cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Magnetic Resonance Thermometry During Hyperthermia for Human High-Grade Sarcoma

Abstract Purpose: To determine the feasibility of measuring temperature noninvasively with magnetic resonance imaging during hyperthermia treatment of human tumors. Methods: The proton chemical shift detected using phase-difference magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to measure temperature in phantoms and human tumors during treatment with hyperthermia. Four adult patients having high-grade primary sarcoma tumors of the lower leg received 5 hyperthermia treatments in the MR scanner using an MRI-compatible radiofrequency heating applicator. Prior to each treatment, an average of 3 fiberoptic temperature probes were invasively placed into the tumor (or phantom). Hyperthermia was applied concurrent with MR thermometry. Following completion of the treatment, regions of interest (ROI) were defined on MR phase images at each temperature probe location, in bone marrow, and in gel standards placed outside the heated region. The median phase difference (compared to pretreatment baseline images) was calculated for each ROI. This phase difference was corrected for phase drift observed in standards and bone marrow. The observed phase difference, with and without corrections, was correlated with the fiberoptic temperature measurements. Results: The phase difference observed with MRI was found to correlate with temperature. Phantom measurements demonstrated a linear regression coefficient of 4.70° phase difference per ° Celsius, with an R2 = 0.998. After human images with artifact were excluded, the linear regression demonstrated a correlation coefficient of 5.5° phase difference per ° Celsius, with an R2 = 0.84. In both phantom and human treatments, temperature measured via corrected phase difference closely tracked measurements obtained with fiberoptic probes during the hyperthermia treatments. Conclusions: Proton chemical shift imaging with current MRI and hyperthermia technology can be used to monitor and control temperature during treatment of large tumors in the distal lower extremity.
And they ain't outside the head either

According to a classical view in the philosophy of language, the reference of a term is determined by a property of the term which supervenes on the history of its use. A contrasting view is that a term's reference is determined by how it is properly interpreted, in accordance with certain constraints or conditions of adequacy on interpretations. Causal theories of reference of the sort associated with Hilary Putnam, Saul Kripke and Michael Devitt are versions of the first view, while defenders of determination by interpretation theories include Donald Davidson, Daniel Dennett and John Haugeland. I use a variant of Putnam's Twin Earth thought experiment to argue against the first view generally, and causal theories of reference in particular, then go on to argue that a properly-formulated version of the principle of charity can account for the intuitions that seem to support causal theories. Finally, I apply my version of interpretationism to the problem of reference to abstract objects and compare it with some of Wittgenstein's and Quine's views about language.
Hetero-dimerization of acetic and trichloroacetic acids in carbon tetrachloride solution

Abstract The hetero-association of acetic acid and trichloroacetic acid in CCl4 has been investigated using near infra-red spectra. Equilibrium constants and the enthalpy change have been calculated for the homo- and hetero-dimerization reactions over the temperature range 15°–40°. Results indicate that the hetero-dimer (CH3COOH·CCl3COOH) forms in preference to the two homo-dimers.
Vocal contour cues in maternal recognition of goat kids

Abstract The lack of ability of mother goats to recognize their kids' cries until the fourth day of life has been observed. The fact that the mother, during this period, will respond to any kid's cry has been puzzling. An acoustical analysis of kids' cries from birth to 6 months of age indicates that kids' calls are essentially identical up to the fourth day. From this time on individuality in call contour occurs. Thus it is possible that goats can utilize hearing to identify their young only when the call is differentiated enough to be individually recognizable.
Physical Activity and Incidence of Atrial Fibrillation in Older Adults The Cardiovascular Health Study

Background— Vigorous exertion and endurance training have been reported to increase atrial fibrillation (AF). Associations of habitual light or moderate activity with AF incidence have not been evaluated. Methods and Results— We prospectively investigated associations of leisure-time activity, exercise intensity, and walking habits, assessed at baseline and updated during follow-up visits, with incident AF, diagnosed by annual 12-lead ECGs and hospital discharge records, from 1989 to 2001 among 5446 adults ≥65 years of age in the Cardiovascular Health Study. During 47 280 person-years of follow-up, 1061 new AF cases occurred (incidence 22.4/1000 person-years). In multivariable-adjusted analyses, leisure-time activity was associated with lower AF incidence in a graded manner, with 25% (hazard ratio [HR] 0.75, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.61 to 0.90), 22% (HR 0.78, 95% CI 0.65 to 0.95), and 36% (HR 0.64, 95% CI 0.52 to 0.79) lower risk in quintiles 3, 4, and 5 versus quintile 1 (P for trend <0.001). Exerc...
Inferential role semantics and the analytic/synthetic distinction

D'apres Jerry Fodor et Ernie Lepore, si Quine a raison d'affirmer la non-distinction entre analytique et synthetique, alors la semantique n'a pas de role conceptuel. L'A. montre que l'erreur de cette conception provient de ce qu'elle ne comprend le role conceptuel de la semantique, que comme un role d'inference
Community water fluoridation in Leningrad and Moscow

