cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cycling parenteral nutrition in a neonatal surgical patient: An argument for increased utilization

Abstract Cycling total parenteral nutrition (TPN) limits hepatic dysfunction in adults and children with intestinal failure. Due to immature glucose homeostasis, this method is infrequently utilized in the neonatal population. Herein, we describe a successful case of cycled TPN in a neonate with complicated gastroschisis and short bowel syndrome. Within three weeks the patient had a normalized direct bilirubin and did not require pharmacologic intervention. There were two episodes of asymptomatic hypoglycemia associated with intestinal obstruction.
Effects of cognitive demand on situational interest and running task performances

AbstractThis study examined the effect of cognitive demand on situational interest and performance using running tasks in physical education. Adolescents (N = 179) participated in a field study involving three different levels of cognitive demand. Running performances and situational interest were measured four times with a testing interval of seven days. Results from multivariate analyses of covariance suggested that cognitive demand had a significant effect on situational interest and running performances. Higher cognitive demand led to higher levels of situational interest. Situational interest was weakly or moderately correlated with running performances (|r| = .17−.40), yet students reported significantly lower performance when the perceived interest was the highest. These findings suggest the importance of designing instructional tasks with moderate cognitive demand to optimally preserve situational interest and performance in physical education. The findings also help further conceptualise the rela...
When Extreme Political Ideas Move into the Mainstream

This chapter deals with a political context dissimilar to those examined by others contributing to this volume. They explicitly focus on situations in which relatively small groups assemble to attack existing institutions, to defame other groups deﬁned by race or religion, and to promote violent solutions to their lists of social problems. In this chapter, I attempt something analogous yet different, by examining the growth of a small network of individuals and groups whose animosity is directed against residential developments that are run by legal codes rather than public statutes. The emergence of these “shadow governments,” as Garreau terms them, constitutes one of the major changes in governance within the contemporary American city.2 There are now tens of thousands of these organizations, usually described as Home Owner Associations (HOAs), and they account for some ﬁfteen percent of all American households, and a much higher proportion in newly constructed neighborhoods.
Pharmacokinetic Drug-Drug Interactions with Warfarin

Days since initiation of a drug, which has potential drug-drug interaction with warfarin, is an important factor to account for in determining anticipated clinical effect, timing of monitoring, and potential dose adjustments. It is important to understand how to assess approaches to warfarin management in the presence of pharmacokinetic interactions such as pre-emptive dose adjustments and “watch and wait” with additional monitoring.
Leveraging sensor data content to assure sensor device trustworthiness in Mobile Edge Computing

One of the challenging characteristics of Fog and Mobile Edge Computing (FMEC) is the trustworthiness among the wireless sensor nodes. In FMEC, sensors participate in data analytics by collaborating with each other. Sensors are communicating as far as they are paired each other or the radio pipe addresses are matched. Once paired, microcontrollers units (MCUs) are allowed to transmit sensor data to a FMEC computing device. The trustworthiness of incoming sensor data is very significant to sensor data analytics. The sensor data trustworthiness determines the quality of the sensor data analytics and the accuracy of FMEC computing. However, the current techniques do not assure satisfactorily the trustworthiness of the sensors in part because MCUs are unexpectedly joining in and disappearing from FMEC computing. This paper proposes a new data approximation approach to train sensors, and to trigger for reputation and trustworthiness about sensor data. The contribution of this approach includes a sensor data content-driven trustworthiness assurance about participating sensor devices.
Characterization of an Immunoassay Assembly on an Electro-Active Waveguide Platform

We present here optical and electrochemical characterization of a sandwich immunosensor assembly on a single-mode, electro-active, integrated optical waveguide platform aimed for implementation a highly sensitive biosensing device.
Wearable Optical Sensors

The market for wearable sensors is predicted to grow to $5.5 billion by 2025, impacting global health in unprecedented ways. Optics and photonics will play a key role in the future of these wearable technologies, enabling highly sensitive measurements of otherwise invisible information and parameters about our health and surrounding environment. Through the implementation of optical wearable technologies, such as heart rate, blood pressure, and glucose monitors, among others, individuals are becoming more empowered to generate a wealth of rich, multifaceted physiological and environmental data, making personalized medicine a reality. Furthermore, these technologies can also be implemented in hospitals, clinics, point-of-care offices, assisted living facilities or even in patients’ homes for real-time, remote patient monitoring, creating more expeditious as well as resource-efficient systems. Several key optical technologies make such sensors possible, including e.g., optical fiber textiles, colorimetric, plasmonic, and fluorometric sensors, as well as Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) and Organic Photo-Diode (OPD) technologies. These emerging technologies and platforms show great promise as basic sensing elements in future wearable devices and will be reviewed in this chapter along-side currently existing fully integrated wearable optical sensors.
Neurovascular Structures at Risk With Curved Retrograde TTC Fusion Nails.

