cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rational use of agonists and antagonists of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) in the treatment of hormone-sensitive neoplasms and gynaecologic conditions

Abstract Analogues of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) have made possible new approaches to the treatment of some hormone-dependent cancers and diseases and conditions which result from inappropriate sex hormone levels. In the fields of both gynaecology and oncology, the development of sustained delivery depot systems has played a key role in the clinical use of LH-RH agonists and will be also essential for the LH-RH antagonists. Clinical results show that therapy with agonists of LH-RH is the preferred method of treatment for men with advanced prostate cancer. For prostate cancer and other indications, the new LH-RH antagonists such as Cetrorelix may offer an advantage based on the fact that they inhibit LH, FSH and sex-steroid secretion from the start of the administration and thus reduce the time of the onset of therapeutic effects. The use of antagonists would avoid the temporary clinical “flare-up” of the disease which can occur with the agonists in men with prostate cancer. The rapid shrinkage of the prostate and improvement in urinary symptoms obtained with Cetrorelix in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BHP) suggests that LH-RH antagonists offer a therapeutic alternative in patients who are considered poor surgical risks. Various experimental and clinical studies suggest that analogues of LH-RH might be useful for treatment of premenopausal women with oestrogen-dependent breast cancer. LH-RH antagonists such as Cetrorelix could be also considered for hormonal therapy of epithelial ovarian cancer which responds only marginally to the agonists, and for treatment of endometrial cancer. Many investigators have reported beneficial effects of LH-RH agonists in the treatment of patients with leiomyomas. LH-RH antagonists also appear to be promising for therapy of uterine leiomyomas, and in addition might be useful for treatment of endometriosis and polycystic ovarian disease (PCOD). LH-RH agonists have been employed in in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) programs to prevent a premature rise in LH and various results suggest that the use of antagonist Cetrorelix in assisted reproduction procedures, could be even more advantageous. For most of these indications, the use of sustained release depot preparations will be required.
Present-at-admission diagnoses improve mortality risk adjustment and allow more accurate assessment of the relationship between volume of lung cancer operations and mortality risk.

Background Mortality risk adjustment is a key component of studies that examine the statistical relationship between hospital lung cancer operation volume and in-hospital mortality. Previous studies of this relationship have used different methods of adjusting for factors that influence mortality risk, but none have adjusted for differences in comorbid disease using only diagnoses identified as present-at-admission. Methods This study uses adjustments for conditions identified as present-at-admission to examine the statistical relationship between the volume of lung cancer operations and mortality among 14,456 California hospital patients, and compares these results to other methods of risk adjustment similar to those used in previous studies. Results Mortality risk adjustment using present-at-admission diagnoses yielded better discrimination and explained more of the variability in observed deaths. Large increases in hospital procedure volume were associated with much smaller decreases in mortality risk than those estimated using comparable risk-adjustment models. Conclusions Present-at-admission diagnoses can be used to improve mortality risk adjustment and may allow a more accurate assessment of the relationship between procedure volume and mortality risk.
Effect of Leukocyte Telomere Length on Total and Regional Brain Volumes in a Large Population-Based Cohort

Importance Telomere length has been associated with dementia and psychological stress, but its relationship with human brain size is unknown. Objective To determine if peripheral blood telomere length is associated with brain volume. Design, Setting, and Participants Peripheral blood leukocyte telomere length and brain volumes were measured for 1960 individuals in the Dallas Heart Study, a population-based, probability sample of Dallas County, Texas, residents, with a median (25th-75th percentile) age of 50 (42-58) years. Global and 48 regional brain volumes were assessed from the automated analysis of magnetic resonance imaging. Main Outcomes and Measures Telomere length and global and regional brain volumes. Results Leukocyte telomere length was associated with total cerebral volume (β [SE], 0.06 [0.01], P P = .002; β [SE], 0.07 [0.02], P TL [SE], 0.08 [0.02], R 2 , 0.91% vs β age [SE], −0.16 [0.02], R 2 , 3.80%; amygdala: β TL [SE], 0.08 [0.02], R 2 , 0.78% vs β age [SE],−0.19 [0.02], R 2 ,4.63%; inferior temporal: β TL [SE], 0.07 [0.02], R 2 , 0.92% vs β age [SE], −0.14 [0.02], R 2 , 3.98%) ( P >50 [SE], 0.13 [0.03], P ≤50 [SE], 0.02 [0.02], P = .51, P for interaction = .001; superior parietal: β >50 [SE], 0.11 [0.03], P ≤50 [SE], 0.01 [0.02], P = .71, P for interaction = .004; hippocampus: β >50 [SE], 0.10 [0.03], P = .004 vs β ≤50 [SE], 0.05 [0.02], P = .07, P for interaction = .04; fusiform: β >50 [SE], 0.09 [0.03], P = .002, β ≤50 [SE], 0.03 [0.02], P = .31, P for interaction = .03). The volume of the hippocampus, amygdala, superior and inferior temporal, precuneus, lateral orbitofrontal, posterior cingulate, thalamus and ventral diencephalon were independently associated with telomere length after adjustment for all covariates (age, gender, ethnicity, total intracranial volume, body mass index, blood pressure, diabetes, smoking status, and APOE genotype). Conclusions and Relevance To our knowledge, this is the first population-based study to date to evaluate telomere length as an independent predictor of global and regional brain size. Future studies are needed to determine how telomere length and anatomic structural changes are related to cognitive function, dementia, and psychological disease.
Ab initio computation of optical conductivity of YBa2Cu3O7-x.

