cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clinical trials of single-drug therapy for the cardiac effects of hypertension

Much has been learned in epidemiologic studies and clinical trials about the relationships between hypertension and cardiac anatomic and functional responses, as well as the effects of antihypertensive treatment on those responses. The results of recent multicenter trials have supported initial concerns that not all drugs effective for blood pressure reduction are effective for reduction of LV mass and regression of LVH. However, recent trials of single-drug therapy suggest that those agents initially believed to be ineffective for LV mass reduction (principally diuretics and beta-blockers), on the basis of pathophysiologic theory and inadequate clinical trials, may in fact be quite effective for LVH regression, as well as for improving cardiac outcomes. Additionally, fears concerning the adverse effects of LV mass reduction on systolic and diastolic LV function have not been justified by the results of clinical trials. In conclusion, the often-assumed lack of efficacy of diuretics and beta-blockers for the reduction of LV mass can no longer be used as a reason to disregard the longstanding recommendations of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of Hypertension supporting the use of diuretics and beta-blockers as the initial drug treatment of hypertension.
The excess molar enthalpies of {xCO2 + (1 − x)C2H6} from 293.15 to 323.15 K at 7.58 MPa

Abstract The excess molar enthalpies HmE for {xCO2 + (1 − x)C2H6} were measured from 293.15 to 323.15 K at 7.58 MPa by means of an isothermal flow calorimeter. Although all mixtures show endothermic mixing, values of HmE for the mixtures at 293.15 K are more positive than those obtained at higher temperatures. The significance of the changes observed in the HmE with temperature is discussed in terms of the critical constants of xCO2 + (1 − x)C2H6.
Instrumentation of a self-luminous fixation annulus

A simple and inexpensive way of constructing a fixation annulus is described. Such a device is important for experiments in which a fixation spot in the test field area is undesirable or when subjects’ experimental tasks preclude their manipulation of a fixation dot brightness control. A luminous compound is inserted into transparent plastic tubing which can be shaped and inserted into a groove milled to fit the tube’s diameter and shape. Annulus luminance is in the scotopic range. Repeated measurement showed that there was no brightness loss over time. Ways of further attenuating brightness are discussed.
High-power visible-laser effect on a 37-segment Iris AO deformable mirror

We have tested an aluminum-coated Iris AO Micro-Electrical Mechanical System (MEMS) segmented Deformable Mirror (DM) for its behavior in the presence of high energy 532 nm laser light. The DM was subject to several tests in which the laser power and the duration of its incidence was varied. The DM experienced an irradiance of 94.5 W cm -2 at the maximum laser power of 2 W. A slight permanent reduction in the amount of bow in each segment was observed. This is most likely due to annealing. The mirror remained fully functional during and after the tests. Measurements of the mirror's temporal stability and position repeatability were performed before the laser test. We found a 1.28 nm rms variation in the bow of segments that is highly correlated over the 16 minute test. The mirror's ability to return to its initial position was within the 1.34 nm rms instrument noise. These results are encouraging for applications such as the laser uplink correction of the Visible Light Laser Guidestar Experiment (Villages) and future multi-Laser Guidestar systems (LGS).
Coaxial hybrid iron (CHI) wiggler

A magnetic wiggler design has been developed for applications in free-electron lasers which is scalable to small periods with high field amplitude, high beam current acceptance, and excellent transverse focusing and beam propagation properties. The Coaxial Hybrid Iron (CHI) wiggler design consists of a coaxial arrangement of alternating ferromagnetic and non- ferromagnetic rings with the central portion of the coax shifted by one half period. The entire arrangement is immersed in a solenoidal field which results in a cylindrically symmetric periodic field. A key advantage of this wiggler configuration is its capacity to handle very high beam currents with excellent focusing and transport properties. FEL configuration using the CHI wiggler design have the potential for high power, high frequency coherent generation in relatively compact systems. Analytic and simulated characteristics of the CHI wiggler are presented.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Repetitive transcanial magnetic stimulation (RTMS) modulates event-related potential (ERP) indices of attention in autism

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have previously been shown to have significantly augmented and prolonged event-related potentials (ERP) to irrelevant visual stimuli compared to controls at both early and later stages (e.g., N200, P300) of visual processing and evidence of an overall lack of stimulus discrimination. Abnormally large and indiscriminative cortical responses to sensory stimuli may reflect cortical inhibitory deficits and a disruption in the excitation/inhibition ratio. Low-frequency (≤1HZ) repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been shown to increase inhibition of stimulated cortex by the activation of inhibitory circuits. It was our prediction that after 12 sessions of low-frequency rTMS applied bilaterally to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortices in individuals with ASD there would be a significant improvement in ERP indices of selective attention evoked at later (i.e., 200-600 ms) stages of attentional processing as well as an improvement in motor response error rate. We assessed 25 participants with ASD in a task of selective attention using illusory figures before and after 12 sessions of rTMS in a controlled design where a waiting-list group of 20 children with ASD performed the same task twice. We found a significant improvement in both N200 and P300 components as a result of rTMS as well as a significant reduction in response errors. We also found significant reductions in both repetitive behavior and irritability according to clinical behavioral questionnaires as a result of rTMS. We propose that rTMS has the potential to become an important therapeutic tool in ASD research and treatment.
Estimating intracellular lithium in brain in vivo by localized 7Li magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

