cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Radiofrequency ablation plus drug-eluting beads transcatheter arterial chemoembolization for the treatment of single large hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract Background Our aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of the single-step combined therapy with radiofrequency ablation and drug-eluting beads transarterial chemoembolization in single hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) larger than 3 cm. Secondary aim was to compare the results with those obtained in a matched population treated with drug-eluting beads transarterial chemoembolization alone. Methods 40 consecutive cirrhotic patients with single HCC were prospectively enrolled and treated. Twenty-three patients had tumours between 3 and 5 cm (Group A), and 17 larger than 5 cm (Group B). Twenty cirrhotic patients with single HCC treated only with chemoembolization formed the control group. Results Complete response at 1 month was achieved in 32/40 tumours (80%). During follow-up, complete response was maintained in 25 patients (25/40, 62.5%), and this rate was higher in Group A (69.6% vs 53%, p = 0.008). The group treated with combined therapy showed a significantly lower 2-year recurrence (48.1% vs 78.2%, p p = 0.004) than the group treated with chemoembolization alone. Conclusions Balloon-occluded-radiofrequency ablation plus drug-eluting beads transarterial chemoembolization is an effective treatment of HCC larger than 3 cm not amenable to surgical resection, providing better results than transarterial chemoembolization alone. The best results are achieved in tumours up to 5 cm.
The Evolution of Nonhuman Primate Loud Calls : Acoustic Adaptation for Long-distance Transmission

Many nonhuman primates produce species-typical loud calls used to communicate between and within groups over long distances. Given their observed spacing functions, primate loud calls are likely to show acoustic adaptations to increase their propagation over distance. Here we evaluate the hypothesis that primates emit loud calls at relatively low sound frequencies to minimize their attenuation. We tested this hypothesis within and between species. First, we compared the frequencies of loud calls produced by each species with those of other calls from their vocal repertoires. Second, we investigated the relationship between loud call frequency and home range size across a sample of primate species. Comparisons indicated that primates produce loud calls at lower frequencies than other calls within their vocal repertoires. In addition, a significant negative relationship exists between loud call frequency and home range size among species. The relationship between call frequency and range size holds after controlling for the potentially confounding effects of body size and phylogeny. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that nonhuman primates produce loud calls at relatively low frequencies to facilitate their transmission over long distances.
Cholesterol ester transfer protein (CETP) and atherosclerosis

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease continues to be a major healthcare problem in developed as well as developing nations. Although adoption of a healthy lifestyle coupled with use of lipid modifying and antithrombotic agents significantly reduces the risk of major cardiovascular events, a significant residual burden remains. HDL based therapies have been suggested as potential ways to address this residual burden of disease in view of the known inverse relationship of HDL cholesterol and cardiovascular disease as well as a wealth of preclinical data and biological actions of HDL and its proteins. CETP, a key enzyme in HDL metabolism has emerged as a potential target since reduced CETP activity is associated with elevated levels of HDL cholesterol. However recent studies of failure of the ist CETP inhibitor, Torcetrapib, in a clinical trial has raised important questions regarding the value of HDL cholesterol as a biomarker for atheroprotective interventions. This brief review highlights recent developments in HDL biology with a special emphasis on the pros and cons of CETP inhibition as a therapeutic strategy for atherosclerosis.
Alteration in the conformational stability of collagen caused by the incorporation of the lysine analogue S-2-aminoethylcysteine.

Abstract We studied the effects of the lysine analogue S -2-aminoethylcysteine on the activation of lysyl tRNA and on the secretion and conformational stability of newly synthesized type I collagen in embryonic chick tendon fibroblasts. The analogue competed efficiently with lysine for activation onto tRNA without affecting significantly the activation of other amino acids ( K m for lysine: 1.6 μM; K i for S -2-aminoethylcysteine: 1.4 μ M). The analogue also profoundly inhibited the synthesis and secretion of [ 14 C]procollagen but did not affect the synthesis or secretion of non-collagenous proteins. Although the [ 14 C]proline-labeled procollagen synthesized in the presence of S -2-aminoethylcysteine contained normal levels of hydroxyproline, it was susceptible to digestion with pepsin at 25°C, indicating that incorporation of the analogue altered the conformational stability of the collagen triple helix. This analogue should be a powerful tool to further study the role of lysine on collagen structure and to determine how altered collagen structure affects its synthesis and secretion. Furthermore, this analogue may be a potent and selective inhibitor of collagen accumulation in pathologic conditions accompanied by tissue fibrosis.
Out of control: Visceral influences on behavior

