cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Risk Factors for Plate Extrusion After Mandibular Reconstruction With Vascularized Free Flap.

Purpose Plate extrusion after mandibular reconstruction is a complication that imposes significant morbidity on the patient. The goal of this study is to estimate the incidence of plate extrusion after mandible reconstruction with a vascularized free flap and to identify the factors associated with plate extrusion. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study involving patients who underwent mandibular reconstruction from October 2008 to July 2019 at LAC + USC or Keck Hospital of USC. Inclusion criteria were age ≥ 18 years, single-stage mandibular reconstruction with vascularized free flap, and follow-up of at least 12 months. Relevant demographic, intraoperative, and postoperative data were collected. The primary outcome was postoperative plate extrusion within the 12-month follow-up. Descriptive, univariate, and multivariate analyses were performed. Statistical significance was set at P ≤ .05. Results A total of 102 patients were included in this study. The majority received a fibula free flap (90%) for a malignant neoplasm (76%). All patients had at least 12 months of follow-up. The rate of plate extrusion was 16%, with the majority of those patients undergoing plate removal (69%). After adjusting for postoperative fistula, soft tissue, and length of hospitalization, we found that any history of smoking (odds ratio = 12.8; confidence interval, 1.57 to 104.2), number of osteotomies (odds ratio 3.07; confidence interval, 1.09 to 8.6), flap nonviability (odds ratio = 18.2; confidence interval, 2.22 to 148.8) were associated with plate extrusion on multivariate analysis. Postoperative soft tissue infection approached significance. Conclusions This study demonstrates that smoking history, number of osteotomies, and flap nonviability are associated with plate extrusion after mandible reconstruction. Performing fewer osteotomies when possible to avoid excessively small flap bone segments and minimizing postoperative complications may improve long-term outcomes after mandibular reconstruction.
Independent director tenure and corporate transparency

Abstract We examine the impact of independent director tenure on corporate transparency. Using a sample of 12,423 firm-year observations from 1997 to 2017, we find that corporate transparency increases in independent director tenure. The results are robust to various variable definitions and model specifications, providing strong evidence supporting the Expertise hypothesis that long-tenured independent directors are better monitors and advisors. We conclude that long-tenured directors benefit firms and their investors by enhancing firm transparency and reducing information risk. Capping independent director tenure is not always beneficial.
Back to the 60s: The Heimlich Valve A patient- and family-centered care perspective

Abstract In this case report we present a 5-year old boy with a bronchopleural fistula with persistent air leak following complicated empyema. Treatment with antibiotics and pleural drainage did not stop the air leak and consequently prolonged drainage of the pleural cavity was needed. As this would account for weeks of hospitalization, we decided together with the parents, following the main principles of Patient-and-Family Centered Care, to treat the child at home with the use of a Heimlich valve. A Heimlich valve may be an old-fashioned, but effective one-way-valve permitting evacuation of air and fluid from the thoracic cavity without the need of high technology solutions and with minimal risk to the patient. This may prevent prolonged hospitalization, increase quality of life of the patient and save medical costs. After 2 months the chest tube with Heimlich valve was successfully removed. Recovery was uneventful; long term follow up showed restricted lung function with a total lung capacity of around 78% and fibrotic changes of the right upper lobe on chest CT scan.
The Supreme Court's Abortion Exceptionalism - Judicial Deference, Medical Science, and Mifepristone Access.

The Supreme Court’s Abortion Exceptionalism In April 2021, the FDA temporarily lifted its decades-long restriction on access to medication abortion. But a recent Supreme Court order related to mife...
Theories of Community Collaboration to Advance Age-Friendly Community Change.

The age-friendly communities movement has grown rapidly in global prominence over the past two decades. However, theories to guide multisectoral action toward age-friendly community change have been slower to develop. We demonstrate the value of drawing on theories of community collaboration to inform age-friendly community efforts across engagement, planning, implementation, and measurement. We introduce three theories-Asset-Based Community Development, Strategic Doing TM, and Collective Impact-each with principles and strategies for guiding multisectoral group processes toward long-term and systematic community change. While distinct from each other, these theories collectively suggest the importance of incorporating a more explicit community-building approach within the age-friendly communities movement. We describe the implications of this integrative theory development for bolstering sustainable and comprehensive practices and policies to improve environments for aging across diverse communities.
Confinement-Dependent Diffusiophoretic Transport of Nanoparticles in Collagen Hydrogels

The transport of nanoparticles in biological hydrogels is often hindered by the strong confinement of the media, thus limiting important applications such as drug delivery and disinfection. Here, we investigate nanoparticle transport in collagen hydrogels driven by diffusiophoresis. Contrary to common expectations for boundary confinement effects where the confinement hinders diffusiophoresis, we observe a nonmonotonic behavior in which maximum diffusiophoretic mobility is observed at intermediate confinement. We find that such behavior is a consequence of the interplay between multiple size-dependent effects. Our results display the utility of diffusiophoresis for enhanced nanoparticle transport in physiologically relevant conditions under tight confinement, suggesting a potential strategy for drug delivery in compressed tissues.
RESISTANCE OF GROUP B STREPTOCOCCI (GBS) TO KILLING BY OXYGEN METABOLITES

