cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Correlation of internal jugular vein/common carotid artery ratio to central venous pressure: a pilot study in pediatric burn patients

The purpose of this pilot study was to identify the relationship between the ratio of the diameter/cross-sectional area of the internal jugular vein (IJV) and carotid artery and the central venous pressure (CVP). After obtaining approval from our Institutional Review Board, ultrasound images were repeatedly obtained from participants on consecutive days when a thoracic central line was in place. The CVP was then measured in standardized fashion, using our bedside monitors. A blinded observer measured the diameter of the common carotid artery and IJV, for comparison. Similarly, digital images were analyzed to compare an estimate of the cross-sectional areas of the same vessels. Six patients met enrollment criteria, and one patient was excluded after enrollment before any measurements being made. The remaining five patients had a mean age of 7 years (range: 9 months to 15 years) and mean burn size of 64% (SD, ±15), and no patients had inhalation injuries. All patients in this study were mechanically ventilated. Measurements were made from one patient while spontaneously breathing. One patient reading occurred while on vasopressor support (levophed at 2 μg/kg/hr). CVP values ranged from 1 to 25 mm Hg. Comparison of the ratio of the IJV/common carotid artery cross-sectional area with CVP revealed that a ratio of 2 or greater was associated with a CVP of at least 8 mm Hg (P < .001). These preliminary results suggest that if the cross-sectional area of the vein is at least twice that of the artery, then the CVP seems to be ≥8 mm Hg.
Cutaneous Reactions to Chemotherapeutic Agents

The task of evaluating a cutaneous eruption in the patient receiving chemotherapy can be quite formidable. Most of the time, these patients are receiving a multitude of agents and have profound immunosuppression. These factors may alter the more common manifestations of cutaneous eruptions. This article presents some of the more common cutaneous eruptions that may occur in an oncology patient receiving chemotherapy. It is hoped we may recognize clinical patterns seen with chemotherapeutic agents in the immunosuppressed population and, by recognizing these cutaneous eruptions, we may avoid the pitfalls of discontinuing medicines that may certainly be needed or altering the treatment course in a patient.
RF tag front-end design for uncompromised communication and harvesting

Typically, low-cost and low-power backscatter radio communicators utilize a switching mechanism for alternating the antenna load between two values. In this way, they achieve modulation by reflection of the RF waves induced at the communicator's antenna. For tags that employ a rectifier for wireless energy harvesting, a single transistor may switch between the matched harvester and a reflective load (an open or short). However, optimized backscatter communication occurs when switching between two reflective loads, ideally an open and a short. This prohibits the use of a harvester that requires a good matching (i.e. no reflections) and produces a tradeoff of either compromising communication performance or not employing a harvester. Although this may not pose a problem for commodity RFID tags that operate in short ranges and do not require high computational ability, it is a strong limitation for applications like wireless sensor networks that employ backscatter radio as a low-cost and low-power communication scheme. In this work, an RF front-end is designed, analyzed, and implemented, that overcomes the limitation of compromising communication performance when employing a harvester.
Mass Spectral Determination of Fasting Tear Glucose Concentrations in Nondiabetic Volunteers

Background: There is considerable disagreement regarding the concentration of glucose in tears and its relationship to the concentration in blood. Improved sampling and analysis methods may resolve these discrepancies and possibly provide a basis for in situ tear glucose sensors. Methods: We used liquid chromatography (LC) with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) to determine glucose in 1-μL tear fluid samples obtained from 25 fasting study participants. Tear fluid was collected with microcapillaries and a slitlamp microscope. Results: The median (range) of fasting tear glucose concentrations was 28 (7–161) μmol/L or 0.50 (0.13–2.90) mg/dL. The SD of tear glucose measurements for individuals varied linearly with the mean tear glucose concentration and was approximately half of the mean. We found no significant difference in tear glucose concentrations between contact lens users and nonusers ( P = 0.715). We observed significant correlations between fasting blood and tear glucose concentrations ( R = 0.50, P = 0.01). Conclusions: Our tear fluid collection and analysis method enables reliable measurement of equilibrium, fasting tear glucose concentrations. These concentrations are lower than those previously reported for nondiabetic persons. Larger population studies are required to determine correlations between blood and tear glucose concentrations and to determine the utility of contact lens–based sensors for the monitoring of diabetes. Our methods are applicable for study of other tear fluid analytes and may prove useful for monitoring other disease states.
Uranium-thorium series radionuclides in brines and reservoir rocks from two deep geothermal boreholes in the Salton Sea geothermal field, southeastern California

