cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Association between Stenosing Tenosynovitis and Dupuytren's Contracture in the Hand.

Background Both stenosing tenosynovitis and Dupuytren's contracture are common conditions encountered in hand surgery. Connections between 2 diseases have been suggested in literature. The purpose of this study was to examine whether there's an association between the 2 processes. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed to include all patients seen by a single surgeon between 2014 and 2017 with the diagnosis of either trigger finger or Dupuytren's contracture in the same hand. Patients' demographics, medical history, social and surgical histories are recorded. Univariate and multivariate analysis were conducted. Results A cohort of 238 patients was identified. One hundred ninety-two patients were diagnosed with trigger finger. Eighty-nine patients were diagnosed with Dupuytren's contracture. Forty-three patients carried both diagnoses. Median age was 61.6 (56-72). Half were male (50.4%) and 66.8% reported current alcohol intake. Other factors include history of former or current tobacco use (52.9%), diabetes (23.9%), and manual labor (31.1%). In the univariate model, trigger finger, sex, and age were significantly associated with the diagnosis of Dupuytren's contracture, and Dupuytren's contracture and sex were significantly associated with the trigger finger diagnosis. Diabetes, manual labor, use of alcohol and tobacco were not significant. In the multivariate model, age and trigger finger were significantly associated with Dupuytren's contracture. Conclusions Significant association between stenosing tenosynovitis and Dupuytren's contracture was identified in our patient cohort. Patients with stenosing tenosynovitis may be at an increased risk of developing Dupuytren's contracture or vice versa.
Are we there yet with patent foramen ovale closure for secondary prevention in cryptogenic stroke? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials.

Background:We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the benefit of patent foramen ovale closure in stroke prevention.Methods:We searched Medline/PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and Cochrane central ...
Hospitality and the ethics of religious diversity

As the discipline of philosophy of religion stretches to become a global, cross-cultural discipline, it takes on ethical questions about how one should treat those who participate in religious forms of life one does not share. This article offers a typology of possible ethical positions in a context of religious diversity and argues that the strongest position is one of conditional hospitality. That is, the moral ideal proposed here is one of welcome to the religious other that is conditional on an accurate moral judgement of their practices, beliefs, and institutions.
The rise in breast cancer incidence, 1960-2003, is largely confined to ER+ tumors

4045 Breast cancer incidence has risen for at least 70 years. Hormone use has been v ariously linked to the rise and has recently been implicated particularly in the etiology of lobular, as opposed to ductal, invasive cancer but there has been little consideration of the receptor status of the tumors. Data from the files of the Kaiser Permanente Northwest Tumor Registry allowed us to generate a comprehensive report combining clinical, pathological and receptor data from a single source over 44 years. This Registry collects material from several interlinked clinical and laboratory data systems and enrolls all cases of cancer in a defined population, allowing accurate calculation of rates. All tumor specimens are processed by a single laboratory and diagnoses rendered by a small group of pathologists working exclusively for KPNW. Estrogen receptor determinations became common in 1978 (69% of cases) and were done in 94% of cases by 2003. Determinations have always been done in laboratories surveyed and approved by the cooperative groups for clinical trials in breast cancer. Using these KPNW data, we investigated breast cancer incidence patterns as a function of histologic type, estrogen receptor status, and disease stage over a 44-year period. Of the 8543 breast cancers among women diagnosed and treated at KPNW, 1960-2003, 7275 were invasive, 5323 of ductal histology and 774, lobular. Breast cancer incidence has increased overall by 181% from 1960 to 2003 (80.8 to 145.9); all rates are age-adjusted (2000 standard) annual rates per 100,000 women. Incidence did not change for women less than 45 yrs at diagnosis but rose 150% for women 45-59 yrs and 246% for women over 60 yrs. Ductal cancer increased from 73 to 116.2 between 1960 to1999 and has fallen to 104.5 by 2003. Lobular cancer was essentially undiagnosed in 1960 and rose progressively to 10.2 (1979), then 13.0 (1990) and ultimately to 23.0 by 2003. Most strikingly, the rise in incidence of all cancers, irrespective of histology, has been confined to ER+ tumors. Overall, ER+ cancers rose from 32 to 109.9 (344%) in the period between 1978 and 2003. At the same time ER- cancers fell from 37.3 to 16.4 (44%). Receptor-positive ductal cancers, accounting for about 80% of all breast cancers, rose by 302% but ER+ lobular cancers, relatively uncommon in the earliest years, increased by 799% during this time to constitute nearly 20% of all cancers by 2003. The common thread for the increases in incidence appears to be receptor positivity. Indeed, ER- cancers and those among younger women (more likely to be ER-) are stable or declining in incidence over many years. Because the pattern of age-adjusted incidence rate increases for both lobular and ductal carcinoma resembles the increased use of postmenopausal hormones in the U.S. during the same period, this known breast cancer risk factor may explain these phenomena.
How Many Samples are Needed to Estimate a Convolutional or Recurrent Neural Network