Known risk factors for early onset GBS sepsis include lack of specific antibody, density of maternal colonization and prematurity. An additional proposed risk factor, is decreased production of microbicidal oxygen metabolites by phagocytes of susceptible newborns(NB). However, GBS lack catalase, produce and release H2O2, and thus should be readily killed by phagocytes with a diminished respiratory burst. Surprisingly, CBS III were equally or more resistant than Staph aureus (SA) to reagent H2O2(60 min assay, n=5-7): log10 cfu/ml at none, 10−3M, 5×10−3M, 10−2M H2O2 for GBS=7.1,7.3,5.9,3.1* and for SA=7.2,6.6,4.5*,4.4*-(*p < 0.001 vs none). Results with other strains of GBS were similar; Group A strep were more susceptible. Neither GBS nor SA were killed in 60 min by a xanthine oxidase-acetaldehyde - Fe++ - EDTA system by a flux of 0.7 nmoles O2/ml/min; both were killed by 3.5 nmoles O2/ml/min. Killing of both was inhibited by omission of Fe++ or EDTA and by addition of mannitol, catalase or superoxide dismutase, suggesting that hydroxyl radical (OH·) played a major role in microbicidal activity and was active at concentrations T 2 log10 less than H2O2. Although GBS lacked catalase, GBS compared to SA contained more glutathione(G) (68.2 vs 0.2 nmoles/mg) and G reductase (44.2 vs 1.3 nmoles/mg/min); SOD and G peroxidase were comparable. G may protect GBS from H2O2 and OH: Defective phagocyte production of oxygen radicals, particularly OH· as reported by Ambruso(Ped 64:722,1979), may contribute to the NB's susceptibility to GBS.
Sub-femtosecond pulses in mode-locked 2/spl pi/-solitons of the cascade stimulated Raman scattering

The shortest to date optical pulse using the pulse compression technique was achieved as 6 fs. Sub-femtosecond pulses (SFP) were attained with a Fourier synthesizer of separate lasers synchronized by phase-locking. The author proposes a new approach based on cascade Raman stimulated scattering (CSRS) whose components are mode-locked within 2/spl pi/ soliton reminiscent to the self-induced transparency solitons. The author shows that Raman active materials can support solitons consisting of pump laser wave with the frequency /spl omega//sub /L and many cascade-excited Stokes and anti-Stokes component with their frequencies /spl omega//sub j/=/spl omega//sub L/+j/spl omega//sub 0/ mode-locked to each other through a fast "full-swing" 2/spl pi/-nutation of population at the Raman transition with the frequency /spl omega//sub 0//spl Lt//spl omega//sub L/. Similarly to "bright-bright" 2/spl pi/-solitons in CSRS with two and three components, these solitons have a new, very simple, Lorentzian intensity profile. The multiple mode-locked components, however, give rise to the train of ultra-short pulses (separated by the interval with their length being of the same order of magnitude or even shorter than the pump cycle). The major feature of the proposed effect is that all the frequency components of the new soliton are synchronized bright solitons (in contrast to well known bright+dark soliton combination in SRS) propagating with the same group velocity.
Predicting the Outcome of the Government Formation Process: Fuzzy Single-Dimensional Models

We are now in a position to present a one-dimensional fuzzy public choice modelPublic choice!fuzzy model designed to predict the outcome of the government formation process in parliamentary systems. Such a model allows us to represent flexibility in actors’ preferences and predict when those actors may make allowances for minor policy shifts as well as when they may prefer major policy shifts. This is because the fuzzy public choice model allows for broad areas of indifferenceIndifference in actor’s preference profiles. Moreover, a fuzzy model is more likely to predict stable outcomes by avoiding the intransitivity problem that plagues traditional models. We present two approaches to such a model. The first makes use of the fuzzy maximal set; the second makes use of the fuzzy Pareto set. We test both models using fuzzy preferences derived from the Comparative Manifesto Project (CMP) data.
Cell Cycle-Dependent Activation of Rous Sarcoma Virus-Infected Stationary Chicken Cells: Avian Leukosis Virus Group-Specific Antigens and Ribonucleic Acid

Stationary chicken embryo fibroblasts exposed to Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) remained stably infected for at least 5 days, but they did not release infectious virus or become transformed until after cell division. These infected stationary cells did not contain avian leukosis virus group-specific antigens or ribonucleic acid (RNA) hybridizable to deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) made by the RSV endogenous RNA-directed DNA polymerase activity.
Consistent thermodynamic formulations for multiscale hydrologic systems: Fluid pressures

[1] Although averaging procedures to derive larger-scale conservation equations from their microscopic counterparts have been examined and employed in a consistent manner for a range of hydrologic problems, procedures for obtaining correspondingly averaged thermodynamic relations at the larger scale have received less attention. We examine issues related to the change of scale for intensive thermodynamic quantities, such as fluid pressures and temperatures, compare formulations based upon the underlying thermodynamic theory relied upon, and produce precise, consistent definitions for fluid pressures and capillary pressures in multiphase porous medium systems. The averaged thermodynamics approach demonstrated and advocated is applicable to a wide range of hydrologic systems beyond the two-fluid porous medium case examined in detail in this work.
Pediatric intrathoracic lipoma