Optical conductivity computed from first principles suggests that the feature near 0.37 eV is due to interband transitions from the bridging O that connects the Cu-O planes to the Cu-O chain. Screened Coulomb interaction between an electron and a hole broadens the interband peaks but does not lead to any new features that could be interpreted as excitonic. Variations in O content cause the low-energy optical feature to disappear as the bridging O states drop well below ${E}_{\mathrm{F}}$. We suggest that differences between single-crystal and powder data are likely due to compositional differences.
Upper-bound general circulation of coupled ocean-atmosphere: Part 1. Atmosphere !

Abstract We consider the general atmospheric circulation within the deductive framework of our climate theory. The preceding three parts of this theory have reduced the troposphere to the tropical and polar air masses and determined their temperature and the surface latitude of their dividing boundary, which provide the prior thermal constraint for the present dynamical derivation. Drawing upon its similar material conservation as the thermal property, the (columnar) potential vorticity (PV) is assumed homogenized as well in air masses, which moreover has a zero tropical value owing to the hemispheric symmetry. Inverting this PV field produces an upper-bound zonal wind that resembles the prevailing wind, suggesting that the latter may be explained as the maximum macroscopic motion extractable by random eddies – within the confine of the thermal differentiation. With the polar front determined in conjunction with the zonal wind, the approximate leveling of the isobars at the surface and high aloft specifies the tropopause, which is colder and higher in the tropics than in the polar region. The zonal wind drives the meridional circulation via the Ekman dynamics, and the preeminence of the Hadley cell stems from the singular Ekman convergence at the equator that allows it to supply the upward mass flux in the ITCZ demanded by the global energy balance.
Hard X-rays from Sco X-1.

BASED on the optical and soft X-ray emission (up to ≈30 keV), the spectrum of Sco X-1 has been described in terms of bremsstrahlung radiation from a transparent isothermal plasma at kT≈5 eV (refs. 1–3). During a balloon-borne observation in June 1965, Peterson and Jacobson4 obtained evidence in hard X-rays (> 30 keV) for another spectral component. We observed a similar feature in hard X-rays5 during a balloon flight launched from Mildura, Australia, on December 15, 1966. The results of these and more recent observations show that the hard X-ray component is definitely not compatible with a simple extension of the thermal spectrum at lower energies6.
Ventricular fibrillation. A possible mechanism of sudden death in patients and Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

A case of Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome associated with ventricular fibrillation is presented. The control of recurrent ventricular fibrillation with large doses of digitalis and other antiarrhythmic drugs, including propranolol, lidocaine, procainamide, and quinidine, is discussed. As far as we can determine, this is the first human case in which the precise onset of ventricular fibrillation was documented. Possible mechanisms are presented that may produce ventricular fibrillation in patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome associated with atrial flutter or fibrillation.
Surgical management of primary hyperparathyroidism: state of the art

This article reviews the current state of the art regarding therapy for primary hyperparathyroidism. Clinical evaluation and indications for parathyroidectomy are described, followed by a review of surgical techniques currently being practiced and possible outcomes involved. Focused parathyroidectomy has become a successful alternative to conventional bilateral cervical exploration.
Device modeling for computer-aided design and analysis of integrated circuits

Abstract A list is proposed of properties considered to be desirable for models for integrated devices. These properties serve as a guide in modeling per se and as a vehicle for assessing the adequacy of any given model. In illustration, the adequacy is examined of a generalized Ebers-Moll model for the large-signal, dynamic behavior of the integrated bipolar transistor. This examination discloses two related, unsolved problems areas: the accounting for high-level behavior while retaining an effective accuracy-simplicity compromise, and the determination of model-parameter values for device operation over a wide range of currents. Three approaches for attacking these problems are suggested and compared.
Sodium Pentosan Polysulfate Reduces Urothelial Responses to Inflammatory Stimuli Via an Indirect Mechanism

Purpose: Sodium pentosan polysulfate has been promoted as a urothelial cytoprotective agent for treating interstitial cystitis. The nuclear transcription factor nuclear factor κB is thought to have a role in mediating the urothelial inflammatory response of interstitial cystitis. We further defined a possible cytoprotective effect of sodium pentosan polysulfate by characterizing the effect of the drug on the expression of nuclear factor κB.Materials and Methods: For cell culture human urothelial cells were incubated in various concentrations of sodium pentosan polysulfate for 16 hours in keratinocyte serum-free medium. They were subsequently treated with the known nuclear factor κB stimulants tumor necrosis factor-α, lipopolysaccaride (LPS) and double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). Each stimulant was then incubated with sodium pentosan polysulfate separately and the mixture was used to treat cultured urothelial cells. For electrophoretic mobility shift assay total cell extracts were prepared and run in electrophor...
Histology of the canine uretha II. Morphometry of the male pelvic urethra