Naturally occurring U and Th series radionuclides have been analyzed in high temperature brines (~300°C, 25 wt% dissolved solids) and associated rocks from two deep geothermal wells located on the northeastern margin of the Salton Sea Geothermal Field (SSGF). These data are part of a study of the SSGF as a natural analog of possible radionuclide behavior near a nuclear waste repository constructed in salt beds, and permit evaluation of some characteristics of water-rock interaction in the SSGF. Rock/Brine concentration ratios (Rc = (dpm/g)rock/(dpm/g)brine) were found to vary from near unity for isotopes of Ra, Pb and Rn to about 5 × 105 for 232Th. The high sorptivity of 232Th is closely followed by that of 238U and 234U (Rc ~ 5 × 104), suggesting that U is retained in the +4 oxidation state by the reducing conditions in the brines. The relatively high solubility of 210Pb and 212Pb is attributed to formation of chloride complexes, while the high Ra solubility is attributed to chloride complexing, a lack of suitable adsorption sites due to the high brine salinity and temperature, and the reducing conditions that prevent MnO2 and RaSO4 from forming. The 228Ra226Ra ratios in the brines are approximately equal to those of their parents (232Th230Th) in associated rocks, indicating that Ra equilibration in the brine-rock system is achieved within the mean life of 228Ra (8.3 years). The 224Ra228Ra ratios in these brines are about 0.7, indicating that either (1) brine composition is not homogeneous and 224Ra decays in fracture zones deficient in Ra and Th as the brine travels to the wellhead or (2) Ra equilibration in the brine-host rock system is not complete within the mean life of 224Ra (5.2 days) because the desorption of 224Ra from the solid phase is impeded. The 228Ac228Ra activity ratio in the SSGF brines studied is <0.1, and from this ratio the residence time of 228Ac in the brine before sorption onto solid surfaces is estimated to be <70 minutes, indicating the potential for rapid removal of reactive isotopes fom brines. The brine is greatly enriched in 226Ra (2–3 dpm/g, about 104–105 times that of its parent 230Th), while reservoir rocks are about 10% deficient in 226Ra relative to 230Th. Material balance calculations for 2226Ra and 18O suggest that brines reside in the reservoir for 102–103 years, that the SSGF formed 10,000–40,000 years B.P., and that porosity cannot be more than 20%.
Bromination of phenols using an algal bromoperoxidase

Abstract A crude acetone powder preparation from the red alga Corallina vancouveriensis has been found to serve as a convenient source of bromoperoxidase. This acetone powder (CVAP) catalyses the bromination of phenols in the presence of H 2 O 2 and bromide. Conversion of substrate to product(s) is usually rapid and in high yield. The enzyme in the form of CVAP exhibits significantly greater stability than either the cell-free extract or purified bromoperoxidase. CVAP may be useful as a general source of bromoperoxidase and may extend the utility of this enzyme as a chemoenzymatic reagent.
Assessment of motor development in very low birth weight infants.

Objective The purpose of the current investigation was to describe the fine- and gross-motor acquisitions of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants during their first 12 months without imposing traditional assessment assumptions. Study design A nonrandomized, prospective study was used for a sample consisting of 89 VLBW infants whose motor development was assessed neonatally and at 4, 8, and 12 months chronological age. Fine- and gross-motor assessment items were selected and adapted from three standardized assessment instruments. Results The fine- and gross-motor systems of development appeared to be relatively independent of one another before the 8-month assessment. Thus, early fine-motor control appeared to develop almost to the exclusion of gross-motor progress. Once fine-motor control was established by 8 months, numerous gross-motor milestones followed and were present at 12 months chronological age. Conclusion Current and previous data continue to define a developmental picture in which VLBW and fullterm infants achieve the same fine- and gross-motor milestones; however, the developmental pathways whereby milestones are achieved, during at least the first 12 months, appear to be different. Accordingly, applying instruments standardized on fullterm infants to the assessment of VLBW babies may not be serving us well on a number of different issues.
Estimating multiple concurrent processes

We consider two related problems of estimating properties of a collection of point processes: estimating the multiset of parameters of continuous-time Poisson processes based on their activities over a period of time t, and estimating the multiset of activity probabilities of discrete-time Bernoulli processes based on their activities over n time instants. For both problems, it is sufficient to consider the observations' profile — the multiset of activity counts, regardless of their process identities. We consider the profile maximum likelihood (PML) estimator that finds the parameter multiset maximizing the profile's likelihood, and establish some of its competitive performance guarantees. For Poisson processes, if any estimator approximates the parameter multiset to within distance e with error probability δ, then PML approximates the multiset to within distance 2e with error probability at most δ · e4√t·S, where S is the sum of the Poisson parameters, and the same result holds for Bernoulli processes. In particular, for the L 1 distance metric, we relate the problems to the long-studied distribution-estimation problem and apply recent results to show that the PML estimator has error probability e−(t·S)0.9 for Poisson processes whenever the number of processes is k = O(tS log(tS)), and show a similar result for Bernoulli processes. We also show experimental results where the EM algorithm is used to compute the PML.
Gastrointestinal bleeding in patients on long-term dialysis