It is widely believed that the practical success of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) owes to the fact that CNNs and RNNs use a more compact parametric representation than their Fully-Connected Neural Network (FNN) counterparts, and consequently require fewer training examples to accurately estimate their parameters. We initiate the study of rigorously characterizing the sample-complexity of estimating CNNs and RNNs. We show that the sample-complexity to learn CNNs and RNNs scales linearly with their intrinsic dimension and this sample-complexity is much smaller than for their FNN counterparts. For both CNNs and RNNs, we also present lower bounds showing our sample complexities are tight up to logarithmic factors. Our main technical tools for deriving these results are a localized empirical process analysis and a new technical lemma characterizing the convolutional and recurrent structure. We believe that these tools may inspire further developments in understanding CNNs and RNNs.
Osteopontin promotes osteosarcoma metastasis to the lung

5381 Osteosarcoma is a highly metastatic bone cancer in adolescents. It primarily metastasizes to lungs and bone. Eighty percent of the patients present with metastatic spreading to the lung, and less than half of them can be cured despite aggressive treatment regimens. Thus, lung metastasis represents the major challenge in osteosarcoma treatment, and we need to identify key mechanisms supporting osteosarcoma colonization of lung tissue in order to develop improved therapies for these patients. Using SJSA1 human osteosarcoma cells, we developed a novel orthotopic mouse model reproducing key features of human osteosarcoma. After orthotopic injection of SJSA1 osteosarcoma cells into the left tibia of 5 to 7 weeks old male C.B-17 SCID mice, these animals developed primary tumors in the tibia and spontaneous metastases in the lungs. Following reinjection into the venous circulation, cells derived from primary tumors and particularly those from lung lesions were far more efficient in establishing lung metastases than the parental cells. Previously we showed that this aggressive metastatic behavior of osteosarcoma cells correlates with the activation state of the cell adhesion receptor, integrin avb3, which is expressed primarily in its activated state in the more aggressive tumor cell variants. We now demonstrate that osteopontin, a high-affinity ligand of integrin avb3, is highly overexpressed in the aggressive tumor cell variants. We show that the main function of osteopontin overexpression is to mediate an early survival advantage of the metastatic cells after their arrival in the lung. This effect is demonstrated in experimental metastasis assays in vivo using non-invasive bioluminescent imaging and can be modeled in vitro in cell proliferation assays in a 3D collagen matrix. Both endogenous and exogenous osteopontin promote growth of SJSA1 tumor cells in 3D collagen. This effect is mediated at least in part by integrin avb3 since antibodies against integrin avb3 inhibit tumor cell proliferation. Stable knockdown of osteopontin expression in SJSA1 variants by shRNA reduced osteosarcoma cell survival in 3D collagen, and markedly reduced in vivo lung colonization in our mouse model. We are currently investigating the molecular pathways which drive tumor cell survival through interaction of osteopontin and integrin avb3. Our initial findings suggest that the integrin avb3 and osteopontin axis maybe a potential therapeutic target for treatment of metastatic osteosarcoma.
Evaluation of a dual fentanyl/heroin vaccine on the antinociceptive and reinforcing effects of a fentanyl/heroin mixture in male and female rats

Opioid-targeted vaccines represent an emerging treatment strategy for opioid use disorder. To determine whether concurrent vaccination against two commonly abused opioids (fentanyl and heroin) would confer broader spectrum opioid coverage, the current study evaluated dual fentanyl/heroin conjugate vaccine effectiveness using a warm water tail-withdrawal and a fentanyl/heroin-vs-food choice procedure in male and female rats across a 105-day observation period. Vaccine administration generated titers of high-affinity antibodies to both fentanyl and heroin sufficient to decrease the antinociceptive potency of fentanyl (25-fold), heroin (4.6-fold), and a 1:27 fentanyl/heroin mixture (7.5-fold). Vaccination did not alter the antinociceptive potency of the structurally dissimilar opioid agonist methadone. For comparison, continuous treatment with a naltrexone dose (0.032 mg/kg/h) shown previously to produce clinically relevant plasma-naltrexone levels decreased the antinociceptive potency of fentanyl, heroin, and the 1:27 fentanyl/heroin mixture by approximately 20-fold. Naltrexone treatment also shifted the potency of 1:27 fentanyl/heroin mixture in a drug-vs-food choice self-administration procedure 4.3-fold. In contrast, vaccination did not attenuate 1:27 fentanyl/heroin mixture self-administration in the drug-vs-food choice procedure. These data demonstrate that a vaccine can simultaneously attenuate the thermal antinociceptive effects of two structurally dissimilar opioids. However, the vaccine did not attenuate fentanyl/heroin mixture self-administration, suggesting a greater magnitude of vaccine responsiveness is required to decrease opioid reinforcement relative to antinociception.
Noninvasive Ventilation in Cardiovascular Surgical Patients

