cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CMR-derived aortic stiffness is associated with more rapid aortic dilation and surgical replacement in children and young adults with connective tissue disorders

Background Aortic stiffness measures have been proposed as novel indicators of disease severity in patients with connective tissue disorders (CTD). However, these measures have not been studied extensively in children. Their relationship to adverse aortic outcomes in this population is also unknown. We studied CMR parameters of aortic stiffness in children and young adults with CTD and assessed their relationship with the rates of aortic dilation and surgical root replacement.
Effectiveness of Primary Endoscopic Incision in Treatment of Ectopic Ureterocele Associated With Duplex System

OBJECTIVES To report our experience with the endoscopic treatment of ectopic ureterocele to demonstrate its long-term effectiveness. Endoscopic treatment is often recommended as the initial and definitive treatment in patients with ureterocele. METHODS A total of 46 children with ectopic ureterocele in a duplex system underwent primary endoscopic incision from January 1998 to January 2006. The mean follow-up was 3.8 years. Of the 46 children, 35 had been diagnosed prenatally and 11 had been diagnosed after birth because of a urinary tract infection. Low-dose antibiotic prophylaxis was administered to all children and was maintained until voiding cystourethrography showed no reflux. The pre- and postoperative evaluation included clinical assessment, ultrasound evaluation, diethylenetriaminepentacetic acid renography, and cyclic voiding cystourethrography. RESULTS Ureterocele decompression was achieved in 43 patients (93%). Three patients required additional surgery for persistent ureterocele (1 underwent ureteroureterostomy and 2 ureteropyelostomy). None of our patients showed deterioration of renal function after the procedures. Vesicoureteral reflux was seen in the lower moiety of the ipsilateral kidney in 14 patients (30%). Of the 14 patients with vesicoureteral reflux, 10 had spontaneous resolution. The remaining 4 underwent endoscopic correction. Five patients (10%) developed de novo vesicoureteral reflux in the ipsilateral ureterocele moiety. Of these 5 patients, 3 were treated with endoscopic injection and 2 had spontaneous resolution after 6 months of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS Our data have shown that primary endoscopic puncture of a ureterocele is a simple, long-term, effective, and safe procedure, avoiding complete reconstruction in most patients.
APPEARANCE OF c-AMP DEPENDENT ACTIN PHOSPHORYLATION IN RAT LUNG AND TYPE II EPITHELIAL CELLS

c-AMP enhances surfactant release from Type II epithelial cells, presumably by activation of protein kinases (PK) and increased protein phosphorylation. cAMP dependent (dep) phosphorylation of endogenous proteins was therefore assessed in rat lung during development and in adult Type II epithelial cells. Protein Mr=43,000 was the major substrate of c-AMP-PK in cytosol from postnatal lung and in purified adult Type II cells. Evidence that [32P]43,000 is the cytoskeletal protein, actin, includes migration on 2-D SDS-PAGE and phospho-peptide mapping. [32P]Serine was the only phosphoamino acid detected. Phosphorylation was reversible and entirely cAMP dep, EC50=5×10−7 M. cAMP dep 32P-actin was barely detectable until 21d gestation and increased 25-fold during the perinatal period. cAMP dep protein kinase activity did not correlate with developmental increase in 32P-actin. cAMP-PK was higher in fetal than adult preprations, p<.01. Lung actin content did not change with age. Addition of purified actin but not cAMP-PK to fetal cytosol enhanced 32P-actin. Actin is a major endogenous cytosolic substrate of c-AMP-PK in Type II epithelial cells and in postnatal lung. Actin phosphorylation is developmentally regulated in association with other aspects of lung maturation. Mechanisms that might account for the developmental changes in lung 32p-actin include 1) availability of actin to serve as substrate of c-AMP- PK, 2) new actin forms, or 3) ontogenic appearance of specific c-AMP dependent actin kinase activity.
Soluble E-selectin induces monocyte chemotaxis through Src family tyrosine kinases.

Cellular adhesion molecules such as E-selectin function to recruit leukocytes into the inflammatory lesions of diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and atherosclerosis. Monocytes are the key components of the cellular infiltrates present in these disorders. We hypothesized that soluble E-selectin (sE-selectin) might mediate the chemotaxis of monocytes. In this report, we show that sE-selectin induced normal human peripheral blood monocyte migration in the nanomolar range in a concentration-dependent manner. Neutralization studies using RA human joint synovial fluids and anti-E-selectin antibody showed a mean 31% reduction in RA synovial fluid-mediated monocyte chemotaxis (p
The clinical significance of dilatation of the collecting system in the transplanted kidney

The significance of dilatation of the collecting system of the transplanted kidney and its relationship to bladder distention was reviewed in 39 renal recipients examined by sonography (94 studies). The degree of pelvicaliceal (PCS), ureteral, and bladder distention was graded and correlated with the 24-h urine output, nuclear renal scan, and clinical follow-up. marked PCS distention can indicate obstruction (33%), especially when there is no associated bladder distention (60%) and a fluid collection lies along the path of the ureter. The 24-hr urine output did not influence the degree of PCS distention.
Photophysical Investigations Of Spin Cast Novolac Films