Background The epidemiology of gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) has not been adequately characterized. Using United States Renal Data System data we investigated the epidemiology of GIB in hospitalized patients receiving long-term dialysis.
A familial syndrome of facial and skeletal anomalies associated with genital abnormality in the male and normal genitals in the female

A new syndrome of incomplete development of the external genitals combined with a distinctive array of facial and skeletal anomalies has been recently identified by Smith and associates 1 in 4 male children, 2 of them siblings. The syndrome includes fetal hypoactivity, breech presentation, intrauterine growth retardation, failure to thrive postnatally, mental deficiency, blepharoptosis, short nose with anteverted nares, broad maxillary alveolus, micrognathia, incompletely masculinized genitals, simian palmar creases, metatarsus adductus, and pedal syndactyly. We have observed 2 additional affected infant siblings, 1 of whom was a female. She had normal external genitals and is presumably the first recognized female with the syndrome. In the absence of a known teratogenic agent, and despite the lack of consanguinity, the finding of a second pair of affected siblings suggests a genetic etiology. An autosomal recessive mode of inheritance with male-limited expression of the genital anomaly is probable.
Ultrastructure of collagen in sea urchin embryos

Collagen fibrils with a main period banding of 610 A and 220 A in width were observed in the blastocoel of 72-h embryos of the sea urchin,Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. Non-striated fibrils of 50 A diameter were also observed. The collagen is seen in highest concentration in the vicinity of mesenchyme cells which are richly endowed with endoplasmic reticulum and secretory vesicles. A role for collagen in cell attachment, orientation and spicule formation is discussed.
Fusion of phospholipid vesicles reconstituted with cytochrome c oxidase and mitochondrial hydrophobic protein

Reconstituted cytochrome oxidase liposomes were fused with liposomes reconstituted with mitochondrial hydrophobic protein, which acts as a membrane-bound uncoupler of cytochrome oxidase. Fusion was assayed by the loss of respiratory control of cytochrome oxidase as measured by the increased rate of ascorbate oxidation induced by hydrophobic protein when both proteins shared the same vesicles. Fusion was dependent on the presence of phosphatidylserine in the liposomes and Ca++ in the aqueous medium. Phosphatidylcholine-phosphatidylserine liposomes required higher concentrations of phosphatidylserine and Ca++ than did phosphatidylethanolamine-phosphatidylserine liposomes. Cytochrome oxidase vesicles containing high concentrations of phosphatidylserine showed little or no respiratory control, while those with lower concentrations showed high respiratory control; respiratory control could be induced by fusing cytochrome oxidase vesicles containing high phosphatidylserine with protein-free liposomes containing low phosphatidylserine concentration. If cytochrome oxidase vesicles and hydrophobic protein vesicles were prefused separately for 15 min, they lost the ability to fuse upon being subsequently mixed together. The reconstituted vesicles had diameters of about 200 A; fusion yielded vesicles with diameters in excess of 1000 A.
Surfactant alterations following acute bleomycin and hyperoxia-induced lung damage

Abstract Hamsters treated with 0.5 U/kg intratracheal bleomycin and exposed for 24 h to 80% O2 develop acute respiratory failure 72 h after treatment. To examine indirectly the lung epithelial type II cell changes, alterations in pulmonary surfactant were measured. Presence and amount of dipalmitoyl phosphatidyl choline (DDPC) and sphingomyelin (SM) were measured, and the DPPC/SM ratio was determined in brochoalveolar lavage samples from treated and control animals 24, 48, 72, and 96 h after treatment. Hamsters treated with bleomycin and O2 had a significantly decreased DPPC/SM ratio at 72 h, which is the time of onset of respiratory failure. The decreased DPPC/SM ratio may reflect type II cell damage and inhibition of surfactant function by the edema fluid.
Kinetic and mechanistic studies of signal peptidase I from Escherichia coli.

Signal peptidases of prokaryotic organisms reside in the outer leaflet of the cytoplasmic membrane and catalyze the hydrolytic cleavage of a specific peptide bond of membrane-imbedded preproteins to liberate mature proteins for secretion. In this manuscript, we report new and efficient peptide substrates for SPase and their use to explore features of this enzyme's reaction mechanism. The enzyme used in this study was recombinant SPase I of Escherichia coli that had been solubilized with Triton X-100 and purified to near homogeneity. Our new substrates are based on the fluorogenic peptide reported by Zhong and Benkovic [(1998) Anal. Biochem. 255, 66], YNO2FSASALA∼KIKAbz-NH2 (YNO2, 3-nitro-l-tyrosine; KAbz, e-(2-aminobenzoyl)-l-Lys; hydrolysis at A∼K). We found that when a signal peptide-like sequence is appended onto the N-terminus of this peptide to produce K5-L10-YNO2FSASALA∼KIKAbz-NH2, kc/Km increases from 85 to 2.5 × 106 M-1 s-1. kc/Km decreases with increasing concentration of Triton X-100 micelles un...
Sibling and self ovum donation for sisters with an intermediate FMR1 mutation: what's a program to do?

