cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
BIPLANE TRANSESOPHAGEAL ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY IN THE DOG: TECHNIQUE, ANATOMY AND IMAGING PLANES

To determine the feasibility of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in dogs, biplane TEE was performed in 6 normal, anesthetized dogs, using a 10 mm × 110 cm endoscopic TEE transducer. Positioning was confirmed by fluoroscopy, and imaging planes were confirmed by necropsy examination. A transgastric position provided only a limited view of the left ventricular apex. Three TEE positions over the base of the heart were identified. A caudal position provided excellent images in both transverse and longitudinal planes, but alignment with flow for Doppler examination was poor. A middle position provided long axis views of the left ventricular inflow region and mitral valve suitable for Doppler examination. A cranial position provided excellent views for both anatomic and Doppler examination of right and left ventricular outflow and associated great vessels. We conclude that biplane TEE provides unique views of the heart in dogs which are complementary to, and often superior to, transthoracic views for evaluation of structures at the heart base.
A fuzzy logic evaluation system for commercial loan analysis

Abstract This paper introduces an application of fuzzy logic to commercial loan analysis. It describes the fuzzy sets and linguistic variables that contribute to the financial evaluation. It also presents a computer-based Fuzzy Logic Evaluation System consisting of the components Specify Fuzzy Sets, Edit Rules, and Evaluator. The Evaluator performs fuzzification, evaluation, and defuzzification activities. Using company-specific and industry financial data, the current version of the system appraises a company's credit, capital, and capacity performance. A specific example for efficiency analysis illustrates the system constructs.
Atherosclerosis and cardiac function assessment in low-density lipoprotein receptor-deficient mice undergoing body weight cycling

Atherosclerosis and cardiac function assessment in low-density lipoprotein receptor-deficient mice undergoing body weight cycling
Cost-utility of one-time colonoscopic screening for colorectal cancer at various ages

OBJECTIVE: One-time colonoscopy has been recommended as a possible colorectal cancer (CRC) screening strategy. Because the incidence of colorectal neoplasia increases with age, the effectiveness and cost of this strategy depend on the age at which screening occurs. The purpose of this study was to investigate the age-dependent cost-utility of one-time colonoscopic screening. METHODS: We constructed a computer simulation model of the natural history of colorectal neoplasia. This model was used to compare the cost-utility of no screening and age-based strategies employing one-time colonoscopic screening (age ranges evaluated: 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, and 60-64 yr). RESULTS: We determined that one-time colonoscopic screening in men age <60 yr and in women age <65 yr dominates never screening and screening at older ages. For both sexes, one-time colonoscopic screening between 50 and 54 yr of age is associated with a marginal cost-utility of less than $10,000 per additional quality-adjusted life-year compared to screening between 55 and 60 yr of age. One-time colonoscopic screening between 45 and 49 yr of age is either dominated (women) or associated with a marginal cost-utility of $69,000/per quality-adjusted life-year (men) compared to screening between 50 and 54 yr of age. The marginal cost-utility of one-time colonoscopic screening is relatively insensitive to plausible changes in the cost of colonoscopy, the cost of CRC treatment, the sensitivity of colonoscopy for colorectal neoplasia, the utility values representing the morbidity associated with the CRC-related health states, and the discount rate. CONCLUSIONS: One-time colonoscopic screening between 50 and 54 yr of age is cost-effective compared to no screening and screening at older ages in both men and women. Screening in men between 45 and 49 yr of age may be cost-effective compared to screening between 50 and 54 yr of age depending on societal willingness to pay.
Soil bacterial community structure and physicochemical properties in mitigation wetlands created in the Piedmont region of Virginia (USA)

Abstract Wetland creation is a common practice for compensatory mitigation in the United States. Vegetation attributes have been used as a quick measure of mitigation success in most post-creation monitoring, while little attention has been paid to soils that provide the substrate for flora and fauna to establish and develop. Created wetland soils are often found not indicative of ‘hydric soil’ with a lack of development of physicochemical properties (i.e., bulk density, moisture content, and carbon and nitrogen contents) comparable to those in natural wetlands. Moreover, soil bacterial communities are rarely examined though they are integrally involved in biogeochemical functions that are critical for ecosystem development in created wetlands. We analyzed soil physicochemistry and profiled soil bacterial community structure using amplicon length heterogeneity polymerase chain reaction (LH-PCR) of 16S ribosomal DNA in three relatively young wetlands ( R = 0.70, p = 0.001) and in soil bacterial community profiles (Global R = 0. 77, p = 0.001) between sites. Soil physicochemistry (Global R = 1, p = 0.005) and bacterial community structure (Global R = 0.79, p = 0.005) of soils significantly differed by hydrologic regime within a wetland, but not by microtopography treatment. A significant association was found between physicochemistry and bacterial community structure in wetland soils, revealing a close link between two attributes ( ρ = 0.39, p = 0.002) . C/N (carbon to nitrogen) ratio was the best predictor of soil bacterial community patterns ( ρ = 0.56, p = 0.001). The diversity of soil bacterial community (Shannon's H ′) differed between sites with a slightly higher diversity observed in a relatively older created wetland, and seemed also fairly determined by hydrologic regime of a site, with a relatively dry site being more diverse.
Cramér-Rao inequalities for operator-valued measures in quantum mechanics