Fluorescence techniques were used to study the effects of casting solvent and film thickness on spin cast novolac films. A fluorescent probe, pyrene, was covalently bonded to the novolac backbone, and changes in its fluorescence were used to monitor the effects of casting on the films. The amount of excimer fluorescence depends on casting solvent and rises dramatically for very thin films (<2000 A), perhaps indicating an increase in ordering. Novolac polymers with various levels of pyrene tagging were used to measure the extent of pyrene aggregation. The tagged and free probes had similar responses at low concentrations (<= 5 mol% probe) but at high probe concentrations (20 mol% probe) the free probe aggregates to a greater extent than the tagged probe. The extent of aggregation is also affected by the casting solvent.
Maternal age and parity correlates of handedness: gender, but no parental handedness modulation of effects.

Abstract Mothers supplied information on the handedness of a total of 1079 children (238 left handed, 841 right handed), and also reported information on the handedness of the biological parents, parental ages when each child was born, parity, and birth complications. A MANOVA, employing offspring handedness and parental handedness (presence versus absence of at least one left hander) as the bases of classification, and parity, maternal age, paternal age, and a birth stress composite score as dependent measures, was applied to the data of female and male offspring separately. For females, there was a significant multivariate effect for handedness, but no effect of parental handedness nor any interaction of the handedness and parental handedness factors. Univariate ANOVAs, following the multivariate analysis, showed significant effects of handedness for the maternal age and parity measures, but not for paternal age or birth stress composite score. The analysis for males showed no significant multivariate or univariate effects. The data suggest, that in the absence of high risk parity and maternal age over 32, only about 7.8% of females are left handed. This implies that as many as 29% or so of female left handers may owe their sinistrality to factors associated with high risk parity and maternal ages over 32.
1303 MEASUREMENT OF THE FACIES 1: MOUTH SIZE IN NEWBORN INFANTS

Recognition of abnormal facies at birth is generally based on qualitative assessment. This study was undertaken to establish quantitative values for mouth size at birth. The distance between the angles of the mouth was measured in 79 male and 75 female randomly selected black infants who were two or three days old. Measurements were made with a ruler only in relaxed babies; if mouth mobility or rooting occurred, the measurement was differed. Head circumference and gestational age (Dubowitz method) were also determined. Values for 120 appropriately grown (AGA) infants are shown below. There were no sex differences. Fourteen small (SGA) and 12 large (LGA) for gestational age infants not included above were also studied. The results show an increasing mouth size with maturation. Significant correlation was found between mouth size and head circumference in all infants, AGA, SGA, and LGA. For the same gestation, SGA and LGA infants with smaller and larger head circumferences resp., also had smaller and larger mouths compared to the AGA. In addition to providing values for mouth size at birth, this study shows too that fetal head growth retardation and acceleration also affect mouth size.
Algorithms for single machine total tardiness scheduling with sequence dependent setups

Abstract We consider the problem of scheduling a single machine to minimize total tardiness with sequence dependent setup times. We present two algorithms, a problem space-based local search heuristic and a Greedy Randomized Adaptive Search Procedure (GRASP) for this problem. With respect to GRASP, our main contributions are—a new cost function in the construction phase, a new variation of Variable Neighborhood Search in the improvement phase, and Path Relinking using three different search neighborhoods. The problem space-based local search heuristic incorporates local search with respect to both the problem space and the solution space. We compare our algorithms with Simulated Annealing, Genetic Search, Pairwise Interchange, Branch and Bound and Ant Colony Search on a set of test problems from literature, showing that the algorithms perform very competitively.
Cross-modality contrast: Exteroceptive context habituation enhances taste neophobia and conditioned taste aversions

The relationship between absolute and relative stimulus novelty was examined within the context of the conditioned taste aversion paradigm in which the relative novelty of the conditioned interoceptive stimulus was manipulated by differential exteroceptive context habituation. Rats received similar isolation histories but either 5 or 30 days of habituation to the test environment prior to treatment. One group was administered lithium chloride following saccharin consumption, a second group was administered isotonic saline following saccharin consumption, and a third group was administered saline after water consumption. The animals habituated for 30 days exhibited greater conditioned avoidance and greater neophobic avoidance of saccharin than did animals habituated for only 5 days. The results are interpreted in terms of a cross-modality stimulus contrast effect which implicates context habituation as an important parameter of both taste neophobia and taste aversion learning.
Comparative morphology of the carpel in the Liliaceae: Iphigenieae

The pistil in the flowers of the Iphigenieae (Camptorrhiza, Iphigenia, Omithoglossum) is usually tricarpellate. The carpels are coherent generally, with closed sutures and seemingly bitegmic ovules.Camptorrhiza differs from the others in having a single compound style. The pistils of most species of these genera have a common vascular structure: three dorsal bundles which run into the style(s), a number of lateral bundles, six placental bundles, and up to three compound septal bundles. The latter nine bundles usually differentiate from a central vascular plexus above the base of the locules. There may be fewer than three septal bundles in some specieS. When present, the septal bundles usually die out in the ovuliferous region, but in some cases they persist to the apex of the locules.
Evaluating Useful Life and Developing Replacement Schedules for LED Traffic Signals: Statistical Methodology and a Field Study

