cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pain Management of Budd Chiari Syndrome in the Primary Care Setting: A Case Study

Introduction: Budd Chiari Syndrome (BCS) is a very rare disease affecting approximately 1 in 100,000 people in the general population. It is caused by an obstruction of the hepatic veins leading to blood backing up in the liver. Treatment options to improve hepatic blood flow and relieve ascites are well documented. However, there are no established guidelines or treatment preferences for pain associated with BCS while patients are awaiting other treatment options. Case: A 22-year-old African American female was diagnosed with Budd Chiari Syndrome. The initial attempt at a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) procedure failed. While awaiting a second attempt at the procedure, the patient presented to her primary care provider complaining of abdominal and right upper quadrant pain. Treatment guidelines were searched for acute pain management options; however, no BCS pain management guidelines exist. Discussion: Individuals with BCS often present with abdominal pain, however, no guidelines outlining analgesic options in BCS exists. Acetaminophen, NSAIDs, and opioids are commonly used prescription medications for moderate to severe pain. Acetaminophen use was not considered due to acute liver injury and portal venous thrombosis. Anticoagulation with apixaban prevented concurrent use with NSAIDs. Opioid medications combined with acetaminophen were excluded to minimize exacerbating the liver injury. Tramadol 25 mg was chosen due to its lower abuse profile than other opioid analgesics, and was initiated for pain management. Conclusion: The patient reported adequate pain control with tramadol, tolerated the medication with no complications, and underwent a successful TIPS procedure one month later. Abdominal pain is a common symptom of BCS and needs to be effectively managed. Guidelines on treating pain associated with BCS in the outpatient setting would improve quality of life for patients and provide guidance to primary care providers requiring direction on how to address pain associated with Budd Chiari Syndrome safely and adequately.
Learning Texture Information from Singular Photographs and its Application in Digital Image Classification

An area which has rapidly gained interest in the last few years is that of remote sensing by imagery.1, 2 Certainly the successful mission of the ERTS has contributed to an expanding interest and increased potential.3 The potential uses of such remotely sensed data cover a variety of applications, including land use studies, crop quality, accurate map making, and evaluating natural resources. In utilizing this data in a particular application, a significant problem is the amount of data that must be processed to obtain specific information or features pertinent to the application. This is inherent in image or visual information; when this is multiplied by a large number of the available images, the problem of obtaining details or small features from such images is significant. This is particularly true when some set of features is to be used in a parametric pattern recognition scheme. However, there are many instances when one is interested in identifying an area or region which may encompass many details, but is small compared with an overall image and represents a defined entity. Then, if one is interested in identifying or classifying such a region, its gross characteristics must be represented while ignoring small details that may vary significantly from one sample observation to another.
Learning to Teach and Teaching to Learn Mathematics: Resources for Professional Development

Every year thousands of new mathematics instructors and teaching assistants begin their teaching careers, and, scores of experienced faculty seek ways to explore the new teaching possibilities offered by technological and pedagogical innovations. There is a great need for tools to train college mathematics instructors in both basic teaching skills and innovative methodologies. Learning to Teach and Teaching to Learn is a self-contained and extensive resource that addresses this need. It describes training and mentoring activities that have been successfully used in a variety of settings. with a wide range of new instructors, including graduate student teaching assistants, undergraduate tutors, graders and lab assistants, as well as postdoctoral, adjunct, part-time and new regular-rank faculty. It addresses a variety of teaching issues including cooperative learning, technology, and assessment.
Heart Failure in Women – Insights from the Framingham Heart Study

In the latter half of the 20th century, among participants of the Framingham Heart Study, incidence of heart failure (HF) has declined by about a third in women but not in men and survival after the onset of HF has improved in both sexes; however, HF remains highly lethal with over 50% dying within 5 years after onset of HF. Overall, the 8-year relative risk of HF is 24% lower in women compared with men. The 8-year incidence rates of HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF; EF >45%) and HF with reduced EF (HFREF; EF ≤ 45%) in women and HFPEF in men are similar; however, men have a 2-fold higher cumulative incidence of HFREF than HFPEF. The lifetime risk of HF is about 20% in both women and men at 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80 years of age. Contribution of hypertension and diabetes mellitus to the risk of HF was more prominent in women than in men. Serum levels of several biomarkers were distinctly different in women compared with men and had differential effects on left ventricular structure and function; however, the strength and direction of the association between biomarkers levels and HF risk were generally similar in women and men. In individuals with HF, about two-thirds of the underlying cause of death and about one-half of the immediate cause of death were due to cardiovascular causes. Non-cardiovascular underlying and immediate causes of death were more evident in HFPEF.
The Cultural Context of Health, Illness, and Medicine

The Cultural Context of Health, Illness, and Medicine. Martha O. Loustaunau and Elisa J. Sobo. Westport, CT: Begin & Garvey, 1997. 222 pp.
Security in Sensor Networks

