cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Forecasting the use of electronic health records: an expert opinion approach.

Background: To promote the widespread adoption and use of electronic health records (EHRs), in 2011, CMS started making Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments to providers who demonstrate that they are “meaningful users” of certified EHR systems. Data and Methods: This paper combines an expert opinion method, a modified Delphi technique, with a technological diffusion framework to create a forecast of the percent of office-based physicians who will become adopters and “meaningful users” of health information technology from 2012 to 2019. The panel consisted of 18 experts from industry, academia, and government who are knowledgeable about the adoption and use of EHRs in office-based settings and are recognized as opinion leaders in their respective professions. Results: Overall, the expert panel projected that primary care physicians in large group practices are more likely to achieve the meaningful use of EHRs relative to primary care physicians in small group practices and all other specialists: the group projected that 65 percent of primary care physicians in large group practices, 45 percent of primary care physicians in small group practices, and 44 percent of all other specialists could achieve meaningful use by 2015. In 2019, these projections increase to 80 percent, 65 percent, and 66 percent for these three groups, respectively. Conclusions and Policy Implications: The information from this study is especially valuable when there is a lack of data and a high degree of uncertainty in a new policy environment and could help inform and evaluate government programs, such as the Regional Extension Centers (REC), by providing data from leading experts.
Advances in the mass spectrometry of hemoglobin adducts: global analysis of the covalent binding of butadiene monoxide.

Abstract A common method to assess exposure to 1,3-butadiene through both occupational and environmental routes involves the detection of hemoglobin adducts formed by the primary reactive metabolite butadiene monoxide (EB). This assay is a modification of the Edman degradation procedure, which was developed to determine adducts formed specifically at the amine group of the N -terminal valine of hemoglobin. The goals of the current research are to determine the global modification of α- and β-globin chains by EB and to localize the primary reactive residues to specific regions of the globin polypeptides. The degree of modification was monitored by electrospray mass spectrometry, which was used to measure the formation of EB-hemoglobin adducts (up to ten adducts per globin). Structural analysis of these modifications was performed by peptide mapping of globin peptides after trypsin digestion using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. These experiments provided information as to the relative reactivity of α- and β-globin towards EB, as well as to the localization of adducts to specific peptide sequences. The results reveal variable reactivities of α- and β-globin towards EB and also show the formation of multiple adducts at several α- and β-globin sites. In addition, it is established that the N -terminal valine residues are not the first to be modified by EB.
Value of PAX8, PAX2, napsin A, carbonic anhydrase IX, and claudin-4 immunostaining in distinguishing pleural epithelioid mesothelioma from metastatic renal cell carcinoma

Both mesotheliomas and renal cell carcinomas can present a wide variety of cytomorphologic features and histologic patterns. Because of this, renal cell carcinomas metastatic to the pleura and lung can be confused with mesotheliomas. Recently, a variety of positive carcinoma markers, including kidney-associated markers, have become available. The aim of this study is to investigate the value of some of these markers, specifically PAX8, PAX2, napsin A, carbonic anhydrase IX, and claudin-4, for assisting in distinguishing pleural epithelioid mesotheliomas from metastatic renal cell carcinomas. To do so, a total of 40 pleural epithelioid mesotheliomas and 55 renal cell carcinomas (33 clear cell, 10 papillary, and 12 chromophobe) were investigated. In all, 91% of the renal cell carcinomas expressed claudin-4, 89% PAX8, 60% PAX2, 71% carbonic anhydrase IX, and 29% napsin A. All of the mesotheliomas were positive for carbonic anhydrase IX and were negative for all of the other markers. On the basis of these results, it is concluded that claudin-4 and PAX8 have a higher sensitivity and specificity for assisting in discriminating between pleural epithelioid mesotheliomas and renal cell carcinomas when compared with all of the other positive carcinoma markers that are, at present, recommended to be included in the immunohistochemical panels used in this differential diagnosis. Even though PAX2 and napsin A are highly specific, because of their low sensitivity, they have only a limited value. Carbonic anhydrase IX is not useful.
Magnetostriction of Dy-rich Tb/sub x/Dy/sub 1-x/ single crystals

Magnetostriction and differential scanning calorimetry measurements were conducted on the Tb/sub x/Dy/sub 1-x/ alloy system for 0.33>or=x>or=0. The magnetostriction measurements extend from 80 K to 300 K and cover the ferromagnetic, antiferromagnetic spiral, and paramagnetic temperature regions with fields of 6-20 kOe. From the data the authors derive the two lowest order magnetostriction constants, lambda /sup gamma .2/ and lambda /sup gamma .4/, as well as the basal plane anisotropy, K/sub 6//sup 6/. At 80 K, lambda /sup gamma .2/>7*10/sup -3/ for all alloys. While lambda /sup gamma .2/ is almost independent of alloy concentration (except at high temperatures), lambda /sup gamma .4/ decreases substantially with increasing Dy concentration, approaching zero for 0.17>x>0. As reported previously, the basal plane anisotropy was found to compensate at temperatures below 100 K in the x=0.67 and 0.50 alloys. This compensation is found to occur at higher temperatures in the x=0.33 and 0.17 alloys. The temperatures at which this occurs are presented in a magnetic phase diagram along with the calorimetrically determined Curie and Neel temperatures. >
BNDF modulates normal human hippocampal ageing