Objective To increase awareness of the unique clinical and ethical considerations invoked by the request of a patient with premature ovarian failure (POF) and her nulliparous sister, both with intermediate-size mutations in fragile X mental retardation 1 ( FMR1 ), to pursue sibling ovum donation. Design Case report. Setting Academic medical center. Patient(s) A 32-year-old woman with POF and her 26-year-old sister with occult diminished ovarian reserve, both of whom are carriers of an intermediate-size mutation in FMR1 . Intervention(s) Prospective donor ovarian function testing, genetic testing and consultation, and psychological evaluation; institutional assisted reproduction ethics committee consultation, and controlled ovarian hyperstimulation–IVF with cryopreservation of embryos for potential future self-use. Main Outcome Measure(s) Successful cryopreservation of embryos for autologous use by the prospective donor (younger sister) before ovum donation. Results(s) Three blastocysts were frozen. Conclusion(s) Requests for sibling ovum donation, while understandable and ethically sanctioned under typical circumstances, prove particularly challenging in some patients with POF given uncertainties regarding the prognosis of the currently asymptomatic sister, risks of genetic transmission of POF, and fiduciary responsibilities to address the reproductive interests of the prospective donor. A multidisciplinary approach was highly beneficial in this case.
Experimental investigation of separated flow over a cavity at hypersonic speed.

Flow characteristics and wall heat transfer in separated flow region of annular cavity at free stream hypersonic speed and high gas temperature
Feynman Rules for Any Spin. III

Free fields, which transform according to general irreducible representations of the homogeneous Lorentz group, are constructed for any spin. The most general interactions may be built up from these fields, without explicit derivaties. The propagators for these fields are calculated in terms of previously calculated propagators for ($2j+1$)-component fields and Racah coefficients. A general formula is given which describes the decomposition of these propagators into various "daughter" spin exchanges.
Milder ocular findings in Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome type 3 compared with Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome type 1.

Abstract Purpose To compare clinically 2 different subtypes of Hermansky–Pudlak syndrome (HPS), type 1 (HPS-1) and type 3 (HPS-3). Design Cross-sectional study of a series of patients. Participants Sixteen patients with HPS-1 and 14 patients with HPS-3 were studied. Methods Complete eye examination, including best-corrected visual acuity and photographs and photographic grading of iris transillumination and macular transparency using a previously established grading system. Results Snellen visual acuity was 20/160−2 in the HPS-1 group and 20/125+2 in the HPS-3 group ( P = 0.017). Iris grading was statistically significant for less translucence in the HPS-3 patients. The HPS-3 patients also tended to have less transparent maculas, but the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusions Patients with HPS-3 have less severe ophthalmic manifestations than patients with HPS-1. Ophthalmologists treating patients with albinism should consider HPS in their differential diagnosis even in the case of mild iris and macular hypopigmentation.
The De Haas-van Alphen effect in vanadium

Abstract De Haas-van Alphen oscillations in vanadium single crystals using large impulsive fields have been investigated. The results are interpreted in terms of distorted ellipsoids located at the symmetry points N in the Brillouin zone.
Laser damage of nanolaminate HfO2 and TiO2 optical coatings

We compared the laser damage performance of uniform versus nanolaminate thin films for hafnia and titania-based coatings. Our experiments showed that the films with higher crystallinity appeared to have better performance for CW systems.
Phenomenological theory of laser damage in insulators

A phenomenological theory of laser damage is presented. The physical mechanism for laser damage in insulators is presumed to be similar to the one for breakdown in semiconductors. A few starter electrons in the conduction band are excited by the external field to the point where an electron avalanche occurs. Heat is generated by electron relaxation by phonon emission, and damage occurs when the temperature of the irradiated volume reaches the melting point. The phenomenological theory contains two parameters: an average cross section for excited-state absorption, which for NaCl is 1.8 x 10/sup -17/ cm/sup 2/ and an average relaxation rate by phonon emission, which is about 10/sup 14/ sec/sup -1/ for a 200-cm/sup -1/ phonon in NaCl. These values overcome problems with previous models, which require very large electron relaxation rates (> 10/sup 15/ sec/sup -1/). The parameters of the theory are determined by fitting the results of calculations to experiment. With this theory, subthreshold properties such as the hot-electron distribution, rate of electron avalanche, and rate of heat generation can also be calculated. Ways of verifying the theory are discussed in detail.
How to use capillary refill time

