cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Une nouvelle endoprothèse branchée hypogastrique modifiée par le chirurgien pour préserver la circulation pelvienne

Introduction Nous decrivons la faisabilite et les resultats precoces d’une nouvelle approche destinee a preserver la circulation pelvienne au cours du traitement endovasculaire des anevrysmes aortiques (EVAR) pour les patients presentant un anevrysme aorto-iliaque s’etendant a la bifurcation iliaque. Methodes Trois patients a haut risque âges de 70 ± 7 ans, avec de larges anevrysmes aorto-iliaques (moyenne 6,7 ± 0,5 cm) et presentant des zones de fixation iliaque commune inadequates etaient traites avec une endoprothese branchee hypogastrique modifiee par le chirurgien entre Juin 2007 et Juillet 2008. L’implant etait confectionne a partir d’un jambage iliaque d’endoprothese de 73 mm sur lequel etait cousue une branche prothetique laterale en polyesther de 6-8 mm. L’implant modifie etait remis en place dans une gaine 20 Fr, et la branche laterale etait pre-catheterisee a l’aide d’un guide et d’un catheter. L’endoprothese remise ainsi dans sa gaine etait introduite au niveau de la bifurcation aortique a l’aide d’une gaine retractable 24 Fr, puis, en utilisant le catheter pre-charge, un guide long etait capture a l’aide d’un lasso, etablissant ainsi un double acces femoral. Une gaine femorale controlaterale 12 Fr etait avancee au niveau de la bifurcation aortique puis au-dela jusqu’a la branche laterale cousue. La reparation etait prolongee jusque dans l’artere hypogastrique homolaterale grâce a un stent couvert auto-expandable, ainsi que dans l’artere iliaque externe en distalite, puis une endoprothese standard etait mise en place dans l’aorte. Tous les patients etaient suivis cliniquement et beneficiaient d’une tomodensitometrie injectee avant la sortie puis tous les trois mois. Resultats La duree moyenne d’intervention etait de 172 ± 23 min, dont 45 ± 22 min pour modifier l’endoprothese. La duree totale de scopie, la dose de contraste, et le rayonnement ionisant etaient de 78 ± 17 min, 180 ± 23 mL, et 3,890 ± 1,034 mGy, respectivement. Un succes technique etait obtenu dans tous les cas. Il n’y avait pas de rupture anevrysmale, de deces, de conversion, ou de complication. La duree moyenne d’hospitalisation etait de 3,5 ± 1 jours. Avec un suivi moyen de 9 ± 3 mois, toutes les arteres hypogastriques stentees restaient permeables, il n’y avait pas d’endofuite et l’integrite de l’implant etait preservee. Conclusion Les endoprotheses branchees hypogastriques modifiees par le chirurgien et destinees a preserver la perfusion d’une ou deux arteres hypogastriques sont faisables et fournissent une alternative a l’exclusion hypogastrique. Un suivi a long terme est necessaire pour evaluer la permeabilite des endoprotheses et les taux d’echecs.
Immunotherapy applications of carbon nanotubes: from design to safe applications

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have the potential to overcome significant challenges related to vaccine development and immunotherapy. Central to these applications is an improved understanding of CNT interactions with the immune system. Unique properties such as high aspect ratio, flexible surface chemistry, and control over structure and morphology may allow for enhanced target specificity and transport of antigens across cell membranes. Although recent work has demonstrated the potential of CNTs to amplify the immune response as adjuvants, other results have also linked their proinflammatory properties to harmful health effects. Here, we review the recent advances of CNT-based immunological research, focusing on current understandings of therapeutic efficacy and mechanisms of immunotoxicology.
Everywhere and nowhere: the forgotten past and clouded future of American professional soccer from the perspective of Massachusetts☆

Professional soccer in the USA enjoyed several moments of popularity throughout the twentieth century. Professional soccer leagues were founded, some as early as the 1890s. In spite of that, the sport has never caught fire at the professional level. Soccer leagues have not only been in the shadow of baseball, football, basketball and, most recently, ice hockey, but with the exception of Major League Soccer, a newcomer on the mainstream sporting scene, all of them have folded within a couple of decades. This essay provides insight as to why professional soccer has failed to attain the status of a major American sport. It also analyses the development of professional soccer in the USA through the scope of immigration and from the perspective of Massachusetts.
Alexis Fontaine's route to the calculus of several variables

In the years around 1732 Alexis Fontaine des Bertins (1704–1771) member of the French Royal Academy of Sciences from 1733 on, worked out a dualoperator differential calculus to solve problems in “families of curves.” Within six years a calculus of several variables had emerged out of this work. These developments, discussed at greater length elsewhere [Greenberg 1981, 1982], are summarized, with additional general reflections and the correction of one error. Together the discussions complement the excellent, recently published account of “families of curves” and the origins of partial differentiation in the works of Leibniz, the various Bernoullis, and Euler [Engelsman 1982]. Common concerns motivate the works of all of these mathematicians. At the same time, certain differences in conception in Fontaine's work highlight the creativity of one of the lesser known eighteenth-century mathematicians.
The Nature and Modes of Time

