cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clinical data analysis using ontology-guided rule learning

Currently, research in Machine Learning (ML) mainly focuses on the ability to process very large amounts of data and build accurate models. Problems related to complexity, heterogeneity, and semantics of healthcare data are often out of the main focus. Healthcare is particularly rich in background knowledge. Surprisingly, few ML methods used in healthcare can handle these sources of background knowledge, and instead treat healthcare data as a set of numbers without particular meaning. This paper explores an approach that can fill in this gap. A medical ontology (i.e., UMLS) is proposed to provide background knowledge for the ML method to understand healthcare data. The ontology-guided ML-based rule induction method is described and illustrated to analyze the clinical data supplemented with an ontology-based background knowledge.
What is influencing performance improvement in managed care

Both consumers and providers alike are concerned about quality in the managed care environment. Performance improvement activities frequently focus on preventive health measures, provider access, and availability of service. What is the the driving force? The article provides an overview of external reporting requirements of purchasers of health care, accrediting bodies, and regulatory agencies that are influencing quality programs in managed care.
Factors Affecting the Expansion of Telephone Lines in Developing Countries with Special Reference to Pakistan and the Asia Pacific Region

Using the Asia Pacific region as a frame of reference, the purpose of this paper is to examine the factors underlying the expansion of telecoms systems in Pakistan. The results from factor and discriminant analysis suggest that much of the main telephone line growth in the 1980s can be explained by a limited number of factors. Most important appears to be economic performance in the previous decade. Apparently this growth creates pressures that can be alleviated only through expanded infrastructure, including main telephone lines. The growth in main tele-phone lines also appears to occur more or less simultaneously with that of electricity generating capacity and paved roads. Linkages with expanded railroad tracks and irrigated acreage are much weaker.
Who is Aristotle's Citizen?

When Aristotle confronted the task of defining "citizen" at the beginning of Book III of the Politics, the difficulties in doing so adequately must have seemed formidable. There was, first, the simple fact of constitutional diversity: states differ, and so too, therefore, do citizens in those states.' Further, there was diversity of usage: people do not always agree who is to be called a citizen.2 Then there are those anomalous cases of citizens who acquire or lose the title of citizenship in an "exceptional manner" such as citizens by adoption, or citizens who have been disfranchised.3 Anomalous also are those states in which either people not admitted into a share of office are nevertheless called citizens (the "subject citizen" of 1278a 16-17); or people who, while they do have access to certain offices, still are denied the title of citizen, as was the case, for example, of some of the officeholders at Marseilles (1321a3l).4 Finally there is a fundamental problem concerning what is right or just: regardless of who citizens are in any particular case, to whom injustice should the title of citizenship be given? Should it be given to all who are alike and equal, and therefore to the multitude in most states because in most states the people are equal in nature;5 or should it be reserved to the few who truly deserve to rule permanently because of their superior virtue?6 All of these factors present difficulties to the philosopher because the aim of defining is to find a common, unchanging essence in a world of enormous diversity. For Aristotle, moreover, since the essence of an object is to be found within the actual and existent, a good definition is not free to ignore the variation and diversity of the world; it must be so cast as to fit every case yet without itself becoming varied and diverse. A definition, in other words, must itself be one and yet be capable of covering many different and dissimilar cases. It must, further, be "correct". While it cannot ignore common usage, which varies from one state to another, it must nevertheless find whatever is best and universal in the way the title is used and conferred.7 73
An introduction to the Numerical Simulation Laboratory at the University of Texas

Abstract The Numerical Simulation Laboratory (NSL) was started in 1971 in order to address a fundamental problem facing both practicing design professionals and architecture students. That is, that although architects are aware that their design decisions influence the energy demand of buildings; there was, and still is, little information available which can be used to help determine the precise quantitative significance that each architectural decision has on energy demand. The original purpose of the NSL was to address this problem within the academic context. Since then most of the analytical capabilities developed have also been used as research as well as design aids.
Short Communication: Telecommunications companies: One meeting with any competitor is enough to violate the EU's competition laws and result in fines

This commentary's purpose is to review how Telfort, T-Mobile, Vodafone, and others discovered that one ''meeting'' of any type with any telecommunications competitor could result in fines up to 10 percent of total ''turnover'' under EU competition law Regulation no. 1/2003, Article 23(2)(a), and to provide planning tips on how to eliminate the potential for those adverse consequences. While competition laws do not apply solely to the telecommunications industry, they do seem to affect it disproportionately. Telecommunications companies have global reach, and some of the most stringent competition law exists in Europe. Thus, all should review the most recent telecommunications ruling from the European Court of Justice, T-Mobile Netherlands BV v. Raad van bestuur van der Nederlandse Mededingingsautoriteit C-8/08 (2009). The ruling deals with whether the one meeting was ''concerted activity'' in violation of Article 81(1) EC.
School-Based Models for Primary Prevention Programming with Children