Abstract Understanding discrepancies between behavior and perceived self-interest has been one of the major, but largely untackled, theoretical challenges confronting decision theory from its infancy to the present. People often act against their self-interest in full knowledge that they are doing so; they experience a feeling of being “out of control.” This paper attributes this phenomenon to the operation of “visceral factors,” which include drive states such as hunger, thirst and sexual desire, moods and emotions, physical pain, and craving for a drug one is addicted to. The defining characteristics of visceral factors are, first, a direct hedonic impact (which is usually negative), and second, an effect on the relative desirability of different goods and actions. The largely aversive experience of hunger, for example, affects the desirability of eating, but also of other activities such as sex. Likewise, fear and pain are both aversive, and both increase the desirability of withdrawal behaviors. The visceral factor perspective has two central premises: First, immediately experienced visceral factors have a disproportionate effect on behavior and tend to “crowd out” virtually all goals other than that of mitigating the visceral factor. Second, people underweigh, or even ignore, visceral factors that they will experience in the future, have experienced in the past, or that are experienced by other people. The paper details these two assumptions, then shows how they can help to explain a wide range of phenomena: impulsivity and self-control, drug addiction, various anomalies concerning sexual behavior, the effect of vividness on decision making, and certain phenomena relating to motivation and action.
How allies shared radar secrets

The Invention that Changed the World*. By Robert Buderi Simon Schuster. Little, Brown: 1996. Pp. 575. $30, £18.99. * UK title is The Weapon That Won the War
Iontophoresis of morphine into the arcuate nucleus: effects on dopamine concentrations in hypophysial portal plasma and serum prolactin concentrations.

The effects of morphine on the release of dopamine from tuberoinfundibular neurons and the release of PRL from the anterior pituitary gland were studied in diestrous female rats. Morphine ions ejected iontophoretically in minute quantities into the arcuate nuclei (using one electrode per nucleus) were found to reduce markedly the concentration of dopamine in hypophysial portal plasma. Thirty minutes after the iontophoretic ejection of morphine using charges of 3.6 and 6.6 millicoulombs/electrode, the concentrations of dopamine in hypophysial portal plasma were reduced 70% and 83%, respectively, relative to the preiontophoretic values. When morphine was iontophoresed into each arcuate nucleus using a charge of 1.5 millicoulombs/electrode, there was no change in the concentration of dopamine in hypophysial portal plasma. The suppressive effect of morphine on dopamine release was prevented by pretreatment of the animals with naloxone (5 mg/kg, ip). In addition to the reduction of the concentration of dopamin...
PsbO, the manganese-stabilizing protein: analysis of the structure-function relations that provide insights into its role in photosystem II.

Abstract The minireview presented here summarizes current information on the structure and function of PsbO, the photosystem II (PSII) manganese-stabilizing protein, with an emphasis on the protein’s assembly into PSII, and its function in facilitating rapid turnovers of the oxygen evolving reaction. Two putative mechanisms for functional assembly of PsbO, which behaves as an intrinsically disordered polypeptide in solution, into PSII are proposed. Finally, a model is presented for the role of PsbO in relation to the function of the Mn, Ca2+, and Cl− cofactors that are required for water oxidation, as well as for the action of hydroxide and small Mn reductants that inhibit the function of the active site of the oxygen-evolving complex.
Finite Population Sampling with Multivariate Auxiliary Information

Abstract This article examines strategies that are approximately design-unbiased and nearly optimal, assuming a large-sample survey and a regression superpopulation model. A new class of predictors is proposed to link certain features of optimal design-unbiased and model-unbiased predictors. Generalized regression predictors are shown to pervade the subclass of asymptotically design-unbiased (ADU) predictors. Generalized regression predictors are combined with model-based stratification to construct highly efficient ADU strategies.
Education/Community Collaborations for Undergraduate Nursing Gerontological Clinical Experiences

In 2000, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and the John A. Hartford Foundation Institute for Geriatric Nursing developed guidelines to help nurse educators incorporate gerontological nursing content into baccalaureate curricula. In 2001, the Hartford Foundation also provided grant monies to nursing programs to support gerontology curricular innovations and new clinical experiences. The funding allowed faculty to focus time, energy, and resources on gerontological nursing education. We, the authors, representing two funded schools of nursing, collaborated with community agencies to develop undergraduate gerontological clinical learning experiences and are encouraged by the results. This article describes the development of these collaborations and serves as a model for other schools of nursing. The education/community collaborations described here focus on clinical learning strategies, implementation activities, and outcomes/benefits of the experiences. Both educational programs had supportive administration, faculty willing to participate in curriculum change, organized plans to implement geriatric curricular enhancement, and long-standing community partnerships.
Comment on "Nervy links protein kinase A to plexin-mediated semaphorin repulsion".

