cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Harold Ridley: The Development of a Plastic Implantable Lens

Harold Ridley implanted an acrylic intraocular lens to correct surgical aphakia in a 45-year-old woman on November 29, 1949, having imagined and planned the procedure for over a decade. Ridley used Perspex (trade name for poly-methyl methacrylate) for the lens, after observing that traumatically embedded fragments of the plastic did not cause inflammation in eyes of British pilots. Visual results were relatively good among Ridley’s early patients, but several problems in lens design plagued efforts at long-term success. The science of biomaterials was then in its infancy, and collaboration with industry on medical research with commercial potential was distinctly uncommon. At first, the response to his surgery was muted, but as more complications were acknowledged criticism of the surgery grew. What seems like easily solvable flaws in lens design from a twenty-first century perspective took over 25 years to correct. The journey from revolutionary surgery to standard treatment of cataract involves several intersecting themes including scientific serendipity, experimental surgery, and entrepreneurship. Ridley initiated a cultural shift in how the treatment of age-related cataracts was perceived as a bearable curse of old age to symbol of bionic restoration.
Detail preservation of morphological operations through image scaling

Morphological techniques probe an image with a structuring element. By varying the size and the shape of structuring elements, geometrical information of different parts of an image and their interrelation can be extracted for the applications of demodulating boundary, identifying components or removing noise. While large size elements benefits eliminating noise, they may be disadvantageous for preserving details in an image. Taking this into consideration, in this paper, we propose an image scaling method that will preserve detailed information when applying morphological operations to remove noise. First, a binary image is obtained, from which a Preservation Ratio Scalar (PRS) is calculated. The PRS is used for upscaling the image before morphological operations, which aims at preserving structural fine details otherwise eliminated in the original image. Finally, the morphological operator processed image is downscaled using the PRS. Experiments of target detection demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed method in preserving the structural details such as edges while eliminating noises.
Interventions in children with renovascular hypertension: A 27-year retrospective single-center experience.

BACKGROUND Renovascular hypertension (RVH) can be caused by renal artery stenosis (RAS) and/or middle aortic syndrome (MAS). METHODS Patients who received surgical or transcatheter treatment for RVH between 1/1991 and 11/2017 were retrospectively reviewed using age = adjusted blood pressure ratio (BPR). RESULTS Fifty-three patients diagnosed with RVH at a median age of 4.5 (0-18) years were included. Vascular involvement ranged from MAS with RAS (20), RAS only (32), and MAS only (1). The first intervention was transcatheter in 47 patients (transcatheter group: angioplasty = 41, stenting = 5, and thrombectomy = 1), and surgical in 6 patients (surgical group), occurring at a median age of 6.2 (0.1-19.6) years. There was a change toward transcatheter interventions as the first procedure over the study period. First reinterventions in the transcatheter group (27 lesions in 18 patients) were repeat transcatheter (in 20 lesions) and surgery (7 lesions) at a median of 92 (2-2555) days; in the surgical group (5 lesions in 4 patients) first reinterventions were transcatheter (4 lesions) and repeat surgery (1) at a median of 2.2 (1.1-12.0) years. A total of 136 transcatheter and 30 surgical discrete interventions were performed. There was a significant decline in antihypertensive medications and BPR at 4-6 months after the first intervention and on last follow-up in patients initially treated by transcatheter means while the decline was not significant in the surgical group (limited by small sample size). Complications were significantly more common in the surgical group (P < .01), 11/27 (41%) vs 10/136 (7.4%). Four patients died (2 from each group): 2 with congenital renal artery atresia and MAS, 2 with MAS and RAS. The median follow-up interval was 3.6 (0.1-35.2) years. CONCLUSION Pediatric patients with RVH treated with transcatheter means as the first intervention had significant improvement in BPR, as well as decline in antihypertensive medications and were less likely to suffer major complications.
Inability of conventional imaging findings to predict response to laparoscopic release of the median arcuate ligament in patients with celiac artery compression

Abstract Objective The objective of this study was to identify duplex ultrasound (DUS) or computed tomography angiography (CTA) imaging findings that can predict clinical response to laparoscopic release of the median arcuate ligament (MAL) in patients with celiac artery compression. Methods There were 299 patients who were evaluated for MAL syndrome (MALS) between January 2009 and November 2015. Of these, 29 underwent laparoscopic MAL release and completed 1-year follow-up. The patients' preoperative and postoperative symptoms, use of analgesics, and body mass index were recorded. Patients' demographics and DUS and CTA findings were reviewed. Fisher exact and Student t-tests were used to identify correlation between patient or imaging variables and clinical outcomes. Results There were 19 patients (66%) who reported improvement in symptoms, and 18 (62%) decreased their use of analgesics; average body mass index increased by 0.2 (standard deviation, 1.97; range, −3.35 to 5.11). No celiac artery DUS finding (peak celiac artery velocity, angle of deflection, or change in preoperative to postoperative velocity) was predictive of successful clinical outcomes (P > .05). Similarly, no CTA finding (characteristic morphology, cross-sectional area, diameter, or location of the focal stenosis of the celiac artery) was associated with clinical outcomes (P > .05). Conclusions Clinical response to laparoscopic MAL release was favorable in two-thirds of patients; however, no specific imaging finding of stenosis was predictive of this response. Given that the severity of stenosis on conventional imaging had no impact on treatment efficacy, vascular compromise may not be the primary cause of pain in patients presenting with this syndrome. Future investigation incorporating the neurogenic basis of MALS pain, such as with diagnostic celiac ganglion blockade, would be helpful in further elucidating the enigmatic pathophysiologic process of MALS.
Two Motivations for Rationalism: Descartes and Spinoza