The therapeutic mechanism of action of lithium (Li) in bipolar disorder is unknown. While Li is presumed to work intracellularly in the brain, the fraction of intracellular Li in the brain in vivo is not known. It has not yet been possible to determine, directly and noninvasively, the intra- to extracellular distribution of Li in human brain in vivo. Lithium-7 (7Li) MR is the only technique available for measuring noninvasively the concentration of Li in the brain in vivo. Here the individual components of biexponential 7Li transverse (T2) relaxation in rat brain in vivo are identified with intra- and extracellular Li, and used to estimate its compartmental distribution. Intracellular T2 was 14.6 ± 6.9 ms, while extracellular T2 was 160 ± 52 ms in nine rats. The fraction of intracellular brain Li ranged from 37% to 75% (mean: 63 ± 11%). Further, the biexponential T2 results provided the basis for estimating Li compartmental distribution from monoexponential T2 decays using a simple linear approximation. The fraction of intracellular Li estimated from monoexponential T2 decays agreed with the corresponding biexponential estimates in most cases. Magn Reson Med 60:21–26, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The balanced life: a discussion of stress in gynecologic oncology.

A few years ago, at a meeting of the Western Association of Gynecologic Oncologists, a symposium on stress in gynecologic oncology was held. One of the conclusions reached was that our subspecialty is one of the four or five highest stress areas in medicine. Gynecologic oncologists, it was noted, handle the stress with considerable skill and fortitude. Various stresses were analyzed. Those mentioned as particularly prominent included
Using cotton plant residue to produce briquettes

Abstract In Arizona, cotton (Gossypium) plant residue left in the field following harvest must be buried to prevent it from serving as an overwintering site for insects such as the pink bollworm. Most tillage operations employed to incorporate the residue into the soil are energy intensive and often degrade soil structure. Trials showed that cotton plant residue could be incorporated with pecan shells to produce commercially acceptable briquettes. Pecan shell briquettes containing cotton residue rather than waste paper were slightly less durable, when made using equivalent weight mixtures and moisture contents. Proximate and ultimate analyses showed the only difference among briquette samples to be a higher ash content in those made using cotton plant residue. Briquettes made with paper demonstrated longer flame out time, and lower ash percentage, compared to those made with cotton plant residue.
Modeling the growth of complex software function dependency networks

Software engineering efforts can potentially benefit much from a good understanding of the structures of existing software systems and the processes governing their development. Towards that end, we study software systems by means of the complex network analysis framework. We model a software package as a network, with nodes representing the functions in the package and edges representing the dependencies among the functions. Our empirical analysis of five widely-adopted open-source software packages reveals a set of interesting features of such networks, which cannot be adequately reproduced by existing complex network models. We then set out to develop a new network growth model, explicitly imitating generally-advocated software development principals, such as divide-and-conquer, modularization, high intra-module cohesion, and low inter-module coupling. Results of our analytical derivations and numeric studies show that our model can more closely reproduce the particular features exhibited by real-world software packages, thus hopefully better explaining the phenomena of concern.
Cyclic integrator measures frequency response

THE time function most useful in applying a magnetic amplifier to a closed-loop control system is the frequency response characteristic. This describes the action of the amplifier in terms of amplification and phase shift of a sinusoidal control voltage, which is varied in frequency aver some specified range. This digest describes the equipment and a technique that have been developed to measure these characteristics. An analytical expression for the transfer function of a full-wave self-saturating magnetic amplifier is proposed on the basis of experimental data.
Using dipole receptive fields for the reconstruction of printed characters

Abstract A mechanism is proposed to reduce the effects of noise and other defects present in documents reproduced by fax transmission or copy machines and to improve the print quality for a large set of fonts without training. The mechanism is based on a neural network model which employs the concept of dipole receptive fields to reconstruct a given pattern by eliminating the defects. Dipole receptive fields are used to conjoin discontinuities, eliminate noise and segment the entire picture into characters. A sensitivity sensor is a quantitative measure of the extention along each orientation at every pixel. A connecting machine connects the discontinuities of an original pattern according to the extension tendency established by the sensitivity sensor. This algorithm has been demonstrated to improve the quality of a printed document.
A Primate Bronchoscopy Model of Pneumoconiosis: Description of the Model and Initial Anthracite and Quartz Dust-Induced Lesions