Terman and Kolodkin ([ 1 ][1]) recently suggested that Nervy, a Drosophila homolog of the mammalian myeloid translocation gene (MTG) family, functions at the plasma membrane as a protein kinase (PKA) anchoring protein (AKAP). Their findings were surprising because mammalian MTGs localize to nuclei
Effects of Ration Limitation and Low Temperature on Growth, Biochemical Condition, and Survival of Juvenile Summer Flounder from Two Atlantic Coast Nurseries

Abstract Laboratory experiments were conducted on juvenile summer flounder Paralichthys dentatus (25–80 mm total length) from Delaware and North Carolina nurseries to compare their responses to temperature and to ration limitation. Ad libitum feeding rates, maximum growth rates, and growth efficiency were measured at temperatures from 2 to 20°C. Although ad libitum feeding rates did not differ between fish from the two locations, North Carolina juveniles had higher maximum growth rates and growth efficiencies than Delaware juveniles between 6 and 18°C. Growth rates and changes in biochemical condition were also measured for different rations at temperatures that persist during the months following settlement (10–16°C). Survival was high (>98%) after 10–14 d of starvation and suboptimal rations at 10–16°C, but growth rates were highly dependent on feeding rates. Maintenance rations remained constant between 10 and 16°C, but scope for growth increased with temperature, Scope for growth of North Carolina juv...
8 Influence of Intracardiac Shunting on Left Ventricular Muscle Mechanics in Tetralogy of Fallot

8 Influence of Intracardiac Shunting on Left Ventricular Muscle Mechanics in Tetralogy of Fallot
Estimating human exposure through multiple pathways from air, water, and soil.

This paper describes a set of multipathway, multimedia models for estimating potential human exposure to environmental contaminants. The models link concentrations of an environmental contaminant in air, water, and soil to human exposure through inhalation, ingestion, and dermal-contact routes. The relationship between concentration of a contaminant in an environmental medium and human exposure is determined with pathway exposure factors (PEFs). A PEF is an algebraic expression that incorporates information on human physiology and lifestyle together with models of environmental partitioning and translates a concentration (i.e., mg/m3 in air, mg/liter in water, or mg/kg in soil) into a lifetime-equivalent chronic daily intake (CDI) in mg/kg-day. Human, animal, and environmental data used in calculating PEFs are presented and discussed. Generalized PEFs are derived for air----inhalation, air----ingestion, water----inhalation, water----ingestion, water----dermal uptake, soil----inhalation, soil----ingestion, and soil----dermal uptake pathways. To illustrate the application of the PEF expressions, we apply them to soil-based contamination of multiple environmental media by arsenic, tetrachloroethylene (PCE), and trinitrotoluene (TNT).
The Study of Proverbs in Anglo‐Saxon Literature: Recent Scholarship, Resources for Research, and the Future of the Field

This article surveys the major developments in paremiology (the study of proverbs) in Anglo-Saxon literature over the last fifteen years as well as the major research tools currently available for the study of medieval vernacular and Latin proverbs. Through this survey, I demonstrate that proverbs need to be read not only in light of the immediate context in which they appear, but also ‘in isolation.’ Studying the history and transmission of proverbs independent from their contextual uses can lead us to a more complete understanding of an individual author's interests, reading, education, and motivations for deplying a proverb. I begin by discussing the difficulties of defining precisely paremiological terminology. Then I give an overview of the most important achievements in proverb study more generally over the last century, with an emphasis on medieval paremiology. After reviewing the two most recent book-length studies on Old English proverbial materials, I summarize individually most of the publications on Anglo-Saxon proverbs that have appeared over the last fifteen years. A number of excellent print and digital resources, which I introduce to readers in this article, assist proverb scholars in their work. Finally, I suggest some future avenues for research with which Old English proverb study can significantly contribute to the larger field of Anglo-Saxon studies.
Proinflammatory phenotype of coronary arteries promotes endothelial apoptosis in aging

Previously we demonstrated that aging in coronary arteries is associated with proinflammatory phenotypic changes and decreased NO bioavailability, which, we hypothesized, promotes vascular disease ...
Construction engineering and project management III: reasoning about actions and events in situational simulations

In this paper we have applied an interval representation of time to represent and reason about activities, events, actions and situations relevant to the construction domain. The first part of the paper formally defines the situational simulation environment and develops a set of temporal axioms which can be used to 1) Express precedence constraints between time intervals and 2) Capture the causal relationships between actions and events. The second part of the paper looks at an agent reasoning mechanism used to perceive and predict actions and foresee future consequences of present actions within the simulation environment. Agent reasoning is based on awareness derived from a knowledge base of facts which captures the causal nature of events in the construction management domain.
Detection efficiency of a high-pressure gas scintillation proportional chamber.

