cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Deep Learning Automated Detection of Reticular Pseudodrusen from Fundus Autofluorescence Images or Color Fundus Photographs in AREDS2.

Purpose To develop deep learning models for detecting reticular pseudodrusen (RPD) using fundus autofluorescence (FAF) images or, alternatively, color fundus photographs (CFP) in the context of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Design Application of deep learning models to the Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS2) dataset. Participants FAF and CFP images (n = 11 535) from 2450 AREDS2 participants. Gold standard labels from reading center grading of the FAF images were transferred to the corresponding CFP images. Methods A deep learning model was trained to detect RPD in eyes with intermediate to late AMD using FAF images (FAF model). Using label transfer from FAF to CFP images, a deep learning model was trained to detect RPD from CFP (CFP model). Performance was compared with 4 ophthalmologists using a random subset from the full test set. Main Outcome Measures Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), κ value, accuracy, and F1 score. Results The FAF model had an AUC of 0.939 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.927–0.950), a κ value of 0.718 (95% CI, 0.685–0.751), and accuracy of 0.899 (95% CI, 0.887–0.911). The CFP model showed equivalent values of 0.832 (95% CI, 0.812–0.851), 0.470 (95% CI, 0.426–0.511), and 0.809 (95% CI, 0.793–0.825), respectively. The FAF model demonstrated superior performance to 4 ophthalmologists, showing a higher κ value of 0.789 (95% CI, 0.675–0.875) versus a range of 0.367 to 0.756 and higher accuracy of 0.937 (95% CI, 0.907–0.963) versus a range of 0.696 to 0.933. The CFP model demonstrated substantially superior performance to 4 ophthalmologists, showing a higher κ value of 0.471 (95% CI, 0.330–0.606) versus a range of 0.105 to 0.180 and higher accuracy of 0.844 (95% CI, 0.798–0.886) versus a range of 0.717 to 0.814. Conclusions Deep learning-enabled automated detection of RPD presence from FAF images achieved a high level of accuracy, equal or superior to that of ophthalmologists. Automated RPD detection using CFP achieved a lower accuracy that still surpassed that of ophthalmologists. Deep learning models can assist, and even augment, the detection of this clinically important AMD-associated lesion.
Which Citizens Do Elected Officials Target With Distributive Spending? A Survey Experiment on U.S. Municipal Officials:

Research is mixed as to whether politicians target swing voters or core supporters with distributive spending and whether citizens’ turnout affects this strategy. I use a novel data set and researc...
An Internet for the People: The Politics and Promise of Craigslist

Maybe you’ve used craigslist to adopt a pet or rent an apartment. Maybe you’ve used it to arrange a date or to kvetch about your neighbors. After 25 years, craigslist still “looks and feels like an...
Longitudinal measurement invariance of the Behavioral Health Measure in a clinical sample.

The practice of routine outcome monitoring (ROM) has grown in popularity and become a fixture in feedback-supported clinical practice and research. However, if the interpretation of an ROM measure changes over time, treatment outcome scores may be inaccurate and produce erroneous or misguided interpretations of client progress and therapist efficacy. The current study examined whether factorial invariance held when using the Behavioral Health Measure (BHM-20) longitudinally in a clinical sample (n = 12,467). Using multidimensional item response theory-based models for the investigation of the BHM-20 factor structure, at a single time point and then longitudinally. Based on the original factor structure of the BHM-20 a unidimensional model, a three-factor orthogonal model, and a three-factor correlated model were fit to the data, indicating poor model fit with the proposed three-factor or unidimensional models. Next, using exploratory factor analysis and subsequent multidimensional item response theory procedures, a new 4-factor (General Distress, Life Functioning, Anxiety, and Alcohol/Drug Use) model was proposed with improved model-fit statistics. Finally, when testing the longitudinal invariance of the BHM-17 over 10 sessions of treatment, it was found to be fully consistent. The current study proposes the use of a 17-item, 4-factor model for a new understanding of the BHM-17. Implications for use in ROM and limitations are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
Earlier re-initiation of enteral feeding after necrotizing enterocolitis decreases recurrence or stricture: a systematic review and meta-analysis

To assess the effects of earlier vs. later re-initiation of enteral feeds after necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). We reviewed the literature to assess timing of enteral feeding after NEC using fixed effects models. Three studies met inclusion criteria; no randomized trials. After removal of Bell’s Stage I infants, the earlier refeeding group (<5–7 or median 4 days) included 79 infants and later refeeding group (≥5–7 or median 10 days) included 119 infants. Pooled analysis revealed earlier re-initiation reduced the incidence in the composite outcome of recurrent NEC and/or post-NEC stricture (OR = 0.27; 95% Cl = 0.10–0.75; p = 0.012). Individually, NEC recurrence (pooled OR = 0.34; 95% Cl = 0.09–1.29; p = 0.112) or stricture (OR = 0.34; 95% Cl = 0.09–1.26; p = 1.06) did not differ between groups. There was no increase in negative outcomes with earlier refeeding after NEC. Earlier initiation of enteral feeds resulted in a significantly lower risk for the combined outcome of recurrent NEC and/or post-NEC stricture.
Objectively Measured Physical Activity in Migraine as a Function of Headache Activity.

