cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Congenital Unilateral Hydronephrosis in a Rat Model: Continuous Renal Pelvic and Bladder Pressures

AbstractWe investigated a rat model with inbred unilateral congenital hydronephrosis. Simultaneous bladder and renal pelvic pressures were measured during different urinary flows, and during bladder filling and voiding in these congenitally hydronephrotic rats (approximately 45 days old) and normal nonhydronephrotic rats from the same colony. Differential pressures between pelvis and proximal ureter were determined. Upon termination of the experiment the urinary tract was removed and processed for histological examination. Hydronephrotic rats had significantly higher renal pelvic pressures throughout bladder filling at all urinary flow rates than normal rats. These elevated renal pelvic pressures exceeded bladder pressures at high flows (for example bladder pressure at 50% capacity was 8.9 ± 3.1cm. water and corresponding pelvic pressure was 20.8 ± 2.1 [hydronephrosis] versus pelvic pressure 7.4 ± 1.1 [control]). While pressures in the proximal ureter were higher than in the pelvis in normal rats the hydr...
Pancreatic whole organ transplantation.

Four relatively long-term successes of organ pancreas transplants in humans would suggest that the organ transplant may act more like a kidney transplant than do islet cells. Many of the problems may be technical, and carefully controlled, staged whole or partial pancreas allografts in humans hold promise for ultimate better long-term success.
Tacheal-innominate artery fistula after tracheal reconstruction. A case of successful repair.

The case history of a long-term survivor of a tracheal-innominate artery fistula is presented. The complication followed tracheal reconstruction for tracheal stenosis. The operative approach emphasizing the need for revascularization of the distal arterial tree preceding ligation of the innominate artery is discussed. Measures to prevent this complication are outlined.
Age of fitting upper-extremity prostheses in children; a clinical study.

1. Prosthetic tolerance can be obtained in children as young as five months. 2. Functional patterns involving both hands at a normal distance from the body can be obtained and are facilitated with early upper-extremity limb-fitting. 3. In the very young (under twelve months), any type of passive terminal device can be used. In this series, the plastic mitten type seemed to best fulfill the requirements. 4. Parental acceptance of early fitting has been excellent. 5. Motor skills cannot be developed beyond the individual's level of motor maturation. Early fitting of a prosthesis does not speed up this physiological maturation process. 6. Purposeful grasp and release utilization of an active terminal device can seldom be developed under twenty-four months of age, and is usually not well developed until thirty months of age. 7. Psychic influence of early prosthetic fitting cannot be evaluated at this time. 8. Masking of the sensory function of the amputated or deformed extremity cannot be evaluated at this time.
Intraurethral Alprostadil Training

Intraurethral alprostadil suppository is available on the market under the trade name MUSE® (Medicated Urethral System for Erection, Meda Pharmaceuticals Inc. Somerset, NJ). The medication is placed within the urethra and is absorbed via retrograde venous channels between the corpus spongiosum and corpora cavernosa.
Randomized phase-2 study of sipuleucel-T with or without radium-223 in men with asymptomatic/minimally symptomatic bone-metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC).

TPS5076 Background: Sipuleucel-T is an autologous cellular immunotherapy indicated for men with asymptomatic/minimally symptomatic metastatic CRPC. Recent analysis of immune responses in men treate...
“This curious thing”: Richard Rive, the Harlem Renaissance, and the commodification of the black Atlantic

As a young man, Richard Rive was prone to mythologizing African-American culture. We see this, for instance, in his letters to Langston Hughes, where he claims Hughes and other black American write...
Transactional Lock Elision Meets Combining

Flat combining (FC) and transactional lock elision (TLE) are two techniques that facilitate efficient multi-thread access to a sequentially implemented data structure protected by a lock. FC allows threads to delegate their operations to another (combiner) thread, and benefit from executing multiple operations by that thread under the lock through combining and elimination optimizations tailored to the specific data structure. TLE employs hardware transactional memory (HTM) that allows multiple threads to apply their operations concurrently as long as they do not conflict. This paper explores how these two radically different techniques can complement one another, and introduces the HTM-assisted Combining Framework (HCF). HCF leverages HTM to allow multiple combiners to run concurrently with each other, as well as with other, non-combiner threads. This makes HCF a good fit for data structures and workloads in which some operations may conflict with each other while others may run concurrently without conflicts. HCF achieves all that with changes to the sequential code similar to those required by TLE and FC, and in particular, without requiring the programmer to reason about concurrency.
The Process of Becoming a Sexual Black Woman: A Grounded Theory Study.