Background:The purpose of this study was to assess the risk of iatrogenic injury to plantar neurovascular structures of the foot during insertion of a curved retrograde tibiotalocalcaneal (TTC) fus...
Using Undisclosed Time Budgets to Reduce the Magnitude of Auditors' Underreporting of Chargeable Time

ABSTRACT The objectives of this study are to (1) propose a new budgetary control mechanism, previously not investigated in academia, i.e., an undisclosed time budget (UTB) and (2) test whether an U...
Minimally invasive mitral valve surgery is associated with excellent resource utilization, cost, and outcomes.

Abstract Objectives Minimally invasive mitral valve surgery (mini-MVR) has numerous associated benefits. However, many studies fail to include greater-risk patients. We hypothesized that a minimally invasive approach in a representative cohort provides excellent outcomes with reduced resource utilization. Methods Mitral valve surgical records from 2011 to 2016 were paired with institutional financial records. Patients were stratified by approach and propensity-score matched to balance preoperative difference. The primary outcomes of interest were resource utilization including cost, discharge to a facility, and readmission. Results A total of 478 patients underwent mitral surgery (21% mini-MVR) and were balanced after matching (n = 74 per group), with 18% of patients having nondegenerative mitral disease. Outcomes were excellent with similar rates of major morbidity (9.5% mini-MVR vs 10.8% conventional, P = .78). Mini-MVR cases had lower rates of transfusion (11% vs 27%, P = .01) and shorter ventilator times (3.7 vs 6.0 hours, P Conclusions In a real-world cohort, mini-MVR continues to demonstrate excellent results with a favorable resource utilization profile. Greater surgical and implant costs with mini-MVR are offset by decreased transfusions and ancillary needs leading to equivalent overall hospital cost.
Characterization of Florida kaolin clays using multiple-technique approach

Abstract Kaolinite content of 10 raw Florida clays examined in this study was determined to be in the range of 70 to 90 mass %. This kaolinite content is sufficiently high for production of a potentially reactive pozzolanic material. The majority of the clays were at least partially disordered, which also indicates good pozzolanic activity of these materials after calcination. A good fit of the collected X-ray diffractograms during Rietveld refinement was obtained by using a combination of kaolinite, nacrite and dickite structures to allow modeling of stacking faults in kaolinite, adjusting for Fe3+ substitution and refining atomic coordinates. The results of kaolinite quantification were similar to those obtained by thermogravimetric analysis, which validates the proposed approach. Stoichiometric calculation also provided comparable results for all the clays, except for one sample where large overestimation of kaolinite content compared to X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis was observed. It was concluded that Florida clays present a promising potential source of supplementary cementitious materials for production of sustainable concrete.
Consensus in Gestational Diabetes MELLITUS: Looking for the Holy Grail

The world's pre-eminent diabetes, obstetric, endocrine, and health organizations advocate a plethora of diverse algorithms for the screening, diagnosis, management, and follow-up of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Additionally, there are regional recommendations of local health societies. Several of these proposals for GDM are contentious because some of them were developed from unscientific studies, based on expert-opinion, catered to preserve resources, and subjectively modified for convenience. Due to the wide variety of choices available, the approach to GDM can be extremely diverse even within the same hospital. This lack of consensus creates major problems in addressing prevalence, complications, efficacy of treatment, and follow-up of GDM. Moreover, it becomes nearly impossible to compare the numerous studies. Furthermore, the lack of consensus confuses the health care providers of obstetric health who look to the experts for guidance. Therefore, a clear, objective, "evidence-based" global approach, which is simple, easy to follow, and validated by corroborative research, is crucial. We contend that, despite decades of research, a single acceptable global guideline is not yet on the horizon.
Two-Stage Fault-Tolerant k-ary Tree Multiprocessors.

In this paper, we present a real-time faulttolerant design for an l-level k-ary tree multiprocessor with two modes of operations and examine its reconfigurability. The k-ary tree is augmented by spare nodes at stages one and two. We consider two modes of operations, one under heavy computation or hard deadline and the other under light computation or soft deadline. By utilizing the capabilities of wave-switching communication modules of the spare nodes, faulty nodes and faulty links can be tolerated. Compared with other proposed schemes, our approach can tolerate significantly more faulty components with a low overhead and no performance degradation.
Inter-pathologist and pathology report agreement for ovarian tumor characteristics in the Nurses' Health Studies.