The rapid development of wireless technology in the last few years has created new interest in low-cost wireless sensor networks. Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) or just sensor networks are grids or networks made of spatially distributed autonomous but cooperating tiny devices called sensors, all of which have sensing capabilities that are used to detect, monitor, and track physical or environmental conditions, such as temperature, sound, vibration, pressure, motion, or pollutants, at different locations (Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensor). A sensor, similar to that in Fig. 19.1, is a small device that produces a measurable response to a change in a physical condition. Sensor nodes can be independently used to measure a physical quantity and to convert it into a signal that can be read by an observer or by an instrument (Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensor). The network may consist of just a few or thousands of tiny, mostly immobile, usually, randomly deployed nodes, covering a small or large geographical area. In many cases, sensor networks do not require predetermined positioning when they are randomly deployed making them viable for inaccessible terrains where they can quickly self-organize and form a network on the fly.
Harmonic Bergman Spaces

Throughout this chapter, p denotes a number satisfying 1 ≤ p < ∞. The Bergman space b p (Ω) is the set of harmonic functions u on Ω such that $${\left\| u \right\|_p} = {\left( {\int_\Omega {{{\left| u \right|}^p}dV} } \right)^{1/p}} < \infty $$ .
Irritable bowel syndrome: is the colonic mucosa to blame?

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is characterized by chronic abdominal pain or discomfort and altered gastrointestinal function of unknown etiology. Studies of colonic mucosal biopsies from patients with IBS have suggested altered immune system function as a potential mechanism in the pathophysiology of IBS, but efforts to identify the mucosal mediators responsible for the manifestation of symptoms that define the disorder have been limited. In this issue of Neurogastroenterology and Motility, Buhner et al. and Balestra et al. report findings from studies linking increased excitability of the enteric nervous system with mucosal mediators released from biopsies of patients with IBS. These studies provide evidence for the concept that mediators present in the colonic mucosa may contribute to the manifestation of clinical symptoms present in IBS.
The occurrence of Japanese trophy skulls in the United States.

The skulls of two Japanese soldiers brought back to the United States following World War II suggest that more may be appearing in forensic science cases. Both cases are cranial vaults without faces or lower jaws. One was a fighter pilot. Both skulls have secondary characteristics of “dry house dust” adhering to the bone and have, to some degree, been painted.
Interfaces: The Next NDE Challenge

Nondestructive evaluation, as practiced in the 1960’s, attempted to detect (but was often unable to characterize) the existence of defects in engineering structures. Qualitative criteria were used in the assessment of defect significance and the determination of accept/reject decisions. Advances in elasto-plastic fracture mechanics during the 1970’s focused attention upon the defect size and orientation- if these could be measured, then fracture mechanics was capable of quantitative structural integrity evaluation. The papers presented in this conference series during the 1980’s trace the considerable advances of quantitative nondestructive evaluation in satisfying this measurement need. Nowadays, for monolithic materials with well defined fracture toughness, the overconservative rejection criteria of the past are beginning to be replaced by “retirement for cause” concepts.
Extraction of coupled SPICE models for packages and interconnects

We have developed a method, using TDR, to extract an equivalent coupled SPICE model for a set of package pins. The technique does not use any fitting or optimization. With the appropriate fixturing this method could be used for automated model extraction. The SPICE model which is produced, models the propagation delay and crosstalk between pins. >
Results from baseline tests of the SPRE I and comparison with code model predictions

The space power research engine (SPRE), a free-piston Stirling engine with a linear alternator, is being tested as a candidate high-capacity power supply for space systems. Results of baseline engine tests at design and off-design operating conditions are presented. The test results are compared with HFAST code model predictions and show fairly good agreement. The trends in measured data generally follow the same trends as the code predictions. The code, however, does not account for effects of gas bearing flows and mass transport between volumes of the engine. >
Polarization reversal of solar microwave bursts

Solar microwave bursts polarization reversal mechanism, considering radiating electrons gyrosynchrotron absorption
Recovery in Narcotics Anonymous from the Perspectives of Long-Term Members: A Qualitative Study

Narcotics Anonymous (NA) is a community-based, 12-step organization that holds nearly 62,000 meetings weekly in 129 countries. Relatively little is known about NA members’ recovery experiences. This study presents results of focus groups conducted with long-term NA members to identify key ingredients of recovery, recovery-related processes, and quality-of-life outcomes beyond abstinence. Participants identified personal and program characteristics that were critical to recovery (e.g., responsibility), illuminated several recovery-related processes (e.g., using the 12 steps to obtain a deeper self-understanding), and described personal and interpersonal quality-of-life enhancements (e.g., improved relationships). In addition, fellowship was described as a pervasive and essential element of recovery.
Inhibition of the renin–angiotensin system: is more better?

