cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The physiologic basis for goal-directed hemodynamic and fluid therapy: the pivotal role of the venous circulation

Understanding cardiovascular physiology should help clinicians to understand the purpose of fluid and drug management during the perioperative period. The purpose of this narrative review is to describe the pivotal role of the venous circulation in goal-directed hemodynamic and fluid therapy. We selected relevant literature that examines the appropriateness of fluid therapy and pharmacologic interventions during the perioperative period. The interaction between the stressed and unstressed intravascular volume (Vs and Vu, respectively) regulates the venous return, which is the main determinant of cardiac output. The lack of hemodynamic response to an intravascular fluid challenge likely results from an unpredictable distribution of infused fluid between the Vs and Vu. Other factors affecting hemodynamic responses include the pharmacodynamics of common vasoactive drugs, which further highlight the complexity of the regulation of venous return during infusion of exogenous catecholamines. The response to even a highly selective agent can result in different hemodynamic effects. Low doses of α-adrenergic agonists constrict veins and may often shift blood from the Vu to the Vs, subsequently increasing the venous return and cardiac output, whereas higher drug doses constrict arteries and usually decrease cardiac output. The physiologic basis of goal-directed hemodynamic therapy is complex and not necessarily reflected in the information received from hemodynamic monitors. Understanding the physiologic basis of such therapy is a logical step towards its optimal use.
Genetic Testing in Neuromuscular Disease

Genetic testing provides critical information for diagnosis, prognosis, and medical management in neuromuscular disease, but clinicians must be aware of the appropriate use, limitations, and utility of testing options. Recognition of common patterns of inheritance and exceptions to these patterns may help in identifying appropriate tests. In addition, an understanding of the common types of mutations in specific diseases and the methodologies employed to detect these mutations is critical. Newer sequencing methodologies enable clinicians to query large numbers of genes in patients with atypical clinical presentations, but interpretation of the DNA variants identified by these methods remains a challenge.
Linked-Cluster Formulation of Electron-Hole Interaction Kernel in Real-Space Representation without Using Unoccupied States.

Electron–hole or quasiparticle representation plays a central role in describing electronic excitations in many-electron systems. For charge-neutral excitation, the electron–hole interaction kernel is the quantity of interest for calculating important excitation properties such as optical gap, optical spectra, electron–hole recombination, and electron–hole binding energies. The electron–hole interaction kernel can be formally derived from the density–density correlation function using both Green’s function and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) formalism. The accurate determination of the electron–hole interaction kernel remains a significant challenge for precise calculations of optical properties in the GW+BSE formalism. From the TDDFT perspective, the electron–hole interaction kernel has been viewed as a path to systematic development of frequency-dependent exchange–correlation functionals. Traditional approaches, such as many-body perturbation theory formalism, use unoccupied states (whi...
Prenylation and G protein signaling.

Publisher Summary This chapter presents recent studies in the field of protein prenylation, with particular emphasis on the enzymology of these processes and the influence of the modifications on specific G proteins involved in cellular signaling. The known prenylated proteins include a number of GTP-binding regulatory proteins (G proteins); these proteins are responsible for controlling a wide spectrum of signal transduction pathways. The discovery of the farnesyl modification of the ras proteins led to the development of the first in vitro system to analyze protein prenylation. Initial studies determined that farnesyl diphosphate (FPP)—the activated form of farnesyl in the isoprenoid biosynthesis pathway—could serve as a substrate for the modification of a ras protein that had been produced in an unprenylated form by bacterial expression. The enzyme that catalyzed this reaction was a soluble protein. Purification of this enzyme—termed protein farnesytransferase (FTase)—revealed it to be comprised of two polypeptides of 48 kDa (designated the α subunit) and 46 kDa (β subunit).
MEDICAL-METEOROLOGICAL FORECASTING — AN APPLICATION OF FUNDAMENTAL BIOCLIMATOLOGICAL CONCEPTS

Abstract The assumptions and uses of medical—meteorological forecasts are critically examined. Current prognostications are based primarily on statistical meteorotropisms or on the application of “indices” derived from studies made in climatic chambers. The limitations of these bases are discussed. The conclusion is reached that indices derived from studies in climatic chambers must be applied with considerable caution to the problem of forecasting man's reactions to the weather. The medical—meteorological forecast is not a precisely formulated mathematical prognostication; it is in reality a value judgement.
Central corneal endothelial cell changes over a ten-year period.

