cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Measuring Global Disease with Wikipedia: Success, Failure, and a Research Agenda

Effective disease monitoring provides a foundation for effective public health systems. This has historically been accomplished with patient contact and bureaucratic aggregation, which tends to be slow and expensive. Recent internet-based approaches promise to be real-time and cheap, with few parameters. However, the question of when and how these approaches work remains open. We addressed this question using Wikipedia access logs and category links. Our experiments, replicable and extensible using our open source code and data, test the effect of semantic article filtering, amount of training data, forecast horizon, and model staleness by comparing across 6 diseases and 4 countries using thousands of individual models. We found that our minimal-configuration, language-agnostic article selection process based on semantic relatedness is effective for improving predictions, and that our approach is relatively insensitive to the amount and age of training data. We also found, in contrast to prior work, very little forecasting value, and we argue that this is consistent with theoretical considerations about the nature of forecasting. These mixed results lead us to propose that the currently observational field of internet-based disease surveillance must pivot to include theoretical models of information flow as well as controlled experiments based on simulations of disease.
A Comparative Evaluation of HTML5 as a Pervasive Media Platform

This paper introduces the field of pervasive media, the use of pervasive computing to deliver applications and services into peoples’ lives, and the problems of creating and distributing pervasive media applications to mobile phones. It determines the requirements of a development platform for pervasive media applications through analysis of a range of pervasive media applications, including games and tourism based applications. It then evaluates a number of platforms against those requirements, including J2ME and native Smartphone development. The paper then introduces HTML5 and through a description of its features evaluates it against the requirements. Finally it concludes that HTML5 is a good solution to the problems of creating and distributing most pervasive media applications and describes its advantages and disadvantages compared to existing solutions.
Forecasting the Internet

Demand forecasting is a perilous undertaking even in the best of circumstances, as when there is a well-defined product (or service), a stable environment, and lots of historical data. At the present time, the Internet has none of these characteristics. The products and services are ill-defined, the environment is one of explosive growth compounded by network externalities, and historical data are extremely limited. Accordingly, it is not surprising that the authors of the papers in this volume employ a wide variety of forecasting procedures ranging from standard regression to Gompertz curves and from techno-economics to systems dynamics. The questions that are addressed range from estimation of the demand for broadband access to the pricing of broadband services, from the growth of broadband usage to investment in broadband transmission capacity, from basic economic and socio-demographical drivers of Internet growth to the economics of network externalities, and from e-commerce to Internet regulatory conundrums. For the most part, however, the unifying theme in the papers is broadband — the supply and demand for broadband access, broadband usage, and the pricing of broadband services. On all of these topics, the papers in this volume break important new ground.
Oral mesalamine prevented relapse in patients with Crohn disease who were in remission for < 3 months

Source Citation Gendre JP, Mary JY, Florent C, et al. Oral mesalamine (Pentasa) as maintenance treatment in Crohn's disease: a multicenter placebo-controlled study. Gastroenterology. 1993 Feb;104:4...
The Effect of Test, Electrode, and Rate on Electrocochleography Measures.

BACKGROUND Electrocochleography (ECochG) is the measurement of stimulus-related cochlear potentials and the compound action potential (AP). Its primary clinical application is with the assessment of inner ear disorders. There are few studies examining the variability of ECochG measures. PURPOSE The objective of the study was to examine the effect of test (i.e., initial versus retest), electrode (i.e., extratympanic versus tympanic), and stimulus rate (i.e., 7.7 versus 77.7/sec) on ECochG indices (i.e., summating potential [SP] amplitude, AP latency, AP amplitude, SP/AP amplitude ratio, and SP/AP area ratio). RESEARCH DESIGN Correlational and three-factor repeated measures designs were employed. STUDY SAMPLE Eighteen normal-hearing young adults participated. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS ECochG responses were obtained with 90 dB nHL click stimuli for an initial test and retest at two stimulus rates with a commercially available extratympanic (TIPtrode™) and tympanic (Lilly TM-Wick) electrode. Separate repeated measures linear mixed-model analysis of variance examined the effect of test, electrode, and rate for all ECochG indices. Test-retest variability was also examined with correlation analyses; an examination of mean test-retest differences and their 95% confidence intervals (CI); and construction of Bland-Altman plots. RESULTS The presence of SP and AP responses varied across experimental conditions. Electrode and rate were statistically significant predictors (p 0.05). The 95% CI of the mean test-retest differences contained 0 confirming that the effect of test was not statistically significant. There was a statistically significant main effect of electrode (p < 0.05) on three ECochG measures. The Lilly TM-Wick electrode produced larger SP amplitudes, AP amplitudes, and SP/AP area ratios than TIPtrode™ electrodes. A statistically significant main effect of rate (p < 0.05) was identified for all ECochG measures. The effect of rate on AP latency and amplitude was expected. Increasing the stimulus rate prolonged the AP latency and decreased AP amplitude. SP amplitude was larger for the faster rate. CONCLUSIONS There was no difference between electrodes with regard to test-retest measures. However, considering the higher likelihood of ECochG SP and AP responses and larger SP amplitude, SP/AP amplitude ratio, and SP/AP area ratio indices, the tympanic electrode placement is recommended for clinical practice. The addition of a fast stimulus rate may be considered for enhanced SP amplitude, SP/AP amplitude ratio, and SP/AP area ratio albeit with the consideration of the loss of SP and AP responses in some individuals.
Pore-resolving Simulation of Char Particle Gasification Using Micro-CT