Capillary refill time (CRT) is defined as the time taken for colour to return to an external capillary bed after pressure is applied to cause blanching.1 It was first described in 19472 and has since become widely adopted as part of the rapid structured circulatory assessment of ill children. Its use has been incorporated into advanced paediatric life-support guidelines, and it is endorsed by many national and international groups. However, despite its ubiquity there is a great deal of variation in how CRT is performed, and little knowledge of factors which may affect its accuracy. In this article, we will give an overview of the use of CRT in children and how its results should be interpreted. CRT is dependent on the visual inspection of blood returning to the distal capillaries after they have been emptied by the application of external pressure.1 The physiological principles which underpin peripheral perfusion are complex and affected by many different factors. Capillary blood flow is affected by the driving pressure, arteriolar tone and the constituents of the blood. The driving pressure is influenced by hydrostatic pressure (blood pressure) and, at the level of capillaries, oncotic pressure due to plasma proteins.3 Arteriolar tone depends on a delicate balance between vasoconstrictive (noradrenaline, angiotensin II, vasopressin, endothelin I and thromboxane A) and vasodilatory influences (prostacyclin, nitric oxide and products of local metabolism such as adenosine). The constituents of blood can also impact on capillary blood flow. For example, the size of red blood cells and plasma viscosity can affect flow through narrow capillaries.4 The other main determinant of capillary perfusion is capillary patency which is reflected by the functional capillary density or the number of capillaries in a given area which are filled with flowing red blood cells.1 Vasoconstriction is considered …
Effects of naloxone on self-injurious behavior: a case study

A clinical trial of naloxone to treat head banging behavior in a severely mentally retarded 8-year-old boy is reported. A double blind procedure was employed to concurrently contrast effects of two dosages of naloxone with saline solution placebo. No quantitatively measurable change in response rate occurred compared either with baseline or placebo. However a qualitative reduction in intensity of response was noted clinically. Implications for the use of β-endorphine therapy for self-injurious behavior was discussed.
Motivational bases of choice in experimental games

Abstract The present study presents a motivational theory of choice behavior in game situations, and develops a method that provides a flexible means for comparing the relative dominance of the various social motives postulated to underlie choice behavior in such situations. An experiment is conducted to test a set of hypothesized relationships between two conditions of interpersonal set, “partner” and “opponent”; three conditions of cumulative display of scores, “own,” “joint,” and “difference”; six classes of decomposed games; and the subjects' actual choice behavior. It was observed that whereas set did not affect the subject's choice behavior, there was a highly significant interaction between the display conditions and the classes of games. Finally, the relative utility of an algebraic and a stochastic choice model were evaluated in terms of the data obtained in the study.
Walk-off effects in dual-pump parametric amplifiers

The noise figure of fiber-based parametric amplifiers is affected by intensity fluctuations associated with the pumps. We show that the effects of walk off between the signal and pumps help to improve the noise figure of dual-pump parametric amplifiers in the central flat region of the gain spectrum.
A mutation in the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) in a cultured mammalian cell line identifies a novel region of AHR that affects DNA binding.

Introduction of a retroviral expression vector for the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) restores CYP1A1 inducibility to a mutant derivative of the Hepa-1 cell line that is defective in induction of CYP1A1 by ligands for the receptor. An AHR protein with normal ligand binding activity is expressed in the mutant but ligand treatment of mutant cell extract fails to induce binding of the AHR·ARNT (aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator) dimer to the xenobiotic responsive element (XRE). AHR cDNAs derived from the mutant encode a protein that is unimpaired in ligand-dependent dimerization with ARNT, but the AHR·ARNT dimer so formed is severely impaired in XRE binding activity. The mutant cDNAs contain a C to G mutation at base 648, causing a cysteine to tryptophan alteration at amino acid 216, located between the PER-ARNT-SIM homology region (PAS) A and PAS B repeats. Introduction of the same mutation in the wild-type AHR sequence by site-directed mutagenesis similarity impaired XRE binding activity. Substitution with the conservative amino acid, serine, had no effect on XRE binding. The tryptophan mutation, but not the wild-type allele, was detectable in genomic DNA of the mutant. The implication that an amino acid within the PAS region may be involved in DNA binding indicates that the DNA binding behavior of AHR may be more anomalous than previously suspected.
The Geosynchronous Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer (GIFTS) on-board blackbody calibration system

The NASA New Millennium Program’s Geosynchronous Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer (GIFTS) instrument provides enormous advances in water vapor, wind, temperature, and trace gas profiling from geostationary orbit. The top-level instrument calibration requirement is to measure brightness temperature to better than 1 K (3 sigma) over a broad range of atmospheric brightness temperatures, with a reproducibility of ±0.2 K. For in-flight radiometric calibration, GIFTS uses views of two on-board blackbody sources (290 K and 255 K) along with cold space, sequenced at regular programmable intervals. The blackbody references are cavities that follow the UW Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (AERI) design, scaled to the GIFTS beam size. The cavity spectral emissivity is better than 0.998 with an absolute uncertainty of less than 0.001. Absolute blackbody temperature uncertainties are estimated at 0.07 K. This paper describes the detailed design of the GIFTS on-board calibration system that recently underwent its Critical Design Review. The blackbody cavities use ultra-stable thermistors to measure temperature, and are coated with high emissivity black paint. Monte Carlo modeling has been performed to calculate the cavity emissivity. Both absolute temperature and emissivity measurements are traceable to NIST, and detailed uncertainty budgets have been developed and used to show the overall system meets accuracy requirements. The blackbody controller is housed on a single electronics board and provides precise selectable set point temperature control, thermistor resistance measurement, and the digital interface to the GIFTS instrument. Plans for the NIST traceable ground calibration of the on-board blackbody system have also been developed and are presented in this paper.
Distribution and severity of coronary artery disease in 500 patients with angina pectoris.