PURPOSE: To obtain longitudinal data to estimate long-term morphometric changes in normal human corneal endothelia. METHODS: Ten years after an initial study, the authors rephotographed the central corneal endothelium of 52 normal subjects with the same contact specular microscope. The findings for the 10 subjects younger than 18 years of age at the initial examination were considered separately. For the remaining 42 adult subjects, the time between examinations averaged 10.6 +/- 0.2 years (range, 10.1 to 11 years). At the recent examination, these subjects' ages averaged 59.5 +/- 16.8 years (range, 30 to 84 years). Outlines of 100 cells for each cornea were digitized. RESULTS: For the 42 adult subjects, the mean endothelial cell density decreased during the 10.6-year interval from 2715 +/- 301 cells/mm2 to 2539 +/- 284 cells/mm2 (P < 0.001). The calculated exponential cell loss rate over this interval was 0.6% +/- 0.5% per year. There was no statistically significant correlation between cell loss rate and age. During the 10.6-year interval, the coefficient of variation of cell area increased from 0.26 +/- 0.05 to 0.29 +/- 0.06 (P < 0.001), and the percentage of hexagonal cells decreased from 67% +/- 8% to 64% +/- 6% (P = 0.003). For the 10 subjects 5 to 15 years of age at the initial examination, the exponential cell loss rate was 1.1% +/- 0.8% per year. CONCLUSIONS: Human central endothelial cell density decreases at an average rate of approximately 0.6% per year in normal corneas throughout adult life, with gradual increases in polymegethism and pleomorphism.
Misfit strain induced phase transformation at a basal/prismatic twin boundary in deformation of magnesium

Abstract Phase transformation from hexagonal close-packed (HCP) to face-centered cubic (FCC) does not occur in plastic deformation of pure magnesium. In this work, a reversible HCP → FCC phase transformation was observed at basal/prismatic twin boundary (TB) of 1 0 1 ¯ 2 twinning mode, in atomistic simulations of TB migration in pure magnesium. The FCC phase was induced by a local misfit strain between the parent and the twin. When an FCC phase was formed at the basal/prismatic TB, the TB migration was temporarily hindered. As the strain increased, the FCC transformed to the HCP twin by atomic shuffling. The orientation relationship between the FCC and the HCP parent satisfies 1 1 1 FCC | | 1 0 1 ¯ 0 HCP . During transformation, a double-layered prismatic plane was transformed into a 1 1 1 FCC close-packed plane of the FCC by shear and shuffle. The energy barriers for the reversible phase transformation was calculated.
Differentiation for Student Learning in Physical Education

The purpose of this article is to highlight numerous practical examples of how to modify tasks in the physical education learning environment to differentiate the content for students and enhance l...
Is There a Role for Suppressive Antibiotics in Patients With Periprosthetic Joint Infection (PJI) of Total Ankle Arthroplasty (TAA) Who Have Undergone Surgical Treatment

Recommendation:Culture-directed antibiotic therapy is recommended for patients undergoing operative treatment of infected total ankle arthroplasty (TAA). Routine administration of suppressive antib...
Internet Usage within Healthcare: How College Students Use the Internet to Obtain Health Information

AbstractTo better understand how college students are using the internet for healthcare, 100 undergraduate students were anonymously surveyed regarding their primary sources of health information a...
Harmony on the prairie? Grassland plant and animal community responses to variation in climate across land-use gradients

Human induced climate and land-use change are severely impacting global biodiversity, but how community composition and richness of multiple taxonomic groups change in response to local drivers and whether these responses are synchronous remains unclear. We used long-term community-level data from an experimentally manipulated grassland to assess the relative influence of climate and land use as drivers of community structure of four taxonomic groups: birds, mammals, grasshoppers, and plants. We also quantified the synchrony of responses among taxonomic groups across land-use gradients and compared climatic drivers of community structure across groups. All four taxonomic groups responded strongly to land use (fire frequency and grazing), while responses to climate variability were more pronounced in grasshoppers and small mammals. Animal groups exhibited asynchronous responses across all land-use treatments, but plant and animal groups, especially birds, exhibited synchronous responses in composition. Asynchrony was attributed to taxonomic groups responding to different components of climate variability, including both current climate conditions and lagged effects from the previous year. Data-driven land management strategies are crucial for sustaining native biodiversity in grassland systems, but asynchronous responses of taxonomic groups to climate variability across land-use gradients highlight a need to incorporate response heterogeneity into management planning.
VAD Caregiving at Home: “Our Roles Have Changed Here”