Inhibitors of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAS) exert beneficial effects in diabetic nephropathy, but the possibility of regression of existing renal lesions remains to be investigated. Teles et al. tested the effects of the RAS inhibitor losartan in rats starting 10 months after induction of diabetes, when glomerular lesions were already present. They linked the reductions of proteinuria with regression of mesangial expansion. More advanced lesions were not affected. There were no dose–response renal effects of losartan.
A Parcel-Based GIS Method for Evaluating Conformance of Local Land-Use Planning with a State Mandate to Reduce Exposure to Hurricane Flooding:

This article illustrates how a parcel-based geographic information system can be used to identify and quantify land-use changes within subareas of individual planning jurisdictions as the basis for evaluating the implementation of local land-use policies. We describe a method for using property-parcel polygons and property-appraiser tax-roll data to analyze the effects of changes in land use on the exposure of people and property to hurricane flooding in coastal communities in Florida. This method allows us to test the conformity of local government growth-management practices to a state mandate which calls for the limiting of development in hurricane hazard zones. We apply this method to analyze hurricane hazard exposure in Okaloosa County, which is a coastal county located in the Panhandle of Florida.
Nickel phosphine catalysts with pendant amines for electrocatalytic oxidation of alcohols

Nickel phosphine complexes with pendant amines have been found to be electrocatalysts for the oxidation of primary and secondary alcohols, with turnover frequencies as high as 3.3 s−1. These complexes are the first electrocatalysts for alcohol oxidation based on non-precious metals, which will be critical for use in fuel cells.
Luminescent coordination polymers with extended Au(I)-Ag(I) interactions supported by a pyridyl-substituted NHC ligand

Abstract Reaction of [Ag(CH3impy)2]PF6, 1, with Au(tht)Cl produces the monometallic Au(I)-species [Au(CH3impy)2]PF6, 2. Treatment of 2 with excess AgBF4 in acetonitrile, benzonitrile or benzylnitrile produces the polymeric species {[AuAg(CH3impy)2(L)](BF4)2}n, (L = CH3CN,3; L = C6H5CN, 4; L = C6H5CH2CN, 5) where the Au(I) centers remain bound to two carbene moieties while the Ag(I) centers are coordinated to two alternating pyridyl groups and a solvent molecule (L). Reaction of 2 with AgNO3 in acetonitrile produces the zig-zag mixed-metal polymer {[AuAg(CH3impy)2(NO3)]NO3}n, 6, that contains a coordinated nitrate ion in place of the coordinated solvent species. All of these polymeric materials are dynamic in solution and dissociate into their respective monometallic components. Compounds 2–6 are intensely luminescent in the solid-state and in frozen solution. All of these complexes were characterized by 1H, 13C NMR, electronic absorption and emission spectroscopy and elemental analysis.
Neurotoxicity of intracerebral injection of a replication-defective adenoviral vector in a semipermissive species (cotton rat)

The neurotoxicity of an adenoviral vector (Adv.RSVtk) carrying the gene for herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSVtk) was tested in the cotton rat, a semipermissive host. Adv.RSVtk was injected intracerebrally in cotton rats at a dose of 5.0 x 10(6) or 7.5 x 10(7) p.f.u. No signs of illness were observed. Histological inspection at 12 and 28 days after injection showed inflammation of the ependyma and choroid plexus and at the injection site. No demyelination, viral inclusions, cerebral edema, necrosis, cavities or vascular necrosis were seen in the brains. There was no significant difference between animals injected with 5.0 x 10(6) or 7.5 x 10(7) p.f.u., nor was there a difference between animals analyzed at 12 or 28 days after vector injection. This inflammation was similar in animals that had been preimmunized with wild-type virus and in animals that had been treated with ganciclovir. No histopathology, was observed in the lungs of the animals and no replication-competent virus was detected. These experiments indicate that Adv.RSVtk has limited neurotoxicity which would not prohibit its use in a limited phase I clinical trial in humans that have malignant tumors of the central nervous system.
Chromatographic Evidence for Heat-Induced Interaction of α-Lactalbumin and β-Lactoglobulin

Abstract The heat-induced interaction of β -lactoglobulin ( β -Lg) and κ -casein has received much study, but comparatively little work has been done on heat-induced interactions among the whey proteins. It has been suggested that an interaction may occur between β -Lg and α -lactalbumin ( α -La) when these proteins mixed in solution are heated (3, 4, 8). Yamauchi (8), after heating whey proteins for 10min at 70C in. dilute sodium chloride solution, found a new electrophoretic peak between α -La and β -Lg. Hostettler and Stein (3) reported that the protein in the sediment from stored evaporated milk contained an α -La- β -Lg complex whose electrophoretic mobility was intermediate between those of the proteins singly. This study presents chromatographic evidence for the heat-induced interaction between α -La and β -Lg.
Computerized follow-up of discrepancies in image interpretation between emergency and radiology departments.