One of the topics that appears regularly in even the most casual inven tories of philosophical problems is the problem of time. Time is such a per vasive, resilient feature of experience that it cannot be ignored. But time is also so vague that almost any analysis or tracking procedure we use to enhance and purify its signals overrides or baffles those signals. We begin a study of the phenomena of temporality and find that our attention is dis placed from the temporal continuum to different ways of being seated in it. Charles Sanders Peirce frequently dealt with the problem of time. He dealt with it in a way of befitting its pervasive but vague character, con ducting many sorties into its domain but never a single strategic campaign. His longest passages on time are short in comparison with the discussions of time by many other philosophers. But in the aggregate, there is a wealth of material on the different problems of temporality in Peirce's writings. With occasional exceptions, his different pronouncements fit together effectively. Moreover, his doctrines about time are not peripheral, but clearly go to es sentials. For insofar as his philosophy is synechistic, it is also temporalistic. Time, we shall find Peirce arguing, is a paradigm for all other continua. Their main features are foreshadowed by the structure and modes of time. Since time is the best version of continuity, and since continuity is "the form of forms" in Peirce's philosophy,1 it follows that his philosophy of time resides with certain other elements at the center of his system, helping deter mine lines of argument in his metaphysics, in his pragmatism and in his ac count of the logic of the sciences. We treat Peirce's philosophy of time under these headings: 1. The Origin of Time 2. The Nature of Time 3. The Reality of Time 4. The Modes of Time
Lithography and design in partnership: a new roadmap

We discuss the notion of a 'shared technology roadmap' between lithography and design from several perspectives. First, we examine cultural gaps and other intrinsic barriers to a shared roadmap. Second, we discuss how lithography technology can change the design technology roadmap. Third, we discuss how design technology can change the lithography technology roadmap. We conclude with an example of the 'flavor' of technology roadmapping activity that can truly bridge lithography and design.
The Angular Distribution of Electrons Scattered by Mercury Vapor

Instead of using pressures of the order of ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}2}$ mm the apparatus described is designed for pressures in the range ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$ to ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}4}$ mm. Heavy primary current densities are used to afford measurable scattered currents, and high angle scattering is found to be more easily measurable. It is found that the angular distribution curves for electrons scattered by mercury are not monotonic functions of the angle of scattering. For a given energy of incident electrons the curve passes through a minimum, the angular position of which depends upon the energy.
Transitions to chaos in the Ginzburg-Landau equation

Abstract The amplitude evolution of instability waves in many dissipative systems is described close to criticality, by the Ginzburg-Landau partial differential equation. A numerical study of the long-time behavior of amplitude-modulated waves governed by this equation allows the identification of two distinct routes of the Ruelle-Takens-Newhouse type as the modulation wavenumber is decreased. The first route involves a sequence of bifurcations from a limit cycle to a two-torus to a three-torus and to a turbulent regime, the last stage being preceded by frequency locking. The turbulent regime is itself followed by a new two-torus. In the second route, this two-torus exhibits a single subharmonic bifurcation which immediately results in transition to chaos. A description of the various possible dynamical states is tentatively given in the plane of the two control parameters c d and c n .
Water Drop Freezing: Ejection of Microdroplets

The ejection of microdroplets from the surface of a freezing supercooled water drop has been observed and photographed. The fragmentation of a freezing drop in the forms of splintering, shattering, or bursting has been known for some time. This newly observed phenomenon of the ejection of numerous microdroplets, the duration of their ejection, and the electrical properties of these droplets suggest a possible mechanism of charge generation in thunderstorms.
Quality of Life and Body Image After Circumferential Body Lifting of the Lower Trunk: a Prospective Clinical Trial

Background Plastic surgery after massive weight loss remains a fast growing subspecialty. However, very few studies exist that investigate the quality of life and psychological outcome after body lift surgery.
The role of PACT in mediating gene induction, PKR activation, and apoptosis in response to diverse stimuli

PACT, the protein activator of the double-stranded (ds)RNA-activated protein kinase (PKR) has been shown to strongly interact with and activate PKR in cultured cells and in vitro. To further analyze the functions of PACT we have recently generated PACT knockout (KO) mice and described several developmental defects that are absent in PKR KO mice. Importantly, PACT has been previously suggested to be involved in different signaling pathways that include endoplasmic reticulum stress, serum deprivation, growth factor withdrawal, viral infection, and cytokine responses. In this study, we have analyzed the contribution of PACT to these pathways using cells derived from wildtype (WT) and PACT KO mice. Notably, we have been unable to detect any significant differences in the responses to stress stimuli comparing WT and PACT KO cells, although we have been able to validate the specific interaction between PACT and PKR. Taken together, our results reinforce the importance of genetic loss of function analysis to infer protein function.
Two Simulated Feasibility Studies in Computerised Adaptive Testing

