cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Risk factors for acquired megaesophagus in dogs

Objective To identify risk factors associated with acquired megaesophagus in dogs. Design Case-control study. Animals 136 dogs with acquired megaesophagus (case dogs); 272 dogs from the general hospital population and 151 dogs that underwent thyroid-stimulating hormone response tests (control dogs). All dogs were more than 6 months old. Procedure Medical records of dogs in which megaesophagus was diagnosed during a 10-year period were reviewed. Inclusion criteria included regurgitation or vomiting, onset of clinical signs at more than 6 months of age, and radiographic evidence of generalized esophageal dilatation. Dogs with intra- or extraesophageal obstructive disease, brain stem disease, or neck trauma were excluded from analyses. Statistical analyses included odds ratios, 95% confidence intervals, and two-tailed t-tests. Control dogs were frequency matched to case dogs on the basis of year of diagnosis. Results Dogs with megaesophagus ranged from 0.75 to 18 years old (mean, 8.1 years) and were significantly older and heavier than control dogs. More males than females were affected, but sex and reproductive status were not associated with megaesophagus. German Shepherd Dogs, Golden Retrievers, and Irish Setters were at increased risk for developing megaesophagus. Peripheral neuropathies, laryngeal paralysis, acquired myasthenia gravis, esophagitis, and chronic or recurrent gastric dilatation with or without volvulus were associated with an increased risk of developing megaesophagus. Hypothyroidism was not associated with megaesophagus. Clinical implications Dogs with acquired megaesophagus should be evaluated for peripheral neuropathies, laryngeal paralysis, acquired myasthenia gravis, esophagitis, and chronic or recurrent gastric dilatation with or without volvulus. These dogs may be evaluated for hypothyroidism; however, this study did not reveal a clear association between hypothyroidism and acquired megaesophagus.
18. Absence of the corpus luteum in early pregnancy increases the risk of preeclampsia

Introduction Assisted reproductive technology is associated with an increased risk of preeclampsia, but the reasons are poorly understood. The corpus luteum (CL) produces multiple vasoactive hormones in the first trimester of pregnancy which could affect initial placentation and later development of preeclampsia. Hypothesis We hypothesized that non-physiologic states present in in-vitro fertilization (IVF) such as absence of the CL could increase the risk of preeclampsia. Methods 892 infertile women were enrolled in this prospective cohort study. Four categories based on CL status were defined: (1) absence of the CL; (2) single CL; (3) multiple CL associated with ovulation induction; (4) multiple CL associated with controlled ovarian stimulation for IVF and fresh embryo transfer. Analysis focused on singleton pregnancies conceived with autologous oocytes resulting in live birth (n = 683). Multivariable logistic regression was used to control for covariates. Results Compared with conceptions occurring in the presence of one CL, conceptions occurring in the absence of a CL were associated with a higher incidence of preeclampsia (12.8% vs 4.8%, P = 0.02) and preeclampsia with severe features (9.6% vs 1.4%, P = Discussion Among singleton pregnancies after infertility resulting in live birth, those conceived in the absence of a CL were at increased risk for development of preeclampsia and preeclampsia with severe features.
VECSEL-Based Offset-Free Frequency Comb in the MIR

We demonstrate an offset-free 1.6 GHz frequency comb in the MIR spectral region (3.0-3.5 microns) based on a mode-locked VECSEL laser. The MIR comb utilizes a SiN waveguide for spectral broadening and DFG in PPLN crystal for down-conversion.
Parametric PV Grid-Support Function Characterization for Simulation Environments

Modern photovoltaic (PV) inverters and other inverter-based distributed energy resources (DER) have the ability to provide grid-support services with different advanced inverter functions. At this time, the nuanced influence of these functions on grid operations, including voltage regulation, frequency reserve deployments, protection systems, and other ancillary services is not fully understood. Researchers are increasingly turning to hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulations to answer renewable integration questions by coupling physical devices to power simulations. Unfortunately, it is common for these simulations to use ideal power converter models to represent the end-devices. In this paper, we perform parametric characterization of multiple PV inverter products to generate empirical equations which accurately describe the inverter behavior for volt-var, fixed power factor, and frequency-watt grid support functions over a range of operating conditions. These equations are designed for use in HIL and other power simulations to better represent the actual output of fielded equipment,
100 questions (and answers) about action research

Duesbery and Twyman have carefully selected 100 frequently asked questions about action research and categorized them into ten sections. Section one of the book provides a practitioner-friendly exp...
Leveraging the Cloud for Intelligent Clinical Data Registries