Abstract Understanding the interaction between transport, reaction and morphology at the scale of individual char particles is important for optimizing solid fuel gasification and combustion processes. However, most particle-scale models treat porous char particles as an effective porous continuum, even though the presence of large, irregular macropores, voids and fractures render such upscaled treatments mathematically invalid, and the models non-predictive. A new modeling framework is therefore proposed to elucidate the impact of morphology on char particle gasification and combustion. A pore-resolving, transient, three-dimensional simulation for gasification of a realistic coal char particle is developed based on X-ray micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). The large macropores and voids resolved by micro-CT are explicitly represented in the particle’s geometry and conservation equations based on first principles are solved in those regions. Upscaled, effective-continuum equations are applied only within the micro- and meso-porous grains surrounding the voids, where such equations are mathematically appropriate. To assess the impact of the realistic particle morphology, a second model which employs effective-continuum equations everywhere and assumes spherical symmetry is also developed for a particle having the same initial mass, volume, porosity, surface area and equivalent diameter as the pore-resolving model. The results indicate that large, irregular voids enhance mass transport throughout the particle and affect its overall conversion behavior when reactions occur under intra-particle diffusion control.
Use of the thyroid imaging, reporting, and data system (TI-RADS) scoring system for the evaluation of subcentimeter thyroid nodules.

BACKGROUND The American Thyroid Association (ATA) recommends fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy of nodules measuring >1.5 cm with low-suspicion sonographic patterns or >1.0 cm with high/intermediate-suspicion features. Routine biopsy of nodules <1 cm is not recommended. However, despite these recommendations, subcentimeter nodules are often referred for FNA biopsy. METHODS This was a retrospective chart review of consecutive thyroid FNAs during an 18-month period (1157 patients, 1491 nodules, 2016-2017) to evaluate age, sex, medical history, diagnoses, and follow-up. Radiographic information was used to identify 61 subcentimeter nodules (4%) from 57 patients. Ultrasound studies were re-evaluated using criteria according to the American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging, Reporting, and Data System (TI-RADS). RESULTS Reported reasons for biopsy included a larger companion nodule (44%), a personal or family history of cancer (26%), or a suspicious sonogram, including calcification and/or irregular contours (16%). FNA diagnoses included: 69% benign (42 of 61 nodules), 10% papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) (6 of 61 nodules), and 15% atypia of undetermined significance/follicular lesion of undetermined significance (AUS/FLUS) (9 of 61 nodules). Seven percent of nodules were unsatisfactory/nondiagnostic (4 of 61 nodules) compared with a 3% nondiagnostic rate for all sized nodules. Fifty-one nodules had an ultrasound available for re-review using the TI-RADS scoring system. A high TI-RADS score (4-5) was indicative of PTC in 29.4% of nodules. A low TI-RADS score (1-2) was indicative of PTC in 0% of nodules (P < .01). High and intermediate TI-RADS scores (3 and 4-5, respectively) were indicative of PTC/AUS/FLUS in 32% of nodules compared with 0% in those with low TI-RADS scores (P < .01). CONCLUSIONS The current results demonstrate successful use of the TI-RADS scoring system in evaluation of the risk of malignancy in subcentimeter nodules. Larger studies will be necessary to determine whether biopsy is warranted for TI-RADS high-subcentimeter nodules. Cancer Cytopathol 2018. © 2018 American Cancer Society.
Using Lightweight Theorem Proving in an Asynchronous Systems Context

As part of the development of a new real-time operating system, an asynchronous communication mechanism, for use between applications, has been implemented in a programming language with an advanced static type system. This mechanism is designed to provide desired properties of asynchronicity, coherency and freshness. We used the features of the type system, including linear and dependent types, to represent and partially prove that the implementation safely upheld coherency and freshness. We believe that the resulting program code forms a good example of how easily linear and dependent types can be applied in practice to prove useful properties of low-level concurrent systems programming, while leaving no traces of runtime overhead.
Determination of Tubular Secretion of Urate in Healthy and Gouty Men

Recently, a number of clinical and pharmacological observations have provided evidence for two reabsorptive sites for urate within the nephron, one proximal to and one distal to the secretory locus.1–6 Our own data conform to a four-component system for the renal handling of urate, involving complete filtration of uric acid at the glomerulus, reabsorption of 99.3% of the filtered load, secretion further distal in the nephron, and reabsorption of the majority of secreted urate.7 This reference should be consulted for details of the studies on renal tubular secretion of urate.
Representations of the Motion

In a system having n particles P r (r = 1, 2, …, n), where the position vector of the rth particle at the time t is $${x^r(t) = (x_1^r (t), x_2^r (t), x_3^r (t)),}$$ (3.1.1) the 3n = N numbers x 1 r (t), x 2 r (t), x 3 r (t) (r = 1, 2, …, n) specify uniquely the positions of all n particles at the time t.
Relationship between perception of pull and draw in archery.

