cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Current status of thoracic endografting and its adjunctive pharmacology.

Background: Thoracic endovascular aortic repair is a promising treatment modality. The advantages in the short term include shorter hospital stay, avoidance of lengthy invasive procedures, and decreased anesthesia time. It has made possible the treatment of elderly patients with coexisting comorbidities who otherwise would be difficult candidates for open surgery.Objective: Although the technical aspects of thoracic endovascular procedures have been described in the literature, the adjunct pharmacology has not been discussed. The aim of this study is therefore to review the clinical pharmacology necessary for procedural details in repair of patients with aortic aneurysms and aortic dissection. Methods: A literature search was performed using PUBMED by combining relevant Medical Subject Heading key words. The query was subsequently limited to English language, and involving “human”. The articles were assessed for their validity, importance, and applicability. The publications were analyzed and clinically i...
Insurance status as a risk factor for foreign body ingestion or aspiration

Objective: To determine whether the lack of private health insurance places children at increased risk for foreign body ingestion or aspiration. Design: Retrospective review. Setting: St. Louis Children's Hospital, a tertiary care center. Patients: Consecutive sample of 125 patients with esophageal or airway foreign bodies. Results: Fifty percent of all patients had private health insurance. Fifty-six percent of all preschool patients and 20% of all school-age patients were uninsured (P < 0.01, Fisher's exact test). Eighty-five percent of patients with airway foreign bodies, and 84% of patients with esophageal foreign bodies were in the preschool group. Sixty-one percent of preschool patients and 21% of school-age patients with esophageal foreign bodies were uninsured (P < 0.05). Forty-six percent of preschool patients with food aspiration lacked health insurance (88% of these children were fed the aspirated item). No school-age group was available for comparison. Fifty percent of preschool children with aspiration of non food items were uninsured, as were 16% of their school-age counterparts. Conclusions: Insurance status must be considered as a risk factor for foreign body aspiration and ingestion. Preschool children are more likely to lack private health insurance than school-age children with the same diagnosis. In a majority of aspiration events, the child was being fed the inappropriate food item, perhaps indicating a lack of caretaker education and anticipatory guidance. A direct focus on ‘passive protection’, anticipatory guidance in clinics for all patients, and public education with emphasis on preventive care are proposed as means to decrease the incidence of airway and esophageal foreign bodies in children.
Test Structure and Testing of the Microsoft XBOX 360/sup TM/ Processor High Speed Front Side Bus

The Microsoft XBOX 360/sup TN/Processor is a complex design with many multi-gigahertz, synchronous and asynchronous clock domains. One of the key design features is the high speed Front Side Bus I/O system that consists of analog and digital elements that provide an interesting manufacturing test challenge for a low test cost, high volume, and high quality ship level application. This publication will focus on the test solution for the high speed custom logic that aligns the source synchronous clock to the associated receiver data.
Pelvic Tuberculosis and Infertility: A Report of 2 Cases

BACKGROUND: Female pelvic tuberculosis (TB) is a rare disease in developed countries, but it is a frequent cause of chronic pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility in other parts of the world. With the emergence of multi-drug resistant strains of TB and HIV/AIDS, TB has become a global epidemic again. The prevalence varies from 11/100,000 in the Americas to 480/100,000 in Africa. Healthcare providers should have a high index of suspicion for pelvic TB when evaluating patients from TB endemic areas for infertility. OBJECTIVE(S): To report two cases of pelvic TB inMinnesota in women from TB endemic areas who had presented for infertility evaluation, their management and a review of the literature. MATERIALS AND METHOD(S): Patient 1: A 21 year old G0 from Kenya referred for advanced laparoscopy. She had a 2 year history of abrupt secondary amenorrhea and infertility without evidence of pelvic infection. Prior evaluation included an ultrasound with a 2mm endometrial stripe and a hysterosalpingogram with a narrowed uterine cavity and bilateral fallopian tube occlusion. Laparoscopy showed severe pelvic adhesions. A positive PPD was noted three months prior to referral and INH therapy was started. We performed a sonohysterogram which showed uterine synechiae and an endometrial biopsy was performed. Patient 2: A 30 year old G0 from Somalia self referred for 17 years of primary infertility. Her history was notable for a laparotomy in Kenya for a bowel obstruction 13 years earlier and an HSG performed 6 months earlier which showed bilaterally blocked fallopian tubes. Diagnostic laparoscopy was scheduled but within 3 weeks she presented with left leg pain and fever. A CT scan revealed a large tuboovarian abscess which was drained utilizing CT guidance. RESULT(S): Patient 1: Biopsy revealed granulomatous formation consistent with TB. She was treated with INH, rifampin, ethambutol and pyrazinamide. Ovarian reserve testing revealed a day 3 FSH of 12.9 IU/mL and an estradiol of 57pg/mL. Patient 2: Culture of the abscess revealed Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Shewas also started on the same 4-drug regimen as patient 1. Ovarian reserve testing following hospitalization revealed an FSH of 37 IU/L, Estradiol 17pg/ mL on cycle day 3 and AFC of 2. CONCLUSION(S): Our findings suggest a strong relationship between pelvic TB and infertility. Pelvic TB should be considered during the evaluation of infertility in patients from TB endemic areas. The impact of pelvic TB on ovarian function before and after treatment should be investigated. FINANCIAL SUPPORT: None.
Left ventricular volume determination using single-photon emission computed tomography