Two cases of intrathoracic lipomata are presented. The preoperative evaluation and surgical therapy are discussed along with a review of the literature with particular reference to the occurrence of these lesions in childhood.
Metal effects on ligand non-innocence in Group 5 complexes of the redox-active [ONO] pincer ligand

Isostructural vanadium, niobium and tantalum complexes of bis(3,5-di-tert-butyl-2-phenol)amine ([ONO]H3), were prepared and characterized to evaluate the impact of the metal ion on redox-activity of the ligand platform. New vanadium and niobium complexes with the general formula, [ONO]MCl2L (M = V, L = THF, 1-V; M = Nb, L = Et2O, 1-Nb) were prepared and structurally analysed by X-ray crystallography. The solid-state structures indicate that the niobium derivative is electronically analogous to the tantalum analog 1-Ta, containing a reduced (ONO) ligand and a niobium(V) metal ion, [ONOcat]NbVCl2(OEt2); whereas, the vanadium derivative is best described as a vanadium(IV) complex, [ONOsq]VIVCl2(THF). One-electron oxidation was carried out on all three metal complexes to afford [ONO]MCl3 derivatives (3-V, 3-Nb, 3-Ta). For all three derivatives, oxidation occurs at the (ONO) ligand. In the cases of niobium and tantalum, electronically similar complexes characterized as [ONOsq]MVCl3 were obtained and for vanadium, ligand-based oxidation led to the formation of a complex best described as [ONOq]VIVCl3. All complexes were characterized by spectroscopic and electrochemical methods. DFT and TD-DFT calculations were used to probe the electronic structure of the complexes and help verify the different electronic structures stemming from changes to the coordinated metal ion.
Magnetoelectric brain stimulation in the assessment of brain physiology and pathophysiology.

Abstract Objective : To review findings from transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)-induced motor evoked potentials in normal subjects, in various neurological diseases and with pharmacologic manipulation. Methods : MEDLINE was searched to identify pertinent articles and articles referenced therein were also reviewed. Results : TMS is a safe and non-invasive technique which has been used widely in the study of corticospinal and corticocortical connectivity as well as in the assessment of basal ganglia disorders, diffuse diseases, and neuropharmacology. Conclusions : TMS motor measures have utility in examination of brain structure and function within and beyond the corticospinal tract. These measures have both research and clinical applications.
Promised Land: Peasant Rebellion in Chalatenango El Salvador

Traces the history of the northern Salvadorean province of Chalatenango. Including oral histories from local people, it examines the economic prressures that pushed the peasantry into desparation, and the political evolution behind the revolutionary war.
VELOCITY AND SCALAR MEASUREMENTS IN NEIGHBORING LIFTED EDGE FLAMES

ABSTRACT Laminar lifted edge flames stabilized above a five-exit slot burner are examined experimentally using particle imaging velocimetry and OH planar laser-induced fluorescence. In the present study, partially premixed methane and air are used to create a single lifted tribrachial flame that replicates many previous studies. Utilizing the same burner, two neighboring lifted tribrachial flames whose flow fields interact are also produced. This interaction results in a previously unknown bifurcation where two stable flame configurations are observed. For modest equivalence ratio gradients, the flow divergence around one flame edge pushes the other edge to an increased lift off height. The upper flame structure continues to impact the orientation and flow field around the lower flame. Global propagation velocities for the flame structure as a whole are greater than that for a single edge flame with the same equivalence ratio gradient. For very small equivalence ratio gradients, a chemical interaction bet...
Movement Activists and Partisan Insurgents

On the opening day of the 1972 Democratic convention, the women's caucus gave George McGovern a standing ovation. Its first meeting was packed, with 700 female delegates in attendance, exuberant over their numbers at the convention—triple the representation from four years earlier—and their new clout in presidential politics. Of all of the presidential candidates appearing, only Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman to run for president, was greeted with enthusiasm comparable to the warm reception for McGovern. Most of the women at the meeting were fervently anti-war and respected McGovern for his early and courageous stance on Vietnam. However, the size of the gathering attested to another of McGovern's achievements: his chairing of the reform commission that had rewritten the Democratic Party's rules on delegate selection, leading to the huge leap in the representation of women. As Liz Carpenter, a former White House aide to LBJ, put it when introducing McGovern, “We know we wouldn't be here if it hadn't been for you.”
Determination of the Structure of a Novel Anion Exchange Fuel Cell Membrane by Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

