cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Psychosocial correlates of symptoms in functional dyspepsia

Background & Aims: Psychosocial factors may influence both symptom generation and reporting in functional dyspepsia. We determined the presence and severity of these factors as well as their relationship to dyspeptic symptoms in patients with functional dyspepsia and healthy subjects. Methods: A total of 151 consecutive patients with functional dyspepsia referred chiefly from primary care clinics and 90 healthy subjects rated 15 dyspeptic symptoms. Participants completed the Medical Outcomes Study SF-36 and Symptom Checklist-90–revised. Results: Functional dyspepsia patients reported significantly higher symptom scores, poorer quality of life, and greater psychiatric distress than healthy subjects. For both patients and healthy subjects, increasing symptom scores were associated with significant decreases in the Physical but not the Mental Components Summary of the Medical Outcomes Study SF-36. Although functional dyspepsia patients showed significantly greater psychiatric distress than healthy subjects, symptoms were correlated only modestly with scores on the Symptom Checklist-90–revised. A number of symptoms showed significant but modest correlations (rs
Appendiceal adhesion to synthetic mesh after laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy: a case report.

Minimally invasive alternatives to abdominal sacrocolpopexy have been shown to be equivalent with low overall complication rates. A small number of direct mesh-related gastrointestinal complications have been reported in the literature. Sacrocolpopexy with mesh retroperitonealization is recommended to minimize bowel adhesions. A 53-year-old nulligravid woman presented with persistent right lower-quadrant pain 1 year after laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy. The polypropylene mesh used during the case was retroperitonealized. Computed tomography (CT) prior to surgical exploration revealed no obvious pathology. On diagnostic laparoscopy, appendiceal adhesion to mesh requiring an appendectomy was observed. The patient’s symptoms resolved after surgical intervention. Appendiceal adhesion to surgical mesh leading to chronic discomfort is a potential complication of intraperitoneal synthetic mesh placement. Our case emphasizes that bowel adhesions may occur even after proper mesh retroperitonealization. Appendiceal adhesion to the surgical site is a potential complication of retroperitonealized synthetic mesh placement at the time of sacrocolpopexy.
Formation Of Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes Forrest Assemblies On Metal Surfaces

Learning how to purify and manipulate single wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) presents a unique challenge in material science. The processing-related difficulties of these long nano-fibers stem from their high aspect ratio, rigidity and the profound hydrophobic attractions along their tubular walls. Shortening them into discrete segments, with lengths from tens to hundreds of nanometers, presents a viable methodology to alleviate the shape-induced intractability. In addition, the metal-assisted self-organization of these nanosized objects into nano-forest geometries with dense perpendicular surface grafting, demonstrates that such nanosized objects hold significant promise for the development of nanoscale devices. This paper will present an extensive characterization of the topological characteristics of these assemblies, along with their surface coverage, growth characteristics and height fluctuation on iron hydroxide substrates.
Hippocampal sclerosis in tau-negative frontotemporal lobar degeneration

Tau-negative frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) can be divided into those with motor neuron disease (FTLD-MND), and those without MND, but with ubiquitin-immunoreactive neuronal inclusions (FTLD-U). Some authors group FTLD-U and FTLD-MND together as tau-negative FTLD, but others separate them on the basis of clinical, pathologic and imaging differences. In 103 cases of pathologically confirmed, tau-negative FTLD (FTLD-MND and FTLD-U), we assessed the frequency of hippocampal sclerosis defined as neuronal loss in the subicular or CA1 regions of the hippocampus. The subjects in the FTLD-U group were older at death and had longer disease duration. After adjusting for age at death and disease duration, we found a significant difference in the frequency of hippocampal sclerosis in the FTLD-U group (79%) compared to FTLD-MND group (26%) (p = 0.02). The difference in frequency of HpScl in FTLD-U compared to FTLD-MND is further evidence that they are separate clinicopathologic entities.
Highly scalable algorithms for rectilinear and octilinear Steiner trees

The rectilinear Steiner minimum tree (RSMT) problem, which asks for a minimum-length interconnection of a given set of terminals in the rectilinear plane, is one of the fundamental problems in electronic design automation. Recently there has been renewed interest in this problem due to the need for highly scalable algorithms able to handle nets with tens of thousands of terminals. In this paper we give a practical O(n log/sup 2/ n) heuristic for computing near-optimal rectilinear Steiner trees based on a hatched version of the greedy triple contraction algorithm of Zelikovsky (Algorithmica vol. 9, pp. 463-470, 1993). Experiments conducted on both random and industry test cases show that our heuristic matches or exceeds the quality of best known RSMT heuristics, e.g. on random instances with more than 100 terminals our heuristic improves over the rectilinear minimum spanning tree by an average of 11%. Moreover, our heuristic has very good runtime scaling, e.g. it can route a 34k-terminals net extracted from a real design in less than 25 seconds compared to over 86 minutes needed by the O(n/sup 2/) edge-based heuristic of Borah, Owens, and Irwin (Discrete Appl. Math. vol. 90, pp. 51-67, 1999). Since our heuristic is graph-based, it can be easily modified to handle practical considerations such as routing obstacles, preferred directions, via costs, and octilinear routing - indeed, experimental results show only a small factor increase in runtime when switching from rectilinear to octilinear routing.
Multiple-element transducers.