The distribution and severity of coronary disease in 500 patients with angina pectoris and at least one area of 50% or greater reduction of luminal diameter in a major coronary artery were compared with respect to patients' age and coronary arterial pattern. The coronary arterial patterns were separated into right (360 patients), mixed (89 patients), and left (51 patients) systems, depending upon the blood supply to the inferior surface of the left ventricle. The following relationships were noted: 1) In patients with angina pectoris, the distribution and severity of coronary artery disease is similar from the third to eighth decade. 2) Coronary arterial stenoses of 50-70% or greater reduction of luminal diameter involve most frequently the proximal portion of the major vessels. Coronary artery disease is multivessel in nature in 80% of cases. In single vessel disease the left anterior descending artery is involved most frequently. 3) The left main coronary artery is moderately to severely obstructed less frequently in individuals with left (2%) as compared to right (8%) and mixed (10%) systems. Otherwise, the distribution of coronary artery disease is similar in right, mixed, and left systems. 4) Coronary artery disease is a diffuse rather than a focal process. As demonstrated by coronary arteriography, patients with coronary artery disease have smaller vessels throughout the arterial tree as compared with individuals free of evident coronary atherosclerosis.
FIDELITY OF SONG IMITATION AND STABILITY OF DIALECT SONGS IN BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS

Abstract. Temporal stability in the acoustic structure of dialect songs is a critical variable for studies of cultural evolution in songbirds. Here we report that the structure of the flight whistle song of Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater) of the Convict dialect in the eastern Sierra Nevada of California remained essentially stable over almost 30 years. Quantitative measurements showed a minor structural change in one of four syllables and a small but statistically significant increase in duration for whistles recorded in 2006 versus 1990. Audiospectrograms of whistles recorded in the late 1970s revealed no major structural differences from the 1990 and 2006 whistles. These results are consistent with field and ontogenetic studies showing that young cowbirds copy the songs of adult males with very high fidelity, although it may take them up to two years to do so. We contrast the Convict results with those from the adjacent Mammoth dialect, in which the local whistle changed substantially over approx...
Coloring with three-colored subgraphs

Let f(n) be the minimum number of colors required to color the edges of Kn,n such that every copy of K3,3 receives at least three colors on its edges. We prove that $$(0.62+o(1))\sqrt{n}< \, f(n)< \, (1+o(1))\sqrt{n}$$, where the upper bound is obtained by an explicit edge-coloring. This complements earlier results of Axenovich, Furedi, and Mubayi [1]. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 42: 193–198, 2003
Energy Estimation between Adjacent Formant Frequencies to Identify Speaker's Gender

This paper describes a method developed for gender identification that combines first three formants, pitch period, and the energy between each adjacent pair of formants. The information provided by the energy, formants, and pitch estimation is combined using a classifier to identify the gender of the speaker. All the parameters are determined for a voiced part of the speech samples. We used five male and five female speech samples /one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, and nine/ for our training set. All speech samples are in clear mode. The sampling frequency is 8 KHz.
Production efficiency and the design of temporary investment incentives

The attainment of production efficiency requires that tax incentives equalize pretax rates of return on different assets at each point in time. To achieve this objective, the conventional theory of investment tax credits (ITCs) prescribes significantly lower credit rates on shorter-lived assets. However, this result is valid only for permanent ITCs. We show that the credit rates for temporary ITCs should be much closer to uniform than the conventional theory prescribes. This result is robust to the presence and specification of adjustment costs.
Virtual Simulation in the Surgical World

Surgical simulation technology has advanced significantly in recent years. Medical-simulation validation studies have established that surgical skills honed using a simulator significantly improved trainee performance by decreasing operating times, improving efficiency, and decreasing errors. Integration of surgical simulation technologies into the medical training and education system improves the quality of the graduating surgeon, reduces the time to proficiency, and improves overall patient safety. This article discusses the current state of medical-simulator technology research, development, and use. It points to growing support from the surgical governing and regulation agencies; and predicts that medical students and surgical residents will be able, and mandated, to develop procedural skills in a life-like and no-risk environment.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms, Relationship Adjustment, and Relationship Aggression in a Sample of Female Flood Victims