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a neutrophin highly expressed in the hippocampus, has been associated with hippocampal-dependent learning and memory processes.1 A polymorphism in the BDNF (BDNFval66met; rs6265) gene causing a valine (val)-to-methionine (met) substitution at codon 66 results in altered intracellular trafficking and packaging of BDNF, and in a reduction of its regulated secretion.1 BDNFval66met genotype predicts variation in human episodic memory, as well as in hippocampal anatomy and function.1,2 In rats, BDNF-mediated beneficial effects on neuroprotection, memory ability and learning decrease with advancing age.3 Interestingly, hippocampal activity in humans,4 as well as the expression of BDNF and its receptor5 in this region also decrease with age. In line with these findings, we expected that age-related decline of hippocampal function would be modulated by genetically determined variation in BDNF function, such that BDNF-met allele carriers (expressing diminished regulated secretion of BDNF) would show a more pronounced decrease in memory-dependent hippocampal activity with advancing age relative to BDNF-val/val individuals.
Screening and treatment of dyslipidemias in children and adolescents.

Background/Aims: Cardiovascular disease is the most prominent cause of mortality worldwide. A key risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is the presence of dyslipide
Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt Prior to Endoscopic Mucosal Resection for Barrett's Esophagus in the Setting of Varices

Patients with Barrett's esophagus (BE) and cirrhosis who develop high-grade dysplasia (HGD) or adenocarcinoma in the setting of esophageal varices present a unique therapeutic dilemma. There is limited literature regarding the optimal management of varices prior to invasive procedures or surgery involving the distal esophagus. We present a case of variceal decompression with a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) allowing for successful endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) of BE with HGD overlying esophageal varices.
Effective Team Building Develops Individuality

In the field of human resource development, one of the most frequently discussed and used methods is the development of effective group action and teamwork. Such an emphasis is understandable when we remind ourselves of the complexity, size, and pressures on today's organizations.
Kings, Clients and Satellites in the Napoleonic Imperium

Abstract Napoleon shaped his Empire with the expansion of dynastic possessions, the cultivation of princely clientele and the establishment of satellite and allied states. He built his imperium on the foundation of historic French relationships. This expansion began with the Revolutionary Republic and achieved its fullest extent under the Empire. Expansion was not pursued as a universal principle, but instead, each state became a part of a grand strategic objective related to respective enemies. In some cases, states served as buffers between France and their immediate enemies, but shortly thereafter served a dual role as offensive and defensive components of the Republic, and later Napoleonic Empire.
Home Ranges and Populations of Small Mammals in Central Korea

The evolutionary and genetic importance of the dynamics of natural populations of mammals has been reviewed by Blair (1953). Knowledge of population dynamics among mammals that are known or suspected reservoirs of disease is important because some aspects of transmission and spread of diseases and their control depend on distribution, both geographic and ecologic, populations, movements and reproduction in the reservoir species involved. Several species of indigenous murid and cricetid rodents have been studied as potential reservoirs of hemorrhagic fever in Korea by the Field Unit of the Commission on Hemorrhagic Fever (Traub et al. , 1954). As a continuation and integral part of these studies, distributional and general ecological information has been gathered on various small mammals and their populations in Korea (see Youngman, 1956). The present paper presents the results of studies made on a 12.86-acre plot in the Central National Forest, a natural mixed forest at least 450 years old, approximately 15 miles northeast of Seoul, in the late summer and autumn of 1954 when the authors were assigned to the Field Unit of the Commission on Hemorrhagic Fever of the Armed Forces Epidemiological Board at the 11th Evacuation Hospital near Seoul. The area studied was on a southwest-facing hillside that rose from the valley of a small tributary of the Wangsuk River. Several small streams trickled down through the plot, one on the southeastern side and another near the center. Slope of the hill was, in general, gradual except on the southeastern edge where the slope rose more abruptly. Granite outcroppings were common, especially along the streams. The soil was a rich, dark brown, covered almost everywhere by several inches of litter. The nearest established urban area was the town of Pup'yong-ni, approximately 2 miles to the southeast. The approximate geographic coordinates of the study …
Transcriptional regulation of E2F-1 and eIF-2 genes by α-Pal: a potential mechanism for coordinated regulation of protein synthesis, growth, and the cell cycle