A total of 47 water samples were obtained over a 3-yr period in the cities of Leningrad and Moscow in the USSR. All the samples had their fluoride content analyzed blindly outside the Soviet Union. A total of three samples had therapeutic levels of fluoride (0.8 ppm or above); all the other 44 samples had fluoride levels of 0.3 ppm or less.
frustration, aggression, and the nonviolent Semai

The frustration-aggression hypothesis is examined in the light of a corpus of ethnographic data and is shown to be inadequate to account for the observed behaviors. An alternative model is tentatively proposed that incorporates the frustration-aggression hypothesis, other extant approaches to the study of aggression, and early and current theories in the field of emotion within a systems-oriented framework. This model is then tested against additional ethnographic data.
A study on the distribution of 37 well conserved families of C2H2 zinc finger genes in eukaryotes

The C2H2 zinc-finger (ZNF) containing gene family is one of the largest and most complex gene families in metazoan genomes. These genes are known to exist in almost all eukaryotes, and they constitute a major subset of eukaryotic transcription factors. The genes of this family usually occur as clusters in genomes and are thought to have undergone a massive expansion in vertebrates by multiple tandem duplication events (BMC Evol Biol 8:176, 2008). In this study, we combined two popular approaches for homolog detection, Reciprocal Best Hit (RBH) (Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 95:6239–6244, 1998) and Hidden–Markov model (HMM) profiles search (Bioinformatics 14:755-763, 1998), on a diverse set of complete genomes of 124 eukaryotic species ranging from excavates to humans to identify all detectable members of 37 C2H2 ZNF gene families. We succeeded in identifying 3,890 genes as distinct members of 37 C2H2 gene families. These 37 families are distributed among the eukaryotes as progressive additions of gene blocks with increasing complexity of the organisms. The first block featuring the protists had 7 families, the second block featuring plants had 2 families, the third block featuring the fungi had 2 families (one of which was also present in plants) and the final block consisted of metazoans with 25 families. Among the metazoans, the simpler unicellular metazoans had just 15 of the 25 families while most of the bilaterians had all 25 families making up a total of 37 families. Multiple potential examples of lineage-specific gene duplications and gene losses were also observed. Our hybrid approach combines features of the both RBH and HMM methods for homolog detection. This largely automated technique is much faster than manual methods and is able to detect homologs accurately and efficiently among a diverse set of organisms. Our analysis of the 37 evolutionarily conserved C2H2 ZNF gene families revealed a stepwise appearance of ZNF families, agreeing well with the phylogenetic relationship of the organisms compared and their presumed stepwise increase in complexity (Science 300:1694, 2003).
He Conductivity in Cool White Dwarf Atmospheres

We investigate the conductivity of warm dense helium under conditions found in the atmospheres of cool white dwarfs using ab initio simulations. The calculations performed consist of quantum molecular dynamics simulations where the electronic wavefunction at each time step is obtained using density functional theory, while the ion trajectories are calculated using the resulting quantum mechanical forces. We use both conventional DFT (PW91) and hybrid (PBE0) functionals to calculate the conductivities that provide an estimate of the ionization fraction. While the calculations are in good agreement with the measurements for the equation of state, a significant discrepancy exists with the recently measured conductivity.
Classification and birth prevalence of orofacial clefts

To determine the proportion and birth prevalence of "typical" orofacial clefts (cleft lip (CL), cleft palate (CP), cleft lip and palate (CLP)) and "atypical" clefts (median, transversal, or oblique facial clefts) and the conditions in which they occur, we analyzed a population-based sample of 4,433 cases ascertained from 2,509,881 California births. We classified cases into: isolated cleft anomalies, sequences of the primary defect, chromosomal aberrations, monogenic syndromes, results of known teratogens, associations, multiple congenital anomaly (MCA) of unknown etiology, or conjoined twins. The birth prevalence of isolated CL+/-P was 0.77 per 1,000 births (CL 0.29/1,000, CLP 0.48/1,000) and of isolated CP, 0.31 per 1,000 births. Non-Hispanic Whites had the greatest prevalence of isolated clefts, Asians slightly lower prevalences, and Blacks the lowest. Asians had the lowest prevalence of Robin sequence and nonHispanic Whites the highest, twice that of Hispanics. Hispanics, followed by Asians, had the highest prevalence of CL+/-P with MCA; non-Hispanic Whites had the lowest. Asians had the lowest prevalence of CP; in Whites and Hispanics it was almost twice as high. Blacks had the highest CL:CLP ratio, followed by non-Hispanic Whites and Asians; Hispanics had the lowest. Isolated anomalies constituted 61.67% of clefts. In the total sample there were 3.9% sequences, 8.79% chromosomal aberrations, 6.02% monogenic syndromes, 0.2% known teratogens, 0.79% associations, 18.55% MCA of unknown etiology, and 0.1% in conjoined twins. This study supports evaluation of each child on a "case" level, and provides a framework for genetic counseling and other studies focused on causes and prevention of these serious anomalies.
Pregravid Liver Enzyme Levels and Risk of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus During a Subsequent Pregnancy

