cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Consequentialism and the World in Time

Consequentialism is a general approach to understanding the nature of morality that seems to entail a certain view of the world in time. This entailment raises specific problems for the approach. The first seems to lead to the conclusion that every actual act is right – an unacceptable result for any moral theory. The second calls into question the idea that consequentialism is an approach to morality, for it leads to the conclusion that this approach produces a theory whose truth does not depend in any way on the nature of rational beings or value.
Uncertainty, Reliance, Preliminary Negotiations and the Hold Up Problem

Recently, two scholars, Alan Schwartz and Robert Scott, have cast doubt on the conventional view that courts would find liability and award reliance damages in precontractual cases that resembled the famous Hoffman v. Red Owl case. They have argued that courts deny recovery for reliance in cases involving precontractual preliminary negotiation but regularly grant reliance recovery following a preliminary agreement. They identify a pattern or sequence in which success is likely and then provide an analytical framework to justify liability. When parties reach a preliminary agreement that also includes an agreement that they both invest simultaneously and one party strategically delays investment for personal gain, the law permits the investing party to recover for reliance expenditures when the other party walks away from the deal. Courts find this sequence of events to constitute a breach of the good faith obligation that governs parties' actions in preliminary agreements.Based on an extensive review of the reliance case law, this article suggests that contrary to the Schwartz and Scott thesis, courts do grant recovery for reliance expenditures made in precontractual preliminary negotiations resembling Hoffman even when the parties have not reached an agreement.Their willingness to do so depends on a pattern in which the promisor solicits reliance expenditures to reduce uncertainty or to hedge his bets pending the resolution of uncertainty and the promisee relies, particularly if the reliance investment takes the form of a cooperative investment rather than a selfish investment. The same risk of hold up is present whenever there is sequential investment. Thus, this article suggests that the courts are willing to grant recovery for reliance expenditures in both categories of cases (1) precontractual negotiations with no agreement and (2) reliance that follows a binding preliminary agreement to control a unified threat of opportunistic behavior and to regulate the hold up problem as a way of maximizing welfare.
Compiler-guided next sub-bank prediction for reducing instruction cache leakage energy

With the scaling of technology, leakage energy reduction has become increasingly important, especially for cache memories. Recent studies in drowsy instruction cache show that the leakage energy of the instruction cache can be significantly reduced with little performance degradation by exploiting the instruction spatial locality at the cache sub-bank level [5]. To hide the performance penalty due to the sub-bank wake-up latency, a prediction buffer is used to predict and pre-activate the next sub-bank at runtime. However, consulting the prediction buffer at every cache access consumes non-trivial dynamical energy, which can compromise the overall energy savings substantially. This paper presents a more energy-efficient compiler-guided approach to capture the sub-bank transition behavior at link time and to pre-activate the instruction cache sub-bank at runtime based on the compiler-directed hints. We also propose a hybrid approach to exploit both the static and dynamic information for reducing the performance penalty further with little dynamic energy overhead. Our experiments reveal that the static approach is very successful in capturing the sub-bank transition behavior to reduce the performance penalty and it also reduces 38.2% more leakage energy than the hardware-based approach, taking the dynamic energy overhead into account. Moreover, our results show that the hybrid approach is the best strategy for the drowsy instruction cache to balance leakage energy reduction and performance.
The use of participant modeling for claustrophobia

Abstract The use is described of participant modeling procedures in the treatment of a long- standing and debilitating fear of closed places. Objective and subjective data collected immediately after treatment showed dramatic improvements which were maintained at 33 month follow-up.
Walking a mile in their patients' shoes: empathy and othering in medical students' education

One of the major tasks of medical educators is to help maintain and increase trainee empathy for patients. Yet research suggests that during the course of medical training, empathy in medical students and residents decreases. Various exercises and more comprehensive paradigms have been introduced to promote empathy and other humanistic values, but with inadequate success. This paper argues that the potential for medical education to promote empathy is not easy for two reasons: a) Medical students and residents have complex and mostly unresolved emotional responses to the universal human vulnerability to illness, disability, decay, and ultimately death that they must confront in the process of rendering patient care b) Modernist assumptions about the capacity to protect, control, and restore run deep in institutional cultures of mainstream biomedicine and can create barriers to empathic relationships. In the absence of appropriate discourses about how to emotionally manage distressing aspects of the human condition, it is likely that trainees will resort to coping mechanisms that result in distance and detachment. This paper suggests the need for an epistemological paradigm that helps trainees develop a tolerance for imperfection in self and others; and acceptance of shared emotional vulnerability and suffering while simultaneously honoring the existence of difference. Reducing the sense of anxiety and threat that are now reinforced by the dominant medical discourse in the presence of illness will enable trainees to learn to emotionally contain the suffering of their patients and themselves, thus providing a psychologically sound foundation for the development of true empathy.
Mixed intra- and extrafusal muscle fibers produced by temporary denervation in newborn rats.