Abstract Background Grade and histotype of ovarian carcinomas are often used as surrogates of molecular subtypes. We examined factors affecting pathologists' reproducibility in two prospective studies. Methods Two pathologists independently reviewed slides from 459 incident ovarian cancers in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) and NHSII. We described agreement on tumor characteristics using percent agreement and Cohen's standard kappa (κ) coefficients. We used logistic regression, with disagreement as the outcome, to evaluate the contribution of case and tumor characteristics to agreement. Results Inter-rater agreement was 95% (κ = 0.81) for carcinoma versus borderline, 89% (κ = 0.58) for grade and 85% (κ = 0.71) for histotype. Inter-rater grading disagreement was higher for non-serous histotypes (OR = 4.66, 95% CI 2.09–10.36) and lower for cancers with bizarre atypia (OR = 0.13, 95% CI 0.04–0.38). Agreement with original pathology reports was 94% (κ = 0.73) for carcinoma versus borderline, 78% (κ = 0.60) for histotype, and 79% (κ = 0.24) for grade. Grading disagreement was significantly lower for tumors with ‘solid, pseudoendometrioid or transitional’ (SET) architecture (OR = 0.08, 95%CI 0.01–0.84). Date of original diagnosis, hospital type, number of slides available for review, tumor stage, and slide quality were not related to agreement. Conclusion Overall, inter-rater agreement for tumor type and grade for archival tissue specimens was good. Agreement between the consensus review and original pathology reports was lower. Factors contributing to grading disagreement included non-serous histotype, absence of bizarre atypia, and absence of SET architecture.
Multiclass Nonnegative Matrix Factorization for Comprehensive Feature Pattern Discovery

In this big data era, interpretable machine learning models are strongly demanded for the comprehensive analytics of large-scale multiclass data. Characterizing all features from such data is a key but challenging step to understand the complexity. However, existing feature selection methods do not meet this need. In this paper, to address this problem, we propose a Bayesian multiclass nonnegative matrix factorization (MC-NMF) model with structured sparsity that is able to discover ubiquitous and class-specific features. Variational update rules were derived for efficient decomposition. In order to relieve the need of model selection and stably describe feature patterns, we further propose MC-NMF with stability selection, an ensemble method that collectively detects feature patterns from many runs of MC-NMF using different hyperparameter values and training subsets. We assessed our models on both simulated count data and multitumor ribonucleic acid-seq data. The experiments revealed that our models were able to recover predefined feature patterns from the simulated data and identify biologically meaningful patterns from the pan-cancer data.
Narrative Space: Performing Progress at the Museum of the Bible

Museum directors and designers have become increasingly focused on the visitor experience and the different modes of engagement that exhibit spaces can provide. In an effort to reach a broad audien...
Acoustoelectric amplification of Rayleigh waves in low sheet density AlGaN/GaN heterostructures on sapphire

This letter demonstrates amplification of surface acoustic waves through the application of dc electric fields in low sheet density heterostructures of AlxGa1−xN barrier layers over GaN grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition on a sapphire substrate. The use of the GaN material offers a convenient platform to study acoustoelectric (AE) effects, due to its piezoelectricity and the ability to support a two-dimensional electron gas at the interface with the barrier. In this work, low Al molar fractions (between 6% and 10%) in the barrier layer are investigated to tune the sheet resistivity, which is a key aspect to realizing appreciable AE gains. Rayleigh waves in GaN at 920 MHz exhibit non-reciprocity (defined as the contrast in the peak amplitude of the amplified forward traveling wave and the attenuated reverse traveling wave) of up to 6.5 dB/mm under the influence of dc bias fields applied to a 24 nm Al0.07Ga0.93N barrier over GaN on sapphire. Gain dependence on the sheet resistance is also observed, consistent with the AE effect. This work demonstrates an approach to counteract acoustic propagation losses in GaN, which can be implemented in long delay lines for RF signal processing, in addition to other applications.
Mortality of Different Life Stages of Rhagoletis indifferens (Diptera: Tephritidae) Exposed to the Entomopathogenic Fungus Metarhizium anisopliae

Effects of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae (Metschnikoff) Sorokin on the mortality of different life stages of the western cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis indifferens Curran (Dipter...
Growth factors stimulate anabolic metabolism by directing nutrient uptake

How cells utilize nutrients to produce the ATP needed for bioenergetic homeostasis has been well-characterized. What is less well-studied is how resting cells metabolically shift from an ATP-producing catabolic metabolism to a metabolism that supports anabolic growth. In metazoan organisms, the discovery of growth factors and the ability of their receptors to induce new transcription and translation led to the hypothesis that the bioenergetic and synthetic demands of cell growth were primarily met through the replacement of nutrients consumed during net macromolecular synthesis, a demand-based system of nutrient uptake. Recent data have challenged this hypothesis. Instead, there is increasing evidence that cellular nutrient uptake is a push system. Growth factor signaling has been linked to direct stimulation of nutrient uptake. The ability of growth factor signaling to increase the uptake of glucose, lipids, and amino acids to levels that exceed a cell's bioenergetic and synthetic needs has been documented in a wide variety of settings. In some tissues, this leads to the storage of the excess nutrients in the form of glycogen or fat. In others, the excess is secreted as lactate and certain nonessential amino acids. When growth factor signaling stimulates nutrient uptake to levels that exceed a cell's bioenergetic needs, adaptive changes in intermediate metabolism lead to the production of anabolic precursors that fuel the net synthesis of protein, lipids, and nucleic acids. Through the increased production of these precursors, growth factor signaling provides a supply-side stimulation of cell growth and proliferation.
Worker Participation, Sustainability and the Puzzle of the Volkswagen Emissions Scandal