Objective This study sought to compare ambulatory physical activity (PA) between young adults with migraine, tension-type headache (TTH), and non-headache controls and determine if differences in PA were attributable to headache activity or other relevant covariates. Background PA has been implicated in the development, manifestation, and treatment of various headache disorders. However, objective quantification of PA across headache types is lacking, and no study has quantified both prospective PA and the influence of headache occurrence on PA. Methods A prospective cohort study followed university participants with migraine, with TTH, or without headache for 7 days using an Omron HJ-112 pedometer and daily headache diaries. Daily free-living PA was compared between groups, and differences in PA as a function of headache day vs non-headache day were compared among those with migraine and TTH. Results The final sample consisted of 516 observations from 100 young adults (81/100 female, mean age = 19.0 ± 1.7) comprised of 28 individuals with migraine, 37 individuals with TTH, and 35 non-headache controls. On average, individuals with migraine engaged in less total PA than non-headache controls (6847 vs 8573 steps/day; mean difference = -1726 [95% CI: -3135 to -318], P = .017) across the 7-day monitoring period. After adjusting for relevant covariates (psychological symptoms, body mass index, weekend vs weekday), this difference was evident on both non-headache days (adjusted mean = 5987 vs 8610, P = .002) and headache days (adjusted mean = 6986 vs 9958, P = .017). In contrast, PA of individuals with TTH (mean = 7691 steps/day) did not significantly differ from those with migraine. PA within groups as a function of headache day (vs non-headache day) did not significantly differ for individuals with migraine (mean = 7357 vs 6191, P = .061) or individuals with TTH (mean = 7814 vs 7641, P = .736). Conclusions Consistent with other studies, individuals with migraine reported lower levels of PA compared to non-headache controls. Notably, relative reductions in PA occurred even on days in which headache was not experienced and were not attributable to the examined covariates, instead supporting a more global pattern of reduced PA. Further research is needed to isolate the mechanisms underlying interictal reductions in PA among those with migraine.
Claims-Making and Transnational Spaces: Contesting the Scope of Climate Change Discourse on Twitter

Based on an analysis of tweets produced during the COP21 negotiations of 2015 in Paris, this chapter examines the diversity of discourse among networked publics. The analysis shows that actors from different social spheres expand the scope of claims-making on Twitter by turning attention toward broader social, political, and economic issues surrounding climate negotiations. In doing so, civil society actors such as NGOs often base warrants for action on an ethical train of common human values, rather than a pragmatic terrain of economic or natural realism. This can promote the diffusion of claims-making across social and political boundaries. However, the diversity of discourse among civil society actors reveals competing social problem definitions, warrants, and conclusions. Warrants for action are critical discursive moments within the rhetorical structure of claims-making.
Experiences in Designing a Mobile Speech-Based Assessment Tool for Neurological Diseases

Mobile devices contain an increasing number of sensors, many of which can be used for disease diagnosis and monitoring. Thus along with the ease of access and use of mobile devices there is a trend towards developing neurological tests onto mobile devices. Speech-based approaches have shown particular promise in detection of neurological conditions. However, designing such tools carries a number of challenges, such as how to manage noise, delivering the instructions for the speech based tasks, handling user error, and how to adapt the design to be accessible to specific populations with Parkinson’s Disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. This report discusses our experiences in the design of a mobile-based application that assesses and monitors disease progression using speech changes as a biomarker.
SINR-Based Analysis of IEEE 802.11p/bd Broadcast VANETs for Safety Services

The safety-critical applications of vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) require high reliability and low transmission latency. IEEE 802.11p and IEEE 802.11bd are two standards proposed for such vehicular communication systems. In this paper, we propose an effective SINR-based model to conduct the QoS analysis of IEEE 802.11p/bd driven VANETs for safety applications. First, a semi-Markov process (SMP) model with a D/G/1/1 queue is tailored and modified for characterizing channel access behavior of IEEE 802.11 broadcast networks with deterministic message generation rate. Then, a novel approach is developed to derive the distribution of signal-to-interference-to-noise ratio (SINR) on each receiver in the VANET, given general channel fading/shadowing models as well as general node geometry distributions. Consequently, various QoS metrics in Physical/MAC/Application layer of VANETs are defined and evaluated. Compared with the existed analytic SINR-based models for broadcast VANETs, the proposed models are more general, more accurate, and are faster to solve. Finally, a new mechanism is shown to map the performance in physical layer into the QoS quantification in higher layer so that the QoS prediction of IEEE 80211bd driven VANETs is enabled. Furthermore, comparison between 802.11p and 802.11bd is conducted regarding how the stringent QoS requirements of selected safety applications in both human driving VANETs and autonomous driving VANETs are met by the two communication systems. Constructive conclusions are given on the suitability of IEEE 802.11bd for VANET critical safety services and the directions of future development.
The impact of state-mandated opioid prescribing restrictions on prescribing patterns surrounding reverse total shoulder arthroplasty.