A new method for measuring left ventricular (LV) volume based on gated single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is described. Preliminary phantom studies showed an excellent correlation between SPECT and observed volumes (r = 0.99, standard error of the estimate [SEE] = 4.9 ml). SPECT was performed 24 hours after biplane contrast LV angiography in 36 patients. Transaxial blood pool tomograms were reconstructed by filtered back projection and reoriented to views orthogonal to the cardiac axes. Volume was calculated from serial short-axis tomograms by determining the base, apex and lateral borders of the LV blood pool, ascertaining the number of pixels in this volume and multiplying by the known volume of a pixel. Gated SPECT volumes were compared with contrast angiographic volumes. At end-systole, r = 0.96 and SEE = 12 ml; at end-diastole, r = 0.81 and SEE = 27 ml. For ejection fraction, r = 0.85 and SEE = 0.06. To test interobserver variation in processing, count data from 5 patients were processed twice (r = 0.98, SEE = 8.3 ml). There is an excellent correlation between SPECT and contrast angiographic volumes at end-systole; at end-diastole the relation is good. SPECT requires no arbitrary background correction, allows systematic isolation of the left ventricle from other overlapping cardiac chambers and requires no geometric assumptions for volume determination. It has promise as a direct method for measuring LV volume in a minimally invasive manner.
The Priority Energy Project Act: A New Remedy for the Law's Delay

On July 15, 1979, President Jimmy Carter proposed the creation of an Energy Mobilization Board (EMB), later dubbed the "fast track" board, to speed federal, state, and local regulatory decisions on key energy projects. President Carter said, "an Energy Mobilization Board..., like the War Production Board in World War II, will have the responsibility and the authority to cut through the red tape, the delay, and the endless roadblocks to completing key energy projects."' At a time of heightened concern over the nation's dependence on foreign oil, the idea of placing key energy projects on a "fast track," quickly gained currency. As one Senate report noted, a year's delay in starting up a coal-fired power plant in New England could increase oil imports by as much as 10 million barrels.2 There was congressional interest in faster regulatory decisions on key energy projects, even before Carter's proposal. Nevertheless, the proposal prompted fiery debate in Congress over its implications for American federalism and environmental protection. Environmentalists, state and local officials, and political conservatives opposed different portions of the proposal; and key amendment votes in both houses reflected congressional concern, albeit with different outcomes, over the provision that would enable the EMB to waive substantive laws of congressional creation.3 At year's end, differing versions of Carter's proposal, now entitled the Priority Energy Project Act (PEPA), have
CLINICAL EXPERIENCE WITH U500 INSULIN: RISKS AND BENEFITS

ABSTRACT Objective To describe our clinical experience with U500 insulin in insulin-resistant patients, including change in glucose control, body weight, insulin dose, and hypoglycemic episodes. Methods In September 2010, we undertook a retrospective chart review of patients who had U500 insulin in their medication list in the preceding 2 years who were treated in the endocrinology section at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. Glycosylated hemoglobin (A1C), body weight, and insulin dosage were documented before U500 insulin introduction, after 6 months of U500 insulin use, and at the last clinic visit when the patient was still taking U500 insulin. Hypoglycemic episodes and number of daily injections were recorded. Results Records of 53 patients were analyzed, one of the largest reports of U500 insulin use published to date. The mean A1C level decreased from 10.1% before U500 insulin was initiated to 9.1% after 6 months of U500 use to 8.6% at the last follow-up visit (mean follow-up was 36.6 ± 24 months). At the last charted visit, body weight increased by a mean of 6.8 kg and insulin dosage increased by a mean of 0.44 units/kg. We observed a significant increase in the number of nonsevere hypoglycemic episodes and a decrease in the number of daily injections. Conclusion Patients with uncontrolled, severely insulin-resistant diabetes can be satisfactorily treated with U500 insulin with the potential to improve glycemic control. An increase in body weight, insulin dosage, and the number of nonsevere hypoglycemic episodes was observed. (Endocr Pract. 2012;18:56-61)
Selectively de-animating video

We present a semi-automated technique for selectively deanimating video to remove the large-scale motions of one or more objects so that other motions are easier to see. The user draws strokes to indicate the regions of the video that should be immobilized, and our algorithm warps the video to remove the large-scale motion of these regions while leaving finer-scale, relative motions intact. However, such warps may introduce unnatural motions in previously motionless areas, such as background regions. We therefore use a graph-cut-based optimization to composite the warped video regions with still frames from the input video; we also optionally loop the output in a seamless manner. Our technique enables a number of applications such as clearer motion visualization, simpler creation of artistic cinemagraphs (photos that include looping motions in some regions), and new ways to edit appearance and complicated motion paths in video by manipulating a de-animated representation. We demonstrate the success of our technique with a number of motion visualizations, cinemagraphs and video editing examples created from a variety of short input videos, as well as visual and numerical comparison to previous techniques.
States, secrecy, subversives: APRA and political fantasy in mid-20th-century Peru