Temporary denervation of the medial head of gastrocnemius muscle in newborn rats has produced three major changes in muscle spindle development: (1) a modification of the spindles' components, (2) an increase or decrease in the number of spindles that developed in the experimental muscles and (3) an alteration in the location of spindles. The most striking change was observed in a total of 15 spindles from three of the experimental animals and consisted of a modification of the components. The abnormal, modified spindles usually contained only one muscle fiber, which had the morphological characteristics of an intrafusal fiber at one end and in the equatorial zone, and the morphological characteristics of an extrafusal fiber at the opposite end. These peculiar muscle fibers clearly represent a single cell which has differentiated along two distinctly different pathways and they show that the pattern of innervation can influence the course of differentiation of developing muscle cells to a significant extent.
The Mercury Arc as a Standard of Ultraviolet Radiation

A study has been made of the ultraviolet spectrum of the constant-pressure mercury arc recently proposed as a radiation standard by Krefft, Rossler, and Ruttenauer. Experience with this lamp in another connection indicated its usefulness, but suggested the need of more specific and accurate information about its spectral energy distribution than was available in the previously published calibration data. A detailed discussion is given of practical methods for presenting such information in unambiguous form in the case of a source emitting a rather complicated spectrum such as the mercury arc. The structure of the spectrum is carefully studied in order to determine exactly which intervals of wave-length should be selected for calibration, in the range between 3342A and 2377A (inclusive). In the absence of facilities for performing a new calibration by absolute methods, a tentative calibration has been obtained by spectrophotometric comparison with the carbon arc, the positive crater of which is assumed to emit the distribution characteristic of a blackbody at 3840°K. This gives a set of relative values for the energies of certain groups of lines, which appear from internal evidence to be more trustworthy than the values in the literature. The peculiar conditions of the comparison made it necessary to use an optical arrangement in which the light entering the spectrograph did not, as usually recommended, completely fill the collimator. The results of this departure from standard practice have been investigated and found to consist in a concentration and enhancement of accidental light due to multiple reflections from the quartz surfaces. A simple device is described for determining the corrections for scattered and reflected light under actual working conditions.
EPCR encryption induces cellular APC resistance

In its relatively short history, novel insights on the endothelial protein C receptor (EPCR) have provided time-after-time fertile grounds for research on the interactions between coagulation factors and the vasculature. Yet again EPCR provides an opportunity to explore new frontiers, as Lopez-
Clinical comparison of an ultrasonographic periodontal probe to manual and controlled-force probing

Abstract An ultrasonographic periodontal probe has been developed that offers the potential for earlier detection of periodontal disease activity, non-invasive diagnosis, and greater reliability of measurement. A comparison study of this ultrasonographic probe to both a standard manual probe and a controlled-force probe was conducted to evaluate its clinical effectiveness. Twelve patients enrolled into this study, with two half-mouth examinations conducted on each patient, scheduled 1 h apart. A one-way analysis of variance was performed to compare the results for the three sets of probing depth measurements, followed by a repeated measures analysis to assess the reproducibility of the different probing techniques. Both methods exhibited a similar tendency toward increasing pocket depths as Gingival Index scores increased. Future studies will complete the development of more effective automated feature recognition algorithms that convert the ultrasonographic echoes into pocket depth readings.
Key Issues From Policy and Strategy to Program Implementation

The authors who have contributed to this issue are dedicated to facilitating the academic excellence of people of color within institutions of higher education and competitive workplaces. In their ...
Object Tracking From Image Sequences Using Stereo Camera And Range Radar

The problem of estimating the position of and tracking an object undergoing 3-D translational and rotational motion using passive and active sensors is considered. The passive sensor used in this study is a stereo camera, whereas the active is a range radar. Three different estimation approaches are considered. The first involves estimation of the object position by direct registration of stereo images. In the second approach, the Extended Kalman Filter is used for estimation with measurements the stereo images. In the third approach, an integral filter based on stereo images and range radar measurements is used for tracking. The three different approaches are compared via simulation in the tracking of an object undergoing a 3-D motion with random translational and angular acceleration.
Encapsulation of coagulase-negative staphylococci of bovine origin

Capsule expression was assessed in six coagulase-negative staphylococcal strains in serum-soft agar and by india ink and electron microscopy. Classification of strains as encapsulated by serum-soft agar and india ink methods differed. Staphylococcus chromogenes, Staph. hyicus, and Staph. simulans grew as diffuse colonies in serum-soft agar and unstained halos were detected in india ink preparations. Staphylococcus hominis and Staph. simulans grew as diffuse colonies in serum-soft agar but no unstained halo was seen in india ink preparations. Staphylococcus hyicus was the only strain that gave negative results with serum-soft agar and india ink assays. Conventional electron microscopy revealed the presence of capsular polysaccharides on the cell surface of Staph. chromogenes, Staph. hominis and Staph. hyicus. Conventional electron microscopic technique used to examine the surface of cells was detrimental to capsule structure. During dehydration the capsule collapsed and appeared as electron dense aggregates at the surface of cells. To confirm results of conventional electron microscopy and to visualize clearly the cell surface, encapsulated Staph. hyicus and unencapsulated Staph. simulans were observed after freeze-fracture and etching by scanning electron microscopy. The fibrous nature of capsular polysaccharides surrounding cells of Staph. hyicus were distinct and confirmed observation by conventional electron microscopy. A rapid transmission electron microscopic technique is described also for observation of capsule. Results of the rapid TEM method agreed with conventional TEM and SEM. The finding that coagulase-negative staphylococci isolated from bovine milk are capable of capsule production may be important when investigating pathogenicity of these micro-organisms.
Cultural Space and Race: The National Civil Rights Museum and MuseumAfrica

