cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Micromachined Freestanding Electrochemical Sensor for Measuring Dissolved Oxygen

A freestanding, miniaturized electrochemical oxygen sensor for biomedical implantation has been microfabricated and characterized. The sensor is fabricated on a flexible and biocompatible polyimide substrate using lithographic techniques and singulated with an excimer laser. The sensor consists of a round-shaped planar sensing portion (diameter: 2.4 mm and thickness: $180~\mu \text{m}$ ) and metal lines and contact pads for connection with external analytical tools. The sensing portion is comprised of three electrodes (working, counter, and reference electrodes), an electrolyte reservoir filled with liquid electrolyte, and a semipermeable membrane for oxygen introduction. The electrodes are patterned using a single layer of gold without the adhesion layer to eliminate any multilayer metallic structure in the sensing region. Both polydimethylsiloxane and fluorinated ethylene propylene semipermeable membranes are characterized. The fabricated sensor demonstrated an oxygen response of −14 nA/atm.% and good linearity (correlation coefficient exceeding 0.99). This device can potentially be incorporated into physiological applications, including monitoring oxygen tension in biomedical-related applications over semi-chronic time periods. [2019-0004]
Modern pollen-assemblage data from small lakes paired with local forest-composition data in northeastern United States.

Understanding and modeling of how forest composition and pattern are recorded by sedimentary pollen assemblages requires data sets in which modern pollen assemblages are paired with forest-composition data across a range of spatial scales. Pollen data from 33 small lakes (<2.0 ha) in the northeastern United States, paired with estimates of forest composition and basal area by species within successive radial distances from the lake margins (0-20, 20-50, 50-100, 100-500, 500-1,000 m), can support further studies of pollen-vegetation relationships and development of calibration models. There are no copyright or proprietary restrictions for research or teaching purposes, other than citation of this source of the data.
Fever of Undetermined Origin During Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy of Gastroesophageal Junction Adenocarcinoma Due to Radiation-induced Liver Disease.

Fever is a common occurrence in cancer patients and often attributed to the disease or treatment complications. Here we present a case of prolonged fever of undetermined origin in a patient undergoing neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma. An initial detailed work-up remained elusive to the cause of the fever. However, a positron emission tomography (PET) scan prior to the planned surgical procedure identified a lesion in the liver concerning for hepatic metastasis. A prompt biopsy was obtained and revealed radiation-induced liver disease (RILD). Following treatment with corticosteroids, patient’s fever completely subsided. While RILD is a recognized complication of radiotherapy, prolonged fever in this setting has not been previously reported. This case illustrates that RILD can sometimes present as prolonged fever. Furthermore, clinicians should be cognizant of radiation necrosis as a potential treatment complication that should be confirmed with a biopsy to avoid missing the chance at potential cure.
Outcomes for Correction of Long-Gap Esophageal Atresia: A 22-Year Experience

Abstract Background Long-gap esophageal atresia (LGEA) precludes immediate primary repair. When delayed primary esophagoesophagostomy (DPE) is not feasible, a reverse gastric tube (RGT) is a potential salvage option. The purpose of this study was to determine if DPE and RGT had both similar short-term and long-term outcomes. Methods A retrospective review of all EA patients from 1994 to 2016 was undertaken. Data were stratified by surgical management (DPE versus RGT). Baseline demographics, operative information, postoperative management, and complications were analyzed. Descriptive statistics were used and P-values Results Two hundred and eighteen patients with EA were treated during this period; 37/218 (17%) had LGEA. Mean gap length was 3.3 ± 1.2 cm. Thirty-three patients underwent some form of repair, all of which were managed initially with a gastrostomy tube feeds. Twenty-five patients underwent DPE with 89% of these never requiring revision, and 86% having excellent function with long-term follow-up. In eight patients, esophageal length was never adequate for DPE; therefore, six were reconstructed with RGT, and two underwent gastric transposition. There were no significant differences in complications, revisions, ventilator days, overall length of stay, weight percentiles, or conduit function between children undergoing RGT compared with DPE at a mean follow-up of 5.5 years. Conclusions Surgical treatment of LGEA is complex, and controversy exists regarding the optimal repair method when DPE is not feasible. In this series, DPE after gastrostomy tube feeds often allowed for sufficient esophageal lengthening with satisfactory long-term esophageal function. However, when adequate length for DPE was not attainable, these data suggest that RGT is a viable conduit with favorable postoperative outcomes.
Abstract 4906: TLK1-MK5 signaling axis contributes to prostate cancer cell motility and invasion

Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) is the 2nd leading death-causing malignancy in men where the majority of fatalities occur due to metastasis of cancer cells to adjacent and distal organs. We identified the novel interaction between two kinases that may initiate a signaling cascade promoting metastasis. One kinase is MAPK activated protein kinase 5 (MAPKAPK5 or MK5) which plays a debated role in cellular motility along with other cellular processes. Our observations are that MK5 interacts with another S/T kinase, called tousled like kinase 1 (TLK1), which may also have a potential role in cellular motility which is largely unstudied, apart from one report in breast cancer on TLK2. In PCa, TLK1-MK5 signaling axis might be crucial as androgen deprivation therapy leads to increased expression of both TLK1 and MK5 in metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer patients. Our working hypothesis is that TLK1-MK5 axis promotes PCa cell motility and invasion through actin rearrangement as well as focal adhesion proteins modification and disruption of this interaction may help to keep the tumor localized. Method and Results: A previous proteomic screening from our lab identified MK5 as one of the novel interactors of TLK1 with high confidence (p Conclusion: Our data support that TLK1-MK5 interaction is functionally involved in cell motility and migration and hence, disruption of this axis may inhibit the metastasis of PCa. Citation Format: Md Imtiaz Khalil, Vibha Singh, Arrigo De Benedetti. TLK1-MK5 signaling axis contributes to prostate cancer cell motility and invasion [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 4906.
Development of an Intraoperative Pipeline for Holographic Mixed Reality Visualization During Spinal Fusion Surgery.

Objective. Holographic mixed reality (HMR) allows for the superimposition of computer-generated virtual objects onto the operator’s view of the world. Innovative solutions can be developed to enabl...
Sounding sight in an ASL classroom

This essay reflects on critical intercultural communication pedagogy associated with Deaf instructors teaching American Sign Language (ASL) to hearing students. Focusing on the presence and absence...
Adherence and Persistence to Insulin Therapy in People with Diabetes: Impact of Connected Insulin Pen Delivery Ecosystem:

Diabetes is an increasing public health problem, and insulin is the mainstay for treatment of type 1 diabetes. In type 2 diabetes treatment, insulin therapy is used after oral or other injectable a...
MRI of rod cell compartment-specific function in disease and treatment in vivo

Rod cell oxidative stress is a major pathogenic factor in retinal disease, such as diabetic retinopathy (DR) and retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Personalized, non-destructive, and targeted treatment for these diseases remains elusive since current imaging methods cannot analytically measure treatment efficacy against rod cell compartment-specific oxidative stress in vivo. Over the last decade, novel MRI-based approaches that address this technology gap have been developed. This review summarizes progress in the development of MRI since 2006 that enables earlier evaluation of the impact of disease on rod cell compartment-specific function and the efficacy of anti-oxidant treatment than is currently possible with other methods. Most of the new assays of rod cell compartment-specific function are based on endogenous contrast mechanisms, and this is expected to facilitate their translation into patients with DR and RP, and other oxidative stress-based retinal diseases.
Town of Castle Rock v. Gonzales: A Tale of State Enabled Violence

As a consequence of the non-enforcement of a valid protective order, the three daughters of Jessica Gonzales were murdered. The facts of the Town of Castle Rock v. Gonzales are undeniably tragic. The consequences of the ruling and the message that protective orders are not enforceable are beyond disappointing. The doctrinal implications for individual rights are mind-boggling. Jessica Gonzales made a procedural due process claim under - 1983 for deprivation of her property interest in her validly obtained protective order. The Court did not recognize that such an interest exists. In so concluding, the Court did not acknowledge that violence in America traditionally has been grounded in concepts of property, from chattel slavery, and old notions that fathers own their children and husbands own their wives. Not only is this history not conceded, but neither is the more recent history of legislative efforts to counter police indifference and nonenforcement of the law in cases of domestic violence leading to the national wave of mandatory arrest laws for protective order violations. Police discretion is given deference in spite of its role in this impetus for this wave of legislation. In addition, in determining that there was no mandate creating this property interest, the Court deliberately interpreted state law for the state. The history regarding property as a conceptual underpinning of violence, correlates well with the doctrinal structure initiated by The Slaughter-House cases (especially with Bradwell v. Illinois decided a day later) paired with the Civil Rights Cases (especially with the original roots of 42 U.S.C. §1983 in the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871), perpetuated by United States v. Morrison and made entirely meaningless for the protection of individual rights by the Castle Rock decision. What remains are hopes for new directions from human rights appeals.
Mutational analysis of the regulatory region of the srfA operon in Bacillus subtilis

Transcription of the Bacillus subtilis srfA operon is dependent on the transcriptional activator ComA. Mutational analysis of the srfA regulatory region suggests that two regions of dyad symmetry upstream of the srfA promoter may function in transcriptional activation by facilitating a cooperative interaction between ComA dimers.
Software in the semiconductor industry

A transformation of the semiconductor industry is happening at present. Software is taking a more important role as customers are looking for systems (embedded systems) instead of chips. A few years ago, the semiconductor industry's customers bought chips to design systems using those chips (e.g. TV set, communication equipment). Now, they want systems instead of chips to produce faster, smaller, smarter, and cheaper products. The design of embedded systems and/or products produced by the semiconductor industry must change. It must be adapted to this new market requirement. This paper presents the most common design methodology used at present and the problems associated with this methodology. It also presents a different design methodology taking into account what the market is expecting from the semiconductor industry.
In vitro assays of phagocytic function of human peripheral blood leukocytes: receptor modulation and signal transduction.

