cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nonpharmacological therapy of supraventricular arrhythmias: surgery and catheter ablation techniques.

Treatment of supraventricular tachyarrhythmias has undergone substantial change and development over the past decade. Pharmacological approaches to management of Supraventricular arrhythmias have been supplanted by nonpharmacoiogicai techniques. These nonpharmacoiogicai techniques are the subject of the present review. The first part of this review will concentrate on the nonpharmacoiogicai techniques available for the treatment of Supraventricular tachycardia, excluding Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, whereas Part 2 will concentrate on the surgical and the ablative procedures for management of tachycardias associated with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. Pacing techniques for termination of supraventricular tachycardias are beyond the scope of this article and will not be included in the discussion.
The safety of biologic mesh for laparoscopic repair of large, complicated hiatal hernia

Biologic mesh is widely used for repair of large, complicated hiatal hernias. Recently, there have been reports of complications after its implantation. We studied the course of a large group of patients who had undergone hiatal hernia repair with use of biologic mesh to determine the rate of immediate and late complications related to its use. All patients who had biologic mesh placed at the hiatus and who had been followed for at least 1 year were included. Perioperative data were reviewed, and a questionnaire was administered, designed to identify symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux, other symptoms such as dysphagia, and all other operative or endoscopic interventions that occurred after mesh implantation. In addition, postoperative radiologic and endoscopic studies were reviewed to assess signs of complications related to use of mesh. There were 126 patients eligible for the study. We were able to contact 73 of these patients, at median follow-up of 45 months. No mesh-related complications were found. The frequency and severity of heartburn, regurgitation, and dysphagia improved significantly compared with preoperative values, and 89% of the patients reported good to excellent results in terms of overall satisfaction. Six patients recorded worsening of dysphagia postoperatively, but after careful work-up and review of each individual case, no case seemed to be directly related to the mesh. No erosions, strictures, or other complications directly related to use of mesh were found. One patient required reoperation due to hiatal hernia recurrence with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms. Use of biologic mesh for laparoscopic repair of large, complicated hiatal hernias appears safe. There were no major complications related to the mesh, and overall satisfaction with the operation was very good.
Structure and strength of NaOH activated concretes containing fly ash or GGBFS as the sole binder

Abstract The influence of the concentration of the activating agent (4, 6, or 8 M sodium hydroxide solution), and activator-to-binder ratio (0.40, 0.50, or 0.60) on the compressive strengths, pore structure features, and microstructure of concretes containing Class F fly ash or ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) as the sole binder is reported. The starting material contents and the curing parameters (temperature and curing duration) are optimized to provide the highest compressive strengths. Statistical analysis of the compressive strength results show that the activator concentration has a larger influence on the compressive strengths of activated concretes made using fly ash and the activator-to-binder ratio influences the compressive strengths of activated GGBFS concretes to a greater degree. Activated fly ash concretes and pastes are found to be more porous and contains a larger fraction of pores greater than 10 μm in size as compared to activated GGBFS mixtures. The differences in the microstructure and the reaction products between activated fly ash and GGBFS pastes are detailed.
Molecular properties of amorphous high polymers. II. An interpretation of gaseous diffusion through polymers

A cell model is extended in order to interpret gaseous diffusion data through thin films of amorphous polymers. An amorphous polymer is again characterized as a homogeneous one component phase containing N identical n-center polymer segments. A sorbed gas molecule is visualized as occupying an equilibrium position in a homogeneous lattice and behaving as a three dimensional harmonic oscillator trapped by surrounding bundles of parallel polymer segments. A diffusion “jump” is assumed to occur when four parallel polymer segments separate sufficiently to create a cylindrical void into which the gas molecule can move. Equations are developed which relate the activation energy for gaseous diffusion, the activation energy for self diffusion and the length of an average polymer segment to the molecular properties of the polymer. Gaseous diffusion data from various literature sources are successfully analyzed on this basis.
VENEZIANO AMPLITUDE, CURRENT ALGEBRA, AND VERTEX FUNCTIONS.