Summary After presenting a brief rationale for primary prevention work with children, three specific primary prevention program models are described. All three were developed on a base provided by the Primary Mental Health Project (PMHP) -a program for early detection and secondary prevention of young children's school adjustment problems. The three programs represent different primary prevention strategies. The first, social problem solving, seeks to provide children with a family of skills and competencies known to relate positively to adjustment. The second, Study-Buddy, uses cooperative, peer-teaching dyads to enhance educational and behavioral outcomes. The third is a preventive intervention for young children at risk because their parents have divorced. Specific rationales, program descriptions and outcome data are presented for each program. A final section highlights similarities and differences among these programs and cites limitations and needs for additional work with each. The positive progra...
Protein-protein interfaces are special.

Abstract In this issue of Structure , characteristic features that distinguish protein-protein interfaces from noninterface protein surface (Halperin et al., 2004) provide insights into fundamental properties of protein recognition and contribute to improvement of docking methodologies.
B72-17 Computer Analysis of Circuits

Practitioners of computer-aided network analysis are divided into two groups. One group seeks the most effective application of packaged programs to problem solution while the other group is chiefly interested in the algorithms that underlie these programs or that can provide the basis for the creation of new programs.
Dissociated high-purity dopaminergic neuron cultures from the substantia nigra and the ventral tegmental area of the postnatal rat

Abstract We have developed dissociated primary neuronal cultures obtained from the substantia nigra and from the ventral tegmental area of postnatal rats (two to three days old). After making brain slices, the regions of the substantia nigra and the ventral tegmental area were separately dissected. The removed fragments of brain tissue were dissociated and cultured on a glial feeder layer. Double immunocytochemical labeling for tyrosine hydroxylase and GABA on cultures grown for two to three weeks showed the presence of 42% dopaminergic and 39% GABAergic neurons in substantia nigra cultures, whereas in ventral tegmental area cultures there were 65% dopaminergic and 21% GABAergic neurons. The dopaminergic neurons were characterized by thick and straight primary processes dividing into several branches. Varicosities were found mainly on distal parts of the processes. In contrast, GABAergic neurons possessed highly branched thick and thin primary processes with intensive arborization and numerous varicosities. Co-existence of dopamine and cholecystokinin was found in about 70% of dopaminergic neurons from the substantia nigra and in about 35% of dopaminergic neurons from the ventral tegmental area. Physiological properties of these cultured dopaminergic neurons were investigated with the whole-cell version of the patch-clamp method. After each physiological experiment, immunocytochemical labeling confirmed that the cell was dopaminergic. Properties of single action potentials, with an action potential height of 92 mV and duration of 1.6 ms, were similar to those reported for dopaminergic neurons in brain slices. The neurons showed a high resting potential, and no spontaneous firing of action potentials. Constant current depolarizations elicited trains of action potentials. In the majority of cells, the train stopped firing within a few seconds, while in some cells it lasted indefinitely. When the cell was hyperpolarized, the voltage response started to decline slowly (sag), indicating the presence of hyperpolarization-activated currents (time-dependent inward rectification). These results show that by using our culture method it is possible to obtain separate dissociated cultures of the substantia nigra and the ventral tegmental area from newborn rats. Because they are rich in functional dopaminergic neurons, these cultures will be a useful tool for studying various properties of dopaminergic neurons.
Theoretical investigation of the structure and stability of AlCO and Al(CO) 2 and their cations

Ab initio calculations are performed to determine the geometries and binding energies of AlCO and Al(CO)2 and their cations. The calculations reveal that the bonding between Al and the CO groups is due almost entirely to electron correlation, the second CO binds to Al much more strongly than the first, and the C-Al-C angle in both Al(CO)2 and its cation is 73–74°.
Recuperative coupling of exothermic and endothermic reactions

Coupling energy intensive endothermic reaction systems with suitable exothermic reactions improves the thermal efficiency of processes and reduces the size of the reactors. One type of reactor suitable for such a type of coupling is the heat exchanger reactor. In this work, a one-dimensional pseudo-homogeneous plug flow model is used to analyze and compare the performance of co-current and counter-current heat exchanger reactors. A parametric analysis is carried out to address the vital issues, such as the exit conversion of the endothermic reaction, the temperature peak (hot spot) of the exothermic reaction and the reactor volumetric productivity. The measures to reduce the hot spot by different catalyst profiling techniques are also addressed. Some features of the dynamic behavior exhibited by these reactors, which are important from design, operational and control point of view, are presented.
The Funding of Community Colleges A Typology of State Funding Formulas