Abstract Subjects (21 men and 28 women) were tested for maximal pull and comfortable pull, were assigned bows on the basis of comfortable pull, were retested for maximal and comfortable pull after 24 lessons. Although there was some relationship between bow weight and comfortable pull when data were analyzed on a coeducational basis, there was no such relationship when the analysis was on a single sex basis. There was also no adaptation of kinesthetic perception of a comfortable pull to the amount of pull in a comfortable draw.
Prenatal Neuropathologies in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disability: The Gestation of a Comprehensive Zebrafish Model

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID) are neurodevelopmental disorders with overlapping diagnostic behaviors and risk factors. These include embryonic exposure to teratogens and mutations in genes that have important functions prenatally. Animal models, including rodents and zebrafish, have been essential in delineating mechanisms of neuropathology and identifying developmental critical periods, when those mechanisms are most sensitive to disruption. This review focuses on how the developmentally accessible zebrafish is contributing to our understanding of prenatal pathologies that set the stage for later ASD-ID behavioral deficits. We discuss the known factors that contribute prenatally to ASD-ID and the recent use of zebrafish to model deficits in brain morphogenesis and circuit development. We conclude by suggesting that a future challenge in zebrafish ASD-ID modeling will be to bridge prenatal anatomical and physiological pathologies to behavioral deficits later in life.
A 212-GHz Differential VCO with 5.3% dc-to-RF Efficiency in 65-nm CMOS Technology

This paper presents a 212-GHz fundamental VCO with a $\Pi$-embedding network with high dc-to-RF efficiency. Particle swarm optimization method is utilized to find the optimal values of elements of the lossy embedding network. Fabricated in 65-nm bulk CMOS, the VCO achieves 0.6-mW peak output power per transistor at 1-V power supply and the peak dc-to-RF efficiency of 5.3%. The measured phase noise is -92.5dBc/Hz and -113.9dBc/Hz at 1MHz and 10MHz offset, respectively. Bulk voltage is used as the tuning mechanism. The measured tuning rang is 212.2GHz to 208.8GHz when the bulk voltage is changed from 0V to 0.8V.
LOTUS RESPONDs to the Problem of Paravalvular Leak

In the original PARTNER trial, 9.1% of the patients who underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) had moderate or severe paravalvular leak (PVL) and 38% had mild PVL. 1 The (surprisin...
Chapter 26 – Nuclear Explosions

Publisher Summary This chapter describes nuclear explosions, nuclear weapons proliferation and safeguards, disarmament, and the options for disposal of weapons material. In the minds of many people there is no distinction between reactors and bombs, resulting in an inordinate fear of nuclear power. It is believed that the development of commercial nuclear power in countries abroad will lead to their achievement of nuclear weapons capability. As a consequence of these opinions, they favor dismantling the domestic nuclear industry and prohibiting United States commercial participation abroad. Although spent fuel from power reactors contains plutonium, it is not the same as a nuclear weapon. The original atom bombs used U-235 and Pu, but the much more powerful modern weapons are based on the fusion of hydrogen isotopes. Intercontinental ballistic missiles from land and missiles from submarines make up the bulk of the arsenals of the United States and the former U.S.S.R. Continual efforts are made to prevent further proliferation of nuclear weapons. It is imperative that nuclear explosions be avoided.
A universal test for the forensic identification of all main body fluids including urine

Abstract A critical aspect of forensic investigation is to detect and identify body fluid stains and preserve them for DNA extraction. The types of body fluid stains commonly found at a crime scene include blood, saliva, semen, sweat, vaginal fluid, and urine. Identification of a stain can be difficult as current methods are body fluid specific and mostly destructive. In an effort to develop a universal, confirmatory and nondestructive approach which can identify and differentiate body fluids Muro et al. (2016), combined Raman spectroscopy and chemometrics to build a statistical model which could differentiate peripheral blood, saliva, semen, sweat, and vaginal fluid. However, this model did not include urine. Urine can be vital evidence in cases of correctional officers being assaulted with urine bombs by prisoners, as well as in sexual assault cases. Recent studies have also shown that DNA can be extracted from a dried urine sample. In this study, we have combined the Raman spectral dataset collected by Muro et al. with Raman spectral data collected from 27 urine samples from different donors to build calibration and validation datasets. Chemometrics was applied to build an enhanced statistical model which can identify and differentiate all main body fluids including peripheral blood, saliva, semen, sweat, vaginal fluid, and urine. This classification model offers a universal, single step, non-destructive, and robust technique with 100% accuracy for sample identification.
Teacher Noticing and Reasoning about Student Thinking in Classrooms as a Result of Participating in a Combined Professional Development Intervention