Abstract α-Pal regulates the basal transcription of the α and β subunits of eukaryotic initiation factor two (eIF-2), a rate-limiting enzyme for the initiation of protein biosynthesis. We recently showed that its global function may be to modulate the expression of key metabolic genes in response to cellular proliferation. In this paper, we examined a potential molecular mechanism by which α-Pal may achieve this function. When overexpressed, α-Pal upregulated protein synthesis and growth, but downregulated the cell cycle. The mechanism for the increased protein synthesis and growth appeared to be a transcriptional upregulation of the eIF-2α and eIF-2β genes. The mechanism for the cell cycle downregulation appeared to be a transcriptional downregulation of E2F-1, a transcription factor that regulates genes required for cell cycle progression beyond the G1/S interphase. Specifically, an apparently modified species of α-Pal bound to the eIF-2 promoters and induced transcriptional upregulation, whereas, an apparently unmodified species of the α-Pal bound to the E2F-1 promoter and induced transcriptional downregulation. By this mechanism, α-Pal may participate in coordinating the regulation of global protein synthesis, growth and the cell cycle; a regulation that is essential to cellular differentiation.
Electoral competition with policy-motivated candidates

Abstract In the multi-dimensional spatial model of elections with two policy-motivated candidates, we prove that the candidates must adopt the same policy platform in equilibrium. Moreover, when the number of voters is odd, if the gradients of the candidates' utility functions point in different directions, then they must locate at some voter's ideal point and a strong symmetry condition must be satisfied: in particular, it must be possible to pair some voters so that their gradients point in exactly opposite directions. If the number of dimensions is more than two, then our condition is knife-edge. When the number of voters is even, the situation is worse: such equilibria never exist, regardless of the dimensionality of the policy space.
An approach to investigation of easy bruising

Easy bruising presents several investigative dilemmas in primary and secondary practice, not least because it raises the spectre of physical abuse. When, and to what extent, should general paediatricians investigate before referral to a specialist? When can it be safely concluded that an underlying bleeding disorder has been excluded, so that further investigations can focus on ruling out suspected non-accidental injury? When, despite an abnormal clotting test, should the latter investigations still be pursued? The intention of this review is to attempt to answer these questions from the perspective of routine practice without recourse to a comprehensive review of bleeding disorders or non-accidental injury. We intend to address only the patient seen electively in the outpatient clinic for investigation of easy bruising, not an acutely ill child presenting to accident and emergency with purpura, whose differential diagnosis varies from, most often, no cause found, to, less commonly, meningococcal sepsis or Henoch–Schonlein purpura. Bruising caused by accidental injury is common around the age of 1, when most infants have started “cruising”.1 To distinguish “abnormal” from “normal” bruising requires attention to the pattern of bruising, associated symptoms, and drug and family history.2 As a rule, normal bruising is restricted to the lower limbs,1 not associated with petechiae, purpura, or mucosal bleeding, and the family history is negative. The latter should be interpreted cautiously as it is often negative in disorders of haemostasis, and not infrequently positive in families with unexplained easy bruising or epistaxis, who may carry the nebulous entity of “increased skin fragility” which is usually associated with “hyperextensible” joints, but without the classic features of Ehlers–Danlos syndrome (see below).3 It is also important to obtain a comprehensive family history, which includes grandparents and the extended family, and taking special care to note, where this may be …
Three-dimensional visualization of the intact thorax and contents:A technique for cross-sectional reconstruction from multiplanar X-ray views

Abstract A method is described for obtaining the three-dimensional spatial distribution of roentgen opacity within the intact canine thorax. Video recordings of multiple roentgenographic projections are digitized during rotation of the dog in the X-ray field to provide the data required for the reconstruction of a sequence of parallel spatially adjacent cross-sectional images of the thorax or heart over their entire anatomic extent at 1 60 second intervals in time. The accuracy of the technique is demonstrated with test objects and excised canine hearts, and the capability for high temporal resolution is illustrated by the cross-sectional reconstruction of a metabolically supported, isolated working canine left ventricle at different phases of the cardiac cycle. These data, along with simultaneous measurement of intracardiac and transmural pressures, provide the determinants required for estimations of dynamic myocardial length/tension relationships that are necessary for the quantitative assessment of cardiac contractility and reserve.
Ultrastructural nature of canine distemper inclusions in the urinary bladder.