Abstract Coal worker's pneumoconiosis and silicosis are still important respiratory diseases within the mining industry. Bronchoalveolar lavage is used to obtain samples from miners with respiratory disease to diagnose, investigate, and treat pneumoconiosis. More information is needed about the characteristics of these respirable mineral dusts and the retrieved lavage specimens to better understand and diagnose pneumoconiosis. We have used bronchoscopy to instill characterized mineral dusts into a focal area of nonhuman primate lung. Bronchoalveolar lavage was used to recover alveolar lining materials from dust-exposed and unexposed lung of the same individuals. We found that multiple doses of fibrogenic or nonfibrogenic dust could be bronchoscopically placed into a small focal area of the lung and that the dust and resulting lesions remained localized to the area of instillation. The characterized quartz dust produced marked focal fibrosis and necrosis that resembled progressive massive fibrosis, as seen...
Neural networks for estimating the tool path length in concurrent engineering applications

This paper deals with the development of a neural computing system that can predict the cutting tool path length for milling an arbitrary pocket defined within the domain of a product design, in a computer numerically controlled (CNC) setting. Existing computer aided design and manufacturing systems (CAD/CAM) consume significant amounts of time in terms of data entry pertaining to the geometries and subsequent modifications to them. In the concurrent engineering environment, where even the designer needs information from the CAD/CAM systems, such time-consuming processes can be expensive. To alleviate this problem, a neural network system can be used to estimate machining time by predicting cost-dependent variables such as tool path length for the pocket milling operation. Pockets are characterized and classified into various groups. A randomized design is described so that the training samples that have been chosen represent the domain evenly. An appropriate network was built and trained with the sample pocket geometries. The analysis of the performance of the system in terms of tool path length prediction for new pocket geometries is presented.
Results of the Medications At Transitions and Clinical Handoffs (MATCH) Study: An Analysis of Medication Reconciliation Errors and Risk Factors at Hospital Admission

Background This study was designed to determine risk factors and potential harm associated with medication errors at hospital admission.
Hydrogen (H2) distributions in the carmans river estuary

Abstract Hydrogen concentrations in anoxic environments are controlled by relative rates of production (by fermentative processes) and consumption (largely by sulfate reducers and methanogens). Because the relative importance of the two consumption pathways depends on the presence or absence of sulfate, hydrogen concentrations would be expected to vary along the salinity gradient of an estuary. We have examined the distribution of hydrogen in the sediments of the Carmans River Estuary on Long Island. In this estuary, hydrogen concentrations range from several hundred nanomoles hydrogen per liter pore water in the freshwater sediments at the head of the estuary to lower values (20–30 n m pw ) in the sediments from the estuary mouth. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that sulfate reducers (active only in sulfate-containing sediments) are more efficient at consuming hydrogen than are methanogens. Methanogens may also require higher threshold hydrogen concentrations before uptake can begin than do sulfate reducers.
Induction and inhibition of CPAF activity during analysis of Chlamydia-infected cells

Studies of the chlamydial protease CPAF have been complicated by difficulties in distinguishing bona fide intracellular proteolysis from in vitro proteolysis. This confounding issue has been attributed to CPAF activity in lysates from Chlamydia-infected cells. We compared three methods that have been used to inhibit in vitro CPAF-mediated proteolysis: (1) pre-treatment of infected cells with the inhibitor clasto-lactacystin, (2) direct cell lysis in 8 M urea and (3) direct lysis in hot 1% SDS buffer. We identified a number of experimental conditions that reduce the effectiveness of each method in preventing CPAF activity during lysate preparation. The amount of in vitro proteolysis in a lysate was variable and depended on factors such as the specific substrate and the time in the intracellular infection. Additionally, we demonstrated for the first time that artifactual CPAF activity is induced before cell lysis by standard cell detachment methods, including trypsinization. Protein analysis of Chlamydia-infected cells therefore requires precautions to inhibit CPAF activity during both cell detachment and lysate preparation, followed by verification that the cell lysates do not contain residual CPAF activity. These concerns about artifactual proteolysis extend beyond studies of CPAF function because they have the potential to affect the analyses of host and chlamydial proteins from Chlamydia-infected cells.
Assessment of lung volume collapsibility in chronic obstructive lung disease patients using CT.

Objective To investigate the collapsibility of the lung and individual lobes in patients with COPD during inspiration/expiration and assess the association of whole lung and lobar volume changes with pulmonary function tests (PFTs) and disease severity.
Gendered Stories of Adaptation and Resistance: A Feminist Multiple Case Study of Immigrant Women

This multiple qualitative case study with eight immigrant women examined women’s stories of migration and post-relocation adjustment to the U.S. The results showed that women described their lived experiences in distinctly gendered terms. The four superordinate themes that were present in their stories were Gendered Adaptation, Gendered Resilience, Gendered Violence, and Gendered Discrimination. Implications of these results for counseling practice, research, and advocacy are discussed.
Mechanism for adaptive remodeling of the bacterial flagellar switch

