cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Atrial Fibrillation Should Be Considered a First-Line Therapy — Or Not?

The literature on ablation for AF has many of the features of clinical research in the era preceding evidence-based medicine and randomised trials. Many studies emanate from single centres, involve low patient numbers, and fail to provide adequate statistical analysis, including intention to treat analysis and evaluation of statistical power. As was the case with Maze operations, new procedures are continually proposed without completing satisfactory evaluations of previously proposed procedures. Very worrisome is that most studies have not involved neutral committees for the recording and supervision of severe complications.
Granular object morphological generation with genetic algorithms for discrete element simulations

The Discrete Element Method is a popular method for modeling granular materials, however, it is typically limited to geometrically simple objects. A recent extension of this method, the Level Set Discrete Element Method (LS-DEM), overcomes this issue by allowing the use of any particle shape, including morphologically accurate computational grains generated from tomographic images. This method has the ability to provide insight into the physics of granular media that are challenging if granular shape morphology is not accurately represented. One challenge with fully utilizing LS-DEM is gathering the data necessary to reproduce the distinct shapes of grains. In this work, we develop a novel granular generation method that uses genetic algorithms to create new computational grains from a smaller set of input data. This method has the capability of building grains that match any well defined morphological property. We demonstrate the method by generating grains to match sphericity and principal curvature property distributions generated from an existing particle dataset captured with 3D X-Ray tomography.
2B4 (CD244, SLAMF4) and CS1 (CD319, SLAMF7) in systemic lupus erythematosus and cancer.

Abstract Signaling Lymphocyte Activation Molecule (SLAM) family receptors are expressed on different types of hematopoietic cells and play important role in immune regulation in health and disease. 2B4 (CD244, SLAMF4) and CS1 (CD319, CRACC, SLAMF7) were originally identified as NK cell receptors regulating NK cell cytolytic activity. 2B4 is expressed on all NK cells, a subpopulation of T cells, monocytes and basophils. Unlike other activating and inhibitory receptors, 2B4 (CD244) interaction with its ligand CD48 has been shown to mediate both activating and inhibitory functions. Defective signaling via 2B4 due to mutations in signaling adaptor SAP contributes to X-linked lymphoproliferative Disease (XLP). Expression of 2B4 and CS1 are altered in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). CS1 is overexpressed in multiple myeloma (MM) and anti-CS1 mab (Elotuzumab/Empliciti) has been approved by FDA as a breakthrough drug for treatment for MM patients. CAR -T cells or CAR- NK cells containing full length CS1 or the signaling domain of 2B4 with TCR-ζ have shown promising results to treat cancer and autoimmune diseases.
Cr isotope systematics in the Connecticut River estuary

Abstract Stable chromium (Cr) isotopes (expressed in δ53Cr as the deviation of 53Cr/52Cr in samples from the international standard NIST SRM 979) are an emerging paleoredox proxy that has been used to track Earth's redox evolution over a range of timescales. There have been several major advances in our understanding of the Cr isotope system, but we are still developing a basic knowledge of the global Cr isotope mass balance and there are key Cr fluxes with poorly constrained isotopic compositions. The Cr isotope behavior in estuaries is one such poorly constrained aspect of the modern Cr cycle. Therefore, we collected water and suspended particulate samples from the estuary of the Connecticut River, and present the first Cr isotope dataset from a salinity gradient. As pH and salinity increases from brackish to salt water, dissolved Cr increases from 118.1 ± 25.7 ng/kg (1σ, n = 6) to 225.1 ± 26.0 ng/kg (1σ, n = 8), while particulate Cr decreases from 341.3 ± 319.8 ng/kg (1σ, n = 6) to 208.4 ± 364.5 ng/kg (1σ, n = 8); dissolved δ53Cr decreases from 1.30 ± 0.27‰ (1σ, n = 6) to 0.64 ± 0.16‰ (1σ, n = 8), whereas particulate δ53Cr remained stable at 0.11 ± 0.07‰ (1σ, n = 9). These data suggest that Cr is lost from particles to solution when transitioning from brackish to salt water in the Connecticut River estuary. If these observations can be confirmed in other estuaries, estuary systems can potentially enhance riverine dissolved Cr fluxes and thus lower the Cr oceanic residence time, which has important implications for the Cr isotope system as a paleoceanographic redox proxy. There is a clear inverse correlation between dissolved Cr and δ53Cr in the Connecticut River estuary, which yields a Cr isotope fractionation factor of ~0.89‰ that is indistinguishable from previous estimates based on open seawater samples. Large δ53Cr variation in oxygenated open and estuary seawater suggests that marine δ53Cr variations need not necessarily be exclusively tied to Cr(VI) reduction in low oxygen zones. Therefore, interpreting δ53Cr in the sedimentary record requires taking multiple processes into consideration.
Malaria Infection is Lower in Invasive Anoles than Native Anoles in Central Florida, USA