Urinary bladders and pelvic urethrae were collected from six adult and two juvenile male dogs. Within two vesical and six urethral sampling regions, volume densities were estimated for smooth and striated muscle, connective tissue and elastic fibers, stratum cavernosum, luminal epithelium, and prostate. The neck had significantly less smooth muscle and more connective tissue than the body of the bladder. In the prostatic urethra, smooth muscle was associated principally with trabeculae surrounding prostate lobules. Smooth muscle was sparse superficially in the prostatic capsule and practically absent in relation to the mid-prostatic urethra. Thus there was no mechanism for active closure of the middle prostatic urethra, and elastic fiber density was correspondingly high in this region. The smooth muscle sphincter needed to maintain urinary continuence and prevent semen reflux was primarily the vesical neck. Caudal to the body of the prostate, striated muscle comprised more than 40% of the urethral wall. Juvenile and adult postprostatic urethrae were similar except for a decreased quantity of stratum cavernosum in the pups.
Biology and parasitism rates of Pteromalus nr. myopitae (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae), a newly discovered parasitoid of olive fruit fly Bactrocera oleae (Diptera: Tephritidae) in coastal California

Abstract An undescribed wasp, Pteromalus nr. myopitae (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) opportunistically parasitizes the olive fruit fly Bactrocera oleae (Rossi) (Diptera: Tephritidae), an introduced pest of olives in California. The native or typical host of P. nr. myopitae is unknown. We demonstrate that P. nr. myopitae is a solitary, ectoparasitic, idiobiont parasitoid of the third instar host inside fruit, and pupation occurs in the host tunnel. Reproduction of P. nr. myopitae on B. oleae in olives in the laboratory and in field cages generally failed. Host-feeding was not observed, and adults fed honey and water lived longer than those provided with water alone. Parasitism in non-commercial olives in the moderate coastal climate of San Luis Obispo occurred primarily from August to October, and was absent from a nearby location with more extreme climate and a low population of B. oleae. Greater parasitoid numbers were associated with greater host densities, and proportion of hosts parasitized was generally higher at lower host densities during 2 years of the study. The geographic range of the parasitoid extends along the coast from San Francisco Bay to Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, and also inland in the Sacramento Valley, with one record in the San Joaquin Valley. The potential of the parasitoid as a biological control agent of B. oleae is probably low, however, the extent of its interference with other parasitoids being considered for release in California is unknown and warrants further study.
Advances in Fetal Surgery

Advances in prenatal screening and diagnosis, combined with an understanding of the pathophysiology of congenital anomalies, have brought incredible impetus to the field of fetal surgery. Identification of fetal anomalies can lead to counseling of the affected family so that informed decisions can be made on how to proceed with the pregnancy. Counseling may lead to pregnancy termination, changes in the timing or mode of delivery, and, in select cases, prenatal intervention. Open fetal surgery may be considered in severe cases of congenital diaphragmatic hernia, congenital chest lesions, sacrococcygeal teratoma, urinary tract obstruction, and myelomeningocele. The ex utero intrapartum treatment procedure may be lifesaving for fetuses with giant neck masses. Finally, fetoscopic surgery may be offered for select cases of twin-twin transfusion syndrome and twin reversed arterial perfusion sequence. Fetal intervention in all of these cases depends on a team approach to the patient and on the objective comparis...
Time course of metabolism of benzo[e]pyrene by hamster embryo cells and the effect of chemical modifiers

In cultures of hamster embryo cells, benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) is metabolized primarily in the bay region. In contrast, little or no bay region metabolism of the noncarcinogenic isomer benzo[e]pyrene (B[e]P) could be detected during 12–96-h incubations of hamster embryo cells with 4 μM [3H]B[e]P. The upper limit to 9,10-dihydro-9,10-dihydroxy-B[e]P formation is about 0.2% of the ethyl acetate-soluble metabolites ( <0.1% of the total metabolites). The major identified metabolites of B[e]P were 4,5-dihydro-4,5-dihydroxy B[e]P and the glucuronide conjugates of 3-OH-B[e]P and 4,5-dihydro-4,5-dihydroxy B[e]P. Simultaneous treatment of cells with either B[a]P or 7,8-benzoflavone (BF) did not induce bay region metabolism of [3H]B[e]P.
A clinical algorithm identifies high risk pediatric oncology and bone marrow transplant patients likely to benefit from treatment of adenoviral infection.

Background Adenoviral infections cause morbidity and mortality in blood and marrow transplantation and pediatric oncology patients. Cidofovir is active against adenovirus, but must be used judiciously because of its nephrotoxicity and unclear indications. Therefore, before introducing cidofovir use during an adenoviral outbreak, we developed a clinical algorithm to distinguish low risk patients from those who merited cidofovir therapy because of significant adenoviral disease and high risk for death.
Tissue synchronization imaging and optimal left ventricular pacing site in cardiac resynchronization therapy.

