cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development of Charcot Neuroarthropathy in Diabetic Patients who Received Kidney or Kidney-Pancreas Transplants

Only a small percentage of the general diabetic population develops Charcot neuroarthropathy. Charcot arthropathy greatly increases the risk of foot complications. At our academic institution, there appeared to be an increased incidence of Charcot arthropathy in transplant patients. We hypothesized that Charcot neuroarthropathy incidence is higher in the diabetic patients who had received kidney or kidney-pancreas transplants. The charts of 1000 patients were reviewed from January 2000 to January 2011. Four hundred and eighty-seven patients were included in the study. Of these diabetic patients, 249 had received a kidney transplant and 238 a kidney-pancreas transplant. The data were analyzed for the incidence of Charcot in each group. Other risk factors and sequelae were also evaluated and analyzed. The incidence of Charcot development in the diabetic patients who had a kidney-pancreas transplant was 18.4%, 44 of 238 patients. This was significantly higher than the incidence in kidney transplant patients, which was 11.2%, 28 of 249 patients (p < .05). Peripheral arterial disease was a statistically significant independent risk factor for developing ulceration, osteomyelitis, and subsequent amputation. Type 1 diabetic patients developed Charcot at a higher rate that was also statistically significant compared with type 2 diabetic patients. In our study, diabetic patients who had undergone kidney-pancreas transplants were associated with higher risk for development of Charcot neuroarthropathy than kidney transplants alone. The incidence of Charcot development in both these transplant groups was also much higher than in the general diabetic population. This is of particular interest to clinicians and surgeons as both transplant groups were found to be high risk for subsequent foot ulceration, infection, and amputation.
Nonlinear contact mechanics for the indentation of hyperelastic cylindrical bodies

The mechanical properties of biological materials are commonly found through the application of Hertzian theory to force-displacement data obtained through micro-indentation techniques. Due to their soft nature, biological specimens are often subjected to large indentations, resulting in a nonlinear deformation behavior that can no longer be accurately described by Hertzian contact. Useful models for studying the large deformation response of cylindrical specimens under indentation are not readily available, and the morphologies of biological materials are often closer to cylinders than spheres (e.g., cellular processes, fibrin, collagen fibrils, etc.). In this study, a computational model is used to analyze the large deformation indentation of an incompressible hyperelastic cylinder in order to provide a generalized formulation that can be used to extract mechanical properties from indentation into soft cylindrical bodies. The effects of specimen size and indentation depth are examined in order to quantify the deformation at which the proposed force-displacement relationship remains accurate.
Ways of Qualitative Coding: A Case Study of Four Strategies for Resolving Disagreements

The process of qualitative coding often involves multiple coders coding the same data to ensure reliable codes and a consistent understanding of the codebook. One aspect of qualitative coding includes resolving disagreements, where coders discuss differences in coding to reach a consensus. We conduct a case study to evaluate four strategies of disagreement resolution and understand their impact on the coding process. We find that an open discussion and the n-ary tree metric lead coders to focus more on the disagreement of a particular data instance, whereas kappa values and Code Wizard direct coders to compare code definitions. We discuss opportunities for using different strategies at different stages of the coding process for more effective disagreement resolution.
Tracking early response to immunotherapy

Identifying indicators of response to immunotherapy is key for treatment decisions. Two studies now report that early changes in T cell repertoires and CD8+ memory effector cytotoxic T cells in peripheral blood correlate with response to immune-checkpoint inhibitors in metastatic melanoma and may serve as actionable biomarkers of immune activation.
Microfluidic systems for hydrodynamic trapping of cells and clusters

Microfluidic devices have been widely applied to trapping and isolation of cells and clusters for controllable intercellular environments and high-throughput analysis, triggering numerous advances in disease diagnosis and single-cell analysis. Passive hydrodynamic cell trapping is one of the simple and effective methods that has been gaining attention in recent years. Our aim here is to review the existing passive microfluidic trapping approaches, including microposts, microfiltration, microwells, and trapping chambers, with emphasis on design principles and performance. We summarize the remarkable advances that hydrodynamic trapping methods offer, as well as the existing challenges and prospects for development. Finally, we hope that an improved understanding of hydrodynamic trapping approaches can lead to sophisticated and useful platforms to advance medical and biological research.
Drift with Devil: Security of Multi-Sensor Fusion based Localization in High-Level Autonomous Driving under GPS Spoofing (Extended Version).