This paper describes two simulated feasibility studies conducted in support of a project to implement computerised adaptive testing on microcomputers for college placement purposes. The first study compares adaptive testing with alternative conventional peaked tests. The second study explores two stopping rules: fixed test length and fixed standard error of measurement. These studies typify the kind of psychometric research required to initiate and support operational adaptive testing programs. Cet article decrit deux etudes de modeles de faisabilite conduites pour rendre fiable un projet de construction de batterie de tests informatises sur micro, en vue ďorganiser le placement dans les colleges. La premiere etude compare cette categorie de tests avec les tests conventionnels les plus connus. La deuxieme explore deux regies: la longueur imposee du test et ľerreur standard imposee dans la mesure. Ces etudes fixent le type de recherche psychometrique requis par ľinitiation et le support operationnel de programmes de tests informatises.
New challenges in the study of right-wing propaganda: Priming the populist backlash to "hope and change"

Before the rise of the Tea Party, propaganda primed the backlash to Obama's election by controlling the media frame and much of the narrative about social forces capable of blunting the Right's resurgence in the 2010 midterm election. This article analyzes the right-wing propaganda campaign to advance paranoid stories about the political enemies of America. Specifically, the article discusses three propaganda stories and shows how they are tied to the Republican Party's electoral strategy: (1) the construction of a voter fraud myth as a foundation for attacking the voting rights of minorities and the poor; (2) the take down of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN); and (3) the launch of a Red scare and witch hunt by the pseudo-discovery of what the Right calls the “Cloward-Piven Strategy,” an alleged left-wing blueprint for destroying capitalism and collapsing the government. The application of new media techniques to electoral politics calls for a revival of the historical-cri...
The French Elections of 2002: The Issue of Insecurity and The Le Pen Effect

The French electorate in the elections of 2002 focused on one primary issue: insecurity. The left's main advantage — 5 years of successful reforms — was trumped by the right's ability to capitalize on the fear of crime. As a result, Jean-Marie Le Pen edged out Lionel Jospin in the first round of the presidential elections. However, this proved short-lived as Jacques Chirac and the parliamentary right organized a successful campaign to take the issue of insecurity away from Le Pen and the National Front, attracting voters from all parts of the political spectrum to support a moderate, republican attack on crime, eschewing the anti-immigrant and anti-Moslem politics of the extreme right. The presidential and legislative elections ended in triumph for the parliamentary right and total defeat for Le Pen and the National Front. Although the far right was marginalized once more, its structural strengths in places such as Provence and its appeal to protest voters guarantee that it will not disappear as a force. Still, the elections of 2002 reinforced the dominance of two political parties in France — the parliamentary right and the socialist left — to the detriment of all others.
Radical forequarter amputation with hemithoracectomy and free extended forearm flap: Technical and physiologic considerations

Background: A radical forequarter amputation with partial chest wall resection (one to four ribs) has been reported for benign and malignant lesions involving the shoulder and chest wall region. Concerns about reconstruction and postoperative pulmonary function have previously limited more extensive chest wall resections. The current report describes the first case in which a complete unilateral anterior and posterior chest wall resection and pneumonectomy (hemithoracectomy) accompany a forequarter amputation. A novel reconstructive technique used the full circumference of the forearm tissue with an intact ulna as a free osseomyocutaneous flap.
Mixed or dynamic trial design: New methodology of research for pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics studies

Background Advances in biotechnology and the completion of the human genome project have enhanced pharmacogenomics (PGT) and pharmacogenetics(PGM) where they can potentially revolutionize the field of therapeutics. Objectives 1- To explore and discuss the necessity of modifying the traditional paradigm for evaluating risk and benefit associated with therapeutic interventions where PGT and PGM advances have been applied. 2- To propose new methodology of research, which can be applied to PGT and PGM studies. Methods An extensive search was conducted using medical information resources regarding the evaluation of pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics applications in the clinical trial setting. Results Published PGT/PGM trials on cardiovascular and rheumatology drugs demonstrate that the traditional methodology of clinical trials involving selection criteria, randomization, blinding and constant dose are inadequate in these kinds of studies. Conclusion Traditional clinical trial methodologies are not readily applicable to PGT/PGM trials and alternatives methods need to be developed incorporating principles of epidemiology. This will be discussed in detail. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2005) 77, P65–P65; doi: 10.1016/j.clpt.2004.12.138
The future of the international monetary system