The possibility is examined of extending the $\ensuremath{\pi}\ensuremath{\pi}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\pi}\ensuremath{\pi}$ and $\ensuremath{\pi}{A}_{1}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\pi}\ensuremath{\pi}$ Veneziano amplitudes to the case of one or two mesons off the mass shell in a fashion consistent with chiral current algebra, partial conservation of axial-vector current, and conserved vector current. Soft-pion formulas for the pion-vector form factor and the $\ensuremath{\sigma}$-commutator vertex are deduced. The hard-meson analysis shows that if one wishes to maintain Veneziano form with two mesons off the mass shell, some of the $\ensuremath{\pi}{A}_{1}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\pi}\ensuremath{\pi}$ amplitudes must develop poles in one of the off-shell momenta at ${p}^{2}=0$. The soft-pion vertex function equations are seen to be a consequence of removing the leading part of this singularity at the soft-pion point ${p}^{\ensuremath{\mu}}=0$. However, the resultant amplitudes are still singular at ${p}^{2}=0$, ${p}^{\ensuremath{\mu}}\ensuremath{\ne}0$ for a continuum of $s$, $t$, and $u$. The fixed poles implied by the presence of form factors (when two mesons are off shell) are seen to occur only in those amplitudes orthogonal to the ${A}_{1}$ polarization vector and do not affect the amplitudes that make nonzero contributions for $\ensuremath{\pi}{A}_{1}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\pi}\ensuremath{\pi}$ scattering on the mass shell.
Raman and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy evidence for oxidation-induced decomposition of graphite

It has been proposed that reduction of exfoliated graphite oxide could be a potential method for producing large quantities of graphene. Raman and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy are used to show that oxidation of graphite and exfoliated graphite significantly increases the defect structure of both materials. This would likely lead to a heavily defected graphene structure when oxygen is removed. To insure the observed decomposition is not due to the laser light, the effect of laser intensity on the materials was investigated. It was found that at the highest laser intensity (1.4 × 108 W/M2) there was a significant increase in defects. However, lower laser intensity was found which did not produce defects and was used in the studies of the effect of oxidation on the spectra.
Fault isolation through test data analysis

Abstract The Turbine Research Facility recently experienced a mechanical failure resulting in contact between the eddy current brake’s drum and coils. A review was conducted to determine the cause and determine contributing factors that led to the failure. The structural analysis combined with an analysis of the test data identified the failure mechanism and damage progression. There was a high degree of shaft misalignment that led to a higher rotor dynamic and drum structural response. The drums displacement precipitated contact whose friction prevented the motor’s torque from accelerating the rotor through the resonant condition. Recommendations for condition monitoring are included in the report.
Transovarian transmission of Nosema plodiae in the Indian-meal moth, Plodia interpunctella

Abstract Twenty-five adult female Plodia interpunctella infected with Nosema plodiae laid 856 eggs in laboratory tests; 12.5% of the eggs were infected transovarially. The highest level of transmission by an individual female was 14 infected eggs of 27 laid (51.8%); the lowest level of transmission observed was 1 of 43 eggs (2.3%). All stages of N. plodiae were not transmitted with equal frequency; moreover, most eggs harbored predominently only the trophozoite stage of the pathogen. Approximately 80% of the infected eggs contained trophozoites almost exclusively; about 13.1% contained about an equal number of spores and trophozoites, and about 6.5% contained mainly spores. Histological observations indicated that infections may be initiated in nurse cells and subsequently transferred to associated oocytes.
A convenient procedure for the N-alkylation of compounds containing multiple benzimidazole functionalities

Abstract A facile and efficient method for the N-alkylation of ligand systems containing multiple benztmidazole groups has been developed, involving a basic media of powdered KOH in di-methylsulfoxide and alkyl halides as alkylating agents.
Solid-state physics: Doping the undopable

Impurities that increase the number of electron carriers are essential in most bulk semiconductors. Introducing such foreign atoms into semiconductor nanocrystals is fiddly, and requires exact knowledge of the material's surface. The properties of bulk semiconductors can be modified by doping, the intentional incorporation of impurities. The same method applied to semiconductor nanocrystals has had only limited success. Now a microscopic explanation of how dopants are incorporated into growing semiconductor nanocrystals provides pointers as to how these problems might be overcome. Doping efficiency depends on the initial adsorption of impurities on the surface of the crystal, and by close attention to growth conditions, namely surface morphology, crystal shape and surfactants, ‘undopable’ nanocrystals such as CdSe may soon become ‘dopable’ for use in applications such as solar cells and spintronics.
Comparative molecular field analysis of colchicine inhibition and tubulin polymerization for combretastatins binding to the colchicine binding site on β-tubulin

A molecular modeling study using Comparative Molecular Field Analysis (CoMFA) was undertaken to develop a predictive model for combretastatin binding to the colchicine binding site of tubulin. Furthermore, we examined the potential contribution of lipophilicity (log P) and molecular dipole moment and were unable to correlate these properties to the observed biological data. In this study we first confirmed that tubulin polymerization inhibition (IC50) correlated (R2 = 0.92) with [3H]colchicine displacement. Although these data correlated quite well, we developed two independent models for each set of data to quantify structural features that may contribute to each biological property independently. To develop our predictive model we first examined a series of molecular alignments for the training set and ultimately found that overlaying the respective trimethoxyphenyl rings (A ring) of the analogues generated the best correlated model. The CoMFA yielded a cross-validated R2 = 0.41 (optimum number of components equal to 5) for the tubulin polymerization model and an R2 = 0.38 (optimum number of components equal to 5) for [3H]colchicine inhibition. Final non-cross-validation generated models for tubulin polymerization (R2 of 0.93) and colchicine inhibition (R2 of 0.91). These models were validated by predicting both biological properties for compounds not used in the training set. These models accurately predicted the IC50 for tubulin polymerization with an R2 of 0.88 (n = 6) and those of [3H]colchicine displacement with an R2 of 0.80 (n = 7). This study represents the first predictive model for the colchicine binding site over a wide range of combretastatin analogues.
Examining factors linked to overweight and obesity in women of different sexual orientations.