The detection efficiency of a high‐pressure, gas scintillation proportional chamber (GSPC), designed for medical imaging in the 30–150 keV energy range, has been investigated through measurement and Monte Carlo simulation. Measurements were conducted on a GSPC containing 4 atm of pure xenon separated from a hexagonal array of seven ultraviolet‐sensitive photomultiplier tubes by 1.27‐cm‐thick fused‐silica windows. Experimental measurements of the photopeak efficiency, fluorescence escape efficiency, and the energy collection efficiency were obtained. Results were also obtained for different photon energies and different values of temporal resolution. The measurements were compared with the results obtained from a Monte Carlo simulation designed specifically for investigating the imaging of low‐energy photons (below 150 keV) with a gas‐filled detector. The simulation was used to estimate photopeak efficiency, fluorescence escape efficiency, photopeak‐to‐fluorescence escape peak ratio, quantum interaction efficiency, energy collection efficiency, and local energy collection efficiency. The photopeak efficiency of the GSPC relative to that of a 3‐in. (7.62‐cm)‐thick sodium iodide crystal was measured to be 0.284±0.001 at 60 keV and 0.057±0.001 at 140 keV. Of the 60‐keV photons incident upon the detector, 70%±4% interacted in the detector, with 28%±1% being in the photopeak, as estimated both by experimentation and through the simulation. The maximum energy collection efficiency was found to be 65% at 60 keV, with 46% being deposited within 0.2 cm of the initial photon interaction. The information gained from this study is being used to design an optimized detector for use in specialized nuclear medicine studies.
Least Absolute Deviation Estimation of a Shift

This paper develops the asymptotic theory for least absolute deviation estimation of a shift in linear regressions. Rates of convergence and asymptotic distributions for the estimated regression parameters and the estimated shift point are derived. The asymptotic theory is developed both for fixed magnitude of shift and for shift with magnitude converging to zero as the sample size increases. Asymptotic distributions are also obtained for trending regressors and for dependent disturbances. The analysis is carried out in the framework of partial structural change, allowing some parameters not to be influenced by the shift. Efficiency relative to least-squares estimation is also discussed. Monte Carlo analysis is performed to assess how informative the asymptotic distributions are.
Detection of Trace Concentrations of Column III and V Hydrides by Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy

The measurement of trace concentrations (1–400 ppm) of polyatomic molecular impurities in helium was investigated by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). For the Column III and V hydrides such as B2 H6, PH3, and AsH3, the detectability limits with the present apparatus were determined to be 1, 3, and ∼1 ppm, respectively. It is expected that resorting to synchronous detection techniques will improve the sensitivity of LIBS for this application by as much as an order of magnitude.
Factors influencing heartworm, flea, and tick preventative use in patients presenting to a veterinary teaching hospital

Abstract The introduction of modern heartworm, flea, and tick preventatives has provided a safe and effective means of controlling companion animal endoparasites, but achieving good owner compliance remains an ongoing challenge for the veterinary profession. Based on a sample of patients from the veterinary teaching hospital at the University of Pennsylvania, this study retrospectively examined factors associated with preventative use and areas of potential weakness in client communication. Between 1999 and 2006, records of 5276 canine and 1226 feline patients were searched for signalment, survey results for heartworm, flea, and tick preventative use, date of visit, presenting complaint, vaccination history, and owner zip code. Data were analyzed using bivariate and multivariate techniques. Overall, only 13–23% of patients were questioned about heartworm, flea, or tick preventative use during routine medical history taking. Patients with a prior history of parasites, younger patients, or those presenting with signs of cardiac disease were no more likely to be questioned about preventative use than healthy animals. Patients presenting to a specialty service were also less likely to be questioned. Approximately 74–79% of dogs and 12–38% of cats in the sample were on preventative products at any given time. There was a distinct seasonality to preventative use corresponding to the heartworm transmission season from June through November in the northeastern United States. Only 50% of patients seen for a yearly physical examination in winter were reported to be using preventative products when surveyed later in the year, compared to the roughly 85% on patients in heartworm preventatives when they received their routine physical examination in spring. Month of presentation and neuter status were the only signalment factors significantly (P
Using photographs to strengthen family planning research.

The long tradition of using photographs in population research appears to be almost completely lost. Widely used in the early decades of the last century population specialists have avoided photographs to appear more scientific. However examining the work of social scientists who used photography to study population-related issues in the 1930s gives a sense of what has been lost as well as what can be gained from greater use of photographs as research tools. It is noted that photographs should be used as data in family planning (FP) and reproductive health research and as illustrations in publications and on Web sites. Reviving the use of photographs would help researchers better understand and more easily explain numerous aspects of health and FP services. Given the availability of a range of modern technologies researchers should begin collecting photographic evidence and journals such as Family Planning Perspectives should publish their findings.
Electron emission from 3.0 MeV Br-Kr collisions

