cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of neural network and logistic regression for dementia prediction: results from the PREADViSE trial

Objective. Two systematic reviews suggest that current parametric predictive models are not recommended for use in population demen- tia diagnostic screening. This study was to compare predictive perfor- mance between logistic regression (conventional method) and neural network (non-conventional method).Method. Neural network analysis was performed through the R pack- age “Neuralnet” by using the same covariates as the logistic regression model. Results. Results show that neural network had a slightly ap- parently better predictive performance (area under curve (AUC): 0.732 neural network vs. 0.725 logistic regression). Neural network performed similarly as logistic regression. Furthermore, logistic regression con- firmed that the interaction effect among covariates, which elucidated from neural network.Conclusions. Neural network performed slightly apparently better than logistic regression, and it is able to elucidate complicated relationships among covariates."
Thoracic aortic aneurysm repair in women

Abstract Thoracic endovascular aortic repair has become the preferred approach for treatment of thoracic aortic pathology since the approval of the first endograft device by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2005. This chapter discusses the indications for as well as conduct of the operation, highlighting sex differences where appropriate.
Nonequilibrium Work Relations and Response Theories in Ensemble Quantum Systems

We develop a nonequilibrium response theory for macroscopic quantum systems that separates the contributions of ensemble heterogeneity and intrinsic quantum uncertainty. To accomplish this, we describe systems with a quantum P-ensemble, which goes beyond the standard density matrix description by explicitly specifying the classical heterogeneity between individual quantum systems in an ensemble. We use the P-ensemble formalism to present quantum generalizations of linear response theory and the Jarzynski nonequilibrium work relation. We derive these generalizations from a Bochkov-Kuzovlev generating functional for quantum P-ensembles, which can be further utilized to derive all orders of response theory that apply to ensemble quantum systems. We contrast these developments with their ρ-ensemble analogs, and we discuss how these P-ensemble theories provide a guide for an effective application of single molecule experiments.
In Sierra Leone

In 2002, as Sierra Leone prepared to announce the end of its brutal civil war, the distinguished anthropologist, poet, and novelist Michael Jackson returned to the country where he had intermittently lived and worked as an ethnographer since 1969. While his initial concern was to help his old friend Sewa Bockarie (S. B.) Marah—a prominent figure in Sierra Leonean politics—write his autobiography, Jackson’s experiences during his stay led him to create a more complex work: In Sierra Leone, a beautifully rendered mosaic integrating S. B.’s moving stories with personal reflections, ethnographic digressions, and meditations on history and violence. Though the Revolutionary United Front (R.U.F.) ostensibly fought its war (1991–2002) against corrupt government, the people of Sierra Leone were its victims. By the time the war was over, more than fifty thousand were dead, thousands more had been maimed, and over one million were displaced. Jackson relates the stories of political leaders and ordinary people trying to salvage their lives and livelihoods in the aftermath of cataclysmic violence. Combining these with his own knowledge of African folklore, history, and politics and with S. B.’s bittersweet memories—of his family’s rich heritage, his imprisonment as a political detainee, and his position in several of Sierra Leone’s post-independence governments—Jackson has created a work of elegiac, literary, and philosophical power.
Past as prologue: how comparative effectiveness research became patient-centered outcomes research

This "methods to policy" piece outlines the evolution of comparative effectiveness research to patient-centered outcomes research in U.S. policy circles. It also addresses the real-world implications of this work for health care researchers, patients, providers, and other stakeholders.
Evaluation of Clothing Color Preferences: A Comparison of Asian and White Consumers

Data on United States apparel consumption indicate it Is a major market, accounting for over 50 billion dollars per year in consumer expenditures, according to the American Apparel Manufacturers Association. Industry experience as well as empirical research indicate that color is one of the more important factors affecting sal ability of garments at retail.
The Distinctive Hydrology of Tropical Islands

The hydrology of tropical islands differs from that of temperate, continental land areas because of climate and geomorphology. The distinctive hydrologic cycle observed on tropical islands represents a history of orographic effects and thermal radiation on island geology and geometry, combined with the omnipresent influence of the sea.
Optimal Policies for Multi-server Non-preemptive Priority Queues

We consider a multi-server non-preemptive queue with high and low priority customers, and a decision maker who decides when waiting customers may enter service. The goal is to minimize the mean waiting time for high-priority customers while keeping the queue stable. We use a linear programming approach to find and evaluate the performance of an asymptotically optimal policy in the setting of exponential service and inter-arrival times.
Document Image Watermarking Based on Weight-Invariant Partition Using Support Vector Machine

Security concern about document images is important since document images are distributed in large amount both electronically and physically. They are easily copied and the copyright information is difficult to identify. In this paper, we present a new algorithm for document image watermarking, which is based on weight-invariant partition of the document in the spatial domain, where the weight of a partition is the average number of pixels in lines within the partition. We discuss the issues of robustness, security, capacity and fault-tolerance related to the watermarking method. In order to simultaneously achieve high capacity and security, the partition method is further improved using the support vector machine technique. The experiments indicate the soundness of our method.
Correlations to predict turbulent streamwise influence regions and onset of transition in supersonic flows

