cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Submaximal Exercise Pulmonary Gas Exchange in Left Heart Disease Patients With Different Forms of Pulmonary Hypertension.

Abstract Background We determined whether pulmonary gas exchange indices during submaximal exercise are different in heart failure (HF) patients with combined post- and pre-capillary pulmonary hypertension (PPC-PH) versus HF patients with isolated post-capillary PH (IPC-PH) or no PH. Methods and Results Pulmonary hemodynamics and pulmonary gas exchange were assessed during rest and submaximal exercise in 39 HF patients undergoing right heart catheterization. After hemodynamic evaluation, patients were classified as having no PH (n = 11), IPC-PH (n = 12), or PPC-PH (n = 16). At an equivalent oxygen consumption, end-tidal CO2 (PETCO2) and arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) were greater in no-PH and IPC-PH versus PPC-PH patients (36.1 ± 3.2 vs 31.7 ± 4.5 vs 26.2 ± 4.7 mm Hg and 97 ± 2 vs 96 ± 3 vs 91 ± 1%, respectively). Conversely, dead-space ventilation (VD/VT) and the ventilatory equivalent for carbon dioxide ( V ˙ E / V ˙ CO 2 ratio ) were lower in no-PH and IPC-PH versus PPC-PH patients (0.37 ± 0.05 vs 0.38 ± 0.04 vs 0.47 ± 0.03 and 38 ± 5 vs 42 ± 8 vs 51 ± 8, respectively). The exercise-induced change in VD/VT, V ˙ E / V ˙ CO 2 ratio, and PETCO2 correlated significantly with the change in mean pulmonary arterial pressure, diastolic pressure difference, and transpulmonary pressure gradient in PPC-PH patients only. Conclusions Noninvasive pulmonary gas exchange indices during submaximal exercise are different in HF patients with combined post- and pre-capillary PH compared with patients with isolated post-capillary PH or no PH.
Electrical and Hydrogen Transport Properties of SrCe0.8Yb0.2O3−δ/Ni Cermet Membranes

Research on hydrogen separation membranes is motivated by the increasing demand for an environmentally benign, inexpensive technology for separating hydrogen from gas mixtures. Although most studies of hydrogen separation membranes have focused on proton-conducting oxides by themselves, the addition of metal to these oxides increases their hydrogen permeability and improves their mechanical stability. This study began by determining the electrical and hydrogen permeation properties of SrCe0.8Yb0.2O3−δ (SCYb). The results showed that the hydrogen permeation rate is limited by electron flow at the investigated temperatures (600–900oC). To further enhance hydrogen permeability, a cermet (i.e., ceramic-metal composite) membrane was made by adding Ni to the SCYb. The cermet showed no phase change after sintering in a reducing atmosphere. At 900oC, with 20% H2 /balance He as a feed gas (pH2O = 0.03 atm), the hydrogen permeation rate was 0.113 cm3/min-cm2 for Ni/SCYb (0.43-mm thick) and 0.008 cm3/min-cm2 for SCYb (0.7-mm thick). The dependences of hydrogen permeability on temperature, thickness, and hydrogen partial pressure gradients are also determined. The results demonstrate that adding Ni to SCYb considerably increases its hydrogen permeability by increasing its electron conductivity.
A Review of: “John W. Parker. Persian Dreams: Moscow and Tehran Since the Fall of the Shah.”

John Parker offered a detailed account navigating through the complex and sometimes tenuous waters of the interaction and policy between Russia and Iran. Parker explored the evolving dynamics and c...
The INBONE II Total Ankle System

The INBONE II Total Ankle System consists of modular intramedullary stem pieces that are supported by a tibial tray spanning the anterior and posterior tibial cortices. The original INBONE talar component was broad and saddle-shaped whereas the INBONE II design is sulcus-shaped. Both talar components have a modular stem; the INBONE II design also has 2 anterior pegs. This article provides a detailed review of the surgical technique for implantation of the INBONE II and perioperative insight into patient care.
Recent progress in the genetics of generalized vitiligo

Abstract Vitiligo is an acquired disease characterized principally by patchy depigmentation of skin and overlying hair. Generalized vitiligo (GV), the predominant form of the disorder, results from autoimmune loss of melanocytes from affected regions. GV is a “complex trait”, inherited in a non-Mendelian polygenic, multifactorial manner. GV is epidemiologically associated with other autoimmune diseases, both in GV patients and in their close relatives, suggesting that shared genes underlie susceptibility to this group of diseases. Early candidate gene association studies yielded a few successes, such as PTPN22 , but most such reports now appear to be false-positives. Subsequent genomewide linkage studies identified NLRP1 and XBP1 , apparent true GV susceptibility genes involved in immune regulation, and recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of GV in Caucasian and Chinese populations have yielded a large number of additional validated GV susceptibility genes. Together, these genes highlight biological systems and pathways that reach from the immune cells to the melanocyte, and provide insights into both disease pathogenesis and potential new targets for both treatment and even prevention of GV and other autoimmune diseases in genetically susceptible individuals.
Mixed Methods Analysis and Information Visualization: Graphical Display for Effective Communication of Research Results