In September 2015, Volkswagen's "clean diesel" technology was exposed as a sham. Not only were the company's vehicles discharging dangerously high levels of nitrogen oxide, but VW had intentionally rigged its emissions systems to cheat on environmental tests. In the wake of resignations and criminal investigations, the company's governance system came under justifiable attack. Were VW's famously worker-friendly governance policies to blame? This Chapter examines the root causes of the emissions scandal and concludes that VW's governance culture suffered from dictatorial leadership as well as a cozy relationship between management and labor leaders. This culture of complacency led to a lack of accountability at key levels, including executives, shareholders, and regulators. In addition, despite its worker-oriented governance structure, Volkswagen's internal management is still organized along traditional hierarchical lines. Empowered workers, participating at all levels of company governance, would provide a stronger internal culture of compliance, innovation, and sustainability.
Quality of Service Provision Within IEEE 802.11 CSMA/CA Protocol

The goal of this work is to propose and test a Quality of Service (QoS) provision within the IEEE 802.11 CSMA/CA protocol. The proposed QoS provision divides the network traffic into three distinct classes: normal, urgent, and critical. From the three traffic classes, critical data is transmitted fastest with the highest priority, and then followed by urgent data transmission with the next priority level, and subsequently normal data with the lowest priority level. The prioritization of different data is achieved by assigning different delay times for each class. This research utilizes the network simulation framework NS3 to simulate traffic in order to test performance of the protocol. Our simulation results indicate improvement in transmission of urgent and critical data.
The Power Of Access To Affordable Care

A patient and student with severe asthma chases adequate insurance coverage until the Affordable Care Act provides something more.
Hand Gestures from Low-Cost Surface-Electromyographs

Low-cost and commodity off-the-shelf surface electromyographs (COTS sEMGs) may be used for unobtrusive detection of human hand gestures. Although these EMG signals are not as detailed as conventional ones, an experimental investigation of feature engineering and classification reveals that they can yield accurate hand gesture information.
Revisiting the Spectrum of Bladder Health: Relationships Between Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms and Multiple Measures of Well-Being.

Background: Little research to date has investigated the spectrum of bladder health in women, including both bladder function and well-being. Therefore, we expanded our previous baseline analysis of bladder health in the Boston Area Community Health (BACH) Survey to incorporate several additional measures of bladder-related well-being collected at the 5-year follow-up interview, including one developed specifically for women. Methods: At follow-up, participants reported their frequency of 15 lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), degree of life impact from and thought related to urinary symptoms or pelvic/bladder pain/discomfort, and perception of their bladder condition. Prevalence ratios were calculated by generalized linear models with robust variance estimation, adjusting for LUTS risk factors and individual LUTS. The BACH Survey was approved by the New England Research Institutes Institutional Review Board and all participants provided written informed consent. Results: Generally similar findings were observed in the 5-year cross-sectional analysis as at baseline, irrespective of how we categorized LUTS or measured bladder-related well-being. Approximately one in five women (16.2%-18.0% of 2527 eligible women) reported no LUTS and no diminished bladder-related well-being, the majority (55.8%-65.7%) reported some LUTS and/or diminished well-being, and a further one in five (16.9%-26.6%) reported the maximum frequency, number, or degree of LUTS and/or diminished well-being. Measures of storage function (urinating again after <2 hours, perceived frequency, nocturia, incontinence, and urgency) and pain were independently associated with bladder-related well-being. Conclusions: Our similar distribution of bladder health and consistent associations between LUTS and bladder-related well-being across multiple measures of well-being, including a female-specific measure, lend confidence to the concept of a bladder health spectrum and reinforce the bothersome nature of storage dysfunction and pain.
Gas escape behavior from bursting bubbles

This paper is associated with a video winner of a 2019 American Physical Society's Division of Fluid Dynamics (DFD) Gallery of Fluid Motion Award for work presented at the DFD Gallery of Fluid Motion. The original video is available online at the Gallery of Fluid Motion, https://doi.org/10.1103/APS.DFD.2019.GFM.V0072.
Firm behaviour and market access in a Free Trade Area with rules of origin

We study a Free Trade Area with Rules of Origin and show that there are two distinct regimes. Comparative statics results for the two regimes are exact opposites and a regime switch occurs when ROO become restrictive enough. Consequently, imports into the FTA of the intermediate good first fall and then rise while the opposite pattern occurs for imports of the final good and for the price of the domestic input. We also show that tighter ROO have opposite effects on the well-being of final versus intermediate
Using computer-aided image processing to estimate chemical composition of igneous rocks: A potential tool for large-scale compositional mapping

