cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Blunt abdominal aortic injury: a Western Trauma Association multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: Blunt abdominal aortic injury (BAAI) is a rare injury. The objective of the current study was to examine the presentation and management of BAAI at a multi-institutional level. METHODS: The Western Trauma Association Multi-Center Trials conducted a study of BAAI from 1996 to 2011. Data collected included demographics, injury mechanism, associated injuries, interventions, and complications. RESULTS: Of 392,315 blunt trauma patients, 113 (0.03%) presented with BAAI at 12 major trauma centers (67% male; median age, 38 years; range, 6-88; median Injury Severity Score [ISS], 34; range, 16-75). The leading cause of injury was motor vehicle collisions (60%). Hypotension was documented in 47% of the cases. The most commonly associated injuries were spine fractures (44%) and pneumothorax/hemothorax (42%). Solid organ, small bowel, and large bowel injuries occurred in 38%, 35%, and 28% respectively. BAAI presented as free aortic rupture (32%), pseudoaneurysm (16%), and injuries without aortic external contour abnormality on computed tomography such as large intimal flaps (34%) or intimal tears (18%). Open and endovascular repairs were undertaken as first-choice therapy in 43% and 15% of cases, respectively. Choice of management varied by type of BAAI: 89% of intimal tears were managed nonoperatively, and 96% of aortic ruptures were treated with open repair. Overall mortality was 39%, the majority (68%) occurring in the first 24 hours because of hemorrhage or cardiac arrest. The highest mortality was associated with Zone II aortic ruptures (92%). Follow-up was documented in 38% of live discharges. CONCLUSION: This is the largest BAAI series reported to date. BAAI presents as a spectrum of injury ranging from minimal aortic injury to aortic rupture. Nonoperative management is successful in uncomplicated cases without external aortic contour abnormality on computed tomography. Highest mortality occurred in free aortic ruptures, suggesting that alternative measures of early noncompressible torso hemorrhage control are warranted. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Multicenter retrospective review, level IV. Language: en
An analysis of the uncertainty and bias in DCE-MRI measurements using the spoiled gradient-recalled echo pulse sequence

Purpose: The pharmacokinetic parameters derived from dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI have been used in more than 100 phase I trials and investigator led studies. A comparison of the absolute values of these quantities requires an estimation of their respective probability distribution function (PDF). The statistical variation of the DCE-MRI measurement is analyzed by considering the fundamental sources of error in the MR signal intensity acquired with the spoiled gradient-echo (SPGR) pulse sequence. Methods: The variance in the SPGR signal intensity arises from quadrature detection and excitation flip angle inconsistency. The noise power was measured in 11 phantoms of contrast agent concentration in the range [0–1] mM (in steps of 0.1 mM) and in one in vivo acquisition of a tumor-bearing mouse. The distribution of the flip angle was determined in a uniform 10 mM CuSO4 phantom using the spin echo double angle method. The PDF of a wide range of T1 values measured with the varying flip angle (VFA) technique was estimated through numerical simulations of the SPGR equation. The resultant uncertainty in contrast agent concentration was incorporated in the most common model of tracer exchange kinetics and the PDF of the derived pharmacokinetic parameters was studied numerically. Results: The VFA method is an unbiased technique for measuring T1 only in the absence of bias in excitation flip angle. The time-dependent concentration of the contrast agent measured in vivo is within the theoretically predicted uncertainty. The uncertainty in measuring Ktrans with SPGR pulse sequences is of the same order, but always higher than, the uncertainty in measuring the pre-injection longitudinal relaxation time (T10). The lowest achievable bias/uncertainty in estimating this parameter is approximately 20%–70% higher than the bias/uncertainty in the measurement of the pre-injection T1 map. The fractional volume parameters derived from the extended Tofts model were found to be extremely sensitive to the variance in signal intensity. The SNR of the pre-injection T1 map indicates the limiting precision with which Ktrans can be calculated. Conclusions: Current small-animal imaging systems and pulse sequences robust to motion artifacts have the capacity for reproducible quantitative acquisitions with DCE-MRI. In these circumstances, it is feasible to achieve a level of precision limited only by physiologic variability.
Morphologic Effects of Experimental Distention of Equine Small Intestine

