cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mitigating preventable chronic disease: Progress report of the Cleveland Clinic's Lifestyle 180 program

Poor lifestyle choices are key in development and progression of preventable chronic diseases. The purpose of the study was to design and test a program to mitigate the physical and fiscal consequences of chronic diseases. Here we report the outcomes for 429 participants with one or more chronic conditions, including obesity, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and diabetes mellitus, many of whom had failed traditional disease management programs, who enrolled into a comprehensive lifestyle intervention. The Lifestyle 180 program integrates nutrition, physical activity and stress management interventions and was conducted at the Wellness Institute of the Cleveland Clinic, United States. An intensive 6 week immersion course, with 8 hours of group instruction per week, was followed by 3 follow-up, 4 hour-long sessions over the course of 6 months. Changes in biometric (weight, height, waist circumference, resting heart rate and blood pressure) and laboratory variables (fasting lipid panel, blood glucose, insulin, hemoglobin A1c, ultra sensitive C-reactive protein) at 6 months were compared with baseline (pre-post analysis). At week 30, biometric and laboratory data were available for 244 (57%) and 299 (70%) participants, respectively. These had a mean ± SD reduction in weight (6.8 ± 6.9 kg, P < 0.001), waist circumference (6.1 ± 7.3 cm, P < 0.001), glucose (4.5 ± 29.6 mg/dL or 0.25 ± 1.64 mmol/L, P = 0.009), triglycerides (26.4 ± 58.5 mg/dL or 0.30 ± 0.66 mmol/L, P < 0.001), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) (7.9 ± 25.1 mg/dL or 0.2 ± 0.65 mmol/L, P < 0.001), hemoglobin A1c (HgbA1c) (0.20 ± 0.64%, P = 0.001), insulin (3.8 ± 11 microU/ml or 26.6 ± 76.4 ρmol, P < 0.001) and ultra sensitive C-reactive protein (US - CRP) (0.9 ± 4.8 mg/dL or 7.3 ± 40.2 nmol/L, P = 0.012), an increase in mean high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) (3.7 ± 8.4 mg/dL or 0.1 ± 0.22, P < 0.001), and decreased use of medications. Implementation of a comprehensive lifestyle modification program among adults with common chronic conditions results in significant and clinically meaningful improvements in biometric and laboratory outcomes after 6 months.
Changes in Intracellular Free Calcium Concentration during Illumination of Invertebrate Photoreceptors Detection with Aequorin

Aequorin, which luminesces in the presence of calcium, was injected into photoreceptor cells of Limulus ventral eye. A bright light stimulus elicited a large increase in aequorin luminescence, the aequorin response, indicating a rise of intracellular calcium ion concentration, Ca(i). The aequorin response reached a maximum after the peak of the electrical response of the photoreceptor, decayed during a prolonged stimulus, and returned to an undetectable level in the dark. Reduction of Ca(o) reduced the amplitude of the aequorin response by a factor no greater than 3. Raising Ca(o) increased the amplitude of the aequorin response. The aequorin response became smaller when membrane voltage was clamped to successively more positive values. These results indicate that the stimulus-induced rise of Ca(i) may be due in part to a light-induced influx of Ca and in part to release of Ca from an intracellular store. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that a rise in Ca(i) is a step in the sequence of events underlying light-adaptation in Limulus ventral photoreceptors. Aequorin was also injected into photoreceptors of Balanus. The aequorin responses were similar to those recorded from Limulus cells in all but two ways: (a) A large sustained aequorin luminescence was measured during a prolonged stimulus, and (b) removal of extracellular calcium reduced the aequorin response to an undetectable level.
Patron-augmented digital libraries

Digital library research is mostly focused on the generation of large collections of multimedia resources and state-of-the-art tools for their indexing and retrieval. However, digital libraries should provide more than advanced collection maintenance and retrieval services since the ultimate goal of any (academic) library is to serve the scholarly needs of its users. This paper begins by presenting a case for digital scholarship in which patrons perform all scholarly work electronically. A proposal is then made for patron-augmented digital libraries (PADLs), a class of digital libraries that supports the digital scholarship of its patrons. Finally, a prototype PADL (called Synchrony) providing access to video segments and associated textual transcripts is described. Synchrony allows patrons to search the library for artifacts, create annotations/original compositions, integrate these artifacts to form synchronized mixed text and video presentations and, after suitable review, publish these presentations into the digital library if desired. A study to evaluate the PADL concept and the usability of Synchrony is also discussed. The study revealed that participants were able to use Synchrony for the authoring and publishing of presentations and that attitudes toward PADLs were generally positive.
The Power of a Network Organization: A Model for School-University Collaboration