Abstract:LEDs (light-emitting diodes) have been widely adopted for use within traffic signals, recently replacing incandescent bulbs. LEDs degrade slowly – unlike incandescent bulbs that fail catastrophically. When the luminous intensity of LEDs falls below a pre-specified threshold, they pose danger to traffic. The long-term performance and degradation rates of LEDs have not been thoroughly studied in order to gain an understanding of their useful lives and appropriate replacement schedules. There exist many stochastic factors that affect LED degradation rates making their analysis complicated. This article provides a statistical methodology based on ordinary least-squares regression for measuring the useful life and the degradation rate of an LED signal, and presents details from a field study conducted in Missouri, U.S. Our results indicated that signal type, color, and manufacturer affect degradation, and therefore useful life should be calculated for each subgroup of LED traffic signals separately. R...
Stability properties of geometric inequalities

Geometric inequalities, like the isoperimetric inequality, have been a subject of intensive research for a long time. More recently, some properties of these inequalities, which may be called stability properties, have been investigated. Roughly speaking, these investigations concern the geometric implications if the inequalities are in a certain sense close to equalities. The present article is primarily an exposition of various stability results concerning inequalities for plane convex sets, including a discussion of the concepts and methods which are of importance in this area. Moreover, several new results and proofs are presented. 1. Introduction. Let RI denote n-dimensional Eucidean space. A bounded con- vex subset of R" will be called an n-dimensional convex body if it is closed and has interior points. We let qpn denote the class of all n-dimensional convex bodies. Two-dimensional convex bodies will be called convex domains. We consider primarily inequalities of the form
An Ictidosaur Fossil from North America

Teeth of a North American ictidosaur, Pachygenelus milleri, n. sp., found in the Upper Triassic Dockum Group of Texas, indicate that it is very similar to Pachygenelus monus of South Africa and Chaliminia musteloides of South America. The presence of a Gondwana element in the Northern Hemisphere attests to the ease of dispersal of the Late Triassic vertebrates through Pangea. Ictidosaurs are small, highly advanced, carnivorous cynodonts that display a mosaic of reptilian and mammalian features in the masticatory apparatus. They were contemporaneous with early mammals and probably closely related to them.
Tunable, Single-Frequency, and Multi-Watt Continuous-Wave Cr 2+ :ZnSe Lasers

We demonstrate CW rapidly-tunable (4.5 microm/s), highpower (150 mW), single-longitudinal-mode (120 MHz) single-crystalline Cr(2+):ZnSe laser; CW widely-tunable (2.12-2.77 microm), multi-watt (2 W over 2.3-2.7 microm), polycrystalline Cr(2+):ZnSe laser; CW multi-watt (6 W, at 2.5 microm), highly efficient (48% real efficiency) polycrystalline Cr(2+):ZnSe laser; CW multi-watt (3 W, at 2.5 microm), highly efficient (41% real efficiency) ultra-compact polycrystalline Cr(2+):ZnSe laser; and CW hot-pressed ceramic Cr(2+):ZnSe laser.
Effects of Transfers on Remote Regional Economies: The Transfer Economy in Rural Alaska

In this paper we examine the effects of transfers on the economies of remote regions. A model which describes the consequences of different types of transfers on settlement patterns is developed. The growth of the transfer economy in rural Alaska and its effect on population and income is reviewed. We find that transfer programs in remote regions may have consequences far broader than their original intent. While the programs may improve the standard of living for regional residents, they may also lead to inefficient settlement patterns, increasing dependence on transfers, and a higher cost of eventual adjustment.
NMR relaxometry study of development of freeze damage in mandarin orange.

BACKGROUND Freeze damage to citrus fruit is one of the major causes of the loss of marketable fruit for the citrus industry. Because freeze damage occurs inside citrus fruit, detecting freeze damage is very challenging. This study addresses this problem by using NMR relaxometry to monitor changes at the sub-cellular level in mandarin flesh at two freezing temperatures, −4 °C and −20 °C. RESULTS The T2 relaxation spectra of mandarin flesh segments displayed three relaxation components, each representing a sub-cellular water compartment. Freezing treatment at −4 °C for 240 min significantly decreased the relative magnitude of the slow relaxation component and increased that of the intermediate relaxation components. These changes are signs of water redistribution between sub-cellular compartments and an increase in membrane permeability. Freezing treatment at −20 °C caused more evident changes in the T2 relaxation spectra. Noticeable changes occurred as early as 120 min of freezing. In addition, NMR relaxometry was performed on cold-stored mandarins. Smaller changes were observed in samples stored at 4 °C than frozen samples. CONCLUSION The relative magnitudes of relaxation components are sensitive to sub-cellular changes in mandarin flesh due to freeze damage. Thus, freeze damage in mandarin flesh can be tracked by NMR relaxometry. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry
Environmental Stress, Bottom-up Effects, and Community Dynamics: Integrating Molecular-Physiological and Ecological Approaches.