The morphologic effects of induced intraluminal hydrostatic pressures (IHPs) of 0, 9, and 18 cm H2O were evaluated in 33 isolated equine jejunal segments. Fifteen segments were distended with Tyrode's solution for 1 hour and nine segments for 4 hours. Tyrode's solution was added as needed to maintain the prescribed pressures. Nine other segments were left undisturbed for 4 hours after the initial distention period. On decompression of the intestinal segments, progressive peristaltic contractions resumed in all segments. Evaluation of intestinal sections by light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy showed edema of the villi and submucosa and separation of the epithelial cells adjacent to the basement membrane in all segments. The epithelial cell necrosis found in ischemic intestine was not seen. This study indicates that the necrosis found at the villous tips in distended sections of small intestine remote from the site of obstruction cannot be reproduced by IHP increases of 4 hours duration.
Mapping brain glucose uptake with chemical exchange-sensitive spin-lock magnetic resonance imaging.

Uptake of administered D-glucose (Glc) or 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG) has been indirectly mapped through the chemical exchange (CE) between glucose hydroxyl and water protons using CE-dependent saturation transfer (glucoCEST) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We propose an alternative technique—on-resonance CE-sensitive spin-lock (CESL) MRI—to enhance responses to glucose changes. Phantom data and simulations suggest higher sensitivity for this ‘glucoCESL’ technique (versus glucoCEST) in the intermediate CE regime relevant to glucose. Simulations of CESL signals also show insensitivity to B0-fluctuations. Several findings are apparent from in vivo glucoCESL studies of rat brain at 9.4 Tesla with intravenous injections. First, dose-dependent responses are nearly linearly for 0.25-, 0.5-, and 1-g/kg Glc administration (obtained with 12-second temporal resolution), with changes robustly detected for all doses. Second, responses at a matched dose of 1 g/kg are much larger and persist for a longer duration for 2DG versus Glc administration, and are minimal for mannitol as an osmolality control. And third, with similar increases in steady-state blood glucose levels, glucoCESL responses are ~2.2 times higher for 2DG versus Glc, consistent with their different metabolic properties. Overall, we show that glucoCESL MRI could be a highly sensitive and quantifiable tool for glucose transport and metabolism studies.
A survey of recent guides‐to‐materials in women's cinema

Bonnie Dawson. Women's Films in Print. San Francisco: Booklegger Press, 1975. 165 pp. $4.00. Sharon Smith. Women Who Make Movies. Hopkinson and Blake, 1975. 307 pp. $9.95 cloth and $5.95 paper. Rosemary Ribich Kowalski. Women and Film: A Bibliography. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1976. 278 pp. Anthony Slide. Early Women Directors. A. S. Barnes & Co., 1977. 119 pp. $9.95.
A product data exchange integration structure using PDES/STEP for automated manufacturing applications

Abstract This article describes an integration structure of product data exchange with PDES/STEP using an object-oriented approach for automated manufacturing applications. A data carrier is provided for the data operational process in the integration structure. In the data carrier, these data are derived from previous operations and the CAD data are translated into a neutral file that is based on the EXPRESS language representation and PDES/STEP data definition. As an international standard of product data exchange, PDES/STEP is intended to provide information for all engineering applications without considering hardware, software, or processes. This application of the integrated structure with a neutral file is explained by an example on an HP/UNIX X Window system using object-oriented programming, CLIPS inference software, and I-DEAS software.
The Filipino American in Spaces of Liberal Tolerance: Satire and Reciprocity in Peter Bacho's Cebu

In Peter Bacho’s novel Cebu (1991), Ben Lucero, a Filipino American Catholic priest living in Seattle, makes his first trip to the Philippines to bury his deceased mother. While returning to his roots in Cebu and Manila, Ben witnesses surges of religious and political violence that prompt his quick retreat from the poverty and corruption of the Philippines back to the “order” and “sanctuary” of Seattle (133). Literary scholars such as Elizabeth H. Pisares interpret Ben’s retreat as an escape from his social debt to the Philippines, arguing that Ben “evades what he perceives as a foreign Filipino discourse represented by utang na loob, or reciprocal indebtedness” (80). Yet Ben’s return can also be seen as a way of paying off a different social debt: his debt to the Pacific Northwest for providing a space of liberal tolerance. Throughout the novel, Ben shows gratitude to the Northwest for providing a space where violence, corruption, and poverty are displaced onto the history and geography of the Filipino homeland. Despite Ben’s imagined removal from violence, in the second half of the novel the Filipino migrants living in Seattle become entangled in cycles of revenge and murder that rupture the distancing of spatial and historic violence in the Philippines. To pay off his debt to both his host country and homeland, Ben performs as the Asian American model minority and encourages his Filipino congregation to do the same by abandoning their diasporic cultural practices, which he reads as gang violence in the case of Filipino men and sexual promiscuity in the case of Filipina women. Ben sees such practices, such as loyalty to one’s barkada (one’s peer group and community), as cultural attitudes that are intolerable to the Northwest’s multicultural social space because they foster religious ignorance and gang violence. As murders continue to pile up in Seattle’s International District and migrant Filipinos are thrown into cycles of revenge, Ben identifies the violence as a Filipino cultural aberration, discovering “something in [Filipino] culture, however diluted it was by life in America, that allowed wild swings in cruelty and
Transfusion studies in rheumatoid arthritis

