cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A chamber to permit invasive manipulation of adherent cells in laminar flow with minimal disturbance of the flow field.

An obstacle to real-time in vitro measurements of endothelial cell responses to hemodynamic forces is the inaccessibility of the cells to instruments of measurement and manipulation. We have designed a parallel plate laminar flow chamber that permits access to adherent cells during exposure to flow. The “minimally invasive flow device” (MIF device) has longitudinal slits (1 mm wide) cut in the top plate of the chamber to allow insertion of a recording, measurement, or stimulating instrument (e.g., micropipette) into the flow field. Surface tension forces at the slit openings are sufficient to counteract the hydrostatic pressure generated in the chamber and thus prevent overflow. The invasive probe is brought near to the cell surface, makes direct contact with the cell membrane, or enters the cell. The slits provide access to a large number (and choice) of cells. The MIF device can maintain physiological levels of shear stress (<1–15 dyn/cm2) without overflow in the absence and presence of fine instruments such as micropipettes used in electrophysiology, membrane aspiration, and microinjection. Microbead trajectory profiles demonstrated negligible deviations in laminar flow near the surface of target cells in the presence of microscale instruments. Patch-clamp electrophysiological recordings of flow-induced changes in membrane potential were demonstrated. The MIF device offers numerous possibilities to investigate real-time endothelial responses to well-defined flow conditions in vitro including electrophysiology, cell surface mechanical probing, local controlled chemical release, biosensing, microinjection, and amperometric techniques. © 2000 Biomedical Engineering Society. PAC00: 8780Fe, 8717Jj, 8719Uv, 8716Uv, 8719Nn
Lawyers in Practice: Ethical Decision Making in Context: A Mirror and Window for Understanding Ethics of Law Practice

This piece reviews the book, “Lawyers in Practice: Ethical Decision Making in Context.” The book’s editors, Leslie Levin and Lynn Mather, assembled an impressive group of scholars and practitioners who use empirical research to study ethical decision making by lawyers. After introductory material, individual chapters examine the struggles of lawyers who work in particular practice areas. Each chapter considers psychological angles, as well as environmental and organizational influences that impact lawyers’ conduct, the commonalities that lawyers experience in dealing with ethical dilemmas, and the courses that lawyers take in attempting to avoid ethical minefields. Part I of the review first discusses the basic structure of the book and its premises. Part II identifies the various groups that would be interested in reading the book. Part III examines themes that run throughout the book, including the importance of “communities of practice.” The review explains how the reading the book acts as both a window and mirror. First, as a window, the book provides an opportunity to peer into others’ practices and learn from their experiences. Second, the book serves as a mirror for lawyers to reflect on their own ethics, approaches, and perceptions of their work. Through this exercise, lawyers come to appreciate that ethical decision making is a skill that can be developed.
THE EFFECTS OF KINSHIP ON INTERACTIONS BETWEEN TADPOLES OF RANA CASCADAE

In a series of four field and mesocosm studies, we examined the effects of kinship on growth, survival, and aggregation behavior in tadpoles of the Cascades frog (Rana cascadae) under different ecological conditions. (1) Field observations of tadpole aggregations revealed ecological factors that may interact with kinship to influence tadpole interactions. (2) In an experiment conducted in mesocosms, food distribution, predator presence, thermal heterogeneity, and kinship all interacted to influence tadpole dispersion. (3) In a field experiment conducted in natural ponds, kinship significantly influenced group size at artificially established food patches. (4) In a field enclosure experiment, density, access to the substrate, and kinship all interacted to significantly influence growth and survivorship of tadpoles. Subsequent analysis revealed that kinship affected the distribution of individual tadpole body size: mass was more skewed (i.e., more small individuals) in groups of mixed relatedness than in kin groups. The interaction among kinship, density, and substrate factors resulted in context-dependent effects on tadpole size distribution and survivorship. Our results demonstrate that kinship factors can influence competitive interactions between tadpoles depending upon the ecological conditions, and they provide a functional explanation for kin-discriminating behavior observed in tadpoles of R. cascadae. Kinship-mediated competition may be particularly important for recruitment in size-structured populations.
French Primitivism and the Ends of Empire, 1945–1975

Daniel J. Sherman (2011), 311, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, £29.00 Throughout the twentieth century and into the twenty-first, France has had a distinctively conflicted relationship with t...
Cost Comparison Between Watchful Waiting With Active Surveillance and Active Treatment of Clinically Localized Prostate Cancer