We examine the teacher learning that results from participating in a two-year professional development intervention that combined lesson study, video clubs, and animation discussions. We investigate whether and how five teachers’ attention to student thinking changed when implementing problem-based lessons that they collaboratively designed. Using Sherin and van Es’ (2009) framework, we analyzed 14 lessons taught over two consecutive years. In the second year, there was a statistically significant difference in the teachers’ use of students’ ideas for generalizing and synthesizing, showing that teachers used higher levels of reasoning. In three pairs of lessons, the teachers increased their attention to students’ ideas during the second year. The intervention supported growth in the teachers’ abilities to reason using students’ ideas and to make the lesson’s goal explicit. This study has implications for increasing the viability of lesson study and designing professional development that promotes instructional improvement in an authentic context.
Overdose deaths involving psychostimulants with abuse potential, excluding cocaine: State-level differences and the role of opioids.

Abstract Background Over the course of the past decade, psychostimulants such as methamphetamines have been increasingly reported in overdose deaths in the United States (US). Methamphetamine use has recently risen among individuals who use opioids, yet it is unclear what role the opioid crisis has played in the increase in psychostimulant-involved overdose mortality in states across the US. Methods Mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were used to examine recent state-level changes in overdose deaths involving psychostimulants with abuse potential, excluding cocaine. Psychostimulant-involved overdose mortality rates, changes in rates, and opioid co-involvement were compared by state and plotted on choropleth maps. Ordinary least squares regression analyses were used to test the associations between a state’s psychostimulant-involved overdose mortality rate change and several state-level indicators related to the opioid crisis. Results From 2015/2016–2017/2018, significant increases in psychostimulant-involved overdose mortality rates were observed in 42 of 47 states with data available. Each of the three state-level indicators examined in the study (opioid prescribing rate in 2012, past-year prevalence of opioid use disorder from 2015−2018, and increase in drug overdose mortality during the earliest stages of the opioid crisis from 1999−2012) was positively associated with the absolute rate change in psychostimulant-involved overdose mortality from 2015/2016–2017/2018. Conclusions Although deaths involving methamphetamine have historically been primarily concentrated in the western US, results of the study reflect the alarming increase in psychostimulant-involved overdose mortality across the nation, especially in some of the states heavily impacted by the opioid crisis.
Closing the Organ Gap: A Reciprocity-Based Social Contract Approach

Organ transplantation remains one of modern medicine’s remarkable achievements. It saves lives, improves quality of life, diminishes healthcare expenditures in end-stage renal patients, and enjoys high success rates. Yet the promise of transplantation is substantially compromised by the scarcity of organs. The gap between the number of patients on waiting lists and the number of available organs continues to grow. As of January 2006, the combined waiting list for all organs in the United States was 90,284 (64,933, 17,269, and 3,006 for kidney, liver, and heart respectively). Unfortunately, thousands of potential organs are lost each year, primarily due to lack of consent to donation from the deceased before death, or from the family thereafter. Only fifty percent of potential donors – the “conversion” rate – become actual donors. The costs attributed to organ shortage are substantial – Medicare paid over $15.5 billion in 2002 for treating patients with end-stage renal-disease, who predominate on organ waiting lists.
Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology

In this chapter, we review the important topics of neuroanatomy and neuropathology as it relates to older adults.
Delayed Tracheal Perforation Following Total Thyroidectomy.

Delayed tracheal rupture following total thyroidectomy (TT) is rare and represents a potential airway emergency. A 34-year-old female with Felty Syndrome underwent TT for Hashimoto's thyroiditis. On post-operative day 10, she presented with subcutaneous emphysema and an anterolateral tracheal perforation on CT scan. Urgent operative exploration revealed transmural tracheal necrosis and a 5 mm perforation. This was oversewn with non-absorbable suture and a strap muscle flap rotated over the defect to promote healing. Repeat direct laryngoscopy at 72 hours revealed healing tissue. Tracheal necrosis and perforation following TT constitutes a potential airway emergency and should be promptly explored and repaired. Laryngoscope, 2021.
A finite-element discretization of some boundary value problems for nonlinear strain-limiting elastic bodies:

It is well known that the linearized theory of elasticity admits the logically inconsistent solution of singular strains when applied to certain naive models of fracture while the theory is a first...
The Hurler Corrective Factor PURIFICATION AND SOME PROPERTIES

Abstract The factor which corrects the abnormal mucopolysaccharide metabolism of Hurler fibroblasts (Hurler factor) has been purified 1000-fold from normal human urine. The Hurler factor behaves at high salt concentration as a protein of molecular weight of 87,000, as determined by chromatography on Sephadex G-200; at low salt concentration, it tends to aggregate and become inactive. Two major peaks of corrective activity can be separated by hydroxylapatite chromatography. Experiments with whole cells indicate that Hurler factor accelerates degradation of stored sulfated mucopolysaccharide and that the effect of exogenously supplied Hurler factor persists in Hurler fibroblasts with a half-life of at least 9 days. Hurler factor is distinct from the common lysosomal hydrolases, including β-galactosidase.
Real Estate Prices: City Premiums and Neighborhood Effects