This essay deals with certain relatively neglected features of the theories of knowledge of Descartes and Spinoza. My aim is not to criticize or to evaluate the views of these philosophers, but to bring out certain parallels and contrasts in the motives which guided their epistemological preoccupations. In the case of Descartes, the pertinent materials appear almost exclusively in his letters. Even though they hardly figure at all in his systematic philosophical and scientific writings, they are highly theoretical and unmistakably germane to his central doctrines. With respect to Spinoza, the situation is somewhat the reverse. While the considerations in question appear in one of his major philosophical treatises, they are of a quite concrete and indeed personal nature. It is customary to classify both Descartes and Spinoza as rationalists, although the differences between them are far from peripheral or insignificant. So far as concerns the underlying motivations of their inquiries, the divergence between them is particularly sharp and unequivocal.
Caribbean: Sociocultural Aspects

Despite immense social heterogeneity within and across political boundaries, similarities within the Caribbean are governed by the shared experience of power yielded vertically from within, and resting on the ultimate domination of Europe and, later, of Europe and the United States. Thus, Caribbean social science, especially history, constantly arcs back to the consequences of colonialism, external domination, and the region's integration in the capitalist world economy. Many scholars now emphasize the principles and processes behind Caribbean sociocultural and linguistic development rather than trace the Old World origins of singular traits, thus overlapping studies in creolization. With the unprecedented growth in rural–urban migration, the crossing of borders within the region, and the size and visibility of Caribbean diasporas in the North Atlantic, the concept of a single sociocultural area will have to accommodate a geographical and social remapping of the region, and the discipline will need to redraw its own heuristic boundaries accordingly.
As the World Turns on the Sick and the Restless, So Go the Days of Our Lives: Family and Illness in Daytime Drama

This essay begins with a discussion of the primacy of the nuclear family in American drama. Our best playwrights have been strikingly preoccupied with domestic life, consistently portraying the family as a dream of solidarity and a nightmare of enmeshment. Daytime serial dramas are also stories about American domestic life, privileging a conservatively defined nuclear family and imaging conflicting hopes and fears around it. In serious as well as popular drama, illness is frequently the catalyst for familial destruction and restoration. The middle portion of the essay is devoted to a definition and history of American soap opera, providing readers with a knowledge base for the final portion, a descriptive survey of the representation of medical and social issues on daytime drama.
City energysheds and renewable energy in the United States

Cities are powerful political and economic entities, and for many cities cultivating renewable energy penetration is sound economic policy. Many power plants in the United States will need to be replaced in the coming decades, so opportunities for renewable energy development are imminent. Although numerous cities have committed to sourcing 100% of their electricity needs from renewables, those cities represent a very small portion of cities across the United States. Due to their high energy consumption, cities have environmental impacts in areas far from their centre but are often unaware of these impacts and are thus unmotivated to undergo a transition to more sustainable energy sources. Herein we present a spatial framework for matching the supply of energy to demand across the electricity grid that allows for allocation of city energysheds. A city energyshed comprises the network of power plants that supply a given city and the amount of energy drawn from each plant. The power plant–city links revealed by energysheds allow for estimations of a city’s energy mix and environmental footprint from electricity consumption, and provide urban areas with insights into their energy sources that can catalyse renewable energy penetration for cities seeking to expand their renewable portfolio. Modelling the network of power plants that supply a given city, and the amount of energy drawn from each plant, shows a city’s energy mix and demonstrates which other cities it shares most energy suppliers with.
Public Perceptions of Landscape Design as a Nursery Industry Service and Quality-of-Life Enhancement Factor

Abstract Using a focus group approach, Midwest homeowners in Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska, with recent experience and exposure to landscape design services were interviewed to assess their perceptio...
Truthfulness in patient-reported outcomes: factors affecting patients’ responses and impact on data quality

The use of patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures in research and clinical care has expanded dramatically, reflective of an increasing recognition of patient-centeredness as an important aspect of high-quality health care. Given this rapid expansion, ensuring that data collected using PRO measures is of high quality is crucial for their continued successful application. Because of the subjective nature of the outcomes assessed, there are many factors that may influence patients' responses and thus challenge the overall quality of the data. In this review, we discuss the multiple factors that may affect patients' responses on PRO measures. These factors may arise during instrument development and administration or secondary to patient-level response behaviors. We further examine the relevant literature to delineate how these factors may impact data quality and review methods for accounting for these factors. Consideration of such factors is critical to ensuring data collected truthfully reflects patients' evaluations and provides accurate conclusions.
Suicide Prevention: Rising Rates and New Evidence Shape Policy Options

Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States and rates have risen steadily in the past 15 years. However, investments in and policy commitments to suicide prevention are minimal. Within the last two decades, knowledge about what is effective to prevent suicide has grown dramatically. Additionally, awareness of successful efforts, especially in healthcare settings, has grown. National legislation creating a new national suicide prevention program for adults, coupled with the developments above, suggest that a renewed approach to suicide prevention is possible. This chapter will review patterns in suicide, review knowledge about prevention and intervention, and suggest policy priorities to reverse recent trends.
"Funnel Time” in the Heartland: Shifting Temporalities and Changing Materialities at The Omaha World-Herald

The digital transformation of Nebraska’s Omaha World-Herald offers a counterfactual: whether the newspaper industry’s transition to digital news would have been so jarring had a newspaper kept up a tradition of multiple print editions. In 2016, the newspaper ended its “all-day” publication cycle of both a print morning and print evening edition to prioritize digital news and the morning newspaper. The unique affordances of this particular case and its local culture of production bring together questions of time, materiality, and geography. Introduced is the concept of “funnel time” as a way to understand the multidimensionality of time as experienced by journalists and as captured in news objects.
The drip, drip, drip of dystopia: The Handmaid’s Tale, temporal boundaries, and affective investment

Critical dystopian narratives provide a captivating examination into bleak, futuristic societies, while simultaneously encouraging their audiences to draw comparisons between the fictional dystopia...
DOES IMPROVING SLEEP IMPROVE COGNITION IN OLDER INDIVIDUALS WITH INSOMNIA

Late life insomnia is associated with worse cognitive performance. Behavioral/cognitive behavioral treatments for insomnia (BBT-I, CBT-I) improve sleep in older adults, but findings are mixed for cognition. This presentation examines the effects BBT-I and CBT-I on sleep and cognition across three RCTs involving older individuals (community-dwelling [N=62, Mage=69.45(SD=7.71)], chronic pain [N=64, Mage=53.2 (SD=13.7)], dementia caregiving [N=36, Mage=62.32 (SD=6.71]). Sleep was assessed using daily diaries and actigraphy for 1-2 weeks prior to randomization to treatment or control. Cognition was measured using standardized executive functioning, memory, and attention measures. Multiple regressions revealed improved executive functioning following treatment (caregivers), associations between improved executive performance and greater pain/sleep improvements (chronic pain), and associations between improved attention and processing speed and improved sleep 9-months following treatment (community-dwelling). BBT-I/CBT-I hold promise for improving cognition in older aged individuals with insomnia. Research is needed to determine what factors influence/which patients are most likely to experience cognitive benefits.
Short-term time-restricted feeding is safe and feasible in non-obese healthy midlife and older adults.

Chronic calorie restriction (CR) improves cardiovascular function and several other physiological markers of healthspan. However, CR is impractical in non-obese older humans due to potential loss of lean mass and bone density, poor adherence, and risk of malnutrition. Time-restricted feeding (TRF), which limits the daily feeding period without requiring a reduction in calorie intake, may be a promising alternative healthspan—extending strategy for midlife and older adults; however, there is limited evidence for its feasibility and efficacy in humans. We conducted a randomized, controlled pilot study to assess the safety, tolerability, and overall feasibility of short-term TRF (eating <8 h day−1 for 6 weeks) without weight loss in healthy non-obese midlife and older adults, while gaining initial insight into potential efficacy for improving cardiovascular function and other indicators of healthspan. TRF was safe and well-tolerated, associated with excellent adherence and reduced hunger, and did not influence lean mass, bone density, or nutrient intake. Cardiovascular function was not enhanced by short-term TRF in this healthy cohort, but functional (endurance) capacity and glucose tolerance were modestly improved. These results provide a foundation for conducting larger clinical studies of TRF in midlife and older adults, including trials with a longer treatment duration.
Identifying Risk Factors for Massive Right Ventricular Dilation in Patients With Repaired Tetralogy of Fallot.

In repaired tetralogy of Fallot (rTOF), pulmonary insufficiency results in varying degrees of right ventricle (RV) dilation. A subset of patients is diagnosed at initial cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) with a massively dilated RV, far beyond pulmonary valve replacement (PVR) criteria, which is unlikely to return to normal size after PVR. This study aimed to identify risk factors for massive RV dilation at initial CMR. This nested case-control study included all patients at our institution with rTOF and massive RV dilation (indexed RV end-diastolic volume [RVEDVi] ≥200 ml/m2) on initial CMR. Patients were matched by age at first CMR, gender, and type of repair with rTOF controls with RVEDVi 6 months of age, longer QRS duration, and non-Caucasian race were significantly associated with massive RV dilation on univariate analysis. In multivariate analysis, repair at >6 months of age (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 2.90, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.12 to 7.55, p = 0.03), longer QRS duration (AOR = 1.03, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.05, p = 0.005), and non-Caucasian race (AOR = 7.84, 95% CI 1.76 to 34.8, p = 0.01) remained independently associated with massive RV dilation. Era of repair, history of systemic to pulmonary shunt palliation, genetic anomaly, and additional cardiac lesions did not differ between groups. In conclusion, these risk factors identify a subset of patients who may benefit from earlier CMR evaluation to avoid massive irreversible RV dilation.
Oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane to ethylene in an integrated CO2 capture-utilization process

