cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Outcomes of an iliac branch endoprosthesis using an “up-and-over” technique for endovascular repair of failed bifurcated grafts

Abstract Objective Type IB endoleak after endovascular aneurysm repair may be treated by an iliac branch endoprosthesis (IBE) through brachial access for internal iliac artery (IIA) stenting. The aim of this study was to evaluate outcomes of the IBE using an “up-and-over” transfemoral technique in patients with prior aortic repair compared with the standard technique in patients with de novo iliac aneurysms. Methods We reviewed the clinical data of patients treated for aortoiliac aneurysms using Gore IBE (W. L. Gore & Associates, Flagstaff, Ariz) between 2014 and 2017. The up-and-over technique was indicated in patients with type IB endoleak or common iliac aneurysms after prior aortic repair with bifurcated endografts or surgical grafts. End points were technical success, mortality, major adverse events, IIA patency, freedom from IIA branch instability (composite end point of any IIA branch-related complication leading to aneurysm rupture, death, occlusion, component separation, or reintervention to maintain branch patency or to treat a branch-related separation or endoleak), and freedom from secondary interventions or new-onset buttock claudication. Results There were 53 patients (51 male; 74 ± 8 years old) treated by 62 IBEs (9 bilateral). Standard technique was used in 36 patients (43 IBEs) and up-and-over technique in 17 (19 IBEs). Three patients had contralateral IIA embolization. Total procedure time, contrast material volume, and radiation dose averaged 168 ± 98 minutes, 140 ± 50 mL, and 1096 ± 1009 mGy, with no difference between techniques. Technical success was achieved in 98% of patients. Eleven patients had extension of IIA bridging stent into the posterior branch (eight standard, three up-and-over). Four patients (8%) had major adverse events due to estimated blood loss >1000 mL in all patients. There was no 30-day mortality after a median follow-up of 7 months (interquartile range, 3-12 months). There were two IIA stent occlusions (all standard), three iliac-related type I endoleaks (one standard, two up-and-over), and four secondary interventions (three standard, one up-and-over). At 1 year, patients treated by standard or up-and-over technique had similar primary patency (94% ± 4% vs 100%; P = .38) and secondary patency (97% ± 3% vs 100%; P = .54) and freedom from IIA branch instability (90% ± 6% vs 93% ± 7%; P = .48), secondary intervention (84% ± 8% vs 90% ± 9%; P = .63), and new-onset buttock claudication (90% ± 6% vs 100%; P = .35). Conclusions Endovascular repair using IBE was associated with high technical success, no mortality, and low rate of complications using either the standard technique for de novo aneurysms or an up-and-over technique for patients with failed bifurcated endografts or grafts. The up-and-over technique should be considered a suitable alternative to brachial access in patients who require distal extension using IBEs.
Recent Progress in the Search for Black Holes in Galactic Nuclei

Massive nuclear black holes (BHs) of 106–109 M ⊙ are believed to be responsible for the the energy production in quasars and active galaxies, and are thought to be present in many quiescent galaxies as well. Dynamical evidence for this can be sought by studying the dynamics of gas and stars in galactic nuclei at high spatial resolution. This paper reviews the current evidence, with emphasis on some recent developments and ongoing projects. The evidence from water masers and gas kinematics in the active galaxies NGC 4258 and M87 is compelling. In quiescent galaxies only stellar kinematics are generally available. One well-studied case is M32. Stellar dynamical f(E, L z) models with a few million solar mass BH fit the ground-based kinematical data remarkably well. N-body simulations of an edge-on f(E,L z) model for M32 show that this model is stable. HST spectra should soon provide new and improved constraints on the presence of BHs in quiescent galaxies.
Don't Sweat It: The Quest for Wearable Stress Sensors

A nervous sweat may seem like an inconvenience, but your body could be releasing important signals. Herein, Gao and colleagues develop a wearable sensor with integrated microfluidics, immunoassays, and electronics for tracking cortisol in sweat—as a biomarker of stress.
Insulin Receptor Structure and Antibodies

ABSTRACT Recent results of the protein and subunit structure of the insulin receptor are described. The use of purified receptor, and the techniques of affinity labeling and crosslinking has been particularly valuable. The native receptor appears to be a heterotetramer of MW of about 300,000, consisting of two subunits of 130,000 and two subunits of 90,000 MW which are disulfide linked and in addition are held together by strong non-covalent forces. The 90,000 component is readily nicked by proteolysis to yield a 45,000 component (still capable of binding insulin). Antibodies raised against the purified receptor or the 130,000 MW subunit do not block insulin binding but are capable of eliciting the immediate metabolic effects of insulin in various tissues. An unusual clinical syndrome characterized by insulin-resistant diabetes mellitus and acanthosis nigricans is associated with circulating anti-receptor antibodies which inhibit insulin binding and which mimic insulin's biological responses in vitro. The latter effects are dependent on bivalent receptor crosslinking by the antibody. The role of receptor aggregation in mediating insulin responses is considered to be of possible biological significance.
Chapter 24 – Data Encryption