Black females in the United States disproportionately suffer from STDs, including HIV. Understanding the sociocultural conditions that affect their risk is essential to developing effective and culturally relevant prevention programs. Methods: In 2016-2017 in Madison, Wisconsin, 20 black females aged 19-62 completed interviews that explored the sociocultural conditions associated with sexual development and STD/HIV risk. Interviews were guided by grounded theory; open, axial and selective coding and constant comparative analysis were used to identify developmental phases and relevant sociocultural conditions. Results: Three phases of becoming a sexual black woman were identified: Girl, when participants reported beginning to understand their sexuality; Grown, marking a transition to adulthood, when participants began to feel more self-sufficient yet still grappled with their emerging sexuality; and Woman, when participants developed a strong sense of self and took ownership of their bodies. Two sociocultural conditions affected progression through these phases: stereotype messaging and protection (both self-protection and protecting others). Negative life events (e.g., sexual trauma) and early sexualization reportedly affected sexual development, and STD experience influenced self-perceptions of sexuality and sexual behavior, often leading to self-protective behaviors. Older participants reported strategies to protect young black females from negative sexual experiences. Conclusion: Interventions at multiple levels of the social ecology throughout the life course may help reduce STD/HIV risk among black women in the United States. Future research should include examination of the experiences of black females younger than 18 and evaluation of the protective strategies employed by older black females.
Use of 'ideal' alveolar air equations and corrected end-tidal PCO2 to estimate arterial PCO2 and physiological dead space during exercise in patients with heart failure.

Abstract Background Arterial CO 2 tension (PaCO 2 ) and physiological dead space (V D ) are not routinely measured during clinical cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET). Abnormal changes in PaCO 2 accompanied by increased V D directly contribute to impaired exercise ventilatory function in heart failure (HF). Because arterial catheterization is not standard practice during CPET, this study tested the construct validity of PaCO 2 and V D prediction models using ‘ideal' alveolar air equations and basic ventilation and gas-exchangegas exchange measurements during CPET in HF. Methods Forty-seven NYHA class II/III HF (LVEF=21±7%; age=55±9years; male=89%; BMI=28±5kg/m 2 ) performed step-wise cycle ergometry CPET to volitional fatigue. Breath-by-breath ventilation and gas exchange were measured continuously. Steady-state PaCO 2 was measured at rest and peak exercise via radial arterial catheterization. Criterion V D was calculated via ‘ideal' alveolar equations, whereas PaCO 2 or V D models were based on end-tidal CO 2 tension (P ET CO 2 ), tidal volume (V T ), and/or weight. Results Criterion measurements of PaCO 2 (38±5 vs. 33±5mmHg, P D (0.26±0.07 vs. 0.41±0.15L, P ET CO 2 −0.0021×V T , was the strongest predictor of PaCO 2 at rest and peak exercise (bias±95%LOA=−3.24±6.63 and −0.98±5.76mmHg; R 2 =0.57 and 0.75, P D at rest and peak exercise (bias±95%LOA=−0.03±0.06 and −0.02±0.13L; R 2 =0.86 and 0.83, P Conclusions These data suggest predicted PaCO 2 and V D based on breath-by-breath gas exchange and ventilatory responses demonstrate acceptable agreement with criterion measurements at peak exercise in HF patients. Routine assessment of PaCO 2 and V D can be used to improve interpretability of exercise ventilatory responses in HF.
A Dual-Heat-Pump Residential Heating System for Shaping Electric Utility Load

We present a residential heating system designed specifically to provide electric utilities with a means for achieving intra-hour load shifting. The system couples two heat pumps with a large water tank, which serves as a thermal storage unit. One heat pump uses the water tank as a source and serves residential heating load. The other uses the outdoor air as a source and heats the water tank during favorable weather conditions, thereby improving the efficiency of the first. By aggregating large numbers of such systems distributed throughout its balancing area, a utility may use this resource as a means for achieving load shaping, the intra-hour shifting of generation resources from periods of peak demand to periods of low demand. This paper focuses on the potential for using such an aggregated resource as a technological solution for realizing winter peak demand reduction and overall lower energy consumption, thereby displacing the need for capital investment in peak generation plants. The results of this paper are promising, demonstrating potential savings for both the utility and residential customers.
Causation in Descartes’ Les Météores and Late Renaissance Aristotelian Meteorology

Over 70 years ago, Etienne Gilson showed the parallels between Descartes’ Les meteores and the Coimbrans’ textbook that was based on Aristotle’s Meteorology. The topics treated in Descartes’ work follow those found in the frequently-taught Jesuit textbook. They both discussed the formation of clouds, rain, rainbows and other lights in the sky, minerals and salts, and the cause of winds and earthquakes. The similarities do not end at the structure and topics treated that Gilson pointed out but extend to large portions of the treatises’ content. To be sure, differences appear, but many Aristotelian meteorological concepts are found throughout Descartes’ treatise without being changed at all or only in a minor way. Descartes’ Les meteores was neither revolutionary, nor was it intended to be revolutionary.
Information management in public sector agencies: a context-sensitive conceptual framework of CIO competence