Community college funding formulas are tools utilized to substantiate the acquisition of funds and delineate the cost of education. This study develops a typology of community college funding formulas placing 48 states in three categories and five subcategories.
Stereospecific decarbonylation of acyl(h5-cyclopentadienyl)carbonyl(tri phenylphosphine)iron complexes

Abstract Photochemical decarbonylation of ( h 5 -C 5 H 3 -1-CH 3 -3-C 6 H 5 )Fe(CO)[P(C 6 H 5 ) 3 ](COCH 3 ) and h 5 -C 5 H 5 Fe(CO)[P(C 6 H 5 ) 3 ] [COCH 2 CH(CH 3 )C 6 H 5 ] proceeds with high stereospecificity at iron.
Total Left Main Coronary Artery Occlusion after Aortic Aneurysm Repair and Valve Replacement

A 38-year-old woman with complete occlusion of the left main coronary artery secondary to cannulation during aortic valve replacement is presented. The clinical -course was characterized by progressive left ventricular dysfunction and congestive heart failure. Recognition of this potential problem when it occurs is important so as to institute therapeutic measures which may interrupt a patient's progressive clinical deterioration.
Problems and promises in clinical teaching.

This article describes problems experienced by one nurse educator in a long-term care (LTC) setting and the educator’s and staff’s responses to these difficulties; it also identifies strategies for collaborative problem-solving. This collaboration is intended to enhance student learning and ultimately encourage students to turn to gerontologic care as practicing nurses. The clinical environment inevitably shapes the teaching that occurs there, thereby affecting the learning experiences of students. 1,2 Instructional goals may be affected by such things as change in patient condition between the time of assignment and the actual provision of care. Moreover, constraints imposed by the college or university where the educator is employed, such as the number of students prescribed for a clinical group, and system issues such as switching medications to qualify for Medicare reimbursement, impinge on ideal clinical teaching. Although many of these factors are beyond the control of staff or educators, some issues can be addressed. For example, a nurse educator’s ability to create an effective clinical learning milieu can be affected by availability of equipment, organization and attitude of facility and staff, and response of nursing staff and physicians to client problems. Nursing staff and nurse educators share a desire to provide optimal, compassionate patient care. How might they also share the satisfaction of teaching students to provide that care and, in the process, build the bridges between service and education so necessary in today’s health care? How might students learn to enjoy and value the care of elderly nursing home residents enough that they will even
Synthesis, Characterization and Degradation of Poly(silyl ester)s

To investigate the effects of sterics and polymer backbone composition upon the rates of hydrolytic degradation of polymers containing trialkyl-substituted silyl ester linkages, six poly(silyl ester)s with molecular weights typically ranging from 5000 to 15000 Da were synthesized through transsilylation ester exchange reactions of alkyl or aryl bis(trimethylsilyl)esters with methyl- and isopropyl-substituted bis(chlorosilyl)hexanes to give trimethylsilyl chloride as the condensate. Characterization of the poly(silyl ester)s included infrared spectroscopy (IR), 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and 29Si NMR INEPT spectroscopies, size-exclusion chromatography (SEC), differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis. Both 29Si NMR and SEC were employed to monitor the polymerization and the degradation experiments. As expected, the relative stability of the silyl ester bonds toward hydrolysis increased with increased steric hindrance of the substituents attached to the silicon atoms. The incorporation of p-phe...
Assessing exchangeability in indirect and mixed treatment comparisons

In comparative effectiveness research (CER), investigators often resort to methods of indirect and mixed treatment comparisons, due to the unavailability of head-to-head compara- tive data from randomized clinical trials for competing treatment options. However, implicit in the available indirect comparison techniques is an assumption of exchangeability, which in practice cannot be conclusively verified. This paper discusses the implications of violations of this assumption, and describes approaches to evaluate its validity and steps that may be taken to minimize the impact on conclusions drawn from such studies.
Academic dishonesty in a high-tech environment

Advances in computing and telecommunication technology provide abundant new opportunities for academic dishonesty. Anecdotal evidence suggests that students are far more aware than faculty of various mechanisms for cheating on exams, plagiarizing assignments, and soliciting work for pay. Fortunately, technological advances also provide the alert instructor with some tools for combating such academic dishonesty.In this session, we will present information on how calculators, cell phones, beepers, and other handheld technology may be used to cheat on exams; how the Internet is used to match students with sources for solutions to their assignments; and existing tools and services for the faculty member.The intention of this session is to inform faculty about various ways that students may commit academic fraud; and tools and approaches that are available to reduce their effectiveness. We also hope to gain further information from other faculty and/or students in attendance. We do not intend to debate whether these activities should be allowed due to the ease with which they are committed, as is often discussed.We will provide a bibliography of articles about high-tech academic dishonesty, software tools and services for detecting plagiarism (including shared code in programming assignments), and Internet resources.
Using partial area for evaluation of bioavailability and bioequivalence