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on security and the role played by cryptographic technology in data security. Securing data while it is in storage or in transition from an unauthorized access is a critical function of information technology. All forms of e-commerce activities such as online credit card processing, purchasing stocks, and banking data processing would, if compromised, lead to businesses losing billions of dollars in revenues, as well as customer confidence lost in e-commerce. Data security is not limited to wired networks but is equally critical for wireless communications such as in Wi-Fi and cellular. A very recent case was highlighted when the Indian government requested to Research In Motion (RIM) to share the encryption algorithm used in the BlackBerry cellular device. RIM refused to share the encryption algorithm. This should demonstrate that encryption is an important technology in all forms of communication. Data encryption prevents data from being exposed to unauthorized access and makes it unusable. Detection enables monitoring of the activities of network users, provides a means to differentiate levels of activities, and offers a possible clue to network violations. Since a network violation should be repeated, response is equally important. Thus the three-pronged approach is evolutionary, and therefore systems analysis and design principles must be taken into account when one designs a secured data network.
Migration of Traders: Direct and Indirect Effects of the Tick Size Pilot Program

We analyze the impacts of the SEC's tick size pilot program on the composition of stock market participants. We find overwhelming indirect effects, as the randomized feature for the controlled experiment converts the smaller tick size stocks into preferable alternatives to the larger tick size stocks. More specifically, we document the migration of traders from the larger tick size stocks to the smaller tick size stocks, and from liquidity supply to liquidity demand. Additionally, we find that the market markets increase liquidity supply for the smaller tick size stocks instead of, the larger tick size ones. The exiting migration of uninformed traders explains such shift in preference — liquidity suppliers for the larger tick size stocks are trading against better-informed traders. Our results suggest that a smaller tick size improves liquidity for the small capitalization stocks, and we highlight the importance of the indirect effects in randomized experiments.
Understanding the Role of Vaping in Criminal Behavior Among Adolescents

This study examines the link between ever vaped, vaped just flavoring in the past 30 days, and vaped just flavoring frequently in the past 30 days and violent crime, property crime, marijuana use, ...
Cognitive penetration and taste predicates: making an exception to the rule

The relevance of cognitive penetration has been pointed out concerning three fields within philosophy: philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, and epistemology. This paper argues that this phenomenon is also relevant to the philosophy of language. First, I will defend that there are situations where ethical, social, or cultural rules can affect our taste perceptions. This influence can cause speakers to utter conflicting contents that lead them to disagree and, subsequently, to negotiate the circumstances of application of the taste predicates they have used to describe or express their taste perceptions. Then, to account for the proper dynamics of these cases, I will develop a theoretical framework build upon two elements: the Lewisian idea of the score of a conversation (Lewis, 1979), and Richard’s (2008) taxonomy of the different attitudes speakers can have in taste disagreements. In a nutshell, I will argue that speakers can accommodate these conflicting contents as exceptions to the rule that determines the circumstances of application of taste predicates.Keywords: Cognitive penetration, Common ground, Circumstances of application, Accommodation, Exceptions, Score of the conversation, Taste predicates.
SAW1 is increasingly required to recruit Rad10 as SSA flap-length increases from 20 to 50 bases in single-strand annealing in S. cerevisiae

Abstract SAW1 is required by the Rad1-Rad10 nuclease for efficient removal of 3′ non-homologous DNA ends (flaps) formed as intermediates during two modes of double-strand break repair in S. cerevisiae, single-strand annealing (SSA) and synthesis-dependent strand annealing (SDSA). Saw1 was shown in vitro to exhibit increasing affinity for flap DNAs as flap lengths varied from 0 to 40 deoxynucleotides (nt) with almost no binding observed when flaps were shorter than 10 nt. Accordingly, our prior in vivo fluorescence microscopy investigation showed that SAW1 was not required for recruitment of Rad10-YFP to DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) when flaps were ∼10 nt, but it was required when flaps were ∼500 nt in G1 phase of the cell cycle. We were curious whether we would also observe an increased requirement of SAW1 for Rad10 recruitment in vivo as flaps varied from ∼20 to 50 nt, as was shown in vitro. In this investigation, we utilized SSA substrates that generate 20, 30, and 50 nt flaps in vivo in fluorescence microscopy assays and determined that SAW1 becomes increasingly necessary for SSA starting at about ∼20 nt and is completely required at ∼50 nt. Quantitative PCR experiments corroborate these results by demonstrating that repair product formation decreases in the absence of SAW1 as flap length increases. Experiments with strains containing fluorescently labeled Saw1 (Saw1-CFP) show that Saw1 localizes with Rad10 at SSA foci and that about half of the foci containing Rad10 at DSBs do not contain Saw1. Colocalization patterns of Saw1-CFP are consistent regardless of the flap length of the substrate and are roughly similar in all phases of the cell cycle. Together, these data show that Saw1 becomes increasingly important for Rad1-Rad10 recruitment and SSA repair in the ∼20–50 nt flap range, and Saw1 is present at repair sites even when not required and may depart the repair site ahead of Rad1-Rad10.
On One Approach of Studying the Free and Forced Vibrations of Bases and Fundaments of Structures