Managerial responsibilities for information technology (IT) have, increasingly, been consolidated in the person of the "chief information officer" (CIO). Despite the increased prevalence of the CIO position, no one model has emerged that explains what can realistically be expected of the CIO in various organizational contexts. This is particularly true of the public-sector CIO. In this chapter, insight into the problems, challenges, and requisite competencies for public-sector CIOs is provided. The conceptual framework of CIO competence presented here is multidimensional and interdisciplinary in nature. In the chapter, the importance of considering the contextual setting in which CIOs operate in understanding the competencies he or she deems critical to the CIO role is illustrated. The competencies deemed critical by CIOs with differing perceptions of the role of IT, as well as those deemed critical by CIOs managing different size IT units, are contrasted. The discussion should inform academicians developing IT management curricula and practitioners engaged in CIO search and development activities.
Associations Between Depressive Symptoms and Religiosity in Young Adults.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between religiosity and depressive symptoms among young adults, as well as determine whether possession of parental assets influences the relationship between religiosity and depressive symptoms. Young adults (n = 775) from universities in the southwest were sent an online survey, evaluating depressive symptoms, religiosity beliefs, and the protective assets of the relationships with their mother and father. With regard to young adult depressive symptoms, results showed a significant inverse association with levels of organizational religious activities (OR range = 0.208–0.555), levels of non-organizational religious activities (OR range = 0.282–0.399), and intrinsic religiosity (OR range = 0.216–0.489). Overall, religiosity beliefs and practices appeared to be associated with fewer depressive symptoms. Inclusion of religious/spirituality-oriented strategies may be important for mental health interventions in emerging adulthood.
Gate voltage and doping effects on near-field radiation heat transfer in plasmonic heterogeneous pairs of graphene and black phosphorene

Plasmon coupling and hybridization in 2D materials plays a significant role for controlling light–matter interaction at the nanoscale. We present a near-field radiation heat transfer (NFRHT) between vertically separated graphene and black phosphorene sheets at different temperatures in nanoscale separations. Radiation exchange from the theory of fluctuation electrodynamics is modulated by the carrier density of graphene and phosphorene. Direct comparison of NFRHT black phosphorene–graphene to symmetric graphene–graphene radiation exchange can be as much as 4 times higher for the selected doping range in both armchair (AC) and zigzag (ZZ) orientations of BP. The strong NFRHT enhancement of the specific optical properties of the heterogenous 2D material is due to the strong coupling of propagating surface plasmon polaritons as demonstrated by the distribution of the heat transfer coefficient. We also demonstrate that the magnitude of the near-field radiation enhancement is found to acutely depend on the vacuum gap of the graphene and BP pair. Interestingly, for separation distances below 200 nm, the total near-field heat transfer between black phosphorene and graphene exceeds that between graphene and graphene by 5 times. The radiation enhancement can be further tuned based on the orientation, AC, and ZZ of black phosphorene. These results prominently enable dynamic control of the total NFRHT relying on tunable anisotropic characteristics of BP irrespective of graphene's optical conductivity. Furthermore, the heterogeneous pairs of 2D materials potentially provide alternative platforms to achieve beyond super-Planckian radiation.
Effects of relative humidity, temperature, and geometry on fluid flow rate in lateral flow immunoassays

Lateral Flow Immunoassays (LFIAs) are among the most successful Point of Care (POC) tests. However, factors like reagent stability, reaction rates, and binding kinetics limit the performance and robustness of LFIAs. One of the factors that affects the overall performance of LFIA is the fluid flow rate, and hence, it is desirable to maintain a predictable fluid velocity in porous media. The main objective of this study is to build a statistical model that estimates the fluid velocity in porous media for any given ambient condition to enable us to determine the optimal design parameters for achieving a desired fluid velocity in porous media.
Pediatric granular cell tumor of vulva: A rare benign tumor

Abstract We present a rare case of a school-aged girl with granular cell tumor of the vulva. The patient presented with a right labial swelling of unknown duration. Initial diagnostic workup with ultrasound suggested a gonadal structure in the right labia, which was read as ovarian herniation through the Canal of Nuck into the right labia majora. Given concerns for a concurrent Mullerian dysgenesis syndrome predisposing the patient to ovarian herniation, the patient was scheduled for a diagnostic laparoscopy and hernia repair with possible excision of vulvar mass. Laparoscopy revealed normal reproductive anatomy with two visualized normal appearing pelvic ovaries. Subsequent excision of the mass was determined to be granular cell tumor by pathology. There are fewer than 20 reported cases of pediatric vulvar granular cell tumors in the literature and no reports of granular cell tumors presenting as ovarian structure on imaging. This case highlights the importance of including this rare tumor in the differential diagnosis for vulvar mass which may be misread as ovary on ultrasound.
Influence of unfused cranial bones on magnetoencephalography signals in human infants