Assessment of bioavailability/bioequivalence generally relies on the comparison of rate and extent of drug absorption between products. Rate of absorption is commonly expressed by peak concentration (Cmax) and time to peak concentration (Tmax), although these parameters are indirect measures of absorption rate. Recognizing the importance of systemic exposure to drug efficacy and safety, FDA recommended that systemic exposure be better used for bioavailability/bioequivalence assessment. Apart from peak exposure and total exposure, FDA also recommended a new metric for early exposure that is considered necessary when a control of input rate is critical to ascertain drug efficacy and/or safety profile. The early exposure can be measured by truncating the area under the curve at Tmax of the reference product (PAUCr,tmax) or some designated early time after dosing. The choice of truncation is most appropriately based on PK/PD relationship or efficacy/safety data for the drug under examination. Compared with Cmax, PAUCr,tmax has higher sensitivity in detecting formulation differences and may be more variable. If the metric is highly variable, the reference-scaling approach can be employed for bioequivalence evaluation. The partial area metric is useful in PK/PD characterization as well as in the evaluation of bioavailability, bioequivalence and/or comparability.
The spine surgery waiting place.

COMMENTARY ON Quon JA, Sobolev BG, Levy AR, et al. The effect of waiting time on pain intensity after elective surgical lumbar discectomy. Spine J 2013;13:1736-48 ( in this issue ).
Dose-intensification chemotherapy for patients with advanced breast cancer

It is now possible to administer doses of chemotherapy several-fold those used in standard treatment regimens. This can be done with relative safety, and in patients with metastatic breast cancer or refractory non-Hodgkin's lymphoma such treatment produces a high complete-remission rate. Some patients enjoy a longterm disease-free survival following dose-intensive therapy. Chemotherapy intensified to this degree produces prolonged periods of myelosuppression. This can be managed rather well with progenitor-cell infusion and cytokine support. There is little experience with such regimens in the treatment of locally advanced or locally aggressive breast cancer. However, early experience in several institutions, including our own is encouraging. In this article the rationale for dose intensity, the experience in metastatic breast cancer, and the available information on outcomes in locally advanced cancer are reviewed. The appropriate role for dose-intensive chemotherapy in locally advanced breast cancer treatment remains to be defined.
A Perfect War of Politics: Parties, Politicians, and Democracy in Louisiana, 1824–1861 – By John M. Sacher

Adding to the emerging literature examining the antebellum Gulf South, the author strives to place Louisiana's political scene squarely within the context of national party politics. Beginning with...
The surgical management of goiter: Part I. Preoperative evaluation.

Objectives/Hypothesis: Our overarching objective is to provide a comprehensive analysis of goiter data in two paired articles. This first article focuses on the preoperative evaluation. The following null hypotheses have been tested: 1) there is no correlation between goiter size and preoperative symptoms, 2) there is no correlation between preoperative neck imaging abnormalities and preoperative symptoms, and 3) there are no predictors for goiter recurrence. Sudy Design: A retrospective review of 200 consecutive thyroidectomies meeting inclusion/exclusion criteria for cervical or substernal goiter. Results: The mean specimen size was 10.5 ± 4.8 cm and 142.9 ± 113.3 grams. There was a positive correlation between goiter size and preoperative shortness of breath (P = .02). The presence of substernal goiter was significantly correlated with tracheal deviation and tracheal compression (P < .01) on neck imaging. There was strong correlation between preoperative shortness of breath and tracheal compression (P < .001) on neck computed tomography (CT), but not tracheal deviation. The need for revision surgery was significantly associated with female gender (odds ratio 3.0; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.5, 6.1, and a positive family history of thyroid disease (odds ratio 6.5 [2.4, 17.3]). Conclusions: Goiter size is associated with increasing symptoms. Tracheal compression but not deviation was related to shortness of breath. Females and patients with a positive family history of goiter have an increased risk of goiter recurrence. Laryngoscope, 2011
Identification of imprinting regulators at the Meg3 differentially methylated region

Genomic imprinting at the Delta-like 1 (Dlk1)–Maternally expressed gene 3 (Meg3) locus is regulated by the Meg3 differentially methylated region (DMR), but the mechanism by which this DMR acts is unknown. The goal of this study was to analyze the Meg3 DMR during imprinting establishment and maintenance for the presence of histone modifications and trans-acting DNA binding proteins using chromatin immunoprecipitation. In embryonic stem (ES) cells, where Meg3 is biallelically expressed, the DMR showed variable DNA methylation, with biallelic methylation at one region but paternal allele-specific methylation at another. All histone modifications detected at the Meg3 DMR of ES cells were biallelic. In embryonic day 12.5 (e12.5) embryos, where Meg3 is maternally expressed, the paternal Meg3 DMR was methylated, and activating histone modifications were specific to the maternal DMR. DNA-binding proteins that represent potential regulatory factors were identified in both ES cells and embryos.
Chemical interpretation of the relaxed permittivity during epoxy resin cure