Abstract Integrated carbon capture-utilization provides a viable approach to curb anthropogenic CO2 emissions and, at the same time, produce valuable chemicals and fuels from a waste carbon feedstock. Herein, we report in-situ capture and utilization of CO2 in ethylene production through oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane over adsorbent-catalyst materials consisting of double salt K-Ca and Cr-impregnated H-ZSM-5. The adsorption step was conducted at 600 °C using 10 % CO2/Ar, followed by the reaction step at 700 °C using 5 % C2H6/Ar. An adsorption capacity of 5.2 mmol/g was obtained for K-Ca at 600 °C. The effects of Cr content, C2H6 feed concentration and weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) were investigated to determine the optimum process conditions for this combined process. Under 5000 mL/g h and 5 vol% C2H6 feed concentration, Cr10/HZSM-5 physically-mixed with K-Ca (weight ratio of 1:1) exhibited the highest ethane conversion at 25 % with ethylene selectivity of 88 %, owing to its higher turnover frequency (TOF) number and lower Cr surface density.
Segmenting Continuous but Sparsely-Labeled Structures in Super-Resolution Microscopy Using Perceptual Grouping

Super Resolution (SR) microscopy leverages a variety of optical and computational techniques for overcoming the optical diffraction limit to acquire additional spatial details. However, added spatial details challenge existing segmentation tools. Confounding features include protein distributions that form membranes and boundaries, such as cellular and nuclear surfaces. We present a segmentation pipeline that retains the benefits provided by SR in surface separation while providing a tensor field to overcome these confounding features. The proposed technique leverages perceptual grouping to generate a tensor field that enables robust evolution of active contours despite ill-defined membrane boundaries.
Sustainable Bioenergy Production from Wastewater Using Microalgal Technology

The use of microalgae for direct biohydrogen generation has a great potential as an alternative to traditional bio-energy production due to zero emission CO2. Here, we demonstrate two feasibility studies of sustainable energy production using green microalgae: biohydrogen production from acetate-enriched wastewater. It is known that during photolysis, algae have a capability of producing molecular hydrogen gas (H2) by algal fermentative metabolisms. However, only sulfur and chloride deprivation, and nitrogen purging have been practiced under controlled conditions. As these approaches are not practical in real wastewater environments, identifying effective alternative oxygen regulation strategies is necessary for algal hydrogen production from natural and engineered systems such as wastewater treatment systems. In our study, acetate-enriched wastewater was used for regulating oxygen evolution from microalgae, leading to successful photosynthetic hydrogen production with an average hydrogen concentration of 108±4 µmol/L for Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and 85±15 µmol/L for Chlorella vulgaris, respectively in a continuous mode for 15 days at 100 µmol/m2/s of light intensity. Overall, this study showed promising renewable energy production strategies using green microalgae other than oxygen production, moving the current algal technology to the next level in wastewater treatment area.
A Dollar Is a Dollar Is a Dollar, or Is It? Insights From Children's Reasoning About “Dirty Money”

Money can take many forms-a coin or a bill, a payment for an automobile or a prize for an award, a piece from the 1989 series or the 2019 series, and so on-but despite this, money is designed to represent an amount and only that. Thus, a dollar is a dollar, in the sense that money is fungible. But when adults ordinarily think about money, they think about it in terms of its source, and in particular, its moral source (e.g., dirty money). Here we investigate the development of the belief that money carries traces of its moral history. We study children ages 5-6 and 8-9, who are sensitive to both object history and morality, and thus possess the component pieces needed to think that a dollar may not be like any other. Across three principal studies (and three additional studies in Appendix S1; N = 327; 219 five- and six-year-olds; 108 eight- and nine-year-olds), we find that children are less likely to want money with negative moral history, a pattern that was stronger and more consistent among 8- and 9-year-olds than 5- and 6-year-olds. These findings highlight pressing directions for future research that could help shed light on the mechanisms that contribute to the belief that money carries traces of its moral history.
Updated Pathway to Micro-elimination of Hepatitis C Virus in the Hemodialysis Population

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection continues to be transmitted to hemodialysis (HD) patients within HD facilities globally. The goal of the World Health Organization to micro-eliminate HCV infection from the HD population by the year 2030 is not on target to be achieved. Obstacles to eliminate HCV in HD settings remain daunting due to a complex system created by a confluence of guidelines, legislation, regulation, and economics. HCV prevalence remains high and seroconversion continues among the HD patient population globally as a result of the HD procedure. Preventive strategies that effectively prevent HCV transmission, treatment-as-prevention, and rapid referral to treatment balanced with kidney transplant candidacy should be added to the current universal precautions approach. A safer system must be designed before HCV transmission can be halted and eliminated from the HD population.
Integrating National Violent Death Reporting System Data into Maternal Mortality Review Committees.