In this paper, we introduce various graphical methods that can be used to represent data in mixed research. First, we present a broad taxonomy of visual representation. Next, we use this taxonomy to provide an overview of visual techniques for quantitative data display and qualitative data display. Then, we propose what we call “crossover” visual extensions to summarize and integrate both qualitative and quantitative results within the same framework. We provide several examples of crossover (mixed research) graphical displays that illustrate this natural extension. In so doing, we contend that the use of crossover (mixed research) graphical displays enhances researchers’ understanding (i.e., increased Verstehen) of social and behavioral phenomena in general and the meaning that underlies these phenomena in particular. Key Words: Graphic Methods, Visual Techniques, Graphical Displays, Crossover Graphical Displays, and Mixed Research
Parameters that influence the efficiency of processing antigenic epitopes expressed in Salmonella typhimurium.

We investigated parameters that affect the efficiency with which antigenic epitopes from Salmonella typhimurium are processed for presentation to T lymphocytes. As a model system, the hen egg white lysozyme 52-61 [HEL(52-61)] epitope, which binds the murine major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II) molecule I-Ak, was expressed in soluble fusion proteins in S. typhimurium. Murine peritoneal macrophages mediated phagocytic processing of viable S. typhimurium expressing fusion proteins of the HEL epitope for presentation via I-Ak regardless of the bacterial compartment in which the epitope was contained (i.e., surface exposed, facing the periplasmic space, or in the cytoplasm). Minor differences in processing efficiency observed with different epitope compartmentalizations could be overcome by altering the relative expression level, indicating that epitope abundance is an important factor for efficient processing of epitopes from S. typhimurium. This processing pathway required phagocytosis of bacteria followed by passage through an acidic compartment, suggesting a pathway involving phagolysosomal degradation of the bacteria to liberate epitopes that bind MHC-II. HEL(52-61) was processed more efficiently from heat-killed S. typhimurium than from viable bacteria, and in addition, the HEL epitope was processed more efficiently from a rough lipopolysaccharide (LPS) strain than from its isogenic smooth LPS counterpart, most likely because of enhanced phagocytosis of the rough LPS strain. These data suggest that the efficiency of epitope processing from S. typhimurium for presentation via MHC-II is affected by bacterial viability, epitope abundance, and LPS phenotype, factors which may be important to consider in development of recombinant S. typhimurium vaccine strains.
Biology Education Research: Lessons and Future Directions

This feature draws on a 2012 National Research Council report to highlight some of the insights that discipline-based education research in general—and biology education research in particular—have provided into the challenges of undergraduate science education. It identifies strategies for overcoming those challenges and future directions for biology education research.
Understanding the Group Size Effect in Electronic Brainstorming

A number of studies on electronic brainstorming have found that large electronic groups can facilitate the number of ideas generated relative to control groups of similar numbers of solitary perfor...
WORKSHOP ON ELECTRICAL METHODS IN GEOTHERMAL EXPLORATION

A workshop on Evaluation of Electrical Methods in the Geothermal Environment was held at Snowbird, Utah, November 4 through 7, 1976. The workshop was financed by the U.S. Geological Survey under a grant to the University of Utah. S. H. Ward, Chairman of the Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah, aided by a steering committee consisting of William Dolan (Amax), Frank Frischknecht (ex‐officio, U.S.G.S.), George Keller (Group 7), Tsvi Meidav (Geonomics), Frank Morrison (University of California, Berkeley) and Sulhi Yungul (Chevron) arranged to invite 50 participants while the U.S.G.S. arranged the attendance of four federal program managers as observers. Balanced representation of industry, government, and academia was stressed during the invitation process. Will Forsberg and Mary DeWitt of the University of Utah arranged accommodations and provided workshop management. R. L. Christiansen, F. C. Frischknecht, and D. W. Klick of the U.S. Geological Survey were very generous with their time ...
Biochemical analyses indicate that binding and cleavage specificities define the ordered processing of human Okazaki fragments by Dna2 and FEN1

In eukaryotic Okazaki fragment processing, the RNA primer is displaced into a single-stranded flap prior to removal. Evidence suggests that some flaps become long before they are cleaved, and that this cleavage involves the sequential action of two nucleases. Strand displacement characteristics of the polymerase show that a short gap precedes the flap during synthesis. Using biochemical techniques, binding and cleavage assays presented here indicate that when the flap is ∼30 nt long the nuclease Dna2 can bind with high affinity to the flap and downstream double strand and begin cleavage. When the polymerase idles or dissociates the Dna2 can reorient for additional contacts with the upstream primer region, allowing the nuclease to remain stably bound as the flap is further shortened. The DNA can then equilibrate to a double flap that can bind Dna2 and flap endonuclease (FEN1) simultaneously. When Dna2 shortens the flap even more, FEN1 can displace the Dna2 and cleave at the flap base to make a nick for ligation.
Regulation of cardiac AMP-specific 5'-nucleotidase during ischemia mediates ATP resynthesis on reflow.