Florida is home to the largest number of invasive reptile species, including the abundant Anolis sagrei, of any U.S. state. This lizard species has largely displaced the native Anolis carolinensis because of its superior competitive ability and tolerance of urbanized habitats. One facet of the invasion of A. sagrei that has not received attention in the literature is its interactions with parasites, including the malaria protozoan Plasmodium. We studied the relative prevalence of Plasmodium floridense in two Anolis species at three sympatric sites in central Florida to determine the factors that affect the parasite's prevalence, incidence, and effects on blood cell counts. After catching lizards and making blood smears, we examined slides for the presence of Plasmodium and counted relative erythrocyte/ leukocyte ratios. Of the 101 lizards sampled, 31% of A. carolinensis were positive for P. floridense, as opposed to only 11% for A. sagrei. Date of capture was also an important factor, with June having the highest prevalence and March the lowest. Erythrocyte to leukocyte ratios differed with infection, averaging 3.15 ± 1.28 SD in infected lizards versus 4.28 ± 1.03 in uninfected lizards. Reduced infection by blood parasites may have been one of the many factors that allowed A. sagrei to successfully invade Florida and to become the superior competitor throughout its range. Additional studies of the effects of Plasmodium infection on competitive ability and fitness are needed to determine whether infection is a major contributor to invasion success.
Olmesartan - associated sprue-like enteropathy and colagenous colitis: A case report and review of literature

Olmesartan, an angiotensin II receptor blocker, is widely used for the treatment of hypertension. An association of olmesartan use with a reversible, sprue-like enteropathy has recently been recognized. There are also rare reports of olmesartan use and the combination of sprue-like enteropathy and collagenous colitis. We report a case of an elderly female who presented with both severe collagenous sprue and collagenous colitis associated with the use of olmesartan, with complete clinical and histologic recovery after discontinuation of the drug.
Airway Pathologies Requiring Specialized Pediatric Anesthesia

The management of pediatric airway disorders has seen tremendous progress in surgical techniques and advancements over the past 30 years. From the introduction of novel endoscopic instrumentation to improved open airway reconstructive techniques, the evolution of surgical approaches to improve outcomes in children with airway pathology has been substantial. Undoubtedly, many of these advances in surgical techniques have been fueled by dramatic refinements in optimal anesthetic management of children undergoing surgery in their airway. This introductory chapter will describe distinct pathologies for the pediatric patient undergoing anesthesia. The chapter will discuss when to be concerned and how to avoid complications and provide a brief description of what the pediatric otolaryngologist needs to know about anesthesia.
Assembling “Digital Literacies”: Contingent Pasts, Possible Futures

In this article, we examine the historical emergence of the concept of “digital literacy” in education to consider how key insights from its past might be of use in addressing the ethical and political challenges now being raised by connective media and mobile technologies. While contemporary uses of digital literacy are broadly associated with access, evaluation, curation, and production of information in digital environments, we trace the concept’s genealogy to a time before this tentative agreement was reached—when diverse scholarly lineages (e.g., computer literacy, information literacy, media literacy) were competing to shape the educational agenda for emerging communication technologies. Using assemblage theory, we map those meanings that have persisted in our present articulations of digital literacy, as well as those that were abandoned along the way. We demonstrate that our inherited conceptions of digital literacy have prioritized the interplay of users, devices, and content over earlier concerns about technical infrastructures and socio-economic relations. This legacy, we argue, contributes to digital literacy’s inadequacies in addressing contemporary dilemmas related to surveillance, control, and profit motives in connective environments. We propose a multidimensional framework for understanding digital literacies that works to reintegrate some of these earlier concerns and conclude by considering how such an orientation might open pathways for education research and practice.
Measured versus Simulated Results of a Dual Band, Hybrid Substrate, and Shared Aperture Antenna

We present a dual band and dual polarization antenna that shares a common aperture. The low frequency element is an annular ring antenna with a shorting wall to suppress surface waves and increase isolation between excitation ports. The high frequency element is a concentric patch. Both elements use orthogonal feeds to allow either horizontal or vertical polarization. Our results show performance of the annular ring at 3.2 GHz and the concentric patch at 11.1 GHz. We reduce the footprint of the annular ring by loading with a dielectric of e r =6.15 and loading the concentric patch with a dielectric of e r =2.33.
Examining the Glass Ceiling for Female Entrepreneurs: An Empirical Analysis

Extensive research on the glass ceiling has shown that the large gap between the female representation at lower and upper levels of management is largely driven by differences in family responsibilities, career interruptions and the requirement of working long hours. Additionally, recent data suggests that female entrepreneurial activity lags behind that of males in terms of business creation and revenue generation. Though one might expect female entrepreneurs to bypass the glass ceiling constraints when becoming a business owner, research still documents gender gaps in this market. This paper examines whether the traditional glass ceiling inhibitors apply to female entrepreneurs as well. We find that male and female entrepreneurs reach early levels of success at similar rates and have similar aspirations for financial growth. However, we find that female entrepreneurs are more likely to cite flexibility as an important reason for entering entrepreneurship and spend more time on housekeeping and childcare.
A scalable pipeline for designing reconfigurable organisms

