cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Enhanced recovery program for minimally invasive and vaginal urogynecologic surgery.

Enhanced recovery protocols (ERPs) are evidenced-based interventions designed to standardize perioperative care and expedite recovery to baseline functional status after surgery. There remains a paucity of data addressing the effect of ERPs on pelvic reconstructive surgery patients. An ERP was implemented at our institution including: patient counseling, carbohydrate loading, avoidance of opioids, goal-directed fluid resuscitation, immediate postoperative feeding and early ambulation. Patients undergoing elective pelvic reconstructive surgery before and after implementation of the ERP were identified in this cohort study. One hundred eighteen patients underwent pelvic reconstructive surgery within the ERP compared with 76 historic controls. Reductions were seen in length of hospital stay (29.9 vs. 27.9 h, p = 0.04), total morphine equivalents (37.4 vs. 19.4 mg, p < 0.01) and total intravenous fluids administered (2.7 l vs. 1.5 l, p < 0.0001). Hospital discharges before noon doubled (32.9 vs. 60.2%, p < 0.01). More patients in the ERP group ambulated on the day of surgery (17.1 vs. 73.7%, p < 0.01) and ambulated at least two times the day following surgery (34.2 vs. 72.9%, p < 0.01). No differences were seen in average pain scores (highest pain score 7.39 vs. 7.37, p = 0.95), hospital readmissions (3.9 vs. 3.4%, p = 0.84), or postoperative complications (6.58 vs. 8.47%, p = 0.79). Patient satisfaction significantly improved. ERP was not associated with an increase in 30-day total hospital costs. Implementation of ERP for pelvic reconstructive surgery patients was associated with a reduced length of hospital stay, improved patient satisfaction, and decreased administration of intravenous fluids and opioids without an increase in complications, readmissions, or hospital costs.
OVID AS ETHNOGRAPHER IN THE EPISTULAE EX PONTO

Ovid's second collection of letters from his place of exile exhibits new strategies to achieve his aims of staying in the public eye and making his case for recall back to Rome. One of these new strategies is to pose as a kind of ethnographer with a ground‐level view of Tomitan and Thracian society on the Black Sea coast. In the Epistulae ex Ponto, Ovid poses as a mediator between Rome and the imperial fringe, informing his reader about the activities of the Pontic tribes, describing his alleged interactions with the people of Tomis, and addressing the client king of the region. By doing so, Ovid explores new metaphors of exile, and grants to elegy and the letter a novel utility that slightly empowers his exiled voice.
Real-Time Monitoring with a Controlled Advancement Drill May Decrease Plunge Depth

Background Although drill use is fundamental to orthopaedic surgery, the risk of plunging past the far cortex and potentially damaging the surrounding soft tissues remains unavoidable with conventional drilling methods. A dual motor drill may decrease that risk by providing controlled drill-bit advancement and real-time monitoring of depth and energy expenditure. We hypothesized that using the dual motor drill would decrease plunge depth regardless of the user's level of experience. Methods Sixty-six subjects of varying operative experience (20 attending orthopaedic surgeons, 20 orthopaedic surgery residents, and 26 senior medical students) drilled 3 holes with a conventional drill and 3 holes with a dual motor drill in a bicortical Sawbones block set in ballistic gel. The depth of drill penetration into the ballistic gel was measured for each hole using a digital caliper. Results Overall, subjects plunged less with the dual motor drill (0.9 mm) than with the conventional drill (4.2 mm) (p 5 mm. Using the dual motor drill, subjects were more likely to plunge 5 mm). Notably, no subject plunged ≥2 mm on the third attempt with the dual motor drill. Attending surgeons (p = 0.02) and residents (p = 0.01) plunged less than students with the conventional drill. There was no significant difference between attending surgeons and residents with the conventional drill (p = 0.96). There was no significant difference in plunge depth between groups using the dual motor drill. Conclusions The dual motor drill significantly decreased plunge depth for both surgically experienced and inexperienced subjects. Although inexperienced subjects performed worse with the conventional drill than those with experience, there was no difference in their performance with the dual motor drill. Clinical relevance Use of a controlled advancement drill may decrease the chance of plunge-related neurovascular injury during in vivo drilling.
Steam reforming of methanol, ethanol and glycerol over nickel-based catalysts-A review

Abstract Depletion of non-renewable energy sources such as coal and natural gas is paving the way to generate alternative energy sources. Hydrogen, a very promising alternative energy has the highest energy density (143 MJ/kg) compared to any known fuel and it has zero air pollution due to the formation of water as the only by-product after combustion. Currently, 95% of hydrogen is produced from non-renewable sources. Hydrogen production from renewable sources is considered a promising route for development of sustainable energy production. Steam reforming of renewable sources such as methanol, ethanol and glycerol is a promising route to hydrogen production. This review covers steam reforming of these three alcohols using Ni-based catalysts with different supports. Chemistry of the steam reforming reactions is discussed. Hydrogen yield depends on operating conditions, the nature of active metal and the catalyst support. Supports play an important role in terms of hydrogen selectivity and catalyst stability because of their basic characteristics and redox properties. Synthesis of suitable catalysts that can suppress coke formation during reforming is suggested.
Second-trimester abortion attitudes and practices among maternal-fetal medicine and family planning subspecialists