The theory of estimation of parameters of quantum-mechanical density operators is expressed in terms of the measurement of operator-valued measures. Lower bounds on mean-square errors of parameter estimates are set by two quantum-mechanical forms of the Cramer-Rao inequality of classical statistics, derived here in terms of such measures. The results are exemplified by the simultaneous estimation of the real and imaginary parts of the complex amplitude of a coherent oscillation in the presence of thermal noise.
Side-coupled fibre semiconductor laser

A novel composite fibre-semiconductor laser that can greatly alleviate the alignment complexities associated with the conventional pigtailed laser diode modules is presented. The laser has a threshold current density of 3 kA/cm 2 , emits evanescently into a singlemode side-polished optical fibre at 854 nm, and operates singlemode without any additional gratings.
Improving memory hierarchy performance for irregular applications

The gap between CPU speed and memory speed in modern computer systems is widening as new generations of hardware are introduced. Loop blocking and prefetching transformations help bridge this gap for regular applications; however, these techniques aren’t as effective for irregular applications. This paper investigates using data and computation reordering to improve memory hierarchy utilization for irregular applications on systems with multi-level memory hierarchies. We evaluate the impact of data and computation reordering using space-filling curves and introduce multi-Ievel blocking as a new computation reordering strategy for irregular applications. In experiments that applied specific combinations of data and computation reorderings to two irregular programs, overall execution time dropped by a factor of two for one program and a factor of four for the second.
The effect of smoking cigarettes on the peripheral blood flow in subjects in the older age group with coronary arteriosclerosis and hypertension.

Abstract The effect of smoking standard cigarettes on the peripheral blood flow was studied by means of a method with which the average amount of blood allotted to the periphery can be measured in cubic centimeters per square meter of body surface per minute. The peripheral blood flow was measured in seventeen patients who exhibited evidences of hypertension and coronary arteriosclerosis and who were in the older age group ranging from 38 to 81 years of age. Effects on the basal metabolic rate, blood pressure, and pulse rate were also recorded. Studies were made before, during, and after the smoking of one brand of regular commercial cigarettes. All observations were made with patients in a basal metabolic state at a room temperature of 27° C. and 45 to 50 per cent humidity. 1. 1. As a result of smoking, the peripheral blood flow decreased in thirteen subjects and increased in four subjects. In the four showing increases, the peripheral blood flow decreased for single observations either during or after smoking but not sufficiently to counterbalance the average trend of increase in peripheral blood flow for the whole period of the observations. After cessation of smoking the peripheral blood flow continued to decrease in some and began to return toward the control levels in others. 2. 2. The blood pressure rose and the pulse rate increased in the group in which smoking decreased the peripheral blood flow, but it was essentially unchanged in the group in which smoking increased the peripheral blood flow. 3. 3. The rectal temperature rose as a result of smoking. 4. 4. The average skin temperature decreased as a result of smoking. 5. 5. These changes resulting from smoking are similar to those occurring in normal subjects. 6. 6. The changes in peripheral blood flow, blood pressure, heart rate, rectal temperature, and average skin temperature (especially the temperature of the hands and feet) were, however, less marked in these patients in the later decades of life than in normal young subjects.
A Calnaktin-like Inhibitor of Na,K-ATPase in Rat Brain: Regulation of α1 and α2 Isozymes

Abstract This study was designed to determine if a Ca 2+ -dependent, calnaktin-like inhibitor of Na,K-ATPase existed in rat brain and to compare the inhibition of different Na,K-ATPase isozymes in brain, heart and kidney. Based on the size and characteristics of human red blood cell calnaktin, a soluble protein fraction was obtained from rat brain and subjected to ultrafiltration and gel filtration to restrict the proteins to an appropriate molecular range of 6–50 kDa (6/50 fraction) for a crude calnaktin preparation. The 6/50 fraction was reconstituted with semipurified rat brain Na,K-ATPase and resulted in Ca 2+ -dependent inhibition of Na,K-ATPase activity. A 6/50 fraction was also prepared from rat heart ventricles, and, in its presence, Ca 2+ -dependent inhibition of cardiac Na,K-ATPase activity was observed. With brain preparations, the threshold for inhibition was approximately 100 nM free Ca 2+ , and inhibition was half maximal at 3–10 μ M free Ca 2+ . Different isozymes of Na,K-ATPase were examined using differential sensitivity to ouabain and differential tissue distribution in brain, heart and kidney. The α 1 activity was inhibited in all three tissues. The α 2 activity of heart and the α 2 and/or α 3 activity of brain were also inhibited by the brain 6/50 fraction. In synaptosomal preparations from rat forebrain, resting intracellular (intrasynaptosomal) free Ca 2+ was close to the threshold for calnaktin-like inhibition. The results are consistent with the presence of a calnaktin-like inhibitor of Na,K-ATPase in rat brain and indicate that calnaktin could be a widespread regulator of the α 1 isozyme. In addition, this study provides the first evidence that calnaktin also inhibits the α 2 activity of heart and the α 2 and/or α 3 isozymes of brain.
Automatic vertebral identification using surface-based registration

