cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interfacility Transfer Directly to the Neuroangiography Suite in Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients Undergoing Thrombectomy

Background and Purpose— In patients identified at referring facilities with acute ischemic stroke caused by a large vessel occlusion, bypassing the emergency department (ED) with direct transport to the neuroangiography suite may safely shorten reperfusion times. Methods— We conducted a single-center retrospective review of consecutive patients transferred to our facility for consideration of endovascular therapy. Patients were identified as admitted directly to the neuroangiography suite (DAN), transferred to the ED before intra-arterial therapy (ED-IA), and transferred to the ED but did not receive IA therapy (ED-IV). Results— A retrospective review of a prospectively maintained database of transfer patients between January 2013 and October 2016 with large vessel occlusions identified 108 ED-IV patients and 261 patients who underwent mechanical thrombectomy (DAN=111 patients and ED-IA=150 patients). There were no differences in baseline characteristics among the 3 groups. The median computed tomography ASPECTS (Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score) was lower in the ED-IV group versus the ED-IA and DAN groups (8 versus 9; P =0.001). In the DAN versus ED-IA cohort, there were comparable rates of TICI2b/3 recanalization and access to recanalization time. There was significantly faster hospital arrival to groin access time in the DAN cohort (81 minutes versus 22 minutes; P =0.001). Functional independence at 90 days was comparable in the DAN versus ED-IA cohorts but worse in the ED-IV group (43% versus 44% versus 22%; P =0.001). Conclusions— DAN is safe, feasible, and associated with faster times of hospital arrival to recanalization. The clinical benefit of this approach should be assessed in a prospective randomized trial.
New Approaches to Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is the most common gastrointestinal disorder of the esophagus. It is a chronic, progressive disorder that presents most typically with heartburn and regurgitation and atypically with chest pain, dysphagia, chronic cough, globus, or sore throat. The mainstay for diagnosis and characterization of the disorder is esophagoduodenoscopy (EGD), high-resolution esophageal manometry, and symptom-associated ambulatory esophageal pH impedance monitoring. Additional studies that can be useful in certain clinical presentations include gastric scintigraphy and oral contrast upper gastrointestinal radiographic series. Refractory GERD can be surgically managed with various techniques. In obese individuals, laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass should be considered due to significant symptom improvement and lower incidence of recurrent symptoms with weight loss. Otherwise, laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication is the preferred surgical technique for treatment of this disease with concomitant hiatal hernia repair when present for either procedure. The short-term risks associated with these procedures include esophageal or gastric injury, pneumothorax, wound infection, and dysphagia. Emerging techniques for treatment of this disease include the Linx Reflux Management System, EndoStim LES Stimulation System, Esophyx® and MUSE™ endoscopic fundoplication devices, and the Stretta endoscopic ablation system. Outcomes after surgical management of refractory GERD are highly dependent on adherence to strict surgical indications and appropriate patient-specific procedure selection.
Soft-Bodied Fossil Preservation in the Cambrian Parahio Formation of Spiti

Cases of soft part preservation, now known widely in Cambrian rocks throughout the world1, have resulted in a revolution in knowledge of early metazoan evolution. The famous Burgess Shale of British Columbia, Canada, has prompted the recognition of other important biotas elsewhere, such as at Chenjiang and Kaili in South China. Despite the extensive record of Cambrian sedimentary rocks in the Indian subcontinent, no preservation of soft or weakly biomineralized parts has been recognized to date.
Diagnosis of True Recurrent Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common compression neuropathy in the upper extremity. Fortunately, treatment is usually successful at relieving symptoms. Occasionally, patients will have symptom-free period followed by symptoms similar to those prior to their initial decompression. This must be differentiated from the situation where preoperative symptoms never improve. We discuss the difference in recurrence and persistent carpal tunnel symptoms as well as generally accepted guidelines for workup of a patient with presumed recurrent carpal tunnel syndrome.
Measurements of auto-antibodies to α-synuclein in the serum and cerebral spinal fluids of patients with Parkinson's disease