Background Orthopedic surgeons are the third-highest prescribers of opioid medications, and the recent opioid crisis has placed more scrutiny on physicians and their prescribing habits. House Bill 21, a new law limiting the prescription of opioid medications, was signed in Florida on July 1, 2018 and similar laws have been passed in a number of other states as well. The purpose of this study was to understand the effect of new legal mandates on opioid prescribing patterns and dependence rates for patients undergoing reverse shoulder arthroplasty. Methods A retrospective review of 143 patients who underwent primary reverse shoulder arthroplasty from 2017 to 2019 was performed. There were 87 patients in the pre-legislation group (group 1), compared to 56 in the post-legislation group (group 2). Demographics data and opioid prescriptions provided 90 days before and after surgery were obtained using the physician drug monitoring database. Descriptive statistics and Student's t-tests were used to examine differences. Results Preoperatively, both groups received similar numbers of pills and total morphine equivalents (TMEs; group 1: 47.3 pills and 59.9 TMEs, group 2: 30.9 pills and 24.8 TMEs) (P = .292, P = .081). Group 1 had 88.5% of patients fill an opioid prescription postoperatively, compared to 50.9% of group 2 (P < .001). Postoperatively, initial opioid prescriptions were higher in average pills for group 1 (26 pills with an average of 375.6 TMEs) compared to group 2 (18 pills with an average of 199.6 TMEs) (P < .001, P = .122). For the entire postoperative course, patients in group 1 filled prescriptions for an average of 1740.7 TMEs and 84 pills, compared to 461.9 TMEs and 32 pills in group 2 (P = .035, P < .001). In the cohort, 17.8% of group 2 had multiple recorded opioid prescriptions, compared to 70.1% of group 1. There were also significant differences observed in postoperative dependence rates, with 23.0% in group 1 compared to 12.5% in group 2 (P = .043). Conclusions State-mandated opioid prescribing restrictions have been successful in decreasing opioid prescribing and dependence rates for orthopedic shoulder patients. Further efforts are required to reduce preoperative prescriptions involving chronic shoulder pathology as current legislature has not had an impact on this. Legislative changes may be an effective way to help reduce abuse and opioid dependence in shoulder arthroplasty patients; however, further research is needed.
Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy: dilemma in diagnosis and management.

To determine the obstetrical outcomes of women delivered for the diagnosis of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP).Retrospective study of singleton pregnancies diagnosed with ICP between 1 M...
EUS-Guided Drainage of Pelvic Abscess

Pelvic abscesses are most commonly encountered in the setting of postoperative complications. Traditionally, these were drained by surgery or under radiological guidance. Although limited, there is growing evidence that under the guidance of endoscopic ultrasound pelvic abscesses can be drained with successful outcomes. This review describes the technical details and outcomes associated with this procedure.
Rigid relations in GL2F

Abstract We describe all rigid relations in the group of invertible two by two matrices over an arbitrary field.
Service Versus Education: Finding the Right Balance: A Consensus Statement from the Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors 2009 Academic Assembly “Question 19” Working Group

Many emergency medicine (EM) residency programs have recently received citations for their residents' responses to Question 19 of the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education annual survey, which asks residents to rate their program's emphasis on clinical education over service obligations. To the best of our knowledge, no prior investigations or consensus statements exist that specifically address the appropriate balance between educational activity and clinical service in EM residency training. The objective of this project was to create a consensus statement based on the shared insights of academic faculty and educators in EM, with specific recommendations to improve the integration of education with clinical service in EM residency training programs. More than 80 EM program directors (PDs), associate and assistant PDs, and other academic EM faculty attending an annual conference of EM educators met to address this issue in a discussion session and working group. Participants examined the current literature on resident service and education and shared with the conference at large their collective insight and experience and possible solutions to this challenge. A consensus statement of specific recommendations and effective educational techniques aimed at balancing service and education requirements was created, based on the contributions of a diverse group of academic emergency physicians. Recommendations included identifying the teachable moment in all clinical service; promoting resident understanding of program goals and expectations from the beginning; educating residents about the ACGME resident survey; and engaging hospitals, institutional graduate medical education departments, and residents in finding solutions.
The laser micro-machining system for diamond anvil cell experiments and general precision machining applications at the High Pressure Collaborative Access Team

We have designed and constructed a new system for micro-machining parts and sample assemblies used for diamond anvil cells and general user operations at the High Pressure Collaborative Access Team, sector 16 of the Advanced Photon Source. The new micro-machining system uses a pulsed laser of 400 ps pulse duration, ablating various materials without thermal melting, thus leaving a clean edge. With optics designed for a tight focus, the system can machine holes any size larger than 3 μm in diameter. Unlike a standard electrical discharge machining drill, the new laser system allows micro-machining of non-conductive materials such as: amorphous boron and silicon carbide gaskets, diamond, oxides, and other materials including organic materials such as polyimide films (i.e., Kapton). An important feature of the new system is the use of gas-tight or gas-flow environmental chambers which allow the laser micro-machining to be done in a controlled (e.g., inert gas) atmosphere to prevent oxidation and other chemical reactions in air sensitive materials. The gas-tight workpiece enclosure is also useful for machining materials with known health risks (e.g., beryllium). Specialized control software with a graphical interface enables micro-machining of custom 2D and 3D shapes. The laser-machining system was designed in a Class 1 laser enclosure, i.e., it includes laser safety interlocks and computer controls and allows for routine operation. Though initially designed mainly for machining of the diamond anvil cell gaskets, the laser-machining system has since found many other micro-machining applications, several of which are presented here.
Nanoengineering of Biomaterial Surfaces