Correlation functions have been developed to predict both the extent of the streamwise in­ fluence regions in supersonic turbulent flows, and the onset of transition in supersonic flow past a flat plate. These correlations are empirical relations involving a priori known flow parame­ ters. In the turbulent flow regime, correlations that can compute the extent of the upstream and downstream regions of influence in two-dimensional compression ramp and expansion cor­ ner flowfields have been developed. The correlations were obtained by analyzing numerically computed flowfields. Regression analysis using the least squares approach was applied to the computed flowfield data to determine the correlation functions. The turbulent correlations can be used in conjunction with an iterative parabolized Navier-Stokes algorithm to minimize the region of iteration and thereby reduce the computational time. In the transitional region, correlation functions that can accurately predict the onset of transition over a flat plate have been determined in a similar manner. The transitional correlations can be used in conjunction with any flow solver in order to automatically determine the onset of transition and apply a turbulence model for closure at the appropriate location. The general form of these corre­ lation functions, the wide range of applicability, and their ease of calculation makes them a handy tool for engineering design purposes. The accuracy of these functions is demonstrated by comparing them with experimental and empirical data available in the literature.
IκB Family Members Function by Different Mechanisms

The IκB family of proteins regulates NF-κB-dependent transcription by inhibiting DNA binding and localizing these factors to the cell cytoplasm. IκBα does this by shifting the balance between nuclear import of Rel proteins and their export from the nucleus. Here we show that, unlike IκBα, IκBβ and IκBe appear to sequester p65 or c-Rel in the cytoplasm by inhibiting nuclear import. Furthermore, because IκBβ does not undergo nucleocytoplasmic shuttling, it cannot remove nuclear proteins like IκBα does. We conclude that the mechanism of action differs among IκB family members.
Differential gene expression for glutamic acid decarboxylase and type II calcium-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase in basal ganglia, thalamus, and hypothalamus of the monkey

In situ hybridization histochemistry, using cRNA probes, revealed a complementarity in the distributions of cells in the basal ganglia, basal nucleus of Meynert, thalamus, hypothalamus, and rostral part of the midbrain that showed gene expression for glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) or the alpha-subunit of type II calcium-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CAM II kinase-alpha). Cells in certain nuclei such as the thalamic reticular nucleus, globus pallidus, and pars reticulata of the substantia nigra show GAD gene expression only; others in nuclei such as the basal nucleus of Meynert, medial mamillary nuclei, and ventromedial hypothalamic nuclei show CAM II kinase-alpha gene expression only. A few nuclei, for example, the pars compacta of the substantia nigra and the greater part of the subthalamic nucleus, display gene expression for neither GAD nor CAM II kinase-alpha. In other nuclei, notably those of the dorsal thalamus, and possibly in the striatum, GAD- and CAM II kinase-expressing cells appear to form two separate populations that, in most thalamic nuclei, together account for the total cell population. In situ hybridization reveals large amounts of CAM II kinase-alpha mRNA in the neuropil of most nuclei containing CAM II kinase-alpha-positive cells, suggesting its association with dendritic polyribosomes. The message may thus be translated at those sites, close to the synapses with which the protein is associated. The in situ hybridization results, coupled with those from immunocytochemical staining for CAM II kinase-alpha protein, indicate that CAM II kinase-alpha is commonly found in certain non-GABAergic afferent fiber systems but is not necessarily present in the postsynaptic cells on which they terminate. It appears to be absent from most GABAergic fiber systems but can be present in the cells on which they terminate. This suggests that the kinase may be differentially engaged in pre- and postsynaptic functions at certain synapses.
How Does Learning Impact Development in Infancy? The Case of Perceptual Organization

Pattern perception and organization are critical functions of the visual cognition system. Many organizational processes are available early in life, such that infants as young 3 months of age are able to readily utilize a variety of cues to organize visual patterns. However, other processes are not readily evident in young infants, and their development involves perceptual learning. We describe a theoretical framework that addresses perceptual learning in infancy and the manner in which it affects visual organization and development. It identifies five kinds of experiences that induce learning, and suggests that they work via attentional and unitization mechanisms to modify visual organization. In addition, the framework proposes that this kind of learning is abstract, domain general, functional at different ages in a qualitatively similar manner, and has a long-term impact on development through a memory reactivation process. Although most models of development assume that experience is fundamental to development, very little is actually known about the process by which experience affects development. The proposed framework is an attempt to account for this process in the domain of perception.
Clostridium difficile Toxin as a Confounding Factor in Enterovirus Isolation

A peculiar cytotoxic effect, occasionally encountered in the course of inoculating cell cultures with fecal specimens for routine enterovirus isolation attempts, was shown to be produced by Clostridium difficile toxin.
INTERFERENCE WITH PHAGE LAMBDA DEVELOPMENT BY THE SMALL SUBUNIT OF THE PHAGE 21 TERMINASE, GP1