Multiple-element transducers, commonly called arrays, contain groups of transducer elements. The complete name of an array, such as the linear sequenced array, describes both how the array is constructed (linear) and how it is operated (sequenced); however, the names most often used are incomplete descriptions, such as the commonly used linear array. The arrays are arranged as a straight or a curved line of rectangular elements (linear or convex array) or concentric rings (annular array). Except for the annular array, which focuses the beam two-dimensionally but cannot steer it, the arrays electronically scan the ultrasound beam without mechanical movement. The image formats produced are a rectangle, parallelogram, and sector. To improve image quality, arrays can electronically focus the transmitted beam at a desired depth or at multiple depths to, in effect, achieve a long focal region. Focusing of received echoes is also accomplished electronically. Dynamic aperture and apodization also improve image qu...
Cooperative Enterprise: An Alternative Conceptual Basis for Analyzing a Complex Institution

A recent review of the theoretical literature on cooperative enterprise in agriculture concludes: "The formal treatment of agricultural co-operation is currently impoverished by a long period of neglect" (LeVay, p. 40). The years between the early 1940s and the early 1960s were a period of creative ferment among cooperative theorists, the most durable products of which were several variants of the model of the profit-seeking firm from neoclassical price theory, with the profit maximization objective replaced by other simple maximizing criteria (e.g., Enke, Helmberger and Hoos). Such models are capable of generating hypotheses about cooperative price and output levels, but more comprehensive theoretical analogues are necessary to investigate other important aspects of the modern, complex cooperative corporation in agriculture. It is the development of these latter that has suffered neglect. While the past two decades may have generated little progress in the futher development of cooperative theory, they have been productive years for the development of more comprehensive alternatives to the simple profitmaximization model to explain the behavior of the modem, complex investor-owned corporation. This development began with the ad hoc theorizing of the various "managerial theories of the firm," proceeded with the creation of a "new institutional economics" based on the concepts of transactions costs, property rights, and agency relationships, and is currently at the stage of integrating these previous developments into a generalized neoclassical theory of organizations (De Alessi). This paper is motivated by the belief that the evolving concepts of neoclassical organization theory hold considerable promise for the further productive development of cooperative theory. The purpose of the paper is to apply some of these concepts in cursory fashion to cooperative organizations and thereby suggest a framework for the eventual development of a more comprehensive organization theory of cooperatives.
Ethanol fuels: Energy security, economics, and the environment

Problems of fuel ethanol production have been the subject of numerous reports, including this analysis. The conclusions are that ethanol: does not improve U.S. energy security; is uneconomical; is not a renewable energy source; and increases environmental degradation. Ethanol production is wasteful of energy resources and does not increase energy security. Considerably more energy, much of it high- grade fossil fuels, is required to produce ethanol than is available in the energy output. About 72% more energy is used to ‘produce a gallon of ethanol than the energy in a gallon of ethanol. Ethanol production from corn is not renewable energy. Its production uses more non- renewable fossil energy resources in growing the corn and in the fermentation/distillation process than is produced as ethanol energy. Ethanol produced from corn and other food crops is also an unreliable and therefore a non-secure source of energy, because of the likelihood of uncontrollable climatic fluctuations, particularly droughts which reduce crop yields. The expected priority for corn and other food crops would be for food and feed. Increasing ethanol production would increase degradation of agricultural land and water and pollute the environment. In U.S. corn production, soil erodes some 18- times faster than soil is reformed, and, where irrigated, corn production mines water faster than recharge of aquifers. Increasing the cost of food and diverting human food resources to the costly and inefficient production of ethanol fuel raise major ethical questions. These occur at a time when more food is needed to meet the basic needs of a rapidly growing world population.
Thrombin induces endocytosis of endoglin and type-II TGF-β receptor and down-regulation of TGF-β signaling in endothelial cells

Thrombin activates protease-activated receptor 1 (PAR1) on endothelial cells (ECs) and is critical for angiogenesis and vascular development. However, the mechanism underlying the proangiogenic effect of thrombin has not been elucidated yet. Here, we report the discovery of a novel functional link between thrombin-PAR1 and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling pathways. We showed that thrombin via PAR1 induced the internalization of endoglin and type-II TGF-β receptor (TβRII) but not type-I receptors in human ECs. This effect was mediated by protein kinase C-ζ (PKC-ζ) since specific inhibition of PKC-ζ caused an aggregation of endoglin or TβRII on cell surface and blocked their internalization by thrombin. Furthermore, acute and long-term pretreatment of ECs with thrombin or PAR1 peptide agonist suppressed the TGF-β–induced serine phosphorylation of Smad2, a critical mediator of TGF-β signaling. Moreover, activation of PAR1 led to a profound and spread cytosolic clustering formation of Smad2/3 and markedly prevented Smad2/3 nuclear translocation evoked by TGF-β1. Since TGF-β plays a crucial role in the resolution phase of angiogenesis, the down-regulation of TGF-β signaling by thrombin-PAR1 pathway may provide a new insight into the mechanism of the proangiogenic effect of thrombin.
Inhibition of high-density growth arrest in human squamous carcinoma cells by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD)