Abstract Objectives Our goal was to examine possible mechanisms for the relationship of sexual minority status and obesity. The mechanisms we considered were energy intake, measured as consumption of fruits and vegetable, past diet attempts and energy expenditure measured as physical activity and number of days when poor physical or mental health interfered with usual activities. We hypothesized that women with a female partner have greater energy imbalance by expending less energy and have higher energy intake than women with a male partner thereby causing overweight and obesity. Methods The study was a secondary data analysis of the California Women's Health Survey (CWHS), an annual probability survey that produces a representative sample of the female California population. After pooling data from the years 2001–2005, we obtained a representative sample of 14,197 Californian women. Multiple regression analyses were used to test for mediation. Results We found higher prevalence of overweight and obesity in sexual minority women. There was no support for mediation in that gender of sexual partner was not significantly related to measures of energy intake and expenditure. Conclusions The findings from the present study further implicate sexual minority status in the risk for overweight and obesity, yet do not identify the chosen measures of energy intake and expenditure as mediators for this relationship.
Resident Work Hour Limits and Patient Safety

Few topics evoke more heightened emotions and controversy at academic medical centers than resident physician work hour limits. From first year intern to seasoned hospital administrator, the policy change instituted on a nationwide basis in July 2003 by the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has impacted trainees, reshaped residency training programs, and demanded shifts in hospital resources to compensate for the reduction in resident work hours. A primary goal of these work hour limits is an improvement in patient safety.1 This goal arose largely from publicity about errors at teaching institutions (eg, the Libby Zion case in New York) and public reaction to controversial reports of increased medical errors possibly linked to provider fatigue.2–4 Empirical evaluation of far-reaching policy changes, such as resident work hour limits, is critical to appraising the predicted and unforeseen consequences that inevitably accompany such interventions. Being the first state to enact and enforce resident work hour limits, examination of the New York experience provides a unique opportunity to evaluate this policy that now affects the entire nation. Although important in their own scope, most evaluations of resident work hour limits have been limited to nonstandardized surveys or single institutions.5–7 Furthermore, recent statewide evaluations have not focused on the groups most impacted by work hour regulations, namely, surgical specialties.8 In this study, we test the hypothesis that resident work hour limits are associated with surgical patient safety measure improvement in New York teaching hospitals. In addition, we use standardized Patient Safety Indicators (PSIs) developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) as outcome measures sensitive to surgical training or technical performance.9 This study provides critical, timely data in the appraisal of resident work hour limits and gives a measure of PSI effect sizes to design further evaluations at the state and national levels.
Uncovering the Differences between T Cell Tolerance and Immunity

In the last two decades, T cell function has been analyzed in vitro from many different angles, with a great deal of attention dedicated to the basic requirements of activation. During this time, a compendium of information has been collected and has proven to be invaluable. Paradoxically, very little is known about T cell activation and function in vivo. In the last decade, a number of models have been developed which allow the tracking of Ag-activated T cells in vivo and these studies have been instrumental in advancing the field of T cell biology. In particular, a new and emerging paradigm of T cell immunity is evolving.
Polypyrazolylborate complexes of titanium and vanadium

Abstract A series of polypyrazolylborate complexes of the type Cp 2 Ti(Pz 4− x BH x ) (where x is 0, 1, or 2; Pz is pyrazole or substituted pyrazole) have been prepared. Electron spin resonance and electronic spectroscopy indicate that the cyclopentadienyl groups are pentahapto and the pyrazolylborate ligand is bidentate. The reaction between Cp 2 VCl and KHBPz 3 gave a mixture of compounds from which the vanadium(II) compound, CpV(HBPz 3 ), was isolated. KHBPz 3 reacts with MCl 3 (THF) 3 (where M = Ti, V) to give MCl 2 (THF)(HBPz 3 ) as paramagnetic air sensitive cyrstalline solids. Cyclopentadienyltitanium trichloride reacts with KHBPz 3 to give Cp(HBPz 3 )TiCl 2 as a deep red crystalline solid. Reduction of this compound with zinc gave Cp(HBPz 3 )TiCl which can also be prepared from [CpTiCl 2 ] x and KHBPz 3 .
Bythotrephes Cederstroemi: its New Appearance in Lake Michigan