Purpose Persons living with a ventricular assist device (VAD) and their caregivers experience unique stresses however, caregiver experience is inconsistently assessed, so little is known about caregiver contributions to disease and device management, or the effects they experience. The purpose of this mixed methods study is to describe the context of VAD caregiving and explore burdensome elements of caregiving. Methods We recruited VAD patients and caregivers (N=14, 7 dyads) who had been implanted within the past 3-12 months, or had experienced a recent hospital-to-home transition (within 60 days). We administered surveys and conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews from patient and caregiver perspectives. Analysis includes descriptive statistics and thematic analysis of interviews. Results Mean age of VAD patients and caregivers was 55.7 ± 14.2 years and 53.1± 15.8 years, respectively. Most patients were male (75%) and most caregivers were female (87.5%), and most caregiver-patient dyads were spousal (85.7%). Mean caregiver burden (short-form Zarit Burden Interview) score was 12.4 ± 4.4. From qualitative interviews, the areas of the home most commonly modified to support patient needs or make caregiving tasks easier were bathrooms (i.e. railings, shower chairs) and the bedroom (sleeping arrangements). The most common caregiving tasks reported were 1)“monitoring” (i.e. for complications, anticipating needs), 2) managing medications, equipment and appointments, 3) helping with bathing, and 4) changing the driveline dressing. Even when caregivers reported low burden quantitatively, caregivers expressed that they felt overwhelmed with the complexity and intensity of caregiving responsibilities on themselves and their relationships, like a “ball and chain” or like a “cascade that effects everybody.” Conclusion These preliminary findings provide new data on the changes caregivers and patients make to their home environments, and elucidate a potential mismatch between quantitative and qualitative assessments of care burden. Both of these findings require further investigation. Resources to support home changes and living at home following VAD implant may be insufficient to address needs. It may also be helpful to implement more frequent, formal evaluation of caregiving needs and burden using additional instruments that capture elements of caregiving that are unique to the VAD context.
Survey of Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) in Agricultural Ecosystems in Georgia

Abstract Bemisia tabaci (Gennaduis) is a large complex of cryptic species whose members are invasive pests of economically important commodities, including cotton, vegetables, and ornamental crops....
Is it economical and beneficial to produce hydrogen from excess corn kernels

Abstract The demand for hydrogen gas is expected to increase in the near future not only for use in in fuel cells but also for a wide range of industrial uses. Recently, conversion of renewable sources to hydrogen by hydrothermal processes has gained more attention because of environmental and economic benefits. As one of alternative feedstocks, corn kernel from excess corn production could be a promising material for hydrogen production by hydrothermal gasification process. In this study, hydrogen production yield of corn kernels was compared with biomass and pure glucose feeds. Advantage and disadvantage of using corn kernels in the process was discussed in in terms of feed price and environmental aspects. Hydrogen production yield of corn kernels was found to be higher than biomass and slightly less than pure glucose feed. Considering processing conditions (e.g. temperature), sustainability, environmentally friendly nature, etc. conversion of excess corn kernels to hydrogen by hydrothermal processes is an alternative promising way for hydrogen gas production however, it is still not comparable with methane feed used in natural gas reforming. Cost of the corn kernel was roughly 1.71 times higher than methane to produce the same amount of hydrogen.
Ethics and the Gospel of John: Toward an Emerging New Consensus?:

For decades the scholarly consensus held that the Fourth Gospel was either devoid of ethics or that its ethical material was narrow, exclusive, and sectarian. In recent years, that consensus has be...
Investigation on the infection of soil-transmitted nematodes at Qingliu County, Fujian Province in 2013

Objective To understand the status and distribution characteristics of soil transmitted nema tode disease at Qinliu County,and to provide scientific basis for the prevention and control strategies and measures.Methods A random sample of Changxiao,Laifang,Longjin,Linyu and Songkou town,in Qingliu County,Fujian Province was choosed as the spots for the survey.Feces were collected and detected for the eggs of Ascaris lumbricoides,Trichuris trichiura,and hookworm,using modified Kato-Katz thick smear method.The database was established with Microsoft Excel 2003 software.The data were analyzed with SPSS19.0 software.The difference was statistically significant when P＜0.05.Results A total of 76 people was found infected with soil transmitted nematodes in 1 000 people investigated,the infection rate was 7.60％.The infection rates of hookworm,Trichuris trichiura and Ascaris were 7.60％,0 and 0 respectively.The hookworm eggs per gram feces(EPG) in the infected individuals was up to 320 while the least was 2,all at a mild infection level.The highest infection rate was 14.08％ (20/142) at Changxiao Town; the lowest was 4.59％ (10/218) at Linyu Town.The infection rate had no significant difference between male and female (x2=0.043,P＞0.05).The infection rates were different with statistical significance among different age groups,education groups and occupation groups (x2=44.680,29.223,27.672,P＜0.01).Conclusion The infection of soil-transmitted nematodes is at a low level in Qingliu County.The elderly,the people with low education level and the people engaged in agricultural production are the key population of infection of soil-transmitted nematodes. Key words: Soil-transmitted nematode; Endemic situation; Qingliu County
Association of Race With Mortality Among Patients Hospitalized With Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) at 92 US Hospitals.