The highly toxic environmental contaminant 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is a potent carcinogen and tumor promoter, and affects cellular proliferation and differentiation both in vivo and in vitro. This report presents data showing that TCDD enhances the proliferation of two human squamous carcinoma cell lines in monolayer culture by inhibiting growth arrest at high cell density. SCC-15G and SCC-25 cells were treated with 0-100 nM TCDD in culture medium, and examined for changes in proliferation and differentiation. TCDD stimulated increases in cell number and DNA synthesis of both cell lines, and inhibited differentiation of SCC-15G cells in a dose-dependent manner. The minimum effective concentrations for increases in proliferation were 0.1 nM in SCC-15G cells and 1 nM in SCC-25G cells. The saturation density of SCC-15G cells grown in 10 nM TCDD was approximately double that of untreated controls, while the saturation density of SCC-25 cells was 50% above controls. TCDD-induced increases in proliferation were detectable only in cells exposed at subconfluent density, then assayed after control cultures had reached high-density growth arrest. There was no difference in cell number or DNA synthesis between control and TCDD-treated cultures when cells were both treated and assayed during the logarithmic phase of growth, nor in cultures treated after the cells had reached high density growth arrest. Therefore, TCDD-induced proliferation resulted from failure of treated cells to undergo normal density-dependent growth arrest rather than from direct mitogenic stimulation of the cells. Differentiation (envelope competence and keratin staining) of SCC-15G cells was inhibited by TCDD, despite the fact that in these cultures cell density was twice that of the controls. The sensitivity of SCC-15G cells to modulation of growth and differentiation by TCDD provides the basis for a model to examine the biological mechanisms of TCDD-induced alterations in proliferation and differentiation of epidermal cells.
Community reponse to crime: Two middle-class anti-crime patrols

Abstract This paper examines two middle-class citizen patrols in the light of previous studies of patrols in lower- and working-class communities situated in very large urban areas. Consistent with previous research, our data show that patrol participation is related to the belief that citizens should play a role in crime prevention, to a slightly lower fear of crime, and to general social involvement. Contrary to previous findings, length of residence, age, and victimization were not found to be related to patrol participation. Patrol participants were more likely to believe that citizens have some responsibility for crime prevention and to have engaged in more anti-crime activities than nonparticipants. Residents strongly rejected the vigilante analogy and appeared, instead, to define patrol participation as a manifestation of good citizenship.
Maximizing system's total accrued utility value for parallel and time-sensitive applications

For a time-sensitive application, the usefulness or the quality of the application's end result depends on the time when the result is delivered, or when the application is completed. A Time Utility Function (TUF) is often used to represent the dependency between an application's accrued value and its completion time. For parallel and time-sensitive applications, each application has multiple tasks that must be executed concurrently in order to produce a result. Therefore, their execution occupies resources in two dimensions: spatial, i.e., the number of processing units needed to support concurrent tasks, and temporal, i.e., time duration needed to complete the application. Because of the parallelism and time-sensitive features of the applications, the execution interference among parallel and time-sensitive applications can be both in spatial and temporal domains. In this paper, we first introduce a metric to measure the spatial-temporal interference on applications' accrued values. Second, based on the metric, we develop a scheduling algorithm, i.e., the Discounting Spatial-Temporal Interference (DSTI) scheduling algorithm, to maximize system's total accrued utility value for a given set of parallel and time-sensitive applications. Our simulation results show that the proposed DSTI algorithm results in close to optimal solutions and also has clear advantage over existing approaches in the literature in terms of system total accrued utility values and profitable application ratio. It accrues up to 164%, 150%, and 97% more system value, and up to 21%, 35%, and 18% higher profitable application ratio than the Gang EDF, the FCFS with backfilling, and the 0-1 Knapsack based scheduling algorithms, respectively.
Liquid-state theory of anisotropic flexible polymer fluids

We extend the liquid-state theory of polymer fluids to include anisotropy as a key feature. The formalism is quite general. In determining the structure of anisotropic polymer fluids, it yields thermodynamic information as well. Our first application is to describe the nematic phases of flexible polymers, and to demonstrate a novel lyotropic transition.
GEOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION AND RELATIONSHIP OF OILS AND SOLID BITUMENS FROM SE TURKEY