Ventilatory function after cardiac surgery is well recognized as a pivotal point in the overall recovery process. Most patients, after optimization of hemodynamics and cardiac function, are ready to be liberated from mechanical ventilation. Maintenance of adequate oxygenation in the postoperative period is of major importance, especially when potential for pulmonary complications such as acute respiratory failure (ARF) can arise. Because of their unique chest wall properties after cardiac surgery, post-extubation ventilatory dysfunction is not uncommon, with or without varying degrees of hypoxemia. Therefore, one of the major objectives in caring for these patients is, first, to prevent the occurrence of postoperative complications and, second, if ARF occurs, is to ensure adequate oxygenation and carbon dioxide removal while avoiding intubation. It is here, where noninvasive ventilation (NIV) can play a crucial role in the postoperative care of these patients.
Trade Union Liability: The Problem of the Unincorporated Corporation

A COMMERCIAL world that does most of its thinking in terms typified by the corporation and the partnership, the entity and the aggregate, the named and the nameless, the'state-created and the contractual, the limitedly liable and the unlimitedly liable, the perpetual and the temporary is likely to think strange the creatures that inhabit the noncommercial universe. For these non-commercial associations have at least some of the attributes of the corporation. In practice the trade unions, for instance, frequently make use of a common seal.' In fact they have as perpetual an existence and as perpetual a succession of interests as the corporation. Actually they own property even though to do so they may have to employ trustees.2 And it cannot be denied that they make by-laws "or private statutes for the better government of the corporation" which, in controversies between member and union, are enforced by the courts.3 Here, then, are four of the indicia of
IκB Kinases: Kinsmen with Different Crafts

Understanding how the master transcription factor, NF-kB, is activated is important for unraveling the different molecular events in embryonic development and tissue differentiation. Four reports in this issue reveal new findings about two kinases, IKKa and IKKb, that target IkB (a protein that binds to and inhibits NF-kB) for degradation. As discussed by May and Ghosh in their Perspective, IKKb is the kinase responsible for activating NF-kB after cells bind the cytokines tumor necrosis factor-a and interleukin-1, whereas IKKa is crucial for activating NF-kB during skin and skeletal development in the embryo.
Managing Contention in Post-Soviet Russia

The Politics of Protest in Hybrid Regimes: Managing Dissent in Post-Communist Russia. By Robertson Graeme. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2011. 236 pp., $90.00 hardcover (ISBN 978-0-521-11875-0). Contrary to popular belief, the Russians are not a passive people. Russian workers, for example, can be quite as contentious as their more famously fractious counterparts in Poland and France. As Graeme Robertson demonstrates in this excellent new book, however, the contours of protest in Russia, including its tactics, timing, targets, and objectives, differ significantly from the contentious politics in these other, more liberal societies, largely as a result of the dominating presence of the state. Engaging a growing literature in comparative politics on hybrid regimes, Robertson argues that the presence of both liberal and authoritarian elements in post-Soviet Russian politics has given rise to an equally hybrid profile of contentious politics. This is an important point. Most of the existing literature on this sort of regime—also called “illiberal democracies,”“managed democracies,” or “electoral authoritarianism” (Diamond 2002; Levitsky and Way 2010)—focuses on electoral politics: the reasons such regimes allow some measure of electoral competition in the first place, the strategies they use to ensure persuasive victories, and the risks they run that they might lose. By extending this literature to examine how such regimes manage and shape contentious politics within their society (not always in ways they foresee), Robertson offers …
Towards region discovery in spatial datasets

This paper presents a novel region discovery framework geared towards finding scientifically interesting places in spatial datasets. We view region discovery as a clustering problem in which an externally given fitness function has to be maximized. The framework adapts four representative clustering algorithms, exemplifying prototype-based, grid-based, density-based, and agglomerative clustering algorithms, and then we systematically evaluated the four algorithms in a real-world case study. The task is to find feature-based hotspots where extreme densities of deep ice and shallow ice co-locate on Mars. The results reveal that the density-based algorithm outperforms other algorithms inasmuch as it discovers more regions with higher interestingness, the grid-based algorithm can provide acceptable solutions quickly, while the agglomerative clustering algorithm performs best to identify larger regions of arbitrary shape. Moreover, the results indicate that there are only a few regions on Mars where shallow and deep ground ice co-locate, suggesting that they have been deposited at different geological times.
Colloid characterization by sedimentation field-flow fractionation: II. Particle-size distribution

Abstract It is shown that the accurate theoretical relationship between particle size and retention volume in sedimentation field-flow fractionation, as established in the first paper (1) of the series, provides a raw size or mass distribution spectrum directly from each experimental run. The advantages of this approach to obtaining particle-size distribution curves include the theoretical tractability which obviates the need for calibration standards, the controllable centrifugal field strength which provides flexibility and redundancy, the high resolution, and the capability for collecting narrow fractions for additional characterization. The final size distribution curve is obtained by applying two corrections to the fractogram: one for change of scale and one for detector response. In order to test the methodology, experiments are described using polyvinyl chloride latex beads in the diameter range 0.1−0.4 μm. The effects of the two corrections are shown. In order to test self-consistency under a variety of experimental conditions, size distribution curves are compared in which there are systematic variations in sample size, field strength, and flow velocity. The agreement is excellent in all cases. Finally, size distribution curves obtained by sedimentation FFF, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and disk centrifugation are compared. The first two are in good agreement if one assumes a reasonable bead shrinkage (∼22%) in the electron beam during the TEM procedure.
Making a Living in the Streets of Los Angeles: an Ethnographic Study of Day Laborers