So much has been written and is currently being written on the future of the international monetary system, that it is impossible to read everything and to say anything new. Moreover things are changing all the time, often very fast and unexpectedly, so that what one says today may appear to be out of date tomorrow. In such a situation it is, I believe, a good idea to go back to fundamental principles which are often lost sight of, although they often are a safer guide for things to come than the extrapolation of recent trends. Let me start from a proposition on which in my opinion most economists, advocates of floating as well as of fixed or "stable but adjustable" exchange rates could agree: The ideal international monetary arrangement would be permanently fixed exchange rates with fully convertible currencies (no controls) and preferably no margin, provided the system does not impose too much inflation or deflation (unemployment) on any country. This is the arrangement which we have inside each country including the largest. Nobody, not even the most radical floater, has recommended that the United States should be split up into different currency areas. I need not take time to explain the immense advantage which the U. S. economy derives from having a unified currency, because that has been done many times by advocates of fixed exchange rates, such as Charles Kindleberger and Robert M und ell as well as by some floaters such as Allan Meitzer. Naturally the smaller a country the more important a stable exchange rate and very small countries, Liechtenstein, Monaco but even Luxemburg have virtually no choice but to link up rigidly with the currency of a large neighbor.
Magnetophotoluminescence Study of Excited States Associated with Donor Bound Excitons in High-Purity GaAs

Detailed magnetic-field splitting of the two rotator states designated as (${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{6}+{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{8}$, $J=\frac{5}{2}$) and (${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{7}$, $J=\frac{1}{2}$) associated with donor bound excitons in high-purity epitaxial GaAs is observed in magnetophotoluminescence spectra. These two states are associated with the light-hole mass and are split by the spin-orbit interaction. The ordering in energy of these two states agrees with that predicted by theory. Also observed are the rotator states in which, after the radiative collapse of the exciton, the donor is left in the excited states. A good agreement between the energies of the excited states of the donor as determined experimentally with those calculated using a variational approach is found. The magnetophotoluminescence spectra at relatively low magnetic fields clearly show the evolution of the excited donor bound exciton states as well as the excited rotator states.
The 2004 AORN Salary Survey—Trends Among Perioperative Nurses

ABSTRACT • ESTIMATING AVERAGE COMPENSATION of perioperative nurses can be complicated because of nurses' unique workplace situations. • FOR THIS SALARY SURVEY, a multiple regression model was used to examine how a number of variables, including job title, education level, certification, experiences, and geographic region, affect nursing compenstion. • IN ADDITION, this survey examines the effects of other forms of compensation (eg, overtime, shift differential, on-call compensation) on average base compensation rates. AORN J 80 (December 2004) 1042–1053.
Body weight and diabetes.

To the Editor.— The findings reported by O'Sullivan inThe Journal(1982; 248;949) that body weight in patients with normal gestational glucose tolerance test results is not related to diabetes have a serious flaw. With only 66 obese subjects in the normal control group, the author had only a 12% chance to detect a relationship between relative weight and diabetes. Therefore, it is not surprising that no relationship was found. This low chance of detection is based on the assumption that obese patients have a relative risk of 1.82 for diabetes. This assumption was obtained using the women who had previous transient gestational glucose intolerance. The incidence of diabetes in the obese women in this group (46.7%) was divided by the incidence of diabetes in the nonobese group (25.6%). Therefore, if obesity confers a risk of 1.82 for diabetes, there is a 88% chance that this risk level (or lower)
Modeling of Collision-Induced Infrared Absorption Spectra of H2 Pairs in the First Overtone Band at Temperatures from 20 to 500 K

A simple formalism is presented that permits quick computations of the low-resolution, rotovibrational collision-induced absorption (RV CIA) spectra of H2 pairs in the first overtone band of hydrogen, at temperatures from 20 to 500 K. These spectra account for the free-free transitions. The sharp dimer features, originating from the bound-free, free-bound, and bound-bound transitions are ignored, though their integrated intensities are properly accounted for. The method employs spectral model line- shapes with parameters computed from the three lowest spectral moments. The moments are obtained from first principles expressed as analytical functions of temperature. Except for the sharp dimer features, which are absent in this model, the computed spectra reproduce closely the results of exact quantum mechanical lineshape computations. Comparisons of the computed spectra with existing experimental data also show good agreement. The work interest for the modeling of the atmospheres of the outer planets in the near-infrared region of the spectrum. The user-friendly Fortran program developed here is available on request from the authors.
Applying Propensity Score Methods in Medical Research: Pitfalls and Prospects:

The authors review experimental and nonexperimental causal inference methods, focusing on assumptions for the validity of instrumental variables and propensity score (PS) methods. They provide guidance in four areas for the analysis and reporting of PS methods in medical research and selectively evaluate mainstream medical journal articles from 2000 to 2005 in the four areas, namely, examination of balance, overlapping support description, use of estimated PS for evaluation of treatment effect, and sensitivity analyses. In spite of the many pitfalls, when appropriately evaluated and applied, PS methods can be powerful tools in assessing average treatment effects in observational studies. Appropriate PS applications can create experimental conditions using observational data when randomized controlled trials are not feasible and, thus, lead researchers to an efficient estimator of the average treatment effect.
Correlation hole for an exactly solvable problem

The probability distribution of the interparticle distance is obtained for the N-body boson problem where the potential is an attractive delta function. This is done for both the exact wave function and the Hartree wave function allowing the calculation of the correlation hole.
Stabilizing Chatter by Automatic Spindle Speed Regulation

Summary This paper describes the theoretical basis behind a system for the elimination of chatter in milling through the automatic regulation of the spindle speed. This technique is most effective in milling operations where the tooth passing frequency can approach the natural frequency of the mode responsible for chatter. Examples detailing the convergence process are presented, and non-convergence situations are described. Experimental data are quoted to illustrate typical improvements in metal removal rate. The various modes of operation of the system are described.
Short-term reliability of oxygen uptake on-kinetics in apparently healthy subjects.