Solid bitumens from the Seridhali vein, occurring in the Upper Cretaceous--Palaeocene Germav Formation, and five oils from different oilfields in SE Turkey, were investigated by a variety of organic geochemical methods. Based on biomarker distributions (pristane/ phytane, carbon number preference (CPI), norhopane/hopane, extended hopane distribution, pregnanes/regular steranes), a marine carbonate depositional environment is inferred for the source of these oils. The oils are "early mature", as indicated by their ethylcholestane 20S/20S+20R ratios, and the 17 alpha (H), 21 beta (H)-bishomohopane 22S/22S+22R ratios. Differences in relative abundance of some compounds typical of higher salinities in the depositional environment (docosane, pregnane) suggest different sources or facies variations within a common source. No aromatic sulfur compounds were detected in the oils.
An Evaluation of Radiographic Equipment and Procedures in 300 Dental Offices in the United States

As part of the development and testing of a dental practice quality assessment instrument, data were gathered regarding the radiological practices of a nationwide sample of 300 general dentistry offices. The distribution of assessment scores was compared for practice size (solo versus nonsolo) and practice age (1–19 years versus 20 or more years). Practice habits varied widely, from a high of 99% of the offices using a leaded apron to a low of 23% of the offices having a written policy regarding the use of ionizing radiation. Most offices successfully managed administrative items such as mounting and dating radiographs. However, for items such as radiographic exposure, tissue coverage, and radiographic interpretation, general performance was fair.
Epidermal cells are the primary phagocytes in the fragmentation and clearance of degenerating dendrites in Drosophila

During developmental remodeling, neurites destined for pruning often degenerate on-site. Physical injury also induces degeneration of neurites distal to the injury site. Prompt clearance of degenerating neurites is important for maintaining tissue homeostasis and preventing inflammatory responses. Here we show that in both dendrite pruning and dendrite injury of Drosophila sensory neurons, epidermal cells rather than hemocytes are the primary phagocytes in clearing degenerating dendrites. Epidermal cells act via Draper-mediated recognition to facilitate dendrite degeneration and to engulf and degrade degenerating dendrites. Using multiple dendritic membrane markers to trace phagocytosis, we show that two members of the CD36 family, croquemort (crq) and debris buster (dsb), act at distinct stages of phagosome maturation for dendrite clearance. Our finding reveals the physiological importance of coordination between neurons and their surrounding epidermis, for both dendrite fragmentation and clearance.
AN OVERVIEW OF SIMULATION, MODELING, AND ACTIVE CONTROL OF FLOW/ACOUSTIC RESONANCE IN OPEN CAVITIES

An overview of some recent advances in simulation, modeling, and control of flo w/acoustic resonance in flo ws over open cavities is provided. A wide variety of experiments utilizing differing actuator concepts, with both open and closed-loop control, have shown that significant attenuation of tones and broadband noise is possible. These are discussed in connection with recent advances in theoretical modeling and numerical simulation. Such work may ultimately provide accurate low-order models of cavity resonance that are suitable for robust and effective control over a wide range of flo w conditions. Several areas that will require further advances in our understanding of the flo w physics are highlighted.
Liberalism and Lifestyle: Informing Regulatory Governance with Behavioural Research

Regulators around the world are attempting to reconcile the changing demands of 21st century economies with the insights two schools of thought, New Governance and Behavioural Economics, are offering. The common emerging theme, expressed by the UK and American administrations as well as in other democracies around the world, is that instead of focusing solely on substantive prohibitions and adversarial enforcement, regulation should centre on designing processes and systems through which private ordering and individual decision-making are directed and improved. In its ideal, social science research is apolitical. Studies in psychology and economics, whether empirical or theoretical, are neither progressive nor conservative. They are meant to improve our understandings of how society operates. This article responds to central concerns about the behavioural enthusiasm which has pervaded regulators around the world: the concern that the shift away from traditional regulation is in fact a shift away from regulation and public action to an era of devolution and deregulation; the concern that the behavioural interventions that are adopted are paternalistic in their intent to direct, or, more disturbingly, manipulate, the lifestyles of private individuals; and the concern that we know too little both about what consists of healthy lifestyles and about the psychology of decision-making for us to accept programmatic policies based on behavioural nudges in field of health policy.
Cognitive and Behavioral Impairment in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Cognitive impairment in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is correlated with pathologic and radiographic changes in cerebral cortex beyond the motor regions. Clinically, evidence of impairment can be detected in up to 50 percent of patients through direct neuropsychological testing, although frank frontotemporal dementia (FTD) occurs in a limited percentage. Behavioral changes are also common and can be characterized primarily by the presence of increased apathy. Determining the underlying causes of cognitive or behavioral change may be confounded by several disease-related factors, including fatigue, respiratory compromise, depression, and treatment with medications such as riluzole. Studies assessing the evolution and relative risk for cognitive and behavioral impairment in ALS suggest at least two types of patients: those who have clear FTD in whom cognitive decline develops gradually and those who have mild cognitive or behavioral impairments in whom progression either does not occur or is difficult to detect. Limited data suggest that cognition and behavior influence compliance, management, and survival, although this requires further assessment.
Phosphorus Stress-Induced Proteoid Roots Show Altered Metabolism in Lupinus albus