An English language arts methods course developed through a professional teacher network offers many advantages of a professional development school (PDS) but is easier for individual teachers and university instructors to initiate than a PDS. This report describes a writing methods course that an expert National Writing Project (NWP) teacher helped the university course instructor design. It helps preservice teac hers synthesize knowledge of school practice from their prior school experience, the system of classroom organization known as Complex Instruction, and NWP knowledge. The designers of the course concluded, on reflection, that elements of the NWP summer invitational institute and the nature of annual review of NWP sites supported ongoing dialogue among the participating secondary school teachers, preservice teachers, and course instructor. Videotaped discussion among a participating preservice teacher, the NWP teacher consultant, and the course instructor; written and graphic work by this preservice teacher; and video and Internet information about Complex Instruction and the NWP are linked to this online article.
Life-Cycle Cost Sensitivity to Battery-Pack Voltage of an HEV

A detailed component performance, ratings, and cost study was conducted on series and parallel hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) configurations for several battery pack and main electric traction motor voltages while meeting stringent Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV) power delivery requirements. A computer simulation calculated maximum current and voltage for each component as well as power and fuel consumption. These values defined the peak power ratings for each HEV drive system’s electric components: batteries, battery cables, boost converter, generator, rectifier, motor, and inverter. To identify a superior configuration or voltage level, life cycle costs were calculated based on the components required to execute simulated drive schedules. These life cycle costs include the initial manufacturing cost of components, fuel cost, and battery replacement cost over the vehicle life.
Plasticity of the mate choice mind: courtship evokes choice-like brain responses in females from a coercive mating system.

Female mate choice is fundamental to sexual selection, and determining molecular underpinnings of female preference variation is important for understanding mating character evolution. Previously it was shown that whole-brain expression of a synaptic plasticity marker, neuroserpin, positively correlates with mating bias in the female choice poeciliid, Xiphophorus nigrensis ,w hen exposed to conspecific courting males, whereas this relationship is reversed in Gambusia affinis, a mate coercive poeciliid with no courting males. Here we explore whether species-level differences in female behavioral and brain molecular responses represent ‘canalized’ or ‘plastic’ traits. We expose female G. affinis to conspecific males and females, as well as coercive and courting male Poecilia latipinna, for preference assays followed by whole-brain gene expression analyses of neuroserpin, egr-1 and early B. We find positive correlations between gene expression and female preference strength during exposure to courting heterospecific males, but a reversed pattern following exposure to coercive heterospecific males. This suggests that the neuromolecular processes associated with female preference behavior are plastic and responsive to different male phenotypes (courting or coercive) rather than a canalized response linked to mating system. Further, we propose that female behavioral plasticity may involve learning because female association patterns shifted with experience. Compared to younger females, we found larger, more experienced females spend less time near coercive males but associate more with males in the presence of courters. We thus suggest a conserved learning-based neuromolecular process underlying the diversity of female mate preference across the mate choice and coercion-driven mating systems.
All-or-none subprocesses in the learning of complex sequences☆

Abstract This paper reports a study designed to investigate whether the all-or-none conception of the learning process can be extended to a learning task more complex than conditioning or simple verbal association. The experimental task is to learn numerical sequences by anticipating each new member of the sequences. Although the obtained sequence learning appears very complex, it proves to be analyzable into constituent all-or-none subprocesses.
Advancing E‐Government: Financing Challenges and Opportunities

As e-government evolves into the transactions stage, governments must grapple with how to finance the development of e-transactions. The authors argue that the externalities effects of electronic transactions suggest they are appropriately financed by some combination of public investment and user charges. We propose a self-financing model adhering to two basic requirements. A flexible pricing framework is the core of the self-financing model, as it embodies both the firm’s and the government’s perspectives. We assess basic assumptions of the pricing framework using contingent valuation methodology and a statewide survey of more than 400 firms. The empirical estimates we develop of the willingness to pay for e-transactions with state government and the theoretical discussion about the self-financing model form the basis for prescribing policy recommendations.
Evaluating a Model of Team Collaboration via Analysis of Team Communications

A model of team collaboration was developed that emphasizes the macro-cognitive processes entailed in collaboration and includes major processes that underlie this type of communication: (1) individual knowledge building, (2) developing knowledge inter-operability, (3) team shared understanding, and (4) developing team consensus. This paper describes research conducted to empirically validate this model. Team communications that transpired during two complex problem solving situations were coded using cognitive process definitions included in the model. Data was analyzed for three teams that conducted a Maritime Interdiction Operation (MIO) and four teams that engaged in air-warfare scenarios. MIO scenarios involve a boarding team that boards a suspect ship to search for contraband cargo (e.g. explosives, machinery) and possible terrorist suspects. Air-warfare scenarios involve identifying air contacts in the combat information center of an Aegis ship. The way the teams' behavior on the two scenarios maps...
Sensor-based Dynamic Control of the Central Pattern Generator for Locomotion

The authors study the dynamic control of ongoing locomotor patterns through the application of discrete pulses of electrical stimulation to the central pattern generator (CPG) for locomotion. Data is presented from a hardware model of the CPG demonstrating that stimulation causes brief deviations from the CPG's limit cycle activity. It has been shown that the characteristics of the deviation depend strongly on the phase of stimulation. This paper expands upon those previous results in two ways. Firstly, we provide a more detailed characterization of the limit cycle oscillators (LCOs) with the intent of resolving possible asymmetries. Secondly, we use sensory information from a biped robot's "limbs" to set the appropriate timing for the discrete pulse to correct the asymmetries, making it possible to take the computer out of the loop in the generation of the stimulus. Eventually, the authors believe this approach could lead to development of a neuroprosthetic device for restoring locomotion after paralysis or amputation.
Estimated Costs and Investment Analysis of Producing and Harvesting Muscadine Grapes in the Southeastern United States