A series of transfusion studies has been performed, in which either plasma or plasma together with peripheral leukocytes has been transfused from patients with rheumatoid arthritis into non-rheu-matoid recipients. The donors of the plasma and leukocytes all had very high levels of rheumatoid agglutinating activity. There was no indication in these studies that transfusion of the rheumatoid factor complex has had ability to produce disease in the recipients; at least under the conditions of these experiments. In a two to three year follow-up after these transfusions, there was still no evidence of development of disease in the recipients. Esseva effectuate un serie de studios transfusional in que plasma o plasma insimul con leucocytos peripheric esseva transfusionate ab patientes con arthritis rhcumatoide a in recipientes non-rheumatoide. Le donatores del plasma e del leucocytos habeva omnes altissime nivellos de activitate aggultinatori rheumatoide. Esseva trovate nulle indication que le transfusion del complexo de factor rheumatoide es capace a reproducer le morbo in le recipientes, al minus sub le conditiones del hic-reportate experimentos. In observationes subsequente de duo a tres annos de duration post le transfusion, il habeva nulle signo del disveloppamento de morbo in ulle del recipientes.
A dynamic convexized method for nonconvex mixed integer nonlinear programming

We consider in this paper the nonconvex mixed-integer nonlinear programming problem. We present a mixed local search method to find a local minimizer of an unconstrained nonconvex mixed-integer nonlinear programming problem. Then an auxiliary function which has the same global minimizers and the same global minimal value as the original problem is constructed. Minimization of the auxiliary function using our local search method can escape successfully from previously converged local minimizers by taking increasing values of parameters. For the constrained nonconvex mixed-integer nonlinear programming problem, we develop a penalty based method to convert the problem into an unconstrained one, and then use the above method to solve the later problem. Numerical experiments and comparisons on a set of MINLP benchmark problems show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
Byssinosis: Defining Cause and Disability

Excerpt Occupational lung diseases must be defined accurately for clinicians who diagnose and treat these disorders, and for government and legal agencies that must decide on causation and determin...
More on Justice in the REPUBLIC

A RECENT ARTICLE in Phronesis 1 raises the question whether Plato in the Republic limits justice to the philosophers or extends its possibility among the masses, and argues in favor of the latter, in the face of the dictum "virtue is knowledge," by distinguishing both between "personal" virtues and virtues of the polis and between "knowledge how" and "knowledge that." Although the extension of the possibility of justice to the citizens at large may be understood correctly, the argumentation seems somewhat circuitous, primarily because it fails to make the proper distinction at the outset. In one sense virtue (including justice) is limited to the philosopher-rulers the justice (and virtue) which is based on the knowledge of the Ideas; in another sense the virtues (including again justice) may be extended among the other classes the justice (and other virtue) which depends on correct opinion. "Personal" virtue then is twofold, apart from any distinction between "personal" virtue and virtue of the polis. But since the virtue of the citizens at large is based merely on correct opinion derived largely from the instruction of the philosopherrulers, it is definitely inferior to the virtue attained from the knowledge of the Ideas. And so the dictum "virtue is knowledge" holds true that is, the virtue based on the Ideas, which is much restricted, being attained only by the philosopher-rulers. The virtue of the masses depends merely on the knowledge (or, opinion) imparted to them by the rulers that is, it is definitely inferior, based only on an inferior type of knowledge. That virtue may have one of two causes knowledge or correct opinion Plato indicates in the Republic by dividing the educational program into two stages. The education described in Books II, III, discussed before the introduction of the theory of Ideas, is meant for the youth before any selection is made for prospective rulers, and may lead to correct opinion and result in the virtues of the masses. The higher education, culminating in knowledge of the Ideas, is open only to a select few who can pass a strict program of testing, and leads to virtue based on the personal contemplation of eternal truths. The former, concerning primarily the Ouo6;, or high-spirited element of the soul, is the limit for most people, who may lead indeed virtuous lives. The second stage
(Salan)CrCl, an effective catalyst for the copolymerization and terpolymerization of epoxides and carbon dioxide