Biomarkers for α-synuclein are needed for diagnosis and prognosis in Parkinson's disease (PD). Endogenous auto-antibodies to α-synuclein could serve as biomarkers for underlying synucleinopathy, but previous assessments of auto-antibodies have shown variability and inconsistent clinical correlations. We hypothesized that auto-antibodies to α-synuclein could be diagnostic for PD and explain its clinical heterogeneity. To test this hypothesis, we developed an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for measuring α-synuclein auto-antibodies in human samples. We evaluated 69 serum samples (16 healthy controls (HC) and 53 PD patients) and 145 CSF samples (52 HC and 93 PD patients) from our Institution. Both serum and CSF were available for 24 participants. Males had higher auto-antibody levels than females in both fluids. CSF auto-antibody levels were significantly higher in PD patients as compared with HC, whereas serum levels were not significantly different. CSF auto-antibody levels did not associate with amyloid-β1-42 , total tau, or phosphorylated tau. CSF auto-antibody levels correlated with performance on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, even when controlled for CSF amyloidβ1-42 . CSF hemoglobin levels, as a proxy for contamination of CSF by blood during lumbar puncture, did not influence these observations. Using recombinant α-synuclein with N- and C-terminal truncations, we found that CSF auto-antibodies target amino acids 100 through 120 of α-synuclein. We conclude that endogenous CSF auto-antibodies are significantly higher in PD patients as compared with HC, suggesting that they could indicate the presence of underlying synucleinopathy. These auto-antibodies associate with poor cognition, independently of CSF amyloidβ1-42 , and target a select C-terminal region of α-synuclein. Read the Editorial Highlight for this article on page 433.
Uranyl Peroxide Nanocluster (U60) Persistence and Sorption in the Presence of Hematite.

The presence of uranium-based nanomaterials in environmental systems may significantly impact our current understanding of the fate and transport of U(VI). Sorption of the uranyl peroxide nanocluster [(UO2)(O2)(OH)]6060– (U60) to hematite (α-Fe2O3) was studied using batch sorption experiments with varying U60, hematite, and alkali electrolyte (i.e., NaCl, KCl, and CsCl) concentrations. Data from electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and centrifugal microfiltration revealed that U60 persisted in the presence of hematite and the background electrolyte for at least 120 days. K+ ions were removed from solution with uranium whereas Li+ ions remained in solution, indicating that the U60 cluster behaved like an anion and that the Li+ ions did not play a significant role in the sorption mechanism. Analysis of the reacted mineral surface using X-ray photoelectron and Raman spectroscopies confirmed the presence of U(VI) and uranyl species with bridged peroxo groups associated with the mineral surface. These res...
Helping Older Adults Pursue the Good Life: Advice from Sages and Social Psychologists

Philosophical discourses of sages help identify possible paths for older adults to achieve the good life. Empirical evidence of social psychological research provides information to understand human behavior related to pursuing the good life as we age. Taken together, exploring writings of sages and studies by social psychologists may assist therapeutic recreation specialists in understanding how older adults may pursue the good life and subsequently, lead to a good life. The purpose of this article is to explore philosophical discourse of sages and empirical evidence of social psychological research to increase our understanding of ways therapeutic recreation (TR) specialists may facilitate the good life as people age. By reviewing the social-psychological literature, we identify three prominent challenges that occur as we age including loneliness, ageism, and fears. Further, we explore perspectives by sages that result in recommendations for engaging in three virtuous actions, namely, practicing forgiveness, acting courageously, and being friendly as possible ways for people to pursue the good life. Implications associated with writings of sages and studies by social psychologists have the potential to inform TR services. Subscribe to TRJ
The Contingent Ranking Method and Benefit Estimation

This chapter is a report on the results of the contingent ranking component of the Monongahela survey. In this part of the survey, respondents ranked four hypothetical combinations of water quality levels and amounts paid in the form of higher taxes and prices. We describe in this chapter how these rankings were used to estimate the benefits of improved water quality. Our work builds on an extension of the McFadden [1974] random utility model proposed by Beggs, Cardell, and Hausman [1981]. They used rankings of new goods, which were described by their characteristics, and prices to measure the potential demand for these goods. Based on this work, Rae [1981a, 1981b, 1984] used the contingent ranking method as an alternative to contingent valuation questions for valuing visibility changes. More recently, analysts have employed contingent ranking for valuing reductions in both diesel odors (Lareau and Rae [1985]) and the risk of exposure to hazardous wastes (Smith, Desvousges, and Freeman [1985]). Although we conducted our water quality survey in the middle of this research, we review all the studies and discuss their relationship to our analysis. This review includes many unpublished studies.
Structural Studies on Prokaryotic Cytochromes P450

The camphor monooxygenase from Pseudomonas putida, P450cam, has been the single best paradigm for P450 structure and function studies for over two decades.1 Following a wealth of biochemical and biophysical studies on P450cam, the high-resolution crystal structure became available in 1987.2 This was followed by a series of structures on various inhibitor/substrate complexes which revealed some key structure-function relationships in P450s. In addition, with the development of recombinant expression systems for P450cam, it has been possible to use site-directed mutagenesis3,4 with reference to the crystal structure to probe questions of how structure relates to function.
Teaching and Educational Transformation

