cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Batista's operation: what have we learned?

Partial left ventriculectomy (PLV) was initially performed by Brazilian surgeon Randas Batista [(1)][1] with the rationale that resection of a viable “slice” of the lateral left ventricular (LV) wall in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) would reduce LV diameter and therefore wall stress
Energetic Stable Discretization for Non-Isothermal Electrokinetics Model

We propose an edge averaged finite element(EAFE) discretization to solve the Heat-PNP (Poisson-Nernst-Planck) equations approximately. Our method enforces positivity of the computed charged density functions and temperature function. Also the thermodynamic consistent discrete energy estimate which resembles the thermodynamic second law of the Heat-PNP system is prescribed. Numerical examples are provided.
Digital holographic microscopy (DHM) and transport of intensity (TIE) phase imaging of live cells

Quantitative phase imaging (QPI) provides a label free method for imaging live cells and allows quantitative estimates of cell volume. Because the phase of light is not directly measurable at an imaging sensor, QPI techniques involve both hardware and software steps to reconstruct the phase. Digital holographic microscopy (DHM) is a QPI technique that utilizes an interferometer to combine a reference beam with a beam that passes through a specimen. This produces an interference pattern on the image sensor, and the specimen’s phase can be reconstructed using diffraction algorithms. One limitation of DHM is that the images are subject to coherent diffraction artifacts. Transport of intensity (TIE) method, on the other hand, uses the fact that defocused images of a specimen depend on the specimen’s phase to determine the phase from two or more defocused images. Its benefit over DHM is that it is compatible with conventional bright field imaging using sources of relatively low coherence. Although QPI methods can be compared on a variety of static phase targets, these largely consist of phase steps rather than the phase gradients present across cells. In order to compare the QPI methods described above on live cells, rapid switching between QPI modalities is required. We present results comparing DHM and TIE on a custom-built microscope system that allows both techniques to be used on the same cells in rapid succession, which allows the comparison of the accuracy of both measurements.
Tax and Culture: Convergence, Divergence, and the Future of Tax Law

Tax scholars traditionally emphasize economics and assume that all tax systems can be evaluated in more or less the same way. By applying the insights of anthropology, sociology, and other social sciences, Michael A. Livingston demonstrates that tax systems frequently pursue different values and that the convergence of tax systems is frequently overstated. In Tax and Culture, he applies these insights to specific countries, such as China and India, and specific tax issues, including progressivity, tax avoidance, and the emerging area of environmental taxation. Livingston concludes that the concept of a global tax culture is, in many cases, merely a reflection of Western hegemony, and is unlikely to survive the changes implicit in the rise of non-Western nations and cultures.
Design of Marine Dock Using Concrete Mixed with Seawater and FRP Bars

Abstract This paper discusses the design of a marine dock in Miami, Florida reconstructed after sustaining damage from Hurricane Irma in 2017. This pioneering structure implements accelerated bridg...
The legacy of those we love(d) and lost.

The benefits of strong intimate relationships for women’s lives are so well-documented at this point in the literature that scholars, practitioners, and policymakers alike have all devoted consider...
Uncertainty analysis for water supply reservoir yields

Summary Understanding the variability of water supply reservoir yields is central for planning purposes. The basis of this study is an empirical global relationship between reservoir storage capacity, water supply yield and reliability based on a global database of 729 rivers. Monte Carlo simulations reveal that the coefficient of variation of estimates of water supply reservoir yields depend only on the length of streamflows record and the coefficient of variation of the streamflows used to estimate the yield. We compare the results of those Monte Carlo experiments with an analytical uncertainty method First Order Variance Approximation (FOVA). FOVA is shown to produce a general, accurate and useful expression for estimating the coefficient of variation of water supply reservoir yield estimates. We also document how the FOVA analytical model can be used to determine the minimum length of streamflow record required during the design of water supply reservoirs so as to ensure that the yield delivered from reservoir falls within a prespecified margin of error.
Most probable failure scenario in a model power grid with random power demand

We consider a simple system with a local synchronous generator and a load whose power consumption is a random process. The most probable scenario of system failure (synchronization loss) is considered, and it is argued that its knowledge is virtually enough to estimate the probability of failure per unit time. We discuss two numerical methods to obtain the "optimal" evolution leading to failure.
Abortion Crisis in Peru: Finding a Woman’s Right to Obtain Safe and Legal Abortions in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women

Under Peruvian law, abortion is illegal unless it is necessary to save the life of the mother. At the same time a woman can be imprisoned if she receives an illegal abortion. Yet, despite its illegality and the threat of punishment, there are over 350,000 illegal and clandestine abortions performed each year in Peru and nearly 65,000 of these women are hospitalized due to complications. Peru has the second-highest maternal mortality rate in South American and unsafe abortions account for nearly one quarter of the deaths. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women may provide an answer to the problem of unsafe and illegal abortions in Peru. Although it doesn't explicitly provide that a woman has a right to access safe and legal abortions, it impliedly does so. This Note argues that the actions of the Convention’s Committee reveal that a woman has a right to safe and legal abortions and that Peruvian women should take the next step by asserting their claim to this right through the formal complaint procedure.
Inhibition of in vitro lymphoproliferative responses by in vivo passaged rat 13762 mammary adenocarcinoma cells. I. Characteristics of inhibition and evidence for an infectious agent.