Patients deciding to undergo dilation and evacuation (D&E) or induction abortion for fetal anomalies or complications may be greatly influenced by the counseling they receive. We sought to compare maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) and family planning (FP) physicians’ attitudes and practice patterns around second-trimester abortion for abnormal pregnancies. We surveyed members of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Family Planning subspecialists in 2010–2011 regarding provider recommendations between D&E or induction termination for various case scenarios. We assessed provider beliefs about patient preferences and method safety regarding D&E or induction for various indications. We compared responses by specialty using descriptive statistics and conducted unadjusted and adjusted analyses of factors associated with recommending a D&E. Seven hundred ninety-four (35%) physicians completed the survey (689 MFMs, 105 FPs). We found that FPs had 3.9 to 5.5 times higher odds of recommending D&E for all case scenarios (e.g. 80% of FPs and 41% of MFMs recommended D&E for trisomy 21). MFMs with exposure to family planning had greater odds of recommending D&E for all case scenarios (p < 0.01 for all). MFMs were less likely than FPs to believe that patients prefer D&E and less likely to feel that D&E was a safer method for different indications. Recommendations for D&E or induction vary significantly depending on the type of physician providing the counseling. The decision to undergo D&E or induction is one of clinical equipoise, and physicians should provide unbiased counseling. Further work is needed to understand optimal approaches to shared decision making for this clinical decision.
Abstract 453: The G Protein-coupled Estrogen Receptor GPER/GPR30 is a Potential Therapeutic Target for Cardiovascular Inflammation

Abstract: Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), DNA-based structures that play an important role in pathogen killing/capture, are also thought to contribute to inflammatory disease and have been i...
A High-Power 24–40-GHz Transmit–Receive Front End for Phased Arrays in 45-nm CMOS SOI

This article presents a dual-band millimeter-wave front end in 45-nm CMOS silicon-on-insulator (SOI) for 5G applications. The front end is composed of a low-noise amplifier (LNA), power amplifier (PA), and a single-pole double-throw (SPDT) switch. A double-tuned PA is used and is based on a two-stage stacked amplifier with a reconfigurable load using SOI switches, so as to achieve an optimal load for both 28- and 39-GHz 5G NR bands. A wideband series-shunt switch is also developed with high power handling (P1dB >22 dBm) and $P_{\mathrm {sat}}$ is > 18.8 dBm and the peak PAE is 18% at 24–30 GHz and includes the switch loss and compression. For high-band operation, the gain at 36–40 GHz is 13.6 ± 1.5 dB with $P_{\mathrm {sat}} > 18$ dBm. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first front end that covers both the 24–28- and 37–40-GHz 5G bands with high output power and low-NF. Application areas are in multistandard base stations and small cells.
A lymphoproliferative pericardial mass.

Castleman disease (CD) is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder with variable presentation and prognosis. Most CD cases are unicentric and correspond to the hyaline-vascular variant, a histopathologi...
A random matrix definition of the boson peak

The density of vibrational states for glasses and jammed solids exhibits universal features, including an excess of modes above the Debye prediction known as the boson peak located at a frequency . We show that the eigenvector statistics for boson peak modes are universal, and develop a new definition of the boson peak based on this universality that displays the previously observed characteristic scaling . We identify a large new class of random matrices that obey a generalized global tranlational invariance constraint and demonstrate that members of this class also have a boson peak with precisely the same universal eigenvector statistics. We denote this class as boson peak random matrices, and conjecture it comprises a new universality class. We characterize the eigenvector statistics as a function of coordination number, and find that one member of this new class reproduces the scaling of with coordination number that is observed near the jamming transition.
Automatic Sensor Configuration for Creating Customized Sensor Network

A sensor network is expected to provide effective delivery of its services by taking an appropriate action based on one or more situations that it senses in the environment. However, due to the dynamism of application requirements and user context, it is often required to re-configure services from a sensor network to meet specific application needs. This paper is an attempt to enable dynamic adaptation of sensor network services with a web-based database consists of sensors’ MAC address, vendor ID and data frame. We propose a semantics-based architecture where ASC connects with sensor and matches the received data with the database and connects the sensor with the mobile device. ASC works on full-duplex communication to observe sensors as well as control mobile devices. Wide ranges of android and java libraries are capable to manipulate embedded systems from smart-phones. It’s application in the field of education, security and surveillance, environment research and military. In this paper, we represent the structure and functioning of ASC for Bluetooth devices and its applications.
Human Dignity: A Pervasive Value

This paper explores the pervasive and unifying role of human dignity in constitutional law, not just in its relation to individual rights but also in the structural and institutional aspects of modern constitutions.
Bayesian inference on high-dimensional multivariate binary data