Abstract Objective To clarify the effects of unfused cranial bones on magnetoencephalography (MEG) signals during early development. Methods In a simulation study, we compared the MEG signals over a spherical head model with a circular hole mimicking the anterior fontanel to those over the same head model without the fontanel for different head and fontanel sizes with varying skull thickness and conductivity. Results The fontanel had small effects according to three indices. The sum of differences in signal over a sensor array due to a fontanel, for example, was Conclusion MEG signal is weakly affected by a fontanel. However, the effects can be extensive and significant for radial sources, thicker skull and large fontanels. The fontanel effects can be intuitively explained by the concept of secondary sources at the fontanel wall. Significance The minor influence of unfused cranial bones simplifies MEG analysis, but it should be considered for quantitative analysis.
Open-Source EDA: If We Build It, Who Will Come?

The VLSI technology and scaling roadmap has always included Process technology (wrapped as “PDK”), VLSI designs themselves (“System Drivers”), and EDA technology (“Design Technology”). Today, we see an open-source foundry PDK, and we see a vibrant open-source hardware design ecosystem. But what about open-source EDA? The development of open-source EDA technology cannot be separated from the question, “If we build it, who will come?” Today's talk will try to provide some thoughts on this question. What is “it”? Who is “we”? Who is “who”? And in what ways will the “who” come to interact with open-source EDA?
Born to run: where rebel parties participate in post-conflict local elections

Where do newly formed rebel parties run their candidates for local elections? Most work on rebel parties examines the factors that explain rebel party success on the national level. However, few st...
Bouveret Syndrome

Gastric outlet obstruction secondary to an impacted duodenal gallstone, or Bouveret syndrome, is a rare variant of gallstone ileus. It is most common in elderly women and frequently requires endoscopic or surgical management. We present the case of an 80-year-old woman with multiple medical comorbidities who presented to our service with 2 weeks of abdominal pain and nausea. MRI revealed a 4.4-cm gallstone impacted in the duodenum with associated cholecystoduodenal fistula. She required operative exploration to remove the impacted stone and had an unremarkable post-operative course. This case demonstrates the presentation and workup of this rare disorder and the various options for treatment, which can sometimes be difficult given the typical age and associated comorbidities of the patient.
Towards an Automatic Proof of Lamport's Paxos

Lamport's celebrated Paxos consensus protocol is generally viewed as a complex hard-to-understand algorithm. Notwithstanding its complexity, in this paper, we take a step towards automatically proving the safety of Paxos by taking advantage of three structural features in its specification: spatial regularity in its unordered domains, temporal regularity in its totally-ordered domain, and its hierarchical composition. By carefully integrating these structural features in IC3PO, a novel model checking algorithm, we were able to infer an inductive invariant that identically matches the human-written one previously derived with significant manual effort using interactive theorem proving. While various attempts have been made to verify different versions of Paxos, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of an automatically-inferred inductive invariant for Lamport's original Paxos specification. We note that these structural features are not specific to Paxos and that IC3PO can serve as an automatic general-purpose protocol verification tool.
Quantifying a Comprehensive Training Protocol for a Novel Transvaginal Robotic System

Study Objective It is essential to optimize the learning curve of new medical technology to ensure patient safety and successful surgical outcomes. This abstract describes the training platform and the quantification methods designed to assess a novel transvaginal robotic technique for benign hysterectomy. Design The training platform covers review of surgical anatomy, guided vaginal entry into the posterior cul-de-sac, insertion and retroflexion of the humanoid robotic arms, fundus-to-cervix hysterectomy technique using the robotic arms, safe use of energy, specimen extraction through the colpotomy and vaginal cuff closure. Setting Simulation Laboratory and Operating Room. Patients or Participants New surgeon users of transvaginal robotics. Interventions The training platform is implemented in 4 phases. Phase 1 is an Introduction to the Technology and includes case observations, video reviews and peer-to-peer workshops. Phase II is the Technology Training which includes online modules, skills drills on a desktop trainer and a vaginal access trainer plus 10-13 hours of simulation and wet lab training followed by a system skills assessment. Phase III is the initial first case series. Phase IV is a continuing Training Continuum including surgeon-led webinars, advanced master courses, surgeon lecture programs. Measurements and Main Results Effectiveness of the surgeon training pathway will be assessed according to the Kirkpatrick Model of learning evaluation. This includes the Reaction , which quantifies the surgeon satisfaction with training, Learning , which measures the increase in knowledge and skills, the Impact on Behavior , which assesses the change in behavior both with the 6 months after training and finally the Results , which quantifies the overall impact of training on the outcomes. Learning curve will be assessed using Cumulative Summation (CUSUM) Analysis which is a sequential analysis technique developed in statistical quality control. Conclusion This systematic and objective approach to training is critical to successful implementation of new surgical technology.
Effects of dose loading conditions and device geometry on the transport and aerosolization in dry powder inhalers: A simulation study.