The selective transformation of CO2 and epoxides to afford completely alternating copolymers remains a topic of much interest for the potential utilization of carbon dioxide in chemical synthesis. The use of salicylaldimine (salen)-metal complexes and their saturated (salan)-metal versions have proven to be the most effective and robust single-site catalyst for these processes. Herein, we report on mechanistic aspects of the copolymerization of alicyclic and aliphatic epoxides with CO2 in toluene solution and in neat epoxides in the presence of a (salan)CrCl/onium salt catalyst system. The activation barriers for both cyclohexene oxide(CHO)/CO2 and propylene oxide(PO)/CO2 were shown to be significantly higher in toluene solution than those previously reported for reactions carried out under solventless conditions. Terpolymerization of CHO/vinylcyclohexene oxide/CO2 was shown via Fineman-Ross analysis at 60 °C to proceed with little monomer selectivity, for example, rCHO = 1.03 and rVCHO = 0.847. On the other hand, terpolymerization of CHO/PO/CO2 occurred at 25 °C with a propensity for incorporation of PO in the polymer. However, at 40 °C, Fineman-Ross analysis revealed rCHO and rPO values of 0.869 and 1.49, thereby affording a terpolymer with a more equal distribution of monomers. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012
The structure of 3-epinuphamine, a new alkaloid from nuphar luteum subsp. variegatum☆

Abstract The structure of a new alkaloid from N. luteum subsp. variegatum is shown to be that of 3-epinuphamine, I (R  CH 2 OH, R′  H).
Combining various projection access schemes with the algebraic reconstruction technique for diffuse optical tomography

Diffuse Optical Tomography (DOT) is a typical inverse problem that aims to retrieve internal chromophore distributions noninvasively. Algebraic Reconstructions Techniques (ART) are one of the popular image reconstruction techniques used in DOT. We investigate in this report the influence of the order in which data are accessed in ART. Simulations mimicking breast tissues in transmission geometry with contrast agent tumor enhancement were used to evaluate the image quality of the diverse projection access investigated. We show that by selecting proper projection access order, the convergence speed can be significantly improved when ART is used to perform DOT. Moreover, low- contrast detection is improved.© (2002) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
A decomposition theory for matroids. I. General results

Abstract A new matroid decomposition with several attractive properties leads to a new theorem of alternatives for matroids. A strengthened version of this theorem for binary matroids says roughly that to any binary matroid at least one of the following statements must apply: (1) the matroid is decomposable, (2) several elements can be removed (in any order) without destroying 3-connectivity, (3) the matroid belongs to one of 2 well-specified classes or has 10 elements or less. The latter theorem is easily specialized to graphic matroids. These theorems seem particularly useful for the determination of minimal violation matroids, a subject discussed in part II.
Lewis phenotype of erythrocytes and Leb-active glycolipid in serum of pregnant women

In an attempt to provide an explanation for the previously reported effect of pregnancy on the Lewis phenotype of erythrocytes, the level of Leb-active glycolipid in serum was compared with the reactions of erythrocytes, using samples obtained from 73 nonpregnant women, 74 women at the time of delivery, and 2 women at weekly intervals during their pregnancy. In this Swedish population, the frequency of the Le(a--b-) blood group increased from 11% in nonpregnant women to 36% in women at the time of delivery. Among Le(a--b+) women of all ABO groups, those who were A1 most often became (Leb-) during pregnancy. The change in phenotype occurred as early as the 24th week of gestation; the Leb antigen was again detectable within 6 weeks after delivery. The concentration of Leb glycolipid in serum, as measured by radioimmunoassay, decreased only slightly during pregnancy. The repartition of glycolipids, secondary to the increased ratio of lipoprotein to red cell mass that occurs during pregnancy, may account for the relative lack of Lewis glycolipid on erythrocytes.
Ultrastructural cryoinjury and cryoprotection of rough endoplasmic reticulum.