The bacterial flagellar motor has been shown in previous work to adapt to changes in the steady-state concentration of the chemotaxis signaling molecule, CheY-P, by changing the FliM content. We show here that the number of FliM molecules in the motor and the fraction of FliM molecules that exchange depend on the direction of flagellar rotation, not on CheY-P binding per se. Our results are consistent with a model in which the structural differences associated with the direction of rotation modulate the strength of FliM binding. When the motor spins counterclockwise, FliM binding strengthens, the fraction of FliM molecules that exchanges decreases, and the ring content increases. The larger number of CheY-P binding sites enhances the motor’s sensitivity, i.e., the motor adapts. An interesting unresolved question is how additional copies of FliM might be accommodated.
Rapid acetylation of alcohols at the microgram level using a celite-acetyl methanesulfonate column

Abstract A simple procedure is described in which micro- and submicrogram amounts of primary, secondary, and several tertiary alcohols can be acetylated. The alcohols, dissolved in a nonpolar solvent, contact a column of Celite charged with the mixed anhydride, acetyl methanesulfonate, contained in a melting-point capillary. The resulting acetate is then eluted for analysis. The entire procedure can be executed in less than a minute. Micromole amounts of alcohols can be acetylated in good yield using larger columns.
Drug loading into and drug release from pH‐ and temperature‐responsive cylindrical hydrogels

Hydrogels that undergo deformation upon appropriate changes in pH or temperature have considerable promise as drug delivery vehicles. Drug uptake in swelling and nonswelling cylindrical hydrogels and drug release from these into a target fluid are investigated here. A mathematical model for hydrogel-solution composite, a composite of a distributed parameter system (cylindrical hydrogel) and a lumped parameter system (surrounding solution), is developed. The polymer network displacement in a swelling/deswelling hydrogel is described by a stress diffusion coupling model. The analytical solution for network displacement is used to predict solvent intake by swelling hydrogels, solvent efflux from deswelling hydrogels, and changes in pressure, porosity, and effective drug diffusivity. These in turn influence drug uptake during and after hydrogel swelling and drug release from hydrogel during and after deswelling. Numerical results illustrate benefits of hydrogel swelling for drug loading and merits of different modes of drug release. Drug uptake and drug release by temperature-responsive hydrogels are compared with those by hydrogels not subject to deformation.
Dependence of refractive index on silver concentration in gradient-index glass

Abstract The Huggins, Sun and Davis model is widely used in the field of gradient-index optical imaging systems for predicting refractive index distributions from composition data of diffused glasses. This model is tested in five silver-doped gradient-index glass samples with changes in refractive index up to 0.09 at 0.06471 μm and distribution depths up to 3.3 mm. Index profiles are measured interferometrically. Absolute concentration profiles are measured using energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. The data show that the HSD model is valid only for dopant levels below one mol% in silver-diffused glasses. Reasons for departure from the model are suggested.
Integrin αvβ3 on human endothelial cells binds von Willebrand factor strings under fluid shear stress

Acutely secreted von Willebrand factor (VWF) multimers adhere to endothelial cells, support platelet adhesion, and may induce microvascular thrombosis. Immunofluorescence microscopy of live human umbilical vein endothelial cells showed that VWF multimers rapidly formed strings several hundred micrometers long on the cell surface after stimulation with histamine. Unexpectedly, only a subset of VWF strings supported platelet binding, which depended on platelet glycoprotein Ib. Electron microscopy showed that VWF strings often consisted of bundles and networks of VWF multimers, and each string was tethered to the cell surface by a limited number of sites. Several approaches implicated P-selectin and integrin αvβ3 in anchoring VWF strings. An RGDS peptide or a function-blocking antibody to integrin αvβ3 reduced the number of VWF strings formed. In addition, integrin αv decorated the VWF strings by immunofluorescence microscopy. Furthermore, lentiviral transduction of shRNA against the αv subunit reduced the expression of cell-surface integrin αvβ3 and impaired the ability of endothelial cells to retain VWF strings. Soluble P-selectin reduced the number of platelet-decorated VWF strings in the absence of Ca2+ and Mg2+ but had no effect in the presence of these cations. These results indicate that VWF strings bind specifically to integrin αvβ3 on human endothelial cells.
Extensive biliary intraepithelial neoplasia (BilIN) and multifocal early intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma in non-biliary cirrhosis

Biliary intraepithelial neoplasia (BilIN), a preneoplastic condition that may precede invasive intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), has been compared to pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN), a precursor lesion of pancreatic carcinoma. Biliary tract carcinoma development and progression is associated with several gene alterations, but BilIN lesions have yet to be studied in detail by molecular techniques. We describe a case of extensive intrahepatic biliary dysplasia, with lesions ranging from BilIN-1 to BilIN-3 lesions, and multifocal microscopic ICC in hepatitis C virus (HCV)- and alcohol-related cirrhosis. The small ICC foci had remained undetected prior to transplantation. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis was performed on three foci of BilIN-3 lesions and on three microinvasive ICC foci with a combination of three FISH probes directed against genes frequently altered in pancreatic and biliary tract carcinomas. FISH analysis revealed a CDKNA2 heterozygous deletion in one BilIN-3 focus, and in one non-contiguous ICC focus, although the deletion was just above the chosen threshold. No deletions were detected in the genomic regions encoding TP53 and SMAD4. This report documents for the first time the development of multifocal ICC in the setting of extensive biliary dysplasia in a patient with three risk factors, HCV infection, alcohol abuse, and cirrhosis, and suggests heterogeneous carcinogenesis in ICC and possible involvement of the CDKNA2 gene.
Growth and Characterization of Epitaxial NiMnSb/PtMnSb C1b Heusler alloy superlattices