One of the widespread models of bases and fundaments of structures is the model of compressible layer. For the calculation of bases and fundaments on dynamic, and particularly, seismic actions under a strict approach, it is necessary to find solutions of the equations of dynamics of the elasticity theory. It is shown that for these domains the above mentioned equations are small parameter singularly perturbed. An efficient asymptotic method of solution of the equations is offered.
An adaptive soft output GMSK demodulator over MUOS narrowband flat scintillation channels

The signal scintillation effects at UHF represent a significant design challenge for the future military mobile user objective system (MUOS) satellite communications. An adaptive soft output demodulator for GMSK signaling with very small value is investigated in MUOS narrowband applications. Without any performance loss, significant complexity reduction is achieved by using differential precoding, the Laurent (1986) signal representation and sampling the received symbols at the end of the symbol duration. The performance of the GMSK demodulator over six typical MUOS flat scintillation channels, particularly over the worst-case scintillation channel among them, are studied through simulations in both uncoded and convolutional coded systems.
New Federalism, New Freedom, and States' Rights: The Uncertain and Fragmented Direction of Public Mental Health Policy in the United States

Considerable progress has been made within the past decade in knowledge and treatment of mental illness. Historically, mental health care has been under the aegis of state and local governments, with state general funds as the major source of support. However, recent federal reports conclude that the overall quality of these services remains fragmented and the future direction is uncertain at best. As a result, the federal government has proposed to transform mental health care systems beyond that brought about by the community mental health movement. Although state governments maintain ownership and responsibility for the level of services, the federal government has used four related financial and legal strategies to reduce historic control by the states and move them toward transformation. Tension over the extent of federalism characterizes the relationships between state and federal levels of government. The vast economic contribution of mental health services (jobs and purchases) slows the acceptance of transformation change at the state level sought by the federal government. Nationalization of existing state systems of mental health by the federal government offers a means of rapidly improving quality of mental health care and eliminating fragmentation and uncertainty. Keywords: federalism; states rights; fragmentation; mental health policy; social justice; mental health services; new freedom; federal encroachment
Accreditation of BSW Programs.

Social work education at the baccalaureate level has become a rigorous educational endeavor. This is borne out by both the number of currently accredited BSW programs and the standards that BSW programs must meet to gain and maintain accredited status. This article provides a brief history of BSW education as an accredited educational enterprise, and reports descriptive data on BSW programs’ experience with accreditation from 1989 through 1991. The author also identifies and discusses those CSWE Evaluative Standards and areas in the Curriculum Policy Statement that are most problematic for BSW programs.
Public policy rules and norms in choice of a nesting place of a social enterprise

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to consider how public policy rules and norms embedded in the operation and financing of firms and nonprofits may affect the choice of one or the other for nesting a social enterprise while reducing the risk of failure due to an initial bad choice. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is conceptual and literature based. It identifies and evaluates factors in public policy that are embedded in the rules and norms of operating and financing firms and nonprofits that could materially affect the choice of a nesting place of a social enterprise. It treats the choice as a two-stage process: whether firm or nonprofit and what type of firm or what type of nonprofit. Findings – The choice of a structural form for nesting a social enterprise is dependent upon the public policies embedded in each form that affect the probability of venture success and entrepreneurial remorse. Research limitations/implications – This paper suggests that public policy norms and rules are deser...
T-maze training of a recurrent CA3 model reveals the necessity of novelty-based modulation of LTP in hippocampal region CA3

The rat hippocampus has been shown to mediate a large set of spatial navigation tasks such as the simple T-maze. We investigated the performance of a minimal computational, but biologically based, model of CA3 on this task. For successful performance, the model needs to generate and maintain neuronal codes for each of the two arms of the T-maze. Moreover, each code must be distinctively recalled in a goal-dependent manner. The development of such neuronal codes is aided by the appearance of repetitively firing recurrent neurons - known as local context units, analogous to hippocampal place cells which promote spatiotemporal association within the T-maze training sequences. The number, longevity, and connectivity of local context units exclusively coding for each arm of the maze grow with training. Although with too much training, the coding for one arm uncontrollably dominates over the other code, and goal appropriate choice-behavior is lost. That is, successful network codes can easily deteriorate with overtraining. The amount of training that produces this deterioration in performance depends on other network parameters. Rather than a failure of the model, we believe these results tell us something important about the biology of the hippocampal system. That is, this result provides support for the hypothesis of a hippocampal afferent system which down-regulates LTP once a task has been successfully learned. Modulatory Systems (e.g., dopaminergic, generally Dl/D5r) exist which are candidates for this functional role.
Methods of Growth Analysis in Field-Grown Soya Beans (Glycine max (L.) Merrill)