Abstract Digital cameras, particularly on smartphones, have led to the proliferation of amateur photographers. Of interest here is the use of smartphone cameras to conduct rapid, low-cost compositional mapping of geologic bedrock, such as plutons and batholiths, in combination with chemical analyses of rocks in the laboratory. This paper discusses some of the challenges in geochemical mapping using image analysis. We discuss methods for color calibration through a series of experiments under different light intensities and conditions (spectra). All indoor and outdoor experiments show good reproducibility, but suffer from biases imparted by different light intensities, light conditions, and camera exposure times. These biases can be greatly reduced with a linear color calibration method. Over-exposed and under-exposed images, however, cannot be fully calibrated, so we discuss methods that ensure images are properly exposed. We applied our method to 59 natural granitoid and mafic enclave samples of known chemical composition. Multivariate linear regression has been explored for relating calibrated rock images with chemical compositions. Among all the chromatic and texture features of rock images, we show that average gray levels strongly correlate with major oxide concentrations. Subtle variations in bulk composition can potentially be rapidly assessed using calibrated photographs of outcrops.
Mechanical unzipping of DNA molecules in parallel using nanophotonic tweezers (Withdrawal Notice)

This presentation, originally published on 10 August 2020, was withdrawn per author request.
Exploring Gender Roles in Highly Religious Families

Many world religions explicitly and/or implicitly promote gender hierarchy and the patriarchal nature of gender roles is a nearly universal theme within these traditions. Notwithstanding the hierarchical patterns often apparent in religiously defined gender roles, complementarity in gender roles is also an essential characteristic of many religions. Religious teachings regarding gender roles may dualistically foster relational health or cause relational harm—depending on the particular teachings and, perhaps most saliently, depending on how religious teachings are applied and lived out within marriages and families. We aim to explore, through interviews with highly religious wives and husbands, the influences and meanings that wives' and husbands' religious beliefs and practices have in connection with their perspectives and lived experience of gender roles in the context of marriage and family life. We conducted in-depth, qualitative interviews with 198 individuals using a racially and ethnically diverse sample consisting of Muslim, Christian, and Jewish families (N = 476 individuals). Questions regarding gender within relationships were not included on the interview questionnaire but gender-related issues spontaneously surfaced in many of the interviews. Participants’ comments involving gender were identified using NVivo 12 software and were then qualitatively analyzed using a team-based methodology (Marks in Current Psychol, 34(3): 494-505, 2015). Two themes addressing the nexus of gender and religion were identified: Theme 1: Sanctity and Complementary Gender Roles in Sexual Relations; Theme 2: Interpreting and Safeguarding Gender Roles. Primary data excerpts are presented to illustrate each theme and implications and applications are discussed. Professionals and individuals may examine how religious doctrine is translated into gender attitudes and roles. As individuals understand the many ways highly religious families view gender, gender roles, and gender attitudes, they may be open to examining a wider range of gender interpretations that still remain consistent with their doctrine.
Do didactics improve clinical skills: A retrospective educational study

Introduction: As predoctoral dental students navigate through the dental curriculum, the knowledge of clinical dentistry is progressively gained from didactic lecture courses. The goal of this study was to evaluate whether there is an association between endodontic didactic knowledge and endodontic preclinical skills. Methods: The study utilized the existing preclinical endodontic assessments of 2nd-year dental students (105 students). Using ExamSoft, the nonclinical questions (e.g., microbiology and pulp biology) were excluded from the final didactic assessment, and a new didactic grade was calculated and assigned to each student. Each endodontic skill (access preparation, instrumentation and obturation, and combined) was matched with corresponding clinically related questions in the didactic assessment. For each student, the matched didactic grade was weighted against the practical grade using Kendall's τ correlation coefficient. To determine the effect of each predictor variable (didactic score and gender), an ordinal logistic regression was used. Results: For all portions of the examination, the correlation between preclinical and didactic grades was significant, P Conclusion: Only a weak association was found between didactic performance and preclinical skills. Lectures on clinical topics should be improved and sequenced accordingly to better link the theory of endodontic technique to the hands-on simulation laboratory.
Causes and management of aggression and violence in a forensic mental health service: perspectives of nurses and patients

Nurses' attitudes about the causes and management of aggression affects their choice of intervention. We aimed to compare the attitudes held by patients and staff in a forensic mental health service with the Management of Aggression and Violence Attitudes Scale, and examine the factor validity of the tool in this setting by conducting a prospective comparative questionnaire survey. Staff (n = 72) and patient (n = 98) attitudes differed to a limited extent. Confirmatory factor analysis refuted the previously reported structure of the tool. Exploratory factor analysis suggested three underlying factors related to modifiability of aggression, hands on management, and hands off management. Patients were more optimistic than nurses about the modifiability of aggressive behaviour. Male patients and those with diagnoses other than personality disorder were significantly more likely to agree about modifiability than controls. Forensic inpatients recognize the need for the use of a range of techniques to prevent and manage aggression and violence, but selected groups are most likely to believe that aggression is modifiable. Prevention and management of aggression training should emphasize the modifiability of aggressive behaviour. The development of measures of modifiability and management style would assist in the evaluation of training and would offer new avenues for research.
Staff nurses’ sites of choice for administering intramuscular injections to adult patients in the acute care setting