This article examines the social organization of Latino migrants who openly sell their labor at the street-corner, labor markets in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. In contrast to the characterization of day-labor sites as competitive or unstructured, this study demonstrates that these markets have a variety of structural forms that provide the organizational basis for bringing together prospective employers and seekers of work, the esquineros. Like all other markets, the day-labor market has customs and rules that apply as participants seek efficiency in dealing with each other and with their clients. The rules are unwritten and based largely on practice or precedent, but they govern many aspects of the work relationships, including the wage relationship. This study found that day-labor markets respond less to competition and more to informal work rules and to the role of customary relationships.
Dying and bereavement: The role of the critical care nurse

The critical care units of today are environments totally dedicated to implementing life saving and life supporting measures. The development of the critical care unit is such that now many critical care units offer specific specialised disease/surgical management e.g. the cardiothoracic unit, transplant centres. As the ability of the critical care units to offer extensive life supportive measures continually improves, the fact is that there is still an increased potential for death to occur in the critical care unit, more than in other acute areas. While the prime function of the critical care staff will always be to support and sustain the life of their patients for whom they care, they also have a responsibility to offer a caring and compassionate level of care to the dying critically ill patient and to ensure that they support the dying patients' relatives in every way that they can. The prospect of death (for the patient), and the actual loss of the patient (for the relatives/medical and nursing staff) can present a number of difficulties for all those involved. These difficulties, which will be identified in the course of the article, may if unresolved predispose to a poor and traumatic bereavement process for the relatives, while the critical care staff may experience possible feelings of frustration, helplessness and low morale. (Caughill, 1976). It is therefore the aim of this article to examine the role of the critical care nurse in caring for the dying patient in the intensive care areas.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Managing Disputes Through Contract: Evidence from M&A

An important set of contract terms manages potential disputes. In a detailed, hand-coded sample of mergers and acquisition (MA (b) the use of arbitration turns as much on the value of appeals, trust in courts, and value-at-risk as litigation costs; and (c) the quality of lawyering varies significantly, even on the most “legal” aspects of an M&A contract.
A 3D glass optrode array for optical neural stimulation

This paper presents optical characterization of a first-generation SiO2 optrode array as a set of penetrating waveguides for both optogenetic and infrared (IR) neural stimulation. Fused silica and quartz discs of 3-mm thickness and 50-mm diameter were micromachined to yield 10 × 10 arrays of up to 2-mm long optrodes at a 400-μm pitch; array size, length and spacing may be varied along with the width and tip angle. Light delivery and loss mechanisms through these glass optrodes were characterized. Light in-coupling techniques include using optical fibers and collimated beams. Losses involve Fresnel reflection, coupling, scattering and total internal reflection in the tips. Transmission efficiency was constant in the visible and near-IR range, with the highest value measured as 71% using a 50-μm multi-mode in-coupling fiber butt-coupled to the backplane of the device. Transmittance and output beam profiles of optrodes with different geometries was investigated. Length and tip angle do not affect the amount of output power, but optrode width and tip angle influence the beam size and divergence independently. Finally, array insertion in tissue was performed to demonstrate its robustness for optical access in deep tissue.
Relevance of beta receptor blockade to the negative inotropic effect induced by metabolic acidosis.

Acute metabolic acidosis was followed by a decrease in myocardial contractility in the heart-lung preparation. However, myocardial performance was not affected by acidosis in preparations previously treated with propranolol. It is proposed that the negative inotropic effect of metabolic acidosis was related to a decrease in response of the myocardium to circulating catecholamines and not to a direct depressing effect of acidosis upon the myocardium.
A Four-Transistor Line Operated Receiver

The purpose of this work has been to produce an all transistorized line-operated radio which is competitive with existing vacuum tube models. This paper will describe the radio which is the result of this endeavor and show the state of the art of transistorized line-operated radios.
Bradycardia and syncope as manifestations of partial epilepsy.