It has become increasingly common to collect high-dimensional binary data; for example, with the emergence of new sampling techniques in ecology. In smaller dimensions, multivariate probit (MVP) models are routinely used for inferences. However, algorithms for fitting such models face issues in scaling up to high dimensions due to the intractability of the likelihood, involving an integral over a multivariate normal distribution having no analytic form. Although a variety of algorithms have been proposed to approximate this intractable integral, these approaches are difficult to implement and/or inaccurate in high dimensions. We propose a two-stage Bayesian approach for inference on model parameters while taking care of the uncertainty propagation between the stages. We use the special structure of latent Gaussian models to reduce the highly expensive computation involved in joint parameter estimation to focus inference on marginal distributions of model parameters. This essentially makes the method embarrassingly parallel for both stages. We illustrate performance in simulations and applications to joint species distribution modeling in ecology.
Is religion the opiate of the digital masses? Religious authority, social media, and protest

There is a considerable body of research suggesting that social media may be a primary vehicle for both the dissemination of politically dissident information and for organizing protest activity in...
Suicidal Behavior as a Form of Communication in Married Couples

Suicidal behavior, specifically threats of suicide and acts of self-injury and self-poisoning, are interpreted by suicidologists as acts of communication directed to some person important in the social life of the potential victim. Four groups of married couples were studied using a measure of their marital communication habits and an intensive personal interview. These groups included wives who (a) were volunteer workers in a suicide prevention center, (b) were experiencing marital problems but were not actively suicidal, (c) had called the suicide prevention center and made a verbal threat of suicide, and (d) had actually committed acts of self-injury or self-poisoning for which they received emergency room or hospital treatment. Analysis of the data revealed that the quality of interpersonal communication between spouses significantly deteriorated across the groups as the degree of suicidal behavior increased. Descriptive data are discussed for their relevance to clinicians who, if they correctly interpret the meaning of the "suicide attempt," may be in a position to facilitate its being a successful one.
The Myth of the Noble Savage

The Myth of the Noble Savage. Ter Ellingson. Berkeley, CA, and London, UK: University of California Press, 2001. xxii. 445 pp. (Paper USS24.95)
Charge excitation spectrum in UPt 3

We report on the observation of a pseudogap, together with a zero-energy mode at low temperatures in the heavy fermion compound ${\mathrm{UPt}}_{3}.$ The zero-energy mode can be described by an extended Drude response with a frequency-dependent mass and relaxation rate. The spectral weight of this mode is in good agreement with the superconducting penetration depth if the usual sum rule arguments are used. The pseudogap energy, in units of $\ensuremath{\Elzxh}\ensuremath{\omega}{/k}_{B},$ is comparable to the temperature where the magnetic correlations develop (at approximately 5 K). Our findings indicate that the magnetic state observed in this material is related to a Fermi-surface instability of the heavy fermion state. We also compare the optical response to the conductivity observed in other heavy fermion compounds with a magnetic ground state.
Protein-acrylamide copolymer hydrogels for array-based detection of tyrosine kinase activity from cell lysates.

We describe the development of an array-based assay for the molecular level detection of tyrosine kinase activity directly from cellular extracts. Glutathione S-transferase−Crkl (GST−Crkl) fusion proteins are covalently immobilized into polyacrylamide gel pads via copolymerization of acrylic monomer and acrylic-functionalized GST−Crkl protein constructs on a polyacrylamide surface. The resulting hydrogels resist nonspecific protein adsorption, permitting quantitative and reproducible determination of Abl tyrosine kinase activity and inhibition, even in the presence of a complex cell lysate mixture. Half-maximal inhibition (IC50) values for imatinib mesylate inhibition of GST−Crkl (SH3) phosphorylation by v-Abl in a purified system and Bcr−Abl within a K562 cell lysate were determined to be 1.5 and 20 μM, respectively. Additionally, the protein−acrylamide copolymer arrays detected CML cell levels as low as 15% in a background of Bcr−Abl- leukemic cells and provided the framework for the parallel evaluation...
Relation of angina pectoris to coronary artery disease in aortic valve stenosis.

One hundred three patients with isolated, severe aortic stenosis (AS) were retrospectively analyzed to determine the relation of angina pectoris to angiographically significant coronary artery disease (CAD). All patients underwent coronary angiography regardless of the presence or absence of angina. Angina was significantly associated with CAD (p < 0.002), with a sensitivity of 78% and a specificity of 53%. However, 25% of the patients without angina had angiographically significant CAD, and in these patienta there was a 70% prevalence of 1-vessel disease. Patients with isolated, severe AS should undergo coronary angiography to identify coexistent CAD accurately. The absence of angina does not reliably exclude angiographically significant CAD.
Effect of anterior hypothalamic area lesions on photoperiod-induced shifts in reproductive activity of the ewe.