Importance While current reports suggest that a disproportionate share of US coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases and deaths are among Black residents, little information is available regarding how race is associated with in-hospital mortality. Objective To evaluate the association of race, adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical factors, on all-cause, in-hospital mortality for patients with COVID-19. Design, Setting, and Participants This cohort study included 11 210 adult patients (age ≥18 years) hospitalized with confirmed severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) between February 19, 2020, and May 31, 2020, in 92 hospitals in 12 states: Alabama (6 hospitals), Maryland (1 hospital), Florida (5 hospitals), Illinois (8 hospitals), Indiana (14 hospitals), Kansas (4 hospitals), Michigan (13 hospitals), New York (2 hospitals), Oklahoma (6 hospitals), Tennessee (4 hospitals), Texas (11 hospitals), and Wisconsin (18 hospitals). Exposures Confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection by positive result on polymerase chain reaction testing of a nasopharyngeal sample. Main Outcomes and Measures Death during hospitalization was examined overall and by race. Race was self-reported and categorized as Black, White, and other or missing. Cox proportional hazards regression with mixed effects was used to evaluate associations between all-cause in-hospital mortality and patient characteristics while accounting for the random effects of hospital on the outcome. Results Of 11 210 patients with confirmed COVID-19 presenting to hospitals, 4180 (37.3%) were Black patients and 5583 (49.8%) were men. The median (interquartile range) age was 61 (46 to 74) years. Compared with White patients, Black patients were younger (median [interquartile range] age, 66 [50 to 80] years vs 61 [46 to 72] years), were more likely to be women (2259 [49.0%] vs 2293 [54.9%]), were more likely to have Medicaid insurance (611 [13.3%] vs 1031 [24.7%]), and had higher median (interquartile range) scores on the Neighborhood Deprivation Index (−0.11 [−0.70 to 0.56] vs 0.82 [0.08 to 1.76]) and the Elixhauser Comorbidity Index (21 [0 to 44] vs 22 [0 to 46]). All-cause in-hospital mortality among hospitalized White and Black patients was 23.1% (724 of 3218) and 19.2% (540 of 2812), respectively. After adjustment for age, sex, insurance, comorbidities, neighborhood deprivation, and site of care, there was no statistically significant difference in risk of mortality between Black and White patients (hazard ratio, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.80 to 1.09). Conclusions and Relevance Although current reports suggest that Black patients represent a disproportionate share of COVID-19 infections and death in the United States, in this study, mortality for those able to access hospital care did not differ between Black and White patients after adjusting for sociodemographic factors and comorbidities.
Which Types of Knower Should Democracies Include and Why

In this concluding chapter I discuss some institutional implications of Dewey’s argument for democracy. How can we think of institutionalizing social and political inquiry as the experimental collective activity Dewey imagined it to be? I discuss this question by outlining a typology of political knowers and a typology of what the inclusion of these knowers would ideally look like on the level of political institutions (policy-cycle), and I relate this to Dewey’s pattern of social and political inquiry. By tapping into Dewey’s pragmatist critical social epistemology developed in the previous chapters, this chapter sets out, more specifically, to answer the following questions: Who are the relevant knowers in a democracy? What are the differences between them, and what are their different roles and functions in the processes of democratic inquiry and judgment? How do these knowers relate to each other? What, for example, is the right relationship between ordinary citizens and experts? And, most importantly, how can we square the view that democracies need to allow some inequalities in epistemic authority with the moral element of Dewey’s argument for democracy, which refers to the normative principle of the equal authority of citizens’ political judgments?
C-shaped chiral waveguide for spin-dependent unidirectional propagation

Spin-dependent unidirectional propagation is one of the most intriguing features of the Quantum spin-Hall effect, which was studied intensively in electronic systems and led to the discovery of topological insulators. Recently, it was proven that evanescent waves intrinsically possess transverse spin that is dependent on the direction of propagation. This has enabled new applications in unidirectional waveguiding and integrated quantum optics. In this work, we study via numerical simulations a waveguide design consisting of C-shaped metallic particles characterized by extrinsic chirality and strong transverse spin. The design supports confined, spin-dependent unidirectional propagation with a high directionality ratio reaching 95%. We also study the effect of placing different local defects on the directionality of the supported guided mode.
Development of a Millimeter-Wave Transducer for Quantum Networks

Proliferation of superconducting quantum technology is limited by the scalability of such systems. Networking physically separated quantum processors is seen as a potential solution to the scalability problem. We previously proposed a microwave-millimeter four-wave mixing transduction scheme, which potentially provides a way to link quantum systems through a channel at liquid helium temperatures (4 K). In this work, we present a design methodology and measurements of a superconducting device that supports two independent modes separated by 55 GHz.
Case-control study of nodding syndrome in acholiland: Urinary multi-mycotoxin screening

