cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Prognostic assessment of patients with coronary artery disease by exercise testing

To assess whether exercise testing could help predict cardiac mortality, we analyzed 14 exercise and 10 clinical variables in 292 patients treated medically, who underwent treadmill exercise testing and cardiac catheterization and were followed annually for a mean of 2.5 years. None of the individual variables could accurately predict subsequent cardiac mortality with predictive values ranging from 6% to 44%. Combinations of variables were then analyzed in the subset of 113 patients with multivessel coronary disease. A high-risk subgroup (n = 59) consisting of patients with either severe exercise ischemia (≥ 2 mm ST depression lasting ≥ 5 minutes involving ≥ 3 leads) or left ventricular dysfunction (treadmill time ≤ 3 minutes, S3 gallop, or cardiac enlargement) had a mortality of 20%; this was significantly greater (p < 0.01) than a low-risk subgroup (n = 54) with neither severe exercise ischemia nor left ventricular dysfunction whose mortality was 2%. We conclude that combining clinical and exercise variables to distinguish high- and low-risk subgroups of patients with similar coronary anatomy is useful in predicting cardiac mortality.
Flexible ureteroscopy with a ureteral access sheath: when to stent?

Objective To compare intra- and postoperative data of patients who underwent ureterorenoscopy (URS) with an access sheath, with and without postoperative stenting. Methods We retrospectively identified patients who underwent flexible URS with a ureteral access sheath between January 2102 and January 2013. Two surgeons performed all cases; one who routinely stents after flexible ureteroscopy and a second who selectively stents. Fifty-one patients who were stented and 51 patients not stented after URS were enrolled in this study. Patients were matched by operative time as a surrogate measure of complexity of the procedure. Intra- and postoperative data were compared. We also analyzed if preoperative stenting or sheath diameter had any effect on postoperative pain score for each group. Results Patients in the stented group were older ( P P P P = .025) and were less likely to seek medical assistance for pain than the unstented patients (26.3% vs 3.9%; P = .007). Patients who were prestented before ureteroscopy had lower pain scores than those who were not prestented in the group that did not receive a postoperative stent (4.2 ± 3.4 vs 6.6 ± 2.8; P = .047). Conclusion Postoperative stenting after flexible URS with a ureteral access sheath seems to decrease postoperative pain. Patients might be selected for no ureteral stent if they were prestented before the procedure, and the URS was uneventful.
Generalized Framework to Study Brain Weighted Networks

In recent years, a great deal of attention has been given to the development of network theory and its application to the brain. Employing graph theory, high angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI) and tractography the brain can be studied as a network by defining anatomical regions as nodes and white matter fiber bundles as edges. Using a binary description of brain network connectivity, studies have shown that the brain is arranged following a small world topology. The topology of binary networks is determined by calculating the degree distribution, geodesic path length and clustering coefficient. These measures are influenced by spatial and angular resolution, seed density and thresholding. In this study, we use a dimensionless edge weight to minimize the effects of seed density and fiber scale in the network construction. This provides a generalized framework for analyzing weighted networks, which minimizes the effects of data acquisition and processing. We compare the analysis of brain connectivity using binary networks with the analysis using weighted networks, by employing generalizations of degree, geodesic path length and clustering coefficient. Human networks were created from HARDI data of ten repeated scans of one subject acquired using a 3T scanner, with an isotropic resolution of 2mm, 6 diffusion weightings of 100 s/mm2 and 64 with 1000 s/mm2. HARDI rat data was acquired from 4 excised rat brains on a 17.6T magnet, with an isotropic resolution of 190 μm, 7 diffusion weightings of 100 s/mm2 and 64 with 2225 s/mm2. Diffusion displacement probabilities were calculated with a model that estimates multiple fibers per voxel and allows the estimation of fiber crossings. Binary networks were analyzed using R and compared to their weighted counterparts. The proposed framework suggests that weighted networks are more robust and less effected by noise and thresholding.
Conformal symmetry and the chiral anomaly

Two-loop contributions to the anomalous correlation function {l_angle}J{sub {mu}}(x)J{sub {nu}}(y)J{sub {rho}}(z){r_angle} of three chiral currents are calculated by a method based on the conformal properties of massless field theories. The method was previously applied to virtual photon diagrams in quantum electrodynamics, and it is extended here to diagrams with scalars and chiral spinors in the Abelian Higgs model and in the SU(3){times}SU(2){times}U(1) standard model. In each case there are nonvanishing contributions to the gauge current correlator from self-energy insertions, vertex insertions, and nonplanar diagrams, but their sum exactly vanishes. The two-loop contribution to the anomaly, therefore, also vanishes, in agreement with the Adler-Bardeen theorem. An application of the method to the correlator {l_angle}R{sub {mu}}(x)R{sub {nu}}(y)K{sub {rho}}(z){r_angle} of the R and Konishi axial vector currents in supersymmetric gauge theories which was reported by Anselmi {ital et al.} is discussed here. The net two-loop contribution to this correlator also vanishes. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}
Micromechanical properties of hydrogels measured with MEMS resonant sensors

