cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Initial Load Distribution in Internal Fixation Plates — an in Vitro Study

Internal compression fixation of fractures, although first introduced more than half a century ago, gained popularity in the late 1950’s. Since this time, many engineering studies have been conducted to better understand the loads and stresses occuring at the fracture site. Early work dealt with measuring the stiffness and strength of the bone-plate complex and with measuring the pullout forces exerted upon the screws holding the plate in place, e.g. (1,2). Others measured the force in the plate after it was pretensioned (3). More recently, researchers have tried to better understand the complex stress patterns resulting from compression plating by using mathematical and experimental models. Rybicki et al (4) used both experimental and theoretical models (beam theory and a simple two dimensional finite element model), while two dimensional photoelastic models and strain gaged tibias were used by Askew (5). Simon et al. (6) created one, two and three dimensional finite element models to predict bone and plate stresses and shear stresses exerted upon the screws. Contact area and stresses across a plated oblique fracture were calculated by Rybicki using another two dimensional finite element model (7). Lastly, Woo et al. (8) looked at the strength of the same plate design made out of several different materials using a plated, strain gaged tube and one and two dimensional finite element models.
Application of computational and experimental techniques in intelligent design of age-hardenable aluminum alloys

Age hardenable aluminum alloys are one of the traditional structural materials that are constantly under improvement to meet higher performance requirements. The practical alloys have complex microstructural features, among which the strengthening secondary phases and their dispersions are the controlling factors for major mechanical properties. Usually those phases with their specific crystal structures, elastic constants, strengths and thermal stabilities are formed in complex morphologies with particular shapes, sizes and orientations. Taking examples from Al-Cu-(Li,Mg)-based alloys, this chapter describes the quantitative characterization of the multiple secondary phases and illustrates dislocation slip simulations for evaluation of strengthening effects and for prediction of optimum precipitate structures. A combination of computational and experimental techniques will be described that are useful to study stress-aging treatments.
Tobacco cessation outcomes: The case for milestone-based services.

INTRODUCTION This study focuses on a Midwest State's tobacco quitline. The purpose was to understand possible relationships between services provided and cessation rates. METHODS The data examined in this study came from aggregated intake/treatment data and follow-up interview data. The overall response rate was 22.9%. Measures included quit rate, quit duration, length of services, number of services, stage of change, confidence to quit, and source of referral. RESULTS The dataset included 1452 cases; 77% enrolled in services only once, 17% enrolled twice and 6% enrolled three or more times. Use of medication was higher among those who quit [χ2(1)=7.1, p=0.009, Cramer's V=0.07] than among those who did not. Use of e-cigarettes was lower among those who quit at the time of follow-up [χ2(1)=31.5, p<0.001, Cramer's V=0.15]. Respondents who had quit at the time of the follow-up were significantly more likely to have reported a higher confidence to quit at intake [χ2(1)=24.1, p<0.001, Cramer's V=0.13]. Among those who improved their stage of change during treatment, 35% had quit at follow-up, compared with 18% among those who did not improve. CONCLUSIONS Study findings related to stage of change and associations between confidence and cessation may have meaningful implications. Cessation success may depend on what is accomplished during treatment and the intersection of clients' motivation, satisfaction, confidence, and cessation status at the end of treatment.
126) Development of a Longitudinal Pain and Opioid Curriculum

The Mayo Clinic School of Medicine has identified pain management and opioid/substance abuse as a top five common societal problem that needs to be taught and addressed within the undergraduate medical curriculum. A Pain Curriculum Sub-committee was formed to 1) gather content experts together to collaborate and provide expertise, 2) examine the current state of pain management curriculum, and 3) create a plan for enhancing pain curriculum throughout the four years of medical school. The sub-committee created a curriculum map to identify the current pain curriculum (e.g., course objectives, sessions, session level objectives, instructional methods, and assessment methods) and detect areas within the curriculum that are missing. The curriculum map was compared with the International Association for the Study of Pain Core Curriculum to assist with creating a roadmap for the creation of additional curriculum. In addition, the sub-committee surveyed graduating fourth year medical students to gain insight into their level of confidence with managing patients with pain. Specific gaps noted from the survey results were level of confidence treating pediatric pain patients and patients with addiction. The sub-committee has a plan to incorporate 25% more curriculum into each academic year over the next four years. To maximize an already busy medical school schedule, the sub-committee has proposed the utilization of case studies for focal topic areas to incorporate pain management and opioid/substance abuse and to invite faculty with pain and addiction expertise to assist with providing curriculum content.
Level of Agreement Between Human-Rated and Instrumented Balance Error Scoring System Scores