The areas of the brain involved in photoperiodic control of reproduction are not well defined. The objective of this study was to determine whether anterior hypothalamic area (AHA) lesions in the ewe affected the responses of the reproductive system to shifts in the length of the daily photoperiod and development of photorefractoriness to a constant short day photoperiod. Eleven intact ewes received bilateral radiofrequency lesions of the AHA (AHAX), and five received sham lesions (sham). The ewes then were placed in photochambers and exposed alternately to two approximately 90-day periods of long [16 h of light, 8 h of darkness (16L:8D)] and short (10L:14D) days and then to 10L:14D for an additional 165 days. Blood samples were collected twice weekly to monitor plasma profiles of progesterone, PRL, and total T4, and during the second 16L:8D photoperiod, hourly for one 24-h period to assess melatonin release. Lesions increased (P < 0.001) the interval between the start of long days and cessation of estrou...
Practical Aspects of Applying Soil Thermal Stability Measurements to the Rating of Underground Power Cables

Due to the increased interest in the operating reliability of high ampacity underground cable systems, more concern is placed on heat transfer in soils and the necessity to properly rate direct buried cables.
Response of Cotton to Varying COz, Irrigation, and Nitrogen: Yield and Growth

The CO 2 concentration of the atmosphere is increasing and is expected to double sometime near the middle of the next century. To determine the effects of such a CO 2 increase on cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) growth and productivity, a series of experiments from 1983 through 1987 were conducted with open-top CO 2 -enriched field chambers at ample as well as limiting levels of water and N at Phoenix, AZ. Comparisons with open-field plots showed that there was a significant chamber effect, amounting to a 30% average increase in growth inside, but under dry conditions in 1985, the situation was reversed. No significant effects of CO 2 on harvest index, root-shoot ratio, or lint percentage were found, so the primary effect of elevated CO 2 was to produce plants that were larger [...]
Contingent aftereffects and isoluminance: psychophysical evidence for separation of color, orientation, and motion

Anatomical, physiological, and psychophysical evidence is converging to indicate that early image analysis in human vision can be conceptualized as being performed by a variety of distinct systems. These systems are surprisingly independent, except insofar as the output from one is the input to another. The present work reviews some general information about one of these systems (the luminance contrast system) and argues that it interacts with its complement (the color system) in a way that gives rise to some contingent aftereffects (the McCollough Effect in particular). A key point in the argument is that, when input to the luminance contrast system is minimized (by using isoluminant stimuli), the contingent color aftereffect is not generated. Isoluminant stimuli elicit (or fail to elicit) a number of other visual responses. These, as well as some general considerations in the generation of isoluminant stimuli will be reviewed.
Carbon release by off-axis magmatism in a young sedimented spreading centre

Continental rifting creates narrow ocean basins, where coastal ocean upwelling and enhanced silicate weathering remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Evidence from seismic data, sonar backscatter and seafloor images, and geochemical water analyses suggest that in young sedimented rifts, active magmatism occurs in a broader region than appreciated and releases carbon from the sediments.
Comparision of Ultrasound Therapy of Various Durations in the Treatment of Subacromial Impingement Syndrome

[Purpose] A prospective, randomized, single-blind study was performed in order to compare the efficacy of ultrasound treatments of various durations for patients with subacromial impingement syndrome. [Subjects and Methods] One hundred patients who had been diagnosed with subacromial impingement syndrome by clinical examination and magnetic resonance imaging were included in this study. Patients were randomly divided into two groups of fifty patients per group. The first group received 15 sessions of therapeutic ultrasound (4 minutes), superficial heat and transcutaneous electrical stimulation therapy combined with exercise. The second group received the same treatment except that each of the 15 ultrasound sessions were eight minutes in length. The patients were evaluated before and after the treatment. A visual analog scale (VAS) was used to assess pain, the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and Constant Scale were used to assess shoulder function and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was used to quantify depressive symptoms. [Results] There were no statistically significant differences between the groups in age, time since the onset of pain, sex, education and depression levels prior to the treatment. The post-treatment evaluation of patients VAS, UCLA, Constant, and BDI scores showed statistically significant within group improvements. When the two groups were compared, we found no statistically significant differences in the Constant activities of daily living, Constant external rotation, Constant force and BDI scores. However, the second group scored better than the first group in all the remaining parameters. [Conclusion] Ultrasound therapy was found to have beneficial effects on pain and functional status in the treatment of subacromial impingement syndrome. Eight minutes of ultrasound treatment was shown to be more effective than 4 minutes of ultrasound treatment.
Tram track sign.

A 41-year-old man complained of blurred vision in his left eye. This progressed over the course of 3 months to the point that he was unable to read with his left eye. Color perception was decreased. He felt a pressure-like sensation behind his left eye. Ophthalmologic evaluation revealed ‘‘Drusen’’ in his left eye. On neurologic examination a relative afferent pupillary defect was found on the left. There was no papilledema on either side but venous pulsations were absent on the left. Magnetic resonance imaging of the orbit with fat suppression and gadolinium administration showed linear enhancement along the optic nerve sheath within the optic canal (white arrows). The optic nerve is seen as negative contrast (‘tram track sign’; PF pituitary fossa, IC internal carotid artery, LR lateral rectus muscle).
Topographic mapping of the cutaneous microcirculation using two outputs of laser-Doppler flowmetry: flux and the concentration of moving blood cells.