The ability to resynthesize ATP during recovery from ischemia is limited to the size of endogenous pool of adenine nucleotides. Cytosolic AMP-specific 5′-nucleotidase (5′-NT) plays a key role in AT...
Outcomes of atrioesophageal fistula following catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation treated with surgical repair versus esophageal stenting.

Management of Atrioesophageal Fistula Post-AF Ablation Introduction Atrioesophageal fistula (AEF) is a rare but devastating complication of radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) of atrial fibrillation (AF). Surgical repair and esophageal stents are available treatment options for AEF. We report outcomes of these 2 management strategies. Methods Nine patients with AEF post-RFCA for AF were included in this study. AEF was diagnosed based on symptoms and chest CT imaging. Of the 9 patients, 5 received stents and 4 underwent surgical repair of fistula. Results AF ablation was performed under general anesthesia (n = 4) or conscious sedation (n = 5). During ablation, RF power was maintained between 25 and 35 Watts in areas close to the esophagus and energy delivery discontinued when esophageal temperature reached 38 °C. Seven patients underwent ablation with 3.5-mm open-irrigated catheter, 1 with 8-mm nonirrigated catheter, and 1 had surgical epicardial ablation. Seven patients received proton pump inhibitor and sucralfate before and after procedure. AEF symptoms developed within 2–6 weeks from ablation. Esophageal stenting was performed in 5 patients (median age 58 years, median time from RFCA 4 weeks) and 4 underwent surgical repair (median age 54 years, median time from RFCA 4 weeks) within 2–4 hours from diagnosis. All 5 patients receiving stents died within 1 week of the procedure due to cerebral embolism, septic shock, or respiratory failure. On the other hand, the 4 patients that received surgical repair were alive at median follow-up of 2.1 years (P = 0.005). Conclusions Esophageal stenting should be discouraged and prompt surgical repair is crucial for survival in patients with atrioesophageal fistula.
Generalized Time- and Transfer-Constant Circuit Analysis

The generalized method of time and transfer constants is introduced. It can be used to determine the transfer function to the desired level of accuracy in terms of time and transfer constants of first-order systems using exclusively low frequency calculations. This method can be used to determine the poles and zeros of circuits with both inductors and capacitors. An inductive proof of this generalized method is given which subsumes special cases, such as methods of zero- and infinite-value time constants. Several important and useful corollaries of this method are discussed and several examples are analyzed.
Determinants of Primary Schooling in British India

This paper explores the provision of schooling in colonial India when British administrators dictated education policy. Although public and private funds were used to expand and improve the public education system, there were fewer than 3 primary schools for every 10 villages as late as 1911. To explore the impact of the funding system on the provision of schools, I empirically analyze the links between local factors and schooling using a new historical dataset. I find that districts with higher levels of caste and religious diversity had fewer privately managed primary schools and fewer total primary schools. Heterogeneous preferences across groups, unequal political power in more diverse districts and low demand for education by lower castes are all potential explanations for this pattern. Broadly, the results highlight the challenges involved in the provision of primary education in the presence of numerous and perhaps unequal groups.
Anticipatory responding in rats with septal lesions

Rats were trained on a discrete-trial two-lever “counting” task that required five responses on a ratio lever and then one response on a reward lever. Rats with septal lesions were found to make more reward-lever responses prior to completion of the ratio response than control rats, and, in general, more of these anticipatory responses occurred the closer the lesioned rats were to the completion of the ratio. A shift from small to large reward reduced the number of reward-lever responses, but the anticipatory nature of these responses was still clearly evident in the lesioned rats.
Effect of Allowing Choice of Diet on Weight Loss

Studies have suggested that allowing choice among diets improves weight outcomes. This double-randomized preference trial evaluated whether participants who were given a choice between 2 diets woul...
Adaptation, Adaptation to, and Interactive Causes

This paper develops alternative ways of understanding ‘adaptation to’ specific environmental conditions, with particular attention to the explanatory power offered by differing conceptions, the concomitant epistemic demands they make of explanations, and the models such explanations employ. It is shown that explanations of adaptation to particular environmental conditions can satisfy important intuitions only if the environmental conditions to which phenotypes are adapted are interactive causes of fitness. However, taking this constraint to be both necessary and sufficient for ‘adaptation to’ imposes epistemic burdens on our explanatory practice, and risks violating yet other intuitions. The paper briefly explores the consequences of the constraint for the idea that selection requires shared environments, the idea that selection requires a homogeneous environment, the idea that phenotypes may be extended, and the idea that niches may be constructed.
Caffeine and REM sleep deprivation: Effect on basal levels of signaling molecules in area CA1