This study tested a model examining the interrelationships among posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, intimate relationship adjustment, and intimate relationship aggression in a sample of 205 adult female flood victims. At the bivariate level, higher PTSD symptoms were associated with higher physical and psychological aggression victimization, poorer relationship adjustment, and higher physical and psychological aggression perpetration. Results from structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses indicated that relationship aggression victimization influenced aggression perpetration directly, and in the case of physical aggression, indirectly through its relationship with PTSD symptoms and relationship adjustment. The influence of PTSD symptoms on physical aggression perpetration was fully explained by poorer relationship adjustment. These findings extend prior work from other traumatized populations documenting associations between variables reflecting PTSD symptomatology and indices of relationship functioning, and indicate a need for further investigation in this area of inquiry.
A Historical Perspective of the IEEE Computer Society: Six Decades of Growth with the Technology It Represents

The technology that dominated the second half of the 20th century was no doubt the digital electronic computer and its derivatives. The Computer Society of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) was born the same year as the world's first digital computer - the ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer). As the computer became ever more important to every aspect of life in the civilized world, the Computer Society matched its phenomenal growth to become the largest technical society within IEEE and the largest computing professional society in the world. This paper traces the development of the IEEE Computer Society from its humble beginnings to its many activities today. This historical review shows that throughout its history, the Computer Society has been and continues to be responsive to the technology it represents. The Society expands its service as the discipline becomes more encompassing and multifaceted. Moreover, by effectively using the very technology it represents, the leadership of the Society not only provides its members with cost-effective services, but also leads the way in designing innovative products that become beneficial to the world at large.
Interventions Used by Physical Therapists in Home Care for People After Hip Fracture

Background and Purpose: The majority of older people who survive a hip fracture have residual mobility disabilities. Any attempt to systematically reduce mobility disabilities after hip fracture, however, requires knowledge of the adequacy of current management practices. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to begin to understand the nature of physical therapy home care management by describing “usual care” for people after hip fracture. Subjects and Methods: In 2003 and 2004, a national survey was conducted of all members of the American Physical Therapy Association who identified home care as their primary practice setting (n=3,130). “Usual care” was operationally defined as when more than 50% of respondents reported that they “always” or “often” use a specific intervention. Results: Survey questionnaires (1,029) were returned with a response rate of 32.9%. Functional training activities, including bed mobility, transfer and gait training, balance training, safety training, and patient education, were reported very frequently. Active-range-of-motion exercises were performed much more frequently than exercises involving added resistance. Discussion and Conclusion: This study provides a detailed description of the physical therapy interventions provided in the home care setting for patients after hip fracture. The sample size and national representation increase our confidence that this description accurately depicts physical therapist practice.
Taking Lulu seriously: what we can learn from To Sir with Love

Purpose – This paper seeks to examine ways in which the film To Sir with Love illustrates several longstanding issues and tensions related to the sociology of education. It is also aims to show how this film (and, by implication, other popular films) can be used to advance understanding among students of educational leadership, organization theory, and the sociology of education.Design/methodology/approach – Approaching its 40th anniversary, To Sir with Love is generally considered to be a classic portrayal of a teacher's struggle to engage a group of disengaged and rebellious students in a working class London school. Yet the film also highlights longstanding issues and tensions peculiar to schooling and teaching. From sociological and social‐psychological perspectives, this paper examines this film's underlying meanings and suggests how it can be used to advance understanding among students of educational leadership, organization theory, and the sociology of education.Findings – Although the paper focus...
Swelling components of compacted Ca-montmorillonite

Intracrystalline water adsorption of Ca-montmorillonite was calculated as the product of one-half the interlayer spacing from X-ray powder diffraction analysis and the difference between the desorption surface area determined with ethylene glycol-monoethyl ether and BET surface area determined by N2 adsorption. Osmotic adsorption was calculated as the product of the N2 surface area and theoretical double layer thickness. Measured water adsorption of P2O5-dry clay, compacted to initial densities (γ0) from 0.52 to 1.59 g/cm3 and submerged in 0.01 N CaCl2 was 2.4 to 4.2 times greater than intracrystalline plus osmotic adsorption due to the occurrence of pores exceeding double layer dimensions. The increase in expansion caused by reducing electrolyte concentration to 0.001 N was equal to the predicted increase in double layer volume, verifying the existence of an osmotic component to swelling. Measured expansion following submersion in 0.01 N CaCl2 increased continuously with γ0 from 0.53 cm3/g at γ0 = 0.52 g/cm3 to 1.17 cm3/g at γ0 = 1.59 g/cm3, while estimated osmotic plus intracrystalline expansion was constant at 0.30 cm3/g. This discrepancy is attributed to swelling caused by gas pressures developing ahead of advancing wetting fronts. The effect of compaction on expansion is explained by reductions in pore size, as measured by N2 desorption, which accompany compaction. Reduced pore size should increase entrapped air pressures, whereas gradual wetting should favor their dissipation. Accordingly, slow wetting reduced the expansion of a sample where γ0 = 1.06 g/cm3 from 0.77 to 0.37 cm3/g. Swelling due to entrapped air pressures produced a large increase in the number of pores > 104 A in diameter, as determined by Hg intrusion porosimetry.
Closed-form solutions and parameterization of the problem of current-voltage performance of polycrystalline photovoltaic modules deployed at fixed latitude tilt