Hydrogels have gained wide usage in a range of biomedical applications because of their biocompatibility and the ability to finely tune their properties, including viscoelasticity. The use of hydrogels on the microscale is increasingly important for the development of drug delivery techniques and cellular microenvironments, though the ability to accurately characterize their micromechanical properties is limited. Here we demonstrate the use of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) resonant sensors to estimate the properties of poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) microstructures over a range of concentrations. These microstructures are integrated on the sensors by deposition using electrohydrodynamic jet printing. Estimated properties agree well with independent measurements made using indentation with atomic force microscopy.
Stability of homogeneous universes

The stability of a class of homogeneous cosmological models is investigated. It is shown that the perturbation problem for six such universes can be reduced to a system of ordinary differential equations. The time development of the perturbations is such that they remain finite at all times for which the unperturbed metric is non-singular.
A simple cantilevered mirror for focusing synchrotron radiation

Abstract A large cantilevered mirror was constructed to focus the vertical divergence from a synchrotron radiation source. The advantages of this mirror are its compactness, simple bending device, simplicity of construction, and good thermal contact to structures outside the vacuum. The central portion of the mirror is supported with variable loading springs to reduce gravitational sag. The figure and thermal stability of the mirror have proven to be excellent, though the focusing is limited by the roughness of the mirror surface. This paper describes the design, construction, and performance of the mirror.
Obama's Foreign Policy: Bridging the Expectations–Capability Gap

Barack Obama's first year should appear disappointing only to persons blind to the constraints imposed by the Bush legacy, the still reeling world economy, an intimidating agenda of domestic problems, a polarised domestic politics, and at least temporarily intractable opponents of the President's undoubted ambitions to tame the Middle East and promote cooperation among the leading states without jettisoning a commitment to liberal values. By ordering an end to torture and moving to close Guantanamo, he has signalled the restoration of moral restraint on the exercise of American power and implicitly expressed belief in the efficacy of soft power assets. Additionally, he has attempted to create political space for change by pushing the conventional limits of American presidential discourse. A decent start, but the hard part lies ahead.
Implementing bus rapid transit: A tale of two Indian cities

Abstract The ongoing debate within the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) community over the relative importance of 'appropriate' design standards, the 'right' institutional setup and the need for 'political will' to the success of projects obscures the larger importance of the planning process to outcome effectiveness. Political leadership, institutions and design are important conditions that must be considered in the context of one another, but they are also conditions that will change and be influenced by the planning process. Drawing on case studies of Janmarg BRT in Ahmedabad, and the Delhi BRT in India's capital, we demonstrate the role of the planning process in influencing BRT project outcomes. The planning process is too often viewed as a sequence of steps in which design, institutions and leadership provide an unchanging framework in which planning proceeds. This ‘one-dimensional’ view needs be re-framed in ‘three-dimensions.’ It must explicitly also consider approach (i.e. strategy and tactics) and timing (i.e. both moment of action and duration). These in turn reshape design, institutions and leadership. Findings suggest that such a 'three-dimensional' planning process, when well timed, incremental and pragmatic may help to overcome institutional and design weaknesses, and to solidify political support. This improves viability and long-term system sustainability.
Accuracy Studies in Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry Determination of Eight Elements in Standard Steel and Nickel Alloy High Solid Solutions

Abstract The determination of Al, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, and Ti in digested stainless steel and nickel alloys using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry with dual analytical lines was performed. Accuracy of the high solid solutions was assessed by comparison to standard values and found to be excellent.
Unique Problems And A Possible Novel Optical Design Approach For The Design And Assembly Of CO 2 Laser Fusion Systems

The LASL CO2 laser fusion systems present some unique problems preventing successful utilization of conventional techniques. A few of them are: 1) use of tight spatial filters renders techniques based on ray tracing ineffective; 2) the spatial filters remove only certain aberrations and the saturable gain and loss media alter intensity distributions in a nonlinear fashion; 3) high and low Fresnel numbers are encountered at different parts of the system; 4) the use of state-of-the-art novel components like dia-mond point turned optical elements and 16-inch NaCl windows which degrade the nominally diffraction-limited performance; 5) the pulse being nominally nanosecond does not help. Hence, a custom tailored combination of programs' and a different approach (utilizing detailed examination of the Zernike polynomial set by which each component is characterized) appears necessary. An example using the LASL Two Beam CO2 Laser Fusion System is presented.© (1978) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Fast and Efficient Implementation of AES via Instruction Set Extensions

Efficient implementation of block ciphers is critical towards achieving both high security and high-speed processing. Numerous block ciphers, including the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), have been proposed and implemented, using a wide and varied range of functional operations. Existing microprocessor architectures do not provide this broad range of support. However, the advent of intellectual property (IP) processor cores presents the opportunity to augment existing datapaths with instruction set extensions to add acceleration modules in the form of new instructions. We will present a general purpose instruction set extension to a 32-bit SPARC V8 compatible processor core that accelerates the performance of Galois Field fixed field constant multiplication, a core element of the AES algorithm. This extension will be shown to accelerate AES encryption versus pure software implementations at a small hardware cost. This matches the improvement demonstrated in previously proposed AES-specific instruction set extensions while maintaining a generalized implementation format capable of supporting other algorithms that use Galois Field fixed field constant multiplication.
Deletion of Ptp4a3 reduces clonogenicity and tumor-initiation ability of colitis-associated cancer cells in mice.