For high-level Autonomous Vehicles (AV), localization is highly security and safety critical. One direct threat to it is GPS spoofing, but fortunately, AV systems today predominantly use Multi-Sensor Fusion (MSF) algorithms that are generally believed to have the potential to practically defeat GPS spoofing. However, no prior work has studied whether today's MSF algorithms are indeed sufficiently secure under GPS spoofing, especially in AV settings. In this work, we perform the first study to fill this critical gap. As the first study, we focus on a production-grade MSF with both design and implementation level representativeness, and identify two AV-specific attack goals, off-road and wrong-way attacks. To systematically understand the security property, we first analyze the upper-bound attack effectiveness, and discover a take-over effect that can fundamentally defeat the MSF design principle. We perform a cause analysis and find that such vulnerability only appears dynamically and non-deterministically. Leveraging this insight, we design FusionRipper, a novel and general attack that opportunistically captures and exploits take-over vulnerabilities. We evaluate it on 6 real-world sensor traces, and find that FusionRipper can achieve at least 97% and 91.3% success rates in all traces for off-road and wrong-way attacks respectively. We also find that it is highly robust to practical factors such as spoofing inaccuracies. To improve the practicality, we further design an offline method that can effectively identify attack parameters with over 80% average success rates for both attack goals, with the cost of at most half a day. We also discuss promising defense directions.
Toward Racial Equality: The Most Important Things The Business Community Can Do

In this address, former Chief Justice Strine kicked-off an important series, the Conference on Racial Equity in Corporate Governance, co-sponsored by the Millstein Center for Global Markets and Corporate Governance, Columbia Law School; the Institute for Law & Economics, University of Pennsylvania; the Rock Center for Corporate Governance, Stanford University; and the Stanford Center for Racial Justice, Stanford Law School. The address explains the importance of institutional investors and corporations contributing to ending the persistent inequality suffered by black Americans. And it focuses on the reality that we would have made huge strides toward closing the race gap if our corporate governance and political systems during the last forty years had encouraged corporations to: 1) continue paying workers their fair share of productivity gains, because black people were so much more likely to be among the working and middle classes; 2) help black people gain wealth by providing them with good wages and support toward their 401(k); 3) promote the hiring of black graduates and white students of limited means by recruiting at public universities, community colleges, and historically black colleges; 4) pay their fair share of taxes toward the public schools, upon which black students rely; 5) locate and invest in communities where black people live; and 6) never lose sight of the special obligation our nation has to redress what we did to black people, and to avoid using the critical goal of overall diversity to obscure the need to remediate discrimination against black people as a first priority. Finally, the address underscores that the tough question is not what our corporate sector can do to help black people in the United States achieve equality, the question is whether we have the moral commitment to make these things happen.
Pilot Survey of Physician Assistants Regarding Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Providers Suggests Role for Workplace Nondiscrimination Policies

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) medical providers in the United States have historically faced discrimination from their peers. To assess current workplace culture and attitudes, and to evaluate awareness of workplace and professional policies regarding LGBT discrimination, we sent a cross-sectional survey to 163 PAs (Physician Assistants). Respondents had an overall positive attitude towards LGBT providers, yet the majority was not aware of relevant policy statements (>60%). A significant association existed between policy awareness and LGBT inclusivity (P<.025) and confidence reporting anti-gay harassment (P=.017). Despite improved societal attitudes toward LGBT providers, non-discriminatory work environments for LGBT physician assistants may relate to greater awareness of specific workplace policy standards.
Games in an introductory soil science course: a novel approach for increasing student involvement with course material

An optional 1-credit recitation course was developed to supplement a traditionally taught 4-credit lecture-plus-laboratory course in soil science at Oregon State University. Popular, competitive games that would be familiar to students were revised to be "soils-based" and were employed in the recitation class. These games were seen as a potential means to use knowledge in an atypical fashion while at the same time generating enthusiasm for the subject. Evaluation of two terms of games implementation showed that these activities increased both student enthusiasm and, potentially, course performance. A greater percentage of students in the games-oriented recitation reported high enthusiasm for the subject matter than did those in the lecture course (92 vs. 80.5%). Although most students commented favorably on the approach, some did not like the competitive aspect and fast pace. Moreover, those who took the optional recitation scored significantly higher (7.5%) on the final exam for the co-requisite lecture course than those who did not take the optional recitation despite the fact that the overall mean GPA of the two groups was similar (p = 0.30). Whether or not the grade increase is specifically due to the use of games or to the additional hour in the classroom was not evaluated. Rather, the purpose of this paper is to present the idea of games as a meaningful complement to more traditional classroom methods, even at the college level.
Polymorphisms in one-carbon metabolism genes and associations with colorectal cancer

Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 47, 2006 4601 Abnormal DNA methylation and synthesis due to low folate intake are thought to play a role in colorectal carcinogenesis. Intake and plasma levels of folate have been inversely associated with the risk of colorectal neoplasia. In addition, the Ala222Val single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the gene for methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), a critical enzyme in one-carbon metabolism, has been associated with colorectal cancer risk in some studies, and further, modifies the association between folate status and colorectal cancer. Many other enzymes are involved in one-carbon metabolism and SNPs in their genes may play a role in colorectal cancer. We examined the association between SNPs in genes involved in the one-carbon metabolism pathway and the risk of colorectal cancer in case-control studies nested in the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS). Using the SNP500, HapMap and dbSNP databases, we identified 212 SNPs in 20 one-carbon metabolism genes, among which we selected 24 non-synonymous SNPs in 13 genes with a minor allele frequency of at least 2% in Caucasians. DNA was extracted from blood and genotyping was conducted using TaqMan. Relative risks (RR) and confidence intervals (CI) for the association between each SNP and colorectal cancer were estimated using conditional logistic regression; 95% CIs were unadjusted for multiple comparisons. The median genotyping success rate was 95% overall and concordance for blinded quality control specimens was 100%. Minor allele frequencies of the 24 SNPs ranged from 3% to 46%. Genotype distributions in the controls were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) for all SNPs but 2 in the NHS and 4 in the HPFS (p-value for tests for departure from HWE=0.02 to 0.04). Among 379 men and women with colorectal cancer and 856 controls, a slight increased risk was suggested for the variant carrier genotypes vs. homozygous wildtype for SNPs in the genes betaine hydroxymethyltransferase (Arg239Gln, RR adjusted for potential confounders=1.44, 95% CI: 1.10-1.88) and methionine synthase reductase (Arg415Cys, adjusted RR=1.91, 95% CI: 1.09-3.37). Other SNPs were not associated with colorectal cancer. We did not observe evidence of statistically significant multiplicative interactions between each SNP and sex, however, two SNPs showed sex-specific evidence of association with colorectal cancer. The adjusted RR (95% CI) for variant carriers vs. homozygous wildtype among women was 1.54 (1.04-2.22) for the Glu429Ala SNP in MTHFR and 0.70 (0.49-1.00) for the Pro259Arg SNP in transcobalamin II. Among men, the associations for these 2 SNPs were null. Our analysis of the main effects of these 24 SNPs indicates no strong associations with the risk of colorectal cancer.
Management of Acute Postoperative Pain in Hand Surgery: A Systematic Review.

Purpose To conduct a systematic review to guide hand surgeons in an evidenced-based approach in managing postoperative pain. Methods We performed a literature review for primary research articles on management of postoperative pain in hand surgery patients using Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE; PubMed), Excerpta Medica database (EMBASE), and the Cochrane Collaboration Library. Inclusion criteria were primary journal articles examining treatment of acute postoperative pain based on any modality. Data related to pain assessment, postoperative recovery, and total postoperative analgesic consumption were extracted. Results A total of 903 publications were reviewed; 184 publications underwent abstract review. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 10 primary articles were selected for inclusion in this review. Data were noted to be heterogeneous and findings were compiled. Results were divided into groups evaluating postoperative pain medications or pain infusion catheters. Conclusions Although this review did not demonstrate a best practices model for postoperative pain management, it provides evidence for alternative medications and treatment strategies. The evidence available suggests that postoperative pain control should begin before surgery and that combining multiple strategies for pain treatment is beneficial. Given the increasing attention paid to narcotic prescriptions and the potential for abuse, surgeons should adopt evidence-based pain management practices. We provide an example algorithm for pain treatment in hand surgery based on available data and the authors' experience. Type of study/level of evidence Therapeutic III.
Denial in Borderlines

Denial plays so prominent a role in the psychopathology of borderline patients that it is probably nearer the truth to say not that “borderline patients use denial” but rather that patients exhibiting this mechanism to any great degree tend to get labeled borderline.
The Method of Text and ?: Jack Balkin’s Originalism with No Regrets

In this Article on Professor Jack Balkin’s Living Originalism, I analyze his method of “text and principle.” I have no quarrel with Professor Balkin’s claim that some of the constitutional norms are rules and some are standards. His claim, however, that some of the norms are “principles”—principles that do most of the work in his attempt to reconcile originalism and living constitutionalism—is the claim I find doubtful. I examine three conceptions of what such principles might be, and I conclude that one of them is possible but highly unlikely, while the others are not merely unlikely but impossible of realization. In the modern era of constitutional theorizing, there is no shortage of Panglossian theories to offer, theories in which constitutional constraints on the theorist’s normative preferences are as flimsy as a negligee’s on carnal appetites. Despite Professor Henry Monaghan’s sardonic invocation of “Our Perfect Constitution,” 1 the list of those who believe the Constitution—the actual one—is no more than a hair’s breadth from normative perfection continues to grow. This assertion of perfection is easy for nonoriginalists. After all, for them, the Constitution is not a historical artifact, a document that is the repository of norms promulgated by real people at specific historical moments and whose promulgated norms mean no more or less than what those promulgators meant by them. Rather, for nonoriginalists, the Constitution is a gauzy idea of good and just government, the specific content of which is up for grabs. Professor Larry Sager, a nonoriginalist, calls it the “justice-seeking Constitution” 2 —though why it is “justice-seeking” rather than “justicerealizing” I do not fully understand, given that original meanings do not
The Preparation of Unsymmetrical Biaryls by the Diazo Reaction and the Nitrosoacetylamine Reaction