ADDITIONAL INDEX WORDS. Vitis rotundifilia, economic analysis, irrigation, trellis systems SUMMARY. This study estimates and compares the production costs and profitability of muscadine grape (Vitis rotundifilia) production under the single-wire (SW) and the Geneva double curtain (GDC) trellis systems with and without drip irrigation. Profitability analysis revealed that muscadine grape production can be a profitable venture. Irrigated muscadine grape vineyards were shown to be more profitable than nonirrigated vineyards. The comparison of the GDC trellis system and the SW trellis system indicates that the GDC trellis system is more profitable. Returns to land and management from muscadine grapes grown under the GDC systemwere foundto beless sensitiveto changes in prices and yieldsthanthe returns from muscadine grapes grown under the SW trellis system. Net returns from irrigatedsystems were alsofoundto beless sensitiveto variations inprices and yields than nonirrigated systems. The estimated total costs of establishing (Years 0‐3) a muscadine grape vineyard were between $9783/acre and $15,065/acre depending on the production system used. For the GDC production system, which was the most profitable production system, the estimated return to land and management was $447/acre. Cash flow analysis demonstrated that the payback period for this system can be achieved in the 10th year, whereas the net present value of the investment was estimated at $4484 and the internal rate of return was estimated at 9.6%.
Things of the Spirit: Documenting Religion in New England

Before archivists can document a large and complex phenomenon such as religion in New England, they must understand the outlines of its history, particularly in the more recent period. This article reviews the long story of religion in the region and focuses in particular on developments since the Second World War. The more important influences in this time include changes in economic and social life, suburbanization, changing traditions within particular denominations, growing ecumenical activity, and the use of mass media by religious professionals. The article concludes with a series of suggestions for how archivists, both individually and collectively, can identify and preserve documentation for these subjects.
Abstract TMP27: Aneurysm Morphology And Prediction Of Rupture In Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms

Introduction: There is ongoing debate regarding the rupture risk of an unruptured intracranial aneurysm (UIA), and the predictors of rupture. Hypothesis: There are aneurysm morphology characteristics which predict rupture in patients with an UIA. The purpose of this analysis was to assess for such characteristics utilizing the International Study of Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms (ISUIA) cohort. Methods: Patients were entered prospectively at 61 centers. Patients must have had at least one UIA, which may or may not have been symptomatic. Patients were followed for a median of 9 years and all potential hemorrhages were carefully adjudicated. A case-control design was used. The cases were 57 patients with aneurysmal rupture during followup for whom detailed radiology data were available from arteriography. Controls were 198 size- (+/- 2 mm maximum diameter) and location- (parent artery) matched patients without rupture during followup. Numerous aneurysm morphology characteristics were assessed on arteriogram review. Multivariable condition logistic regression modeling was performed. Results: A total of 57 cases and 198 controls were included. Most (76%) of the 255 cases were women, and 20% had a prior history of SAH from some other aneurysm. There were no differences between cases and controls in aneurysm maximum diameter, aneurysm location, patient age, gender, reason for presentation, or prior medical history. Multivariate analysis identified that only perpendicular height of the aneurysm--the measurement of the aneurysm height at a perpendicular to the center of the aneurysm neck to the aneurysm dome-was an independent predictor of aneurysm rupture. Aspect ratio, size ratio, parent vessel diameter, presence of daughter sac, and aneurysm angle were not independent predictors of rupture. Conclusions: After controlling for aneurysm size and location, the aneurysm perpendicular height remained a predictor of UIA rupture during long-term followup. The assessment of perpendicular height may be helpful in clinical practice, in addition to the other key predictors of UIA rupture, aneurysm maximum diameter and location. Further investigation into the use of perpendicular height as a predictor of rupture in patients with UIA is indicated.
Megakaryocytes and Blood Platelets

Megakaryocytes are described as the largest cells of the blood-forming organs. W . H . Howell coined the term "megakaryocyte for the "giant-cell" in the bone marrow. Since J . H . Wright 3 3 5 linked the formation of the blood platelets to. them, hundreds of papers have been written about this relationship and its connection with problems of blood coagulation. B u t there were always opponents of these theories. 8
Artificial feel system using magneto-rheological fluid on aircraft control stick

The conventional feel system in aircraft occupies large space in the cockpit and has complicated designs. The primary objective of this research is to develop an artificial feel force system that can overcome some drawbacks of the current system. A novel feel system using magneto-rheological (MR) fluid is constructed to precisely control the shear stress under the magnetic field. To validate the functionality of the MR artificial feel system, the final system is fabricated and multiple tests are performed to acquire force-velocity characteristics that are compared to the mathematical model derived. In addition, the PID closed loop control algorithm is developed to simulate the dynamic system model. Both experimental and simulation results are compared to validate the derived system model. The system response time and sampling rates are evaluated and compared to the conventional system at the end. It is concluded that the developed artificial feel system can precisely control and acts as a fail proof system when incorporated with a modern fly-by-wire aircraft system.
Greater Wax Moth: Behavior of Larvae