OBJECTIVE Liver enzymes are independent predictors of type 2 diabetes. Although liver fat content correlates with features of insulin resistance, a risk factor for developing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), the relationship between liver enzymes and GDM is unclear. The objective of this study was to assess whether pregravid liver enzyme levels are associated with subsequent risk of GDM. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A nested case-control study was conducted among women who participated in the Kaiser Permanente Northern California multiphasic health checkup (1984–1996) and had a subsequent pregnancy (1984–2009). Case patients were 256 women who developed GDM. Two control subjects were selected for each case patient and matched for year of blood draw, age at examination, age at pregnancy, and number of intervening pregnancies. RESULTS Being in the highest quartile versus the lowest quartile of γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels was associated with a twofold increased risk of subsequent GDM (odds ratio 1.97 [95% CI 1.14–3.42]), after adjusting for race/ethnicity, prepregnancy BMI, family history of diabetes, and alcohol use. This result was attenuated after adjusting for homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), fasting status, and rate of gestational weight gain. There was significant interaction between GGT and HOMA-IR; the association with GGT was found among women in the highest tertile of HOMA-IR. Aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase were not associated with increased GDM risk. CONCLUSIONS Pregravid GGT level, but not alanine aminotransferase or aspartate aminotransferase level, predicted the subsequent risk of GDM. Markers of liver fat accumulation, such as GGT level, are present years before pregnancy and may help to identify women at increased risk for subsequent GDM.
Autonomic reactivity and romantic relational aggression among female emerging adults: Moderating roles of social and cognitive risk

Abstract This study investigates the association between autonomic arousal in response to a relational stressor and the perpetration of relational aggression against romantic partners. In addition, the moderating role of social risk (relational victimization by a romantic partner) and cognitive risk (hostile attribution biases) was explored. Skin conductance, heart rate, and respiratory sinus arrhythmia during an experience of exclusion were assessed in a sample of female emerging adults ( N = 131). Participants provided self-reports of romantic relational aggression, romantic relational victimization, and hostile attribution biases. Results indicated that both heightened and blunted reactivity served as risk factors for the perpetration of romantic relational aggression depending on women's social and contextual risks. Implications for understanding the development of intimate aggression are discussed.
Rat and rabbit liver mRNAs code for fructose 1,6-bisphosphatases that differ in molecular weight

Summary Fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase was synthesized in vitro using Poly(A)+ RNA isolated from rat and rabbit liver and the specific translation products were identified by immunoprecipitation using antibody raised against the individual purified proteins, followed by electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gels in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. The in vitro synthesis products were found to have subunit molecular weights which were identical to the corresponding purified proteins; 36,000 and 40,000 for the rabbit and rat enzymes, respectively. The rat liver enzyme synthesized in vitro could be converted to a form with a molecular weight nearly identical to that of the rabbit liver enzyme by treatment with trypsin. The results demonstrate that the difference in molecular weight between rat and rabbit liver fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase subunits is not due to limited proteolytic modification of the rabbit liver enzyme during purification. It is proposed that the rabbit liver enzyme in vivo lacks the COOH-terminal phosphorylation site which is present on the rat liver enzyme.
The asymmetric displacement of a rigid spheroidal inclusion embedded in a transversely isotropic medium

An explicit analytical solution is presented for the problem of a rigid spheroidal inclusion embedded in bonded contact with an infinite transversely isotropic elastic medium, where the inclusion is given a constant displacement in a direction perpendicular to the axis of symmetry of the material. The displacement potential representation for the equilibrium of three-dimensional transversely isotropic bodies is used to solve the problem. The loadfeflection relationship for the spheroidal inclusion and its limiting configurations are obtained in closed form. Numerical results are presented to show the effect of both the aspect ratio of the spheroid and the anisotropy on the translational stiffness.
Effect of Timolol on Hydralazine-lnduced Increase in Plasma Renin Activity in Spontaneously Hypertensive and Normotensive Rats

SummaryThe effects ot two β-adrener-gic receptor-blocking agents, timolol and propranolol, on resting PRA and on the hydralazine-induced increase in PRA were studied in SHR and in two strains of normo-tensive rats [Wistar (NWR) and Sprague-Dawley (NSDR)]. With single oral doses, these β-adrenergic-blocking drugs reduced PRA in a dose-dependent manner in SHR but not in NWR or NSDR. After four daily doses, timolol antagonized the hydralazine-induced increase in PRA in SHR and lowered PRA in NWR. Timolol lowered PRA in NSDR only at 10 mg/kg/day p.o. for 4 days. It was concluded that SHR are more sensitive than normotensive rats to the PRA-lowering effects of β-adrenergic-blocking drugs.
Computation of induced drag for elliptical and crescent-shaped wings