Proteoid roots develop in Lupinus albus L. in response to nutrient stress, especially P. Proteoid roots excrete citrate and thus increase the availability of P, Fe, and Mn in the rhizosphere. In an effort to understand citrate synthesis and organic acid metabolism in proteoid roots of lupin, we have evaluated in vitro enzyme activities of citrate synthase (CS), malate dehydrogenase (MDH), and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) in proteoid and normal roots of plants grown with or without P. Organic acid concentrations, respiration rates, and dark 14CO2-labeling patterns were also determined. The in vitro specific activities of CS, MDH, and PEPC and in vivo dark 14CO2 fixation were higher in proteoid roots compared to normal roots, particularly under P stress. Western blot analysis showed that PEPC enzyme protein was more highly expressed in -P proteoid roots compared to other tissues. The majority of the fixed 14C was found in organic acids, predominantly malate and citrate. A larger fraction of citrate was labeled in P- stressed proteoid roots compared to other root tissue. Respiration rates of proteoid roots were 31% less than those of normal roots. The data provide evidence for increased synthesis of citrate in proteoid roots compared to normal roots, particularly under P stress. A portion of the carbon for citrate synthesis is derived from nonautotrophic CO2 fixation via PEPC in proteoid roots.
Autocratic Opposition to Freedom in Foreign States

In his message to Congress on January 6, 1941, President Roosevelt expressed the view that "no realistic American can expect from a dictator's peace . . . freedom of expression." I Similar statements are frequently made-that it would be difficult or impossible for the American people to preserve freedom of speech and the press if the Nazi philosophy and a victorious Germany should become dominant in Europe. Since freedom of speech and the press is vital to the persistence of democracy, the truth of this assertion should be examined. One element in any test of its truth is an analysis of the historical attitude of autocrats toward such freedom in foreign states and the attitude of the dictators of today. The fact is that autocrats have been and are rather consistent opponents of freedom everywhere. In the early period of the French Revolution, the Foreign Minister of the Austrian Empire made explicit protests to the French Ambassador against the toleration of newspapers "filled with statements menacing to all the sovereigns of Europe," 2 and the manifesto which the Prussian government issued on the outbreak of war with France condemned the government of the latter for having "tolerated ... even the most
Toledo Cathedral's lost 'magnifique livre de messes' recovered, and 'new' works by Boluda, Palomares and Navarro

In his conspectus of Toledo Cathedral's manuscript polyphonic choirbooks, Henri Collet (1913) mentioned a ‘magnifique livre des messes’. In his 1953 summary of its contents, Trumpff erroneously proposed 1696 as the manuscript's copying date. Reported ‘lost’ by Stevenson (1961), who suggested that it had been relocated to Germany, the manuscript in fact remained in Toledo where the author uncovered it in 2002. Now renumbered as ToleBC 35, it contains nine masses, including three hexachord masses by Morales, Palestrina, and Boluda, and two In exitus. In 1584 the sackbut player Alonso Gascon was paid 39,168 maravedis for copying its 233 paper folios. Between 1581 and 1594 Gascon also copied a number of fascicles now bound in ToleBC 8. The following compositions survive uniquely in the two Gascon choirbooks: the Missa Ut re mi fa sol la by the Toledo chapelmaster, Boluda, the Missa Usquequo Domine (on Guerrero's motet) by the otherwise unknown Palomares, Navarro's ostinato motet Laudate Dominum, and an anonymous Missa In te Domine speravi (on Jacquet's motet). Gascon's ToleBC 8 copy of Victoria's Missa Ascendens Christus can be dated to 1590, two years before its publication. This article presents a codicological study of ToleBC 35, examines the relationship between ToleBC 8 and ToleBC 35, discusses the repertory uniquely preserved in Gascon's choirbooks, and reveals Gascon as responsible for the copying of two polyphonic choirbooks now held at the monastery of Guadalupe.
Synthesis of polychlorinated dioxins over MSW incinerator fly ash to identify catalytic species

Abstract Physical and chemical characteristics of fly ash samples from thirteen U.S. MSW incinerators were tested for correlations with synthesized PCDD concentrations. The fly ash was previously extracted to remove all PCDD. Pentachlorophenol was then passed over the samples in flowing nitrogen at 300°C. Strong correlations may indicate catalytic activity for PCDD synthesis. Copper, potassium, sodium, sulfur, and zinc were positively correlated and aluminum was negatively correlated. These elements closely match those identified in our earlier studies using PCDD concentrations of the raw fly ash. No correlations were noted for carbon, chlorine, or physical parameters such as surface area or particle size distribution.
Ultrasonic Technology Decreases Wound Complications in Groin Dissection for Vascular Procedures