This work introduces an enhancement to currently existing methods of intra-operative vertebral registration by allowing the portion of the spinal column surface that correctly matches a set of physical vertebral points to be automatically selected from several possible choices. Automatic selection is made possible by the shape variations that exist among lumbar vertebrae. In our experiments, we register vertebral points representing physical space to spinal column surfaces extracted from computed tomography images. The vertebral points are taken from the posterior elements of a single vertebra to represent the region of surgical interest. The surface is extracted using an improved version of the fully automatic marching cubes algorithm, which results in a triangulated surface that contains multiple vertebrae. We find the correct portion of the surface by registering the set of physical points to multiple surface areas, including all vertebral surfaces that potentially match the physical point set. We then compute the standard deviation of the surface error for the set of points registered to each vertebral surface that is a possible match, and the registration that corresponds to the lowest standard deviation designates the correct match. We have performed our current experiments on two plastic spine phantoms and one patient.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Sub-acute combined degeneration with an initially normal level of vitamin B12: a case report

The neurological manifestation of vitamin B12 deficiency can occur as a result of peripheral nerve pathology or lateral and posterior column involvement, also known as "sub-acute combined degeneration". This case report demonstrates an unusual presentation of SCD with normal B12 level. A 39-year-old man was referred to the outpatient neurology clinic with a two month history of distal upper extremities numbness and fine motor movement difficulties. Initial vitamin B12 level was normal. A repeat MR imaging of the cervical and thoracic spine showed extensive posterior cervical cord flame-shaped lesions. His repeat vitamin B12 level was 41 pg/ml (normal; 200 ph/ml). He received monthly injections of vitamin B12. After six months his symptoms were resolved and his repeat spinal MRI showed resolution of the previous lesions. We recommend that every patient presenting with numbness and lesions on a spinal MR imaging should have their vitamin B12 level checked.
Compressive maximum shear crack initiation and propagation

Abstract A maximum shear crack γ (a Mode II shear crack along the maximum shear direction associated with the crack tip shear displacement) was produced successfully in a so-called compressive maximum shear (CMS) specimen. This specimen was specificially designed to produce a compressive maximum shear failure which is one of two mechanisms widely believed to be responsible for limiting bearing fatigue life in rolling contact. The fracture initiation stress (or crack nucleation stress) σc and the upward crack propagation rate (toward the loading surface) dli dσi per unit cyclic compressive stress increment were determined for the 52100 steel. These parameters were measured at two cleanness levels (DE and CEVM) [DE: basic electric arc furnace melted plus vacuum degassed. CEVM: Consumable electrode vacuum melted] and two tempered hardness levels, RC61 and 51. The possibility of determining K11 for ith cycle was also elucidated. The formation of tail cracks and parallel multiple cracks as fine structure of CMS cracks can be well expounded by the concept of restoring tensile stresses and the residual shear stress relaxation at the CMS crack tip. The fracture mechanism advanced here can explain the formation of similar tail cracks and parallel multiple cracks frequently observed along the inclined shear cracks existing in the subsurface regions of rolling
The clustered flow-shop problem

This paper considers a generalization of the classical flow shop problem wheren the items, grouped intok fixed sequences (clusters) are processed onm machines. A permutation is being sought that minimizes the completion time of processing all items. This paper develops conditions when the clustered problem can be reduced to a classical case. It also provides sufficient optimality conditions for an approximate solution generated by a method for the two machine clustered problem.
Teachers' Expectations and Sense of Responsibility for Student Learning: The Importance of Race, Class, and Organizational Habitus

This article examines how the concentration of low-income African American students in urban elementary schools is deeply coupled with a leveling of teachers' expectations of students and a reduction in their sense of responsibility for student learning. We argue that this process is rooted in school-based organizational habitus through which expectations of students become embedded in schools. We show that this process can be mediated if school leaders engage in practices designed to increase teachers' sense of responsibility for student learning. [organizational habitus, race, class, teacher expectations]
The Primary Process in the Photolysis of Hexafluoroacetone Vapour. IV. Identification of Singlet Quenching Addends

High pressures of cis-butene-2 interact with an excited state, postulated to be the singlet, of hexafluoroacetone in such a way as to inhibit the decomposition of the ketone but to yield only small, and perhaps negligible, amounts of isomerization (part III). Studies of the undispersed emission support the hypothesis that the singlet state is involved; when present at high pressures both isobutene and cis-butene-2 reduce the fluorescence yield to zero. The fluorescence spectrum is decreased in intensity, but essentially unchanged in shape, in the presence of moderate amounts of biacetyl. Quantitative measurements of both these effects were made and values for the rate constants for the quenching of the singlet state were derived. An approximate value of the quenching constant obtained from work on the decomposition in the presence of cis-butene-2 agreed as to order of magnitude with that derived from the emission study.
Patient–Clinician Information Engagement Improves Adherence to Colorectal Cancer Surveillance after Curative Treatment: Results from a Longitudinal Study