Living systems are more robust, diverse, complex, and supportive of human life than any technology yet created. However, our ability to create novel lifeforms is currently limited to varying existing organisms or bioengineering organoids in vitro. Here we show a scalable pipeline for creating functional novel lifeforms: AI methods automatically design diverse candidate lifeforms in silico to perform some desired function, and transferable designs are then created using a cell-based construction toolkit to realize living systems with the predicted behaviors. Although some steps in this pipeline still require manual intervention, complete automation in future would pave the way to designing and deploying unique, bespoke living systems for a wide range of functions.
Sound production of the banded Sculpin, Cottus carolinae

The use of sound in social interactions has been documented in several species of sculpin and may be used to convey information concerning species identity, intent, or fitness. Sound production may be a particularly important mode of communication in sculpin due to their nocturnal behavior and construction of nests in rock cavities where the efficacy of visual cues may be diminished. In this study, we describe acoustic signals produced during conspecific behavioral interactions in Cottus carolinae, and compare signal characteristics to the only other known sounds producers in the genus Cottus including C. gobio, C. rhenanus, C. perifretum, C. bairdii, and C. paulus. Sounds were produced during nocturnal encounters between cavity residents and intruders, and consisted of pulsatile signals that were arranged into pulse trains with remarkably long pulse intervals of approximately 1 s, as well as tonal sounds in which the periodicity was increased to approximately 60 Hz. We found no relationship between fish standard length and pulse instantaneous frequency or total pulse train duration, but did find a positive correlation between fish standard length and pulse duration, as well as position of pulse interval within the pulse train. We found that C. carolinae pulse train structure differed significantly from that of other published sculpin species, and that C. carolinae produce tonal sounds; a characteristic unique within the genus Cottus.
3D Hydrodynamic Focusing in Microscale Optofluidic Channels Formed with a Single Sacrificial Layer

Optofluidic devices are capable of detecting single molecules, but greater sensitivity and specificity is desired through hydrodynamic focusing (HDF). Three-dimensional (3D) hydrodynamic focusing was implemented in 10-μm scale microchannel cross-sections made with a single sacrificial layer. HDF is achieved using buffer fluid to sheath the sample fluid, requiring four fluid ports to operate by pressure driven flow. A low-pressure chamber, or pit, formed by etching into a substrate, enables volumetric flow ratio-induced focusing at a low flow velocity. The single layer design simplifies surface micromachining and improves device yield by 1.56 times over previous work. The focusing design was integrated with optical waveguides and used in order to analyze fluorescent signals from beads in fluid flow. The implementation of the focusing scheme was found to narrow the distribution of bead velocity and fluorescent signal, giving rise to 33% more consistent signal. Reservoir effects were observed at low operational vacuum pressures and a balance between optofluidic signal variance and intensity was achieved. The implementation of the design in optofluidic sensors will enable higher detection sensitivity and sample specificity.
High-Grade Spondylolisthesis in Adults: Current Concepts in Evaluation and Management

ABSTRACT Background: Information regarding the treatment of high-grade spondylolisthesis (HGS) in adults has been previously described; however, previous descriptions of the evaluation and surgical management of HGS do not represent more recent and now established approaches. The purpose of the current review is to discuss current concepts in the evaluation and management of patients with HGS. Methods: Literature review. Results: HGS is diagnosed in up to 11.3% of adults with spondylolisthesis and typically presents as nonspecific lower back pain. Regarding evaluation, a thorough history and physical examination should be performed, which may help predict the presence of HGS. Diagnostic imaging, and specifically the use of spino-pelvic parameters, are now commonly implicated in guiding treatment course and prognosis. When surgical intervention is indicated, surgical approaches include in situ fusion variations, reduction and partial reduction with fusion, and vertebrectomy. Although the majority of studies suggest improvements with these approaches, the literature is limited by a low level of evidence with regards to the superiority of one technique when compared with others. Conclusions: HGS is a unique cause of low back pain in adults that carries considerable morbidity, but rarely presents with neurologic symptoms. Although the definitions, classifications, and methods of diagnosis of this spinal deformity have been established and accepted, the ideal surgical management of this deformity remains highly debated. Fusion in situ techniques are often technically easier to perform and provide lower risk of neurologic complications, whereas reduction and fusion techniques offer greater restoration of global spino-pelvic balance. Preoperative spino-pelvic parameters may have utility in assisting in procedural selection; however, future, higher-quality and longer-term studies are warranted to determine the optimal surgical intervention among the widely available techniques currently used, and to better define the indications for these interventions.
Operative techniques in otolaryngology: Head and neck microvascular free flap reconstruction in the elderly

