cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Factors that affect the quality of cytologic cervical cancer screening along the Mexico-United States border.

Abstract OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that affect the quality of cytologic cervical cancer screening conducted in public sector clinics in Sonora, Mexico. STUDY DESIGN: We assessed the quality of cervical cytology before and after a 2-hour training session and the implementation of cervical spatulas and endocervical brushes. Additionally, we conducted a cross-sectional study of reproductive aged women who attended public clinics in paired border communities in Sonora and Arizona. Cervical cytologic specimens (n=2436) were collected and compared for adequacy and cytologic diagnosis and for the prevalence of human papillomavirus infection. RESULTS: The training intervention achieved significantly improved the rates of satisfactory but limited smears and unsatisfactory smears. The cross-sectional study revealed comparable quality indicators for cytologic specimens that were collected in Sonora and Arizona clinics. CONCLUSION: A high-quality cytology-based cervical cancer screening program is possible in public sector clinics in Sonora, with indicators similar to those achieved in comparable Arizona clinics.
17β-estradiol rapidly facilitates lordosis through G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER) via deactivation of medial preoptic nucleus μ-opioid receptors in estradiol primed female rats

In female rats sexual receptivity (lordosis) can be induced with either a single large dose of estradiol benzoate (EB), or a priming dose of EB that does not induce sexual receptivity followed by 17β-estradiol (E2). Estradiol priming initially inhibits lordosis through a multi-synaptic circuit originating in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (ARH) that activates and internalizes μ-opioid receptors (MOR) in medial preoptic nucleus (MPN) neurons. Lordosis is facilitated when MPN MOR are deactivated after the initial estradiol-induced activation. We tested the hypothesis that E2 given 47.5 h post EB acts rapidly through G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER) in the ARH to deactivate MPN MOR and facilitate lordosis. Ovariectomized Long Evans rats implanted with a third ventricle cannula were primed with 2 μg EB. DMSO control, E2, or G1 (GPER selective agonist) was infused 47.5 h later, and rats were tested for sexual receptivity. E2 and G1 infusions significantly increased levels of sexual receptivity compared to DMSO controls and pretreatment with G15 (GPER antagonist) blocked the facilitation of sexual receptivity. Brains were processed for MPN MOR immunohistochemistry to measure MPN MOR activation levels. E2 and G1 both significantly reduced MPN MOR activation compared to DMSO controls, while pretreatment with G15 blocked MPN MOR deactivation. In another group of EB treated ovariectomized rats, GPER immunofluorescence positive staining was observed throughout the ARH. Together these data indicate that in the 2 μg EB primed rat, E2 rapidly signals through GPER in the ARH to deactivate MPN MOR and facilitate lordosis.
15N nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic investigation of differential rates of base-catalyzed N-H proton-exchange reactions of 1-aza-2-cycloheptanone and 1-aza-2-cycloheptanethione

Natural-abundance proton-coupled ^(15)N NMR spectra of an equimolar solution of the title compounds in dimethyl sulfoxide, to which was added aqueous sodium hydroxide, show that N-H proton exchange of the thiolactam is about 1500 times faster than that of the lactam at 25°C. This rate difference is suggested to arise from a greater contribution of the polar resonance structure for the thiolactam.
Overlap of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are both defined by the presence of airflow obstruction, but they present distinguishing differences in terms of both risk factors and clinical phenotypes. Yet it is quite common in the clinical setting to observe patients with asthma showing COPD-like phenotypes, and vice versa, making it a priority to search for optimal prevention, treatment, and management strategies for these cases of coexisting lung obstructive diseases. RECENT FINDINGS Recent studies have provided further evidence of strong epidemiologic and clinical links between asthma and COPD. Adult subjects with active asthma are as much as 12 times more likely to acquire COPD over time than subjects with no active asthma. Signs identifying patients with asthma predisposed to developing COPD may already be present at the early stages of the disease, a finding with potential implications for prevention of COPD. In addition to spirometry and other pulmonary function tests (such as measurements of residual volume and diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide), recent evidence suggests that the assessment of type and degree of airway remodeling and the evaluation of inflammatory markers might prove useful in the future to characterize phenotypically patients with coexisting asthma and COPD. SUMMARY The nature of the association between asthma and COPD remains unclear and open to discussion. Further research is required to develop effective management algorithms for patients with multiple obstructive lung diseases, determine to what extent early treatment and optimal management of asthma may protect against progression into COPD, and identify genetic markers of individual susceptibility to specific lung disease phenotypes and pharmacologic treatments.
Gene fusions involving PAX and FOX family members in alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma

The chromosomal translocations t(2;13)(q35;q14) and t(1;13)(p36;q14) are characteristic of alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a pediatric soft tissue cancer related to the striated muscle lineage. These translocations rearrange PAX3 and PAX7, members of the paired box transcription factor family, and juxtapose these genes with FKHR, a member of the fork head transcription factor family. This juxtaposition generates PAX3-FKHR and PAX7-FKHR chimeric genes that are expressed as chimeric transcripts that encode chimeric proteins. The fusion proteins, which contain the PAX3/PAX7 DNA binding domain and the FKHR transcriptional activation domain, activate transcription from PAX-binding sites with higher potency than the corresponding wild-type PAX proteins. This increased function results from the insensitivity of the FKHR activation domain to inhibitory effects of N-terminal PAX3/PAX7 domains. In addition to altered function, the fusion products are expressed in ARMS tumors at higher levels than the corresponding wild-type PAX products due to two distinct mechanisms. The PAX7-FKHR fusion is overexpressed as a result of in vivo amplification while the PAX3-FKHR fusion is overexpressed due to a copy number-independent increase in transcriptional rate. Finally, though FKHR subcellular localization is regulated by an AKT-dependent pathway, the fusion proteins are resistant to these signals and show exclusively nuclear localization. Therefore, these translocations alter biological activity at the levels of protein function, gene expression, and subcellular localization with the cumulative outcome postulated to be aberrant regulation of PAX3/PAX7 target genes. This aberrant gene expression program is then hypothesized to contribute to tumorigenic behavior by impacting on the control of growth, apoptosis, differentiation and motility.
Adiciones bibliográficas al corpus de poesía judeoespañola admonitiva

In this article, I present the “Aljamiado” printed versions of the “Coplas Admonitivas” disccovered since 1977, the year when Romero and Carracedo published a first presentation of this corpus in their article “Poesia judeoespanola admonitiva”.
The Seasonal Cycle of Atmospheric Heating and Temperature

AbstractThe seasonal cycle of the heating of the atmosphere is divided into a component due to direct solar absorption in the atmosphere and a component due to the flux of energy from the surface to the atmosphere via latent, sensible, and radiative heat fluxes. Both observations and coupled climate models are analyzed. The vast majority of the seasonal heating of the northern extratropics (78% in the observations and 67% in the model average) is due to atmospheric shortwave absorption. In the southern extratropics, the seasonal heating of the atmosphere is entirely due to atmospheric shortwave absorption in both the observations and the models, and the surface heat flux opposes the seasonal heating of the atmosphere. The seasonal cycle of atmospheric temperature is surface amplified in the northern extratropics and nearly barotropic in the Southern Hemisphere; in both cases, the vertical profile of temperature reflects the source of the seasonal heating.In the northern extratropics, the seasonal cycle of...
A Criterion for Smoothness of Schubert Varieties inSp(2n)/B☆

Abstract In this paper we give a criterion for a Schubert variety X ( w ) in Sp (2 n )/ B to be smooth. The criterion is given in terms of the permutation giving w .
Microstructural correlations of white matter tracts in the human brain

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether specific patterns of correlation exist in diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameters across different white matter tracts in the normal human brain, and whether the relative strengths of these putative microstructural correlations might reflect phylogenetic and functional similarities between tracts. We performed quantitative DTI fiber tracking on 44 healthy adult volunteers to obtain tract-based measures of mean diffusivity (MD), fractional anisotropy (FA), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD) from four homologous pairs of neocortical association pathways (arcuate fasciculi, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculi, inferior longitudinal fasciculi, and uncinate fasciculi bilaterally), a homologous pair of limbic association pathways (left and right dorsal cingulum bundles), and a homologous pair of cortical-subcortical projection pathways (left and right corticospinal tracts). From the resulting inter-tract correlation matrices, we show that there are statistically significant correlations of DTI parameters between tracts, and that there are statistically significant variations among these inter-tract correlations. Furthermore, we observe that many, but by no means all, of the strongest correlations are between homologous tracts in the left and right hemispheres. Even among homologous pairs of tracts, there are wide variations in the degree of coupling. Finally, we generate a data-driven hierarchical clustering of the fiber pathways based on pairwise FA correlations to demonstrate that the neocortical association pathways tend to group separately from the limbic pathways at trend-level statistical significance, and that the projection pathways of the left and right corticospinal tracts comprise the most distant outgroup with high confidence (p<0.01). Hence, specific patterns of microstructural correlation exist between tracts and may reflect phylogenetic and functional similarities between tracts. The study of these microstructural relationships between white matter pathways might aid research on the genetic basis and on the behavioral effects of axonal connectivity, as well as provide a revealing new perspective with which to investigate neurological and psychiatric disorders.
Multicenter comparison of the interobserver agreement of standard EUS scoring and Rosemont classification scoring for diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis.