Bythotrephes cederstroemi was newly found in Lake Michigan in September 1986. This predaceous cladoceran was previously detected in Lake Huron (December 1984) and subsequently dispersed into Lakes Ontario and Erie (autumn 1985). It was previously known only from Europe. Entry into Lake Michigan may have occurred through the exchange of Lakes Huron and Michigan water masses in the Straits of Mackinac. Bythotrephes cederstroemi was consumed by Lake Michigan deepwater sculpins in October 1986. Since Bythotrephes is believed to be a surface-dwelling species, the most probable route by which it entered the sculpin diet was through the rapid sinking of dying (and dead) animals and their subsequent ingestion by sculpins at the sediment-water interface. Bythotrephes cederstroemi exhibited allometric and cyclomorphic growth. The caudal process was relatively straight in immature specimens and became progressively more kinked in larger (older) animals. Furthermore, the kink was more strongly developed in autumn (October) than summer. (July) B. cederstroemi populations.
Tension-free Vaginal Tape and Beyond: Our Challenges and the Future of Anti-incontinence Therapy

All the available data resources, including population-based studies, government census data, and targeted epidemiologic studies, indicate that the number of women with or at risk for urinary incontinence (UI) is rapidly rising. According to a recent US National Institutes of Health (NIH)– sponsored study, there was a 5% rise in the prevalence of UI between 2001 and 2007, escalating the prevalence to 53% of women [1]. Extrapolation of prevalence based on US census data estimated as much as a 300% increase in the proportion of women in need of care within the next two decades [2]. Moreover, with women all across the globe living longer and healthier lives, we should predict that we will have to deliver more effective UI treatments. Against this background and regarding the report by Serati and colleagues in this issue of European Urology [3], it is timely to reflect on our progress in treating the largest segment of UI, namely, stress urinary incontinence (SUI), and its mainstay of treatment, tension-free vaginal tape (TVT). The report by Serati et al. could be considered a landmark article because it represents a case series of TVT from a single institution (and a single surgeon) that in both efficacy [4] and adverse events [5] mimics the results reported by multicenter randomized clinical trials (RCTs). This similarity in results is both good and not so good! It is promising that outcomes after TVT or midurethral slings could be duplicated in the hands of the most active surgeons. However, the bothersome observation remains that in either a single-institution case series or multiinstitution RCT, we impose an adverse event on at least onethird of our patients. In the Serati et al. report, up to 30% of patients developed de novo urgency. Similarly, results of two of the largest RCTs involving midurethral slings
A Lithospheric Attenuation Model of North America

Abstract Recent moderate‐sized, but strongly felt, earthquakes in eastern and central North America have highlighted the important role of the Earth’s attenuation structure in estimating and predicting local and regional ground motions. Over the past several years, we have been developing methods to use the amplitudes of regional phases Pn , , Sn , and to invert for the crust and upper mantle attenuation structure in Eurasia, and have recently started transporting the methodology to North America. We now have path coverage for most of North America, including Canada, the United States, Mexico, and portions of the Caribbean, with the best coverage in the United States. After describing the development of the model, we discuss the results in the context of the tectonics of the region, most notably the large differences between western North America and areas east of the Rockies. We will then demonstrate the use of the model in a number of applications including estimating reliable moment magnitudes for the Wells, Nevada, earthquake sequence, the use of the models in strong ground motion prediction for the Mineral, Virginia, mainshock, and in both discriminating and estimating explosion characteristics (depth, yield) of events at the Nevada Test Site.
The hemodynamic effects of Cocaine during acute controlled hemorrhage in conscious rats

Background: Cocaine is often associated with trauma; however, little is known about how its use alters the response to blood loss. The effect of cocaine on hemodynamics following acute hemorrhage was studied in a rat model. Methods: Following baseline measurements, rats were administered either intravenous cocaine, or saline as a control. Both groups then underwent arterial catheter hemorrhage of 30% of total blood volume. Outcome variables include blood pressure, heart rate, hematocrit, pH, Pco2, Po2, and serum bicarbonate. Results: Following hemorrhage, blood pressure decreased in both groups but the hypotension was significantly greater in the saline group than the intravenous cocaine group at 0 and 5 minutes posthemorrhage. Heart rate was increased significantly for the intravenous cocaine group compared to the saline group starting at 15 minutes postcocaine and lasting for the next 25 minutes. No difference was noted for hematocrit, pH, Po2, or serum bicarbonate. Conclusion: Although transient, cocai...
Research in Homosexuality: Back to the Drawing Board

