cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Expression of angiogenic factors and tumoral response after transcatheter intraarrterial treatment of rabbit VX-2 liver tumors using a novel iron-oxide nanoparticle drug delivery system

Purpose To investigate tissue response and expression of angiogenic factors after targeted transcatheter intraarterial (IA) treatment of the rabbit VX-2 liver tumor using iron-oxide nanoparticles (IONP) for drug delivery. Materials and Methods VX-2 tumors were implanted in the left liver lobe of 30 New Zealand White rabbits which were subsequently treated when tumor size reached 2 cm. Two groups received 1.0 mg/kg Doxorubicin (Dox) either by IA IONP delivery via the left hepatic artery (n=14) or IV IONP delivery via the marginal ear vein. Another 2 groups received free Doxorubicin either by IA (n=4) or IV (n=6) administration. Animals were sacrificed serially at 3 hours, 24 hours, and 7 days after treatment. Liver explants were collected for immunohistochemistry with hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF1-α), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFR-α), and platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta (PDGFR-β) in addition to histologic scoring of necrosis and microvascular invasion in both tumoral and peritumoral areas. Results were analyzed using statistical software. Results For IA IONP delivery of Doxorubicin, tumoral PDGR-α levels decreased significantly as sacrifice times increased from 3 to 24 hrs (3 vs 2.12; p=0.0367). Additionally, tumoral HIF1-α levels increased significantly as sacrifice time increased from 3 hrs to 7 days (2 vs 3; p=0.0179). Post-treatment peritumoral levels of PDGR-α were significantly higher for the IA IONP treatment group compared to IV IONP delivery (2.428 vs 1.8333; p=0.0436). Overall, as sacrifice times increased from 3 hrs, 24 hrs, and 7 days, peritumoral levels of VEGF increased significantly (2.25 vs 2.77; p=.0294). Post-treatment levels of VEGF also increased in tumoral areas from 24 hrs to 7 days (2.5 vs 3; p=.0415). Conclusion Targeted intraarterial iron-oxide nanoparticle-mediated delivery of chemotherapy induces an exact tissue response and sustained differential expression of immunohistocemical indicators of angiogenesis and hypoxia in both tumoral and peritumoral areas for several days after treatment.
From Modern Standard Arabic to Levantine ASR: Leveraging GALE for dialects

We report a series of experiments about how we can progress from Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) to Levantine ASR, in the context of the GALE DARPA program. While our GALE models achieved very low error rates, we still see error rates twice as high when decoding dialectal data. In this paper, we make use of a state-of-the-art Arabic dialect recognition system to automatically identify Levantine and MSA subsets in mixed speech of a variety of dialects including MSA. Training separate models on these subsets, we show a significant reduction in word error rate over using the entire data set to train one system for both dialects. During decoding, we use a tree array structure to mix Levantine and MSA models automatically using the posterior probabilities of the dialect classifier as soft weights. This technique allows us to mix these models without sacrificing performance for either varieties. Furthermore, using the initial acoustic-based dialect recognition system's output, we show that we can bootstrap a text-based dialect classifier and use it to identify relevant text data for building Levantine language models. Moreover, we compare different vowelization approaches when transitioning from MSA to Levantine models.
Myotonic muscular dystrophy: morphology, histochemistry, and growth characteristics of cultured skin fibroblasts.

The genetic defect in myotonic muscular dystrophy (MyD) is expressed in several tissues. Evidence of the expression of this defect in MyD fibroblasts was sought by comparing them with normal fibroblasts. Reports describing increased alcianophilia and metachromasia in MyD fibroblasts could not be confirmed. Furthermore, no differences were observed with phase contrast microscopy or scanning and transmission electron microscopy, in histochemical studies, in growth characteristics, or in 35S-sulfate incorporation studies.
Coherent Higgs and W ± pair production

Cross sections for the coherent electromagnetic production of the intermediate vector bosons and the Higgs boson in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions are calculated from standard electroweak theory. The distributions of the resulting decay products are also considered. Particular attention is given to the energy regime of the Superconducting Supercollider and the CERN Large Hadron Collider.
Effects of ion bombardment on Na and Cl motion in SiO 2 thin films

The effects of light and heavy ion bombardment on Na and Cl motion in SiO 2 thin films have been studied using proton-induced characteristic x-ray (PIX) and Rutherford backscattering (RBS) techniques. Results show that both Na and Cl atoms may be trapped in the oxides by implantation damage. Release does not occur under ionizing irradiation (proton bombardment). Partial release or motion does occur after annealing to 700°C or by further heavy ion bombardments. Na motion is consistent with the movement of single Na+ ions in the oxide. In contrast, the movement of Cl atoms appears to be dominated by enhanced Cl diffusion or by motion of positive Cl-defect complexes whenever heavy ion bombardment damage is introduced.
Arthroscopic versus open distal clavicle resection: a biomechanical analysis on a cadaveric model.