Public cloud platforms provide an amazing set of capabilities, but it can be an overwhelming challenge to create a design, implementation, and deployment that properly leverages today's existing public cloud capabilities while not precluding the use of near-future new services and infrastructure. We tackle this challenge in the context of clinical data registries, and create Cloud-based Patient Outcomes Platform (CPOP), our scalable public cloud application for clinical patient data. Doctors are able to visualize collected medical data in different chart formats and patients are able to check their data and submit medical survey forms. The specific domain of interest in this paper is Chronic Rhinosinusitis (CRS), a largely under-recognized chronic disease in our society. The primary barrier to quality improvement in CRS is the difficulty in collecting data from patients, tracking appropriate follow-up time intervals, and analyzing outcomes results in a prospective and ongoing fashion. We describe key aspects and design experiences of CPOP-CRS in Amazon Web Services.We also provide quantitative evaluation of a key feature of CPOP-CRS, which is the ability of CRS doctors to upload an audio clip of a doctor-patient interaction, and have the cloud render a text-based representation, and show a word error rate of 15.6%. We outline next steps in the development of the CPOP/CPOP-CRS, and provide guidance for other users considering the public cloud for their next parallel and cloud-based Bioinformatics and Biomedicine project.
Chapter Four: ‘Looking Outside Their Walls’: Exploring Community Health in Chicago Hospitals

The 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requires not-for-profit hospitals in the United States to conduct a community health needs assessment (CHNA) every three years. Hospitals are also required to develop an implementation plan addressing the needs observed in the CHNA, or provide reasons for not addressing these identified needs. The extent to which CHNAs account for the structural and social determinants of health is open to investigation, particularly when doing so may call on hospitals to go beyond a narrow focus on individual behaviours as the source of preventable morbidity and premature mortality. Our work examines CHNA reports from hospitals in Chicago, Illinois. Our analysis contrasts the first wave of reports (published in the 2012–2013 period) with a second wave of reports (published in the 2015–2016 period). Our results reveal considerable differences in how hospitals met their CHNA requirements, with only a small number of hospitals offering historically deep and community-driven reports in the first wave of CHNA. Important differences also existed in how hospitals conceptualised causality of health inequities in their service areas—in the first wave of reports, most hospitals focused on individual behaviours rather than the root causes of poor health in Chicago, including economic inequality, racism/discrimination, and other aspects of structural violence. By the second wave of the reports a more collaborative approach was taken and a substantially different message emerged, with more hospitals adopting the language of the structural determinants of health. We argue that CHNA reports—which are created at the link between public and private health systems—are an important vehicle through which to understand health inequities in the United States.
Mother-Infant Interaction During Postpartum Depression: A Metaphor Analysis.

BackgroundReported in quantitative studies is the negative impact that postpartum depression can have on mother–infant bonding. Metaphors can enhance mothers’ communication with their health-care p...
Reconfigurable Radios Employing Ferroelectrics: Recent Progress on Reconfigurable RF Acoustic Devices Based on Thin-Film Ferroelectric Barium Strontium Titanate

Wireless communication has become an integral part of our lives, continuously improving the quality of our everyday activities. A multitude of functionalities are offered by recent generations of mobile phones, resulting in a significant adoption of wireless devices and a growth in data traffic, as reported by Ericsson [1] in Figure 1. To accommodate consumers' continuous demands for high data rates, the number of frequency bands allocated for communication by governments across the world has also steadily increased. Furthermore, new technologies, such as carrier aggregation and multiple-input/multiple-output have been developed. Today's mobile devices are capable of supporting numerous wireless technologies (i.e., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, 3G, 4G, and others), each having its own designated frequency bands of operation. Bandpass filters, multiplexers, and switchplexers in RF transceivers are essential for the coexistence of different wireless technologies and play a vital role in efficient spectrum usage. Current mobile devices contain many bandpass filters and switches to select the frequency band of interest, based on the desired mode of operation, as shown in Figure 2. This figure presents a schematic of a generic RF front end for a typical mobile device, where a separate module is allocated for the filters. Each generation of mobile devices demands a larger number of RF filters and switches, and, with the transition toward 5G and its corresponding frequency bands, the larger number of required filters will only add to the challenges associated with cell-phone RF front-end design.
Xenotransplantation and the NASW Code of Ethics

Purpose: As medical technology develops, the profession of social work will need to expand its boundaries to better define the role of the social worker in experimental medicine, such as xenotransp...
Forelimb Cortical Stroke Reduces Precision of Motor Control in Mice.

Background and Objective. Rodent models of stroke impairment should capture translatable features of behavioral injury. This study characterized poststroke impairment of motor precision separately ...
High-Throughput Manufacture of 3D Fiber Scaffolds for Regenerative Medicine.

