cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Physiology of the escape rhythm after radiofrequency atrioventricular junctional ablation.

The physiology of the escape rhythm (ER) and its response to pharmacological modulation under varying autonomic conditions were studied 48 patients undergoing radiofrequency ablation of the atrioventricular junction (AVJ) for refractory atrial fibrillation. The QRS morphology and cycle length (CL) of the baseline ER were measured 15 minutes postablation. The CL of the ER was measured in response to doses of isoproterenol, atropine, adenosine, lidocaine, and verapamil. The ER QRS was narrow (QRS 120 ms) in 28 patients. Of the 28 patients with wide QRS ER, 11 patients had a new bundle branch block (8 patients new right bundle branch block [RBBB] and 2 patients new left bundle branch block [LBBB]). The ERCL was similar in both narrow and wide ERs (1,593 +/- 376 ms and 1,516 +/- 296 ms, P = 0.44). In 23 patients receiving isoproterenol infusion, the ER CL decreased with increasing doses from 1 mcg/min to 2 mcg/min (1,378 +/- 200 to 1,240 +/- 229 ms, P < 0.001), but did not decrease further at 3 mcg/min (1,201 +/- 192 ms, P = 0.48 vs 2 mg/min). Seven patients received 0.02 mg/kg of atropine, and ER decreased significantly (1,572 +/- 408 ms to 1,319 +/- 333 ms, P = 0.028). In 30 patients who received intravenous boluses of adenosine (6-18 mg), the ER did not change significantly. In 28 patients who received 150 mg of lidocaine, the ER increased from 1,462 +/- 286 ms to 1,715 +/- 467 ms (P < 0.001), and one patient developed transient asystole. Nineteen patients received 7.5 mg of verapamil, and the ER did not change (1,488 +/- 313 ms to 1,513 +/- 666 ms, P = 0.80). There was no significant difference in response to isoproterenol, adenosine, lidocaine, or verapamil between the patients with wide and narrow QRS ERs. We conclude that patients may have stable ERs immediately following AVJ ablation even when a wide complex ER results. The ER is responsive to sympathetic stimulation and vagal blockade. The ER is prolonged after lidocaine but not after verapamil, suggesting response to sodium but not to calcium channel blockade. These data are consistent with an ER originating in the distal compact AV node or proximal His bundle.
Progress in anesthesia and management of the newborn surgical patient

Ongoing advances in the perioperative management of the newborn have undoubtedly decreased the incidence of morbidity and mortality of this vulnerable patient group. The introduction of new surgical techniques and more comprehensive understanding of the effects of varied anesthetic drugs and techniques on the surgical newborn present many challenges for pediatric surgeons and anesthesiologists. Thorough preoperative evaluation and open communication between members of the health care team are important. A basic understanding of age-dependent variables and the interaction of anesthetic and surgical procedures is essential in minimizing perioperative morbidity and mortality.
Weight management goals and practices among U.S. high school students: associations with physical activity, diet, and smoking.

Purpose: To examine associations of physical activity, fruit and vegetable consumption, and cigarette smoking with weight management goals and practices of U.S. high school students. Methods: Data were from the 1999 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a representative sample of U.S. high school students (n 15,349). Adjusted odds ratios (OR) were calculated to describe associations, controlling for demographic characteristics. Results: Based on self-reported height and weight, 25% of students were either overweight (11%) or at risk for becoming overweight (14%). However, 43% of students were trying to lose weight and 19% of students were trying to maintain their current weight. Female students were less likely than male students to be overweight, but more likely to be trying to lose weight. Trying to lose weight was associated with vigorous physical activity (OR 1.5), strengthening exercises (OR 2.2), and cigarette smoking (OR 1.4) among female students; and vigorous physical activity (OR 1.6), strengthening exercises (OR 1.8), and eating >5 servings/day of fruits and vegetables (OR 1.5) among male students. Among students trying to lose weight or stay the same weight, only 62% of females and 41% of males combined exercise with a reduced fat and calorie diet, while 32% of females and 17% of males used unhealthy weight control methods (fasting, diet pills, vomiting, or laxatives). Conclusions: Efforts to promote healthy weight management among adolescents are needed and should place greater emphasis on combining physical activity with a reduced fat and calorie diet, increasing fruit and vegetable consumption, and discouraging smoking and other unhealthy weight control practices.
Bilateral Sequential Lung Transplantation for Pulmonary Alveolar Microlithiasis

Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis (PAM) is characterized by deposition of calcium phosphate within the alveolar airspaces. There is currently no effective medical therapy and affected individuals may progress to end-stage lung disease requiring transplantation. Two patients with PAM underwent bilateral sequential lung transplantation. This study reviews the clinical manifestations of PAM and discusses the particular difficulties that may be encountered in the use of lung transplantation as treatment for this uncommon disease. Also addressed is the question of recurrence in the allograft.
Spontaneous Lysis of Aspergillomata