As they entered the twenty-first century, most nations around the world undertook major transformations of their governmental and education systems to respond to changing economic, demographic, political, and social imperatives. Nearly all countries are engaged in serious discussion of school reform to address demands for much higher levels of education for much greater numbers of citizens – demands created by a new information age, major economic shifts, and a resurgence and redefinition of democracy around the world. These demands are being imposed upon educational institutions designed a century ago for a different time. In the United States as elsewhere, the need to prepare future citizens and workers who can cope with complexity, use new technologies, and work cooperatively to frame and solve novel problems – and the need to do this for a much more diverse and inclusive group of learners – has stimulated efforts to rethink school goals and curriculum, to better prepare teachers, and to redesign school organizations.
Vulnerability to Cocaine Abuse

Publisher Summary There are not only multiple pathways leading to serious involvement with cocaine but the nature of the determinant, or the sphere of influence can range from the biological to the cultural. Furthermore, it is unlikely that an individual would start to use cocaine because of a single cause; instead, use is a function of interactions among several factors from the universe of determinants. This chapter discusses the strategies used to determine the prevalence and incidence of drug use. There is an increasing effort to probe the meaning of differences in the prevalence of drug use for groups varying by demographic characteristics. It provides additional evidence that factors at the level of the neighborhood might play an important etiologic role in transitions to various stages of drug use, especially exposure to drug-using opportunities and initiation of drug use. A basic idea in each of the studies is that the overall risk of cocaine use varies by neighborhood and therefore, individual residents' risk of cocaine use varies as a function of the neighborhood in which they live.
Exploratory Analysis of Microbiome Data and Beyond

We can divide methods of microbiome community composition study into two major components: analysis of taxonomic diversities and multivariate analysis of microbiome composition. The multivariate analysis includes various multivariate techniques, such as clustering and (unconstrained and constrained) ordination and hypothesis testing differences among groups. Although the unconstrained ordination involves post hoc hypothesis, it belongs to exploratory analysis per se. The constrained ordination is a hypothesis testing. In this chapter, we will use various graphical techniques to explore taxonomic diversities and use clustering and ordination techniques to explore microbiome compositions.
Connecting social media use with gaps in knowledge and participation in a protest context: the case of candle light vigil in South Korea

This study sheds light on the recent use of social media for protests, with the 2016 South Korean candle light vigils as the case study. An extensive amount of literature has explored social media’...
On the use of bis(1,5-dimethyl-2-phenyl-3-pyrazolone)perchlorate as a standard for non-aqueous titrations

Titration curves and data are presented for the standardization of perchloric acid in glacial acetic acid and for tetrabutylammonium hydroxide solutions vs. antipyrine perchlorate. In the standardization of the basic titrant this compound yields a single potentiometric break only in the highly basic solvent 1,1,3,3-tetramethylguanidine. In methanol, pyridine, acetonitrile, N,N-dimethylformamide, and dimethylsulfoxide two breaks are obtained. Only the second break is analytically useful and corresponds to a monobasic acid.
Regulation of NMDA Receptor Plasticity in the BNST Following Adolescent Alcohol Exposure.

PPersistent alterations in synaptic plasticity and neurotransmission are thought to underlie the heightened risk of adolescent-onset drinkers to develop alcohol use disorders in adulthood. The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is a compelling region to study the consequences of early alcohol, as it is innervated by cortical structures which undergo continued maturation during adolescence and is critically involved in stress and negative affect-associated relapse. In adult mice, chronic ethanol induces long-term changes in GluN2B-containing NMDA receptors (NMDARs) of the BNST. It remains unclear, however, whether the adolescent BNST is susceptible to such persistent alcohol-induced modifications and, if so, whether they are preserved into adulthood. We therefore examined the short- and long-term consequences of adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure (AIE) on NMDAR transmission and plasticity in the BNST of male and female mice. Whole-cell voltage clamp recordings revealed greater glutamatergic tone in the BNST of AIE-treated males and females relative to air-controls. This change, which corresponded to an increase in presynaptic glutamate release, resulted in altered postsynaptic NMDAR metaplasticity and enhanced GluN2B transmission in males but not females. Only AIE-treated males displayed upregulated GluN2B expression (determined by western blot analysis). While these changes did not persist into adulthood under basal conditions, exposing adult males (but not females) to acute restraint stress reinstated AIE-induced alterations in NMDAR metaplasticity and GluN2B function. These data demonstrate that adolescent alcohol exposure specifically modifies NMDARs in the male BNST, that the plastic changes to NMDARs are long-lasting, and that they can be engaged by stress.
Distribution System Harmonic Mitigation using a PV System with Hybrid Active Filter Features