Background: With the Maternal Mortality Review Information Application (MMRIA) data system, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), alongside Maternal Mortality Review Committees (MMR...
Initial Psychometric Evaluation of the Moral Injury Questionnaire—Military Version

Moral injury is an emerging construct related to negative consequences associated with war-zone stressors that transgress military veterans' deeply held values/beliefs. Given the newness of the construct, there is a need for instrumentation that might assess morally injurious experiences (MIEs) in this population. Drawing on a community sample of 131 Iraq and/or Afghanistan Veterans and clinical sample of 82 returning Veterans, we conducted an initial psychometric evaluation of the newly developed Moral Injury Questionnaire-Military version (MIQ-M)-a 20-item self-report measure for assessing MIEs. Possibly due to low rates of reporting, an item assessing sexual trauma did not yield favourable psychometric properties and was excluded from analyses. Veterans in the clinical sample endorsed significantly higher scores across MIQ-M items. Factor analytic results for the final 19 items supported a unidimensional structure, and convergent validity analyses revealed that higher scores (indicative of more MIEs) were correlated with greater general combat exposure, impairments in work/social functioning, posttraumatic stress and depression in the community sample. In addition, when controlling for demographics, deployment-related factors and exposure to life threat stressors associated with combat, tests of incremental validity indicated that MIQ-M scores were also uniquely linked with suicide risk and other mental health outcomes. These findings provide preliminary evidence for the validity of the MIQ-M and support the applicability of this measure for further research and clinical work with Veterans. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. KEY PRACTITIONER MESSAGE: Military service can confront service members with experiences that undermine their core sense of humanity and violate global values and beliefs. These types of experiences increase the risk for posttraumatic maladjustment in this population, even when accounting for rates of exposure to life threat traumas. Moral injury is an emerging construct to more fully capture the many possible psychological, ethical, and spiritual/existential challenges among persons who served in modern wars and other trauma-exposed professional groups. There is currently a need for psychometrically sound instrumentation for assessing morally injurious experiences (MIEs). The Moral Injury Questionnaire - Military Version (MIQ-M) was developed to provide a tool for assessing possible MIEs among military populations. This study provides preliminary evidence of the validity - including factorial, concurrent, and incremental - and clinical utility of the MIQ-M for further applications in clinical and research contexts. Language: en
A psychosocial risk index for poor glycemic control in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes

Objective The aim of this study was to develop and validate a psychosocial screening tool to predict risk for poor glycemic control in children with type 1 diabetes. Methods Participants seen for psychological screening were 196 children aged 3–18 yr at diabetes diagnosis. A psychosocial risk index was developed to predict poor glycemic control [mean hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) ≥ 9.5%; 80 mmol/mol] 1–4 yr post diagnosis. Cutoff scores were derived for multiple levels of risk from receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and likelihood ratios (LRs). Discrimination and calibration were examined in the sample, and validated in 1000 bootstrap samples. Ability to predict diabetes-related emergency-room (ER) visits and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) was also tested. Results The risk index accounted for 16.2% of variance in mean HbA1c, discriminated between children with and without poor glycemic control [area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) = 0.814, 0.713–0.915; p < 0.001], ER visits (AUC = 0.655, 0.561–0.748; p = 0.001), and DKA(AUC = 0.709, 0.588–0.830; p = 0.001), and was well-calibrated. Every one-point increase in score was associated with an absolute increase in risk for poor glycemic control of approximately10% (LRs = 1.7, 3.2, 5.8, and 9.3). Sensitivity and specificity were 0.68 (0.43–0.86) and 0.79 (0.72–0.84) for detecting patients at moderate risk, and 0.53 (0.29–0.75) and 0.91 (0.85–0.95) for detecting high-risk patients. The index performed equally well in validation samples. Conclusions This paper presents the first psychosocial risk index for poor glycemic control in children newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. It is brief, easily administered, and provides a single score that translates directly into an estimate of risk that can help guide routine diabetes care.
Women in politics: Methods of resistance and change

Abstract This paper argues that the particular contribution that women bring to movements for social change is a set of alternative values and forms, illustrated by the ideas and actions of women in diverse movements of the past and present: Rosa Luxemberg, Lucy Parsons, Jane Addams, Ella Baker, and the Greenham Common women. What these women have in common is their use of nonhierarchical, decentralized forms of organization. The author suggests that the impetus for this may come from women's efforts to reunite the domestic and public spheres and to put group or collective needs above individual ones.
The Role of Fiber in the Treatment of Hypercholesterolemia in Children and Adolescents