Before addressing ourselves to the question “Where do we go from here?” with respect to research in the area of homosexuality, we would do well to take stock of where we have been and where we are. In this regard, I cannot think of a more comprehensive statement than what is to be found in the preface to Weinberg’s and my annotated bibliography of homosexuality. In our summary of the 1265 items which were included in that volume, we pointed out that discussions of homosexuality have consisted primarily of speculations prompted by theoretical models or statements whose constructs have not been tested in any systematic manner.… Studies designed to test these assumptions [about the nature of homosexual development] have been few, while those which have been conducted have usually included small, biased samples as well as measurements which have been subjectively derived. Little attention has been given to the wide range of homosexual orientation and adjustment; most have viewed homosexuality-heterosexuality as a simple dichotomy … most of their subjects have been those who eschew their homosexual orientation and whose functioning in other areas of their lives has been marginal. Usually there has been no attempt to determine the relationship of etiological factors to subsequent behavior and adjustment. In addition, the focus of these researchers and commentators all too often has precluded any reference to those processes — both sociological and psychological — which maintain the homosexual’s career. The homosexual is most commonly viewed as an inheritor of certain dispositions which were crystallized in the past and which account inevitably for all of his future behavior … a consideration of his behaviors as goal-directed is generally disregarded.… [There has been no attempt] to investigate systematically differences in the developmental histories, in the life styles and adjustments, in the sexual attitudes and behaviors, and in the wide range of self- and other-experiencing, which may prove to be functions of such matters as age, sex, education, and race, which transcend whatever important features exist in the homosexual community.
Distraction osteogenesis of the mandible for airway obstruction in children: Long-term results

Abstract Objective To determine the long-term results of distraction osteogenesis of the mandible for upper airway obstruction in children with micrognathia. Study Design Case series with chart review. Setting Tertiary care children's hospital. Subjects and Methods The records of a pediatric otolaryngology practice and tertiary children's hospital were searched for patients treated with bilateral mandibular distraction osteogenesis for upper airway obstruction. Patients were selected if greater than three years of follow-up data were available. Data were analyzed for airway and feeding outcomes, and long-term surgical complications were identified. Results Thirty-two patients met study criteria. Of the 11 patients who had tracheotomy prior to distraction, seven were decannulated after the procedure. Seventeen patients needed perioperative gastrostomy. Seven are now able to feed orally. Fifteen patients treated with mandibular distraction were able to avoid gastrostomy tube placement altogether. The complication of open bite deformity was experienced by nine patients (28%). Five of 32 patients (16%) had tooth malformation, tooth loss, or dentigerous cyst formation while an additional three patients (9%) had long-term facial nerve injury. Nineteen patients (59%) were under three months old at the time of their distraction. Only one of these patients (5.2%) required an additional distraction procedure. Conclusion Long-term follow-up data on patients treated with mandibular distraction for upper airway obstruction show sustained airway improvement. Additionally, micrognathic children treated with distraction have improved outcomes in oral feeding with a relatively low rate of long-term complications. It remains important to follow these patients to monitor the need for secondary reconstructive procedures.
Inexpensive method of generation of a good quality laser light sheet for flow visualization

An inexpensive, yet effective method of generation of a light sheet has been presented. Use of two such lenses at angles to eachother could produce unusual regions of illumination.
Tag-based modules in genetic programming

In this paper we present a new technique for evolving modular programs with genetic programming. The technique is based on the use of "tags" that evolving programs may use to label and later to refer to code fragments. Tags may refer inexactly, permitting the labeling and use of code fragments to co-evolve in an incremental way. The technique can be implemented as a minor modification to an existing, general purpose genetic programming system, and it does not require pre-specification of the module architecture of evolved programs. We demonstrate that tag-based modules readily evolve and that this allows problem solving effort to scale well with problem size. We also show that the tag-based module technique is effective even in complex, non-uniform problem environments for which previous techniques perform poorly. We demonstrate the technique in the context of the stack-based genetic programming system PushGP, but we also briefly discuss ways in which it may be used with other kinds of genetic programming systems.
Sustained Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase Activation by 6-hydroxydopamine: Implications for Parkinson's Disease

Although the toxin 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) is utilized extensively in animal models of Parkinson's disease, the underlying mechanism of its toxic effects on dopaminergic neurons is not completely understood. We examined the effects of 6-OHDA on the CNS-derived tyrosine hydroxylase expressing B65 cell line, with particular attention to the regulation of the extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases (ERK). 6-OHDA elicited a dose-dependent cytotoxicity in B65 cells. Toxic doses of 6-OHDA also elicited a biphasic pattern of ERK phosphorylation with a prominent sustained phase, a pattern that differed from that observed with hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) treatment. 6-OHDA-elicited ERK phosphorylation was blocked by PD98059, an inhibitor of the upstream mitogen activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) that phosphorylates and activates ERK. PD98059 also conferred protection against 6-OHDA cytotoxicity, but did not affect H(2)O(2) toxicity in B65 cells. These results suggest that ERK activation plays a direct mechanistic role in 6-OHDA toxicity, rather than representing a protective compensatory response, and raise the possibility that abnormal patterns of ERK activation may contribute to dopaminergic neuronal cell death.
Leveraging MPI's one-sided communication interface for shared-memory programming