Background EUS has less than optimal interobserver agreement for the diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis. The newly developed Rosemont consensus scoring system includes weighted criteria and stricter definitions for individual features. Objective The primary aim was to compare the interobserver agreement of standard and Rosemont scoring. Setting Multiple tertiary-care institutions. Intervention Fifty EUS videos were interpreted by 14 experts. Each expert interpreted the videos on two occasions: First, the videos were read by using standard scoring (9 criteria). Second, after viewing a presentation of the Rosemont classification, the same experts re-read the videos by using Rosemont scoring. Main Outcome Measurements Fleiss' kappa (K) statistics are reported with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results The interobserver agreement was "substantial" (K = 0.65 [95% CI, 0.52-0.77]) for Rosemont scoring and "moderate" (K = 0.54 [95% CI, 0.44-0.66]) for standard scoring; however, the difference was not statistically significant ( P = 0.12). Limitations The sample size does not allow detection of differences in K of Conclusion Use of the Rosemont classification did not significantly increase interobserver agreement for EUS diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis compared with standard scoring.
Nonlinear modeling of composite plates with piezoceramic layers using finite element analysis

Abstract A finite element formulation for the vibration of piezoceramic laminated plates that takes hysteretic behavior into account is presented. Structural deformations of the layers are modeled using Mindlin plate theory where electro-mechanical coupling equations are formulated based on the same theory. Electro-mechanical coupling terms model orthotropic piezoelectric properties (g31≠g32), in addition to an orthotropic formulation for the mechanical properties of each plate layer. Lateral and transversal displacement fields are modeled with 8-node serendipity quadratic elements. Hysteretic behavior within the dielectric domain is implemented and simulated via the finite element method using an Ishlinskii model. Experimental hysteresis characterization for a single piezo layer and simulation results are presented. A coupled composite plate model is also tested under different loading conditions experimentally and numerically.
5α-Cholest-8(14)-EN-3β-OL-15-one. A competitive substrate for acyl coenzyme a:Cholesterol acyl transferase*

Summary 5α-Cholest-8(14)-en-3β-ol-15-one, a potent inhibitor of cholesterol biosynthesis with hypocholesterolemic activity, has been found to serve as an efficient substrate for acyl CoA:cholesterol acyl transferase of rat hepatic and jejunal microsomes and to inhibit the esterification of cholesterol. Concentrations required to give 50% inhibition of cholesterol ester formation in liver and jejunal microsomes were ∼10 μM and ∼3 μM, respectively.
THE DOMINANCE-ACCOMMODATION SCALE: FURTHER STUDIES OF VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY

Further study of The Dominance-Accommodation Scale (Hoskins, 1986) in a sample of 78 couples supported the original structure of the scale. A first factor had a focus of self-referent accommodation that included an ability to be assertive, accounted for 13.2% of the variance, and had an alpha coefficient of .79. The second factor accounted for an additional 8.9% of the variance, had an alpha coefficient of .65, and reflected communication and flexibility. The theoretical premise for complementarity in interactive behaviors of dominance and accommodation was supported.
Electroreduction of pyridazine in aqueous media

Summary The reduction of pyridazine, A, in aqueous media is characterized by a single well shaped wave, I, with two smaller ill defined waves, II and III, at more negative potentials. Wave I involves two electrons and two protons yielding 1,2-dihydropyridazine, B, or a tautomeric form, as the product. This reduction is reversible up to pH 4. Controlled potential electrolysis on the plateau of wave I is characterized by a kinetically controlled process with napp=2.1−2.3. Functional group test showed the presence of primary aliphatic amine during the electrolysis, indicating that B decomposes via ring opening at a C−N site to yield H2N-NH-CH=CH-CH2-CHO, C, which polymerizes producing a variety of products. In the presence of phosphate buffers a polymeric salt precipitates. The decomposition of B is first-order and has a maximum rate at pH 4.7 (k=120 s−1). The limiting currents of waves II and III are never more than 10% that of wave I. Both waves show an inverse dependence upon pyridazine concentration and are not observable above 5 mM pyridazine. Cyclic voltammetric data suggests that the reactant for wave II is formed from the reactant for wave III and that C is electroinactive. Spectral data indicate that this mechanism is valid at least to pH 7.
How to Plan Workflow Changes A Practical Quality Improvement Tool Used in an Outpatient Hospital Pharmacy

Objective: A quality improvement tool is provided to improve pharmacy workflow with the goal of minimizing errors caused by workflow issues. This study involved workflow evaluation and reorganizati...
A Conversional Model for Austenite Formation in Hypereutectoid Steels

An on-heating conversional model has been proposed to calculate the volume fraction of austenite in hypereutectoid steels from dilation strain. The transformation strain equation for austenite formation from ferrite and cementite was developed with lattice parameters modified to include alloying element effects. The conversional model was verified by comparing calculations with experimentally measured transformation temperatures and constituent volume fractions in the transformation temperature range for various heating rates. A continuous heating transformation (CHT) diagram was produced from model results.
THE DOT-DEPTH OF A GENERATING CLASS OF APERIODIC MONOIDS IS COMPUTABLE