We have sputter deposited NiMnSb/PtMnSb Heusler alloy superlattices with bilayer periods from 9–160 A. X-ray diffraction and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements indicate that even for short bilayer periods, the superlattices are compositionally modulated, epitaxial, and maintain the Heusler alloy C1b structure. Low- and high-angle diffraction profiles are in agreement with simulations of the superlattice peaks. TEM images reveal defects, including stacking faults, which help relieve lattice mismatch strain. Energy minimization calculations of the stacking fault density are within a factor of 3 of the density observed by TEM. The saturation magnetization of the superlattices is close to bulk PtMnSb and NiMnSb, with a tendency for perpendicular magnetization at short bilayer periods.
Social Adaptation in Older Visually Impaired Adults: Some Comments

In this paper, we review the impact of visual impairment on social adaptation of older visually impaired adults. The review begins with statistics documenting increased visual problems among the elderly, concomitant with enhanced longevity. The next section provides a summary of assessment and treatment of the social adaptation of younger and middle-aged adults suffering from visual loss. The following section is a survey of extant literature on assessment and treatment of social functioning of older visually impaired individuals. The last section of the paper delineates further research needs, detailing a controlled outcome study that would place the field on a firmer empirical base than is available at present.
Sleep duration and weight loss among overweight/obese women enrolled in a behavioral weight loss program.

The purpose of this study was to examine whether baseline sleep duration predicts weight loss outcomes in a randomized controlled trial examining a behavioral weight loss (BWL) intervention among overweight and obese (OW/OB) women with urinary incontinence; and whether participation in the BWL intervention is associated with changes in sleep duration. Longitudinal, clinical intervention study of a 6-month BWL program. Three hundred sixteen OW/OB women, with urinary incontinence (age: 30–81 years, body mass index (BMI; 25–50 kg m−2) enrolled from July 2004–April 2006. Measured height and weight, self-report measures of demographics, sleep and physical activity. Neither self-reported total sleep time (TST) nor time in bed (TIB) at baseline significantly predicted weight loss outcomes among OW/OB women in a BWL treatment. BWL treatment was successful regardless of how much subjects reported sleeping at baseline, with an average weight loss of 8.19 kg for OW/OB women receiving BWL treatment, versus a weight loss of 1.44 kg in the control condition. Similarly, changes in weight, BMI and incontinence episodes did not significantly predict changes in sleep duration or TIB across the treatment period. Although epidemiological and cross-sectional studies support a relationship between short sleep and increased BMI, the present study found no significant relationship between TST or TIB and weight loss for OW/OB women participating in a BWL treatment.
Evaluation of a New Hemostatic Agent in Experimental Splenic Laceration

Objectives: To compare the effectiveness of several hemostatic agents and to evaluate a new hemostatic agent (ReClot) in controlling splenic hemorrhage. Design: Rabbits were anesthetized and catheters placed. A celiotomy was performed and a splenic injury produced; hemostatic agent and compression were applied. Experimental Groups: In group 1 (n=8), the splenic laceration was compressed with a dry sponge and 75 g of pressure until hemorrhage ceased. In groups 2,3, and 4 (n=10 each), splenic injury was treated with Avitene, Collastat, and ReClot, respectively. Hemostatic agent was applied to the splenic laceration and a dry sponge and pressure were applied as described for group 1. In group 5 (n=9), a splenic laceration was produced, ReClot applied, and aggressive fluid resuscitation was initiated; the volume of crystalloid was adjusted to maintain mean arterial pressure. Results: Application of a hemostatic agent reduced total blood loss compared with that measured in the control group, but there was no difference in blood loss among experimental groups treated with a hemostatic agent. The time required to achieve control of blood loss was less in the ReClot-treated group compared with the Avitene- and Collastat-treated groups. Conclusions: The hemostatic agent ReClot had a significant advantage over other hemostatic agents for the time required to achieve control of splenic bleeding. Aggressive fluid resuscitation did not limit the ability of ReClot to produce hemostasis. (Arch Surg. 1995;130:161-164)
User feedback requirements with automatic speech recognition