Objectives In part because of concern regarding overtreatment in men with prostate cancer, watchful waiting with active surveillance (WWAS) has been increasingly used in men diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer. The present study investigates the difference in costs between men with low-risk prostate cancer treated with up-front radical prostatectomy (RP) versus WWAS. Methods A cost model was constructed using data from centers that have published their results in men who were followed up with WWAS compared with the actual costs of up-front RP calculated from a high volume center. Two WWAS arms of 15-year duration were created in which the follow-up protocol and conversion rate to active treatment were varied. Results The cost of up-front RP including costs of surgery, complications, and follow up for 15 years was $15 235 per person. Costs of WWAS were estimated using annual conversion rates from WWAS to RP of both 5% and 7%. Costs per person in the WWAS arms ranged from $6558 to $11 992 in the scenarios created which represent a 43%-78.7% reduction in costs when compared with men undergoing up-front RP. Conclusions Watchful waiting with active surveillance is being increasingly used in hopes of decreasing the potential overtreatment of prostate cancer in men with low-risk disease. The present study suggests that WWAS is likely to markedly decrease costs when compared with active treatment with RP.
External iliac artery endofibrosis in an amateur runner: hemodynamic, angiographic, histopathological evaluation and percutaneous revascularization

We describe a case of external iliac artery endofibrosis in an amateur competitive runner. The diagnosis was made by a combination of hemodynamic, angiographic and histopathological assessment and percutaneous revascularization was performed using a balloon expandable stent.
Screening Assay for Small-Molecule Inhibitors of Synaptojanin 1, a Synaptic Phosphoinositide Phosphatase:

Elevation of amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) is critically associated with Alzheimer disease (AD) pathogenesis. Aβ-induced synaptic abnormalities, including altered receptor trafficking and synapse loss, have been linked to cognitive deficits in AD. Recent work implicates a lipid critical for neuronal function, phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate [PI(4,5)P 2 ], in Aβ-induced synaptic and behavioral impairments. Synaptojanin 1 (Synj1), a lipid phosphatase mediating the breakdown of PI(4,5)P 2 , has been shown to play a role in synaptic vesicle recycling and receptor trafficking in neurons. Heterozygous deletion of Synj1 protected neurons from Aβ-induced synaptic loss and restored learning and memory in a mouse model of AD. Thus, inhibition of Synj1 may ameliorate Aβ-associated impairments, suggesting Synj1 as a potential therapeutic target. To this end, we developed a screening assay for Synj1 based on detection of inorganic phosphate liberation from a water-soluble, short-chain PI(4,5)P 2 . The assay displayed saturable kinetics and detected Synj1’s substrate preference for PI(4,5)P 2 over PI(3,4,5)P 3 . The assay will enable identification of novel Synj1 inhibitors that have potential utility as chemical probes to dissect the cellular role of Synj1 as well as potential to prevent or reverse AD-associated synaptic abnormalities.
PADP: Prediction assisted dynamic surface gateway placement for mobile underwater networks

In underwater wireless sensor networks (UWSNs), one efficient way to alleviate the burdens of high propagation delay and high error probability during transmission is to deploy surface-level gateways, which utilize radio waves to forward information to a control station. Usually, deployment of the gateways is considered as an optimization problem with the objective to best satisfy certain parameters. In this work, we propose a prediction assisted dynamic surface gateway placement algorithm for mobile underwater sensor networks, called “PADP”, which intends to maximize the coverage within a specific period of time. PADP applies a tracking scheme “IMM” to predict sensor nodes' positions, adopts branch-and-cut to solve the optimization problem, and employs a disjoint-set data structure to handle connectivity. Simulation results show that PADP outperforms the existing static gateway deployment scheme.
Population Strategies to Decrease Sodium Intake and the Burden of Cardiovascular Disease: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis

Background Sodium consumption raises blood pressure, increasing the risk for heart attack and stroke. Several countries, including the United States, are considering strategies to decrease population sodium intake. Objective To assess the cost-effectiveness of 2 population strategies to reduce sodium intake: government collaboration with food manufacturers to voluntarily cut sodium in processed foods, modeled on the United Kingdom experience, and a sodium tax. Design A Markov model was constructed with 4 health states: well, acute myocardial infarction (MI), acute stroke, and history of MI or stroke. Data sources Medical Panel Expenditure Survey (2006), Framingham Heart Study (1980 to 2003), Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension trial, and other published data. Target population U.S. adults aged 40 to 85 years. Time horizon Lifetime. Perspective Societal. Outcome measures Incremental costs (2008 U.S. dollars), quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), and MIs and strokes averted. Results of base-case analysis Collaboration with industry that decreases mean population sodium intake by 9.5% averts 513 885 strokes and 480 358 MIs over the lifetime of adults aged 40 to 85 years who are alive today compared with the status quo, increasing QALYs by 2.1 million and saving $32.1 billion in medical costs. A tax on sodium that decreases population sodium intake by 6% increases QALYs by 1.3 million and saves $22.4 billion over the same period. Results of sensitivity analysis Results are sensitive to the assumption that consumers have no disutility with modest reductions in sodium intake. Limitation Efforts to reduce population sodium intake could result in other dietary changes that are difficult to predict. Conclusion Strategies to reduce sodium intake on a population level in the United States are likely to substantially reduce stroke and MI incidence, which would save billions of dollars in medical expenses. Primary funding source Department of Veterans Affairs, Stanford University, and National Science Foundation.
InGaAsP/InP MQW directional coupler switch with small and low-loss bends for fiber-array coupling