The effect of adding water-soluble fiber to a diet low in total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol to treat hypercholesterolemic children and adolescents with elevated plasma low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels was assessed. In more than a half-dozen studies, the effect of water-soluble fiber on the LDL cholesterol level ranged from no change to as high as a 23% decrease using oat bran, psyllium, or locust bean gum. The wide range of effects in these studies may be related to the quality of the dietary intervention or to different methods of randomization, blinding, dietary assessment, and laboratory measurement. For example, the addition of supplemented soluble fiber (psyllium) to a step 1 diet may provide additional lowering of LDL cholesterol of 10% to 15%. However, in children consuming the more stringent step 2 diet, the addition of water-soluble fiber may have less additional effects on LDL cholesterol. As recommended by the National Cholesterol Education Program Expert Panel on Blood Cholesterol Levels in Children and Adolescents, dietary therapy, that is, a diet low in total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol, remains the cornerstone of treatment for children and adolescents with elevated LDL cholesterol levels. The use of foods high in water-soluble fiber that contain no cholesterol and are low in saturated fat remains a good choice in children following a step 1 or step 2 diet. Additional clinical trials in larger numbers of well-defined subjects will be needed to assess further the utility of adding water-soluble fiber supplements to the National Cholesterol Education Program step 1 or step 2 diets. The addition of drug therapy in children with elevated LDL cholesterol levels should be undertaken only in those with more marked elevations in the LDL cholesterol levels, particularly in those with positive family histories of premature coronary artery disease and the presence of two or more other coronary artery disease risk factors.
The Lunar Observer Radio Astronomy Experiment (LORAE)

We propose to place a simple low frequency dipole antenna on board the Lunar Observer (LO) satellite. LO will orbit the Moon in the mid-1990's, mapping the surface at high resolution and gathering new geophysical data. In its modest concept, LORAE will collect crucial data on the radio interference environment while on the near-side (to aid in planning future arrays) and will monitor bursts of emission from the Sun and the Jovian planets. LORAE will also be capable of lunar occultation studies of >100 of the brightest sources, gathering arcminute resolution one-D data on sizes and measuring source fluxes. A low resolution all-sky map below 10 MHz, when combined with data from the Gamma-ray Observatory, will uniquely determine the density of galactic cosmic ray electrons and the strength of the Galaxy's magnetic field. LORAE also will be able to measure the density of the Moon's ionosphere -- presently poorly known but important for future lunar-based low frequency arrays. This technically simple, low cost, light weight experiment could provide a significant first step in space-based low frequency astronomy.
Methadone maintenance and male sexual dysfunction.

Abstract Purpose. This study reports the prevalence and types of sexual dysfunction in a sample of men on methadone maintenance for opioid dependence, and describes factors which may contribute to sexual dysfunction. Methods. Ninety-two opioid-dependent men were recruited from a methadone maintenance clinic and completed two questionnaires, a research interview and laboratory measures. Results. Fourteen percent reported some sexual dysfunction. Erectile dysfunction (r = 0.24, p = 0.020), libido dysfunction (r = 0.30, p = 0.003), and global dysfunction (r = 0.26, p = 0.013) increased with increasing age of the patient. Methadone dose showed a significant direct correlation with increased orgasm dysfunction, both before and after adjusting for duration of treatment (p = 0.012). None of the sexual dysfunction subscales or global dysfunction were associated with plasma testosterone or plasma prolactin levels. Conclusions. The rate of global sexual dysfunction in methadone-treated men is similar to general pop...
Indications for Pelvic Lymphadenectomy

Pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) at time of radical prostatectomy remains an essential component of the surgical management for clinically localized prostate cancer. Nonetheless, abundant literature suggests that PLND is not necessary in all patients. In that regard, nomograms and risk stratification tables are available to better guide appropriate utilization of lymphadenectomy. For patients with a higher-predicted risk of lymph node involvement, PLND (particularly use of extended templates) can identify lymph node metastasis with resultant timely incorporation of adjuvant therapies. While diagnostic in nature, the true therapeutic benefit of PLND in such patients remains unclear with future investigation necessary. Noninvasive imaging likely will play a key role in preoperative risk stratification to better guide the need and role of PLND at the time of prostatectomy.
Waveguide transfer switch driver multichip module

This paper summarizes and reports a radiation hardened spacecraft integrated circuit technology that has been delivered for flight applications to be flown on board the Cassini Spacecraft in 1997 AD. The multichip module has been designed to have an operating life of fifteen (15) years with appropriate derating guidelines for extreme reliability. It also has been designed to have the fail safe capability of unsurpassed quality and reliability.
Optical system for closed-loop testing of an adaptive optic convex mirror

