cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Validation and psychometric properties of the Asthma Control Questionnaire among children.

Background The Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) is a patient-centered tool for evaluating asthma control. It has been validated in adults, but not well-validated among children. Objective We evaluated the reliability, validity, and responsiveness to change of the ACQ for assessing asthma control in children ages 6 to 17 years. A threshold value for poor disease control and a minimally important difference were also determined. Methods Data from 305 asthmatic children enrolled in a clinical trial were examined. The ACQ was administered at 8 visits. We analyzed results for the combined age group and for the 6- to 11-year-old and 12- to 17-year-old age groups separately. Results Overall, the Cronbach α value (internal consistency) for the ACQ was 0.74 at baseline, and the intraclass correlation coefficient (test-retest reliability) for repeated questionnaires among stable patients was 0.53. The Pearson correlations between the ACQ and other asthma questionnaires were moderate to strong (−0.64 to −0.73). Mean ACQ scores were higher (worse) in patients whose peak flow decreased, who used more rescue medications, or who sought medical care for asthma than in patients who were stable ( P P ≤ .01). The optimal threshold indicating poor asthma control was 1.25 or greater. The minimally important difference was established to be 0.40. Results for the separate age groups were similar. Conclusion The ACQ is a moderately reliable, valid, and responsive tool with adequate psychometric properties for assessing recent asthma control among children.
The Future in Retrospect: A Frenchman's View of America Between Wars

pay at least a superficial visit to the Louvre, to the chateaus and even to the Salle Pleyel concert hall, the phenomenon is, on second thought, quite understandable. The fact is that few if any of our intellectual visitors really expected to find any culture in America at all. What they knew about our country they had mostly learned from the movies, and so it was the aspects of life emphasized on the screen that they wished to examine for themselves. Among our visitors some were very distinguished, including several academicians. Georges Duhamel was among the first. He was followed, to mention but the best known, by Andre Maurois, Luc Durtain, and Jules Romains. Of the group Maurois and Morand were the most inclined to seek a balanced view. Jules Romains looked for and found the picturesque. He also lived up to his reputation as a Parisian by paying special attention to women's ankles. Luc Durtain found the material for some superficial and satiric pieces of fiction. Maurois was most factual, most charitable, and the least inclined to make hasty judgments. But it remained for Duhamel, who seemed to most people one of the wisest of men to indulge in a veritable orgy of angry denunciation. Let us therefore speak of him. If he was not typical he was at least most influential.
The Zero Surface Tension Limit of Two-Dimensional Water Waves

We consider two-dimensional water waves of infinite depth, periodic in the horizontal direction. It has been proven by Wu (in the slightly different nonperiodic setting) that solutions to this initial value problem exist in the absence of surface tension. Recently Ambrose has proven that solutions exist when surface tension is taken into account. In this paper, we provide a shorter, more elementary proof of existence of solutions to the water wave initial value problem both with and without surface tension. Our proof requires estimating the growth of geometric quantities using a renormalized arc length parametrization of the free surface and using physical quantities related to the tangential velocity of the free surface. Using this formulation, we find that as surface tension goes to 0, the water wave without surface tension is the limit of the water wave with surface tension. Far from being a simple adaptation of previous works, our method requires a very original choice of variables; these variables turn out to be physical and well adapted to both cases. c
Inequality of Two Critical Probabilities for Percolation

We disprove a conjecture of Russ Lyons---that for every locally finite, connected graph $G$, the critical probability for (Bernoulli bond) percolation on $G$ is equal to the "first moment method" lower bound on this probability---and propose a possible alternative.
On approximating conjugate, focal, and σ-points for linear differential equations of second order

A study of the fundamental nature of solving a system of n ordinary (nondifferential) equations is undertaken in § 1. It is found that the properties of the inverse function play an unexpectedly decisive role. In § 2, the results of § 1 are applied to methods of approximating eigenvalues, conjugate, focal, and σ-points previously introduced by the author. Finally, the connection between these methods and Wiman's integral is indicated.
Efficacy of tetravalent dengue vaccine in Thai schoolchildren.

1094 www.thelancet.com Vol 381 March 30, 2013 as determined by PRNT assays that use FcγR-negative cells, were absent or at much lower concentrations than when measured with FcγRpositive cells. Our study suggests the presence of DENV antibody complexes that are incapable of infecting FcγRnegative cells, but retain infectivity for FcγR-expressing cells. The breakthrough by DENV2 infection could be caused by the dominance of antibodies that might not confer virus neutralisation in the presence of FcγR. We therefore advocate for further eff orts to investigate vaccine effi cacy through invitro assays based on the knowledge of DENV target cells in vivo—ie, use of FcγR-bearing cells in PRNT assays.
CONCENTRATION OF WATERMELON JUICE

A high temperature short time process was used to produce a 65° Brix concentrate from watermelon juice. Color of the reconstituted juice was similar to color of the fresh juice. The concentrate could be stored at -21°C for 18 months without color loss. The dominant pigment in the concentrate is lycopene and it could be extracted in a relatively pure form. Watermelon concentrate showed a psuedoplatic behavior with apparent viscosities lower than orange and grapefruit juice concentrates within the shear rates of 2-100 set-1.
Mechanisms of hemoglobin precipitation into Heinz bodies: possible relevance to cataract formation.

