cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Estimated Cost Effectiveness of Influenza Vaccination for Emergency Medical Services Professionals.

Introduction Because of their frequent contact with compromised patients, vaccination against influenza is recommended for all healthcare workers. Recent studies suggest that vaccination decreases influenza transmission to patients and reduces worker illness and absenteeism. However, few emergency medical services (EMS) agencies provide annual vaccination, and the vaccination rate among EMS personnel remains low. Reticence among EMS agencies to provide influenza vaccination to their employees may be due in part to the unknown fiscal consequences of implementing a vaccination program. In this study, we sought to estimate the cost effectiveness of an employer-provided influenza vaccination program for EMS personnel. Methods Using data from published reports on influenza vaccination, we developed a cost-effectiveness model of vaccination for a hypothesized EMS system of 100 employees. Model inputs included vaccination costs, vaccination rate, infection rate, costs associated with absenteeism, lost productivity due to working while ill (presenteeism), and medical care for treating illness. To assess the robustness of the model we performed a series of sensitivity analyses on the input variables. Results The proportion of employees contracting influenza or influenza-like illness (ILI) was estimated at 19% among vaccinated employees compared to 26% among non-vaccinated employees. The costs of the vaccine, consumables, and employee time for vaccination totaled $44.19 per vaccinated employee, with a total system cost of $4,419. Compared to no vaccination, a mandatory vaccination program would save $20,745 in lost productivity and medical costs, or $16,325 in net savings after accounting for vaccination costs. The savings were 3.7 times the cost of the vaccination program and were derived from avoided absenteeism ($7,988), avoided presenteeism productivity losses ($10,303), and avoided medical costs of treating employees with influenza/ILI ($2,454). Through sensitivity analyses the model was verified to be robust across a wide range of input variable assumptions. The net monetary benefits were positive across all ranges of input assumptions, but cost savings were most sensitive to the vaccination uptake rate, ILI rate, and presenteeism productivity losses. Conclusion This cost-effectiveness analysis suggests that an employer-provided influenza vaccination program is a financially favorable strategy for reducing costs associated with influenza/ILI employee absenteeism, presenteeism, and medical care.
C++ programming with CodeWarrior: beginning OOP for the Macintosh and Power Macintosh

How to use this book some basic concepts introducing OOP using CodeWarrior writing classes simple imput and output arithmetic operations making choices repeating actions arays strings pointers pulling it together - the checkbook program operator overload data structures - arrays data structures - linked lists inheritance introducing the toolbox.
Context and Granularity

Granularity is one of the core aspects of context. This chapter gives an overview of three perspectives on granularity—size-based granularity, partition-based granularity, granularity in contextual reasoning—and discusses their interrelation. The author identifies three types of granularity: perceptual granularity refers to the fact that any perceptual system has a certain limited resolution; conceptual granularity indicates that the categories in which we think are tied to levels of granularity; physical granularity, finally, refers to the structures, sizes, and densities that exist in the physical world. This chapter discusses the interplay between the three types of granularity and how perceptual granularity could have been fundamental in the evolution of cognition.
The Role of Chemoreception in Some Social and Synchronous Behavior of the Crayfish, Procambarus ClarkII

The effects of chemical stimuli on some behavior in the crayfish were studied. There were five test series, utilizing two experimental systems. The first system consisted of placing crayfish in standing water from a known source and monitoring general behavior. A box with six impulse buttons was attached to a strip chart recorder. This allowed the observer to record six different behavioral parameters on data rolls. The second system was composed of a flowing water apparatus. A stimulus animal was placed in an upper level tank which was supplied with freshwater inflow. Water then flowed into a lower level tank which contained a receiving experimental animal. Reactions of one animal to another active animal’s water could be determined. Two strip chart recorders were used to monitor behavior of both animals simultaneously. The first test series contained three control situations and three eicperimental situations in the standing water experimental system. These controls proved important in establishing a linear activity decline with time. Non-parametric regression analyses were used to define the experimental effects. The final four test series had an initial control situation with subsequent experimental conditions in the flow-through system. Rank-order non-parametric statistics were used to determine experimental effects.
Small-angle neutron scattering reveals the assembly of alpha-synuclein in lipid membranes.

The aggregation of α-synuclein (asyn), an intrinsically disordered protein (IDP), is a hallmark in Parkinson's disease (PD). We investigated the conformational changes that asyn undergoes in the presence of membrane and membrane mimetics using small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). In solution, asyn is monomeric and unfolded assuming an ensemble of conformers spanning extended and compact conformations. Using the contrast variation technique and SANS, the protein scattering signal in the membrane-protein complexes is selectively highlighted in order to monitor its conformational changes in this environment. We showed that in the presence of phospholipid membranes asyn transitions from a monodisperse state to aggregated structures with sizes ranging from 200 to 900A coexisting with the monomeric species. Detailed SANS data analysis revealed that asyn aggregates have a hierarchical organization in which clusters of smaller asyn aggregates assemble to form the larger structures. This study provides new insight into the mechanism of asyn aggregation. We propose an aggregation mechanism in which stable asyn aggregates seed the aggregation process and hence the hierarchical assembly of structures. Our findings demonstrate that membrane-induced conformational changes in asyn lead to its heterogeneous aggregation which could be physiologically relevant in its function or in the diseased state.
Global modeling of ULF waves at Mercury