Spontaneous lysis of an aspergilloma occurred in four patients out of a consecutive series of 41 aspergillomata in 37 patients. The occurrence of spontaneous lysis in approximately 10 percent of aspergillomata is significant and should be considered when evaluating claims of effective medical treatment.
Price elasticity of residential water demand in California

This study used meta-analysis to assess the influence of price/price structures on residential water demand in two selected urban areas in California: East Los Angeles and South San Francisco. Monthly usage data for the years 2002–2011 were utilized to determine and compare price elasticities for periods when uniform and tiered rates were charged using fixed effects panel regression and Instrumental Variable methods. Price elasticities in East Los Angeles and South San Francisco were −0.39 and −0.22 under uniform rates and −0.44 and 0.43 under tiered rates, respectively. When customers in each city were divided into three groups based upon their lot sizes, those with larger lot sizes tended to react to pricing systems more strongly than those living on smaller lots. These findings will be helpful for water demand stakeholders and policymakers seeking to design and implement more effective water pricing policies to support sustainable water conservation efforts.
Cyclic AMP in Metobolism

Throughout the animal kingdom cyclic AMP is involved in the regulation of enzyme activity under the influence of hormones. As this review shows, a few clues are beginning to emerge about the way in which this is being achieved.
Experimental In Situ Characterization and Creep Modeling of Tin-Based Solder Joints on Commercial Area Array Packages at −40°C, 23°C, and 125°C

The objective of this work was to experimentally determine the in situ creep behavior and constitutive model equations for a commercial area array package and printed wiring board assembly at −40, 23, and 125 °C through shear loading. The chip is connected to the printed circuit board by means of solder joints made of 62%Sn–36%Pb–2%Ag alloy. It was shown that the creep rate of solder ball arrays could be investigated using a stress relaxation method. Under the shear relaxation mode, the creep strain increases with temperature and can be described by a power law model with coefficients determined by finite element modeling (FEM). An analytical model was developed to describe the stress relaxation of an array with an arbitrary number of solder balls by defining an equivalent solder ball shear area as a fitting parameter. The resulting constitutive model is in excellent agreement with both FEM and experimental results at all test temperatures. A parametric study is conducted to investigate the creep response as a function of temperature for arrays consisting of a wide range of solder balls.
Refractive Index of Rat Mammary Tumor Tissue

Breast optical property studies have been conducted, yielding data for macroscopic and microscopic optical imaging. Absent, however, are investigations of breast tissue refractive indices. We present measurements of rat mammary tumor, adipose, and stromal tissues.
Psychiatric pain and deliberate suffering

In public opinion and in medical practice the suffering of psychiatric patients is often considered self‐induced. Freudian psychoanalysis embraced this notion but managed to reconcile it with the pleasure principle only by positing an instinctual craving for death, to which Freud reduced instances of deliberate and repetitive suffering. In a simultaneous but separate line of thought, he also reduced all habits, including self‐destructive ones, to masturbation and all inhibitions of constructive drives to inhibitions of masturbation. This article explores this seeming paradox. The transition from a paranoid‐schizoid position to a depressive one begins with the dawning assumption of ownership of certain aspects of one's being, with the correlative attribution of other aspects to the world outside the self. Inevitable errors in this process create tensions that may be discharged by suffering, either by atonement or by assuming ownership of the pain that one's dependency might otherwise inflict on one's objec...
Dye-assisted chromatographic determination of aliphatic ketones and esters with brilliant green

Abstract Determinations of neutral nonchromophoric organic compounds by dye-assisted chromatography are extended to the determination of aliphatic ketones and esters by using reversed-phase conditions and a mobile phase containing Brilliant Green. Detection limits of 6–20 μg were obtained when a mobile phase containing 50% (v/v) methanol/water and 0.00010 M Brilliant Green was used with detection at 575 nm, and 0.5–2 μg with detection in the ultraviolet region. In the absence of dye the detection limits for several solutes were about four times higher than the corresponding values obtained with the dye. The dye was shown to form a dimer having a molar absorptivity two orders of magnitude smaller than that of the monomeric dye. Detection of non-chromophoric compounds is concluded to be due to the desorption of adsorbed dye by the analytes and the shift of the aggregation and hydration equilibria of the dye promoted by the organic solutes. The lowering of the capacity factors is interpreted in terms of the adsorption of dye by the column which reduces the hydrophobicity of the stationary phase.
Low Power Programmable Current Mode Computational Imaging Sensor

A linear current mode computational image sensor is presented in this paper. The sensor monolithically combines current mode imaging elements with current mode digitally programmable analog computational circuitry at the focal plane. The pixel is based on a switchless paradigm and allows for reduced spatial and temporal noise imaging. The imaging array is composed of 128-by-109 pixels. The image sensor provides a noise-corrected image in conjunction with a convolved image in parallel at 50 fps and 50 mW. The maximum measured SNR is 44 dB, maximum FPN of saturated value (after DDS) is 0.22%, and DR is 55 dB.
Determination of enthalpies (‘Heats’) of formation