One phase of a study on cryosurvival and cryoprotection of mammalian cells, in terms of ultrastructural alteration of rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) within rat pancreatic acinar cells, is presented. Small (2–3 mm) squares of tissue, 0.7–0.9 mm in thickness, were compared as unfrozen controls, with (w) and without (wo) glycerol pretreatment (15% vv in mammalian Ringer's solution) at 0 °C and 22 °C (to regulate glycerol permeability); as well as parallel frozen-thawed samples, after combinations of slow (3.8 °C/min) freezing (SF) and rapid (38 °C/sec) freezing (RF) with either slow (1.5 °C/min) thawing (ST) or rapid (8 °C/sec) thawing (RT). Regimens compared were SFRT, SFST, RFRT, and RFST, all w and wo glycerol pretreatment at 0 °C and 22 °C. Tissue from each treatment was prepared for electron microscopic observations. The results on rates of freezing and thawing and relative cryoprotection of intracellular and extracellular glycerol under conditions described are intended to serve as a correlative basis for subsequent parallel studies on function (protein synthesis) and ultrastructure of the frozen state. They now indicate the following: (1) Cryoinjury of RER, which occurred during all treatments compared, was manifested in irregularity, dilatation, vesiculation, and altered matrix density of cisternae, and ribosomal derangement or disjunction. Least injury was shown by some disorientation and dilatation with increasing degrees of damage involving accentuation of these and other alterations. Such ultrastructural alterations to RER are not unique to cryoinjury, since they have been induced by treatments and agents other than freeze-thawing in experimental pathology. (2) Cryoinjury is unique, however, in that it can be regulated to demonstrate a spectrum of degrees of injury to cells and their organelles, immediately after cryoexposure. Controlled cryoinjury is suggested as a research tool for studies on injury, in general, on an ultrastructural-functional level. (3) Glycerol is injurious or toxic during pretreatment. Toxicity, which resembles cryoinjury, is greater during 22 ° C (intracellular) than 0 °C (extracellular) glycerol pretreatment, especially with respect to dilatation of cisternae. (4) Extra-cellular glycerol is cryoprotective during both slow and rapid freezing followed by either slow or rapid thawing, while little or no cryoprotection is afforded when glycerol is located simultaneously in the intracellular and extracellular location. (5) Rate of freezing is more important than rate of thawing as a factor in cryosurvival. Rapid freezing is more injurious than slow freezing, in the absence of glycerol or in the presence of extracellular glycerol, with slight or no differences seen as a function of thawing rate. Neither rate of freezing nor rate of thawing is of serious consequence when glycerol is intracellular. (6) Rate of thawing has importance after slow freezing, when slow thawing is more injurious than rapid, but not after rapid freezing, either in the presence or absence of extracellular glyeerol.
Fine Structure of Spermatozoa Retrieved from Retrograde Ejaculates

The proportion of viable, motile spermatozoa retrieved from retrograde ejaculates has been consistently low. Electron microscopic studies of spermatozoa of retrograde ejaculates collected in Baker's buffer and washed in Ham's F10 medium supplemented with 2% human serum albumin revealed considerable ultrastructural lesions to the sperm head and the midpiece. Swelling and/or loss of plasma membrane was observed in most of the sperm. In others, the membrane continuity was disrupted, and tattered remnants of it remained attached to a grossly abnormal acrosome. The acrosomal cap in the majority of the spermatozoa was swollen and irregular in shape. Some of the spermatozoa lacked the acrosome, and the sperm heads of these were lined by the inner acrosomal membrane. Subcellular derangement in the midpiece of retrograde spermatozoa was characterized by mitochondrial swelling and lysis, indicating definite cytotoxic injury to the spermatozoa. These EM observations are consistent with the findings of high sperm wastage in semen from men with retrograde ejaculation.
Quantitative analysis of short-chain acyl-coenzymeAs in plant tissues by LC-MS-MS electrospray ionization method.

Abstract Because acyl-CoAs play major roles in numerous anabolic and catabolic pathways, the quantitative determination of these metabolites in biological tissues is paramount to understanding the regulation of these metabolic processes. Here, we report a method for the analysis of a collection of short-chain acyl-CoAs (
Execute and its use

This paper examines the use of Execute in a large collection of functions found in 468 workspaces in 80 libraries of a large APL system complex. The relationship of Execute to coding style and execution efficiency such as in compiling is overviewed. A summary of previous results in static and dynamic frequency counts of the Execute token is given and the methodology and results of the study are discussed.
Naval Combat Logistics Support System