The optimal pacing site in cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) remains controversial. Tissue synchronization imaging is a novel echocardiographic technique that color-codes for areas of maximal delay in myocardial velocities. This study aimed to identify whether the left ventricular (LV) pacing lead position in CRT should be guided by a patient's area of maximal mechanical delay. Fifty-four patients with advanced heart failure were assessed echocardiographically before and 6 months after CRT. Response was analyzed according to the relation between the LV lead position and the area of maximal delay to peak velocity by tissue synchronization imaging in the first half of the ejection phase: group 1 (n = 22) had lead placement corresponding to the segment of maximal delay; group 2 (n = 13) had lead placement 1 segment adjacent; and group 3 (n = 19) had lead placement remote from this site. Evidence of LV reverse remodeling and improved systolic function was documented in group 1 (mean percentage decrease in end-systolic volume 23%) more than in group 2 (mean decrease 15%), and more than in group 3 (mean increase 8.9%, p 15% decrease in end-systolic volume); reverse remodeling was seen in 7 of 13 patients in group 2 and 1 of 19 in group 3. The placing of the lead position proximal to the site of maximal delay by tissue synchronization imaging was correlated with reverse remodeling (r = 0.449, p = 001). Of 7 patients with delay confined to the septum and anterior wall only, none had evidence of reverse remodeling after CRT. In conclusion, pacing at the site of maximal mechanical delay was associated with reverse remodeling. Individually tailored LV lead positioning should be considered before CRT.
Cliff swallows and the power of behavioral ecology.

It may metaphorically be said that natural selection is daily and hourly scrutinizing, throughout the world, the slightest variations; rejecting those that are bad, preserving and adding up all that are good; silently and insensibly working, whenever and wherever opportunity offers, at the improvement of each organic being in relation to its organic and inorganic conditions of life. We see nothing of these slow changes in progress, until the hand of time has marked the lapse of ages.
Performative and Presuppositional Skills in Language-Disordered and Normal Children

The presuppositional and performative abilities of language-disordered and normal children were compared, controlling for the children's ability to use the lexical items required in the experimenta...
Examination of factors that influence the expansion of the fragile X mutation in a sample of conceptuses from known carrier females

The Collaborative Prospective Fragile X Study was established to collect information on the pregnancy outcome of women known to be carriers of the fragile X syndrome. The prospective design of this study allows collection of ascertainment-free data and, thereby, avoids biases caused by sampling problems encountered in retrospective family studies. The results of 337 submitted cases are summarized. These data show that the segregation of the fragile X mutation is normal and the sex ratio of conceptuses is as expected for a prenatal sample. There is no excess of dizygotic twinning among the pre- or full mutation carrier females. Data are limited at this time but provide a suggestion that the risk of expansion to the full mutation may be correlated with maternal age and to the parental origin of premutation of carrier women. More data are needed to confirm these suggested trends. The prospective data base provides a valuable resource to continue to examine factors in an unbiased fashion.
Primate experiments on mandibular growth direction

Induced oral respiration in eight growing monkeys led to a lowering of the chin, a steeper mandibular plane angle, and an increase in the gonial angle as compared with eight control animals. The posterior border of the mandible maintained its normal inclination relative to the skull. The mandible underwent a posterior rotation in the experimental animals and an anterior rotation in the controls. The findings suggest that the position of the chin and the inclination of the mandibular plane are controlled by the balance between the suprahyoid and the orofacial muscles. Since the posterior border of the ramus undergoes gradual remodeling and maintains its normal inclination, it is assumed that the masticatory muscles are not significantly affected by the altered respiratory function. It is therefore concluded that the ramus with the masticatory muscles and the chin with its suprahyoid and orofacial muscles represent two relatively independent systems.
Derivation of the Landau quantum hydrodynamics for interacting bose systems

In this work we demonstrate that the basic equations of the Landau hydrodynamics may be derived directly from the quantum-mechanical microscopic N-body Hamiltonian, which is expressed as a functional of the local observables, namely, particle and current densities. The Landau quantum hydrodynamic equations are then the Heisenberg equations of motion of these quantities.
Blending thermotropic liquid crystal and thermoplastic polymers for microreinforcement

A new process to obtain fibrous shaped thermotropic liquid crystal domains in bulk forms by proper blend processing with engineering thermoplastic polymer systems is presented. Normally, unless such a blend has experienced high elongational flow, the liquid crystalline domains are globular in shape and provide little or no improvement in tensile mechanical properties. One solution to this dilemma was to make the liquid crystalline domains small enough so that their size approaches that of microvoids in the thermoplastic polymer system. Preliminary investigations were made to demonstrate the process. It was then successfully applied to a thermoplastic polymer for use in aircraft interior panels. Besides the tensile mechanical property improvement, several other properties were greatly improved. One of these was fracture toughness, which doubled in value.
SU-E-T-106: Validation of a Nanoparticle Terminated Fiber Optic Dosimeter On 6 MV LINAC for Photon and Electron Beams in a Solid Water Phantom