PURPOSE: The analysis of oxygen (O2) uptake on-kinetics at the onset of aerobic exercise has been shown to be reflective of cardiovascular and skeletal muscle health in a number of previous investigations. The purpose of the present investigation is to assess the short-term reliability of O2 uptake on-kinetics in a group of apparently healthy individuals. METHODS: Forty apparently healthy subjects participated in 3 consecutive treadmill exercise sessions on 3 consecutive days. During each session, O2 uptake was collected at rest for 2 minutes and during ambulation at 2.2 miles per hour and a 6% grade for 6 minutes. The time constant (TC) for the O2 uptake response was calculated for each of the 3 sessions using the equation: O2(t) = O2(resting) + O2(steady-rate)[1 - e]. RESULTS: Two subjects did not adhere to the physical activity guidelines and were excluded from data analysis. The following data are representative of the remaining 38 subjects. The mean O2 uptake TC value for the 3 sessions was 33.67 +/- 7.87, 34.59 +/- 7.57, and 32.59 +/- 6.64 seconds, respectively. The intraclass correlation coefficient for the O2 uptake TC was 0.84 (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study indicate O2 uptake on-kinetics may be reliably measured using a single testing session. Multiple testing sessions, which would limit the potential clinical application of O2 uptake on-kinetics, may therefore not be necessary. Future research should be directed toward determining if O2 uptake on-kinetics is equally reliable in patient populations.
SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF NON-STOICHIOMETRIC HEXAGONAL Dy1-xYxMnO3+δ

Materials exhibiting reversible oxygen storage/release capacities are currently explored for elevated-temperature air separation and production of high-purity oxygen for several industrial processes. The development of improved oxygen storage or carrier materials is also critical to growth of new energy related technologies such as oxy-fuel and chemical looping combustion and reforming for clean coal energy and synthesis gas production. Currently, Ce1-xZrxO2 are used around 500°C and have storage capacities of 400–500 μmol-O/g. Guided by our previous studies of the temperature and oxygen content dependence of the perovskite tolerance factor, we have developed synthesis method and discovered that hexagonal Dy1-xYxMnO3+δ materials exhibit superior storage/release capacities as high as 2000 μmol-O/g in air. Large changes of oxygen content occur on cycling between unusually low temperatures near 250°C and 350°C, and are observed when materials transform among stoichiometric and interstitial oxygen-excess structures. These changes are related to alternation of Mn coordination to oxygen and are readily visible in material's resistivity and chemical expansion.
Webcam2Satellite: Estimating cloud maps from webcam imagery

We consider the problem of estimating the current satellite cloud map from a collection of broadly distributed, ground-based webcams. The approach uses historical, geo-referenced satellite imagery to learn a mapping between the satellite image and the ground imagery. We explore representational choices for inferring the cloud status based on the ground-level imagery and consider several alternatives for spatially interpolating these sparse measurements to give a complete map. Proof of concept results show that this gives plausible estimates of satellite imagery.
Patient Selection and Results of Simultaneous Coronary and Carotid Artery Procedures

Abstract The high incidence of severe coronary artery disease in patients with symptomatic carotid artery disease makes careful evaluation of both carotid and coronary systems important to the successful short-term and long-term management of these patients. We have established guidelines for patient evaluation and procedure selection based on symptomatic assessment of each system, supplemented by angiographic and hemodynamic data. With this information, three operative groups are established: (1) carotid artery operation first or alone, (2) coronary artery bypass grafting first followed by carotid artery operation, and (3) simultaneous carotid artery and coronary artery bypass procedures. The benefit of this selection process has been shown by the low operative mortality in each group. This report presents our selection process and evaluates the results for 21 patients in the group having simultaneous carotid and coronary artery procedures.
Liver transplantation for autoimmune hepatitis and the success of aggressive corticosteroid withdrawal.