Abstract Small numbers of X-irradiated 13762 cells added as third-party cells to mitogen response assays or mixed lymphocyte cultures caused a significant reduction in viability of the cocultivated lymphocytes, and completely inhibited the expected lymphoproliferative responses. Results showed that the factor(s) responsible for the inhibitory effect was preserved after ultrasonic disruption of the tumor cells, could be sedimented by ultracentrifugation, and was sensitive to treatment with ultraviolet light. Further, cytopathic effects could be serially propagated using cell-free supernatants obtained from sonicated 13762 tumor cells. The results suggest that the 13762 adenocarcinoma line, as carried in vivo in this laboratory, harbors an infectious particle which can affect the proliferative responses of lymphocytes in vitro .
Ocean Waves: Estimation of extreme wave height and sea state

BASIC CONCEPT OF EXTREME VALUES This section presents the theoretical background for predicting extreme values (extreme wave height, extreme sea state, etc.) which provide invaluable information for the design and operation of marine systems. The extreme value is defined as the largest value of a random variable expected to occur in a specified number of observations. Note that the extreme value is defined as a function of the number of samples. In the naval and ocean engineering area, however, it is highly desirable to estimate the largest wave height expected to occur in one hour, or the severest sea state expected to be encountered in 50 years, for example. This information can be obtained by estimating the number of waves (or sea states) per unit time, and thereby the number of samples necessary for evaluating the extreme value is converted to time. The concept supporting the estimation of extreme values is order statistics which is outlined in the following. Let us consider a sample set consisting of wave heights taken in the sequence of observations ( x 1 , x 2 , …, x n ). Each element of the random sample x i is assumed to be statistically independent having the same probability density function f(x) . In the case of wave height observations, each x i is considered to obey the Rayleigh probability law.
The gynecologic examination of the prepubertal child with vulvovaginitis: use of the knee-chest position.

Vulvovaginitis is a common complaint in the prepubertal child. The proximity of the vagina to the anus and the thin uncornified vaginal epithelium make the young child especially susceptible to vulvovaginal infection. Not only is hygiene often suboptimal in this age group, but pinworm infestations, bubblebaths, harsh soaps, and tight-fitting nylon tights can all contribute to the vulvar irritation. Because children are frequently sent to gynecologists, traumatized by a rectal examination as the first part of the evaluation, or sent for an x-ray of the vagina with the hope of excluding a radiopaque foreign body, we believed it would be useful to present our approach to the gynecologic evaluation of the prepubertal child in which the kneechest position is used for visualizing the vagina. METHODS The evaluation of a prepubertal child with vulvovaginitis in the Gynecology Clinic of Children9s Hospital is done in the following order: (1) history; (2) inspection of the perineum with the child supine; (3) visualization of the vagina and cervix in kneechest position; (4) cultures; and (5) a rectal examination in girls with vaginal bleeding or abdominal pain. The knee-chest position (Figure) provides a particularly good view of the vagina and cervix without instrumentation. The little girl is asked "to lie on her tummy with her bottom in the air." She is reassured that the examiner plans "to take a look" but "will not put anything inside her." The child rests her head to one side on folded arms and supports her remaining weight on bended knees (6 to 8 in apart).
Using Prediction Markets to Track Information Flows: Evidence from Google

Since 2005, Google has conducted the largest corporate experiment with prediction markets we are aware of. In this paper, we illustrate how markets can be used to study how an organization processes information. We show that market participants are not typical of Google’s workforce, and that market participation and success is skewed towards Google’s engineering and quantitatively oriented employees.
Colon-specific delivery of dexamethasone from a glucoside prodrug in the guinea pig.