The isothermal cure of a diglycidyl ether of Bisphenol-A (DGEBA) epoxy resin with diaminodiphenylsulfone has been characterized by microdielectrometry and differential scanning calorimetry. The cure temperatures ranged from 410 to 460K. The behavior of the relaxed (or static) dielectric permittivity vs. cure time and temperature was determined from the microdielectrometry data. The DSC data was fit to an autocatalyzed reaction kinetics model, which was then used to predict reactive group concentrations as a function of cure time and temperature. The temperature dependence of the relaxed permittivity at constant chemical conversion was examined in the context of the Onsager theory for the relaxed permittivity of a system of independent dipoles. This analysis indicated that the dipoles in the resin are not independent, as assumed by the Onsager theory, and that the behavior is similar to that observed in polyethers. An empirical modification to the Onsager theory was used in conjunction with the kinetic model to estimate dipole moments for the epoxide, primary amine, and reacted (secondary and tertiary) amine groups. The relative and absolute values of the dipole moments were in good agreement with estimates based on the structures, leading to the conclusion that the observed decrease of the relaxed permittivity during cure of this epoxy/amine system is due to the changing concentrations of polar reactive groups.
Separation of manganese from iron in sedimentary processes

Abstract Thermochemical data on compounds of manganese and iron are in general agreement with reported mineral associations, provided that the more complex mineral compounds, for which data do not exist, be assumed to have somewhat larger stability fields than their nearest simple chemical equivalents. The data show that the iron compounds to be expected in nature are uniformly less soluble than the corresponding manganese compounds and that ferrous ion is more easily oxidized than manganous ion under any naturally occurring pH-Eh conditions. Thus, inorganic processes should always lead to precipitation of iron before manganese from a solution containing both metals, unless the Mn/Fe ratio is very high. The oxidation of manganous and ferrous ions by atmospheric oxygen takes place by slow reactions which can be utilized as an energy source by bacteria. Selective oxidation and precipitation by different species of bacteria can lead to partial separation of the metals, but this is probably not a major factor in the formation of large, nearly pure deposits of manganese or iron compounds. Selective dissolution of the metals from igneous rocks, a mechanism of separation often postulated in the literature, was tested by treating basaltic andesite with a number of solvents at temperatures ranging from 25 to 300°C. The ratios of Mn to Fe in the resulting solutions were all approximately the same as in the original rock, showing that this assumed process of separation is ineffective. Isolation of manganese in solution can be accomplished by precipitating the iron first. This is most effectively done by adding alkali gradually to a solution containing both metals, keeping the solution in contact with atmospheric oxygen. The reaction can be demonstrated in the laboratory under conditions similar to those in nature by letting dilute acid percolate through crushed lava and then through limestone: iron dissolved from the lava is precipitated in the limestone and the solution is left with a high Mn/Fe ratio. This suggests a possible explanation for the origin of many manganese deposits, especially those associated with lavas and tuffs, but it requires that iron oxide in amounts many times that of the manganese be deposited in the rocks through which the solutions have passed.
Identification and localization of calcium channel α1 and β subunit isoforms in the kidney

The distal nephron of the kidney plays a key role in the regulation of renal calcium excretion. Although calcium filtered at the glomerulus is reabsorbed along the whole length of the nephron, active, and by inference transcellular, transport has been demonstrated primarily in the micropuncture distal tubule [1, 2], and more specifically the distal convoluted tubule (DCT) [3] and connecting tubule (CNT) [4]. Active transport has also been observed under certain conditions in the cortical thick ascending limb (CTAL) [4, 5], although this is controversial [6]. Furthermore, the action of parathyroid hormone (PTH) to enhance calcium reabsorption in the CNT [3] and CTAL [5] is responsible for its hypocalciuric effect. The mechanism and regulation of calcium reabsorption at the cellular level have recently been reviewed [7]. Figure 1 illustrates a model of transcellular calcium transport in a distal tubule epithelial cell, based on current knowledge. Cytosolic calcium is actively extruded at the basolateral membrane by a calcium pump or sodium-calcium exchanger [8, 9]. Until recently, however, little was known about how calcium entered these cells at the apical surface, except that it must pass down a steep concentration gradient, from millimolar concentrations in the tubular fluid [1] to submicromolar concentrations within the cytosol [10], and also down a transmembrane electrical gradient of between -35 mV and -87 mV [11, 12], suggesting a passive transport mechanism.
Love in the Time of Dissertations: An Ethnographic Tale:

Robert Ajwang', a dancer and musician from Tanzania, collaborated with theatre scholar Laura Edmondson on a performance text that addresses ethnography and desire. Edmondson spent 16 months in 1996 and 1997 on the Swahili coast doing research on Tanzanian popular theatre. During that time, Ajwang' served as her research assistant; they eventually married in 1999. The performance text, which culls together excerpts from Edmondson's publications, Ajwang”s choreography, videotape, audience address, and dialogue, suggests that ethnographic intimacy foregrounds cultural difference rather than erases it. Edmondson prefaces the edited performance text with a discussion of the theoretical issues that informed their collaboration; Ajwang' concludes with an explanation of how he would reshape the play for an audience of Tanzanians.
Cloning, expression, and functional characterization of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis secA gene.

To better understand the protein secretion mechanisms involved in the growth and pathogenesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, we examined the secA gene from M. tuberculosis (tbsecA; cosmid sequence accession No. z95121.gb_ba). We generated plasmids containing the full-length tbsecA gene or a fusion containing the 5′ sequence from the M. tuberculosis secA gene and the remainder from the Escherichia coli secA gene and evaluated the ability of each construct to complement the defective SecA protein in E. coli MM52ts when grown at the non-permissive temperature. The full-length tbsecA gene was unable to compensate for the temperature-sensitive defect, whereas E. coli MM52ts that has been transformed with plasmid pMF8TB226 containing a chimeric secA gene was able to grow at 42°C. This work confirms that the topography of SecA and its ATP binding sites are highly conserved, whereas its membrane insertion domains are species specific.
Room-temperature luminescence of benzo[f]quinoline, p-aminobenzoic acid, phenanthrene, and 4-phenylphenol on a variety of solid surfaces

Abstract Analytical figures of merit for the room-temperature luminescence of four model compounds with quite different chemical structures were compared. The compounds were adsorbed on four different surfaces that have been employed recently in solid-surface luminescence analysis. The solid materials investigated were silica gel with a polyacrylate binder, filter paper, 1% polyacrylic acid-NaBr, and 80% α-cyclodextrin-NaCl. The experimental conditions were optimized to give enhanced luminescence signals. In some cases, filter paper and 80% α-cyclodextrin-NaCl gave comparable analytical results. However, filter paper gave the best overall results.
Enteral access—The foundation of feeding: Endoscopic nasoenteric tube placement

The importance of providing early enteral feeding in critically ill patients at risk for deterioration of nutritional status has necessitated the development of a number of techniques for establishing gut access. Using endoscopy to place nasoenteric feeding tubes can be a surprisingly complex and technically difficult procedure for even the experienced operator. Knowing the 4 main methods for placing nasoenteric tubes, paying attention to the details and the potential modifications of each technique, and matching the individual characteristics of each procedure to the particular patient needs are all involved in the decision-making process by which the endoscopist helps initiate effective nutritional management.
Effects of anticholinergic treatment on transient behavioral suppression and physiological responses following concussive brain injury to the rat

Abstract Increasing doses (0.1, 1.0, 10.0 mg/kg) of scopolamine were systemically (i.p.) administered to rats subjected to moderate fluid percussion brain injury. Scopolamine treatment (1.0 mg/kg, i.p.) 15 min prior to trauma significantly reduced mortality and the duration of transient behavioral suppression assessed by a variety of measures. No differences were observed between saline- and scopolamine-reated animals in either the incidence or duration of transient apnea associated with injury. Preinjury treatment with methylscopolamine (1.04 mg/kg) or mecamylamine (1.0 mg/kg) had no effect on transient behavioral suppression. Except for increased heart rate, preinjury treatment with scopolamine (1.0 mg/kg) did not significantly alter systemic physiological responses to injury. Rats treated with scopolamine (1.0 mg/kg, i.p.) 30 s after injury tended to have shorter durations of reflex and response suppression. These experiments suggest that antimuscarinics can attenuate components of transient behavioral suppression associated with concussive brain injury. These findings are consistent with previous experimental and clinical observations and lend further support to the hypothesis that activation of a muscarinic system within the CNS mediates components of reversible traumatic unconsciousness following cerebral concussion.
Antiplatelet therapy: Does prasugrel or ticagrelor suffice in patients with STEMI?

Adequate platelet inhibition early in the course of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction treated by primary percutaneous coronary intervention is essential to reduce stent thrombosis and recurrent myocardial infarction. Pharmacodynamic data now suggest that additional platelet inhibition beyond that provided by either prasugrel or ticagrelor might be necessary.
Spatial variation among green building certification categories: Does place matter?