Abstract The transport and aerosolization of particles are studied in several different dry powder inhaler geometries via Computational Fluid Dynamics-Discrete Element Method (CFD-DEM) simulations. These simulations combine Large Eddy Simulation of gas with Discrete Element Model simulation of all the carrier particles and a representative subset of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) particles. The purpose of the study is to probe the dominant mechanism leading to the release of the API particles and to demonstrate the value of the CFD-DEM simulations where one tracks the motion of all the carrier and API particles. Simulations are performed at different inhalation rates and initial dose loading conditions for the screen-haler geometry, a simple cylindrical tube inhaler, and five different geometry modifications that took the form of bumpy walls and baffles. These geometry modifications alter the residence time of the powder sample in the inhaler, pressure drop across the inhaler, the severity of gas-carrier interactions, and the number of collisions experienced by the carrier particles, all of which are quantified. The quality of aerosolization is found to correlate with the average air-carrier slip velocity, while collisions played only a secondary role. Some geometry modifications improved aerosolization quality with very little increase in the pressure drop across the device.
Chapter 1 Visual Processing Time and the Control of Movement

Publisher Summary Visual information is critical for performing a variety of motor activities, especially when the performer's movements must coincide with a changing environment, such as in catching a ball, or in motor activities requiring precise movements of the hand to a target. The study of “manual aiming” activities, such as pointing at a target, relocating a body segment in space, or reaching for an object, is directly linked to vision. Vision plays a number of roles in producing skilled movements. For example, it is evident that vision facilitates performance in manual aiming by specifying the target position, by indicating the position of the moving limb, and/or by providing error information regarding the discrepancy between the target and limb position. The actual performance benefit derived from visual information is a function of a number of factors, with one of the most important being temporal processing delays. The duration of the temporal delay between picking up visual information and using this information to trigger or guide movements is critical for precise manual aiming and is also important for a broad range of other activities.
Oil prices without OPEC: A walk on the supply-side

Abstract The rapid increases of oil prices during the 1970s are commonly regarded as prima facie evidence of monopoly power. This paper applies the theory of exhaustible resources to estimate the equilibrium oil prices (also known as ‘efficiency prices’) which would have prevailed in the absence of monopoly profits. The theory incorporates an extraction cost function wherein cost is a rising function of the cumulative amount of oil extracted. The model is used to simulate efficiency price paths under a variety of assumptions about extraction costs and real interest rates which are representative of perceptions at various times in recent history. These simulations show that the price increases of 1974 and 1979–1980 can be explained as a response to supply-side changes, espicially changes in the perceived cost of the backstop technology and the fall in real interest rates in the mid and late 1970s. Thus, while efficiency prices were high in the 1970s, relative to extraction costs, it is plausible that average monopoly profits were negligible. This situation appears to have changed in the early 1980s due to the return of real interest rates to their historic levels. In early 1982, even spot prices, already below official prices, were substantially above the estimated efficiency or competitive price level. On the other hand, efficiency prices remain far above extraction costs. Thus, even if the price-setting power of OPEC were eroded by competition, the real price of oil would not fall below the level established in 1974.
Utility of a loop-mediated amplification assay for detection of Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis in seeds and plant tissues

AbstractA loop-mediated amplification (LAMP) assay developed previously to specifically identify Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis, the causal agent of bacterial canker of tomato, was compared with a commercial lateral flow immunoassay, three PCR assays, and culturing on agar medium for efficacy in detecting the pathogen in pepper and tomato tissues and tomato seeds. The LAMP assay was as effective in identifying C. m. michiganensis-positive tomato seed and tissue samples as the Cmm ImmunoStrip®. The LAMP assay was performed using a handheld real-time fluorescence-monitoring device (Smart-DARTTM) and the iQTM5 Multicolor Real-Time PCR Detection System to compare both systems. Both devices produced equivalent results, thus demonstrating the potential of this LAMP detection system for field detection. A side-by-side comparison of the C. m. michiganensis-LAMP with the Cmm ImmunoStrip® assay, two conventional PCR assays, using Cmm5/6 and PSA8/R primer sets, and one quantitative PCR assay (primers...
Breaking public key cryptosystem based on systems of nonlinear equations over finite field

Tsujii et al. (see ibid., vol.23, no.11, p.558-60, 1987) proposed a public key cryptosystem which requires only O(m/sup 2/) bit operations for encryption/decryption and which also realised digital signatures; m here is the block length. The speed advantage over better known systems such as the RSA system (which takes O(m/sup 3/) operations) could have been immensely significant. Unfortunately it is possible to deduce the private key of the Tsujii system from the public key in polynomial time except possibly in a tiny minority of randomly chosen cases.
Observations and Outcomes of Definite and Probable Drug-Eluting Stent Thrombosis Seen at a Single Hospital in a Four-Year Period