Methods: A retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from a single institution (Stony Brook University Medical Center) using the Vascular Quality Initiative database was performed. The research protocol was defined prior to initiating data collection. Included were consecutive pa- tients who underwent groin dissection with either electrocautery (group A) or ultrasonic devices (group B) during the following procedures: endovascu- lar aortic aneurysm repair, thoracic endovascular aortic aneurysm repair, lower extremity bypass, or hybrid peripheral vascular intervention. In-hospi- tal and outpatient records were reviewed to capture postoperative surgical site complications, and clinical outcomes were compared between the groups. Results: Over a 24-month period, 233 patients underwent peripheral vascular interventions that required 346 groin dissections. There were no significant differences in the risk profile of the patients between group A (n ¼ 135) and group B (n ¼ 98). Wound complications (hematoma, infec- tion, dehiscence, lymphocutaneous fistula, and seroma/lymphocele) occurred significantly less often in the ultrasonic group (group B: 7.2%) compared with the electrocautery group (group A: 28.5%; P < .0001). When looking at specific wound complications, use of the ultrasonic energy device significantly decreased the rate of lymphatic complications (2.1% vs 14.6%; P < .01) and wound dehiscence (0% vs 7%; P ¼ .01). Conclusions: The use of the ultrasonic energy device (Harmonic), when compared with electrocautery (Bovie) in surgical dissection of the groin, is associated with a lower rate of wound complications, specifically lymphatic leaks and wound dehiscence. Routine use of this alternative tool may help decrease surgical site complications in this particularly vulner- able area.
Frequency-independent beamformer with low response error

A method is developed for designing broadband beamformers with highly frequency-invariant behavior. The method combines harmonic nesting with filter-and-sum beamforming, yielding systems with efficient log-periodic transducer structures and plane wave responses which deviate from the desired response by less than 1% of the peak mainlobe response. In particular, null locations are very constant with frequency, allowing the nulling of directional broadband interference. A digital implementation covering audio frequencies (500-7200 Hz) is built and demonstrates results in good agreement with simulations, yielding deviations under 5% of peak response.
Preparation of Molecularly Imprinted Regenerated Cellulose Composite Membranes by Surface-Initiated Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization Method for Selective Recognition of Lysozyme

Novel types of polymeric membranes containing molecular recognition sites for selective recognition of lysozyme (Lyz) have been prepared using a surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization approach. The surface compositions of the regenerated cellulose (RC) membranes before and after polymerization were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis, which demonstrated that the molecular imprinting layer was successfully fabricated onto the surface of RC membranes. The selective recognition of Lyz molecularly imprinted membranes (Lyz–MIMs) for Lyz was evaluated by protein adsorption penetration tests. It was found that Lyz–MIMs have excellent adsorption capacity and specific recognition for Lyz adsorption from aqueous solutions. In the presence of competitive substances, a separation factor of 23.08 was achieved. The molecularly imprinted RC composite membrane is promising for separation and purification of specific protein compositions in biosamples. In addition, it may have good p...
Postmenopausal hormone therapy and Alzheimer's disease risk: interaction with age

We examined the relation between oestrogen containing hormone therapy (HT) used for more than 6 months and Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk in 971 postmenopausal women (426 AD patients, 545 relatives without dementia). There was a significant interaction between age and HT use on AD risk (p = 0.03). In stratified analyses, a significant protective association was seen only in the youngest age tertile (50-63 years; odds ratio = 0.35, 95% confidence interval = 0.19 to 0.66). Results must be considered cautiously in light of recent clinical trial evidence that oestrogen plus progestin increases dementia incidence in older postmenopausal women. However, our observational findings are consistent with the view that HT may protect younger women from AD or reduce the risk of early onset forms of AD, or that HT used during the early postmenopause may reduce AD risk.
I Have a Hunch 1

Abstract Using the same arguments that, in the 1960s, were successfully employed to establish the institutionally autonomous, non-reductive study of religion (generally understood as the public, institutionalized expression of a private experience, belief, or faith), this essay argues for the urgent need to establish a phenomenology and a hermeneutics of hunches—posited here as being among the only truly cross-cultural dispositions shared by all human beings.
KLEIN-GORDON EQUATION AND ROTATING BLACK HOLES

The Klein-Gordon equation for a scalar field of mass $\ensuremath{\mu}$ is analyzed in the geometry of a rotating black hole. It is shown that in the limit $\ensuremath{\mu}M\ensuremath{\ll}1$, i.e., particle Compton wavelength much larger than the size of the black hole, the scalar field is unstable with an $e$-folding time of $\ensuremath{\tau}={(\frac{a}{M})}^{\ensuremath{-}1}24{(\ensuremath{\mu}M)}^{\ensuremath{-}8}{\ensuremath{\mu}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$.
Diagnosis and treatment of juvenile endocrine disorders in puppies and kittens.