Some mechanisms by which hemoglobin denatures into precipitates within red blood cells, termed Heinz bodies, are presented. The possible relevance of these findings to the pathophysiology of cataract formation is suggested.
Statistical inference in dynamic panel data models

Anderson and his collaborators have made seminal contributions to inference with instrumental variables and to dynamic panel data models. We review these contributions and the extensive economic and statistical literature that these contributions spawned. We describe our recent work in these two areas, presenting new approaches to (a) making valid inferences in the presence of weak instruments and (b) instrument and model selection for dynamic panel data models. Both approaches use empirical likelihood and resampling. For inference in the presence of weak instruments, our approach uses model averaging to achieve asymptotic efficiency with strong instruments but maintain valid inferences with weak instruments. For instrument and model selection, our approach aims at choosing valid instruments that are strong enough to be useful.
Cannabinoids reduce hyperalgesia and inflammation via interaction with peripheral CB1 receptors

Central antinociceptive effects of cannabinoids have been well documented. However, relatively little is known about the peripheral effects of the cannabinoids on inflammation. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of peripherally administered cannabinoids on three indices of inflammation: carrageenan-induced thermal hyperalgesia, carrageenan-induced edema, and capsaicin-induced plasma extravasation. In addition, we determined the effect of cannabinoids on capsaicin-evoked neuropeptide release from isolated rat hindpaw skin. Our results indicate that cannabinoids produce antihyperalgesia via interaction with a peripheral CB1 receptor. Peripheral, but not systemic, administration of 0.01 ng anandamide inhibited the induction of hyperalgesia. Peripheral administration of anandamide also attenuated hyperalgesia after its development via interaction with the CB1 cannabinoid receptor subtype as indicated by its reversal with the CB1 receptor antagonist SR 141716A. Additionally, peripheral, but not systemic, administration of 0.01 ng anandamide inhibited edema. Peripherally administered cannabinoids also interacted with CB1 receptors to inhibit capsaicin-evoked plasma extravasation into the hindpaw. One potential mechanism for the anti-inflammatory actions of the cannabinoids is the inhibition of neurosecretion from the peripheral terminals of nociceptive primary afferent fibers. This hypothesis is supported by the finding that anandamide inhibited capsaicin-evoked release of calcitonin gene-related peptide from isolated hindpaw skin. Collectively, these results indicate that cannabinoids reduce inflammation via interaction with a peripheral CB1 receptor. A potential mechanism for this effect is the inhibition of neurosecretion from capsaicin-sensitive primary afferent fibers.
Orphons: Dispersed genetic elements derived from tandem repetitive genes of eucaryotes

Abstract We have discovered in animal cells a novel class of dispersed, solitary genetic elements derived from tandem multigene families. We refer to such displaced elements as orphons. Orphons arise from both protein-coding and non-protein-coding structural gene families, including those of histone and ribosomal genes. Southern transfer hybridization experiments, on DNA digested with enzymes that do not cut the major repeat unit of the family of genes of interest, reveal histone gene orphons in the sea urchin (Lytechinus pictus), ribosomal gene orphons in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and ribosomal and H3 histone gene orphons in Drosophila melanogaster. There are more than 50 histone gene orphons in each sea urchin genome. Each of the five histone-coding regions has a number of orphons (5–20), in addition to the several hundred copies in the clusters that are not cut by Bam HI. Most such orphons appear to contain only one coding region. Nearly all sea urchin histone gene orphon loci are polymorphic in the population; no two individuals have the same sets of histone orphons for any coding region. An H3-coding orphon, pLpH3o-1, was isolated from the genome of L. pictus. The H3 region homologous to the histone gene clusters is 1200 bases long and includes the complete early H3 gene and some surrounding histone DNA. The orphon is flanked by at least 1.7 kb of 5′ and 3 kb of 3′ nonhistone DNA. These flanking sequences are each moderately repetitive in the genome and are not homologous to each other. The orphon differs less than 2% in base sequence from the analogous region of pLpC and only slightly more from pLpA (the major histone gene clones). DNA sequence analysis of the junctions between the H3 region and the immediate flanking nonhistone DNA reveals no evidence of repetitive or palindromic sequences.
The American Civil War as a Trial by Battle

Confined alone in a cell in New York's Fort Lafayette in the heat of the summer of 1865, former Confederate naval secretary Stephen R. Mallory had little to do but reflect on the fate of the defeated Confederacy. Convinced that his life might be forfeit if the United States government made good on its threat to try him for treason, Mallory composed a lengthy letter to President Andrew Johnson petitioning for a pardon and seeking to explain his views on the demise of the Confederacy and the fate of the states' right to secede from the Union. While Mallory stressed his opposition to disunion in 1861, on the grounds of its inexpediency, he admitted that he had placed loyalty to his state above his duty as a citizen of the United States. He had “regarded the commands of my state as decisive of my path of duty; and I followed where she led.” Nonetheless, Mallory went on to disclaim his belief in the principle of secession in very striking terms, describing the death of secession in the crucible of the Civil War as the result of a trial by battle. Mallory never specifically denied secession's constitutionality; instead, he told Johnson that because he “recognize[ed] the death [of the Confederacy] as the will of Almighty God, I regard and accept His dispensation as decisive of the questions of slavery and secession.”
Racial differences in outcomes for patients with metastatic breast cancer by disease subtype