Stent thrombosis (ST) is a major safety concern after drug-eluting stent (DES) deployment, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. The goal of this study was to examine the incidence, timing, clinical correlates, and outcomes after DES thrombosis in a real-world population. A retrospective analysis of 8,402 patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention and received a DES was performed. After DES implantation, 84 definite (DST) and 127 probable ST events occurred. The incidence of early DST was 0.8%, late DST was 0.4%, and very late DST was 0.4%. Multivariate analysis showed that a history of diabetes mellitus, myocardial infarction during admission, number of stents, and DES placement in a restenotic lesion were independently associated with DST. The incidence of early definite or probable ST (DPST) was 1.9%, late DPST was 1.4%, and very late DPST was 0.7%. Multivariate analysis showed that a history of diabetes, myocardial infarction during admission, cardiogenic shock, number of stents, and DES use in a restenotic lesion were independently associated with DPST. Both types of ST were associated with significantly higher rates of all-cause death, Q-wave myocardial infarction, and revascularization up to 24 months after DES implantation. In conclusion, ST after DES implantation in contemporary practice continues to occur from 30 days to 2 years at a rate ≥0.36%/year and is associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Diabetes mellitus, myocardial infarction, and DES use in a restenotic lesion were strongly associated with DST; therefore, careful consideration should apply when deploying a DES in these populations.
An overview of modeling and simulation using content analysis

Over the past six decades, Modeling and Simulation (MS (1) the establishment of M&S as its own discipline and the examination of its relationship with the sister disciplines of Computer Science and Systems Engineering over the last 60 years and (2) the examination of the contribution of M&S to the sciences as represented in the Public Library of Science.
Flow properties of poly (vinyl chloride)

A detailed review of the material published to date on the flow properties of poly(vinyl chloride) is given. The dependence of viscosity on concentration molecular weight, molecular weight distribution, shear and temperature for concentrated and molten poly (vinyl chloride) is considered. Polymer blends and plastisols are also included.
Classroom and technology-supported help seeking: The need for converging research paradigms

Abstract Contributions to this special section represent advances in understanding help seeking as a self-regulated learning strategy that occurs in classrooms, during computer-mediated communications, and when using intelligent systems that provide help to improve learners’ help-seeking skills and knowledge acquisition. Collectively, the research and development contributes information relevant for all phases of the help-seeking process. My comments focus on: (a) features of technology-supported help seeking that have implications for motivation, (b) the need for increased attention to the instructional context in which technology-supported help seeking occurs, (c) a necessary convergence of classroom and technology-supported help-seeking research paradigms, and (d) reconsideration of help seeking as a social-interactive strategy.
Waveguide grating coupler with tailored wavelength response

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a novel method which, for the first time to our knowledge, makes it possible to tailor the wavelength response of a waveguide grating coupler. Such grating couplers may be used to improve the efficiency of broad-band quantum-well infrared photodetectors and solar cells.
Mass-to-surface area index in a large cohort.

Many biological and anthropological investigations have described the role between mass-to-surface area index (M/SA) and heat tolerance. No large M/SA database exists that can be used as a reference standard to interpret previous or future M/SA studies. This report presents the M/SA data of a large military cohort (1,170 males aged 17-54 years, 305 females aged 17-40 years). The effects of gender, ethnic group, and age on the distribution of M/SA, as well as the relationship between M/SA and other physical characteristics, were described. It was observed that the increases of M/SA with increasing age (over the 17-75 years category) were not significant. All descriptive characteristics (including M/SA) were different (P less than .001) between males and females. M/SA was not statistically different between ethnic groups among both males and females. These data may be utilized to compare the M/SA values of U.S. citizens to those of other ethnic groups and to identify those laborers or athletes who possess the greatest theoretical risk of heat intolerance.
Outcomes after meniscal repair using the meniscus arrow in knees undergoing concurrent anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