This paper describes the design of a photovoltaic converter with integrated hybrid active power filter (HAPF) functionality to improve power quality on three phase distribution networks. The HAPF control consists of a hysteresis band controller based on instantaneous reactive power theory to control the switching of a voltage source converter (VSC). A dc-dc boost converter interfaces a photovoltaic (PV) array to the dc link of the VSC to meet the system requirements and to inject the active power produced by photovoltaic generator to the grid. The HAPF control eliminates harmonics produced by nonlinear loads and small inverters on the distribution system. In the daytime during peak sunlight hours, the PV supplied HAPF system is in full-functioning operation mode. During the periods when there is less sunlight, the loads are supported by the main distribution system while the inverter system only provides reactive power compensation and filters harmonic currents. The simulation results show the effectiveness of the combined photovoltaic, harmonic compensation and dynamic reactive power compensation system. Moreover, the low THD (Total Harmonic Distortion) on the distribution system as a result of the designed system meets the requirements of IEEE-519.
Identification of genomic alterations in signaling pathways associated with poor survival in newly diagnosed metastatic prostate cancer (mCSPC) using artificial intelligence (AI).

169Background: Although the survival outcomes for patients with mCSPC has improved over the last 5 years, disease remains universally fatal even with improved therapies. Currently, genomic informat...
Open Repair of Ruptured Common Iliac Artery Aneurysm

Patient with ruptured common iliac aneurysm with a large retroperitoneal hematoma and a contralateral intact common iliac aneurysm was treated with open aortoiliac reconstruction with satisfactory outcome.
Strategies for eQTL mapping in allopolyploid organisms

This study uses simulations to explore statistical power and false-positive rates for eQTL mapping in allopolyploid organisms and provides guidelines to apply eQTL mapping in these organisms. In recent years, RNA-seq has become the dominant technology for eQTL studies. However, most work has been in diploid organisms. Many species of economic and environmental importance are polyploid, and approaches for eQTL mapping in polyploids are not well developed. High similarity between duplicated genes in polyploids will cause misassignment of sequence reads and may cause false-positive results and/or lack of power to detect eQTL. In this paper, we first explore the similarity of homoeologous transcripts in polyploid organisms. We find that 5–20% of genes (varying with organism) in important agricultural plants such as wheat, soybean, and switchgrass are not sufficiently diverged between duplicated genomes to allow unambiguous assignment of reads. Second, we examine the impact of misassigned reads on eQTL mapping and show that both false-positive and false-negative rates can be greatly inflated. Third, we compare four strategies for dealing with ambiguous reads: (1) dividing ambiguous reads evenly between homoeologous transcripts, (2) assigning them proportionally, (3) using all reads for all genes, and (4) discarding ambiguous reads. We find that the strategy of discarding ambiguous reads gives the best balance of false-positive and false-negative rates for most genes. However, for genes that are very similar between genomes, using all reads is the only choice. This leads to reduced power, but false-positive rates will be maintained. We also discuss QTL mapping in polyploids using allele-specific expression (ASE) and show how the proportion of ASE-informative reads varies according to the divergence between homoeologous genes.
OUTPUT: Vestiges of Human and Robot Bodies

OUTPUT is a collaboration between a dancer/choreographer, roboticists, software engineers, and filmmakers, developed over the course of an artist residency at software engineering company Thought-Works. The result is a live performance, two custom software programs, a short film, an improvisational structure, and an artistic methodology for choreographing robots. The motions of a dancer and a massive industrial robot are collapsed from 3D into 2D video, animation, and Kinect depth sensor data, revealing the biases and limitations of each representation. In performance, the software programs run livetime on laptops which are projected onto screens. The performer improvises with these programs like musical instruments - a practice bridging computation, improvisation, and dance - and embodying the process of "being inside the machine".
Evidence of state-dependence in the effectiveness of responsive neurostimulation for seizure modulation

Abstract Background An implanted device for brain-responsive neurostimulation (RNS® System) is approved as an effective treatment to reduce seizures in adults with medically-refractory focal epilepsy. Clinical trials of the RNS System demonstrate population-level reduction in average seizure frequency, but therapeutic response is highly variable. Hypothesis Recent evidence links seizures to cyclical fluctuations in underlying risk. We tested the hypothesis that effectiveness of responsive neurostimulation varies based on current state within cyclical risk fluctuations. Methods We analyzed retrospective data from 25 adults with medically-refractory focal epilepsy implanted with the RNS System. Chronic electrocorticography was used to record electrographic seizures, and hidden Markov models decoded seizures into fluctuations in underlying risk. State-dependent associations of RNS System stimulation parameters with changes in risk were estimated. Results Higher charge density was associated with improved outcomes, both for remaining in a low seizure risk state and for transitioning from a high to a low seizure risk state. The effect of stimulation frequency depended on initial seizure risk state: when starting in a low risk state, higher stimulation frequencies were associated with remaining in a low risk state, but when starting in a high risk state, lower stimulation frequencies were associated with transition to a low risk state. Findings were consistent across bipolar and monopolar stimulation configurations. Conclusion The impact of RNS on seizure frequency exhibits state-dependence, such that stimulation parameters which are effective in one seizure risk state may not be effective in another. These findings represent conceptual advances in understanding the therapeutic mechanism of RNS, and directly inform current practices of RNS tuning and the development of next-generation neurostimulation systems.
Single-Sided Reciprocating Saw for Tibial Component Removal During Revision Total Knee Arthroplasty.