Abstract Bacteriophage lambda development is blocked in cells carrying a plasmid that expresses the terminase genes of phage 21. The interference is caused by the small subunit of phage 21 terminase, gp1. Mutants of lambda able to form plaques in the presence of gp1 include sti mutants. One such mutation, sti30, is an A. T-to-G.C transition mutation at base pair 184 on the lambda chromosome. The sti30 mutation extends the length of the ribosome-binding sequence of the Nul gene that is complementary to the 3' end of the 16S rRNA from GGA to GGAG. The sti30 mutation causes a approximately 50-fold increase in the level of expression of a Nul-lacZ reporter gene, indicating that the sti30 mutation overcomes the gp1 inhibition by increasing the level of expression of gpNul. Although the Nul and A genes of lambda overlap, the sti30 mutation has little effect on the level of gpA expression, indicating that translational coupling does not occur.
Modulation of Mast Cell Proliferative and Inflammatory Responses by Leukotriene D4 and Stem Cell Factor Signaling Interactions

Mast cells (MCs) are important effector cells in asthma and pulmonary inflammation, and their proliferation and maturation is maintained by stem cell factor (SCF) via its receptor, c-Kit. Cysteinyl leukotrienes (cys-LTs) are potent inflammatory mediators that signal through CysLT1 R and CysLT2 R located on the MC surface, and they enhance MC inflammatory responses. However, it is not known if SCF and cys-LTs cross-talk and influence MC hyperplasia and activation in inflammation. Here, we report the concerted effort of the growth factor SCF and the inflammatory mediator LTD4 in MC activation. Stimulation of MCs by LTD4 in the presence of SCF enhances c-Kit-mediated proliferative responses. Similarly, SCF synergistically enhances LTD4 -induced calcium, c-fos expression and phosphorylation, as well as MIP1β generation in MCs. These findings suggest that integration of SCF and LTD4 signals may contribute to MC hyperplasia and hyper-reactivity during airway hyper-response and inflammation.
Correcting the Failure of the Slowly Varying Amplitude Approximation for Short Pulses

The slowly varying amplitude assumption, a useful simplification, is invalid for few cycle pulses. We offer a rigorously justified alternative, valid for short pulses, which leads to qualitatively different behaviors.
BANKRUPTCY, MEDICAL INSURANCE, AND A LAW WITH UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES

Congress passed the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) in 1986, guaranteeing a standard of medical care to anyone who entered an emergency room. This guarantee made default a more reliable substitute for medical insurance. I construct a tractable structural model of the medical insurance market and find that repealing EMTALA would increase the fraction of the population with insurance while decreasing its price. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Design and use of heat spreaders to cool low to moderate power plastic packages

The current trends toward greater heat dissipation by small plastic packages has prompted the need for enhanced cooling methods. This paper discusses the use of a heat spreader that is a viable alternative for cooling low to moderate power plastic packages. The heat spreader is attached to the top of the package to increase the convective cooling rate. A series of thermal simulations were performed using Flotherm software to define the key design variables. The model is validated by comparison to experimental data and is shown to be useful for designing heat spreaders for applications involving multiple ICs and restricted spaces.
Land use and climate influences on waterbirds in the Prairie Potholes

Aim We examined the influences of regional climate and land-use variables on mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), blue-winged teal (Anas discors), ruddy duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) and pied-billed grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) abundances to inform conservation planning in the Prairie Pothole Region of the United States. Location The US portion of Bird Conservation Region 11 (US-BCR11, the Prairie Potholes), which encompasses six states within the United States: Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota and Iowa. Methods We used data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey (NABBS), the National Land Cover Data Set, and the National Climatic Data Center to model the effects of environmental variables on waterbird abundance. We evaluated land-use covariates at three logarithmically related spatial scales (1000, 10,000 and 100,000 ha), and constructed hierarchical spatial count models a priori using information from published habitat associations. Model fitting was performed using a hierarchical modelling approach within a Bayesian framework. Results Models with the same variables expressed at different scales were often in the best model subset, indicating that the influence of spatial scale was small. Both land-use and climate variables contributed strongly to predicting waterbird abundance in US-BCR11. The strongest positive influences on waterbird abundance were the percentage of wetland area across all three spatial scales, herbaceous vegetation and precipitation variables. Other variables that we included in our models did not appear to influence waterbirds in this study. Main conclusions Understanding the relationships of waterbird abundance to climate and land use may allow us to make predictions of future distribution and abundance as environmental factors change. Additionally, results from this study can suggest locations where conservation and management efforts should be focused.
CNS Regulation of Cardiac Rhythm and the Potential for Pain‐Induced Arrhythmia

CNS Control of Cardiac Rhythm. The purpose of our studies was to determine brain areas that influence cardiac rhythm. Studies were performed in anesthetized cats and indicate that a yet undetermined site in the hindbrain involving GABAergic mechanisms has a major influence over cardiac rhythm. In addition, a serotonergic mechanism involving 5-HT2 receptors in the subretrofacial nucleus is responsible for selective activation of sympathetic neurons to the ventricle of the heart. Our data also indicate that neurons in the area postrema exert a major effect on cardiac rhythm. Finally, the question of whether pain-induced changes in cardiovascular function involves neurons in the subretrofacial nucleus is also addressed.
Issues in optimization for planning of intensity-modulated radiation therapy.