We report on a compact InGaAsP/InP MQW directional coupler switch with spacing between the waveguides at the input and the output facets larger than 125 /spl mu/m, required for the fiber-array coupling, by employing small low-loss bends. The total device length, including both the coupling and the bending regions, with the different optical confinements in the lateral direction is 2 mm. The coupling region of the switch is 420 /spl mu/m, and the voltage-length product at switching is around 6 Vmm. >
Increased 5-hydroxymethylcytosine and decreased 5-methylcytosine are indicators of global epigenetic dysregulation in diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma

Introduction Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is a malignant pediatric brain tumor associated with dismal outcome. Recent high-throughput molecular studies have shown a high frequency of mutations in histone-encoding genes (H3F3A and HIST1B) and distinctive epigenetic alterations in these tumors. Epigenetic alterations described in DIPG include global DNA hypomethylation. In addition to the generally repressive methylcytosine DNA alteration, 5-hydroxymethylation of cytosine (5hmC) is recognized as an epigenetic mark associated with active chromatin. We hypothesized that in addition to alterations in DNA methylation, that there would be changes in 5hmC. To test this hypothesis, we performed immunohistochemical studies to compare epigenetic alterations in DIPG to extrapontine adult and pediatric glioblastoma (GBM) and normal brain. A total of 124 tumors were scored for histone 3 lysine 27 trimethylation (H3K27me3) and histone 3 lysine 9 trimethylation (H3K9me3) and 104 for 5hmC and 5-methylcytosine (5mC). An H-score was derived by multiplying intensity (0–2) by percentage of positive tumor nuclei (0-100%).
Implementation of high resolution planar wavelength demultiplexers using strong dispersion in photonic crystals

Wavelength demultiplexing is one of the major applications of unique dispersive properties of photonic crystals (PCs). Possibility of integration and compactness are two main advantages of PC-based demultiplexers compared to other demultiplexing techniques for applications including compact spectrometers (for integrated sensing applications), spectral analysis modules (for optical information processing systems), and WDM multiplexers and demultiplexers. The current demands in these applications require improvement of the resolution of these demultiplexing devices from the values demonstrated to date, and we propose utilizing strong dispersion in higher photonic bands of the planar PC to achieve this goal. Here, we discuss the important factors to be considered in implementing an efficient superprism-based PC wavelength demultiplexer in their strong dispersion regime. The predicted performance of this device is experimentally verified, and steps to further improve their performance are discussed.
Effects of Sampling Time, Intraspecific Density, and Environmental Variables on Electrofishing Catch per Effort of Largemouth Bass in Minnesota Lakes

Abstract Effects of sampling time (day or night and fall or spring), target fish density, water clarity, water temperature, water conductivity, and lake morphometry on electrofishing catch per effort (CPUE) of largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides 200 mm total length (TL) and longer were determined. Electrofishing catch per hour (CPH) and catch per kilometer (CPK) were also compared to determine if each expression provided similar trends in CPUE. Correlations between day CPH and day CPK (r = 0.99; P < 0.0001) and night CPH and night CPK (r = 0.97; P < 0.0001) suggested that both measures provided similar trends in CPUE. Night CPH significantly exceeded day CPH, and spring CPH significantly exceeded fall CPH. Catchability (q) decreased with increasing density; therefore, CPH increased nonlinearly with density. Day CPH in fall decreased with increasing Secchi depth and water temperature but was unrelated to largemouth bass density. Day CPH in spring decreased with increasing Secchi depth and water temperatu...
Dynamics of the 2015 M7.8 Nepal earthquake

The 2015 M7.8 Nepal earthquake ruptured part of the Main Himalayan Thrust beneath Kathmandu. To study the dynamics of this event, we compute P wave spectra of the main shock and of two large aftershocks to estimate stress drop and radiated energy. We find that surface reflections (depth phases) of these shallow earthquakes produce interference that severely biases spectral measurements unless corrections are applied. Measures of earthquake dynamics for the main shock are within the range of estimates from global and regional earthquakes. We explore the azimuthal and temporal variations of radiated energy and highlight unique aspects of the M7.8 rupture. The beginning of the earthquake likely experienced a dynamic weakening mechanism immediately followed by an abrupt change in fault geometry. Correlation of backprojection results with frequency-dependent variations in the radiated energy rate and with the suggested geometry of the Main Himalayan Thrust yields new constraints on dynamic ruptures through geometrical barriers.
Quantified statements are recalled as generics: Evidence from preschool children and adults

Generics are sentences such as ''ravens are black'' and ''tigers are striped'', which express generalizations concerning kinds. Quanti- fied statements such as ''all tigers are striped'' or ''most ravens are black'' also express generalizations, but unlike generics, they specify how many members of the kind have the property in ques- tion. Recently, some theorists have proposed that generics express cognitively fundamental/default generalizations, and that quanti- fied statements in contrast express cognitively more sophisticated generalizations (Gelman, 2010; Leslie, 2008). If this hypothesis is correct, then quantified statements may be remembered as gener- ics. This paper presents four studies with 136 preschool children and 118 adults, demonstrating that adults and preschoolers alike tend to recall quantified statements as generics, thus supporting the hypothesis that generics express cognitively default generalizations.
Image coding with windowed modulated filter banks