Radiographs are ordered and interpreted for immediate clinical decisions 24 hours a day by emergency physicians (EP’s). The Joint Commission for Accreditation of Health Care Organizations requires that all these images be reviewed by radiologists and that there be some mechanism for quality improvement (QI) for discrepant readings. There must be a log of discrepancies and documentation of follow up activities, but this alone does not guarantee effective Q.I. Radiologists reviewing images from the previous day and night often must guess at the preliminary interpretation of the EP and whether follow up action is necessary. EP’s may remain ignorant of the final reading and falsely assume the initial diagnosis and treatment were correct. Some hospitals use a paper system in which the EP writes a preliminary interpretation on the requisition slip, which will be available when the radiologist dictates the final reading. Some hospitals use a classification of discrepancies based on clinical import and urgency, and communicated to the EP on duty at the time of the official reading, but may not communicate discrepancies to the EP’s who initial read the images. Our computerized radiology department and picture archiving and communications system have increased technologist and radiologist productivity, and decreased retakes and lost films. There are fewer face-to-face consultations of radiologists and clinicians, but more communication by telephone and electronic annotation of PACS images. We have integrated the QI process for emergency department (ED) images into the PACS, and gained advantages over the traditional discrepancy log. Requisitions including clinical indications are entered into the Hospital information System and then appear on the PACS along with images and readings. The initial impression, time of review, and the initials of the EP are available to the radiologist dictating the official report. The radiologist decides if there is a discrepancy, and whether it is category I (potentially serious, needs immediate follow-up), category II (moderate risk, follow-up in one day), or category III (low risk, follow-up in several days). During the working day, the radiologist calls immediately for category I discrepancies. Those noted from the evening, night, or weekend before are called to the EP the next morning. All discrepancies with the preliminary interpretation are communicated to the EP and are kept in a computerized log for review by a radiologist at a weekly ED teaching conference. This system has reduced the need for the radiologist to ask or guess what the impression was in the ED the night before. It has reduced the variability in recording of impressions by EP’s, in communication back from radiologists, in the clinical follow-up made, and in the documentation of the whole QI process. This system ensures that EP’s receive notification of their discrepant readings, and provides continuing education to all the EP’s on interpreting images on their patients.
Kidney-specific gene targeting: insight into thiazolidinedione-induced fluid retention.

SUMMARY: Conditional gene targeting technique, which is based on the use of Cre-loxP or Flp/FRT systems, has been increasingly used to study gene function of a particular cell type in vivo. The introduction of this technique to the kidney field is relatively recent but has already provided important insights into physiological or pathological functions of a number of genes in the kidney. This technique has recently been used to inactivate the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor subtype γ in the collecting duct, which leads to remarkable blockade of body weight gains and plasma volume expansion associated with thiazolidinediones. This finding not only helps understand pharmacology of the novel class of antidiabetic drugs, but also uncovers an important role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor subtype γ in regulation of distal nephron fluid reabsorption. The present review represents an example for the use of the modern technique to address complex clinical problems. It is anticipated that over next few years this technique will be used by an increasing number of investigators for studying gene function in the kidney.
Mode damping rates in a protein chromophore

Abstract A variety of optical studies reveal coherent low-frequency oscillations during photochemical reactions in proteins. We recently argued [New J. Phys. 12, Art. No. 085004 (2010)] that the vibrational eigenstates of an isolated chromophore may be localized, which can give rise to long-lived low-frequency vibrational modes when the chromophore is embedded in a protein. Here we show that, even if vibrational eigenstates are not localized, bottlenecks to vibrational energy flow that are absent in much larger molecules give rise to slow damping of low-frequency modes in many protein chromophores. Examples including rhodopsin, photoactive yellow protein and green fluorescent protein are discussed.
On the frequency of Simpson's paradox and the pitfalls of aggregation

Simpson's paradox is well known in statistics and arises in real-life situations dealing with social, life and medical sciences, but may not be that well known in business school communities, and especially not well covered in introductory business statistics courses. The paradox occurs when data from two or more groups is aggregated into a single group. This paper introduces Simpson's paradox in a business context and shows through simulations, under different distributions, that Simpson's paradox is a plausible event though not a very frequent one.
Physiochemical characterization of lymphocyte inhibitory factor (LyIF) isolated from avian B and T cells.