Abstract The clinical use of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is expanding rapidly in academic and, more recently, in community-based radiotherapy centers due to a high level of clinician interest, improving reimbursement patterns, and the availability of the tools required to plan and deliver IMRT plans. These tools include inverse planning optimization algorithms and linear accelerator control systems with automated, multifield delivery capabilities. The hazards of this new technology are due primarily to the nonintuitive nature of the inverse planning process and the highly complex methods of delivery required for IMRT dose delivery. Important efforts are being made to define the required quality assurance for these computer-optimized IMRT plans and to find ways to reduce their complexity without reducing the quality of the resulting plans. By minimizing the complexity of these dose plans, one also minimizes the treatment time and the probability of dose delivery errors. Methods of optimization and evaluation of dose plans and practical considerations in inverse planning are discussed. In addition, this article points out the potential hazards of inverse-planned IMRT and discusses methods by which the complexity of these plans might be reduced. Copyright 2002, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.
Umbilical Vessel Cardiac Catheterization and Angiocardiography

Cardiac catheterization and angiocardiography through the umbilical artery and vein were performed in the first 10 days of life on 50 infants with serious congenital heart lesions. This procedure has been diagnostically effective and presents minimal risk to the critically ill newborn. The methods, effectiveness, advantages, limitations, and complications of this procedure are discussed.
The Legionella Effector RavZ Inhibits Host Autophagy Through Irreversible Atg8 Deconjugation

Eukaryotic cells can use the autophagy pathway to defend against microbes that gain access to the cytosol or reside in pathogen-modified vacuoles. It remains unclear if pathogens have evolved specific mechanisms to manipulate autophagy. Here, we found that the intracellular pathogen Legionella pneumophila could interfere with autophagy by using the bacterial effector protein RavZ to directly uncouple Atg8 proteins attached to phosphatidylethanolamine on autophagosome membranes. RavZ hydrolyzed the amide bond between the carboxyl-terminal glycine residue and an adjacent aromatic residue in Atg8 proteins, producing an Atg8 protein that could not be reconjugated by Atg7 and Atg3. Thus, intracellular pathogens can inhibit autophagy by irreversibly inactivating Atg8 proteins during infection.
Hydrothermal Processing of Chlorinated Hydrocarbons in a Titanium Reactor

Experiments are reported on the oxidative hydrothermal destruction of chlorinated organics in a corrosion-resistant titanium reactor. Oxidation reaction conditions were 250-500 {degree}C near 650 bar and reaction times of 30-100 s in a continuous-flow reactor. Trichloroacetic acid, trichloroethylene, and 1,1,1-trichloroethane behaved similarly. The organic concentration was approximately 1.5 wt%; hydrogen peroxide was the oxidizer; sodium bicarbonate was added to achieve neutral pH. Hydrolysis occurs at low temperature, producing chloride ion and secondary organics. Carbon dioxide is the sole carbon product at 500 {degree}C. Sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite were also found to be effective oxidizers. Corrosion of the titanium was found to be slight (<0.038 mm/yr). The reaction mixture is likely not a single phase at these conditions. The destruction efficiency for trichloroethylene was estimated as 99.96% at 450 {degree}C and 60 s, with <0.02% conversion to volatile chlorinated organic byproducts. 33 refs., 9 figs., 6 tabs.
WINDSTORM DISTURBANCE WITHOUT PATCH DYNAMICS: TWELVE YEARS OF CHANGE IN A MINNESOTA FOREST

In an old-growth Pinus – Populus – Acer forest, treefall areas did not diverge from undisturbed control areas over a 12-yr period following windstorm disturbance. Woody plant populations sampled in 1984, 1992, and 1996 changed significantly over time, but changes in treefall areas did not differ from changes in control areas in plant species richness, composition, or vegetation structure. Preexisting tall shrubs and windfirm saplings cast heavy shade even where canopy trees blew down, preventing formation of deep lightgaps and limiting resource heterogeneity on the forest floor. Thus, in this forest, disturbance by moderate windstorm did not initiate the sort of patch dynamics that enriches diversity by admitting light-demanding species into the understory. The unresponsiveness of the understory, juxtaposed with heavy mortality to shade-intolerant species, suggests that moderate windstorms will neither initiate patch dynamics nor set back succession, but will instead hasten successional takeover by shade-tolerant trees in such forests.
Familial occurrence of malrotation of the intestine