Lapped orthogonal transforms (LOT) have been introduced to provide a solution to the problem of blocking that occurs with transform coding at low bit rate. For the purpose of image coding, a more general class of exact reconstruction filter banks, that provides an additional degree of freedom in controlling ringing while relaxing the symmetry constraints of LOTs, is introduced. It is shown that windowed modulated filter banks are a very attractive candidate for image coding, since by allowing almost arbitrary selection of the window, they provide a control of the impulse response of the filters in the filter bank. The outputs of the windowed, modulated filter bank are quantized and entropy-coded in a way analogous to DCT (discrete cosine transform) coefficients. Comparisons are made between the filter bank and the DCT from the point of view of mean square error and subjective quality. >
What Airline Reservation Systems Tell Us about the Future of EHRs

In the airline industry, the justification for adoption of computerized reservation systems (CRSs), shifted from operational efficiency, to marketing strategies to recoup investment, to competitive advantages of essential business tools. This progress contributed to fundamental changes in the structure of the industry. In large part, network externalities created by these systems and the discrepancy between who paid for the systems, and who reaped the financial benefits drove these changes. In this paper we argue that 1) this turbulent systems evolution was driven by environmental, technological, and structural factors, 2) it is analogous to current trends in the health care industry and that 3) similar patterns of adoption will occur in electronic health records (EHRs). Lessons learned from the evolution of CRSs are utilized to analyze problems and issues in the development of EHRs. We conclude with recommendations for the evolution of EHRs as essential tools in the health care industry.
Religion in entrepreneurship: how international and indigenous Indian entrepreneurs differ

Historically, generating empirical data to understand the effects of religion in entrepreneurship has been challenging. The challenges are exacerbated in a culture such as India, which is both high-context and infused with spirituality. Using a context-dependent framework, such as that for international versus indigenous entrepreneurship, controls for context and reveals entrepreneurial motivations and end-goals that appear to be influenced by personal religious values. Qualitative data was generated using semi-structured interviews to explore the cognitions – namely, personal motivations and end-goals – of Hindu and Christian Indian entrepreneurs in India. The data was analysed using the framework for international versus indigenous entrepreneurs, which differentiates individuals based on the context and scope of their business. The findings corroborate that Indian entrepreneurs are very adaptable in their cognitions, with their motivations and end-goals being context-dependent. Personal religious values appear to take priority over cultural and business norms in influencing the end-goals of Indian entrepreneurs, particularly in the international business context.
Arthrogenic muscle response induced by an experimental knee joint effusion is mediated by pre- and post-synaptic spinal mechanisms

Knee joint effusion results in quadriceps inhibition and is accompanied by increased excitability in the soleus musculature. The purpose of this study was to determine if soleus arthrogenic muscle response is regulated by pre- or post-synaptic spinal mechanisms. Ten healthy adults (two females and eight males) were measured on two occasions. At the first session, subjects had their knee injected with 60 ml of saline and in the other session they did not. Pre- and post-synaptic spinal mechanisms were measured at baseline, immediately following a needle stick, immediately following a Xylocaine injection, and 25 and 45 min post-saline injection. A mixed effects model for repeated measures was used to analyze each dependent variable. The a priori alpha level was set a P < or = 0.05. The percentage of the unconditioned reflex amplitude for recurrent inhibition (P < 0.0001) and reflex activation history (P < 0.0001) significantly increased from baseline at 25 and 45 min post-effusion. Soleus arthrogenic muscle response seen following knee joint effusion is mediated by both pre- and post-synaptic mechanisms. In conclusion, the arthrogenic muscle response seen in the soleus musculature following joint effusion is regulated by both pre- and post-synaptic control mechanisms. Our data are the first step in understanding the neural networks involved in the patterned muscle response that occurs following joint effusion.
Effects of cyclosporin on insulin and C-peptide secretion in healthy beagles