A novel anion exchange fuel cell membrane was successfully synthesized by chemically attaching proazaphosphatranium/phosphatranium cations under microwave treatment to the sulfonic groups of Nafion-F. Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques were employed to determine the actual structure and composition of this anion exchange membrane. 31P NMR showed two main signals with a 2:1 intensity ratio and chemical shift changes of +89 and +46 ppm, respectively, from the main peak of phosphatranium chloride. 1H−31P heteronuclear correlation (HetCor) NMR and 1H−31P recoupling experiments indicated that the proton originally bonded to phosphorus in phosphatranium chloride is replaced in the major component of the Nafion−proazaphosphatranium/phosphatranium composite. 19F NMR experiments showed that the fluorine in the −SO2F group of the Nafion-F precursor is fully replaced. 31P{19F} rotational-echo double-resonance (REDOR) experiments measured a P−F internuclear distance of ∼0.4 nm, which showed that ...
Absorption peak for ultrasonic waves near the spin-flop transition of uniaxial antiferromagnets

Abstract An absorption peak for longitudinal and shear ultrasonic waves was observed near the spin-flop transition of (Cr 2 O 3 ) 0.94 -(Al 2 O 3 ) 0.06 and of MnF 2 .
Structure of the recA protein–ADP complex

The recA protein catalyses the ATP-driven homologous pairing and strand exchange of DNA molecules. It is an allosteric enzyme: the ATPase activity is DNA-dependent, and ATP-bound recA protein has a high affinity for DNA, whereas the ADP-bound form has a low affinity. In the absence of ATP hydrolysis, recA protein can still promote homologous pairing, apparently through the formation of a triple-stranded intermediate. The exact role of ATP hydrolysis is not clear, but it presumably drives the triplex intermediate towards products. Here we determine the position of bound ADP diffused into the recA crystal. We show that only the phosphates are bound in the same way as in other NTPases containing the G/AXXXXGKT/S motif. We propose that recA protein may change its conformation upon ATP hydrolysis in a manner analogous to one such protein, the p21 protein from the ras oncogene. A model is presented to account for the allosteric stimulation of DNA binding by ATP. The mechanism by which nucleoside triphosphate hydrolysis is coupled to the binding of another ligand in recA protein and p21 may be typical of the large class of NTPases containing this conserved motif.
Ultrastructural consequences of radical damage before and after differentiation of neuroblastoma B-104 cells.

There is abundant evidence that the pathophysiology leading to neuronal death during post-ischemic brain reperfusion involves radical-mediated damage. Although the ultrastructural alterations accompanying brain ischemia and reperfusion are well characterized, little is known about the ultrastructural alterations that are specific to radical damage. This study examines in differentiated and undifferentiated neuroblastoma B-104 cells the viability (by dye exclusion) and ultrastructural consequences of radical damage initiated by 50 μM cumene hydroperoxide (CumOOH). Differentiation was most notably associated with formation of neurites and an extensive cytoskeletal feltwork. CumOOH-induced cell death was increased after differentiation and was blocked by the iron chelator DETAPAC. The ultrastructural characteristics of radical damage here included: (1) plasmalemmal holes that appear to undergo “patching” by well-organized membrane whorls, (2) accumulation of numerous free ribosomes, (3) markedly increased vesicular trafficking about the Golgi accompanied by Golgi transformation from cisternal organization to clusters of vacuoles with numerous fusing vesicles, (4) development of large multi-layered vacuoles that include damage membranes and organelles and appear to undergo extrusion from the cell, and (5) a general loss of cytoplasmic volume. These ultrastructural alterations developed more rapidly and were consistently more advanced in differentiated cells throughout the 6-h time course. In differentiated cells radical damage also induced the disorganization and subsequent loss of the extensive feltwork of cytoskeletal elements. There was little damage to the membranes of the nuclear envelope and mitochondria. Our observations in this system are strikingly similar to ultrastructural alterations in Golgi and ribosomal organization seen in vulnerable neurons during post-ischemic brain reperfusion and suggest that these alterations during reperfusion reflect the consequence of radical-mediated damage.
Physicochemical and graph theoretical descriptors in developmental toxicity SAR: a comparative study.

Abstract Chemical insults to the developing fetus can lead to growth retardation, malformation, death, and functional deficits. The present study seeks to determine if physicochemical and/or graph theoretical parameters can be used to determine a structure-activity relationship (SAR) for developmental toxicity, and if consistency is observed among the selected features. The biological data utilized consists of a diverse series of compounds evaluated within the Chernoff-Kavlock in vivo mouse assay. Physicochemical parameters calculated correspond to electronic, steric, and transport properties. Graph theoretical parameters calculated include the simple, valence, and kappa indices. Both sets of parameters were independently applied to derive SARs in order to compare the quality of the respective models. Multiple random sampling, without replacement, was utilized to obtain ten training/test partitions. Models were built by linear discriminant analysis, decision trees, and neural networks respectively. Compar...
Inhibitory actions of somatostatin on cyclic AMP and aldosterone production in agonist-stimulated adrenal glomerulosa cells.