Abstract Summary: A fresh cadaver shoulder model was used to evaluate the difference in joint laxity between arthroscopic and open distal clavicle resection procedures. Twelve shoulders were mounted in a load frame that allowed compressive loading of the distal clavicle into the acromion. Specimens were loaded to 100 N (20 N/sec) while load and deformation data were recorded for three conditions: (1) intact, (2) 5-mm closed resection, and (3) 10-mm open resection. The displacement at the 100-N load and the stiffness of the load/displacement curves were compared for the intact, arthroscopic, and open procedures. Significant differences (ANOVA, P ≤ .05) in displacement and stiffness were observed between the intact joint and both surgically resected joints. No significant differences were observed between the two surgically resected joints. The amount of bone removed arthroscopically was sufficient to prevent further bony contact in the axially loaded acromioclavicular joint. Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery, Vol 15, No 3 (April), 1999: pp 237–240
Cardiac reoperation in the intensive care unit

Abstract Background . At our institution, cardiac reoperations are routinely performed in the cardiac intensive care unit, as opposed to taking these patients back to the operating room. Our hypothesis was that reoperation in a cardiac intensive care unit does not increase sternal infection rate. Methods . A retrospective analysis was performed on 6,908 adult patients undergoing cardiac operation over a 9-year period. Excluding those in cardiac arrest, 340 (4.9%) patients underwent reoperation in the cardiac intensive care unit, of which 289 survived (85%). Results . Of the 289 patients who survived reoperation in the intensive care unit, 6 developed wound infections that required operative debridement (2.1%), which was not significantly different from those patients not requiring reoperation (1.9%, 121 of 6,497, p = 0.70). Hospital charges for a 2-hour reoperation in the intensive care unit and operating room are approximately $1,972/patient and $5,832/patient, respectively. Conclusions . Reoperation in the intensive care unit does not increase wound infection rate compared to those without reoperation. Decreased charges, avoiding transport of potentially unstable patients, quicker time to intervention, and convenience are advantages of reoperation in an intensive care unit.
Supervisors in R&D laboratories: using technical, people, and administrative skills effectively

A study of 2172 technical professionals finds that the more their supervisors possess technical, but in particular, people and administrative skills, the more their work environment is stimulating. Moreover, the more their work environment is stimulating, the greater their performance and job satisfaction. In addition, the study finds that the more their work environment is stimulating, the less the technical and people skills of their supervisors help their performance and job satisfaction, the less the administrative skills of their supervisors hurt their performance, and the more the administrative skills of their supervisors help their job satisfaction. The implications of the findings for helping R&D supervisors use technical, people, and administrative skills effectively to increase the performance and job satisfaction of their subordinates are discussed.
The physician's disease: the impact of medical knowledge on personal illness.

OBJECTIVE: When physicians confront a personal illness of a serious nature, they may discover that the transition to the sick role is challenging, and the inability to relinquish their stethoscope may cause undo anxiety. The physician-patient relationship is intrinsically asymmetrical, and the role of the physician is to regulate the amount of information patients need in order to become educated about their illness and to make informed decisions about their treatment plan. This article explores the challenges in the physician-patient relationship when the patient is also a physician. METHODS: This article is a literature review of publications involving the unique challenges physician-patients experience when suffering from serious personal illness. RESULTS: The medical knowledge physician-patients harbor has the potential to complicate their ability to cope with difficult or terminal diagnoses. Paradoxically, knowledge about a condition may fuel anxiety instead of alleviating the fear associated with the unknown. Medical knowledge therefore may entail a certain loss of innocence, and physicians are often unable to revert to being "mere" patients. Furthermore, managing this anxiety in physician-patients may prove to be challenging to the treating physician. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: From a medical perspective, physician-patients need to be addressed like any other patient. Psychologically, however, these patients are unique, and the specific challenges their education and experience bring into the consultation room needs to be explicitly addressed.
Predictors of Middle School Students' Use of Self-Handicapping Strategies

Recently, attention has been focused on the strategies children use in school to portray themselves as able to others. By procrastinating, allowing others to keep them from studying, deliberately n...
Comparison of ventricular geometry for two real time 3D ultrasound machines with three dimensional level set

This paper presents new results for segmentation of 3D ultrasound using a robust and smooth segmentation method based on a homogeneity-driven three dimensional level set algorithm. The segmentation was applied to echocardiographic data from healthy volunteers acquired with two 3D ultrasound machines based on matrix-phased array technology. A comparison of ventricular volumes and geometry is performed based on manual and automatic methods of segmentation. Results showed good agreement of the segmentation methods and the ultrasound machines for ventricular geometry and quantitative assessment of cardiac function.
Emerging Risk Factors for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome and Risk Reduction Education