Engineered scaffolds used to regenerate mammalian tissues should recapitulate the underlying fibrous architecture of native tissue to achieve comparable function. Current fibrous scaffold fabricati...
Prevalence and associations of incidental nonvenous duplex findings discovered during lower extremity venous imaging

Abstract Objective Venous duplex imaging defines venous pathology (VP). Unexpected clinically relevant findings are also found but rarely mentioned in the literature. This study aims to define the prevalence of ancillary findings (nonvenous duplex) by study type and venous outcome and subgroup associations with primary study indication and risk factors. Methods Our vascular laboratory database was queried for lower extremity venous duplex studies with comments regarding ancillary findings and associated patient demographics, primary study indication, associated conditions, and venous study outcome. Results There were 52,215 venous studies performed, 48,425 to evaluate for venous occlusion (acute/chronic) and 3790 for venous reflux. Of these studies, 15,810 found VP and 36,405 found no venous disease. There were 875 studies with venous disease that had ancillary duplex findings (5.5%) noted as 559 (3.5%) with prominent lymph node(s) (LN), 179 (1.1%) Baker's cyst (BC), 44 (0.3%) hematoma/mass (HM), 31 (0.2%) arterial aneurysm, and 16 (0.1%) arterial occlusion. There were 3130 studies free of VP with ancillary findings (8.6%) noted as 2258 (6.2%) prominent LN(s), 626 (1.7%) BC, 156 (0.4%) HM, 37 (0.1%) arterial aneurysm, and 22 (0.06%) arterial occlusion. The overall prevalence of ancillary findings was 8.62%. Analysis demonstrated statistically more ancillary findings in venous occlusion (odds ratio [OR], 1.25) studies, which was the largest group at 13 to 1. Studies free of venous disease had more ancillary findings (P Conclusions Ancillary findings are not uncommon and are more common in studies found free of VP. The most common are LNs, BC and HM and, within subgroups, significant leg symptoms favors the presence of ancillary findings without coexisting venous disease. Ancillary findings should be an integral part of a quality report.
Comparison of the Effect of Coil Configuration and the Variability of Anatomical Structure on Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive technique that uses transient magnetic field generated from electromagnetic coils in inducing electric field to stimulate the neurons of the brain. Various researchers have proposed coil designs for TMS aimed at achieving high focality and increased penetration depth of the induced electric field in the brain. In this article, the authors compare the figure of eight (FOE) coil, quadruple butterfly coil (QBC), and triple halo coil (THC) on different head models to confirm the effect of coil configuration on the induced electric field. Finite element simulations were conducted with Sim4life software to determine the maximum electric field intensity, E-Max (V/m) and the stimulated volume of the brain, V-Half ( $\text{m}^{3}$ ). The coils were positioned on the head model and at the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) location of the head model, and the E-Max and V-Half values were compared for the different head models to confirm the effect of coil configuration and the variability of the anatomical structure.
Indications of a T = 0 Quantum Phase Transition in SrTiO 3

We have been investigating the effects of electric fields on ${\mathrm{SrTiO}}_{3}$ for temperatures in the range from 1.6 to 50 K. Measurements of the electric-field-induced strain show a clear signature with increasing field of a crossover from electrostrictive to piezoelectric behavior. The strain versus voltage data scale to a single curve, which we interpret as evidence for a $T\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}0$ quantum phase transition. The coefficient of electrostriction appears to diverge as $T\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0$, further suggestive of a $T\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}0$ phase transition.
The flipped third fragment in femoral shaft fractures: A reason for open reduction?

Abstract Objectives First introduced by Kuntscher in the 1940s, closed intramedullary nailing of femoral shaft fractures has become the standard of care, with reported union rates up to 99% in some series. However, fractures with large intercalary segments, which are present in 10-34% of femoral shaft fractures, present unique challenges. In particular, how to treat flipped intercalary segments has remained controversial, with some advocating open reduction of these fractures. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the union rates of femoral shaft fractures with flipped intercalary segments treated with closed reduction and intramedullary nail fixation. Methods A retrospective review of patients with femoral shaft fractures and flipped intercalary segments from January 2000 until January 2018 was performed at a single academic level one tertiary care referral center. All patients between the ages of 16-80 with minimum 6-month follow-up were included. Union rates were evaluated using the radiographic union score of the femur (RUSF). Patients with non-diaphyseal femur fractures, pathologic fractures, incomplete radiographic or clinical follow-up, or open reduction at the time of initial surgery were excluded. Results Twenty-six patients (18 male and 8 female) with a mean age of 32 years (SD 12.8, range 19-65 years) and mean follow-up of 15.9 months (range, 6–82 months) met inclusion criteria. Seven patients had open fractures. The mean size of the flipped intercalary segments was 71.3 mm (range: 30-174 mm), with mean displacement of 6.6 mm (range: 1-37 mm). The mean radiographic union scale in femoral (RUSF) at 6 months was 9 (standard deviation: 1.35). There were two patients who went on to non-union. The overall union rate was 92% (24 patients); the non-union rate was 8% (2 patients). Conclusions Though uncommon, femoral shaft fractures with flipped intercalary segments present unique challenges to surgical treatment. While previous studies have found the presence of large intercalary segments to be associated with higher rates of non-union, the results of this study challenge prior evidence. In conclusion, the presence of flipped intercalary segments may not require different surgical management than the treatment of conventional femoral shaft fractures. Level of evidence IV
Nebraska snowfall: a climatological perspective

Daily observations from a gridded snow dataset are analyzed for the state of Nebraska from 1900 to 2009, evaluating spatiotemporal variability and trends in snowfall throughout the seasonal cycle. ...
Integrated silicon-nitride nonlinear photonics