Hybrid parallel programming with MPI for internode communication in conjunction with a shared-memory programming model to manage intranode parallelism has become a dominant approach to scalable parallel programming. While this model provides a great deal of flexibility and performance potential, it saddles programmers with the complexity of utilizing two parallel programming systems in the same application. We introduce an MPI-integrated shared-memory programming model that is incorporated into MPI through a small extension to the one-sided communication interface. We discuss the integration of this interface with the upcoming MPI 3.0 one-sided semantics and describe solutions for providing portable and efficient data sharing, atomic operations, and memory consistency. We describe an implementation of the new interface in the MPICH2 and Open MPI implementations and demonstrate an average performance improvement of 40% to the communication component of a five-point stencil solver.
Language use affects food behaviours and food values among Mexican-origin adults in the USA

Objective Previous studies have established that acculturation is associated with dietary intake among Mexican immigrants and their offspring, but few studies have investigated whether food purchasing, food preparation or food-related values act as mechanisms of dietary acculturation. We examine the relationship between language use and a wide range of food behaviours and food-related values among Mexican-American adults. Design Nationally representative probability sample of the US population. Setting 2005-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Subjects Mexican-American adults (n 2792) at least 20 years of age. Results Mexican Americans who speak only or mostly English consume more energy from fast-food and sit-down restaurants and report increased consumption of non-homemade meals, fast-food and pizza meals, frozen meals and ready-to-eat meals relative to Spanish speakers. English speakers prepare one fewer homemade dinner per week and spend less time on meal preparation. English speakers are more likely than Spanish speakers to cite convenience as an important reason why they prefer fast food over cooking at home. There is no relationship between language use and the perceived importance of the nutritional quality, price or taste of fast food. Conclusions Our results provide evidence that the well-documented relationship between acculturation and diet among Mexican Americans may be just one indicator of a broader pattern characterized by decreased home meal preparation and increased reliance on convenience foods.
Comparison of Fluconazole with Amphotericin B in Treatment of Histoplasmosis in Normal and Immunosuppressed Mice

The activities of fluconazole and amphotericin B against Histoplasma capsulatum were investigated. The minimum inhibitory concentrations ranged from 0.12 to 0.47 microgram/mL for amphotericin B and from 16 to 250 micrograms/mL for fluconazole. Fluconazole given orally twice a day for 6 consecutive days compared favorably with amphotericin B given intraperitoneally once every other day for a total of six doses in the treatment of histoplasmosis in normal and leukopenic mice.
Hybrid Grid Generation Method for Complex Geometries

A hybrid mesh generation method is described to discretize complex geometries. The idea behind this hybrid method is to combine the orthogonality and directionality of a structured grid, the efficiency and simplicity of a Cartesian grid, and the flexibility and ease of an unstructured grid in an attempt to develop an automatic, robust, and fast hybrid mesh generation method for configurations of engineering interest. A semistructured quadrilateral grid is first generated on the wetted surfaces. A background Cartesian grid, covering the domain of interest, is then constructed using a Quadtree-based Cartesian Method. Those Cartesian cells overlapping with the semistructured grids or locating outside of computational domain are then removed using an Alternating Digital Tree method. Finally, an unstructured grid generation method is used to generate unstructured triangular cells to fill all empty regions in the domain as a result of the trimming process. The automatic placement of sources at the geometrical irregularities is developed to render these regions isotropic, thus effectively overcoming the difficulty of generating highly stretched good-quality elements in these regions. The self-dividing of the exposed semistructured elements with high aspect ratio and the adaptation of the background mesh using the cell size information from the exposed semistructured elements for generating Cartesian cells are introduced to improve the quality of unstructured triangular elements and guarantee the success of the unstructured grid generation in the void regions. The developed hybrid grid generation method is used to generate a hybrid grid for a number of test cases, demonstrating its ability and robustness to mesh complex configurations.
Stability of salt fingers with negligible diffusivity