Given the increasing interest in sustainability within the academy, government, and the private sector, it is important to know the extent to which steps currently being taken towards sustainability differ from place to place. Namely, this paper seeks to determine the existence of a spatial pattern in the implementation of the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. For example, is green energy used more often in one part of the country, or is water conservation practiced more heavily in one region? Variation among the implementation of various LEED certification categories and variation across space were both considered and found to be statistically significant. Variation among categories is more pronounced than variation among regions, especially when the most spatially specific subcategories are isolated and considered. Altogether, this study underscores the importance of place in the growing green building field, and underlines the need for more spatially sensitive certification standards.
(Re)searching Dewey for feminist imaginaries: Linguistic continuity, discourse and gossip

In the following essay I hope to draw connections, recognizable compatabilities between a Deweyan pragmatic notion of communication and a feminist reading of a commonplace familiar to us all — a social practice I shall call for now — “serious gossip.”2 In doing this I believe my purpose matches Dewey’s in his day; to propose that philosophy should not be a matter of doctrines, rationalized discourses, words or abstract thinking, so much as living and experiencing. What will be found here, then, is not the spinning of esoteric and abstract systems of thought according to chains of logical reasoning but a friendly inquiry into ordinary life situations — into a social game of interaction. This is an exploratory effort, one undertaken to read Dewey’s thought more for edifying rediscription rather than for getting him “right.” As R. W. Sleeper has reminded us, “The irony is that for Dewey”s getting it right demands that we give up the myth of “what is there anyway” as a condition for “getting it right.”3 My reading, consequently, is in the spirit of pragmatism’s living evolment as well as a feminist philosophical engagement which values traditions seeking to “enable the community, focus on the relational web which is community if discourse, and valorize ‘carrying forward’ rather than victory over one’s opponents.”4
Sacred Text in an Electronic Age

How the Bible has been regarded in history has in part been a reflection of changing writing technologies. The roll, the codex, and the printed book shape what writing is, how it is socially used, and the way persons think about language and the world. Contemporary Western culture is in the midst of a transition from the era of the printed book to the era of electronic writing. Computerized writing has inundated contemporary culture with text products; the Bible, and perhaps every other special text, is to some degree swallowed up. Word processing and particularly new electronic textual forms such as hypertext and hypermedia are beginning to reshape both our practices with and associations for the written word, including sacred texts such as the Bible. Electronic writing invites modification; it emphasizes the contextual and dynamic aspects of written language and undermines the image of the printed word as a fixed deposit of truth. The computer's speed and storage capacity make possible electronic texts ...
Modeling and Analysis of Printed-Circuit Tensor Impedance Surfaces

Analysis of a printed-circuit tensor impedance surface (PCTIS) is presented. The surface consists of a periodic, subwavelength-patterned metallic cladding printed over a grounded dielectric substrate. First, the dispersion equation for an idealized tensor impedance boundary condition is derived by expressing the field in terms of TE and TM waves. A similar method is then used to find the dispersion equation of the PCTIS consisting of a tensor sheet impedance, which models the metallic cladding, over a grounded dielectric substrate. In addition, a method for extracting the tensor sheet impedance of a periodic, metallic cladding printed over a grounded dielectric substrate, is reported. It involves performing two normal-incidence scattering simulations using a full-wave electromagnetic solver. The method is strictly valid when the ground plane is sufficiently far from the metallic cladding to avoid evanescent-wave interactions. By combining the tensor sheet extraction method with the dispersion equation, the full dispersion characteristics of the PCTIS are analytically predicted in the homogenous limit. The results are verified through full-wave eigenmode simulations.
New self-consistent many-body perturbation theory: Application to the Hubbard model

A new many-body theory perturbationally consistent to all orders of the perturbation is presented and applied to the Hubbard problem as an example. Use is made of the recent Kim and Wilson commutator projection operator to derive the Dyson equation for the one-particle Green's function and an exact set of coupled differential equations for the damping or self-energy term which are solved self-consistently. The Hubbard $I$ result follows in our first approximation and the Esterling-Lange (EL)-type result in the second. Since we keep the hopping finite throughout the calculation, no degeneracy problem is encountered as in EL.
Near-field single tractor-beam acoustical tweezers

The possibility to trap a sphere in the near-field of a single-beam piston transducer is theoretically demonstrated. Conditions are found where a rigid, fluid, elastic, and viscoelastic sphere with arbitrary radius placed in the near-field and centered on the axis of a circular piezoelectric transducer vibrating uniformly, experiences a pulling force, so the acoustical waves act as a “tractor” beam. Numerical predictions illustrate the theory with particular emphasis on the distance from the source, the size of the transducer, and the elastic properties of the sphere. Those results can potentially suggest a simple and reliable method in designing acoustical tweezers.
Effects on insulin secretion and insulin action of a 48-h reduction of plasma free fatty acids with acipimox in nondiabetic subjects genetically predisposed to type 2 diabetes.