Determination of enthalpies of formation, now well into its second century, contin- ues to be an active research field. Classical combustion thermochemistry, known by Lavoisier, is carried out with precision in several laboratories, though usually on the microscale, as appropriate to the small quantities of rare or unstable species preparative chemists are able to win and purify. Nonclassical methods such as differential scanning calorimetry and proton emission techniques are practiced. Enthalpy estimation based on additivity has been brought to an improved level of accuracy, and its basis in molecular structure has been examined with the goal of achieving maximum simplicity. Discrepancies between experimental results and additive estimates due to 'special effects' have brought about a considerable amount of causative speculation in the literature. Quantum mechanical methods have enjoyed increased proliferation through new methods of finding enthalpies of formation and other thermochemical and molecular properties such as heat capacity and entropy. Powerful basis set and configuration interaction software is available within the Gaussian c suites of programs. New levels of accuracy, in the kilojoules per mole range, have been achieved by Wn methods, and wider gener- ality is enjoyed by methods based on density functional theory. New tabulation methods have been introduced that use computer error estimation procedures to root out flawed experimental results and increase overall reliability of the data one selects from the compilation. C � 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Evaluation of the dysmorphogenic effects of procarbazine, benzylazoxyprocarbazine, and methylazoxyprocarbazine in whole embryo culture.

Abstract Serum from procarbazine (PCZ)-treated rats is dysmorphogenic to rat embryos cultured in vitro, but PCZ is not effective when added directly to culture medium, even with an exogenous metabolizing system. Methylazoxyprocarbazine (MPCZ) is a metabolite which we have identified by HPLC in the dysmorphogenic serum of PCZ-treated rats. PCZ, MPCZ, and benzyl-azoxyprocarbazine (BPCZ, an isomer of MPCZ) were tested in rat whole embryo culture to determine their effects on embryo development. The parent compound, PCZ, produced no effect on embryo growth or development at concentrations up to 200 μg/ml. MPCZ proved to be the most potent of the agents tested. There was significant embryo lethality at concentrations of ≥10 μg/ml while 25 μg/ml had significantly reduced embryonic developmental score (DEVS), and 35 μg/ml reduced DEVS, head length, and somite number. There was 89% embryo lethality at the 50 μg/ml exposure level. At concentrations >5 μg/ml, there were significant increases in anomalies, primarily, failure of neural tube closure, erratic neural seam, and microcephaly. In contrast, BPCZ produced embryo lethality and reductions in DEVS only at 100 μg/ml. These data suggest that MPCZ, which has been identified in PCZ-treated rat serum, may be the proximate dysmorphogenic metabolite of PCZ.
Low-temperature preparation techniques for electron microscopy of biological specimens based on rapid freezing with liquid helium II.

Low-temperatare preparation techniques are described which are reported to give better morphologic and cytochemical preservation of biological specimens than do the standard freeze-drying and freeze-substitution methods. (C.H.)
Elastic instability in crossflow of polymer solutions through periodic arrays of cylinders

Abstract The kinematics of viscous and viscoelastic liquid flows transverse to periodic arrays of circular cylinders have been studied experimentally at Reynolds numbers ranging from 0.039 to 0.5. Streak photography was used to observe the flow of a dilute polyisobutylene solution in polybutene, through square and hexagonal arrays with a porosity of 70%. Unsteady flow patterns were observed at Deborah numbers above 0.5 for the hexagonal array and at Deborah numbers above 1.5 for the square array. In the case of the square array, the asymmetry of the particle paths was particularly striking. The flow resistance corresponding to each photograph has been recorded; progressively increasing flow resistance is seen to correspond to progressively increasing unsteadiness and asymmetry in the flow patterns. The velocity profiles along selected streamline segments of another concentrated solution of polyisobutylene in decalin flowing through the same arrays, were recorded with a laser Doppler velocimeter. The Reynolds number was less than 0.01 in all the runs. At Deborah numbers up to one within the square array, the average stretch rate between rows of cylinders, determined experimentally and normalized with the nominal strain rate, increases by up to 50%. At Deborah numbers of 1–2 within the hexagonal array, the average stretch rate measured between stagnation points is the same as the corresponding value for the Stokes field. The flow field becomes unsteady with this fluid also, at Deborah numbers where the fRe product increases for both arrays.
Body Size and Proportions in Chimpanzees, with Special Reference to Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii from Gombe National Park, Tanzania

Body weight, cranial capacity, linear and joint area data from ten free-ranging adult chimpanzees from Gombe National Park, Tanzania with known life histories allow study of variation in a local population and comparison to other populations ofPan troglodytes and toPan paniscus. Because individuals in the Gombe population are small compared to other common chimpanzees, they provide a useful comparison toPan paniscus. Body weight and some linear dimensions overlap withPan paniscus. However, cranial capacity, tooth size, and body proportions of Gombe individuals lie within the range of otherPan troglodytes and are distinct fromPan paniscus.
Food Matters: A Quality Improvement Initiative on Healthy Foods in Pregnancy for a Clinic Population