Dexamethasone-β-D-glucoside is a potential prodrug for colonic delivery of the antiinflammatory agent, dexamethasone. The ability of this prodrug to deliver dexamethasone selectively to the colon depends not only on its being slowly absorbed from the alimentary canal, but also on its having chemical and enzymatic stability in the stomach and small intestine. Once reaching the large bowel, it should be quantitatively hydrolyzed to release the active agent. The potential of dexamethasone-β-D-glucoside for colon-specific delivery of dexamethasone is assessed by determining the rates of its hydrolysis down the alimentary canal of the guinea pig, an animal in which an inflammatory bowel disease model has been developed. The hydrolytic activity is examined in tissues and luminal contents of the stomach, proximal and distal segments of the small intestine, cecum, and colon. For the tissues, the greatest hydrolytic activity is in the proximal small intestine, while the stomach, cecum, and colon have only moderate activity. In contrast, the contents of the cecum and colon show greater activity than the contents of the small intestine and stomach. The luminal contents retained β-glucosidase activity even after repeated centrifugation and resuspension in a buffer. The activity was unaffected by homogenization. These observations suggest that hydrolytic activity is associated with enzymes located on the surface of luminal cells. The movement and hydrolysis of dexamethasone-β-D-glucoside down the gastrointestinal tract of the guinea pig are also examined. About 20 to 30% of an oral dose appears to reach the cecum. Here the prodrug is rapidly hydrolyzed to the active drug. From intravenous administration of the prodrug and drug, it is apparent that dexamethasone-β-D-glucoside is poorly absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract (bioavailability, <1%). There is a ninefold selective advantage for delivery of dexamethasone in cecal tissues in the guinea pig under the conditions of this experiment. Thus, there is a potential for a decrease in the usual dose and a concomitant reduction in the systemic exposure to dexamethasone. Because humans have much less glucosidase activity in the small intestine, even greater site-selective delivery to the cecum and colon is expected.
A new model for optimal routing in all-optical networks with scalable number of wavelength converters

A novel approach for modeling the optimal routing and wavelength assignment problem in wavelength division multiplexed all-optical networks is proposed. It is assumed that the optical switching nodes are equipped with a limited and scalable set of wavelength converters which can be used by any subset of incoming optical-connections. The proposed model, called the interconnected-layered-graph, provides an exact solution of the optimal routing and wavelength assignment problem in wavelength convertible networks with arbitrary number of wavelength converters at each node. A dynamic routing and wavelength assignment scheme, which is based on the proposed interconnected-layered-graph model, is also presented and it is evaluated for various network configurations.
Alcohol level and injury severity: is the floppy patient myth true?

BACKGROUND: The impact of inebriation on severity of injury is unclear. The few studies to date on this topic are limited to a particular mechanism of injury (MOI), injury pattern, or blood alcohol level (BAL). Therefore, we sought to determine the impact of BAL on injury pattern and severity across all MOI. We hypothesize that there is no relationship between BAL and injury severity when controlling for MOI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After institutional review board approval, a retrospective study was performed at an adult trauma center from January 1, 2012-December 31, 2012. All MOI were included. Injury severity was assessed using the injury severity score (ISS). Chi square and analysis of variance were used to examine the relationship between BAL, injury pattern, and ISS within each MOI. Multivariate regression analysis examined the BAL-ISS association adjusting for MOI, gender, and age. RESULTS: Of 1397 patients, the mean age was 44 ± 19, ISS was 7.5 ± 6.8, BAL was 93 ± 130 mg/dL, and 70% were male. Rib fracture (P = 0.002) and hemothorax and/or pneumothorax (P = 0.0009) were negatively associated with BAL, whereas concussion and soft tissue injury had a positive association with BAL (P CONCLUSIONS: BAL is associated with ISS, in specific MOI; however, across all MOI, there was no significant association between BAL and ISS. Inebriated patients should be triaged with the same clinical index of suspicion for injury as sober patients. Language: en
Lubrication theory for electro-osmotic flow in a microfluidic channel of slowly varying cross-section and wall charge

Electro-osmotic flow is a convenient mechanism for transporting fluid in microfluidic devices. The flow is generated through the application of an external electric field that acts on the free charges that exist in a thin Debye layer at the channel walls. The charge on the wall is due to the particular chemistry of the solid–fluid interface and can vary along the channel either by design or because of various unavoidable inhomogeneities of the wall material or because of contamination of the wall by chemicals contained in the fluid stream. The channel cross-section could also vary in shape and area. The effect of such variability on the flow through microfluidic channels is of interest in the design of devices that use electro-osmotic flow. The problem of electro-osmotic flow in a straight microfluidic channel of arbitrary cross-sectional geometry and distribution of wall charge is solved in the lubrication approximation, which is justified when the characteristic length scales for axial variation of the wall charge and cross-section are both large compared to a characteristic width of the channel. It is thereby shown that the volume flux of fluid through such a microchannel is a linear function of the applied pressure drop and electric potential drop across it, the coefficients of which may be calculated explicitly in terms of the geometry and charge distribution on the wall. These coefficients characterize the ‘fluidic resistance’ of each segment of a microfluidic network in analogy to the electrical ‘resistance’ in a microelectronic circuit. A consequence of the axial variation in channel properties is the appearance of an induced pressure gradient and an associated secondary flow that leads to increased Taylor dispersion limiting the resolution of electrophoretic separations. The lubrication theory presented here offers a simple way of calculating the distortion of the flow profile in general geometries and could be useful in studies of dispersion induced by inhomogeneities in microfluidic channels.
Function of the M1 π-helix in endplate receptor activation and desensitization.