Abstract Thymic (T) or bursal (B) lymphocytes from chicks sensitized to Mycobacterium tuberculosis produce an avian lymphocyte inhibitory factor (LyIF). The physiochemical properties of both T and B LyIF were established by ultrafiltration which yielded four fractions with molecular weight ranges of >100,000; 50,000–100,000; 10,000–50,000; and
Success of HIS DICOM interfaces in the integration of the healthcare enterprise at the Department of Veterans Affairs

The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is integrating imaging into the healthcare enterprise using the Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine (DICOM) standard protocols. Image management is directly integrated into the VistA Hospital Information System (HIS) software and the clinical database. Radiology images are acquired via DICOM, and are stored directly in the HIS database. Images can be displayed on low-cost clinician's workstations throughout the medical center. High-resolution diagnostic quality multi-monitor VistA workstations with specialized viewing software can be used for reading radiology images. Two approaches are used to acquire and handle imags within the radiology department. Some sties have a commercial Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS) interfaced to the VistA HIS, while other sites use the direct image acquisition and integrated diagnostic reading capabilities of VistA itself. A small set of DICOM services have been implemented by VistA to allow patient and study text data to be transmitted to image producing modalities and the commercial PACS, and to enable images and study data to be transferred back. The VistA DICOM capabilities are now used to interface seven different commercial PACS products and over twenty different radiology modalities. The communications capabilities of DICOM and the VA wide area network are begin used to support reading of radiology images form remote sites. DICOM has been the cornerstone in the ability to integrate imaging functionality into the Healthcare Enterprise. Because of its openness, it allows the integration of system component from commercial and non- commercial sources to work together to provide functional cost-effective solutions. As DICOM expands to non-radiology devices, integration must occur with the specialty information subsystems that handle orders and reports, their associated DICOM image capture systems, and the computer- based patient record. The mode and concepts of the DICOM standard can be extended to these other areas, but some adjustments may be required.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Biogeographic and climatic basis for a narrative of early hominid evolution

Abstract We provide the basis for a scenario of hominid evolution that complies with both the Habitat Theory of Vrba (1992) and early hominid biogeography. It expresses the association between faunal turnover and climate change with significant developments during human evolution (cf. Howell, 1959). This scenario suggests a single origin for the Paranthropus lineage but separate origins for Homo rudolfensis and Homo habilis from Australopithecus afarensis and Australopithecus africanus ancestors respectively. The scenario we propose is bold and as yet unsubstantiated by analyses of character states and polarities. We hope that this flagrancy will incite focused research on its assumptions and result in new hypotheses based on a more holistic accounting of morphology, biogeography, and ecology.
Advances in nuclear imaging

Emission computed tomography such as positron emission tomography and single-photon emission computed tomography may have use in the diagnosis of acute cerebral and myocardial lesions. The technology, as well as its possible applications, is discussed.
In vivo characterization of inflammatory biomarkers in swine and the impact of flunixin meglumine administration.

Abstract Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) are a family of chemicals that function to reduce pain, fever, and inflammation, and they are commonly used in people and animals for this purpose. Currently there are no NSAIDs approved for the management of inflammation in swine due to a lack of validated animal models and suitable biomarkers to assess efficacy. A previous in vitro study examining biomarkers of inflammation identified fourteen genes that were significantly altered in response to Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation. In the present study, five of those fourteen genes were tested in vivo to determine if the same effects observed in vitro were also observed in vivo . Plasma levels of prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ), an essential mediator of fever and inflammation, were also determined. Two groups of swine were stimulated with LPS with the second group also treated with flunixin meglumine. Blood was collected at 0, 1, 3, 6, 8, 24, and 48 h post LPS-stimulation. The RNA was extracted from the blood and quantitative real-time-PCR (qRT-PCR) was utilized to determine the expression patterns of CD1, CD4, serum amyloid A2 (SAA2), Caspase 1, and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1). The LPS-stimulated animals demonstrated a statistically significant alteration in expression of SAA2 and CD1 at 3 h post-stimulation. Flunixin meglumine treated animals’ demonstrated reduced expression of CD1 in comparison to the LPS-stimulated swine at 24 and 48 h post LPS-stimulation. Flunixin meglumine treated animals exhibited reduced expression of SAA2 at 48 h post-stimulation compared to LPS-stimulated swine. Swine treated with LPS demonstrated statistically significant increases in plasma PGE 2 at 1 h post-stimulation. Swine treated with flunixin meglumine had no increase in plasma PGE 2 levels at any time. These results demonstrate that PGE 2 production, along with two out of five genes (SAA2 and CD1) have the potential to serve as early biomarkers of inflammation as well as indicators of NSAID efficacy.
Unintentional falls mortality among elderly in the United States: time for action