Summary 1. A family in which 3 of 4 siblings were found to have malrotation of the intestine is described. 2. The available genetic data pertaining to this group of developmental anomalies are reviewed. 3. Although the precise pattern of heredity can not be ascertained, it is suggested that the multiple occurrence in this family may be due to genetic factors. 4. It is believed that this is the first report of multiple occurrence of malrotation of the intestine in a single sibship.
INELASTIC PROPERTIES OF SEVERAL HIGH PRESSURE CRYSTALLINE PHASES OF H2O : ICES II, III AND V

Deformation experiments were performed on cylinders of polycrystalline H/sub 2/O at temperatures from 178 to 257/sup 0/K at pressures to 500 MPa in the stability fields of ices II, III, and V. Ice II is the strongest of the phases, having a strength under laboratory conditions roughly comparable to that of ice I/sub h/. Ice V is somewhat weaker than ice II. Ice III is extremely weak and over geologic times must behave essentially as a liquid bounded below by ice V and above by ice II or I/sub h/. Phase relationships are complicated by a number of phase metastabilities, the most important of which is the existence of ice III in the ice II field for extended periods of time. Even under deformation at temperatures as low as 211 K (over 30 K below the ice III field), the transformations from III to II can not be made to happen in the laboratory.
Sandro Penna and anti-Oedipal impegno

A number of Italianists have recently argued the need to reconsider the term impegno in the light of feminist and queer critiques. Such critiques do not simply highlight the way in which impegno has usually been construed as a masculine, heterosexual domain. They also note that its employment often presupposes a gendered, heteronormative account of politics itself. Complicating this sense of politics via a reading of recent work in queer theory which insists that desire and need are intertwined, this essay argues for a reconsideration of the work of Italian poet Sandro Penna – someone whose oeuvre has regularly been construed by literary critics as apolitical – as an example of impegno. Bringing together psychoanalysis, the work of Michel Foucault, and historical materialism, the essay argues that, in their historical context, Penna's poems staged a resistance to what Freud termed the genital organisation of the libido and are thus ‘anti-Oedipal’.
Surface and structural stabilities of carbon additives in high voltage lithium ion batteries

Abstract The stabilities of different conductive carbon additives have been systematically investigated in high voltage lithium ion batteries. It is found that the higher surface area of conductive additives leads to more parasitic reactions initiating from different onset voltages. A closer inspection reveals that for the low surface area carbon such as Super P, PF 6 − anions reversibly intercalate into carbon structure at around 4.7 V. For high surface area carbons, in addition to the electrolyte decomposition, the oxidation of functional groups at high voltage further increases the irreversible capacity and Li+ ion consumption. Coulombic efficiency, irreversible capacity and cycling stability observed by using different carbon additives are correlated with their structure and surface chemistry, thus providing information for predictive selection of carbon additives in different energy storage systems.
An Examination of the Relationship Between Academic Dishonesty and Workplace Dishonesty: A Multicampus Investigation

Abstract This article addresses academic integrity in both the classroom and the work environment. The authors distributed an in-class questionnaire to a sample of business students from 6 different campuses (N = 1,051). The study was an attempt to bridge the gap between findings related to academic dishonesty and those regarding dishonesty in the workplace. The authors found that students who believed that cheating, or dishonest acts, are acceptable were more likely to engage in these dishonest behaviors. Additionally, students who engaged in dishonest acts in college classes were more likely to engage in dishonest acts in the workplace. The authors suggest some techniques to discourage dishonesty in the classroom.
Effects of prolonging peak dobutamine dose during stress echocardiography.

Abstract Objectives. This study sought to test whether the physiologic advantage of a prolonged dobutamine stage during stress echocardiography can be effectively combined with a clinically practical infusion protocol. Background. Dobutamine has a half-life of 2 min and requires up to 10 min to achieve steady state. Despite these known pharmacodynamics, dobutamine stress echocardiography is routinely performed by advancing doses at 3-min intervals. Canine studies have shown that dobutamine stress echocardiography end points will occur at a lower dose if each stage is prolonged, but these findings have yet to be used in the clinical setting. Methods. The standard 3-min dobutamine dose stage during stress echocardiography was modified by extending the peak dose (40 μg/kg body weight per min) for an additional 2 min. Consecutive patients underwent this modified protocol to test whether the requirement for atropine could be reduced. According to this modified protocol, if a dobutamine stress echocardiographic end point (85% of maximal predicted heart rate, new wall motion abnormalities, hypotension, arrhythmia or intolerable symptoms) was not reached at 3 min of the peak dose, this dose was prolonged for an additional 2 min. If a dobutamine stress echocardiographic end point was still not attained, atropine (up to 1.0 mg intravenously) was administered. Results. The study included 84 patients, 22 of whom (26.2%) achieved a dobutamine stress echocardiographic end point using the standard 3-min stage. Of the 62 patients who did not reach an end point in the initial 3 min of peak dobutamine dose, the additional 2 min of dobutamine increased heart rate (from 99.6 ± 23.8 to 107.2 ± 23.2 beats/min, p Conclusions. These data demonstrate that a significant number of patients (32%) who do not reach a dobutamine stress echocardiographic end point with the standard protocol can safely attain an end point solely by extending the duration of the peak dose. Adoption of this strategy may reduce the need for supplemental atropine and its potential adverse effects. (J Am Coll Cardiol 1997;29:526–30)
Cervical cancer occurrence in Memphis and Shelby County, Tennessee, during 25 years of its cervical cytology screening program