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) impairs the functioning of the immune system. A person with AIDS is vulnerable to opportunistic infections and certain cancers that normally do not affect healthy people. T-cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV-III) has been identified as the probable cause of AIDS. A test has been developed to detect an antibody to the HTLV-III virus. The rate of exposure to the virus, as measured by this test, has risen from 0–1% in 1978 to as high as 87% in recent studies of all the high risk groups. Four to nineteen percent of persons that have the antibody to the HTLV-III virus have developed AIDS during follow-up periods of one to five years. There is no cure. The Centers for Disease Control predicts that over 8,000 new cases will be reported in 1985. AIDS is no longer confined to major metropolitan areas. Efforts to control the spread must focus on preventing the transmission of the virus. Transmission through sexual contact is a primary method. Gay and bisexual men are a...
Prevention of Elder Mistreatment in Nursing Homes: Competencies for Direct-Care Staff

Existing training on elder mistreatment in nursing homes focuses on detection and reporting of abuse, with little training specifically targeted toward prevention of mistreatment before it occurs. We used qualitative interviews with nursing home staff, policy makers, and related professionals to identify training needs. Based on participant accounts, we drafted a number of competencies essential for caregiver training to prevent mistreatment in nursing homes. Competencies include those dealing with definitions and policies, risks for mistreatment, communication and respect in relationships with residents, and development of a cooperative work environment. Competencies are discussed along with illustrative examples, and implications for practice and policy are addressed.
High-power nearly diffraction-limited AlGaAs-InGaAs semiconductor slab-coupled optical waveguide laser

Beam-quality measurements on the output of a 915-nm AlGaAs-InGaAs-GaAs slab-coupled optical waveguide laser (SCOWL) are reported. This device had a nearly circular mode (3.8 /spl mu/m by 3.4 /spl mu/m 1/e/sup 2/ widths in the near-field) and was capable of a single-ended continuous-wave output power of greater than 1 W. Measurements of M/sup 2/ indicate that the SCOWL output beam is nearly diffraction-limited in both directions with M/sub x//sup 2/ /spl sim/ M/sub y//sup 2/ /spl sim/ 1.1 over the entire range of output powers measured.
Household Decisions, Gender, and Development: A Synthesis of Recent Research

Household Decisions, Gender, and Development: A Synthesis of Recent Research, edited by Agnes R. Quisumbing. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003. 274 pp. ISBN-13: 978-0-89629-717-3, ISB...
Electoral Manipulations and Fraud in Parliamentary Elections: The Case of Ukraine

This study examines the mechanisms through which the ruling party won a plurality of votes using a combination of legal changes and manipulative practices during the 2012 parliamentary election in Ukraine. Legal changes in electoral rules—the replacement of proportional representation to a mixed system—helped the ruling party weaken the opposition parties. These changes enabled the ruling party to engage in manipulation and fraud during campaigning and on election day by suppressing competition, crowding out the races with “technical” parties and “clone” candidates, and manipulating the composition of electoral commissions. The change of electoral system also enabled outright fraud on election day. a combination of these techniques disrupted both the contestation and participation dimensions of democracy, effectively pushing Ukraine into a state of competitive authoritarianism.
Optimal Sampling for Identifying a Cluster: An Application in Sorting

We consider the following problem. For a given population of m items, we have to make a decision whether or not the population includes a relatively large cluster of identical items. This decision affects the effectiveness of a subsequent computational process, depending on the actual existence of the cluster and its size. To make a good decision, we use a statistical sample which should indicate the existence of a cluster and find a representative thereof. This paper describes the optimal sampling technique to be used in such a case, given the cost of the sampling and the potential gain in speed of the subsequent process. The optimal fixed sample size is specified, as well as the optimal sequential sampling, along with characterizing the dependence of the cost function on the truncation point.For the case that the a priori distribution of the cluster proportion is known, we present formulae by which the optimal sampling procedures can be easily calculated. For the common situation in which the a priori distribution is not known, we present, in the case of a fixed sample size, a tight upper bound for the sample size, which is independent of the a priori distribution, and for the case of the sequential sampling, we present an approximately optimal truncation point, which is also independent of the a priori distribution.The situation described arose in connection with choosing the best sorting method, an application that will be described in full detail. The most interesting practical result is that for our application truncating the sequential procedure at 35 observations, out of a population of 25,000–30,000 items, guarantees that in our sorting application we are always within 2.1% of the optimal cost independently of the a priori distribution.
Methods of Optimal Lyapunov Function Generation with Application to Power Electronic Converters and Systems

Stability is an important design consideration in power electronics systems. To this end, it is often of interest to predict the region of attraction (ROA) associated with a stable equilibrium point. In the case of the presence of constraints that need to be satisfied, one is faced with the problem of estimating a restricted ROA (RROA). Recently practical methods for estimating RROAs have been proposed for relatively high order systems. In this paper, a proposal is set forth for the problem of finding a Lyapunov function that yields an estimated restricted region of attraction that is close to the true restricted region of attraction. Numerical examples illustrate the proposed methods.
Myocardial infarction in young adults: risk factors and clinical features.