Fall injury is a leading cause of death and disability among older adults. The objective of this study is to identify the groups among the ≥ 65 population by age, gender, race, ethnicity and state of residence which are most vulnerable to unintentional fall mortality and report the trends in falls mortality in the United States. Using mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the age specific and age-adjusted fall mortality rates were calculated by gender, age, race, ethnicity and state of residence for a five year period (2003-2007). Annual percentage changes in rates were calculated and linear regression using natural logged rates were used for time-trend analysis. There were 79,386 fall fatalities (rate: 40.77 per 100,000 population) reported. The annual mortality rate varied from a low of 36.76 in 2003 to a high of 44.89 in 2007 with a 22.14% increase (p=0.002 for time-related trend) during 2003-2007. The rates among whites were higher compared to blacks (43.04 vs. 18.83; p=0.01). While comparing falls mortality rate for race by gender, white males had the highest mortality rate followed by white females. The rate was as low as 20.19 for Alabama and as high as 97.63 for New Mexico. The relative attribution of falls mortality among all unintentional injury mortality increased with age (23.19% for 65-69 years and 53.53% for 85+ years), and the proportion of falls mortality was significantly higher among females than males (46.9% vs. 40.7%: p<0.001) and among whites than blacks (45.3% vs. 24.7%: p<0.001). The burden of fall related mortality is very high and the rate is on the rise; however, the burden and trend varied by gender, age, race and ethnicity and also by state of residence. Strategies will be more effective in reducing fall-related mortality when high risk population groups are targeted.
Reduced Rough-Surface Parametrization for Use With the Discrete-Element Model

The discrete-element model for flows over rough surfaces was recently modified to predict drag and heat transfer for flow over randomly rough surfaces. However, the current form of the discrete-element model requires a blockage fraction and a roughness-element diameter distribution as a function of height to predict the drag and heat transfer of flow over a randomly rough surface. The requirement for a roughness-element diameter distribution at each height from the reference elevation has hindered the usefulness of the discrete-element model and inhibited its incorporation into a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver. To incorporate the discrete-element model into a CFD solver and to enable the discrete-element model to become a more useful engineering tool, the randomly rough surface characterization must be simplified. Methods for determining characteristic diameters for drag and heat transfer using complete three-dimensional surface measurements are presented. Drag and heat transfer predictions made using the model simplifications are compared to predictions made using the complete surface characterization and to experimental measurements for two randomly rough surfaces. Methods to use statistical surface information, as opposed to the complete three-dimensional surface measurements, to evaluate the characteristic dimensions of the roughness are also explored.
Internet Resources and Second Language Acquisition: An Evaluation of Virtual Immersion

This article presents the results of a two-year study on the integration of Internet resources as a primary instructional tool in the teaching of Italian language classes at the University of Utah. All students studying Italian belonged to the virtual community of Italian speakers who communicate daily on various channels and mailing lists. The first section outlines the study and explains the premises on which it is based. Sections Two and Three describe the project design and data Collection methods used. Section Four reports the findings in quantitative and qualitative tables. The final two sections analyze the findings and discuss their implications with respect to our study, as well as future research.
Integrating cognitive behavioral therapy and envelope theory in the treatment of a person with chronic fatigue syndrome

From a biopsychosocial perspective, individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome face a variety of quality-of-life challenges, including fluctuating physical symptomatology, neurocognitive impairment, loss of social support, and, for many, psychological distress that complicates the disability. The following case response describes a multidimensional assessment and treatment approach that emphasizes an empathic, empowering, and interactive clienttherapist relationship. The proposed assessment plan includes a semi-structured psychiatric interview; a measure of cognitive schema and coping; an in vivo measure of physical activity (actigraphy); self-ratings of fatigue severity, emotional functioning, and perceived energy; and measures of health care practices, sleep disorders, psychosocial functioning, and socioeconomic resources. The proposed treatment plan describes an individualized approach to cognitive behavior therapy that includes self-monitoring and facilitating awareness of the interactive relationship among perceived and expended energy, fatigue severity, positive and negative emotion, and fatigue-exacerbating beliefs and behaviors.
Is there a sex or race difference in 30-day mortality after interruption of vena cava in a Medicare population?

Purpose Disparities in health care and its outcome often indicate an opportunity for improving the quality of health care. Sex and rare differences in short-term mortality following interruption of vena cava are not known. The objective of this study was to determine such differences. Materials and Methods With use of Medicare administrative data, 1,823 interruption of vena cava procedures performed between 1994 and 1997 were identified among beneficiaries aged 65–99 years residing in Indiana and Kentucky. In Cox proportional hazard regression models, male-to-female and nonwhite-to-white 30-day mortality ratios were adjusted for age, sex or race, weighted Charlson comorbidity score, length of hospital stay, and fatal coexisting conditions (ascertained from death certificate data). Results Altogether, 277 patients died within 30 days after the procedure. Women were older than men. The comorbidity score was associated with male sex and mortality. There was no significant race difference in unadjusted or adjusted 30-day mortality after interruption of the vena cava. Unadjusted mortality was higher in men than in women (odds ratio, 1.49; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.15, 1.92). Although adjustment for age, race, Charlson score, and length of hospital stay reduced the magnitude of sex difference, it remained significant. Further adjustment for fatal coexistent conditions reduced the sex difference to an insignificant level (odds ratio, 1.22; 95% CI = 0.96, 1.56). Conclusions There was no significant sex or race difference in adjusted 30-day mortality after interruption of vena cava procedure in the elderly Medicare beneficiary population of two states.
Postnatal reorganization of primary afferent terminal fields in the rat gustatory brainstem is determined by prenatal dietary history