Abstract The electron emission spectra observed following low-MeV collisions of heavy ions with heavy atoms are often dominated by electrons with a continuous range of energies. For example, the electron emission spectra from Kr-Kr and Kr-Xe collisions are dominated by a continuous portion that extends from low energies to nearly 1000 eV. For the Kr-Kr case, there is evidence that the continuous portion of the spectrum results from the emission of 20–24 electrons from the two-ion system prior to the time L-Auger emission takes place and that many of the emitted electrons have energies in the range of 25–500 eV. The present data were obtained for the closely related Br-Kr system with a high-resolution electron spectrometer to see whether discrete lines could be resolved and if they could, whether they would comprise the major portion of the spectrum or appear as lines superimposed upon the continuum. The experiment resolved only a few peaks and they appear to be superimposed upon a continuum of different origin.
Multiplicity of solutions in von karman flows of viscoelastic fluids

Abstract We extend the numerical investigation of the classical linearly viscous fluids for disk flows to the case of a non-Newtonian fluid of the rate type, namely the Oldroyd-B fluid. We show that the solutions exhibit limit points. We also calculate fold curves in two parameters, keeping the Ekman number and the rotation ratio constant, and display solutions on either side of the turning point. The numerical formulation includes Galerkin's method with B -spline test functions and continuation.
Subnanosecond time-resolved imaging using a rf phase-sensitive image converter camera

Common high-speed gated proximity focused multichannel plate image intensifiers allow for a typical gate width of 3 to 5 ns. We have studied an alternative way to accomplish sub- nanosecond time-resolved imaging by operating a gatable proximity focused intensifier as a radio-frequency phase-sensitive camera. In this operating mode, we apply a dc bias voltage between the photocathode and the microchannel plate input that brings the effective intensity transfer function to 50% relative to the `ON' state. Then we add a rf signal to the dc voltage which is phase-locked to the intensity modulation phase of the imaging light source. This phase-locking causes a steady-state image at the intensifier output screen which is recorded using a CCD camera, and stored in an image processor. At least two images are recorded at two different intensifier modulation phase settings relative to the light source modulation phase. Finally, the two images are subtracted, or divided, pixel-by-pixel to create the time- resolved image. The rf phase-sensitive camera has been applied to distance-selective image suppression. We have created black-and-white contrasts for target distance differences of 3.75 cm, i.e., for photon transit time differences of 0.25 ns. The camera also can be used to accomplish lifetime-selective fluorescence suppression.
Improving lecture comprehension: Effects of a metacognitive strategy

In previous research self-questioning strategies have been found to significantly improve reading comprehension, presumably because of the metacognitive nature of the self-questioning process. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether this metacognitive strategy also enhances lecture comprehension, that is, comprehension of non-text, orally presented material. In a self-questioning combined with reciprocal peer-questioning condition, ninthgraders were trained to pose questions for themselves during classroom lectures; following the lectures, they used their questions to engage in reciprocal peer-questioning and responding. Students in a self-questioning only condition also engaged in self-questioning during the lectures and then answered their own questions; in a review condition, students discussed the lecture material in small cooperative groups; and in a control group students reviewed the lecture material independently. On post-practice and 10-day maintenance tests participants in the self-questioning with reciprocal peer-questioning and the self-questioning only strategy groups showed lecture comprehension superior to that of participants in both the discussion review and control groups. These results suggest that: use of a self-questioning strategy can improve high school students' comprehension of lectures; students can maintain this strategy when external prompts are removed; and this metacognitive strategy can be readily taught to high school students and incorporated into their real-world classroom learning environment.
Plate tectonic influences on Neoproterozoic-early Paleozoic climate and animal evolution

The initial diversification of animals paralleled some of the most dramatic episodes of climate and environmental change in Earth history. We compiled global Neoproterozoic–early Paleozoic detrital zircon age data to track spatiotemporal variations in continental arc systems to explore the influence of tectonic outgassing of CO 2 on these climatic shifts. These data indicate that global continental arc systems were spatially reduced at the onset of the Cryogenian glacial interval, widespread during the Cambrian greenhouse, and reduced during Ordovician cooling. The Cambrian greenhouse was coincident with ecologically stressed conditions, whereas Ordovician global cooling was accompanied by a major biodiversification event. Thus, variation in the continental arc CO 2 flux likely played a critical role in major climatic fluctuations, which profoundly influenced early animal evolution.
N-weakly supercyclic matrices

We define an operator to n-weakly hypercyclic if it has an orbit that has a dense projection onto every n-dimensional subspace. Similarly, an operator is n-weakly supercyclic if it has a scaled orbit that has a dense projection onto every n-dimensional subspace. In this paper, we show the following results: (i) There are no n-weakly hypercyclic matrices on \({\mathbb{R}^n}\) or \({\mathbb{C}^n}\). (ii) There are no 2-weakly supercyclic matrices on \({\mathbb{C}^n}\) for n ≥ 2. (iii) There are no 3-weakly supercyclic matrices on \({\mathbb{R}^n}\) for n ≥ 3; and (iv) there are 2-weakly supercyclic matrices on \({\mathbb{R}^n}\) if and only if n is even. Finally, we show that there is an onto isometry on \({\ell^2_\mathbb{R}(\mathbb{N})}\) that is 2-weakly supercyclic, but not 3-weakly supercyclic and also give some examples involving tuples of matrices. We conclude with some questions.
Speaks on strong property representationalism