The amino group of aromatic amines can be replaced by aryl groups with the formation of unsymmetrical biaryl by two general procedures: (1) by reaction of the aryldiazo hydroxide or acetate with aromatic compounds and (2) by reaction of the nitrosoacetylamine with aromatic compounds, In general the aromatic compounds must be a liquid for no solvent has been found which will not be attacked by the reactive intermediates which are formed in these reactions. Diazo and nirosoacetykeamine reactions are discussed. Keywords: diazo reaction; unsymmetrical biaryls; nitrosoacetylamine reaction; biphenyls; terphenyls; arylnaphthalenes; arylthiophenes Arylpyridines; side reactions; experimental conditions
Best practices in real property management in state governments

The US General Services Administration (GSA) sought to identify innovative and best practices in real property management at the state level, with the intent that sharing these practices may lead to creative new approaches throughout all levels of government. The resulting study focused on four aspects of real property management and identified the following states as exemplars: (1) Acquisition and construction (Maryland, Minnesota, Utah) (2) Operations and maintenance (Michigan, Missouri, Utah) (3) Web‐enabled software (Texas, Washington) (4) Public‐private partnerships (Arizona, Washington) Many of these best practices have resulted in streamlined operations, cost savings, and innovative solutions to complex problems. They offer new ideas for real property management. In order to perform the study, GSA contracted with George Washington (GW) University. The GSA study team included the following members: Marjorie Lomax, Director of the Evaluation and Outreach Division, Andrea Wohlfeld Kuhn, Project Team Leader, and team members Dennis Goldstein, Sheldon Greenberg,Robert Harding, Jonathan Herz and Rebekah Pearson. The GW team was under the direction of Dr Kathryn Newcomer, PhD, Principal Investigator, with Robin Kane and Howard Smith as Research Associates. The following paper is an excerpt of the study. The entire document can be downloaded at http://www.gsa.gov/statesrpbp
A Pouch May Be Prevent the Transmission of HIV from Mother to Child

Many children become HIV+ due to mother-to-child transmission during home birth. This risk can be largely eliminated if infants ingest antiretroviral (ARV) medications immediately after birth. Unfortunately, there is currently no mechanism to provide dosed medication at a mothers first and perhaps only, antenatal care visit, months before delivery. We propose a foilized, polyethylene pouch to preserve pre-dosed ARV's. In this work we show that pharmacists can fill and seal the pouch, the pouch can preserve the medication and HIV+ mothers can empty the pouch into a simulated infant's mouth. A pharmacists in Moshi Tanzania was trained and then filled and sealed 60 pouches which were tested for their effect on the medication, their mechanical strength (burst and leakage) and their volume accuracy. Under laboratory conditions, pouches from two manufacturers were filled with AZT and NVP (two common ARV's) and stored in conditions ranging from 25o C/60% relative humidity (RH) to 40o C/75% RH for twelve (AZT) or four (NVP) months. Sixty-one HIV+ mothers were asked to tear open pouches and empty the contents into plastic cups of approximately the size and shape of an infant's mouth. No pharmacist sealed pouches burst or leaked (average percent weight loss maximum 0.080%). The AZT (102.2% of labeled concentration) and NVP (96.4%) in the pharmacist sealed pouches were stable. Pharmacist handling of the mediation did consume some of the sacrificial preservatives (72.4% remaining in AZT and 40.2% remaining for NVP) but not enough to affect the active ingredient. The same impurities were identified in the NVP and AZT samples sealed in Africa and the NVP and AZT samples removed from the bottles indicating that the pouches do not introduce impurities that are not already introduced from the bottle. The pharmacist filled pouches with an overall volume error of 0.13% +/- 6.6%. When the pouches were filled under laboratory conditions, there was no significant change in AZT (97.4% to 97.9%) or NVP (102.3% to 101.9%) concentrations after months of storage. All tested mothers were easily able to empty the contents of the pouch (89.8%: NVP, 89.7%, AZT) into the simulated mouth. We conclude that the pouch can be sealed by pharmacists in in realistic settings, the pouch can preserve the medication for months and HIV+ mothers can open the pouch and empty its contents.
Preliminary observations on the role of the mesonephros in the development of the adrenal cortex.

The interrelationship between mesonephros, adrenal cortex, and gonads was studied in 28- and 31-day old sheep fetuses by means of light microscopy on plastic sections. At these stages, the adrenal cortex is just beginning to develop and the mesonephros is undergoing involution; its regression is accompanied by mobilization of cells from the glomerulus of a peculiar nephron situated in the proximal third of the organ, and referred to as “giant” because of its large size. The mobilized cells egress from this glomerulus organized in trabeculae, some of which reach the cranial extremity of the adrenal cortex while others coalesce into a prominent cellular formation which extends uninterrupted toward and into the developing gonads. In previous studies we have shown that the mesonephric cells which colonize the gonads differentiate into sustentacular and interstitial steroidogenic cells; the presence of an analogous cellular migration from the mesonephros to the adrenal cortex now suggests that also the adrenal cortical cells may be of mesonephric origin.
The second-trimester fetal iliac angle as a sign of Down's syndrome.