Abstract Somatostatin (SRIF) is a potent inhibitor of angiotensin II (AII)-stimulated aldosterone production in rat adrenal glomerulosa cells. This inhibition can be prevented by pretreatment of the cells with pertussis toxin, but little else is known about either the specificity or the biochemical bases of SRIF action in this tissue. We therefore conducted detailed studies of the influence of SRIF on steroidenesis elicited by AII and the other two physiological stimuli of aldosterone production, K + and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), in rat adrenal glomerulosa cells. We also determined the effects of SRIF on cytosolic calcium concentration ([Sa 2+ ] i ) and cellular cAMP levels. In these studies, SRIF was found to inhibit the aldosterone responses elicited by low concentrations of all three stimuli, which are believed to promote steroid secretion via discrete but interacting cellular signalling mechanisms. In addition, SRIF consistently lowered cAMP levels in the presence of each of the three agents. However, SRIF caused a small and transient increase rather than a decrease in basal ([Ca 2+ ] i ), and had no effect on the subsequent elevation of ([Ca 2+ ] i ) by AII and K + . These data indicate that activation of a G i -like protein by SRIF influences steroid responses to all three major regulators of glomerulosa-cell function, and suggest that basal levels of cAMP play a facilitatory or permissive role in the control of aldosterone production by predominantly calcium-mobilizing regulaotrs of mineralocorticoid secretion.
Orexins: looking forward to sleep, back at addiction.

An orally available drug enters the brain and interferes with signaling of orexin neuropeptides—providing a potential treatment for sleep disorders and possibly addiction (pages 150–155 ).
Evaluation of a BK virus viral load assay using the QIAGEN Artus BK Virus RG PCR test.

Abstract Background Viral load testing for BK Virus (BKV) has become the standard of care for the diagnosis of infection and monitoring of therapy of kidney transplant patients infected with BKV. However, there are currently no FDA-approved BKV quantification assays and no standardization among available tests. Objective and study design This study evaluated the performance of the Artus BK Virus RG PCR (RUO) assay (QIAGEN) for accuracy, linearity, precision, analytical sensitivity, specificity, and correlation with a referral laboratory test in patient samples. Results Linear regression analysis of the quantitative results demonstrated a linear range of quantification from 192 to 194 million (2.28 to 8.29 log 10 ) DNA copies/mL and a coefficient of determination ( R 2 ) of 0.994. A dilution series demonstrated a limit of detection and a limit of quantification of 2.00 log 10 , and 2.30 log 10 copies/mL (>95% positivity rate), respectively. The precision of the assay was highly reproducible among runs with coefficients of variance (CV) ranging from 0.2% to 7.0%. A comparison of 34 matched samples showed a good agreement ( R 2 = 0.983) between the Artus BK test and the referral laboratory results, with an average positive bias (0.39 log 10 copies/mL). Genotyping analysis using large-T antigen sequences demonstrated that 90% of the positive samples were BKV type I, and that there was no significant difference in quantification between the referral laboratory and Artus BK Virus tests. Conclusions The Artus BK Virus RG PCR test is a reliable and sensitive assay for BKV DNA quantification as compared to the referral laboratory test.
Grief: A Disrupted Human Relationship

The interdependence of two partners in a system of human relations can be exemplified by the analysis of alterations in the behavior and subjective state of the survivor in a relationship which has been broken. Individuals in states of acute bereavement are of special interest because they are reacting to the cessation of a human relationship which cannot be duplicated. The method such persons use to deal with the loss of the dead partner has drawn the attention of Freud, and has been described in some detail by Lindemann. He has designated as benign those reactions to a bereavement which are self-limited and lead to a new structure of human relationships in which the interaction with the person lost is replaced by satisfying interaction with new individuals. A prerequisite for such a replacement seems to be the ability of the bereaved to release his emotional tie to the deceased despite the attending discomfort of sorrow and subsequently to replace the type of interaction lost. The grieving person may no...
Evidence for the Opening of the South Atlantic in the Early Cretaceous

ONE of the cornerstones of continental drift is the fit1 of the continental edges of Africa and South America by removal of the South Atlantic Ocean, which is thought to have formed by the rifting of these two continents some time in the Mesozoic and their subsequent drifting apart. We shall present evidence from marine magnetic anomalies in the southern South Atlantic that demonstrates that this initial rift first occurred in the early Cretaceous, probably in the Valanginian (∼125 to 130 m.y. BP). This conclusion is based mainly on a magnetic lineation pattern that lies in the Cape Basin directly southwest of the continental edge of South Africa, although we very tentatively identify a few of the same anomalies on the other side of the ridge in the Argentine Basin.
Social Constructionism and Realism: Adequacy or Accuracy?

Greenwood's (1992) views are criticized from a social constructionist's point of view. It is argued that constructionism, because of its radical reflexivity, confronts itself with problems not face...
An automated injection system (with patient selection) for SPECT imaging in seizure localization.