Inclusion bodies were described in dogs dying of canine distemper as long ago as 19096. Today the presence of these inclusions in the urinary bladder, brain, and other tissues are routinely used as diagnostic evidence of the disease. The causative agent, a virus, was originally described in 19051. Studies using fluorescent-labeled antibodies suggested that the inclusion contain antigenic or viral materials. Recently, the ultrastructural development of the virus was studied in tissue culture of cerebellar explants and the nature of the inclusions in this tissue was described5. The objective of the present study was to determine the ultrastructure of inclusions in naturally occurring distemper and specifically to study the cytoplasmic inclusion body found in the urinary bladder. Normal ultrastructure of transitional epithelium was reviewed previouslyl2.
Inspiratory Muscle Strength Training in Infants With Congenital Heart Disease and Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation: A Case Report

Background and Purpose Inspiratory muscle strength training (IMST) has been shown to improve maximal pressures and facilitate ventilator weaning in adults with prolonged mechanical ventilation (MV). The purposes of this case report are: (1) to describe the rationale for IMST in infants with MV dependence and (2) to summarize the device modifications used to administer training. Case Description Two infants with congenital heart disease underwent corrective surgery and were referred for inspiratory muscle strength evaluation after repeated weaning failures. It was determined that IMST was indicated due to inspiratory muscle weakness and a rapid, shallow breathing pattern. In order to accommodate small tidal volumes of infants, 2 alternative training modes were devised. For infant 1, IMST consisted of 15-second inspiratory occlusions. Infant 2 received 10-breath sets of IMST through a modified positive end-expiratory pressure valve. Four daily IMST sets separated by 3 to 5 minutes of rest were administered 5 to 6 days per week. The infants' IMST tolerance was evaluated by vital signs and daily clinical reviews. Outcomes Maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) and rate of pressure development (dP/dt) were the primary outcome measures. Secondary outcome measures included the resting breathing pattern and MV weaning. There were no adverse events associated with IMST. Infants generated training pressures through the adapted devices, with improved MIP, dP/dt, and breathing pattern. Both infants weaned from MV to a high-flow nasal cannula, and neither required subsequent reintubation during their hospitalization. Discussion This case report describes pediatric adaptations of an IMST technique used to improve muscle performance and facilitate weaning in adults. Training was well tolerated in 2 infants with postoperative weaning difficulty and inspiratory muscle dysfunction. Further systematic examination will be needed to determine whether IMST provides a significant performance or weaning benefit.
Force transmission through the juvenile idiopathic arthritic wrist: a novel approach using a sliding rigid body spring model

Force transmission across the wrist during a grasping maneuver of the hand was simulated for three children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and for one healthy age-matched child. Joint reaction forces were estimated using a series of springs between articulating bones. This method (i.e., rigid body spring modeling) has proven useful for examining loading profiles for normally aligned wrists. A novel method (i.e., sliding rigid body spring modeling) designed specifically for studying joint reaction forces of the malaligned JIA wrist is presented in this paper. Loading profiles across the wrist for the unimpaired child were similar using both spring modeling methods. However, the traditional fixed-end method failed to converge to a solution for one of the JIA subjects indicating the sliding model may be more suitable for investigating loading profiles of the malaligned wrist. The results of this study suggest that a larger proportion of force is transferred through the ulno-carpal joint of the JIA wrist than for healthy subjects, with a less than normal proportion of force transferred through the radio-carpal joint. In addition, the ulnar directed forces along the shear axis defined in this study were greater for all three JIA children compared to values for the healthy child. These observations are what were hypothesized for an individual with JIA of the wrist.
JOB ACTIVITY AND COLON CANCER RISK

The authors studied 2,950 population-based colon cancer cases in males in Los Angeles County, California, that were diagnosed between 1972 and 1981. To determine if colon cancer risk is reduced by physical activity on the job in males aged 20-64 years, the authors first rated each occupation by judging the activity level as high, moderate, or sedentary. Men with sedentary jobs had a colon cancer risk at least 1.6 times that of men whose jobs required a high level of activity. Risk increased in a stepwise manner as activity level decreased. This gradient was consistently seen within each socioeconomic stratum, among whites, blacks, immigrant and native Hispanics, and for each subsection of the colon from the hepatic flexure to the sigmoid. The protective effect of physical activity was very strong in the descending colon and diminished in a gradient both proximally and distally. There was no such relationship between physical activity and risk for rectal cancer. Physical activity may play a major, previously unrecognized role in colon cancer etiology. Such a role is consistent with the known pattern of colon cancer occurrence and with our understanding of colon physiology and colon cancer pathogenesis. In addition to the implications for prevention, understanding the effects of physical activity on colon cancer risk may allow future studies to evaluate more accurately the role played by diet.
High resolution methylation analysis of the FMR1 gene trinucleotide repeat region in fragile X syndrome