SYNOPSIS. Environmental stress and nutrient/productivity models predict the responses of community structure along gradients of physical conditions and bottom-up effects. Although both models have succeeded in helping to understand variation in ecological communities, most tests have been qualitative. Until recently, two roadblocks to more quantitative tests in marine environments have been a lack of (1) inexpensive, fielddeployable technology for quantifying (e.g.) temperature, light, salinity, chlorophyll, and productivity, and (2) methods of quantifying the sub-organismal mechanisms linking environmental conditions to their ecological expression. The advent of inexpensive remote-sensing technology, adoption of molecular techniques such as quantification of heat-shock proteins and RNA:DNA ratios, and the formation of interdisciplinary alliances between ecologists and physiologists has begun to overcome these roadblocks. An integrated ecophysiological approach focuses on the determinants of: distributional limits among microhabitat patches and along (local-scale) environmental gradients (e.g., zonation); among-site (mesoscale) differences in community pattern; and geographic (macroscale) differences in ecosystem structure. These approaches promise new insights into the physiological mechanisms underlying variation in processes such as species interactions, physical disturbance, survival and growth. Here, we review two classes of models for community dynamics, and present examples of ecological studies of these models in consumer-prey systems. We illustrate the power of new molecular tools to characterize the sub-organismal responses of some of the same consumers and prey to thermal stress and food concentration. Ecological and physiological evidence tends to be consistent with model predictions, supporting our argument that we are poised to make major advances in the mechanistic understanding of community dynamics along key environmental gradients.
Hirudin (desulfated, 54–65) contracts canine coronary arteries: Extracellular calcium influx mediates hirudin-induced contractions

Abstract Objective Although the anticoagulatory properties of hirudin are well known, its direct vasoactive effects have not been investigated extensively. Hirudin stimulates nitric oxide and prostacyclin production in noncoronary vascular beds, but its actions on coronary arteries are unknown. Materials and methods Five-millimeter segments of canine left circumflex coronary arteries were obtained for organ chamber experiments. Some segments were denuded of endothelium before study. Segments were exposed to hirudin (10−10–10−6 mol/L) following precontraction with prostaglandin F2α with or without pretreatment with indomethacin or calcium channel blockers (verapamil and nifedipine). Results Hirudin stimulated endothelium-independent contraction in coronary arterial segments. Maximum tension (hirudin 10−6 mol/L) above precontraction baseline was 33.6 ± 9.0% (n = 10, P Conclusions Hirudin stimulates endothelium-independent contractions of canine coronary arteries in vitro. Pretreatment with calcium channel blockers attenuates this response, suggesting that extracellular influx of calcium has an important mechanistic role in hirudin-mediated coronary artery constriction.
Making deaths count.

Death has always been an overriding concern: two of the Millennium Development Goals express targets in terms of mortality and one out of three components of the Human Development Index is a mortality measure. It is therefore surprising that the systematic measurement of mortality is relatively recent: rudimentary life tables to summarize mortality from the 17th century, the use of systematically collected data on vital events to examine mortality differentials and cause of death from the 19th century, and systematic explorations of behavioural risk factors only in the 20th. Today, routinely collected data on vital events provide complete and representative information for only about 40% of the world's countries and a quarter of its population. (1) The planning, implementation and evaluation of health programmes at national and international levels require valid, comparable and timely information on the nature and magnitude of health problems. Information on deaths by cause is the key: the Global Burden of Disease 2000 (2) estimates that 63% of healthy life lost in 2000 resulted from premature deaths. Yet Mathers et al., (3) reviewing cause of death recording among Member States supplying data to WHO for 1990 or later, conclude that quality is "high" for countries with only 12% of the world's population, "medium" for 17% and "poor" for 5%; no data are supplied for the remaining 66%. Only two countries from sub-Saharan Africa, the region with the highest mortality, report causes for 50% or more of their deaths. Global health progress requires action to improve the availability of valid statistics: broader collection and timely dissemination of health statistics, and new methodologies that make better use of existing data or that can collect substitutes for vital statistics records quickly and inexpensively. The articles in this issue address both. Information on child mortality in the 1990s is now available for a large majority of countries. Coordinated programmes such as the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys have provided information on patterns, levels and trends of child mortality in many developing countries. Population censuses have added indirect observations and small area estimates for local health authorities. The major international agencies have coordinated their efforts, developing a common database and working on methodological improvements, but there is still much we do not know. Existing estimates are not timely: relatively few developing countries provide estimates of child mortality for 2000 or later. Information on cause of death is weak, and existing verbal autopsy approaches identify few causes well. Countries affected by civil strife, with perhaps the greatest problems of elevated child mortality, rarely have recent indicators of child mortality. The situation is worse for adult mortality. …
CHANGING OBLIGATIONS AND THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CONTRACT: A LONGITUDINAL STUDY