Investigations on the growth analysis of soya beans (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) involved measurement of shoot and leaf growth by (a), classical equations, and (b) regression procedures. The experiments were carried out at the Western Iowa Experimental Farm, Castana, on Ida Silt loam soil during 1975 and 1976. Soil-water status in the experimental plots was altered by covering the inter-row strips with 4-mM black plastic film and by irrigation in 1976. Relative Growth Rate and Relative Leaf Growth Rate declined with age of the plant because the level of self-shading increased. Net Assimilation Rate and Crop Growth Rate, calculated by using the regression procedure for the uncovered plots, showed a marked increase in the latter part of the growing season due to a combination of decreasing leaf area and increasing dry weights. Classical methods of analysis fail to show this feature because of the non-linear relationship between leaf area and dry weight. It is proposed that in the future more attention should be paid to the use of the appropriate mathematical function describing the changes of leaf area and dry weight with time. Analysis of statistical parameters showed the superiority of using regression procedures
Shaping up location : Against the Humean argument for the extrinsicality of shape

Recently, we have been presented with an argument against the intrinsicality of shape that appeals to a plausible Humean principle. According to the argument, if shape is intrinsic and the location relation is fundamental, then we cannot explain the necessary correlation between an object’s shape and the shape of its location. And, it is claimed, the Humean principle tells us that an unexplained necessary correlation like this one is unacceptable. In this paper I respond to this argument by rejecting the favoured interpretation of the Humean principle. I claim that sometimes there are truths about what it means to stand in a given relation, even when that relation has no analysis. (For instance, though parthood is often taken to be fundamental, it is widely accepted that if one denies the transitivity of parthood, he or she fails to understand what it means to be a part). These truths sometimes entail that the relata of the relation have certain features. And it is not problematic for truths about what it means to stand in a relation to be unexplained. I argue that it is plausible to take is located at to be such a relation; an object’s having exactly the same shape as the region it is located at is part of what it means to be located at (rather than within or outside of) that region. I conclude with an amended formulation of the Humean claim that still captures the spirit of the principle without threatening the intrinsicality of shape.
Statistical risk estimation for communication system design: Development of optimization frameworks

The design of a spacecraft is an evolutionary process that starts from requirements and evolves over time across different design phases. During this process, a lot of changes can happen. They can affect mass and power at component level, at subsystem level, and even at system level. Each spacecraft has to meet overall constraints in terms of mass and power: for this reason, it's important to be sure that the design does not exceed these limitations. Current practice in system modeling deals with this problem by allocating margins on single components and on each of the subsystems. However, a statistical characterization of these fluctuations in mass and power is missing, and the consequence is a design that either is too risky and does not fit the mission constraints, or is too conservative and generates an inefficient utilization of resources.
On entropy conditions and traffic flow models

This paper is concerned with “entropy conditions” for traffic flow models governed by one-dimensional nonlinear scalar conservation laws. The classical conditions of this type serve as selection principles used to overcome the lack of uniqueness of weak solutions for such laws. These principles select solutions in accord with observations for the simplest traffic flow models, but they seem not to do so when the constitutive law underlying the model is refined so as to be more realistic. The classical conditions are here compared with an analog of the second law of thermodynamics based on an entropy density that crudely measures the disorder of the traffic flow.
Effect of L-azetidine 2-carboxylic acid on growth and proline metabolism in Escherichia coli.

The effects of L-azetidine 2-carboxylic acid on growth and proline metabolism in a proline-requiring auxotroph of Escherichia coli are described. The homologue inhibited growth of the wild type and it, alone, did not substitute effectively for proline as a growth supplement for the mutant. In medium containing 0.05 mM proline, the addition of increasing amounts of homologue progressively inhibited growth of the wild type but stimulated growth of the mutant at homologue: proline ratios of 10 : 1 and 50 : 1. This suggested that the homologue exerted a "sparing effect" on proline in the mutant. The incorporation of L-[U-14C]proline and L-[3H]azetidine 2-carboxylic acid into hot trichloroacetic acid-insoluble material in the mutant was measured. Amino acid analysis of the insoluble material from cells incubated with radiolabeled proline alone revealed that proline was partially degraded and metabolized to other amino acids prior to incorporation into protein. The addition of unlabeled homologue to the incubation medium significantly reduced proline catabolism, suggesting that the homologue exerted a sparing effect on proline in this mutant. In medium containing unlabeled proline and radiolabeled L-azetidine 2-carboxylic acid, the homologue was incorporated both intact and partially degraded prior to incorporation into protein. Alanine was the major L-azetidine 2-carboxylic acid catabolite.
Prevalence of Comorbid Psychiatric Disorders in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