This case-control study adds to the growing body of knowledge on the medical, nutritional, and environmental factors associated with Nodding Syndrome (NS), a seizure disorder of children and adolescents in northern Uganda. Past research described a significant association between NS and prior history of measles infection, dependence on emergency food and, at head nodding onset, subsistence on moldy maize, which has the potential to harbor mycotoxins. We used LC-MS/MS to screen for current mycotoxin loads by evaluating nine analytes in urine samples from age-and-gender matched NS cases (n = 50) and Community Controls (CC, n = 50). The presence of the three mycotoxins identified in the screening was not significantly different between the two groups, so samples were combined to generate an overall view of exposure in this community during the study. Compared against subsequently run standards, α-zearalenol (43 ± 103 µg/L in 15 samples > limit of quantitation (LOQ); 0 (0/359) µg/L), T-2 toxin (39 ± 81 µg/L in 72 samples > LOQ; 0 (0/425) µg/L) and aflatoxin M1 (4 ± 10 µg/L in 15 samples > LOQ; 0 (0/45) µg/L) were detected and calculated as the average concentration ± SD; median (min/max). Ninety-five percent of the samples had at least one urinary mycotoxin; 87% were positive for two of the three compounds detected. While mycotoxin loads at NS onset years ago are and will remain unknown, this study showed that children with and without NS currently harbor foodborne mycotoxins, including those associated with maize.
Development of a Performance-Based Specification (QC/QA) for Highway Edge Drains in Kentucky

The Kentucky Department of Highways (DOH) has been trying to remove water from its pavements since the early 1970s. Aggregate-filled trenches were used to remove water in the early 70s and perforated pipe edge drains were introduced in the mid-1970s. These systems remained relatively unchanged until the late 1980s. In 1987, after a number of localized pavement failures throughout Kentucky, the Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) and the Kentucky DOH started evaluating the effectiveness and performance of these edge drains systems. It was found that most of the panel edge drains were significantly damaged during installation and that approximately 50% of the outlet pipes were crushed and/or the headwalls were clogged. As a result of these findings, several design changes were made in 1989. Research conducted between 1989 and 1991 indicated that the performance of the system had improved but failures still existed. In 1997, after the completion of an in-depth research study on the performance and construction of these systems the Kentucky DOH required that all edge drain outlets be inspected with a pipeline inspection camera. The contractor was made possible for inspecting and repairing his own work. This was the early stages of a quality control (QC) program for edge drains in Kentucky. The camera inspections decreased the number of edge drain outlet failures from approximately 20% to approximately 3% to 5%. Of the 3% to 5% found damaged, the contractor was responsible for complete repairs. Current failure rates for mainlines are approximately 2%. At this time only 1/3 of the mainline is inspected (headwall to approximately 150 ft into the mainline). In May 1998, the Kentucky DOH established a mission to incorporate quality into their construction projects by transitioning, where possible, from method specifications to QC/QA, performance related, warranty, and other innovative specifications for the year 2000. In 1998, a term was formed to evaluate the current edge drain specification and make recommendations and revisions towards a full fledged QC/QA specification. This paper discusses the historical performance of edge drains in Kentucky and the recent changes in the specification.
Modeling impacts of changes in temperature and water table on C gas fluxes in an Alaskan peatland

Northern peatlands have accumulated a large amount of organic carbon (C) in their thick peat profile. Climate change and associated variations in soil environments are expected to have significant impacts on the C balance of these ecosystems, but the magnitude is still highly uncertain. Verifying and understanding the influences of changes in environmental factors on C gas fluxes in biogeochemical models are essential for forecasting feedbacks between C gas fluxes and climate change. In this study, we applied a biogeochemical model, DeNitrification-DeComposition (DNDC), to assess impacts of air temperature (TA) and water table (WT) on C gas fluxes in an Alaskan peatland. DNDC was validated against field measurements of net ecosystem exchange of CO2 (NEE) and CH4 fluxes under manipulated surface soil temperature and WT conditions in a moderate rich fen. The validation demonstrates that DNDC was able to capture the observed impacts of the manipulations in soil environments on C gas fluxes. To investigate responses of C gas fluxes to changes in TA and soil water condition, we conducted a series of simulations with varying TA and WT. The results demonstrate that (1) uptake rates of CO2 at the site were reduced by either too colder or warmer temperatures and generally increased with increasing soil moisture; (2) CH4 emissions showed an increasing trend as TA increased or WT rose toward the peat surface; and (3) the site could shift from a net greenhouse gas (GHG) sink into a net GHG source under some warm and/or dry conditions. A sensitivity analysis evaluated the relative importance of TA and WT to C gas fluxes. The results indicate that both TA and WT played important roles in regulating NEE and CH4 emissions and that within the investigated ranges of the variations in TA and WT, changes in WT showed a greater impact than changes in TA on NEE, CH4 fluxes, and net C gas fluxes at the study fen.
Adaptive holograms and applications using photorefractive quantum wells