The PTP4A3 gene is highly expressed in human colon cancer and often associates with enhanced metastatic potential. Genetic disruption of the mouse Ptp4a3 gene reduces the frequency of colon tumor formation in mice treated in a colitis-associated cancer model. In the current study, we have examined the role of Ptp4a3 in the tumor-initiating cell population of mouse colon tumors using an in vitro culture system. Tumors generated in vivo following AOM/DSS treatment were isolated, dissociated, and expanded on a feeder layer resulting in a CD133+ cell population, which expressed high levels of Ptp4a3. Tumor cells deficient for Ptp4a3 exhibited reduced clonogenicity and growth potential relative to WT cells as determined by limiting dilution analysis. Importantly, expanded tumor cells from WT mice readily formed secondary tumors when transplanted into nude mice, while tumor cells without Ptp4a3 expression failed to form secondary tumors and thus were not tumorigenic. These results demonstrate that Ptp4a3 contributes to the malignant phenotype of tumor-initiating cells and supports its role as a potential therapeutic target to inhibit tumor self-renewal and metastasis.
Analytical Modeling and Excimer Laser Micromachining of Microchannel for Medical Devices Development

In this paper, an analytical modeling of microchannel design and manufacturing with excimer laser micromachining is presented for medical devices development. Micro/Nano fabrication methods have made possible the creation of extremely tiny structures and systems which cannot be generated using traditional manufacturing processes. Current fabrication methods of microchannels generally require serial fabrication processes including a masking process. To overcome the drawbacks of current methods, we propose to use excimer laser micromachining to directly create microfluidic structures. Parametric study of laser machining was conducted before fabrication of microfluidic systems on polyethylene. An analytic modeling of the laser micromachining is presented to predict the machined microstructures and the surface finish. The liquid flow was visualized and studied using fluorescent dye and the velocity was measured to compare liquid behavior in each channel. The presented techniques can be used for the design and manufacturing of micro-scale medical devices development.© 2010 ASME
Literature & Medicine Redux: Five Years of Literary Advocacy in the Hospital Setting

The Literature & Medicine program has been expanding to new states and more diverse territory over the past 10 years. Hospital librarians continue to be involved in the organization and planning of the program. This article addresses the variations in how the seminars are administered in larger and smaller hospitals and concludes that despite the diversity of practices and settings, the program's goals of improving empathy, interpersonal relations, cultural awareness, job satisfaction, and communication are being met successfully.
Regulatory role for Krüppel-like zinc-finger protein Gli-similar 1 (Glis1) in PMA-treated and psoriatic epidermis.

In this study, we analyze the expression and potential function of the Kruppel-like zinc-finger protein Gli-similar protein 1 (Glis1) in normal and inflammatory skin and in the differentiation of epidermal keratinocytes. Glis1 mRNA is not expressed in normal human epidermis, but is significantly induced in psoriatic epidermis and in mouse skin upon treatment with the tumor promoter phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA). The expression of Glis1 is restricted to the suprabasal layers. These observations suggest that Glis1 expression is associated with hyperplastic, inflammatory epidermis. Consistent with these findings, Glis1 mRNA is not expressed in undifferentiated or differentiated normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEK) in culture, but is dramatically induced after the addition of PMA or interferon γ . A similar induction of Glis1 mRNA by PMA treatment was observed in the immortalized epidermal keratinocyte cell line NHEK-HPV, whereas PMA did not induce Glis1 in HaCaT cells or in several squamous cell carcinoma cell lines. To obtain insight into its function, Glis1 and a C-terminal deletion mutant Glis1ΔC were expressed in NHEK-HPV cells and changes in epidermal differentiation and gene expression examined. Microarray analysis revealed that Glis1ΔC promoted PMA-induced epidermal differentiation, as indicated by increased expression of many differentiation-specific genes. This, in association with its induction in psoriasis, suggests that transcriptional factor Glis1 is involved in the regulation of aberrant differentiation observed in psoriatic epidermis.
Study on molecular interaction behavior, and thermal and mechanical properties of polyacrylic acid and lactose blends

Polyacrylic acid (PAA) blending with lactose or polyol, a lactose derivative, is investigated by Fourier transform infrared, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and stress–strain tests. The IR spectra of PAA/lactose blends exist shifting around 1700 cm and 3400 cm−1, implying intermolecular hydrogen-bonding interaction between two compounds. DSC data show that PAA and lactose are miscible below 17% lactose. At the higher content of lactose, phase separation occurs due to lactose self-association. Comparing to PAA/lactose blends, PAA/ polyol systems show much weaker hydrogen-bonding interaction effect. All blending systems studied exhibit extensive reduction in their thermal and mechanical properties. The result suggests that both lactose and polyol cannot be used as effective additives to enhance the physical properties of PAA. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 82: 1921–1927, 2001
The growth of children with diabetes mellitus