This review of the cytologic history of 430 women with histologically proved invasive cancer of the uterine cervix indicates that several significant subgroups can be defined. One major subgroup consists of 142 patients or 33% of the total group in whom invasive cancer developed within 1 to 5 years, with an average of 2.6 years, after one or more negative cytologic findings. This appears to be a significant proportion of the occurrence of invasive cervical cancer and warrants consideration in the recommendation of screening intervals. The second major subgroup, consisting of 88 patients (20.5%), had a delay in diagnosis averaging 9.9 years after the first abnormal cytologic finding. In some of these patients either the cytologic examination results reverted to negative for a period or the biopsy material did not confirm the cytologic abnormalities. The disease progressed to invasion. These findings appear to bear out the importance of close follow-up of patients with any abnormal cytologic finding in the intraepithelial neoplasia category even though intermittent cytologic studies may appear negative.
Acquired Cyclic Esotropia in an Adult

A 67-year-old women developed periodic alternate-day esotropia, documented with videotape, 16-mm film, and quantitative eye-movement recordings, after retinal detachment surgery. The eye movements suggested that central reprocessing and adaptation to a peripheral defect was in part responsible for this adult form of acquired cyclic esotropia.
ReadAid: A Robust and Fully-Automated Readability Assessment Tool

Reading is an integral part of educational development, however, it is frustrating for people who struggle to understand (are not motivated to read, respectively) text documents that are beyond (below, respectively) their readability levels. Finding appropriate reading materials, with or without first scanning through their contents, is a challenge, since there are tremendous amount of documents these days and a clear majority of them are not tagged with their readability levels. Even though existing readability assessment tools determine readability levels of text documents, they analyze solely the lexical, syntactic, and/or semantic properties of a document, which are neither fully-automated, generalized, nor well-defined and are mostly based on observations. To advance the current readability analysis technique, we propose a robust, fully-automated readability analyzer, denoted ReadAid, which employs support vector machines to combine features from the US Curriculum and College Board, traditional readability measures, and the author(s) and subject area(s) of a text document d to assess the readability level of d. ReadAid can be applied for (i) filtering documents (retrieved in response to a web query) of a particular readability level, (ii) determining the readability levels of digitalized text documents, such as book chapters, magazine articles, and news stories, or (iii) dynamically analyzing, in real time, the grade level of a text document being created. The novelty of ReadAid lies on using authorship, subject areas, and academic concepts and grammatical constructions extracted from the US Curriculum to determine the readability level of a text document. Experimental results show that ReadAid is highly effective and outperforms existing state-of-the-art readability assessment tools.
Helping HR to understand the strategic value chain.

Andrew Mayo, director of Mayo Learning International, explains how using a cause and effect analysis system will help determine how HR’s agenda should be set in order to directly support key strategic outcomes.
Quantification of the spatiotemporal microstructural organization of the human brain association, projection and commissural pathways across the lifespan using diffusion tensor tractography

Using diffusion tensor tractography, we quantified the microstructural changes in the association, projection, and commissural compact white matter pathways of the human brain over the lifespan in a cohort of healthy right-handed children and adults aged 6-68 years. In both males and females, the diffusion tensor radial diffusivity of the bilateral arcuate fasciculus, inferior longitudinal fasciculus, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, uncinate fasciculus, corticospinal, somatosensory tracts, and the corpus callosum followed a U-curve with advancing age; fractional anisotropy in the same pathways followed an inverted U-curve. Our study provides useful baseline data for the interpretation of data collected from patients.
Application of noninvasive techniques for measuring cardiac output in hypertensive patients

The hemodynamic hallmark of hypertension is increased systemic vascular resistance, although this variable is usually not determined in hypertensive patients because it has generally required invasive procedures to measure cardiac output. Reliable, totally noninvasive methods are now available that measure cardiac output accurately enough under a variety of conditions, including rest, exercise, and pharmacologic interventions. These methods include echocardiography, Doppler echocardiography, CO2 rebreathing, and impedance cardiography. Their serial application to large numbers of patients offers the opportunity to significantly broaden our understanding of the spectrum and course of hemodynamic alterations associated with hypertension. A more complete knowledge of underlying hemodynamics could improve our diagnostic and prognostic accuracy in hypertensive patients and enhance our understanding of the pathophysiology of hypertension and the mechanism of action of antihypertensive interventions.
Copper Incorporation into Superoxide Dismutase in Menkes Lymphoblasts

