreme intensities such as the black area of blood cells and white areas of urinary spaces are pre-excluded. Areas of sharp edges are either at the GBM borders or unrelated to GBM regions. These non-GBM sharp edges, along with the pre-excluded regions, are used as barriers limiting the size of the fitting circles centered at a location in the image domain to form a two-dimensional function, proportional to the radius of the largest fitting circle, at the location. A local peak in the radius function corresponds to the largest circle in the local area. The set of the combined peaks in two perpendicular directions is calculated before a thinning procedure is applied. After removing the unwanted branches, a centerline of the GBM is produced. The segmentation of the GBM is then straightforward from expanding each point in the centerline to a circle of radius defined by the radius function. The average of the diameters of the circles gives the average GBM thickness. Results of the real GBM images are provided. Visual comparisons from the superimposed GBM boundaries show that the algorithm provides accurate GBM segmentation. The evaluations of the average GBM thicknesses are also compared to those from the manual tracing method.
An Example of Pure Stability for the Wave Equation with Moving Boundary

Abstract This paper studies the behavior of the energy of the wave equation solution in a finite moving domain 0
2D NMR spectroscopy: a spectral estimation approach

In this paper, a two-dimensional (2-D) spectral estimation is presented. The technique is based on impulse responses carried on the rows and columns of a data matrix. The 2-D frequencies that give the spectrum of a protein molecule in the image plane are obtained from the eigenvalues of open-loop matrices derived from the impulse responses. A modal decomposition of one of the open-loop matrices is used to pair the frequencies without effort. The amplitudes associated with the 2-D frequencies are computed from least-squares of the eigenvalues of the open-loop matrices onto the data. Performance of the technique is tested by computer simulation; effectiveness is confirmed, and results are presented for 2-D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data.