Our center has attempted to minimize corticosteroid (CS) use in all of our orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) recipients. Because patients with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) typically require CSs after transplantation, we reviewed our experience in this cohort of patients to determine (1) patient outcomes including recurrent disease and (2) long-term requirements for CS use in AIH patients. From 1988 to 2006, 1102 OLTs were performed in 1032 adult patients at the University of Colorado, of whom 66 (6%) with AIH received 68 allografts. Recurrence was defined by a clinically worsening examination and histological evidence from biopsy. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to evaluate predictors of CS withdrawal. Twelve potential predictors of CS discontinuation were considered: age, gender, presence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), type of graft (cadaver or living donor), recurrence of AIH, warm ischemia time, follow-up time (time since transplant), and immunosuppressants (cyclosporine, tacrolimus, sirolimus, azathioprine, and mycophenolate mofetil). Overall survival at 5 years was 91%. The 1- and 5-year recurrence-free survival was 88% and 59%, respectively. Risk (incidence) of recurrent AIH at 1, 3, and 5 years was 12%, 26%, and 36%, respectively. Disease recurred in 23 of 66 patients or 34.8%. Of the 23 patients who developed recurrent disease, none received a second transplant because of recurrent disease. CSs were withdrawn in 50% of patients at the time of review. Only 2 factors on multivariate analysis were strongly associated negatively with CS withdrawal: (1) an increasing dose of the immunosuppressant and (2) the presence of IBD. Controlling for these other factors, we found that recurrent disease did not strongly influence CS withdrawal. In conclusion, outcomes in AIH patients were quite favorable, and none of the patients required retransplantation for recurrent AIH. With a CS minimization approach, one-half of the patients were able to remain CS-free. Liver Transpl 14:1281–1286, 2008. © 2008 AASLD.
Autoradiographic analysis of 3H-glutamate, 3H-dopamine, and 3H-GABA accumulation in rabbit retina after kainic acid treatment

We have previously reported that exposure of isolated rabbit retina to 10(-3) M kainic acid produces profound morphological changes in specific retinal neurons (Hampton et al, 1981). We noted specific swelling of horizontal cell bodies and neurites, necrosis of cell bodies in the amacrine and ganglion cell layers, and swelling of elements in the inner plexiform layer. We now report a differential sensitivity to kainic acid of specific subclasses of amacrine cells autoradiographically labeled with 3H-glutamate, 3H-GABA, or 3H-dopamine. Three different effects were observed: (1) Labeling of neurons after incubation in 3H-glutamate was uniformly reduced while labeling of glia was much less affected. (2) The accumulation of 3H-dopamine was also decreased by kainic acid in two of the three labeled bands of the inner plexiform layer. The outermost labeled band was insensitive to kainic acid at the highest concentration tested (10(-2) M). These findings provide a basis for the subclassification of dopaminergic amacrine cells into at least two subclasses based on their sensitivity to kainic acid. (3) Kainic acid caused a dramatic increase in the labeling of GABAergic amacrine cell bodies and their terminals. This increased intensity may reflect a compensatory increase in uptake activity in response to kainic acid-inducedmore » depletion of endogenous GABA stores. These results confirm the highly toxic nature of kainic acid and demonstrate a high degree of specificity and complexity in its action in the retina.« less
The role of laboratory dissection training in neurosurgical residency: results of a national survey.

Objective Work hour restrictions and current quality, financial, and legal concerns have reduced resident operative volume and autonomy. Although laboratory (cadaveric or animal) dissection has a rich history in neurosurgery, its current role in resident training is unclear. Recent literature suggests educators have looked to simulation to accelerate the learning curve of acquiring neurosurgical technical skills. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence, characteristics, and extent of laboratory dissection in neurosurgical residency programs in the United States. Methods A survey was sent to program directors of all 100 neurosurgical residency programs in the United States. Results Response rate was 65%. Most programs (93.8%) incorporate laboratory dissection into resident training. Most programs have 1–3 (36.1%) or 4–6 (39.3%) sessions annually. Residents in postgraduate years 2–6 (85.2%–93.4%) most commonly participate. The most common topics are cranial approaches (100%), spinal approaches (88.5%), spine instrumentation (80.3%), and endoscopy (50.8%). Thirty-one (47.7%) programs use artificial physical model or virtual reality simulators; the most common simulators are endoscopy (15.4%), microvascular anastomosis (13.8%), and endovascular (10.8%). Only 8 programs (13.1%) formally grade dissection skills. Educators (95.4%) believe laboratory dissection is an integral component of training and no respondent believed simulation could currently provide greater educational benefit than laboratory dissection. Most (89.2%) respondents would support a national “suggested” dissection curriculum and manual. Conclusions In neurosurgical resident education, laboratory dissection is widely used; however, significant variation exists. Nonetheless, program directors believe laboratory dissection plays an integral role in neurosurgical training and is currently associated with greater educational benefit than simulation.
Integrating genotype and phenotype information: an overview of the PharmGKB project

Pharmacogenetics seeks to explain how people respond in different ways to the same drug treatment. A classic example of the importance of pharmacogenomics is the variation in individual responses to the anti-leukemia drug, 6-mercaptopurine. Most people metabolize the drug quickly. Some individuals, with a genetic variation for the enzyme thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT),1 do not. Consequently, they need lower doses of 6-mercaptopurine for effective treatment as normal doses can be lethal. One of the many promises of the human genome project is an ability to pharmacologically treat individuals in a more personalized rather than statistical manner.
PLACE AND CIVIC CULTURE: RE-THINKING THE CONTEXT FOR LOCAL AGRICULTURE