Fragile X syndrome is the most common form of inherited mental retardation in man. The disease is associated with expansion in the number of tandem CGG trinucleotide repeats in the 5' untranslated region of the human FMR1 gene. Transmitting males, individuals who are unaffected carriers of the disease, show a moderate increase in the number of repeat units, while fully penetrant males show a major expansion in repeat number. Major expansion of the repeat in affected males is correlated with methylation of certain restriction enzyme recognition sites in the 5' CpG island containing the trinucleotide repeat in these patients. Phenotypic expression of the mutation appears to be due to transcriptional silencing of the FMR1 gene. We now report direct high resolution methylation analysis of the trinucleotide repeat and its flanking regions using ligation-mediated PCR genomic sequencing. We find the cytosine residue of all CpG dinucleotides examined within and surrounding the FMR1 trinucleotide repeat to be unmethylated in the DNA of normal male leukocytes and transmitting male lymphoblasts; these same cytosines are methylated in affected male lymphoblasts, in a somatic cell hybrid containing a fragile X chromosome from an affected male, and in a somatic cell hybrid containing a normal inactive X chromosome. The methylation pattern of the FMR1 5' CpG island in affected patients as determined by genomic sequencing is remarkably similar to that seen for the X-linked human phosphoglycerate kinase and hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase gene 5' CpG islands on the inactive human X chromosome.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Investigating the Longitudinal Impact of a Successful Reform in General Chemistry on Student Enrollment and Academic Performance

Considerable effort in chemistry education research has been dedicated to developing and evaluating reform pedagogies designed to improve student success in general chemistry. Policy recommendations propose adoption of these techniques as a means to increase the number of science graduates, however there is the potential that the impact of these reforms is mitigated in subsequent classes. This study examines the longitudinal impact of a successful peer-led team learning reform that targets general chemistry. The study uses a quasi-experimental methodology comparing students who took general chemistry with peer-led team learning to students who experienced traditional instruction. Student enrollment and academic performance in subsequent classes were the outcome metrics evaluated. The results found that the reform impacts enrollment in the class that directly follows the target class but enrollment in subsequent classes is mitigated through student attrition within the curriculum. Additionally, no evidence...
Mechanism of Mpk1 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Binding to the Swi4 Transcription Factor and Its Regulation by a Novel Caffeine-Induced Phosphorylation

The Mpk1 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) of the cell wall integrity signaling pathway uses a noncatalytic mechanism to activate the SBF (Swi4/Swi6) transcription factor. Active Mpk1 forms a complex with Swi4, the DNA-binding subunit of SBF, conferring the ability to bind DNA. Because SBF activation is independent of Mpk1 catalytic activity but requires Mpk1 to be in an active conformation, we sought to understand how Mpk1 interacts with Swi4. Mutational analysis revealed that binding and activation of Swi4 by Mpk1 requires an intact D-motif-binding site, a docking surface common to MAPKs that resides distal to the phosphorylation loop but does not require the substrate-binding site, revealing a novel mechanism for MAPK target regulation. Additionally, we found that Mpk1 binds near the autoinhibitory C terminus of Swi4, suggesting an activation mechanism in which Mpk1 substitutes for Swi6 in promoting Swi4 DNA binding. Finally, we show that caffeine is an atypical activator of cell wall integrity signaling, because it induces phosphorylation of the Mpk1 C-terminal extension at Ser423 and Ser428. These phosphorylations were dependent on the DNA damage checkpoint kinases, Mec1/Tel1 and Rad53. Phosphorylation of Ser423 specifically blocked SBF activation by preventing Mpk1 association with Swi4, revealing a novel mechanism for regulating MAPK target specificity.
Outcomes of Global Environmentalism: Longitudinal and Cross-National Trends in Chemical Fertilizer and Pesticide Use

Previous research identifies changing world cultural norms as the impetus for a worldwide trend promoting environmentalism. However, the extent to which countries comply with the norms promoted and codified by environmental organizations and treaties has been less rigorously tested. Suspected noncompliance is generally explained as “decoupling” between policy and outcome. Here, I address the relationship between stated environmental objectives and practices and integrate world society and world-systems perspectives on the natural environment. Using random effects regression analyses of cross-national chemical fertilizer and pesticide use, I find that integration into world culture significantly predicts overall decreased use of these environmentally harmful products. However, the effect varies by zone of the world system, which supports an integrated theory of global environmentalism .
Modeling diffusion and collection of charge from ionizing radiation in silicon devices

A simplified model for the diffusion and collection of the charge generated along the track of a fast ionizing particle in Si is developed and used to discuss "soft failures" due to α-particles from radioactive elements. Several examples are worked out in detail. A scaling analysis shows that the charge collected by a device struck by an α-particle decreases less rapidly as all dimensions are scaled down than does the critical charge required to cause an error. Thus the charge margins preventing soft failures in most current devices will vanish if the devices are made smaller without significant redesign.
Preliminary study on helical CT algorithms for patient motion estimation and compensation