The growth of 116 children attending the Diabetic Clinic was assessed in a retrospective study. Boys were tall at diagnosis and the skeletal age of boys and girls was advanced. Mean height standard deviation scores gradually decreased from the time of diagnosis : ♂ 1st year +0.38 SD, 5th year -0.41 SD, p <0.001. ♀ 1st year +0.03 SD, 5th year -0.68 SD, p <0.001. Prepubertally height velocity was progressively and significantly reduced in both sexes during treatment, (p <0.01). Children diagnosed at puberty had a reduced mean height velocity during the first two years but after that height velocity was normal. In both sexes the pubertal growth spurt occurred at the same mean age as healthy controls but the girls had a significantly reduced mean peak height velocity (p <0.05). Menarche was delayed. Skeletal maturation progressed normally. Although some catch up growth may occur later height predictions based on the estimation of skeletal maturity indicates that a significant reduction in final adult height may occur in both sexes. If normal growth reflects good diabetic control then this study is further evidence that most children with diabetes are poorly controlled.
Dating and relationship issues

The subject of dating and relationships for women with disabilities is one of those areas for which we have many more questions than answers, more suggested tendencies than demonstrated patterns of variables. If research pursuits reflect social values, it makes sense that a society that has long ignored or disdained the gender role of women with disabilities has invested little effort in understanding their potential for love, partnership and motherhood. Faced with an intolerable information void, women with disabilities have been increasingly forthright in reporting our relationship experiences our goals, our joy, and our solitariness. The generosity of those who tell their stories has helped all of us women with disabilities to become more visible as women. There remain, however, too many unknowns. Women with disabilities want facts to guide our efforts—efforts cautiously and thriftily expended by necessity. More than ever, we feel entitled to better research studies that address our dreams. Some of our most urgently asked questions concern relationships. What makes a woman with a disability attractive to a partner? How do you navigate the obstacles from attraction to commitment? How have some women with disabilities managed to be more successful than others in relationships? What are the relationship experiences of lesbians with disabilities? What factors determine the viability of “mixed” partnerships involving individuals with and without disabilities, and how do such persons surmount the obstacles of prejudice and frustration? What factors lead to and enhance intimacy between partners with disabilities? These are the questions of women with a growing sense of entitlement to being heard and to being adequately understood. Women with disabilities are becoming as determined to find answers as we have always been determined to find love.
Stereoselective clearance and distribution of intravenous propranolol

Our objective was to determine the kinetics of (+)- and (-)-propranolol after intravenous doses of racemic drug. Five normal subjects received 0.1 mg/kg of a pseudoracemate of propranolol that consisted of deuterium-labeled (+)-propranolol and unlabeled (-)-propranolol. Plasma concentrations of (+)- and (-)-propranolol as measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry demonstrated enantiomeric differences in systemic clearance (Cls) [(+)-propranolol, 1.21 +/- 0.15 l/min; (-)-propranolol, 1.03 +/- 0.12 l/min; P less than 0.01] and apparent volume of distribution (Vd) [(+)-propranolol, 4.82 +/- 0.34 l/kg; (-)-propranolol, 4.08 +/- 0.33 l/kg; P less than 0.001], but no difference in distribution or elimination t1/2s (t1/2 beta 3.5 hr). The higher Cls of (+)-propranolol suggests stereoselective hepatic elimination. The higher apparent Vd of (+)-propranolol is mainly related to its lower plasma binding [(+)-propranolol, 20.3 +/- 0.8% unbound; (-)-propranolol, 17.6 +/- 0.7% unbound; P less than 0.001]. There was no stereoselective uptake by red blood cells. These findings demonstrate that multiple stereoselective mechanisms are involved in the disposition of propranolol and determine the access of the drug to active sites.
Deconvolution Microscopy for Flow Visualization in Microchannels

Quantitative visualization of microflows is often needed to evaluate the efficiency of fluid mixing, study flow properties, investigate unusual flow behavior, and verify computational fluid dynamic simulations. In this work, we explore the technique of coupling a conventional optical microscope with a computational deconvolution algorithm to produce images of three-dimensional flows in plastic microfluidic channels. The approach, called deconvolution microscopy, is achieved by (1) optically sectioning the flow in the microchannel by collecting a series of fluorescence images at different focal planes along the optical axis and (2) removing the out-of-focus fluorescence signal by a deconvolution method to reconstruct the corrected three-dimensional concentration image. We compare three different classes of deconvolution algorithms for a uniform concentration test case and then demonstrate how deconvolution microscopy is useful for flow visualization and analysis of mixing in microfluidic channels. In parti...
Performance of a laser communication system with acousto-optic tracking: an experimental study