Treatment advances have differed by breast cancer subtype. We examined the impact of race on survival of women with metastatic breast cancer by disease subgroup. Using surveillance, epidemiology, and end results -Medicare data, we included white and black patients aged ≥66 with de novo metastatic breast cancer diagnosed between 1998 and 2009. Using trastuzumab as a proxy for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive status, we defined three disease subgroups: (1) HER2-positive (received trastuzumab), (2) HER2-negative/unknown (never received trastuzumab)/hormone receptor (HR)-positive, and (3) HER2-negative/unknown/HR-negative. Multivariate Cox proportional models assessed the impact of race on overall survival (OS) and breast cancer-specific survival by subgroup. We also examined trastuzumab treatment patterns. Among 4364 women (86 % white, 14 % black), 9 % had HER2-positive, 72 % had HER2-negative/unknown/HR-positive, and 18 % had HER2-negative/unknown/HR-negative tumors. Patients with HER2-positive disease experienced longer median OS compared with others: 2.4 versus 1.8 years for women with HER2-negative/unknown/HR-positive and 0.5 years for women with HER2-negative/unknown/HR-negative disease (P < 0.001). Racial differences in OS were only observed among patients with HER2-positive tumors: median OS: 1.4 versus 2.7 years for black and white women, adjusted hazard ratio 1.45; 95 % Confidence interval 1.01–2.08. Results for breast cancer-specific survival were similar. We also observed racial differences in trastuzumab utilization, with longer median time to trastuzumab initiation and lower likelihood of continuation over time for black (vs. white) patients. Among women with de novo metastatic breast cancer, racial differences in survival were only apparent for those with inferred HER2-positive tumors. Further study of how treatment patterns affect outcomes is warranted.
Hybrid Hybridoma Cell Lines Which Express Anti-Zeatin Riboside, Anti-Abscisic Acid, and Hybrid Antibodies

Hybrid hybridoma cell lines that secreted antibodies which reacted with two distinct plant hormones, abscisic acid (ABA) and zeatin riboside (ZR) were prepared and cloned. These cell lines were derived by polyethylene glycol-mediated fusion of HAT-sensitive anti-ZR hybridoma cells with splenocytes harvested from a BALB/c mouse previously immunized with an ABA-bovine serum albumin conjugate. Chromatographic analyses indicated that these lines expressed two different isotypes, each associated with a specific immunologic reactivity, and that the populations of immunoglobulins secreted by these hybridomas included antibodies directed against each individual hapten as well as hybrid molecules which reacted simultaneously with both. Hybrid hybridomas such as these should provide antibody populations useful for simultaneous isolation of multiple plant hormones from individual plant samples.
Doubling the service life of concrete structures. II: Performance of nanoscale viscosity modifiers in mortars

A new approach for increasing the service life of concrete structures is evaluated in a series of mortar specimens. The new approach consists of employing nanoscale viscosity modifiers to increase the viscosity of the concrete pore solution and concurrently and proportionally decrease the diffusion rates of deleterious ions such as chlorides and sulfates. In part I of this series, viscosities of bulk solutions of the admixtures in water and electrical conductivities of admixture solutions also containing potassium chloride were examined to verify the viability of this new technology. In the current paper, these studies are extended to quantifying the performance of one of these admixtures in mortars by measuring the penetration depth of chloride ions in cylindrical specimens exposed to a 1 mol/L chloride ion solution for up to 1 year. While significant reductions in the 1 year penetration depth are produced when the viscosity modifier is utilized via conventional addition to the mixing water, the best performance is achieved when a solution of the viscosity modifier is utilized to pre-wet fine lightweight aggregates that are then added to the mortar mixture. A scaling function appropriate for radial diffusion was used to estimate the relative effective diffusion coefficients. Compared to a reference mortar, the best mixture reduced the effective diffusion coefficient by a factor of 2.7, consistent with the overall objective of doubling concrete service life.
Workshop on Schizophrenia

On November 29–30, 1995, the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine brought together experts in schizophrenia and specialists in other areas of the biological sciences in a workshop aimed at promoting the application of the latest biological information to this clinical problem. The workshop paid particular attention to evidence of pathology in the brains of people with schizophrenia, and to the possibility that this reflects an abnormality in brain development that eventually leads to the appearance of symptoms. The participants were impressed with the complexity of the problem, and felt that multiple approaches would be required to understand this disease. They recommended that a major focus should be on the search for predisposing genes, but that there should be parallel research in many other areas.
Computational neurobiology meets semiconductor engineering