Purpose: Patient safety and dose‐monitoring during routine radiotherapy treatments is of paramount importance to modern and future medical procedures and subsequent care. Currently, there are few, if any, options for real time in‐vivo dosimetry, necessitating the need for a point dosimeter that is cost‐effective, responds in real time, and exhibits minimal aging. The primary goal was to determine if a novel, nanoscintillator based fiber optic dosimeter, with dimensions less than a millimeter thick and several meters long, would respond linearly with increasing dose on a 6MV Photon and 6MeV Electron beam. Methods: A Siemens Primus LINAC was used with a solid water phantom, 10×10cm field size, 100cm SSD, 0 degree gantry angle, and 300MU/min dose rate. The sensor was placed at a depth of 1.5cm in the phantom (d_max). For the 6MV photon beam, cumulative doses of 1, 5, 10, and 15Gy to water were delivered. For the 6MeV electron beam, cumulative doses of 1, 5, and 10Gy to water were delivered. To form the sensor, YEuO nanoparticle powder was pressed into a bulk material and fixed to the end of a 600 micron optical fiber. This fiber connected to a Thor Labs PM100USB power meter and photodiode which measured light output in real time. Results: The linearity of the nanoscintillator based fiber optic dosimeter for 6MV photons and 6MV electrons had R‐squared values of 0.99997 for both, with slopes of 5.707e‐10 Joules/Gy and 1.468e‐10 Joules/Gy respectively. Conclusion: The nanoscintillator based fiber optic dosimeter response was linear with respect to increasing dose, indicating that with calibration, this detector could be used for real time in‐vivo dosimetry for both electron and photon radiation therapy. The scintillation output was roughly 4 times greater for photons compared to electrons. No aging effects were observed for a cumulative dose of 150Gy to water.
Ion channel evolution

Abstract Electrophysiological studies indicate that ion channels are present throughout the animal kingdom. Between distantly-related phyla, similarities in ion selectivity, gating, pharmacology and kinetics have obscured insights into how these proteins might have evolved. Moreover, deduced structures of a limited number of chordate and arthropod ion channels have shown that functionally disparate channel types often share a common structure. At least six different superfamilies of structurally-related ion channels have been described thus far, providing some clues for ‘ancestral’ proteins of a specific family. By contrast, evolutionary links (should they exist) among these superfamilies are less clear, requiring further structural analysis of ion channels in lower invertebrates, single-celled organisms and plants.
Against Compulsory Treatment: No "Quick Fix" For Pregnant Substance Abusers*

Recently, pregnant women who use drugs have been subject to strict scrutiny and, in some instances, harsh treatment. Based upon the number of prosecutions of pregnant women that have occurred, it seems the government is prepared to punish the pregnant addict but unwilling to provide the prenatal care that is critical to the health of the mother and the infant. Although civil commitment under a compulsory treatment statute might appear to provide the kind of governmental intervention so desperately needed, it singles out women who are pregnant and subjects them to sanctions not similarly inflicted upon male addicts.
Rhetoric in the creation of social reality: Radical consciousness and whig strategy in parliamentary reform

Whig reformers, while advocating parliamentary reform, perpetuated the class‐based image of the lower orders as distinctly inferior to the governing classes. This made it imperative for radical reformers to enlarge their rhetorical scope, to address the issue of lower‐class self perception as well as the apparent issue of political reform. “Orator” Hunt's speech at Spa Fields in 1816 illustrates radical efforts both to intimidate their rulers and to restructure the images of themselves held by the lower classes. Radical strategy incorporated comparison and contrast and villification of authority to a large degree, and may be seen as an attempt to create social reality rather than as mere “demagogery. “
Xenotransplantation: progress and promise

Extensive research in xenotransplantation is being propelled by the critical shortage of allotransplants. About a third of the patients on organ waiting lists in the United States die for lack of available organs, and in the United Kingdom fewer than 30% of those waiting for kidneys receive them each year.1–3 The human toll of suffering in patients who need transplants is great, and their quality of life is poor. This update focuses on whole organ xenotransplants. It draws on the latest published studies and the assessments at two recent meetings—a conference of US and UK scientists, ethicists, and policy experts in New York in May 1999, and the June 1999 meeting of the xenotransplantation subcommittee of the US Food and Drug Administration's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. Research is currently being conducted in all the critical areas of xenotransplantation, and this will, it is hoped, make xenotransplants safe and effective for human beings. These critical areas include immunological barriers, physiological functioning, infectious disease risks, and pivotal ethical issues. #### Summary points Xenotransplantation research is driven by the acute shortage of available allotransplants Although one longstanding problem, hyperacute rejection of xenotransplants, is being overcome, daunting immunological barriers remain Great attention must be given to the physiological functions of porcine organs in human beings Worries over the infectious disease potential of porcine xenotransplants are easing Ethical concerns over xenotransplants, including the challenge of identifying patients who might be approached as subjects of reinitiated clinical trials, are being explored Over time, xenotransplantation has proved to be daunting because of organ rejection. Rejection occurs in several stages: hyperacute rejection, acute vascular rejection, cellular rejection, and chronic rejection.2–4 Hyperacute rejection and acute vascular rejection are mediated by antibodies against oligosaccharide determinants on pig vascular endotelium.5 These forms of rejection occur …
Current Concepts in Long QT Syndrome