Endocrine and metabolic disorders affecting puppies and kittens from birth until 6 months of age may manifest as clinical problems related to growth, water metabolism (polydipsia or polyuria), or as episodic weakness. Endocrine and metabolic disorders that affect stature, such as pituitary or hypothyroid dwarfism, present to the veterinarian for assessment of delayed or aberrant growth. Conversely, juvenile-onset diabetes mellitus and diabetes insipidus cause excessive thirst, urination, and difficulty in housebreaking.
Experimental study of spin-exchange effects in elastic and ionizing collisions of polarized electrons with polarized hydrogen atoms

Using crossed beams of polarized electrons and polarized hydrogen atoms we have investigated the effect of spin exchange on 90\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} elastic scattering from 4.4 to 30.3 eV and impact ionization from 14.1 to 197.0 eV. Our results suggest that the range of validity of various theoretical approximation methods is more restricted than had been assumed previously.
RIG-ing an antitumor response

A small interfering RNA has been engineered to silence an oncogene and activate the immune response simultaneously. The approach shrinks tumors in mice ( pages 1256–1263 ).
Exploring the Veterinary Literature: A Bibliometric Methodology for Identifying Interdisciplinary and Collaborative Publications

Veterinary medical research traditionally focuses on animal health and wellness; however, research activities at veterinary colleges extend beyond these traditional areas. In this study, we analyzed eleven years of Web of Knowledge-indexed peer-reviewed articles from researchers at the twenty-eight United States American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) accredited veterinary colleges. We had three goals in assessing the published literature of veterinary college researchers. First, we identified a list of journals and research areas outside veterinary medicine in which veterinary researchers publish. This list of journals can be customized to identify those most essential at each institution. Second, we identified collaborative work by veterinary researchers across disciplines and institutions. Using textual analysis tools and visualizations helped us illustrate and clarify these data. Last, we developed a methodology for defining an interdisciplinary serials list outside a subject core that can be customized for specific institutions and subject areas.
Molecular basis for specificity in the druggable kinome: sequence-based analysis

Motivation: Rational design of kinase inhibitors remains a challenge partly because there is no clear delineation of the molecular features that direct the pharmacological impact towards clinically relevant targets. Standard factors governing ligand affinity, such as potential for intermolecular hydrophobic interactions or for intermolecular hydrogen bonding do not provide good markers to assess cross reactivity. Thus, a core question in the informatics of drug design is what type of molecular similarity among targets promotes promiscuity and what type of molecular difference governs specificity. This work answers the question for a sizable screened sample of the human pharmacokinome including targets with unreported structure. Results: We show that drug design aimed at promoting pairwise interactions between ligand and kinase target actually fosters promiscuity because of the high conservation of the partner groups on or around the ATP-binding site of the kinase. Alternatively, we focus on a structural marker that may be reliably determined from sequence and measures dehydration propensities mostly localized on the loopy regions of kinases. Based on this marker, we construct a sequence-based kinase classifier that enables the accurate prediction of pharmacological differences. Our indicator is a microenvironmental descriptor that quantifies the propensity for water exclusion around preformed polar pairs. The results suggest that targeting polar dehydration patterns heralds a new generation of drugs that enable a tighter control of specificity than designs aimed at promoting ligand--kinase pairwise interactions. Availability: The predictor of polar hot spots for dehydration propensity, or solvent-accessible hydrogen bonds in soluble proteins, named YAPView, may be freely downloaded from the University of Chicago website http://protlib.uchicago.edu/dloads.html Contact:[email protected], [email protected] Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Acetabular fractures: The role of total hip replacement

Total hip replacement (THR) after acetabular fracture presents unique challenges to the orthopaedic surgeon. The majority of patients can be treated with a standard THR, resulting in a very reasonable outcome. Technical challenges however include infection, residual pelvic deformity, acetabular bone loss with ununited fractures, osteonecrosis of bone fragments, retained metalwork, heterotopic ossification, dealing with the sciatic nerve, and the difficulties of obtaining long-term acetabular component fixation. Indications for an acute THR include young patients with both femoral head and acetabular involvement with severe comminution that cannot be reconstructed, and the elderly, with severe bony comminution. The outcomes of THR for established post-traumatic arthritis include excellent pain relief and functional improvements. The use of modern implants and alternative bearing surfaces should improve outcomes further.
Optical learning (inference) machines.

Two different approaches to decision aids are explored. In one, forced binary decisions are made. In the other, a set of a posteriori probabilities is calculated. In both cases fast inferences can be calculated by optical matrix operations.
MESTRANOL IN OVULATION SUPPRESSION.