Many believe that the most important result to come out of the last ten years of neural network research is the significant change in perspective in the neuroscience community towards theory of computational neurobiology and functional neuro-models. Arriving on a fast moving train from the other direction is semiconductor technology, one of the greatest technology success stories of all time transistors are now approaching deep submicron (less than 100 nanometers) in size, and we will soon be building silicon chips with over 1 billion transistors. The marriage of these two technologies is creating what Andy Grove (ex-CEO of Intel) refers to as a strategic inflection point. Although previous attempts at merging these technologies were premature, silicon and computational neurobiology are now merging to create an extremely powerful, and radically new form of computation.
Carboxyl-Terminal Transactivation Activity of Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1α Is Governed by a von Hippel-Lindau Protein-Independent, Hydroxylation-Regulated Association with p300/CBP

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 complex (HIF-1) plays a pivotal role in oxygen homeostasis and adaptation to hypoxia. Its function is controlled by both the protein stability and the transactivation activity of its alpha subunit, HIF-1α. Hydroxylation of at least two prolyl residues in the oxygen-dependent degradation domain of HIF-1α regulates its interaction with the von Hippel-Lindau protein (VHL) that targets HIF-1α for ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. Several prolyl hydroxylases have been found to specifically hydroxylate HIF-1α. In this report, we investigated possible roles of VHL and hydroxylases in the regulation of the transactivation activity of the C-terminal activating domain (CAD) of HIF-1α. We demonstrate that regulation of the transactivation activity of HIF-1α CAD also involves hydroxylase activity but does not require functional VHL. In addition, stimulation of the CAD activity by a hydoxylase inhibitor, hypoxia, and desferrioxamine was severely blocked by the adenoviral oncoprotein E1A but not by an E1A mutant defective in targeting p300/CBP. We further demonstrate that a hydroxylase inhibitor, hypoxia, and desferrioxamine promote the functional and physical interaction between HIF-1α CAD and p300/CBP in vivo. Taken together, our data provide evidence that hypoxia-regulated stabilization and transcriptional stimulation of HIF-1α function are regulated through partially overlapping but distinguishable pathways.
Ultrafast rainbow: tunable ultrashort pulses from a solid-state kilohertz system

Two stages of type II optical parametric amplification of a white-light continuum are used for efficient generation of ultrashort (30–50-fs) pulses at kilohertz repetition rates. Various nonlinear techniques can be used to cover the range from 12 µm to 280 nm. The amplitude and the phase of the generated UV pulses are characterized by use of frequency-resolved optical gating.
Peripheral administration of a corticotropin-releasing factor antagonist increases the vocalizing and locomotor activity of isolated guinea pig pups

Guinea pig pups vocalized more and were more active during a 60-min period of isolation in a novel environment when injected SC with 50 micrograms of the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) antagonist, [D-Phe]CRF12-41, than when injected with saline vehicle only. More pups exhibited eye closing and extensive piloerection when injected with saline than when injected with the antagonist. Plasma levels of cortisol following testing were not affected by the injections. These results support the hypothesis that endogenous CRF contributes to the normal decline in vocalizing and locomotor activity that guinea pig pups show with continued isolation. The results also suggest that endogenous CRF plays a role in the eye closing and piloerection of isolated pups. The finding that the dose of the antagonist used altered behavior, yet was not sufficient to lower plasma cortisol levels, supports earlier evidence that the observed effects of CRF are not due to the actions of ACTH or glucocorticoids.
A computer program for uncertainty analysis integrating regression and Bayesian methods

This work develops a new functionality in UCODE_2014 to evaluate Bayesian credible intervals using the Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method. The MCMC capability in UCODE_2014 is based on the FORTRAN version of the differential evolution adaptive Metropolis (DREAM) algorithm of Vrugt et al. (2009), which estimates the posterior probability density function of model parameters in high-dimensional and multimodal sampling problems. The UCODE MCMC capability provides eleven prior probability distributions and three ways to initialize the sampling process. It evaluates parametric and predictive uncertainties and it has parallel computing capability based on multiple chains to accelerate the sampling process. This paper tests and demonstrates the MCMC capability using a 10-dimensional multimodal mathematical function, a 100-dimensional Gaussian function, and a groundwater reactive transport model. The use of the MCMC capability is made straightforward and flexible by adopting the JUPITER API protocol. With the new MCMC capability, UCODE_2014 can be used to calculate three types of uncertainty intervals, which all can account for prior information: (1) linear confidence intervals which require linearity and Gaussian error assumptions and typically 10s-100s of highly parallelizable model runs after optimization, (2) nonlinear confidence intervals which require a smooth objective function surface and Gaussian observation error assumptions and typically 100s-1,000s of partially parallelizable model runs after optimization, and (3) MCMC Bayesian credible intervals which require few assumptions and commonly 10,000s-100,000s or more partially parallelizable model runs. Ready access allows users to select methods best suited to their work, and to compare methods in many circumstances.
E-Learning Prospects for the Developing World