Publisher Summary This chapter describes techniques that have been used to enhance understanding of the phagocytic process, especially the nature of the receptors involved and the signal transduction events relevant to phagocytosis. Polymorphonuclear (PMN) are freshly purified from human peripheral blood. The step gradient purification using two densities of Histopaque separates PMN from erythrocytes better than the traditional method, although the yield is somewhat decreased. This abrogates the need to remove erythrocytes from the PMN by hypotonic lysis. Human peripheral blood monocytes are purified by counter-flow elutriation from leukophoresis packs. There are three ways to obtain culture-derived macrophages from elutriated monocytes. One way is to allow monocytes to adhere to glass or to tissue culture dishes and then culture them in the adherent state. A second method for monocyte differentiation involves culturing them in a way that prevents adhesion. These cells may then be transferred to any surface or vessel of the investigator's choice for phagocytosis assays or for biochemical measurements. A third method involves culturing cells on bacteriologic plastic.
Low-cost phased-array antenna technology enabled by MAcro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MÆMS)

In recent years, there has been an exponential growth of the use of millimeter-wave (MMW) frequencies for various communications, sensing, and imaging applications. One contributing factor to this growth is the exhaustion of the available radio-wave spectrum that can be used for high-speed wireless communications at lower microwave frequencies. Consequently, the 5th generation cell phones are planned to operate at MMW frequencies to provide the high-speed data rates required for streaming video and voice applications. The efficient utilization of MMW frequency bands for the new emerging applications, however, requires the development of affordable phased-array antennas that can provide video-frame rates of scanning. A phased-array antenna is a high-gain antenna that can rapidly and dynamically change the direction of its radiated beam (e.g., to track a moving receiver). While various phased-array antennas operating at microwave frequencies have been developed, their extreme cost and complexity has limited their application only to the most expensive pieces of military hardware. Indeed, the development of affordable phased-array antenna technology remains an unaddressed challenge in the applied electromagnetic area.
Technical Note: Synthetic Division of the Future Value of a Cash Flow Stream

Viewing the future value of a cash flow stream as a polynomial in the compounding factor (being one plus the interest rate), this article uses Ruffini's rule in the synthetic division of a polynomial to provide insight linking several discounted cash flow analysis concepts. We use the polynomial remainder theorem to relate the concepts of divisor, quotient, and remainder to concepts in cash flow analysis—future value, present value, interest rate, account balance, and internal rate(s) of return—establishing a remainder theorem for the future value of a cash flow. Our exposition suggests that future value analysis is perhaps more direct and mathematically more transparent than attention paid to examining present value. This article extends previous work on the resolution of multiple rates of return when the interest rate used in our analysis equals an internal rate of return of the cash flow.
Use of the think-aloud method to identify factors influencing purchase of bread and cereals by low-income African American women and implications for whole-grain education

Abstract The think-aloud method was used to determine factors influencing bread and cereal purchase by low-income African American women that have implications for whole-grain education. Women (N=70) were audiotaped as they thought aloud while purchasing groceries. Because bread and cereal account for the majority of whole-grain products consumed, transcribed verbalizations regarding purchase of bread and cereals were analyzed using content analysis procedures. Cost, preferences, eating and buying habits, and nutrition were the most important factors that influenced purchase. Nutrition issues included a general desire to eat healthy foods and specific concerns about fat, calcium, and calories, but no mention of wanting to purchase whole-grain products. Whole-grain education should focus on identification of whole-grain products, health benefits, and low-cost and tasty whole-grain options for mothers and children. J Am Diet Assoc. 2003;103:501-504.
Effect of heterogeneity on the axisymmetric vibrations of cylindrical shells

Abstract The influence of large heterogeneity on the axisymmetric vibration characteristics of thin, composite cylindrical shells is studied, both analytically and numerically. In the neighborhood of the axisymmetric breathing mode, frequency spectra for shells of infinite and finite length are shown to be influenced qualitatively as well as quantitatively by large deviations from material and geometric symmetry in layer arrangement. A study of mode coupling in a semi-infinite shell is made for both end modes and modes with stationary frequency with real finite wave number, the latter being uniquely generated by a special class of heterogeneity. In each case, analytical estimates are given for frequencies, wave numbers, and modal amplitudes as functions of material and geometric properties of the shell.
The characterization of structure by computer

Abstract A comprehensive approach to a computer-based system of structure characterization must include capabilities in both spectrum interpretation and structure generation, and a link between the two that is transparent to the user. Program CASE is undergoing development with these requirements in mind. Structure generation is based on the new concept of structure reduction, which appears to offer advantages in efficiency of execution over procedures based on structure assembly. An experimental version of the program possesses some problem-solving ability.
The Irvine Paraprofessional Program: Using Paraprofessionals in Serving Students with ADHD.