I study the determinants of housing prices in the Fargo, ND-Moorhead, MN metropolitan area. I find no difference in the price of houses across state line even though Minnesota has much higher income taxes. In addition, I find support for the hypothesis that the prices of neighboring houses have a significant impact on the price of a house. This article is available in Undergraduate Economic Review: http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/uer/vol1/iss1/9 Undergraduate Economic Review A publication of Illinois Wesleyan University
CLIMATOLOGY OF SURFACE CYCLONE TRAJECTORY AND INTENSITY FOR HEAVY-SNOW EVENTS AT THREE MIDWESTERN STATIONS

In this paper, we assess interstorm cyclone variations in intensity and motion for heavy-snow events at three north-central U.S. stations: Minneapolis, Madison, and Indianapolis. Daily data for the...
Carbocation routes to large bicyclic olefins : A three-step synthesis of [11.11] betweenanene

Abstract Our objective was to explore access to bicyclic tetrasubstituted olefins by rearrangement of large spirocyclic cations. Such olefins serve as precursors for subsequent photic conversion to domed bicyclic alkenes (betweenanenes). We synthesized the spirocyclic alcohol 13-hydroxyspiro-[12.11]tetracosane (14a) and dehydrated it under various acidic and non-acidic conditions to olefin mixtures containing these components: cyclo-dodecylidene-cyclododecane (11), (E)- and (Z)-1-cyclodecylcylododecene (12), (E)- and (Z)-spiro[12.11]tetracos-13-ene (16), (Z)-bicyclo[11.11.0]tetracos-1(13)- ene (19), (E)and (Z) - bicyclo[11.11.0]tetracos - 1 - ene (20). The olefin proportions varied according to the dehydration media and, in acid solution, varied with time. Rearrangement of the spirocyclic precursor to the non-fused, bicyclic skeleton (present in olefins 11 and 12) is favored kinetically; but, on prolonged treatment in acid, the fused bicyclic skeleton (present in alkenes 19 and 20) increases in amount at the expense of 11 and 12. We also examined acid-catalyzed isomerizations of olefin 19 as well as of 11 and 12 mixtures that ranged from pure 11 to those rich in 12. In the fused bicyclic series, equilibration in benzene solution containing BF3-etherate favors trisubstituted alkene 20 (E + Z) over its tetrasubstituted isomer 19 by a ratio of ca 93:7. To overcome this unusual stability order in our quest for 19, we examined olefin isomerizations in heterogeneous acidic media. We developed conditions that produced mixtures containing ca 50% of the desired alkene 19. In these heterogeneous isomerizations, crystallinity and relative solubility appear to be among the important factors that govern product composition. We converted 19 to the unknown [11,11]betweenanene (28) by photic isomerization in heptane. Our ultimate, three-step synthesis of this domed olefin (viz cyclododecanone → [11+12] → 19→ 28) makes it readily accessible and suggests that heterogeneous media might find use in other instances where a desired isomer is not favored in homogeneous equilibrations.
In vitro induction of specific unresponsiveness against the 2,4,6-trinitrophenyl determinant. I. The induction of unresponsiveness.

A state of unresponsiveness against the hapten 2,4,6-trinitrophenyl (TNP) can be induced in a mouse spleen cell suspension by incubation in vitro with TMP human serum albumin (HSA), a polyvalent but apparently non-immunogenic (in vitro) molecule. The depression is specific for the hapten since cells treated with TNP-HSA and cultured with TNP sheep red blood cells (SRBC) show normal anti-SRBC responses. The precursors of cells making anti-TNP antibody of higher avidity appear to be suppressed selectively. The mechanism of the induction of this specific unresponsiveness remains obscure.
Ecological Momentary Assessment of the Association Between Exposure to Alcohol Advertising and Early Adolescents' Beliefs About Alcohol.

Abstract Purpose To evaluate the momentary association between exposure to alcohol advertising and middle-school students' beliefs about alcohol in real-world settings and to explore racial/ethnic differences in this association. Methods Middle-school students (N = 588) carried handheld data collection devices for 14 days, recording their exposures to all forms of alcohol advertising during the assessment period. Students also responded to three investigator-initiated control prompts (programmed to occur randomly) on each day of the assessment period. After each exposure to advertising and at each control prompt, students reported their beliefs about alcohol. Mixed-effects regression models compared students' beliefs about alcohol between moments of exposure to alcohol advertising and control prompts. Results Students perceived the typical person their age who drinks alcohol (prototype perceptions) more favorably and perceived alcohol use as more normative at times of exposure to alcohol advertising than at times of nonexposure (i.e., at control prompts). Exposure to alcohol advertising was not associated with shifts in the perceived norms of black and Hispanic students, however, and the association between exposure and prototype perceptions was stronger among non-Hispanic students than among Hispanic students. Conclusions Exposure to alcohol advertising is associated with acute shifts in adolescents' perceptions of the typical person that drinks alcohol and the normativeness of drinking. These associations are both statistically and substantively meaningful.
Partial Epiglottoplasty for Pharyngeal Dysphagia due to Cervical Spine Pathology