Implementation, Outcomes, and Evaluation Nurses were provided with Food Matters calendars to review and utilize as teaching tools in the clinic setting. Nurses were asked to perform a short pretest at the initial obstetric visit. In the initial visit, nurses reviewed the calendar and used it as a tool to begin the discussion about healthy, affordable foods to consume during pregnancy. In the month of July 2011, this program was implemented and 105 calendars were provided to newly pregnant patients. Nurses performed a short pretest with each client. Questions were asked to assess the clients’ evaluation of their diet, desire to improve diet, and intention to utilize the foods calendar to improve diet. Post tests will be performed at the next monthly appointment and will assess any improvements in diet, especially those directly related to calendar usage. This program will continue until 400 calendars are distributed and post tests are complete. Nurses will be surveyed to assess comfort level and ease of use with the calendars. This initiative will be evaluated from the caregivers’ and the clients’ point of view.
Effects of disulfiram on the cardiovascular responses to ethanol in dogs and guinea pigs

Abstract The cardiovascular effects of cardiac sympathetic nerve stimulation were studied in disulfiram-treated dogs. It was found that the magnitude of the increments of heart rate, systemic arterial pressure, and myocardial contractile force in disulfiram-treated dogs was significantly smaller than that in control dogs. In addition, the effects of ethanol on heart rate, systemic arterial pressure, and myocardial contractile force were studied in disulfiram-treated dogs and in isolated papillary muscle of disulfiram-treated guinea pigs. The magnitude and duration of the hypotensive and cardiac depressant effects of ethanol were found to be greater and more prolonged, respectively, in disulfiram-treated than in control dogs. Likewise, the greater negative inotropic action of ethanol was observed in isolated atria of disulfiram-treated guinea pigs. The results obtained from the present study are consistent with previous observations that disulfiram, a dopamine-β-hydroxylase inhibitor, reduces norepinephrine and epinephrine contents in the heart, blood vessels, and adrenal medullae, thereby causing the disturbance in the cardiovascular reflex mechanism. It is concluded that ethanol-disulfiram reaction may be partially due to the inadequate reflex sympathoadrenal stimulation following ethanol ingestion in disulfiram-treated animals or human subjects.
Simultaneous primary closure of four fasciotomy wounds in a single setting using the Sure-ClosureTM device

The Sure-Closurem 75 mm skin stretching system is used in closing wounds when the presence of a skin deficit precludes the safe and effective use of primary closure techniques. The device (Figure 2) consists of two pins that are threaded through the dermis of the wound margins on either side of the defect and which are in turn engaged by the hooks of the stretching device. The stretching force on the skin margins is spread over a wide area, thus preventing damage to the skin that individual hooks applied to the skin might cause. The device is used for up to 30 min for 3 days depending on the condition of the skin adjoining the defect. It can he applied over three different periods of time: (1) preoperatively (presuturing), lasting 1 to 2 days, (2) intraoperatively for acute stretching, and (3) postoperatively for delayed stretching.
Self-stimulation loci in the midbrain central gray matter of the rat

Rats with chronically implanted electrodes in or near the mesencephalic central gray matter were tested for self-stimulation behavior in an operant situation. Within central gray, consistent and vigorous self-stimulation was obtained only from a circumscribed region surrounding the dorsal raphe nucleus in ventral, posterior central gray matter. Possible substrates of this behavior are discussed in reference to the known interconnections of central gray with other self-stimulation sites and to ascending monoaminergic pathways. These results as well as other findings from our laboratory indicate that important functional distinctions exist between various portions of the central gray matter.
Retinal pH Reflects Retinal Energy Metabolism in the Day and Night

The extracellular pH of living tissue in the retina and elsewhere in the brain is lower than the pH of the surrounding milieu. We have shown that the pH gradient between the in vitro retina and the...
A quarter century of US ‘math wars’ and political partisanship

This article traces the history of the US ‘math wars’ from 1980, and discusses the political polarizations that fuelled and resulted from the disagreements.
Donor natural killer (NK1.1+) cells do not play a role in the suppression of GVHD or in the mediation of GVL reactions after DLI

Donor regulatory T cells (CD3+ alphabetaT-cell receptor [TCR]+) derived from the repopulating host thymus have been shown to be primarily responsible for suppression of GVHD following DLI therapy in murine BMT models. However, natural killer (NK) T cells also have regulatory properties, and a role for NK T cells in suppression of GVH reactivity has not been completely excluded. NK cells may also contribute to the graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effect associated with DLI therapy. In this study, we used a murine BMT model (C57BL/6 into AKR) to study whether depletion of donor NK cells had any impact on the suppression of GVH reactivity after DLI or on the DLI-induced GVL effect against acute T-cell leukemia. Depletion of donor NK cells was accomplished in vivo by giving DLI-treated bone marrow chimeras multiple injections of anti-NK1.1 monoclonal antibody (MoAb). The chimeras treated with anti-NK1.1 MoAb had significantly fewer splenic NK1.1 cells than nontreated chimeras, and splenocytes from anti-NK1.1-treated mice were deficient in the ability to generate lymphokine-activated lytic activity. Results presented here showed that NK-cell depletion had no effect on the suppression of GVH reactivity after DLI. When DLI-treated chimeras were challenged with an acute T-cell leukemia, NK-cell depletion had no discernible effect on GVL reactivity. These preclinical data suggest that donor NK cells do not have a significant role in the suppression of GVHD after DLI or in the mediation of GVL reactivity induced by DLI.
Immunological determinants that may affect the Heliobacter pylori cancer risk