walsh l. & brophy k. (2010) Staff nurses’ sites of choice for administering intramuscular injections to adult patients in the acute care setting. Journal of Advanced Nursing67(5), 1034–1040. Abstract Aim. The aim of this descriptive, correlational study was to determine intramuscular injection sites presently being used by acute care nurses in one Canadian province and factors that contribute to site selection. Background. Intramuscular injections are routinely administered by nurses in acute care settings. Recent nursing literature recommends that the ventrogluteal site, rather than the dorsogluteal site, should be used for these injections, although evidence in the literature to support this claim is lacking. Method. A convenience sample of nurses employed in acute care settings was accessed through a database at the professional association. Six hundred and fifty-two nurses were sent a questionnaire. Two hundred and sixty-four questionnaires were returned giving a response rate of 42·2%. Data were collected during 2007. Findings. Nurses are preferentially using the dorsogluteal site over the ventrogluteal site, and site selection varied significantly with age, level of preparation, years in nursing and knowledge of nerve injury as a complication with the selected site. Conclusions. Nurses are not preferentially using the ventrogluteal site for intramuscular injections to adults as recommended in recent nursing literature. Additional research on the safety of a properly mapped dorsogluteal site is needed.
Activation of Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1 in the Rat Cerebral Cortex after Transient Global Ischemia: Potential Role of Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1

Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) is a transcription factor that regulates the adaptive response to hypoxia in mammalian cells. It consists of a regulatory subunit HIF-1alpha, which accumulates under hypoxic conditions, and a constitutively expressed subunit HIF-1beta. In this study we analyzed HIF-1alpha expression in the rat cerebral cortex after transient global ischemia induced by cardiac arrest and resuscitation. Our results showed that HIF-1alpha accumulates as early as 1 hr of recovery and persists for at least 7 d. In addition, the expression of HIF-1 target genes, erythropoietin and Glut-1, were induced at 12 hr to 7d of recovery. A logical explanation for HIF-1alpha accumulation might be that the brain remained hypoxic for prolonged periods after resuscitation. By using the hypoxic marker 2-(2-nitroimidazole-1[H]-y1)-N-(2,2,3,3,3-pentafluoropropyl)-acetamide (EF5), we showed that the brain is hypoxic during the first hours of recovery from cardiac arrest, but the tissue is no longer hypoxic at 2 d. Thus, the initial ischemic episode must have activated other nonhypoxic mechanisms that maintain prolonged HIF-1alpha accumulation. One such mechanism might be initiated by insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). Our results showed that IGF-1 expression was upregulated after cardiac arrest and resuscitation. In addition, we showed that IGF-1 was able to induce HIF-1alpha in pheochromocytoma cells and cultured neurons as well as in the brain of rats that received intracerebroventricular and systemic IGF-1 infusion. Moreover, infusion of a selective IGF-1 receptor antagonist abrogates HIF-1alpha accumulation after cardiac arrest and resuscitation. Our study suggest that activation of HIF-1 might be part of the mechanism by which IGF-1 promotes cell survival after cerebral ischemia.
Overlays on wireless mesh networks: implementation and cross-layer searching

After years of research on ad hoc networks, practical wireless mesh networks are moving towards mainstream industry deployment. As wireless mesh networks become more ubiquitous, how to enable distributed applications and services is a challenging research topic. A new network architecture called OverMesh is recently proposed, in which computational overlays provide the facility to deploy distributed services across mobile mesh nodes. In this paper, we present the first implementation of the OverMesh architecture. The overlays are built over an IEEE 802.11s wireless mesh network pre-standard prototype. The platform enables development and deployment of concurrent distributed experiments on wireless mesh networks. Based on this platform, we further introduce a cross-layer searching algorithm, which combines traditional overlay searching with ad hoc network routing so that a physically short searching route is facilitated. Both experimentation and simulation results are presented.
Phenotypic consequences of transforming growth factor β1 gene ablation in murine embryonic fibroblasts: Autocrine control of cell proliferation and extracellular matrix biosynthesis

The profound effects of transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1) on the immune system, cardiogenesis, in yolk sac hematopoeisis and in differentiation of endothelium have been demonstrated by detailed analyses of TGF-beta1 knockout mice during embryogenesis. We have systematically examined the autocrine and paracrine roles of TGF-beta1 in cell proliferation and in its ability to modulate the gene expression of selected components of extracellular matrix (ECM) using embryonic fibroblasts from TGF-beta1 null mice (TGF-beta-1(-/-)). The rates of cell proliferation of embryonic fibroblasts from normal mice (TGF-beta1(+/+)) and TGF-beta1 null mice were compared by cell counting, by 3H thymidine incorporation, and by measuring the fraction of cells in the G1, S, and G2/M phases of the cell cycle by fluorescent activated cell sorting (FACS). Concurrently, the expression of pro-alpha1(I) collagen, fibronectin, and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) was also quantified by hybridization of total mRNA from TGF-beta1(+/+) and TGF-beta1(-/-) embryonic fibroblasts. We report that TGF-beta1(-/-) cells proliferated at about twice the rate of TGF-beta1(+/+) cells. Further, TGF-beta1 null fibroblasts accumulated and synthesized lower constitutive levels of pro-alpha1(I) collagen, fibronectin, and PAI-1 mRNA. The quantitative differences in the rates of cell proliferation and ECM gene expression between TGF-beta1(+/-) and TGF-beta1(-/-) cells could be eliminated by treatment of TGF-beta1(+/+) cells with a neutralizing antibody of TGF-beta1. Thus, our results are consistent with the hypothesis that TGF-beta1 acts as a negative autocrine regulator of growth and a positive autocrine regulator of ECM biosynthesis in embryonic fibroblasts.
Ab initio study of electron and hole transport in pure and doped MnO and MnO:ZnO alloy