Larval behavior of Galleria mellonella (L.) was observed in apiaries of the honey bee Apis mellifera L., and in the laboratory. The 1st instars fed on honey, and then dispersed to all colonies of the apiary where they infested brood combs, primarily in areas of unsealed brood or pollen. Larvae tunneled into cell walls until bees capped their brood, and then fed in the capped cells. After the bees emerged, worker bees captured moth larvae as cells were cleaned and repaired. Small captured larvae were eaten by bees; larvae that escaped capture until late instars were removed from the colony. Bees tried to sting large larvae, but larvae were resistant to penetration of the sting.
TCT-289 Detection of Paclitaxel Contamination Resulting from the Simulated Clinical Use of Drug Coated Balloon Catheters

Coating robustness and durability are important characteristics of the DCB design. Drug that is not firmly adhering on the balloon surface falls off and could potentially lead to paclitaxel contamination of work surfaces in the catheterization lab and expose lab personnel to a toxic chemotherapeutic
426 Pituitary “Incidentalomas” Are Not Completely Incidental and Cause Growth Hormone Deficiency.

For many years, growth hormone deficiency (GHD) was not thought to be associated with adverse effects in adults. We have since learned that GHD may lead to impaired quality of life, cardiovascular disease, impaired exercise capacity, decreased muscle mass, and increased low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Diagnosing and treating GHD have become important. Recognized etiologies of GHD include hypothalamic and pituitary dysfunction, such as macroadenomas (secreting and nonsecreting), apoplexy, Sheehan9s syndrome, and craniopharyngiomas. Less established is how nonsecreting, nonfunctioning microadenomas (“incidentalomas”) affect growth hormone secretion. Incidentalomas are considered by many as benign lesions; however, there is suspicion that they may exert adverse consequences on pituitary function, including GHD. In this study, we evaluated 20 patients with an IGF-1 less than one standard deviation (SD) below the mean for age and sex and symptoms of GHD (including fatigue). Dynamic MRIs were obtained and patients with microadenomas and no evidence of a secreting tumor were further evaluated with the arginine-GHRH stimulation test. Nine out of 20 had an abnormal provocative test (peak GH
Abstract A73: CDK4/6 inhibition as maintenance therapy in ovarian cancer.

Over 70% of patients with ovarian cancer who achieve a clinical remission with initial surgery and chemotherapy will relapse and die of their disease. Effective maintenance therapies that can improve the survival of ovarian cancer patients are clearly needed. CDK4/6 inhibitors have been studied as maintenance therapy in hematologic and breast malignancies. CDK4/6 inhibition prevents the G1-S cell cycle phase transition in retinoblastoma (RB1) wild-type cells, causing G0/G1 arrest. Thus, CDK4/6 inhibitor therapy could significantly slow the growth of residual cancer cells after chemotherapy and improve outcomes. Indeed, the CDK4/6 inhibitor palbociclib doubled progression-free survival from 10 to 20 months in late-stage breast cancer. CDK4/6 inhibitors remain untested in ovarian cancer. TCGA analysis shows that almost 40% of ovarian cancer patients bear mutations or dysregulation of genes in the CDK4/6 pathway that could sensitize them to CDK4/6 inhibition. We therefore investigated the CDK4/6 inhibitor LEE-011 (Novartis) in serous ovarian cancer. As expected, LEE-011 treatment led to a dose-dependent delay in the growth of multiple RbWT cell lines. Growth arrest was associated with an increase in the number of cells in the G1/G0 phase of the cell cycle and a decrease in the number of cells in S/M phases of the cell cycle. By contrast, LEE-011 did not produce these effects in the Rbnull COV362 cell line. LEE-011 treatment produced a significant, dose-dependent increase in senescence associated β-galactosidase. Despite significant expression of senescence-associated markers, cells could regrow after termination of LEE-011 therapy, suggesting a potential pseudo-senescent state. Finally, LEE-011 treatment concurrent with cisplatin therapy significantly inhibited the re-growth of RbWT ovarian cancer cells. LEE-011 maintenance therapy after cisplatin treatment led to growth arrest in vitro. Interestingly, although LEE-011 alone failed to show an effect on the Rbnull COV362 cells, LEE-011 maintenance therapy following cisplatin decreased COV362 cell regrowth. This was associated with a dose-dependent decrease in the percentage of ALDH+ cancer stem-like cells. Taken together, these data suggest that LEE-011 may be an effective maintenance therapy for ovarian cancer in not only RbWT cells but potentially even in Rbnull cells. In vivo studies confirming these results are ongoing. Citation Format: Mangala Iyengar, Lan Coffman, Ronald Buckanovich. CDK4/6 inhibition as maintenance therapy in ovarian cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Ovarian Cancer Research: Exploiting Vulnerabilities; Oct 17-20, 2015; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2016;22(2 Suppl):Abstract nr A73.
Risk-variant policy switching to exceed reward thresholds