Abstract Purpose: To determine the healing rate of meniscal repair using the Meniscus Arrow (Bionx, Blue Bell, PA) in patients undergoing concurrent anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction and to evaluate patient outcomes with the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) form and a visual analog scale (VAS). Type of Study: Case series with outcomes analysis. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 38 consecutive patients with 39 meniscal tears in knees undergoing concurrent endoscopic ACL reconstruction whose menisci were repaired with the Meniscus Arrow system. All meniscal tears were deemed amenable to repair according to length, stability, morphology, and zone of tear. There were 31 medial and 8 lateral meniscal tears, with an average tear length of 2.1 cm. An average of 2.5 arrows were used to repair each tear. All 39 tears were located in the posterior horn of the meniscus or extending into the body of the meniscus from the posterior horn. Follow-up was assessed by clinical examination, the knee disorders subjective history, VAS, and the IKDC evaluation form. Reconstructed ACL laxity was assessed by KT-2000 arthrometry and clinical evaluation. Results: At an average follow-up of 2.3 years (range, 18-39 months), 32 patients have been surveyed to date. The success rate was 90.6% (29 of 32 patients) with 3 patients going on to arthroscopic partial meniscectomy. KT-2000 arthrometry showed that sagittal knee laxity was less than 3 mm in all reconstructed knees. Clinical criteria for success in the rest of the repaired menisci included (1) the absence of locking, catching, or giving way; (2) no history of recurrent effusions; (3) no joint line tenderness; (4) a negative McMurray test; and (5) no subsequent surgical procedures on the repaired meniscus. Additionally, the VAS showed the ability of these patients to return to a high level of activity, including competitive sports, without symptoms suggestive of a meniscal tear. The IKDC showed normal or nearly normal function of all success knees. Conclusions: The study shows that a high rate of meniscus healing can be achieved by the all-inside, bioabsorbable Meniscus Arrow system in conjunction with ACL reconstruction. Also, patients have excellent function of their knee and are able to return to a high level of activity. Our healing rates are comparable to those previously reported with the inside-out suture techniques without the need for an additional posterior incision that would increase operative time and risk to neurovascular structures. Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery, Vol 18, No 6 (July-August), 2002: pp 569–577
Collisional activation of ions in RF ion traps and ion guides: The effective ion temperature treatment

Ion transfer and storage using inhomogeneous radio frequency (RF) electric fields in combination with gas-assisted ion cooling and focusing constitutes one of the basic techniques in mass spectrometry today. The RF motion of ions in the bath gas environment involves a large number of ion-neutral collisions that leads to the internal activation of ions and their effective “heating” (when a thermal distribution of internal energies results). The degree of ion activation required in various applications may range from a minimum level (e.g., slightly raising the average internal energy) to an intense level resulting in ion fragmentation. Several research groups proposed using the effective temperature as a measure of ion activation under conditions of multiple ion-neutral collisions. Here we present approximate relationships for the effective ion temperature relevant to typical operation modes of RF multipole devices. We show that RF ion activation results in near-thermal energies for ions occupying an equilibrium position at the center of an RF trap, whereas increased ion activation can be produced by shifting ions off-center, e.g., by means of an external DC electric field. The ion dissociation in the linear quadrupole ion trap using the dipolar DC ion activation has been observed experimentally and interpreted in terms of the effective ion temperature.
Predictors of survival and disease-free survival in patients with resected N1 non-small cell lung cancer.

Background Factors that predict poor survival or increased risk of recurrence for patients with N1 disease may be dependent on tumor characteristics. Methods This study was a retrospective review of a prospective database of consecutive patients who had clinical or pathologic N1 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who underwent preoperative 2-[(18)F] fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) scans and complete resection with thoracic lymphadenectomy. Results There were 135 patients (88 men). The 5-year disease-free rate was 55%. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that poor differentiation ( p = 0.036), multiple N1 stations ( p = 0.010), and the lack of adjuvant chemotherapy ( p = 0.039) were all associated with a shorter 5-year disease-free rate. Multivariate disease-free analysis demonstrated that only multiple stations ( p = 0.002) were independently associated with recurrence. The overall 5-year survival was 48%. Univariate analysis showed that multiple nodes within one station ( p = 0.016), multiple station involvement ( p = 0.041), and lack of adjuvant chemotherapy ( p = 0.039) and moderate-to-poor tumor differentiation ( p = 0.046) were associated with decreased survival. Multivariate analysis found that multiple stations, multiple nodes, and lack of adjuvant chemotherapy were independent predictors of poor survival. Integrated PET-computed tomography (CT) was significantly more sensitive for staging N1 disease than dedicated FDG-PET ( p = 0.032). Neoadjuvant chemotherapy given to 48 nonrandomized patients did not seem to impact disease recurrence or overall 5-year survival rates ( p = 0.349). Conclusions Factors that predict a poor outcome in patients with resected N1 NSCLC are the involvement of multiple N1 stations, multiple N1 nodes, and the lack of adjuvant chemotherapy. Integrated PET-CT is more sensitive for detecting N1 disease then dedicated PET. These data may influence preoperative or postoperative therapy, or both.
Inhibition of the morphine withdrawal syndrome by a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester

Abstract The hypothesis that an arginine-nitric oxide (NO) synthase-NO system mediates the morphine abstinence syndrome was tested in adult male rats implanted subcutaneosly for 3 days with one morphine (75 mg) pellet followed by naloxone-precipitated withdrawal (0.5 mg/kg). Injection with a NO synthase inhibitor, NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (NAME, 100 mg/kg subcutaneous), shortly before naloxone-induced withdrawal significantly inhibited abstinence signs by 25–80%. Continuous infusion of NAME via subcutaneous osmotic pumps during the development of morphine physical dependence and during naloxone-precipitated withdrawal also inhibited morphine abstinence signs. In addition, treatment with isosorbide dinitrate, a NO donor, induced a quasi morphine-abstinence syndrome (QMAS) that was significantly suppressed by implantation of a morphine pellet 3 days before isosorbide dinitrate treatment. These results indicate that NO mediates part of the expression of the morphine abstinence syndrome.
Liberals, information and Webster's principles