Clinicians have used the Balance Error Scoring System (BESS) to quantify postural control for concussion management. However, the reliability of the human rated BESS has varied prompting the development of instrumented BESSs. A cross-sectional design was used to determine the level of agreement (LOA) between human rated and instrumented BESS scores. Sixty participants completed the BESS on video. An instrumented mat was used to quantify BESS errors while a live human rater simultaneously scored the BESS. A second human rated BESS performance via video. Bland-Altman LOA analyses evaluated agreement between scoring methods (Mat-Human, Mat-Video, Video-Live) for each stance. Mean biases between scores, for each stance, with 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were calculated. Agreement between scoring methods was not assessed for the Firm-Double-Limb stance because very few errors were recorded. Agreement between both human raters and the mat was poor based on mean bias estimates > ± 1 and/or wide 95%CIs for all stances including BESS-Total. Agreement between the human raters was better, having displayed consistently smaller mean bias estimates and tighter 95%CIs for all stances and BESS Total. As a result, human rated and instrumented BESS scores may not be comparable. One method should be used to measure BESS errors for consistency.
Neural Circuit Dynamics of Brain States

The brain, like other living systems, tolerates light, which can be delivered flexibly over a range of wavelengths and irradiance values. The fact that most cells do not respond to light provides an enormous signal-to-noise advantage—if any light sensitivity can be conferred. Our efforts on using light to illuminate brain structure and function have taken us from the basic science investigation of microbial protein crystal structures, to optical probing of brain structure and function using hydrogel-tissue chemistry and optogenetics.
Varicella zoster virus (VZV) oculomeningoencephalomyeloradiculitis: a previously undescribed constellation

A 53-year-old immunocompromised woman developed acute left eye blindness and paraparesis suspected to be due to neuromyelitis optica (NMO). During treatment for NMO, right eye blindness and progressive multiple cranial neuropathies developed. Cerebrospinal fluid polymerase chain reaction (PCR) revealed Varicella zoster virus (VZV). This case emphasizes the importance of considering VZV in individuals, particularly the immunocompromised, presenting with a constellation of neurological signs and symptoms, even in the absence of rash.
10 – Wave Propagation

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses wave propagation. Wave propagation in which the wave travels without change of profile is termed nondispersive. The finite difference or finite element discretization in space of the wave equation is entirely analogous to that of the heat equation. A wave traveling on a string maintains its shape because the natural frequencies of the string are all integer multiples of π. The computed frequencies are not exact and the computed traveling wave deforms with time. Friction affects the wave propagation in two basic ways: (1) it attenuates the wave, robbing mechanical energy from it, and, thereby, reducing its amplitude, and (2) it also disperses the wave. Attenuation is exponentially faster for the high frequency shorter wavelength modes and hence, the visible effect of friction is to smooth the waveform, in opposition to the time and space discretization caused dispersion that exposes the high frequency waves in the wave profile. Because of the near discontinuity in the displacement of string, the higher modes play a greater role in the approximation and dispersion is more in evidence. A real string also has at least some resistance to bending—to curvature change—and discretization of the equation with finite elements may be carried out with a cubic string and beam elements.
User-centred design, evaluation, and refinement of a wireless power wheelchair charging system

To enable power wheelchair users with limited mobility to safely and independently charge their wheelchairs. Stakeholders of multiple roles – including potential users, their caregivers, and clinic...
Ascending arousal network connectivity during recovery from traumatic coma

Abstract Background It is not currently possible to predict which patients will develop chronic disorders of consciousness (DoC) after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Although the ascending arousal network (AAN) supports human consciousness, it is unknown which AAN pathways must be preserved for patients to recover consciousness. Methods Sixteen patients with acute traumatic coma and 16 matched healthy controls were scanned with high angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI). All patients recovered consciousness (Recovery Cohort). Nine were scanned longitudinally: first in the ICU (Acute), then at ≥5 months post-injury (Follow-up). Six separate patients with post-traumatic DoC were scanned ≥5 months post-injury (Chronic DoC Cohort). For each AAN pathway, we computed the median relative change in Acute-to-Follow-up Connectivity Probability (CP) in the Recovery Cohort. We then used Wilcoxon tests with Bonferroni correction to compare CP in each AAN pathway in the Recovery Cohort at Follow-up versus the Chronic DoC Cohort. In an exploratory analysis, we used principal component analysis (PCA) to determine whether linear combinations of AAN CP values could separate the Chronic DoC Cohort from the Recovery Cohort and the healthy controls. Results In the Recovery Cohort, the largest relative AAN CP changes were in the brainstem-to-thalamus (median [IQR] = 0.7 [0.09, 0.9]) and forebrain-to-occipital lobe (−0.8 [−0.9, −0.8]) pathways. The AAN connections that differed in the cross-sectional analysis between the Recovery Cohort at Follow-up and the Chronic DoC Cohort included brainstem-to-hypothalamus (W = 53, PBonf = 0.02), brainstem-to-temporal lobe (W = 52, PBonf = 0.04), and thalamus-to-temporal lobe (W = 54, PBonf = 0.009). Plotting the first two principal components of AAN connectivity resulted in a linear separation of Chronic DoC patients from other study groups. Conclusions We provide evidence for a longitudinal increase in brainstem-thalamic connectivity during recovery of consciousness after traumatic coma. Cross-sectional analyses revealed that brainstem-hypothalamus, brainstem-temporal lobe, and thalamus-temporal lobe connectivity differed between patients who recovered consciousness and those with a chronic DoC. These observations provide the basis for further investigation into AAN connectivity as a biomarker for recovery of consciousness after traumatic coma.
A Patient Portal-Based Commitment Device to Improve Adherence with Screening for Colorectal Cancer: a Retrospective Observational Study