This article considers the qualitative concept of place - what it means, how it feels, how it is expressed, and how it is managed across time and space as (1) the appropriate context within which to study and promote local agriculture and (2) the locus of relationships, both cultural and political, that prefigure a local civic culture. It argues that civic as a description of local food and farming is conceptually and practically shallow in the absence of our ability to understand and to practice "being" in place. Using three vignettes from field research in northern Michigan, the article illustrates this interdependence by focusing on the ways in which place provides opportunities for learning, for play, for engagement, for identity formation, and for explicit political and policy initiatives - as prerequisites for civic awareness and action.
Fair Use in Theory and Practice: Reflections on Its History and the Google Case

Director Sanford G. Thatcher's perspective on copyright reflects the experience of trying to survive in a perilous enterprise that exists with one foot in the commercial marketplace and the other in the academic community, creating a condition of chronic schizophrenia. The press he directs is dedicated to serving the mission of disseminating scholarship but is required (under current conditions, anyway) to rely on income from sales to pay most of its bills. Because university presses operate so close to the margin, this sector of publishing is especially vulnerable to expansive interpretations of ‘fair use.’
No search limits

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to expound on search engine limits and to offer more novel approaches to searching the web.Design/methodology/approach – Examines alternative search engines to Google.Findings – Not only does Google have competitors and augmenters, but they keep on coming. The web is a vital and fertile turf where new ideas continually lead to innovations – some good, some not. While Google continues expanding and evolving, others persistently appear on the horizon with their own slant. As always, librarians need to stay aware.Originality/value – The paper offers examples of more specialized search engines that provide a valuable alternative to Google in many areas and across all file formats.
A computer program for digitalis dosage regimens

Abstract A computer program written for a commercial time-shared system is described, which will develop dosage regimens of four common digitalis preparations. It has been used as a telephone aid to calling physicians. Dosage regimens of digitalis leaf, digitoxin, digoxin, and Cedilanid-D are adjusted to the patient's weight, renal function, route of administration, and present computed concentrations of glycoside. They will replace one glycoside with another, maintaining an essentially constant peak computed body glycoside level throughout the transition period and thereafter. The mathematical description employed are highly correlated with measured glycoside concentrations in plasma, serum, myocardium, and urine. Use of this program for the past two years has reduced adverse reactions to glycoside therapy from 31% to 12%, a highly significant difference (P
Two-Photon “Ghost” Image and Interference-Diffractiona

One of the most surprising consequences of quantum mechanics is entanglement of two or more distance particles. The two-particle entangled state was mathematically formulated by Schrodinger. Based on this unusual quantum behavior, EPR defined their 'physical reality' and then asked the question: 'Can Quantum-Mechanical Description of Physical Reality Be Considered Complete?' One may not appreciate EPR's criterion of physical reality and insist that 'no elementary quantum phenomenon is a phenomenon until it is a recorded phenomenon'. Optical spontaneous parametric down conversion (SPDC) is the most effective mechanism to generate an EPR type entangled two-photon state. In SPDC, an optical beam, called the pump, is incident on a birefringent crystal. The pump is intense enough so that nonlinear effects lead to the conversion of pump photons into pairs of photons, historically called signal and idler. Technically, the SPDC is said to be type-1 or type-2, depending on whether the signal and idler beams have parallel or orthogonal polarization. The SPDC conversion efficiency is typically on the order of 10(exp -9) to 10(exp -11), depending on the SPDC nonlinear material. The signal and idler intensities are extremely low, only single photon detection devices can register them. The quantum entanglement nature of SPDC has been demonstrated in EPR-Bohm experiments and Bell's inequality measurements. The following two experiments were recently performed in our laboratory, which are more closely related to the original 1935 EPR gedankenezperiment. The first experiment is a two-photon optical imaging type experiment, which has been named 'ghost image' by the physics community. The signal and idler beams of SPDC are sent in different directions, so that the detection of the signal and idler photons can be performed by two distant photon counting detectors. An aperture object (mask) is placed in front of the signal photon detector and illuminated by the signal beam through a convex lens. Surprisingly, an image of this aperture is observed in the idler beam, by scanning the idler photon detector in the transverse plane of the idler beam, if we are sure that the idler photon detector 'catches' the 'twin brother' of the signal, which can be easily performed by a coincidence measurement. This effect is even more striking when we found that the object-lens-image relationship satisfies the Gaussian thin lens equation. The second experiment demonstrates two-photon 'ghost' interference-diffraction. The experimental set up is similar to the image experiment, except that rather than a lens and an aperture it is a Young's double-slit (or a single-slit) inserted into the path of the signal beam. We could not find any interference (or diffraction) pattern behind the slit. Surprisingly, an interference (or diffraction) pattern is observed when scanning the detector in the idler beam, if we are sure that the idler photon detector 'catches' the 'twin brother' of the signal.
The quiz game: Writing and explaining questions improve quiz scores