The sections in this article are Introduction Conventional Photolithography Electron-Beam Lithography Soft Lithography Polymer-Demixed Nanotopographies Star-Shaped and other Novel Polymer Structures Vapor Deposition Self-Assembly Particle Blasting Ion Beam and Plasma-Guided Surface Engineering Sol–Gel Technology Nanolithography Laser-Guided Strategies Rapid Prototyping Techniques Conclusions Acknowledgments
Efficiently querying relational databases using OWL and SWRL

For the foreseeable future, most data will continue to be stored in relational databases. To work with these data in ontology-based applications, tools and techniques that bridge the two models are required. Mapping all relational data to ontology instances is often not practical so dynamic data access approaches are typically employed, though these approaches can still suffer from scalability problems. The use of rules with these systems presents an opportunity to employ optimization techniques that can significantly reduce the amount of data transferred from databases. To illustrate this premise, we have developed tools that allow direct access to relational data from OWL applications. We express these data requirements by using extensions to OWL's rule language SWRL. A variety of optimization techniques ensure that this process is efficient and scales to large data sets.
New algorithm of scheduling based on prioriry rules on machines to solve bi-criteria blocking job shop scheduling problem

In this paper we study the bi-criteria blocking job shop scheduling problem. The objective is to simultaneously minimize two criteria: the Makespan and the maximum lateness. The blocking occurs when the intermediate buffer for storing completed operations between machines does not exist. We have proposed two Metaheuristics so as to find a set of non-dominated solutions. The first one is the tabu search which consists in the minimization of one criterion while the second criterion is bounded, and the second one is the tabu search based on the minimization of a linear combination of criteria. To assure the assignment of operations to their machines, we propose a new method which is based on application of priority rules on machines. This work is tested on benchmark instances from job shop literature and the results are presented and discussed.
Protectionism and the Debt Crisis

Fiscal policy and trade intervention in the North have direct negative welfare effects on the South because of the adverse intratemporal and intertemporal (real interest rates) terms of trade shifts it causes for the South. This paper asks whether trade policy in the North has additional costs through its impact on the debt problem. The answer is unambiguously affirmative, and works through four different channels. Two static channels focus on the 'transfer burden '. Trade policy in the North enacted against the South is similar to extracting a transfer through the adverse terms of trade effect. The second static channel is less straightforward. Adverse trade policy may lead to Keynesian unemployment in the presence of downward price rigidity in the South. A transfer made in such an environment will be more costly, because it increases the distortionary costs of that price rigidity. The paper then argues that the nature of the debt problem, rather than a solvency issue, really is, that countries are forced to repay earlier than they would like to. This implies that they are rationed in external capital markets, and this rationing entails welfare costs.
Purification and Properties of l-Alanine Dehydrogenase from Desulfovibrio desulfuricans

The l-alanine dehydrogenase from cell-free extracts of Desulfovibrio desulfuricans was purified approximately 56-fold. The Michaelis constants for the substrates of the amination reaction and the pH optima for the reactions catalyzed by this enzyme closely agree with those reported for other l-alanine dehydrogenases. Pyruvate was found to inhibit the amination reaction. The enzyme was absolutely specific for l-alanine and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. Its sensitivity to para-chloromecuribenzoate suggests that sulfhydryl groups may be necessary for enzymatic activity. These extracts also contained a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-specific glutamic dehydrogenase which was separated from the l-alanine dehydrogenase during purification.
Skew-pipeline and interleaved pipeline structures for 2-D recursive filtering

The development of parallel and pipeline structures for real-time 2-D scalar and block recursive filtering is discussed. A skew-pipeline algorithm is developed for 2-D block processing. It can be implemented using a 2-D systolic array architecture. This structure can is also be used for other general applications where high-speed matrix-matrix multiplications should be performed on systolic arrays. For general 2-D recursive filters, a 2-D interleaved pipeline architecture which is more compatible to the nature of image scanning is introduced. Using this novel structure, the sampling period can reach a fraction of the time needed for one scalar addition operation and the delay is only a few samples. >
Control of uncertain systems using nonlinear feedback

Robust control theory attempts to provide systematic techniques and methods to solve control problems where uncertainty is a dominant issue. Often, a linear time-invariant fixed controller is designed for a given robust linear multivariable control problem. The authors have recently explored the question of what advantages nonlinear time-varying controllers have over their linear counterparts. This has led them to formulate a qualitative principle, called the plant uncertainty principle, which captures all the results known so far. The authors present some of the results as evidence of the usefulness of this principle. >
Lifetimes of spherically symmetric closed universes.