Presents a model program designed to address the education of students with ADHD in the general education classroom
Initiation of parallel cracks from surface of elastic half-plane

The paper deals with the problem of initiation of thermal or shrinkage cracks from the surface of a half plane. Linear elastic fracture behavior is assumed. The initial spacing and initial stable equilibrium length of parallel equidistant cracks emanating from the surface is determined from three conditions formulated in a preceding study of penetration of sea ice plate: (1) The stress at the surface reaches a given strength limit. (2) After the initial cracks form, the energy release rate equals its given critical value. (3) The finite energy release due to the initial crack jump equals the energy needed to form the crack (according to the given fracture energy of the material or fracture toughness). The problem is reduced to a singular integral equation which is solved numerically by Erdogan's method. The results of analysis appear to be compatible with the experimental evidence on thermal cracking in glass, and appear to give also reasonable predictions for thermal cracking on top of sea ice plates and shrinkage cracking in concrete.
Biofuels and carbon management

Public policy supports biofuels for their benefits to agricultural economies, energy security and the environment. The environmental rationale is premised on greenhouse gas (GHG, “carbon”) emissions reduction, which is a matter of contention. This issue is challenging to resolve because of critical but difficult-to-verify assumptions in lifecycle analysis (LCA), limits of available data and disputes about system boundaries. Although LCA has been the presumptive basis of climate policy for fuels, careful consideration indicates that it is inappropriate for defining regulations. This paper proposes a method using annual basis carbon (ABC) accounting to track the stocks and flows of carbon and other relevant GHGs throughout fuel supply chains. Such an approach makes fuel and feedstock production facilities the focus of accounting while treating the CO2 emissions from fuel end-use at face value regardless of the origin of the fuel carbon (bio- or fossil). Integrated into cap-and-trade policy and including provisions for mitigating indirect land-use change impacts, also evaluated on an annual basis, an ABC approach would provide a sound carbon management framework for the transportation fuels sector.
Modeling and Simulating of Bending Rolling Valve Controlling Cylinder System

The core of shape control depends on the control of the rolling seam. At present, bending rolling control system is used extensively. It mainly depends on the hydraulic cylinder which generates bending rolling force to improve the shape. The dynamic characteristics of bending rolling force have a big influence to the shape. This paper builds the theory modeling firstly, and takes the advantage of MATLAB to simulate and analyze the key characteristics of bending rolling force.
Solvent swelling of roll-cast triblock copolymer films

Abstract Polystyrene-polybutadiene-polystyrene triblock copolymers were roll-cast from toluene solutions to form globally oriented films. As-processed films, containing process-related residual stresses, were exposed to solvent vapours. Three solvents were used in this study: toluene, which is a non-preferential solvent for polystyrene and polybutadiene; methyl-ethyl-ketone, which is a preferential solvent for the polystyrene blocks; and hexane, which is a preferential solvent for the polybutadiene block. Microstructural changes accompanying the solvent swelling of films with cylindrical and lamellar morphology were monitored using two-dimensional small angle X-ray scattering. Solvent swelling significantly improved the symmetry of the hexagonal packing of the cylindrical domains, which was initially distorted due to the roll-casting flow field. Solvent swelling was also found to improve the long range order in roll-cast film with lamellar morphology. Various phenomena were found to accompany the swelling and deswelling of films with both cylindrical and lamellar morphology with the three different solvents used. Especially intriguing results were observed for the case of swelling both morphologies in hexane. For films with a lamellar morphology, after 1 h of swelling and 2 h of subsequent deswelling the d-spacing decreased by 18%. For films with cylindrical morphology, a similar decrease of 9% was observed. Molecular models are presented to explain these microstructural changes, that are closely linked to the mobility of the glassy polystyrene blocks, the relaxation of process-related stress and the ability of the polybutadiene-polystyrene junctions at the interfaces to reposition and accommodate volume changes.
A prospective study of genetic polymorphism in MPO, antioxidant status, and breast cancer risk