The effect of ethinyl estradiol 3-methyl ether (EE3-ME) was investigated in 10 patients administered .10 mg. of Mestranol (EE3-ME) for 2 to 6 cycles. 100 mg progesterone was administered on Day 25 to control withdrawal bleeding. 100% Suppression of ovulation was demonstrated. Breakthrough bleeding occurred only in 1 patient during 1 cycle. Nausea occurring in 3 patients disappeared after 1 or 2 cycles. The endometrial changes were typical of prolonged estrogen stimulation. Cessation of treatment brought a return to normal secretory endometrium.
Mammographic Breast Density Assessment: A Methods Study

This pilot study was designed to find the best way to charac terize mammographic breast density for future epidemiologic studies. Fifty mammograms (24 high, 6 low, and 20 intermediate density mammograms, as defined by the original radiologist reading) were selected from women participating in a community medical surveillance program. Women were required to be Caucasian, 40-85 years old and have a Body Mass Index ≤30 at the time of the mammogram; and to have no history of breast cancer. Mammograms were selected by stratified random sampling on the year of mammogram and degree of density. The agreement between breast density category assignment using different methods was assessed using the kappa statistic. Substantial to perfect agreement was observed between density categories as determined from two radiologists’ readings (kappa statistic [K]=0.73). Perfect agreement was noted between two radiologists for high vs. intermediate (K=0.81) and high vs. low density combinations (K=0.86). When grouped by the year of the mammogram, substantial agreement was observed for all year intervals (K=0.77, 0.69, and 0.70). The agreement between density group assignment using information from digital images and using codes applied to the radiologist reading showed fair to moderate agreement (K 0.19-0.36). Using the radiologist reading for characterization of breast density from earlier conventional mammography films is better than using density quantification from digitized mammograms.
Further studies on the mechanism of alloxan diabetes, pancreatectomy and alloxan.

Summary(1) Further evidence has been presented to support the hypothesis that the secondary alloxan hypoglycemia is pancreatic in origin. (2) Fibrosis of part of the pancreas does not protect the islets in this part against the degenerative action of alloxan.
Agreement and Coverage of Indicators of Response to Intervention: A Multimethod Comparison and Simulation.

PURPOSE Agreement across methods for identifying students as inadequate responders or as learning disabled is often poor. We report (1) an empirical examination of final status (post-intervention benchmarks) and dual-discrepancy growth methods based on growth during the intervention and final status for assessing response to intervention; and (2) a statistical simulation of psychometric issues that may explain low agreement. METHODS After a Tier 2 intervention, final status benchmark criteria were used to identify 104 inadequate and 85 adequate responders to intervention, with comparisons of agreement and coverage for these methods and a dual-discrepancy method. Factors affecting agreement were investigated using computer simulation to manipulate reliability, the intercorrelation between measures, cut points, normative samples, and sample size. RESULTS Identification of inadequate responders based on individual measures showed that single measures tended not to identify many members of the pool of 104 inadequate responders. Poor to fair levels of agreement for identifying inadequate responders were apparent between pairs of measures In the simulation, comparisons across two simulated measures generated indices of agreement (kappa) that were generally low because of multiple psychometric issues inherent in any test. CONCLUSIONS Expecting excellent agreement between two correlated tests with even small amounts of unreliability may not be realistic. Assessing outcomes based on multiple measures, such as level of CBM performance and short norm-referenced assessments of fluency may improve the reliability of diagnostic decisions.
Cause Analysis and Settlement of Exhaust Pipes Crack in High Temperature Reheated Steam Pipe of 600MW Unit

The causes and settlements of exhaust pipes crack were analyzed.The reasons are that condensed water flow backwards to make heat circulating of high temperature tube,improper bracket installation leads to tube vibration.Variable diameter grade of large tube tiein produces stress concentration on tube variable diameter part.
Health Risk Assessment for Drinking Water in Two Villages along the Shaying River

Objective The health risks of drinking water in two villages at different distances from Shaying river were preliminary evaluated and compared.Method Based on the detection of major pollutants in drinking water,health risks induced by drinking water pathway were preliminary evaluated by health risk models.Results The health risks of drinking water in the two villages caused by carcinogens were ranked as Cr~(6+) As Cd.The risk values of Cr~(6+) and As were higher than the maximum acceptable levels recommended by ICRP(5.0 x 10"5 /a).The health risks caused by non carcinogens were ranked as F Pb Hg CN~- NH_3-N volatile phenols,exceeding the maximum acceptable levels(10~(-6) /a),and F-is the major risk factor.Conclusion The health risks of drinking water in the two villages existed,and the health risk value of drinking water in Baiguo village were appreciably higher,it is possibly due to its shorter distance to Shaying river.
The Liberal Arts and the University: Lessons for China in the History of Undergraduate Education in the USA and at the University of California

In this chapter, University of California (UC) Berkeley Chancellor Nicholas B. Dirks traces the origins of undergraduate education in the USA and at the UC, reviewing the liberal arts tradition in the context of the system of public higher education that developed in the USA. Through this chapter, Dirks argues that US public higher education and its blend of liberal learning in tension with pre-professional training has been immensely important to the nation, and is worth not only preserving, but also enhancing and strengthening, given its contributions to economic growth, innovation, socioeconomic mobility, civic engagement, and cultural vitality. He ends by articulating the growing importance of a liberal education to preparing students around the world for the challenges of life in the twenty-first century.