This paper presents a decision-theoretic planning approach for probabilistic environments where the agent's goal is to win, which we model as maximizing the probability of being above a given reward threshold. In competitive domains, second is as good as last, and it is often desirable to take risks if one is in danger of losing, even if the risk does not pay off very often. Our algorithm maximizes the probability of being above a particular reward threshold by dynamically switching between a suite of policies, each of which encodes a different level of risk. This method does not explicitly encode time or reward into the state space, and decides when to switch between policies during each execution step. We compare a risk-neutral policy to switching among different risk-sensitive policies, and show that our approach improves the agent's probability of winning.
INTRODUCTION TO EFFECTS OF ENDOGENOUS OPIOID PEPTIDES ON THE NEUROENDOCRINE SYSTEM

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the effects of endogenous opioid peptides (EOP) on the neuroendocrine system. Some of the most convincing evidence regarding the participation of EOP in the physiological regulation of pituitary hormone secretion was that first reported by Bruni and Shaar that naloxone, a specific antagonist of morphine and the EOP, can reduce the secretion of prolactin and growth hormone in rats. In addition, Bruni found that naloxone can increase the secretion of luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone in rats. It was interpreted that these observations as indicating that the EOP in the brain modulate the daily secretion of pituitary hormones, as naloxone has been demonstrated to displace opioid receptors in the brain. The inhibitory effects of naloxone on the release of prolactin and its stimulatory effects on the release of gonadotropins have been widely confirmed. Most of the work on the mechanisms of action of the EOP on the secretion of pituitary hormones indicates that they do not act directly on the pituitary but on hypothalamic neurotransmitters that regulate pituitary function. Most investigators have found that opiates have no effect on the pituitary in vitro, but recently it was reported that β-endorphin blocked dopamine inhibition of prolactin release in vitro even though β-endorphin alone had no effect on prolactin release.
Purification, identification, and partial characterization of a barley protein that inhibits green malt endoproteinases

Endoproteinases control the rate of hydrolysis of storage proteins during barley germination and are thus critically important to the malting process. We have shown that endoproteinases comprising all four proteinase classes are present in green malt, with the cysteine proteinases probably being most important for hydrolyzing storage proteins during malting. Compounds from both barley and malt inhibit some of these cysteine proteinases. This article reports the purification and characterization of a 10-kDa barley protein, purified from both seed and beer extracts, that specifically inhibits green malt cysteine endoproteinases. Amino acid composition, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometric and N-terminal amino acid sequence data indicated that the inhibitor is identical to barley lipid transfer protein 1 (probable amylase/proteinase inhibitor, PAPI), a nonspecific lipid-transfer protein. The protein did not inhibit the activities of either papain or subtilisin but did suppress the activities of many of the green malt cysteine endoproteinase activities that are separated on a two-dimensional isoelectric focusing and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis system. Some serine proteinases were also partially inhibited. The purified inhibitor totally inhibited the activity of a purified 31-kDa cysteine endoproteinase from green malt. In the absence of inhibitor, the 31-kDa enzyme rapidly hydrolyzed barley storage proteins. LTP1-PAPI may well play an important role in controlling protein hydrolysis during malting.
Communication Perspectives in Public Opinion: Traditions and Innovations

This article takes the position that the reality of public opinion arises in communication processes and that the search—albeit with limited success—for behavioral effects has diverted researchers from recognizing the presence of strong “communication effects.” This article reviews the major perspectives in public opinion research and reconsiders their findings from a communication effects perspective.
Transport in superfluid mixtures

We present a general method for constructing effective field theories for non-relativistic superfluids, generalizing the previous approaches of Greiter, Witten, and Wilczek, and Son and Wingate to the case of several superfluids in solution. We investigate transport in mixtures with broken parity and find a parity odd "Hall drag" in the presence of independent motion as well as a pinning of mass, charge, and energy to sites of nonzero relative velocity. Both effects have a simple geometric interpretation in terms of the signed volumes and directed areas of various sub-complexes of a "velocity polyhedron": the convex hull formed by the endpoints of the velocity vectors of a superfluid mixture. We also provide a simple quasi-one-dimensional model that exhibits non-zero Hall drag.
Heart Rate Fragmentation: A New Approach to the Analysis of Cardiac Interbeat Interval Dynamics.