Rationally engineering photocatalytic devices that power water splitting or CO2 reduction reactions requires identifying economical materials that efficiently absorb sunlight and have suitable band edge placements. Recent theoretical investigations have predicted that a 1 : 1 alloy of MnO and ZnO meets these criteria. However, poor hole conductivity in undoped MnO:ZnO alloys (with up to 10% ZnO) severely limits this material's utility in electronic devices, and its electron conductivity has not yet been characterized. Here we investigate carrier transport in pure and doped MnO and MnO:ZnO with ab initio quantum chemistry calculations. Electrostatically embedded clusters are used to compute and compare relative electron/hole transfer barriers within the small polaron model. We assess the effects of Al, Ga, In, Sc, Y, Ti, Sb, Gd, F (n-type dopants) and Li (a p-type dopant) to determine which may enhance conductivity in MnO:ZnO. Our findings indicate that Ga, Sc, Ti, F, and Sb dopants create deep traps whereas In forms shallower traps that merit further investigation. Y, Al, Gd, and Li dopants should increase the carrier concentration while maintaining favorable electron and hole transport pathways. The latter are recommended for increasing the conductivity of MnO:ZnO and its effectiveness for solar energy conversion.
Formation of three-dimensional hydrogel multilayers using enzyme-mediated redox chain initiation

Enzyme-mediated redox chain initiation involving glucose oxidase (GOX) was employed in an iterative solution dip-coating technique to polymerize multiple, three-dimensional hydrogel layers using mild aqueous conditions at ambient temperature and oxygen levels. To the best of our knowledge, sequential enzyme-mediated dip-coating resulting in an interfacial radical chain polymerization and subsequent formation of three-dimensional hydrogel layers has not been previously explored. Conformal, micrometer-scale, uniform poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-based hydrogel layers were polymerized within seconds and remained securely associated after incubation in water for 16 weeks. Incorporation of either small molecules (i.e., rhodamine-B acrylate, fluorescein acrylate) or fluorescent nanoparticles into crosslinked hydrogel layers during the polymerization reaction was also achieved. The encapsulation of 0.2 μm-diameter nanoparticles into hydrogels during polymerization of a 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA)/PEG575 diacryla...
Evaluation of Some Acaricides for Control of Spider Mites on Three Woody Ornamentals in Louisiana

Seven compounds were evaluated for control of some spider mites on 3 ornamental plants in Louisiana. These were: Acaralate® (isopropyl 4,4’-dichlorobenzilate), GS-19851 (isopropyl 4,4’-dibromobenzilate), GS-13005 ( O, O- dimethyl phosphorodithioate S -ester with 4-(mercaptomethvl)-2-methoxy-∆2-1,3,4-thiadiazolin-5-one), Galecron® ( N’- (4-chloro-o-tolyl)- N, N -dimethylformamidine), Nissol® (2-f1uoro, N-methyl- N -I-naphthylacetamide) (may apply only to 25% EC), chlorobenzilate, and tetradifon. GS 13005 and GS-198.51 were most effective in controlling the southern red mite, Oligonychus ilicis (McGregor), on holly and azaleas and the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch, on roses. GS-13005 was most effective in controlling a green mite, Eotetranychus clitus (Pritchard & Baker), and GS-19851 ill controlling the privet mite, Brevipalpus obovatus Donnadieu, on azaleas. Other compounds gave a significant degree of control, but none were so effective as GS-13005 and G5-19851.
New algorithms for multilink robot arms

Abstract Problems related to the movement of n -link robot arms in two dimensions are considered. We present an algorithm, requiring O ( n ) computation time, which moves an arm confined in a circular region to any reachable configuration in O ( n ) moves. Also given is an O ( n ) computation time algorithm that computes all the regions reachable by the joints of such an arm. These results are improvements over the cubic algorithms of Hopcroft, Joseph, and Whitesides ( SIAM J. Comput. 14 , No. 2 (1985)). We finally show how to plan motion involving the minimum number of moves for an arm in the obstacle-free plane in O ( n 3 ) computational steps.
Living unrelated renal donation: The University of Wisconsin experience