Given a finite alphabet A and a sequence of positive integers congruences on A*, denoted by and related to a version of the Ehrenfeucht-Fraisse game, have been defined by Thomas in order to give a new proof that the Brzozowski’s dot-depth hierarchy of star-free languages is infinite. A natural extension of some of the results of Thomas states that the monoid variety corresponding to level k of the Straubing hierarchy (the Straubing hierarchy is closely related to the Brzozowski’s dot-depth hierarchy) can be characterized in terms of the monoids . In this paper, it is shown that the dot-depth of the ’s is computable.
The Mindful Couple

Couples who request conjoint treatment often demonstrate relationship problems that are exacerbated by emotional reactivity. Neurobiology research has clarified the process of emotional dysregulation, and the benefit of mindful interventions in managing and preventing hyperarousal. This paper examines the mechanics of emotional dysregulation and presents a case example that demonstrates how breathing and staying in the moment were used to help de-escalate an agitated couple. Mindful interventions can be used to help couples tolerate, understand, and manage emotional states that can otherwise become destructive. These techniques are particularly useful with volatile couples, and can be used in conjunction with other therapeutic interventions.
The determinants of strikes over time and across industries

This paper presents a pooled time-series, cross-section analysis of strike activity across 27 major industry groups over the years 1970–1980. While numerous studies have analyzed the time-series behavior of strike activity and fewer studies have analyzed the cross-sectional pattern of strikes, little work has been done to combine both perspectives into one empirical analysis. This paper improves on this by incorporating variables into one regression model that is capable of explaining both dimensions of the variation in strike activity. The regression results suggest that strikes over time and across industries are affected by a wide range of economic, organizational, institutional, occupational, demographic, market structure, political, and other variables.
Reservoir geology of Nicholas and Liverpool Cemetery fields (lower Pennsylvanian), Stanton County, Kansas, and their significance to the regional interpretation of the Morrow Formation incised-valley-fill systems in eastern Colorado and western Kansas

Reservoirs in the lower Pennsylvanian Morrow Formation of eastern Colorado, southwestern Kansas, and northwestern Oklahoma have produced greater than 8 tcf of gas and 200 million bbl of oil. This prolific depositional system produces from reservoirs representing a range of depositional environments from updip, fluvial-dominated, incised-valley fills to deep-water basin-floor systems. The valley fills of the Morrow Formation are of particular significance because they can be mapped in great detail from subsurface control over very long distances. Facies distributions in the valleys change systematically downdip. As a result, reservoir characteristics and trapping mechanisms vary with these changes in internal valley stratigraphy.This paper focuses on the reservoir geology of Nicholas and Liverpool Cemetery fields. These fields produce gas from the extreme downdip region of an incised-valley-fill system in the lower Morrow Formation. The valley systems in this downdip region are deeper and wider and demonstrate greater marine influence than the updip regions of the valley systems farther north and into the hinterland.Compartmentalization in these downdip reservoirs differs significantly from updip valley-fill reservoirs. The reservoirs in this downdip region are more highly compartmentalized because the dominant reservoir facies in these fields is a series of bayfill delta deposits. These deposits are isolated by shale deposits in the valley. This depositional setting contrasts markedly with predominantly fluvial reservoirs in updip regions of the valleys. Understanding the scale, geometry, and internal complexity of this depositional system is important because the associated sandstones are important gas reservoirs in southwest Kansas. Cores, wire-line logs, pressure data, and production data collected from the Morrow Formation at Nicholas and Liverpool Cemetery fields provide valuable information from which to describe and interpret this downdip valley fill. This paper describes the downdip incised-valley-fill reservoirs in this producing complex and documents the trapping relationships of these reservoirs and their production characteristics.
Prolonged High Temperature Exposure and Daily Light Integral Impact Growth and Flowering of Five Herbaceous Ornamental Species

Flowering of many herbaceous ornamentals is reduced or eliminated under high temperatures. On warm, sunny days, greenhouse growers often cover crops with light-reducing screening materials to reduce air and plant temperature. However, low irradiance can also reduce fl owering on many species. To examine the impacts of tempera- ture and irradiance on herbaceous ornamental fl owering and to select a model to study high temperature-reduced fl owering, Antirrhinum majus L. (snapdragon) ʻRocket Roseʼ, Calendula offi cinalis L. (calendula) ʻCalypso Orangeʼ, Impatiens wallerana Hook.f. (impatiens) ʻSuper Elfi n Whiteʼ, Mimulus ×hybridus Hort. ex Siebert & Voss (mimulus) ʻMystic Yellowʼ, and Torenia fournieri Linden ex E. Fourn (torenia) ʻClown Burgundyʼ were grown at constant 32 ± 1 °C or 20 ± 1.5 °C under a 16-hour photoperiod with daily light integrals (DLI) of 10.5, 17.5, or 21.8 mol·m -2 ·d -1 . Flower bud number per plant (all fl ower buds ≥1 mm in length when the fi rst fl ower opened) of all species was lower at 32 than 20 °C. Reduction in fl ower bud number per plant at 32 compared to 20 oC varied from 30% (impatiens) to 95% (torenia) under a DLI of 10.5 mol·m -2 ·d -1 . Flower diameter of all species except snapdragon was less at 32 than 20 °C. Decreasing DLI from 21.8 to 10.5 mol·m -2 ·d -1 decreased fl ower diameter of all species except snapdragon. Calendula, impatiens, and torenia leaf number below the fi rst fl ower was greater at 32 than 20 °C, regardless of DLI. Increasing DLI from 10.5 to 17.5 mol·m -2 ·d -1 increased shoot dry mass gain rate of all species, regardless of temperature. Further increasing DLI from 17.5 to 21.8 mol·m -2 ·d -1 at 20 °C increased shoot dry mass gain rate of all species except snapdragon and mimulus, indicating that these species may be light saturated below 21.8 mol·m -2
Emergence of Delayed Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms Related to Sexual Trauma: Patient-Centered and Trauma-Cognizant Management by Physical Therapists