The optimal type and amount of secondary feedback for data entry with automatic speech recognition were investigated. Six feedback conditions, varying the information channel for feedback (visual or auditory), the delay prior to feedback, and the amount of feedback history, were compared to a no-feedback control. In addition, the presence of a dialogue requiring users to confirm a word choice when the speech recognizer could not distinguish between two words was studied. The word confirmation dialogue increased recognition accuracy by about 5% with no significant increase in the time to enter data. Type of feedback affected both accuracy and time to enter data. When no feedback was available, data entry time was minimal but there were many errors. Any type of feedback/error correction vastly unproved accuracy, but auditory feedback provided after a string of data was spoken increased the time to enter data by a factor of three. Depending on task conditions, visual or auditory feedback following each word ...
Molecular Entrapment of Small Molecules within the Interior of Horse Spleen Ferritin

A procedure for trapping small molecules inside the interior of horse spleen ferritin (HoSF) and methods for characterizing HoSF and its small entrapped molecules are described. HoSF is first dissociated into subunits by adjustment to pH 2 in the presence of the small molecules to be trapped. The pH of the dissociated HoSF is then increased to 7 at which time the dissociated subunits reassemble reforming the 24-mer HoSF, thereby trapping solvent within its interior. HoSF is then separated from unbound molecules by dialysis, ultrafiltration, and/ or ammonium sulfate precipitation. Sephadex G-25 and DEAE chromatograpic methods were also used to separate HoSF from unbound small molecules. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) was used to demonstrate the association of small molecules with HoSF after the pH-induced unfolding-refolding process. The pH indicator neutral red was clearly associated with HoSF and presumed trapped within the ferritin interior. Acid/base titrations suggested that the trapped indicator had a different pKa than the free indicator, a result which indicates that the ferritin interior is different than the external solution. The utility of using trapped molecules for gaining information on ferritin function is proposed and discussed.
In Vitro Cultivation of a Zoonotic Babesia sp. Isolated from Eastern Cottontail Rabbits (Sylvilagus floridanus) on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts

A Babesia sp. found in eastern cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus floridanus) on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, is the same organism that caused human babesiosis in Missouri and Kentucky, on the basis of morphology and identical small-subunit rRNA (SSU rRNA) gene sequences. Continuous cultures of the rabbit parasite were established from infected blood samples collected from two cottontail rabbits livetrapped on Nantucket Island. HL-1 medium or minimal essential medium alpha medium supplemented with 20% human serum best supported in vitro propagation of the parasite in human or cottontail erythrocytes, respectively. Parasite growth was not sustained in domestic-rabbit erythrocytes or in medium supplemented with domestic-rabbit serum. The cultured parasites were morphologically indistinguishable from the Kentucky human isolate. Transmission electron microscopy revealed similar fine structures of the parasite regardless of the host erythrocyte utilized in the cultures. Two continuous lines of the zoonotic Babesia sp. were established and confirmed to share identical SSU rRNA gene sequences with each other and with the Missouri and Kentucky human Babesia isolates.
Proliferative Retinopathy in Sickle Cell Trait: Report of Seven Cases

Seven patients had sickle cell trait (hemoglobin AS) and vasoproliferative retinopathy. The retinal abnormalities in these seven patients were indistinguishable from those seen in patients with clinically significant sickling hemoglobinopathies (sickle cell-hemoglobin C disease, hemoglobin S-thalassemia disease, and sickle cell anemia). All seven patients also had some evidence of associated systemic disease such as diabetes, syphilis, tuberculosis, or sarcoidosis. In the presence of an associated systemic disease, marked retinopathy can occur in the ordinarily benign condition of sickle cell trait. ( Arch Intern Med 137:325-328, 1977)
Evaluation by Scoring and Computerized Morphometry of Lesions of Early Mycoplasma pulmonis Infection and Ammonia Exposure in F344/N Rats

To evaluate lesions of ammonia exposure and Mycoplasma pulmonis infection in gnotobiotic F344/N rats, groups of rats were inoculated with M. pulmonis, exposed to 76 &liter (100 parts per million) ammonia, or both, or served as controls. Six rats from each group were killed 3,5,7, and 9 days after inoculation and their respiratory organs prepared for histologic examination. Lesions were assessed by subjective scoring and computerized morphometry, and results obtained by the two methods were compared to assess agreement of results. Lesions were limited to the nasal passages. Ammonia exposure resulted in hyperplastic and degen- erative changes in the anterior nasal epithelium. Lesions of mycoplasmosis were more severe in ammonia- exposed than unexposed rats, but qualitative differences in lesions were not apparent. Results of the two methods agreed in assessment of submucosal inflammatory cell accumulation. Epithelial lesions were difficult to evaluate by both methods in infected, ammonia-exposed rats. In evaluation of lesions of ammonia exposure alone, agreement was adequate. Both methods indicated that exudates were significantly greater in ammonia-exposed infected rats than in non-exposed infected rats. Thus, scoring and morphometry provided similar assessments of differences in lesion severity among the treatment groups.
Fully Resolved Simulations of Stationary Particles in Turbulent Flow