We have investigated the neuroprotective effect of chronic caffeine treatment on basal levels of memory-related signaling molecules in area CA1 of sleep-deprived rats. Animals in the caffeine groups were treated with caffeine in drinking water (0.3g/l) for four weeks before they were REM sleep-deprived for 24h in the Modified Multiple Platforms paradigm. Western blot analysis of basal protein levels of plasticity- and memory-related signaling molecules in hippocampal area CA1 showed significant down regulation of the basal levels of phosphorylated- and total-CaMKII, phosphorylated- and total-CREB as well as those of BDNF and CaMKIV in sleep deprived rats. All these changes were completely prevented in rats that chronically consumed caffeine. The present findings suggest an important neuroprotective property of caffeine in sleep deprivation.
Changes in Reading Practices and Perceptions in Low-Literacy-Level Adult Learners

This article reports on pre to post changes found in learners who participated in the Relative Effectiveness of Adult Literacy (REAL) reading interventions study (n = 81). Changes reported cover the types of texts learners read, the frequency of self-reported reading, perceptions of how well they read the texts, and their perceptions of how skilled they were at various reading-related tasks. Relationships among the changes in habits and perceptions and reading achievement are explored. For 36 of the 81, a six-month follow up interview was conducted.
Nuclear Construction Quality Assurance Systems

Practices implemented on nuclear power plant construction projects to assure acceptable construction quality are presented and discussed. The highly active role of the Federal government in the nuclear construction process in presented in detail. Quality assurance requirements imposed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission are also discussed. Various organizational structures and quality assurance programs which have developed in response to Federal requirements are presented and compared. Various levels of owner (utility) involvement in the quality assurance of design and construction activities are compared, and reasons are cited for the trend toward increased owner involvement in quality assurance activities. Federal requirements for objective evidence of quality and the tremendous volumes of documentation which have resulted are also considered.
Dimers, Repulsions, and the Absence of Localisation

We review here two models we have recently proposed which do not conform to the standard view that disorder precludes long range transport in 1-dimension. The two models we consider are the repulsive binary alloy and the random dimer model. We show that the mean-square displacement of an initially-localised particle in either of these models will grow in time as t3/2. Transport obtains in both models because √N of the electronic states are unscattered by the disorder. The relevance of these models to the conductivity of Fibonacci semiconductor lattices and polyaniline is discussed.
Chemotherapy of CNS Tumors

The use of chemotherapy in the treatment of malignant glioma is not new. Since the earliest days of using nitrogen mustard, a few score of patients have been treated with whatever was the agent of interest at the time. The problem has always been to assess the value of these compounds which obviously have modest efficacy and an extremely low therapeutic index. These evaluations were usually carried out in patients who were seen at anytime during the course of their disease, but frequently upon recurrence and at a time when they were deteriorating. Thus, we have multiple reports within the literature which are, at best, discouraging and, at worst, inconclusive.
Organizational justice and work withdrawal in Chinese companies The moderating effects of allocentrism and idiocentrism

This paper examines the relationship between organizational justice and work withdrawal in a Chinese context, using the cultural syndrome allocentrism and idiocentrism as moderators. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the proposed model. The results indicate that distributive justice and procedural justice have negative relations with work withdrawal behaviors. Allocentrism and idiocentrism moderates the linkage between procedural justice and work withdrawal. Specifically, perceptions of procedural justice have a negative effect on work withdrawal but this effect is weaker for individuals high on allocentrism and low on idiocentrism. Results indicate that the interacting effects of allocentrism and idiocentrism were not established in the case of distributive justice. This study makes significant theoretical contribution to both cross-cultural management literature and organizational justice literature. It also indicates that cultural orientation should be taken into consideration by mana...
On the Accuracy of Recording of Consumer Panels: II

) This paper continues the discussion of the accuracy of recording of the National Consumer Panel which was begun in the previous issue. Results are given of experiments which measured changes in accuracy of recording resulting from controlled changes in total work load, compensation, and training. In addition, a comparison is made between brand share data obtained from a panel and from a recall survey. This paper continues the discussion of experiments dealing with the accuracy of recording of the National Consumer Panel (NCP) of the Market Research Corporation of America. The paper is divided into two sections. The first section describes a series of experiments conducted by the National Consumer Panel to measure effects on recording behavior resulting from the following changes: 1. Total work load of keeping purchase diary records and recording other special information, such as family classification data, magazine reading and television viewing.
Disinfection Status of Public Objects in Public Places of Dalian City in 2009

[Objective]To understand the disinfection status of public objects in public places of Dalian city,clarify the working emphasis of health supervision and monitoring.[Methods]Microbial detection was conducted in 1787 samples of public objects which collected from hotels,public bathhouses and hairdressing salons in Dalian city.[Results]Among 1787 samples,the total eligible rate was 89.09%.The eligible rate of hotels,hairdressing salons and public bathhouses was 95.78%,88.11% and 77.30%,respectively.There was serious pollution on cups in public bathhouses and towels in hairdressing salons.[Conclusion]The hygienic quality of public objects in public places should be further improved.The sanitary supervision department should enhance the strength of sanitary supervision in public places,and improve the management level in key public places.
The relation of Stockholder structure and dividends policy for transport industry