Oxidative stress may be involved in breast carcinogenesis. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) is an endogenous oxidant enzyme that generates reactive oxygen species (ROS). A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) G-463A in the promoter region has been associated with a decrease in risk of breast cancer. We assessed the association between this polymorphism and breast cancer risk in a nested case-control study within the Nurses' Health Study (1,269 incident breast cancer cases and 1,761 matched controls). We further investigated potential gene-gene and gene-environment interactions. There were no significant associations between MPO or COMT genotypes and risk of breast cancer. However, the combination of a priori hypothesized low-risk genotypes in MPO and COMT genes was associated with a marginally significant decrease in breast cancer risk (OR, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.08-1.00). Dietary intake and plasma antioxidant levels may modify the association between the MPO polymorphism and breast cancer risk. Although the test for departure from multiplicative interaction was not significant, inverse associations with MPO genotype were more pronounced among women who consumed higher amounts of total fruits and vegetables (OR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.30-1.12); this association was not found among the low-consumption group (OR, 1.11; 95% CI, 0.63-1.96). The relative risk associated with the MPO homozygous variant genotype was 0.44 (95% CI, 0.18-1.09) for women who had the highest level of plasma carotenoids. Results from this study suggest that exogenous and endogenous modulators of oxidative stress may modify the association between the MPO polymorphism and breast cancer risk. Further research is needed to confirm these possible associations.
Multidimensional Association Models: A Multilinear Approach

This article develops several multidimensional multilinear association models for sociologists and other social science researchers to analyze the relationship between categorical variables in multiway cross-classification tables. The proposed multilinear approach not only provides satisfactory fit by conventional standards in the illustrative examples but also offers better understanding of the complex relationship between variables. This study highlights the relationship between two alternative decompositions in the multilinear framework—the PARAFAC/CANDECOMP and the Tucker 3-mode methods to decompose log-linear parameters—as well as the relationship between the multilinear approach and the log-multiplicative association models developed by Goodman and others. In addition, the author discusses empirical strategies to determine whether some or all cross-dimensional and other identifying restrictions can be relaxed in certain restricted models and to account for the proper degrees of freedom for these models.
The macula densa tubular basement membrane: A unique plaque of basement membrane specialization

The inner (luminal) surface of the macula densa (MD) basement membrane (BM) was exposed by solubilization of the overlying epithelium permitting examination of its structural features by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Nineteen macula densa BM were identified in five autopsy kidneys and seven renal biopsies by this SEM technique. The MD BM consists of an oval plaque of specialized BM, restricted to the glomerular hilum and arteriolar aspect of the thick ascending limb of Henle. It contains haphazardly oriented shallow tunnels, slender pleats, and bridges of BM which do not resemble any other nephron BM examined by this technique. The MD BM, critically located between MD and lacis cells appears to firmly anchor the MD to the juxtaglomerular apparatus and may amplify the extent of interaction between lacis cell processes or lacis cell interstitial space and MD cell processes.
Susceptibility to bacterial pneumonia of animals exposed to sulfates

Abstract Changes in susceptibility to respiratory infections caused by a single 3-h exposure to sulfate aerosols were investigated. Inhalation of zinc sulfate (⩾ 1.2 mg/m3) or zinc ammonium sulfate (⩾ 2.1 mg/m3) followed by a respiratory challenge with airborne Streptococcus pyogenes resulted in significant excess mortality and reduced survival time in mice. The estimated concentration of zinc sulfate which induced 20% excess mortality (ED20) was 1.45 mg/m3 whereas that of zinc ammonium sulfate was 2.40 mg/m3 for the 3 h inhalation exposure. Exposure to ammonium sulfate aerosol in concentrations ranging from 1.1 to 5.3 mg/m3 had no effect on susceptibility to the infection. Increased susceptibility to the respiratory infection appears to be in part related to the impairment of alveolar macrophage activity by the metallic cation.
Cytokeratin fragments in the serum: Their utility for the management of oral cancer

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common malignancy and is a major cause of cancer morbidity and mortality worldwide. Oral cancer is the most predominant malignancy in the Indian subcontinent due to the widespread habits of chewing tobacco and related products. Patients with oral tumours have a high risk of early locoregional relapse. Early detection of disease progression remains a challenging task mainly due to the lack of adequate early prognostic markers. CEA, SCC Ag, CA-125, serum cytokeratin (CK) fragments, Cyfra 21-1 (CK 19), TPS (CK 18), TPA (CK 8, 18, and 19) etc. are being used as serum markers for the prediction of prognosis of various malignancies. This review presents the available literature on serum CK markers in different malignancies evaluates their utility in the management of oral cancer, and identifies the lacunae which need to be addressed to develop sensitive and specific assays for early detection of recurrence, prognosis, and treatment monitoring.
On the nature of Y chromosome fragments induced in Drosophila melanogaster females. II. Mature oocytes.