Background and Purpose Sexual violence has been identified as one of the most common predictors of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This case report describes the emergence of delayed PTSD symptoms, disclosure of history of sexual trauma, and the influence of re-experiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal symptoms on physical therapy treatment. Case Description A 60-year-old woman was seen for treatment of low back pain. Discussion of a discord between fear of falling and no balance impairments led to disclosure of sexual assault by a physician at 19 years of age. The patient's PTSD symptoms emerged after 10 weeks of physical therapy. The physical therapists monitored somatic responses and body language closely and modified and planned treatment techniques to avoid PTSD triggers and limit hyperarousal. Collaborative communication approaches included reinforcement of cognitive-behavioral strategies introduced by her psychotherapists. Outcomes Trauma-cognizant approaches supported the patient's efforts to manage PTSD symptoms sufficiently to tolerate physical therapy and participate in a back care class. Nonlinear psychological healing is illustrated. Discussion Symptoms of PTSD may emerge during physical therapy treatment, and patient-sensitive responses to disclosure are important. The trauma-cognizant approach (2-way communication, patient-centered management, and integration of psychological elements into clinical decision making) helped identify and respond to triggers. The physical therapists reinforced cognitive-behavioral strategies introduced by psychotherapists to manage PTSD symptoms. Patient-centered care with further refinement to a trauma-cognizant approach may play an important role in assisting patients with PTSD or a history of sexual trauma to manage symptoms while addressing rehabilitation needs.
Dissolved organic carbon export and subsequent remineralization in the mesopelagic and bathypelagic realms of the North Atlantic basin

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) data are presented from three meridional transects conducted in the North Atlantic as part of the US Climate Variability (CLIVAR) Repeat Hydrography program in 2003. The hydrographic sections covered a latitudinal range of 61 St o 631N along longitudes 201W (CLIVAR line A16), 521W (A20) and 661W (A22). Over 3700 individual measurements reveal unprecedented detail in the DOC distribution and systematic variations in the mesopelagic and bathypelagic zones of the North Atlantic basin. Latitudinal gradients in DOC concentrations combined with published estimates of ventilation rates for the main thermocline and North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) indicate a net DOC export rate of 0.081 Pg C yr � 1 from the epipelagic zone into the mesopelagic and bathypelagic zones.
Common Sense Approaches to Urinary Biomarker Study Design

Since ancient times, physicians have studied the properties of urine to provide clues to the nature of the their patients’ maladies. For example, ancient physicians knew that urine from patients with diabetes is sweet to the taste. The discoveries of such properties were obviously made before disease mechanisms were understood. In modern times, clinicians have added many measurements of urinary composition to provide data for clinical decision-making, relying on growing knowledge of physiology and pathophysiology to identify candidate chemical biomarkers that have been validated for clinical use. Now, aided by methods capable of quantifying thousands of proteins in a urine sample, urinary biomarker discovery has gone “open loop,” allowing the identity of urine proteins that have no known relation to a disease as potential biomarkers for that disease. In such studies, correlation is sought rather than causation. Although this open-loop approach has great promise for accelerated urine biomarker discovery, the lack of connection to pathophysiologic knowledge is a significant limitation. The shift to an open-loop (“unbiased”) approach has been driven largely by the development of modern mass spectrometry techniques that are capable of identifying and quantifying proteins and peptides in large numbers.1 Indeed, recent studies from various laboratories identified more than 1000 proteins present in various biochemical fractions of urine, including urinary exosomes (for a listing of urinary proteins, go to “Urinary Exosome Protein Database” via any internet search engine).2–6 At this point, organizations such the Human Kidney and Urine Proteome Project7 and the European Network for Urine and Kidney Proteomics8 have assembled largely for the purpose of promoting efforts in urinary protein biomarker discovery, and articles addressing various aspects of urinary biomarker discovery have been published. It can only be a short time before large-scale studies evaluating the efficacy of new candidate urinary …
Race as an independent predictor of outcome after treatment for localized prostate cancer.