ULF waves in the ion cyclotron frequency range waves are regularly observed at Mercury's magnetosphere. Although previous statistical studies have shown that ULF waves are primarily compressional near the equator and transverse with linear polarization at higher latitude, the underlying reason for this distribution of wave polarization has not been understood. In order to address this key question, we have developed a two-dimensional, finite element code that solves the full wave equations in global magnetospheric geometry. Using this code, we show that (1) efficient mode conversion from the fast compressional waves to the ion-ion hybrid resonance occurs at Mercury consistent with previous calculations; (2) such mode-converted waves globally oscillate similar to field line resonance at Earth; and (3) compressional wave energy is primarily localized near the equator, while field-aligned transverse, linearly polarized waves generated by mode conversion at the ion-ion hybrid resonance radiate to higher latitude. Based on these wave solutions, we suggest that the strong transverse component of observed ULF waves at Mercury in high magnetic latitude can be explained as excitation of the field line resonant waves at the ion-ion hybrid resonance.
Prospects for Temporal Neutrality

This paper focuses on normative questions about intertemporal distribution that might seem parallel to more familiar questions about interpersonal distribution. Temporal neutrality is the claim that the temporal location of benefits and harms within a life should not affect their normative significance and implies that agents should have equal concern for all parts of their lives. I focus on temporal neutrality as a demand of prudence. A traditional rationale for temporal neutrality appeals to the idea of compensation: whereas there is no automatic interpersonal compensation for sacrifice, because benefactor and beneficiary are different people, intrapersonal compensation is automatic, because benefactor and beneficiary are the same person. This is why sacrifice of one's present interests for the sake of one's later greater good is a paradigm of rationality. Despite the hegemony of temporal neutrality, it appears to have some counter-intuitive implications – it may seem to be undermined by reductionist accounts of personal identity, it may seem to compromise fidelity to one's ideals in cases involving diachronic changes of personal ideals, it may seem committed to problematic assumptions about the symmetry of death and prenatal nonexistence, and it might suggest that our apparent preference for pain being in the past is irrational when the alternative would be a smaller future pain. I consider these objections to temporal neutrality and argue that its normative and metaphysical commitments are surprisingly robust.
Formation of AP-3 transport intermediates requires Vps41 function

Transport of a subset of membrane proteins to the yeast vacuole requires the function of the AP-3 adaptor protein complex. To define the molecular requirements of vesicular transport in this pathway, we used a biochemical approach to analyse the formation and content of the AP-3 transport intermediate. A vam3tsf (vacuolar t-SNARE) mutant blocks vesicle docking and fusion with the vacuole and causes the accumulation of 50–130-nanometre membrane vesicles, which we isolated and showed by biochemical analysis and immunocytochemistry to contain both AP-3 adaptors and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) pathway cargoes. Inactivation of AP-3 or the protein Vps41 blocks formation of this vesicular intermediate. Vps41 binds to the AP-3 δ-adaptin subunit, suggesting that they function together in the formation of ALP pathway transport intermediates at the late Golgi.
Middleware development with AJAX

Modern web applications are taking advantage of the XMLHttpRequest object to provide seamless communication between the client and the server, by eliminating the need for a complete refresh of the webpage. We provide an introduction to AJAX, a set of techniques using JavaScript, the Document Object Model, XML, and the XMLHttpRequest object. We discuss how a curriculum unit on AJAX fits into the computer science curriculum, and the general cognitive skills to be emphasized when it is taught.
Developing an antiracist stance: how white youth understand structural racism

This qualitative study explored how White youth understand structural racism on an abstract and personalized level and the process of developing these understandings. Structural racism encompasses ...
Daytime climatology of ionospheric NmF2 and hmF2 from COSMIC data

[1] Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate (COSMIC) data were analyzed to study the climatological variations of the F2 region ionosphere. A 30 day running median was applied to the daily medians of each geomagnetic latitude bin (100) to remove the short-term variability of the data. This permitted a better description of the long-term daytime climatology across the most recent solar minimum to be obtained. Several significant features appeared in this climatology: 1) low-latitude NmF2 was dominated by the semi-annual anomaly, the equatorial anomaly and the annual asymmetry (anomaly); 2) Semi-annual and annual anomalies extended into the middle latitudes; 3) this extension into the middle latitudes appears to be dependent on variations of solar radiation over the solar cycle, as the variations did not reach as far poleward in 2008 as they did in 2010; 4) The second equinoctial maximum is not centered on the September equinox, but occurred in October; 5) there is an annual variation at high latitudes in which maximum values of NmF2 occur in summer – there is no indication of a winter anomaly and, in fact, when hemispheres are compared, maximum NmF2 at middle latitudes always occurs in the summer hemisphere rather than the winter one; 6) the highest values of hmF2 at low latitudes occur on the summer side of the magnetic equator throughout the four year period, probably resulting from winds blowing from the summer to the winter; 7) minimum values of hmF2 at middle latitudes occur in winter, when hmF2 is typically 30 to 50 km lower than it is in summer; 8) elevated hmF2 also occurs in summer at high latitudes, with a distinct seasonal and hemispheric asymmetry.
In utero diethylstilbestrol (DES) exposure alters Hox gene expression in the developing müllerian system