Abstract The induction of fragments of Y chromosomes in Drosophila melanogaster females carrying a compound-X and a Y chromosome depends on association of the Y with some other chromosome or association of the 2 arms of the Y. About 75% of all Y chromosome fragments recovered from irradiated immature oocytes are products of induced interchange between the Y and the 4th chromosome or between the 2 arms of the Y. In contrast, only about 50% of all fragments recovered from mature oocytes could be identified as to the type of interchanges producing Y fragments. Very few of these were Y-4 interchanges while some 20–25% were estimated to be Y-major autosome interchanges. The suggestion has been made that in immature oocytes all chromosomes are associated in a chromocentral-like arrangement that may correspond to the karyosome of the developing oocyte, but that in the mature oocyte homologs and heterologs have effectively moved apart.
Immigration, Integration, and Public Opinion in the European Union

The politics of immigration and integration pose significant and interrelated challenges for the continued growth and success of the European Union. This paper explores that connection by means of a literature review and a regression analysis. While the literature explores in depth each issue separately, I conclude that public opinion moves in the same direction; that is, a person that views the EU favorably is most likely going to view immigration positively. This is for a number of reasons, the most important of which relates to how citizens perceive their national identity, as both integration and immigration are threats upon national sovereignty. I find that variables such as a nation’s ‘foreign policy’ tradition, education, and left/right positioning are also important factors, while most other socioeconomic data are not significant.
Sedation Options for Intubated Intensive Care Unit Patients

A common requirement for intubated patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) is sedation and pain management to facilitate patient safety and timely, atraumatic healing. The Society of Critical Care Medicine guidelines for management of pain, sedation, and delirium in adult ICU patients provide assessment scales for pain, sedation, and delirium; medications for sedation and pain management, and protocols for weaning sedation, are discussed. Proficient assessment skills, pharmacologic knowledge of medications administered to provide sedation, and an understanding of the importance of nonpharmacologic interventions can help the registered nurse provide patient advocacy, safety, and improved outcomes.
Direct vitreous reaction to intraocular lens implants.

Three intraocular lens implants removed during keratoplasty between 1 1/2 and 5 years after implantation revealed attachments of reactive vitreous strands and membranes. These strands and membranes contained bundles of fibers with associated small bipolar cells, pigment, and blood remnants. Some of the fibrous vitreous strands were wound around the haptics of the implants for firm anchoring. The usual reactive cell membranes on the surface of the implants were interrupted in the areas of the attachment of formed vitreous and vitreous membranes.
Laparotomy Versus Peritoneal Drainage for Perforated Necrotizing Enterocolitis

After completing this article, readers should be able to: 1. Discuss the indications for surgical intervention for necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). 2. Describe the primary peritoneal drainage procedure for treatment of perforated NEC. Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), the most common surgical emergency in the neonatal intensive care unit, remains a challenge to the neonatologist and pediatric surgeon. With the survival of smaller, more preterm infants, the incidence of NEC has increased, (1) and mortality from perforated NEC remains high at 20% to 50%. (2)(3) As surgeons have faced the challenges of managing intestinal perforation in preterm infants, several surgical approaches have evolved. The two most widely used operations for perforated NEC are laparotomy with bowel resection and primary peritoneal drainage (PPD). Preference between these two methods remains controversial and tends to be driven by surgeons or institutions at this time. In this review, we examine the development of these therapies in the context of the supportive evidence, or lack of it, for such treatment approaches. NEC presents with signs and symptoms of intestinal ischemia and sepsis, including feeding intolerance, gastric residuals, abdominal tenderness and distention, and systemic signs such as hemodynamic instability, apnea, and bradycardia. The physical examination findings most predictive of intestinal necrosis, with nearly 100% specificity, are erythema of the abdominal wall and a fixed abdominal mass. (4) The presence and severity of NEC is defined using a clinical staging system of physical findings, laboratory data, and radiographic evidence developed by Bell. (5) Initial management consists of fluid resuscitation, hemodynamic support, antibiotic coverage, and bowel rest. Close monitoring includes serial abdominal radiographs to assess for signs of perforation. Although one half to two thirds of infants can be managed medically, (6)(7)(8) up to one half progress clinically and develop intestinal necrosis or perforation that requires …
Evidence for an episode of crater obliteration intermediate in Martian history

It is shown that Mars experienced a brief episode of an increased obliteration rate contemporaneous with the formation of the cratered plains units. The obliteration rate during this episode was at least an order of magnitude greater than the preexisting rate. The obliteration rates prior to and after the event were identical within a factor of 3. Regional variations in the observed densities of degraded craters on the cratered terrain are shown to result from differences in the intensity of the obliteration rate during the event. The identification and characterization of the event are accomplished by using crater diameter-frequency distributions, not only for the total crater population but also for four morphological classes. Distributions are selected from 38 regions within the Martian equatorial latitudes.
Teaching Morality in Schools in Utah's Religion-based Society.