Introduction. Follow-up surveillance after curative treatmentforcolorectalcancer(CRC)patientsisrecommended to detect early cancer recurrences and improve survival outcomes. However, a substantial proportion of CRC patients do not undergo cancer surveillance. Several demographic and disease-related factors have been associated with cancer surveillance adherence. Thus far, patientcentered communication has not been studied as a determinantforundergoingcancersurveillance.Thepurposeof this study is to determine whether patient–clinician information engagement (PCIE) influences patients’ self-reported adherence to recommended CRC surveillance procedures. Methods. The study was a longitudinal survey among Pennsylvanian patients diagnosed with CRC in 2005. CRC patients who were eligible for surveillance and participated in both the baseline and 1-year follow-up surveys were included in this analysis (n 305). The
The cellular level of PR500, a protein complex related to the 19S regulatory particle of the proteasome, is regulated in response to stresses in plants.

In Arabidopsis seedlings and cauliflower florets, Rpn6 (a proteasome non-ATPase regulatory subunit) was found in two distinct protein complexes of ;800 and 500 kDa, respectively. The large complex likely represents the proteasome 19S regulator particle (RP) because it displays the expected subunit composition and all characteristics. The small complex, designated PR500, shares at least three subunits with the “lid” subcomplex of 19S RP and is loosely associated with an hsp70 protein. In Arabidopsis COP9 signalosome mutants, PR500 was specifically absent or reduced to an extent that correlates with the severity of the mutations. Furthermore, PR500 was also diminished in response to potential protein-misfolding stresses caused by the heat shock and canavanine treatment. Immunofluorescence studies suggest that PR500 has a distinct localization pattern and is enriched in specific nuclear foci. We propose that PR500 may be evolved in higher plants to cope with the frequently encountered environmental stresses.
MetAmp: combining amplicon data from multiple markers for OTU analysis

Motivation: We present a novel method and corresponding application, MetAmp, to combine amplicon data from multiple genomic markers into Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) for microbial community analysis, calibrating the markers using data from known microbial genomes. When amplicons for multiple markers such as the 16S rRNA gene hypervariable regions are available, MetAmp improves the accuracy of OTU-based methods for characterizing bacterial composition and community structure. MetAmp works best with at least three markers, and is applicable to non-bacterial analyses and to non 16S markers. Our application and testing have been limited to 16S analysis of microbial communities. Results: We clustered standard test sequences derived from the Human Microbiome Mock Community test sets and compared MetAmp and other tools with respect to their ability to recover OTUs for these benchmark bacterial communities. MetAmp compared favorably to QIIME, UPARSE and Mothur using amplicons from one, two, and three markers. Availability and implementation: MetAmp is available at http://izhbannikov.github.io/MetAmp/ Contact: ude.ohadiu@zayli, ude.ohadiu@retsof Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Individual learning and racial experience in the rat, with special reference to vocalization.

Although many species of living organisms “vocalize” and by this and other means “communicate” in at least a rudimentary way, Homo sapiens alone has developed “language.” There are probably multiple reasons for this unique accomplishment, but one factor of major importance in the situation appears to be the extent to which different species have voluntary control over their vocalizing responses, in the same sense that they have voluntary control over their skeletal musculature (as in locomotion, manipulation, head movement, etc.).
Preoperative brain natriuretic peptide and atrial arrhythmias after coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

Objective To assess the association of preoperative brain natriuretic peptide with atrial arrhythmias and length of stay after cardiac surgery. Design A retrospective data analysis. Setting All data were collected from patients who underwent cardiac surgery at a single institution, an academic hospital, between 2005 and 2010. Participants Patient data were collected from the authors’ institution’s Perioperative Health Documentation System of cardiac surgeries. Interventions None. Measurements and Main Results The major findings were that individuals with a 10-pg/mL increase in brain natriuretic peptide were 1.005 (95% CI: 1.002, 1.009) times more likely to have an atrial arrhythmia than those with no increase in brain natriuretic peptide. A brain natriuretic peptide value≥306 pg/mL was calculated to best predict an atrial arrhythmia. Those above the threshold were 1.455 (95% CI: 1.087, 1.947) times more likely to have an atrial arrhythmia than those below the threshold. Individuals above the threshold had a median of 3 days in the intensive care unit compared to 1 day for those below the threshold, as well as median hospital stays of 11 days for those below the threshold. Conclusions The results indicated that elevated brain natriuretic peptide was associated with increased risk of atrial arrhythmias and prolonged length of hospital stay after cardiac surgery. Identifying at-risk patients is important to guide preventative strategies for postoperative atrial arrhythmias.
A Context for Thinking About Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Ethics