Abstract To define the risk factors and clinical presentation of patients under age 40 who present to the emergency department (ED) of a community hospital with an acute myocardial infarction (MI), a retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted over a 7-year period. Two hundred and nine consecutive cases of initial MI who met World Health Organization criteria (chest pain, ECG changes, and serum enzyme rises) and were admitted to one of five participating hospitals were reviewed. The mean age of patients was 34.8 years (range, 17–39); 81% were male. The major risk factor was tobacco use (81%), followed by family history (40%), hypertension (26%), and hyperlipidemia (20%). One hundred and eighty-three patients (87.6%) had ECG evidence of cardiac ischemia, injury, or infarction in the ED. Approximately 24% of patients had multi-vessel coronary atherosclerosis as documented by angiography; 62% had single vessel disease; and 14% had normal coronary arteries. The most common anatomical location for the MI was the inferior wall. This study characterized the epidemiology of acute MI in young adults: 1) smoking emerged as the main coronary risk factor; 2) atherosclerosis continues to be the major etiology; 3) a common finding on angiography was single-vessel disease causing infarction of the inferior wall; and 4) the complication rate was comparable to older populations, but the inhospital mortality was only 1.9%.
Notes on contemporary table recognition

The shift of interest to web tables in HTML and PDF files, coupled with the incorporation of table analysis and conversion routines in commercial desktop document processing software, are likely to turn table recognition into more of a systems than an algorithmic issue. We illustrate the transition by some actual examples of web table conversion. We then suggest that the appropriate target format for table analysis, whether performed by conventional customized programs or by off-the-shelf software, is a representation based on the abstract table introduced by X. Wang in 1996. We show that the Wang model is adequate for some useful tasks that prove elusive for less explicit representations, and outline our plans to develop a semi-automated table processing system to demonstrate this approach. Screen-snaphots of a prototype tool to allow table mark-up in the style of Wang are also presented.
Secondary case review methods and anatomic pathology culture.

In this issue of the Journal , Owens and colleagues1 at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), Pittsburgh, PA, describe the development of a patient safety information technology (IT) tool. Because this tool only recently has been implemented, Owens et al1 chose not to evaluate the effectiveness of the tool as a patient safety improvement initiative and preferred to evaluate the tool on its effect on timeliness, another Institute of Medicine (IOM) quality metric.2 The work of Owens et al1 highlights the relationship of patient safety to other quality domains, error detection, and quality improvement in surgical pathology. The IOM defined 6 domains of quality: safety, effectiveness, efficiency, timeliness, equity, and patient centeredness.2 During the past several decades, most of the published work in the anatomic pathology medical literature has focused on the domains of safety and timeliness. The 6 quality domains are not independent, as illustrated by the data reported by Owens et al.1 For many surgical pathologists, the mantra has become “get it right and get it (out) fast,” and efforts to change a specific practice domain (eg, safety) may lead to unforeseen changes in other domains (eg, timeliness). The fact that Owens et al1 measured turnaround time indicated that they were concerned that possible delays in case sign-out may have occurred because of newly introduced processes. Owens et al1 reported a slight increase in median case turnaround time following implementation of their patient safety IT tool. Outlier analysis was not performed, which possibly is a more important measure. Barriers to improve a specific quality metric are many and include the lack of organizational commitment or focus and investment in competing quality metrics. Organizational culture strongly affects the ability of front-line personnel to improve health care delivery, especially safe …
An on-chip double-bit error-correcting code for three-dimensional dynamic random-access memory

An error-correcting code is described which can correct up to two soft errors on each work line within a DRAM (dynamic random-access memory) chip. Three dimensional DRAM chips with trench-type capacitors are vulnerable to double-bit soft errors when an alpha particle strikes at the intervening space between two vertical capacitors setting off a plasma discharge between them. The author presents a systematic study of soft-error related problems, and discusses the methodologies to correct the double-bit memory-cells upsets by using on-chip ECC (error-correcting code) circuits. A comprehensive study is made to estimate the improvement in soft-error rate (SER) and mean time between failure (MTBF) by the proposed ECC technique. The ability of the circuit to correct soft errors in the presence of multiple-bit errors has also been analyzed using combinational enumeration. >
Subband image coding using a fixed-rate lattice vector quantizer