This review is based on an extensive literature search to determine the prevalence of comorbid psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and shows that case reports and clinic- and community-based studies are available with which to assess this prevalence. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety disorders, and mood disorders frequently present in children and adolescents with ASD. However, a valid and reliable prevalence of comorbid psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents with ASD has not been established as a result of the limited number and small sample sizes of the reported studies.
Pulmonary Resection of Metastatic Sarcoma: Prognostic Factors Associated With Improved Outcomes

Background There are few data to predict the benefit of pulmonary metastasectomy in patients with extrathoracic sarcoma. This study analyzes prognostic factors associated with improved outcomes. Methods Between June 2002 and December 2008, 97 patients underwent pulmonary resection for metastatic sarcoma at Massachusetts General Hospital. Eight patients were excluded because of lack of follow-up data. Analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier estimates of survival, log-rank test, and multivariate Cox model. Results Overall 5-year survival for the cohort was 50.1%. Patients who had multiple operations for recurrent pulmonary metastases had better 5-year survival compared with patients who had a single operation (69 versus 41%; p = 0.017). Median disease- free survival (DFS) for the reoperation group was 12.9 months compared with 9.1 months for the single-operation group (p Conclusions Pulmonary metastasectomy for sarcoma can be associated with prolonged survival. Tumor resectability, DFI, number of metastases, and laterality are important factors in determining patient selection for curative surgical intervention. Repeated pulmonary metastasectomy in select patients may improve survival despite recurrent disease.
Fabrication of oligonucleotide and protein arrays on rigid and flexible substrates coated with reactive polymer multilayers.

We report a top-down approach to the fabrication of oligonucleotide and protein arrays on surfaces coated with ultrathin, amine-reactive polymer multilayers fabricated by the covalent “layer-by-layer” (LbL) assembly of polyethyleneimine (PEI) and the amine-reactive, azlactone-functionalized polymer poly(2-vinyl-4,4-dimethylazlactone) (PVDMA). Manual spotting of amine-terminated oligonucleotide probe sequences on planar glass slides coated with PEI/PVDMA multilayers (∼35 nm thick) yielded arrays of immobilized probes that hybridized fluorescently labeled complementary sequences with high signal intensities, high signal-to-noise ratios, and high sequence specificity. Treatment of residual azlactone functionality with the nonfouling small-molecule amine d-glucamine resulted in regions between the features of these arrays that resisted adsorption of protein and permitted hybridization in complex media containing up to 10 mg/mL protein. The residual azlactone groups in these films were also exploited to immobi...
Analysis of sea ice motion and deformation using AMSR-E data from 2005 to 2007

Dynamics of Arctic sea ice, including motion and deformation, are studied utilizing data from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for the Earth Observing System (EOS) (AMSR-E) during 2005 and 2007. We first derive sea ice motion maps from the satellite data in a grid of 100 km × 100 km using a two-dimensional wavelet method. These sea ice motion results are compared with those derived from buoy data from the International Arctic Buoy Programme. Secondly, it is well known that sea ice deformation can be characterized by a strain-rate tensor calculated from the ice velocity field. Two components of the strain-rate tensor quantify the divergence and the shearing of the ice field, respectively. Daily maps for both sea ice motion and strain-rate tensor, as well as monthly averages and spatial sums, are computed and analysed. Comparison of the monthly ice motion maps for May 2005 and May 2007 indicates that the anti-cyclonic Beaufort Gyre and Transpolar Drift Stream in the western Arctic are relatively s...
Material force in micromorphic plasticity

Micromorphic theory envisions a material body as a continuous collection of deformable particles with finite size and inner structure. It is considered as the most successful top-down formulation of a two-level continuum model, in which the deformation is expressed as a sum of macroscopic continuous deformation and internal microscopic deformation of the inner structure. In this work, we revisit the original micromorphic theory and further construct a mathematical theory of micromorphic plasticity with generalized strain-based return mapping algorithm. The concept of material forces, which may also be referred as Eshelbian mechanics, was first derived for micromorphic thermo-visco-elastic solid, and, now in this work, it is extended to the micromorphic plasticity. The balance law of pseudo-momentum is formulated. The detailed expressions of Eshelby stress tensor, pseudo-momentum, and material forces are derived. Following this formulation, the failure mechanisms of micromorphic thermo-visco-elastoplastic materials can be further investigated.
A genomic view of mosaicism and human disease

Genomic technologies, including next-generation sequencing (NGS) and single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) microarrays, have provided unprecedented opportunities to assess genomic variation among, and increasingly within, individuals. It has long been known that cancer is a mosaic genetic disorder, but mosaicism is now apparent in a diverse range of other clinical disorders, as indicated by their tissue distributions and inheritance patterns. Recent technical advances have uncovered the causative mosaic variant underlying many of these conditions and have provided insight into the pervasiveness of mosaicism in normal individuals. Here, we discuss the clinical and molecular classes of mosaicism, their detection and the biological insights gained from these studies.
Development of leadership within the university and beyond: Challenges to faculty and their development