Through an examination of two museums: The National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee, and MuseumAfrica in Johannesburg, South Africa, this article explores how museums as public space can display and reveal the intersection of race and culture in the recovery of a society's historical and cultural memory. The communicative role of the museum as public space is revealed as significant in fostering the development of public memory. The article is a descriptive essay, articulating the ways these two museums as public spaces provide sites for multiple interpretations of collective memory and illustrates alternate interpretations through the eyes of two authors of different races. cultural space race public memory collective memory museums
Maxims in Kant's moral philosophy

L'A. presente sa propre interpretation de la philosophie morale de Kant qui s'inspire de la these de l'incorporation de H. Allison, selon laquelle notre propre caractere moral, la finalite de nos actions et nos actions elles-memes sont incorpores dans le choix de la maxime, formulant ainsi un modele utilitaire de la regle morale qui ne convient pas au role central que joue la maxime dans l'application de l'imperatif categorique (entendu comme norme de la rectitude de l'action) dans le domaine du bien moral
Erosive Adenomatosis of the Nipple

Erosive adenomatosis of the nipple is a benign lesion that clinically mimics Paget's disease of the nipple but has the histologic features of syringocystadenoma papilliferum. Some cases have been mistaken for intraductal papilloma or well-differentiated adenocarcinoma, and unnecessary mastectomies have been performed. Recognition of this lesion is important because it is benign and conservative excision is curative.
Comparison of traditional basal and apical periprostatic block: impact on injection pain and biopsy pain.

OBJECTIVE To compare the pain of injection and biopsy when lidocaine is injected periprostatically either at a basal or apical site, as the former is commonly used to anaesthetise the prostate, based on several reports showing that it can eliminate most of the pain associated with prostate biopsy, and this site has been favoured over apical injection because the nerves enter the prostate from the basal aspect. PATIENTS AND METHODS In all, 143 patients scheduled for biopsy were randomized to receive a periprostatic block either at the apex or base of the prostate. Immediately before biopsy 5 mL of 1% lidocaine was injected under transrectal ultrasonographic (TRUS) guidance into the periprostatic nerves bilaterally. Patients were immediately given a 100 mm visual analogue scale (VAS, 0–100) to assess the pain associated with both the block and the subsequent biopsy. RESULTS The mean VAS scores for the anaesthetic block were 21.1 and 22.0 (P = 0.79) and the biopsy VAS scores were 17.6 and 28.7 (P < 0.001) for the apical and basal groups, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between patients who had a 12- or 20-core biopsy. CONCLUSIONS Apical periprostatic injection with anaesthetic provides better anaesthesia for TRUS biopsy than basal injection, and without increasing the pain associated with injection at the potentially more sensitive apical site.
The effect of diuretics on renal hemodynamics during cardiopulmonary bypass.

Abstract The effect of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) on renal hemodynamics was studied in 15 dogs using 133xenon washout. Ten control dogs had no diuretics administered and five diuretic dogs were given furosemide immediately before and during CPB. A catheter was inserted into the right renal artery under fluoroscopic guidance via the left femoral artery and a bolus of 133xenon injected. Washout curves were obtained with a collimater placed over the kidney before CPB and after 15 and 90 min of CPB. Total CPB was undertaken at normothermia using venous gravity drainage, an arterial roller pump, a heat exchanger and a Kolobow membrane oxygenator. Washout curves were analyzed and four components of renal blood flow (RBF) developed: I, cortex; II, juxtamedulla; III, inner medulla; and IV, hilar fat. Percentage of total radioactivity and regional blood flow was derived for each component and total RBF calculated. Total RBF in the control group decreased progressively during CPB (457 → 269 → 158 ml/100 g/min after 90-min CPB). This decrease in RBF was associated with a marked shunt of flow from cortical to juxtamedullary region. Percentage of flow to the cortex decreased as well (68% → 33% → 23% after 90 min) while activity to the juxtamedulla increased (24% → 47% → 50% after 90 min). RBF in the diuretic treated group decreased during CPB but significantly less than in the control group (436 → 397 → 273 ml/100 g/min after 90-min CPB). The intrarenal shunt seen in the control group during CPB was significantly reduced in the diuretic treated group. While percent flow to the cortex was reduced as bypass progressed (67% → 56% → 47% after 90 min), cortical activity remained greater than juxtamedullary (29% → 36% → 38% after 90 min) throughout the 2 hr of bypass. It was apparent from this study that cortical ischemia associated with CPB can be substantially reduced by diuretic therapy during CPB.
Metabolic engineering: a new frontier of chemical reaction engineering