Diethylstilbestrol (DES) was widely used to treat pregnant women through 1971. The reproductive tracts of their female offspring exposed to DES in utero are characterized by anatomic abnormalities. Here we show that DES administered to mice in utero produces changes in the expression pattern of several Hox genes that are involved in patterning of the reproductive tract. DES produces posterior shifts in Hox gene expression and homeotic anterior transformations of the reproductive tract. In human uterine or cervical cell cultures, DES induces HOXA9 or HOXA10 gene expression, respectively, to levels approximately twofold that induced by estradiol. The DES-induced expression is not inhibited by cyclohexamide. Estrogens are novel morphogens that directly regulate the expression pattern of posterior Hox genes in a manner analogous to retinoic acid regulation of anterior Hox genes. Alterations in HOX gene expression are a molecular mechanism by which DES affects reproductive tract development. Changes in Hox gen...
Splatting with shadows

In this paper we describe an efficient approach to add shadows to volumetric scenes. The light emitted by the lightsource is properly attenuated by the intervening volumetric structures before it is reflected towards the eye. Both parallel and perspective lightsources can be efficiently and accurately modeled.We use a two-stage splatting approach. In the first stage, a light volume is constructed in O(N3) time, which is about the same time it takes to render a regular image. This light volume stores the volumetric attenuated light arriving at each grid voxel and only needs to be recomputed if the light source is moved. If only diffuse shading is required, then the contribution of any number of lightsources can be stored in the same space. The second stage is formed by the usual rendering pipeline. The only difference is that the light contributions are interpolated from the light volume, instead of using the constant light source intensity. Once the light volume is computed, the actual rendering is only marginally more expensive than in the unshadowed case. The rendered images, however, convey three-dimensional relationships much better and look considerably more realistic, which is clearly needed if volume graphics is to become a mainstream technology.
Cyclotomy, gauss sums, difference sets and strongly regular cayley graphs

We survey recent results on constructions of difference sets and strongly regular Cayley graphs by using union of cyclotomic classes of finite fields. Several open problems are raised.
Using XML configuration-driven development to create a customizable ground data system

The Mission data Processing and Control Subsystem (MPCS) is being developed as a multi-mission Ground Data System with the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) as the first fully supported mission. The MPCS team started development for MSL in 2005 and will continue to support MSL through its 2011 launch and beyond, until the end of life of the mission (approximately two years after landing on the surface of Mars). In addition, MPCS currently provides varying degrees of support to other projects including the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER), the Diviner instrument on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), the DAWN mission, and has future plans to support the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) earth mission in the 2010–2013 timeframe. The MSL mission will be the first operational usage of MPCS.
The effect of cortisone on experimentally induced contact dermatitis.

INTRODUCTION Case reports describing the clinical effectiveness of systemic administration of ACTH or cortisone to patients with eczematous contact type dermatitis are accumulating.1-2 The validity of such reports has been questioned in view of the recent study of Sauer and his co-workers.3' 4 They demonstrated that patch tests using the known causative antigen applied to patients with hypersensitivity to poison oak were not altered by the concomitant administration of ACTH in therapeutic dosages. The following experiments were intended to study in animals under controlled conditions the effect of the administration of cortisone on experimentally induced eczematous contact type dermatitis.
The Role of Adult Attachment Styles in Psychopathology and Psychotherapy Outcomes

Attachment theory provides a model for understanding how the attachment styles formed in infancy systematically affect subsequent psychological functioning across the life span. Attachment styles p...
E. coli at lake superior recreational beaches.

Increased usage of public beaches and heightened awareness of the need to monitor water for potential microbial contamination have led to passage of the U.S. Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act (BEACH Act) in 2000. This legislation calls for bacterial monitoring of recreational waters along the U.S. coastline, including the Great Lakes. The State of Wisconsin implemented this legislation in summer 2003, triggering extensive microbial monitoring of Lake Superior beaches. E. coli were measured at 27 beaches along Lake Superior, Wisconsin by defined substrate analysis. While E. coli concentrations were relatively low at these “cold water” beaches, monitoring did result in a few swimming advisories and beach closures (0.8% of total samples collected had E. coli concentrations that exceeded standards). Increasing water temperatures were not associated with increasing concentrations of bacterial contaminants. Location of sampling site and depth of water at the location where samples were taken did have an effect on detection of E. coli. Greater E. coli levels consistently were detected in shallower water and varied depending on the location of the sampling site horizontally across the beach. These findings support the notion that the concentration of E. coli in chest deep water may not be representative of E. coli concentrations in shallower water, closer to shore.
Arthroscopically assisted core decompression of the proximal humerus for avascular necrosis

Abstract Core decompression has been described as an effective treatment for early stage avascular necrosis of the humeral head. This article describes the technique for arthroscopically assisted core decompression of the humeral head using a transtibial anterior cruciate ligament guide. This technique provides an advantage over the open procedure by avoiding soft-tissue stripping or damaging the biceps tendon or ascending branch of the anterior humeral circumflex artery, as well as providing accurate and safe placement of the core biopsy tract and the ability to address other intra-articular pathology.
The Delta 14 mutation of human cardiac troponin T enhances ATPase activity and alters the cooperative binding of S1-ADP to regulated actin.