An array of long, vertically uniform salt fingers in an environment with salt input from above, fresh input from below, a vertically constant, stabilizing temperature gradient and negligible salt diffusion is found to be unstable to perturbations with vertical structure. The maximum growth rate and the form of the instability are derived for fingers with widths that yield maximum buoyancy flux in the unperturbed state. The dependence of the instability on the magnitude of the imposed salt difference is obtained for the heat–salt system. A direct (non-oscillatory) mode with a vertical scale of the order of the buoyancy-layer thickness is the most unstable when the amplitude of the vertical velocity of the fingers is large. The instability is due to the shear flow between rising and sinking fluid in adjacent fingers and is relatively unaffected by the perturbation buoyancy. When the driving is weaker, the dominant instability involves the same processes as for the basic fingers, i.e. perturbation buoyancy, viscosity and diffusion, and the mode becomes oscillatory in time. All of the most unstable modes derived here have a vertical scale of the order of the buoyancy-layer thickness. Both the direct and the oscillatory modes have net horizontal flows that vary with the vertical coordinate and time and in finite amplitude could cause the fingers to incline toward the horizontal. The oscillatory mode involves pairs of fingers so the emerging behaviour could include a kind of period doubling.
Quantization and Gauge Freedom in a Theory with Spontaneously Broken Symmetry

We quantize a model with spontaneously broken symmetry in the asymmetrical gauge ${\ensuremath{\partial}}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}{A}^{\ensuremath{\mu}}=(\frac{{\ensuremath{\kappa}}^{2}}{m})\ensuremath{\Phi}$, where ${A}^{\ensuremath{\mu}}$ is the vector meson with mass $m$ and $\ensuremath{\Phi}$ is the gauge excitation field. We show that ${\ensuremath{\kappa}}^{2}$ can be identified as the mass parameter of the $\ensuremath{\Phi}$ field, in addition to the numerical parameter $\ensuremath{\xi}$ defined in the text. This implies that $\ensuremath{\Phi}$ is not a Goldstone boson. A renormalization gauge corresponds to any gauge with ${\ensuremath{\kappa}}^{2}$ finite. One can formally go over to the unitarity gauge by the limit ${\ensuremath{\kappa}}^{2}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\infty}$. However, this limit should be taken with extreme care, so as not to interfere with the limits of internal-loop integration. Several examples, including the anomalous magnetic moment of an electron, are given to illustrate that (a) physical quantities are gauge-invariant, (b) the gauge with $\ensuremath{\xi}=1$ and ${\ensuremath{\kappa}}^{2}={m}^{2}$ is particularly convenient for finite calculations, (c) ambiguities may arise if the ${\ensuremath{\kappa}}^{2}=\ensuremath{\infty}$ is taken haphazardly, and (d) renormalization constants are gauge-dependent and in some cases can be defined only for certain values of ${\ensuremath{\kappa}}^{2}$.
Optical carrier suppression and separation label-switching techniques

We report our recent research results in the area of optical label switching (OLS) for next-generation optical packet-switched networks. These include optical label generation, label swapping, optical time-delay buffering, clock recovery (CR), and wavelength conversion for optical packets.
Relation of Temperature Distribution to Ground-Water Movement in Carbonate Rocks of Central Israel

The Cenomanian-Turonian formations of central Israel constitute a highly permeable dolomite and limestone aquifer. In this area it is on the west limb of an anticlinorium that trends north-northeast, and it contains water under artesian pressure. A graph of water temperatures and well depths suggests that there is a very small vertical temperature gradient in local segments of the aquifer. The small gradient is believed to result from a large vertical component of flow that tends to equalize the vertical temperature distribution. On a regional scale the apparent horizontal temperature distribution indicates a westward increase with increasing depth of the aquifer, suggesting a manifestation of the regional geothermal gradient. The westward increase in temperature also implies that the lateral component of flow may be in the normal range for artesian carbonate-rock aquifers whose pores consist mainly of solution cavities. Locally, pumping appears to have affected the temperature distribution by modifying the natural flow pattern. In parts of the most intensively developed area, the aquifer is hydraulically connected with overlying coastal-plain deposits, and some cooler water has been induced to move into the aquifer from this source. At three other areas, pumping has resulted in an apparent horizontal shift of the isotherms on a temperature-distribution map. The data suggest that the spatial distribution of temperature may be used to determine some of the flow characteristics of carbonate-rock aquifers.
Mass generation in non-Abelian chiral-gauge theory in four dimensions

The origin of massive gauge bosons in the standard electroweak theory is suggested in the light of the fact that gauge symmetry cannot be maintained by quantization and renormalization procedures even though the anomalies of the system are eliminated by its fermion content. Gauge boson masses are related to fermion masses and the mass ratioMW/MZ=cosθw is guaranteed. We present the discussions of the gauge symmetry breakdown of aSU(N) chiral-gauge theory in four dimensions and mass generation for gauge bosons. The renormalizability and unitarity of such a massive gauge theory are discussed.
Ectopic Beats Before CRT and Patient Outcomes: Little Things Mean a Lot

The benefit of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) for most heart failure (HF) patients with low ejection fraction (EF) and widened QRS is undisputed. Mortality and HF hospitalization are reduced, and multiple measures of cardiac function are improved. It remains of clinical importance that
The absence of an effect of photoreactivation on sub-lethal damage accumulation in a photoreactive wallaby cell-line.