In this paper, I describe three separate applications that share virtually nothing in common other than the use of an adaptive holographic film. These are: 1) femtosecond pulse shaping and dynamic compensation; 2) optical imaging through turbid media; and 3) laser-based ultrasound detection. We have implemented a Fourier-domain ultrafast pulse shaper that uses a dynamic holographic film in the Fourier plain instead of the conventional static or actively-addressed spatial filters. This can be used as an optically programmable space-to-time converter that can use light to shape light. We use a Hilbert-Gaussian pulse that was optically shaped by the photorefractive quantum wells in the pulse shaper. This pulse-shaper is adaptive, and can dynamically compensate for time-varying dispersion, including arrival-time-drift.
Coding and Billing

Accurate coding and billing of procedures performed in the laboratory are extremely important. The following serves as a brief introduction to appropriate coding. However it is not the intention, nor is it possible, to provide definitive guidelines for any specific laboratory. Rules differ in different states and for different health maintenance providers. Always seek advice and check with local billing experts for accuracy.
Decoding complexity in word-replacement translation models

Statistical machine translation is a relatively new approach to the long-standing problem of translating human languages by computer. Current statistical techniques uncover translation rules from bilingual training texts and use those rules to translate new texts. The general architecture is the source-channel model: an English string is statistically generated (source), then statistically transformed into French (channel). In order to translate (or "decode") a French string, we look for the most likely English source. We show that for the simplest form of statistical models, this problem is NP-complete, i.e., probably exponential in the length of the observed sentence. We trace this complexity to factors not present in other decoding problems.
Social structure and social behaviour in an intensive care unit: patient-family perspectives.

This paper deals with how definitions of the situation emerge for cardiac patients and their families in the critical phase of illness. Data, which were collected through participant observation in a hospital intensive care unit, show that the structure of the situation can lead to discrepancies in the way that patients and significant others perceive and interpret the illness and therapy. Key variables include differential exposure and access to the care setting, including the care providers, role assignment, and an attenuated communication system. No mechanisms seem to be built into the situation to provide remediation for the immediate or long-term implications.
Hybrid inverse problems and internal functionals

This paper reviews recent results on hybrid inverse problems, which are also called coupled-physics inverse problems of multi-wave inverse problems. Inverse problems tend to be most useful in, e.g., medical and geophysical imaging, when they combine high contrast with high resolution. In some settings, a single modality displays either high contrast or high resolution but not both. In favorable situations, physical effects couple one modality with high contrast with another modality with high resolution. The mathematical analysis of such couplings forms the class of hybrid inverse problems. Hybrid inverse problems typically involve two steps. In a first step, a well-posed problem involving the high-resolution low-contrast modality is solved from knowledge of boundary measurements. In a second step, a quantitative reconstruction of the parameters of interest is performed from knowledge of the point-wise, internal, functionals of the parameters reconstructed during the first step. This paper reviews mathematical techniques that have been developed in recent years to address the second step. Mathematically, many hybrid inverse problems find interpretations in terms of linear and nonlinear (systems of) equations. In the analysis of such equations, one often needs to verify that qualitative properties of solutions to elliptic linear equations are satisfied, for instance the absence of any critical points. This paper reviews several methods to prove that such qualitative properties hold, including the method based on the construction of complex geometric optics solutions.
Overcoming Obesity and a Short Appendix in the Creation of Continent Catheterizable Stomas. Preliminary Outcomes of the "Casella-Ost Procedure".

Objective To describe a novel method of using a bladder flap to partially span the distance between the bladder and abdominal wall when creating a concealed catheterizable channel. Materials and Methods We retrospectively identified 3 patients in whom we performed this reconstruction and report our surgical technique and their outcomes at 23, 27, and 32 months. Results There were no immediate operative complications and all patients continue to catheterize without difficulty. Two patients reported mild stomal stress incontinence, which resolved with Ditropan in one case, and was not bothersome enough to desire additional treatment in the second. Conclusion Incorporation of the bladder flap allows for a shorter proximal limb (appendix or tubularized ileum), improving ease of catheterization in addition to providing a surface where a tunneled, nonrefluxing anastomosis between the proximal limb and bladder can be easily performed. Long-term follow-up and greater patient numbers are needed, nonetheless, we have not seen this approach described in the literature and feel that it is an important reconstructive option to be considered when creating a continent catheterizable diversion.
A concept for mitigating head injury under translational blunt impact