Environmental changes in health care are driving changes in academic health centers. Nursing faculty have an opportunity to shape the changes on campus and in future health care delivery systems through participation in campus initiatives, but some may lack the skill set to be active participants. Leadership is defined as the ability to influence behavior and includes the skills of negotiation, facilitation, conflict management, organizational improvement, political savvy, systems thinking, personal mastery, and others. Opportunities for acquiring stronger leadership skills include feedback, partnering, mentoring, formal classes, and 360° feedback.
Respiratory distress due to minocycline-induced pulmonary lupus

Minocycline, a semisynthetic tetracycline, is often used to treat acne and rheumatoid arthritis. It has been considered an unlikely drug to be associated with systemic lupus erythematosus; however, many cases of drug-induced lupus related to minocycline have been reported. Some of those reports included pulmonary lupus, but none of the patients described developed respiratory distress. We describe a patient treated with minocycline for 2 years who presented with progressive dyspnea, severe hypoxia, and pulmonary infiltrates necessitating hospitalization and oxygen supplementation.
Young adults in Massachusetts: who is at risk of being uninsured?

Abstract Purpose To identify sociodemographic factors associated with being uninsured among young adults in a state sample (Massachusetts) and to examine the independent association of insurance status with the young adult's reporting no health maintenance visit (check-up) in the past 2 years or reporting an inability to afford needed health care in the last 12 months. Methods Secondary analysis of data from the Massachusetts Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System for the years 1998–2000. In this cross-sectional study, data were examined for 1673 19- to 24-years-olds who provided information on sociodemographic variables, health insurance status, perceived inability to afford care, and health care use. Multiple logistic regression was used to estimate the odds of being uninsured. Subsequently, multiple logistic regression was used to estimate the odds of having no check-up in the last 2 years and of reporting the inability to afford needed health care in the last year. Results 15% of young adults were uninsured, including 20% of males and 10% of females. For both genders, the adjusted odds of being uninsured were lower for students and higher for those with a household income between $15,000 and $24,999. Uninsured young men, but not women, had significantly higher odds of not having a routine check-up in the last 2 years. Uninsured young adults of both genders had significantly higher odds of reporting the inability to afford needed care in the past 12 months. Conclusions Programs and policies that seek to reduce the rates of uninsured young adults should especially target males and nonstudents. Improving health insurance coverage, especially for young adult males, may be associated with improved preventive health care access.
Design and testing of apparatus for 180° electron scattering at low momentum-transfer

Abstract We report the design, installation, and performance history of a system for electron scattering measurements at 180°. The initial planning for this system is described, with reference to earlier 180° systems, and including the rationale behind various crucial design choices. Magnet optics, sliding vacuum seals, beam monitoring, focal plane corrections, and background suppression measures are discussed. Sample data from representative scattering experiments are presented.
A Smart Approach in Acid Stimulation Resulted in Successful Reviving of Horizontal Producers Equipped With ICD Completions: Saudi Arabia Case History

Th e objective of this article is to discuss Saudi Aramco’s drilling Real-Time Operating Center (RTOC) experience in developing personnel, establishing process workfl ow and acquiring technologies to deliver wells safely and eff ectively. Th e article starts by describing the IT infrastructure that facilitates rapid information fl ow from drilling sites to the RTOC. Th en it discusses the process workfl ow, which includes pre-drill collaborative planning, real time predictive modeling, and 24/7 monitoring services to provide accurate response to real time trends for successful management of drilling risks, and therefore reduction of nonproductive time (NPT). Finally, overall achievements of 2008-2009 and a case study of one monitored and optimized well are presented. Introduction In January 2008, Saudi Aramco opened the Drilling & Workover RTOC, a state-of-the-art well visualization and real-time monitoring command center, to plan, drill and complete wells in the safest, most effi cient and cost-eff ective manner. Th e RTOC involves three critical components: People, Process and Technology. We found that understanding each component role is crucial to develop a collaborative environment that helps to promote the RTOC values. Saudi Aramco’s RTOC was opened with a lot of challenging objectives. To meet the drilling management expectations, these phases were divided. Phase 1 Th e initial RTOC objective was to operate the center on critical wells, mainly off shore wells to reduce occurrence of tight hole, stuck pipe, borehole collapse, sidetracked bottom-hole assemblies (BHAs) and borehole instability problems. Phase 2 Th e next step was to improve drilling optimization and effi ciency for the monitored wells. One of the techniques used was to monitor and implement the “Mechanical Specifi c Energy (MSE)” to optimize drilling parameters. Another main goal at this phase was to reduce the NPT for the monitored wells by monitoring the rig activity. Phase 3 At this phase in the process, the RTOC might recommend the bit selection to increase rate of penetration (ROP). A main goal at this phase was to optimize hydraulics, hole cleaning and equivalent circulating density (ECD) for extended reach drilling (ERD) wells, BHA design, monitor drill string mechanics and BHAs to prevent damage and reduce well control incidents. Saudi Aramco RTOC Th e RTOC consists of a main room that is equipped with 10 main consoles; two of them are reserved for supervisors. Th ese computers are connected to large screens on the wall to display monitored wells’ real-time data. A collaborative room for day-to-day meetings is equipped with plasma screens and a PC. Another collabSaudi Aramco RTOC www.saudiarabiaoilandgas.com | SA O&G Issue 15 17
Disadvantage Al Gore in Election 2000 Coverage of Issue and Candidate attributes, including the Candidate as Campaigner, on Newspaper and Television News Web Sites