ABSTRACTPurpose: We analyze the outcome after prostatectomy or radiotherapy for localized prostate cancer with respect to race.Materials and Methods: A total of 2,219 consecutive patients with prostate cancer were treated with radiotherapy (1,183) or radical prostatectomy (1,036) between June 1986 and June 1998. Initial prostate specific antigen (PSA) and biopsy Gleason scores were available in all cases. Androgen deprivation was used in 22% of men (492). Of the patients 86% (1,901) were white, including Hispanic and Asian, and 14% (318) were black. The outcomes of interest were biochemical relapse-free survival, clinical relapse-free survival and overall survival. Median followup was 24 months (range 2 to 140).Results: There was no difference in the incidence of familial prostate cancer, patient age at presentation, clinical stage or biopsy Gleason scores between black and white men. However, black men had higher initial PSA levels (median 13.3 versus 8.6 for white men, p <0.001). The 5-year biochemical ...
Rhythm and Conduction Disturbances at Midterm Follow-up After the Ross Procedure in Infants, Children, and Young Adults

Background To our knowledge, late electrophysiologic outcomes after the Ross procedure have not been described. The purpose of this study was to assess rhythm and conduction disturbances at midterm follow-up after the Ross procedure. Methods A cross-sectional analysis of Ross procedure survivors (January 1, 1995 to December 31, 2005) followed at our institution was performed, including resting and 24-hour ambulatory electrocardiography (Holter monitoring). Rhythm and conduction disturbances were described, and predictors of arrhythmia were identified. Results Of 64 eligible patients, 47 (71%) participated. Median age at surgery was 8.7 years (age range, 34 days to 34 years). Twenty-five patients (53%) had isolated aortic valve disease and 22 (47%) had complex left-sided heart disease. At median follow-up of 8.9 years (range, 2.6–11.1 years), 46 patients (98%) exhibited sinus rhythm. Sinus node dysfunction (SND), defined as a pause of 2 seconds or longer or bradycardia for age, was present in 7 patients (15%). Complete heart block requiring a pacemaker occurred in 2 patients (4%). Ventricular tachycardia (VT) was present in 7 patients (15%), including nonsustained VT in 5 patients on Holter monitoring, and sustained VT in 2 patients requiring defibrillator placement. In multivariate analysis, concurrent arch repair at the time of the Ross operation ( p = 0.04), longer cross-clamp time at the time of Ross operation ( p = 0.04), and right ventricular outflow tract obstruction on follow-up echocardiogram ( p = 0.03) were associated with SND. Longer cross-clamp time ( p = 0.03) was also associated with VT, along with older age at surgery ( p = 0.06 for trend). Conclusions At midterm follow-up after the Ross procedure, rhythm and conduction disturbances occur in one third of patients, including SND in 15%, atrioventricular block in 4%, and VT in 15%. Routine surveillance for late arrhythmias after the Ross procedure is warranted.
Direct and inverse problem models for large soft-tissue deformation: Application to haptic feedback in surgical simulation

Biomechanical model of soft tissue derived from experimental measurements is critical to develop a reality-based model for minimally invasive surgical training and simulation. We have focused on developing a biomechanical model of the liver with the ultimate goal of using this model for local tool-tissue interaction tasks and providing feedback to the surgeon through a haptic (sense of touch) display. It is of interest to develop a model of the soft tissue through probing experiments. An experimental apparatus was developed to perform both large probe compression test and the tissue probing test. The specimens were compressed to attain 30% nominal strain using a range of probing speeds (0.1016 mm/sec, 5.08 mm/sec, 12.70 mm/sec and 25.40 mm/sec). The compressive force-displacement curves were monotonic but highly nonlinear. Models consistent with experimental data were developed to characterize the deformation resistance of the soft tissue. Removing the assumption of incompressibility, an inverse-problem model can computationally determine the LEEM with axisymmetric finite element analysis. The sensitivity of LEEM on the tissue's compressibility (Poisson's ratio) was presented. Additionally, the variation of LEEM of pig liver with the probing speed was revealed. These results can be used to model soft-tissue deformation under varying probing speed by a surgical tool
Effect of Suture Size and Type on Bone Cutout in Transosseous Tendon Repairs

Purpose We compared bone cutout of polyester and polyblend suture in 2 suture sizes with static and cyclic loading in a Sawbone model (Pacific Research Laboratories, Vashon, WA). Methods Polyester and polyblend sutures in both No. 2 and No. 5 sizes were placed through transosseous tunnels in closed-cell polyurethane foam and tied over the bar of an electromechanical load frame at a fixed height. Seven sutures in each group were pulled at a rate of 1 mm/s until bone cutout occurred. Another set of 28 sutures were cyclically loaded at increasing loads until failure. Results With static and cyclic loads, No. 5 polyester suture (Ethibond; Ethicon, Somerville, NJ) and No. 5 polyblend suture (FiberWire; Arthrex, Naples, FL) had a higher cutout load than the No. 2 sutures ( P P = .02). With cyclic loading, No. 2 polyblend suture had a higher load to cutout than No. 2 polyester suture ( P = .01), and No. 5 polyblend suture had a higher load to cutout than No. 5 polyester suture ( P = .003). Conclusions No. 2 sutures showed bone cutout at lower forces under static and cyclic loading as compared with No. 5 sutures in this Sawbone model, and no decrease in performance with regard to bone cutout was noted with polyblend as compared with polyester. Clinical Relevance No. 5 polyester or polyblend suture may be preferable to No. 2 suture to avoid bone cutout in tendon-to-bone repair, and No. 5 polyblend may be preferable to No. 5 polyester to avoid bone cutout.
Infectious complications of regional anesthesia