Dietary manipulation has been used as an experimental strategy to gain insight into the normal development of the gustatory system. Institution of a diet low in sodium chloride (NaCl) from embryonic day 3 (E3) to E12 (E3-E12 sodium-restricted rats) yields dramatically enlarged terminal fields of the chorda tympani (CT), greater superficial petrosal (GSP), and glossopharyngeal (IX) nerves in the rostral pole of the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) at adulthood. To examine how this early, limited dietary manipulation affects postnatal terminal field development, we used a triple anterograde nerve label procedure at postnatal day 15 (P15), P25, P35, and > or =P40 (adults) in two groups: rats fed a commercial diet replete in sodium (controls) and E3-E12 sodium-restricted rats. Results showed an age-related decrease in terminal field volumes of all three nerves during normal development. In contrast, E3-E12 sodium-restricted rats displayed age-related increases of the CT and IX terminal fields, with the terminal field volume of the GSP remaining unchanged throughout development. NTS volume did not grow after P15; therefore, alterations in terminal field volumes are not due to parallel alterations in the size of the NTS. Our data suggest that the age-related decrease in terminal fields observed in controls may reflect activity-dependent pruning of afferent terminals, whereas terminal field increases seen in E3-E12 sodium-restricted rats may reflect cellular/molecular differences in the NTS induced predominantly by activity-independent mechanisms. These findings predict a significant difference in the development of neural coding and sensory-guided behaviors between E3-E12 sodium-restricted rats and controls.
Undergraduate Peer Learning and Public Digital Humanities Research

In conjunction with Iowa City's 2008 designation as a UNESCO City of Literature, an interdisciplinary team of University of Iowa faculty, graduate and undergraduate student researchers formed UCOL – the University of Iowa UNESCO City of Literature Mobile Application Development Team. The project brings together community partners, faculty, students and staff at the university to develop, record and produce multimedia research about local writers for ‘City of Lit’, a mobile app now available for mobile devices. During the past year, the project was incorporated into three sections of a general education literature course, giving undergraduate students experience conducting research and creating multimedia content on local authors. Students in this class worked collectively to create multimedia hypertext documents that feature traditional text, photos, graphics, and audio and video content for inclusion in the mobile app. The project encouraged interdisciplinary collaborative undergraduate research. Student...
Origination and Extinction through the Phanerozoic: A New Approach

Abstract Temporal patterns of origination and extinction are essential components of many paleontological studies, but it has been difficult to obtain accurate rate estimates because the observed record of first and last appearances is distorted by the incompleteness of the fossil record. Here I analyze observed first and last appearances of marine animal and microfossil genera in a way that explicitly takes incompleteness and its variation into consideration. This approach allows estimates of true rates of origination and extinction throughout the Phanerozoic. Substantial support is provided for the proposition that most rate peaks in the raw data are real in the sense that they do not arise as a consequence of temporal variability in the overall quality of the fossil record. Even though the existence of rate anomalies is supported, their timing is nevertheless open to question in many cases. If one assumes that rates of origination and extinction are constant through a given stratigraphic interval, then...
A study of the spatial vectorcardiogram in subjects with posterior myocardial infarction.

A study of 45 spatial vectorcardiograms of patients with posterior myocardial infarction revealed a characteristic upward displacement of the early portion of the QRS sE-loop. Changes in the later portion of the QRS sE-loop may occur as a result of infarction. The possible utilization of such findings in the diagnosis of infarction is discussed.
Diversity of Mitral Valve Abnormalities in Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a complex and common genetic disease. The left ventricular outflow tract obstruction is an important determinant of symptoms and outcomes. Its pathophysiology is determined by the complex interaction of the mitral valve, papillary muscles, chordae tendinea, and interventricular septum. The knowledge and importance of the mitral valve apparatus in the physiology of the HCM are expanding with the new imaging modalities, in particular, cardiac magnetic resonance. Several abnormalities of the mitral apparatus have been described in patients with HCM including abnormal papillary muscles, leaflets' lengths, and mitral regurgitation. Ignoring these variables can lead to unnecessary or incomplete surgical treatments and worse outcomes. This review discusses the role of the mitral apparatus in HCM with a focus on a multimodality imaging approach and the clinical importance of each abnormality.
The permanent deformation of a portal frame subjected to a transverse impulse