The complex of tropomyosin and troponin binds to actin and inhibits activation of myosin ATPase activity and force production of striated muscles at low free Ca2+ concentrations. Ca2+ stimulates ATP activity and at subsaturating actin concentrations the binding of NEM-modified S1 to actinâ€“ tropomyosinâ€“troponin increases the rate of ATP hydrolysis even further. We show here that the âˆ†14 mutation of troponin T associated with familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy results in an increase in ATPase rate like that seen with wild-type troponin in the presence of NEM-S1. The enhanced ATPase activity was not due to a decreased incorporation of mutant troponin T with roponin I and troponin C to form an active troponin complex. The activating effect was more prominent with a hybrid troponin (skeletal TnI TnC and cardiac TnT) than with all cardiac troponin. Thus it appears that changes in the troponinâ€“troponin contacts that result from mutations or from forming hybrids stabilize a more active state of regulated actin. An analysis of the effect of the âˆ†14 mutation on the equilibrium binding of S1-ADP to actin was consistent with stabilization of an active state of actin. This change in activation may be important in the development of cardiac disease. Originally published Biochemistry Vol. 43 No. 48 Dec 2004
An RNA polymerase III-defective mutation in TATA-binding protein disrupts its interaction with a transcription factor IIIB subunit in drosophila cells.

Abstract A subunit of the Drosophila RNA polymerase III transcription factor IIIB (TFIIIB) complex has been identified using antibodies directed against the analogous human protein, hIIIB90. This protein has an apparent molecular mass of 105 kDa and has been designated dTAFIII105.Drosophila S-2 cell extracts that were immunodepleted of dTAFIII105 were substantially reduced in their capacity to support tRNA gene transcription. A protein (far Western) blot analysis revealed that dTAFIII105, present in a TFIIIB fraction, directly interacts with TATA-binding protein (TBP). Coimmunoprecipitation assays demonstrated that this protein associates with TBP in S-2 cell extracts. Our previous studies have identified a mutation at position 332 within Drosophila TBP that changes a highly conserved arginine residue to a histidine residue, which renders it specifically defective in its ability to support RNA polymerase III transcription in S-2 cells (Trivedi, A., Vilalta, A., Gopalan, S., and Johnson, D. L. (1996) Mol. Cell. Biol. 16, 6909–6916). We further demonstrate that extracts prepared from a stable cell line expressing epitope-tagged wild-type TBP exhibit an increase in tRNA gene transcription, whereas extracts derived from cells expressing the mutant TBP protein do not. Coimmunoprecipitation assays and far Western blot analysis demonstrate that this mutation in TBP abolishes its ability to stably interact with dTAFIII105. Thus, we have identified both aDrosophila protein that is directly associated with TBP in the TFIIIB complex, dTAFIII105, and an amino acid residue within the highly conserved carboxyl-terminal region of TBP that is critical for dTAFIII105-TBP interactions.
Cultural Availability: A Cross-Culturally Stable Determinant of Performance on Remote Associates Test Items:

The stability of the previously obtained relationship between the difficulty and the cultural availability of RAT items is demonstrated. Item difficulty is greatest for those items whose answers are not readily available in the local culture as associates to the stimulus words of the item. This effect has been obtained in two geographically separate study populations, one largely metropolitan in origin and the other heavily rural. It also is shown that the cultural availability levels of items vary across the study populations. The implications of the variation among RAT items in cultural availability both within and between cultures are discussed.
Dehydrotomatine content in tomatoes

A variety of methods are used to analyze tomato glycoalkaloids. Because no single method has gained wide acceptance,the extraction and analysis of tomatine by HPLC with pulsed amperometric detection (PAD) was previously optimized for standard and transgenic tomatoes and processed tomato products. In the course of these studies it was discovered that commercial tomatine contained a second glycoalkaloid, which was named dehydrotomatine. This study demonstrates that the HPLC-PAD assay can be used to measure both the dehydrotomatine (DT) and α-tomatine (TMT) content of parts of the tomato plant and of low- and high-tomatine red and green tomatoes. Both the absolute concentration of dehydrotomatine and the percent dehydrotomatine in the mixture of the two extracted glycoalkaloids, defined as [DT/(DT + TMT) × 100], varied widely. The DT content of red tomatoes ranged from 0.05 to 0.42 mg/kg of fresh weight. The corresponding range for green tomatoes was from 1.7 to 45 mg/kg. The percent DT for the tomato plant ...
Transforming Growth Factor-β and Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 Restore Proteoglycan Metabolism of Bovine Articular Cartilage After Depletion by Retinoic Acid