Abstract Although transient increases in heart rate typically occur, bradycardia has infrequently been noted in association with partial seizures. Five patients with temporal lobe epilepsy are described in whom sinus bradyarrhythmias and syncope were prominent manifestations of seizure activity. Partial improvement occurred in one of two patients in whom a permanent pacemaker was implanted before a diagnosis of epilepsy was established. Treatment with phenytoin or carbamazepine resulted in nearly complete resolution of symptoms in all five patients. Because pacemaker implantation does not prevent recurrent symptoms, but anticonvulsant therapy does, this experience underscores the importance of considering the diagnosis of partial epilepsy in selected patients with sinus bradyarrhythmias and syncope.
On the measurement of Poisson's ratio for modeling clay

Resonance testing of Plasticine clay indicates that, for small strains (≤10−5) in the frequency range 100–3000 Hz, the material can be considered to be a linear viscoelastic solid with parameters which depend on temperature, frequency and prior large-strain history. In order to measure Poisson's ratio, it is necessary to take special precautions to eliminate large straining between small-strain tests of different tensorial character. A simple but effective test configuration for measuring Poisson's ratio is described and test results are displayed.
The measurement of long lived radionuclides by non-radiometric methods

The measurement of environmental concentrations of some low specific activity radionuclides may present particular problems to the radiochemist, with time consuming extractions, preconcentrations and separations often being required, together with relatively long count times to achieve acceptable counting precision. This is particularly true of the long half life, low energy β-emitters such as 99Tc. Atomic Spectroscopy is widely used in inorganic chemistry to determine total element concentrations in many sample types, and generally allows rapid sample throughput. The optical techniques of atomic absorption and atomic emission are routinely used to determine element concentrations down to sub ng/ml levels (10−8M and below) in samples of a few millilitre or less. The recent introduction of a new mass spectrometric technique allows isotope specific measurements to be made with the ease of use and sample throughput of the atomic spectroscopic techniques.
Methodological Issues and Considerations in Studying Family Businesses

This paper examines five methodological issues critical to the development of family firms research, and discusses the potential contribution of each for both the theory and practice of family firms.
The reserpine-treated rat as an experimental animal model for cystic fibrosis: abnormal Cl transport in pancreatic acinar cells.

The Reserpine-Treated Rat as an Experimental Animal Model for Cystic Fibrosis: Abnormal Cl Transport in Pancreatic Acinar Cells
The effect of visual deprivation on cortical neurons: a Golgi study.

Abstract The effects of visual deprivation on the structure of visual cortex during the first 30 days of life were studied in twenty-five young rabbits and compared with an equal number reared under normal conditions. Rapid Golgi and Golgi-Cox techniques were used to examine the results on the total number of cortical neurons, the relative proportion of various cell types, length and branching patterns of dendrites in pyramids and stellate cells, and the appearance and density of spines along dendrites of pyramids. Results of the study indicated no difference in total neuronal numbers or in the frequency of various cell types and no significant variation in pyramidal cell dendrite systems. Stellate neurons throughout visual cortex and particularly in layer IV showed a greater range of variation in dendritic length among experimental animals than among controls. It was suggested that this might reflect the importance of specific afferent stimulation during the postnatal period as a controlling factor, working jointly with genetic restraints in determining value ranges for various neural parameters such as dendrite length. In the case of our experimental animals, one of these two controlling elements would presumably have been withdrawn, leading to a wider range of values. Deformity of spines along the central three-fifths of the apical shafts of visual pyramids appeared to constitute the major structural change resulting directly from loss of visual stimuli. Although total numbers were apparently not reduced, a number of definable changes in the structure of spines was noticed under oil immersion optics. The most significant of these appeared to be variability of, or loss of the terminal enlargement which characteristically caps dendritic spines. The changes in spine morphology representing the response of visual cortex to complete lack of visual stimulation underline the sensitivity of immature cortex to the external milieu.
Diffusion-advection modeling of wave-particle interactions in the radiation belts

Properly treating wave-particle interactions is crucial to modeling and predicting the behavior of radiation belt electrons. The usual quasi-linear theory alone cannot capture the effects likely to be caused by nonlinear interactions with coherent waves, particularly chorus. Detailed analytical estimates of nonlinear particle motion in a specified wave have been developed, and and combined with detailed wave models can be used to formulate a combined diffusion-advection equation for the electron phase space density. Quasi-linear diffusion is recovered for small amplitude waves, but phase bunching and phase trapping, caused by larger amplitude waves, can also be included.
Notes on melastomataceae of the guianas

New species of Melastomataceae from the Guianas are described in the genera Adelobotrys (Adelobotrys ayangannensis) and Clidemia (Clidemia ayangannensis, C. granvillei). Davya crassiramis Naudin is transferred as Meriania crassiramis, Tschudya pulverulenta DC. is given the new name Miconia aliquantula, and Henriettella venosa Gleason is transferred as Clidemia venosa.
Credit Risk and Credit Rationing

I. Approaches to credit rationing, 258. — II. The influence of credit risk on loan payoff, 259. — III. Implications for lender behavior and borrower access to credit, 267. — IV. The central bank's influence, 275.
A study of inversion curves

A comparative study has been made on the predictive capabilities of a number of the more popular equations of state in use today. The equations were compared in their ability to predict the locus of points for which the Joule-Thomson coefficient is zero, the inversion curve. The prediction of an inversion curve is an extremely severe test of an equation of state. To date inversion curves have been calculated only for the Van der Waals, Dieterici, Lennard-Jones and Devonshire, and DeBoer-Michels equations of state. This study covers the Van der Waals and Dieterici equations as well as the Virial, Berthelot, Redlich-Kwong, Beattie-Bridgeman, Benedict-Webb-Rubin, and Martin-Hou equations of state. The results of the investigation show, among other things, that the Redlich-Kwong equation is quite unusual in that it predicts the inversion locus with more accuracy than any of the much more complex equations of state. Its predictive capabilities extend into the liquid region.
Zipf's law and world income distribution