Although individual cases have been reported in the literature, serious infections of the central nervous system (CNS) such as arachnoiditis, meningitis, and abscess following spinal or epidural anesthesia are rare. However, recent epidemiologic series from Europe suggest that the frequency of infectious complications associated with neuraxial techniques may be increasing. Importantly, while meningitis and epidural abscess are both complications of neuraxial block, the risk factors and causative organisms are disparate. For example, staphylococcus is the organism most commonly associated epidural abscess; often these infections occurred in patients with impaired immunity. Conversely, meningitis follows dural puncture, and is typically caused by alpha-hemolytic streptococci, with the source of the organism the nasopharynx of the proceduralist. In order to reduce the risk of serious infection following neuraxial blockade, the clinician must be knowledgeable in the pathogenesis of CNS infections, patient selection, and use of meticulous aseptic technique. Finally, since delay in the diagnosis may result in morbidity and even death, it is crucial to be aware of the presenting signs and symptoms of meningitis and epidural abscess.
Disposed to distraction: Genetic variation in the cholinergic system influences distractibility but not time-on-task effects

Both the passage of time and external distraction make it difficult to keep attention on the task at hand. We tested the hypothesis that time-on-task and external distraction pose independent challenges to attention and that the brain's cholinergic system selectively modulates our ability to resist distraction. Participants with a polymorphism limiting cholinergic capacity (Ile89Val variant [rs1013940] of the choline transporter gene SLC5A7) and matched controls completed self-report measures of attention and a laboratory task that measured decrements in sustained attention with and without distraction. We found evidence that distraction and time-on-task effects are independent and that the cholinergic system is strongly linked to greater vulnerability to distraction. Ile89Val participants reported more distraction during everyday life than controls, and their task performance was more severely impacted by the presence of an ecologically valid video distractor (similar to a television playing in the background). These results are the first to demonstrate a specific impairment in cognitive control associated with the Ile89Val polymorphism and add to behavioral and cognitive neuroscience studies indicating the cholinergic system's critical role in overcoming distraction.
Rapid imaging, detection and quantification of Giardia lamblia cysts using mobile-phone based fluorescent microscopy and machine learning

Rapid and sensitive detection of waterborne pathogens in drinkable and recreational water sources is crucial for treating and preventing the spread of water related diseases, especially in resource-limited settings. Here we present a field-portable and cost-effective platform for detection and quantification of Giardia lamblia cysts, one of the most common waterborne parasites, which has a thick cell wall that makes it resistant to most water disinfection techniques including chlorination. The platform consists of a smartphone coupled with an opto-mechanical attachment weighing ~205 g, which utilizes a hand-held fluorescence microscope design aligned with the camera unit of the smartphone to image custom-designed disposable water sample cassettes. Each sample cassette is composed of absorbent pads and mechanical filter membranes; a membrane with 8 μm pore size is used as a porous spacing layer to prevent the backflow of particles to the upper membrane, while the top membrane with 5 μm pore size is used to capture the individual Giardia cysts that are fluorescently labeled. A fluorescence image of the filter surface (field-of-view: ~0.8 cm2) is captured and wirelessly transmitted via the mobile-phone to our servers for rapid processing using a machine learning algorithm that is trained on statistical features of Giardia cysts to automatically detect and count the cysts captured on the membrane. The results are then transmitted back to the mobile-phone in less than 2 minutes and are displayed through a smart application running on the phone. This mobile platform, along with our custom-developed sample preparation protocol, enables analysis of large volumes of water (e.g., 10–20 mL) for automated detection and enumeration of Giardia cysts in ~1 hour, including all the steps of sample preparation and analysis. We evaluated the performance of this approach using flow-cytometer-enumerated Giardia-contaminated water samples, demonstrating an average cyst capture efficiency of ~79% on our filter membrane along with a machine learning based cyst counting sensitivity of ~84%, yielding a limit-of-detection of ~12 cysts per 10 mL. Providing rapid detection and quantification of microorganisms, this field-portable imaging and sensing platform running on a mobile-phone could be useful for water quality monitoring in field and resource-limited settings.
The interRAI Pediatric Home Care (PEDS HC) Assessment: Evaluating the Long-term Community-Based Service and Support Needs of Children Facing Special Healthcare Challenges