According to the National Institute of Aging, the elderly is the fastest growing subset of the population. For the first time in history, people aged 65 and older will outnumber children by 2030. As the number of elderly has increased in the United States and abroad, head and neck cancer in the elderly is becoming more prevalent. Head and neck cancer often requires complex reconstruction after ablation and free flap microsurgery is now being performed with increased frequency on elderly patients. There has been increasing data looking at outcomes in the elderly undergoing complex head and neck reconstruction. In this review, we examine the literature regarding reconstruction of head and neck cancer patients with special consideration in complications, outcomes, frailty and quality of life.
Arterial diameter following arteriovenous fistula creation predicts aneurysm progression.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between arteriovenous fistula (AVF) arterial diameter (AD) and AVF aneurysm development and progression.Methods:This study identified all patients who unde...
The Association Between Scope of Practice Regulations and Nurse Practitioner Prescribing of Buprenorphine After the 2016 Opioid Bill

This article examines the relationship between federal regulations, state scope-of-practice regulations on nurse practitioners (NPs), and buprenorphine prescribing patterns using pharmacy claims data from Optum's deidentified Clinformatics Data Mart between January 2015 and September 2018. The county-level proportion of patients filling prescriptions written by NPs was low even after the 2016 Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), 2.7% in states that did not require physician oversight of NPs, and 1.1% in states that did. While analyses in rural counties showed higher rates of buprenorphine prescriptions written by NPs, rates were still considerably low: 3.7% in states with less restrictive regulations and 1.1% in other states. These results indicate that less restrictive scope-of-practice regulations are associated with greater NP prescribing following CARA. The small magnitude of the changes indicates that federal attempts to expand treatment access through CARA have been limited.
Treatment of trophoblastic disease. With rationale for the use of adjunctive chemotherapy at the time of indicated operation.

Abstract The results of therapy in 16 patients with metastatic or nonmetastatic trophoblastic disease have been reported. Therapy consisted of chemotherapy alone or chemotherapy with indicated surgery carried out in the middle of a course of drug administration. Agents used were Methotrexate and actinomycin D. A complete remission rate of 75 per cent among 8 patients with metastatic trophoblastic disease and 100 per cent among 8 patients with nonmetastatic disease is recorded. The rationale and feasibility of operating during a course of “adjunctive” chemotherapy are discussed. In this series there was no evidence of delay in wound healing nor spread of disease following the 13 surgical procedures carried out under cover of chemotherapy in 11 of this group of 16 patients. No claim is made in regard to the relative efficacy of this type of combined therapy and chemotherapy alone.
A framework for incorporating class priors into discriminative classification

Discriminative and generative methods provide two distinct approaches to machine learning classification. One advantage of generative approaches is that they naturally model the prior class distributions. In contrast, discriminative approaches directly model the conditional distribution of class given inputs, so the class priors are only implicitly obtained if the input density is known. In this paper, we propose a framework for incorporating class prior proportions into discriminative methods in order to improve their classification accuracy. The basic idea is to enforce that the distribution of class labels predicted on the test data by the discriminative model is consistent with the class priors. Therefore, the discriminative model has to not only fit the training data well but also predict class labels for the test data that are consistent with the class priors. Experiments on five different UCI datasets and one image database show that this framework is effective in improving the classification accuracy when the training data and the test data come from the same class proportions, even if the test data does not have exactly the same feature distribution as the training data.
State-Dependent Stock Market Reactions to Monetary Policy: 'Bubble' vs. Fundamental States

This paper presents a test of the response of stock prices to Federal Reserve policy shocks using a Markov-switching framework. The framework endogenously identifies two distinct regimes. The first is a state where the S&P 500 index exhibits a significantly negative response to unexpected changes in the federal funds target in the thirty minute window bracketing FOMC announcements, a result consistent with previous work. However, the model identifies a second regime from September 1998 to September 2002, where the response of stock prices to policy shocks is insignificant and more volatile relative to the other regime.
Congenital Hearing Loss in Virus Infection: Rubella and CMV Infection in Children

The inner ears seem to be especially susceptible to damage from virus infections and bacterial infections. As it is well known that is why virus or bacteria can infect her fetus and cause congenital hearing loss, if a pregnant woman contracts it.
Electrophysiologic Measurement in Neural Processing Disorders: Application of Auditory Brainstem Response Techniques.

The application of electrophysiologic measurement techniques in the study of mental retardation, autism, and other disorders previously considered "behavioral" or "psychological" is discussed. A description of the previous research using auditory brain stem response measurement with these cases is presented and the implications for future research is examined.
EXTRALEGAL JUSTICE AND CRIME CONTROL

ABSTRACT Drawing on the research literature on community-based crime control, this article explores the role of extralegal justice as an important complement to more formal legal justice efforts employed by communities to regulate crime. Several structural features and properties of extralegal justice are examined to evaluate its utility as a crime control mechanism. In turn, a number of relevant theoretical approaches are then identified to propose specific avenues to stimulate and guide future analyses of collective crime control and justice at the community level. Specifically, it is argued that extralegal justice is not an isolated and independent mechanism of crime control unconnected to the official legal system. Rather, the authors contend that legal and extralegal justice are both integral to understanding the inner-workings of the relationship between community crime control efforts and the larger social control structure of society.
Fundamentals of the Neurologic Examination for Patients Undergoing Central Nervous System Interventional Procedures