In an exploratory longitudinal study of business school alumni, we investigated changes in employment obligations as perceived by employees. During the first two years of employment, employees came...
Effect of inhomogeneities on streamer propagation: II. Streamer dynamics in high pressure humid air with bubbles

The branching of electric discharge streamers in atmospheric pressure air, dense gases and liquids is a common occurrence whose origins are likely found with many causes, both deterministic and stochastic. One mechanism for streamer branching may be inhomogeneities in the path of a streamer which either divert the streamer (typically a region of lower ionization) or produce a new branch (a region of higher ionization). The propagation and branching of streamers in liquids is likely aided by low density inhomogeneities, bubbles; however, modeling of streamers in liquids is made difficult by the lack of transport coefficients. As a first step towards understanding the propagation and branching of streamers in liquids, we investigated the consequences of random inhomogeneities in the form of low pressure bubbles on the propagation of streamers in high pressure humid air. By virtue of their lower density, bubbles have larger E/N (electric field/gas number density) than the ambient gas with larger rates of ionization. The intersection of a streamer with a bubble will focus the plasma into the bubble by virtue of that higher rate of ionization but the details of the interaction depend on the relative sizes of the bubble and streamer. When a streamer intersects a field of bubbles, the large E/N in the bubble avalanches seed electrons produced by photoionization from the streamer. Each bubble then launches both a negative and positive going streamer that may link with those from adjacent bubbles or the original streamer. The total process then appears as streamer branching.
Prenatal Exposure to Low Doses of Bisphenol A Increases Pituitary Proliferation and Gonadotroph Number in Female Mice Offspring at Birth

The pituitary gland is composed of hormone-producing cells essential for homeostasis and reproduction. Pituitary cells are sensitive to endocrine feedback in the adult and can have altered hormonal secretion from exposure to the endocrine disruptor bisphenol A (BPA). BPA is a prevalent plasticizer used in food and beverage containers, leading to widespread human exposure. Although prenatal exposure to BPA can impact reproductive function in the adult, the effects of BPA on the developing pituitary are unknown. We hypothesized that prenatal exposure to low doses of BPA impacts gonadotroph cell number or parameters of hormone synthesis. To test this, pregnant mice were administered 0.5 μg/kg/day of BPA, 50 μg/kg/day of BPA, or vehicle beginning on Embryonic Day 10.5. At parturition, pituitaries from female offspring exposed in utero to either dose of BPA had increased proliferation, as assessed by mKi67 mRNA levels and immunohistochemistry. Coincidently, gonadotroph number also increased in treated females. However, we observed a dichotomy between mRNA levels of Lhb and Fshb. Female mice exposed to 0.5 μg/kg/day BPA had increased mRNA levels of gonadotropins and the gonadotropin-receptor hormone (GNRH) receptor (Gnrhr), which mediates GNRH regulation of gonadotropin production and release. In contrast, mice treated with 50 μg/kg/day of BPA had decreased gonadotropin mRNA levels, Gnrhr and Nr5a1, a transcription factor required for gonadotroph differentiation. No other pituitary hormones were altered on the day of birth in response to in utero BPA exposure, and male pituitaries showed no change in the parameters tested. Collectively, these results show that prenatal exposure to BPA affects pituitary gonadotroph development in females.
PET imaging of the effects of age and cocaine on the norepinephrine transporter in the human brain using (S,S)‐[11C]O‐methylreboxetine and HRRT

Objectives The role of the norepinephrine transporter (NET) in cocaine dependence has never been demonstrated via in vivo imaging due to the lack of suitable NET radioligands. Here we report our preliminary studies evaluting the NET in individuals with cocaine dependence (COC) in comparison to healthy controls (HC) using (S,S)-[11C]methylreboxetine ([11C]MRB), the most promising C-11 labeled positron-emission tomography (PET) radioligand for NET developed to date.
Anatomical evidence for the antiquity of human footwear use

Archeological evidence suggests that footwear was in use by at least the middle Upper Paleolithic (Gravettian) in portions of Europe, but the frequency of use and the mechanical protection provided are unclear from these data. A comparative biomechanical analysis of the proximal pedal phalanges of western Eurasian Middle Paleolithic and middle Upper Paleolithic humans, in the context of those of variably shod recent humans, indicates that supportive footwear was rare in the Middle Paleolithic, but that it became frequent by the middle Upper Paleolithic. This interpretation is based principally on the marked reduction in the robusticity of the lesser toes in the context of little or no reduction in overall lower limb locomotor robusticity by the time of the middle Upper Paleolithic.
Multiscale Poisson Intensity and Density Estimation