Strong property representationalism, as applied to visual experience, is the thesis that the phenomenal character of a visual experience is one and the same as the property complex or �sensible profile� represented by that experience. Speaks discusses the following argument against this thesis: Let �RED� stand for the phenomenal character of the experience of red. �(1) Red = RED (strong property representationalism). �(2) My pen has no representational properties, but is red. Hence, �(3) My pen has a phenomenal character but no representational properties. Since (3) is false, (1) is false too. (3) Follows from (1) and (2) only on the assumption that what it is for something to have a phenomenal character is for it to instantiate a certain property just as what it is for my pen to have the color red is for it to instantiate the property of being red. The property instantiation model of having a phenomenal character is not the only possible model, however, and I reject it.
The Reionization History at High Redshifts. II. Estimating the Optical Depth to Thomson Scattering from Cosmic Microwave Background Polarization

In light of the recent inference of a high optical depth τ to Thomson scattering from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) data, we investigate the effects of extended periods of partial ionization and ask if the value of τ inferred by assuming a single sharp transition is an unbiased estimate. We construct and consider several representative ionization models and evaluate their signatures in the cosmic microwave background (CMB). If τ is estimated with a single sharp transition, we show that there can be a significant bias in the derived value (and, therefore, a bias in σ8 as well). For WMAP noise levels, the bias in τ is smaller than the statistical uncertainty, but for Planck or a cosmic variance limited experiment the τ bias could be much larger than the statistical uncertainties. This bias can be reduced in the ionization models we consider by fitting a slightly more complicated ionization history, such as a two-step ionization process. Assuming this two-step process, we find that the Planck satellite can simultaneously determine the initial redshift of reionization to ±2 and τ to ±0.01. Uncertainty about the ionization history appears to provide a limit of ~0.005 on how well τ can be estimated from CMB polarization data, much better than expected from WMAP but significantly worse than expected from cosmic variance limits.
Posttraumatic stress disorder and intimate partner violence in a women's headache center.

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder has been linked to women's ill health, including headaches. Intimate partner violence, which may result in posttraumatic stress disorder, is often reported by women with headaches. Prior studies of intimate partner violence and headache have estimated lifetime but not 12-month prevalence. The researchers in this study examined the relationship between headache and posttraumatic stress disorder in a novel population, and estimated 12-month and lifetime prevalence rates of intimate partner violence. Methods: Patients were recruited from a women's headache center (n = 92) during 2006–07 and completed the Migraine Disability Assessment measure of headache severity. Posttraumatic stress disorder was measured using a modified Breslau scale. Twelve-month and lifetime physical intimate partner violence were measured with the Partner Violence Screen and the STaT (“slapped, threatened and throw”) measure. Multivariable regression determined factors independently associated ...
Protecting personal space: Victim and resister reactions to assaultive rape

Thirty-two victims of rape and 23 victims of attempted rape took the California Psychological Inventory, the Cornell Medical Index, and filled out an interview form describing their feelings during the assault. All participants were volunteers and were tested anywhere from days to years after the assault had occurred. A number of significant differences between the scores of the two groups emerged. These are discussed in terms of possible personality differences between rape victims and rape resisters, and in terms of cultural forces shaping the reaction patterns of women.
Cyclic elevation of intrathoracic pressure can close the mitral valve during cardiac arrest in dogs

Mitral valve closure during cardiopulmonary resuscitation may result from direct cardiac compression. An alternative hypothesis is that with a rise in intrathoracic pressure, mitral valve closure can occur but may be influenced by whether the lungs are inflated or deflated. To test this hypothesis, we placed a large-bore cannula into the thoraces of 11 dogs. Intrathoracic pressure was changed by inflating and deflating the thorax through the cannula while the airway was open, as well as by inflating and deflating the lungs with the thoracic cannula clamped. Mitral valve motion was observed with two-dimensional echocardiography from the right chest wall or esophagus in eight of the dogs. With a rise in intrathoracic pressure from thoracic inflation, all eight dogs showed closure of the mitral valve, while with thoracic deflation, all showed mitral valve opening. With lung inflation and deflation alone, however, the mitral valve remained open throughout the cycle. In seven dogs, with thoracic inflation, the peak gradient from the left ventricle to the left atrium was (mean +/- SEM) 18 +/- 4 mm Hg and the average gradient was 7 +/- 3 mm Hg, while with lung inflation alone, the average gradient was -1 +/- 1 mm Hg (p less than 0.01 vs. thoracic inflation). Thus, mitral valve closure, with concomitant retrograde pressure gradients, can be produced by intrathoracic pressure changes with accompanying lung deflation. With lung inflation alone, however, the mitral valve remains open, and there are no significant transmitral pressure gradients. We conclude that intrathoracic pressure changes can cause the mitral valve to close or to remain open, depending on how intrathoracic pressure is generated.
Blastular arrest and chromosome abnormalities produced by x-rays in two amphibians: Rana pipiens and Xenopus laevis.