We present a fixed-rate lattice VQ (FRLVQ) for subband image coding. The fixed-rate lattice VQ is an extension of the entropy-coded lattice vector quantizer (ECLVQ) [Mohdyusof and Fischer, 1994]. For an error-free channel, image coding using ECLVQ provides competitive performance with other methods. ECLVQ is a variable length coder, hence a single bit error in the encoded bit stream could lead to error propagation resulting in severe degradation in image quality. A fixed-rate lattice VQ is constructed from the ECLVQ by grouping together several vectors as a "macroblock". The macroblock is encoded at a fixed rate, while allowing a variety of encoding rates for each vector in the macroblock. In the event of a transmission error, error propagation is confined to that particular macroblock. In this work we assume the encoded bit stream is transmitted over a binary symmetric channel. The simulation results show that the FRLVQ subband image coding provides competitive performance with other fixed-rate image coding systems. The simulation results also indicate FRLVQ performance degrades gracefully in the presence of channel noise.
Acquired factor VII deficiency associated with aplastic anaemia: correction with bone marrow transplantation.

Summary. We report a patient with severe aiplastic anaemia found to have a prolonged prothrombin time due to acquired factor VII deficiency. No evidence for a factor VII inhibitor or inactivator was demonstrable. Laboratory studies identified deficiency both of factor VII activity and factor VII antigen. The factor VII deficiency persisted from clinical presentation until approximately 50 d after allogeneic marrow transplantation when restoration of factor VII activity;and antigen was noted. The patient's serum could be depleted of factor VII activity by in vitro incubation with Protein A bound to Sepharose, suggesting the presence of an IgCl or IgG containing complex able to bind factor VII, but not neutralize its procoagulant activity. A dual specificity solid phase immunoassay identified a factor VII binding immunoglobulin which was detectable throughout the course of factor VII deficiency. The concordant appearance of this factor VII reactive immunoglobulin and the factor VII deficiency suggested the pathologic role of this immunoglobulin in the aetiology of the factor VII deficiency. This factor VII binding immunoglobulin may have induced rapid plasma clearance of the factor VII molecule or, alternatively, may have modified factor VII synthesis. The immunosuppressive therapy and subsequent lymphohaematopoietic engraftment following allogeneic marrow transplant was accompanied by complete resolution of the factor VII deficiency.
Optical microcavities

Microcavity physics and design will be reviewed. Following an overview of applications in quantum optics, communications and biosensing, recent advances in ultra-high-Q research will be presented.
The Breakfast table.

THE BREAKFAST TABLE Allison L. Egnew April 15,2005 Inspired by William Butler Yeats and his theory that "A poet ... never speaks directly as to someone at the breakfast table ... " from "A General Introduction for My Work" this poetic thesis examines everyday occurrences in an often conversational tone. Devoid of overly descriptive or heavy language, it is an intentional deviation from the typical poetic dogma. These poems cover such events as death, cemeteries, the end and beginning of various relationships, coffee cups, and old houses. The common strand is not necessarily in theme but comes instead from voice and style. The power of this poetry is intended to come from the way in which things are said, not the words used to say them. Additionally, the reader should gain an almost immediate understanding of the work than need poetic interpretive skills to gain access to meaning.
Towards Relevancy Aware Service Oriented Systems in WSNs

The increasing interest of researchers in service oriented architecture (SOA) for wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is opening new unexplored venues in the field of WSNs. In service oriented systems, services are configured and composed of various other services and thus perform complex tasks. In such composite services, the geospatial locations of services and their coverage is of vital importance as they signify the geospatial relevance of the service to the area of interest to the user. In this paper, we present a service-oriented system for WSNs that is capable of performing service configuration under geospatial and relevancy constraints. We present and evaluate “ Cost Based Model (CBM) ” and “ Gain Based Model (GBM) ” approaches to capture the relevancy of services hosted on WSN nodes in composite service configuration. The system is resilient to failures and can operate in manual or autonomous recovery modes. The system supports three service configuration methods namely, distributed , centralized and hybrid . Furthermore, we present a novel emulation mechanism for testing the performance of our proposed relevancy models and show that our system efficiently configures services.
Pathophysiology of Acute Glomerulonephritis

Acute glomerulonephritis—or the acute nephritic syndrome—produces a constellation of effects including disruption of renal hemodynamics, proteinuria and hematuria, primary renal sodium and water re...
Trap-door durotomy for ventral calcified thoracic meningioma

Abstract Ventral calcified meningiomas of the upper thoracic spine provide a unique challenge due to their location. The posterior approach has long been utilized for resection of ventral meningiomas with high success rates and low morbidity. There are a number of anatomical factors that can increase the difficulty in the case including patient body habitus, calcified tumors ventrally located can be adherent to the cord or anterior spinal artery, angle of the ribs and the vascularity in and around the tumor. We present a very challenging case of a large ventral calcified meningioma at T4 in a patient with body mass index of 50 (5′6, 337 lbs) who presented with progressive paraplegia.
Dermatomal spread following posterior transversus abdominis plane block in pediatric patients: our initial experience.