The nonparametric Poisson intensity and density estimation methods studied in this paper offer near minimax convergence rates for broad classes of densities and intensities with arbitrary levels of smoothness. The methods and theory presented here share many of the desirable features associated with wavelet-based estimators: computational speed, spatial adaptivity, and the capability of detecting discontinuities and singularities with high resolution. Unlike traditional wavelet-based approaches, which impose an upper bound on the degree of smoothness to which they can adapt, the estimators studied here guarantee nonnegativity and do not require any a priori knowledge of the underlying signal's smoothness to guarantee near-optimal performance. At the heart of these methods lie multiscale decompositions based on free-knot, free-degree piecewise-polynomial functions and penalized likelihood estimation. The degrees as well as the locations of the polynomial pieces can be adapted to the observed data, resulting in near-minimax optimal convergence rates. For piecewise-analytic signals, in particular, the error of this estimator converges at nearly the parametric rate. These methods can be further refined in two dimensions, and it is demonstrated that platelet-based estimators in two dimensions exhibit similar near-optimal error convergence rates for images consisting of smooth surfaces separated by smooth boundaries.
Trends in the care of patients with acute myocardial infarction at a university-affiliated Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Background: Acute cardiac care of the veterans at Veterans Administration (VA) hospitals has been thought of as poor in quality. We examined the use of life-saving, evidence-based medical therapy in patients admitted with acute myocardial infarction to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences-affiliated VA Medical Center in Little Rock and compared the use of this therapy with other hospitals in Arkansas and in the rest of the nation.Methods: Use of life-saving medical therapy in 117 patients admitted with acute myocardial infarction from January 2002 to December 2002 was compared with the National Registry of Myocardial Infarction database for the identical period.Results: Heparin/low-molecular-weight heparin and glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors were used in 88% and 66% of patients, respectively. Aspirin, β adrenergic-blocking agents, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (statins) were us...
Biased Predecisional Processing of Leading and Nonleading Alternatives

When people obtain information about choice alternatives in a set one attribute at a time, they rapidly identify a leading alternative. Although previous research has established that people then distort incoming information, it is unclear whether distortion occurs through favoring of the leading alternative, disfavoring of the trailing alternative, or both. Prior examinations have not explored the predecisional treatment of the nonleading alternative (or alternatives) because they conceptualized distortion as a singular construct in binary choice and measured it using a relative item comparing the evaluation of both alternatives simultaneously. In this article, we introduce a measure of distortion at the level of the alternative, which allows for measuring whether predecisional distortion favors or disfavors every alternative being considered in choice sets of various sizes. We report that both proleader and antitrailer distortion occur and that the use of antitrailer processing differs between binary choices and multiple-options choices.
Rhodopsin phosphorylation and dephosphorylation in vivo.

Rhodopsin is an important member of the superfamily of G protein-coupled receptors. In vitro studies have suggested that multiphosphorylation of rhodopsin is a pivotal step in phototransduction. Because the in vitro biochemical experiments were conducted under non-physiological conditions, we investigated the phosphorylation of mouse rhodopsin in vivo and determined the sites of phosphorylation and the time course of dephosphorylation. We found that a single phosphate group is incorporated into the rhodopsin molecule in a light-dependent manner, primarily at Ser338 after flashes and at Ser334 after continuous illumination. Dephosphorylation of these sites had different kinetics and spatial distribution in rod outer segments. Dephosphorylation of Ser338 was complete within 30 min, while Ser334 was dephosphorylated much slower (requiring up to 60 min), correlating with the regeneration of rhodopsin. These results suggest that phosphorylation of Ser338 and Ser334 plays different roles in phototransduction.
Changes in tissue oxygenation and acidity induced by localized microwave hyperthermia and hematoporphyrin phototherapy, an update.

Due, in part, to increasing clinical interest, active investigation of the physiological phenomena induced by hyperthermia is in progress (1, 2,7, 13). The studies of Eddy (7) and Reinhold (13) employing “chamber systems” have both shown changes in the micro-vascular network as a function of temperature and exposure time. Cater et al. (3) reported on changes in tumor oxygen tension with hyperthermia but did not record changes in tumor temperature. Bicher (1, 2), in a mouse leg tumor system, reported that tumor blood flow increased up to 41°C and then decreased to 4400. The oxygen tension in the tumor, as measured with a platinum electrode, generally followed the changes in tumor blood flow.
Causes and Consequences of Ecosystem Service Regionalization in a Coastal Suburban Watershed

The demand for ecosystem services and the abil- ity of natural ecosystems to provide those services evolve over time as population, land use, and management prac- tices change. Regionalization of ecosystem service activity, or the expansion of the area providing ecosystem services to a population, isa commonresponse in densely populated coastal regions, with important consequences for watershed water and nitrogen (N) fluxes to the coastal zone. We link biophysical and historical information to explore the causes and consequences of change in ecosystem service activity—focusing on water provi- sioning and N regulation—from 1850 to 2010 in a coastal suburban watershed, the Ipswich River watershed in northeast- ern Massachusetts, USA. Net interbasin water transfers started in the late 1800s due to regionalization of water supply for use by larger populations living outside the Ipswich watershed boundaries, reaching a peak in the mid-1980s. Over much of the twentieth century, about 20 % of river runoff was diverted from reaching the estuary, with greater proportions during drought years. Ongoing regionalization of water supply has contributed to recent declines in diversions, influenced by socioecological feedbacks resulting from the river drying and fish kills. Similarly, the N budget has been greatly perturbed since the suburban era began in the 1950s due to food and lawn fertilizer imports and human waste release. However, natural ecosystems are able to remove most of this anthropogenic N, mitigating impacts on the coastal zone. We propose a conceptual model whereby the amount and type of ecosystem services provided by coastal watersheds in urban regions expand and contract over time as regional population expands and ecosys- tem services are regionalized. We hypothesize that suburban watersheds can be hotspots of ecosystem service sources be- cause they retain sufficient ecosystem function to still produce services that meet increasing demand from the local population andnearbyurbancenters.Historical reconstructionofecosystem service activity provides a perspective that may help to better understandcoupledhuman-natural system processes and lead to more sustainable management of coastal ecosystems.
Caring for family members with chronic physical illness: a critical review of caregiver literature.