Over the past decade, the development of CMOS-compatible silicon technology has provided a novel platform for integrated nonlinear photonics, offering a path towards chip-scale devices for applications including spectroscopy, frequency metrology, and optical computing. The high optical confinement achieved in the silicon-based platform allows for large effective nonlinearities along with the ability to tailor the group-velocity dispersion of the device, which is essential for phase-matched parametric nonlinear interactions such as four-wave mixing. Here, we discuss nonlinear photonics applications based on silicon-nitride microresonators, including Kerr optical frequency combs and degenerate optical parametric oscillators for photonic spin glass.
Destination development by sport event tourism (SET): a case study of Thailand

Thailand is a canvas of opportunity upon which to design the quintessential pleasure dome of tourism through sports events if the socio-economic and political obstacles can be circumnavigated. Thai...
Leisure boredom, leisure challenge, smartphone use, and emotional distress among U.S. college students: are they interrelated?

Previous leisure researchers have investigated the effects of leisure boredom and leisure challenges on smartphone use and related health outcomes. In this study, we aimed to determine how these re...
Towards a network theory of regulatory burden

Government overlap creates problems for the public and private sector across several government systems. Research suggests that overlap burdens the political and economic system by increasing costs in terms of money, time, and complexity, decreasing innovation and investment, and dampening economic growth. Previous research has identified frameworks for categorizing regulatory overlap. However, the literature has not considered factors that contribute to regulatory overlap nor effective methods for its reduction. This research introduces a proxy measure for regulatory overlap which measures the regulatory burden that a federal agency imposes within the regulatory system. This research proposes a network theory of regulatory burden which finds that burden is a function of network properties characterizing a federal agency’s position within the regulatory system. This research suggests that the federal government may reduce occurrences of regulatory overlap by managing its regulatory network and fostering collaboration among federal agencies within the regulatory system.
Using Deep Learning to Overcome Privacy and Scalability Issues in Customer Data Transfer

Customer privacy is increasingly important to marketers. High-profile breaches of databases containing sensitive customer information, and the growing need to build the infrastructure required to support analysis of big data, present nontrivial obstacles to researchers seeking individual-level customer data from firms. In this paper, we show that recent developments in machine learning may enable firms to transfer a generative model, instead of data, thus potentially obviating the process of anonymizing and sampling customer data for release, for use in a variety of analytic use cases. We demonstrate the efficacy of a specific deep learning model, Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), in preserving desired characteristics of original data. In real-world settings, we find that GANs can double the accuracy as compared to the best benchmark methods. We also demonstrate that GANs can be used to solve marketing problems of price markups for optimal profits and customer targeting, and that a single GAN can tackle multiple marketing problems. Furthermore, GANs have volume and velocity advantages, as the size of informational transfer grows according to model complexity, and it can readily handle real-time data streams.
Asset Values and the Credibility of Peace Agreements

Continuous violent conflict is a central cause of economic stagnation in many of the world’s poorest countries. Peace agreements are one common tool used to attempt to break these ‘conflict traps.’ However, these agreements often fail due to the lack of a clear and credible commitment by the parties involved in the contract. We contend that long-term financial asset values will reflect the credibility of the participants to peace agreements because the expectation of sustained peace will result in higher long-term asset prices. We utilize equity index prices from Sri Lanka to test our theory. We also consider the accuracy of equity prices versus other predictors of credibility including exchange rates and survey responses. Our conclusion is that long-term financial asset prices indicate the likelihood of conflict or peace and can inform policies as they relate to conflict-torn states.
Yoda would be proud: valves for land plants

Stomata are structures in the plant epidermis that control the exchange of gases between the plant and its environment. In his Perspective, [Sack][1] discusses new work ([ Bergmann et al .][2]) that identifies the kinase YODA as a key regulator of the formation of stomata in the model plant Arabidopsis. [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/304/5676/1461 [2]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/304/5676/1494
The development of middle school students' inquiry strategies in project-based science classrooms

Inquiry is an essential component of science learning (Lunetta, in press; Roth, 1995). New constructivist and social constructivist approaches to science instruction feature inquiry as essential for student learning. These approaches assume that students need opportunities to find solutions to real questions by asking and refining questions, designing and conducting investigations, gathering and analyzing information and data, making interpretations, drawing conclusions, and reporting findings. A number of programs have been developed that stress engaging students in inquiry. Examples include Scientists in Action developed by the Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt (1992), Linn's (in press) Computers as Learning Partner, Songer's (1993) Kids as Global Scientists, Brown and Campione's (1994) Community of Learners, and Peas' (1992) Collaborative Visualization.
Role of nutritional fatty acid and L-carnitine in the final outcome of thioacetamide hepatotoxicity.

Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 10/group) were fully protected from a lethal dose (600 mg/kg, i.p.) of thioacetamide by adding 8% (w/w) palmitic acid to the diet and L-carnitine (2 mg/ml) to drinking water for the previous 7 days. Supplements of palmitic acid or L-carnitine alone did not confer protection. Liver injury induced by thioacetamide peaked between 36 and 48 h in both control and supplemented rats. Liver damage regressed thereafter in supplemented rats but progressed in control rats. Immunohistochemical and histopathological observations confirmed biochemical indicators of liver damage. Thus, hepatic tissue repair after thioacetamide-induced tissue injury seems to be stimulated by supplements of fatty acids together with L-carnitine, a mitochondrial transfer agent. The extent to which nutritional supplements may aid in inducing the recovery of liver from injury caused by other hepatotoxic agents remains to be explored.
A Novel Approach to Interprofessional Education: Interprofessional Day, the Four-Year Experience at the Medical University of South Carolina

Background : In order to introduce students to different disciplines and promote interprofessional teamwork, the Medical University of South Carolina developed an innovative educational program, Interprofessional (IP) Day, for all first- and second-year health professions students. The IP Day Committee, composed of representatives from each of the six colleges (pharmacy, nursing, medicine, graduate studies, health professions, and dental medicine), coordinates the day's activities. The morning session (for second-year students only) and the afternoon session (for first-year students only) each begin with a large group meeting where an invited speaker details the concept and implementation of interprofessional teamwork. Following the speaker, students divide into small discussion groups containing at least one student from each of the six colleges and led by a faculty member and student facilitators. The first-year session introduces the role of each discipline (e.g., occupational therapy, nursing). The second-year session promotes teamwork among the professions via a case discussion. Methods and Findings: We assessed the students' satisfaction with the program and measured their attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Results from a formative evaluation of the IP Day suggest improved knowledge about other healthcare professions after participating in interprofessional day, particularly for first-year students. Conclusions: IP Day lays the groundwork for our students' successful interprofessional collaborative experience at MUSC, a paramount university goal.
The Deformational Environment of the Haleakala Lunar Laser Ranging Observatory

The University of Hawaii is initiating a geodetic- geophysical program in support of the Lunar Laser Ranging at Haleakala, Maui, Hawaii. The program is aimed at measuring and understanding possible motion of the observatory site with respect to its surroundings, so that local and regional movement can be separated from the more general plate motion, as referred to other lunar ranging or VLBI stations.
Controls over native perennial grass exclusion and persistence in California grasslands invaded by annuals

Despite obvious impacts of nonnative species in many ecosystems, the long-term outcome of competition between native and exotic species often remains unclear. Demographic models can resolve the outcome of competition between native and exotic species and provide insight into conditions favoring exclusion vs. coexistence. California grasslands are one of the most heavily invaded ecosystems in North America. Although California native perennial bunchgrasses are thought to be restricted to a fraction of their original abundance, the eventual outcome of competition with invasive European annual grasses at a local scale (competitive exclusion, stable persistence, or priority effects) remains unresolved. Here, we used a two-species discrete time population growth model to predict the outcome of competition between exotic annual and native perennial grasses in California, and to determine the demographic traits responsible for the outcome. The model is parameterized with empirical data from several field experiments. We found that, once introduced, annual grasses persist stably with little uncertainty. Although perennial grasses are competitively excluded on average, the most likely range of model predictions also includes stable coexistence with annual grasses. As for many other perennial plants, native bunchgrass population growth is highly sensitive to the survival of adults. Management interventions that improve perennial adult survival are likely to be more effective than those that reduce exotic annual seed production or establishment, reduce competition, or increase perennial seedling establishment. Further empirical data on summer survival of bunchgrass adults and competitive effects of annuals on perennials would most improve model predictions because they contribute most to the uncertainty in the predicted outcome for the perennial grass. This work demonstrates how demographic approaches can clarify the outcome of competition between native and exotic species, identify key targets for future empirical work, and predict the effectiveness of management interventions. Such studies are critical both for understanding the impacts of invasion and for targeting management responses that maximize the benefit to native species.
Talar Neck Fractures: Results and Outcomes

Background:Talar neck fractures occur infrequently and have been associated with high complication rates. The purposes of the present study were to evaluate the rates of early and late complications after operative treatment of talar neck fractures, to ascertain the effect of surgical delay on the d
Microbial growth dynamics and human disease

How do human-associated microbial communities contribute to health and disease? To answer this, scientists have been exploring changes in the gut microbiota between individuals, and even across generations and continents ( 1 , 2 ). Large genome sequence data sets are producing tally sheets of bacteria in time and space throughout disease courses ( 3 , 4 ). One challenge has been to determine the metabolic state of these microbial communities to identify bacteria that are responding to a perturbation and/or driving disease pathogenesis ( 5 , 6 ). On page 1101 of this issue, Korem et al. ( 7 ) explore metagenomic DNA sequence data sets to estimate growth rates (metabolic states) of bacterial taxa in a microbial community.
PAROXYSMAL ATRIAL FIBRILLATION IS ASSOCIATED WITH EXERCISE INTOLERANCE AMONG INDIVIDUALS WITH HYPERTROPHIC CARDIOMYOPATHY