While cheap, universally available education is desirable everywhere, it is most desperately needed in the developing world, especially in rural ar- eas where access is most limited. As (2000) notes, less than half the people in the world have ever made a phone call.) But is education really the antidote to world poverty? Is education all that is needed?
On velocity estimation and correlation properties of narrow-band mobile communication channels

The estimation of the maximum Doppler spread or, equivalently, the vehicle velocity, is useful in improving handoff algorithms and necessary for the optimal tuning of parameters for systems that adapt to changing channel conditions. We provide a novel velocity estimator based on the spectral moments of the in-phase and the quadrature phase components or the envelope of the received signal. We characterize the joint effects of the Ricean K factor, the directivity and the angle of nonisotropic scattering, and the effects of additive white noise on our estimator and other covariance-based velocity estimators analytically. We also prove the mean-square consistency of the covariance-based velocity estimators under some assumptions on the angle of arrival distribution. Simulations illustrate our approach and compare with existing techniques.
The Factorial Survey: An Approach to Defining Sexual Harassment on Campus

A factorial survey was used to assess perceptions of sexual harassment in the context of faculty-student relations in a university setting. Results of a survey of undergraduate students and faculty at the University of California, Santa Barbara, revealed a high degree of consensus in defining cases of sexual harassment. Across respondent populations, judgments of harassment were most influenced by the nature of the behaviors and intentions of the male instructor in the situation. Results also indicated that information about any past relationship between instructor and student and about suggestive behaviors on the part of the student tended to modify harassment judgments and to introduce disagreement among respondents as to whether an incident constituted a case of sexual harassment.
Balloon Observations of the Galactic Center 511 keV Line and their Relationship to Satellite Results

Results on the Galactic Center (GC) electron-positron annihilation line obtained from experiments flown on high-altitude balloons are reviewed. A historical overview of the early balloon work is first presented. Then recent results from new generation balloon-borne instruments are presented and discussed. These balloon observations are responsible for most of our knowledge of the narrow component of the GC annihilation radiation. They suggest that narrow 511 keV line is time-variable, thus providing an important constraint on the size of the source. A new generation balloon instrument (GRIS) has, for the first time, resolved the narrow 511 keV line (FWHM ≈ 3 keV). A very interesting spectral feature at ~ 170 keV, attributed to backscattered annihilation radiation, has been observed by several experiments. The balloon results are compared with new results from the CGRO/OSSE and GRANAT/SIGMA experiments. OSSE has found a steady diffuse 511 keV component. SIGMA has observed a flaring, broadened line from the GC source 1E1740.2- 2942 attributed to red-shifted annihilation radiation. A model is suggested that ties most the balloon and satellite observations together.
Deep sequencing reveals complex mechanisms of diapause preparation in the invasive mosquito, Aedes albopictus.

Seasonal environments present fundamental physiological challenges to a wide range of insects. Many temperate insects surmount the exigencies of winter by undergoing photoperiodic diapause, in which photoperiod provides a token cue that initiates an alternative developmental programme leading to dormancy. Pre-diapause is a crucial preparatory phase of this process, preceding developmental arrest. However, the regulatory and physiological mechanisms of diapause preparation are largely unknown. Using high-throughput gene expression profiling in the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, we reveal major shifts in endocrine signalling, cell proliferation, metabolism, energy production and cellular structure across pre-diapause development. While some hallmarks of diapause, such as insulin signalling and stress response, were not important at the transcriptional level, two genes, Pepck and PCNA, appear to show diapause-induced transcriptional changes across insect taxa. These processes demonstrate physiological commonalities between Ae. albopictus pre-diapause and diapause strategies across insects, and support the idea of a genetic ‘toolkit’ for diapause. Observations of gene expression trends from a comparative developmental perspective suggest that individual physiological processes are delayed against a background of a fixed morphological ontogeny. Our results demonstrate how deep sequencing can provide new insights into elusive molecular bases of complex ecological adaptations.
Management of endoleak after endovascular aneurysm repair: cuffs, coils, and conversion