This study assesses a bi-layer composite concept for mitigating the severity of injury due to translational blunt impact of an unprotected head at moderately high speeds. The concept comprises crushable foam and a stiff face-sheet on the impacting face. Approximate analytical models for acceleration–time histories of prototypical impact scenarios are used to guide the design. The key design variables probed experimentally are the crushing strength of the underlying foam and the tile size. The efficacy of the composite systems and the foams alone is ascertained through a series of drop impact tests with an instrumented head-form at a representative impact velocity (6.7 m/s, 15 mph), using three commercial viscoelastic foams, with and without face-sheets. The measurements are analysed in terms of five performance metrics: the peak acceleration, the Gadd severity index (GSI), the head injury criterion (HIC), the skull fracture correlate (SFC) and the head impact power (HIP). The experiments demonstrate that,...
How Well Do Doctors Know their Patients? Factors Affecting Physician Understanding of Patients’ Health Beliefs

BACKGROUND An important feature of patient-centered care is physician understanding of their patients’ health beliefs and values.
Hydrogen donor-acceptor fluctuations from kinetic isotope effects: a phenomenological model.

Kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) and their temperature dependence can probe the structural and dynamic nature of enzyme-catalyzed proton or hydride transfers. The molecular interpretation of their temperature dependence requires expensive and specialized quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) calculations to provide a quantitative molecular understanding. Currently available phenomenological models use a nonadiabatic assumption that is not appropriate for most hydride and proton-transfer reactions, while others require more parameters than the experimental data justify. Here we propose a phenomenological interpretation of KIEs based on a simple method to quantitatively link the size and temperature dependence of KIEs to a conformational distribution of the catalyzed reaction. This model assumes adiabatic hydrogen tunneling, and by fitting experimental KIE data, the model yields a population distribution for fluctuations of the distance between donor and acceptor atoms. Fits to data from a variety of ...
An assessment of the needs of parents of gifted students for parent education programs

A total of 159 parents of gifted students from throughout Georgia responded to a survey of their needs for parent education programs. Nearly half of the parents indicated they wanted training in using a microcomputer with their gifted child. Most other topics selected by the parents dealt with general parenting concerns, i.e., promoting motivation, responsibility, and social growth in their gifted child. Parents also indicated their preferences for how the educational programs could best be delivered and incentives for encouraging them to attend.
Why do some Arab citizens see democracy as unsuitable for their country

Why do some Arab citizens regard democracy favourably but see it as unsuitable for their country? Modernization theory contends that economic development creates modern citizens who demand democracy. Cultural theories see Islam and democracy as incompatible. Government performance theories argue that citizens who perceive the current authoritarian government as acting in a transparent manner will demand greater democracy. I argue that attitudes toward democracy are shaped by beliefs about its political, economic, and religious consequences, including those related to sectarianism. I test this consequence-based theory using Arab Barometer data from six nations. Sixty percent hold favourable views of democracy generally and for their country, while 7% reject democracy. Twenty-seven percent support democracy generally but see it as unsuitable for their country. Beliefs that democracy will have negative consequences and perceptions of poor government performance are the most important predictors of democracy'...
A multi-sector inventory model

Abstract Two competing paradigms for firm-level inventory behavior are production smoothing and (S,s). Empirical evidence that aggregate production varies more than sales, and inventory investment is positively correlated with sales, appears to contradict the buffer-stock/production-smoothing motivation. Work by Blinder and Maccini suggests that an (S,s) model better explains these stylized facts. I simulate a multi-sector model with sequential interaction of heterogeneous agents (representing manufacturing, wholesale and retail agents) who use either smoothing or (S,s) inventory decision rules. The results demonstrate that the stylized facts can be explained by a model of this type.
Departure time choice behavior for hurricane evacuation planning: the case of the understudied medically fragile population

Despite the non-trivial number of (non-institutionalized) residents with special needs - referred to as the medically fragile population in this paper - there is virtually no research available to guide the hurricane evacuation planning for this population group. One area is their evacuation time choice behavior that can have tremendous implications for their safety as well as the logistics of the evacuation process. In this paper, we fundamentally advance our understanding of the evacuation timing behavior of this heavily understudied, and potentially vulnerable, population group. Analysis indicates that key differences exist between the medically fragile and non-medically fragile population. Language: en
Reversibility of mitochondrial and contractile changes in the myocardium after cessation of prolonged ethanol intake