The incorporation of copper into Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD) was examined in Menkes lymphoblasts that express a genetic defect of copper metabolism. SOD activity was ≈40% higher in Menkes than normal lymphoblasts. Since Menkes lymphoblasts contain elevated copper levels, the higher SOD activity is most likely due to near copper saturation of an apoSOD pool that is in normal lymphoblasts. Cycloheximide markedly inhibited 64Cu(II) incorporation into SOD in Menkes lymphoblasts under conditions in which no significant, de novo synthesis of SOD protein was detected with normal lymphoblasts. The maximal amount of 64Cu incorporation into newly synthesized SOD in Menkes lymphoblasts was approximately equal to the maximal amount of 64Cu that could be incorporated into the apoSOD pool in normal lymphoblasts. The increased synthesis of SOD in Menkes lymphoblasts may play a protective role against copper toxicity in Menkes lymphoblasts. The protonophore, CCCP markedly inhibited 64Cu incorporation into SOD in both normal and Menkes lymphoblasts, which is consistent with 64Cu incorporation into SOD within a membrane-bounded compartment in both cell types. When 64Cu-incorporation into SOD was blocked with CCCP, copper accumulated in a Superose column fraction that contains S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase (SAHH), which has a high affinity for copper. SAHH may play a role in delivering copper to SOD.
A space-time analysis of ground-level ozone data

We examine hourly ozone data collected in connection with a model evaluation study for ozone transport in the San Joaquin Valley of California. A space-time analysis of a subset of the data, 17 sites concentrated around the Sacramento area, indicates a relatively simple spatial covariance structure at night-time, while the afternoon readings show a more complex spatial covariance, which is partly explained by observations from a single station with suspicious data. Simple separable space-time covariance models do not appear applicable to these data.
The effects of hysterectomy and decidual induction on luteal maintenance in rabbits.

Relatively large quantities of decidual tissue closely resembling the maternal placenta have been produced in rabbits by aspiration of early conceptuses. The effect of this decidual tissue on luteal maintenance has been evaluated and compared with the condition resulting from hysterectomy during early pregnancy or pseudopregnancy. Luteal maintenance was assessed by luteal weights and histology and levels of progesterone and 20α-hydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one in ovarian venous blood. Neither hysterectomy nor decidual induction resulted in a condition of luteal maintenance equivalent to pregnancy, but both treatments sustained corpora lutea beyond the normal duration of pseudopregnancy. Hysterectomy during early pregnancy was at least as successful in this regard as was uterine removal in pseudopregnancy. (Endocrinology 93: 348, 1973)
The age of biomedicine: current trends in traditional subjects

Summary The earliest scientific journals on biomedicine began publication in the 50s and their authors addressed the application of biology to medicine. More recently, biochemistry and biomedical engineering questions have figured more prominently. This trend is discussed in a survey of the topics appearing in the Journal of Applied Biomedicine. Pharmacological and toxicological articles have been popular over the long term and the neurosciences, chronomedicine, molecular and cell biomedicine have also been very important. The role of computational biomedicine and nanomedicine has received increasing attention as has the part which applied biomedicine can play in the enhancement of the general economy.
A just-in-time simulation model of a PCB assembly line

Abstract In this paper, a simulation model of an existing printed circuit board (PCB) assembly line is developed in an attempt to identity strategies which tend to improve the system performance. The model is based on the concept of the JIT (Just-In-Time) production approach. Parameters investigated include sequencing rule, lot size, number of Kanbans used, and number of PCB types.
Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome: A thunderclap headache-associated condition

Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS) is characterized by a sudden, severe headache at onset, vascular narrowing involving the circle of Willis and its immediate branches, and angiographic evidence of vasoconstriction reversibility within minutes to weeks of onset. RCVS is underrecognized and often misdiagnosed; it can defy clinical detection because it can mimic common conditions such as migraine and ischemic stroke. A lack of shared nosology has hampered awareness and understanding of the syndrome. Clinicians must consider primary angiitis of the central nervous system because of its high rates of morbidity and mortality if left untreated. RCVS has a number of primary and secondary associations (cerebral hemorrhage, vasoactive substances, the peripartum period, bathing, and physical exertion) but also occurs in isolation. RCVS can present in conjunction with hypertensive encephalopathy, preeclampsia, and reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy. This review provides an up-to-date account of RCVS.
Results of retroperitoneal lymph node dissection after chemotherapy in patients with pure seminoma in the orchidectomy specimen but elevated serum α-fetoprotein