Content analysis examines network television as well as national, regional, and chain newspaper internet news during the 2000 U.S. presidential “e-conventions” and finds a focus on candidate attributes including those related to the campaign. At his Republican convention, George Bush received positive coverage on character attributes as well as foreign and domestic policy issues, including those relating to race, which exemplified compassion or “heart” as some coverage gushed. He was also credited with running a positive campaign despite weekly press releases suggesting that Al Gore was a synthetic candidate. Negative coverage of Gore that occurred in television news during the preseason and primary election continued in online news during both conventions, as Gore and vice presidential candidate Joe Lieberman's speeches received positive coverage. Procedural issues, which are important for governance, along with Gore's environmental record were ignored.
Socioeconomics of retinopathy of prematurity care in the United States.

To elucidate the experience of pediatric ophthalmologists across the United States who care for infants with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).Seven hundred and ten surveys were mailed to U.S. membe...
Serum-free Media for Culturing and Serial-Passaging of Adult Human Retinal Pigment Epithelium

The ability of a chemically-defined serum-free culture medium to support the attachment, growth and serial passaging of primary adult human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells was studied. Primary cultures of adult human RPE were established in a chemically-defined serum-free culture medium on both bare or bovine corneal endothelial extracellular matrix-coated tissue-culture plastic. Confluent cells were serially passaged in chemically-defined serum-free culture medium three times by trypsinization, and trypsin activity was quenched with aprotinin. First passage RPE cells were plated onto tissue-culture plastic precoated with bovine corneal endothelial extracellular matrix or uncoated tissue-culture plastic in 24 well plates at a density of 50 viable cells mm-2. Cells were maintained either in chemically-defined serum-free culture medium, DMEM without serum, or DMEM with 15% fetal bovine serum. For each medium plating, efficiencies were determined 24 hours after plating, and growth rates were determined on the first, third and seventh days after plating. Morphometric image analysis was performed on cells cultured for up to 6 weeks and three serial passages. Seeding efficiency on bovine corneal endothelial extracellular matrix-coated tissue-culture plastic and treated tissue-culture plastic were higher for chemically-defined serum-free culture medium (88.9+/-2.7% and 47.1+/-4.1%, respectively) and DMEM with serum (87.2+/-5.6% and 52.9+/-10.5%, respectively) than DMEM without serum (59.2+/-5.6% and 33.1+/-6.9%, respectively; P<0.01). The RPE proliferation rate in chemically-defined serum-free culture medium was comparable to DMEM with serum on both substrates within the first 3 days, although cells in DMEM with serum had a higher proliferation rate on day 7. Cells cultured in DMEM without serum, eventually decreased in number. RPE maintained in chemically-defined serum-free culture medium maintained a consistent proliferation rate, reached confluence, and retained an epitheloid morphology on either extracellular matrix or tissue-culture plastic for up to 6 weeks and three serial passages. Primary RPE reached confluence at 12+/-3 days on bovine corneal endothelial extracellular matrix-coated tissue-culture plastic and 21+/-5 days on treated tissue-culture plastic. Confluent cultures were composed of small hexagonal cells with epitheloid morphology on both substrates. We concluded that primary adult human RPE can be cultured in this chemically-defined serum-free culture medium. RPE will proliferate, reach confluence, retain their epitheloid morphology and can be serially passaged in the absence of serum.
Magnetic circular dichroism of the F3+ center in NaF☆

Abstract A temperature-independent magnetic circular dichroism proportional to the change in the first moment of the 5456 A absorption line has been measured for the F3+ center in NaF. The results confirm that the transition is 1A1 → 1E and indicate the presence of Jahn-Teller distortion in the excited state.
Magnetic Hyperfine Coupling Constants in Free Radicals

A survey is presented of results from theoretical calculations on electronic spin densities that determine magnetic hyperfine coupling constants experimentally observed in free radicals. Requirements for design of Gaussian basis sets suitable for computation of contact spin densities are described. Focus is primarily on the leading terms in the wave function that provide direct and spin polarization contributions. Effects of nondynamical electron correlation and its spin polarization are also included in those situations where they are significant. Results are presented for a variety of representative hydrocarbons, including nonconjugated π-radicals, σ-radicals, and larger conjugated π-radicals. Appropriate corrections are made in cases where large vibrational or vibronic effects occur. The results are often found to compare favorably with experiment, although some significant systematic deviations are identified that implicate additional important contributions arising from dynamical electron correlation effects. The survey enhances our understanding of the quantitative importance of various contributions to spin densities in free radicals.
Test assemblies for monitoring decay in wood exposed above ground