Abstract The study was conducted to examine the biochemical and biophysical basis for the clinical finding that abstinence reverses the effects of prolonged ethanol consumption. Mitochondrial respiration and contractility of glycerinated heart muscle fibers were chosen as indexes to determine (1) the relative length of time after chronic ethanol consumption required to initiate changes in the myocardium, and (2) the degree of recovery in the study animals after removal of ethanol from their diet. Measurements were made in rats consuming 25 percent ethanol daily for 4,6, or 8 weeks. Analysis revealed a gradual reduction in the maximal rate of isometric tension development, the maximal developed tension and the velocity of shortening at zero load. The time to peak tension gradually increased and mitochondrial respiration steadily decreased with longer periods of ethanol ingestion. The effects occurred earlier and to a greater degree with glutamate, a nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide-linked substrate, than with succinate, which is flavoprotein-linked. Respiration with glutamate was diminished after 4 weeks of ethanol consumption by 8 percent, after 6 weeks by 19 percent and after 8 weeks by 20 percent. After 8 weeks of ethanol consumption, some rats were given a nonalcoholic diet to assess the effects of abstinence on these two variables. Four weeks after removal of ethanol from the diet, the contractility of glycerinated heart muscle fibers was still significantly diminished. After 8 weeks, and had essentially returned to precontrol levels, but was still reduced by 15 percent. Likewise, mitochondrial respiration had nearly returned to control values after 8 weeks of abstinence. These observations demonstrate that certain biochemical changes in heart muscle produced by ethanol are reversible after cessation of ethanol administration.
Optimal Bayesian Resampling for OFDM Signaling Over Multi-scale Multi-lag Channels

Underwater acoustic (UWA) communication channels are ultra-wideband in nature and experience long delay spreads and significant Doppler effects. The typical UWA channel distortion can be described by a multi-scale, multi-lag (MSML) channel model. Many UWA communication systems employ resampling by a single-scale at the front-end to compensate for the scale effects of UWA channels. In this letter, the optimal resampling parameter for OFDM signaling over MSML channels is investigated from a Bayesian perspective. The resampling parameter is selected to minimize the inter-carrier interference (ICI) resulting from the MSML channel for OFDM signaling. The exact interference energy is computed, but is intractable for optimization, thus, an upper bound is employed for optimization. Numerical results verify the tightness of the bound and quantify the performance of the Bayesian approach. As expected, the proposed method outperforms previous deterministic methods for resampling in MSML channels, which in turn outperform the classical packet-length-based approach, and is more effective in ICI mitigation.
Photoassembly of the Water-Oxidizing Complex in Photosystem II.

The light-driven steps in the biogenesis and repair of the inorganic core comprising the O2-evolving center of oxygenic photosynthesis (photosystem II water-oxidation complex, PSII-WOC) are reviewed. These steps, known collectively as photoactivation, involve the photoassembly of the free inorganic cofactors to the cofactor-depleted PSII-(apo-WOC) driven by light and produce the active O2-evolving core comprised of Mn4CaOxCly. We focus on the functional role of the inorganic components as seen through the competition with non-native cofactors (“inorganic mutants”) on water oxidation activity, the rate of the photoassembly reaction, and on structural insights gained from EPR spectroscopy of trapped intermediates formed in the initial steps of the assembly reaction. A chemical mechanism for the initial steps in photoactivation is given that is based on these data. Photoactivation experiments offer the powerful insights gained from replacement of the native cofactors, which together with the recent X-ray structural data for the resting holoenzyme provide a deeper understanding of the chemistry of water oxidation. We also review some new directions in research that photoactivation studies have inspired that look at the evolutionary history of this remarkable catalyst.
Thermodynamic properties of CHF2-O-CHF2, bis(difluoromethyl) ether

Abstract Defibaugh, D.R., Gillis, K.Aa Moldover M.R., Morrison, G. and Schmidt, J.W., 1992. Thermodynamic properties of CHF2-O-CHF2, bis(difluoromethyl) ether. Fluid Phase Equilibria, 81: 285–305. We have measured the thermodynamic properties of bis(difluoromethyl) ether, CHF2-O- CHF2, a candidate alternative refrigerant that is also known as E134. From the data we obtained the coefficients of a Carnahan-Starling-DeSantis equation of state and a polyno- mial representation of the ideal-gas heat capacity. This representation of the thermodynamic properties of E134 is consistent with the computer package REFPROP distributed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology to represent the properties of many candidate refrigerants. The representation is based on measurements of the refractive index of the saturated liquid and vapor, and the speed of sound of the dilute vapor. These measurements provide the boiling point, critical parameters, and the ideal-gas heat capacity of E134. Measurements on less pure samples were used to estimate the density of saturated liquid E134 and compressed liquid E134, and the interfacial tension. The pure samples appeared to be stable during the measurements; under similar conditions impure samples were not. Azeotropy in mixtures of E134 with CHF2CH2F (also known as R143) was discovered.
Inhibition of tumor size by streptozotocin-induced diabetes mellitus.

Abstract The effects of experimental diabetes mellitus on tumor growth were studied. Male Fischer rats were rendered diabetic with a single intravenous injection of streptozotocin. Ten days later they were inoculated with 10 6 cells of a methylcholanthrene-induced sarcoma, and tumor growth was observed for 28 days. In three consecutive experiments diabetes selectively inhibited tumor size at Day 28 following inoculation, by 65% ( n = 24, P n = 30, P n = 54, P r = −0.80, P