Recent interest in the induced drag characteristics of crescent-shaped wings has led to a closer look at the methods used for determination of induced drag from computational aerodynamic methods. Induced drag may be computed by integration of surface pressure or by evaluation of a contour integral in the Trefftz plane. A high-order panel method was used to study the induced drag of elliptical and crescent-shaped wings using both techniques. Induced drag computations using surface pressure integration were strongly affected by panel density and angle of attack. Drag computations for the crescent wing were especially sensitive to spanwise panel density because of the complex flowfield near the tip. Trefftz-plane results for the two wing planforms were not sensitive to panel density or angle of attack. The effect of correctly modeling the force-free, rolled-up wake geometry on the predicted span efficiency was demonstrated for both wing planforms. The span efficiency predicted from Trefftz-plane integration was about 0.97 for the elliptical wing and 0.99 for the crescent wing, both somewhat less than the classical theoretical maximum for planar wings. Most of the apparent drag reduction of the crescent wing claimed in previous studies was probably an artifact of the surface-pressure integration. The slightly higher span efficiency for the crescent wing was attributed to a more nearly elliptical spanwise lift distribution.
The em algorithm for the quasi-likelihood regression model

The objective of this paper is to present a method which can accommodate certain types of missing data by using the quasi-likelihood function for the complete data. This method can be useful when we can make first and second moment assumptions only; in addition, it can be helpful when the EM algorithm applied to the actual likelihood becomes overly complicated. First we derive a loss function for the observed data using an exponential family density which has the same mean and variance structure of the complete data. This loss function is the counterpart of the quasi-deviance for the observed data. Then the loss function is minimized using the EM algorithm. The use of the EM algorithm guarantees a decrease in the loss function at every iteration. When the observed data can be expressed as a deterministic linear transformation of the complete data, or when data are missing completely at random, the proposed method yields consistent estimators. Examples are given for overdispersed polytomous data, linear ra...
Allometric analysis of dental variation in a human population

There exists an extensive literature that deals with interspecific allometry, eg, brain size-body size relationships among species. Yet comparatively little attention has been paid to intraspecific or static adult allometry. An intraspecific allometric analysis was conducted on the complete permanent dentition of a prehistoric American Indian population (N = 156). Mesiodistal and buccolingual measurements were logarithmically transformed and regressed on log transformations of femur length, an estimate of body size. When measurements of antimeric teeth were introduced together into common regressions on femur length, 20 of the 32 slopes were significantly different from zero. Thirty-one of the slopes ranged between zero and one and clustered between 0.2 and 0.4. Hence, negative allometry describes the tooth size-body size association, ie, taller individuals in general possess absolutely but not relatively larger teeth than shorter individuals. In addition, no significant sex differences for the regression slopes were observed. Though significantly correlated, tooth size and body size variables are too weakly associated to permit accurate predictions from regression equations. Evolutionary implications of intraspecific dental allometry are discussed.
Do trauma history and PTSD symptoms influence addiction relapse context

Exposure to traumatic events is common among individuals with substance use disorders (SUD), although not all go on to develop PTSD. We compared SUD treatment outcomes and relapse features in three groups of male veterans receiving SUD treatment: (1) those without trauma exposure (SUD-only; n = 68), (2) those with PTSD (SUD-PTSD; n = 32), and (3) those with trauma exposure but no PTSD (SUD-trauma; n = 34). Veterans were assessed regarding psychiatric symptoms, substance use, and relapse features quarterly for 1 year. The groups did not differ on length of abstinence, relapse prevalence or severity. SUD-PTSD and SUD-trauma reported more depression, anxiety, PTSD, and total psychiatric symptoms prior to relapse than SUD-only. SUD-PTSD and SUD-trauma also endorsed more PTSD, and total symptoms following relapse than SUD-only. PTSD symptoms were associated with greater risk of relapse in intrapersonal and negative physiological contexts. Understanding relapse contexts for those experiencing PTSD symptoms can help us to understand one mechanism whereby those with both PTSD and SUD have a poorer clinical course.
Determination of CD variance factors of 28nm 1x-metal layer hotspots using experimental and simulated CD contours

The 28nm technology node is extremely challenging for the production of large chips with very aggressive design rules. For the 1x-Metal layers especially, it has been observed that some design configurations known as hotspots have very limited lithographic process window. They have generally complex bidimensional geometries that make them highly sensitive to any process change and particularly to focus variation or mask error. The first purpose of this study is to present an original methodology to characterize, with good statistics, the hotspots after lithography. The principle is to stack many SEM pictures of the same hotspot, repeated on the wafer, to improve the image signal-to-noise ratio and to average uncontrolled sources of CD variation. With such high quality images it is then possible to extract contours of high accuracy. The second scope of this work is to take advantage of the extracted contours to derive many CD measured preferentially along the hotspot critical sections. The main contributors to CD variation are identified by analyzing the CD of hotspots processed under different experimental conditions like intra-field locations, mask sizing or focus changes.
The use of an electric field as a processing parameter in the combustion synthesis of ceramics and composites

The imposition of an electric field is shown to activate self-propagating combustion reactions and thus makes possible the synthesis of a variety of ceramic and composite phases. Experimental observations and modeling studies indicated that activation is accomplished by the localized effect of the current. The relationship between wave propagation and the direction of the applied field was investigated. The synthesis of composites by field-activated combustion synthesis (FACS) was demonstrated. It was shown that the imposition of a field during the combustion synthesis of MoSi2 results in a decrease in the product particle size. The results suggest that the field can be used as a processing parameter in self-propagating combustion synthesis.
Methoxychlor regulates rat uterine estrogen-induced protein.