Key points A conserved proline in M1 causes a kink between α and π helical segments. The kink is under greater tension in the resting versus active conformation. The kink and the agonist do not interact directly. The π-helix separates the gating functions of the extracellular and transmembrane domains. Mutations of the conserved proline and propofol increase desensitization. Abstract Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) switch on/off to generate transient membrane currents (C↔O; closed-open ‘gating’) and enter/recover from long-lived, refractory states (O↔D; ‘desensitization’). The M1 transmembrane helix of the muscle endplate AChR is linked to a β-strand of the extracellular domain that extends to a neurotransmitter binding site. We used electrophysiology to measure the effects of mutations of amino acids that are located at a proline kink in M1 that separates π and α helices, in both α (N217, V218 and P221) and non-α subunits. In related receptors, the kink is straighter and more stable in O vs. C structures (gating is ‘spring-loaded’). None of the AChR kink mutations had a measureable effect on agonist affinity but many influenced the allosteric gating constant substantially. Side chains in the M1 α-helix experience extraordinarily large energy differences between C and O structures, probably because of a ∼2 A displacement and tilt of M2 relative to M1. There is a discrete break in the character of the gating transition state between αN217 and αV218, indicating that the π-helix is a border between extracellular- and transmembrane-domain function. Mutations of the conserved M1 proline, and the anaesthetic propofol, increase a rate constant for desensitization. The results suggest that straightening of the M1 proline kink triggers AChR desensitization.
Rapid nondestructive selection of peanuts for high aflatoxin content by soaking and tandem mass spectrometry

Peanut lots are subject to aflatoxin levels high enough to cause concern to health agencies and trade channels. A possible solution would be to mechanically sort out high aflatoxin nuts from the process stream. Only highly contaminated nuts need be removed. However, there exists at present no sorting mechanism which meets commercial needs of adequate reduction and product preservation. To build such a sorter requires knowledge of the properties which can be used for sorting. The first step in the design is to select of order of one hundred undamaged contaminated nuts which can be compared with non-contaminated ones. Because contaminated nuts are rare, a very large number of nuts need to be examined non-destructively. We present a method to rapidly carry out such a selection. The method is based on dipping nuts into extraction fluid and examining the resulting fluid by MS-MS without preliminary clean-up. This method has been applied to examine over 65,000 nuts, yielding approximately 120 nuts, each containing more than 250-8000 ng/g aflatoxin (depending on process stream).
INFECTIOUS-DISEASE TESTING FOR BLOOD-TRANSFUSIONS

Objective.-To provide physicians and other transfusion medicine professionals with a current consensus on infectious disease testing for blood transfusions. Participants.-A nonfederal, nonadvocate, 12-member consensus panel representing the fields of hematology, infectious disease, transfusion medicine, epidemiology, and biostatistics and a public representative. In addition, 23 experts in hematology, cardiology, transfusion medicine, infectious disease, and epidemiology presented data to the consensus panel and a conference audience of 450. Evidence.-The literature was searched through MEDLINE and an extensive bibliography of references was provided to the panel and the conference audience. Experts prepared abstracts with relevant citations from the literature, Scientific evidence was given precedence over clinical anecdotal experience. Consensus.-The panel, answering predefined consensus questions, developed their conclusions based on the scientific evidence presented in open forum and the scientific literature. Consensus Statement.-The panel composed a draft statement that was read in its entirety and circulated to the experts and the audience for comment. Thereafter, the panel resolved conflicting recommendations and released a revised statement at the end of the conference. The panel finalized the revisions within a few weeks after the conference. Conclusions.-The serum alanine aminotransferase test should be discontinued as a surrogate marker for blood donors likely to transmit posttransfusion non-A, non-B hepatitis infection since specific hepatitis C antibody testing has eliminated more than 85% of these cases. Antibody to hepatitis B core antigen testing should continue as it may prevent some cases of posttransfusion hepatitis B; it may also act as a surrogate marker for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in donors and may prevent a small number of cases of transfusion-transmitted HIV infection, Syphilis testing should continue until adequate data can determine its effect on the rarity of transfusion-transmitted syphilis. Vigilant public health surveillance is critical in responding to emerging infectious disease threats to the blood supply.
Langage et schizophrénie: l’intention en question