We analyse the stockholder structure and the dividends distribution,based on the 28 transform industry firms data from 2005 to 2007.We get the conclusion that stockholder-structure effect the dividends distribution policy significantly;Individual Stockholder prefer to the speculative gain;The stock-hold-rate of first-big-stockholder and the secondbig-holder positive correlate to the dividends distribution,and the square of the first-ten-big-stock-hold-rate negative correlate to the dividends distribution.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Guided Intervention in the Head and Neck

Interventional magnetic resonance imaging (I-MRI) is the use of MR images for biopsy and drainage, and for both guidance and monitoring of minimally invasive therapy (including thermal destruction of tumors). As a result, MRI is rapidly becoming an important tool in the performance of interventional procedures; the medical use of MRI may be expanded from diagnosis only to treatment. However, MRI pulse sequences must be adapted to meet the requirements for: (a) high temporal resolution during biopsy needle insertion, (b) high spatial resolution for accurate needle tip localization, (c) rapid reconstruction/display to achieve near-real-time guidance, and (d) contrast between normal and pathologic tissue and the interventional devices.
Using Oral Quizzes in an Engineering Mechanics Course

Engineers are required to be competent technical experts and also effective communicators. This paper describes the development of a rubric for oral quizzes in engineering mechanics courses. The rubric was developed collaboratively with the engineering and world languages departments, and tested in a single section of Engineering Mechanics: Statics in the spring of 2014. The goals of the oral quizzes were to increase students’ comfort with explaining a solution method, competency using appropriate technical language, and ability to organize the problem solving method. Oral quizzes (versus pen-and-paper or online quizzes) also provide the instructor with the ability to immediately prompt a student who might be unsure of how to proceed with a problem and identify misconceptions or areas of weakness for specific students. The rubrics provide a means to measure the student performance in each of the goal areas: technical language, organization, content, clarity, and attitude. This paper includes anecdotal evidence from students on their attitudes about the oral quizzes, and compares performance on oral quizzes with the same questions given in a traditional format.
Stiff discipline for cells in pulmonary hypertension

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a vascular disorder marked by elevated right ventricle blood pressure and arterial stiffness due to hyperproliferation of the pulmonary vascular endothelium and smooth muscle cells. Hyperproliferative cells support their increased growth by undergoing a
A nonviral vector with transfection activity comparable with adenoviral transduction.

Aim: Viral vectors are used commonly in gene therapy trials, but their potential toxic effects are a serious concern. Identification of highly efficient nonviral vectors may alleviate these effects. Results & methodology: We compared the abilities of TransfeX, TransIT-LT1 and adenovirus to deliver the firefly luciferase and green fluorescent protein genes into HeLa cervical carcinoma, and HSC-3 and H357 oral squamous cell carcinoma cells. TransfeX mediated fourfold higher gene expression in HeLa cells than adenovirus, even at the highest multiplicity of infection. Flow cytometry indicated that a population of transfected cells expresses higher levels of green fluorescent protein than transduced cells. Conclusion: TransfeX may be useful for gene therapy applications, particularly where the use of adenovirus is contraindicated.
Quantitative Phase-Field Crystal Modeling of Solid-Liquid Interfaces for FCC Metals

Abstract This work deals with the quantification and application of the modified two-mode phase-field crystal model (M2PFC; Asadi and Asle Zaeem, 2015) for face-centered cubic (FCC) metals at their melting point. The connection of M2PFC model to the classical density functional theory is explained in this article. M2PFC model in its dimensionless form contains three parameters (two independent and one dependent) which are determined using an iterative procedure based on the molecular dynamics and experimental data. The quantification process and computer simulations are performed for Ni and Al as two case studies. The quantitative M2PFC models are used in series of numerical simulations to determine the two-phase FCC-liquid coexisting and the bulk properties at the melting points of Ni and Al. The calculated and predicted properties are the expansion in melting, elastic constants, solid-liquid interface free energy, and surface anisotropy, which are also compared with their available experimental or computational counterparts in the literature.
HIV Disclosure in Pediatric Populations: Who, What, When to Tell, and then What?

Within pediatric populations, HIV disclosure has important implications for care and treatment. This chapter outlines key findings regarding the child and caregiver characteristics affecting HIV disclosure in pediatric populations, including disclosure of parental HIV status to a child, disclosure of child HIV status to that child, and child self-disclosure to others. Readers will learn about patterns and correlates of disclosure, outcomes of disclosure, evidence-based and promising approaches to support disclosure, as well as related guidelines and recommendations.
Endoscopic management of acute esophageal variceal bleeding

Abstract Esophageal varices develop in the setting of portal hypertension, most commonly caused by cirrhosis. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy is considered the gold standard for both diagnosis and treatment of acute variceal bleeding. In this review, we highlight the management of both acute and refractory bleeding from esophageal varices, with an emphasis on endoscopic therapies, including injection sclerotherapy, band ligation, and esophageal stent placement.
Comparative flow rates of saline in commonly used spinal needles including pencil-tip needles.