Abstract Metabolic engineering has emerged in recent years as the field concerned with the improvement of cells using modern genetic tools. It comprises a synthesis step that introduces new pathways and genetic controls implemented by molecular biological methods, as well as a step of analysis aiming at the elucidation of the properties of metabolic reaction networks in their entirety and the rigorous evaluation of the physiological state of resulting recombinant cells. The latter step of analysis relies heavily on metabolic flux determination as a fundamental metric of cell physiology and shares common concepts with chemical reaction engineering. In this sense, fluxes, along with small metabolites, mRNA transcripts, and proteins constitute four classes of intracellular variables that define the cellular physiological state in its entirety and can form the basis for modeling cellular function. Methods capable of generating data at high throughput for all four classes of variables are becoming increasingly available, raising the need for effective methods to integrate such data in comprehensive models of cellular function. Metabolic engineering provides a convenient framework for such integration. Such models will facilitate the evaluation of the impact of genetic modifications on cellular physiology and guide subsequent rounds of modifications to attain the goals of metabolic engineering.
Book Review: Rhinoplasty: Cases and Techniques

Michael S. Godin , ed. Rhinoplasty: Cases and Techniques. New York: Thieme, 2011. ISBN-10: 1604066806 ![][1] It is clear that Dr Godin devoted much energy and time to writing Rhinoplasty: Cases and Techniques , which he hopes will be “the most useful rhinoplasty book you will ever own.” The text is a hardcover, 373-page book that is creative, instructive, and distinctive. The uniqueness of the book rests in the last section, which is organized by common nasal deformities. For each nasal deformity, individual cases are provided by 1 or a few of the 37 noted scholars and well-respected contributing experts in the field of rhinoplasty. Dr Godin's coverage of preoperative preparation—from first encounter to immediate postoperative treatment—is well detailed, organized, and easy to follow. He provides a good overview for all surgeons who perform rhinoplasty. More than once, he stresses the need to set realistic expectations; this topic can never be overemphasized when it comes to nasal reshaping. Additional sections on specific techniques and postoperative care are similarly helpful, well organized, and clear. Dr Godin and his coauthors also cover the important complications associated with rhinoplasty in a relatively comprehensive fashion. Section 5, the final … [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif
"Hello World": A Digital Quandary and the Apotheosis of the Human

This animated film postulates how a sentient robot might reify the concept of human as creator. The artificially intelligent narrator attributes deity status to humans, and wrestles with the consequences of an illogical god. Exaltation, condemnation, praise, belittlement, status, worth, and self-actualization are all themes in this short. The film is neither a direct criticism nor tribute to the work of practitioners. Rather, it is an examination of the dynamic exchange between the role of human and the ability of machine, for the purpose of illustrating the philosophical paradoxes related to intelligence, and theory of mind.
Force and Hydraulic Displacement Amplification of Fiber Reinforced Soft Actuators

Soft robots allow for complex continuum motions and shapes that conform to their environment. Using a fiber-reinforced elastomeric enclosure (FREE) driven by fluid provides a high power density, soft continuum actuator. While the force generation for a small subset of this structure known as McKibben actuators has been studied extensively, the force and moments generated by a wider set of fiber reinforcements have not been previously investigated. Using virtual work and kinematics derived from fiber inextensibility and fluid incompressibility, the force and moments for the entire design space of FREEs has been determined analytically. Graphical representations have been created, providing easy tools for synthesis and analysis of force and moments in all possible FREEs. The hydraulic displacement amplification, or volumetric transduction, of output motion to fluid displacement has also been determined using kinematics; this transduction gives an indication of stiffness of the structure. Graphical representations have also been created, providing a designer with an intuitive understanding of the behavior all FREE topologies.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Implementing national guidelines in intensive care patients with ventilator-associated, hospital-acquired, and healthcare-associated pneumonia: the IMPACT-HAP project

In an effort to decrease the gap between the current management of pneumonia in the ICU and the recommendations by the 2005 American Thoracic Society/Infectious Diseases Society of America (ATS/IDSA), we developed, implemented and evaluated an ICU hospital-acquired pneumonia performance improvement (PI) project by adapting these guidelines in four academic hospitals.
Immune interferon induction by a monoclonal antibody specific for human T cells

Abstract OKT3, a monoclonal antibody reactive with a surface antigen shared by all human T lymphocytes, was found to act as a potent interferon (IFN) inducer in cultures of human mononuclear white blood cells. Two other monoclonal antibodies reactive with T-cell subpopulations failed to induce IFN. IFN-inducing activity of OKT3 was similar to that of phytohemagglutinin (PHA). The phorbol ester, 12- O -tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) had a strong potentiating effect on IFN production stimulated with OKT3 or PHA. IFN produced after stimulation with OKT3, like PHA-induced IFN, had properties characteristic for “immune” IFN (IFN-γ).
Metaphor and Attitude Accessibility