The vast majority of assessment instruments developed to assess children facing special healthcare challenges were constructed to assess children within a limited age range or children who face specific conditions or impairments. In contrast, the interRAI Pediatric Home Care (PEDS HC) Assessment Form was specifically designed to assess the long-term community-based service and support needs of children and youth aged from four to 20 years who face a wide range of chronic physical or behavioral health challenges. Initial research indicates that PEDS HC items exhibit good predictive validity—explaining significant proportions of the variance in parents’ perceptions of needs, case managers’ service authorizations, and Medicaid program expenditures for long-term community-based services and supports. In addition, PEDS HC items have been used to construct scales that summarize the strengths and needs of children facing special healthcare challenges. Versions of the PEDS HC are now being used in Medicaid programs in three states in the United States.
Patients with eye symptoms and no organic illness: an interdisciplinary study.

The eyes and the visual functions receive great emotional investment. Ophthalmologists often overlook the emotional aspects of eye disease and overdiagnose hysteria in their patients. This project was a combined psychiatric and ophthalmologic study of patients without organic eye disease who presented with symptoms at an outpatient ophthalmology clinic. These patients differed from ordinary eye patients by age (younger), duration of symptoms (longer), and type of chief complaint (nonvisual). A large number of these patients were felt to have significant psychiatric illness, although the presence of organic eye illness did not protect against psychiatric difficulty. Tubular visual fields, like any conversion symptoms, are not diagnostic of hysteria. Greater use of the psychiatric consultant is urged.
Evaluation of the Broad-Range PCR-Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (PCR/ESI-MS) System and Virus Microarrays for Virus Detection

Advanced nucleic acid-based technologies are powerful research tools for novel virus discovery but need to be standardized for broader applications such as virus detection in biological products and clinical samples. We have used well-characterized retrovirus stocks to evaluate the limit of detection (LOD) for broad-range PCR with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (PCR/ESI-MS or PLEX-ID), RT-PCR assays, and virus microarrays. The results indicated that in the absence of background cellular nucleic acids, PLEX-ID and RT-PCR had a similar LOD for xenotropic murine retrovirus-related virus (XMRV; 3.12 particles per µL) whereas sensitivity of virus detection was 10-fold greater using virus microarrays. When virus was spiked into a background of cellular nucleic acids, the LOD using PLEX-ID remained the same, whereas virus detection by RT-PCR was 10-fold less sensitive, and no virus could be detected by microarrays. Expected endogenous retrovirus (ERV) sequences were detected in cell lines tested and known species-specific viral sequences were detected in bovine serum and porcine trypsin. A follow-up strategy was developed using PCR amplification, nucleotide sequencing, and bioinformatics to demonstrate that an RD114-like retrovirus sequence that was detected by PLEX-ID in canine cell lines (Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) and Cf2Th canine thymus) was due to defective, endogenous gammaretrovirus-related sequences.
The elimination procedure for the competition number is not optimal

Given an acyclic digraph D, the competition graph C(D) is defined to be the undirected graph with V(D) as its vertex set and where vertices x and y are adjacent if there exists another vertex z such that the arcs (x, z) and (y, z) are both present in D. The competition number k(G) for an undirected graph G is the least number r such that there exists an acyclic digraph F on |V(G)| + r vertices where C(F) is G along with r isolated vertices. Kim and Roberts [The Elimination Procedure for the Competition Number, Ars Combin. 50 (1998) 97-113] introduced an elimination procedure for the competition number, and asked whether the procedure calculated the competition number for all graphs. We answer this question in the negative by demonstrating a graph where the elimination procedure does not calculate the competition number. This graph also provides a negative answer to a similar question about the related elimination procedure for the phylogeny number introduced by the current author in [S.G. Hartke, The Elimination Procedure for the Phylogeny Number, Ars Combin. 75 (2005) 297-311].
Education Fever: Exploring Private Education Consumption Motivations Among Korean Parents of Preschool Children

Parental investment in education is a common phenomenon in many countries, but in South Korea this investment could be considered exceptional. Researchers have described Koreans’ enthusiasm for education as education fever, or “the national obsession with the attainment of education” (Seth 2002, p. 9). In Korea, household expenditures on education occur primarily for private education services, marketed by private companies rather than public/private preschools, which include a variety of educational programs, such as English, art, and sports academies, as well as reading, math, and writing tutoring (Korea National Statistics Office 2012). Today about 50 % of children in Korea under the age of six participate in one or more private education program and 49 % of Korean preschool parents said that they have faced financial burdens to support such participation (Shin 2014).
A History Behind the Development of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Societies

In considering the founding and development of the major sleep societies, it is useful to recall that the entire process is ultimately about people and the exchange of ideas. This “history” is a personal (CG) one and its narrative is inspired by individuals who shared a passion and interest in advancing sleep medicine.
Development and Testing of Non-Asbestos Brake Lining Materials for Off-Highway Machines

Conception et essais de materiaux pour garnitures de freins sans amiante en vue d'utilisation sur des machines de chantier