Objective To determine whether the iliac angle of second-trimester fetuses is a useful sonographic marker for the detection of fetuses with Down's syndrome. Methods We prospectively measured the iliac angle for all fetuses karyotyped over a 17-month period. A transverse view of the upper fetal pelvis was obtained at the time of amniocentesis and, by means of a protractor, the angle between the two iliac bones was measured. The angles of all those fetuses with Down's syndrome and the first 500 fetuses with normal karyotypes were compared, as was gestational age and maternal age. Results Nineteen fetuses with Down's syndrome and 1167 fetuses with normal karyotypes underwent genetic amniocentesis over the study period. The mean gestational age of the fetuses with Down's syndrome was 16.6 weeks (± 1.9 weeks), and for the controls, 16.1 weeks (± 1.4 weeks) (p = 0.3). The mean maternal ages were 34.7 years (± 4.8 years) and 35.4 years (± 4.1 years) for those pregnancies with Down's syndrome and with normal karyotypes, respectively (p = 0.5). The mean iliac angle was 80.1° (± 19.7°) for those fetuses with Down's syndrome, and 63.1°(± 20.3°) for those fetuses with normal karyotypes (p = 0.0004). The iliac angle was at least 90° in 36.8% (seven of 19 fetuses) with Down's syndrome and in 12.8% (64 of 500 fetuses) with normal karyotypes (p = 0.003). Conclusion Fetuses with Down's syndrome have a significantly larger iliac angle than fetuses with normal karyotypes. Use of an iliac angle cut-off point of 90° would identify over one-third of second-trimester fetuses with Down's syndrome. However, because of the high false-positive rate (12.8%), the iliac angle is not useful in a high-risk population as a screening test when used in isolation. Copyright © 1998 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology
Beyond a Politics of the Plural in World Englishes.

This article explores three recent books related to World Englishes studies and considers ways they overtly and implicitly frame the politics of the field. The author also describes some of his own experiences working with graduate students that suggest a disruption of traditional dichotomies between single standard and pluralistic models of English spread. The author shares some pedagogical materials designed to provoke deeper discussions of the personal and political dimensions of language variety and identification. Finally, he concludes with a call to consider how Canagarajah's notion of translingualism may lead to updated political frameworks that embrace the transformative potential of languages, speakers, and societies.
A new corrosion inhibition model for surfactants that more closely accounts for actual adsorption than traditional models that assume physical coverage is proportional to inhibition

Many corrosion inhibition researchers utilize the assumption that inhibitor coverage is proportional to corrosion inhibition as a tool to evaluate their inhibition data. Although this assumption is very useful, it is inconsistent with observed surfactant adsorption data. Corrosion and adsorption data indicate that corrosion inhibition by surfactants is not directly proportional to surfactant coverage. This paper discusses the discrepancy between physical and effective coverage and provides an alternative relationship between coverage and inhibition that is more consistent with observed surfactant adsorption than the traditional relationship, which for most researchers means that physical coverage is proportional to corrosion inhibition.
New Physics Contributions to The B -> phi K_S Decay

Recent measurements of the time-dependent CP asymmetry of the $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{B}\ensuremath{\varphi}{K}_{S}$ decay give results whose central values differ from standard model expectations. It is shown how such data can be used to identify new physics contributions in a model-independent manner. In general, a sizable new amplitude with nontrivial weak and strong phases would be required to explain current data. An improvement in the quality of data will allow one to form a more definite conclusion.
Hydrological controls on heterotrophic soil respiration across an agricultural landscape

Abstract Climate change is expected to increase the intensity of precipitation, but our ability to model the consequences for soil respiration are limited by a lack of data from soils that are saturated and draining. In this study, we used large intact soil columns (28 × 30 cm) to 1) quantify changes in CO 2 flux as soils drain from saturated conditions, and 2) to determine which soil water metrics best predict instantaneous maximum CO 2 flux. The columns were from three agricultural landscape positions that vary in soil properties. We simulated water table fluctuations that were observed at the field site (and predicted to increase in future climate scenarios) by flooding the columns from bottom to surface and then allowing the columns to drain for 96 h while monitoring volumetric soil water content (VWC), water filled pore space (WFPS), water content normalized to field capacity, matric potential, and CO 2 flux. Mean cumulative CO 2 flux was 4649 mg CO 2 ―C m − 2 96 h − 1 . Regardless of landscape position, CO 2 flux rates exhibited a single maximum slightly below saturation, near field capacity. This result suggests that many field studies have not captured soil respiration rates when water availability is optimum for heterotrophic respiration. Across landscape positions, matric potential was the most consistent indicator of instantaneous maximum CO 2 flux, with maximum fluxes occurring within the narrow range of − 0.15 to − 4.89 kPa. In contrast, instantaneous maximum CO 2 flux rates occurred between 95 and 131% of water content normalized to field capacity, 72–97% WFPS, and 29–45% VWC. Thus, our data suggest that instantaneous maximum CO 2 flux rates, a key parameter in ecosystem models, can be predicted across an agricultural landscape with diverse soils if matric potential is used as a water scalar.
Selective alterations in macronutrient intake of food-deprived or glucoprivic rats by centrally-administered opioid receptor subtype antagonists in rats.