It is proven that any spherically symmetric spacetime that possesses a compact Cauchy surface \ensuremath{\Sigma} and that satisfies the dominant-energy and non-negative-pressure conditions must have a finite lifetime in the sense that all timelike curves in such a spacetime must have a length no greater than 10 ${\mathrm{max}}_{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Sigma}}}$(2m), where m is the mass associated with the spheres of symmetry. This result gives a complete resolution, in the spherically symmetric case, of one version of the closed-universe recollapse conjecture (though it is likely that a slightly better bound can be established). This bound has the desirable properties of being computable from the (spherically symmetric) initial data for the spacetime and having a very simple form. In fact, its form is the same as was established, using a different method, for the spherically symmetric massless scalar field spacetimes, thereby proving a conjecture offered in that work. Prospects for generalizing these results beyond the spherically symmetric case are discussed.
Unemployment and increasing private returns to human capital

Abstract This paper studies a model of human capital accumulation with real wage rigidity. It is shown that the arbitrage condition between hiring a skilled vs. an unskilled worker may be stated as a positive relationship between their relative unemployment rates. It may be the case that this locus is steep enough to generate increasing returns to education. This may lead to multiple equilibria: a high-education equilibrium may co-exist with a low-education equilibrium. In the former, the unskilled are more exposed to unemployment relative to the skilled, as compared with the latter. The two equilibria cannot be Pareto-ranked, but the latter is preferred to the former by workers, while ‘savers’ prefer the high-education one.
Original accumulation, equity and late industrialization: The cases of socialist China and capitalist Taiwan

Abstract This paper explores two dynamic approaches to original accumulation, one “socialist” and one “capitalist”, in a search for clues to the developmental options available for pre-industrial predominantly agrarian nations. The comparative analysis of two cases which have been hailed in widely divergent literatures for their developmental implications highlights the human costs associated with each…indeed it suggests the necessity to rethink the categories of socialist and capitalist development paths. The analysis focuses on the relationships among the state, the peasantry and the dominant landed classes in the struggle to control and channel the agricultural surplus, and on state mechanisms to transfer resources from agriculture to industry and from the private sector to the state and the institutions it controls.
Cultural and genetic adaptations to malaria: Problems of comparison

The concept of adaptation has been used differently in studies of biological and cultural evolution, and this divergence raises the question of whether genetic and cultural adaptations are truly comparable. This paper compares genetic and cultural traits associated with endemic malaria in Sardinia, Italy. Thalassemia and G-6-Pd deficiency, two genetic traits of the Island's population, are believed to enhance fitness against malaria, despite increased risk for the diseases of thalassemia major and favism. Two cultural traits, a pastoral pattern of inverse transhumance and rules limiting the geographical mobility of lowland women, limited exposure to the malaria vector, Anopheles labranchiae; these are used as examples of cultural adaptations. The distribution, costs, and benefits of the adaptive cultural and genetic traits are compared, and the theoretical difficulties of finding a common measure of adaptive value are discussed.
Spatial Distribution of Bargaining Power: Binding Arbitration in Connecticut School Districts

Traditionally, negotiations in Connecticut concerning teacher contract renewal are conducted at the local level between members of the district board of education and members of the district teacher union. However, with the adoption in Connecticut of ‘issue last offer’ binding arbitration, there has been an acceleration in the use of professional bargaining representatives, including attorneys and Statewide union agents. The proliferation of professional representatives, together with the introduction of professional arbitrators, helps explain many of the phenomena associated with the early years of this new procedure: namely, an initial increase in the proportion of school districts going to arbitration rather than settling during an earlier negotiation phase; an upsurge in the standardization of collective agreements at the expense of innovation and situational responsiveness; and, more important, a loss in the local ‘flavor’ of the negotiation process. This paper will critically examine the implication...
Acute toxic responses of the freshwater planarian, Dugesia dorotocephala, to methylmercury

Toxic responses of planaria to various aquatic habitat concentrations of methylmercury chloride (MMC) were investigated. One hundred percent lethality occurred within 5 h in 2 ppM MMC, 24 h in 1 ppM MMC, and 5 days in 0.5 ppM MMC. No deaths occurred in 0.2 ppM MMC over a 10 day period, however, non-lethal toxic responses were observed. Varying degrees of head resorption, progressing caudally from the snout were observed. With continuing exposure, partial head regeneration and recovery toward more normal appearance occurred by 10 days. Teratogenic effects were observed in surgical decapitation experiments. Head regeneration was retarded in 0.1 and 0.2 ppM MMC. Malformations, visible lesions, or gross behavioral abnormalities were produced by 2 week exposure of planaria to concentrations of 20 ppB MMC or lower. (RJC)
Transcutaneous oxygen monitoring in an infant undergoing tracheoesophageal fistula repair