Sudden cardiac death occurs in the United States with an incidence of more than 300,000 persons per year. The underlying cause of death is commonly considered to be due to primary or secondary arrhythmias. In young persons in whom no structural heart disease can be identified, the long QT syndromes (LQTS) are commonly considered as likely causes. Multiple genes causing LQTS have been identified thus far, all of which encode cardiac ion channels. These include two potassium channel α subunits (KVLQT1 and HERG), two potassium channel β subunits (minK and MiRP1), and one sodium channel gene (SCN5A). The purpose of this review is to describe the current understanding of the molecular genetics of LQTS and the resultant phenotypes, particularly in young patients.
Unavoidable Minors of Large 3-Connected Matroids

This paper proves that, for every integernexceeding two, there is a numberN(n) such that every 3-connected matroid with at leastN(n) elements has a minor that is isomorphic to one of the following matroids: an (n+2)-point line or its dual, the cycle or cocycle matroid ofK3,n, the cycle matroid of a wheel withnspokes, a whirl of rankn, or ann-spike. A matroid is of the last type if it has ranknand consists ofnthree-point lines through a common point such that, for allkin {1,2,?,n?1}, the union of every set ofkof these lines has rankk+1.
How to work smarter, not harder: A PACU tracking system.

THERE ARE 8 CASES closing. It’s busy. How many available PACU spaces are ready for admissions? We could be full very soon. Should I let the OR know what’s happening? Let me walk around the room and try to figure out who has patients that are near discharge from PACU. Kristin and Vicky both have patients who are ready to go, but they tried to give report and the nurse on the floor is not available. The secretary on the floor said they would call back when the nurse is able to take report. Do I have any patients who are boarding? Maybe I could group them together so that one nurse could care for 3 patients.
Acid- and temperature-induced conformational changes in human chorionic gonadotropin and the mechanism of subunit dissociation

Abstract Human chorionic gonadotropin undergoes a conformational transition in acid which at 4 °C is characterized by: (i) a reversible increase in the polarization of tyrosyl fluorescence, P , with a midpoint at pH 5, (ii) a slight decrease in the elution volume on Sephadex G-100 at pH 3 relative to pH 7, (iii) a slight decrease in s 20,w . (iv) a small positive near uv difference spectrum (Δϵ ~2%), and (v) the appearance of a positive CD feature at 235 nm. These observations are compatible with an acid-expanded form of the hormone in which the rotational freedom of one or more tyrosine residues is restricted and/or their proximity to potential quenching groups is altered. The increased value of P following acidification is stable at temperatures below 10 °C, but at higher temperatures it decreases with time to an extent which is dependent on the temperature. A substantial portion of this decrease occurs before subunit dissociation can be detected, reflecting the occurrence of a thermal transition with a midpoint near 26 °C. A similar transition was observed at neutral pH with a midpoint near 22 °C. These results suggest the occurrence of at least two conformationally distinct forms of hCG which may be sequentially encountered prior to subunit dissociation in acid. The kinetics will be either biphasic or strictly first order, depending on the temperature at which the hormone is acidified.
An improved formula for the resonant frequencies of the triangular microstrip patch antenna

An improved version of a formula due to J.S. Dahele and K.F. Lee (ibid., vol.AP-35, p.100-101, Jan. 1987) is presented for predicting the resonant frequency of a triangular microstrip patch antenna. Using a different effective length and the actual substrate permittivity, the technique previously used for the case of a circular disk is modified to produce greater accuracy than previously reported in the literature. This method consistently predicts resonant frequencies more accurately through the first five resonances. >
The crystal structures of some RM and RM2 compounds (where R=rare earth metal and M=non - rare earth metal)

Abstract The non-cubic crystal structures of YIn, YPd and YAu are reported for the first time. YIn has the disordered tetragonal L10 CuAu-type structure, and both YPd and YAu are isostructural with the orthorhombic B33 CrB -type structure. The lattice parameters for some C15 MgCu2-type Laves phase (TbxDy1−x)Al2 alloys ( x = 0.25 , 0.50 , 0.75 and 1.0) have been measured and are found to vary linearly with composition between x = 0.25 and 1.0.
Segmentation and Pulse Shape Discrimination Techniques for Rejecting Background in Germanium Detectors