Plasma glucose, C-peptide, and insulin responses to intravenous glucose (intravenous glucose tolerance test [IVGTT], 0.5 g/kg), glucagon (1 mg i.v.), and oral glucose (oral glucose tolerance test [OGTT], 1 g/kg) were assessed in six normal beagles before, during, and 1 and 4 mo after the administration of cyclosporin A (CsA) in doses previously shown to be required for uniform prevention of canine islet-allograft rejection (20 mg/kg; mean trough radioimmunoassay serum levels greater than or equal to 500 ng/ml). Insulin secretion in response to intravenous glucose and glucagon was significantly inhibited during the administration of CsA (areas under insulin-response curves, pmol.min-1.L-1; IVGTT, pre-CsA, 11,127 +/- 1285; during CsA, 5954 +/- 1147, P less than .05; glucagon tolerance test, pre-CsA, 18,617 +/- 2807; during CsA, 4401 +/- 486, P less than .05 vs. pretreatment levels). These secretory defects persisted 4 mo after CsA was discontinued (IVGTT, 4358 +/- 659; glucagon tolerance test, 10,567 +/- 2479, P less than .05). C-peptide responses paralleled these changes. Plasma glucose disposal in response to these secretagogues, however, returned to normal 1 mo after discontinuation of CsA. In contrast to the findings for IVGTT and glucagon, insulin-response curves to OGTT were not statistically different during CsA administration. We conclude that, although glucose disappearance rates are normal after discontinuation of the CsA administration, CsA causes irreversible impairment in islet secretory responses detectable with IVGTT and glucagon but not with OGTT. These results suggest that short-term CsA in doses required to prevent islet-allograft rejection in dogs can result in permanent loss of functionally competent beta-cells.
Hypothermic retrograde venous perfusion with adenosine cools the spinal cord and reduces the risk of paraplegia after thoracic aortic clamping.

Abstract Objective: We evaluated the utility of retrograde venous perfusion to cool the spinal cord and protect neurologic function during aortic clamping. We hypothesized that hypothermic adenosine would preserve the spinal cord during ischemia. Methods: Six swine (group I) underwent thoracic aortic occlusion for 30 minutes at normothermia. Group II animals underwent spinal cooling by retrograde perfusion of the paravertebral veins with hypothermic (4°C) saline solution during aortic occlusion. The spinal cords of group III animals were cooled with a hypothermic adenosine solution in a similar fashion. Intrathecal temperature was monitored and somatosensory evoked potentials assessed the functional status of spinal pathways. Results: Spinal cooling without systemic hypothermia significantly improved neurologic Tarlov scores in group III (4.8 ± 0.2) and group II (3.8 ± 0.4) when compared with group I scores (1.3 ± 0.6) ( P P = .005). Somatosensory evoked potentials were lost 10.6 ± 1.4 minutes after ischemia in group I. In contrast, spinal cooling caused rapid cessation of neural transmission with loss of somatosensory evoked potentials at 6.9 ± 1.2 minutes in group II and 7.0 ± 0.8 minutes in group III ( P = .06). Somatosensory evoked potential amplitudes returned to 85% of baseline in group III and 90% of baseline in group II compared with only 10% of baseline in group I ( P = .01). Conclusions: We conclude that retrograde cooling of the spinal cord is possible and protects against ischemic injury and that adenosine enhances this effect. The efficacy of this method may be at least partly attributed to a more rapid reduction in metabolic and electrical activity of the spinal cord during ischemia. (J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2000;119:588-95)
An expert system for the design of highway noise barriers in the microcomputer environment

The most effective method for highway noise mitigation is the noise barrier. The development of a prototype expert system, in a microcomputer environment, to design noise barriers is presented. CHINA is an expert system which is a tool on the Vanderbilt University VAX 11/780. It contains rules which encode the facts and heuristic knowledge by noise barrier design experts. The implementation of the CHINA expert system on the IBM PC is presented. The inference/development shell chosen for this project was the EXSYS expert system development package. EXSYS is a shell written in C which encodes knowledge in the form of IF-THEN production rules. This expert system designs noise barriers in a way that approaches that of a human expert. The authors recommend several improvements to the project as a motivation for the continuing development of this system. >
How to Speak 'Winese': Learning the Language of Wine Reviews

We propose a framework integrating text mining and psychometrics to translate online product reviews into a brand positioning map that isolates their underlying quality perceptions and preferences for competing alternatives from the reviewers’ language propensities. More specifically, we develop a netnography-based product-specific vocabulary taxonomy by ontology learning. Then, we generate a perceptual map that reflects the underlying quality of the products being reviewed after adjusting for idiosyncratic linguistic differences among reviewers. The final output of our procedure is a brand positioning map similar to those that have been commonly used by marketing researchers and managers. The key difference from our approach is that our brand positioning map is constructed from consumers’ (or experts’) own consumption vocabulary in the form of online product reviews without researchers determining a priori product attributes to be used by consumers in rating competing brands. Lastly, whereas we use wine reviews produced by wine connoisseurs in our empirical application, our framework can be easily applied to a wide variety of cases where multiple consumers post their own product reviews.
Assessing the Effect of Self-Control on Retirement Preparedness of U.S. Households

We examine the self-control problems of U.S households and their effect on households’ retirement preparedness based on the Behavioral Life-Cycle Hypothesis. Self-control problems are measured using four variables: health condition, credit attitude, saving decisions, and planning horizon. From the 1995-2007 Survey of Consumer Finances datasets, we found that 54-64% of households are prepared for adequate retirement during 1995-2007. Our multivariate results show that households with health, credit revolving and saving decision self-control problems are less likely to have adequate retirement preparedness than those without such self-control problems. For planning horizon variable, households with the longest saving horizon (longer than 10 years) have higher likelihood of having an adequate retirement than households with next few months of planning horizon.
Clinical Applications of Recent Developments in EMG