A case report is presented describing the clinical usefulness of transcutaneous oxygen (PtcO2) monitoring in an infant undergoing tracheoesophageal fistula repair. Its use allowed early and precise recognition of hypoxaemia during periods of surgical manipulation. During periods of hypoxaemia, there were no associated cardiovascular changes or changes in routine monitoring modalities. Clinical use of PtcO2 may detect early hypoxaemia and thus allow for correction before the appearance of changes in vital signs.
Synthesis and electrical conductivity of poly(arylene vinylene). I. Poly(2,5‐dimethoxyphenylene vinylene) and poly(2,5‐dimethylphenylene vinylene)

The highly conjugated aromatic polymers, poly(2,5-dimethoxyphenylene vinylene) and poly(2,5-dimethylphenylene vinylene), were obtained from their water soluble, sulfonium salt precursor polymers. Films of these polymers were reacted with either AsF5 or I2 vapor. Poly(2,5-dimethoxyphenylene vinylene) showed increases in electrical conductivity of up to 14 to 15 orders of magnitude for these two dopants, while an 8 to 9 order of magnitude increase was observed for poly(2,5-dimethylphenylene vinylene) with the same dopants. The synthesis of the precursor polymers, the properties and elimination reactions of films of the precursors, the doping reactions, and the conductivities of the resulting phenylene vinylene films are discussed.
Existence of Global Minima for Constrained Optimization

We present a unified approach to establishing the existence of global minima of a (non)convex constrained optimization problem. Our results unify and generalize previous existence results for convex and nonconvex programs, including the Frank-Wolfe theorem, and for (quasi) convex quadratically constrained quadratic programs and convex polynomial programs. For example, instead of requiring the objective/constraint functions to be constant along certain recession directions, we only require them to linearly recede along these directions. Instead of requiring the objective/constraint functions to be convex polynomials, we only require the objective function to be a (quasi)convex polynomial over a polyhedral set and the constraint functions to be convex polynomials or the composition of coercive functions with linear mappings.
Contradictions Can Never a Paradox Resolve

The fact that difference scores tend to be less reli able than the original measurements from which they are calculated should not be a matter of concern in testing the significance of treatment-induced change. The reliabilities of the original measurements are im portant because unreliability attenuates correlation, and substantial correlation between prescores and post- scores is required for difference scores to be of value in controlling for individual differences. Reliability notwithstanding, difference scores provide superior control over true baseline differences in quasi-experi mental research, whereas the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) is generally preferable for baseline control in randomized experimental designs. Index terms: analysis of covariance, baseline correction, difference scores, measurement of change, reliability.
Non-linear optical properties of nanometer dimension AgCu particles in silica formed by sequential ion implantation

Abstract Nanometer dimension metal colloids were formed in silica by sequential implantation of Ag and Cu ions. The Ag and Cu were implanted with Ag to Cu ratios of 9:3, 6:6 and 3:9 and total nominal dose 12 × 10 16 ions/cm 2 . The linear optical response was measured from 200 to 900 nm. The non-linear optical properties were measured using the Z-scan technique at a wavelength of 570 nm. The linear and non-linear optical properties were found to be dependent upon the Ag to Cu ratio.
SU-E-T-89: Characterization of Dental Restoration Material for Cs-137 Radiation Dosimetry.

Purpose: The purpose of this work is to characterize the radiation‐induced thermoluminescenceproperties of a dental restoration material and to see if the material might be feasible for use in retrospective radiation dosimetry.Methods: Retrospective, or accidental, dosimetry is the study of using nearby materials to measure radiation received by individuals. In this project we obtained samples of Ivoclar Vivadent e.max CAD material, a glass‐ceramic used for making dental restorations such as full or partial crowns. The samples were machined into square chips .32 cm × .32 cm × .089 cm and annealed in the same furnace used by the dentist. The samples were exposed to a Cs‐137 source using a PMMA source holder and then read in a Harshaw 3500 TLD reader. The samples were read without nitrogen gas flux using heating rates of 5 degrees C/s or 10 degrees C/s up to a maximum temperature of 400 degrees Celsius. The glow curves were analyzed using Systat PeakFIT peak‐fitting software and Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. The authors gratefully thank Dr. Aaron Imdieke and the staff of River City Dental, St. Cloud, MN for the dental restoration materials and the use of their dental furnace.Results: A sample subjected to a radiation exposure of .04 C/kg exhibits a glow curve with a prominent peak at approximately 140 degrees Celsius, which is well‐modeled by the first order glow curve deconvolution formula developed by Kitis, Gomez‐Ros, and Tuyn. The activation energy corresponding to this peak is approximately 1 eV. The thermoluminescent signal fades with time after exposure. Conclusions: Ivoclar Vivadent e.max CAD dental restoration material has the potential to be used as a material for retrospective Cs‐137 radiation dosimetry. Future work could look at its thermoluminescent dosimetryproperties in more detail and also at other dental restoration materials. The authors would like to thank Dr. Aaron Imdieke and the staff of River City Dental, St. Cloud, MN, for the donation of scrap dental restoration materials and the use of their dental furnace.
On the product and ratio of t random variables