Metaphor is ubiquitous in persuasive messages although the process by which its effects are achieved is still not fully understood. This study proposes that the emergent structural match between linguistic metaphor and long-term knowledge in the form of conceptual metaphor leads to the persuasive outcomes. To test this assumption, six predictions related to metaphor's effect on attitude judgment and speed of attitude judgment were tested. Three types of messages that contained a novel metaphor and additional message content in the form of conventional metaphors were compared: messages using the same conceptual metaphor to understand both the novel metaphor and rest of the message content (metaphor-fit condition), messages using different conceptual metaphors to understand the novel metaphor and rest of the message content (metaphor-nonfit condition), and literal equivalent of metaphorical messages (literal condition). Amount of prior familiarity of metaphor target as a condition for greater effectiveness ...
An analysis of the dynamic shear failure resistance of structural metals

Abstract The localization of shear deformation and the eventual rupture inside shear bands are analyzed experimentally. The shear failure resistance of several structural metals is compared. The materials studied are HY-80, HY-100, HSLA-80, 4340VAR, and Ti-6Al-4V. The evaluation of failure progression focuses on the evolution of both the stress-carrying capacities and material microstructures. Experiments show that despite its significantly stronger rate sensitivity, Ti-6Al-4V is more susceptible to shear localization and rupture compared with the steels, as demonstrated by its relatively early and precipitous loss of stress-carrying capacity. This observation is supported by measurements of the shear band and rupture lengths in specimens deformed to various stages of failure development. Among the steels, the martensitic microstructure of HY-100 seems to be responsible for its higher susceptibility to localization. While all the steels studied show very similar dynamic constitutive responses, their significantly different shear failure behaviors suggest that macroscopic thermal-mechanical descriptions alone are not sufficient to account for the shear failure in the form of combined localization of strain and the eventual rupture through the shear bands. Consequently, microstructural damage mechanisms should also be considered. © 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Yoga: Discipline of Freedom: The Yoga Sutra Attributed to Patanjali; A Translation of the Text, with Commentary, Introduction, and Glossary of Key Words . By Barbara Stoler Miller. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1996. xiv, 114 pp. $17.95 (cloth).

"The Yoga Sutra", dating from about the third century A.D., distills the essentials of a complex system of physical and spiritual discipline into 200 brief aphorisms. Yoga is at the heart of all meditative practice in Asia, yet until now there has been no first-rate English version of this primary text. Barbara Stoler Miller's translation admirably fills that gap - her clear, strong style and sensitive phrasing convey every nuance of Patanjali's words, and her commentary offers invaluable guidance to anyone seeking to understand Indian philosophy or the practice of yoga. "The Yoga Sutra" does not propose to offer new knowledge but rather a new perspective on the nature of knowing. As a method of achieving insight, the discipline of yoga is far from mystical ecstasy or ritual trance. Its goal is a contemplative intensity that can unbind the constraints of everyday experience, and that goal helps explain Americans' growing interest in yoga in recent years. This interest has been most widely expressed in the physical dimension of yoga - the postures known as hatha-yoga - but attention is increasingly being directed at the philosophy and psychology that define the discipline. Here the "Yoga Sutra" shines most brightly; in a world of bewildering complexity and seductive material culture, this centuries-old text offers powerful techniques for countering private mental chaos and moral confusion. "The Yoga Sutra" has great relevance today, and thanks to Barbara Stoler Miller it is now truly accessible.
Preparation of (PB, LA)TIO3 films by metal organic chemical vapor deposition with new lanthanum precursors

Abstract Thin films of (Pb, La)TiO3 were grown with three new trialkylphosphine oxide adducts of lanthanum tris-tetramethylheptanedione with the general formula La(thd)3(RR'R”3PO)n where thd = tetramethylheptanedione, (CH3)3CCOCHCOC(CH3)3; R = R′ = R″ = CH3; R = R′ = CH3, R″ = C4H9; R = R′ = R″ = C4H9. The new precursors were compared with La(thd)3 and were evaluated for volatility, thermal stability, ease of transport and La incorporation into a (Pb, La)TiO3 film.
The Effect of Cesarean Delivery Skin Incision Approach in Morbidly Obese Women on the Rate of Classical Hysterotomy

Objective. To assess the risk of classical hysterotomy and surgical morbidity among women with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 40&#x2009;kg/m2 who underwent a supraumbilical incision at the time of cesarean delivery. Methods. We conducted a retrospective cohort study in women having a BMI greater than 40&#x2009;kg/m2 who underwent a cesarean delivery of a live, singleton pregnancy from 2007 to 2011 at a single tertiary care institution. Intraoperative and postoperative outcomes were compared between patients undergoing supraumbilical vertical (cohort, ) or Pfannenstiel (controls, ) skin incisions. Results. Women undergoing supraumbilical incisions had a higher risk of classical hysterotomy (OR, 24.6; 95&#x25; CI, 9.0&#x2013;66.8), surgical drain placement (OR, 6.5; 95&#x25; CI, 2.6&#x2013;16.2), estimated blood loss greater than 1 liter (OR, 3.4; 95&#x25; CI, 1.4&#x2013;8.4), and longer operative time (97 &#xb1; 38 minutes versus 68 &#xb1; 30 minutes; ) when compared to subjects with Pfannenstiel incisions (controls). There was no difference in the risk of wound complication between women undergoing supraumbilical or Pfannenstiel incisions (OR, 2.7; 95&#x25; CI, 0.9&#x2013;8.0). Conclusion. In women with a BMI above 40&#x2009;kg/m2, supraumbilical incision at the time of cesarean delivery is associated with a greater risk of classical hysterotomy and operative morbidity.
Guided exploration and integration of urban data