Abstract Objective The effectiveness of endovascular treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) may be limited by persistent perfusion of the aneurysm sac (endoleak). Endoleak that results in persistent systemic pressurization of the aneurysm or in continued AAA expansion is believed to require treatment to prevent rupture. This report describes the results of three techniques used to treat endoleak. Methods Endovascular repair of AAA was performed in 597 patients between January 1996 and September 2002. Seventy-three endoleaks that required treatment developed in 70 patients (11.7%). These involved the graft attachment site (type I) or the graft junction site (type III) or originated from collateral side-branch vessels (type II) and were associated with an increase in aneurysm size. Endoleak type was confirmed at angiography in all cases. Average time between the initial endovascular procedure and endoleak treatment was 14.5 ± 5.7 months. The techniques used for endoleak treatment were deployment of an endovascular extension graft or cuff (n = 44), coil embolization (n = 24,) and conversion to conventional open repair (n = 5). Configurations of endovascular grafts in which endoleak developed were bifurcated (n = 44), aortouniiliac (n = 15), and aortoaortic-tube (n = 11). Mean follow-up after endoleak treatment was 24.5 ± 12.2 months (range, 1-60 months). Results Endovascular extension grafts or cuffs were used to treat 41 attachment site endoleaks and 3 graft junction endoleaks, with overall technical success rate of 97%. Embolic coils were used to treat 16 retrograde side-branch endoleaks and 8 attachment site endoleaks, with overall technical success rate of 87%. Conversion to open surgery was performed in 4 patients with attachment site endoleaks and 1 patient with a graft junction site endoleak, and was successful in all cases. After endoleak treatment, aneurysm size decreased (>5 mm) in 38% of patients, stabilized in 58% of patients, and increased (>5 mm) in 4% of patients. Major morbidity occurred in 7.0%, with no perioperative deaths. Conclusions Endovascular extension grafts, coil embolization, and conversion to open surgery each may be used to effectively repair endoleak. Selection of the treatment method used is determined by the anatomic characteristics of the endoleak and the patient's ability to tolerate conventional repair. Conversion to open repair was uniformly successful. Deployment of an extension cuff was successful when complete closure of the endoleak was achieved. Embolic coils were effective for retrograde endoleaks and provided stabilization of AAA size in selected patients with attachment site endoleaks in limited follow-up.
Stability of anthocyanin-based aqueous extracts of andean purple corn and red-fleshed sweet potato compared to synthetic and natural colorants

Abstract Anthocyanin-based aqueous Andean red sweet potato and purple corn extracts were evaluated under different pH, temperature, and light conditions, and compared to commercial colorants (purple carrot, red grape, red 40, and red 3). Red sweet potato and purple carrot colorants, rich in acylated anthocyanins, showed higher stability than purple corn and red grape colorants, rich in non-acylated anthocyanins. After storage at 20 °C for 138 days, the order of stability in the pH range 0.9–4 was: red sweet potato ⩾ purple carrot > purple corn > red grape. After this storage time, red sweet potato pH 4 extracts maintained a red-violet hue. Half-lives for pH 3 extracts at 98 °C were 4.6, 4.6, 2.4, and 2.0 h for red sweet potato, purple carrot, red grape, and purple corn, respectively. The hues for purple corn pH 3 extracts were similar to those of red 40. Parameters measured included degradation index, polymeric colour, colour retention and spectral data.
Identification of marine invertebrate larvae by means of PCR-RAPD species-specific markers

We used the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to randomly amplify polymorphic DNA (RAPD) to identify species-specific genetic markers for five species of gorgonian corals. Using PCR-RAPDs, we can identify adult gorgonians as well as larvae collected in the field. This technique can be applied to any organism in which identification based on morphologic traits is difficult. Identification of larvae allows more detailed studies of early life histories of marine organisms and studies of the subsequent erects on the dynamics and genetic structure of adult populations
Fibrovascular polyp of the cervical esophagus.

Fibrovascular polyps of the esophagus are rare. This report describes a 54-year-old man who presented with progressive dysphagia and was evaluated for an upper esophageal mass via a variety of modalities including computerized tomography (CT), esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) with endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)–guided fine needle aspiration biopsy, and direct laryngoscopy with biopsies. The patient proved a diagnostic challenge, and definitive diagnosis was not established until open excisional biopsy with histopathologic examination. Before resection, CT evaluation most strongly suggested the possibility of fibrovascular polyp based on the tumor's intraluminal nature and cervical esophageal location. In this case, we illustrate the difficulty in establishing a diagnosis of fibrovascular polyp for a patient presenting with a proximal esophageal mass and nonspecific obstructive symptoms.
Bathymetric shift in the distribution of Atlantic surfclams: response to warmer ocean temperature

Standard research vessel surveys during the 1980s and early 1990s demonstrated that Atlantic surfclams (Spisula solidissima solidissima) were common in the southern portion of their range (37e38(N) along the east coast of North America in the Delmarva region. Based on data from these surveys, the probability of capturing surfclams in shallow water (i.e. 20 m) tows of the Delmarva region was 75e85% in 1994 and 1997. In 1999 and 2002, this probability declined to 40e55%. The probability of capturing surfclams in survey tows from deeper waters (40e50 m) also declined, but this change was relatively small compared with that in shallower water. These changes were not the result of commercial clam fishing. Unusually warm water, which induces thermal stress in S. s. solidissima, was prevalent within the period from 1999 to 2002 over the Delmarva continental shelf during fall when annual bottom temperature was peaking. The combined effects of poor physiological condition and thermal stress likely resulted in mortality of Atlantic surfclams in shallow water habitats in the Delmarva region. This resulted in a shift in the bathymetric distribution of the population to deeper water. Between 1982 and 1997, most of the surfclams in the Delmarva region occurred at depths between 25 and 35 m, whereas in 1999 and 2002, most of the Delmarva population occurred at 35e40 m. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of International Council for the Exploration of the Sea.
Diet of the Texas Map Turtle (Graptemys versa): Relationship to Sexually Dimorphic Trophic Morphology and Changes Over Five Decades as Influenced by an Invasive Mollusk