Helical computed tomography (helical/spiral CT) has replaced conventional CT in many clinical applications. In current helical CT, a patient is assumed to be rigid and motionless during scanning and planar projection sets are produced from raw data via longitudinal interpolation. However, rigid patient: motion is a problem in some cases (such as in the skull base and temporal bone imaging). Motion artifacts thus generated in reconstructed images can prevent accurate diagnosis. Modeling a uniform translational movement, the authors address how patient motion is ascertained and how it may be compensated. First, mismatch between adjacent fan-beam projections of the same orientation is determined via classical correlation, which is approximately proportional to the patient displacement projected onto an axis orthogonal to the central ray of the involved fan-beam. Then, the patient motion vector (the patient displacement per gantry rotation) is estimated from its projections using a least-square-root method. To suppress motion artifacts, adaptive interpolation algorithms are developed that synthesize full-scan and half-scan planar projection data sets, respectively. In the adaptive scheme, the interpolation is performed along inclined paths dependent upon the patient motion vector. The simulation results show that the patient motion vector can be accurately and reliably estimated using the authors' correlation and least-square-root algorithm, patient motion artifacts can be effectively suppressed via adaptive interpolation, and adaptive half-scan interpolation is advantageous compared with its full-scan counterpart in terms of high contrast image resolution. >
Landscape analysis of tree island head vegetation in Water Conservation Area 3, Florida Everglades.

ABSTRACT Tree islands, forested islands in an herbaceous freshwater wetland landscape, are a major landscape feature in the Florida Everglades. The vegetation communities on the heads of 31 tree islands, including eight islands with recreational camp structures, were assessed throughout Water Conservation Area 3 to determine their composition, structure, and distribution across the landscape. The islands were a sample of the most elevated islands in the local landscape. Measures of forest canopy (> 3 m) and sub-canopy (1–3 m) structure and composition, including cover, species richness, number of exotics, and total canopy basal area were ordinated onto six hydrologic variables estimated from the South Florida Water Management Model (v5.5) simulation from 1984 to 1997, and history of recent fire. Ordination allowed identification of four island groups: Group A, higher islands, most with camp structures, low or no canopy structure, high level of fire history, driest hydrology, and largest number of exotic s...
Provider smoking cessation advice among California Asian-American smokers.

Purpose. To determine proportions of provider advice to quit smoking for Asian-American smokers and to describe factors that may affect the provision of such advice. Design. Secondary data analysis of population-based survey. Setting. California. Subjects. Current smokers from the California Tobacco Use Surveys for Chinese-Americans (n = 2117, participation rate = 52%), Korean-Americans (n = 2545, participation rate = 48%), and Vietnamese-Americans (n = 2179, participation rate = 63.5%). Measures. Sociodemographics including insurance status, smoking frequency, provider visit in past year, and provider advice to quit. Analysis. Multivariate logistic regression models examined dependent outcomes of (1) provider visit in past year and (2) provider advice to quit. Results. Less than a third (30.5%) of smokers in our study reported both seeing a provider (50.8%) and then receiving advice to quit (60.1%). Factors associated with provider visits included being female, being 45 years or older, having health insurance, and being Vietnamese. Among smokers who saw a provider, factors associated with provider advice to quit included having health insurance and being a daily smoker. Conclusions. Asian-American smokers reported low proportions of provider advice to quit in the past year, largely because only half of smokers saw a provider. Providers who see such smokers may need greater awareness that several effective cessation treatments do not require health insurance, and that intermittent smokers need advice to quit.
Introducing Modern Laboratory Experiences to Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Students

Amongst some of the more challenging aspects of engineering education is in imparting hands-on experience for the students. Despite the fact that engineering requires practical know-how, this challenge is in itself being compromised as the engineering curriculum over the past few decades increasingly moves away from workshops and laboratories toward classroom lectures and dependence on computer-based training. This paper describes a laboratory experience early in a mechanical and aerospace engineering student’s career which provides an adequate preparation for understanding all aspects of modern digital data acquisition systems. This laboratory experience is coupled with classroom lectures and projects. The laboratories comprise of modules that cover a variety of topics which expose the students to digital data acquisition techniques, data processing and analysis, uncertainty analysis and comparison with theory. Moreover, instead of generic experiments, most of the experiments were built around ordinary items and processes. The laboratory experience is based around National Instruments hardware, controlled via LabVIEW™. Data processing is via MS EXCEL. These platforms are ubiquitous and provide good exposure to similar hardware and software.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Outcomes of interventions for recurrent disease after endoluminal intervention for superficial femoral artery disease