Governments and enterprises are interested in the return-on-investment for exposing their data. This brings forth the problem of making data consumable, with minimal effort. Beyond search techniques, there is a need for effective methods to identify heterogeneous datasets that are closely related, as part of data integration or exploration tasks. The large number of datasets demands a new generation of Smarter Systems for data content aggregation that allows users to incrementally liberate, access and integrate information, in a manner that scales in terms of gain for the effort spent. In the context of such a pay-as-you go system, we are presenting a novel method for exploring and discovering relevant datasets based on semantic relatedness. We are demonstrating a system for contextual knowledge mining on hundreds of real-world datasets from Dublin City. We evaluate our semantic approach, using query logs and domain expert judgments, to show that our approach effectively identifies related datasets and outperforms text-based recommendations.
The impact of a Massachusetts state-sponsored educational program on antimicrobial stewardship in acute care hospitals.

Our objective was to characterize barriers to antimicrobial stewardship implementation in acute care hospitals in Massachusetts, as well as to identify successful existing antimicrobial stewardship practices. We show that a statewide antimicrobial stewardship educational program had a significant effect on implementation of antimicrobial stewardship programs and improvement of existing programs.
Carbohydrates as Allergens

Complex carbohydrates are effective inducers of Th2 responses, and carbohydrate antigens can stimulate the production of glycan-specific antibodies. In instances where the antigen exposure occurs through the skin, the resulting antibody production can contain IgE class antibody. The glycan-stimulated IgE may be non-specific but may also be antigen specific. This review focuses on the production of cross-reactive carbohydrate determinants, the recently identified IgE antibody response to a mammalian oligosaccharide epitope, galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose (alpha-gal), as well as discusses practical implications of carbohydrates in allergy. In addition, the biological effects of carbohydrate antigens are reviewed in setting of receptors and host recognition.
Practical opportunistic routing in high-speed multi-rate wireless mesh networks

Opportunistic Routing (OR) has been proven effective for wireless mesh networks. However, the existing OR protocols cannot meet all the requirements for high-speed, multi-rate wireless mesh networks, including: running on commodity Wi-Fi interface, supporting TCP, low complexity, supporting multiple link layer data rates, and exploiting partial packets. In this paper, we propose Practical Opportunistic Routing (POR), a new OR protocol that meets all above requirements. The key features of POR include: packet forwarding based on a per-packet feedback mechanism, block-based partial packet recovery, multi-hop link rate adaptation, and a novel path cost calculation which enables good path selection by considering the ability of nodes to select appropriate data rates to match the channel conditions. We implement POR within the Click modular router and our experiments in a 16-node wireless testbed confirm that POR achieves significantly better performance than the compared protocols for both UDP and TCP traffic.
How a creative storytelling intervention can improve medical student attitude towards persons with dementia: A mixed methods study

BackgroundThe creative arts can integrate humanistic experiences into geriatric education. This experiential learning case study evaluated whether medical student participation in TimeSlips, a creative storytelling program with persons affected by dementia, would improve attitudes towards this patient population.MethodsTwenty-two fourth-year medical students participated in TimeSlips for one month. The authors analyzed pre- and post-program scores of items, sub-domains for comfort and knowledge, and overall scale from the Dementia Attitudes Scale using paired t-tests or Wilcoxon Signed-rank tests to evaluate mean change in students' self-reported attitudes towards persons with dementia. A case study approach using student reflective writing and focus group data was used to explain quantitative results.ResultsTwelve of the 20 items, the two sub-domains, and the overall Dementia Attitudes Scale showed significant improvement post-intervention. Qualitative analysis identified four themes that added insight t...
Cellular immune response to acetylcholine receptors in murine experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis: Inhibition with monoclonal anti-I-A antibodies☆

Abstract Gene(s) at the I-A subregion of the murine major histocompatibility complex influence susceptibility to experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis. C57B1/6 mice immunized with acetylcholine receptors (AChR) in complete Freund's adjuvant demonstrated cellular and humoral immune responses to AChR. They developed muscle weakness characteristic of myasthenia gravis and demonstrated a reduction in the muscle AChR content. The kinetics of AChR-specific lymphocyte proliferation generally correlate with anti-AChR antibody response. AChR-specific lymphocyte proliferation was also observed in C57B1/6 splenocytes after secondary immunization with AChR. The in vitro cellular reactivity to AChR in experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG) mice (C57B1/6) was suppressed by monoclonal anti- I-A b antibodies directed against private (Ia20) or public (Ia8) specificities, suggesting a critical role for these Ia determinants in the cellular immune response to AChR in murine EAMG.
World Library and Information Congress 2004: Buenos Aires