Elevated plasma FFA cause β-cell lipotoxicity and impair insulin secretion in nondiabetic subjects predisposed to type 2 diabetes mellitus [T2DM; i.e., with a strong family history of T2DM (FH+)] b...
Women entrepreneurs: moving beyond family and flexibility

Women entrepreneurs are a vital contributor to today’s economy, employing one from every four employees in the USA. Yet, there is still a dearth of research on women entrepreneurs. This study examines a particular group of women entrepreneurs largely ignored by the literature: entrepreneurs over 50 years old. It focuses on women who do not have a family, or whose children have grown up. Given the aging population this group will increase in numbers and impact on gross domestic product and employment statistics. This paper explores the characteristics of this unique group of entrepreneurs and considers if gender is implicit in the organizational structures of the businesses established by these women.
Lithospheric necking: a dynamic model for rift morphology

Rifting is examined as the growth of a necking instability. A rift is nucleated by means of a small thickness perturbation imposed at the base of a strong layer which overlies a weaker substrate. The conditions for which the initial disturbance will amplify as the lithosphere extends are evaluated for a range of rheological parameters, and the associated pattern of near-surface deformation is determined. It was found that this unstable lithospheric extension results in a pattern of deformation that is consistent with the major morphological characteristics of rift zones. For an initial perturbation narrower than the dominant wavelength, deformation concentrates in a zone of width comparable to the dominant wavelength; for an initial thickness perturbation wider than the dominant wavelength, deformation develops periodically at the dominant wavelength in the region above the perturbation. It is noted that the width of a rift is essentially independent of the layer/substrate strength ratio. For a power law viscous surface layer (n = 3), the dominant wavelength varies with the layer/substrate strength ratio to the one-third power and is always larger than for a plastic surface layer of the same thickness. The unstable extension of a strong viscous surface layer may be responsible for the great width of rift zones on Venus.
An Orthonormal Basis for Topic Segmentation in Tutorial Dialogue

This paper explores the segmentation of tutorial dialogue into cohesive topics. A latent semantic space was created using conversations from human to human tutoring transcripts, allowing cohesion between utterances to be measured using vector similarity. Previous cohesion-based segmentation methods that focus on expository monologue are reapplied to these dialogues to create benchmarks for performance. A novel moving window technique using orthonormal bases of semantic vectors significantly outperforms these benchmarks on this dialogue segmentation task.
Correlation of early lymphocyte recovery and progression-free survival after autologous stem-cell transplant in patients with Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

The importance of the association between early lymphocyte recovery and outcome has not been well studied in autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). In this retrospective study, we analyzed 90 consecutive patients with non-Hodgkin's and Hodgkin's lymphoma who underwent ASCT. Patients were divided into two groups: group 1 with absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) on day +15 below the median of 667/mm(3), and group 2 with ALC >or=667/mm(3). The median progression-free survival (PFS), but not overall survival (OS), was significantly longer in group 2 when compared to group 1 (16 months vs not reached P=0.02). Group 2 patients also had significantly shorter hospital stay, received higher CD34(+) cell dose, and had shorter time to neutrophil recovery. Multivariate analysis demonstrated day +15 ALC to be an independent prognostic indicator for PFS, but not OS, while CD34(+) cell dose and the number of pretransplant treatments were better predictors for both PFS and OS. We conclude that higher day +15 ALC may independently predict better PFS after ASCT for lymphoma patients; however, whether this merely reflects faster overall recovery caused by higher infused CD34(+) cell dose and less pretransplant therapy needs further investigation.
Pupillary changes during recall in children.

Abstract Seven children aged 7–9 years were auditorily presented five-digit numbers for retention intervals of 0 and 10 sec. Pupil size was recorded during stimulus presentation, retention interval, and recall of items. Findings indicate that pupil dilation occurs during encoding and retrieval of stimulus items with pupillary constriction occurring during retention of the items. The pupillary change functions obtained with children were found to be very similar to those obtained with older subjects.
The need for additional options in the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus infection

Current therapy for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is inadequate to control the progression of the disease. Although existing nucleoside analogues, such as zidovudine, have clear benefits, they also have drawbacks, including toxicity and the possibility of drug resistance. In addition, the timing of therapy and the use of monotherapy versus combination therapy as initial treatment have not been definitively established. HIV drugs currently in development include newer nucleoside analogues, such as stavudine and lamivudine, nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, and protease inhibitors. The addition of these agents to the antiretroviral armamentarium will expand the treatment options available to clinicians who treat patients with HIV infection.