Resume Avec les notions de contexte, d’intention et de theorie de l’esprit, la recherche actuelle concernant le langage des schizophrenes se rapproche de plus en plus des conditions effectives dans lesquelles se manifeste celui-ci, ainsi que des troubles qui l’accompagnent. Cependant, la perspective quasi exclusivement cognitive et experimentale de ces etudes laisse de cote certains aspects pourtant fondamentalement a l’œuvre dans le langage : l’intentionnalite et l’intersubjectivite. Dans un precedent article, nous revenions sur la nature essentiellement sociale et intersubjective du langage, en examinant certains travaux de Vygotski sur le developpement de la pensee et du langage dans la schizophrenie et a l’adolescence. Nous proposons cette fois de poursuivre cette reflexion en interrogeant plus precisement la notion d’intention dans le langage schizophrene a travers l’eclairage de la phenomenologie. Nous serons ainsi amenes a distinguer l’usage de la notion d’intention par les cognitivistes de celle des phenomenologues. Nous defendons en effet l’idee que l’intention, telle qu’elle est abordee par les cognitivistes, l’est par le moyen d’une objectivation prealable, la ou les phenomenologues en font un des fondements meme de la subjectivite. Nous montrerons donc en quoi l’intentionnalite telle qu’elle est envisagee par ces derniers permet de saisir au plus pres certains aspects essentiels du langage vecu dans la schizophrenie.
A new perspective to assess relaxation time of tumor

The dissimilarities in spin-lattice relaxation time (T1) of water proton from one tumor to the other is due to the yield of hypoxic fraction in the tumor. The yield of higher relaxation time (T1) in the KHT tumor compared to the RIF-1 tumor as a function of growth is due to the hypoxic fraction of the tumor. The hypoxic fraction in the tumor is also responsible for the P-31 spectral parameter changes.
Modelling of Laminar Tube Flow of Thermosetting Polymers: Application of a Finite Element Method with Moving Grid

ABSTRACTWe have developed a model for the flow of a thermosetting polymer at a constant flowrate through a straight cylindrical tube. Previous attempts at solving similar problems included a finite difference model on a fixed grid (tube geometry), and a finite element model on a moving grid (rectangular geometry). The first of these failed at large times because of the ever decreasing number of nodes in the central core. The second one was limited to the isothermal case, and was not checked against any experimental data. The present model improves the finite element/moving grid technique and applies it to the case of tube flow. Among the improvements incorporated are a better criterion to define when and how to move the grid, a non-uniform grid shrinkage technique that allows to follow more closely the shape of the buildup, a non-isothermal formulation, a mixed boundary condition that takes into account the insulating properties of the growing gel buildup and a rigorous dimensional analysis that leads to ...
Confirming chiral high-performance liquid chromatographic separations with stereospecific enzymes

Abstract Identification of optical isomers of amino acids, separated by chiral high-performance liquid chromatography, has proved to be difficult. Despite highly selective separation techniques, identification of peaks based on retention times alone is usually uncertain, particularly in assays of complex biological samples in which interfering compounds are eluted with the peak of interest. We describe here an approach for increasing the certainty of identification of peaks of d - and l -amino acids by the use of stereospecific amino acid oxidase and racemase enzymes. A portion of the sample is first incubated with the enzymes. The amino acids in the treated and untreated portions are then chromatographed and the chromatograms of the samples with and without enzyme incubation are compared. The differences are used to help identify the amino acids.
Balancing lithographic performance and resist outgassing in EUV resists

Resolution (R), line-width roughness (L), and sensitivity (S) are three key indices describing the performance of a resist. When optimizing a resist to compromise the RLS trade-off in extreme-ultraviolet lithography, outgassing of the resist also needs to be considered, because it will cause deposition of cleanable and non-cleanable contaminants on the surface of the projection optics and reduce the throughput of the exposure tool. In this paper, the dependence of outgassing of a resist on its compositions, such as types of photo-acid generator, quencher, and acid liable group as well as their loadings are investigated systematically through a set of specially prepared resist samples. The outgassing of these samples is tested on EUVOM-9000 from Litho Tech Japan. The lithographic performances of these samples are also characterized on the ASML NXE3100. Directions for optimizing resist lithographic performance under the constraint of resist outgassing are proposed.
Packed Red Blood Cell Transfusion Causes Greater Hemoglobin Rise at a Lower Starting Hemoglobin in Patients with Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Introduction Each unit of packed red blood cells (PRBCs) is expected to raise circulating hemoglobin (HGB) by ∼1 g/dL. There are few data on modifiers of this relationship other than gender and body mass index (BMI).
Radioiodinated human pituitary and amniotic fluid prolactins with preserved molecular integrity

Human pituitary prolactin (hPRL) contains a single major component. Upon iodination by a lactoperoxidase procedure approximately 50% of this component remains unaltered in molecular size and net charge by the criteria of quantitative polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). Amniotic fluid hPRL contains two components which remain unaltered after iodination by the lactoperoxidaseprocedure used. Unaltered iodinated products can also be obtained from both sources by a stoichiometric chloramine T procedure, but in vastly diminished yield. (Endocrinology 97: 406, 1975)
Advances in renal imaging