Provides an overview of the World Library and Information Congress 70th IFLA General Conference held in Argentina in August 2004. The theme "Libraries as tools for education and development" was carried out in many ways with a variety of programming, industry updates, keynote sessions, nearly 80 poster sessions, invited guests and local tours to area libraries and institutions.
On the Mechanism of Diazoxide-induced Hyperglycemia

Infusion of diazoxide (16.5 mg./kg. in 10 minutes) into normal unanesthetized dogs resulted in a prompt hyperglycemia due to increased hepatic glucose production as measured with a 3-3H-glucose primer-infusion technique. Plasma insulin and glucagon were decreased. Glucose uptake failed to increase. Diazoxide administration during period of alpha adrenergic receptor blockade with phentolamine still caused hyperglycemia and increased glucose production. Glucose uptake was inhibited despite adequate plasma insulin. Infusion of somatostatin along with insulin prevented the effects of diazoxide on plasma glucose and glucose production. It is concluded that diazoxide hyperglycemia is not due solely to decreased insulin secretion or increased epinephrine secretion and that glucagon is not a contributory factor. Diazoxide may act directly to increase glucose production and inhibit glucose uptake. Somatostatin appears capable of blocking the effect of diazoxide on glucose production by an unknown mechanism.
Kinetics of protein deposition and replacement from a shear flow

Kinetics of plasma protein deposition and replacement from a shear flow of full strength and diluted blood plasma onto prewetted glass were studied both numerically and experimentally. A band of fibrinogen moving down the adsorbing surface was predicted and observed. The band was shown to define the region where blood platelets subsequently adhered to the surface. Since platelet adhesion is a fundamental component of thrombosis, this observation is potentially pertinent to the long-sought mechanism that determines where thrombus forms during shear flow of blood through artificial devices. The discrepancies between the mathematical model and experimental observations are explained by the presence of the natural convection, arising from density differences between plasma and the wetting fluids.
Vaccine-elicited immune responses prevent clinical AIDS in SHIV89.6P-infected rhesus monkeys

Abstract Accumulating evidence has demonstrated the importance of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and helper T lymphocytes in controlling HIV-1 replication. We have elicited immune responses in rhesus monkeys utilizing DNA vaccines augmented by the administration of IL-2/Ig, a fusion protein consisting of interleukin-2 and the Fc portion of IgG2. These vaccine-elicited immune responses did not prevent infection following a high-dose intravenous challenge with SHIV 89.6P but did control viremia to nearly undetectable levels and prevented immunodeficiency and clinical disease. In contrast, control monkeys developed high levels of viremia and exhibited a rapid loss of CD4 + T cells, significant clinical disease progression, and death in half of the animals by day 140 following challenge. Vaccine approaches that elicit immune responses capable of reducing plasma viral loads, but not capable of inducing sterilizing immunity, may still provide substantial clinical benefits.
Monoclonal antibody f(ab′)2 fragment labeled with N-succinimidyl 2,4-dimethoxy-3-halobenzoates: In vivo comparison of iodinated and astatinated fragments

Abstract N -Succinimidyl 3-[ 211 At]astato-2, 4-dimethoxybenzoate (SADMB) was prepared from a trialkylstannyl precursor in about 70–75% yield. With either trimethyl or tri- n -butylstannyl precursor, no temporal effect was found in the astatodestannylation yield. However, the methyl analog gave slightly better yield which was found to be not statistically significant. A monoclonal antibody (MAb) fragment, Mel-14 F(ab′) 2 , could be labeled using SADMB in 28% coupling efficiency. The specific binding of this labeled fragment to tumor homogenates in vitro was 61.0 ± 0.5% (62.8 ± 0.9% for the 131 I labeled fragment). Paired-label tissue distribution in normal mice showed similar uptake of 131 I and 211 At in many tissues. However, by 14.5 h selectivity of spleen, lungs and stomach for Mel-14 F(ab′) 2 labeled with 211 At compared to 131 I was 4.1, 3.8 and 6.4, respectively.
Kinetics of bilirubin photodegradation with application to amniotic fluid

By spectrophotometric methods we have studied the photodegradation of bilirubin in simple solution and in amniotic fluid and have found that: (1) the photodegradation process can be described by kinetics which are first-order in concentration and second-order in time; (2) the photodegradation products of bilirubin do not prevent the determination of the absorbance of the parent compound; (3) although the rate of the photodegradation process depends upon both the oxygen partial pressure and the irradiation intensity, the determination of the original bilirubin absorbance is independent of both of these parameters so long as they are constant over the period of photodegradation; (4) other chromagens in amniotic fluid (including hemoglobin and methemoglobin) experience little photodegradation in the time required to degrade bilirubin; (5) several absorbance measurements over a short (approximately five-minute) period of photodegradation are sufficient for the determination of the original bilirubin absorbance for the complete range of interest in amniotic fluid with an accuracy of about five percent.
Quantitative assessment of the effect of x-ray CT attenuation correction on myocardial perfusion in patients with single vessel coronary artery disease