During the regime of Manuel Odria (1948–56), state officials in the northern Peruvian Andes came to believe that their efforts to govern were being systematically thwarted by APRA, an outlawed political party forced underground by government repression. Officials concluded that the party had elaborated a subterranean political apparatus of remarkable scope and power, one that was largely invisible to the naked eye. I draw on officials’ fears of a dark and dangerous counterstate to cross-examine the literature on state formation. State theory has been predicated on the inevitability of state power, which makes it difficult to account for state crisis and also to grasp the highly contingent nature of successful efforts to rule. Much can be learned about state formation by examining moments in which political rule falters or fails, for it is then that the lineaments of power and control that otherwise remain masked become visible.
Synergistic interaction between nitrogen dioxide and respirable aerosols of sulfuric acid or sodium chloride on rat lungs.

We examined interactions in rats between NO2 gas and respirable aerosols of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) or sodium chloride (NaCl). Rats were exposed for 1, 3, or 7 days to 5 ppm of NO2 gas, alone or in combination with 1 mg/m3 of H2SO4 or NaCl aerosols. The apparent rate of collagen synthesis by lung minces was measured after 7 days of exposure, and the protein content of whole lung lavage fluid was measured after 1 or 3 days of exposure. Responses from rats exposed to 5 ppm of NO2 alone were significantly different from controls by these assays. A synergistic interaction was demonstrated between 5 ppm of NO2 and 1 mg/m3 of either H2SO4 or NaCl aerosol as evaluated by measurement of the rate of lung collagen synthesis. A synergistic interaction was also demonstrated by the criterion of increase protein content of lung lavage fluid in rats exposed to 5 ppm of NO2 and 1 mg/m3 of H2SO4 aerosol after 1 day of exposure and between 5 ppm of NO2 and 1 mg/m3 of NaCl aerosol after 3 days of exposure. These observations with 5 ppm of NO2 alone and in combination with 1 mg/m3 of NaCl aerosol support the hypothesis that formation of nitrosyl chloride may contribute to a synergistic interaction between NO2 gas and NaCl aerosol. These results suggest that, in general, combinations of oxidant gases with respirable acidic aerosols or with acidogenic gases will demonstrate interactive effects on rat lungs. Such a hypothesis is testable and makes specific predictions about effects of inhalation of pollutant mixtures.
Local vibrational modes of impurities in semiconductors

Omnipresent impurities such as carbon, oxygen, silicon, and hydrogen play important roles, both detrimental and beneficial, in the fabrication of solid-state devices. The electronic and vibrational properties of semiconductors are significantly altered by the presence of impurities. Atoms that are less massive than the host atoms, typically, show local vibrational modes (LVMs). Unlike lattice phonons, LVMs are localized in both the real and frequency domains, giving rise to sharp peaks in infrared-absorption and Raman-scattering spectra. The isotopic composition of the impurity and the surrounding atoms results in well-defined shifts in the vibrational frequencies. In Ge, GaAs, and CdTe, the host–isotope disorder leads to complex vibrational spectra that can be simulated by empirical, quasimolecular models. External parameters such as temperature and pressure (uniaxial and hydrostatic) have been tuned over a wide range to yield information about symmetry and impurity–host interactions. In this article, issues relating to LVMs in semiconductors are reviewed, with an emphasis on infrared and Raman spectroscopy. Experimental and theoretical studies of LVMs in semiconductors are described for several representative examples.
Analyzing System Calls in Multi-OS Hierarchical Environments

As supercomputers progress to exascale computing and beyond, the number of nodes in a supercomputer is continuing to increase, and the number of cores within a node is dramatically increasing. The amount of parallelism argues for hierarchical approaches to manage hardware resources. Currently, determining where OS functionality should be implemented in this hierarchy and how to divide functionality between the operating system and the runtime is left to the OS designer experience, without data supporting these decisions.The goal of this work is to provide information allowing researchers to make an informed decision about where in the system hierarchy functionality should be best implemented. We propose an automatic infrastructure to analyze system requests to help OS and runtime designers make the tradeoff on where to implement a particular service prior to implementation time, and later, the infrastructure can provide an evaluation of system performance. We have run 19 applications through our infrastructure and provide a detailed breakdown of their system requests as well as an overall characterization of the workload. Our results will help OS and runtime designers to make more informed decisions about future system software structure.
Myelin protein changes with digestion of whole sciatic nerve in trypsin.