Production of chromosomal abnormalities by x-raying Amphibian zygotes is not necessarily followed by blastular arrest. At an x-ray dose that produces blastular arrest in 20% of the irradiated embryos, over 90% of the embryos were found to contain cells with gross chromosome aberrations. Different pregastrular stages are differentially sensitive towards x-ray production of blastular arrest.
Ab Initio Study of the Stability of the Ylide-like Intermediate Methyleneoxonium in the Reaction between Singlet Methylene and Water

Highly correlated ab initio molecular orbital calculations have been used to study the energetics and mechanism governing the reaction between the radical 1CH2 and H2O in gas phase and in solution....
Effects of individual cardiac nerve stimulation on atrioventricular conduction

This study investigated the effects of individual canine cardiac nerve stimulation on atrioventricular conductions as measured by His bundle electrograms. A-H and H-V intervals were measured before and during stimulation of each nerve in paced hearts (200 beats/min) and before and after blocking doses of either atropine or propranolol. Increases in A-H or H-V intervals were evidence of parasympathetic innervation; decreases in intervals were evidence of sympathetic innervation. Separation by autonomic composition produced 3 categories: sympathetic, parasympathetic, and mixed input to the atrioventricular junction. The sympathetic nerves were the left and right ansae subclavia, the ventrolateral cardiac nerve, and the right stellate cardiac nerve. The parasympathetic nerve was the right thoracic vagus, and the mixed nerves were the left thoracic vagus, and the innominate, ventromedial, craniovagal, caudovagal, and right recurrent cardiac nerves. The cardiac nerves eliciting a major response were the left and right ansae subclavia, the ventrolateral, right recurrent, craniovagal, and caudovagal cardiac nerves, and the left and right thoracic vagi. In theory, the nerves of the right side, because of their innervation of both sinoatrial and atrioventricular nodes, may be expected to elicit a balanced heart rate-atrioventricular conduction response when stimulated, thus matching atrial and ventricular rates. On the other hand, stimulation of the ventrolateral cardiac nerve regularly produces dysrhythmia, due to increased automaticity at the atrioventricular junction. Production of such arrhythmias indicates the possible implication of imbalanced autonomic activity in arrhythmogenesis. Three cardiac nerves produced little or no effect on atrioventricular conduction. These were the innominate, ventromedial, and right stellate cardiac nerves. Because of its limited distribution and marked sinus rate effects, the right stellate cardiac nerve can be considered almost a purely positive chronotropic nerve. Its possible role in heart rate-atrioventricular conduction mismatching has not been delineated but, because of its nearly exclusive action at the sinoatrial node, may be of considerable importance.
Why we should reduce family practice training to two years.

Family practice (FP) should consider decreasing its residency training from three years to two years. These are troubling times for FP. The number of U.S. medical students choosing FP has declined, FP physicians have difficulty maintaining the broad range of skills they learned in residency, and sal
Distributional Constraints in Public Expenditure Planning

Distributional aspects are of primary importance in the design of many of our largest public programs. National health insurance, low-income housing subsidies, grants for higher education and payments for income maintenance all emphasize the use of public expenditure to alter the distribution of real resources among income classes. The traditional cost-benefit approach, with its focus on the efficiency of resource use, is inadequate for dealing with such programs. Moreover, the basic problem of choice in these programs is not the selection of one of several mutually exclusive projects but the design of optimal income-related schedules of benefits and charges. The current paper defines this problem more specifically and suggests a linear programming formulation for its solution. An application to the design of a national health insurance program is then presented.
Decisional stage distribution for colorectal cancer screening among diverse, low-income study participants

Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening uptake among minorities and those with lower incomes is suboptimal. Behavioral interventions specifically tailored to these populations can increase screening rates and save lives. The Precaution Adoption Process Model (PAPM) allows assignment of a decisional stage for adoption of a behavior such as CRC screening. Here, we characterize the PAPM decisional stage distribution among 470 low income, racially and ethnically diverse study participants at intake into a behavioral intervention study designed to increase CRC screening uptake. We staged participants for stool blood test (SBT) and colonoscopy separately and used the highest stage for the two tests as the ‘overall’ stage for CRC screening. For SBT, sex, language (English versus Spanish) and doctor recommendation were significantly related to PAPM stage for CRC screening. For colonoscopy, language, education level, doctor recommendation and self-efficacy were related to stage. For overall CRC screening stage, all the variables associated with either SBT or colonoscopy, with the exception of language were significant. This study suggests attending to these key variables in designing interventions to promote CRC screening, particularly with respect to medically underserved populations.
Thirty-minute relaxation: A comparison of some methods