Previous studies showed that retinoic acid is a powerful resorbing agent for articular cartilage at physiological doses (10(-8) to 10(-10) M); the possible role of individual cytokines in the reversal of this effect is now explored in bovine articular cartilage organ cultures. Seven days of treatment with the retinoid under serum-free conditions, at 1 x 10(-8) M, led to a suppression of proteoglycan synthesis of 90 +/- 5% (n = 6; n = cultures from different animals; mean +/- SD) and to a net loss of 64 +/- 14% (n = 6). Removal of the retinoid from the feeding medium did not significantly increase proteoglycan synthesis nor diminish the further loss of proteoglycans. Thus, transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), cytokines which independently maintain proteoglycan homeostasis (Morales and Roberts, 1988, J. Biol. Chem. 263, 828; and Luyten et al., 1988, Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 267, 416), were tested. TGF-beta (10 ng/ml) or IGF-1 (10 ng/ml) added for 7 days to serum-free medium following retinoic acid treatment led to recoveries of proteoglycan synthesis of 74 +/- 24% (n = 12) and 69 +/- 18% (n = 12), respectively, as compared to controls switched from serum-free conditions to corresponding cytokine treatments. TGF-beta + IGF-1 restored activity to 95 +/- 17% (n = 12) of controls. TGF-beta s 1-3 exhibited identical responses in control and experimental cultures. IGF-2 replaced IGF-1, but a fourfold higher concentration was required; insulin also had IGF-1-like effects, but even at 500 ng/ml it was 25% less effective than IGF-1. In contrast to the cultures switched from retinoic acid treatment to serum-free conditions, the cultures switched to IGF-1, TGF-beta, or IGF-1 + TGF-beta were stabilized from further proteoglycan loss by the treatment; after 1 week, tissue levels were 97 +/- 19, 96 +/- 22, and 114 +/- 15% (n = 6), respectively, compared to the content before switching. Measurements of catabolism were in agreement with these observations. It is proposed that retinoic acid, TGF-beta, and IGF-1 are parts of an endogenous system involved in the reversible modulation of proteoglycan homeostasis in articular cartilage.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Natural history of androgenetic alopecia.

Summary Twenty-two men with patterns III-Va androgenetic alopecia were entered into a 10–month study aimed at establishing information on the natural progression of hair loss over a period of time typical of studies of hair growth promoters. The methodology employed was the same as that in published clinical trials of topical minoxidil, but the men refrained from application of either active drug or vehicle to their scalps. As one of the potential explanations for the observed‘placebo-effect'seen in non-vellus hair counts in the topical minoxidil trials was a learning curve of novice hair counters, we were particularly interested in evaluating this in our‘no-treatment'trial. To that end, both a novice (Observer I) and an experienced (Observer II) hair counter independently performed the hair counts. There was a mean decline in the number of vertex target area non-vellus hairs (-17.2 ± 80.3 for Observer 1 and -26.6 ± 63.5 for Observer II) at the end of 10 months; this was not significant. The novice's hair counts were lower than the experienced observer's counts at baseline, and the difference remained relatively constant during the study. Without the application of a placebo, there was no increase in hair growth, making it unlikely that the methods of hair counting led to the ‘placebo-effect’ seen in prior topical minoxidil studies.
Efficacy, long-term safety, and tolerability of ziprasidone in children and adolescents with bipolar disorder.

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the short- and long-term efficacy and safety of ziprasidone in children and adolescents with bipolar I disorder. Methods: Subjects 10–17 years of age with a manic or mixed episode associated with bipolar I disorder participated in a 4 week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter trial (RCT) followed by a 26 week open-label extension study (OLE). Subjects were randomized 2:1 to initially receive flexible-dose ziprasidone (40–160 mg/day, based on weight) or placebo. Primary outcome was the change in Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) scores from baseline. Safety assessments included weight and body mass index (BMI), adverse events (AEs), vital signs, laboratory measures, electrocardiograms, and movement disorder ratings. Results: In the RCT, 237 subjects were treated with ziprasidone (n=149; mean age, 13.6 years) or placebo (n=88; mean age, 13.7 years). The estimated least squares mean changes in YMRS total (intent-to-treat populat...
Segmental ureterectomy does not compromise the oncologic outcome compared with nephroureterectomy for pure ureter cancer