Have we come full circle in the evolution of medicine? The dictionary defines the term full circle as “back to one’s starting point,” so the answer is probably no. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is changing conventional medicine, and conventional medicine is changing CAM practices. Clearly, however, with the growing popularity of CAM today, patients and the public want something more or something different than conventional medicine can, in many circumstances, provide.
3D printing facilitated scaffold-free tissue unit fabrication

Tissue spheroids hold great potential in tissue engineering as building blocks to assemble into functional tissues. To date, agarose molds have been extensively used to facilitate fusion process of tissue spheroids. As a molding material, agarose typically requires low temperature plates for gelation and/or heated dispenser units. Here, we proposed and developed an alginate-based, direct 3D mold-printing technology: 3D printing microdroplets of alginate solution into biocompatible, bio-inert alginate hydrogel molds for the fabrication of scaffold-free tissue engineering constructs. Specifically, we developed a 3D printing technology to deposit microdroplets of alginate solution on calcium containing substrates in a layer-by-layer fashion to prepare ring-shaped 3D hydrogel molds. Tissue spheroids composed of 50% endothelial cells and 50% smooth muscle cells were robotically placed into the 3D printed alginate molds using a 3D printer, and were found to rapidly fuse into toroid-shaped tissue units. Histological and immunofluorescence analysis indicated that the cells secreted collagen type I playing a critical role in promoting cell-cell adhesion, tissue formation and maturation.
Identification and characterization of Drosophila relatives of the yeast transcriptional activator SNF2/SWI2

The Drosophila brahma (brm) gene encodes an activator of homeotic genes that is highly related to the yeast transcriptional activator SWI2 (SNF2), a potential helicase. To determine whether brm is a functional homolog of SWI2 or merely a member of a family of SWI2-related genes, we searched for additional Drosophila genes related to SWI2 and examined their function in yeast cells. In addition to brm, we identified one other Drosophila relative of SWI2: the closely related ISWI gene. The 1,027-residue ISWI protein contains the DNA-dependent ATPase domain characteristic of the SWI2 protein family but lacks the three other domains common to brm and SWI2. In contrast, the ISWI protein is highly related (70% identical) to the human hSNF2L protein over its entire length, suggesting that they may be functional homologs. The DNA-dependent ATPase domains of brm and SWI2, but not ISWI, are functionally interchangeable; a chimeric SWI2-brm protein partially rescued the slow growth of swi2- cells and supported transcriptional activation mediated by the glucocorticoid receptor in vivo in yeast cells. These findings indicate that brm is the closest Drosophila relative of SWI2 and suggest that brm and SWI2 play similar roles in transcriptional activation.
Analysis of an Ultra-Tightly Coupled GPS/INS System in Jamming

The performance of an Ultra-Tightly Coupled (UTC) Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation System (GPS/INS) is evaluated using a system simulation of the GPS receiver and navigation processing. The UTC system being analyzed uses a bank of pre-filters to estimate code delay error and Doppler frequency error for each satellite. These outputs are sent to a central Kalman navigation filter. This central processor generates estimates of inertial navigation position, velocity, and attitude errors; IMU biases; and user clock errors, which are used to correct the navigation solution. In the UTC approach, outputs from the central navigation processor, after projection into satellite line-of-sight coordinates, are used to control the code and carrier replica signals for each satellite channel. In contrast, a conventional tightly coupled GPS/INS system uses separate tracking loops for each satellite channel, which operate autonomously. As a result, the UTC design is considered more robust to jamming and vehicle dynamics. Closed-loop UTC navigation performance is evaluated over a realistic precision guided munition (PGM) scenario in the presence of broadband jamming directed against the GPS system. A realistic IMU error model is assumed, and UTC performance is evaluated over a range of jamming levels. Some preliminary conclusions are then formed about the effectiveness of the UTC approach.
On the stability and optimality of distributed Kalman filters with finite-time data fusion

In this paper, we consider distributed estimation for discrete-time, linear systems, with finite-time data fusion of agent measurements between each time-step of the dynamics. Prior work in this context is related to average-consensus, where either the data fusion is implemented for an infinite time (in general) to reach average-consensus, or under restricted observability requirements (one-step and/or local), whereas, our results hold under the broadest observability conditions (n-step global observability, where n is the dimension of the dynamics). We show that after the finite-time data fusion on agent measurements, the observation map at each agent is a linear combination of the local observation maps. We then show that this new observation map is observable (if the data is fused for a sufficient number of iterations that we lower bound) resulting in a stable distributed estimator that can be implemented using semi-definite programming at each agent. We further characterize the performance of such distributed estimators by comparing the positive-definiteness of their corresponding information matrices. The centralized and distributed performance gap, although cannot be written in closed form, can be computed using the infinite horizon Kalman gain of each filter. Finally, we consider special cases under which the performance of these distributed estimators is equal to the performance of the centralized Kalman filter.
Patient Safety Culture and the Association with Safe Resident Care in Nursing Homes