The basic neurologic history and exam for the interventional radiologist performing intracranial procedures need not be exhaustive and will not supplant that by neurologic specialist. It should include a pertinent history, focused neurologic exam, and a brief physical exam. The interventional radiologist should be familiar with the grading scales commonly used for patients with intracranial pathology to understand the severity and prognosis of various pathologies. The goal of the examination is to mitigate risk, direct the evaluation, aid in medical decision making, and allow the establishment of an appropriate physician-patient relationship.
Ionizing Potentials of Multiatomic Gases

Ionizing potentials for helium and fifteen compound inorganic gases were measured by accelerating photo-electrons through a gauze into a chamber where the positive ions produced were drawn to a fine Pt electrode, made small so as to eliminate effects due to radiation. The current-voltage curves obtained consist of straight lines except at the breaks. Corrections for initial velocity, etc., were made by obtaining on the same curve both a break for the unknown gas and one for mercury (10.4 volts). The values found are, in volts: helium, 24.5; hydrogen, 15.8; nitrogen, 16.3; oxygen, 12.5, 16.1; $\mathrm{HCl}$, 13.8; $\mathrm{HBr}$, 13.2; $\mathrm{HI}$, 12.8; water, 13.2; ${\mathrm{NH}}_{3}$, 11.1; ${\mathrm{Cl}}_{2}$, 13.2; ${\mathrm{Br}}_{2}$, 12.8; ${I}_{2}$, 10.0; $\mathrm{NO}$, 9.4; ${\mathrm{CO}}_{2}$, 14.3; $\mathrm{CO}$, 14.1, 15.6; ${H}_{2}S$, 10.4. Comparison is made with results of other observers. Theoretical interpretation. An attempt is made to test the thermochemical method of estimating ionizing potentials in those cases (${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$S, N${\mathrm{H}}_{3}$, ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$O) where data are available. No process of ionization involving molecular dissociation seems consistent with the experimental results. This and other evidence suggests that in those cases (HCl, HBr, HI) in which the thermochemical calculations yield accurate results, the agreement may be fortuitous, and that the lowest ionization potentials in each case corresponds to ionization without dissociation.
External turbulence interaction with a columnar vortex

A study was performed using direct numerical simulation to examine the interaction of external turbulence with a nominally columnar, large-scale vortex at a vortex Reynolds number . A multi-step procedure is used to generate initial conditions in which the external turbulence has the wrapped, nearly azimuthal form characteristic of turbulence around a large-scale vortex structure. The proper-orthogonal decomposition method is used to extract specific modes of the vortex turbulence that dominate the kinetic energy and enstrophy fields. The effect of turbulence initial intensity and length scale on the turbulence structure and its influence on the large-scale vortex are examined. It is observed that the external turbulence wraps around the large-scale vortex and advects radially inward toward the vortex core. The dominant axial length scale of the external turbulence appears to scale with the vortex core diameter, with the mode with the largest enstrophy having a wavelength of about twice the core diameter. The turbulence induces a bending wave on the vortex core with axial wavelength approximately equal to the dominant wavelength of the external turbulence. The turbulent enstrophy decays according to a power-law expression for cases with moderate initial turbulence intensity. For sufficiently strong initial turbulence intensity, the turbulence breaks up the large-scale vortex core, creating strong turbulence within the vortex core.
Halide, Ammonium, and Alkali Metal Ion Parameters for Modeling Aqueous Solutions

A complete set of Lennard Jones parameters for the halide ions, F-, Cl-, Br-, and I-, ammonium ion, and the alkali metal ions is reported. The parameters have been optimized using Monte Carlo simulations and free energy perturbation theory with the TIP4P water model to reproduce experimental free energies of hydration and locations of the first maxima of the ion-oxygen radial distribution functions, to provide water coordination numbers consistent with experimental ranges, and to exhibit gas-phase monohydrate energies in reasonable agreement with ab initio values. Average errors for absolute and relative free energies of hydration for the ions are ca. 1 kcal/mol. For the halides, this is the first self-consistent set of parameters that has been optimized for aqueous-phase performance. The good results for relative free energies of hydration are particularly auspicious for use of the new parameters in a wide variety of liquid-phase simulations where halide and alkali cations are systematically varied.
Epidermal growth factor binding and stimulation of inositol trisphosphate production in basolateral membranes from dog kidney

To ascertain whether epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptors are present in proximal tubular basolateral membranes from dog kidney and whether the growth factor activates phospholipase C at this site, we measured binding of 125I-EGF in isolated membranes and determined whether incubation of the membranes with EGF results in generation of inositol trisphosphate. Specific binding of 125I-EGF to basolateral membranes was observed that was half-maximally inhibited by approximately 7 x 10(-10) M EGF. The specific binding capacity of basolateral membranes for EGF averaged 45.9 fmol/mg protein. 125I-EGF was crosslinked to 2 proteins in basolateral membranes with M(r)s of 170,000 and 150,000. EGF stimulated phosphorylation of a 170,000 M(r) protein. Incubation of basolateral membranes with EGF stimulated inositol trisphosphate production in a concentration-dependent manner. We conclude that EGF activates a phospholipase C activity that cleaves phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate within the basolateral membrane.
Male psychosexual development: role of sibling sex and ordinal position.