ABSTRACT The diet of the Texas map turtle (Graptemys versa) in the Colorado River drainage was studied using 1) stomach flushing and collection of feces in 1998–1999 and 2) dissection of museum specimens collected in 1949 prior to invasion of their habitats by exotic Asian clams (Corbicula spp.). Feces were found to be better indicators of dietary diversity based on log–log comparisons of sample volume with turtle size and the fact that Corbicula were absent in stomach flushes of small female specimens that yielded abundant shell fragments in their feces. Adult males fed most heavily on aquatic insect larvae (primarily trichopterans and ephemeropterans) and showed little change in diet over 5 decades. Small females that overlapped adult males in body size had wider heads and alveolar surfaces of the jaws than did males and fed predominantly on Corbicula, snails, insect larvae, and algae. Females that were larger than males in body size showed a change from a diverse diet in 1949 that included sphaeriid cl...
Comment on “Multiple Bosonic Mode Coupling in the Electron Self-Energy of ( La 2 − x Sr x ) CuO 4 ”

A Comment on the Letter by X. J. Zhou et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 117001 (2005). The authors of the Letter offer a Reply.
Using landscape typologies to model socioecological systems

The complexity of socioecological systems (SES) has posed a persistent challenge to the development of methods for diagnostic and prognostic analyses of global change. We developed a high dimensional statistical framework where cluster analysis was used to characterize regional landscape typologies and those typologies are linked to the outcome of interest through regression modeling. For demonstration, we applied the framework to agroecosystem of the United States Gulf Coast to evaluate the determinants of spatial variability in crop yield. Regional biophysical typologies (BPT; integrated climate, soil, and topography clusters) and socioecological typologies (SET; BPT combined with socioeconomic clusters) were developed. The SET corn model (R2?=?0.89) outperformed the BPT corn model (R2?=?0.72) and a county fixed-effect model (R2?=?0.53), which reflects the socioeconomic influence over agricultural productivity. The SET model also showed similar predictive skill for soybean and cotton yield. Therefore impact analysis for agroecosystems can lead to incorrect conclusions if biophysical factors are not examined jointly with socioeconomic factors. The socioecological typology method was used for identifying and attributing regional crop yield variability.The models demonstrated high predictive skill.Useful for integrating multi-scaled characteristic of socioecological systems.
Effect of Administration of Sar1-Ala8-Angiotensin II during the Development and Maintenance of Renal Hypertension in the Rat

Summary 1. Sar'-Ala'-Angiotensin II (an angiotensin antagonist) was infused in rats during the develop­ ment and maintenance of renal hypertension pro­ duced by aortic ligation between renal arteries. 2. In the early phase (5 and 12 days after ligation), infusion of the antagonist markedly decreased blood pressure although it did not reach normal pressures. Later (day 40) only a modest decrease in blood pressure was noted. 3. Removal of the small left kidney always decreased the blood pressure to normal pressures. 4. It is concluded that the renin-angiotensin system is the major pressor component in the initia­ tion of this hypertension. Later, other factors of renal origin assume a pressor function.
Automated fluorous-assisted solution-phase synthesis of β-1,2-, 1,3-, and 1,6-mannan oligomers

Automated solution-phase syntheses of β-1,2-, 1,3-, and 1,6-mannan oligomers have been accomplished by applying a β-directing C-5 carboxylate strategy. Fluorous-tag-assisted purification after each reaction cycle allowed the synthesis of short β-mannan oligomers with limited loading of glycosyl donor-as low as 3.0 equivalents for each glycosylation cycle. This study showed the capability of the automated solution-phase synthesis protocol for synthesizing various challenging glycosides, including use of a C-5 ester as a protecting group that could be converted under reductive conditions to a hydroxymethyl group for chain extension.
Design and manufacture of a fixed wing MAV with zimmerman planform

A comprehensive method is used to design and manufacture a fixed wing micro air vehicle (MAV) with Zimmerman planform. The design process includes four stages which are the specification of the flight mission, determination of the best aspect ratio, identification of the optimum wing loading, and estimation of the weight of the structural components of the MAV. To this end, various statistical and analytical methods are utilized. Based on an aerodynamic analysis, the results show that an optimum aspect ratio that maximizes the performance of the Zimmerman MAV for a well-defined cruise speed is determined. Considering six possible flights, a constraint analysis is performed and an optimum wing loading value is found. Using the 3D panel method, the determination of the shape of the reflexed airfoil for the MAV is successfully done by minimizing the drag force and the angle of attack to use less powerful motor and avoid any stall effect, respectively. During test flight, the results show that the designed Zimmerman MAV satisfies the predefined specification. The final characteristics of the manufactured MAV are: wingspan of 44 centimeters, weight of 450 grams, aspect ratio of 1.51, cruise speed of 20m/s, and flight endurance of 20 minutes.
Characteristics of Rural Children Admitted to Pediatric Hospitals