Abstract No method exists for quantitatively evaluating the durability of wood exposed above ground. The aim of this study was to develop a test assembly that would (1) be conducive to rapid decay, (2) exhibit minimal variation between replicates in decay response, and (3) lend itself to nondestructive testing in the field. Eighteen different designs for test units of southern pine sapwood were tested in an open field in southern Mississippi in the United States and in a rainforest in Panama. At both locations, test units were exposed above ground to natural infestations of wood decay fungi. No design seemed particularly advantageous in the tropical climate. In the temperature climate, onset of wood decay and frequency of failed units at given intervals of exposure were influenced by the size of the units. Two designs met experimental objectives. Test units of these designs consisted of short lengths of 5·1 cm thick lumber, exposed horizontally, or of stacks of smaller beams that were supported at a 45° angle from the horizontal. These designs are being used in additional studies to assess the potential for using nondestructive stress-wave technology to quantitatively measure decay in the field.
Suspended fuel droplet burning in a combined high temperature and high pressure environment

Abstract The data presented here describe the burning of single suspended droplets of n -heptane at elevated temperatures and pressures. A combustion chamber was built in such a way that ambient conditions of high pressure air, up to 10 atm, and elevated temperature, up to 150 °C, were first controlled and then the droplet remotely suspended and ignited. The instantaneous droplet size during burning was determined from movie photographs by prismoidal integration for an accurate volume of the unsymmetric droplets. The burning rate constant, K , was shown to be an important function of pressure; however no apparent dependence on temperature was observed for the range of temperatures and droplet sizes studied. A key observation is that the burning rate constant is significantly dependent upon the initial droplet diameter, D 0 , indicating an apparent effect of free convection.
The solubility of thorium fluoride in nitric acid-hydrofluoric acid solution between 25 and 100°C

Abstract The solubility of thorium fluoride in 4, 8, and 13 M nitric acid solutions was measured as a function of fluoride concentration at 25, 50 and 100°C. The behavior of the solubility is best explained by the existence in solution of the species ThF n (4− n )+ , where n has values between 0 and 4. Equilibrium quotients for the stepwise complexation of thorium by fluoride are calculated.
Environmental applications and potential health implications of quantum dots

Quantum dots (QDs) are routinely employed for bioimaging applications and detection of pathogens and toxins. Their use as surrogates to study the fate and transport of non-fluorescent nanoparticles is limited due to high cost, detection of limit issues, and lack of sufficient data related to health effects. Systematic studies on the impact of QDs on environment and health may facilitate its safe use for environmental applications. This review summarizes the studies conducted with QDs with a focus on environmental applications and provides toxicity data important to human health.
Solubility of Bile Salts

BILE salts are detergent-like molecules which occur widely in living systems. The dihydroxy and trihydroxy bile salts have an extraordinary ability to solubilize insoluble lipids such as phospholipids1–5, monoglycerides6 and long chain alkyl alcohols7. Lithocholic acid, a monohydroxy bile acid found in trace amounts in animals and man, has recently been found to cause pathological changes in liver when infused or fed in large amounts8–18. The intravenous infusion of sodium taurolithocholate to rats and hamsters results in severe cholestasis18. This can be prevented by infusing an equal molar amount of the trihydroxy bile salt sodium taurocholate. Feeding lithocholic acid to rats results in liver damage and gallstone formation, the latter the result of precipitation of sodium and calcium salts of glycolithocholate and its six keto derivatives8,9. Chickens receiving 0.2 per cent lithocholic acid and 2 per cent cholesterol in their diets develop severe liver necrosis and bile duct proliferation16, leading to hepatic failure and death.
Quality-of-life assessment in HIV-infected psychiatric outpatients: Perceived health, functional status, symptoms, and preferences for cardiopulmonary resuscitation

Abstract The current study had two purposes: (1) to describe the reliability and validity of a measure of quality of life (QOL) in HIV-infected psychiatric outpatients, and (2) to predict cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) preferences from disease stage, depression, and other QOL factors. We studied 63 patients, who were seen in one year at an HIV/AIDS psychiatry clinic. The results provide evidence for the validity of our instrument as a measure of health status in an HIV-infected psychiatric population. Overall symptoms were the strongest associates of functional limitations. disability, and perceived health, but depression was also significantly associated with all measures of QOL. Twenty-two patients (35.5%) would not have wanted to be revived if their heart stopped beating the day of the study. Disease stage and poor mental health were independent predictors of this preference, but severity of depression, social support, fatigue, perceived health, functional limitations, and life satisfaction were not.