Abstract A study is made of the inelastic response of a rectangular portal frame with a mass attached to the center of the beam to an impulse load transverse to the plane of the frame. The material is considered to be rigid-plastic, and the interaction between bending and torsion is considered on the basis of a rectangular yield curve. The ratio of the frame mass to the attached mass γ and the ratio of limit torsion moment to limit bending moment β are considered as variables. A simple two degree of freedom solution to a different initial value problem is presented which can be used to approximate the original problem in a rational manner. A comparison with an exact rigid-plastic solution is given for a limited range of values of β and γ. Experiments were carried out on steel and aluminum frames. The impulsive load was obtained by detonating blasting caps against the attached mass. The experiments showed evidence of the effects of the dependence of yield stress on strain-rate. When the rate sensitivity is included in the two degree of freedom solution in an approximate manner, good correlation between theory and experiment is obtained.
Proof of the R-centroid approximation and criteria for its validity, using semiclassical methods☆

Abstract Semiclassical methods are used to prove the R -centroid approximation and to derive criteria for the validity of its application to determining the R -dependence of electronic transition moments in diatomic molecules.
Bridging Cultural Policy and Media Policy

Cultural and media policy have remained largely distinct fields of research, policymaking, and policy advocacy in the United States. There are, however, significant areas of overlap between these two areas that have not been fully explored. The author examines the linkages between the two fields, covering the traditional lines of demarcation that have separated them; contemporary developments that compel stronger overlap in terms of their substantive areas of concern; the shared, normative principles between the two areas; the benefits of a tighter integration of cultural and media policy; and specific mechanisms for developing stronger linkages between them.
The Effects of Grade Level on Secondary Music Students' Perceptive-Descriptive Skills

The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of grade level (9-12) on student capability to select appropriate verbal responses describing perceptions of musical components in recorded music. Significant differences among grade levels were found to exist regardless of whether musical vernacular or common vernacular descriptors were used.
Sugar Uptake and Translocation in the Castor Bean Seedling II. Sugar Transformations During Uptake

During sucrose uptake by the cotyledons of castor bean seedlings excised from their endosperms, small amounts of glucose and fructose accumulate in the medium. When these hexoses were supplied separately, it was found that the rate of fructose uptake exceeded that of glucose at concentrations up to 0.5 m. Sucrose uptake exceeded that of both hexoses combined, particularly at concentrations greater than 0.1 m. Only minute amounts of labeled hexoses were recovered from the cotyledons after exposure to glucose-U- 14 C or fructose-U- 14 C; sucrose contained virtually all of the 14 C in the sugar fraction. The fructose and glucose moieties of the extracted sucrose were equally labeled when glucose-U- 14 C was supplied, and the glucose moiety contained 41% of the 14 C when fructose-U- 14 C was the substrate. Several considerations led to the conclusion that by far the greater part of sucrose absorbed by the cotyledons was not hydrolyzed prior to or during uptake. These included the differential responses of hydrolysis and uptake to pH, and to Tris(hydroxymethyl) aminomethane, the absence of interference of the hexoses on sucrose absorption and particularly the demonstration that when the cotyledons were supplied with fructosyl- 14 C sucrose, 90% of the 14 C was retained in the fructose residue of sucrose in the cotyledons.
Extramedullary lesions in non-lymphocytic leukemia: Results of radiation therapy

Fifty-four courses of radiotherapy were given to 33 patients with symptomatic extramedullary involvement by non-lymphocytic leukemia. Among them were 23 cases of granulocytic sarcoma. Analysis of the treatment response showed that age, hematopathologic type and quality of irradiation did not influence the radiation response. However, a dose response relationship could be demonstrated with a statistically significant difference in response among the four groups of patients treated to total doses of less than 1000 rad, 1000-1999 rad, 2000-2999 rad, and greater than or equal to 3000 rad (p = 0.003). We suggest irradiating all extramedullary lesions to at least 1100 ret.
High-affinity PEGylated polyacridine peptide polyplexes mediate potent in vivo gene expression.

Polyethylene glycol (PEG)ylated polyacridine peptides bind to plasmid DNA with high affinity to form unique polyplexes that possess a long circulatory half-life and are hydrodynamically (HD)-stimulated to produce efficient gene expression in the liver of mice. We previously demonstrated that acridine-modified lysine (Acr) in (Acr-Lys)6-Cys-PEG5kDa stabilizes a 1-μg pGL3 dose for up to 1 h in the circulation, resulting in HD-stimulated (saline only) gene expression in the liver, equivalent in magnitude to direct-HD dosing of 1 μg of pGL3. In this study, we report that increasing the spacing of Acr with either four or five Lys residues markedly increases the stability of PEGylated polyacridine peptide polyplexes in the circulation allowing maximal HD-stimulated expression for up to 5 h post DNA administration. Co-administration of a decoy dose of 9 μg of non-expressing DNA polyplex with 1 μg of pGL3 polyplex further extended the HD-stimulated expression to 9 h. This structure–activity relationship study defines the PEGylated polyacridine peptide requirements for maintaining fully transfection competent plasmid DNA in the circulation for 5 h and provides an understanding as to why polyplexes or lipoplexes prepared with polyethylenimine, chitosan or Lipofectamine are inactive within 5 min following intravenous dosing.