Laser communication systems hold great promise for broadband applications. This technology uses much higher-than-RF region of the spectrum and allows concentration of the signal within a very small spatial angle, thus offering unsurpassed throughput, information security, reduced weight and size of the components and power savings. Unfortunately, these intrinsic advantages do not come without a price: small beam divergence requires precise positioning, which becomes very critical at high bit rates. Complex motion patterns of the communicating platforms, resident vibrations, and atmospheric effects are known to cause significant signal losses through the mechanisms of the pointing errors, beam wander and other higher-order effects. Mitigation of those effects is achieved through the multiple means of fast tracking and wavefront control. In this paper we focus on the application of a beam steering technology and its effect on the communication performance of the system. We present the results of an experimental study of a laser communication link subjected to pointing distortions. These distortions are generated by a special disturbance element in the optical setup, which recreates specific operation environments with particular spectral characteristics. The acousto-optic technology is used to build an agile tracking system to assure the maximum signal reception in spite of the harsh operational conditions. The received communication signal is recorded and statistically analyzed to calculate the bit-error-rates. This paper presents the synthesis of a tracking system and the experimental results characterizing the communication performance under uncompensated pointing disturbance and with tracking.
Dispersion of the Velocity of Sound in Xenon in the Critical Region

The sound velocity in xenon on the critical isochore was determined in Brillouin scattering measurements at scattering angles of 40\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} and 90\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}. The sound dispersion calculated from our data, ultrasonic data, and other Brillouin data agrees with the Kawasaki theory for a particular choice of parameters, but the dispersion in the Brillouin velocities is 2 to 3 times smaller than the theory predicts when values obtained for the parameters from other experiments are used.
Axenic media for Blepharisma intermedium.

SYNOPSIS. Blepharisma intermedium was cultured axenically. The organisms were freed of contaminating microorganisms by serial washing in a sterile salt solution. The major nutrients in the various media were: Freshly killed or lyophilized and autoclaved bacteria (Pseudomonas ovalis), yeast extract prepared from Fleischmann's baking yeast or Fleischmann's yeast autolysate, lettuce infusion or stigmasterol, 6 B-vitamins, and phosphate buffer at 2 times 10−3 M. The cultures were kept in the dark at 25 C. Altho the 1st division after transfer into fresh media was delayed, B. intermedium divided in approximately 32 hours thereafter in most of these media.
Performance enhanced scalable wideband speech coding for IP networks

The scalable wideband speech coding scheme based on the internet low bitrate codec (iLBC) was previously presented and achieved speech quality equivalent to ITU-T G.729.1 at high bit rates. However, the performance was limited at low bit rates. In this paper, we present various approaches to improve performance especially at low bit rates. In particular, the time-domain bandwidth extension (TDBWE) is employed for higher-band coding, and the efficient coding structure is employed in enhancement layers. The performance evaluation results show that significant improvement is achieved at low bit rates and the proposed codec outperforms G.729.1 at most bit rates.
Executive coaching: A working definition.

Executive coaching (EC) has grown significantly in the past decade as an important organizational consulting intervention. This article proposes a working definition for EC that specifies its process and methods, differentiates it from other forms of coaching, and suggests a set of perspectives, pri
2004 American Academy of Nurse Practitioners National Nurse Practitioner Sample Survey: focus on acute care.

National survey data on the practice of nurse practitioners (NPs) provides valuable information on role components, practice patterns, and specialty practice descriptions. The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) has been conducting NP surveys since 1988. The most recent AANP Sample Survey was conducted in 2009–2010 with responses from over 13,000 NPs, 962 of who were acute care NPs (ACNPs). This article reports on the findings of the 2009–2010 AANP National NP Sample Survey related to ACNP practice.
The Role of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in the Desegregation Process

Because the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People played a major role in the legal action which resulted in the Supreme Court decision of May 17, 1954, it is natural that estimates of its continuing activity would place major emphasis on law suits. This is doubly logical in view of the fact that its attorneys now are armed with an actual opinion on the unconstitutionality of racially segregated schools, rather than the mere belief in that unconstitutionality and the hope of such a pronouncement.
BLAMING THE VICTIM, BLAMING SOCIETY OR BLAMING THE DISCIPLINE: Fixing Responsibility for Poverty and Homelessness

Sociologists have long observed the tendency of the public to support individualistic explanations for poverty, and critiqued the role of academics in the victim blaming process. At the current time, as economic inequality increases and homelessness becomes a problem of growing public concern, the potential for sociology to facilitate victim blaming is of interest and concern. Some of the motivations and mechanisms of victim blaming that emerge in academic publications are examined, and their impact on mass media publications and in the classroom discussed.
Anatomic localization of radioactive gold seeds of the prostate by computer-aided tomography

Abstract Anatomic localization of radioactive gold seeds, used for the treatment of malignant tumors of prostate, has been achieved using computerized tomography. Three illustrative cases are presented showing how the radiation dose distribution can be determined in relation to the location of the tumor. Areas of underdosage can then be corrected for supplemental external beam therapy.
Studies of γ-ray transitions in171Yb