(1972). Male Psychosexual Development: Role of Sibling Sex and Ordinal Position. The Journal of Genetic Psychology: Vol. 121, No. 2, pp. 187-196.
Microsurgical management of jugular foramen schwannomas.

BACKGROUND Jugular foramen schwannomas are uncommon and surgically challenging lesions. OBJECTIVE To determine the importance of surgical technique on morbidity and recurrence of jugular foramen schwannomas. METHODS A retrospective review and case-control analysis of a single-senior-surgeon series of 81 patients with surgically treated jugular foramen schwannomas was performed, focusing on operative technique. Patients undergoing an aggressive, total tumor resection (series 1) were compared with those undergoing more conservative resection focusing on preserving the pars nervosa (series 2). RESULTS There was a statistically significant (P = .04) decrease in permanent deficits of the cranial nerve 9/10 complex with a conservative technique. Recurrence was seen in 3 patients (5.7%) in series 1 and in 3 patients (10.7%) in series 2 (P = .36). Recurrence was treated with reoperation in 1 patient, radiation in 1 patient, and observation in the others. CONCLUSION Although radical gross total resection is desirable, it is not optimal for cranial nerve preservation in patients with jugular foramen schwannomas. A more conservative approach resulted in a statistically significant decrease in lower cranial nerve deficits. There was a nonstatistically significant trend toward increasing recurrence, which may be treated with multiple modality therapy in the modern era.
Brain neural activity patterns yielding numbers are operators, not representations.

We contrapose computational models using representations of numbers in parietal cortical activity patterns (abstract or not) with dynamic models, whereby prefrontal cortex (PFC) orchestrates neural operators. The neural operators under PFC control are activity patterns that mobilize synaptic matrices formed by learning into textured oscillations we observe through the electroencephalogram from the scalp (EEG) and the electrocorticogram from the cortical surface (ECoG). We postulate that specialized operators produce symbolic representations existing only outside of brains.
Imaging manifestations of malignant neoplasia mimicking pyogenic osteodiscitis

Malignant neoplasia involving contiguous vertebrae and the corresponding intervertebral discs is a rare occurrence that has similar imaging manifestations as pyogenic osteodiscitis. The authors describe the imaging manifestations of two cases of malignant neoplasia mimicking pyogenic osteodiscitis. We present a case of an 83-year-old male with metastatic non-small cell lung carcinoma and an 82-year-old female with a plasmacytoma, both within the thoracic spine. These cases illustrate how the imaging features of pyogenic osteodiscitis may parallel those of malignant neoplasia.
Influence of hormone replacement therapy on graft patency after femoropopliteal bypass grafting.

Abstract Objective: Thromboembolic events are more frequent in women with established cardiovascular disease who are receiving hormone replacement therapy (HRT). The effect of HRT on the outcome of women undergoing infrainguinal bypass grafting is unknown. The purpose of this study was to estimate the influence of risk factors, in particular HRT, on the outcome of women undergoing femoropopliteal bypass grafting. Methods: During a 5-year period (between 1993 and 1998), 131 femoropopliteal bypass graft procedures were performed in 106 women. The criteria prepared by the Ad Hoc Committee on Reporting Standards (Society for Vascular Surgery/North American Chapter of the International Society for Cardiovascular Surgery) were followed. Both univariate (Kaplan-Meier method) and multivariate analyses (Cox proportional hazards model) were used to determine the association among preoperative variables, graft patency, limb salvage, and survival. Results: The average age of the patients was 66.4 years; 26% of the patients were receiving HRT. Indications for femoropopliteal bypass grafting were limb salvage (80%) and disabling claudication (20%). Autogenous vein was used in 48% of procedures, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) in 49%, and PTFE-vein composite grafts in 3%. Distal popliteal anastomosis was above the knee in 52% and below the knee in 48%. Overall primary patency rate was 81% at 1 year, 65% at 3 years, and 56% at 5 years. Primary patency rates at 1, 3, and 5 years were 75%, 45%, and 23%, respectively, for HRT users and 84%, 72%, and 65%, respectively, for nonusers of HRT. Overall, cumulative 1- and 5-year limb salvage results were 96% and 92%, respectively, and long-term survival at 1, 3, and 5 years was 96%, 86% and 74%, respectively. With univariate and Cox regression analyses, HRT was identified as the only independent predictor of reduced primary graft patency (Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank test, P =.004; relative risk, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.3-4.8). Women receiving HRT who underwent a procedure with PTFE had the lowest primary graft patency rates (relative risk, 3.4; 95% CI, 1.5-7.8; P =.006). Conclusions: Women undergoing femoropopliteal bypass graft procedures who are receiving HRT have significantly reduced primary graft patency rates. The risk of graft failure increases when prosthetic materials are used. (J Vasc Surg 2000;32:506-18.)
Neurosteroid regulation of inhibitory synaptic transmission in the rat hippocampus in vitro.