Pure ureter cancers are rare and account for only 1–3 % of urothelial carcinomas with limited data. Nowadays, nephron-sparing methods are reserved mainly for imperative cases. This study intends to assess the oncologic outcome between segmental ureterectomy (SU) and radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) for pure ureteral urothelial carcinoma. From July 2004 to August 2010, 112 patients at a single tertiary referral center were included. Perioperative data were obtained from our institutional database. Postoperative CT scan, cystoscopy, and contralateral renal echo were performed regularly for survey of disease recurrence. The mean length of follow-up was 43.8 and 48.3 months for the RNU and SU group, respectively. The bladder recurrences, local recurrences, distant metastasis, and cancer-specific survival rates showed no significant differences between RNU and SU (36.4 vs. 34.2 %, p = 0.83; 23.4 vs. 14.3 %, p = 0.27; and 16.9 vs. 8.6 %, p = 0.244, and 13.0 vs. 5.7 %, p = 0.249, respectively). The study suggested that SU is not inferior to RNU for ureter cancer in oncologic outcomes and is less invasive and better nephron preservation.
Therapeutic plasma exchange for the treatment of pediatric renal diseases in 2013

Therapeutic plasma exchange is an extracorporeal treatment modality that removes systemic circulating pathologic factors or replaces absent plasma components and plays a role in many nephrologic conditions. It presents a number of technical challenges in the pediatric population but has become an increasingly common practice in pediatric nephrology over the past several decades. While prospective evidence is often lacking, our increased understanding of the molecular pathogenesis underlying many pediatric renal diseases provides sound reasoning for the use of plasma exchange in treating these conditions. This review will present the currently accepted indications for plasma exchange in children, the technical aspects of the procedure and its potential complications.
A Comparative Study of Trauma and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Prevalence in Epilepsy Patients and Psychogenic Nonepileptic Seizure Patients

Summary: Purpose: This study tests the hypothesis that trauma histories, including histories of physical and sexual abuse, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are more prevalent in psychogenic non–epileptic seizure (NES) patients than in epilepsy patients. Methods: Thirty-five inpatients with intractable seizures were evaluated for trauma history and PTSD. After these assessments, patients were diagnosed as having either epileptic or nonepileptic seizures through EEG monitoring. Results: NES diagnosis correlated with PTSD and total number of lifetime traumas, adult traumas, and abuse traumas. Contrary to previous hypotheses, reported childhood sexual abuse (CSA) did not correlate significantly with NES diagnosis. However, CSA predicted PTSD in a discriminant analysis. Conclusions: We found evidence for the hypothesized relations between trauma, abuse, PTSD, and NES diagnosis. However, elevated levels in both seizure-disorder groups suggest that routine assessment for abuse, trauma, and PTSD might facilitate medical care and treatment for all intractable seizure patients.
New insights into the progression of aortic stenosis: implications for secondary prevention.

Background—The risk factors affecting aortic stenosis (AS) progression are not clearly defined. Insights into this may allow for its secondary prevention. Methods and Results—We investigated predictors of AS progression in 170 consecutive patients with AS who had paired echocardiograms ≥3 months (23±11) apart. Various clinical, echocardiographic, and biochemical variables were related to the change in aortic valve area (AVA). The annual rate of reduction in AVA was 0.10±0.27 cm2 or 7±18% per year. The reduction in AVA per year was significantly related to initial AVA (r=0.46, P 200 mg/dL had a rate of AVA reduction rou...
REAuAl4Ge2 and REAuAl4(AuxGe1−x)2 (RE=rare earth element): Quaternary intermetallics grown in liquid aluminum

Abstract The two families of intermetallic phases REAuAl4Ge2 (1) (RE=Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Er, Tm and Yb) and REAuAl4(AuxGe1−x)2 (2) ( x = 0.4 ) (RE=Ce and Eu) were obtained by the reactive combination of RE, Au and Ge in liquid aluminum. The structure of (1) adopts the space group R-3m (CeAuAl4Ge2, a = 4.2384 ( 7 ) A , c = 31.613 ( 7 ) A ; NdAuAl4Ge2, a = 4.2258 ( 4 ) A , c = 31.359 ( 5 ) A ; GdAuAl4Ge2, a = 4.2123 ( 6 ) A , c = 30.994 ( 6 ) A ; ErAuAl4Ge2, a = 4.2074 ( 4 ) A , c = 30.717 ( 5 ) A ). The structure of (2) adopts the tetragonal space group P4/mmm with lattice parameters: a = 4.3134 ( 8 ) A , c = 8.371 ( 3 ) A for EuAuAl4(AuxGe1−x)2 ( x = 0.4 ). Both structure types present slabs of “AuAl4Ge2” or “AuAl4(AuxGe1−x)2” stacking along the c-axis with layers of RE atoms in between. Magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate that the RE atoms (except for Ce and Eu) possess magnetic moments consistent with +3 species. The Ce atoms in CeAuAl4Ge2 and CeAuAl4(AuxGe1−x)2 ( x = 0.4 ) appear to be in a mixed +3/+4 valence state; DyAuAl4Ge2 undergoes an antiferromagnetic transition at 11 K and below this temperature exhibits metamagnetic behavior. The Eu atoms in EuAuAl4(AuxGe1−x)2 ( x = 0.4 ) appear to be in a 2+ oxidation state.
An Experimental and Analytical Investigation of Rectangular Synthetic Jets