Abstract Two hypotheses have attempted to account for the abilities of opioid agonists and antagonists to respectively stimulate and inhibit food intake in rats. The first suggests that the opioid system selectively modulates fat intake, while the second suggests that the opioid system selectively alters intake of that macronutrient which the animal prefers. The present study evaluated these two hypotheses by examining total intake and individual macronutrient intake in either food-deprived (24 h) rats or rats made glucoprivic with 2-deoxy- d -glucose (2DG, 200 mg/kg, i.p.) following either vehicle treatment systemic administration of naltrexone or intracerebroventricular administration of either naltrexone, the mu opioid antagonist, beta-funaltrexamine (B-FNA), the mu 1 opioid antagonist, naloxonazine, the kappa opioid antagonist, nor-binaltorphamine (Nor-BNI), the delta opioid antagonist, naltrindole or the delta 1 opioid antagonist, DALCE. Systemic administration of naltrexone (0.5–5 mg/kg) significantly reduced carbohydrate, fat and total intake in deprived rats, and carbohydrate, fat, protein and total intake in glucoprivic rats. Central administration of naltrexone (5–50 μg) significantly reduced fat and total intake in both deprived and glucoprivic rats. B-FNA (5–20 ug) significantly reduced carbohydrate, fat and total intake in both deprived and glucoprivic rats. Naloxonazine (10–100 μg) significantly reduced carbohydrate, fat and total intake in deprived rats, but failed to alter 2DG intake. Nor-BNI (5–20 ug) significantly reduced fat and total intake in glucoprivic rats, but failed to alter deprivation intake. Neither naltrindole (20 μg) nor DALCE (40 μg) altered intake in deprived or glucoprivic rats. Carbohydrate or fat preference in deprived rats significantly increased the amount of explained variance in the inhibitory actions of central naltrexone, B-FNA and naloxonazine upon deprivation-induced intake. Carbohydrate or fat preference in glucoprivic rats significantly increased the amount of explained variance in the inhibitory actions of systemic and central naltrexone, B-FNA, naloxonazine and Nor-BNI upon 2-DG hyperphagia. These data are discussed in terms of the contentions that opioids either selectively alter fat intake per se or selectively alter the preferred macronutrient.
Surgical repair of thoracoabdominal aneurysms: patient selection, techniques and results

Background: Repair of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAAs) continues to be a challenging task. Hemorrhagic shock, cardiac arrest and multisystem organ failures are the most frequent causes of death, and paraplegia and renal failure are the most devastating complications. Methods: Flawless surgical technique and the use of adjuncts to protect key organs including the brain, heart, spinal cord, liver and kidneys affect outcome. Perfection in exposure and suturing technique decreases bleeding complications, shortens cross-clamp time and assures optimal, visceral, renal and lower extremity perfusion. Technical details include retroperitoneal abdominal aortic exposure, double thoracotomy for Type I and Type II aneurysms, and preservation of the diaphragm. The kidneys are protected by perfusion of iced lactated Ringers; visceral ischemia in Type I and Type II, aneurysms is diminished by using pulmonary vein-femoral artery pump with sequential clamping. Spinal cord protection is attempted by spinal fluid pressure monitoring and drainage, moderate general hypothermia, selective left heart bypass, reimplantation of critical intercostal arteries, monitoring somatosensory and somatomotor evoked potentials and epidural cooling of the spinal cord. Results: Outcome in 203 patients (Group I) who underwent repair of TAAAs without epidural cooling was compared with outcome in 97 patients, 27 with thoracic aortic aneurysms and 70 with TAAA (Group II) who underwent repair using epidural cooling. In Group II paraplegia/parapesis occurred in 11.6%, not different from the 8.9% in Group I. Thirty day mortality for elective cases decreased from 14.6% (Group I) to 7.2% (Group II, P<0.05). Conclusions: Open surgical repair of TAAA carries elevated mortality and complication rates. The etiology of ischemic and reperfusion injury to the spinal cord is multifactorial and its prevention remains a formidable and as yet unresolved task. To select patients for surgical repair, the risk of TAAA rupture should be balanced against risks of perioperative mortality, paraplegia and renal failure.
Does contingent reinforcement strengthen operant behavior