Abstract Using a “needle” probe in a template probe holder, we measured the flux and the concentration of moving red blood cell (CMBC) outputs from a Perimed (PF2B) laser-Doppler instrument at 1-mm 2 contiguous sites in a 8 × 8-mm area on the flexor forearm of three subjects. Using the means of the flux and CMBC recorded at each spot, a topographic contour map was constructed for each of these parameters. Viewing the two maps together, sites with four different combinations of flux and CMBC could be identified. Trephine biopsies (2 mm) of three representative sites in each subject were performed and the upper plexus was reconstructed in 3 dimensions from serial sections. High flux/high-to-medium CMBC sites were found over the spot where the ascending arterioles entered the upper plexus. Medium flux/medium-to-low CMBC sites and low flux/medium CMBC sites were found in the peripheral part of the vascular unit that was fed by the ascending arteriole. The low flux/low CMBC sites were relatively avascular zones. Video imaging of the upper plexus in the forearm showed the same overall vascular pattern as the contour maps. The highest flux and CMBC signals were recorded when horizontally oriented vessels were present in the upper third of the plexus (400–650 μm below the stratum corneum). Topographic mapping will allow one to selectively identify different microvascular areas in the skin for physiological studies.
The Relation of the Southern Trade Winds to Upwelling Processes During the Last 75,000 years

Abstract In the equatorial Pacific, between the Galapagos Islands and the coast of South America, two kinds of upwelling of oceanic waters occur. One is related to coastal upwelling and the other to surfacing of the Equatorial Undercurrent. Both of those processes are associated with the development of the southeast trade winds blowing in this area. Coastal upwelling is increased when the trade winds are intensified, and the surfacing of the Equatorial Undercurrent occurs when the trades weaken. The development of coastal upwelling and the surfacing of the Equatorial Undercurrent are inferred from the radiolarian assemblages in the sediments. The abundance of quartz, opal, and radiolarian assemblages in the deep-sea sediments of this area, as well as the distance from the sample locations to land and to the quartz source, is correlated with the intensity of the trade winds (in February and August) through multiple regression analysis. The chronostratigraphy of core V1929 (3°35′S, 83°56′W), used in this study, is inferred on basis of its δ 18 0 record. During the last 75,000 years, the fluctuations in intensity of the trade winds have been concurrent with or preceded the fluctuations in the amount of ice stored on the continents. In general, the wind velocity of the winter trades has been intensified during cool climatic stages of the earth (δ 18 0 stages 4 and 2) and they have been relaxed during warm stages (δ 18 0 stages 3 and 1). Seasonal contrast of the trade winds has also fluctuated within time, having been relatively high during the upper part of δ 18 0 stage 3.
The three rules of crossing over from gay media to mainstream media advertising: lesbians, lesbians, lesbians

Abstract Faced with low readership of gay media among gay and lesbian consumers, advertisers are faced with the task of targeting the vast majority of the “Dream Market” in mainstream media while counterbalancing the risk of backlash from heterosexual consumers. Thus, advertising to gays and lesbians in mainstream media may require different strategies from those employed in gay media. This research provides marketers with an understanding of how heterosexual consumers' attitudes toward gays and lesbians affects their attitude towards advertising with gay and lesbian content. Additionally, the important, yet currently underestimated, role that gender, in terms of both the heterosexual audience and the homosexual imagery in the advertisement, plays in affecting heterosexuals' attitudes towards gay and lesbian advertising content is studied. Finally, the effect of different levels of intimacy between same-sex couples in advertising content on heterosexuals' attitudes toward the advertisement, and its interaction with both the gender of the audience and the gender of the target, is examined.
Islam and War: Tradition versus Modernity

Islamic thinking on war divides roughly into two main schools, classical and modern. The classical (or medieval) view commands offensive war to spread Islamic rule ultimately across the entire world. The modernist view, predominant since the nineteenth century, limits war to defensive aims only. This paper compares the views of two important Muslim scholars, the classical scholar Ibn Ishaq (d. 767) and the modernist scholar Mahmud Shaltut (d. 1963). This comparison reveals that the modernist project of rethinking the Islamic law of war is a promising though as-yet-unfinished project that can benefit from the insights of Western scholars applying the historical-critical method to the study of early Islamic sources.
Women Arrested for Partner Violence and Substance Use An Exploration of Discrepancies in the Literature

Discrepancies exist in research examining substance problems within groups of women arrested for intimate partner violence (IPV). In some studies women IPV arrestees have been found to be at high risk for substance-related problems, whereas in others they are found to be at low risk for substance-related problems. The current study explores these discrepancies then compares a sample of women court ordered to a domestic violence diversion program (n = 78) to a matched sample of men (n = 78) in the same program using police report information, self-report measures, the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory-3, and the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III alcohol and drug subscales. Women IPV arrestees had a low occurrence of substance use during the arresting incident, a low incidence of substance-related diagnoses, and fewer substance-related problems than did men IPV arrestees. However, women demonstrated personality structures susceptible to nondiagnosable, hazardous drinking patterns.
322 Donor Specific Antibodies (DSA): Can They Predict C4d Staining and Antibody Mediated Rejection (AMR)?