Abstract Revision total knee arthroplasty often necessitates removing well-fixed components. Tibial tray removal is challenging becaue of 1) physical barriers posed by the component pegs, keel, or stem in accessing the implant-bone interface circumferentially and 2) proximity of vulnerable structures including the patellar tendon, collateral ligaments, popliteal artery, and distal femur. In this report, we present a step-by-step technique for removal of a well-fixed tibial component using a single-sided reciprocating saw.
A three-dimensional computational model of a thin-walled left ventricle

To complement laboratory research, a computer program has been developed to solve the three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations for time-dependent flow in a compliant thin-walled, anatomically correct left ventricle. This program is written in Fortran, and is currently running on a Cray Y-MP. Model parameters were selected so that the simulation results could be compared to clinical data. The results of this study show that the thin-walled, three-dimensional left ventricular model simulates observed normal heart phenomena. Validation of this model permits further studies to be performed which involve altered ventricular function due to a variety of cardiac diseases.
Anesthesia Considerations for Transcatheter Mitral and Aortic Valve Procedures

This review considers the anesthetic management for patients undergoing transcatheter mitral valve replacement and repair (TMVR and TMVRep) and transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Clinical indications and preoperative considerations will be discussed before exploring intraoperative anesthetic management and potential complications. To conclude, the echocardiographic assessment for each procedure will be reviewed. Advancements in transcatheter techniques have made it a viable option for patients who are poor surgical candidates. As a result, anesthetic management, including preoperative and intraoperative consideration, have other variables that are taken into account during workup. Intraoperative management may also differ such as the use of monitored anesthesia care (MAC) versus general anesthesia and the use of intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). Transcatheter mitral and aortic valve procedures now play a large role in the management of patients with valvular heart disease and as a result have become increasingly more prevalent as a treatment option versus surgical intervention. Therefore, anesthesiologists should be knowledgeable about indications for the transcatheter technique, variable anesthetic techniques, and how to watch for and manage complications that can arise.
Design and Optimization of Diode Triggered Silicon Controlled Rectifier in FinFET Technology

Diode trigger SCR (DTSCR) structure is introduced in FinFET technology for low voltage circuit ESD protection. The current direction is chosen to flow vertically down through the fins to make full use of the bulk silicon region. Further optimization of DTSCR is investigated to improve layout efficiency.
Comparative Class Performances and Gains in Junior College Health Education

Abstract With endorsement of professional and official agencies, a study committee conducted a voluntary project to determine the health knowledge achievement of students in the two-unit health course required for graduation in the public junior colleges of California. A standardized test was given to over 5,000 students in 118 hygiene classes in 34 junior colleges at the beginning of the course, and again at its close. Although statistically significant gains were made in all institutions and in nearly all classes, the end-term mean achievement of 58.8 percent leaves much to be desired. The wide range of individual and class scores indicates the need for routine pretesting, with analysis and follow-up by remedial teaching to correct the disclosed deficiencies.
Favre-Racouchot Syndrome

Favre-Racouchot syndrome (nodular elastosis with cysts and comedones) is a distinct variant of solar elastosis most frequently found in elderly Caucasian men. The estimated prevalence is 1.5–6 % in the general population. This syndrome is characterized by yellow nodules and plaques accentuated by enlarged, open comedones and dilated cysts, often accompanied by other cutaneous findings of actinic damage.
Role of lamivudine in the treatment of acute hepatitis B infection associated with polyarteritis nodosa

Introduction: Clinical manifestation of PAN in the setting of acute HBV infection has not been well characterized, and it remains unclear whether eradication of HBV is required to induce remission of acute HBV-related PAN.
Fracture Toughness of Duplex Structures: Part II — Laminates in the Divider Orientation