The decay of171Lu(t1/2=8.2 day) to the levels of171Yb has been studied using large volume high resolution Ge(Li), x-ray Ge(Li) and NaI(Tl) detectors.γ-γ coincidence and directional correlation experiments have been performed. Spin-parity of 5/2−, 7/2+, 5/2−, 9/2+, 7/2−, 7/2−, 11/2+, 9/2−, 9/2− and 5/2− have been assigned to the 75.87, 95.26, 122.37, 167.62, 208.00, 230.61, 259.02, 835.21, 948.37 and 1024.87 keV levels respectively. Several new coincidence relations have been observed in the present work. Two newγ-transitions at 141.45 and 821.30 keV observed and two levels at 766 and 944 keV been proposed. Multipolarity assignments have been made for most of theγ-transitions from theK-shell internal conversion coefficients obtained using the presentγ-ray intensities and the published conversion electron intensities. A revised level scheme for171Yb has been proposed and compared with published data.
Percutaneous computerized tomography guided renal cryoablation using local anesthesia: pain assessment.

Purpose: The administration of intravenous sedation during prone computerized tomography guided, percutaneous procedures has the potential for complications. We assessed the pain associated with computerized tomography guided, percutaneous renal cryoablation using straight local anesthesia.Materials and Methods: Patients were treated with cryoablation probes inserted into the renal tumor under computerized tomography guidance with local anesthesia. Patients were asked to rate the pain experienced during needle placement and cryoablation using a visual 10-degree pain score scale. Sedation was given when pain was greater than 7 or when requested by the patient. Parameters assessed were cardiopulmonary complications, the need for intravenous supplementation, the pain score during the procedure and the postoperative score.Results: A total of 25 patients (30 tumors) underwent a total of 26 cryoablation sessions with only local anesthesia. Mean patient age ± SD was 67 ± 13 years (range 33 to 88). Average tumor ...
Hereditary quasirandom properties of hypergraphs

Thomason and Chung, Graham and Wilson were the first to systematically investigate properties of quasirandom graphs. They have stated several quite disparate graph properties — such as having uniform edge distribution or containing a prescribed number of certain subgraphs — and proved that these properties are equivalent in a deterministic sense. Simonovits and Sos introduced a hereditary property (which we call S) stating the following: for a small fixed graph L, a graph G on n vertices is said to have the property S if for every set X ⊆ V(G), the number of labeled copies of L in G[X] (the subgraph of G induced by the vertices of X) is given by 2−e(L)|X|υ(L) + o(n υ(L)). They have shown that S is equivalent to the other quasirandom properties. In this paper we give a natural extension of the result of Simonovits and Sos to k-uniform hypergraphs, answering a question of Conlon et al. Our approach also yields an alternative, and perhaps simpler, proof of one of their theorems.
Mercuric chloride influence on active-avoidance acquisition in rats

Sublethal doses of mercuric chloride were administered for 14 days into 25-day-old female rats. Although there was no impairment in either general appearance (body weight, food intake, etc.) or escape bahavior, mercury poisoning produced significant deficits in active-avoidance learning. Results indicate that behavioral impairments can occur as a consequence of low doses of mercury administration in the absence of gross physical abnormalities.
Effect of dietary phosphorus and its interaction with genetic background on global gene expression in porcine muscle.

Summary Environmental concerns and costs associated with dietary phosphorus (P) supplementation have lead to attempts to minimize the amount of P added to swine diets. In addition to its requirement for bone growth, dietary P is also necessary for muscular growth. To examine the effects of genetic background and dietary P on global gene expression in the muscle of young pigs, we utilized muscle tissue from 36 gilts sired from two different sire lines. These animals were fed either a P adequate, P deficient or P repletion diets for 14 days and showed differences in growth performance and bone integrity in response to the interaction of genetic background and dietary P. Total RNA from the loin muscle of these animals was obtained for microarray analysis. Significant differences (p < 0.01) in gene expression were seen based on the effect of sire line (339 genes), dietary P (18 genes) and the interaction between sire line and dietary P (31 genes). The microarray data were validated by semi-quantitative real-time PCR. These results support our hypothesis that genetic background and dietary P treatment can affect the homeorhetic control of P metabolism in pigs. Genes identified as differentially expressed in this study may be excellent candidate genes for additional work to elucidate genotype specific P requirements as well as to identify a genetic background that can maintain superior growth in a more environmentally friendly manner.
Quality of life in elderly, chronically ill outpatients.