Abstract Whole mouse sciatic nerves were split and incubated in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) and in PBS containing various amounts of trypsin. After 24 hours of exposure to PBS alone there were no changes in the gel electrophoresis pattern of myelin proteins. During the same period of time, trypsin digested major amounts ofboth the main myelin protein (PO) and the two basic proteins of myelin (P1, P2). The basic proteins were undetectable after 24 hours of 1% trypsin digestion while the main myelin protein was not completely digested. The amount of digestion of the myelin proteins was related to the concentration of trypsin and the time of digestion. Myelin proteins were demonstrated by staining with Coomassie blue, periodic acid Schiff (PAS) and by special indirect lighting techniques.
Trends in renal disease morbidity and mortality in the United States, 1979 to 1990

Four indices of morbidity and mortality due to seven groups of renal diseases are evaluated in the United States for the period 1979 through 1990. These indices include mortality, hospitalization, doctor's office visits, and prevalence. Age-adjusted and age-specific rates are calculated. Estimates are provided for racial-, ethnic-, and gender-specific subpopulations. The burden of some diseases had decreased, especially renal infections. Most indices of the burden of diabetes with renal involvement and hypertensive renal disease have increased, especially among segments of the population that are growing. For many groups of disorders examined, men have experienced an increasing burden of disease over the 12 years evaluated. These data support current trends in renal failure and serve to generate hypotheses regarding renal disease patterns. The magnitude of the burden of renal disease and the trends toward increasing rates indicate that renal disease is a large and growing clinical and public health problem. Major improvements are needed in the range and accuracy of diagnosis and of reporting renal-related conditions, and additional resources need to be brought to the problem of renal-related morbidity. This is a US government work. There are no restrictions on its use.
Fractals, engineering surfaces and tribology

Abstract Fractal geometry, which is based on modern mathematics and which admits fractional dimensions, is introduced in this paper. Examples of fractional dimensions are 2.2618 and 2.4950; these are, of course, inadmissible in Euclidean geometry. Engineering surfaces, viewed from a wide spectrum of scales which range from micro to macro extents, are then discussed as a vital part of tribology. Based on results of recent research including experimental findings, it is concluded that fractal geometry forms an attractive adjunct to Euclidean geometry in the modeling of engineering surfaces. In other terms, a judicious use of a dual-scale description of surfaces would be most powerful in attacking problems in such areas of tribology as boundary lubrication.
Cellular Telephones and Driving Performance: The Effects of Attentional Demands on Motor Vehicle Crash Risk

This study examines the effects of conversation mode and split-attention communication training on driving performance. The study is based on an experiment where drivers with and without communication training (pilots vs. nonpilots) completed a simulated driving course while involved in one of three conversation modes: no conversation, conversation with passenger, or conversation on a hands-free cellular telephone. Results indicate that cellular telephone conversations consume more attention and interfere more with driving than passenger conversations. Cell phone conversations lack the nonverbal cues available during close-contact conversations and conversation participants expend significant cognitive resources to compensate for the lack of such cues. The results also demonstrate that communication training may reduce the hazardous effects of cell phone conversations on driving performance.
Transient suspension forces caused by broken transmission line conductors

Abstract A method is presented by means of which transient suspension forces caused by broken transmission line conductors may be predicted. These forces could be computed from a system of partial differential equations but because of the complexity involved no attempt has ever been made. Data have instead been obtained from full scale field tests. It is demonstrated that the problem is amenable to prediction by means of analog computer. In addition, the technique is applicable to the important case where the line is subject to hurricane wind forces, a case which clearly cannot be studied experimentally.
Practical School Choice in the United States: A Proposed Taxonomy and Estimates of Use

ABSTRACT School choice is one of the most frequent recommendations for education reform in the United States today. Unfortunately, the debates are hindered by the lack of a common taxonomy or framework for discussing and evaluating the wide variety of school choice programs available in the United States. Furthermore, there is little information on the number of students that use school choice options. In this paper, I remedy both of these deficiencies. First, I describe the varieties of school choice available and place them within a framework to facilitate comparison. Second, I examine the availability of various school choice options and estimate the number of students in the United States using each option. This information will significantly inform the ongoing school choice debates, including evaluations of school choice and future policy recommendations.
Synthesis and characterization of pH- and/or temperature-sensitive hydrogels

A series of pH-sensitive hydrogels that exhibit volume phase transition phenomena have been synthesized in aqueous solution and characterized with respect to their dynamic swelling behaviors. Positively charged hydrogels were prepared by copolymerizing varying ratios of N-isopropylacrylamide and NN′-dimethylaminopropylmethacrylamide. The hydrogels based on a temperature-sensitive hydrogel demonstrate a large change of equilibrium swelling in response to small variations of pH and/or temperature. These hydrogels exhibit different lower critical solution temperature (LCST) ranges depending on the environmental pH values. Below their LCST, they exhibit small and broad pH sensitivities normally observed in most hydrophilic polyelectrolyte gels, but above their LCST, they exhibit sharp pH dependent phase transition behaviors. The pH-dependent phase transition is strongly affected by temperature, while the temperature-dependent transition is, in turn, largely influenced by the pH. As the temperature is raised, the transitional degree of gel swelling change becomes sharper and larger, and the phase transition pH value shifts to a lower pH. It was also found that swelling is faster than deswelling for these cationic hydrogels, which suggests the existence of a water diffusion barrier during the deswelling. The swelling kinetics of initially dry and glassy gels were strongly dependent on both the pH value and temperature.
White Clover Response to Nematode Infestation and Plant Density