Abstract In Experiment 1, pigeons were trained to peck keys with equal food-reinforcement schedules in components that ended with either noncontingent or contingent transitions to a third component with a five-fold richer schedule. Response rates were higher in the initial component with contingent transitions, but resistance to prefeeding or extinction was not consistently greater. Experiment 2 also included noncontingent or contingent transitions to a signaled period of nonreinforcement. There was no effect of the contingency on transitions to nonreinforcement, but the difference in response rates maintained by contingent versus noncontingent transitions to the richer schedule was replicated. In addition, response rates were higher in components that preceded nonreinforcement than in components that preceded the richer schedule. However, resistance to extinction was greater for noncontingent transitions to the richer schedule than to nonreinforcement, implicating stimulus–reinforcer relations in the determination of resistance to change. Resistance to change was also somewhat greater for noncontingent than for contingent transitions to the richer schedule. The latter result, together with the results of Experiment 1 and related research, suggests that response-contingent reinforcement does not increase resistance to change.
Comments on "An l p design techinque for two-dimensional digital recursive filters"

It is shown that examples can be found for which the l p design algorithm in two dimensions will attempt to converge to an unstable solution.
Invited Article: Computer simulation of cortical polymaps: A proto-column algorithm

Neo-cortical sensory areas of the vertebrate brain are organized in terms of sensory (topographic) maps of peripheral sense organs. Known for over 40 years, cortical topography has been generally modeled in terms of a continuous map of a peripheral sensory surface onto a cortical surface. However, the details of cortical architecture do not conform to this concept: most, if not all cortical areas are represented by an interlacing of multiple featural or peripheral maps in the form of columns consisting of distinct classes of neural input to the cortex. Since such an architecture is at best piecewise continuous, it is useful to introduce a new term which focuses attention on the many-to-one interlaced nature of neo-cortex. We use the term ''polymap'' to refer to a cortical area which consists of more than one input system, interlaced in a globally topographic, but locally columnar fashion. The best known example of a cortical polymap is provided by the ocular dominance column system in layer IV of primate striate cortex, but the puff/extra-puff and orientation systems of surrounding layers also illustrate this concept, as do the thick-thin-interstripe columns of V-2, and the direction columns of MT. Since polymap architecture seems to be a common architectural pattern in neo-cortex, we have addressed the problem of computational modeling of polymap systems. In the present paper, we present an algorithm, based on the computational geometric constructs of Generalized Voronoi Polygon and Medial Axis, along with related image warps, which is capable of providing a general method for simulating polymap systems. We illustrate this idea with the ocular dominance column system of V-1, and show computer simulations of the structure of binocular stimuli, as they would appear at the level of layer IV in V-1. Comparison of these results to recent binocular 2DG experiments is presented, and methods of generalizing these techniques to other common polymap cortical areas are outlined. This work provides a demonstration of computational neuroscience. The basic anatomical structure of many neo-cortical areas cannot be understood even on a qualitative level, and certainly cannot be modeled, without the development of a detailed set of geometric structures and algorithms which make clear the relationship of an experimentally observed polymap to its afferent inputs.
On the optimum structure of progeny tests for recessive alleles

A method and an alternative for determining the optimum structure of a progeny test program designed to reduce the frequency of recessive alleles are described. Some of the limitations and possible applications are discussed.
The hexosamine biosynthesis pathway negatively regulates IL-2 production by Jurkat T cells

To test the hypothesis that the hexosamine biosynthesis pathway (HBP) affects cytokine production, we studied IL-2 production by Jurkat cells in response to PHA. We found that the HBP activator glucosamine (GlcN), but not glucose (Glc), dose-dependently reduced IL-2 production. Importantly, GlcN blocked trafficking of a GFP-NFAT chimeric protein to the nucleus of stimulated transfectants. Not surprisingly, changes in O-GlcNAc protein modifications were noted during cell activation with and without GlcN addition. These findings could not be explained by some non-specific change in cell metabolism because ATP concentrations did not significantly change. We speculate that HBP-active compounds may contribute to patient care in certain inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.
Communications Research and Development at NASA Glenn Research Center

AbstractOver the last several decades, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Glenn Research Center (GRC), formerly Lewis Research Center (LeRC) has performed research and technology development of aeronautic- and space-based communications in support of NASA and the nation. In the 1970s, GRC partnered with the Canadian Department of Communications through the Communications Technology Satellite (CTS) Project, in which GRC researchers were responsible for the development of critical technology components, such as the high-power, traveling-wave tube amplifier (TWTA), thereby pioneering the surge of television channels via satellite. For its efforts, LeRC was awarded an Emmy by the television industry. The decade of the 1980s served as a period for technology development that culminated in the launch of the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) in 1993. The ACTS demonstration of spot beam antenna technology resulted in an overall increase of efficiency in satellite communicat...
CHA2DS2-VASC VERSUS CHADS2 FOR STROKE RISK ASSESSMENT IN LOW-RISK PATIENTS WITH ATRIAL FIBRILLATION: DATA FROM NCDR-PINNACLE REGISTRY