Monolayer cultures of JU56 wallaby cells were exposed to germicidal U.V. and/or photoreactivating (PR) light. The U.V. exposures induced dose-dependent cell-death. The survival data are consistent with a common extrapolation number (n) of 6 x 17 +/- 0 x 98 with a D(0) of 123 x 0 +/- 6 x 8 erg/mm2 for photo-reactivated cells and a D0 of 87 x 3 +/- 4 x 9 erg/mm2 for non-photoreactivated cells; the photoreactivation protected the cells with a dose-modification factor of 1 x 41 +/- 0 x 02. Therefore PR is not a shoulder phenomenon and so has no relationship to the repair of sub-lethal damage.
Using multiple methods to gather spatial data on human uses of Rhode Island's coastal lagoons

The two methods used in this research each have unique benefits and limitations that, combined, complement each other to create a more complete understanding of where humans are using the lagoon, what they are doing, and the reasons for their actions. The blend of these two methods is ideal for marine spatial planning, especially in areas of dense use. This information, combined with biophysical data, is important for determining ecological and social carrying capacities in the coastal lagoons in Rhode Island.
Superhero Synergies: Comic Book Characters Go Digital James N. Gilmore and Matthias Stork, Editors. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2014.

Superhero Synergies: Comic Book Characters Go Digital James N. Gilmore and Matthias Stork, Editors. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2014.What once seemed a potential fad-the superhero film-shows no signs of dwindling, with its presence growing even on smaller screens. Scholars in recent years have devoted increasing attention to this popular genre, but Superhero Synergies: Comic Book Characters Go Digital, edited by James N. Gilmore and Matthias Stork, aims to look at the synergistic digital convergence among these films, comic books, video games, and even theatrical events. One form of this synergistic digital convergence is the postcredit tags in Marvel's films, so popular that many theatergoers stay until the end of the credits, expecting a teaser about an upcoming film.The book opens with two chapters on Ang Lee's Hulk (2003), a film that seems to have fared better with scholars than it did with fanboys. The first of these, by Gilmore, analyzes DVD paratexts and online criticism of the film, especially compared to its reboot, The Incredible Hulk (2008). A treatise on Disney's "superhero ization" of John Carter (2012) may seem like an offbeat selection for this collection, considering its literary origins as a serialized "scientific romance" and its lack of superhero tropes, but Andrew James Myers looks at the changes in the story and marketing in "From Scientific Romance to Disney Superhero." Myers examines how previous incarnations (the original 1912 serialized novel, the 1977 Marvel comic John Carter, Warlord of Mars) shaped the material to meet audience expectations and how Disney marketed the film as a superhero film more than the sci-fi film it actually was.Video games also figure prominently in these thirteen chapters, including two alone on Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009), which is appropriate considering that it has been called by some the best ludic adaptation. The authors examine how the game fits into the Batman me ta-franchise, showing video game synergy and intermediality. Justin Mack's chapter offers a textual analysis of Arkham Asylum, arguing that its unique gameplay makes it more than a licensed product engineered to create more revenue but an intertextual narrative that works with the films and comics.Besides the chapters on the film texts and video games, there are, appropriately, a handful of essays on the progenitor of this entire phenomenon, the comics themselves. As his title suggests, M. J. Clarke's "From Motion Line to Motion Blur: The Integration of Digital Coloring in the Superhero Comic Book" focuses on changing comic book aesthetics in the digital era. Clarke brings a rigorous approach to comic book aesthetics that has sorely been lacking in much of comics scholarship. …
Surgical Treatment of Congenital Anomalies of the Trachea and Esophagus

Among various anomalies related to the trachea and esophagus, atretic and stenotic lesions are the most common and challenging objects in pediatric surgery. Tracheoplasty with the costal cartilage grafts is the treatment of choice for the extensive congenital stenosis of the thoracic trachea. We treated 4 cases of tracheal stenosis with this technique. Observation for following 2 years suggests that this technique is useful for such extensive lesions as an end-to-end anastomosis is not indicated.One hundred and thirty seven cases of esophageal atresia were treated at our institute with an overall mortality rate of 38%. Primary or staged end-to-end esophageal anastomosis was performed on 94 patients with a 20% mortality rate, whereas jejunal or colonic interposition was indicated for 13 patients with a mortality rate of 30%.The cause of stenosis of the esophagus was fibromuscular hypertrophy in 20, bronchial remnants in the esophageal wall in 7 and the ectopic gastric mucosa in 2 of our series of patients. Esophagoesophageal anastomosis was a possible procedure when the length of resection of the esophagus was limited to within 2.5cm. Intestinal interposition was, however, required when the esophagus was resected 3.5cm and more.