Over the past few years clinical electromyography (EMG) has been marked by the development of new techniques of both stimulating and recording and new hardware for collecting and processing electrical signals. Rapid changes have made it difficult for the practicing electromyographer to know what to adopt since few studies have either made comparisons between existing methods and new methods, or addressed the question of how often the new methods aid in clinical electrodiagnosis.
Lifestyles, Longevity, and the Quality of Life

Quadrant a. Both quantity and quality of life high. Let us call this the Health Dream model. The noted physician/epidemiologist Ernest Wynder of the American Health Foundation is fond of expressing the goal of preventive medicine in these words: "We should all die young at an old age." Quadrant b. The quantity of life is not so high, but the quality of life is high. Let us call this the Solomon Grundy model, for reasons I shall explain later. Quadrant c. The quantity of life is high, but the quality of life is not. You will recognize this model as exemplifying, in the extreme case, the tragically successful achievements of preservative medicine—the accomplishments of physicians who have Hippocratically sworn to dedicate their art and science to keeping patients alive, with only second thoughts to the consequences of their ministrations for the quality of life. Their irrefutable rationale is that if there is no quantity, there cannot be any quality.
Nanochemistry of Ceria Abrasive Particles

Surfaces of ceria (CeO2) particles have been studied by electron energy-loss spectroscopy in a field-emission gun scanning transmission electron microscope. All the ceria particles analyzed contained Ce3+ at the surface. Rare-earth impurities such as La were enriched at the surface and were observed for particles ranging from tens to hundreds of nanometers in size. The oxidation state of the cerium ion is measured from the Ce M5/M4 white-line intensity ratio.
Laboratory Aids in the Diagnosis of Pancreatitis

The diagnosis of both acute and chronic pancreatitis continues to be a challenge despite the development of new techniques and the refinement of old methods. The problem is best approached by the application of a combination of tests which can provide a reasonable degree of sensitivity and specificity applicable to the different forms of pancreatitis. In acute pancreatitis an elevation of serum amylase and amylase/creatinine clearance ratio is diagnostically useful. In chronic pancreatitis, several tests are needed to enhance the diagnostic yield, and such tests can include the secretin-pancreozymin test, ERCP, fecal fat measurement, Lundh test meal, and the administration of the synthetic peptide BZ-Ty-PABA.
Overcoming First Impresions: Georges Cuvier's Types

La hierarchie physiologique, fonctionnelle et ecologique des caracteres sur laquelle Cuvier (G.) s'est fonde pour etablir les embranchements de sa classification est discutee en montrant l'utilisation des differents types morphologiques et taxonomiques qui lui ont permis d'etablir cette classification de la nature
A Study on the Breeding Biology of Aix galericulata in Mudanfeng Nature Reserve in Heilongjiang

A study on the breeding biology of Aix galericulata was conducted from 2007 to 2008 in Mudanfeng Nature Reserve,Heilongjiang Province. The results showed that Aix galericulata belonged to the summer migrants in the study area,migrating into this area in late April and leaving in late September. The residence period was about five months. During the breeding period,their mating system was monogamous,and generally females were responsible for building nests,which were completed in 7～8 days. Adults started laying eggs 5～6 days after finishing nesting. The clutch size was 5～10 eggs,the mean clutch size was 7.5. The mean egg weight was 34.2 g. Females began to incubate immediately after laying the last egg. Incubation lasted 28～30 days. The hatching rate was 90%.
Plasma thromboxane and pulmonary artery pressure in neonates treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

To examine whether neonates with persistent pulmonary hypertension are subject to a thromboxane-mediated exacerbation of their pulmonary hypertension during extracorporeal membrane oxygenator therapy (a form of partial cardiopulmonary bypass), we performed serial measurements of plasma thromboxane B2 and pulmonary artery pressure before, during, and after extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Pulmonary artery pressure was high before extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, did not increase after the start of this therapy, but began to decrease after 48 hours of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. During the course of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, mean pulmonary artery pressure decreased by 50% and mean plasma thromboxane B2 levels decreased by 70%. In addition, serial plasma thromboxane B2 levels were significantly correlated with pulmonary artery pressures in individual infants with a primary diagnosis of meconium aspiration (r = 0.965 to 0.723). We speculate that the decrease in pulmonary artery pressure and plasma thromboxane B2 levels over time may reflect resolution of acute lung injury and that thromboxane B2 may play a role in regulating pulmonary artery pressure in infants with meconium aspiration.
Contemporary surgery of biliary atresia.