The aim of this article is to demonstrate regularity in the world income distribution. In particular, using GDP per capita data for the period 1980 to 2004, the article shows that the world income distribution follows the well know ‘rank-size rule’.
Follow-up of patients after nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma

Follow-up of patients after nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma is often inadequate. The sooner secondary lesions are identified and treated the better. Routine annual admission of these patients is urged for abdominal angiography, bone scan, chest roentgenograms, and specialized diagnostic procedures as indicated.
Using a Technology-Enriched Environment to Improve Higher-Order Thinking Skills

AbstractThis study examined the effect of a technology-enriched classroom on student development of higher-order thinking skills and student attitudes toward computers. A sample of 80 sixth-grade and 86 fifth-grade students was tested using the Ross Test of Higher Cognitive Processes and surveyed using the Computer Attitude Questionnaire. The creation of a technology-enriched classroom environment appears to have had a positive effect on student acquisition of higher-order thinking skills. This study identified several implications related to classroom design to enhance the development of higher-order thinking skills. Teachers reported that the technology-enriched classroom differed from the traditional classroom in several significant ways.
Minority-minority and minority-majority technology transfer

Finding technology solutions to help those in need can often lead to welcomed answers for all if we look at the big picture.
Local dynamics during pinch-off of liquid threads of power law fluids: Scaling analysis and self-similarity

Pinch-off dynamics of liquid threads of power law fluids surrounded by a passive ambient fluid are studied theoretically by fully two-dimensional (2-D) computations and one-dimensional (1-D) ones based on the slender-jet approximation for 0 1Oh>1, the 2-D computations reveal that a thinning thread transitions from the VP to the IVP regime when n>2/3n>2/3 in accordance with the 1-D results but a thinning thread transitions from the VP to the PF regime when 0.54 2/3n>2/3 in accordance with the 1-D results but a thinning thread remains in the PF regime until breakup when n 2/3n>2/3, the 2-D computations show that the interface overturns first before the thread transitions from the PF to the IVP regime. When Oh 2/3n>2/3, the transition between the PF and the IVP regimes is shown to occur when the minimum thread radius hmin⁡∼Oh2/(3n−2)hmin⁡∼Oh2/(3n−2). Scaling exponents and self-similar thread shapes and axial velocity profiles obtained from the 2-D computations are shown to be in excellent agreement with the 1-D results when thread shapes at breakup are slender.
Statins and Hepatitis C Virus Infection: An Old Therapy With New Scope

Although their safety and efficacy have been extensively demonstrated, significant underutilization of statins is frequently seen in clinical practice for fears of hepatotoxicity. Research has not only shown statins' safety in patients with various forms of liver disease but also revealed the great benefits conferred by such therapy among liver disease patients. Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is not an exception. In fact, evidence has pointed to a dysmetabolic syndrome in HCV-infected patients, which places them at an increased risk for cardiovascular disease and makes statins a life-saving therapy with excellent efficacy. Furthermore, statins have shown anti-HCV proliferative effects and other beneficial roles in different aspects of liver health, making them excellent drugs with minimal risks. In this review, we have discussed the newly described dysmetabolic syndrome associated with HCV infection, statins safety and efficacy in patients with chronic liver disease with special emphasis on HCV patients, the anti-HCV-proliferative effects of statins and finally, the benefits of statin therapy in other aspects of chronic liver disease.
Phase correction in sensorimotor synchronization: nonlinearities in voluntary and involuntary responses to perturbations.

When finger taps are synchronized with an auditory sequence, both a global phase shift (PS) and a local event onset shift (EOS) in the sequence elicit a phase correction response (PCR) on the next tap. The PCR to an expected PS is intended and large, whereas that to an expected EOS is unintended and smaller. PCR magnitude increases linearly with perturbation magnitude up to about ±15% of the sequence period (500 milliseconds). With larger perturbations, voluntary PCRs increase more slowly whereas involuntary PCRs reach an asymptote. These results, obtained previously in a blocked design [J. Exp. Psychol. Human Percept. Perform. (in press)], were replicated in a randomized design and in two additional task contexts that varied participants' intentions while neutralizing their expectations. Neither design nor expectations seemed to play a role. However, considerable individual differences were noted. The results confirm that phase correction is partially automatic and partially subject to voluntary control, and they provide empirical estimates of error correction functions that may be useful in formal modeling of sensorimotor synchronization behavior.
Phase change microvalve for integrated devices.