We examine the possibility of rejecting the internal s-decay background in coaxial germanium detectors by distinguishing between the multi-site energy losses characteristic of photons and the single-site energy losses of electrons in the range 0.2 - 2 MeV. The photon transport was modeled with a Monte Carlo routine. We investigate background rejection by both multiple segmentation and pulse shape discrimination techniques. The efficiency of a six 1 cm-thick segment coaxial detector operating in coincidence mode alone is compared to that of a two-segment (1 cm and 5 cm) detector employing both front-rear coincidence and PSD in the rear segment to isolate photon events. Both techniques can provide ?95% rejection of single-site events while accepting ?80% of the multi-site events above ~500 keV.
Family-genetic findings in child and adolescent depressive disorders

Over the past decade there has been increasing interest in family-genetic aspects of juvenile depressive disorders. This interest arises both because early onset of adult depression is associated with an increased familial loading of the disorder and because the children of depressed parents have been found to have increased rates of depression. This paper reviews recent controlled studies in the field. Substantive findings will be highlighted, along with conceptual and methodological issues that arise when applying family-genetic methods to the study of psychopathology in children. The main challenges for the future concern the need to differentiate specific from non-specific effects of parental depressive disorder, to differentiate varieties of parental and child psychopathology, to consider genetic as well as environmental transmission, and to investigate the mechanisms involved in individual differences in children's responses.
Crafting the initial user experience to achieve community goals

Recommender systems try to address the "new user problem" by quickly and painlessly learning user preferences so that users can begin receiving recommendations as soon as possible. We take an expanded perspective on the new user experience, seeing it as an opportunity to elicit valuable contributions to the community and shape subsequent user behavior. We conducted a field experiment in MovieLens where we imposed additional work on new users: not only did they have to rate movies, they also had to enter varying numbers of tags. While requiring more work led to fewer users completing the entry process, the benefits were significant: the remaining users produced a large volume of tags initially, and continued to enter tags at a much higher rate than a control group. Further, their rating behavior was not depressed. Our results suggest that careful design of the initial user experience can lead to significant benefits for an online community.
A robust method to track colonoscopy videos with non-informative images

Continuously, optical and virtual image alignment can significantly supplement the clinical value of colonoscopy. However, the co-alignment process is frequently interrupted by non-informative images. A video tracking framework to continuously track optical colonoscopy images was developed and tested. A video tracking framework with immunity to non-informative images was developed with three essential components: temporal volume flow, region flow, and incremental egomotion estimation. Temporal volume flow selects two similar images interrupted by non-informative images; region flow measures large visual motion between selected images; and incremental egomotion processing estimates significant camera motion by decomposing each large visual motion vector into a sequence of small optical flow vectors. The framework was extensively evaluated via phantom and colonoscopy image sequences. We constructed two colon-like phantoms, a straight phantom and a curved phantom, to measure actual colonoscopy motion. In the straight phantom, after 48 frames were excluded, the tracking error was $$<$$ 3 mm of 16 mm traveled. In the curved phantom, the error was $$<$$ 4 mm of 23.88 mm traveled after 72 frames were excluded. Through evaluations with clinical sequences, the robustness of the tracking framework was demonstrated on 30 colonoscopy image sequences from 22 different patients. Four specific sequences among these were chosen to illustrate the algorithm’s decreased sensitivity to (1) fluid immersion, (2) wall contact, (3) surgery-induced colon deformation, and (4) multiple non-informative image sequences. A robust tracking framework for real-time colonoscopy was developed that facilitates continuous alignment of optical and virtual images, immune to non-informative images that enter the video stream. The system was validated in phantom testing and achieved success with clinical image sequences.
Epidemiology of Congenital Upper Limb Anomalies in a Midwest United States Population: An Assessment Using the Oberg, Manske, and Tonkin Classification

Purpose To examine the relative presentation frequency of children with upper limb congenital anomalies at 3 Midwestern referral centers using the Oberg, Manske, and Tonkin (OMT) classification and to assess the utility of this new classification system. Methods 641 individuals with 653 congenital upper extremity anomalies were identified at 3 hospitals in 2 large metropolitan areas during a 1-year interval. Patients were identified prospectively and the specific upper extremity anomaly and any associated syndromes were confirmed using medical records and radiographs. We applied the OMT classification that categorizes anomalies using a dysmorphology outline as malformations, dysplasias, deformations, and syndromes, and assessed its utility and ease of use. Results There were 480 extremities (74%) with a limb malformation including 184 involving the entire limb. Arthrogryposis was the most common of these (53 extremities). Anomalies affecting only the hand plate accounted for 62% (296) of the malformations. Of these, radial polydactyly (15%) was the most common specific anomaly, followed by symbrachydactyly (13%) and cleft hand (11%). Dysplasias were noted in 86 extremities; 55 of these were multiple hereditary exostoses. There were 87 extremities with deformations and 58 of these were trigger digits. A total of 109 children had a syndrome or association. Constriction ring sequence was most common. The OMT was straightforward to use and most anomalies could be easily assigned. There were a few conditions, such as Madelung deformity and symbrachydactyly, that would benefit from clarification on how to best classify them. Conclusions Malformations were the most common congenital anomalies in the 653 upper extremities evaluated over a 1-year period at 3 institutions. We were able to classify all individuals using the OMT classification system. Type of study/level of evidence Diagnostic III.
Scalable Time-Parallelization of Molecular Dynamics Simulations in Nano Mechanics