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia among patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The relationship between AF and exercise capacity in this population is incompletely understood. We analyzed the association between AF and exercise capacity in a large HCM cohort. Patients
Phylogenetic relatedness within the genus Erysiphe estimated with morphological characteristics

The genus Erysiphe has been suggested as an ancestral form within the Erysiphaceae characterized by a set of shared, relatively primitive morphological characters and may in fact be polyphyletic. H...
The relationship between use of CBT skills and depression treatment outcome: a theoretical and methodological review of the literature

Cognitive and behavioral therapies emphasize the importance of skill acquisition and use, and these skills are proposed to mediate treatment outcomes. Despite its theoretical importance, research on skill use as a mechanism of change in CBT and its measurement is still in its infancy. A search of online databases was conducted to identify and review the literature testing the meditational effect of CBT skills on treating depression in adults. Additionally, we reviewed the various methods to assess a patient's use of CBT skills. We identified 13 studies examining the frequency of CBT skill use and 11 studies examining the quality of CBT skill use. While the literature provides preliminary evidence for the mediational role of CBT skill use frequency and quality on depression treatment outcomes, methodological limitations in much of the existing literature prevent firm conclusions about the role of skills use on treatment outcomes.
Electron-hole pair production and gunn effect in InSb☆

Abstract A study of the low and high field transport properties, the Gunn effect and avalanche breakdown as a function of pressure in n-InSb has been used to obtain information about the properties of higher conduction band minima and impurity levels associated with them.
Does selective intubation increase ablation zone size during pulmonary cryoablation

Purpose To determine the effect of selective intubation on ablation zone size during pulmonary cryoablation. Materials and Methods Selective bronchial intubation and aeration was performed in three domestic swine. A total of 20 cryoablations (ventilated, n = 10; nonventilated, n = 10) were performed. The animals were immediately sacrificed, and their lungs were removed and sectioned along the axis of ablation in 5-mm intervals. The diameter and area of the ablation zone were recorded, and the isoperimetric ratio (measure of circularity) and estimated volume were calculated. Results There was no significant difference in maximum diameter, minimum diameter, area, circularity, or estimated volume of the ablation zones between the aerated and nonaerated groups (mean diameter, 2.4 cm vs 2.4 cm, respectively, P = .99; area, 4.6 cm 2 vs 4.8 cm 2 , P = .7; circularity, 0.94 vs 0.94, P = .99; estimated volume, 11.5 cm 3 vs 11.3 cm 3 , P = .99). Conclusions In contrast to radiofrequency ablation, selective bronchial intubation did not have a significant effect on the resulting ablation zones. This suggests that selective intubation may not be warranted in the setting of pulmonary cryoablation.
Beck Depression Inventory for depression screening in substance-abusing adolescents

Co-occurring major depressive disorder (MDD) in adolescents with substance use disorders (SUD) has been linked to poor treatment outcomes. Use of validated depression screens in adolescent SUD populations may improve the detection of depression. In this study, we evaluated the diagnostic efficiency of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) in detecting MDD, as assessed by psychiatrists administering the Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents, and its factor structure, internal consistency, and discriminant validity in a clinical sample of adolescents with SUD (n = 145). Results indicate that BDI scores of 12 and higher had the most optimal sensitivity (73%), whereas BDI scores of 17 and higher, the most optimal specificity (75%). Five factors accounted for approximately 56% of the variance. Overall, internal consistency was high, and the BDI adequately discriminated MDD from non-MDD cases. Results support the use of BDI as a screen for MDD with moderate to high psychometric properties in an adolescent SUD sample.
A Review of Thin Film Resistors and their Assembly Problems

This paper will be presented in two parts. Part 1, after an introduction to thin film resistor technology, gives a review of thin films and other resistors, followed by designer's considerations when using resistors and networks. Part 2 will deal with assembly problems.
Copyright in the networked world: moral rights

In copyright law, the principle of moral rights is that some part of the creator’s personality has gone into each original work, and that that element of personality cannot be sold or transferred. Moral rights are not about money, which is readily divisible, but about concepts like reputation and integrity, which are not. This column offers three examples of international collaborations where moral rights expectations could clash. At present the best remedy for moral rights disputes in the neworked environment is for all parties to understand the potential for diverging expectations.
As-salaam alaikum, my sister, peace be unto you: The honorable elijah muhammad and the women who followed him

Abstract The Honorable Elijah Muhammad's ministry drew a steady stream of converts into his Nation, an organization designed to return the “so-called Negro” back to his glorious ancient past. According to Muhammad, the first step in this journey was the control and protection of Black women. He made it abundantly clear that wives had to be obedient to their husbands. Yet he also demanded that Black men learn to love and respect their women. This rhetoric helped to camouflage gender inequalities and enticed Black women into the Nation, despite its patriarchal core. Demonstrating masculinity was a constant for Nation men and during the dispute over Elijah Muhammad's seduction of his secretaries, he and his famous Minister Malcolm X struggled over different types of masculinity. Throughout the history of the Nation, Muhammad never changed his agenda in terms of appropriate roles for women and men, and women struggled to create a balance between his rules, the Qur'an, and their political and personal desires.
Y2K: An "Autopsy" of Modern Society?