Background and Objectives. Certain characteristics of spinal needles that can influence their clinical usefulness were examined, namely, flow rates, internal diameters, and size of orifices of pencil-type needles. Methods. Flow rates of 0.9% sodium chloride solution were measured in spinal needles with an infusion pressure of 10 mmHg at isothermic and steady-state conditions. In 15 different types, a new needle was used for each experiment, and 6 experiments were performed with each needle type for a total of 90 experiments. The Hagen-Poisseuille Law for laminar flow was used to calculate the internal diameters. Results. The flow rates of needles of the same gauge varied considerably depending on the manufacturer. Compared with 26-gauge ultra-thin-wall spinal needle produced by the same manufacturer (Braun, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania), the flow rate through 29-gauge spinal needle was 18% that of the former needle. The flow rate through 27-gauge Quincke Whitacre needle (Becton Dickinson, Rutherford, New Jersey) was not statistically different from that through 26-gauge needle by the same manufacturer. By arbitrarily choosing ≤2 seconds to be the in vitro desirable period for saline to traverse the needle from one end to the other, all needles with the exception of 29-gauge and standard 26-gauge Quincke Braun needles met this criterion. The length and size of the orifices of Whitacre needles were found to be significantly smaller than those of Sprotte needles (Havel, Cincinnati, Ohio). The orifice of Sprotte needle was longer than the known thickness of the dura while that of the Whitacre needle was smaller. Conclusions. Needles of the same gauge do not necessarily have the same flow rate. Flow rate correlates well with internal, not external, diameter. By considering ≤2 seconds to be the desirable time for saline to traverse a spinal needle, all, except two, meet this criterion. The orifice of Whitacre needle has more desirable features than that of Sprottle needle. Anesthesiologists are encouraged to use 27-gauge needles since their flow rate is not slower than that of 26-gauge needles.
Audits of Public Companies

Audits of Public Companies John A. Hepp Current: University of Wisconsin Fall 2004: Suffolk University 8 Ashburton Place Boston, MA 02108 Brian W. Mayhew University of Wisconsin bmayhew@bus.wisc.edu975 University Avenue Madison, WI 53706 June 29, 2004 Please request permission from authors to quote. We appreciate the comments of Pam Murphy, and Larry Rittenberg.
Improved Bivariate Normal Tolerance Regions with Some Applications

Bivariate normal distributions have applications in areas such as product acceptance and weapon targeting, and tolerance regions can be useful in these applications. This paper gives procedures and tables for obtaining tolerance regions that are more ac..
Vaccine-related attitudes and decision-making among uninsured, Latin American immigrant mothers of adolescent daughters: a qualitative study

Uninsured Latin American immigrant women are at increased risk for vaccine preventable diseases, such as cervical cancer; yet gaps in vaccine coverage persist. The purpose of this study was to explore vaccine-related knowledge, attitudes and decision-making for tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine, meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MenACWY), and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine among uninsured Latin American immigrant mothers of adolescent daughters. A purposive sample of 30 low-income, uninsured, predominantly Latin-American immigrant mothers of adolescent daughters aged 13-17 were recruited from two academic-community managed health clinics in Virginia. From March-September 2016, data were collected through in-person, semi-structured interviews, in English or Spanish. For data analysis, conventional content analysis was employed. The majority of participants self-identified as Hispanic and had less than a high-school level education. Key themes included: general acceptance of vaccines; associating vaccines with prevention/protection; minimal vaccine hesitancy; and lack of knowledge regarding vaccine-preventable diseases, vaccines recommended for adolescents, and adolescent daughters' vaccination history. Doctors' recommendation, school requirements, and the media were key influencers of vaccination. Mothers were the primary decision-maker regarding vaccine uptake among their adolescent daughters. Findings highlight the need for efforts to help uninsured Latin American immigrant mothers better understand vaccines, and provide linkages to affordable, accessible vaccines among under-resourced populations.
Properties of a Partially Coherent Beam Generated at the Output of a Stationary Multimode Fiber

Spatial coherence properties of light at the output of a step-index multimode fiber excited with a spatially coherent broadband source are described. Their relationship to speckle contrast values measured through averaging over two different ensembles—fiber bends and twists and external diffuser—are elucidated.
Serum resistin is associated with impaired endothelial function and a higher rate of adverse cardiac events in patients with peripheral artery disease.