Upon being invited to edit an issue of the Radiologic Clinics of North America on renal imaging, it was my intention to produce a work that not only presented the current state-of-the-art but also gave a glimpse of the future. With contributions from excellent clinician/scientist radiologists, I believe those goals have been met. It is striking how much of this issue is devoted to CT and MR imaging in various forms, with some ultrasound. Technical advances, particularly multidetector row CT, have had a major impact on the evaluation of renal disorders. Today, CT and MR imaging have, to a great degree, replaced ‘‘standard’’ intravenous urography. Several of the sections in this issue are technically oriented, especially those from Drs. Lockhart and Smith, Drs. Zhang, Pedrosa, and Rofsky, and Drs. Huang and Lee, as well as Drs. Kawashima, Glockner, and King and Drs. Hartman, Kawashima, and King. Technical developments in CT and MR imaging now allow for excellent diagnostic capabilities for renal disorders, but detailed specifics of the technique related to the disorder being sought must be understood to attain high accuracy. Two sections, those on renal trauma by Dr. Smith and urinary lithiasis by Dr. Kenney, could be considered state-of-the-art presentations in which CT has clearly demonstrated its primacy, now considered the ‘‘one and only’’ in these circumstances. Although some controversies remain in these areas, and understanding of correct technique remains important,
Role of behavioral and psychological factors in mental stress-induced silent left ventricular dysfunction in coronary artery disease☆

Abstract Objectives. We examined the relationship of the psychological profile to left ventricular dysfunction induced during mental stress. Background. The contribution of psychological factors to mental stress-provoked silent myocardial ischemia has not been explored. Methods. Thirty patients with chronic stable coronary artery disease and a reversible defect on stress thallium-201 imaging completed a psychological assessment by questionnaire and Structured Interview, serially administered mental stress and brief walking exercise. Blood pressure, electrocardiogram (ECG) and left ventricular indexes were obtained by ambulatory serial radionuclide ventriculography. Silent ventricular dysfunction was defined by a decrease ≥0.05 in ejection fraction or ≥1 mm in ST segment on the ECG in the absence of symptoms. Results. Of the 30 patients, 15 (Group I) had evidence of silent left ventricular dysfunction during mental arithmetic. The other 15 (Group II) showed no change. In addition, 18 of 30 patients had this dysfunction during the Structured Interview. Both ischemic and nonischemic groups developed comparable and significant increases in heart rate and blood pressure. Group I patients were distinguished by higher scores on measures of aggressive responding (p Conclusions. Patients with coronary artery disease and mental stress-provoked silent ventricular dysfunction were distinguished by a psychological profile consistent with emotional reactivity to social interaction and mental provocation, with anger as the predominant affective state. Patients with such a profile may be at risk of frequent silent left ventricular dysfunction.
Cerebrovascular risk factors and later-life major depression. Testing a small-vessel brain disease model.

The topic of vascular depression has received increasing prominence as a putative etiology of depression in later life. The authors examined one aspect of this model by comparing the burden of systemic cerebrovascular risk factors (CVRFs) in 130 psychiatric inpatients with major depression and 64 normal control (NC) subjects, all age ≥50 years. Depressed subjects did not differ statistically from NCs on cumulative CVRF scores. Diabetes mellitus and atrial fibrillation were both associated with depression, but only atrial fibrillation retained an independent association after medical disability was statistically controlled. Among the depressed subjects, CVRF scores were not significantly associated with overall symptom severity, psychiatric disability, age at onset of depression, melancholic subtype, or psychotic depression. These data did not support the notion that a linear model of small-vessel disease might apply to the great majority of older inpatients with major depression.
Unexploited therapies in breast and prostate cancer: blockade of the prolactin receptor

Breast and prostate cancers are hormone-sensitive malignancies that afflict millions of women and men. Although prolactin (PRL) is known as a survival factor that supports tumor growth and confers chemoresistance in both cancers, its precise role in these tumors has not been studied extensively. Growth hormone and placental lactogen also bind PRL receptor (PRLR) and mimic some of the actions of PRL. Blockade of the PRLR represents a novel treatment for patients with advanced breast or prostate cancer with limited therapeutic options. This review discusses different approaches for generating PRLR antagonists. Emphasis is placed on technological advances which enable high-throughput screening for small molecule inhibitors of PRLR signaling that could serve as oral medications.
Assessment of the pituitary hyperplasia/neoplasia interface.

Summary The determination of the type of proliferative process in the pituitary causing clinical symptoms is quite difficult using classical morphologic techniques, including immunocytochemistry and electron microscopy. The problem is unusually difficult when the material received from the surgeon consists of 1–2 mm fragments of tissue removed from the sella turcica. Morphologic criteria were extensively discussed by other investigators in this symposium. This manuscript discusses the application of flow cytometry using formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues, in the diagnosis of pituitary lesions.
Use of argon beam ablation and sclerotherapy in the treatment of a case of life-threatening total abdominal lymphangiomatosis.