Abstract The distributions of the product | X Y | and the ratio | X / Y | are derived when X and Y are independent Student’s t random variables.
Role of Lysosomes in the Pathogenesis of Splanchnic Ischemia Shock in Cats

Splanchnic arterial occlusion (SAO) for 2 hours followed by release of the occlusion in cats produced a lethal shock state characterized by cardiovascular collapse. Release of the occlusion resulted in a 45% fall in mean arterial blood pressure within 15 minutes; postrelease survival of these animals was 46 minutes. The plasma of cats with SAO shock exhibited a 3- to 4-fold increase in activities of the lysosomal enzymes β-glucuronidase and cathepsin, accompanied by accumulation of a myocardial depressant factor. Plasma from cats treated with methylprednisolone (20 mg/kg) prior to occlusion did not have significant levels of myocardial depressant factor nor significant increases in plasma lysosomal enzyme activity. Furthermore, the fall in mean arterial blood pressure in steroid-treated animals was significantly smaller when the occlusion was released and postrelease survival time was significantly longer. Pancreatic lysosomes from cats with SAO exhibited a marked increase in fragility as indicated by a reduction in total lysosomal enzyme activity and an increase in the percent of free enzyme activity, compared to lysosomes from cats with sham SAO or steroid-treated cats. These data indicate that the biochemical and hemodynamic alterations present in SAO-induced shock may be related to the disruption of pancreatic lysosomes and that glucocorticoids can markedly alter the course of this shock, possibly by decreasing the sensitivity of pancreatic lysosomes to splanchnic ischemia.
Spin holography via dimensional enhancement

Abstract We explain how all information about ambient component field spin assignments in higher-dimensional off-shell supersymmetry is accessibly coded in one-dimensional restrictions, known as shadows. We also explain how to determine whether the components of a given one-dimensional supermultiplet may assemble into representations of spin ( 1 , D − 1 ) and, if so, how to specifically determine those representations.
Model for comet-solar wind interaction.

Abstract The size and shape of the contact discontinuity around a comet's nucleus are found based on the assumption that the ions moving away from the nucleus are non-interacting and that these ions are specularly reflected by the solar wind's frozen-in magnetic field. By superimposing the density due to the ions flowing directly from the nucleus and the specularly reflected ions, contours of constant density inside the cavity are obtained. It is found that the calculated size and shape of the cavity agree with observational data and that certain of the anomolous plasma formations (clouds, rays) found in type I tails may be explainable by the model.
Racial differences in blood pressure in Evans County, Georgia: relationship to sodium and potassium intake and plasma renin activity.

Abstract To investigate the hypothesis that the higher prevalence of hypertension in blacks may be related to a greater dietary intake of sodium, we studied the relationship between race, blood pressure, estimates of dietary sodium and potassium intake, and plasma renin activity (PRA), in two population samples from Evans County, Georgia. In the first random sample obtained in 1961, dietary electrolyte intake was estimated by duplicate dietary collections and simultaneous 24-hr urine collections. In the second sample obtained in 1968, a single-morning urine specimen was obtained and PRA was measured in each subject. The data demonstrate that blacks and whites ingested similar quantities of sodium, but that the dietary potassium intake of blacks was consistently less than that of whites. Blacks had higher blood pressures than whites and a greater prevalence of individuals with diastolic blood pressures >90 mmHg. PRA was inversely correlated with age, blood pressure and estimates of sodium intake. The higher blood pressures and higher prevalence of hypertension in blacks does not appear to be a function of a greater dietary sodium intake in blacks. However, an increased susceptibility to the hypertensinogenic effects of sodium in blacks remains a possibility.
Role of nucleosides, 5-phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophosphate, and ribose 1-phosphate in the biosynthesis of phosphosphingolipids in Bacteroides melaninogenicus

Abstract Using a deenergized spheroplast system from Bacterioides melaninogenicus , the sphingolipid precursor 3-ketodihydrosphingosine is not incorporated into the complete sphingolipids, ceramide phosphorylethanolamine, or ceramide phosphorylglycerol unless supplied with glutamine, ATP, ADP, or AMP. Adenosine, inosine, and certain other nucleosides were as effective as ATP. Purine bases and ribose, however, were inactive in this system. 5-Phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophosphate and ribose 1-phosphate also stimulated conversion of 3-ketodihydrosphingosine into ceramide phosphorylethanolamine and ceramide phosphorylglycerol, whereas ribose 5-phosphate showed only slight activity. Hypoxanthine was the main product formed from inosine and adenosine but there was no evidence for nucleotide formation. Adenosine stimulated 32 P i incorporation into cell phospholipids indicating that ribose 1-phosphate, formed via purine nucleoside phosphorylase, could be the compound stimulating sphingolipid synthesis in this system.
Solution space navigation for geometric constraint systems