The southern root-knot nematode [Meloidogyne incognita (Kofold and White) Chitwood] reduces the productivity and persistence of white clover (Trifolium repens L.) throughout the southeastern USA. Our objective was to determine the response of two white clovers with differing M. incognita tolerance to nematode infection across a range of plant densities. Nematode-susceptible «regal» and tolerant germplasm SC-1 were established in the greenhouse at 3, 6, 12, 24, and 48 plants per flat (0.1 m −2 ) and root-knot nematode (Race 4) eggs were applied to each flat at 0 (control), 600 (low), or 1200 (high) eggs per 500 cm 3 of soil mix. Regal exhibited no tolerance to infection, while SC-1 exhibited tolerance (equivalent dry matter [DM] yield across initial nematode egg levels) in the first repetition of the experiment only. Total DM yield of Regal and SC-1 increased quadratically with increasing plant density across initial nematode egg levels in the first repetition, indicating DM yield suppression was caused by factors related to intraspecific competition, rather than by nematode infection. In the second repetition, DM yield of both clovers increased linearly with increasing plant density at the low and high initial egg levels, indicating that nematode infection had a greater effect on yield than intraspecific competition. Nematode reproduction was not influenced by plant density. Stolon dry weight of both clovers was reduced a mean of 60 % by nematode infection. Because total DM yield of nematode-infected white clover increased with increasing plant density due to greater early harvest productivity immediately following nematode inoculation, increasing plant density would not be an effective means of increasing long-term forage productivity
Comparison of constitutive and inducible transcriptional enhancement mediated by kappa B-related sequences: modulation of activity in B cells by human T-cell leukemia virus type I tax gene.

Abstract The kappa B sequence (GGGACTTTCC) binds a factor, NF-kappa B, that is constitutively found in its functional, DNA binding form only in B lymphocytes. A factor with apparently indistinguishable sequence specificity can be induced in many other cell types, where it is used to regulate inducible gene expression. For example, kappa B-related sequences have been shown to be important for the transcription of a few inducible genes, such as the interleukin 2 receptor alpha-chain gene and the beta-interferon gene. However, these genes are not constitutively active in B lymphocytes, suggesting that other regulatory mechanisms must play a role in determining the patterns of expression. We have investigated the constitutive and inducible transcriptional activity mediated by five kappa B-related sequence elements in two different cell types. We show that in S194 plasma cells the activity of each element correlates well with the relative affinity of B-cell-derived NF-kappa B for that element. This leads to significantly lower transcription enhancement by sites derived from the interleukin 2 receptor or T-cell receptor genes in S194 cells. However, in either EL-4 (T) cells or S194 cells, both lower-affinity sites can be significantly induced by the tax gene product of human T-cell leukemia virus type I, showing that NF-kappa B activity can be modulated even in a B-cell line that constitutively expresses this factor.
Uncrossed retinal projections to the accessory optic nuclei in rabbits and cats

Retinal projections to the accessory optic nuclei of rabbits and cats were demonstrated with standard autoradiographic techniques following intraocular injections of [35S]methionine and [3H]proline. In the pigmented rabbit, albino rabbit, normally pigmented domestic cat and Siamese cat the medial, lateral and dorsal terminal nuclei (MTN, LTN, and DTN, respectively) of the accessory optic system were densely labelled on the side contralateral to the injected eye. An ipsilateral projection, while clearly present in all but the Siamese cat, varied in the number of nuclei involved. In the albino rabbit, the ipsilateral projection ended in the MTN, while in the pigmented rabbit, it ended in the MTN, LTN and DTN, and in the normally pigmented domestic cat it ended in the MTN and LTN. These results indicate that the accessory optic system in rabbits and cats is more extensive than previously reported and that differences exist in the accessory optic system which may be related to genetic differences in normally pigmented and hypopigmented animals.
Synthesis, characterization, adsorption, and interfacial rheological properties of four-arm anionic fluorosurfactants.

Four-arm oligo(fluorooxetane) tetraols containing −CF3 and −C2F5 groups were prepared in reasonable yields by cationic, ring-opening polymerization of fluorinated oxetane monomers using a tetrafunctional, alkoxylated polyol as initiator and BF3·THF as catalyst. The tetraols were then converted to ammonium sulfate salts using oleum followed by neutralization with ammonium hydroxide in excellent yields. The four-arm oligo(fluorooxetane) sulfates (1 = −CF3, 2 = −C2F5) have an architecture characterized by a hydrophobic core of oligo(fluorooxetane) arms with a hydrophilic sulfate shell and initiator. The four-arm anionic oligo(fluorooxetane)s are surface active with critical micelle concentration values ≈4.2 × 10-6 and 2.4 × 10-6 mol/L for 1 and 2, respectively. Surface tension isotherms in pH 8 buffered solution were measured and data fitted parametrically to the Davies surface tension isotherm equation. Molecular areas at saturation were estimated to be ∼89 and ∼85 A2 with ΔGads = −12.7 and −13.2 kcal/mol f...
Serum transferrin saturation, stroke incidence, and mortality in women and men : The NHANES I epidemiologic followup study