Purpose of the Study: Studies have shown that patient safety culture (PSC) is poorly developed in nursing homes (NHs), and, therefore, residents of NHs may be at risk of harm. Using Donabedian ’ s Structure – Process – Outcome (SPO) model, we examined the relationships among top management ’ s ratings of NH PSC, a process of care, and safety outcomes. Design and Methods: Using top management ’ s responses from a nationally representative sample of 3,557 NHs on the 2008 Nursing Home Survey on PSC, the Online Survey, Certifi cation, and Reporting Database, and the Minimum Data Set, we examined the relationships among the three components of Donabedian ’ s SPO model: structure (PSC), a process of care (physical restraints), and patient safety outcomes (residents who fell). Results: Results from generalized estimating equations indicated that higher ratings of PSC were signifi cantly related to lower prevalence of physical restraints (odds ratio [OR] = 0.997, 95% confi dence interval [CI] = 0.995 – 0.999) and residents who fell (OR = 0.999, 95% CI = 0.998 – 0.999). Physical restraint use was related to falls after controlling for structural characteristics and PSC (OR = 1.698, 95% CI = 1.619 – 1.781). Implications: These fi ndings can contribute to the development of PSC in NHs and promote improvements in health care that can be measured by process of care and resident outcomes.
Pt/TiO 2 /Ti Metal-Insulator-Metal Tunnel Diodes for Rectification in an Energy Harvesting System

Methods for extracting or harvesting energy from the surrounding battlefield environment are of great importance to the United States Army. Scavenging energy from local environments reduces the required energy and weight transported to the theater. Micro- and nano-scale metal-insulator-metal (MIM) tunnel diodes are being developed to provide half-wave rectification as part of a “rectenna” energy harvesting system, which includes a radiation-collecting antenna, a rectifying MIM tunnel diode, and a storage capacitor. In this work, high-frequency MIM tunnel diodes for power rectification were designed, fabricated and characterized. Planar Pt/TiO 2 /Ti stacks are being fabricated to create a diode with highly asymmetric I-V characteristics that has a very low threshold voltage. The metals were chosen for their high work function difference, and the insulator was chosen for its barrier height, its compatibility with Ti, and its availability. The energy band diagram and the I-V characteristics were modeled to determine the feasibility of the Pt/TiO 2 /Ti material system for use as a rectifier diode in a rectenna system. Metals and insulator thin films were deposited onto silicon dioxide/silicon substrates. Pillars with lateral dimensions ranging from 20 μm x 20 μm up to 100 μm x 100 μm were fabricated. The dielectric thickness of the MIM diode was varied from 5 nm up to 50 nm to determine the optimal thickness for quantum tunneling. I-V measurements were taken using an electrical characterization system to confirm a non-linear, asymmetric response on a survey of devices fabricated with varying areas. Preliminary results exhibit asymmetric I-V characteristics with threshold voltages of less than 700 mV.
Evolution of dentition in prehistoric Ohio Valley Native Americans III. Metrics of deciduous dentition.

Deciduous tooth size in Native Americans of the Ohio Valley area is fairly stable from the terminal Late Archaic (3200 BP) through the Late Prehistoric (350 BP) periods. Some fluctuation in average size did occur during this time. These fluctuations most likely reflect random changes due to gene drift. However, no difference in the pattern of interactions among the sizes of teeth (covariance structures) can be demonstrated during this period. Principal components analysis of the buccolingual and mesiodistal dimensions in the total sample indicate that the major axis of deciduous tooth size in the Ohio Valley population shows an allometric relationship, with the dimensions of the anterior teeth increasing (or decreasing) as the 1.33 power of the dimension of m and as the 2.0 power of the dimension of m. Comparison of the Ohio Valley samples with other samples from the Eastern Woodlands suggests that geography may have played a minor role in structuring deciduous tooth size variation. For the most part, however, widely separated Eastern Woodlands populations appear to have been evolving independently with respect to deciduous tooth size. Am J Phys Anthropol 116:140–153, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Update on coagulopathies

Whether one considers endogenous or drug-induced etiologic factors, numerous patients with coagulopathies will seek dental treatment. Obviously, surgeons and dentists treating these patients must have current knowledge regarding the treatment and management of these disorders. The topic of coagulopathies is so broad that textbooks are filled with information dealing with only small areas of focus. This article reviews some of the newer developments in the area of coagulopathies. An all-inclusive review of the pathophysiology of the disease processes and their management is not possible in this limited space. Application of new drugs, changes in treatment of the common coagulopathies, changes in management of certain disease processes with anticoagulants, changes in monitoring patients who are anticoagulated, and managing the dental patient with a coagulopathy are discussed. MONITORING Two major topics warrant discussion about the monitoring of anticoagulation: international normalized ratio (INR) and patient self-management. Although the INR is not a new concept, much confusion still surrounds it. An article by Troulis et al1 surveyed oral and maxillofacial surgeons in North America and found that 73% use the INR, but only 21% rely on this method alone. INR is a value calculated from the ratio of the patient’s prothrombin time (PT) to the mean of the normal range. This value is then corrected by multiplication by the international sensitivity index (ISI). The ISI is based on a quantitative assessment of responsiveness of a thromboplastin by comparison with a reference thromboplastin. The INR system was established to standardize
Effect of National Status on Delegate Participation and Influence in an International Organization