In this paper the flow field of a rectangular synthetic jet driven by a piezoelectric membrane issuing into a quiescent environment is studied. The similarities exhibited by synthetic and continuous turbulent jets lead to the hypothesis that a rectangular synthetic jet within a limited region downstream of the orifice be modeled using similarity analysis just as a continuous planar jet. Accordingly, the jet is modeled using the classic twodimensional solution to a continuous jet, where the virtual viscosity coefficient of the continuous turbulent jet is replaced with that measured for a synthetic jet. The virtual viscosity of the synthetic jet at a particular axial location is related to the spreading rate and velocity decay rate of the jet. Hot-wire anemometry is used to characterize the flow downstream of the orifice. The flow field of rectangular synthetic jets is thought to consist of four regions as distinguished by the centerline velocity decay. The regions are the developing, the quasi-two-dimensional, the transitional, and the axisymmetric regions. It is in the quasi-two-dimensional region that the planar model applies, and where indeed the jet exhibits self-similar behavior as distinguished by the collapse of the lateral time average velocity profiles when scaled. Furthermore, within this region the spanwise velocity profiles display a saddleback profile that is attributed to the secondary flow generated at the smaller edges of the rectangular orifice. The scaled spreading and decay rates are seen to increase with stroke ratio and be independent of Reynolds number. However, the geometry of the actuator is seen to additionally affect the external characteristics of the jet. The eddy viscosities of the synthetic jets under consideration are shown to be larger than equivalent continuous turbulent jets. This enhanced eddy viscosity is attributed to the additional mixing brought about by the introduction of the periodic vortical structures in synthetic jets and their ensuing break down and transition to turbulence. Further, a semi-empirical modeling approach is proposed, the final objective of which is to obtain a functional relationship between the parameters that describe the external flow field of the synthetic jet and the input operational parameters to the system. DOI: 10.1115/1.4000422
Revised HPLC Determination of Atenolol in Plasma and Urine

Abstract An HPLC method for analysis of atenolol in human plasma and urine is presented. Based on alkaline extraction, acid backextraction and reverse phase ion-pair chromatography this method is quite specific for atenolol. For a 0.5 ml plasma sample the sensitivity ranges from 20 ng/ml in fasted healthy volunteers to 50 ng/ml in various groups of patients. A sensitivity in urine of 1.0 mcg/ml was sufficient for all samples studied. As presented this method has been used in several clinical pharmacokinetic studies involving hundreds of samples.
Surface density of state for directional photoemission spectroscopy of W(001)

Abstract A semi-infinite tight-binding model of the W(001) surface has been solved, using a resolvent method. The one-dimensional surface density of states contains a localized surface state in the spd hybridization gap, and continuum modifications very different from those put forth by Feuerbacher and Christensen in their interpretation of normal emission spectra.
Implicit differential equations near a singular point

Abstract This paper presents general and precise results on existence and number of solutions to implicitly defined ordinary differential equations in the vicinity of a singular point, where the equation is not equivalent to an explicit one. Unlike in most, if not in all, other studies devoted to this problem in the literature, it is not assumed that either rank drop occurs on an entire neighborhood of the singular point or that the equation is a scalar one. Attention is confined to the simplest but most frequently encountered kind of singular points. It is shown that such “standard” singular points split into two complementary classes: those from which exactly two distinct solutions emanate and those at which exactly two distinct solutions terminate. Whether a point of the latter class is eventually encountered is unaffected by slight modifications of the (nonsingular) initial condition and further evolution of the system governed by the singular ODE then requires using a suitable jump condition according to appropriate physical criteria. Points of the former class are also shown to play a more subtle but equally important role in the dynamics. The phenomena described here are relevant in various problems from the sciences, such as phase transitions or plasticity. They should also be relevant in some aspects of the classical domain of application of differential — algebraic equations: singular perturbations of ODE's.
The effect of Aspergillus oryzae fermentation extract on the anaerobic fungus Neocallimastix frontalis EB 188: effects on physiology

Aspergillus oryzae fermentation extract (Amaferm) was used to stimulate the in vitro growth of the cellulolytic fungus Neocallimastix frontalis EB 188. Soluble and filter-sterilized extract was added either at the start or throughout culture growth. Culture mass, protein secretion and cellulase secretion were measured in stationary test-tubes or round-bottom flasks and a stirred (desktop) fermenter. The soluble extract increased culture mass and protein and cellulase secretion in a dose-dependent manner. Maximum stimulation caused the supernatant cellulase to nearly double (i.e., 87% over controls; P<0.05), cell mass increased by 27% (P<0.05) over controls and secreted protein increased 37% (P<0.05) over controls. The timing of extract addition did not alter the culture response and suggested a recycling of components. The robustness of fungal zoospores used as inoculum, however, greatly influenced the effectiveness of the extract to stimulate secretions. Extracts did not directly influence the pH of the culture medium or the endogenous levels of enzymes. The rate of carbon source utilization and morphology of the fungus were unchanged by soluble-extract additions at any level tested. The extract was inhibitory when added to concentrations exceeding an amount equivalent to 20 g animal-1 day-1.
Marriage Patterns in a Mesoamerican Peasant Community are Biologically Adaptive