Several studies have examined relatively large body iron stores and the risk of coronary heart disease with conflicting results. No reports of studies that associated body iron stores with stroke were found. To test the hypothesis that relatively high transferrin saturation is associated with increased stroke incidence and mortality in women and men, data from a follow-up study of a national cohort were examined. A total of 5,033 women and men aged 45-74 years from the First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Epidemiologic Followup Study who were free of stroke at baseline were followed an average of 12 years. Transferrin saturation (serum iron concentration divided by total iron binding capacity) was used as a measure of the amount of circulating iron available to tissues. In white women aged 45-74, after adjusting for age or for age and other risk variables, the authors observed a significant U-shaped association of transferrin saturation with risk of incident stroke (> 44% vs. 30-36%, relative risk = 1.96, 95% confidence interval 1.15-3.36; < 20% vs. 30-36%, relative risk = 1.80, 95% confidence interval 1.20-2.71). However, no significant associations were found in white men aged 45-74 after adjusting for other risk variables. Similar findings were observed for stroke mortality in whites, but no significant associations were seen in blacks. The significantly increased risk of stroke that was seen at both high and low levels of transferrin saturation in white women should be confirmed in other cohorts of women and men.
Perceiving Events in Simulated Environments: The Role of Expectation Driven Processes

Recent evidence suggests that when observing real-world events involving humans, people constantly monitor perceptual features that guide conceptual understanding of ongoing events. The current work asks if people monitor and interpret perceptual features (risks) differently when viewing events involving virtual characters in simulated environments. This investigation stems from theories of grounded cognition, which maintain that the environment in which cognitive processes take place affects the characters of the processes. An eye-tracking study was conducted. The results provide evidence that when perceiving events in simulated environments, people perform expectation driven processing more extensively, and that there is a temporal lag of monitoring perceptual features and integrating them into ongoing event representations.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
The changing pattern of infant mortality in the US: the role of prenatal factors and their obstetrical implications.

Infant mortality is one of the leading public health problems in the United States today. During the first half of this century the decline in infant mortality resulted largely from a reduction in postneonatal deaths (2-11 months after birth). Since 1950, two-thirds of all infant deaths have occurred in the neonatal period (1st month after birth). Since 1981, the rate of decline in the infant mortality rate has slowed due to a deterioration in the distribution of birthweights and a slowed improvement in birthweight-specific mortality rates. The role of birthweight is central to this issue, because low birthweight (LBW, 2500 g die during the first year of life compared to 10.2% of infants with birthweights < 2500 g and 45.3% with birthweights < 1500 g (very low birthweight, VLBW). These effects are magnified when evaluated on a race-specific basis: the rate of LBW is twice as high and the rate of VLBW is three times as high for black infants compared to white infants. Reducing the rates of VLBW and LBW, particularly among blacks, holds the greatest potential for future reductions in infant mortality in the United States. The important role of maternal factors in the antecedents of infant mortality (VLBW, LBW, intrauterine growth retardation, preterm birth) have been clearly and repeatedly demonstrated. Some of these factors, such as maternal race, adverse obstetrical history and low level of education, are not amenable to change during pregnancy. Other factors, such as cessation of smoking, higher maternal weight gain and the initiation of early prenatal care have been shown to improve the course and outcome of pregnancy and subsequently result in reduced infant mortality.
In vitro effects of everolimus and intravenous immunoglobulin on cell proliferation and apoptosis induction in the mixed lymphocyte reaction

Targeting multiple pathways in the activation of alloimmune responses by multi-drug immunosuppressive regimens with complementary mechanisms of action enhances allograft survival and improves quality of life, owing to the reduction of adverse drug effects. In this report we investigated the effect of the combination of everolimus and intraveneous immunoglobulin (IVIG) on cell proliferation and apoptosis induction in human two-way mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR). Everolimus alone (0.1-50 ng/ml) and IVIG (1-10 mg/ml) alone inhibited cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner (16.4-67.2% and 12.1-66.3% inhibition, respectively). The inhibition by everolimus was not enhanced in the presence of 1 mg/ml IVIG. Addition of 10 and 50 ng/ml everolimus increased the inhibitory effect of 5 and 10 mg/ml IVIG, but only by 10-27%. Addition of 0.1 and 1 ng/ml everolimus did not increase IVIG's inhibitory effects. Apoptosis was significantly higher in IVIG (5 mg/ml)-treated CD19+ cells and less so in CD3+ cells as assessed by Annexin V and TUNEL assays. However, everolimus (0.1-50 ng/ml) did not induced apoptosis or alter apoptosis induced by IVIG. These results suggest that everolimus is a potent inhibitor of immune cell proliferation but does not act additively or synergistically with IVIG when analyzed in this in vitro system.
The Rise of the Atlantic Economies

The Rise of the Atlantic Economies surveys the economic history of Spain, the Netherlands, France, and England and of the colonies they established, or had dealings with, in North and South America from the beginnings of Portuguese exploration in the fifteenth century to the American Revolution.
Distribution density and relative abundance of benthic invertebrate megafauna from three sites at the base of the continental slope off central California as determined by camera sled and beam trawl