Introduction Several techniques for the transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block have been described. The extent of sensory changes using an ultrasound-guided posterior TAP block (pTAP) remains unclear in pediatric patients. The primary aim of this study was to report the extent of sensory changes achieved with pTAP; specifically the highest thoracic dermatome anesthetized. Secondary outcomes were pain scores (PS), opioid consumption, and complications. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients less than 21 years of age undergoing abdominal surgery with a unilateral or bilateral pTAP(s) for postoperative analgesia. The local anesthetic was placed posterior to the termination of the transversus abdominis muscle where the thoracolumbar fascia overrides the quadratus lumborum muscle. The extent of sensory changes, pain scores, and opioid consumption were analyzed. Results A total of 10 patients (15 pTAP blocks) met the inclusion criteria. The mean (sd; range) age and weight were 15 years (5 years; range 7–20 years) and 57 kg (21 kg; 27–97 kg), respectively. The cephalad dermatome levels achieved were: T7 in 6/15 (40%); T8 in 10/15 (67%); and T9 in 14/15 (93%). An inferior dermatome level of T12/L1 and sensory extension from midaxillary line to the midline was documented in 15/15 blocks. The mean intraoperative and postanesthesia care unit (PACU) opioid consumption in morphine equivalents were 0.34 mg·kg−1 (sd = 0.12 mg·kg−1) and 0.04 mg·kg−1 (sd = 0.05 mg·kg−1), respectively. PACU pain scores were mild ( 7) in 10% of patients. No complications were reported. Discussion The current uncertainty regarding sensory blockade limits the clinical application of TAP blocks. While the midaxillary approach results in unpredictable sensory changes of the abdomen, we reliably achieved sensory changes up to a T9 level in 93% of the blocks. Conclusion In this small series of patients, we demonstrate a high technical success rate of achieving cutaneous analgesia to the abdominal wall. These results should encourage clinical studies of the efficacy of this block for abdominal surgery in pediatric patients.
Diagnostic Biopsy of a Motor Branch of the Superficial Peroneal Nerve to the Peroneus Longus: A Convenient Alternative for Motor Nerve Biopsy

Background Motor nerve biopsy is performed to supplement clinical, serologic, and imaging data in the workup of neuropathies of unknown origin, especially when motor neuron disease is suspected. Methods We describe a surgical technique for biopsy of a motor branch of the superficial peroneal nerve innervating the peroneus longus muscle. Results Three patients presented with weakness concerning for motor neuropathy and underwent biopsy of a motor branch of the superficial peroneal nerve innervating the peroneus longus muscle. The surgical technique is described in detail. Biopsied tissue was sufficient for pathologic diagnosis. No patient suffered postsurgical sensory or motor deficits related to the procedure. No patient suffered postsurgical complications. Conclusions Biopsy of the motor branch of the superficial peroneal nerve to the peroneus longus is a safe and effective alternative for motor nerve biopsy and can be easily combined with peroneus longus muscle biopsy.
Abstract 617: The Consomic LH-17LN Rat Is A Single Chromosome Model Of Metabolic Syndrome

The Lyon Hypertensive (LH) rat is an inbred model of Metabolic Syndrome, exhibiting spontaneous hypertension, high body weight, high plasma lipids, altered insulin:glucose ratio. The Lyon Normotensive (LN) control strain, selectively bred for normal blood pressure from the same Sprague Dawley (SD) colony, is genetically quite similar to the LH, but displays no features of MetS. Genetic mapping in an LHxLN cross determined that all of the MetS phenotypes mapped to rat chromosome (RNO 17). In order to identify the gene(s) causing MetS on RNO17 we generated a consomic strain (LH-17 LN ) where the LH RNO17 was replaced with that of the LN strain. Substitution of the single chromosome was sufficient to significantly lower blood pressure lower systolic blood pressure (145 + 2 vs. 161 + 2 mmHg; p in silico utilizing the genome sequence of the LH and LN rat strains. The genomes of the LH and LN strains are highly similar, differing by in vivo and in silico approaches allowed for the identification of candidate causal variants for the phenotypes on RNO17 and will be studied further to determine their role(s) in MetS.
The transcription factor MafB promotes anti-inflammatory M2 polarization and cholesterol efflux in macrophages