A large body of literature supports a role for Helicobacter pylori as an environmental factor which contributes to the development of gastric cancer through an intermediate stage of atrophic gastritis. The mechanism(s) by which H. pylori-associated chronic inflammation progresses to more serious diseases such as peptic ulcer and gastric cancer in certain individuals is not clear. Variations in the phenotype or genotype of the infecting H. pylori strain can play a role in the severity of disease. However, individuals infected with the 'more virulent' strains of H. pylori often never develop serious disease. Our experiments in inbred strains of mice provide evidence that host genetics also play a significant role in H. pylori-related gastritis. We have demonstrated that gastritis is dominated by a TH1 adaptive immune response, the degree of which directly correlates with the severity of disease. Treatment of mice with IL-12 or anti-IFN-gamma antibodies can increase or decrease, respectively the severity of gastritis in infected mice and adoptive transfer of TH1 cell lines significantly exacerbates disease. Thus, the tendency of an individual to respond to infection with specific immune mechanisms can dramatically affect the severity of disease and possibly put an individual at increased risk of progressing to disorders such as gastric cancer.
State alcohol policies, teen drinking and traffic fatalities

This empirical study evaluates the policy responsiveness of teen drinking in models that can condition on the unobserved state-specific attributes that may have biased conventional evaluations. The results demonstrate that cross-state heterogeneity can be important and that beer taxes have relatively small and statistically insignificant effects on teen drinking. Models of youth traffic fatalities also indicate that the conventional beer tax elasticities are not robust to additional controls for omitted variables. The importance of these omitted variables is illustrated by a counterfactual which compares models of nighttime fatalities to those that occur in the daytime when the rate of alcohol involvement is substantially lower.
A novel C5a-derived immunobiotic peptide reduces Streptococcus agalactiae colonization through targeted bacterial killing

Streptococcus agalactiae (group B Streptococcus [GBS]) is a Gram-positive bacterium that colonizes the cervicovaginal tract in approximately 25% of healthy women. Although colonization is asymptomatic, GBS can be vertically transmitted to newborns peripartum, causing severe disease such as pneumonia and meningitis. Current prophylaxis, consisting of late gestation screening and intrapartum antibiotics, has failed to completely prevent transmission, and GBS remains a leading cause of neonatal sepsis and meningitis in the United States. Lack of an effective vaccine and emerging antibiotic resistance necessitate exploring novel therapeutic strategies. We have employed a host-directed immunomodulatory therapy using a novel peptide, known as EP67, derived from the C-terminal region of human complement component C5a. Previously, we have demonstrated in vivo that EP67 engagement of the C5a receptor (CD88) effectively limits staphylococcal infection by promoting cytokine release and neutrophil infiltration. Here, using our established mouse model of GBS vaginal colonization, we observed that EP67 treatment results in rapid clearance of GBS from the murine vagina. However, this was not dependent on functional neutrophil recruitment or CD88 signaling, as EP67 treatment reduced the vaginal bacterial load in mice lacking CD88 or the major neutrophil receptor CXCr2. Interestingly, we found that EP67 inhibits GBS growth in vitro and in vivo and that antibacterial activity was specific to Streptococcus species. Our work establishes that EP67-mediated clearance of GBS is likely due to direct bacterial killing rather than to enhanced immune stimulation. We conclude that EP67 may have potential as a therapeutic to control GBS vaginal colonization.
Determination of the Aqueous Sublayer Thicknesses at an Air-Water Interface

Abstract The thicknesses of the viscous and thermal sublayers in the water beneath an air-water interface are obtained by an application of the theory of rough-wall flows to results obtained in a laboratory wind, water-wave research facility. For fully rough flow the dimensionless viscous sublayer thickness δv+ is proportional to the square root of the roughness Reynolds number h+ based on mean roughness height, i.e., δv+ = 0.37h+frac12;. In addition, if Pr is the (molecular) Prandtl number, the dimensionless thermal sublayer thickness δt+ = 0.37h+−frac12;.
Estrogen patient package insert: medication acceptance despite negative attitudes.