The subject matter is the sustainability of naval forces in combat and the intimate relationships between tactics and logistics. The observation is made that it has been a long time since the United States Navy has worried about logistics in combat and that to some extent combat logistics have become ‘somebody else's’ responsibility. It is argued that combat logistics is inescapably the force commander's responsibility and its dimensions are sketched. Necessarily, the amount of data and calculation is extensive if an accurate picture of the combat logistics states of the force are to be maintained and predictions of future states are to be made. It is in the predictions of future states that the interactions between tactics and logistics become most apparent. The data storage and retrieval and computational aspects suggest a microprocessor-based support system. BGLCSS (battle group logistics co-ordinator support system) is a program of combat logistics data, event routines, and algorithms designed to allow the logistics co-ordinator to track and predict force combat logistics states and provide timely and meaningful insight to the force commander.
A high-performance liquid chromatographic method for determination of the niguldipine analogue DHP-014.

A simple and reliable reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography method was developed and validated for the determination of DHP-014, a niguldipine analogue with potent P-glycoprotein inhibitory and negligible calcium channel blocking properties, in rat plasma. DHP-014 and niguldipine hydrochloride (the internal standard) were extracted from rat plasma by liquid extraction using hexane. DHP-014 was then separated by HPLC on a C18 column and quantified by ultraviolet detection at 238 nm. The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile–aqueous 5 mm phosphate buffer (65:35, v[sol ]v) containing 0.4% (v[sol ]v) triethylamine adjusted to pH 7.0. The mean extraction efficiency of DHP-014 was 109.0 ± 12.9, 97.7 ± 8.0 and 102.9 ± 7.5% for DHP-014 concentrations of 10, 50 and 100 nm, respectively (n = 5). The method was linear over the concentration range 2.5–200 nm with a regression coefficient of 0.998. The limit of detection of DHP-014 in rat plasma was 1.0 nm. The intra- and inter-day coefficients of variation for DHP-014 in rat plasma were 4.7–7.9 and 6.9–9.9%, respectively. The intra- and inter-day accuracy was 98.2–99.5 and 97.9–103%, respectively. The bioanalytical technique was used to determine DHP-014 in plasma samples in a pharmacokinetic study of DHP-014 administered to female Sprague–Dawley rats. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Psychiatric Assessment and Treatment of American Indians and Alaska Natives

It is widely recognized that the cultural uniqueness of American Indians and Alaska Natives must be reflected in the methods of diagnosing and treating their mental health problems, but empirical validation of specific diagnostic instruments and treatment has been slow in coming. The authors' literature review indi- cates that many standardized self-rating scales and interview schedules can accurately assess mental illness among indians, provided they are modified to re- fiect cultural heritage and experiences. Group therapy is increas- ingly chosen as a psychiatric treatment for American Indians, as are family-network therapy and several traditional Indian therapies. The authors also re- view the demographics and psychiatric epidemiology of Amencan Indians and Alaska Natives.
Assessment of adherence measures with different stimulants among children and adolescents.

Study Objective. To examine adherence measures with different stimulants in children and adolescents. Design. Retrospective analysis. Data Source. Texas Medicaid prescription claims database. Patients. A total of 9549 patients aged 5–18 years with attention-deficit—hyperactivity disorder. Measurements and Main Results. Paid prescription claims for newly started stimulants during the 2001–2002 school year were extracted from a database; 28,344 prescriptions (9549 patients) were available for analysis. Adherence was evaluated based on the drug therapy prescribed (i.e., mixed amphetamine salts, immediate-release methylphenidate, and extended-release methylphenidate—OROS [oral-osmotic formulation]) and the age and sex of the patient. Adherence measures were persistence and medication possession ratio (MPR). Persistence was higher for extended-release methylphenidate—OROS (0.50 ± 0.33) than for mixed amphetamine salts (0.42 ± 0.29) or immediate-release methylphenidate (0.37 ± 0.26; p<0.001). The MPR was also higher for extended-release methylphenidate—OROS (0.76 ± 0.37) than for mixed amphetamine salts (0.73 ± 0.37) or immediate-release methylphenidate (0.69 ± 0.37; p<0.001). Patients aged 5–9 years had equal or better persistence and MPR than those aged 10–14 and 15–18 years (p<0.001). No sex-related differences in adherence were observed. Conclusion. Adherence measures in our study were low. Although they were significantly better for extended-release methylphenidate—OROS than the other stimulants, the clinical significance of these differences are unclear. Further research should be conducted regarding pharmaceutical products, administration methods, and clinical interventions that may enhance adherence.
The kinetics of plasmin inhibition by aprotinin in vivo.