Background: Short-term heart rate variability (HRV) is most commonly attributed to physiologic vagal tone modulation. However, with aging and cardiovascular disease, the emergence of high short-term HRV, consistent with the breakdown of the neuroautonomic-electrophysiologic control system, may confound traditional HRV analysis. An apparent dynamical signature of such anomalous short-term HRV is frequent changes in heart rate acceleration sign, defined here as heart rate fragmentation. Objective: The aims were to: 1) introduce a set of metrics designed to probe the degree of sinus rhythm fragmentation; 2) test the hypothesis that the degree of fragmentation of heartbeat time series increases with the participants' age in a group of healthy subjects; 3) test the hypothesis that the heartbeat time series from patients with advanced coronary artery disease (CAD) are more fragmented than those from healthy subjects; and 4) compare the performance of the new fragmentation metrics with standard time and frequency domain measures of short-term HRV. Methods: We analyzed annotated, open-access Holter recordings (University of Rochester Holter Warehouse) from healthy subjects and patients with CAD using these newly introduced metrics of heart rate fragmentation, as well as standard time and frequency domain indices of short-term HRV, detrended fluctuation analysis and sample entropy. Results: The degree of fragmentation of cardiac interbeat interval time series increased significantly as a function of age in the healthy population as well as in patients with CAD. Fragmentation was higher for the patients with CAD than the healthy subjects. Heart rate fragmentation metrics outperformed traditional short-term HRV indices, as well as two widely used nonlinear measures, sample entropy and detrended fluctuation analysis short-term exponent, in distinguishing healthy subjects and patients with CAD. The same level of discrimination was obtained from the analysis of normal-to-normal sinus (NN) and cardiac interbeat interval (RR) time series. Conclusion: The fragmentation framework and accompanying metrics introduced here constitute a new way of assessing short-term HRV under free-running conditions, one which appears to overcome salient limitations of traditional HRV analysis. Fragmentation of sinus rhythm cadence may provide new dynamical biomarkers for probing the integrity of the neuroautonomic-electrophysiologic network controlling the heartbeat in health and disease.
The Urban Commonwealth

The city is in essence a collectivity that transcends in deeply significant ways the sum of the individual firms and households that represent its constituent atoms. A concept of the commons is sketched out, with special reference to the increasing intersections between the urban commons, as such, and the wider global commons as embodied in various mediascapes. Allusion is made to the significance of these matters for social reproduction and the future of capitalism generally.
Hydrogen isotope ratios of moss cellulose and source water in wetlands of Lake Superior, United States reveal their potential for quantitative paleoclimatic reconstructions

Abstract The hydrogen isotopic composition of organic substrates provides valuable information on past hydrological changes. To explore whether quantitative information can be obtained from this proxy, we measured D/H ratios of cellulose extracted from mosses inhabiting both hollow and hummock sites in three swales located near Lake Superior, United States. These isotope ratios were compared to those of potential water sources, namely swale, moss, and ground water, to evaluate whether cellulose D/H ratios reflect those of its water sources. For that evaluation, we relied on a better mechanistic understanding of the isotopic fractionation occurring during cellulose synthesis in plants as well as the relative simplicity of moss physiology in regard to water use strategies and a dataset that combines published D/H ratios for modern moss cellulose. We found that moss cellulose δD values for hollow species (− 118.1 ± 8.5‰) were significantly depleted (p = 0.016) in D by 8‰ in relation to those for hummock species (− 110.1 ± 8.1‰), possibly due to an averaging effect taking place in hollow species. In addition, we found that 40% of the hydrogen in cellulose from hollow species probably experienced isotopic exchange with the surrounding cell water, and this percentage is not statistically different from that (42%) obtained from an analysis of published data on modern moss cellulose. This analysis also reveals that the fraction of hydrogen in modern moss cellulose that is subjected to isotope exchange falls within a relatively narrow range (± 3%). Using this range and a mechanistic model, we were able to estimate source water δD values using those measured for moss cellulose, and these estimates were statistically indistinguishable from the measured δD values of moss and swale water. Further, the ratios of δD/δ 18 O of moss cellulose of hollow species yielded values that are similar to those reported for the local meteoric water line, thus adding a potential source of paleo-hydrological reconstructions from moss cellulose. Consequently, our combined results suggest not only that moss cellulose D/H ratios reflect those of source water, but that the latter values can be estimated fairly precisely from cellulose D/H ratios using a relatively simple mechanistic model. However, the accuracy of this model hinges on assumptions that need to be tested further to corroborate its widespread applicability.
Burnout and Psychological Distress Among Pediatric Critical Care Physicians in the United States.

Objectives:To estimate the prevalence of physician burnout, psychological distress, and its association with selected personal and practice characteristics among pediatric critical care physicians and to evaluate the relationship between burnout and psychological distress.Design:Cross-sectional, onl
Pyrogenic carbon erosion: implications for stock and persistence of pyrogenic carbon in soil