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Delivering high-quality care to children living in rural areas can be challenging. Compared with nonrural children, rural children often experience worse health outcomes. We assessed characteristics and hospitalizations of rural children admitted to US children’s hospitals in 2012. METHODS: Retrospective cohort analysis of 672190 admissions between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2012, to 41 children’s hospitals in the Pediatric Health Information System database. ZIP codes were used to assess the patients’ rurality (by using Rural-Urban Community Areas classification), residence in a Health Professional Shortage Area, and family income. Multivariable regression was used to compare patient characteristics and hospital utilization between rural and nonrural children. RESULTS: Rural children accounted for 12% of all admissions (n = 81 360) to the children’s hospitals. Compared with nonrural children, rural children lived farther from the hospital (median [interquartile range]: 68 [48–104] vs 12 [6–24] miles) and more often resided in low-income ZIP codes (53% vs 24%) and Health Professional Shortage Areas (20% vs 4%) (P CONCLUSIONS: Rural children hospitalized at children’s hospitals have high rates of medical complexity and often reside in low-income and medically underserved areas. Compared with nonrural children, rural children experience more expensive hospitalizations and more frequent readmissions.
Treatment of Adverse Reactions

Acute reactions occurring after systemic administration of contrast media include: nausea and/or vomiting, scattered to extensive urticaria, laryngeal edema, bronchospasm, isolated hypotension with or without compensatory tachycardia, vagal reaction with hypotension and sinus bradycardia, generalized systemic anaphylaxis-like reaction (which may include severe bronchospasm, angioedema, laryngeal edema, and hypotension), angina, hypertension, convulsions, and cardiopulmonary arrest. These reactions occur in a variety of combinations and a life-threatening reaction may occur without specific preliminary symptoms.
Benign Anal Disease: Third Degree Hemorrhoids – Who Really Needs Surgery?

Surgeons posess a wide variety of therapeutic options to treat hemorrhoids. Grade I/II hemorrhoids can usually be readily managed with dietary modification and/or office based treatments whereas grade IV hemorrhoids commonly require surgery. However, there are no clear-cut guidelines for the optimal treatment of grade III hemorrhoids. Further complicating matters, the hemorrhoid grading system developed by Goligher in 1954 (grades I-IV) does not account for key factors that may drive decision making, such as size or whether the hemorrhoids are isolated or circumferential [1].
A Comprehensive Health Profile of Guyanese Immigrants Aged 18-64 in Schenectady, New York.

Guyanese immigrants are the 5th largest foreign-born group in NY State, but sparse literature is available on their health status and health needs. A community-based health interview survey of Schenectady NY residents aged 18–64 (N = 1861) was analyzed. Bivariate comparisons between Guyanese respondents and White, Black, and Hispanic respondents were made for each variable to identify disparities. As predominantly low SES immigrants, Guyanese adults were less likely to be covered by health insurance, have a usual place for care, and receive cancer screenings. They were more likely to engage in alcohol binge drinking, but generally in good overall physical and mental health and less likely to smoke or report disability. Stable family structure and supportive interpersonal relationships are major assets of this group. Improved access to affordable health insurance, linkages to primary care, targeted cancer screening programs, and culturally-sensitive behavioral health services are recommended for Guyanese immigrants.
Does untreated obstructive sleep apnea cause secondary erythrocytosis

Abstract Background The current literature suggests a relationship between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) severity and hematocrit. However, the degree that OSA contributes to clinically significant erythrocytosis is uncertain. The aim of this study is to evaluate this association in a large study sample controlling for multiple confounders. Methods We evaluated consecutive subjects with suspected untreated OSA using multivariate analysis to test the associations between apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and hematocrit. Subjects were evaluated with sleep studies, comprehensive sleep questionnaires, and detailed electronic medical record reviews to document their medical comorbidities, and demographic and laboratory information. Results 1604 consecutive veterans (age 57.6 ± 13.4 years, 92% male) were included in the analysis with 77.4% diagnosed with OSA. However, few included subjects (1.6%) had clinical erythrocytosis. OSA severity defined by AHI was not associated with hematocrit or clinically significant erythrocytosis. Rather, awake oxygen saturation (-0.17 points, p Conclusions Hematocrit levels and presence of erythrocytosis appear not associated with OSA severity, but rather with hypoxemia as measured by awake and to a lesser extent mean nocturnal oxygen saturation. Nocturnal oximetry may provide diagnostic utility in the evaluation of unexplained secondary polycythemia and polysomongraphy may be warranted in those with unexplained nocturnal hypoxemia and erythrocytosis.
Effects of higher-order nonlinear processes on harmonic-generation phase matching

We experimentally and theoretically reinvestigate the significant third-harmonic enhancement via plasma generation using time-resolved methods with two-color, copropagating femtosecond laser pulses. By measuring plasma densities with digital in-line holography and using carrier-resolved unidirectional pulse propagation equations to model the experiment, we show that a fifth-order nonlinearity contributes to third-harmonic generation mainly via phase matching. In particular, our study confirms that self- and cross-phase modulation including higher-order nonlinear processes can play a crucial role in harmonic-generation phase matching, which has recently been proposed by Weerawarne $et\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}al.$ [Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, 093901 (2015)] and should be potentially applicable to high-order harmonic generation.