Despite significant investment in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening, 40% of US adults are not up-to-date. Commitment devices, which are psychologically tailored approaches to enforce health goals, may be an effective method to increase CRC screening. Compare the effectiveness of a commitment device (patient self-ordering fecal immunochemical test (FIT) kits) to standard CRC screening outreach. A retrospective observational study. Participants were > 49 years and < 75 years, had no history of CRC, and were eligible for CRC screening. An electronic screening reminder with an embedded order button allowed participants to order FIT kits directly from a patient portal. Those who used the order button were promptly sent a kit; those who did not were later mailed kits. Primary outcome was completion of FIT kits. Secondary outcomes included number of days to completion, completion of follow-up for positive results, and CRC diagnosis; we also examined prior use of FIT kit. We used inverse probability of treatment weights to control for pretreatment imbalances. The cohort comprised 176,231 participants: 53% female; median age was 59; 11% were Asian, 21% Hispanic/Latino, 7% black, 51% White, 3% other/mixed race. Approximately 10% (N = 16,918) used the button. Using inverse probability of treatment weights, we found that those who used the button had 3.8 times the odds of completing a kit compared to participants who did not (odds ratio, 3.77; 95% confidence interval, 3.57–3.98). Within the button group, 63% of those eligible completed a FIT kit in the year prior to the button compared to 87% in the year after the button became available (p < 0.0001). The ability to self-order screening kits may act as a commitment device that increases CRC screening. Scalable tools leveraging existing patient portals such as this can complement existing CRC outreach strategies.
A Numerical Method for the Simulation of Quantum Tunneling Phenomena in Solid State Semiconductors

In this paper we present a spectral collocation technique for the numerical simulation of quantum transport in solid state semiconductors. The underlying model is capable of describing tunneling effects.
The Effect of Education on Fertility: Evidence from Compulsory Schooling Laws

Social scientists have long observed a strong negative relationship between education and fertility. Since the choice of schooling is not random, however, the question of whether this correlation is causal remains open. In this paper, I use 1950-1990 US Census data, along with information on compulsory attendance and child labor laws that affected women’s schooling choices in their teenage years, to estimate the effect of education on total completed fertility accounting for the endogeneity of schooling. Instrumental variable estimates using changes in state compulsory schooling laws as a source of exogenous variation in education indicate that women with 3-4 additional years of schooling have on average one less child than they would have otherwise. Further analysis suggests that heterogeneity across individuals and, to a lesser extent, nonlinearity in the fertility return to schooling, explain an important part of the difference between IV and OLS estimates. Moreover, this fertility-reducing effect of schooling does not appear to be mediated by a reduction in marriage rates, while there is evidence that education does increase the probability that a woman will reach the end of her fertile lifetime without children. These results are robust to a number of specification checks, and imply that rising levels of education can account for a sizable fraction of the decline in fertility rates for several Western countries in the second half of the 20 century. ∗ Preliminary and incomplete, comments welcome. I owe special thanks to Daron Acemoglu and Josh Angrist for their advice and encouragement, as well as for their data on compulsory schooling laws. I am also grateful to Emek Basker, Hoyt Bleakley, Lucia Breierova, Lowell Taylor, Cindy Perry and Mel Stephens for helpful discussions, and to participants at the joint Pitt/CMU Applied Microeconomics seminar and at the MIT Labor and Development student workshops for useful comments and suggestions. All remaining errors are my own. ° Department of Economics, University of Pittsburgh, 4709 Wesley W. Posvar Hall, Pittsburgh, PA 15260. E-mail: aleon@pitt.edu.
Medical marijuana patient counseling points for health care professionals based on trends in the medical uses, efficacy, and adverse effects of cannabis-based pharmaceutical drugs