OBJECTIVE To determine the incidence of necrosis, teratoma, and active cancer in specimens at retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) after chemotherapy in patients who presented with a pure seminoma primary tumour and an elevated serum α-fetoprotein (AFP) level at diagnosis who underwent surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS A retrospective review of the Indiana University testis cancer database from 1980 to 2004 was performed to identify all patients with metastasic germ cell cancer, pure seminoma in the orchidectomy specimen, and an elevated AFP level. In all, 42 patients were identified; two with nonseminomatous germ cell cancer in the contralateral testicle were excluded. RESULTS RPLND pathology in the 40 patients showed necrosis in 13 (32.5%), teratoma in 12 (30%), and cancer in 15 (37.5%). The histological subtype of the 15 cancer specimens at RPLND was pure seminoma in two, embryonal in three, yolk sac in seven, variant in one, and mixed elements in two (one with seminoma and yolk sac, and one with embryonal and variant). In all, 20 patients presented with a serum AFP level of 1000 µg/mL with three (15%) having teratoma only in the retroperitoneum (P = 0.04). The level of serum AFP did not predict for active cancer in the retroperitoneum (P = 0.5). CONCLUSIONS RPLND in patients after chemotherapy who presented with pure seminoma in the orchidectomy specimen and an elevated AFP do not have a high probability of finding necrosis only in the RPLND specimen. In fact, the prevalence of persistent cancer is higher compared with the general group of patients that have RPLND after chemotherapy.
Dissolution kinetics of silica glass as a function of pH between 40 and 85°C

Anhydrous vitreous silica glass was reacted in solutions buffered from pH 1.1 to pH 10.9 between 40 and 85°C for up to 1500 h. The initial release of silicon to solution is proportional to the square root of time, consistent with a surface diffusion process. At later times, the release becames linear with time, indicating surface reaction control. The reproducibility of square root of time release rates with previously used glass can be explained within the context of current models of vitreous silica structure. At 65°C, above pH 6.5 the log diffusional rate constants increase with pH such that δ log k/δpH = 0.4, while below pH 6.5 the diffusional rate constants are nearly pH-independent. The surface reaction release rate constants show a similar pH dependence with δ log k/δpH = 0.5 above pH 7, while below pH 7 the rate constants are nearly pH-independent. The activation energy of surface reaction is 22.7 ± 3.7 kcal mol−1 at pH 4 for vitreous silica. This value is consistent, but slightly higher than that of Rimstidt and Barnes [Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 44 (1980) 1683] for amorphous silica.
The very high resolution spectrometer at the National Institute of Standards and Technology

Abstract The Very High Resolution Spectrometer at the Synchrotron Ultraviolet Radiation Facility of the National Institute of Standards and Technology has been upgraded with improved beamline throughput, instrument control and data acquisition. Since this upgrade, a number of high resolution measurements have been made in the vacuum ultraviolet region of the electromagnetic spectrum between 40 nm and 100 nm. Utilizing the features of this instrument, on-line photoelectric recording at intervals of 0.1 pm in first order from a synchrotron light source can be made. A resolution of 0.9 pm has been obtained at 80 nm.
Imaging contrast effects in alginate microbeads containing trapped emulsion droplets.

Abstract This study focuses on spherical microparticles made of cross-linked alginate gel and microcapsules composed of an oil-in-water emulsion where the continuous aqueous phase is cross-linked into an alginate gel matrix. We have investigated the use of these easily manufactured microbeads as contrast agents for the study of the flow properties of fluids using nuclear magnetic resonance imaging. Results demonstrate that combined spin–spin ( T 2 ) relaxation and diffusion contrast in proton NMR imaging can be used to distinguish among rigid polymer particles, plain alginate beads, and alginate emulsion beads. Multi-echo CPMG spin-echo imaging indicates that the average spin–lattice ( T 1 ) and spin–spin ( T 2 ) relaxation times of the plain alginate and alginate emulsion beads are comparable. Meanwhile, diffusion-weighted imaging produces sharp contrast between the two types of alginate beads, due to restricted diffusion inside the embedded oil droplets of the alginate emulsion beads. While the signal obtained from most materials is severely attenuated under applied diffusion gradients, the alginate emulsion beads maintain signal strength. The alginate emulsion beads were added to a suspension and imaged in an abrupt, annular expansion flow. The emulsion beads could be clearly distinguished from the surrounding suspending fluid and rigid polystyrene particles, through either T 2 relaxation or diffusion contrast. Such a capability allows future use of the alginate emulsion beads as tracer particles and as one particle type among many in a multimodal suspension where detailed concentration profiles or particle size separation must be quantified during flow.
The Impact of Self-Service Bans in the Retail Gasoline Market

In 1968, 23 states barred the self-service sale of gasoline. By 1992, close to 80% of all gasoline sales nationwide were marketed through self-service, and only New Jersey and Oregon continued to ban self-service sales. This paper examines the rise of self-service gasoline and its impact on price and the structure of the retail gasoline sector. Using predicted values for self-service sales for New Jersey and Oregon, the findings indicate that the bans in those two states have affected the retail market structure by slowing the penetration of convenience store tie-ins, and have resulted in retail margins that are approximately $0.03 to $0.05 per gallon higher. However, the bans have provided little protection to smaller outlets, which was a stated objective of their proponents.