The Policy Forum “The Y2K problem” by Robert F. Bennett ( Science 's Compass, 16 Apr. p. [438][1]), was an excellent follow-up to the special issue of Science on Complex Systems (2 April). Within the next 12 months we shall learn just how interconnected and interdependent the institutions of
Morphological changes in Streptococcus sanguis associated with growth in the presence of oxygen

Abstract Cells of Streptococcus sanguis strain G9B had typical streptococcal morphology when grown in a nitrogen atmosphere (N-cells) but had greatly altered morphology when grown in the presence of oxygen (O-cells). Phase and electron microscopy revealed that O cells were considerably enlarged and contained many septal notches. In addition, the growth of Strep. sanguis was markedly inhibited by oxygen. After 24 hr of growth, fewer than 1 per cent of the total number of cells in the O-culture remained viable. Indirect evidence suggests that the adverse eflects of oxygen on the growth and morphology of Strep. sanguis appear to be due to the aerobic accumulation of toxic levels of hydrogen peroxide.
The natural production of organobromine compounds

Organobromine chemicals are produced naturally by an array of biological and other chemical processes in our environment. Some of these compounds are identical to man-made organobromine compounds, such as methyl bromide, bromoform, and bromophenols, but many others are entirely new moleclar entities, often possessing extraordinary and important biological properties. Although only a few natural organobromine compounds had been discovered up to 1968, this number as of early 1999 is more than 1,600, and new examples are being discovered continually. Organobromine compounds are produced naturally by marine creatures (sponges, corals, sea slugs, tunicates, sea fans) and seaweed, plants, fungi, lichen, algae, bacteria, microbes, and some mammals. Many of these organobromine compounds are used in chemical defense, to facilitate food gathering, or as hormones.
Maximal motor unit discharge rates in the quadriceps muscles of older weight lifters

LEONG, B., G. KAMEN, C. PATTEN, and J. R. BURKE. Maximal motor unit discharge rates in the quadriceps muscles of older weight lifters. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 31, No. 11, pp. 1638–1644, 1999. Although the existence of “neural factors” is regularly cited as an important contributor to muscular
An Insurance Pricing Game

Understanding data and statistical distributions is a fundamental part of an undergraduate business student's education. The insurance pricing game presented here gives the students a unique way to apply statistical analysis in the classroom. The game requires decision making about risk with limited information. Specifically, the students must decide what “premium” to charge the members of a hypothetical risk pool. The game provides teachers with a discussion platform for numerous aspects of insurer risk pooling.
Magnetic ordering and exchange interactions in the rare-earth gallium compounds R Ga 2

Magnetic ordering and indirect exchange interactions were studied in the series of hexagonal rare-earth intermetallic compounds $R{\mathrm{Ga}}_{2}$, where $R$ denotes Ce, Pr, Nd, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, and Er. The magnetic susceptibility ($\ensuremath{\chi}$) of polycrystalline samples was measured at low fields, from 1.5 K to about 300 K; the magnetization ($M$) versus applied magnetic field ($H$) of these polycrystalline samples and a Ho${\mathrm{Ga}}_{2}$ single crystal was measured up to 80 kOe at low temperatures; the resistivities ($\ensuremath{\rho}$) of Ce${\mathrm{Ga}}_{2}$, Gd${\mathrm{Ga}}_{2}$, Dy${\mathrm{Ga}}_{2}$, and Ho${\mathrm{Ga}}_{2}$ were measured from about 1.5 K to about 300 K, at zero field. The $\ensuremath{\chi}(T)$ and $M(H)$ results indicated that the samples order antiferromagnetically, with ordering temperatures ${T}_{N}$ ranging from 6.4 K for Dy${\mathrm{Ga}}_{2}$ to 14.8 K for Tb${\mathrm{Ga}}_{2}$. $M(H)$ results for single-crystal Ho${\mathrm{Ga}}_{2}$ show that the [100] direction is the easy direction and the [001] direction is the hard direction. High-temperature $\ensuremath{\chi}(T)$ results were fitted to the Curie-Weiss formula and the resulting effective moments are in good agreement with those expected for trivalent rare-earth ions. The paramagnetic Weiss temperatures ($\ensuremath{\Theta}$) are positive for all the samples measured except Gd${\mathrm{Ga}}_{2}$. The effects of magnetic ordering were observed below ${T}_{N}$ in the resistivity results. Letting the spin-disorder part of the resistivity ${\ensuremath{\rho}}_{s}$ be proportional to ${T}^{n}$, $n$ was determined to be about 2.0, 4.3, and 3.3 for Ho${\mathrm{Ga}}_{2}$, Gd${\mathrm{Ga}}_{2}$, and Dy${\mathrm{Ga}}_{2}$, respectively. In view of the theory of Mannari for ${\ensuremath{\rho}}_{s}$, these differences may be connected with differences in the spin structures of these compounds. Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) sums have been calculated for these compounds. The negative sign of the sum is in agreement with the anitiferromagnetic properties observed in various measurements. For Ho${\mathrm{Ga}}_{2}$, the dressed moment, due to polarization of conduction electrons, has been estimated. The theory of Nagamiya was applied to three of the compounds which can be considered as a layer compound with long-range ferromagnetic intralayer coupling and antiferromagnetic coupling between a layer and its nearest-neighbor layers. With one possible exception, the data are consistent with the theory which contains three exchange coefficients. Crystal-field-induced anisotropy appears to be important in determining the spin structures of these compounds.
5-HT precursor loading, but not 5-HT receptor agonists, increases motor function after spinal cord contusion in adult rats