Laminates containing 25 percent of tough (unaged) maraging steel plates and 75 percent of brittle (aged) maraging steel plates were prepared by a special diffusion bonding and heat treating technqiues so that the thickness of the tough constituent was either 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, or 0.08 in. Compact tension fracture toughness specimens were machined so that the laminates were parallel to the sides of the specimens. They were then fractured according to the recommendations of the ASTM and the following three indices of toughness were measured: (1) the plane-strain fracture toughness according to the ASTM recommendations; (2) the fracture toughness based on the maximum load and the initial crack length; and (3) the fracture toughness based on the maximum load and the instantaneous crack length. Four tests were performed at each thickness of the tough constituent; two each at crack lengths of approximately 0.30 and 0.55 in. The plane-strain fracture toughness of the laminates was slightly higher than the plane-strain fracture toughness of the monolithic brittle constituent and was independent of either crack length or the dimensions of the tough constituent. Regardless of the thicknesses of the tough phase the composite toughness was highest for specimens containing cracks 0.30 in. long when the toughness was measured in terms of the other two indicates of fracture toughness. The toughness as a function of thickness exhibited a relative maximum when the tough phase was 0.04 in. thick and a relative minimum when the tough phase was 0.06 in. thick for both the 0.30 and 0.55-in. crack lengths. The experimental results are in broad agreement was a proposed model for crack extension in the divider orientation. /Author/
OBSTETRICAL AUTOMATED MEDICAL RECORD SYSTEM

A fully automated obstetrical medical record system (OBAR) has been designed to communicate prenatal and postnatal data between clinics operated throughout Jefferson County by the Department of Health (Maternity and Infant Care Project), the University’s Division of Maternal and Fetal Medicine, and the two hospitals serving the clinic’s population (Cooper Green Hospital and the University of Alabama Hospitals). The project has had two primary goals - I) implementation of an entirely automated prenatal and perinatal medical record system; and 2) development of capabilities for routine and special reporting relevant to the administrative and clinical research objectives of the associated groups. The system serves over 4000 pregnancies and SOOOO visits per year. The computerized system entirely replaces a paper-based system that was plagued by problems, e.g., clinic records incorrectly filed or not filed at all, nonavailability of records, and inconsistent and poor record keeping. Implementation tasks were divided into two phases. The first, accomplished during 1976- 1978, included a redesign of the paper-based systems, the development of a database system to operate on an IBM mainframe host, implementation of the perinatal (labor, delivery and discharge) functions, and evaluation of the feasibility of implementing the prenatal portions of the system. The second phase, accomplished during 1978 - 1979, consisted of developing software for the front-end processor to accomplish multi-terminal, multi-locational input and output to the database. All inputs, wheresoever they originate, are communicated to and collated within the database and available for output as a prenatal summary or a perinatal discharge summary. A Data General Eclipse Sl130 (192 KB, RDOS) serves as a front-end processor to the system, driving data entry and displaying patient summaries. The
Automatic defensive control of asynchronous sequential machines

Control theoretic techniques are utilised to develop automatic controllers that counteract robotic adversarial interventions in the operation of asynchronous sequential machines. The scenario centres on automatic protection against pre-programmed adversarial agents that attempt to subvert the operation of an asynchronous computing system. Necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of defensive controllers that automatically defeat such adversarial agents are derived. These conditions are stated in terms of skeleton matrices – matrices of zeros and ones obtained directly from the given description of the asynchronous sequential machine being protected. When defensive controllers exist, a procedure for their design is outlined.
Improvisational economies: Coltan production in the eastern Congo

This paper examines the political economy of violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a landscape marked by genocidal campaigns where residents are raped and robbed of cattle and crops, and the extent to which that terror has been abetted by the global market for columbite-tantalite, or coltan. Coltan is a dense silicate ideal for digital technologies, and an estimated 80% of the world's reserves lie in the eastern region of the Congo, where the profitability of its mining to local warlords and the frenetic pace of digital speculation have made both agricultural production and pastoralism untenable. As a result, Congolese have had constantly to improvise production systems in order to survive. This improvisation, easy to gloss over as a survival strategy or adaptation, is in fact performed by creative agents who forge elaborately devised artisanal production systems, at times dangerously against the regimes of local warlords, to meet the insatiable global demand for digital products. Coltan is thus a conductor in a dual sense: of digital capacitors for cell phones or PlayStations, but also of the broader social and political economic processes that underlie the global production of knowledge. Indeed, in both a material and symbolic sense, this ore is a veritable source of information production in the digital age. As such, coltan holds importance for understanding the conflicting and diffuse global role of the digital age, as a source hope and creativity on the one hand; and as an instrument of terror, regimentation, and routinisation on the other.
Toward Integration Of Major Design Techniques For Real-Time Fault-Tolerant Computer Systems