The authors describe biliary atresia as a progressive, panductular, obliterative disease process that probably begins in utero. Biliary obstruction can be relieved in many infants under three months old by amputation of the extrahepatic bile ducts and substitution of an intestinal or gallbladder conduit. Despite complications of cholangitis, portal hypertension, and fat-soluble vitamin deficiencies, the current five-year survival rate is 59 per cent.
Review of surface enhanced Raman spectroscopic (SERS) detection of synthetic chemical pesticides

Abstract Pesticides are essential in modern agricultural practices. Detection of pesticides is an essential step in regulating and monitoring the levels of pesticides in the environment. Even though GC/LC-MS is often the gold standard method for pesticide detection, recent technological advancements has promoted the creation of alternative techniques, such as Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS), that provide added advantages such as ultrasensitive detection, faster turnover, simpler protocols, in situ sampling, on-site capability and reduced cost. In this review, a comprehensive report of recent advances in SERS detection of synthetic chemical pesticides is given. The development and applications of the SERS technique for pesticide detection in both simple and complex matrices are discussed. The main advantages of using SERS for pesticide detection are highlighted, together with its limitations. Lastly, promising future trends and applications of SERS for pesticides detection are also discussed.
The impact of Monte Carlo dose calculations on treatment outcomes

Accurate calculation of dose distributions for radiation therapy has long been a goal of medical physicists. The more advanced current dose calculation algorithms, such as the superposition/convolution method,1–4 can accurately compute dose in most instances. However, the accuracy of currently available dose computation models for planning of radiation treatments is limited,5–10 and in extreme cases, even these advanced methods can result in dose errors of several percent. Discrepancies compared to dose distributions may be clinically significant for some cases. Monte Carlo-based dose calculations can potentially compute dose with an accuracy that surpasses that of conventional algorithms.10 Monte Carlo dose calculation is theoretically limited only by the daily change in patient anatomy (due to patient positioning, motion, or physiological changes), by the uncertainty with which patient materials can be estimated, and by the accuracy of the measured data used to commission the Monte Carlo dose calculation algorithm.
Wearables and User Interface Design: Impacts on Belief in Free Will

This research investigates the social implications of sensor driven self-quantification technologies designed to direct user behaviors. These self-sensoring prescriptive applications (SSPA’s), often referred to as “wearables,” have a strong presence in healthcare as a means to monitor and improve health, modify behavior, and reduce medical costs. However, the commercial sector is quickly adopting SSPA’s to monitor and/or modify consumer behaviors as well [1, 2, 3]. Interestingly, the direct impact biosensor data have on user decision making, attitude formation, and behavior has not been well researched. SSPA’s offer an opportunity for users to monitor the “self” in terms of quantitative, objective, biological terms that may be beyond the user’s control. Research suggests some states of the body (e.g. chronic pain, hunger) can affect underlying beliefs in free will (BFW), finding that the less control a person has over those physical states, the weaker their BFW [4]. It is not known, however, whether reminders about physical states of the body, such as heart rate monitors used during exercise, may also serve to reduce BFW. This is an important gap in knowledge when considering that reduced BFW can have numerous negative impacts on individual behavior [5, 6, 7]. This preliminary work examined the impact of such technologies on underlying BFW. Participants who monitored their heart rate during a short walk using a wearable heart rate and activity tracker had lower BFW than participants who merely look at the device’s various tracking features and participants in the control condition.
Optical design of an in vivo laparoscopic lighting system

This paper proposes an in vivo laparoscopic lighting system design to address the illumination issues, namely poor lighting uniformity and low optical efficiency, existing in the state-of-the-art in vivo laparoscopic cameras. The transformable design of the laparoscopic lighting system is capable of carrying purposefully designed freeform optical lenses for achieving lighting performance with high illuminance uniformity and high optical efficiency in a desired target region. To design freeform optical lenses for extended light sources such as LEDs with Lambertian light intensity distributions, we present an effective and complete freeform optical design method. The procedures include (1) ray map computation by numerically solving a standard Monge–Ampere equation; (2) initial freeform optical surface construction by using Snell’s law and a lens volume restriction; (3) correction of surface normal vectors due to accumulated errors from the initially constructed surfaces; and (4) feedback modification of the solution to deal with degraded illuminance uniformity caused by the extended sizes of the LEDs. We employed an optical design software package to evaluate the performance of our laparoscopic lighting system design. The simulation results show that our design achieves greater than 95% illuminance uniformity and greater than 89% optical efficiency (considering Fresnel losses) for illuminating the target surgical region.
Vitreoretinal Lymphoma: Staging and Treatment

Staging and treatment of primary vitreoretinal lymphoma (PVRL) are based upon the understanding that PVRL is a variant of primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL). Approximately 56–85 % of individuals initially diagnosed with PVRL will subsequently develop central nervous system (CNS) involvement over a period of many months to several years. Conversely, about 25 % of patients with PCNSL will have detectable intraocular involvement at the time of diagnosis. There is a general consensus that regimens containing high-dose methotrexate, with or without whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT), yield better response rates and outcomes than regimens that do not contain high-dose methotrexate. Disease relapse in the CNS is a major issue, particularly after local treatment with ocular radiotherapy or intravitreal chemotherapy. Management should be undertaken by a multidisciplinary team of experts in the fields of ophthalmic oncology, pathology, radiation oncology, and neuro-oncology for optimal treatment planning and for continued patient surveillance.
The Mayflower: The Families, the Voyage, and the Founding of America. By Rebecca Fraser. (New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press, 2017. Pp. xiii, 384. $29.99.)