An active microvalve that uses a meltable piston in place of a conventional solid material to obstruct fluid flow in a microfluidic channel has been developed. This phase change valve is simple to operate and requires no additional fabrication steps. The valve is inherently latched, reusable, and leak-proof (to at least 250 psi) and can be electronically addressed using resistive heaters. The valve has been characterized for a range of operational parameters that will serve as a design guide. For the designs tested, piston displacements of 5 mm or more in 1 s have been achieved. Valves 1.4 mm in length in a 50 μm × 200 μm channel have been integrated on a biochemical reaction device, and successful DNA amplification using PCR has been achieved. The phase change valve can be easily implemented in an array format that can be used to realize complex microfluidic circuits.
Probing the Stability and Structure of Metalloporphyrin Complexes with Basic Peptides by Mass Spectrometry

The stability and structure of non-covalent complexes of various peptides contatining basic amino acid residues (Arg, Lys) with metalloporphyrins were studied in a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrom...
Photoacoustic microscopy for ovarian tissue characterization

In this paper, we present the construction of an optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy (OR-PAM) system and studies done on the characterization of human ovarian tissue with malignant and benign features ex vivo. PAM images of the ovaries showed more detailed blood vessel distributions with much higher resolution compared with conventional photoacoustic images obtained with array transducers. In all, 29 PAM images (20 from normal ovaries and 9 from malignant ovaries) were studied. Eight different features were extracted quantitatively from the PAM images, and a generalized linear model (GLM) was used to classify the ovaries as normal or malignant. By using the GLM, a specificity of 100% and a sensitivity of 100% were obtained for the training set. These preliminary results demonstrate the feasibility of our PAM system in mapping microvasculature networks, as well as characterizing the ovarian tissue, and could be extremely valuable in assisting surgeons for in vivo evaluation of ovarian tissue.
A general review of synchrotron radiation, its uses and special technologies☆

Abstract Synchrotron radiation is increasingly being used for research in many branches of science. This article provides a general introduction to the field, describing why it is important and discussing how the radiation is generated and utilized from a technological point of view. Attention is paid to current key points and problems involved in this and their solutions particularly those with respect to present generation machines. The usefulness of the radiation as a research tool embracing a wide range of disciplines is discussed at length. Examples of all the major experimental programs are given and described in some detail.
Purification and characterization of tissue kallikrein-like proteinases from the black sea bass (Centropristis striata) and the Southern frog (Rana berlandieri)

Serine proteinases were isolated from the pyloric caeca of the black sea bass (Centropristis striata) and the pancreas of the Southern frog (Rana berlandieri) and were purified to apparent homogeneity by aprotinin affinity column chromatography, reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography and gel filtration FPLC liquid chromatography to produce products with molecular masses of approximately 27,000 Da and isoelectric points from 4.2 to 5.0. Both enzymes were kallikrein-like and were bound by diisopropylfluorophosphate; had pH optima from 9 to 10; showed high specificity for the hydrolysis of arginine peptide bonds and low to moderate affinity for lysine bonds at the P1 substrate recognition sites; were inhibited by aprotinin, benzamidine, leupeptin, and soybean trypsin inhibitor; generated kinin from kininogen and were highly stable at room temperature. Differences between the enzymes were observed relative to their hydrophobicities, substrate specificities, stabilities at acidic pHs in the presence and absence of calcium, and the amounts of kinin generated from kininogen. Many of the fish trypsins, previously identified as anionic trypsins, may actually be more kallikrein-like.
Why do patients fail to receive β-blockers for chronic heart failure over time? A “real-world” single-center, 2-year follow-up experience of β-blocker therapy in patients with chronic heart failure

Background The longitudinal pattern of β-blocker use in a heart-failure practice setting has not been explored. Previous studies have not specifically addressed the use of β-blockers over time to determine the rate of use and reasons for discontinuation. The long-term compliance rate for β-blocker drugs outside the context of a clinical trial has not been established. Methods We prospectively followed a cohort of 500 consecutive patients between March and May 2001, with a clinical diagnosis of chronic heart failure seen in a specialized heart failure clinic and determined the longitudinal pattern of β-blocker use and clinical outcomes over a 2-year period. Results The final cohort consists of 340 patients with a complete 2-year follow-up data (mean age 61 ± 14 years, 69% men, 53% with ischemic etiology, mean ejection fraction 27.6 ± 15%). At 6, 12, and 24 months, β-blocker utilization rates were maintained in 69%, 70%, and 74% of patients, respectively. Of the 120 confirmed initial non–β-blocker users, 28 (23%) were subsequently started on β-blocker, despite suspected relative contraindications in 53% of patients. Over a period of 2 years, the discontinuation rate was 10%, with failure to restart a β-blocker after hospitalization as the most common reason for β-blocker discontinuation. Conclusion Utilization rates of β-blockers in our heart failure clinic have remained constant at approximately 70% throughout a 2-year follow-up. Of those who discontinued β-blockers (10%), the most common documented cause was failure to restart β-blockers after hospitalization.
Temperature regulation and dopaminergic systems in the brain: does the substantia nigra play a role?