Abstract Congenital periteneal and retroperiteneal lymphangiemas are rare lesions, which are often difficult to treat. This is the case of a 15 year old who had life-threatening complications from diffuse abdominal lymphagiomatosis after failure of accepted medical and surgical therapies. The authors describe the use of the argon beam coagulator in the treatment of this disease.
Continuous separation of blood cells in spiral microfluidic devices

Blood cell sorting is critical to sample preparation for both clinical diagnosis and therapeutic research. The spiral inertial microfluidic devices can achieve label-free, continuous separation of cell mixtures with high throughput and efficiency. The devices utilize hydrodynamic forces acting on cells within laminar flow, coupled with rotational Dean drag due to curvilinear microchannel geometry. Here, we report on optimized Archimedean spiral devices to achieve cell separation in less than 8 cm of downstream focusing length. These improved devices are small in size (<1 in.2), exhibit high separation efficiency (∼95%), and high throughput with rates up to 1 × 106 cells per minute. These device concepts offer a path towards possible development of a lab-on-chip for point-of-care blood analysis with high efficiency, low cost, and reduced analysis time.
Creation of an API for sensors and servos

Inherent in the Air Force's mission of airborne intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) is the need to collect data from sensors. Technology is constantly advancing and, as such, new sensors are also being constantly produced. The manufacturers of these sensors typically provide with their hardware free software for communication with their sensor. These binaries work well for mature systems as interfaces and communication protocols are already firmly established. However, most research software is, by its very nature, immature and typically unable to communicate with sensor packages "out of the box." Because of this, researcher productivity is hindered as they have to focus on hardware communication in addition to their immediate research goals. As such, the creation of a library to talk to common sensors and other hardware is needed. This paper describes the various libraries currently available and their limitations. It also documents a combined effort of the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) and Wright State University (WSU) to create a "super library" that removes as many of the limitations of each of the individual libraries as possible.
Doppler Myocardial Imaging Compared to Standard Two-Dimensional and Doppler Echocardiography for Assessment of Diastolic Function in Patients With Systemic Amyloidosis

Background and Aims Cardiac amyloidosis (AL) is characterized by early impairment of diastolic function with preservation of systolic function, as assessed by standard measures, until very late in the disease process> Role of diastolic color Doppler myocardial imaging (cDMI), that is diastolic color Doppler myocardial velocity imaging (MVI) and strain rate imaging (SRI), to assess distolic dysfunction in this population remains unclear. Methods 238 patients with biopsy proven systemic primary (AL) amyloidosis and 39 age and sex-matched controls have been enrolled. Left ventricular diastolic cDMI measures were compared in patients and healthy subjects, to test if such diastolic dysfunction occurs before longitudinal left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Results Compared to Diastolic longitudinal, radial, and circumferential DMI, standard pulsed wave tissue Doppler imaging (PW-TDI) of the mitral annulus was the most accurate technique to detect early diastolic dysfunction in patients with AL. However, systolic longitudinal peak cDMI measures outperformed all of the diastolic measures, including PW-TDI, in separating patients with systemic AL, but no evidence of cardiac involvement on standard 2D and Doppler evaluation, from controls. Conclusions Even when compared to diastolic cDMI measurements, standard PW-TDI of the mitral annulus was the most accurate diastolic measure to detect early left ventricular dysfunction in patients with AL amyloidosis. However, no diastolic measure approached the accuracy of longitudinal systolic cDMI measurements in identifying ventricular dysfunction in AL patients with normal standard 2D and Doppler examinations, compared to controls.
Factors Affecting Growth Outcome at 18 Months in Extremely Low Birthweight(ELBW) Infants † 1243

Normal growth outcome in ELBW (≤1kg) infants is considered an indicator of good long term prognosis for health and development. Poor growth in ELBW infants is associated with neonatal illness, and poor neurodevelopmental and psychosocial status. We hypothesized that the incidence and severity of growth failure increases with decreasing BW and GA due to severity of complications of ELBW. In this multicenter study 1151 (78%) of 1527 infants surviving to discharge were evaluated at 18+4 months corrected age; 915 (82%) were appropriate for gestation (AGA) and 204 (18%) were small for gestation(SGA)(Alexander, Obstet Gynecol, 1996). Anthropomorphic measures were obtained using standard techniques. Measures at birth were compared to 36 week weight(Wt), 18 month weight, length (L), head circumference (HC), and weight-to-height ratio (Wt/Ht): Table Median weight, length, and head circumference were lower than standard NCHS data in all BW groups stratified in 100g intervals. Poor growth, ≤10%ile, was seen in all measures at all time points, particularly at 36 weeks, and was inversely related to BW. Failure-to-thrive (FTT) defined as a weight-to-height ratio≤10%ile, was greater in the SGA group vs. AGA group (51% vs 31%, p=0.001). FTT at 18 months was associated with lower BW, SGA, white race, abnormal neurologic diagnosis, and abnormal swallow on logistic regression analysis. These data show a high incidence of poor growth at 18 months in the ELBW infant; we speculate that assessment and aggressive management of health, nutrition, and developmental correlates of growth may improve outcome.
Advances in Health Policy and Outcomes 2009