We study the well documented problem of systematically navigating the potentially exponentially many roots or realizations of well-constrained, variational geometric constraint systems. We give a scalable method called the Equation and Solution Manager (ESM) that can be used both for automatic searches and visual, user-driven searches for desired realizations. The method incrementally assembles the desired solution of the entire system and avoids combinatorial explosion by offering the user a visual walk-through of the solutions to recursively constructed subsystems and by permitting the user to make gradual, adaptive solution choices.We isolate requirements on companion methods that are essential and desirable for efficient, meaningful solution space navigation. Specifically, they permit (a) incorporation of many existing approaches to solution space steering or navigation into the ESM; and (b) integration of the ESM into a standard geometric constraint solver architecture. We address the latter challenge and explain how the integration is achieved. Additionally, we sketch the ESM implementation as part of an opensource, 2D and 3D geometric constraint solver, FRONTIER.
Enhancement of Nonlinear Effects in Slow Light Photonic Structures: Figures of Merit

Enhancement of nonlinear effects in slow light photonic structures is analyzed and its limitations due to dispersion of group velocity and gain/loss are determined.
Revisional Bariatric Surgery for Unsuccessful Weight Loss and Complications

There are growing numbers of patients who require revisional bariatric surgery due to the undesirable results of their primary procedures. The aim of this study was to review our experience with bariatric patients undergoing revisional surgery. We conducted a retrospective analysis to review the indications for revisional bariatric procedures and assess their postoperative outcomes. From 04/04 to 01/11, 2,918 patients underwent bariatric surgery at our institution. A total of 154 patients (5.3 %) of these cases were coded as revisional procedures. The mean age at revision was 49.1 ± 11.3 and the mean BMI was 44.0 ± 13.7 kg/m2. Revisional surgery was performed laparoscopically in 121 patients (78.6 %). Laparoscopic revisions had less blood loss, shorter length of hospital stay, and fewer complications compared to open revisions. Two groups (A and B) were defined by the indication for revision: patients with unsuccessful weight loss (group A, n = 106) and patients with complications of their primary procedures (group B, n = 48). In group A, 74.5 % of the patients were revised to a bypass procedure and 25.5 % to a restrictive procedure. Mean excess weight loss was 53.7 ± 29.3 % after revision of primary restrictive procedures and 37.6 ± 35.1 % after revision of bypass procedures at >1-year follow-up (p < 0.05). In group B, the complications prompting revision were effectively treated by revisional surgery. Revisional bariatric surgery effectively treated the undesirable results from primary bariatric surgery. Laparoscopic revisional surgery can be performed after both failed open and laparoscopic bariatric procedures without a prohibitive complication rate. Carefully selected patients undergoing revision for weight regain have satisfactory additional weight loss.
Ultrafast Laser-Induced Elastodynamics in Single Crystalline Silicon Part I: Model Formulation

The various responses of a silicon wafer excited by a femtosecond pulsed laser are investigated. A multi-time scale axisymmetric model that governs the transport dynamics in silicon is presented based on the relaxation-time approximation of the Boltzmann equation. Temperature-dependent multi-phonons, free-carrier absorptions, and the recombination and impact ionization processes are considered using a set of balance equations. The mechanical response of the lattice is described by momentum equations. To solve the model of 17 coupled time-dependent partial differential equations without having to be concerned with non-physical oscillations in the solution, an implicit finite difference scheme on a staggered grid is developed. The staggered finite difference scheme allows velocities and first-order spatial derivative terms to be calculated at locations midway between two consecutive grid points, and shear stresses to be evaluated at the center of each element. A multi-time-scale approach involving the use o...
Selective deposition of SiO2 thin films in acid baths

We report observation of deposition of SiO2 thin films on a variety of surfaces in nitric acid and hydrochloric acid solutions. Scanning electron microscopy shows that the films are composed of closely packed spheres 1000 A in diameter. Chemical identification is made with Auger electron spectroscopy. The films are generally between 1000 and 2000 A thick and are possibly hydrated. Deposition occurs in either acid for molarities in the 1–8 M range and at temperatures between 80 and 100 °C. The effects for molarities greater than 8 M and temperatures greater than 100 °C have not been investigated. Materials on which the films form in nitric acid are tantalum, gold, silicon, niobium and Al2O3; in hydrochloric acid, films will form on tantalum, gold, silicon and Al2O3. Materials which are insoluble in the acids but upon which films have not been observed to form are graphite, platinum, chromium (nitric acid) and niobium (hydrochloric acid). Deposition occurs inside a sealed vessel made entirely of Pyrex-type glass. Vessels are partially filled with acid and are heated so that the upper glass surfaces (not in contact with the acid reservoir) are about 10–30 °C cooler than the reservoir. Acid vapors condense on the cooler glass surfaces forming droplets that run down the vessel walls to the reservoir. This process of acid flow on the walls leaches SiO2 from the glass and increases the SiO2 concentration in the reservoir until the SiO2 films form. It is believed that a supersaturated condition is present during SiO2 deposition. Experiments show that cessation of acid condensation halts film formation. Attack of the vessel provides the sole source of SiO2. Preliminary kinetic measurements indicate that vessels must be heated for periods longer than 150 h before deposition occurs. Iron can be incorporated into the SiO2 films by the dissolution of iron metal in the acid before sealing of the vessel.