The CHADS2 score is widely used to assess the risk of thromboembolic events in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Patients with score of 0-1 are considered ‘low risk’ and are often treated with aspirin alone. The CHA2DS2-VASc, which incorporates 3 additional risk factors, has been shown to
Fat Embolism in Childhood: Review With Report of a Fatal Case Related to Physical Therapy in a Child With Dermatomyositis

A child with dermatomyositis, calcinosis universalis, and osteoporosis died as a result of a physical-therapy-produced fracture and subsequent fat embolism syndrome. The possible etiologic relationship of "collagen diseases" and the fat embolism syndrome is considered, and it is suggested that osteoporosis, and not these diseases per se, is the predisposing factor. It is emphasized that the vigor with which physical therapy is applied must be curtailed in patients with significant osteoporosis.
Remote video surveillance systems

Unmanned Ground Sensors (UGS) have seen resurgence in recent years for use in a growing number of remote surveillance applications. These sensors can provide a wide range of information to assist an analyst in recognizing the type of intrusion detected. The addition of sensor cued imagers has also gained popularity in extending the recognition capabilities of sensors to allow identification of people and vehicles thereby expanding the mission capabilities of these systems. We are now on the brink of the next advance in remote surveillance - unmanned video - which promises to provide information far beyond recognition and identification of individuals. Knowledge of the intent of individuals operating within an Area of Interest (AOI) is possible with the retrieval of collected video. Three technologies are converging to drive remote video capability; (1) low power video processors allow advanced video functions including video compression and automated target tracking to be applied at the video input point, (2) high bandwidth tactical radio networks offering robustness and communication range beyond commercial networks are now available to exfiltrate the video, and (3) low power sensors provide the ability to maximize system operational life through power management of multiple tiers within the system. These advances have combined to create the Remote Video Surveillance Systems which promise a leap forward in the situational knowledge provided by unmanned systems.
The heat and products of detonation in a calorimeter of CNO, HNO, CHNF, CHNO, CHNOF, and CHNOSi explosives

Four pure explosives and two plastic-bonded explosives covering a wide range of product compositions were fired in a detonation calorimeter. Studies were made on differing elemental chemical systems including: A CNO system, benzotrifuroxan; an HNO system, hydrazine nitrate/hydrazine mixtures; a CHNF system, 1,2-bis(difluoroamino)propane; a CHNO system, cyclotetramethylene-tetranitramine (HMX), as a function of charge density; a CHNOF system, HMX/Viton-A; and a CHNOSi system, pentaerythritol tetranitrate/Sylgard Product compositions and heat releases were obtained that are representative of the isentropic expmsion of the detonation products. Observed products were compared to those calculated with a thermodynamic-hydrodynamic computer code.
Kinetic energy dependence of the reactions of N+ and N2+ with molybdenum

Abstract Mass-selected beams of N + and N 2 + in the energy range 5–50 eV react with molybdenum to produce a surface nitride. The relative reaction cross section for N + reaction is higher than that of N 2 + in the range 5–25 eV and N 2 + exhibits a reaction threshold near 7 eV. The N 2 + threshold suggests collisional dissociation prior to reaction.
Voice recognition software for clinical use.

The current generation voice recognition products truly offer the promise of voice recognition systems, that are financially and operationally acceptable for use in a health care facility. Although the initial capital outlay for the purchase of such equipment may be substantial, the long-term benefit is felt to outweigh the expense. The ability to utilize computer equipment for educational purposes and information management alone helps to rationalize the cost. In addition, it is important to remember that the Internet has become a substantial source of information which provides another functional use for this equipment. Although one can readily see the implication for such a program in clinical practice, other uses for the program should not be overlooked. Uses far beyond the writing of clinic notes and correspondence can be easily envisioned. Utilization of voice recognition software offers clinical practices the ability to produce quality printed records in a timely and cost-effective manner. After learning procedures for the selected product and appropriately formatting word processing software and printers, printed progress notes should be able to be produced in less time than traditional dictation and transcription methods. Although certain procedures and practices may need to be altered, or may preclude optimal utilization of this type of system, many advantages are apparent. It is recommended that facilities consider utilization of Voice Recognition products such as Dragon Systems Naturally Speaking Software, or at least consider a trial of this method with one of the limited-feature products, if current dictation practices are unsatisfactory or excessively costly. Free downloadable trial software or single user software can provide a reduced-cost method for trial evaluation of such products if a major commitment is not felt to be desired. A list of voice recognition software manufacturer web sites may be accessed through the following: http://www.dragonsys.com/ http://www.software.ibm/com/is/voicetype/ http://www.lhs.com/
Substitution of mivacurium for succinylcholine for ECT in elderly patients

Three cases are reported where pre-existing medical conditions (severe osteoporosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, cardiac arrhythmias) made the administration of succinylcholine during ECT potentially dangerous. Therefore, mivacurium was substituted as the muscle relaxant necessary for safe therapy. Full reversal of the non-depolarizing muscle relaxant was assured by post-reversal use of the peripheral nerve stimulator with full recovery of train-of-four response.