Methoxychlor (MXC), a proestrogenic pesticide, has adverse effects on fertility and uterine function in rodents. MXC is converted to an estrogenic substance, 2,2-bis-(p-hydroxyphenyl)1,1,1 -trichloroethane (HPTE), which binds to the estrogen receptor. We examined the similarities in mechanism between MXC (500 mg/kg) and estrogen (10 μg/rat) actions using the estrogen-induced protein, IP, also known as creatine kinase. Immature, female rats were treated with MXC or estradiol (E2). Concurrent treatment included actinomycin D (100 μg), cycloheximide (100 μg), or progesterone (0.5 mg). Uterine proteins were labeled in vitro with 3H for treated rats and with 14C for controls. The uteri were combined, cytosol was isolated, nondenaturing (ND) gels were run, and dpm/gel slice were plotted. In a follow-up study, labeled cytosols from MXC- and E2 treated rats were immunoprecipitated with a monoclonal antibody to creatine kinase. The immunoprecipitate was run on SDS gels. The data show that both MXC and E2 treatments result in ND gels with peaks in (a) induced protein and (b) the 3H/14C ratio, in the same position. The induction of IP by MXC is time- and dose-dependent. Concurrent treatment with MXC plus actinomycin D or cycloheximide blocked IP synthesis, a result parallel to E2 action signifying the necessity of RNA and protein synthesis for IP induction. Progesterone did not block either MXC or E2 induction of IP synthesis. Immunoprecipitation of creatine kinase revealed a single peak at a molecular weight of ~49,000. SDS gels of cytosol after MXC or E2 treatment also yielded protein and ratio peaks at molecular weights of ~49,000. This estimate is near the published estimated molecular weight of creatine kinase of 46,000. We conclude that MXC action parallels that of estradiol on the induction and regulation of the estrogen-induced protein in immature rat uterus.
Effects of Mesoscale Convergence on Cloud Convection

Abstract A two-dimensional time-dependent cloud model was used in this research to investigate the effects of mesoscale convergence on cloud convection. A Klemp and Wilhelmson type boundary condition was tested which allows inflow and outflow through the lateral boundary and also lets gravity waves pass out through the boundaries with minimal reflection. A relatively stable and easy method of superimposing a mesoscale convergence field was also introduced in this study. The main idea of this superposition is to decompose the velocity into mesoscale and cloud-scale velocities. The cloud-scale velocity is governed by the cloud convection, while the mesoscale velocity is governed by the mesoscale variable. Two types of atmospheric soundings were run in this model. The first type is an unstable sounding and the second type is conditionally unstable with a low-level inversion. The results show that convergence weakens the temperature inversion and leads to strong convection in one case. Fewer, broader and more...
A Report on Winter Snowpack-Augmentation

Abstract Cloud seeding to increase Winter snowpacks over mountainous regions of the western United States have been in existence for almost 40 years. However, our understanding of the physical processes taking place in the clouds in response to this seeding and the expected precipitation increases are still subjects of great scientific interest and investigation. Recent field observations that have emphasized direct physical observations of winter clouds, their structure and liquid water content, as well as their response to the injection of glaciogenic seeding agents have aided to our knowledge. These physical observations are helping to provide some insight into the mechanisms of precipitation increases, inferred from statistical analyses, that have been reported in certain winter orographic cloud seeding programs. This paper attempts to compare physical and statistical results, to show consistency, and to help provide limits to what one might expect when winter snowpack augmentation is applied within s...
Rheumatic Diseases of Childhood

The pediatrician frequently encounters children and adolescents with musculoskeletal complaints that raise the possibility of rheumatic disease. The purposes of this article are: to review an approach to the evaluation of "joint" symptoms and to review the pharmacology, use, and adverse effects of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. RHEUMATOLOGIC HISTORY Systematic collection of the historical details is fundamental in the evaluation of "joint" complaints (Table 1). Age and Sex The child9s age and sex provide initial clues. For example, suspicion that a young girl (less than 5 years of age) with knee swelling might have monoarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is heightened simply because of her age and sex. (At onset of their disease, almost 20% of all patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis are young girls with pauciarthritis, most commonly involving the knee.) Suspicion that an older boy (10 years of age or older) with axioskeletal complaints might have an enthesopathy syndrome is increased, in part, because of his age and sex. of the age and sex predilections of various rheumatic conditions is, therefore, helpful. Chief Complaint The chief complaint is often directive. For example, the complaint "his knees hurt every night" or "his legs hurt at night" is not characteristic of children who have juvenile rheumatoid arthritis or other well-defined inflammatory arthritides.
Trends in Status Epilepticus—Related Hospitalizations and Mortality: Redefined in US Practice Over Time