More and more school districts in the United States are enacting morality or character education into their schools' curricula to address what they see as their students' declining moral behaviour. Utah, a state that was a homogeneous religion-based culture for 100 years, has not been immune to this need. However, the contrast between the programs being used in the now-diversifying and undiversified areas of Utah reveals what can create the sense of need to which Utah is responding. This article examines the moral environment in three school districts in Utah--one highly diversified, one in the process of diversifying and one as-yet undiversified. It reviews the various moral and character education programmes being used in these three environments and compares and contrasts their methods in terms of literature, textbooks and activities. The article concludes with an evaluation of these programmes' relative effectiveness in their specific environments.
Scaling of MOS technology to submicrometer feature sizes

Industries based on MOS technology now play a prominent role in the developed and the developing world. More importantly, MOS technology drives a large proportion of innovation in many technologies. It is likely that the course of technological development depends more on the capability of MOS technology than on any other technical factor. Therefore, it is worthwhile investigating the nature and limits of future improvements to MOS fabrication. The key to improved MOS technology is reduction in feature size. Reduction in feature size, and the attendant changes in device behavior, will shape the nature of effective uses of the technology at the system level. This paper reviews recent, and historical, data on feature scaling and device behavior, and attempts to predict the limits to this scaling. We conclude with some remarks on the system-level implications of feature size as the minimum size approaches physical limits.
Learning deformable shape manifolds

We propose an approach to shape detection of highly deformable shapes in images via manifold learning with regression. Our method does not require shape key points be defined at high contrast image regions, nor do we need an initial estimate of the shape. We only require sufficient representative training data and a rough initial estimate of the object position and scale. We demonstrate the method for face shape learning, and provide a comparison to nonlinear Active Appearance Model. Our method is extremely accurate, to nearly pixel precision and is capable of accurately detecting the shape of faces undergoing extreme expression changes. The technique is robust to occlusions such as glasses and gives reasonable results for extremely degraded image resolutions.
Dynamics of fault growth — A physical basis for aftershock sequences

The scale invariant inclusion theory of failure is applied to the problem of aftershock sequences. In the inclusion theory, a macrocrack, or void of low aspect ratio, the length of which depends upon the magnitude of the impending mainshock, forms within the inclusion zone of the impending earthquake. The fault zone that precedes the inclusion zone represents that part of the macrocrack that has closed. It is shown that bifurcation (branching) of the macrocrack and its associated fault must occur within the focal region of the inclusion during the growth phase of the earthquake. The bifurcation process produces extensive faulting of the material that comprises the focal region.
Syngenetic formation of grainstones and pisolites from fenestral carbonates in peritidal settings

ABSTRACT Experiments with unconsolidated muds, and petrofabric studies of some ancient peritidal carbonate rocks, suggest that intense fenestral alteration of micritic sediments can lead to the in situ formation of grainstones of diagenetic origin. Intermediate stages in this process have been recognized in many ancient rocks. The contemporaneous diagenetic modification of such grainstones commonly results in the formation of pisoliths and associated features that mimic those found in marine pisolites as well as in pisolitic caliche deposits of either marine or meteoric origin.
Airway changes during Cesarean hysterectomy.

Purpose: To document whether hemorrhage and fluid administration during peripartum hysterectomy results in changes in the airway that may predispose to subsequent difficult intubation, in the event that intraoperative general anesthesia is required during regional anesthesia.
Long-term pervenous atrial pacing.

Long-term pervenous right atrial pacing has been used in five patients with intact atrioventricular (A-V) conduction for the treatment of refractory ventricular arrhythmias in two subjects and marked sinus bradycardia in three, two of whom also had paroxysmal supraventricular arrhythmias. The pervenous method was used to avoid a thoracotomy, and atrial pacing was chosen over ventricular pacing to preserve the normal A-V contraction sequence. Reliable atrial pacing was established in four cases, but one patient required ultimate conversion to a ventricular system because of irregular atrial capture. The most constant pacing was achieved by using a curved electrode with the tip positioned in the right atrial appendage.
Complication of insulin-dependent diabetic pregnancies by preeclampsia and/or chronic hypertension: analysis of outcome.

The significance of hypertensive complications of insulin-dependent diabetic pregnancies (IDDP) has not been well examined since the early reports of Pedersen, which demonstrated an increased risk of neonatal death in women with pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH). To assess the effect of both PIH and chronic hypertension (CH) on outcome of IDDP managed using contemporary obstetrical and diabetic management, we reviewed the records of all 199 IDDP delivered at our institution over a 7-year period. Patients were classified as having PIH (Group 1, n = 37), CH (Group 2, n = 18) or both (Group 3, n = 4) on the basis of standard clinical criteria. All other IDDP were placed in the control group (Group 4, n = 140). Comparing all groups, significant differences were found for maternal age (P less than .0001) and distribution among White's Classes (P less than .0001). There was no significant difference in estimated gestational age (EGA) at delivery, birthweight, Apgar scores, hypoglycemia, hyperbilirubinemia, or congenital anomalies. Intrauterine fetal death (IUFD) was no more common in Groups 1, 2 or 3 than in Group 4; however, IDDP with CH were significantly more likely to have had previous stillbirths than IDDP with PIH (P = .011) or control IDDP (P = .017). Contrary to common clinical belief, the "stress" of CH and PIH did not offer protection to the newborn in the development of RDS or HMD. In fact, Group 3 infants had a higher rate of HMD than control infants (P = .024).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Polyanhydrides. I: Preparation of high molecular weight polyanhydrides