Abstract Objective Resistin is a hormone that has been associated with metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease. The role of resistin in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) has not been fully explored. This study seeks to understand the relationship between serum resistin, vascular function, and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with PAD. Methods There were 106 patients with PAD who were recruited between 2011 and 2016. Patients attended a baseline visit during which a comprehensive vascular physiology assessment including medical and surgical history, radial artery tonometry, and flow mediated-vasodilation (FMD) was completed. A blood sample was drawn, and serum resistin was assayed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. Using the time of study enrollment as the time of origin, incident major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) were identified by subsequent chart review and defined as a composite end point of myocardial infarction, coronary revascularization, transient ischemic attack, stroke, or death from a cardiac cause. Results Patients had a mean age of 68 ± 8 years, were largely white (75%), and had comorbidities commonly associated with PAD including hypertension (92%), hyperlipidemia (87%), coronary artery disease (37%), and diabetes mellitus (38%). After stratification by resistin quartile, higher resistin quartiles were significantly associated with an older age, a greater number of pack-years smoked, and a lower estimated glomerular filtration rate. Despite similar comorbidities and medication use, endothelial function, as measured by FMD, was significantly lower with increasing resistin quartile (I, 9.1% ± 3.3%; II, 7.1% ± 3.5%; III, 5.8% ± 4.0%; IV, 5.6% ± 3.5%; P = .002). In multivariable linear regression, higher resistin quartiles (III and IV) were associated with lower FMD relative to quartile I after adjusting for several patient characteristics, medications, and comorbidities (III, −2.26 [95% confidence interval (CI), −4.51 to −0.01; P = .05]; IV, −2.53 [95% CI, −4.87 to −0.20; P = .03]). During a median follow-up period of 36 months (interquartile range, 29-45 months), 21 patients experienced the primary end point. In a Cox proportional hazards model adjusted for smoking status, coronary artery disease, and age, each 1 ng/mL increase in resistin was associated with a 10% increased risk of MACEs (hazard ratio, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.00-1.20; P = .04). Conclusions In patients with PAD, higher levels of resistin were associated with impaired endothelial function and an increased rate of MACEs. These results suggest that resistin may be a marker or effector of impaired vascular physiology and adverse cardiac outcomes in patients with PAD. Further research is needed to determine the potential mechanisms by which resistin may impair endothelial function and increase MACEs in this population.
Does Everyone with a Small Bowel Obstruction Need a Nasogastric Tube? What Is the Safest Way to Place It?

Nasogastric (NG) intubation is a common practice in conservative management of small bowel obstruction. When indicated, it can provide patients symptomatic relief and lead to improved measurement of gastrointestinal losses, allowing for adequate fluid repletion. However, NG tubes have been associated with increased respiratory failure in patients without emesis and carry significant risks if malpositioned or used for a prolonged duration. NG tubes are generally warranted in symptomatic patients but should be considered on a case-by-case basis for asymptomatic patients.
At the forefront of psychoneuroimmunology in pregnancy: Implications for racial disparities in birth outcomes: PART 2: Biological mechanisms.

As reviewed in Part 1 of this two part review, birth prior to full term is a substantial public health issue. In the US, ˜400,000 babies per year are born preterm ( 1 million are early term (37-386/7 weeks) and remarkable racial disparities in shortened gestation are observed among African Americans as compared to Whites. Biomechanisms linking stressor exposures with birth outcomes are increasingly being explicated. The current paper reviews the mechanistic role of maternal biological functioning in the link between behavioral exposures and birth outcomes. These include the inter-related roles of neuroendocrine function, inflammatory regulation, biological aging, and the microbiome. An integrative approach which addresses both behavioral and biological factors within the same study, carefully considers the role of race/ethnicity, and rigorously defines birth outcomes (e.g., spontaneous versus medically-indicated and inclusive of early term birth) is needed to move research in this field toward better mechanistic understanding and clinical application.
Phase Noise in Autonomous Oscillators

Due to its importance in circuit design, the problem of modeling phase noise in autonomous oscillators has attracted considerable attention over the last 50 years. Noteworthy phase noise studies include a spectrum model based on a feedback circuit oscillator parametrization proposed by Leeson and the impulse sensitivity function model proposed by Hajimiri and Lee. Unfortunately, even though these models offer valuable insights for oscillator design, they exhibit significant defects, such as their failure to predict a Lorentzian power spectral density for the oscillator tones affected by noise. The primary reason for this failure is that most early phase noise theories were based on linear perturbations. The first satisfactory nonlinear phase noise theory was proposed by Kaertner, with significant later refinements by Demir, Mehrothra, and Roychowdury. The key insight of this approach is that for a stable oscillator, random fluctuations in directions away from the oscillator trajectory remain contained due to the inherent trajectory stability, but fluctuations along the trajectory direction accumulate since they are not subjected to a restoring force. The model constructed by this approach relies on rather simplistic approximations, such as the neglect of amplitude fluctuations about the noiseless oscillator trajectory, but it results in a single scalar diffusion equation for the phase noise. This model can be simplified further by noticing that the phase noise evolves on time scale much slower than the rate of oscillation of the oscillator, so that an averaging method can be employed to describe the slow time-scale evolution of the phase noise. This averaging operation reveals that on a slow time-scale, the phase noise behaves like a scaled Wiener process, where the scaling parameter represents therefore the only and most important parameter of the model. This slow time-scale model can then be used to compute the oscillator autocorrelation and its power spectral density, which shows that the effect of phase noise is to smear the pure impulsive spectral lines of the noiseless oscillator into narrow Lorentzian shaped spectra, which conform with experimental observations.
Stability Region based Vehicle Lateral Control Using Non-Overshooting MPC