Importance Status epilepticus is a common neurologic emergency with significant associated morbidity, mortality, and health care costs, yet limited data exist detailing trends in status epilepticus–related hospitalizations and mortality. Objective To examine trends in status epilepticus–related hospitalizations and mortality. Design, Setting, and Participants We performed 2 retrospective serial cross-sectional studies including 408 304 status epilepticus–related hospital visits using generalizable national data from January 1, 1999, to December 31, 2010, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Nationwide Inpatient Sample. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention death certificate data, using International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision , codes, were used to determine nonstandardized and age-standardized rates of status epilepticus as the underlying cause of death in the United States. Data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample were used to estimate population-standardized status epilepticus–related hospitalization rates using International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision , codes. Main Outcomes and Measures Status epilepticus–related hospitalizations were categorized by whether status epilepticus was the principal diagnosis, whether the patient was intubated, and by primary insurance type. Temporal trends were tested using Poisson regression and summarized with quarterly incident rate ratios. Results In 2010, status epilepticus was the reported underlying cause of death in 613 deaths (approximately 2 per 1 000 000 persons). Age-standardized status epilepticus–related mortality per 1 000 000 persons increased by only 5.6% (incident rate ratio, 1.004; 95% CI, 1.002-1.006) from 1.79 in 1999 to 1.89 in 2010, while population-standardized hospitalizations for status epilepticus per 100 000 persons increased by 56.4% (incident rate ratio, 1.013; 95% CI, 1.012-1.013) from 8.86 in 1999 to 13.86 in 2010. The largest increase (181.6%; incident rate ratio, 1.030; 95% CI, 1.029-1.030) was seen among intubated patients with nonprincipal diagnoses of status epilepticus. Among varied insurance providers, the largest increase (81.3%) was seen in Medicare patients. Conclusions and Relevance A disconnect exists between the relatively stable status epilepticus–related mortality and the marked increase in status epilepticus hospitalizations, likely reflecting an increase in status epilepticus diagnoses through improved diagnostic sensitivity and changes in billing and coding. The definition and general approach to status epilepticus, including resource use, should evolve with these changing epidemiologic trends.
Picosecond-domain waveform measurements

A review of the state-of-the-art of picosecond time-domain measurements is presented which draws together techniques from the electrical and optical regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Measurement methods are listed in categories which exhibit the commonality between electrical and optical methods. State-of-the-art values for temporal resolution are presented with reference citations to specific methods and related technical topics.
Herpes simplex virus type 1 infection induces oxidative stress and the release of bioactive lipid peroxidation by-products in mouse P19N neural cell cultures

To determine whether herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection causes oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation in cultured neural cells, mouse P19 embryonal carcinoma cells were differentiated into cells with neural phenotypes (P19N cells) by retinoic acid and were then infected with HSV-1. Cellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the release of lipid peroxidation by-products into the tissue culture medium were then measured by the generation of fluorescent markers hydroxyphenyl fluorescein and a stable chromophore produced by lipid peroxidation products, malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydroxyalkenals (4-HAEs; predominantly 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal [HNE]), respectively. HSV-1 infection increased ROS levels in neural cells as early as 1 h post infection (p.i.) and ROS levels remained elevated at 24 h p.i. This viral effect required viral entry and replication as heat- and ultraviolet light-inactivated HSV-1 were ineffective. HSV-1 infection also was associated with increased levels of MDA/HAE in the culture medium at 2 and 4 h p.i., but MDA/HAE levels were not different from those detected in mock infected control cultures at 1, 6, and 24 h p.i. HSV-1 replication in P19N cells was inhibited by the antioxidant compound ebselen and high concentrations of HNE added to the cultures, but was increased by low concentrations of HNE. These findings indicate that HSV-1 infection of neural cells causes oxidative stress that is required for efficient viral replication. Furthermore, these observations raise the possibility that soluble, bioactive lipid peroxidation by-products generated in infected neural cells may be important regulators of HSV-1 pathogenesis in the nervous system.
Standards And Their Impact On Technology