Male Sprague-Dawley rats (250-300 g) were stereotaxically implanted above the substantia nigra (SN) and preoptic/anterior hypothalamus (PO/AH) with 23 gauge stainless-steel guide tubes. Microinjections of apomorphine (APO), pimozide, or 0.9% saline were made bilaterally in 0.5 or 1.0 microliter vols. using a Harvard infusion pump. Oxygen consumption, and colonic (Tc), tail-skin, and ambient temperatures were monitored each minute. Microinjections of APO into the SN produced a dose dependent hypothermia that was antagonized by the central (1.0 microgram) or systemic (0.5mg/kg i.p.) injection of pimozide. This hypothermia was associated with increased heat loss and decreased heat production and occurred at ambient temperatures of 15, 23 and 25 degree C indicating that APO did not produce a poikilothermic state. Injecting 20 microgram APO into the PO/AH or SN produced similar hypothermic responses; Tc fell 0.87 /+- 0.10 degree C and 1.02 /+- 0.08 degree C, respectively. Pimozide injected into the SN failed to alter thermoregulation during exercise or exogenous heating. Moreover, systemic injections of APO before and after electrolytic lesioning of the SN produced similar hypothermic responses. However, when the SN was lesioned, (a) resting Tc was significantly reduced, and (b) during exposure to a 35 degree C environment for 55 min, Tc rose to 39.5 /+- 0.68 degree C before the lesion compared with a rise to only 38.5 /+- 0.13 degree C after the lesion. We conclude that the pharmacological data implicate a thermoregulatory role for dopamine receptors in the rat, but the functional significance of this central location in temperature regulation remains to be elucidated.
Strongyloides stercoralis : Role of antibody and complement in immunity to the third stage larvae in BALB/cByJ mice

Abstract Mice immunized againstStrongyloides stercoralisL3 were shown to kill greater than 90% of challenge larvae contained within diffusion chambers. The objective of the present study was to identify the host components responsible for immunity. Serum from unprotected, control mice and protected, immune mice in doses of 25–500 μl was transferred into naive mice at the same time and location as larval challenge. Transfer of as little as 50 μl of immune serum was able to confer protective immunity. The serum-transferred immunity was ablated by excluding cells from the larval microenvironment or by depleting granulocytes through monoclonal antibody treatment in the recipient mice. Specific antibody isotypes were isolated using protein G and isotype-specific affinity columns. The resulting transfer experiments identified IgM as the isotype responsible for protective immunity toS. stercoralisL3. Antibody binding studiesin vivowere performed and only IgM bound to the surface of infective L3 and host-derived L3 (L3+) in immune animals. Elevated levels of C3 were also found bound to the surface of L3/L3+in immune mice. Cobra venom factor treatment of immunized mice to deplete complement completely eliminated C3 binding to the surface of L3/L3+and ablated immunity. Therefore, IgM, complement, and granulocytes are necessary for immune elimination ofS. stercoralisL3/L3+. Identification of antigens recognized by IgM may help select possible vaccine candidates.
ENRICHED URANIUM AS AN ACTIVATABLE TRACER IN ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH

Isotopically enriched uranium and delayed neutron assay have been employed to study uranium dynamics within bee colonies. Preliminary data demonstrating the advantages of this activatable tracer method are presented.
Designer Biomaterials for Nanomedicine

Nanotechnology has had tremendous impact on medical science and has resulted in phenomenal progress in the field of drug delivery and diagnostics. A wide spectrum of novel nanomaterials including polymeric particles, liposomes, quantum dots, and iron oxide particles have been developed for applications in therapeutic delivery and diagnostics. This has resulted in control over the rate and period of delivery and targeting of drugs to specific organs in the human body. This feature article focuses on the delivery of drugs using polymeric particles. The size, choice of polymer, surface chemistry, shape, and mechanical properties of the particles are parameters that critically affect particle function. Numerous biomaterials and fabrication techniques have been developed in the last decade that focus on novel design parameters, such as shape and mechanical properties and the interplay of these parameters with the size and surface chemistry of particles. Recent advances with particular focus on the importance of particle shape are highlighted, and the challenges that are yet to be fulfilled are underscored.
Effects of ocular lipids on the pupil

Various intra- and extraocular tissue extracts as well as many control solutions were evaluated for ocular effects by being directly administered through implants of polyethylene or Vivosil® tubing in the aqueous chamber. Pupillary constriction properties of whole iris, sphincter pupillae, dilator pupillae and ciliary process extracts were observed.
Kalinski and Eberly Reply

A Reply to the Comment by Dominique Delande, Jakub Zakrzewski, and Andreas Buchleitner. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}
Algebraic solutions to recursion schemes

Abstract The main problem in recursive scheme theory is determining how to solve a scheme and express its solution. Up to now this was always achieved by adding restrictive hypotheses either on the schemes themselves, or on the domains where they take their values, e.g., assuming the domains have a metric or an order structure and are complete with respect to this structure, or are iterative. Here we develop a strictly algebraic theory of recursion schemes with second-order substitutions. As it is strictly algebraic, the theory applies not only to all recursion schemes on trees, but also to recursion schemes on arbitrary algebras presented in the usual way by generators and relations. In particular, this gives a semantics for nondeterminism and for process algebras.