Purpose: The utility of DSA in surveillance for AMR in pediatric heart transplant recipients is controversial. We hypothesize that DSA is predictive of C4d positive biopsy and clinical AMR. Methods and Materials: The records of 59 recipients (median age at transplant 1.9 yrs, range 0.04-17.6 yrs) transplanted between 10/2005 and 10/2010 were retrospectively reviewed for all DSA performed within 24 hours of endomyocardial biopsy (EMB; n 155.) DSA were determined by single antigen solid phase assay. Using a receiver-operating characteristic plot (AUC 0.79), we set our threshold for a DSA to be a median fluorescence intensity (MFI) of 6000. C4d was defined as 25% of endothelial cells stained by immunohistochemical methods in formalinfixed EMB samples. We also examined the association between patients with DSA and the presence of hemodynamically compromising AMR (grade O, C4d positive EMB). Results: The median duration of follow up was 2.7 yrs with an average of 2.6 paired biopsy-DSA determinations per patient. A total of 11 patients had DSA , 6 had AMR, and 11 biopsies were C4d . DSA correlated with C4d (p 0.0001) with a negative predictive value of 96%, positive predictive value of 53%, specificity of 93% and sensitivity of 63%. An association was also found between DSA and AMR (p 0.0005): 5/6 patients with AMR were DSA while 6 other DSA patients never presented with AMR. Conclusions: Using a DSA threshold of 6000 MFI, a high specificity and negative predictive value for C4d staining was observed. DSA was also associated with the presence of AMR. This retrospective review of DSA in pediatric heart recipients justifies a prospective analysis of the predictive value of DSA-based surveillance for AMR.
Quadtree and R-tree indexes in oracle spatial: a comparison using GIS data

Spatial indexing has been one of the active focus areas in recent database research. Several variants of Quadtree and R-tree indexes have been proposed in database literature. In this paper, we first describe briefly our implementation of Quadtree and R-tree index structures and related optimizations in Oracle Spatial. We then examine the relative merits of two structures as implemented in Oracle Spatial and compare their performance for different types of queries and other operations. Finally, we summarize experiences with these different structures in indexing large GIS datasets in Oracle Spatial.
Hydrogen bond energy of the water dimer

Large scale ab initio molecular orbital calculations on the binding energy of the water dimer have been performed. These calculations extend the previous correlation consistent basis set work to include larger basis sets (up to 574 functions), and core/valence correlation effects have now been included. The present work confirms the earlier estimate of −4.9 kcal/mol as the MP2(FC) basis set limit. Core/valence correlation effects are found to increase the binding energy by ∼0.05 kcal/mol. The best estimate of the electronic binding energy of the water dimer is −5.0 ± 0.1 kcal/mol. Correcting this value for zero-point and temperature effects yields the value ΔH(375) = −3.2 ± 0.1 kcal/mol. This value is within the error limits of the best experimental estimate of −3.6 ± 0.5 kcal/mol with the calculations favoring the lower end of the experimental energy range. It should be useful to adopt the present estimate in empirical and semiempirical model potentials.
A practical method for estimating forging loads with the use of a programmable calculator

The forging engineer must often estimate the load necessary in a press forging operation. Thus, the appropriate press capacity can be selected and, in some cases, it can be decided whether or not in-house capability exists for quoting on a given forging. This paper describes a simple load calculation method and its application to forging a steel connecting rod. The results, obtained with a hand calculator, are evaluated by comparing them with the results of computer-aided analysis and with experimental forging data. This comparison indicated that hand calculator results are sufficiently accurate for estimating forging loads and stresses. It is expected that the technique, described in this paper, will be a useful tool for the engineers in forge shop practice.
Hypervalent surface interactions for colloidal stability and doping of silicon nanocrystals

Colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals have attracted attention for cost-effective, solution-based deposition of quantum-confined thin films for optoelectronics. However, two significant challenges must be addressed before practical nanocrystal-based devices can be realized. The first is coping with the ligands that terminate the nanocrystal surfaces. Though ligands provide the colloidal stability needed to cast thin films from solution, these ligands dramatically hinder charge carrier transport in the resulting film. Second, after a conductive film is achieved, doping has proven difficult for further control of the optoelectronic properties of the film. Here we report the ability to confront both of these challenges by exploiting the ability of silicon to engage in hypervalent interactions with hard donor molecules. For the first time, we demonstrate the significant potential of applying the interaction to the nanocrystal surface. In this study, hypervalent interactions are shown to provide colloidal stability as well as doping of silicon nanocrystals.
Esophagogastrectomy as Palliative Treatment for Esophageal Carcinoma: Results Obtained in the Setting of a Thoracic Surgery Residency Program