Summary: Purpose: Ictal single-photon-emission computed tomography (SPECT) provides lateralization but has technical limitations: (a) a “truly ictal” injection must be shortly after seizure onset; (b) therefore, a seizure of brief duration may be missed; (c) more than one patient may need testing at any given time: (d) a trained health professional must stay next to each patient to inject; and (e) because the radionuclide is placed in the syringe in advance of the injection, decay of the radioactive element could result in less than optimal uptake, if the same volume of material were to be used regardless of the time after ligand preparation. Methods: We developed an automated method of ligand injection that shortens time and increases efficiency of ictal SPECT ligand injection. By using an experimental setup, we compared manual injection times with times using an autoSingle-photon-emission computed tomography (SPECT) is a powerful technique that provides an opportunity to assess cerebral perfusion during both ictal and interictal states. Although structural imaging is of increasing value, some patients have complex seizure problems, and routine imaging of their structural lesions may not be sufficient to indicate the precise region of seizure onset. Since SPECT was introduced for the presurgical evaluation of medically intractable epilepsy, there have been significant technical improvements in the hardware and software, in terms of spatial resolution, and the ligands are more readily available, less costly, and have better imaging quality. Clinical experience has accumulated as well, using SPECT for both temporal and extratemporal seizure foci (1-5). Despite these advances, the need to inject very soon after seizure onset to lateralize and localize the seizure focus more accurately, plus the need to have someone present to inject the tracer, limit the use of this technique
Fiber ultrastructure and dimensions in thin-sectioned chromatin.

Cells of different tissues have been investigated to determine whether there are statistically significant variations in chromosome fiber diameter in thin sections of different cell types, and to evaluate the effects of chelating buffers in the fixing solutions on chromatin fiber diameter. Three significantly different fiber classes have been demonstrated in tissues fixed in phosphate-buffered glutaraldehyde and postfixed by phosphate-buffered osmium tetroxide. Fibers in metaphase chromosomes of milkweed bug spermatocytes average 80 A. Significantly thicker fibers, of 118 A, occur in the condensed chromatin of frog liver nuclei. Sectioned meiotic chromosomes from testes of the salmon and anthers of the lily, and condensed chromatin from frog connective cell nuclei show a third class of still thicker fibers, averaging 161 A, 176 A, and 177 A, respectively. The presence of phosphate buffer in the fixing solution has no apparent effect on the size of thin-sectioned chromatin fibers. Milkweed bug chromosomes, frog liver chromatin, and lily chromosomes, when fixed in unbuffered glutaraldehyde and postfixed in unbuffered osmium tetroxide, show fibers averaging 71 A, 121 A, and 152 A, respectively, about the same as those found for these tissues when fixed by the phosphate-buffered glutaraldehyde procedure. We conclude from these observations that various cells contain fibers with average diameters that are significantly thicker than the commonly reported 80–100 A, and that the presence of a chelating buffer (phosphate) in the fixing solution has no detectable effect on the diameter of chromatin fibers.
Internal energy transfer in laser desorption/ionization from silicon nanowires.

Laser-induced desorption/ionization from silicon nanowires (SiNW) is an emerging method for mass spectrometry of small to medium-size molecules. In this new technique, we examined the internal energy transfer to seven benzylpyridinium thermometer ions and extracted the corresponding internal energy distributions. To explore the effect of the energy-deposition rate on the internal energy transfer, two lasers with significantly different pulse lengths (4 ns vs 22 ps) were utilized as excitation sources. A comparison of ion yields indicated that the SiNW substrates required 5−8 times less laser fluence for ion production than either matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) or desorption/ionization on silicon (DIOS). In contrast however, the survival yield (SY) values showed that the internal energy transferred to the thermometer ions was more than (ps laser) or comparable to (ns laser) MALDI but it was significantly less than in DIOS. The internal energy transfer was only slightly dependent on las...
The concept of optimal taxation in the overlapping-generations model of capital and wealth

Abstract The optimal fiscal program of the present generation may be conceived as maximizing the social welfare of that generation subject to a capital-accumulation quota and a wealth-accumulation limit (the difference being the stock of public debt). The standard methods of optimal tax analysis are shown to be applicable to the multiperiod generation if (1) the capital-wealth target is Pareto efficient in the sense that no other target would permit a mutual welfare gain for the present generation and the next, and (2) the government ‘budget constraint’ specifies an algebraic budgetary deficit consistent with the attainment of the target. Important results on interest-income taxation are derived.
Frame selection for adaptive optics imaging through atmospheric turbulence

Adaptive optics systems have been used to overcome some of the effects of atmospheric turbulence on large aperture astronomical telescopes. Field experience with adaptive optics imaging systems making short exposure image measurements has shown that some of the images are better than others in the sense that the better images have higher resolution. In this paper we address the issue of selecting and processing the best images from a finite data set of compensated short exposure images. Image sharpness measures are used to select the data subset to be processed. Comparison of the image spectrum SNRs for the cases of processing the entire data set and processing only the selected subset of the data shows a broad range of practical cases where processing the selected subset results in superior SNR. Preliminary results indicate that the effective average point spread functions for applying frame selection to extended objects and point sources under equivalent seeing conditions are nearly identical. Thus, deconvolution could be applied to images obtained through frame selection.
Temporal behavior of line-to-continuum ratios and ion fractions as a means of assessing thermodynamic equilibrium in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Abstract Two diagnostic approaches, aimed at evaluating the departure from local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) in laser-induced plasmas, are discussed in this paper. The first approach is based upon the observed temporal behavior of the ratio between selected atomic transitions and the nearby spectral continuum, while the second approach makes use of the plot of the ion fraction of different elements as a function of their respective ionization potentials. Both approaches are known in atomic emission spectroscopy: the former has been described and used in the case of a high pressure surfatron argon plasma, and the latter follows directly from the classic work dealing with d.c. arc emission in general, and a d.c. copper arc in particular. Such approaches, however, have not yet been applied to laser-induced plasmas. It is shown that the experimental results obtained with both methods agree with those reported in the literature using more conventional approaches. For example, in this work, the well-known outcome that the excitation temperature and the ion (electron) temperature differ substantially at early delays after the formation of the plasma is clearly supported by the line-to-continuum approach applied to atomic and ionic transitions of Cu and Fe. In addition, the agreement between the experimental and theoretical behavior of the ion fraction versus the ionization potential for the elements Cu, Fe, Ni, Mg and Ti improves as the delay time increases.
First-principles determination of charge carrier mobility in disordered semiconducting polymers