Abstract Introduction The purpose of this study was to estimate, in patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), the in vivo rates of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) secretion, plasmin generation, fibrin degradation, and plasmin inhibition by aprotinin versus antiplasmin. Materials and methods Estimates of in vivo rates were based on measured levels of tPA, PAI-1, antiplasmin, plasmin–antiplasmin complex (PAP), total aprotinin, plasmin–aprotinin complex and D-dimer, combined with a computer model of each patient's vascular system that continuously accounted for secretion, clearance, hemodilution, blood loss and transfusion. Plasmin regulation was studied in nine control patients undergoing CPB without aprotinin versus six patients treated with aprotinin. Results In controls, plasmin–antiplasmin levels rose from a baseline of 3.0±0.9 to a peak of 8.1±2.7 nmol/L after CPB due to an average 44-fold rise in the plasmin generation rate. This rise in plasmin generation during CPB lead to increased fibrin degradation causing D-dimer levels to increase from a baseline of 1.2±0.6 to a peak of 9.7±4.4 nmol/L due to an average 74-fold rise in the D-dimer generation rate. During CPB in the aprotinin group, plasmin–antiplasmin levels dropped, plasmin–aprotinin complex levels rose, while D-dimer levels remained unchanged from baseline. Compared to controls, the aprotinin group showed similar rates of plasmin generation during CPB, but an 11-fold faster plasmin inhibition rate and a 10-fold lower D-dimer generation rate. Conclusions The rise in plasmin generation and fibrin degradation that occurs during standard CPB is suppressed by the addition of aprotinin, which returns the patient to near baseline fibrin degradation rates during CPB.
Deciphering The Labyrinth: The Influence of Georg Simmel on the Sociology of Octavio Paz

Octavio Paz has been known worldwide as a talented poet and essayist, but not as a sociologist. And yet his seminal work. The Labyrinth of Solitude, published in 1950 and containing Paz's interpretation ot Mexican history and identity, arrived at via his analysis of Mexican 'myths' or cultural forms, is rich in sociological content - particularly sociology of culture and sociology of knowledge. The author of this article after noting that very few of the experts on Paz's work have tried to analyze in a serious and sustained manner its sociological content. has determined not only to decipher Paz's method but to reveal its strong links to the sociology of form and content produced by the German sociologist and philosopher Georg Simmel. Thus, the main goal of this article is to apply Simmel's methods to The Labyrinth of Solitude and to thereby (1) shed some light on the sociological aspects of Paz's seminal work. thus bringing him the credit he deserves as an early Mexican sociologist, and (2) reveal the extent of Simmel's influence - hitherto ignored or at least very much minimized - upon The Labyrinth.
Tracking rotating fluids in realtime using snapshots

We present a model-based system for tracking rotating fluids, and apply it to a laboratory study of atmospheric circulation. Tracking is accomplished by filtering uncertain and high-dimensional states of a nonlinear general circulation model with optical measurements of the physical fluidpsilas velocity. Realtime performance is achieved by using a nonuniform discretization of the modelpsilas spatial resolution, and by using time-snapshots of model-state to construct spatially-localized reduced-rank square-root representations of forecast uncertainty. Realtime performance, economical and repeatable experimentation, and a direct connection to planetary flows implies that the proposed physical-numerical coupling can be useful for addressing many perceptual geophysical fluid dynamics problems. To the best of our knowledge, such a system has not hitherto been reported.
Integrin Structure and Function

Integrins are a large family of heterodimeric glycoprotein receptors first discovered over twenty years ago. They exist as two noncovalently bound a- and b- subunits that function as adhesion molecules and play key roles in many biological processes including actin cytoskeleton organization and transduction of intracellular signals regulating cellular functions. Integrins bind a variety of extracellular matrices including collagens and laminins. The phenotypes observed from the generation of integrin knockout mice have provided a wealth of information on the unique biological functions of specific integrin heterodimers. Structural data obtained from X-ray crystallography and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) have provided insight into the structural basis for integrin activation and subsequent transduction of bidirectional signals bidirectionally, important for controlling biological cellular functions.
Colchicine-Feulgen Leaf Smears