Abstract The palliative treatment of esophageal carcinoma has included intubation, bypass, dilation, irradiation, and esophagogastrectomy. The last has been criticized by some on the basis of high operative morbidity and mortality. To assess the success of this method at our institution, we reviewed the 60 consecutive resections performed for carcinoma of the esophagus from January, 1972, through June, 1983. Forty-six patients had squamous cell tumors and 14, adenocarcinomas. There were 47 men and 13 women, and the mean age was 59.9 years (range, 38.5 to 78.9 years). The most frequent preoperative findings included dysphagia (55), weight loss (34), chest pain (22), and vomiting (49). Fifty (83%) out of the 60 resections were performed by the resident staff under the supervision of an attending surgeon. Four patients died within 30 days of operation, an operative mortality of 6.7%. Immediate causes of death included respiratory failure, myocardial infarction, hemorrhage, and renal failure. One of the patients who died and 3 of the survivors had an anastomotic leak. There were 27 additional complications in 24 patients: respiratory problems (8), arrhythmias (5), pleural effusion (4), gastric outlet obstruction (2), wound infection (2), and 1 each of pulmonary embolus, acute brain syndrome, congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction, chylothorax, and empyema. The one-, two-, three-, and five-year actuarial survival rates were 46%, 27%, 10%, and 5%, respectively. Mean survival for the 46 patients dead at the time of this study was 13.5 months. Outpatient follow-up data were available on 53 (95%) of the operative survivors and showed an absence of dysphagia in 87.5% during most of the follow-up period. The data from this study suggest that esophagogastrectomy performed in a well-supervised residency training program can achieve reasonable long-term palliation for carcinoma of the esophagus. The operation can be performed with a low operative mortality and few serious postoperative complications.
Alanine Aminotransferase Levels among Volunteer Blood Donors: Geographic Variation and Risk Factors

The incidence of elevated levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in the serum of volunteer blood donors from different geographic areas of the United States was evaluated. Five regional blood collection centers participated by collecting samples randomly from volunteer blood donors. Serum samples were centrally tested for elevated ALT levels, and a sociodemographic questionnaire was sent to donors with elevated ALT levels and to a randomly selected group with normal levels. Significant regional variation was found in the incidence of elevated ALT levels. Age, sex, and the use of alcohol were all significantly associated with elevated ALT levels. These preliminary data are important in the consideration of a program to screen blood donors for elevated ALT levels in serum.
Pulmonary assessment of children after chlamydial pneumonia of infancy.

We evaluated the pulmonary status of 18 children 7 to 8 years after their hospitalization for chlamydial pneumonia of infancy. Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) and respiratory questionnaire results in this group were compared with those in a control group of 19 comparable children from the same community, and with values that other investigators have reported for normal children. Significant limitations of expiratory airflow were found (FEV 1 , FEV 1 /FVC, PEF, and FEF 25%–75% ), as well as signs of abnormally elevated volumes of trapped air (FRC and RV/TLC ratios). These obstructive patterns were responsive to inhalation of isoproterenol. Moreover, a significantly greater number of patients had physician-diagnosed asthma than in the control group. The obstructive PFT abnormalities could not be accounted for by recognized risk factors, such as exposure to smoking at home or family history of atopy. Our results show that chlamydial pneumonia of infancy is associated with PFT abnormalities and respiratory symptoms 7 to 8 years after recovery from the acute illness.
Pros and cons of CMOS X-ray imagers

This paper compares the pros and cons of CMOS imagers with a-Si flat panel imagers for digital X-ray imaging applications, including limitations imposed by the large area, low dose rate nature of medical X-ray imaging. The paper also highlights, which parameters of the CMOS technology need further improvements.
A contribution to the study of the electrochemical oxidation of p-aminophenol on a mercury electrode

Abstract The reversibility of the oxidation process of p -aminophenol on a mercury electrode in buffered aqueous solutions is studied. Differential capacity curves are recorded and the number of electrons is determined by chronoamperometry. Kinetic parameters are determined at the foot of the wave. The results obtained are in agreement with the hypothesis that quinoneimine hydrolysis is slower than its diffusion, therefore the former takes place in a homogeneous medium and not in the interphase.
Sulfidation of Silver Nanoparticles Decreases Escherichia coli Growth Inhibition