This article reviews 19 studies (1987–2004) on quality of life for family caregivers helping those with chronic physical illness. Here we explore the concepts of and instruments used to measure caregivers' quality of life. We were particularly interested in understanding stress-related variables and documenting factors influencing quality of life based on family stress theory. Findings show that various positive and negative terms equated with quality of life were used to measure them. Results indicate that stress-related variables as possible predictors influencing caregivers' quality of life include: patient and caregiver characteristics, stressors, stress appraisal, stress coping methods, and social support. Our recommendations touch upon applying theory for intervention, developing measurement, making operable the concepts for measuring, and the need for longitudinal and comprehensive study.
Determination of free and total carnitine with a random-access chemistry analyzer

Carnitine deficiency presents as a major problem in fatty acid oxidation. The use of a plasma carnitine assay can rapidly help to describe this deficiency. The method we describe here requires two simple steps of sample preparation, followed by automated analysis with the Beckman Synchron CX4 random-access chemistry analyzer. The goal of this method development was to reduce the cost of analysis and to allow a greater number of laboratories to perform this assay on demand within 1 h for both free and total carnitine. The method has a linearity of 0–150 μmol/L and a detection limit of 5 μmol/L. The inter- and intraday CVs are <20%. The method agreed closely with both the widely used RIA and spectrophotometric methods.
Independent Association Between Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Subclinical Coronary Artery Disease

Background Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with coronary risk factors, but it is unknown if OSA is associated with development of coronary disease. We evaluated the association between OSA and the presence of subclinical coronary disease assessed by coronary artery calcification (CAC). Methods Consecutive patients with no history of coronary disease who underwent electron-beam CT within 3 years of polysomnography between March 1991 and December 2003 were included. OSA was defined by an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) ≥ 5 events per hour, and patients were grouped by quartiles of AHI severity. Logistic regression modeled the association between OSA severity and presence of CAC. Results There were 202 patients (70% male; median age, 50 years; mean body mass index, 32 kg/m 2 ; 8% diabetic; 9% current smokers; 60% hypercholesterolemic; and 47% hypertensive). OSA was present in 76%. CAC was present in 67% of OSA patients and 31% of non-OSA patients (p Conclusions In patients without clinical coronary disease, the presence and severity of OSA is independently associated with the presence and extent of CAC. OSA identifies patients at risk for coronary disease and may represent a highly prevalent modifiable risk factor.
Science, Politics, and the Evolution of Law and Neoclassical Economics

James Hackney's article provocatively points our attention to very important and underexplored issues concerning the interplay of science and politics in the dramatic evolution of law and neoclassical economics since the Second World War. At the heart of his article is his rejection of any reductionist interpretation of the leading developments in this area. Modern law and neoclassical economics, he argues, cannot be accurately viewed either as merely a faithful, nonpoliticized application of modern social science or, alternatively, as simply a convenient vehicle for the promotion of particular contentious political beliefs. Hackney insists that law and neoclassical economics, both in general and in the specific doctrinal area he emphasizes, is about both science and politics. His article seeks to demonstrate this duality and, more broadly, to clarify the general nature and evolution of modern law and economics. Hackney highlights key general characteristics of twentieth-century intellectual thought and examines the influence of those characteristics, as well as the interplay between science and politics, in a series of landmark works on law and economics that have great relevance to recent debates over appropriate products liability standards.
Strictly Nonblocking Multicasting WDM Optical Cross Connects Using Multiwavelength Converters

In this paper, we propose new strictly nonblocking Multicast Capable Optical Cross Connects (MC-OXCs) architectures that exploit the potential of multi-wavelength converters (MWCs). An MWC is capable of simultaneously replicating a signal on an input wavelength to several output wavelengths. We investigate two families of MCOXCs based on use of Full- and Limited-range MWCs, and present a number of architectures in each of the two families. Proposed architectures present a trade-off between switching complexity, conversion cost, and signal loss.
Enhanced wavelength tuning in grating-assisted codirectional coupler filter