Existing major design techniques for real-time fault-tolerant (RTFT) computer systems remain unsatisfactorily integrated although they are complementary in nature. There are several challenging issues that must be resolved in order to pave ways to achieve cost-effective integration of those design techniques. This paper starts with the introduction of a scheme for classification of various fault tolerance schemes according to the benefits that they bring. Thereafter, a review of important design techniques that have broad applicability in designing RTFT computer systems follows. Included among the reviewed techniques are the techniques for designing fault-tolerant processing nodes capable of real-time forward recovery from hardware and/or software faults and the techniques for real-time network surveillance and reconfiguration. Issues in integrating these sets of techniques are then discussed. Another set of design techniques which will play increasingly important roles in future engineering of RTFT computer systems are those for object-oriented (OO) structuring. Issues to be resolved in and possible directions for integrating the important fault tolerance techniques with the OO structuring techniques are discussed next.
Inverse trishear modeling of bedding dip data using Markov chain Monte Carlo methods

Abstract We present a method for fitting trishear models to surface profile data, by restoring bedding dip data and inverting for model parameters using a Markov chain Monte Carlo method. Trishear is a widely-used kinematic model for fault-propagation folds. It lacks an analytic solution, but a variety of data inversion techniques can be used to fit trishear models to data. Where the geometry of an entire folded bed is known, models can be tested by restoring the bed to its pre-folding orientation. When data include bedding attitudes, however, previous approaches have relied on computationally-intensive forward modeling. This paper presents an equation for the rate of change of dip in the trishear zone, which can be used to restore dips directly to their pre-folding values. The resulting error can be used to calculate a probability for each model, which allows solution by Markov chain Monte Carlo methods and inversion of datasets that combine dips and contact locations. These methods are tested using synthetic and real datasets. Results are used to approximate multimodal probability density functions and to estimate uncertainty in model parameters. The relative value of dips and contacts in constraining parameters and the effects of uncertainty in the data are investigated.
Oxytocin and neuroadaptation to cocaine

Oxytocin (OT) has been implicated in neuroadaptive processes such as learning, memory, and social-affiliative behavior as well as in the regulation of physiological responses leading to adaptation to the changing external and internal environment. Drugs of abuse constitute a major challenge to the homeostasis of the body and behavior. Drug tolerance, dependence and addiction may involve neuroadaptive mechanisms related to learning and memory at cellular and systems levels. Considerable effort has been made toward the understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of addictive behavior. Neuropeptides OT and vasopressin (VP) might be involved in these processes based on their effects on neuroadaptation and on their neuroanatomical localization and pharmacological actions. It has been demonstrated that both OT and VP have modulatory effects on opiate and alcohol tolerance and dependence. This chapter summarize the effects of OT, and in lesser extent VP, on neuroadaptation to cocaine, a psychostimulant drug of abuse. We have shown that OT inhibits acute cocaine-induced locomotor hyperactivity, exploratory activity and stereotyped behavior in rodents. Furthermore, OT facilitated, whereas VP inhibited the development of behavioral sensitization to cocaine. In a different model, OT inhibited the development of tolerance to the stereotyped behavior-inducing effects of cocaine as well as cocaine intravenous self-administration in rats. We demonstrated that OT acts through its specific receptors in the basal forebrain and in the hippocampus. OT and VP contents in the hypothalamus and limbic structures were altered by acute and chronic cocaine administration in a dose-dependent and region-selective manner. The differential plasticity of the brain OT-ergic and VP-ergic neurotransmissions in response to cocaine may underlie the differences in the involvement of these neuropeptides in cocaine addiction. Interaction of OT with dopaminergic neurotransmission in the nucleus accumbens, a key brain structure in drug addiction, as well as OT-ergic regulation of hippocampal processes may be among the mechanisms of action through which OT modulates neuroadaptation to cocaine. A better understanding of the role of OT in neuroadaptation to cocaine may provide an insight into both the mechanisms of neuropeptide actions in the brain as well as into the neurobiology of drug addiction.
Respiratory disease due to parainfluenza virus in adult leukemia patients.

Reports of human parainfluenza viruses (HPIV) in patients with leukemia have been limited to a few cases or as a portion of general surveys. In order to expand the knowledge of these infections in this patient group, the frequency and clinical course of HPIV infections was determined among 1,787 patients with leukemia treated at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center between July 1994 and December 1997. HPIV was isolated from 47 (6.2%) of the 770 patients who were cultured for respiratory viruses. HPIV type 3 accounted for 39 of the 47 HPIV infections. Twenty-six patients developed pneumonia, and the associated mortality was 27%. Multivariate analysis revealed that a low absolute lymphocyte count and pneumonia were associated with increased mortality. Concurrent respiratory and other infections were associated with an increased frequency of pneumonia. Only five patients with pneumonia received antiviral therapy and four of them survived the infection. HPIV infection in leukemic patients is frequently associated with pneumonia and the mortality rate from pneumonia is substantial among lymphopenic patients.
Sustainability, Health, and the Human Population