The purpose of this report is to present a review of the medical uses, efficacy, and adverse effects of the three approved cannabis-based medications and ingested marijuana. A literature review was conducted utilizing key search terms: dronabinol, nabilone, nabiximols, cannabis, marijuana, smoke, efficacy, toxicity, cancer, multiple sclerosis, nausea, vomiting, appetite, pain, glaucoma, and side effects. Abstracts of the included literature were reviewed, analyzed, and organized to identify the strength of evidence in medical use, efficacy, and adverse effects of the approved cannabis-based medications and medical marijuana. A total of 68 abstracts were included for review. Dronabinol's (Marinol) most common medical uses include weight gain, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV), and neuropathic pain. Nabiximol's (Sativex) most common medical uses include spasticity in multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuropathic pain. Nabilone's (Cesamet) most common medical uses include CINV and neuropathic pain. Smoked marijuana's most common medical uses include neuropathic pain and glaucoma. Orally ingested marijuana's most common medical uses include improving sleep, reducing neuropathic pain, and seizure control in MS. In general, all of these agents share similar medical uses. The reported adverse effects of the three cannabis-based medications and marijuana show a major trend in central nervous system (CNS)-related adverse effects along with cardiovascular and respiratory related adverse effects. Marijuana shares similar medical uses with the approved cannabis-based medications dronabinol (Marinol), nabiximols (Sativex), and nabilone (Cesamet), but the efficacy of marijuana for these medical uses has not been fully determined due to limited and conflicting literature. Medical marijuana also has similar adverse effects as the FDA-approved cannabis-based medications mainly consisting of CNS related adverse effects but also including cardiovascular and respiratory related adverse effects. Finally, insufficient higher-order evidence to support the widespread use of medical marijuana was found, but a limited amount of moderate-level evidence supports its use in pain and seizure management.
The effect of Gleason score on the predictive value of prostate-specific antigen doubling time.

Study Type – Prognosis (individual cohort series) Level of Evidence 2b OBJECTIVE To evaluate the influence of the pathological Gleason score on the predictive value of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) doubling time (DT), as this variable predicts a patient’s risk of disease progression both before and after definitive therapy for prostate cancer, and there is an inverse correlation between the Gleason score and PSA production. PATIENTS AND METHODS We evaluated all men treated with radical prostatectomy (RP) between 1990 and 1999 who did not receive neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapy. We identified 2296 patients who had multiple PSA values available before RP, and 1323 who had biochemical recurrence after RP and had at least two PSA values available before starting secondary therapy. Systemic progression and cancer-specific survival (CSS) rates were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazard regression models. RESULTS A PSA DT of 18 months predicted a lower 10-year systemic progression-free survival for patients with tumours having a pathological Gleason score of <7 (98% vs 99%, P = 0.005), 7 (82% vs 91%, P = 0.003) and 8–10 (57% vs 73%, P = 0.042). A PSA DT after RP of <12 months was significantly associated with a lower 10-year systemic progression-free survival for patients with tumours having a Gleason score of <7 (77% vs 94%, P < 0.001) and 7 (61% vs 86%, P < 0.001), but not 8–10 (61% vs 75%, P = 0.11). The ability of PSA DT before and after RP to predict systemic progression and CSS decreased with increasing Gleason score. CONCLUSIONS The PSA DT remains associated with outcome both before and after RP across increasing pathological Gleason scores, although the predictive ability of PSA DT is diminished in Gleason 8–10 cancers.
Chapter 10 Thromboxane Synthetase Inhibitors and Antagonists

Publisher Summary Thromboxane A2 (TxA2) plays a role in the maintenance of vascular homeostasis and may contribute to the pathogenesis of a variety of vascular disorders. It is produced by the metabolism of arachidonic acid (AA) in blood platelets and other tissues. Approaches toward limiting the effect of TxA2 have focused on either inhibiting its synthesis or blocking its action at its receptor sites by means of an antagonist. TxA2 is formed from the prostaglandin endoperoxide (PGH2) and inhibition of the synthetase enzyme may lead to an accumulation of endoperoxide. This is potentially beneficial because the accumulated PGH2 is available to be converted into PGI, although PGH does have similar properties to TxA2. On the other hand, TxA2 antagonlsts also block the actions of PGH2 but do not have the potential to elevate the PGI levels. Clinical studies with both TxA2 synthetase inhibitors and antagonists have, overall, failed to show convincing efficacy instable angina and unstable angina may be a more appropriate target. An important role for TxA2 in the pathophysiology of acute myocardial ischemia is indicated from studies in both animals and man, and further clinical work in this area is merited. However, despite extensive study, there is still uncertainty regarding the role of TxA2 in other disease states. Further clinical studies, coupled with improved techniques for monitoring TxA synthesis in vivo, is likely to help to define more clearly the role and relative merits of TxA2 synthetase inhibitor and antagonist therapy.
Renal transplantation in patientswith renal cell carcinoma and von hippel-lindau disease

Abstract This study reviewed the management and outcome of patients with von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHLD) who underwent renal transplantation after being rendered anephric to treat multifocal bilateral renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Five patients with bilateral RCC and VHLD underwent renal transplantation at our hospital. Initial treatment of RCC consisted of bilateral nephrectomy in 2 patients and unilateral nephron-sparing surgery with contralateral nephrectomy in 3 patients. All of the latter 3 patients experienced isolated tumor recurrence in the renal remnant at 48, 64, and 66 months postoperatively; this was managed by complete excision of the renal remnant. Renal transplantation was performed l 1 to 24 months after initiation of dialysis. Postoperatively, all of the allografts functioned well with no further requirement for dialysis. Currently, 4 patients are alive at a mean post-transplbnt follow-up interval of 26 months (range, 7 to 66 months) with excellent graft function and no evidence of malignancy. One patient died 17 months following transplantation due to metastatic disease. Renal transplantation can provide satisfactory replacement therapy for patients with end-stage renal disease with VHLD and treated RCC.
Comparing U.S. operations kingpin (1970) and eagle claw (1980)