Abstract Distribution, density and relative abundance of benthic invertebrate megafauna at three sites at the base of the continental slope off central California were investigated by trawls and camera sleds over a two-year period. A total of 29 successful trawls returned a total of 133 species of invertebrates. The dominant taxa by number in the trawls were holothurians, ophiurans, pennatulids, and one species of sea star and one species of corallomorpharian. There was considerable variation in rank order of abundance of the dominant invertebrates among the three sites and within one of the sites between years. Thus the percent similarity among the three sites was also low. Three of the five most abundant species were burrowers and were not detected in the camera sleds. Comparisons of rank order of abundances between the camera sleds and the trawls was done for 18 taxa. Results indicated no significant differences between the two methods and a total percent similarity of 78.8%. Comparison of densities per 100 m 2 between the two methods revealed that the densities estimated from the camera sleds were about 4 times those of the trawls. Reasons for this discrepancy are discussed.
Antiviral effect of oligo(nucleoside methylphosphonates) complementary to the herpes simplex virus type 1 immediate early mRNAs 4 and 5

We have previously shown that an oligo(nucleoside methylphosphonate) (deoxynucleoside methylphosphonate residues in italics) complementary to the acceptor splice junction of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) immediate-early (IE) pre-mRNAs 4,5 [d(TpTCCTCCTGCGG)], causes sequence-specific inhibition of virus growth in infected cell cultures (Smith et al., 1986; Kulka et al., 1989). Here we report a similar inhibition of HSV-1 growth by oligo(nucleoside methylphosphonates) complementary to the splice donor site of HSV-1 IE pre-mRNAs 4,5 [d(GpCTTACCCGTGC)] and to the translation initiation site of IE4 mRNA [d(ApATGTCGGCCAT)]. An oligomer complementary to the translation initiation site of IE5 mRNA [d(GpGCCCACGACAT)] or an unrelated oligomer [d(GpCGGGAAGGCAC)] did not inhibit virus growth. IC50 values were 20, 25 and 20 μM for d(TpTCCTCCTGCGG), d(GpCTTACCCGTGC) and d(ApATGTCGGCCAT) respectively. In infected BALB/c mice d(TpTCCTCCTGCGG) caused a significant decrease in HSV-1 growth (82% inhibition at 500 μM). A psoralen-derivative of d(TpTCCTCCTGCGG) that binds covalently to complementary sequences after exposure to 365 nm irradiation, inhibited HSV-1 growth (86–91%) at a 10-fold lower concentration than the non-derivatized oligomer. The inhibition was sequence-specific and significantly lower (27%) for HSV-2 that differs from HSV-1 in 7 of the 12 bases targeted by d(pTCCTCCTGCGG). Virus growth was not inhibited by d(GpGCCCACGACAT). The data suggest that oligo(nucleoside methylphosphonates) may be effective antiviral agents.
The Plastic Spin

On presente une formulation macroscopique des grandes deformations elastoplastiques avec des variables de structure tensorielles
Multimedia reviews: multimedia convergence for clinicians.

Introduction by the column editor: In this final column of the year, Dr. Taintor provides an overview of exciting technological developments via his report on the 2003 annual meeting of the American Association for Technology in Psychiatry (AATP). Advances—and convergences—in technology are providing clinicians with increasingly useful tools to enhance the effectiveness of their treatments, increase access to care, reduce errors, and save time. As Dr. Taintor notes, AATP's meeting is traditionally held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association (APA). I hope that his report will encourage APA's members to attend some of next year's informative sessions.
The effects of relative timing of sirolimus and cyclosporine microemulsion formulation coadministration on the pharmacokinetics of each agent.

Introduction Sirolimus and cyclosporine (INN, ciclosporin) share the same cytochrome P4503A metabolic pathways, and both drugs are substrates for p-glycoprotein countertransport. These factors most likely affect the bioavailability of both drugs. This study served to examine whether the timing of the administration of cyclosporine and sirolimus might significantly affect the relative bioavailability of one or both of these drugs. Methods In this randomized crossover trial, 24 stable kidney transplant recipients who were treated after transplant with a combination of sirolimus, cyclosporine, and prednisone for at least 3 months before study initiation, received individualized doses of sirolimus once daily and cyclosporine in the microemulsion formulation twice a day. A total of 20 patients completed the full crossover design. Patients were randomized to one of two dosing schedules: 10 of the patients who completed the study received the morning doses of sirolimus and cyclosporine concomitantly for the first 7 days (schedule I), and from days 8 to 14 the sirolimus dose was administered 4 hours after the morning cyclosporine dose. The of the patients received the sirolimus dose 4 hours after the morning cyclosporine dose for the first 7 days (schedule II), and from days 8 to 14 they received concomitant morning doses of cyclosporine and sirolimus. Pharmacokinetic profiles of sirolimus and cyclosporine performed on all patients on days 7, 14, and 15 yielded the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC), peak concentration (Cmax), time to Cmax (tmax), trough cyclosporine concentration (Co), and trough sirolimus concentration (Co) values. Results Sirolimus AUC and sirolimus trough levels were consistently and significantly higher when both cyclosporine and sirolimus were administered concomitantly than when they were administered 4 hours apart. No effect attributable to timing of drug administration could be found on cyclosporine pharmacokinetic parameters. Conclusion This study shows that the relative timing of administration of cyclosporine and sirolimus significantly affects the blood concentrations of sirolimus. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (1998) 63, 48–53; doi:
STUDIES ON ACUTE DISSEMINATED ENCEPHALOMYELITIS PRODUCED EXPERIMENTALLY IN RHESUS MONKEYS. III