Critiques two social choice principles employed by Webster's analysis of using information to resolve Sen's paradox of the ‘Impossibility of a Paretian Liberal’.
Improved pulmonary nodule classification utilizing lung parenchyma texture features

Current computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) models, developed to determine the malignancy of pulmonary nodules, characterize the nodule’s shape, density, and border. Analyzing the lung parenchyma surrounding the nodule is an area that has been minimally explored. We hypothesize that improved classification of nodules can be achieved through the inclusion of features quantified from the surrounding lung tissue. From computed tomography (CT) data, feature extraction techniques were developed to quantify the parenchymal and nodule textures, including a three-dimensional application of Laws’ Texture Energy Measures. Border irregularity was investigated using ray-casting and rubber-band straightening techniques, while histogram features characterized the densities of the nodule and parenchyma. The feature set was reduced by stepwise feature selection to a few independent features that best summarized the dataset. Using leave-one-out cross-validation, a neural network was used for classification. The CAD tool was applied to 50 nodules (22 malignant, 28 benign) from high-resolution CT scans. 47 features, including 39 parenchymal features, were statistically significant, with both nodule and parenchyma features selected for classification, yielding an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.935. This was compared to classification solely based on the nodule yielding an AUC of 0.917. These preliminary results show an increase in performance when the surrounding parenchyma is included in analysis. While modest, the improvement and large number of significant parenchyma features supports our hypothesis that the parenchyma contains meaningful data that can assist in CAD development.
Does vertical disparity scale the perception of stereoscopic depth

It has been suggested that a measure of the gradients of vertical disparity over a surface may scale the mapping between horizontal disparity and perceived depth. We have investigated this possibility by obtaining estimates of the depth within stereograms that simulated two apposed fronto-parallel planes placed at different distances from an observer. The gradients of vertical disparity in a stereogram were set to simulate those appropriate to a viewing distance of 12.5 cm, 25 cm, 50 cm or 100 cm, whereas the distance specified by vergence and accommodative cues was always fixed at 50 cm. Judgements of the perceived depth between the two planes were uninfluenced by changes in the gradients of vertical disparity. It thus seems that the human visual system does not employ vertical disparity as a scaling parameter in stereoscopic depth judgements.
Clinical predictors of autoimmune and severe atopic disease in pediatric heart transplant recipients

Autoimmune and allergic diseases cause morbidity and diminished quality of life in pediatric organ transplant recipients. We hypothesize that younger age at transplantation and immunosuppression regimen play a role in the development of immune-mediated disease following heart transplant. A single institution retrospective review identified all patients undergoing heart transplant at ≤18 yr of age from 1987 to 2010 who survived ≥1 yr. Using medical record and database review, patients were evaluated for development of autoimmune or severe allergic disease. Of 129 patients who met criteria, seven patients (5.4%) with autoimmune or severe atopic disease were identified. Immune-mediated diseases included inflammatory bowel disease (n = 3), eosinophilic esophagitis/colitis (n = 4), and chronic bullous disease of childhood (n = 1). Patients <1 yr of age at transplant were at greater risk of developing autoimmune disease than patients 1-18 yr at transplant (OR = 9.3, 95% CI 1.1-79.2, p = 0.02). All affected patients underwent thymectomy at <1 yr of age (7/71 vs. 0/58, p = 0.02). In our experience, heart transplantation in infancy is associated with the development of immune-mediated gastrointestinal and dermatologic diseases. Further study is needed to determine risk factors for the development of immune-mediated disease to identify best practices to decrease incidence.
A Rapid, High‐Throughput Technique for Detecting Tanner Crabs Chionoecetes bairdi Illegally Taken in Alaska's Snow Crab Fishery

Abstract Tanner crabs Chionoecetes bairdi and snow crabs C. opilio are both important commercial species for Alaskan fisheries. The geographical ranges of Tanner and snow crabs overlap in the southeastern Bering Sea where a commercial fishery targets the more abundant snow crabs. Morphological identification of these species and of hybrids has proven difficult and impedes monitoring of the harvests. Techniques for the genetic identification of these species have been developed, but it may not be possible to process the desired number of samples because of throughput limitations and sample requirement constraints. Here we present a rapid, high-throughput assay for identifying these species based on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the nuclear rRNA internal transcribed spacer 1 region and the mitochondrial DNA 16S rRNA gene. These SNPs can also be used to infer the direction of hybridization (i.e., the species of each gender).