One effective approach to guarantee vehicle driving safety is to design a vehicle stability control algorithm, which strictly limits vehicle states inside a predefined stability region without passing the region boundaries. To achieve such a goal, a general non-overshooting model predictive control (MPC) is designed in terms of four different non-overshooting constraints. Different system output responses are compared for the four non-overshooting constraints through numerical examples of both linear and nonlinear systems. Then, the strictest non-overshooting MPC constraint is applied to vehicle lateral control based on stability regions. The control objective is to strictly limit the vehicle states within the stability regions, which are varied for vehicle lateral motions. CarSim®/Simulink co-simulation results are demonstrated to validate the effectiveness of the proposed non-overshooting MPC design.
The Preoperative Use of Prisms: Beyond the “Prism Adaptation Test”

Prism Adaptation is a successful means by which to facilitate the effective planning of strabismus surgery. When applied in certain types of ocular misalignment, it is thought to significantly impr...
Relaxation Process in Ferromagnetism

This paper surveys current theoretical work on spin-spin and spin-lattice relaxation in ferromagnetic substances with reference to ferromagnetic resonance. It is shown that it is possible to give a reasonable explanation of the principal features of the experimental results. The calculations, carried out for nickel in particular, make use of a macroscopic spin-lattice interaction determined by the observed magnetostriction and a pseudo-dipolar spin-spin interaction determined by the observed anisotropy. It is not sufficient to use magnetic dipole coupling alone for either of the two relaxation processes. The zero-point fluctuations in the pseudo-dipolar field play a central role in the development of the theory.
The protective roles of ethnic identity, social support, and coping on depression in low-income parents: A test of the adaptation to poverty-related stress model.

Objective This study tested the Adaptation to Poverty-Related Stress (APRS) model's proposed relationships between poverty-related stress (PRS), ethnic identity affirmation (EI), social support, engagement coping, and depression in a racial/ethnically diverse sample of low-income parents. Method Path analysis was used to test the APRS model in a sample of 602 parents living at or below 200% of the federal poverty line (50% male, mean age = 32.55 years, SD = 8.78, 34.8% White). Multigroup path analysis tested moderation by gender and race/ethnicity. Results Path analysis revealed that PRS was indirectly associated with higher depressive symptoms through less social support and less use of engagement coping operating in parallel and sequentially in a three-path mediated sequence. Conversely, EI was indirectly associated with lower depressive symptoms through greater social support and greater use of engagement coping operating in parallel and sequentially. However, PRS remained a direct predictor of higher depressive symptoms. Moderation by gender and race/ethnicity was not found. Conclusion Overall, the findings provide empirical support for the APRS model. This study suggests that clinical and preventive interventions targeting depression in low-income parents could benefit from focusing on improving low-income parent's use of engagement coping and perceived social support. Ethnic identity is a promising target as it to protects against PRS' negative impact on coping and social support. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
VEGF Upregulates EGFR Expression to Stimulate Chemotactic Behaviors in the rMC-1 Model of Müller Glia.

Progressive vision loss in adults has become increasingly prevalent worldwide due to retinopathies associated with aging, genetics, and epigenetic factors that damage the retinal microvasculature. Insufficient supply of oxygen and/or nutrients upregulates factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and epidermal growth factor (EGF), which can induce abnormal angiogenesis and damage the structural arrangement of the retinal blood barrier (BRB). Muller glia (MG) regulate the diffusion of essential compounds across the BRB and respond to retinal insults via reactive gliosis, which includes cell hypertrophy, migration, and/or proliferation near areas of elevated VEGF concentration. Increasing concentrations of exogenous VEGF, upregulated by retinal pigmented epithelium cells, and endogenous epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R) stimulation in MG, implicated in MG proliferative and migratory behavior, often lead to progressive and permanent vision loss. Our project examined the chemotactic responses of the rMC-1 cell line, a mammalian MG model, toward VEGF and EGF signaling fields in transwell assays, and within respective concentration gradient fields produced in the glia line (gLL) microfluidic system previously described by our group. rMC-1 receptor expression in defined ligand fields was also evaluated using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and immunocytochemical staining. Results illustrate dramatic increases in rMC-1 chemotactic responses towards EGF gradient fields after pre-treatment with VEGF. In addition, qPCR illustrated significant upregulation of EGF-R upon VEGF pre-treatment, which was higher than that induced by its cognate ligand, EGF. These results suggest interplay of molecular pathways between VEGF and EGF-R that have remained understudied in MG but are significant to the development of effective anti-VEGF treatments needed for a variety of retinopathies.