Wavelength-tunable devices based on grating-assisted codirectional coupler filters have been shown to possess enhanced wavelength tunabilities and are promising for use in multiwavelength communication networks. It was found theoretically that the enhancement factor can be estimated by the mismatch of group velocities between the two coupled models. We have confirmed this prediction via measurements of wavelength tuning for both the coupler filter and the Fabry-Perot filter in reverse bias. These measurements are accomplished with photonic-integrated devices. An enhancement factor of approximately 11 is measured on our device, which agrees very well with the theory. >
Postural Control: A Quantitative Study of Nervous System Functions in the Dog

External manifestations of postural control in the dog have been measured under static and dynamic conditions. During quiet standing, trained dogs were found to exhibit laterally symmetric weight distribution and to carry approximately 60% of their weight on their front legs. Lateral symmetry of weight distribution was also the rule during the postural reaction to momentary (ramp) or continuous (sinusoidal) displacement of the support platform on which the dogs stood. A Fourier analysis of data obtained during sinusoidal oscillation of the table provided an indication of the amount of harmonic distortion generated by the dog. It was found that records of body position were relatively free from distortion, thus implying a relatively linear transformation of the input signal. However, the motions of the various hindlimb joints and the changes in vertical forces which were engendered by the table oscillation all showed considerable distortion. Hence, the components of the postural control system might be seen to behave in essentially non-linear fashion (or to be governed by time varying parameters) while the basic system output- body position in space — apparently exhibits low pass filter characteristics and hence resembles certain characteristics usually associated with linear systems.
Magnetodielectric coupling in the ilmenites M TiO 3 ( M = Co , Ni)

We report magnetodielectric coupling in rhombohedral ilmenites ${\mathrm{CoTiO}}_{3}$ and ${\mathrm{NiTiO}}_{3}$ along with heat capacity and magnetic measurements. ${\mathrm{CoTiO}}_{3}$ and ${\mathrm{NiTiO}}_{3}$ undergo antiferromagnetic ordering at $\ensuremath{\approx}$ 38 and $\ensuremath{\approx}$ 22 K, respectively. The dielectric permittivity of ${\mathrm{CoTiO}}_{3}$ decreases below its magnetic ordering temperature while the dielectric permittivity of ${\mathrm{NiTiO}}_{3}$ increases below the N\'eel temperature. The dielectric permittivity of ${\mathrm{CoTiO}}_{3}$ and ${\mathrm{NiTiO}}_{3}$ are dependent on the applied magnetic field and temperature with the strongest dependence observed close to the magnetic-ordering temperature. We analyze magnetodielectric coupling in ${\mathrm{CoTiO}}_{3}$ and ${\mathrm{NiTiO}}_{3}$ on the basis of spin-phonon coupling and suggest other possible mechanisms such as exchange coupling and magnetostrictive effects.
Quality of life comparing dor and toupet after heller myotomy for achalasia.

Background Laparoscopic Heller cardiomyotomy (LHC) is standard therapy for achalasia. Traditionally, an antireflux procedure has accompanied the myotomy. This study was undertaken to compare quality-of-life outcomes between patients undergoing myotomy with Toupet versus Dor fundoplication. In addition, we investigated overall patient satisfaction after LHC in the treatment of achalasia. Methods One hundred thirty-five patients who underwent LHC over a 13-year period were identified for inclusion. Symptoms queried included dysphagia, heartburn, and bloating using the Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease-Health-Related Quality of Life Scale and a second published scale for the assessment of gastroesophageal reflux disease and dysphagia symptoms. The patients' overall satisfaction after surgery was also rated. Data were compared on the basis of type of fundoplication. Symptom scores were analyzed using chi-square tests and Fisher's exact tests. Results Sixty-three patients completed the survey (47%). There were no perioperative deaths or reoperations. The mean length of stay was 2.8 days. The mean operative time for LHC with Toupet fundoplication was 137.3±30.91 minutes and for LHC with Dor fundoplication was 111.5±32.44 minutes (P=.006). There was no difference with respect to the incidence or severity of postoperative heartburn, dysphagia, or bloating. Overall satisfaction with Toupet fundoplication was 87.5% and with Dor fundoplication was 93.8% (P>.999). Conclusions LHC with either Toupet or Dor fundoplication gave excellent patient satisfaction. Postoperative symptoms of heartburn and dysphagia were equivalent when comparing LHC with either antireflux procedure. Dor and Toupet fundoplication were found to have equivalent outcomes in the short term. We prefer Dor to Toupet fundoplication because of its decreased need for extensive dissection and better mucosal protection.
Inverse Determination of Temperature Distribution in Partially Cooled Heat Generating Cylinder

Inverse determination of the temperature distribution in the interior of a solid has been an area of interest in recent years. Conventional measurement devices, such as thermocouples or pyrometers, cannot be used to determine the interior temperature, but they can be used to determine the surface temperature. From this surface temperature, the temperature distribution in the interior can be estimated using an inverse method. If the maximum temperature is more than melting point of material then it may result in catastrophic accidents for some particular applications like nuclear fuel rods. Thus, knowledge of the temperature distribution on the interior is important.In this paper, numerical solution approach involving finite volume method along with MATLAB Optimization Toolbox is used to determine the temperature distribution in the interior of a solid object.Copyright © 2015 by ASME