ObjectiveTo examine the role of epiglottoplasty in patients with pharyngeal dysphagia due to pharyngeal crowding from cervical spine pathology and to assess swallowing outcomes following epiglottoplasty.Study DesignRetrospective case series.SettingAcademic tertiary care medical center.Subjects and MethodsDysphagia can occur in patients with cervical spine pathology because of hypopharyngeal crowding. Swallowing studies, such as modified barium swallow study and fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing, may demonstrate a nonretroflexing epiglottis owing to cervical spine osteophytes or hardware, thus impeding pharyngeal bolus transit. We performed partial epiglottoplasties in a series of these patients. A retrospective review of swallowing outcomes was performed to assess the efficacy of this surgery in this patient population.ResultsEpiglottic dysfunction causing dysphagia due to cervical spine pathology was diagnosed by modified barium swallow study and/or fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallo...
The Rationality of Rural Life: Economic and Agricultural Change in Tuscany

The Rationality of Rural Life: Economic and Agricultural Change in Tuscany. Jeff Pratt. Switzerland: Harwood Academic Publishers, 1994. 219 pp.
Biogeography of deep-sea stomatopod Crustacea, family Bathysquillidae

Abstract One family of stomatopod crustaceans, the Bathysquillidae, occurs exclusively on outer shelf and upper slope habitats, in depths between about 200 and 1500m. Stomatopoda otherwise are largely restricted to shallow water habitats. The bathysquillids include four species in three genera. Bathysquilla microps occurs in both Atlantic and Pacific oceans, B. crassispinosa is found across the Indo-West Pacific from Japan to South Africa, Altosquilla soelae is known only from the northwestern coast of Australia, and Indosquilla manihinei , originally reported from the western Indian Ocean, is here reported from the Mariana Islands in the Pacific Ocean. The bathysquillids, with a fossil species in the Eocene, represent the oldest extent stock of Stomatopoda. The structure of the uropod in Indosquilla manihinei is intermediate between that of the fossil family Sculdidae and the Recent stomatopods.
Differences in tryptophan metabolism between breast cancer patients with and without cancer at other sites.

Urinary levels of tryptophan metabolites before and after tryptophan loading were compared between breast cancer groups with and without cancer at other sites. Metabolism was significantly elevated in the group with cancer at other sites suggesting a relationship between extent of disease and increased levels of tryptophan metabolites. Results from comparisons of male bladder cancer cases having Grades III and IV lesions with those having Grades I and II lesions were in the same direction, but were less marked than seen in the breast cancer groups. The differences in tryptophan metabolism in breast cancer patients may possibly represent an imbalance in hormone levels known to affect tryptophan metabolism.
The effect of telephone versus print tailoring for mammography adherence.

Objective The purpose of this intervention was to increase mammography adherence in women who had not had a mammogram in the last 15 months.
Consistency as a Factor in Predicting Grades

This study attempted to determine whether individual differences in intra-individual consistency are reliable over time and whether future grades can be predicted more accurately for consistent students—those whose grades do not vary much from course to course—than for students with “spotty” records. Measures of intra-individual consistency were computed from grades obtained early in school and from grades obtained later for several samples of students. These measures showed no reliability over time, and there were no differences between consistent and inconsistent students with regard to the accuracy of prediction of future grades. It was recommended that considerable caution be used in attributing any significance to the degree of consistency or inconsistency manifested by a student's academic record.
Effect of Charge-Transfer Interactions on the Radiative Rate Constant of 1Δg Singlet Oxygen

The radiative rate constant (kr) and the lifetime of singlet oxygen were measured in 17 new solvents with low and high ionization potentials (IP) using an IR laser fluorimeter. Analysis of the valu...
On the martingale property of economic and financial instruments

Abstract The solutions to many economic and financial instruments are stochastic processes that are required to be arbitrage-free or martingale under an equivalent probability measure known as martingale measure. The main vehicle to verify the existence of an equivalent martingale measure is the Girsanov theorem. This study shows that some of the usual assumptions regarding the underlying stochastic base often employed in applied literature could nullify the theorem and its applications. Further, it is shown that the infinite-horizon Girsanov setting may not contain an equivalent martingale measure.
Assessment of Ebstein's Anomaly and Its Surgical Repair Using Transesophageal Two-Dimensional Echocardiography and Doppler Color Flow Mapping

Transthoracic echocardiography is generally accepted as the procedure of choice for diagnosing Eb-stein's anomaly; however, an optimal evaluation is not always possible due to technical limitations. We have reported the utility of transesophageal echocardiography and Doppler color flow mapping in this condition, particularly for demonstrating structures and flow patterns in the atria and right ventricle. We conclude that in the evaluation of Ebstein's anomaly, these two echocardiography techniques are complementary and together can provide an excellent anatomical and functional assessment. (ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Volume 8, May 1991)
Application of a Cloud Model to Cooling Tower Plumes and Clouds