This study of the estrogen patient package insert (PPI) was prompted by the disparity between patients attitudes their risk-benefit analysis and their actions. The goal was to learn whether it would be possible to determine the proportion of women who became apprehensive about estrogens to characterize this group and to ascertain why they took the estrogen despite their negative assessment of it. 100 women not intending to breast feed their infants and thus receiving estrogens to suppress lactation were surveyed. The women had given birth during the July-October 1979 period at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester New York. The 36 women who expressed negative attitudes reservations or ambivalent feelings about estrogens were classified as apprehensive. The 64 women with positive or indifferent attitudes were classified as nonapprehensive. The nonapprehensive women were younger and 2/3 were not married. 92% of the apprehensive women were married. 2/3 of the nonapprehensive respondents had less than a high school education and their family incomes were lower. More of the apprehensive women read the estrogen PPI and almost 30% developed negative attitudes toward estrogens. Their major concerns reflected information in the PPI about cancer and thromboembolism. The reasons provided for taking estrogens despite apprehension included the lower risk of short chourses assurance from physicians nurses or family members and the desired therapeutic effect. More than 76% of the participants considered the information they received from all sources to be adequate and 87% throught they understood it. The current PPI was designed to warn women of the risks of long-term estrogen use and should not be given to women who are taking estrogen to suppress lactation. A PPI should be written specifically for women who are receiving short courses.
Considerations For Real-Time Processing In A Local Area Network

The capabilities of Local Area Networks (LAN) to support real-time processing applica-tions are explored. The ISO/ANSI Open Systems Interconnection reference model is summar-ized and its layers examined from the standpoint of implementing functions in VLSI devices. A Network Interface Module (NIM) to the LAN is defined and its characteristics are defined. A discussion of the hardware, firmware, and software network protocol functions and their implementation in the NIM is presented. Using the NIM as the LAN interface, the message paths for different types of network operations are determined. Processing times for these message paths are estimated and used to postulate typical message transfer times. Suggested approaches for continued throughput analyses are presented.© (1982) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
WE-C-351-06: Tracking Multiple Moving Fiducials During Treatment Based On Simultaneous Onboard KV and Treatment MV Imaging

Purpose: Intra‐fractional organ motion can limit the advantage of highly conformal dose techniques as IMRT due to target position uncertainty. A new strategy has been proposed and investigated to track implanted fiducial markers during treatment on a LINAC with an onboard kV imaging system by using simultaneous kV and treatment MV beam imaging.Method and Materials: A pelvic phantom implanted with three gold cylindrical seeds was tested on a moving platform on a Varian Trilogy. Two phantom verification plans for 3DCRT and IMRTtreatments from real patients were delivered on this phantom while the platform was moving at different speeds. A new pattern matching algorithm has been developed to locate multiple cylindrical fiducials on MV and kV images. Their 3D positions were then calculated from simultaneous orthogonal MV and kV imaging results. Results: Four issues were studied towards the clinical application of this method. 1) Multiple methods were adopted to predict marker positions and reduce search regions to achieve an analysis speed of 10 frame/second. 2) The kV and MV images were acquired while the phantom was moving at various speeds and fiducials could be successfully detected at a linear speed of 1.6 cm/s or less. 3) Varying MV field size and kV source to imager distance indicated that the detection of fiducials on kV images was not affected by the scattering from simultaneous treatment MV beams. 4) Prediction based on relative positions of fiducials was used to closely locate positions of fiducials blocked by a multileaf collimator.Conclusion: These four studies pave the way to automatically track nearly real‐time 3D positions of multiple moving fiducial markers during treatment based on simultaneous kV and MV imaging. It does not require extra hardware such as stereo kV imaging systems and utilizes the treatment beam to reduce dose.
Kinetic investigation of the vanadium(V) oxidation of the bis(μ-oxo)bis(oxomolybdenum(V)) ion

Abstract The reaction between VO2+ and two dimeric Mo(V) complexes, bis(μ-oxo)bis(oxomolybdenum(V)), Mo2O42+, and Mo2O4(edta)2− was studied in HCl and HClO4 media via stopped-flow techniques. The overall reaction stoichiometry, in which an intermediate is formed, corresponds to the equation The rate law observed for decay of this intermediate, when [Mo2O42+] > [VO2+], is −d[Complex]/dt = kobs[Complex], where kobs = ( k 1 [H + ] + k 2 K h ) ([H + ] + K h ) The rate constants, k1 and k2, and the hydrolysis constant, Kh, are 5.30 s−1, 28.2 s−1 and 0.081 M respectively (25.0 °C, μ = 1.0 M HCl). The value for kobs is unaffected by the products but is retarded by ClO4−. An intermediate composed of [Mo(V)]2 and V(V) is postulated.
PERFORMANCE AND PRACTICE: EXAMINING THE MACHINE TOOL INDUSTRIES OF JAPAN AND THE UNITED STATES

Machine tool (MT) production is at the centre of most durable goods manufacturing and is in many ways, an indicator of a country's industrial prowess. Over the past three decades, the machine tool sectors of Japan and the United States have followed distinctly different trajectories. This paper compares and contrasts the performance and characteristics of the MT industries of both countries, with particular attention paid to several embedded differences in each country's manufacturing conditions at various levels. Once the world leader, the US MT industry is in a period of decline, despite signs of a rebound during the 1990s. Japanese MT producers continue to be among the world leaders in terms of both sales and technology, in the face of a recent domestic economic slowdown well over a decade long. The paper concludes with a discussion of the industry's future prospects.
Gaussian mixture modeling of acoustic emissions for structural health monitoring of reinforced concrete structures