Abstract The effect of the neurosteroid dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate on inhibitory synaptic transmission was studied in area CA1 of the rat hippocampus using an in vitro hippocampal slice preparation. Synaptic responses elicited by stimulation of Schaffer collateral fibers were recorded extracellularly as population spikes in the somatic region and as synaptic field potentials in the dendritic region. Bath application of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (10 μ M) enhanced the synaptically evoked somatic population spike with no effect on the dendritic synaptic potential. Isolation of the α -amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate receptor-mediated component of the synaptic response by addition of antagonists of N -methyl- d -aspartate and GABA receptors to the perfusion saline demonstrated that dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate had no effect on this component of the dendritic synaptic potential. In contrast, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate antagonized GABA receptor-mediated inhibitory effects in the somatic region, resulting in an augmentation of the somatic population spike amplitude. Paired-pulse facilitation was unaltered by dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, thus arguing against possible presynaptic sites of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate's actions. These results indicate that dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate can alter synaptic transmission in the hippocampus through selective postsynaptic actions on inhibitory synaptic transmission. A synaptic effect of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate is consistent with a neuromodulatory role for this neurosteroid in the central nervous system, and may contribute to the reported effects of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate on cognitive processes such as learning and memory.
Results of treatment of early stage I carcinoma of the uterine cervix with intracavitary radium alone

A total of 151 patients with Stage I carcinoma of the uterine cervix received treatment with intracavitary irradiation alone between 1948 and 1971. All patients had a minimum follow-up of five years. There were no local failures. No patient with microinvasive carcinoma (Stage IA) had a regional failure. A maximum of 4% (4/93) of patients with invasive cancer less than 1 cm in diameter (Stage IB-Small Volume) had regional failures. The five year determinate survival rates for patients with Stage IA and IB (Small Volume) lesions were 100% and 96% respectively. The incidence of severe complications was low, with a fistula developing in only one patient. Treatment with intracavitary radium alone is sufficient for patients with invasive cancer less than 1 cm in diameter who have adequate anatomy that allows effective irradiation of the primary lesion and paracervical lymphatics.
Hydroxynaphthoic acid isomer sorption onto goethite.

This study used batch and attenuated total reflectance–Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) flow-through techniques, along with computational chemistry, to probe the sorption of hydroxynaphthoic acid (HNA) isomers at the goethite–water interface. The HNA isomers employed in this study, 1-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid and 2-hydroxy-3-naphthoic acid, possessed an intramolecular hydrogen bond (IHB) between their carboxyl and hydroxyl groups, which resulted in coupled vibrational modes. Complimentary information from batch and ATR-FTIR studies suggested surface complexation via a bidentate structure, involving both the carboxylate and phenolate groups, as the dominant mode of sorption. A secondary HNA surfaces species noted only at pH 4 appeared to sorb via the carboxylate group, with the phenolic group involved in IHB or H-bonded to the solvent or surface hydroxyl groups. Despite the lack of unique vibrational modes for the key functional groups our experimental approach was successful in proposing interfacial structures, while acknowledging the limitations with respect to differentiating mono- vs. binuclear complexes. Finally, the spectral similarity of HNA sorbed onto goethite and onto the clay fraction of an iron oxide-rich soil suggested analogous solute interaction in pure phase minerals and soils.
Mass Rescaling in Unified Theories

Abstract We describe a procedure for the rescaling of fermion mass relations in general unified theories of weak, electromagnetic, and strong interactions by the simultaneous rescaling of Yukawa coupling parameters and vacuum expectation values in the theory. We illustrate this procedure in a simple pedagogical model for which the rescaling of fermion mass relations is non-trivial.
Heat generated in a viscoelastic fluid by couette flow in the presence of porous walls

Abstract The effects of mass transfer and viscoelastic nature on the heat generation due to viscous dissipation are investigated analytically. The governing equations of motion and energy were reduced to a set of ordinary differential equations and closed-form solutions were presented with the cross-flow Reynolds number, the viscoelastic parameter and the Prandtl number as parameters. The effects of these parameters on the flow and heat transfer characteristics of a slider bearing were determined.
Chameleonic σ-models

Abstract (1+1)-dimensional, non-linear and (2,2)-supersymmetric σ-models are constructed in which the target space changes topology at distinguished regions of the parameter space. In particuklar, a σ-mode formulation is provided for the recently discovered topological transitions among of the Calabi-Yau manifolds.
A fast simulation approach for tandem queueing systems