Differential investment in offspring by parental and progeny gender has been discussed and periodically analyzed for the past 80 years as an evolutionary adaptive strategy. Parental investment theory suggests that parents in poor condition have offspring in poor condition. Conversely, parents in good condition give rise to offspring in good condition. As formalized in the Trivers-Willard hypothesis (TWH), investment in daughters will be greater under poor conditions while sons receive greater parental investment under good conditions. Condition is ultimately equated to offspring reproductive fitness, with parents apparently using a strategy to maximize their genetic contribution to future generations. Analyses of sex ratio have been used to support parental investment theory and in many instances, though not all, results provide support for TWH. In the present investigation, economic strategies were analyzed in the context of offspring sex ratio and survival to reproductive age in a Zapotec-speaking community in the Valley of Oaxaca, southern Mexico. Growth status of children, adult stature, and agricultural resources were analyzed as proxies for parental and progeny condition in present and prior generations. Traditional marriage practice in Mesoamerican peasant communities is patrilocal postnuptial residence with investments largely favoring sons. The alternative, practiced by ∼25% of parents, is matrilocal postnuptial residence which is an investment favoring daughters. Results indicated that sex ratio of offspring survival to reproductive age was related to economic strategy and differed significantly between the patrilocal and matrilocal strategies. Variance in sex ratio was affected by condition of parents and significant differences in survival to reproductive age were strongly associated with economic strategy. While the results strongly support TWH, further studies in traditional anthropological populations are needed. Am J Phys Anthropol 143:501–511, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Fairness of prices, user fee policy and willingness to pay among visitors to a national forest.

Abstract Imposing user fees in Nature-Based Tourism (NBT) contexts has been a controversial issue. Based on the notions of justice and fairness, this study extended previous work examining the relationship between attitudes toward user fees and spending support. In a proposed structural model of price fairness, fee spending support, and willingness to pay (WTP), this paper identified the antecedents of WTP user fees, and empirically examined to what extent the data fit the model. Furthermore, the moderating role of place attachment in the model was investigated by using multiple-group structural equation modeling. Subjects (n = 562) were recreational tourists to a forest area in the southeast U.S. Results revealed that spending support partially played a mediating role in the relationship between perceived price fairness and WTP user fees. A multiple-group invariance test also demonstrated that while the degree of place identity moderated the effect of price fairness on spending support, the degree of place dependence did not influence the relationships among the antecedents of WTP.
A protein sparing model in the rat during hypocaloric feeding: Factors determining preservation of visceral protein function

The requirements to spare total body protein during hypocaloric feeding in 102 342 ± 7-g rats were studied. Twelve rats were fasted; 12 had fasting supplemented by 478 ± 39 mg of nitrogen/day as crystalline amino acids. Twenty-four rats received 41 kcal/day as fat and 24 additional rats received isocaloric diets in which 13 cal as fat were replaced with 491 ± 40 mg of nitrogen as crystalline amino acids. All were compared to 30 animals maintained on a semisynthetic diet sufficient in both calories and protein ad libitum . Survival, liver weight and protein content, serum albumin, and delayed hypersensitivity response were dependent upon the availability of nonprotein calories either endogenously supplied or provided as dietary fat. Redistribution of body protein mass allowed a maintenance of adequate visceral function. The provision of dietary amino acids better preserved visceral function and total body nitrogen. For the rat to become a useful experimental model for investigating hypocaloric therapies, nonprotein calories are required.
The Place of Interior Design in K‐12 Education and the Built Environment Education Movement

ISSUE: Built environment education presents a unique opportunity for interior design to contribute to the quality of K-12 education in the United States. A need exists for substantive programs and curricula that promote a deeper understanding of the importance of interior design. While the field of architecture has spearheaded the majority of K-12 built environment initiatives, interior design has remained largely absent from this effort. GOAL: The place of interior design in built environment education needs to be established by emphasizing its own uniqueness in relation to allied disciplines. APPLICATION: Emphasizing interior design concepts in built environment education can assist in integrating problem-solving skills and academic knowledge through interior design. DESCRIPTION: Opportunities for interior design to advance built environment education are discussed. CONCLUSION: Clearly presenting interior design as a profession and a unique entity of the built environment requires coordinated effort by the interior design community. This will reap many benefits for the future of the profession.
A real-time garbage collector based on the lifetimes of objects

In previous heap storage systems, the cost of creating objects and garbage collection is independent of the lifetime of the object. Since objects with short lifetimes account for a large portion of storage use, it is worth optimizing a garbage collector to reclaim storage for these objects more quickly. The garbage collector should spend proportionately less effort reclaiming objects with longer lifetimes. We present a garbage collection algorithm that (1) makes storage for short-lived objects cheaper than storage for long-lived objects, (2) that operates in real time—object creation and access times are bounded, (3) increases locality of reference, for better virtual memory performance, (4) works well with multiple processors and a large address space.