Abstract Serotonergic (5-HT) receptors are upregulated following spinal cord transection. Stimulation by administration of serotonergic receptor agonists has been successful in improving hindlimb function. We tested whether this strategy would be successful in incomplete injury models (moderate or severe thoracic contusion) where descending projections are partially spared which should produce less denervation-induced receptor upregulation. Adult rats received midthoracic moderate (MOD: 25 mm drop) or severe (SEV: 50 mm drop) contusion injuries. Distribution of 5-HT and its transporter and expression of 5-HT 2C receptors were evaluated in lumbar spinal cord and motor response to 5-HT receptor activation was assessed using open field locomotion (BBB) score, percent weight supported treadmill stepping (%WS) and evaluation of hindlimb muscle activation (tremor and serotonin syndrome). 5-HT immunostaining 3 months post-contusion revealed few 5-HT fibers caudal to the severe contusion, and more spared caudal to the moderate contusion. The distribution of 5-HT transporter paralleled 5-HT staining, but was more greatly reduced. Thus serotonin reuptake may be less efficient in the injured spinal cord. Immunostaining for the 5-HT 2C receptor in the dorsal and ventral horns at L5 showed significant upregulation in SEV, compared to sham or MOD rats. Neither 5-HT 2C nor 5-HT 1A receptor agonists, alone or in combination, nor the serotonin transporter inhibitor d -fenfluramine modified BBB scores or %WS in either group. Despite the increased sensitivity of post-synaptic targets, agonist treatment did not improve function in SEV rats. We conclude that selective 5-HT 2C or 5-HT 1A receptor activation was not effective in improving hindlimb function after incomplete lesions. In contrast, the 5-HT precursor 5-hydroxytryptophan ( l -5-HTP), which leads to activation of all classes of 5-HT receptors, increased both %WS and hindlimb activity in the MOD group. While no side effects were observed in normal or MOD rats, SEV rats displayed hindlimb tremors and 33% mortality, indicating hypersensitivity to the precursor.
Use of research-based instructional strategies in introductory physics: Where do faculty leave the innovation-decision process?

During the fall of 2008 a web survey, designed to collect information about pedagogical knowledge and practices, was completed by a representative sample of 722 physics faculty across the United States (50.3% response rate). This paper presents partial results to describe how 20 potential predictor variables correlate with faculty knowledge about and use of research-based instructional strategies (RBIS). The innovation-decision process was conceived of in terms of four stages: knowledge versus no knowledge, trial versus no trial, continuation versus discontinuation, and high versus low use. The largest losses occur at the continuation stage, with approximately $1/3$ of faculty discontinuing use of all RBIS after trying one or more of these strategies. Nine of the predictor variables were statistically significant for at least one of these stages when controlling for other variables. Knowledge and/or use of RBIS are significantly correlated with reading teaching-related journals, attending talks and workshops related to teaching, attending the physics and astronomy new faculty workshop, having an interest in using more RBIS, being female, being satisfied with meeting instructional goals, and having a permanent, full-time position. The types of variables that are significant at each stage vary substantially. These results suggest that common dissemination strategies are good at creating knowledge about RBIS and motivation to try a RBIS, but more work is needed to support faculty during implementation and continued use of RBIS. Also, contrary to common assumptions, faculty age, institutional type, and percentage of job related to teaching were not found to be barriers to knowledge or use at any stage. High research productivity and large class sizes were not found to be barriers to use of at least some RBIS.
Construction of Evaluation System for Risk Investment Institutions

In this paper, by using the methods of literature analysis, theoretical analysis and contrast analysis, to the understanding of the academic literature and practice world ranking system. Through studying the data source of the original ranking and selection process, enrich the data collection approach and treatment. On the basis of theory and reality, in the evaluation system of venture capital institutions and venture capitalists in the building, we set a new system adaptability, accuracy, comparability, maneuverability to the principle of timeliness. With openness and service, data, comprehensive and balanced and the characteristics of the system balance and enrichment, we will venture capital institutions and venture capitalists evaluation system according to the four dimensional index analysis method for the weight adjustment, and eventually reach a set of indicators, more than the effect of the list.