Macrophages play pivotal roles in the progression and regression of atherosclerosis. Accumulating evidence suggests that macrophage polarization into an anti-inflammatory M2 state is a key characteristic of atherosclerotic plaques undergoing regression. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this potential association of the M2 polarization with atherosclerosis regression remain poorly understood. Further, human genetic factors that facilitate these anti-atherogenic processes remain largely unknown. We report that the transcription factor MafB plays pivotal roles in promoting macrophage M2 polarization. Further, MafB promotes cholesterol efflux from macrophage foam cells by directly up-regulating its key cellular mediators. Notably, MafB expression is significantly up-regulated in response to various metabolic and immunological stimuli that promote macrophage M2 polarization or cholesterol efflux, and thereby MafB mediates their beneficial effects, in both liver x receptor (LXR)-dependent and independent manners. In contrast, MafB is strongly down-regulated upon elevated pro-inflammatory signaling or by pro-inflammatory and pro-atherogenic microRNAs, miR-155 and miR-33. Using an integrative systems biology approach, we also revealed that M2 polarization and cholesterol efflux do not necessarily represent inter-dependent events, but MafB is broadly involved in both the processes. These findings highlight physiological protective roles that MafB may play against atherosclerosis progression.
Are Momentum Strategies Still Profitable for U.S. Equity

This paper examines the performance of momentum strategies in previous years, and evaluates the effectiveness of the Fama and French 3-Factor Model and the Carhart 4-Factor Model in predicting momentum returns. Momentum strategies are less profitable after the time period considered in Jegadeesh and Titman (2001), and actually produce negative returns on average in the previous five years. The Fama and French 3-Factor Model performs well predicting returns for each individual portfolio constructed based off returns, but does poorly explaining the momentum strategy portfolio returns. Alternatively, the Carhart 4-Factor Model does a good job explaining the momentum strategy portfolio returns.
Filling the Gaps: Improving Sampling and Analysis of Disease Surveillance Data in Galápagos

Emerging infectious diseases in wildlife are of conservation concern worldwide, including on the Galapagos Archipelago, where isolation, small population sizes, and naive immune systems place the birds of Galapagos at potentially higher risk of devastating impacts of disease. Wildlife disease data from surveillance efforts, whether active or passive, are invaluable because they provide a baseline understanding of what diseases are present in a system, serve as an early warning sign of an ecosystem health issue, and provide managers with information about the efficacy of disease mitigation efforts. We have learned an enormous amount about diseases affecting Galapagos avifauna in the last 20 years or so, but gaps in our understanding exist because of the challenges posed by issues with imperfect detection of hosts, parasites and pathogens, and the diseases they cause as well as uncertainty about the size of the population of the target host. Nonetheless, sampling design and analytical approaches borrowed from population and community ecology offer a suite of tools to help fill the gaps in our knowledge about diseases in wildlife in Galapagos and beyond.
Changes in alcohol policies and practices in bars and restaurants after completion of manager-focused responsible service training.

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS Irresponsible and illegal serving practices at bars and restaurants, such as sales to obviously intoxicated patrons, can lead to various public health harms. Training managers of bars and restaurants in the development and promotion of responsible alcohol policies may help prevent risky and illegal alcohol serving practices. DESIGN AND METHODS We implemented a training program for managers of bars/restaurants designed to establish and promote responsible beverage service policies/practices. The program included online and in-person components. Bars/restaurants were randomised to intervention (n = 171) and control (n = 163) groups. To assess changes in policies/practices, we surveyed managers prior to and at 1 and 6 months post-training. Logistic regression models assessed changes in policies/practices across time points. RESULTS The proportion in the intervention group that had written alcohol policies increased from 62% to 95% by 6 months post-training while the control group increased from 65% to 79% (P < 0.05). Similarly, by 6 months post-training 70% of managers in the intervention group reported they had communicated to their staff how to cut off intoxicated patrons, a significant increase from baseline (37%) and from the change observed in the control group (43%-56%). Prevalence of other policies/practices also increased post-training but differences between intervention and control groups were not statistically significant. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Our training program appears to have led to implementation of some policies/practices. Additional studies are needed to determine how training can be combined with other strategies to further improve establishment policies and ultimately reduce alcohol-related harms.
Association of Blood Pressure Measurements With Peripheral Artery Disease Events.

Background: Current guidelines recommend treating hypertension in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) to reduce the risk of cardiac events and stroke, but the effect of reducing blood pre...
Use of a community trail among new and habitual exercisers: a preliminary assessment.

INTRODUCTION We evaluated physical activity patterns and trail use among new and habitually active exercisers using onsite trail interviews. METHODS Using a cross-sectional study design, 414 adults who accessed two new trails that bisect a rural community of 26,809 residents were interviewed during the first summer of the trails' official operation (2001). The trails comprise 12 miles of level and paved surface and run parallel to adjacent water sheds, businesses, and neighborhoods. Recent trail activity patterns were obtained, including the following: frequency of use, mode of activity, duration, distance traveled on trail, access points, time of day used, use of exercise companions, and distance traveled to get to trail. Perceived enablers and barriers related to trail use were also obtained. Data were compared between newly adopted exercisers (new exercisers) and individuals active prior to development of the trails (habitually active exercisers). RESULTS Twenty-three percent of the trail users were new exercisers. New exercisers were more dependent on the trails as a primary outlet for physical activity than were habitually active exercisers (P < .001). New exercisers traveled shorter distances to access the trails and rated convenience as a primary reason for using them. Both safety and terrain issues emerged as enablers for trail use, and unsafe conditions emerged as a concern among new exercisers. CONCLUSION A community trail may be an important vehicle for promoting physically active lifestyles. However, new exercisers must overcome issues of proximal and safe access from residential areas in addition to other safety concerns to achieve regular physical activity.
Why and how to combine chemotherapy and radiation therapy in breast cancer patients