Abstract Background: Living unrelated renal donation (LURD) has the potential to reduce the current waiting list significantly for kidney transplantation. The purpose of this study was to examine the long-term results of 150 LURDs performed at our center during a 16-year period. Methods: From Dec 23, 1981, to Feb 13, 1998, 150 LURDs, 219 human leukocyte antigen (HLA)–identical, 577 haploidentical, and 1789 cadaveric kidney transplant procedures were performed. Surgical complications, rejection episodes, infectious complications, and the cause of graft loss and death were examined. Ten-year patient and graft survival rates between groups were compared. Results: Fourteen surgical complications including lymphocele (n = 7), ureteral stricture (n = 4), and ureteral leak (n = 3) were seen. Seventy-eight patients (52%) had 123 rejection episodes and 66 patients (44%) had 1 or more infections. Thirty-six allografts were lost and 25 deaths occurred. Patient survival rates at 10 years for HLA-identical, haploidentical, LURD, and cadaveric transplant procedures were 86%, 82%, 63%, and 64%, respectively. Allograft survival rates at 10 years for HLA-identical, haploidentical, LURD, and cadaver transplant procedures were 75%, 59%, 56%, and 44%, respectively. Conclusions: Long-term LURD allograft survival rates are lower than those for HLA-identical but equivalent to those of haploidentical and better than those of cadaveric kidney transplantations. Spousal and nonspousal LURDs should be actively encouraged to help alleviate the current donor kidney shortage. (Surgery 1998;124:604-11.)
Laser-assisted tympanic membrane fenestration

Otitis media is one of the most common medical conditions treated by physicians in the United States, especially in children. Antibiotics have been a mainstay of treatment for this condition for decades. However, in recent years, with the evolution of antibiotic-resistant organisms and increased costs of prescription drugs, alternative therapies have been sought. Surgical techniques, most often tympanostomy tube placement, are frequently necessary and usually require a general anesthesia. An alternative procedure, laser-assisted tympanic membrane fenestration (LTMF), uses middle ear ventilation to treat recalcitrant middle ear effusions and access infected middle ear fluid for culture. Antibiotic choice can then be culture-driven in the acute otitis patient, and tympanostomy tubes may often be avoided for children with chronic otitis media with effusion.
A simple definition of detection limit

The detection limit of an analytical method tells how low a concentration can be said to be measured. Users, laboratories, and equipment manufacturers prefer low ones. Industries under environmental regulation insist on honest ones. However, the detection limits of environmental regulations generally refer to relatively complex detection experiments (assays) or surveys that differ from the simple measurement operation that gave rise to the detection limit concept in analytical chemistry. The first contribution of this article is to clarify the limited scope of the simple definition and then define the population quantity that is being estimated. Such specificity allows alternative estimates to be evaluated more on statistical grounds of bias and variance rather than on whether they push the resulting value up or down. The fundamental statistical problem is to fit a variance function so that the derived relative standard deviation (RSD) function of concentration is smooth and monotone decreasing and thus can be inverted. The solution is to accept the best-fitting analytical version of the RSD function (log-log and hybrid models are described), fit it, invert it to get the point estimate, and provide a jackknife standard error.
Long-Term Follow-up Studies of Learning-Disabled Persons

From several different perspectives, the question of long-term outcomes for learning-disabled children is an important one. Answers to scientific questions about the nature and developmental course of learning disabilities, as well as the resolution of policy issues concerning the allocation of resources for intervention, may depend on results from follow-up studies of learning-disabled persons. Unfortunately, different follow-up studies have produced a variety of conflicting results. Through a careful analysis of the methodologies employed in existing studies, this month's Topical Review not only shows why the research has produced inconsistent results, but also shows how some of these inconsistencies can be resolved. A final contribution of this article is to point out the need for specific methodologies in future follow-up research with learning-disabled children.—J.K.T.
Link Positions Matter: A Noncommutative Routing Metric for Wireless Mesh Networks

We revisit the problem of computing the path with the minimum cost in terms of the expected number of link layer transmissions (including retransmissions) in wireless mesh networks. Unlike previous efforts, such as the popular ETX, we account for the fact that MAC protocols (including the IEEE 802.11 MAC) incorporate a finite number of transmission attempts per packet. This in turn leads to our key observation: the performance of a path depends not only on the number of the links on the path and the quality of its links, but also, on the relative positions of the links on the path. Based on this observation, we propose ETOP, a path metric that accurately captures the expected number of link layer transmissions required for reliable end-to-end packet delivery. We analytically compute ETOP, which is not trivial, since ETOP is a noncommutative function of the link success probabilities. Although ETOP is a more involved metric, we show that the problem of computing paths with the minimum ETOP cost can be solved by a greedy algorithm. We implement and evaluate a routing approach based on ETOP on a 25-node indoor mesh network. Our experiments show that the path selection with ETOP consistently results in superior TCP goodput (by over 50 percent in many cases) compared to path selection based on ETX. We also perform an in-depth analysis of the measurements to better understand why the paths selected by ETOP improve the TCP performance.