A number of important studies have been published in 2009 providing further information about the most clinically and cost-effective ways of delivering care across the whole stroke pathway. From previous work in Oxford and elsewhere, it has been shown that patients with transient ischemic attack (TIA) can be prioritized into those at high risk and low risk of going on to develop stroke. Rothwell et al1 have also shown that urgent assessment and treatment reduce the 90-day risk of recurrent stroke by 80%. Further analysis of the data has been reported from the EXPRESS study on the effect of early intervention on hospital admission rate, hospital bed days, disability at 90 days, and hospital costs.2 Significant improvements in all of these outcomes were demonstrated, regardless of the characteristics of patients, resulting in savings of £624 per patient referred to the rapid-access service. Models for the delivery of hyperacute care vary considerably, and several articles have addressed how thrombolysis rates and outcomes can be improved. In the United Kingdom and many other countries, there is a move to the centralization of care in a small number of comprehensive stroke centers (CSCs). Despite a major restructuring of services, this is being developed without strong evidence to support it. A recent study has reported outcomes for 153 consecutive ischemic stroke patients treated with tissue plasminogen activator at a CSC, of whom 45 had been initially assessed and treated at a community hospital with secondary transfer to the CSC.3 Stroke to thrombolysis times were shorter when patients directly accessed the CSC and outcomes were better. No clinical factors could be identified by the authors to explain the differences; however, the sample size was small and the study was uncontrolled. An alternative model to direct admission to a CSC is the “drip …
Approaches to confined alpha diagnostics on ITER

Three approaches to obtain information on the confined fast alphas in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) are proposed. The first technique measures the energetic charge exchange (CX) neutrals that result from the alpha collision-induced knock-on fuel ion tails undergoing electron capture on the MeV D neutral beams planned for heating and current drive. The second technique measures the energetic knock-on neutron tail due to alphas using the lengths of the proton recoil tracks produced by neutron collisions in nuclear emulsions. The range of the 14 to 20 MeV recoil protons increases by ∼140 μm per MeV. The third approach would measure the CX helium neutrals resulting from confined alphas capturing two electrons in the ablation cloud surrounding a dense gas jet that has been proposed for disruption mitigation in ITER.
The clinical epidemiology of human T-lymphotropic virus type II (HTLV-II)

Human T-lymphotropic virus type II (HTLV-II) is endemic among Amerindian tribes and is also prevalent at high levels among certain U.S. and European intravenous drug users (IVDU), and at lower levels among blood donors. Most epidemiologic evidence supports transmission via parenteral, breast-feeding, and sexual routes, although more quantitative studies of the latter two routes are needed. There is growing evidence that HTLV-II causes a neurologic syndrome similar to HTLV-I-associated myelopathy, but there is some controversy as to whether the clinical features of this illness differ between HTLV-II and HTLV-I cases. Preliminary evidence also suggests that HTLV-II may predispose to skin and soft tissue bacterial infections among IVDU. Questions amenable to future research are discussed.
On the time analyticity radius of the solutions of the two-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations

In the case of solutions of the two-diensional Navier-Stokes equations, the following analyticity property is established. If the initial datum lies on the global attractor and is close enough to a stationary solution, then the analyticity radius att = 0 of the solution can be made arbitrarily large.
Laser Excitation of Stationary States in Molecules: The Coupling of Real Eigenstates to Phonons and Photons

When a molecule is excited by a light source one considers the following optical cycle; absorption to a singlet state, internal conversion, intersystem crossing, and finally a phosphorescence from the triplet state (Jablonski process) to the ground state. On the other hand, one knows from quantum mechanics that a singlet state isoenergetic with other singlets or triplets interacts with these levels thus producing new states which diagonalize the exact molecular Hamiltonian. The question of course; which state do we excite and under what conditions does the intermolecular interaction (say with a phonon bath) influence the pathways for the excitation process? In this communication we will present for the first time experimental evidence for the laser excitation of true eigenstates in molecules. We will also discuss the theoretical treatment and the experimental findings on thermal broadening of electronic resonances which result in the loss of the “identity” of molecular states. Finally, it will be shown that vibrational relaxation and magnetic field induced couplings depend crucially on the preparation of the state.
The hypnotic properties of 8-ethylthio-6-thiotheophylline sodium.

Abstract The sleeping time of rats treated with 8-ethylthio-6-thiotheophylline sodium was greatly increased by morphine and to a lesser degree by tranquilizing drugs. The action of the drug was antagonized by amphetamine. A plot of dose vs response in mice showed that there was a direct relationship. In the rabbit and dog the duration of action was longer.
Iterative solution of finite width foil-bearing problems

Abstract The paper describes and illustrates a procedure for computing the deflection of a foil bearing due to a finite width bump under conditions such that the deflection is too pronounced to be ignored insofar as solution of the Reynolds lubrication equation is concerned.