In this review, we discuss the reasons why it is important to consider combining adjuvant chemotherapy (CT) and radiotherapy (RT), the various considerations involved in designing the optimal combination, and the available evidence regarding the optimal combination. We stress here our past experience as well as information obtained from randomized controlled trials.
The Bayesian Multilevel Trifactor Item Response Theory Model.

Advancements in item response theory (IRT) have led to models for dual dependence, which control for cluster and method effects during a psychometric analysis. Currently, however, this class of mod...
More than Multiple Choice: A Toolbox for Incorporating Clickers into Political Science Courses.

“Active learning” strategies—peer instruction, simulations, hands-on activities, and the like—improve student performance and engagement. However, instructors often struggle to incorporate these te...
Convolutional Neural Network for Satellite Image Classification

Multimedia applications and processing is an exciting topic, and it is a key of many applications of artificial intelligent like video summarization, image retrieval or image classification. A convolutional neural networks have been successfully applied on multimedia approaches and used to create a system able to handle the classification without any human’s interactions. In this paper, we produce effective methods for satellite image classification that are based on deep learning and using the convolutional neural network for features extraction by using AlexNet, VGG19, GoogLeNet and Resnet50 pretraining models. The Resnet50 model achieves a promising result than other models on three different dataset SAT4, SAT6 and UC Merced Land. The accuracy of classification of this model for UC Merced Land dataset is 98%, for SAT4 is 95.8%, and the result for SAT6 is 94.1%.
The Fading Boundaries of Analysis and Speculation in the Vivekacūḍāmaṇi: An Argument Recognising Advaita as a Philosophy in Praxis

The recent scholarship on Advaita testifies that the epistemology of Advaita Vedānta is of a special sort that warrants a philosophical process of analysis and speculation in its quest for ultimate knowledge. The aim of this paper is to make a case in favour of Advaita as a philosophy than a theological enterprise and address the philosophical process required to reach the zenith of Advaita Philosophy. This would in turn give Advaita its own identity as a perennial philosophy in praxis than to hide its uniqueness under the garb of a religion or philosophy by any other standards. The first part of this paper attempts to clarify the notion of philosophy and religion and their mutual interdependence in the system of Advaita. The second part of the paper discusses the significance of language, culture, and religion, and their subsequent sublation (tūlāvidyā) as a useful tool in enabling a state of mind unfettered from hallucinations and superimpositions that is essential for undertaking uninterrupted meditative reflections. The third part of the paper refutes any suggestion that Advaita is a religious enterprise by highlighting its philosophical significance through its analytic-deductive model as an essential contribution for attaining self-realisation. The fourth part of the paper refutes the suggestion that Advaita is merely an analytical philosophy and points out the importance of speculative element in the advanced state as a necessary substitute for analysis. The fifth part of this paper, as the conclusion, argues that though the initial path of enquiry in Advaita is somewhat loaded with religio-cultural connotations and symbols, in the later phase it is transcended and overwhelmingly identified with the methods of analysis and speculation. To sum up, the philosophical significance of Advaita significantly gains prominence than its religious counterpart, namely theology.
Stability and well-being: Associations among the Big Five domains, metatraits, and three kinds of well-being in a large sample.

OBJECTIVE The present study estimates associations of the Big Five domains and their metatraits with individual indicators of eudaimonic, hedonic, and social well-being, as well as broader factors that capture the tendency for these individual indicators to correlate. METHOD Using data from a large sample of adults from the United States, confirmatory factor analysis and exploratory structural equation modeling was used to verify the factor structure of Big Five personality and well-being in adulthood. The factor structure of the Big Five domains and well-being was carried forward to estimate associations between personality and well-being at each of three assessments and different levels of analysis using structural equation modeling. RESULTS Associations between the Big Five metatraits and well-being were strong and consistent across the three measurements when the average ages of participants were 46, 54, and 63 years. Similar results were observed whether focused on a fine-grained or broad level of analysis. CONCLUSIONS For all types of well-being, the metatraits accounted for more variance than the Big Five domains, even when the Big Five were operationalized using latent factors, emphasizing the importance of considering this level of analysis when elucidating relations between personality and well-being.