Abstract Eighty subjects were recruited to participate in a variety of 30-min taped relaxation training procedures. They were randomly assigned to muscle relaxation, mental relaxation, a combination of the foregoing, or self-relaxation, half of the subjects in each condition receiving music paired with the relaxation. Relaxation effects were assessed by measuring pre- to post-treatment change on self-report inventories and EMG indices. All relaxation conditions resulted in significant change in the relaxed direction on EMG measurement and a state anxiety inventory. Music was not found to have an enhancing effect upon relaxation.
Long-term Analyses of Innervation and Neuromuscular Integrity in the Trembler J Mouse Model of Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease

A large fraction of hereditary demyelinating neuropathies, classified as Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type IA (CMT 1A), is associated with misexpression of peripheral myelin protein 22. In this study we characterized morphological and biochemical changes that occur with disease progression in neuromuscular tissue of Trembler J mice, a spontaneous rodent model of CMT 1A. Using age-matched, 2- and 10-month-old wild type and Trembler J mice, we observed neuromuscular deficits that progress from distal to proximal regions. The impairments in motor performance are underlined by degenerative events at distal nerve segments and structural alterations at nerve-muscle synapses. Furthermore, skeletal muscle of affected mice showed reduced myofiber diameter, increased expression of the muscle atrophy marker muscle ring-finger protein 1 and fiber type switching. A dietary intervention of intermittent fasting attenuated these progressive changes and supported distal nerve myelination and neuromuscular junction integrity. In addition to the well-characterized demyelination aspects of this model, our investigations identified distinct degenerative events in distal nerves and muscle of affected neuropathic mice. Therefore, therapeutic studies aimed at slowing or reversing the neuropathic features of these disorders should include the examination of muscle tissue, as well as neuromuscular contact sites.
Factors in Perceived Hospital Discharge Planning Effectiveness

Hospital discharge planning is the process of assessing the needs of hospitalized patients for post-acute care and developing a coordinated plan to provide the care needed. It is an important component of both the financial viability of the hospital and of the overall quality of care provided to the patient across health care settings, and has historically been an important part of social work practice. This research, based on a random sample survey of U.S. non-federal acute medical/surgical hospitals (N = 378 hospitals), suggests those variables that may be most important in shaping the effectiveness of the hospital discharge planning program. A multivariate analysis framework is used to identify those variables that have the strongest independent effect on effectiveness, and to assess the relative strength of each. Power (including discharge planner influence and physician and hospital administrator support) and role clarity emerge as the most important predictors of perceived effectiveness. The model of discharge planning used and characteristics of the hospital (such as size or urban-rural location) are not significant independent predictors. The single most important factor is cooperation and support from the physician staff of the hospital. This research suggests that organizational factors, rather than the use of a particular "system" of discharge planning, may be most important in discharge planning effectiveness.
Coping with Gray Markets: The Impact of Market Conditions and Product Characteristics

Gray markets, also known as parallel imports, are marketplaces for trading genuine products that are diverted from authorized distribution channels. They have created fierce competition for manufacturers in many industries and each year billions of dollars worth of products are traded in these markets. Using a game-theoretic model, we analyze the impact of parallel importation on a price-setting manufacturer that serves two markets with uncertain demand. We characterize the optimal joint price and quantity decisions of the manufacturer which determine whether the manufacturer should ignore, block, or allow parallel importation. We also show that parallel importation forces the manufacturer to reduce her price gap while demand uncertainty forces her to lower prices in both markets. Moreover, we observe that parallel importation may force the manufacturer to exit the low-profit market. Through extensive numerical experiments, we explore the impact of market conditions (size and price elasticity) and product characteristics (a fashion item or a commodity) on the manufacturer's reaction to parallel importation. In addition, we provide interesting insights about the value of strategic pricing for coping with gray markets versus the uniform pricing policy that has been adopted by some companies to eliminate gray markets.
A continuous-time algorithm for disaggregation of hierarchical production plans

In hierarchical production planning systems an aggregate plan is developed in order to set overall production levels. This is followed by a disaggregation step in which individual product families are scheduled for production on shared resources. Each product family is given a time slot during which it will have exclusive use of the resources. The objective in disaggregation is to minimize setup costs during the changeovers among product families while maintaining feasibility with the constraints imposed by the aggregate plan. Past solution approaches to this problem have employed discrete-time formulations. In this paper we introduce a continuous-time solution method. The problem is formulated as a set of linear equations that can be solved simultaneously. An algorithm that provides an iterative solution to the simultaneous equations is proposed. Convergence properties are discussed and it is shown that the proposed method is effective over a range of problem types.