The factor in brain tissue which induces acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, when injected into rhesus monkeys as an emulsion with adjuvants, has been found in human, monkey, rabbit, and chicken brain but is absent from frog and fish brain. It is unaffected by fixation of the brain in formalin, by boiling, and by treatment with ultrasound. It is present in the spinal cord of 3 day old rabbits but does not appear in the rabbit cerebrum until about the 12th day of life; in this respect it parallels the laying down of myelin. Attempts to produce the encephalomyelitis passively with large quantities of serum or of cell exudates, and suspensions of cells from spleen and lymph node from monkeys with encephalomyelitis, were unsuccessful.
Controlled Release Fumigation of the Greater Wax Moth

Polyethylene film controlled release packets utilizing ethylene dibromide (EDB) and p-dichlorobenzene (PDB) were designed and tested against late instar larvae of Galleria mellonella (L.). EDB controlled release packets gave 100% control of larvae in 48 h under experimental conditions at 26.6° and 32.3°C. PDB controlled release packets gave 13.3 and 17.2% control of larvae in 96 h under similar temperature regimes. Permeation constants for the EDB and PDB controlled release systems were derived from experimental rates observed in 4 and 6 mil polyethylene dispenser packets at temperatures of 10.0°-35.0°C.
Forward-time simulation of realistic samples for genome-wide association studies

Forward-time simulations have unique advantages in power and flexibility for the simulation of genetic samples of complex human diseases because they can closely mimic the evolution of human populations carrying these diseases. However, a number of methodological and computational constraints have prevented the power of this simulation method from being fully explored in existing forward-time simulation methods. Using a general-purpose forward-time population genetics simulation environment, we developed a forward-time simulation method that can be used to simulate realistic samples for genome-wide association studies. We examined the properties of this simulation method by comparing simulated samples with real data and demonstrated its wide applicability using four examples, including a simulation of case-control samples with a disease caused by multiple interacting genetic and environmental factors, a simulation of trio families affected by a disease-predisposing allele that had been subjected to either slow or rapid selective sweep, and a simulation of a structured population resulting from recent population admixture. Our algorithm simulates populations that closely resemble the complex structure of the human genome, while allows the introduction of signals of natural selection. Because of its flexibility to generate different types of samples with arbitrary disease or quantitative trait models, this simulation method can simulate realistic samples to evaluate the performance of a wide variety of statistical gene mapping methods for genome-wide association studies.
Radiation Effects on Active Acquired Immunity to Salmonella Typhimurium in Mice

three regions of equal body length, head or anterior third, mid and rear or posterior third. Exposure of these three regions, the three combinations of two regions and the two exposures involving the three regions, none and all, comprised the eight different regional body exposure treatments. Shielding of unexposed regions was with \-inch lead. All mice were irradiated at 46 + 3 days of age in perforated plastic tubes. Radiatiqn was given by a General Electric Maxitron operated at 250 pkv, 30 ma with 0.25 mm Cu + 1 mm Al filtration at an anode-mid-mouse distance of 47.5 cm and an average dose rate of 170 r/min. A period of 15 days was allowed for the expression of direct effects of irradi-
Mutational uncoupling of the transcriptional activation function of the TyrR protein of Escherichia coli K-12 from the repression function.

Abstract The tyrosine repressor (TyrR) protein of Escherichia coli can function either as a transcriptional enhancer or as a repressor. The structural basis for these opposite effects was analyzed in specific tyrR deletion mutants constructed in vitro. The functional behavior of the mutant TyrR proteins was evaluated in vivo by using single-copy lacZ reporter systems based on the mtr promoter (10-fold activation by wild-type TyrR protein, mediated by phenylalanine or tyrosine) or the aroF promoter (over 20-fold repression by wild-type TyrR protein, mediated by tyrosine). A mutant TyrR protein lacking amino acids 2 to 9 was completely devoid of transcriptional activation function. Five additional mutant TyrR proteins lacking progressively greater numbers of N-terminal amino acids were likewise activation defective. The mutant TyrR proteins lacking amino acid residues 2 to 9 or 2 to 19 were essentially identical to the wild-type TyrR protein in their ability to repress the aroF promoter. Three other TyrR mutant proteins, lacking up to 143 amino acid residues from the N-terminal end of the protein, retained the ability to repress the aroF promoter, to different extents, in a tyrosine-dependent manner.
INTUSSUSCEPTION IN CHILDHOOD: A REVIEW OF 139 CASES

A retrospective survey of 128 patients, representing 139 instances of proven intussusception is reviewed. An initial hydrostatic enema reduction attempt was performed in 75% of cases, with 50% of these being successful. A high recurrence rate of 18.4% followed the hydrostatically reduced cases, compared with 2.7% for the surgically treated. Hydrostatic reduction was particularly unsuccessful in infants less than six months of age, when the duration of symptoms exceeded 12 hours and when the presentation is painless. Earlier surgery is recommended for these children.