ABSTRACT Steward Observatory is building a deformable f/15 secondary mirror for the 6.5 m Multiple Mirror Telescope conversion thatwill compensate for atmospheric turbulence. A potential difficulty of an adaptive secondary mirror is the ability to verify thecommanded mirror shapes of a large convex deformable surface. A new optical design is presented to test the deformablemirror's closed ioop control system by optically projecting an artificial star to simulate starlight in the actual telescope. Anoptical fiber fed interferometer has been incorporated into the design to measure the deformable mirror's ability tocompensate for atmospheric turbulence by measuring the wavefront through an atmospheric turbulence generator. The testsystem has been designed to verify the control system by fitting into both a laboratory test structure as well as the telescopesupport structure itself The optical design relies on two wavelength computer generated holograms used to remove sphericalaberration as well as aid in the alignment of the test system optics by projecting alignment patterns.Keywords: adaptive optics, aspheric testing, Multiple Mirror Telescope, interferometry
Risk Factors for Atrial Fibrillation in Patients With Normal Versus Dilated Left Atrium (from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study)

Epidemiological data are limited regarding risk factors of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with normal-sized left atria (LA). We evaluated whether traditional risk factors of AF differ between patients with normal-sized and dilated LA. This is a cross sectional study of community-dwelling participants of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study. LA volume index was measured by 2-dimensional echocardiography. LA volume index ≥29 mm 3 /m 2 defined dilated LA. Prevalent AF was defined by electrocardiogram and hospital discharge International Classification of Diseases -9 codes. Multivariate adjusted logistic regression analysis was used to examine whether magnitude of association of risk factors with AF differ by LA cavity size. Interaction of risk factors by LA cavity size was evaluated to determine significance of these differential associations. Of 5,496 participants (mean age 75 ± 5 years, women 58%), 1,230 participants (22%) had dilated LA. The prevalence of AF was 11% in patients with normal-sized LA and 15% in patients with dilated LA. Age >75 years (odds ratio [OR] 1.87, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.49 to 2.35, interaction p = 0.12) and heart failure (OR 5.43, 95% CI 3.77 to 7.87, interaction p = 0.10) were stronger risk factors for AF in normal-sized LA than dilated LA. Female gender (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.01 to 2.77, interaction p = 0.09), weight (OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.71, interaction p = 0.19), and alcohol use (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.08 to 2.41, interaction p = 0.004) were stronger risk factors for AF in patients with dilated LA than normal-sized LA. In conclusion, risk factors of AF may differ by left ventricular cavity size.
Marguerite V. Hood and Music Education Radio Broadcasts in Rural Montana (1937-39).

The impact of the radio in the 1930s can be compared to the force of change in people's lives today caused by current technology. Marguerite V Hood (1903-92), a recognized leader in the music education profession during the 1930s, understood the importance of music education radio broadcasts for rural one-room schools and music education classes. In 1936, she began a series of broadcasts in an effort to reach all children in Montana and was appointed radio director for the KGVO Montana School of the Air program. Hood recognized the necessity of using contemporary resources in music education, a need that exists today. Music educators who offer learning experiences encompassing various music listening activities and musical styles through all types of media provide students with a rich, fertile environment for cultivating the understanding and appreciation of all music genres.
Airline deregulation and nodal accessibility

Abstract Since the deregulation of the airline industry in the USA in 1978, major carriers have increased hubbing operations in order to improve cost-effectiveness. This study examines changes in nodal accessibility of air transportation since deregulation. The data from origin-destination surveys of airline passenger traffic in 1970. 1980 and 1989 among 84 cities in the USA are analysed. Comparisons are made between the pre- and post-deregulation periods in the spatial pattern of intercity airline traffic. Hypotheses about the effects of deregulation on nodal accessibility are tested in multiple regression analyses. The distribution of changes in nodal accessibility between 1970 and 1980 illustrates a clear southwest-northeast pattern. The trend was stabilized in the post-deregulation period. The results suggest that the increased hubbing operations since deregulation have not enhanced spatial concentration of nodal accessibility.
Deuterium driven phase transitions in the Ti3Al intermetallic

Abstract The phase changes in Ti 3 Al due to low temperature gas phase charging with deuterium have been determined as a function of deuterium concentration. The phases observed with increasing deuterium content were D in solid solution, a twinned β o phase with a DO 19 structure, a large- and a fine-grained f.c.c. δ phase (δ l and δ f, respectively), and an amorphous phase. The decomposition of the deuterides was endothermic, with enthalpies of 66, 90 and 188 kJ/mol D for the β o , δ l, and δ f, and amorphous deuterides, respectively. The driving force for the generation of grain boundaries in the f.c.c. structure and the production of the amorphous phase with increasing deuterium concentration was provided by the difference in the site energies for deuterium in the lattice and the grain boundaries.
Intra-operative contrast-enhanced ultrasound improves image enhancement in the evaluation of liver tumors.