We propose a theoretical method that can predict carrier mobility in disordered semiconducting polymers and organic semiconductors from first principles. The method is based on nonadiabatic ab initio molecular dynamics and static master equation, treating dynamic and static disorder on the same footing. We have applied the method to calculate the hole mobility in disordered poly(3-hexylthiophene) conjugated polymers as a function of temperature and electric field and obtained excellent agreements with corresponding experimental results. The method could be used to explore structure-mobility relation in disordered semiconducting polymers/organic semiconductors and aid rational design of these materials.
Compressed Two's Complement Data Formats Provide Greater Dynamic Range and Improved Noise Performance [exploratory DSP]

In this article, we present and analyze a new family of fixed-point data formats for signal processing applications. These formats represent compressed two's complement data formats where compression on the sign bit is undertaken on a sample by sample basis. The extra room provided by sign-bit compression is utilized to retain more bits of precision for each individual sample. Compressed two's complement data formats are shown to provide greater dynamic range and improved noise performance over traditional fixed-point data formats such as sign-magnitude, offset binary, and traditional two's complement. Traditional two's complement is shown to be a member of the compressed two's complement family where the compression factor (CF) is equal to one. The dynamic range of a compressed two's complement data format is shown to approach the dynamic range of a non compressed data format raised to the power of the CF. Improved performance for digital signal processing (DSP) applications such as digital filters and transforms is presented for specific instances of this family.
Cyclohexene skeletal isomerization on AlPO4 catalysts precipitated with ammonia and promoted with sulfate ions

This study concerns the effect of SO42− (1–10 wt.%) on the surface acid properties of AlPO4 catalysts obtained in aqueous ammonia and based on their catalytic activity in cyclohexene skeletal isomerization (CSI) by using the Bassett-Habgood equation for first order processes. It has been found that AlPO4−SO42− catalysts are much more active in the isomerization process than AlPO4 catalysts, indicating a strongly increased acidity. Maximum catalytic activity was reached at about 2–3 wt.% and varied with further temperature treatment. Furthermore, the sulfate loading brought about a very pronounced increase in crystallinity even at the smallest content.
Double resonant Raman spectra in graphene and graphite : A two-dimensional explanation of the Raman amplitude

We report calculated Raman spectra of the D and 2D modes in graphene and graphite. Evaluating the Raman amplitude in the two-dimensional Brillouin zone, we reproduce the splitting of the modes when going from single-layer graphene to graphite. The energy dependence of the D mode in graphene is 24%--32% smaller than in graphite. We discuss the intensity of the D line and show that the double resonant phonons originate from the low-symmetry parts of the Brillouin zone.
Exploiting Genome Structure in Association Analysis

A genome-wide association study involves examining a large number of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to identify SNPs that are significantly associated with the given phenotype, while trying to reduce the false positive rate. Although haplotype-based association methods have been proposed to accommodate correlation information across nearby SNPs that are in linkage disequilibrium, none of these methods directly incorporated the structural information such as recombination events along chromosome. In this paper, we propose a new approach called stochastic block lasso for association mapping that exploits prior knowledge on linkage disequilibrium structure in the genome such as recombination rates and distances between adjacent SNPs in order to increase the power of detecting true associations while reducing false positives. Following a typical linear regression framework with the genotypes as inputs and the phenotype as output, our proposed method employs a sparsity-enforcing Laplacian prior for the regression coefficients, augmented by a first-order Markov process along the sequence of SNPs that incorporates the prior information on the linkage disequilibrium structure. The Markov-chain prior models the structural dependencies between a pair of adjacent SNPs, and allows us to look for association SNPs in a coupled manner, combining strength from multiple nearby SNPs. Our results on HapMap-simulated datasets and mouse datasets show that there is a significant advantage in incorporating the prior knowledge on linkage disequilibrium structure for marker identification under whole-genome association.
Programming a Switching Amplifier's Current Gain for Phase Balance in Multiphase Controllers