Abstract A steady-state, one-dimensional cloud model has been modified to simulate the growth of plumes (both wet and dry) and clouds from natural and forced draft cooling towers. The modifications to the cloud model are discussed and comparisons are made between predicted height and length of plumes and observed values. A correlation coefficient of 0.78 is achieved for model predictions of plume height and a correlation coefficient of 0.49 for predicted plume length. Comparisons with Benning Road data showed 78% of the model-predicted plume heights were within 50% of the observed height, while 93% of the predicted plume lengths were within 50&percnt of the observed length. Analysis of the model predicted plumes for a year's morning and evening atmospheric soundings is presented. Comparison of plumes during winter and summer showed dramatic changes, with the longest plumes occurring during the winter. Summer plumes were much shorter with relatively small visible plume heights and tall dry extensions above...
Gross anatomical study of the nerve supply of genitourinary structures in female mongrel hound dogs.

Anatomical variations in lumbosacral plexus or nerves to genitourinary structures in dogs are under described, despite their importance during surgery and potential contributions to neuromuscular syndromes. Gross dissection of 16 female mongrel hound dogs showed frequent variations in lumbosacral plexus classification, sympathetic ganglia, ventral rami input to nerves innervating genitourinary structures and pudendal nerve (PdN) branching. Lumbosacral plexus classification types were mixed, rather than pure, in 13 (82%) of dogs. The genitofemoral nerve (GFN) originated from ventral ramus of L4 in 67% of nerves, differing from the expected L3. Considerable variability was seen in ventral rami origins of pelvic (PN) and Pd nerves, with new findings of L7 contributions to PN, joining S1 and S2 input (23% of sides in 11 dogs) or S1–S3 input (5%), and to PdN, joining S1–S2, unilaterally, in one dog. L7 input was confirmed using retrograde dye tracing methods. The PN also received CG1 contributions, bilaterally, in one dog. The PdN branched unusually in two dogs. Lumbosacral sympathetic ganglia had variant intra-, inter- and multisegmental connectivity in 6 (38%). Thus, the anatomy of mongrel dogs had higher variability than previously described for purebred dogs. Knowledge of this variant innervation during surgery could aid in the preservation of nerves and reduce risk of urinary and sexual dysfunctions.
Rationalizing multiple consumption-saving puzzles in a unified framework

Empirical evidence suggests that it may cost time, effort, and resources to implement an optimal consumption-saving plan, although the cost may differ across individuals. This paper explores the implications of such friction. We begin by documenting a series of facts on consumption and savings over the life cycle, each of which goes against the prediction of the standard life-cycle model. While the existing studies demonstrate how various permutations of the benchmark model may help resolve one or another of these puzzles, it appears difficult to jointly rationalize even a small subset of these facts within the existing theories. We then incorporate a feature of costly implementation into the benchmark model and show that the addition of this one feature moves in the right direction in jointly resolving all these puzzles. This friction is the sole and common mechanism in our model for rationalizing this series of facts, as we intentionally abstract from the mechanisms explored in the existing literature that are known to help explain one or another of these facts, in order to isolate the role of costly implementation. The implementation costs in the model are small, yet our results show that the mechanism can be important in complementing the existing theories to help account for these consumption and saving facts in a unified framework.
Nanoscale Indentation of Simulated Soft Tissues

The use of small animal models, such as murine and rabbit models, are currently being explored to help elucidate the mechanobiological mechanisms of clinically relevant orthopaedic conditions such as fracture healing and osteoarthritis progression, with the goal of developing a comprehensive view of the biomechanical structure-function relationships at the tissue and cellular level. In addition to the heterogeneous nature of these tissues, the miniature size of the test specimens from these small animal models precludes the use of conventional bulk mechanical testing procedures to obtain material properties. Nanoindentation is a technique that is used to assess mechanical properties on a cellular scale. Though traditionally used to study hard, elastic-plastic materials, it has been effectively utilized to measure the material properties of mineralized biological materials [1, 2]. More recently, there have been some preliminary studies on soft, hydrated tissues, such as demineralized dentin, cartilage, and vascular tissues [3, 4]. However, this technique has not been validated for measuring the properties of tissues with extremely small, time- dependent tissue matrices (elastic moduli below 5 MPa). A finite element model (FE) of the nanoscale indentation process has been developed to assess some of the experimental issues associated with using nanoindentation on physical tissue specimens. In addition, we have used this FE model to predict the distribution of stresses and strains within the indenting substrate (tissue sample), mechanical parameters that cannot be mapped using currently-available experimental methods.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
On the integrability and perturbation of three-dimensional fluid flows with symmetry