The effect of an individual's social status upon behavior in group setting i.e., the status generalization phenomenon-is a recurrent theme in socialpsychological and sociological studies. The present study examines the effect of status (of national status) upon delegate behavior in an international organization, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations. It concludes that: (1) delegates from high status nations tend to be more influential and active than delegates from low status nations; (2) high national status per se is not sufficient to generate delegate influence; to be influential, delegates need to be active; (3) of three national status indicators-diplomatic status, size of delegation, and budgetary contribution-the latter one is the most important; and (4) a high frequency of participation is sufficient to generate influence.
Best-first minimax search: othello results

We present a very simple selective search algorithm for two-player games. It always expands next the frontier node that determines the minimax value of the root. The algorithm requires no information other than a static evaluation function, and its time overhead per node is similar to that of alpha-beta minimax. We also present an implementation of the algorithm that reduces its space complexity from exponential to linear in the search depth, at the cost of increased time complexity. In the game of Othello, using the evaluation function from Bill (Lee & Mahajan 1990), best-first minimax outplays alpha-beta at moderate depths. A hybrid best-first extension algorithm, which combines alpha-beta and best-first minimax, performs significantly better than either pure algorithm even at greater depths. Similar results were also obtained for a class of random game trees.
Nitric Oxide Control of Drinking, Vasopressin and Oxytocin Release and Blood Pressure in Dehydrated Rats

Abstract Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of the inhibitor of NO synthase (NOS), N G -nitro- l -arginine methyl ester ( l -NAME) (250 μg/5 μL) attenuated the drinking response in rats deprived of water for 24 h. Moreover, oxytocin (OT) levels in plasma increased after 2 min, whereas both oxytocin and vasopressin levels were elevated at 120 min after intracerebroventricular injection. The delayed effect of l -NAME on both hormones was not observed in dehydrated animals allowed to drink water. Blood pressure remained stable after injection of artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF) in dehydrated rats not allowed to drink. In rats having access to water, however, there was an immediate but transient pressor response (0–5 min) with a delayed hypotension from 45 to 120 min. l -NAME consistently increased blood pressure in a biphasic mode, whether the animals drank or not, with an early peak at 5 min that decayed after 15–30 min and a second pressor response beginning at 30–45 min and remaining elevated at 120 min when the experiment ended. These pressor responses were independent of the adrenal glands. Thus, centrally produced nitric oxide facilitates drinking, inhibits release of vasopressin and oxytocin from the magnocellular system, and maintains resting arterial blood pressure in normally hydrated and dehydrated rats.
Linear operators and the distribution of zeros of entire funtions

Let π n denote the vector space (over or ) of all polynomials of degree ≤ n. For (where S is an appropriate set of interest), let π n (S) denote the class of all polynomials of degree ≤ n, all of whose zeros lie in S. Old and new problems related to the following open problem will be presented. Characterize all linear transformations (operators) T:πn(S)→ πn(S), where deg T[p] ≤ deg p for p ∈ π n (S).
Safety of Thoracoscopic Lobectomy in Locally Advanced Lung Cancer

Thoracoscopic lobectomy is well established for the treatment of early non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Its safety and efficacy for advanced-stage disease remain uncertain. Between January 1, 2002, and July 31, 2007, a total of 125 patients were evaluated for thoracoscopic lobectomy for advanced NSCLC. Thoracoscopic lobectomy was completed in 73 patients. Eleven patients were excluded for extensive chest wall involvement. Open resection was performed in 41 patients, with 19 planned thoracotomies and 22 conversions from an initial thoracoscopic approach. Median operative blood loss, operation time, major complications, and hospital length of stay were all similar for patients undergoing thoracoscopic and open resection. A higher percentage of patients who underwent thoracoscopic lobectomy were able to receive adjuvant therapy compared to the open group (37.2% vs. 5.2%; P = 0.006). The differences between the thoracoscopic and open groups in overall survival (43.7 vs. 22.9 months; P = 0.59) and disease-free survival (34.7 vs. 16.7 months; P = 0.84) were not significant. Thoracoscopic lobectomy for advanced-stage NSCLC can be performed safely, with results equivalent to open techniques. With continued experience, lower morbidity with resections performed for advanced-stage disease by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery will be expected, similar to that observed with early-stage disease. This is particularly important given the large number of frail patients with advanced-stage disease who require multimodal therapy.
The Personal Librarian Program at the University of Richmond: An Interview with Lucretia McCulley

In the fall of 2010, two well-known liberal arts institutions, Drexel University in Philadelphia (http://www.library.drexel.edu/about/programs) and Wesleyan University of Middletown, Connecticut (http://classof2014.blogs.wesleyan. edu/page/30/), began programs that provided “personal librarians” for incoming freshmen. This apparently new idea received some notice in higher education news feeds, and was even featured in Library Journal’s Newsletter (http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/communityacademiclibraries/886821419/drexel_university_drawing_on_yale.html.csp).
Control Strategies for Complex Movements Derived from Physical Systems Theory