(1993). Comparing U.S. operations kingpin (1970) and eagle claw (1980) International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence: Vol. 6, No. 4, pp. 489-506.
Purification of maize alcohol dehydrogenase-1 allozymes and comparison of their tryptic peptides

Two naturally occurring allozymes of alcohol dehydrogenase-1 in maize have been purified to homogeneity. Specific activity, molecular weight and amino acid composition have been determined. The difference between these two allozymes was further studied by comparisons of tryptic peptides using a fingerprinting technique. Excellent maps were obtained which resolved 29 out of the 30 peptides which were maximally possible. These allozymes differ in one peptide, consistent with a single, charged amino acid replacement. These results are related to the differences which have been shown to exist between the genes which specify these two allozymes.
Predictive codebook design for lossless image compression

This paper describes a new method for lossless image compression where relative pixel values of localized neighborhoods in test images are stored in a codebook. In order to achieve decorrelation of an image's pixels, each neighborhood of a pixel is assigned to a neighborhood in the codebook, and the difference between the actual pixel value and the predicted value from the codebook is coded using an entropy coder. Using the same codebook, one can achieve perfect reconstruction of the image. The method is tested on several standard images and compared with previously published methods. These experiments demonstrate that the new method is an attractive alternative to existing lossless image compression techniques.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Complementarity and Anticomplementarity with the Same Pair of Inputs

Within a single production function and with conventional inputs, complementarity followed by anticomplementarity is illustrated.
Prolactin in rats is attenuated by conspecific touch in a novel environment

Prolactin is released in response to physical and psychological stress, the latter of which involves an animal’s interpretation of its environment as potentially dangerous. This interpretation might be altered by social buffering, as defined by the presence of a social partner. In support of this claim, I previously found that the presence of a conspecific during exposure to the open field caused lower levels of prolactin in juvenile rats than did exposure to the open field alone. Because testing with a conspecific allowed the animals to touch, physical contact may have been necessary for the reduction of prolactin. To test this hypothesis, juvenile male and female rats in the present study were exposed to the open field (1) alone, (2) with a conspecific separated by a Plexiglas partition, or (3) with a conspecific without a partition. Touch was necessary to reduce stress as measured by prolactin levels.
The influence of carbon dioxide cosolvent on solubility in poly(ethylene glycol)

Supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) can be utilized as an environmentally friendly biphasic solvent system for catalysis reactions and subsequent product separation. To efficiently implement this technology, it is important to understand how solutes partition between these phases as well as how dissolved CO2 in PEG affects the solvent properties. The work presented here explores the influence of CO2 on the solubility of four different solutes in PEG. The transferable potentials for phase equilibria-united atom force field and configurational-bias Monte Carlo molecular simulation were employed to determine the solubilities of ethylbenzene, 1-octene, 1-pentanol, and 2-pentanone at 323.15 K and 15 MPa in PEG-600 using an ideal vapor phase with a Poynting-corrected vapor pressure. The effect of CO2 concentration within the PEG phase was determined by varying the amount from no CO2 to the saturation limit. The results indicate that while there is preferential solvation of CO2 around the solutes, solubility of non-polar solutes is unchanged whereas there is a modest increase for polar solutes as the concentration of CO2 increases. Increased solubility is analyzed in terms of both modified solvent structure and direct solute–CO2 interactions.
Optimizing bowel cleansing for colonoscopy

Adequate bowel cleansing is essential for complete examination of the colon mucosa during colonoscopy. Suboptimal bowel preparation has potential adverse consequences, such as missed pathologic abnormalities, the need for repeated procedures, and increased procedure-related complications. Several factors can predict individuals at increased risk for inadequate bowel preparation. If predictors of inadequate bowel preparation are identified, then education should be intensified and a more aggressive bowel regimen recommended. On completion of this article, you should be able to (1) define the frequency of inadequate colon preparations, (2) identify predictors of poor bowel preparation, and (3) use a more aggressive bowel regimen when clinically indicated.
Reduction of Endothelial Cell Loss During Phakic Penetrating Keratoplasty

I studied the central donor endothelium of 30 clear, penetrating corneal transplants with a specular microscope before and within one week after keratoplasty. The mean endothelial cell loss was 15.6%, and there was no significant difference between the cell loss in phakic and aphakic transplants, as there had been in a previous study. Probably the decrease in endothelial cell loss in the phakic transplants was the result of the use of preoperative digital ocular massage, which softens the eye and decreases endothelial contact by recipient iris and lens during initial graft placement. The decreased use of a double scleral ring without preoperative massage also helped lower the cell loss. The postoperative corneal thickness, which was greater in aphakic transplants, also was significantly correlated with endothelial cell loss.
Should every patient with atrial fibrillation have the rhythm converted to sinus rhythm