The purpose of this paper is to develop analytical methods for studyingparticle paths in a class of three-dimensional incompressible fluid flows. In this paper we study three-dimensionalvolume preserving vector fields that are invariant under the action of a one-parameter symmetry group whose infinitesimal generator is autonomous and volume-preserving. We show that there exists a coordinate system in which the vector field assumes a simple form. In particular, the evolution of two of the coordinates is governed by a time-dependent, one-degree-of-freedom Hamiltonian system with the evolution of the remaining coordinate being governed by a first-order differential equation that depends only on the other two coordinates and time. The new coordinates depend only on the symmetry group of the vector field. Therefore they arefield-independent. The coordinate transformation is constructive. If the vector field is time-independent, then it possesses an integral of motion. Moreover, we show that the system can be further reduced toaction-angle-angle coordinates. These are analogous to the familiar action-angle variables from Hamiltonian mechanics and are quite useful for perturbative studies of the class of systems we consider. In fact, we show how our coordinate transformation puts us in a position to apply recent extensions of the Kolmogorov-Arnold-Moser (KAM) theorem for three-dimensional, volume-preserving maps as well as three-dimensional versions of Melnikov's method. We discuss the integrability of the class of flows considered, and draw an analogy with Clebsch variables in fluid mechanics.
Exact eigenfunctions for square-wave gratings: Application to diffraction and surface-plasmon calculations

We show that for dielectric or metallic gratings with square-wave geometry the photon eigenfunctions in the grating region can be expressed in analytical form. The knowledge of these eigenfunctions makes the diffraction calculation not only simple and direct, but also devoid of the many limitations encountered in other solution techniques. In particular, diffraction from deep gratings and the calculation of surface-plasmon excitations present no difficulties. Numerical results on diffraction efficiency are in good agreement with our experimental data. The near-field electromagnetic properties of Ag gratings are examined in detail. These results are of particular importance in understanding the optical behavior of molecules near a rough metal surface (for example, in surface-enhanced Raman scattering). It is shown that coincident with the excitation of surface plasmon, there is an enhancement of the local- (surface-) field intensity by a factor of 100-500. For molecules on a grating surface, such increase in local fields can imply an amplification of ${10}^{4}$-3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{5}$ for the Raman scattering signal.
A coarse/fine preconditioner for very ill-conditioned finite element problems

We consider the problem of applying the conjugate gradient method to solve-ill-conditioned large algebraic systems of equations resulting from the finite element discretization of some three-dimensional boundary value problems. We present an effective preconditioner for such systems based on a multigrid technique. We assess its performance with examples borrowed from large flexible aerospace structures.
SERS-Active Silver Nanoparticles Prepared by a Simple and Green Method

A very effective, facile and green method to produce silver nanoparticles as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates is reported. Reduction of silver nitrate with polyethylene glycol 200 without additional steps of introducing other reducing agents or protective agents at room temperature yields silver nanoparticles with particle size less than 5 nm. The as-produced silver nanoparticles can be used as SERS substrates immediately after preparation. The structure and composition of the silver nanoparticles were characterized by UV−visible spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), particle size analyzer (PSA), and Raman spectroscopy, using a 488 nm Ar+ laser and a 632.8 nm HeNe laser. The SERS enhancement of these silver nanoparticles was tested by using tris(2,2′-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) chloride (Ru(bpy)) and Rhodamine 6G (R6G) in both solid and liquid forms. The silver nanoparticles have been shown to provide elegant SERS signals of Ru(bpy...
Metalloenzymes: Put a ring on it.

The structure of a bacterial methane oxidation complex reveals how protein-protein interactions can mediate coupling of proton, electron and substrate delivery to a metal active site.
Flipped SU(6) From Ten-dimensions

We study the compactification of the heterotic superstring on the only known three generation Calabi-Yau space with flux breakings leading to SU(6) × U(1) as the gauge group in four dimensions. We compute the 'massless' spectrum and identify the discrete symmetries of the internal space that survive flux breaking. The possible four-dimensional models are classified according to their honest discrete symmetries. The allowed breaking chains of SU(6) × U(1) are listed. Model building with SU(6) × U(1) is discussed in general and a concrete realistic model is constructed which does not suffer from the gauge hierarchy problem, fast proton decay or any other obvious phenomenological disaster. A distinct experimental signature of this class of models is the presence in the low energy spectrum of vector-like quarks and antiquarks, outside the three known families, with masses of the order of the supersymmetry breaking scale.
Conversion of the Rosin Acid Fraction of Crude Tall Oil into Fuels and Chemicals

Tall oil rosin acid, a forest product industry residue, has been converted into a diesel fuel additive in a single step process. Fractionation of crude tall oil produces an excess of rosin acids. This material is an abundant, inexpensive and chemically desirable feedstock. Two components, abietic acid and dehydroabietic acid, comprise about 70% of the rosin acid fraction of tall oil. The carboxylic acid functionality of these compounds must be removed and double bonds in the ring structure hydrogenated to obtain diesel fuel additives. Hydrotreatment of the rosin acid fraction achieves both goals. The experiments were performed in a laboratory-scale batch reactor using three commercial sulfided Ni−Mo and Co−Mo catalysts. For each of the catalysts, three different factors were studied: temperature, hydrogen pressure, and reaction time. Experiments probe the effects of these variables on liquid product yield, cetane index, hydrogen-to-carbon ratio, and degree of cracking. The liquid products, mainly saturat...