Of the myriad of challenges confronting those who teach the American history survey these days, none is perhaps more vexing—and perplexing to students—as describing and differentiating between Puri...
A King Cyrus President: How Donald Trump’s Presidency Reasserts Conservative Christians’ Right to Hegemony

Religious right leaders and voters in the United States supported Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election for the same reason that all blocs vote as they do: They believed that the candidate...
Chaotic Iterations for SN Transport

An iterative solution method is introduced for SN transport calculations called “chaotic” iterations. For SN sweeps on parallel-decomposed meshes, a full-parallel sweep can be employed, in which pr...
Performance Attainment Discrepancy and R&D Intensity: CEO and Director Stock Options as Moderators

We contribute to the behavioral agency model by developing a theoretical framework predicting the differential interaction effects of performance attainment discrepancy and values of stock options ...
Analysis of steel making slag pebbles as filler material for thermocline tanks in a hybrid thermal energy storage system

Abstract This work focuses on the reliable use of the steel making slag pebble as filler material of thermocline tanks which are combined with conventional molten salt tanks in a hybrid thermal storage configuration. The use of this hybrid configuration not only improves the efficiency and operation of the plant when there is solar radiation fluctuation but also includes pumps in separate molten salt tanks in order to increase the maximum height of the thermocline tanks and its useful storage volume, i.e. its storage capacity. A packed-bed numerical model has been used to study the potential of the slag pebbles in this hybrid storage configuration, comparing it against other well-known potential filler materials for thermocline tanks as the taconite and quartzite rock. The study carried out considers a storage capacity of 9 full load hours for a central receiver system of 110 MWe gross power. The results show that two thermocline tanks of 20 × 20 m, filled with steel making slag pebbles, reaches a capacity of 6.61 full load hours. An economic analysis is included which shows that the hybrid storage solution using slag pebbles represents a cost reduction of 13.7% against the state of the art solution. Additionally, comparing it against other filler materials, the slag hybrid storage solution has a cost reduction of 3.8% and 13% against the quartzite and taconite hybrid storage solution, respectively.
Bariatric Peri-Operative Outcomes Are Affected by Annual Procedure-Specific Surgeon Volume

There is limited data examining specific annual surgeon procedural volumes associated with improvement of postoperative outcomes following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and sleeve gastrectomy (SG). Effect of surgeon volume on procedural outcomes. Using the SPARCS Administrative database, patients undergoing laparoscopic RYGB or SG between 2010–2014 were analyzed. Multivariable generalized linear mixed regression models were first used to analyze the influences of 3 yearly mean volumes (combined, RYGB and SG mean volumes) on each of three surgical outcomes: 30-day readmission, peri-operative complications, and extended length of stay (LOS), while accounting for patient specific variables. A total of 46,511 laparoscopic bariatric procedures were included in the study. Risk for any complication and 30-day readmissions following RYGB decreased with increasing RYGB volume up to a specific volume and stayed similar afterward (OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.96–0.98 while volume 138 cases/year)). Bariatric procedure peri-operative outcomes are affected by procedure-specific annual surgeons’ volume.
Sensory Shelf Life Estimation of Novel Fortified Blended Foods Under Accelerated and Real-Time Storage Conditions

Fortified blended foods (FBFs), a staple of food aid around the world, must maintain desirable characteristics for long periods of storage. This study estimated the shelf life of FBFs, including a traditional FBF (nonextruded corn soy blend plus [CSB+]) and 13 novel extrusion cooked FBFs. All products were stored under accelerated and real-time environments (real time = 30 °C and 65% relative humidity [RH], accelerated = 50 °C and 70% RH based on a Q10 factor of 2). Products were made into porridges and evaluated by a descriptive sensory panel for five times in each shelf life condition. Rancid and painty sensory characteristics were key determining factors for shelf life. Real-time (RT) and accelerated shelf life (ASL) testing agreed that most novel extrusion cooked FBFs had shelf lives of at least 2 years, which is comparable to current CSB+. However, ASL testing failed to predict RT shelf life of two novel FBFs, which were estimated by RT testing to have a 2+ year shelf life. The results indicated that novel extrusion cooked FBFs have high potential for use as alternative complementary food and maintain quality for long storage periods. It is essential to conduct RT testing parallel with ASLT testing, especially for new products, to obtain a more precise estimation of products' shelf life. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: These findings show that extrusion cooked novel fortified blended foods made with extrusion generally can last up to or exceeding 24 months at ambient conditions as measured either real-time or under accelerated conditions. This is plenty of time for storage, shipping, distribution, and home storage of such products by recipients. Thus, there should be no concerns about shelf life of these products for international distribution.