Polycondensation a l'etat fondu d'anhydrides mixtes de diacides carboxyliques et d'acide acetique. Etude de la reaction catalysee et non catalysee
Application of high-resolution n.m.r. spectroscopy to the elucidation of the structure of the specific capsular polysaccharide of Streptococcus pneumoniae type 7F.

Abstract The specific capsular polysaccharide of Streptococcus pneunomiae type 7F (American type 51) is a high-molecular-weight neutral polymer composed of 2-acetamido-2-deoxy- d -galactose, 2-acetamido-2-deoxy- d -glucose, d -glucose, d -galactose, l -rhamnose, and 2- O -acetyl- l -rhamnose residues. N.m.r. spectroscopy ( 1 H and 13 C), in conjunction with composition and methylation analyses, and periodate oxidation data, showed the polysaccharide to be a branched polymer with a repeating heptasaccharide unit having the following structure.
Effect of CD14 −260C>T polymorphism on the mortality of critically ill patients

The CD14 receptor seems to be an important part of the innate immune system. A mutant CD14 can produce a reduced signal in response to infection, as a result of which an adequate inflammatory innate response is not induced, leading to a systemic infection. Defects in the innate immunity increase patient susceptibility to systemic infections and can produce a deregulated inflammatory response causing sepsis, organ failure or death in critically ill patients. We evaluated the CD14 -260C>T polymorphism genotyping as a genetic tool for risk evaluation of critically ill patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) in Southern Brazil. We monitored the patients daily during their entire ICU and post-ICU (hospital) stay (measured from the ICU admission day to a maximum of 224 days). A total of 85 patients, aged 19-95 years (mean = 56 years, median = 58 years), were included in this study. Patient mortality was 58.8%. The genotypic (TT = 0.27, TC = 0.41, CC = 0.32) and allelic (T = 0.48, C = 0.52) frequencies did not differ from the values expected by the Hardy-Weinberg model and genotype distribution was random for all clinical characteristics at ICU admission. We found a statistically significant difference favouring the survival of patients with TT genotype (P = 0.042), suggesting that this CD14 gene polymorphism could be a candidate for further study in the search for a complementary prognostic tool for patient risk evaluation. Our study describes, for the first time, the effect of the CD14 gene polymorphism in critically ill Brazilian patients. Our data suggest that patients carrying the TT genotype have a better survival outcome.
A comparative meta-analysis on the variability in test performance among FDA-licensed enzyme immunosorbent assays for HIV antibody testing

Background. Although independently published studies have compared diagnostic test performance among various manufactured enzyme immunosorbent assays (EIAs) used in HIV antibody testing, none have attempted to formally synthesize such results through a comparative meta-analysis. In particular, no estimates of post-FDA approval test performance, in terms of sensitivity and specificity, and their associated variability within each manufacturer, has been reported in the literature, along with an analysis of the relative differences in manufacturer test performance in practice (after FDA approval). Methods. Retrieval of studies was done using several searching strategies, while retrieval of manufacturer information was done through package inserts and direct contacts. Comparisons of HIV antibody test performance across manufacturers and within a single manufacturer were made based on 16 estimates (from 11 articles) and 33 estimates (from 19 articles), respectively. A generalized linear model, based upon Bayes estimates of sensitivity and specificity, was used to assess the impact of several study-level covariates on the performance of these EIAs, with overall estimates of manufacturer test performance and associated variability obtained based on generalized estimating equations. Results. Estimates of test performance were obtained across studies, with a significant (P < 0.01) difference between manufacturers. The test performance of each manufacturer significantly interacted (P < 0.05) with the following study-level covariates: type of population screened, year of diagnostic testing and study quality. Among a single manufacturer, Abbott, significant improvement in estimates of test sensitivity (P < 0.01) and specificity (P < 0.01) was observed with each newly produced antibody kit. Conclusion. Estimates on the relative differences in test performance within each manufacturer may be used for guiding decisions on the choice of EIA test kit for HIV antibodies, given the type of population screened, as well as cost and time considerations. In addition, the results of this meta-analysis may be used in modeling HIV prevalence when used as prior information within a Bayesian framework or for standardizing test results among various manufacturers.