The authors present a novel simulation approach which is based on a recursive expression of sample path and can be applied to single-server tandem queueing systems. Numerical results show that compared with the event-scheduling-based simulation, the simulation can dramatically save run time, particularly for large-scale systems. In most of the cases studied, the run time ratio falls between 20% and 50%. That is, compared to the traditional simulator, the fast simulator may save 50% to 80% of the run time. >
Protists from the ice-edge region of the Weddell Sea

Abstract We present some of the first records and quantitative data on protists from the ice-edge region of the Weddell Sea. Major groups were diatoms (33 species), dinoflagellates (4 species), prymnesiophytes (2 species), cryptomonads (2 species), prasinophytes (1 species), chrysophytes (3 species), and choanoflagellates (11 species). The prymnesiophyte, Phaeocystis pouchetii , diatoms (predominantly Nitzschia of the Fragilariopsis group), and choanogflagellates (Acanthoecidae) were numerically dominant, although other protists sometimes contributed significantly to plankton populations. Most groups were more abundant at the ice edge than under the pack ice or in the open water. The abundance of choanoflagellates suggests that food chains based on bacterial production must be important, as well as the traditional diatom-krill-vertebrate food chain.
Advancements in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

The article, “Recombinant TSH-Stimulated, Radioguided Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma Surgery,” highlights two recent advancements in the diagnosis and treatment of well-differentiated thyroid cancer. The first is the use of thyrogen to stimulate the uptake of131I in thyroid remnants and/or metastases without induction of a clinical hypothyroid state. Secondly, is the use of an intraoperative gamma detector to find and confirm removal of remnant thyroid tissue with radionuclide uptake. Thyrogen is now widely used to conduct surveillance scanning in thyroid cancer patients. Gamma probe localization is used for sentinel node identification for breast, lung, and head and neck malignancies, as well as melanoma, and minimally invasive parathyroidectomy. The unique aspect of this report is that the two principles have been united, probably for the first time. Although these results are quite preliminary, they serve to illustrate that an increased ability to biochemically manipulate and image tissues will potentially enable improved staging and treatment for iodine avid thyroid disease, whether in its primary presentation or in the setting of recurrence. Prospective clinical trials will be required to confirm these initial impressions.
A model of the spread of randomly scanning Internet worms that saturate access links

We present a simple, deterministic mathematical model for the spread of randomly scanning and bandwidth-saturating Internet worms. Such worms include Slammer and Witty, both of which spread extremely rapidly. Our model, consisting of coupled Kermack-McKendrick (a.k.a. stratified susceptibles-infectives (SI)) equations, captures both the measured scanning activity of the worm and the network limitation of its spread, that is, the effective scan-rate per worm/infective. The Internet is modeled as an ideal core network to which each peripheral (e.g., enterprise) network is connected via a single access link. It is further assumed in this note that as soon as a single end-system in the peripheral network is infected by the worm, the subsequent scanning of the rest of the Internet saturates the access link, that is, there is “instant” saturation. We fit our model to available data for the Slammer worm and demonstrate the model's ability to accurately represent Slammer's total scan-rate to the core.
Exploring the Meaning of Civic Engagement in the United States: Mexican Immigrants in Central Texas.

This chapter explores how Mexican immigrants in a small central Texas town understand their roles and/or responsibilities as citizens in a democratic society regardless of their immigration status in the country.
Evaluation of glancing angle X-ray diffraction and MeV 4He backscattering analyses of silicide formation☆

Nickel and palladium silicide films have been used in an evaluation of MeV 4He backscattering, the Read X-ray camera and the Seemann-Bohlin X-ray diffractometer. Identical samples of untextured, textured and epitaxial crystalline layers have been studied by all three techniques. Backscattering spectrometry techniques give concentration ratios and and silicide layer thicknesses. Glancing angle X-ray diffraction is required for positive phase identification and structural analysis. The Seemann-Bohlin diffractometer is capable of quantitative structural analysis; however, the Read camera is adequate in phase identification of silicide formation.
Embolization of kidney: Treatment forlaceration of ureter producing intractable urinary ascites

A case is reported of a patient with rapidly accumulating urinary ascites who was successfully treated by embolic ablation of renal function. The appropriate literature is reviewed.
False-positive serum human chorionic gonadotropin results: Causes, characteristics, and recognition

False-positive serum human chorionic gonadotropin results are estimated to occur in 1 in 10(3) to 1 in 10(4) tests. Most of these false-positive results are due to interference by non-human chorionic gonadotropin substances (especially human luteinizing hormone and anti-animal immunoglobulin antibodies) and the detection of pituitary human chorionic gonadotropin. The false-positive human chorionic gonadotropin measurements are characterized by serum levels that are generally <1000 mIU/mL, the absence of human chorionic gonadotropin in the urine, nonparallelism of the human chorionic gonadotropin levels in serial dilutions of the serum with the human chorionic gonadotropin standard, results that are not consistent with the clinical or operative findings, the absence of a substantial change in the serum levels over time or after therapy, and the finding of a negative result when an alternative type of human chorionic gonadotropin assay is used. An algorithm is presented to aid in the recognition of false-positive human chorionic gonadotropin results in patients.