Abstract Background: Attenuation artifacts diminish the diagnostic accuracy of myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI). Little quantitative data exist regarding the effect of x-ray CT based attenuation correction (AC) on regional tracer distribution. The purpose of this study is to quantitatively evaluate the effect of AC on MPI in individual vascular territories. Methods: In this study we selected patients with known single vessel disease who had stress technetium-99m sestamibi SPECT testing with and without AC and cardiac catheterization within 6 months. Coronary stenoses were considered significant if ≥ 70% of the mean luminal diameter. Patients with previous coronary bypass or acute myocardial infarction were excluded. Perfusion stress images were analyzed using automated bulls-eye 20 segment quantitative software. Segments below the 75% maximum threshold were considered abnormal. Specific vascular territories were evaluated. The basal anteroseptum and inferoseptum were excluded due to membranous septum variability. Results: Twenty nine patients were selected (8 LAD, 10LCX, 11RCA). Stress imaging showed more abnormal segments in the non-AC compared to the AC images (mean 13.45 vs. 11.41 p=0.0005). When considering specific vascular territories, there were more false positive segments in the RCA (inferior) territory in the non-AC images in all CAD patients (see table) likely representing diaphragmatic attenuation artifact. Abnormally Perfused Regions During Stress (mean) Patient's known CAD LAD AC/Non-AC LCX AC/Non-AC RCA AC/Non-AC LAD 5.3/4.8 p = NS 1.5/2.0 p = NS 3.6/5.3 p = 0.01 LCX 2.9/2.4 NS 3.2/3.1 NS 3.3/5.0 0.008 RCA 3.2/3.0 NS 2.2/3.3 p = 0.02 3.8/5.7 0.0004 Conclusions: Myocardial perfusion imaging using x-ray CT based attenuation correction is an accurate means of detecting single vessel CAD with improved visualization of the inferior wall and less diaphragmatic artifact compared to non-corrected imaging.
Comments on antiresonance lineshapes in the rydberg spectra of large molecules

Abstract The configuration interaction mechanism proposed by Florida, Scheps and Rice is shown inadequate to explain either the nonvanishing antiresonance minimum in the Rydberg absorption spectrum of naphthalene or the absence of observable antiresonances in general. The results of a treatment based on relaxing the overly restrictive assumptions of the Bixon-Jortner model are presented, and it is suggested that the variation in coupling strengths of the spares states to successive dense states (together with possible nonparallelness of transition moments) can suppress the usual antiresonance expected on the basis of the Bixon-Jortner model.
228 Single Balloon Assisted Colonoscopy for Placement of Colonic Manometry Catheters - Initial Single Center Experience in Children Using a Novel Technique

Single Balloon Assisted Colonoscopy for Placement of Colonic Manometry Catheters Initial Single Center Experience in Children Using a Novel Technique Rinarani M. Sanghavi, Bradley A. Barth UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX Background: Colonic manometry is being increasingly used in patients with severe constipation to assess colonic motility and to aid in surgical decisions. This procedure involves placement of a manometry catheter in the colon from the anus to the ascending colon. It is imperative, for proper manometric interpretation, to place the catheter without loops in the colon. However, most patients with long standing constipation have a very dilated and redundant sigmoid colon which makes proper placement of the catheter as well as the colonoscopy technically challenging. Once the cecum has been reached, subsequent placement of the manometry catheter is complicated due to looping of the catheter in the redundant sigmoid. Single balloon assisted colonoscopy has been successfully used in adults in cases of difficult colonoscopy.We report the first pediatric series of single balloon assisted colonoscopy in children. Methods: All patients received NG golytely cleanout prior to the procedure due to severe constipation. We used the Olympus S180 enteroscope. Single balloon push and pull technique was used to reach the cecum. Once the cecum was reached, the balloon was deflated and the overtube was advanced beyond the scope. The overtube was then left in place, while the enteroscope was removed. This provided an easy path for placement of the colonic manometry catheter over a guide wire, without the usual issues of looping and inability to advance the catheter. Results: Over 12 months, 19 patients underwent placement of colonic manometry catheter using single balloon assisted colonoscopy. Ages of patients ranged from 3years to 20 years. The weights ranged from 13.1kg to 72 kg.We were successful in placing the catheter in all cases. Procedure times varied from 119 min to 41 min (from start of endoscopy to patient leaving the OR).This includes time to tape the catheter in place, and anesthesia reversal time. The terminal ileum was reached in all cases. Fluoroscopic exposure times were kept to minimal levels. There were no complications noted. Conclusions: Single balloon assisted colonoscopy may be successfully used in pediatric patients for placement of colonic manometry catheters, and difficult colonoscopies. This is the first reported series of single balloon assisted colonoscopy in children. Leaving the overtube in place to allow for passage of catheter is a novel method not previously described. It may have therapeutic applications in other patients for removal of polyps or placement of similar catheters.