Reinforced Concrete (RC) has been widely used in construction of infrastructures for many decades. The cracking behavior in concrete is crucial due to the harmful effects on structural performance such as serviceability and durability requirements. In general, in loading such structures until failure, tensile cracks develop at the initial stages of loading, while shear cracks dominate later. Therefore, monitoring the cracking modes is of paramount importance as it can lead to the prediction of the structural performance. In the past two decades, significant efforts have been made toward the development of automated structural health monitoring (SHM) systems. Among them, a technique that shows promises for monitoring RC structures is the acoustic emission (AE). This paper introduces a novel probabilistic approach based on Gaussian Mixture Modeling (GMM) to classify AE signals related to each crack mode. The system provides an early warning by recognizing nucleation of numerous critical shear cracks. The algorithm is validated through an experimental study on a full-scale reinforced concrete shear wall subjected to a reversed cyclic loading. A modified conventional classification scheme and a new criterion for crack classification are also proposed.
On solutions that are better than most

Abstract A programmatic approach to solving decision problems by the use of ‘better than most’ (BTM) solutions is introduced. The BTM approach is contrasted to approaches that seek a solution whose outcome would be the best of all outcomes for feasible solutions, again according to criteria taken to represent the decision maker's objectives. This BTM approach is illustrated in terms of a decision problem in binary decision variables. This is followed by a discussion of (1) some of the probabilistic aspects of BTM solutions, including calculational experience, (2) a central BTM problem, akin to the problem of finding optimal methods in the more traditional approaches, (3) some ad hoc methods for overcoming this and other problems associated with the BTM approach, and (4) similarities and differences between the BTM approach and other approaches.
RF balun embedded in multilayer organic substrate

This letter presents the design, modeling, and characterization of a RF balun embedded in multilayer organic substrate. A Marchand-type balun for 2.4-GHz Bluetooth and WLAN applications has been designed and fabricated using the low cost organic package technology. Its four-port measurement results show good electrical performance and close correlation with full-wave simulation data demonstrating the successful implementation of the RF passive component completely integrated in build-up layers of an organic package substrate. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 49: 473–475, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.22163
THE EFFECTS OF RECEPTIVE LANGUAGE TRAINING ON ARTICULATION1

The present study attempted to assess one condition of language exposure that might be operative in a normal environment, and experimentally determine its relevance to the acquisition of productive speech. The results demonstrated that the development of receptive language skills can be functionally related to productive speech. Specifically, the data indicated that exposure to words that have stimulus control over a subject's nonverbal pointing behavior can facilitate later articulation of those same words. Thus, this study draws attention to the fact that at least some classes of operants, in this case verbal, can be affected not only by their consequences, but by not obviously related antecedent events as well.
Electrode optimization in low intensity current simulation for tissue repair

When used with Low Intensity Current, electrotherapy can mimic the body's natural bioelectric signal to promote: healing in wounds, more resilient healed scars and tissue repair. Therefore, a proposed medical device that delivers electrical pulses is simulated to provide alternative and more effective options for: wound healing and tissue repair. This is created by developing a shallow layer of electrodes that can create an electric field to only stimulate the epidermis layer in the skin (about 150 micrometers deep). The control variables that affect the produced electromagnetic skin depth include: the size of the electrodes, the spacing between the electrodes, the number of electrodes, the frequency of pulses delivered and the current delivered.
Rock abrasion features in the Columbia Hills, Mars

[1] Wind-abraded rocks (ventifacts) observed along the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Spirit traverse in the Columbia Hills reveal evidence for complex wind flow patterns. Multiple superposed sets of eolian bed forms are evident in rover images and more broadly in High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) image coverage. Formative wind directions inferred from ventifacts are more consistent with smaller, second-order (T2) eolian ridges rather than larger, first-order (T1) ridges. This suggests that the direction of recent highest-energy saltation may more commonly be aligned with the higher-order textures on bed form surfaces, perhaps because of bed form–modified (secondary) airflow around T1 ridges. Additionally, the lack of ventifacts with formative wind directions consistent with T1 ridges may indicate that either the ventifact textures consistent with T1 ridge orientations have been overprinted by abrasion commensurate with T2 ridges or, alternatively, the rocks were emplaced subsequent to the formation and stabilization of T1 bed forms. In both cases, T1 ridges appear fairly immobile and may provide less sand from winds blowing perpendicular to their ridge crests compared to winds consistent with T2 orientation.
Optimal foraging in bumblebees and coevolution with their plants.