Background Aggressive endoluminal therapy for superficial femoral artery (SFA) occlusive disease is commonplace, but the outcomes of current management of recurrent disease have not been well defined. This study examined the outcomes of endoluminal and open interventions for recurrent SFA disease. Methods A database of patients undergoing endovascular treatment of the SFA between 1986 and 2008 was retrospectively queried, and those with recurrent disease were selected. Outcomes were determined by Kaplan-Meier survival analyses, and the Cox proportional hazard model was used for time-dependent variables. Results Symptomatic SFA disease resulted in endovascular treatment in 735 limbs in 631 patients (64% male; average age, 67 years). The restenosis rate was 16% ± 3% at 5 years. Restenosis developed in 222 patients, of whom 58 remained asymptomatic and 164 underwent repeat intervention comprising percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) in 59% and bypass in 41%. Bypass was used for critical ischemia (rest pain/tissue loss: 52% repeat PTA vs 75% bypass) and in more extensive recurrent disease (TransAtlantic Inter-Society Consensus [TASC] II C/D lesions: 42% repeat PTA vs 67% bypass). Primary and repeat PTA had mean ± standard error of the mean equivalent cumulative patency (73% ± 9% vs 73% ± 3% at 5 years) and duration of symptom relief (66% ± 3% vs 63% ± 6%). Bypass had significantly superior outcomes for patency (93% ± 8%) and symptom relief (81% ± 8%), but morbidity was 28% vs 16% for PTA. Critical ischemia, TASC-II lesion (C/D), and one-vessel tibial runoff were significant predictors of failure in the repeat PTA group. Conclusions Reintervention is required in a minority of patients selected for SFA angioplasty. Bypass for recurrent disease is used more commonly for extensive disease and is associated with superior long-term outcomes but higher mortality. Bypass rather than repeat PTA may be the better strategy for progressive, complex recurrent disease.
Positron emission tomography measurements of myocardial blood flow: assessing coronary circulatory function and clinical implications

Regional myocardial blood flow can now be measured non-invasively with contrast echocardiography, CT, MRI, and positron emission tomography (PET). Measurements with PET have advanced furthest; their accuracy and reproducibility are well established, they can be and are employed in the clinical setting, and they are useful for probing the coronary circulation in humans. The ability to quantify myocardial blood flow rather than to only qualitatively evaluate its relative distribution expands current diagnostic capabilities. Flow measurements offer a means for functionally delineating more accurately the extent and severity of coronary artery disease and, importantly, for probing and measuring microcirculatory reactivity as a component of coronary circulatory function that thus far has escaped non-invasive examinations. This article briefly addresses methodological aspects of PET measurements of myocardial blood flow, and then examines how observations made with this new measurement tool relate to coronary circulatory function and how these measurements can uncover disease related alterations. Several positron emitting radiotracers are available for PET measurements of myocardial blood flow. Oxygen-15 labelled water (O-15 water) is considered the ‘ideal flow tracer’ because its uptake in myocardium increases linearly with flow. Yet, its physical properties limit its clinical use: the 122 s physical half-life necessitates close coordination of clinical studies with the cyclotron production of the radiotracer. Further, the freely diffusible radiolabelled water equilibrates with the water space of the myocardium but also with those of blood and adjacent anatomical structures. The resulting low myocardium-to-blood activity ratio images require corrections for blood pool activity, either through additional labelled blood pool imaging or by mathematically separating the myocardial from blood pool radiotracer activity. In the clinical setting, most laboratories therefore prefer nitrogen-13 labelled ammonia (N-13 ammonia) or rubidium-82 chloride (Rb-82). Both are administered intravenously and promptly accumulate in myocardium while rapidly clearing from blood. The resulting high signal-to-noise myocardial …
Comparison of the effects of depolarizing agents and neurotransmitters on regional CNS cyclic GMP levels in various animals.

— The effects of 121 mm-K+, 10 mm-glutamate, 5 mm-GABA, 1 mm-glycine, 0.1 mm-NE, and 1–10 μmACh on cyclic GMP levels in tissue slices prepared from cerebral cortex and cerebellum of mouse, rabbit, guinea-pig, cat, and rat were studied. Basal levels of cyclic GMP in the cerebella of mice, guinea-pigs and cats were 4–15 and 70 pmol/mg prot in rat, whereas in the cerebral cortex of the same animals, levels were only 0.6–2 pmol/mg prot. In contrast, basal levels of the cyclic nucleotide were 1–2 pmol/mg prot in both of these regions in rabbit brain. Only 121 mm-K+ was capable of increasing cyclic GMP levels in all the tissues studied. Elevations ranged from 30% in rat cerebral cortex to 2800% in mouse cerebellum. Glutamate produced a 30–1000% rise of cyclic GMP levels in all tissues except rabbit cerebellum. NE elevated levels of cyclic nucleotide 2- to 3-fold in slices of cerebellum from all species studied but had no effect in cerebral cortex. GABA and glycine had no effect in any tissue except mouse cerebellum. ACh had no consistent effect on levels of cyclic GMP in any brain region investigated. These results suggest that mechanisms regulating cyclic GMP levels in mammalian CNS vary among brain regions and among animal species.
Efficient route to C2 symmetric heterocyclic backbone modified cyclic peptides.