Gas flows containing a dilute loading of solid particle constitute an important class of multiphase flows. In most cases the gas flow is turbulent, and the interactions between the particles and the turbulence offer major modeling challenges. Many numerical models implicitly assume that the particles are significantly smaller than all turbulence length scales. Simple particle drag laws derived for uniform steady flow around a sphere are used to compute the motion of point-particles, and to determine the magnitude of the point-forces that are applied to the gas phase in order to produce turbulence modification. This technique may be appropriate if the particle is small relative to any turbulent eddies, but in many practical problems the particle diameter, d, is of the same order as the flow Kolmogorov scale, η. Here we perform fully-resolved simulations of a fixed particle in decaying homogeneous isotropic turbulence using an overset grid method. All flow scales are accurately resolved with this technique including the effect of the no-slip boundary condition at the particle surface. A set of 29 simulations with an initial Taylor microscale Reynolds number, Reλ = 32.2, and Kolmogorov length scale, η = 0.45d are computed to obtain a useful statistical sample. The turbulent kinetic energy and viscous dissipation near the particle surface in laden and unladen simulations are compared to provide understanding of the turbulence modification process. We anticipate that these results will provide direction for the development of turbulence modification models suitable for larger scale simulations where the flow cannot be resolved to the particle surface.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Irregular airline operations: a review of the state-of-the-practice in airline operations control centers

Abstract The primary purpose of this paper is to summarize the state-of-the-practice in Airline Operations Control Centers (AOCC) during the aftermath of irregular airline operations. An overview of the structure of a typical AOCC is given as the foundation of the discussion. The main causes of irregularities are considered, using operational data from the US domestic market. A review of the current information systems, and decision support systems in use in AOCCs is given, based on field trips to US airlines, and an international carrier based in the Asia Pacific region. An extensive literature review of research on the topic of irregular airline operations is presented, and a new decision framework is introduced.
Sensory cues associated with host detection in a marine parasitic isopod

Parasite population dynamics and the evolution of life history characteristics are strongly associated with the process of host infection. Parasites with free-living life stages have a narrow window to infect a host and have evolved a number of mechanisms to detect and locate a host. Cymothoa excisa is a parasitic isopod that is commonly found on the Atlantic croaker, Micropogonias undulatus, in the Gulf of Mexico. Here, we determined the infection window that constrains host-searching behavior in C. excisa and tested the behavioral response of the free-swimming larvae (mancae) to visual and chemical cues. Mancae were found to have an infection window of 7 days. Mancae were responsive to both visual and chemical cues. Our findings are the first to show that cymothoid isopods use visual and chemical cues to locate a host and that individuals display a host-locating strategy that maximizes host encounter rate, while reducing energy expenditure.
Dependency management in distributed settings

Applications in a computation and communication saturated pervasive-computing environment have to adapt their behaviors according the context of the user and the physical space. These "context-aware" applications typically obtain high-level situational understanding by aggregating one or more outputs of distributed sensors. To reduce the complexity of developing and deploying these adaptive applications, we designed and implemented a flexible software infrastructure, Solar, for large-scale context fusion (Chen et al., 2004). Solar consists of a set of functionally equivalent nodes, named Planets, which peer together to form a service overlay. A sensor connects to a Planet to register a name with Solar's naming service and publish a stream of events, while an application connects to a Planet to subscribe to one or more sensor outputs by querying Solar's name space. In addition, applications may inject data-fusion operators into the Solar to reduce the computation and communication costs on the mobile devices. In this paper we present our approach to address the dependency management issues in Solar.
Methadone adverse reaction presenting with large increase in plasma methadone binding: a case series

Introduction: The use of methadone as an analgesic is on the increase, but it is widely recognized that the goal of predictable and reproducible dosing is confounded by considerable variability in methadone pharmacokinetics, and unpredictable side effects that include sedation, respiratory depression and cardiac arrhythmias. The mechanisms underlying these unpredictable effects are frequently unclear. Here, to the best of our knowledge we present the first report of an association between accidental methadone overexposure and increased plasma protein binding, a new potential mechanism for drug interactions with methadone. Case presentation: We describe here the cases of two patients who experienced markedly different responses to the same dose of methadone during co-administration of letrozole. Both patients were post-menopausal Caucasian women who were among healthy volunteers participating in a clinical trial. Under the trial protocol both patients received 6 mg of intravenous methadone before and then after taking letrozole for seven days. One woman (aged 59) experienced symptoms consistent with opiate overexposure after the second dose of methadone that were reversed by naloxone, while the other (aged 49) did not. To understand the etiology of this event, we measured methadone pharmacokinetics in both patients. In our affected patient only, a fourfold to eightfold increase in methadone plasma concentrations after letrozole treatment was observed. Detailed pharmacokinetic analysis indicated no change in metabolism or renal elimination in our patient, but the percentage of unbound methadone in the plasma decreased 3.7-fold. As a result, the volume of distribution of methadone decreased approximately fourfold. The increased plasma binding in our affected patient was consistent with observed increases in plasma protein concentrations. Conclusions: The marked increase in the total plasma methadone concentration observed in our patient, and the enhanced pharmacodynamic effect, appear primarily due to a reduced volume of distribution. The extent of plasma methadone binding may help to explain the unpredictability of its pharmacokinetics. Changes in volume of distribution due to plasma binding may represent important causes of clinically meaningful drug interactions.
Size-disparity correlation in stereopsis at contrast threshold.