Quality of life (QL) in elderly outpatients is poorly characterized. We interviewed 258 elderly outpatients from three health care settings to identify the attributes and events that affect self-assessment of QL. These outpatients rated their QL as acceptable, citing medical care, health, interpersonal relationships, financial status, and functional status as affecting their QL. Overall QL ratings were not strongly associated with objective indicators such as demographic characteristics and use of health care services. Subjective indicators, including patient perceptions of health, memory, and financial concerns, were correlated independently with global QL (sigma R2 = .35). We conclude that older, chronically ill patients generally consider their QL to be acceptable and affected by a variety of factors, including their perceptions of their emotional, socioeconomic, intellectual, and physical functioning. Furthermore, QL is poorly associated with objective indicators. Thus, in assessing the QL of elderly, chronically ill outpatients, physicians should elicit information regarding these perceptions.
Isolation and characterization of a tumor-associated NADH oxidase (tNOX) from the HeLa cell surface.

Abstract Cell-surface-located, drug-responsive and tumor-associated NADH oxidase (tNOX) proteins were purified and characterized from HeLa cells. The proteins isolated exhibited NADH oxidase activity inhibited by capsaicin and were resistant to heating and to protease digestion. The activity was purified 200- to 500-fold to provide apparently homogeneous gel bands for N-terminal sequencing using three different protocols. All three protocols involved heat (50°C) and proteinase K treatment. Recovery of the total NADH oxidase activity was 86% and inhibition by capsaicin was 60 to 80%. After 450-fold purification, a 52-kDa component was obtained as a single gel band that retained the capsaicin-inhibitied NADH oxidase activity. Amino acid composition and partial amino acid sequences were obtained. The partial amino acid sequences were used to generate peptide antisera. Both the peptide antisera and polyclonal antisera to the 52-kDa component immunoprecipitated capsaicin-inhibited NADH oxidase activity and reacted with 52-, 34-, and 17-kDa components on Western blots from different steps of the purification. The tNOX protein exhibited immunological cross-reactivity and amino acid sequence identity with tNOX cloned from a HeLa cDNA library using a monoclonal antibody to tNOX from sera of cancer patients. The results provide a direct sequence link between tNOX of the HeLa cell surface and the cloned tNOX representative of patient sera. The tNOX form from the surface of HeLa cells yielded N-terminal sequence consistent with a coidentity of the cell surface and serum forms of the two activities.
Effect of cycloheximide on tryptophan binding to rat hepatic nuclei

This study evaluated whether cycloheximide, an inhibitor of protein synthesis, would affect the binding of L-tryptophan to rat hepatic nuclei or nuclear envelopes. Previous reports have indicated that the binding of L-tryptophan to hepatic nuclear envelope protein was saturable, stereospecific, and of high affinity. Also, the administration of L-tryptophan rapidly stimulated hepatic protein synthesis. In this study, we determined that the addition of cycloheximide in vitro inhibited 3H-tryptophan binding to hepatic nuclei or nuclear envelopes. Heat-treated cycloheximide failed to have this inhibitory binding effect. In vivo treatment of rats with cycloheximide diminished in vitro 3H-tryptophan binding to hepatic nuclei of treated rats compared to controls. Puromycin, another inhibitor of hepatic protein synthesis, when added in vitro did not affect 3H-tryptophan binding to hepatic nuclei but did diminish in vitro binding after in vivo treatment. Thus, cycloheximide added in vitro diminished 3H-tryptophan binding to hepatic nuclei probably by its structural effect on the receptor while cycloheximide administered in vivo may also act in part by inhibiting protein synthesis.
Boron, molybdenum, and selenium in aquatic food chains from the lower San Joaquin River and its tributaries, California

Boron (B), molybdenum (Mo), and selenium (Se) were measured in water, sediment, particulate organic detritus, and in various biota—filamentous algae, net plankton, macroinvertebrates, and fishes—to determine if concentrations were elevated from exposure to agricultural subsurface (tile) drainage during the spring and fall 1987, in the San Joaquin River, California. Concentrations of B and Se, but not Mo, were higher in most samples from reaches receiving tile drainage than in samples from reaches receiving no tile drainage. Maximum concentrations of Se in water (0.025 μg/mL), sediment (3.0 μg/g), invertebrates (14 μg/g), and fishes (17 μg/g) measured during this study exceeded concentrations that are detrimental to sensitive warmwater fishes. Toxic threshold concentrations of B and Mo in fishes and their foods have not been identified. Boron and Mo were not biomagnified in the aquatic food chain, because concentrations of these two elements were usually higher in filamentous algae and detritus than in invertebrates and fishes. Concentrations of Se were lower in filamentous algae than in invertebrates and fishes; however, concentrations of Se in or on detritus were similar to or higher than in invertebrates and fishes. These observations suggest that high concentrations of Se accumulated in invertebrates and fishes through food-chain transfer from Se-enriched detritus rather than from filamentous algae.
“Direction” assisted Geographic Routing for mobile ad hoc networks