The needs for standards and the processes to provide them are very complex. Standardization is dependent upon voluntary and nonvoluntary agreement among individuals, companies, various organizations, and countries around the world. The agreements on standards, which sometimes take five to ten years, are hindered by monetary considerations, relinquishment of patent rights, disagreement among nations on dimensions in metric or the English system, and professional jealousy among some individuals. Standards, Standards, Standards - what a boring and uninteresting topic. Why did I ever agree to speak to you about something that most people take for granted and don't even bother to pay much attention to until they encounter a situation where a nonstandard item creates a problem. Have any of you ever bought a roll of 35mm film for your foreign made camera and found out that it needs 32mm film? That could have happened to you in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century. Yes, we know that, you say, but that's not a problem anymore. Well, how about when you try to put a Beta cassette into your VCR that uses VHS cassettes? Have you tried to fit a Minolta lens onto a Nikon camera? But enough, you all have the idea. Standards were developed to make interchangeable components compatible with other equipment, no matter who made it or where it was made. Some companies and countries deliberately made things different to protect their inventions and profit by their uniqueness. More and more attempts are being made to reduce the international differences in technology and establish a common ground for trade and commerce. The European Common Market is in the process of eliminating many of the barriers to free exchange of goods, services, and even moving to a universal currency. This all sounds good for Europe, but what about the USA and the rest of the world. The United States has fought the change to the metric system for almost two hundred years. Our electrical system and the electrical systems of many parts of the world are not compatible. There are at least five video systems throughout the world. Standards have a direct impact upon almost every area of living in today's multi-complex world. Medicine, business, entertainment, science, education, travel, and especially manufacturing. Think about the American made automobile with the Japanese engine - everything is metric.
Flash X-Ray Cineradiography at 100,000 FPS.

We have developed a cineradiography technique which will produce six pictures, each on a separate piece of film, with framing rates up to 100,000 frames/second. The system utilizes six 150 keV flash x-ray tubes mounted side by side in one head. X-rays are converted to light by a single x-ray image intensification'screen with rapid phosphor decay. The x-ray screen is viewed through six individually adjustable lenses by six, gated image intensifier tubes with light amplication of 15,000. Output from the tubes is recorded on Polaroid film. The x-ray flash duration of 70 nanoseconds per tube determines exposure time.
Endothelial Dysfunction and Cardiorenal Injury in Experimental Salt-Sensitive Hypertension Effects of Antihypertensive Therapy

Background Pharmacological control of hypertension has contributed to a significant decrease in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, although the beneficial effect on cardiac and renal diseases has been far more modest than the reduction in stroke. The endothelium plays a crucial homeostatic role in the regulation of vascular tone thrombogenesis and vascular remodeling. We studied the relationship between endothelial dysfunction and cardiorenal injury in hypertensive rats and evaluated the effects of two classes of antihypertensive agents commonly used in the clinical setting, a diuretic (DIU) and an ACE inhibitor (CEI). Methods and Results Dahl salt-sensitive rats (DS) given high dietary salt (4% NaCl) developed hypertension (systolic blood pressure [SBP], 218±9 versus 147±3 mm Hg in DS given 0.5% NaCl; P<.001), which was associated with impaired endothelium-dependent relaxations (EDRs) in aortic rings (ED50, 5.44±.18 versus 7.51±.10; P<.05) and mesenteric vessels (area under the curve, 299±11 versus ...
Light and Life in Baltimore—and Beyond

Baltimore has been the home of numerous biophysical studies using light to probe cells. One such study, quantitative measurement of lateral diffusion of rhodopsin, set the standard for experiments in which recovery after photobleaching is used to measure lateral diffusion. Development of this method from specialized microscopes to commercial scanning confocal microscopes has led to widespread use of the technique to measure lateral diffusion of membrane proteins and lipids, and as well diffusion and binding interactions in cell organelles and cytoplasm. Perturbation of equilibrium distributions by photobleaching has also been developed into a robust method to image molecular proximity in terms of fluorescence resonance energy transfer between donor and acceptor fluorophores.
Harpy Eagle attempts predation on adult howler monkey

Description d'une tentative de predation d'un subadulte de Harpia harpyja sur une femelle adulte d'Alouatta seniculus
DECEPTION AND DETECTION IN PSYCHIATRIC DIAGNOSIS

Deception is ubiquitous in all communication and relationships. It can be conscious, unconscious, or both. It is present in all psychiatric diagnoses as alterations of history, symptom fabrication, symptom enhancement or minimization, and noncompliance with treatment recommendations. We are born better deceivers than we are detectors and untrained intuition may result in very unreliable discrimination. In order to improve our ability to distinguish fact from fiction, the diagnostician must attend to clues in the patient's history and physical and mental status examinations. Laboratory examination, psychological testing, and polygraphy also can be useful adjuncts in detection; however, the first step is always suspicion.
Analysis of the Biased Distribution of Topoisomerase I Break Sites on Replicating Simian Virus 40 DNA