Atrial fibrillation is the most common atrial tachyarrhythmia. Consideration for the potential conversion of atrial fibrillation and the subsequent maintenance of sinus rhythm may be related to underlying pathology. Typically, extra cardiac factors such as thyroid hyperactivity help to determine initial therapy. Intrinsic cardiac factors may also influence the clinician's decision regarding potential cardioversion and maintenance of sinus rhythm. Some acute events such as pericarditis and the effects of cardiac trauma may resolve and result in spontaneous restoration of sinus rhythm. Other cardiac events such as acute myocardial infarction with or without atrial ischemia, valvular disease, and others may result in the precipitation of atrial fibrillation. The major reasons to consider cardioversion, either medically or electrically, are ventricular rate control, hemodynamic improvement, sense of well being, and the avoidance of embolism. Certain clinical situations (e.g., Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome) require urgent restoration of sinus rhythm in light of the potential for extremely rapid ventricular rates. It has been suggested that all antiarrhythmic drug administration should be initiated in the hospital setting, but the brief period of drug administration in an inpatient setting does not protect the patient from potential, late-onset proarrhythmic events. Both antiarrhythmic drug therapy and electric cardioversion are useful for restoration of sinus rhythm in both acute and chronic atrial fibrillation. The most important negative aspect of drug conversion of atrial fibrillation may be the potential development of a proarrhythmic drug effect. Although controversial, conversion (medical or electrical) is probably indicated in every patient with the first episode of persistent atrial fibrillation, even if the patient is asymptomatic.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Starch Retrogradation and Texture of Cooked Milled Rice During Storage

: The effect of storing cooked Bengal and Cypress milled rice at -13, 3, 20, and 36 °C on texture and degree of starch retrogradation was investigated. Cooked rice firmness increased, while stickiness decreased, during storage at -13 and 3 °C. Starch retrogradation, measured with a differential scanning calorimeter, was observed for both cultivars during storage at -13 and 3 °C, but not at 36 °C. At 20 °C, retrogradation occurred in Cypress, but not in Bengal. Starch retrogradation showed positive linear trends with firmness for both cultivars at all storage temperatures (R2= 0.80) and with stickiness for Bengal stored at -13 and 3 °C and for Cypress stored at 3 and 20 °C (R2 = 0.88).
On the Caccetta–Häggkvist Conjecture

It was conjectured by Caccetta and Haggkvist in 1978 that every digraph G with n vertices and minimum outdegree at least r contains a directed cycle of length at most ⌈n/r⌉. By refining an argument of Chvatal and Szemeredi, we prove that such G contains a directed cycle of length at most n/r+73.
The Relationship Between Formal Mentoring Program Characteristics and Perceived Program Effectiveness

Formal mentoring programs continue to gain popularity within organizations despite limited empirical research regarding how these programs should be designed to achieve maximum effectiveness. This study examined design features of formal mentoring programs and perceived program effectiveness from both mentor and protege perspectives. Mentor commitment and program understanding were examined as mediators. Substantial support for the proposed path analytic model was found. These results help begin to bridge the gap between science and practice concerning the design of formal mentoring programs.
Identification, cellular localization, isolation, and characterization of human Clara cell-specific 10 KD protein.:

Human lung lavage proteins were fractionated by centrifugation and molecular sieving. An antiserum to the post-albumin fraction of the soluble proteins reacted with a 10 KD protein and this protein was isolated by conventional chromatography. The protein, which has a pI of 4.8, consists of two 5 KD polypeptides and is rich in glutamic acid, leucine, serine, and aspartic acid amino acids. The protein does not bind to concanavalin A, pancreatic elastase, leukocyte elastase, or trypsin, and lacks anti-protease activity. It constitutes about 0.15% of the soluble proteins in lung lavage. Antibodies to the 10 KD protein specifically and exclusively stain Clara cells in human, dog, and rat. Staining of granules of Clara cells was prominent in the distal bronchioles; however, the non-ciliated cells of respiratory bronchioles did not stain for the 10 KD protein. This 10 KD protein appears in fetal lungs at 21 weeks of gestation, and was present in about 10% of the primary pulmonary adenocarcinomas. As a specific m...
Network Reduction and Time-Domain Simulation Approaches for Increased System Security

Recent blackouts have shown that system swings have a critical effect on the operation of protective relays. The common method of investigating system swings and their effect on relays is to use a stability program and determine the effective impedance seen by the relay. Unfortunately, it is difficult to test a relay scheme with the resulting impedance trajectory. The inputs to relays are voltage and current waveforms, not voltage and current phasors or impedances. This paper describes a method for generating the voltage and current waveforms associated with system swings. A transients simulation program, ATP-EMTP, is used with support from a stability program, PSS/E, to produce a reduced system model for simulation of the voltage and current waveforms while retaining the machine dynamics of interest. The first part of the paper will describe the differences in the modeling assumptions of the two programs and how to translate the modeling assumptions of one program to those of the other. The second part presents an example of a four machine, two-area system, reduced to a two machine, two-area system.
Applications of catalysts on soluble supports.