Pyrogenic carbon (PyC) constitutes an important pool of soil organic matter, particularly for its reactivity and because of its assumed long residence times in soil. In the past, research on the dynamics of PyC in the soil system has focused on quantifying stock and mean residence time of PyC in soil, as well as determining both PyC stabilization mechanisms and loss pathways. Much of this research has focused on decomposition as the most important loss pathway for PyC from soil. However, the low density of PyC and its high concentration on the soil surface after fire indicates that a significant proportion of PyC formed or deposited on the soil surface is likely laterally transported away from the site of production by wind and water erosion. Here, we present a synthesis of available data and literature to compare the magnitude of the water-driven erosional PyC flux with other important loss pathways, including leaching and decomposition, of PyC from soil. Furthermore, we use a simple first-order kinetic model of soil PyC dynamics to assess the effect of erosion and deposition on residence time of PyC in eroding landscapes. Current reports of PyC mean residence time (MRT) range from 250 to 660 years. Using a specific example-based model system, we find that ignoring the role of erosion may lead to the under- or over-estimation of PyC MRT on the centennial time scale. Furthermore, we find that, depending on the specific landform positions, timescales considered, and initial concentrations of PyC in soil, ignoring the role of erosion in distributing PyC across a landscape can lead to discrepancies in PyC concentrations on the order of several hundred g PyC m-2. Erosion is an important PyC flux that can act as a significant control on the stock and residence time of PyC in the soil system.
Fitting NTCP models to bladder doses and acute urinary symptoms during post-prostatectomy radiotherapy

To estimate the radiobiological parameters of three popular normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) models, which describe the dose-response relations of bladder regarding different acute urinary symptoms during post-prostatectomy radiotherapy (RT). To evaluate the goodness-of-fit and the correlation of those models with those symptoms. Ninety-three consecutive patients treated from 2010 to 2015 with post-prostatectomy image-guided intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) were included in this study. Patient-reported urinary symptoms were collected pre-RT and weekly during treatment using the validated Prostate Cancer Symptom Indices (PCSI). The assessed symptoms were flow, dysuria, urgency, incontinence, frequency and nocturia using a Likert scale of 1 to 4 or 5. For this analysis, an increase by ≥2 levels in a symptom at any time during treatment compared to baseline was considered clinically significant. The dose volume histograms of the bladder were calculated. The Lyman-Kutcher-Burman (LKB), Relative Seriality (RS) and Logit NTCP models were used to fit the clinical data. The fitting of the different models was assessed through the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), Akaike information criterion (AIC) and Odds Ratio methods. For the symptoms of urinary urgency, leakage, frequency and nocturia, the derived LKB model parameters were: 1) D50 = 64.2Gy, m = 0.50, n = 1.0; 2) D50 = 95.0Gy, m = 0.45, n = 0.50; 3) D50 = 83.1Gy, m = 0.56, n = 1.00; and 4) D50 = 85.4Gy, m = 0.60, n = 1.00, respectively. The AUC values for those symptoms were 0.66, 0.58, 0.64 and 0.64, respectively. The differences in AIC between the different models were less than 2 and ranged within 0.1 and 1.3. Different dose metrics were correlated with the symptoms of urgency, incontinence, frequency and nocturia. The symptoms of urinary flow and dysuria were poorly associated with dose. The values of the parameters of three NTCP models were determined for bladder regarding four acute urinary symptoms. All the models could fit the clinical data equally well. The NTCP predictions of urgency showed the best correlation with the patient reported outcomes.
Directions in Sexual Harassment Law: Introduction and Afterword

In "Directions in Sexual Harassment Law," 38 authors explore the past and future development of the field, with an introduction by Reva Siegel and an afterword by Catharine MacKinnon, the volume's co-editors. Siegel opens the collection with "A Short History of Sexual Harassment," which recounts striking changes in the practice and protest of sexual harassment in the past and in our own day. She analyzes legal recognition of sexual harassment as sex discrimination, treating it as an important chapter in this history that reveals much about the ways antidiscrimination law enables and limits challenges to the social world of which it is a part. MacKinnon closes the book with an assessment of the changes wrought by sexual harassment law in the quarter century since she argued for legal recognition of the claim in "Sexual Harassment of Working Women" (1979). Anchoring her analysis in the national debates spanning the Thomas-Hill hearings and the Clinton impeachment, MacKinnon charts the norms and practices this body of law has transformed, as well as the entrenched understandings and arrangements that it has yet to disturb. (Siegel's and MacKinnon's essays are posted with this abstract.) "Directions in Sexual Harassment Law" will be published by Yale University Press in January of 2004. Its 37 essays are grouped in seven parts. In Part I, Contexts, Andrea Dworkin, Guido Calabresi, Anne Simon, Pamela Price, and Gerald Torres offer brief observations on the law's role in addressing sexual harassment. In Part II, Unwelcomeness, Carol Sanger, Louise Fitzgerald, Kathy Abrams, Jane Larson, and Robin West analyze the role of notions of consent in sexual harassment law and theory. In Part III, Same-Sex Harassment, William Eskridge, Katherine Franke, Janet Halley, Marc Spindelman, and Chris Kendall debate the relation of gender and sexuality and the role of law in regulating sexual relations and redressing sexual injury. In Part IV, Accountability, Judith Resnik, David Oppenheimer, Deborah Rhode, Ann Scales, and Cass Sunstein & Judy Shih explore questions of institutional responsibility for sexual harassment in both the employment and education settings. Part V, Speech, considers how, if at all, law ought take account of speech values in the ways it defines and regulates sexual harassment, in essays by Frederick Schauer, Dorothy Roberts, Robert Post, Kingsley Browne, Janine Benedet, and Jack Balkin. In Part VI, Extensions, Adrienne Davis, Tanya Kateri Hernandez, Lea VanderVelde, Sally Goldfarb, and Diane Rosenfeld trace the life of the sexual harassment paradigm in other legal contexts. Part VII, Transnational Perspectives, considers sexual harassment law in comparative perspective. Orit Kamir, Susanne Baer, Abigail Saguy, Yukiko Tsunoda, Martha Nussbaum, and Christine Chinkin respectively analyze sexual harassment law in Israel, Germany, France, Japan, India, and under international human rights law.
Early disseminated Lyme disease.