One obstacle to wider market penetration for thin-film polycrystalline photovoltaic (PV) modules is the lack of field performance data, notably temperature-coefficient data for the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics over all irradiance levels encountered in the field. Generally, temperature coefficient and performance data are available only in a restricted range of illumination around 1-sun intensity. In this paper, the I-V performance data are presented, analyzed, and parameterized across a wide range of illumination levels and temperatures, allowing the modeling of the performance for three polycrystalline PV technologies: cadmium telluride, copper indium diselenide, and polycrystalline silicon. The data are scrutinized for clear-sky and diffuse-illumination conditions.
Lingering effects of the past on a University merger process in post-apartheid South Africa

This article is based on an exploratory case study of an institution that is currently undergoing merger under the directive of the Minister of Education in South Africa. The findings reported here illuminate perspectives of senior administrators at Settlers University, an historically White university (or historically advantaged university), regarding its merger with the historically Black (or disadvantaged) University of the Homeland. This article articulates perspectives of senior administrators regarding the impact of this merger on their students, staff, administrative structures, academic programs and institutional culture. In particular, the article highlights the intricate dynamics of a government-mandated process between two institutions with divergent legacies. Given the incongruent histories of the two merging institutions, what are the challenges and opportunities that confront merging institutions and how do these senior administrators envision a future of the new merged university?
Residential Environmental Education Center Program Evaluation: An Ongoing Challenge

Residential environmental education centers (REECs) have been criticized for their lack of quality program evaluation. However, the last national study done on the practices of REECs was Chenery and Hammerman's (1985) research. This article presents the results of a national survey of directors of REECs (n = 114) that gives insight into the current practices and needs of their centers. While some directors are satisfied with their current evaluation practices, others recognize that their centers need improvement in this area. Analysis of survey results provides insight into the needs of REEC directors as program evaluations are developed for REECs.
Sig2BioPAX: Java tool for converting flat files to BioPAX Level 3 format.

Background The World Wide Web plays a critical role in enabling molecular, cell, systems and computational biologists to exchange, search, visualize, integrate, and analyze experimental data. Such efforts can be further enhanced through the development of semantic web concepts. The semantic web idea is to enable machines to understand data through the development of protocol free data exchange formats such as Resource Description Framework (RDF) and the Web Ontology Language (OWL). These standards provide formal descriptors of objects, object properties and their relationships within a specific knowledge domain. However, the overhead of converting datasets typically stored in data tables such as Excel, text or PDF into RDF or OWL formats is not trivial for non-specialists and as such produces a barrier to seamless data exchange between researchers, databases and analysis tools. This problem is particularly of importance in the field of network systems biology where biochemical interactions between genes and their protein products are abstracted to networks.
H ∞ control with parametric Lyapunov functions

A new control synthesis approach is proposed for linear parametrically varying (LPV) systems using parameter-dependent quadratic Lyapunov functions. The synthesis problem is formulated via a set of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). When solved, parameter-dependent controllers are obtained that stabilize the LPV systems and achieve guaranteed performance in an L2-gain sense. The new approach includes the case of parameter-independent Lyapunov functions, and as a result provides additional flexibility in the control design.
Entrepreneurship and crime: The case of new restaurant location decisions✩

Abstract This paper examines the impact of various violent crimes on restaurant location decisions in a single city, Memphis, TN. Using location information on crimes and newly opened restaurants, we are able to match crimes and restaurants in parcels we construct. We examine the impact of the number of burglaries, assaults, rapes, and murders in each of 400 to up to 1,000,000 parcels occurring from 2009–2013 on the number of restaurants opening in 2014 in models including dummy variables capturing neighborhood effects. Regression results indicate that each crime is positively related to the number of new restaurants in a parcel. This suggests that even with the crime problem, these locations provide sufficient benefits, perhaps population density, which make them attractive to restaurant entrepreneurs.
Welcome to Disaster Health .

As Editors-in-Chief, and on behalf of our distinguished Editorial Board, we are thrilled to welcome you to this inaugural issue of Disaster Health.Disaster Health is uniquely focused on the interse...
Biomedical Imaging with Optical Coherence Tomography

OCT generates high resolution, cross-sectional and 3-D images of tissue pathology. It has become a standard diagnostic in ophthalmology and is making rapid advances in cardiovascular imaging. This presentation reviews the technology and its development.