The use of soluble polymers as supports for catalysts is discussed and reviewed. Strategies where immobilized catalysts on soluble polymers are used in a monophasic reaction, but where the immobilized catalyst is recovered as an insoluble polymer-supported species in a liquid/solid separation step, are discussed. Such strategies include temperature perturbation, pH perturbation, and solvent precipitation as a means of producing a solid/liquid mixture for separation after a homogeneous reaction. Strategies where immobilized catalysts on soluble polymers are used in a monophasic reaction, but where the immobilized catalyst is recovered in one phase of a biphasic liquid/liquid mixture, are also described. Examples where temperature perturbation or additive addition are used as a means of producing a solid/liquid mixture for separation after a homogeneous reaction are discussed. Finally, examples where soluble polymers are used as supports homogeneously or biphasically and separated from products by membrane filtration or biphasic extraction are described. Open image in new window
A modified particle-particle approach to the charging of grain lattices within a dusty plasma

Abstract The grain-plasma coupling parameter (Γ) is examined for a dusty plasma. The possibility of the formation of an ordered structure (such as a Coulomb lattice) within a dusty plasma is considered. (It has been suggested that the Uranian rings may contain such ordered structures.) The results of a computer code developed to model grain lattice charging within a dusty plasma by means of a modified particle-particle method are discussed. This approach provides a method for studying the charging of the grain lattice immersed in a plasma while still including the collective effects caused by the interaction of the lattice with the plasma and the interparticle effects (both of the grains within the lattice and the particles which comprise the plasma). The interaction of the charged grain lattice with the grain-plasma coupling is examined.
Employee Benefits Managers' Opinions About Addiction Treatment

Employee benefits managers arrange addictive disease treatment insurance coverage for the majority of people in the United States but little is known about these decision-makers. Managers were surveyed to learn their opinions about addiction treatment. Subjects were 131 people (61 percent female, 94 percent white, average age 46, average of 14 years in the human resources field). Managers were asked to rank health benefits (physical health, dental, alcohol-drug, vision, mental health, employee assistance program, and pharmaceuticals) on 15 dimensions. Managers ranked alcohol-drug abuse treatment worst on fiveitems and second to the worst on another four of the 15 dimensions. On the item considered most important by the managers, respondents noted that employees often (2.8) ask for improved physical health benefits but rarely do so for alcohol and drug (4.1) benefits (p < .001). Education of workers and payers will be needed to change opinions about treatment of addictive disorders.
Lifetime of Injected Carriers in Germanium

A method is described for the determination of the lifetime of injected carriers in a semiconductor by measuring the variation of the sample conductance after a voltage pulse has produced excess carriers. Volume and surface recombinations are separated by varying the sample dimensions. It is shown that carefully etched surfaces give very small surface-recombination velocity. The lifetime in high-resistivity germanium does not correlate critically with the resistivity, but can be changed greatly by heat treatment. Quenching from temperatures above 500°C reduces the lifetime drastically before the resistivity is appreciably affected. Preliminary measurements on some N-type as well as P-type germanium samples at low temperatures indicate that the lifetime first decreases upon cooling from room temperature, but the N-type samples at liquid nitrogen temperatures show a rapid decay of excess conductance superimposed on a much longer decay.
Do bot flies, Cuterebra (Diptera: Cuterebridae), emasculate their hosts?

Asa Fitch, in his description of a new species of Cuterebra that he named “emasculator,” was the first to suggest that bot flies castrated their mammalian hosts. In recent years several major review papers and parasitology texts have continued to perpetuate this belief. A review of both the literature on bot Hies and their hosts and of the life cycles of both bots and hosts provides no evidence to substantiate castration. Eastern Chipmunks ( Tamias striatus ) experimentally infected with Cuterebra emasculator experienced no destruction of testicular tissue. The concept of castration may have been perpetuated by observations of bots in the scotal sac of a host. Superficial examination of a host with a bot(s) in the scrotum would suggest that the bot had consumed the testis; this is demonstrated on a White-footed Mouse ( Peromyscus leucopus ). We conclude that there is no evidence to support the notion that bot flies castrate their mammalian hosts. On extremely rare occasions, a bot may slightly displace a testis, and perhaps this temporarily reduces fertility.
Aplastic anemia following therapy for absence seizures with ethosuximide

We describe a case of aplastic anemia in an 8-year-old girl which was diagnosed 8 months after initiation of ethosuximide as treatment for absence seizures. Blood counts had been previously monitored and were normal. The patient successfully underwent allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. Only 8 cases of ethosuximide-associated aplastic anemia have been reported, and in only one of these reports, was ethosuximide used as a single antiepileptic agent. This rare, but potentially fatal complication of ethosuximide raises the question of whether routine monitoring of blood counts during ethosuximide therapy is useful and should be undertaken.
Compact InGaAsP/InP 1×2 optical switch based on carrier induced supression of modal interference

A novel, compact optical switch designed for use with integrated amplifiers to create more scalable photonic crossconnects is reported. The basic operation of the switch is described and experimentally verified. On/off ratios of 16.2 dB (7.5 dB) in the bar (cross) state are demonstrated with currents < 30 mA and a very low bar state excess loss of 0.5 dB.
Robot social presence and gender: do females view robots differently than males?