A 47-year-old man presented to the emergency department with fatigue and a rash. Two weeks prior to presentation, he had noticed a painful lesion in his left antecubital fossa (figure 1), which had gradually increased in size. Ten days later, he developed malaise, diffuse joint aches and a new rash (figure 2) over his torso, arms and legs. He had no palpitations, joint swelling or neurologic changes. Prior to the onset of his symptoms, he had vacationed in Wisconsin in early June—a Lyme-endemic region of the USA—and suspected that he may have had a tick bite to his left arm in the region adjacent to his initial rash. Physical exam was remarkable for a painful, indurated, erythematous plaque in the left antecubital fossa and multiple painless, erythematous patches with central clearing across his torso. He was afebrile, had no joint swelling or erythema and had no focal …
Evaluation of lower Green Bay benthic fauna with emphasis on re-ecesis of Hexagenia mayfly nymphs

Abstract The last historic Hexagenia specimen in lower Green Bay was officially recorded in 1955. Field surveys and Hexagenia viability studies were completed to determine if lower Green Bay could support Hexagenia re-ecesis and where in the bay egg stocking could best be accomplished. The invertebrate field data were compared with historical population data based on earlier published studies in the 1950s, 1970s and 1990s to determine the bay's ecological trajectory to better understand the re-ecesis success potential of Hexagenia. No native Hexagenia were observed during this study. Deep water invertebrate diversity within the upper lower bay appears to be improving, whereas the diversity along the lower mid-bay may be deteriorating. Shallower, nearshore samples indicated a better condition with Caenis mayflies sparsely present, amphipods, isopods, gilled snails, odonates, oligochaetes, chironomids, and meiofauna present. These results suggested improved conditions shoreward versus degraded conditions deeper. Hexagenia egg viability and neonate growth indicated Hexagenia could successfully inhabit in situ Green Bay nearshore (
The Wages of Crying Wolf: A Comment on Roe v. Wade

In Roe v. Wade,2 decided January 22, 1973, the Supreme CourtJustice Blackmun speaking for everyone but Justices White and Rehnquist3-held unconstitutional Texas's (and virtually every other state's4) criminal abortion statute. The broad outlines of its argument are not difficult to make out: 1. The right to privacy, though not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution, is protected by the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.5 2. This right "is broad enough to encompass a woman's decision whether or not to terminate her pregnancy.' ' 3. This right to an abortion is "fundamental" and can therefore be regulated only on the basis of a "compelling" state interest.7 4. The state does have two "important and legitimate" interests here,8 the first in protecting maternal health, the second in protecting the life (or potential life9) of the fetus.10 But neither can be counted "compelling" throughout the entire pregnancy: Each matures with the unborn child. These interests are separate and distinct. Each grows in substan-
Rehabilitation of Lumbar Spine Injuries in Sports

This article discusses the scope of the problem of low back injuries in sports. Potential relevant diagnosis, work-up, treatment, and a discussion of prevention and maintenance issues are presented.
Sonocrystallization of Fats

The previous chapter described phenomena responsible for inducing crystallization with acoustic waves and also provided several examples of power ultrasound process parameters and their effectiveness. Acoustic waves have been used to crystallize organic and inorganic compounds for the past 70 years; however, there has been surprisingly little research on food-related materials. Some of the initial food-related work was performed in ice crystallization to improve freezing operations of food systems
Tests und Assessments für die Rehabilitation nach VKB-Rekonstruktion

Das primare Ziel der Rehabilitation nach einer Rekonstruktion des vorderen Kreuzbands ist die Ruckkehr zur Aktivitat bzw. zum Sport. Daher scheint es umso wichtiger, eine Testbatterie nutzen zu konnen, die verlassliche Werte fur die Wiederaufnahme von Training bzw. Sport generiert. Dafur sind standardisierte Tests und Assessments auf der Aktivitats- und Partizipationsebene am aussagekraftigsten, bei denen die Durchfuhrung, die Auswertung und die Interpretation vorgegeben sind.
The Effect of Suture Wick Technique on Early Intraocular Pressure Control After Nonvalved (Baerveldt 350) Glaucoma Drainage Device Surgery.

Purpose:The purpose of this study was to compare early postoperative outcomes of patients who underwent Baerveldt 350-mm2 aqueous drainage device (Abbott Medical Optics Inc., Santa Ana, CA) implantation with and without 7-0 polyglactin (vicryl) suture placement through tube fenestration to serve as