The quiz game is designed to increase learning by requiring students to write a multiple-choice question on each reading assignment and explain why each response is correct or not. To test the game...
Social network and health: a comparison of Chinese older adults in Shanghai and elderly immigrants in Boston

Wu B, Guo M, Chi I, Plassman BL. Social network and health: a comparison of Chinese older adults in Shanghai and Chinese elderly immigrants in Boston Int J Soc Welfare 2011: 20: S59–S71 © 2011 The Author(s), International Journal of Social Welfare © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and the International Journal of Social Welfare. The association between social network and health in older Chinese immigrants in the USA and their counterparts in China was examined using data from 177 Chinese immigrants in Boston, USA and 428 respondents in Shanghai, China. The results showed that Chinese immigrants had a significantly better self-rated health status but also that they reported a greater number of functional limitations. Although the level of the social network differed among respondents in Shanghai and in Boston, the impact of the social network on health status was similar for the two samples. The impact of the social network diminished when covariates such as health behaviors and health problems were added to the models. The conclusion, therefore, is that much of the association between a strong social network and better self-reported health in later life may be explained by other factors such as socio-economic status, health behaviors, health status, and access to health care.
Changes in organic matter-mineral interactions for marine sediments with varying oxygen exposure times

Density fractionation, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and amino acid analyses were used to evaluate the physical form of preserved organic carbon (OC) in sediments from transects in the north east Pacific Ocean off the Mexican (Mazatlan) and Washington coasts. Low density (i.e. mineral-free) organic material dominated the OC in sediments with very short oxygen exposure times (OET <1 yr; total wt% OC 7.9–9.3, � 70% in q < 1.9 fractions). Quantities of low density OC decreased with increasing OET, suggesting that organic-rich debris was oxygen-sensitive. As OET increased from years to decades, OC was found predominately in the form of organic–mineral aggregates (58–77% of total OC was in the 1.9–2.2 q mesodensity fraction). Aggregated OC then decreased in abundance as a function of OET, suggesting that long-term oxygen exposure leads to destruction of organic–mineral aggregates. At OET values of centuries to millennia, the dominant forms of organic matter were OC sorbed to mineral surfaces (� 50% of total) and OC locked within biogenic diatom frustules (� 22% of total). These two physical forms of OC in marine sediments may provide the best long-term protection for OC. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Evidence for Cerebellar Contributions to Adaptive Plasticity in Speech Perception

Human speech perception rapidly adapts to maintain comprehension under adverse listening conditions. For example, with exposure listeners can adapt to heavily accented speech produced by a non-native speaker. Outside the domain of speech perception, adaptive changes in sensory and motor processing have been attributed to cerebellar functions. The present functional magnetic resonance imaging study investigates whether adaptation in speech perception also involves the cerebellum. Acoustic stimuli were distorted using a vocoding plus spectral-shift manipulation and presented in a word recognition task. Regions in the cerebellum that showed differences before versus after adaptation were identified, and the relationship between activity during adaptation and subsequent behavioral improvements was examined. These analyses implicated the right Crus I region of the cerebellum in adaptive changes in speech perception. A functional correlation analysis with the right Crus I as a seed region probed for cerebral cortical regions with covarying hemodynamic responses during the adaptation period. The results provided evidence of a functional network between the cerebellum and language-related regions in the temporal and parietal lobes of the cerebral cortex. Consistent with known cerebellar contributions to sensorimotor adaptation, cerebro-cerebellar interactions may support supervised learning mechanisms that rely on sensory prediction error signals in speech perception.
Development of the calcium plateau following status epilepticus: role of calcium in epileptogenesis.

Status epilepticus is a clinical emergency defined as continuous seizure activity or rapid, recurrent seizures without regaining consciousness and can lead to the development of acquired epilepsy, characterized by spontaneous, recurrent seizures. Understanding epileptogenesis – the transformation of healthy brain tissue into hyperexcitable neuronal networks – is an important challenge and the elucidation of molecular mechanisms can lend insight into new therapeutic targets to halt this progression. It has been demonstrated that intracellular calcium increases during status epilepticus and that these elevations are maintained past the duration of the injury (Ca2+ plateau). As an important second messenger, Ca2+ elevations can lead to changes in gene expression, neurotransmitter release and plasticity. Thus, characterization of the post-injury Ca2+ plateau may be important in eventually understanding the pathophysiology of epileptogenesis and preventing the progression to chronic epilepsy after brain injury.
FPGA-based CDMA switch for networks-on-chip

This paper presents timing and area results for an FPGA implementation of a CDMA-based switch for networks-on-chip. The design was mapped onto the Xilinx Virtex4 XC4VLX200 device using Synplify Pro for a range of pay-load sizes. The synthesis results give the area and maximum frequency obtained. Simulation verifies the desired functionality and provides throughput and latency values as functions of payload size.