The work presented here is part of an effort to develop a unified approach to the control of a system which may interact dynamically with its environment. The principal perceived problem is that when a controlled system interacts with its environment, its performance may be drastically altered. Even if the controlled system is stable in isolation, when it interacts with dynamic objects in its environment that stability may be jeopardised. This problem is particularly actue for a manipulator. Manipulation has been succintly described as a series of collisions between the manipulator and the objects in its environment [7]. Every time a manipulator grasps or releases an object, the dynamic behaviour of the physical system interfaced to the controller undergoes an abrupt change, and this change may have a profound effect on the manipulator’s behaviour.
Intestinal Transport and Metabolism of Bile Acids

In addition to their classical roles as detergents to aid in the process of digestion, bile acids have been identified as important signaling molecules that function through various nuclear and G protein-coupled receptors to regulate a myriad of cellular and molecular functions across both metabolic and nonmetabolic pathways. Signaling via these pathways will vary depending on the tissue and the concentration and chemical structure of the bile acid species. Important determinants of the size and composition of the bile acid pool are their efficient enterohepatic recirculation, their host and microbial metabolism, and the homeostatic feedback mechanisms connecting hepatocytes, enterocytes, and the luminal microbiota. This review focuses on the mammalian intestine, discussing the physiology of bile acid transport, the metabolism of bile acids in the gut, and new developments in our understanding of how intestinal metabolism, particularly by the gut microbiota, affects bile acid signaling.
An Introduction to African-Centered Sociology: Worldview, Epistemology, and Social Theory:

Current advances in Africana (Black) Studies utilize an African-centered conceptual framework in the study of Africana life, history, and culture. This conceptual framework has been utilized and expanded on by those developing scholarship in the sub-discipline areas of Africana Studies, including African-centered psychology, history, and literature. However, to date the articulation of an African-centered sociology, grounded in an African-centered conceptual framework, has not developed; neither has it occurred for African-centered sociology as a sub-discipline of Africana Studies, a sub-discipline of traditional sociology, or as a stand-alone discipline, itself. After a review of the worldview concept and framework and an analysis of the intellectual history of Black Sociology, this article then discusses the possibility of an African-centered sociology contingent upon the usage of an African worldview as the conceptual framework. Finally, the impacts of an African-centered epistemology and African-cente...
Public Health Program Articulation in New Mexico: Making It Work for Students, Faculty, and the Profession

The relationship between universities and community colleges has grown and changed dramatically since the significant rise in the number of community colleges in the United States in the 1970s. New Mexico State University (NMSU) and Dona Ana Community College (DACC), which is also part of NMSU, are uniquely partnered to address the needs of students and residents of southern New Mexico. DACC offers an Associate of Applied Science in Public Health (AAS in PH), while NMSU offers a Bachelor of Public Health (BPH). To date, two articulation agreements have been established, over a 10-year period, to provide structure for how and which AAS in Public Health courses would transfer to the BPH degree program and satisfy requirements at NMSU, in general, and the BPH degree, specifically. Information is provided to explain how these articulation agreements evolved, the key principles and components of the articulation agreements, outcomes, and lessons learned. This articulation agreement process has proven beneficia...
Meiosis in Rumex

1. A study of the meiotie spireme in Rheum and Rumex reveals that the spireme is essentially continuous throughout its tangible history, through diakinesis, and that the meiotic chromosomes originate by a longitudinal Splitting of the spireme out of which the haploid number of chromosomes becomes segmented. Pairing does not take place in these genera because it cannot.2. Because the above conelusion necessitates a fusion of maternally and paternally contributed chromosomes before meiosis, thus destroying the individuality of the chromosomes, sex-chromosomes cannot exist in Rumex.3. From another angle, the so-called sex-chromosomes in R. Acetosa and R. acetosella are regarded as having little to do with the determination of sex, because……, 4. The described apparatus does not exhibit a uniform behavior, but rather one of irregularity.5. The tripartite chromosomes reveal themselves to be essentially tetrapartite; a string of four elements the inner of which frequently fuse and behave as one entity.6. Tripartite chromosomes also exist and perform an unequal distribution of the meiotic chromosomes in R. pallidus, but this species is hermaphroditic.7. The dioecious species in question exhibit various cytological phenomena which indicate that they are of hybrid origin.8. The meiotic phenomena in the dioecious species are duplicated to a large extent in the hybrid R. crispus×obtusifolius.9. The so-called sex-chromosomes in Rumex are therefore nothing more than an abnormality resulting from previous hybridization of the species.10. A peculiar cytological condition present in Rheum rhaponticum is used to demonstrate that a condition ascribed to sexdetermination in some unisexual organisms may also exist in hermaphrodetic species and thereby annul the logical existence of such sex-chromosomes.