A tandem dimerization−macrocyclization approach using 1,3-dipolar azide−alkyne cycloaddition reactions has been employed in the facile and convergent solution phase syntheses of C2 symmetric cyclic peptide scaffolds bearing triazole e2-amino acids as dipeptide surrogates.
Nitrogen and carbon dynamics of a foliar biotrophic fungal parasite in fertilized Douglas-fir

Summary •W e investigated the nutritional dynamics of Phaeocryptopus gaeumannii and the impact of nitrogen (N) fertilization of Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii ) on the production of P. gaeumannii fungal fruiting bodies. Emergence of P. gaeumannii fungal fruiting bodies (pseudothecia) in Douglas-fir stomata has been directly linked to premature needle loss, a symptom of Swiss needle cast disease. • Douglas-fir trees (10-yr-old) naturally infected with P. gaeumannii were treated with soil applications of N fertilizer isotopically enriched with 15 N to increase foliar N and track the movement of N from the host to the fungus. Foliar N, free amino acids, percent of stomata occluded by pseudothecia, N isotope and carbon (C) isotope levels were assessed on treated and control trees. • Higher foliar N resulted in increased %N and %C in P. gaeumannii , as well as increased fungal fruiting and thus disease severity. Comparisons of δ 15 N levels between P. gaeumannii pseudothecia and associated needles indicated an increase in δ 15 N of needles and a simultaneous decline in δ 15 N of pseudothecia coupled with increased levels of foliar and fungal percentage N. • These findings confirm that P. gaeumannii responds to host nutrient status and that increased N availability inside Douglas-fir needles is linked to increased severity of Swiss needle cast disease.
Percutaneous balloon valvuloplasty with Inoue balloon catheter technique for pulmonary valve stenosis in adolescents and adults

Abstract Background Percutaneous balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty is the procedure of choice for uncomplicated severe or symptomatic pulmonary stenosis. The present study describes our experience in balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty using the Inoue balloon catheter in adolescent and adult patients. Aims To assess the immediate and mid-term outcomes of percutaneous balloon valvuloplasty with Inoue balloon catheter in adolescent and adult patients. Methods and results Between June 2010 and July 2015, we performed percutaneous balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty with Inoue balloon catheter in 32 patients (59.37% females) aged 8 to 54 years (mean 23.6 ± 11.5). Following the procedure, the mean right ventricular systolic pressure and the pulmonary valvular peak-to-peak systolic gradient decreased from (121.6 ± 42.4 to 61.19 ± 24.5 mmHg, p = 0.001) and (100.9 ± 43.3 to 36.4 ± 22.5 mmHg, p = 0.001), respectively. Twenty patients (Group A) showed immediate optimal results with post-procedure peak systolic gradient Conclusion Percutaneous Inoue balloon technique is an attractive alternative with excellent mid-term results for adolescents and adults with isolated pulmonary stenosis.
Generalized rotation groups

In the rest of the chapter we work out some easily accessible properties of the generalized rotation groups: their maximal tori, centers, and their path-connectedness. These properties later turn out to be crucial for the problem of identifying simple Lie groups.
Abstract ED3-1: Genome-wide association studies in cancer: Insights in cancer etiology

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in cancer have already discovered over 100 novel regions of the genome associated with cancer risk. For nearly all regions conclusively identified by GWAS, the estimated per allele effect sizes are less than 1.3 and the susceptibility alleles are common, with minor allele frequencies greater than 5%. Each common allele appears to confer a small effect overall, underscoring the complex nature of common genetic variants that contribute to primary carcinogenesis. Interestingly, none of the variant markers associated with etiology have been strongly associated with outcomes, such as metastatic disease or survival, which suggests that common genetic variation may influence distinct processes important for carcinogenesis as opposed to those associated with disease progression. GWAS have also demonstrated that the spectrum of cancers could have distinct genomic architectures (e.g., differential contributions of alleles with a range of frequencies and effect sizes). GWAS have identified perhaps as many as 30 regions in the genome associated with prostate cancer, whereas for lung cancer, only three so far, and one of them on chromosome 15q24/25 is also strongly associated with smoking behavior phenotypes. This observation could be related to the strong environmental effect of smoking on lung cancer. It is also notable that GWAS have mapped multiple cancers to two distinct regions, 8q24 and 5p15.33. Consequently, follow-up studies are needed to map the most promising variants, preferably in different populations that can point investigators towards the optimal variants for studies designed to investigate plausibility for the association. Consequently, parallel laboratory investigation of each region can lead to new insights into novel pathways and mechanisms associated with carcinogenesis. Though there has been considerable discussion of the promise of common variants as markers for disease risk, it is too early to apply the common variants to clinical and public health venues. The success of GWAS has opened new horizons for exploration and highlighted the complex genomic architecture of disease susceptibility. Citation Information: Clin Cancer Res 2010;16(7 Suppl):ED3-1