Contrast thresholds for 75% correct depth identification in narrow-band filtered random dot stereograms were determined for different center spatial frequencies and binocular disparities. Rigorous control over vergence was maintained during testing, and a forced-choice procedure was used. The resulting contrast sensitivity function for stereopsis revealed sensitivity over a greater range of disparities at low than at high spatial frequencies. Sensitivity peaked for large disparities at low spatial frequencies and for small disparities at high spatial frequencies. When disparities were converted to effective binocular phase differences, the variation of contrast sensitivity with phase followed a consistent pattern across spatial frequencies, with peak sensitivity occurring mainly for binocular phases of between 90° and 180°. These results have implications for the extent of spatial integration at the input to the disparity sensing mechanism. A model postulating a spread of positional disparities independent of the spatial frequency selectivity of disparity-sensitive units cannot account for the results. But the size–disparity correlation strongly evident in our data is predicted by certain models of stereopsis, such as phase disparity encoding. An ideal observer analysis is developed that demonstrates that our results were not forced by the nature of the stimulus employed; rather, the quantum efficiency for stereopsis at contrast threshold follows the size–disparity correlation.
T-kinin has endothelium-dependent vasodilator activity in the cat

Responses to T-kinin, a peptide formed from the acute-phase substrate T-kininogen, were investigated in the hindlimb vascular bed of the cat. Under constant-flow conditions, injections of T-kinin into the perfusion circuit in doses of 0.03-1 nmol induced rapid dose-related decreases in perfusion pressure. Responses to T-kinin were similar in time course and magnitude to responses to bradykinin and kallidin and were inhibited by the kinin B2-receptor antagonist, Hoe-140. Responses to T-kinin were attenuated by an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase and by tetraethylammonium chloride and were enhanced in duration by the guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) phosphodiesterase inhibitor zaprinast. Responses to T-kinin were not altered by inhibitors of K+(ATP) channels, by the cyclooxygenase pathway, or by muscarinic or beta-adrenergic-receptor antagonists. These data suggest that vasodilator responses to T-kinin are mediated by kinin B2-receptor-stimulated release of nitric oxide from the endothelium and increased smooth muscle cGMP levels. These results indicate that activation of K+(ATP) channels and muscarinic or beta-adrenergic receptors and the release of vasodilator prostaglandins are not involved in mediating the response to T-kinin in the hindlimb circulation of the cat.
Impact of a Cost Visibility Tool in the Electronic Medical Record on Antibiotic Prescribing in an Academic Medical Center

Abstract Background: Studies evaluating the impact of passive cost visibility tools on antibiotic prescribing are lacking. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate whether the implementation of a passive antibiotic cost visibility tool would impact antibiotic prescribing and decrease antibiotic spending. Methods: An efficiency and effectiveness initiative (EEI) was implemented in October 2012. To support the EEI, an antibiotic cost visibility tool was created in June 2013 displaying the relative cost of antibiotics. Using an observational study of interrupted time series design, 3 time frames were studied: pre EEI, post EEI, and post cost visibility tool implementation. The primary outcome was antibiotic cost per 1,000 patient days. Secondary outcomes included case mix index (CMI)–adjusted antibiotic cost per 1,000 patient days and utilization of the cost visibility tool. Results: Initiation of the EEI was associated with a $4,675 decrease in antibiotic cost per 1,000 patient days (P = .003)...
Fundamentalism and Sociocultural Revitalization in America: A Sociological Interpretation

Applying action-theoretical concepts to historical studies of revitalization movements and Awakenings, this paper proposes an analytical conception of fundamentalism. It is argued that various revitalization episodes in American religious history had fundamentalist aspects but also entailed unintended modernizing consequences. Outlining some of the factors accounting for the reemergence of ostensibly anti-modern fundamentalism as a salient general movement, the paper argues that it is in fact a quintessentially modern phenomenon.
Forced Marriage: Exploring the Viability of the Special Court for Sierra Leone's New Crime Against Humanity

During the conflict in Sierra Leone thousands of women were abducted by rebel forces and forced to marry their captors. The Special Court for Sierra Leone responded to the victimization of these women by creating a new crime against humanity - the crime of forced marriage - under the statutory category other inhumane acts and issued the first ever indictments for this new crime in April, 2004. This article seeks to explore the crime of forced marriage from its execution amidst the fighting in Sierra Leone to its place in international criminal law. In this article, the authors distinguish forced marriage from valid marriage and from other crimes against humanity, establish its viability under both international law and the Statute of the Special Court, and define forced marriage as a unique crime against humanity to be applied in future war crimes trials.