An example of how an analog dc-dc converter combined with a "digital front end" allows user programmability of various parameters. This paper is looks at how the inclusion of a "digital front end" on an analog controller can allow for a degree of flexibility or programmability that eliminates the repetitive process of physically changing components on a PC Motherboard. Specifically this paper is going to look at current phase balance in a multiphase dc-dc converter as one such example of a function that would have been "tuned" using resistors in the past and how the inclusion of a digital interface simplifies the tuning process.
Atrioventricular Nodal Reentry with Retrograde Lower Common Pathway Block: A Case Report

Retrograde lower common pathway block during AV nodal reentrant tachycardia has rarely been reported. In this report, we demonstrate retrograde ventriculoatrial block during sinus rhythm and during AV nodal reentrant tachycardia in a woman with recurrent supraventricular tachycardia. In addition, evidence of antegrade decremental lower common pathway conduction is presented that produced variable HA intervals despite a constant atrial cycle length. These features may lead to the misdiagnosis of atrial tachycardia if not recognized.
Statistical Methods Related to the Law of the Iterated Logarithm

1. Extension and applications of an inequality of Ville and Wald. Let x 1… be a sequence of random variables with a specified joint probability distribution P. We shall give a method for obtaining probability inequalities and related limit theorems concerning the behavior of the entire sequence of x’s.
Perceived Entitativity and the Black-Sheep Effect: When Will We Denigrate Negative Ingroup Members?

Although ingroup favoritism is a robust effect, there are notable exceptions. For example, the outgroup extremity effect indicates outgroup derogation, whereas the black-sheep effect indicates ingroup derogation. We propose that perceived entitativity, the degree to which a group is viewed as a unified social entity, may help explain ingroup derogation. Negative ingroup members from high perceived entitativity groups may pose a meaningful threat to the perceiver's social identity that can be alleviated by denigrating the target (i.e., the black-sheep effect). Participants evaluated high or low quality essays attributed to ingroup and outgroup members. Participants did not differentiate based on ingroup/outgroup membership for low perceived entitativity groups. However, when rating high perceived entitativity groups, ingroup extremity emerged. These results confirm and provide explanations for ingroup denigration.
Combinatorial Testing with Order Requirements

Combinatorial Test Design, CTD, does not easily lend itself to the modeling of ordered parameter-values. Such modeling is much needed in practice, e.g. For the testing of sequences of API calls or parameterized events. We extend the CTD paradigm to address this need. We define a test as an ordered tuple of the parameter-values of the model, and introduce the concepts of ordered restrictions and ordered interaction coverage requirements. We develop an efficient algorithm for generating a small set of tests that satisfy the ordered and unordered interaction coverage requirements and evaluate it on several real-life examples.
Aggregation and deposition kinetics of fullerene (C60) nanoparticles.

The aggregation and deposition kinetics of fullerene C60 nanoparticles have been investigated over a wide range of monovalent and divalent electrolyte concentrations by employing time-resolved dynamic light scattering (DLS) and quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), respectively. Aggregation kinetics of the fullerene nanoparticles exhibited reaction-limited (slow) and diffusion-limited (fast) regimes in the presence of both electrolytes, having critical coagulation concentrations (CCC) of 120 and 4.8 mM for the monovalent (NaCl) and divalent (CaCl2) salts, respectively. The measured stability ratios of the aggregating fullerene nanoparticles were in very good agreement with Derjaguin−Landau−Verwey−Overbeek (DLVO) theory, with a derived Hamaker constant of 6.7 × 10-21 J for the fullerene nanoparticles in aqueous medium. For the deposition kinetics studies, the rate of fullerene nanoparticle deposition increased with increasing electrolyte concentrations, as was indicated in the aggregation kinetics results. Ho...
Methotrexate tolerance in patients with ileal conduits and continent diversions.

BACKGROUND Methotrexate is readily absorbed from the intestinal tract. When given to patients with urinary diversion to the intestinal tract, methotrexate may be reabsorbed into the circulation, thus increasing its serum concentration and potentially increasing its toxicity. METHODS Forty-eight patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary tract who had undergone cystectomy and either an ileal conduit or a continent diversion were evaluated for their tolerance of chemotherapy. Of the 42 evaluable patients, 23 had a continent diversion and 19 had an ileal conduit. None of the patients with the continent diversion had an indwelling Foley catheter during the course of chemotherapy. RESULTS There were no statistically significant differences in incidence of fever or neutropenia, mucositis, dose modification, or delay in chemotherapy between the two groups. When compared with a group of patients with native bladders who received the same chemotherapy, patients with continent diversions did not have increased incidence or severe toxicity from chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS Patients with continent diversions tolerated chemotherapy as well as patients with ileal conduits. Cancer 1998;82:1134-6. © 1998 American Cancer Society.
Optimal Parameter Height Ridges

Ridges have shown themselves to be extremely useful for various image analysis tasks. This paper presents a number of common ridges used in image processing within a common framework and then proproses a defining property for ridges, the subdimensional maximum property. This paper then presents a generalization of locally defined ridges called the optimal parameter height ridge. This paper then discusses the properties of the optimal parameter height ridge and benefits to be gained from its use. Finally, the paper presents the calculations necessary to extract optimal parameter height ridges and proves that optimal parameter height ridges have the subdimensional maximum property.