Background Intra-operative hepatic tumor ultrasound assessment can be difficult in patients with abnormal hepatic parenchyma because of the inability to enhance echogenic differences. Methods Prospective pilot study of intra-operative ultrasound contrast enhancement in the evaluation of liver tumors to establish safety, dosing, and increased image enhancement with ultrasound contrast evaluation. A single bolus of perfluten lipid microspheres was then injected and ultrasound images were then re-recorded and saved. Results Twenty consecutive patients underwent contrast-enhanced ultrasound evaluation during the operative procedure. All patients received at least one bolus dose of microspheres (median 2 dose, range 1–3), without change in heart rate, blood pressure, end tidal CO2, oxygen saturation, and sedation monitoring at the time of dosing and until 4 hr post-bolus doses. Two blinded independent readers found the contrasted images to have a statistically greater degree of enhancement (median improvement of 4, P = 0.01) and greater degree of size/border characteristics in the contrasted images (median improvement of 5, P = 0.01) for all histologies. In five patients, the extent of hepatic resection was altered from partial to complete lobectomy in order to obtain acceptable oncologic margin. Conclusions Contrast-enhanced ultrasound is safe and effective in pre-resection and pre-ablation treatment planning. J. Surg. Oncol. 2010; 101:370–375. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Fracture Risk in Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance

To assess fractures in monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), the precursor of multiple myeloma, we followed 488 Olmsted County, MN, residents with MGUS in a retrospective cohort study. There was a 2.7-fold increase in the risk of axial fractures but no increase in limb fractures. The pathophysiologic basis for the increased axial fractures should be determined. Introduction: Multiple myeloma is often preceded by monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). Fractures are common in myeloma as a result of lytic bone lesions, generalized bone loss, and elevated bone turnover from excessive cytokine production. Whether fractures are also increased in MGUS is unknown. Materials and Methods: In a population-based retrospective cohort study, 488 Olmsted County, MN, residents with MGUS first diagnosed in 1960–1994 (52% men; mean age, 71.4 ± 12.8 years) were followed for 3901 person-years; follow-up was censored at progression to myeloma. The relative risk of fractures was assessed by standardized incidence ratios (SIRs), and risk factors were evaluated in proportional hazards models. Results and Conclusions: Altogether, 200 patients experienced 385 fractures. Compared with expected rates in the community, statistically significant increases were seen for fractures at most axial sites, for example, vertebrae (SIR, 6.3; 95% CI, 5.2–7.5). There was a slight increase in hip (SIR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.2–2.2) but not distal forearm fractures (SIR, 0.8; 95% CI, 0.4–1.5). The relative risk (SIR) of any axial fracture was 2.7 (95% CI, 2.3–3.1) compared with only 1.1 (95% CI, 0.9–1.4) for all limb fractures combined. In a multivariate analysis, the independent predictors of any subsequent fracture were age (hazard ratio [HR] per 10-year increase, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.2–1.6) and corticosteroid use (HR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.2–2.6); greater weight at diagnosis (HR per 10 kg, 0.8; 95% CI, 0.8–0.9), and IgG monoclonal protein (HR, 0.7; 95% CI, 0.5–0.97) were protective. Baseline monoclonal protein level, a determinant of myeloma progression, did not predict fracture risk. Thus, the risk of axial, but not peripheral, fractures is increased among MGUS patients even before progression to myeloma. The pathophysiologic basis for this should be determined because elevated bone turnover, for example, might be treatable.
Interaction potentials for AgCl and AgBr

We present interaction potentials for AgCl and AgBr derived from quantum-mechanical approximations and fitted to the experimental lattice constant and energy, elastic and dielectric constants, and special phonon frequencies. The expressions are simple enough for atomistic calculations of crystal defects and molecular dynamics while sufficiently representing the peculiar features of silver halides. The outstanding finding is the dominance of strong van der Waals interaction. Two-body van der Waals forces determine the observed small lattice constant, large lattice energy, and small elastic constant ${c}_{44}$, while three-body van der Waals forces contribute mostly to the violation of the Cauchy relation and the large bulk modulus. We could not find convincing indications of partial covalency in silver halides nor of an easy quadrupole deformability of the ${\mathrm{Ag}}^{+}$ ion.
Angiographic patterns of balloon inflation during percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty: Role of pressure-diameter curves in studying distensibility and elasticity of the stenotic lesion and the mechanism of dilation☆

Abstract There are few in vivo data concerning the mechanisms of balloon inflation during coronary angioplasty. To characterize how lesions dilate, videodensitometry was used to measure the diameter of the inflated balloon across 29 coronary lesions in 27 patients. Pressure-diameter curves for each lesion were derived with use of a standardized incremental inflation protocol in which pressures between 2 and 6 atm in 3 mm low profile balloons approximated normal vessel diameter. The diameter of coronary stenosis before and after angioplasty was also measured. Pressure-diameter curves showed that the most improvement in luminal caliber occurred at low inflation pressure. A distensibility factor was defined as the ratio of the amount of balloon inflation at 2 atm compared with the balloon diameter at 6 atm. Eccentric irregular lesions (n = 11) had a greater distensibility factor (0.49 ± 0.17) than did lesions (n = 18) without this configuration (0.33 ± 0.14) (p Thus, pressure-diameter curves analysing distensibility and elasticity provide information about mechanisms of coronary angioplasty that probably reflect lesion composition and geometry. This approach may have clinical relevance.