In Geographic Routing protocols (e.g. GPSR), a node makes packet forwarding decisions based on the coordinates of its neighbors and the packetpsilas destination. Geo-routing uses greedy forwarding as a default; if this fails (e.g. the packet is trapped in a dead end caused by holes and/or obstacles), a recovery scheme based on perimeter routing is invoked. This however often leads to degraded performance. In this paper, we present a hybrid routing scheme called Geographic Direction Forwarding Routing (Geo-DFR), which features efficient recovery from dead ends. Geo-DFR integrates on demand, table driven routing with geo-routing. During the data transfer, periodic routing advertisements from the destination help to track node motion and to update/maintain a feasible direction to the destination. Direction Forwarding in Geo-DFR is designed to complement and even replace perimeter routing in dead end recovery. With the help of a local coordinate system (e.g., GPS or virtual coordinate system), a node derives the direction of the arrival of the advertisements. A packet is first forwarded to the neighbor which yields the most progress towards the destination, i.e., greedy forwarding. If greedy forwarding fails, the packet is ldquodirectionallyrdquo forwarded to the ldquomost promisingrdquo node along the advertised direction, i.e., direction forwarding. Moreover, the direction can be used proactively for ldquoearly dead end detectionrdquo to decide which forwarding scheme should be used to avoid getting stuck, which is opposed to GPSR in which perimeter routing is applied only after greedy forwarding fails. Through simulation experiments we show that Geo-DFR substantially improves the performance in large, mobile network scenarios.
Regioselective alkylation and acylation of carbohydrates engaged in metal complexes

Abstract Substituted carbohydrate derivatives ( d -gluco, d -manno, and d -galacto) having two free hydroxyl groups were converted into their metal chelates by reaction with sodium hydride and a metal chloride (cupric or mercuric) in either oxolane or 1,2-dimethoxyethane. Reaction of these metal chelates with allyl, benzyl, or methyl iodide, or acetic anhydride or benzoyl chloride, gave a mixture of di-, mono-, and un-substituted products in which one monosubstituted derivative preponderated. In the alkylation of copper chelates, disubstitution was absent. Appropriate choice of metal ion and organic reagent often permits selective substitution on either of two hydroxyl groups. Products were separated by liquid chromatography, and characterized by 1H- and 13C-n.m.r. spectroscopy.
Building solid models from serial contour images

To create solid models of irregularly shaped objects, a mesh of curves consisting of two orthogonal sets of planar contours that define both transverse and longitudinal cross sections is usually required. By interpolating the in-slice contour-point list one can fairly easily obtain one set of such planar contours, but the question arises of how to produce the other orthogonal set of contours. In the approach reported here, the object contour data in slice images are first processed by an optimal triangulation algorithm of a surface modeler, and the output triangles are used as the initial guess of possible inter-slice point matches. Local contour features are computed and the prominent points of each 2D contour line are identified and classified (e.g. local curvature maxima or inflections). This information will guide our optimal vertical path search algorithm, and in the searching process the dominant points are given priorities for possible connections. This approach aims at retaining structures with rotational displacement, which are commonly seen in bone anatomy. A 2D bicubic spline interpolation is then employed to produce an isotropic mesh of curves. From the mesh of curves so obtained, an isotropic three dimensional (3D) bone object is created by an automatic filling and labeling algorithm developed by the author to permit volume rendering. Initial results of the visualization of bone solid models have been encouraging using AVS (Advanced Visual Systems Inc., Waltham, MA) as well as our own GUI. The results also showed advantages of our system over surface modeling techniques when used to visualize certain geometrical properties with fine resolution, such as proximity map, and to make more accurate volume and distance measurements.
Effect of reduced winter precipitation and increased temperature on watershed solute flux, 1988-2002, Northern Michigan

Since 1987 we have studied weekly change in winter (December–April) precipitation, snowpack, snowmelt, soil water, and stream water solute flux in a small (176-ha) Northern Michigan watershed vegetated by 65–85 year-old northern hardwoods. Our primary study objective was to quantify the effect of change in winter temperature and precipitation on watershed hydrology and solute flux. During the study winter runoff was correlated with precipitation, and forest soils beneath the snowpack remained unfrozen. Winter air temperature and soil temperature beneath the snowpack increased while precipitation and snowmelt declined. Atmospheric inputs declined for H+, NO3−, NH4+, dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), and SO42−. Replicated plot-level results, which could not be directly extrapolated to the watershed scale, showed 90% of atmospheric DIN input was retained in surface shallow (<15 cm deep) soils while SO42− flux increased 70% and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 30-fold. Most stream water base cation (CB), HCO3−, and Cl− concentrations declined with increased stream water discharge, K+, NO3−, and SO42− remained unchanged, and DOC and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) increased. Winter stream water solute outputs declined or were unchanged with time except for NO3− and DOC which increased. DOC and DIN outputs were correlated with the percentage of winter runoff and stream discharge that occurred when subsurface flow at the plot-level was shallow (<25 cm beneath Oi). Study results suggest that the percentage of annual runoff occurring as shallow lateral subsurface flow may be a major factor regulating solute outputs and concentrations in snowmelt-dominated ecosystems.
How to Lure Analytic Social Science Out of the Doldrums Some Lessons from Comparative Research

The practice of quantitative research in the social sciences today is dominated by a specific research template that encourages researchers to focus on the net additive effects of independent varia...