Social-psychological processes in humans will play an important role in long-term human-robot interactions. This study investigates people's perceptions of social presence in robots during (relatively) short interactions. Findings indicate that males tend to think of the robot as more human-like and accordingly show some evidence of "social facilitation" on an arithmetic task as well as more socially desirable responding on a survey administered by a robot. In contrast, females saw the robot as more machine-like, exhibited less socially desirable responding to the robot's survey, and were not socially facilitated by the robot while engaged in the arithmetic tasks. Various alternative accounts of these findings are explored and the implications of these results for future work are discussed.
Helicopter Evacuation of Trauma Victims in Los Angeles: Does It Improve Survival? Reply to Letter

We thank Dr. Hardcastle for his interest in and careful review of our article on the use of helicopters for transporting trauma victims in the metropolitan Los Angeles area [1]. In his letter [2], Dr. Hardcastle expressed concerns regarding the validity of our results which detected no difference in mortality between helicopterand ground-transported patients for whom the transportation time exceeded 30 min. Dr. Hardcastle based these concerns on the fact that airlifted patients were more severely injured than their groundtransported counterparts, suggesting that this may have introduced bias into our results. Dr. Hardcastle proposed a comparison of the observed mortality with the predicted mortality to reveal a possible clinically significant difference in survival. Control of bias in retrospective studies may be challenging. However, the methodology that Dr. Hardcastle proposed to control for bias in our study will not improve the validity of the obtained results. To attain the predicted mortality we would need to utilize one of the scoring systems available, such as the revised trauma score (RTS) [3] or the trauma and injury severity score (TRISS) [4]. The use of these scores, however, has proven to be of limited value in predicting outcomes [5, 6]. In addition, we do not share the view that we would solve the issue of identifying clinically significant difference by comparing the actual mortality with the predicted mortality obtained from such scoring systems. Nevertheless, in our analysis we used the vast majority of the variables upon which the calculation of these scores is based, such as GCS, blood pressure, and ISS. In addition, we used multivariable logistic regression to control for possible confounders. Therefore, it is expected that there will not be any difference between the compared groups with respect to observed and predicted mortality. Nonetheless, we agree that a survival benefit for patients transported by helicopter may not have been clarified without any doubt in our studied population. The adjusted odds ratio (95% CI) of 0.72 (0.22, 2.35), depending on what we define as clinically significant difference, may cross the zone of clinical indifference and may therefore indicate that our results ought to be interpreted cautiously. This issue can be solved only by increasing the sample size. We thank Dr. Hardcastle again for his insightful comments and we hope that we have addressed his concerns.
Internalization and degradation of the glutamate transporter GLT-1 in response to phorbol ester.

Activation of protein kinase C (PKC) decreases the activity and cell surface expression of the predominant forebrain glutamate transporter, GLT-1. In the present study, C6 glioma were used as a model system to define the mechanisms that contribute to this decrease in cell surface expression and to determine the fate of internalized transporter. As was previously observed, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) caused a decrease in biotinylated GLT-1. This effect was blocked by sucrose or by co-expression with a dominant-negative variant of dynamin 1, and it was attenuated by co-expression with a dominant-negative variant of the clathrin heavy chain. Depletion of cholesterol with methyl-β-cyclodextrin, co-expression with a dominant-negative caveolin-1 mutant (Cav1/S80E), co-expression with dominant-negative variants of Eps15 (epidermal-growth-factor receptor pathway substrate clone 15), or co-expression with dominant-negative Arf6 (T27N) had no effect on the PMA-induced loss of biotinylated GLT-1. Long-term treatment with PMA caused a time-dependent loss of biotinylated GLT-1 and decreased the levels of GLT-1 protein. Inhibitors of lysosomal degradation (chloroquine or ammonium chloride) or co-expression with a dominant-negative variant of a small GTPase implicated in trafficking to lysosomes (Rab7) prevented the PMA-induced decrease in protein and caused an intracellular accumulation of GLT-1. These results suggest that the PKC-induced redistribution of GLT-1 is dependent upon clathrin-mediated endocytosis. These studies identify a novel mechanism by which the levels of GLT-1 could be rapidly down-regulated via lysosomal degradation. The possibility that this mechanism may contribute to the loss of GLT-1 observed after acute insults to the CNS is discussed.