Sulfidation of metallic nanoparticles such as silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) released to the environment may be an important detoxification mechanism. Two types of AgNPs—an engineered polydisperse and aggregated AgNP powder, and a laboratory-synthesized, relatively monodisperse AgNP aqueous dispersion—were studied. The particles were sulfidized to varying degrees and characterized to determine the effect of initial AgNP polydispersity and aggregation state on AgNP sulfidation, and then exposed to Escherichia coli to determine if the degree of sulfidation of pristine AgNPs affects growth inhibition of bacteria. The extent of sulfidation was found to depend on the HS–/Ag ratio. However, for the same reaction times, the more monodisperse particles were fully transformed to Ag2S, and the polydisperse, aggregated particles were not fully sulfidized, thus preserving the toxic potential of Ag0 in the aggregates. A higher Ag2S:Ag0 ratio in the sulfidized nanoparticles resulted in less growth inhibition of E. coli o...
Replicability of (Socio)Linguistics studies

In this paper I address four methodological issues of relevance to the design of (Socio)Linguistics studies. Issues addressed in this paper are: the importance of a proper power analysis during the design stages, or the probability of correctly rejecting the null hypothesis when it is false in the population, the analysis of the structure of the data to select the proper statistical analysis to be used in these studies, polychotomization, or categorization, of continuous variables and its effect on the power of the study, and the determination of sample size to achieve an adequate level of power. After a careful analysis of the review of literature on copula + adjective and the lack of reports on power and sample size calculations to support the generalizations derived from each study, I discuss the design and replicability implications of studies where these design issues have not been addressed.
Dofetilide, a new class III antiarrhythmic agent, reduces pacing induced heterogeneity of repolarisation in vivo.

The aim was to determine whether dofetilide, a new class III antiarrhythmic agent, could reduce the heterogeneity of repolarisation produced by rapid cardiac pacing and to compare it with quinidine. Increased heterogeneity of repolarisation times may be causally linked to malignant cardiac re-entrant arrhythmias. Methods: Studies were performed in open chest, artificially ventilated, pentobarbitone anaesthetised beagle dogs of 13 to 15 kg body weight. Myocardial electrocardiograms were simultaneously recorded from 31 electrodes located on the left and right ventricular surfaces of the in situ canine heart. Recordings were obtained over a single cardiac cycle during rapid ventricular pacing at the maximum following frequency. Computer assisted measurements of activation time, activation-repolarisation interval, and repolarisation time were performed and the heterogeneity of these measurements calculated. Measurements were performed before treatment and after each incremental intravenous dose of dofetilide (3, 10, 30, and 100 μg·kg−1), quinidine (1, 3, and 10 mg·kg−1), or saline vehicle. Results: Dofetilide increased repolarisation time via a selective prolongation of activation-repolarisation interval, activation time being unchanged. It reduced the heterogeneity of repolarisation time and activation-repolarisation interval, heterogeneity of activation time being unchanged. Quinidine increased repolarisation time by a non-selective increase of both activation-repolarisation interval and activation time. It increased the heterogeneity of activation times which offset a decrease in heterogeneity of activation-repolarisation intervals to produce no change in heterogeneity of repolarisation times. Conclusions: Dofetilide, but not quinidine, reduces pacing induced asynchrony of repolarisation in the canine heart and this effect may contribute to its antiarrhythmic activity. Cardiovascular Research 1992; 26 :1102-1108
Reading comprehension research in the past decade: Implications for educational publishing

A great amount of research on reading comprehension has been conducted dur ing the past decade in universities and research centers. Much of it is important for educational publishing--specifically for the development of textbooks and other instructional materials. We should like to reflect on these recent studies of reading comprehension, as well as on several older, now classic studies. We will conclude with suggestions on how this research might be used to improve the instructional effectiveness of textbooks and other materials. If we examine the reading comprehension research of the past decade we find consistent emphasis on the importance of the following factors: knowledge, structure, and reasoning. These factors have been variously described, both in the newer and older research, but the basic concepts seem to have emerged and reemerged repeatedly over a 60-year period.
Proximity to agriculture alters abundance and community composition of wild sunflower mutualists and antagonists

Anthropogenic modifications of the landscape, such as agriculture, are widespread globally and can reduce native biodiversity and homogenize communities by decreasing variation in species composition across sites. Partitioning anthropogenic impacts among species that have positive versus negative effects on plants may improve our ability to forecast the ecological and evolutionary consequences of these alterations in communities. Here, we manipulated the distance of populations of a wild sunflower species (Helianthus annuus texanus) to fields of its domesticated relative (crop sunflowers, H. annuus) and contrasted subsequent shifts in the abundance and community composition of mutualists (pollinators) and antagonists (seed predators, folivores) of H. a. texanus. With some exceptions, populations of H. a. texanus near crop sunflowers supported higher numbers of pollinators than those far from crop sunflowers. In contrast, in the majority of cases, populations of H. a. texanus supported more seed predators when located far from crop sunflowers. Folivore damage to plants was greater far from crop sunflowers, and was never greater near crop sunflowers. Contrary to the prediction that proximity to agriculture homogenizes community composition, we found β-diversity of pollinators (species turnover between populations) was greater near crop sunflowers. Our results demonstrate that mutualists and antagonists of a wild plant species respond differently to the proximity of a related crop species, indicating the potential for both altered population dynamics and complex selection pressures on wild species in agricultural landscapes.