Molecular dynamics (MD) is an important atomistic simulation technique, with widespread use in computational chemistry, biology, and materials. An important limitation of MD is that the time step size is small, requiring a large number of iterations to simulate realistic time spans. Conventional parallelization is not very effective for this. We recently introduced a new approach to parallelization, where data from related prior simulations are used to parallelize a new computation along the time domain. In our prior work, the size of the physical system in the current simulation needed to be identical to that of the prior simulations. The significance of this paper lies in demonstrating a strategy that enables this approach to be used even when the physical systems differ in size. Furthermore, this method scaled up to almost 1000 processors with close to ideal speedup in one case, where conventional methods scale to only 2-3 processors
Theory of asymmetric organocatalysis of Aldol and related reactions: rationalizations and predictions.

Computational studies have led to models to understand some classic and contemporary asymmetric reactions involving organocatalysts. The Hajos−Parrish−Eder−Sauer−Wiechert reaction and intermolecular aldol reactions as well as Mannich reactions and oxyaminations catalyzed by proline and other amino acids, and Diels−Alder reactions catalyzed by MacMillan's chiral amine organocatalysts have been studied with density functional theory. Quantitative predictions for several new catalysts and reactions are provided.
Discrete Emotions and Persuasion: The Role of Emotion-Induced Expectancies

The authors argue that specific emotions can alter the persuasive impact of messages as a function of the emotional framing of persuasive appeals. Because specific emotions inflate expectancies for events possessing matching emotional overtones (D. DeSteno, R. E. Petty, D. T. Wegener, & D. D. Rucker, 2000), the authors predicted that attempts at persuasion would be more successful when messages were framed with emotional overtones matching the emotional state of the receiver and that these changes would be mediated by emotion-induced biases involving expectancies attached to arguments contained in the messages. Two studies manipulating discrete negative emotional states and message frames (i.e., sadness and anger) confirmed these predictions. The functioning of this emotion-matching bias in parallel with emotion-induced processing differences and the limitations of a valence-based approach to the study of attitude change are also considered.
Polarization aberrations caused by differential transmission and phase shift in high- numerical-aperture lenses: theory, measurement, and rectification

We present a theoretical and experimental study of radially symmetric aberration caused by the differential transmission and phase shift of p- and s-polarized components of an axial beam passing through spherical lenses and plane parallel plates. We give a general description of the aberrations for an axial beam. The extinction is calculated as a function of the numerical aperture for uncoated lenses and for plane parallel plates. In our theoretical analysis, the polarization of output rays is described as a function of the input ray parameters, the shape factor, and refractive index of the lenses used. For rays that are inclined to the optical axis, optimal lens shape factors that minimize the rays' polariza- tion aberrations are found. Techniques for measurement of radially sym- metric birefringence in a lens system are described. Finally, we discuss strategies for polarization rectification and introduce new designs includ- ing meniscus rectifiers and a liquid crystal rectifier that can actively com- pensate a wide variety of polarization aberrations. Good correlations be- tween theory and experimental results for microscope optical systems with coated and uncoated optical elements are found. Our results enable us to suppress depolarization and remove anomalous diffraction in a modern microscope equipped with high-numerical-aperture lenses.
Catalytic Ionic Hydrogenations

Catalytic ionic hydrogenation of ketones occurs by proton transfer to a ketone from a cationic metal dihydride, followed by hydride transfer from a neutral metal hydride. This contrasts with traditional catalysts for ketone hydrogenation that require binding of the ketone to the metal and subsequent insertion of the ketone into a M-H bond. Ionic hydrogenation catalysts based on the inexpensive metals molybdenum and tungsten have been developed based on mechanistic understanding of the individual steps required in the catalytic reaction.
Frontal sinus encephalocele: case report and review of literature.

Anterior encephaloceles are rare congenital abnormalities that ccur most commonly in southeast Asia and are characterized y herniation of intracranial components through the cranial and acial bones due to a defect of closure of the anterior neuropore f the neural tube [1]. Congenital anterior encephaloceles are clasified by their location such as fronto-ethmoidal, trans-ethmoidal asopharyngeal, or orbital [1]. Acquired encephaloceles can also ccur later in life secondary to tumor, hydrocephalus or other cause 2]. Seizures may be the presenting complaint in a wide variety of ntracranial pathology; thus new onset seizures should prompt a horough work up [3]. Seizures present as provoked or unprovoked vents with recurrent unprovoked seizures defining epilepsy. New nset seizures in an adult should prompt neuroimaging to assess or structural anatomic abnormalities [3]. We report the unusual case of a 38 year-old woman who preented to medical attention with new onset seizures, was found o have an opacified right frontal sinus, which was caused by an nterior encephalocele in the right frontal sinus via a defect in the inus’s posterior wall.