We previously mapped the locations of breaks introduced by eukaryotic topoisomerase I (topo I) in replicating simian virus 40 (SV40) DNA and observed an approximate 3:1 bias in the distribution of the break sites for the template strand for discontinuous DNA synthesis. In the present study, this bias has been confirmed by the mapping of additional sites utilizing a standard primer extension assay and a sensitive repetitive primer extension (RPE) method. No new sites could be detected on either strand of SV40 by the RPE method, despite the 10 to 20 fold greater sensitivity of the technique. To investigate the nature of the bias, a detailed analysis of the SV40 DNA sequence was undertaken. A set of 17 pentanucleotide sequences derived from those sites observed to be broken in the viral DNA extracted from SV40-infected cells define an in vivo consensus sequence. We show that the observed strand bias is likely due to the intrinsic asymmetric distribution of these consensus sequences on the two strands of SV40 DNA. To confirm these observations, double-stranded oligonucleotides containing previously identified in vivo topo I break sites were introduced in both orientations into SV40 to generate insertion mutants. Mapping experiments utilizing these mutants revealed that the inserted topo I break sites were broken in vivo regardless of their orientation, confirming that the SV40 sequence is the major, if not the sole determinant, of the observed strand bias. The possible origins of the strand bias are discussed in relation to the evolution of the virus.
Population models with diffusion, strong Allee effect and constant yield harvesting

Abstract We study the steady state distribution of reaction diffusion equations with strong Allee effect type growth and constant yield harvesting (semipositone) in heterogeneous bounded habitats. Assuming the exterior of the habitat is completely hostile, we establish existence results for positive solutions. We also establish a multiplicity result for the non-harvested case. We obtain our results via the method of sub–super solutions.
Relationship between Positive Attitude and Job Satisfaction: Evidence from the US Data

Using data from the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY79), a longitudinal data set from the United States, and following different cross-sectional and panel data estimation procedures, the study demonstrates that the worker’s job satisfaction is related positively to his/her positive attitude. This conclusion remains valid regardless of whether the worker’s wage income is treated as an exogenous variable or as an endogenous variable. The study thus claims that the worker’s satisfaction at workplace is related to not only the external job-related factors, but also his/her inner psychological attitude.
Synthesis of the 6-aldehydo derivative of cellulose, and a mass-spectrometric method for determining position and degree of substitution by carbonyl groups in oxidized polysaccharides☆☆☆

Abstract A position-specific method is described for the introduction of C-6 aldehyde functionality into cellulose ( 1 ) at two levels of degree of substitution (d.s.); the procedure involves photolysis of a 6-azido-6-deoxy derivative. A mass-spectrometric method for determining the d.s. of the 6-aldehydo derivative ( 7 ) of cellulose is also described.
Analytical and Experimental Investigation of Diffusers for VSTOL Thrust-Augmenting Ejectors

A THRUST-AUGMENTING ejector is a pneumatic device in which the direct transfer of kinetic energy from a primary jet to air drawn in from the atmosphere (via turbulent mixing) produces an increase in the primary thrust. For VSTOL applications, the allowable length of the ejector is small and the diffuser (sidewall flap) design has an important effect on augmentor performance. It was experimentally demonstrated that improved augmentation can be obtained with cambered flaps or straight flaps with tabs. Various combinations of tab blowing and upstream Coanda blowing were experimentally and analytically examined with centerbody and total nozzle area held constant. Nomenclature A0 = primary nozzle area (center jet + Coanda + tab) + boundary-layer control (BLC)
Upwelling by icebergs

A CASE is made for considering the influence of melting icebergs on the oceanographic characteristics of the Weddell Sea. In particular, the equivalent upwelling produced by melting must play a large factor in the supply of nutrients to the surface layers of this ocean. It might be, for example, that the slowly moving icebergs leave behind a trail of nutrient enhanced surface fluid. The need for testing such a hypothesis is clear.
Suboptimal dynamic code assignment and call admission control for OVSF-CDMA communication systems

In this work, we consider the problem of assigning OVSF (Orthogonal Variable Spreading Factor) codes to arriving calls for multi-rate code-division multiple access systems, and propose a sequence of algorithms to solve this problem from different angles. First, we introduce two new policies, called FCA (Fixed Code Assignment) with fixed set partitioning and DCA (Dynamic Code Assignment) with call admission control under an objective to maximize the average data throughput of the system. Numerical simulation confirms that optimized FCA and DCA perform better than DCA with a greedy policy as the traffic load increases and high-rate calls become dominant. Second, a suboptimal DCA with call admission control is examined. The objective is to generate an average data throughput of the system close to that of the optimal scheme while demanding much lower design and implementation complexity than the optimal scheme. By means of capacity or class partitioning and partial resource sharing, we can significantly reduce the computational complexity, thus achieving good design and implementation scalability. Numerical evaluation shows the superior performance of the proposed schemes with low complexity.
Case report: Combined conservative and percutaneous management of a perforated duodenal ulcer

A case is presented of perforated duodenal ulcer with associated abscesses treated by percutaneous drainage in a patient with markedly impaired respiratory function. The potential role of conservative management in such patients is discussed.
Structural and vibrational properties of a model of vitreous As2O3

Abstract We have constructed and analyzed a 635-atom continuous random network model of vitreous As2O3. Computer relaxations of the strain energy carried out for different distributions of bond angles indicate that bond angles in the glass are similar to those found in crystalline forms of As2O3. Vibrational spectra calculated for the model reproduce the main features seen in recent measurements of the infrared and Raman spectra of vitreous As2O3 but suggest an intermediate range order more like that found in crystalline forms.