The aims of this paper were to consider the coevolution between bumblebee movement patterns within plants and various properties of the plants such as the spatial distribution of their flowers, and to determine the extent to which the bumblebees and the plants can be considered to be maximally adaptive or optimal. Attention was restricted to plants which have flowers arranged on vertical inflorescences and to the bumblebees which visit these plants.It was found that the bumblebees tend to commence foraging at the bottom of each infloresence, that they tend to move from one flower to the closest vertically higher flower, that they miss flowers as they move upwards and that they tend to leave each inflorescence before reaching the top. It was also found for the four common plant species considered that nectar abundance per flower decreases with flower height on an inflorescence, that the flowers with receptive stigmas are restricted to the bottoms of the inflorescences while the flowers shedding pollen occur above them, and that the flowers are arranged approximately in spirals on the inflorescences.The pattern of movements of the bumblebees and the various properties of the plants appear to represent coevolved adaptations. Furthermore the bumblebees' movement patterns appear to be optimal in the sense that they result in the maximum net rate of energy gain to the bumblebees. Further studies are necessary, however, to determine whether or not the plants can be considered to be optimal.An exception to the above scheme is provided by a plant which is quite uncommon in the study area. This plant also has flowers on vertical inflorescences and appears to be pollinated by bumblebees. However, while the pattern of movements of the bumblebees on this plant species are extremely similar to those on the four common species, this plant species exhibits quite different properties from the other four. Two possible explanations for this exception are presented.
Oxidation of H2S by Iron Oxides in Unsaturated Conditions

Previous studies have demonstrated that gas-phase H2S can immobilize certain redox-sensitive contaminants (e.g., Cr, U, Tc) in vadose zone environments. A key issue for effective and efficient delivery of H2S in these environments is the reactivity of the gas with indigenous iron oxides. To elucidate the factors that control the transport of H2S in the vadose zone, laboratory column experiments were conducted to identify reaction mechanisms and measure rates of H2S oxidation by iron oxide-coated sands using several carrier gas compositions (N2, air, and O2) and flow rates. Most experiments were conducted using ferrihydrite-coated sand. Additional studies were conducted with goethite- and hematite-coated sand and a natural sediment. Selective extractions were conducted at the end of each column experiment to determine the mass balance of the reaction products. XPS was used to confirm the presence of the reaction products. For column experiments in which ferrihydrite-coated sand was the substrate and N2 was the carrier gas, the major H2S oxidation products were FeS and elemental sulfur (mostly S8(0), represented as S(0) for simplicity) at ratios that were consistent with the stoichiometry of the postulated reactions. When air or O2 were used as the carrier gas, S(0) became the dominant reaction product along with FeS2 and smaller amounts of FeS, sulfate, and thiosulfate. A mathematical model of reactive transport was used to test the hypothesis that S(0) forming on the iron oxide surfaces reduces access of H2S to the reactive surface. Several conceptual models were assessed in the context of the postulated reactions with the final model based on a linear surface poisoning model and fitted reaction rates. These results indicate that carrier gas selection is a critical consideration with significant tradeoffs for remediation objectives.
Design Information Retrieval: Improving Access to the Informal Side of Design

Capturing and reusing design experience holds great potential for improving designer effectiveness. The first step toward leveraging lessons from the past for design decision making is gaining access to them. Because decisions early in the design process largely determine its ultimate success, it is important to embrace the informal, unstructured information that is prevalent during conceptual design. Information retrieval is proposed as the basis for access to this informal design information. By creating hierarchical thesauri of life cycle design issues, design process terms, and component and system functional decompositions, we hope to establish an intermediate language in which design context can be captured. Experiments in design information retrieval exploiting design context for determining document similarity within design case studies and design notebooks demonstrate the value of this approach.
'How Can It Not Know What It Is?': Self and Other in Ridley Scott's Blade Runner

In this essay I provide a reading of Ridley Scott's Blade Runner that focuses upon the question of the kind of creatures the Replicants are depicted as being, and the meaning that depiction should have for us. I draw upon Stanley Cavell's account of the problem of other minds to argue that the empathy test is in fact a mode of resisting the acknowledgment of others. And I draw upon Martin Heidegger's account of authenticity and mortality to argue that this acknowledgment is crucial if one would become human. The film does not so much suggest that Replicants are, as such, human, but rather that humanity is won through the encounter with the inauthentic.
CED Efficient Models of droplet Heating and Vaporization

There exist a large number of models of droplet heating and vaporization rates with different complexities and computational costs. This paper reviews briefly those which are currently or have a good potential to be used for efficient CFD (computational fluid dynamics) simulation, e.g. commercial CFD packages such as Fluent. All the models discussed in this paper are simple and CFD efficient, i.e., incorporation of them would not add substantial computational cost. However, many assumptions (e.g. infinite thermal conductivity in the droplet) are made for these models, and the models may have limited accuracy if the assumptions made are not satisfied. Models of determination of droplet heating and vaporization rates are critical for spray problem modeling in various applications, such as spray combustion, spray cooling, droplet-based coating and painting, and pharmaceutical particle precipitation etc. After implementing the droplet heating and vaporization models and other relevant models (e.g, thermodynamic and transport properties (1-4)), CFD (computational fluid dynamics) is a very powerful tool to predict features and performance of many processes. For example, it can predict energy efficiency in internal engines, and morphology of biomedical spray-dried polymer particles.