A sustainable human population (e.g., range, density, and total numbers) is essential to health and in management. The notion of sustainability applies to all species and ecosystems and to the biosphere. Sustainability involves the health not only of individual humans, but also of ecosystems and other species. Thus, sustainability of the human population is important because of the wealth of factors involved: both the elements of systems it affects and those that contribute to its size. In this article, I address the sustainability of the human population on the basis of the argument that other species serve as examples of sustainability at the species level—an example of an application of systemic management that simultaneously accounts for complexity and achieves measurable health for individuals, species, and ecosystems. I conclude that the human population is two to four orders of magnitude larger than is optimally sustainable when compared with the populations of other mammalian species of similar body size and that this is a significant contributor to health problems for our species, other species, and ecosystems—a systemic pathology.
Unlocking the grid

The grid has emerged as a novel paradigm that supports seamless cooperation of distributed, heterogeneous computing resources in addressing highly complex computing and data management tasks. A number of software technologies have emerged to enable ”grid computing”. However, their exact nature, underlying principles, requirements, and architecture are still not fully understood and remain under-specified. In this paper, we present the results of a study whose goal was to try to identify the key underlying requirements and shared architectural traits of grid technologies. We then used these requirements and architecture in assessing five existing, representative grid technologies. Our studies show a fair amount of deviation by the individual technologies from the widely cited baseline grid architecture. Our studies also suggest a core set of critical requirements that must be satisfied by grid technologies, and highlight a key distinction between ”computational” and ”data” grids in terms of the identified requirements.
Critical Role of Peripheral Vasoconstriction in Fatal Brain Hyperthermia Induced by MDMA (Ecstasy) under Conditions That Mimic Human Drug Use

MDMA (Ecstasy) is an illicit drug used by young adults at hot, crowed “rave” parties, yet the data on potential health hazards of its abuse remain controversial. Here, we examined the effect of MDMA on temperature homeostasis in male rats under standard laboratory conditions and under conditions that simulate drug use in humans. We chronically implanted thermocouple microsensors in the nucleus accumbens (a brain reward area), temporal muscle, and facial skin to measure temperature continuously from freely moving rats. While focusing on brain hyperthermia, temperature monitoring from the two peripheral locations allowed us to evaluate the physiological mechanisms (i.e., intracerebral heat production and heat loss via skin surfaces) that underlie MDMA-induced brain temperature responses. Our data confirm previous reports on high individual variability and relatively weak brain hyperthermic effects of MDMA under standard control conditions (quiet rest, 22−23°C), but demonstrate dramatic enhancements of drug-induced brain hyperthermia during social interaction (exposure to male conspecific) and in warm environments (29°C). Importantly, we identified peripheral vasoconstriction as a critical mechanism underlying the activity- and state-dependent potentiation of MDMA-induced brain hyperthermia. Through this mechanism, which prevents proper heat dissipation to the external environment, MDMA at a moderate nontoxic dose (9 mg/kg or ∼1/5 of LD 50 in rats) can cause fatal hyperthermia under environmental conditions commonly encountered by humans. Our results demonstrate that doses of MDMA that are nontoxic under cool, quiet conditions can become highly dangerous under conditions that mimic recreational use of MDMA at rave parties or other hot, crowded venues.
Tibial Angioplasty as an Alternative Strategy in Patients with Limb-Threatening Ischemia

The purpose of this study was to assess the technical feasibility and early outcome of tibial angioplasty for a subset of patients with limb-threatening ischemia who were not candidates for bypass grafting. A retrospective analysis was conducted of 19 patients (7 male, 12 female) who underwent crural angioplasty for limb-threatening ischemia using 0.018- or 0.014 inch-based systems. Contraindications to bypass were insufficient conduit in 7 patients and severe comorbid illness in 12. Concurrent treatment of inflow lesions was performed in 12 of 20 limbs via either angioplasty alone (5) or combined with stenting (12). Outcome measures were anklebrachial indices (ABI), relief of rest pain, and healing or healed wounds. Twenty-three vessels were treated, including 14 tibial occlusions and 9 stenoses. The average length of diseased segment was 11 cm (range, 3-25 cm). Thirteen of 14 occlusions were treated with subintimal recanalization, the remainder with laser recanalization. Technical success was achieved in 22 of 23 treated vessels. Mean preoperative ABI was 0.53 and mean postoperative ABI was 0.85. Palpable pulses were present in 11 of 20 limbs (55%). There was one perioperative mortality (5.2%). Mean follow-up was 3 months. Three failures occurred requiring amputation (15.8%). The remaining 16 patients were improved with healing (8) or healed (4) wounds and relief of rest pain (4). These results indicate that technical success may be achieved with outflow lesion angioplasty in the majority of patients encountered. The durability of this method of therapy is unknown, and our length of follow-up is not sufficient to answer this question. However, an attempt at angioplasty appears justified before primary amputation and before surgical bypass in those patients at high risk for intervention.