The colchicine-Feulgen leaf smear has many advantages. It (1) prevents spindle formation, (2) allows the chromosomes to be widely spread in the cell, (3) straightens the chromatids, (4) allows the constrictions to become very noticeable, (5) increases the number of chromosome plates by preventing anaphase, (6) facilitates smearing, and (7) stains only the chromosomes. (8) Young leaves are generally easily obtainable, while roots of the proper sort are to be had only under very special conditions. (9) Mitoses are frequently more numerous in young leaves than in roots. The schedule for specimens of Phlox involves a 1 to 2 hour pretreat-ment of young leaves in a 0.2% colchicine solution, fixation in Sem-men's Carnoy (3 vol. absolute alcohol, 1 vol. glacial acetic, 1 vol. chloroform), hydrolysis for 25 minutes in 10% HC1 at 58° C., staining in decolorized fuchsia, smearing in 45% acetic acid, and running the material on slide and cover glass thru acetic alcohols (1:1, 1:3, 1:9), absolute alcohol, xylol, and b...
A Preprocessing Method for Automatic Break Lines Detection

We present a preprocessing method for automatic break line detection. Our method is given a set of edges (break lines and non-break lines) we eliminate the non-break line edges leaving only those with higher probability of being break lines. Our method is based on fusing IR images and LiDAR cloud points. In the first step, we apply the Canny edge detection algorithm to the IR images (producing a superset of break lines). Then we project the LiDAR points onto a 2-D plane, ignoring the set of points that are greater than a selected threshold (different elevation thresholds have been selected), which allows the footprints of some elevated structures to appear clearly in the set of projected points. Those structures that appear in both LiDAR points and IR images are used as references for registration of LiDAR cloud points with the IR images. After registration, we eliminate all the edges that appear in flat areas, which is achieved by applying a 3D filter to the LiDAR points.
When do species-tree and concatenated estimates disagree? An empirical analysis with higher-level scincid lizard phylogeny.

Abstract Simulation studies suggest that coalescent-based species-tree methods are generally more accurate than concatenated analyses. However, these species-tree methods remain impractical for many large datasets. Thus, a critical but unresolved issue is when and why concatenated and coalescent species-tree estimates will differ. We predict such differences for branches in concatenated trees that are short, weakly supported, and have conflicting gene trees. We test these predictions in Scincidae, the largest lizard family, with data from 10 nuclear genes for 17 ingroup taxa and 44 genes for 12 taxa. We support our initial predictions, and suggest that simply considering uncertainty in concatenated trees may sometimes encompass the differences between these methods. We also found that relaxed-clock concatenated trees can be surprisingly similar to the species-tree estimate. Remarkably, the coalescent species-tree estimates had slightly lower support values when based on many more genes (44 vs. 10) and a small (∼30%) reduction in taxon sampling. Thus, taxon sampling may be more important than gene sampling when applying species-tree methods to deep phylogenetic questions. Finally, our coalescent species-tree estimates tentatively support division of Scincidae into three monophyletic subfamilies, a result otherwise found only in concatenated analyses with extensive species sampling.
Parallel activation of the NIMA and p34cdc2 cell cycle-regulated protein kinases is required to initiate mitosis in A. nidulans

Summary We show that in Aspergillus nidulans, p34 cdc2 tyrosine dephosphorylation accompanies activation of p34 cdc2 as an H1 kinase at mitosis. However, the nimA5 mutation arrests cells in G2 with p34 cdc2 tyrosine dephosphorylated and fully active as an H1 kinase. Activation of NIMA is therefore not required for p34 cdc2 activation. Furthermore, mutation of nimT , which encodes a protein with 50% similarity to fission yeast cdc25, causes a G2 arrest and prevents tyrosine dephosphorylation of p34 cdc2 but does not prevent full activation of the NIMA protein kinase. Mitotic activation of p340 cdc2 by tyrosine dephosphorylation is therefore not required for activation of NIMA. These data suggest that activation of either the p34 cdc2 protein kinase or the NIMA protein kinase alone is not sufficient to initiate mitosis. Parallel activation of both cell cycle-regulated protein kinases is required to trigger mitosis.
Quick and accurate Q parameterization in viscoelastic wave modeling

We introduce a procedure for including the attenuation factor Q in a consistent manner in seismic modeling and show 3D examples. The Q fitting over a chosen frequency band involves two algorithms: The first creates starting values of relaxation times, and the second does nonlinear inversion using the results of the first as initial values. The resulting Q function gives a good approximation to a constant Q over the chosen frequency band. The algorithm is combined with a finite-difference (F-D) code that includes topographies in 3D seismic media. The velocity-stress formulation for viscoelastic wave modeling is used with an arbitrary number of relaxation mechanisms to model a desired Q behavior. These equations are discretized by high-order F-Ds in the interior of the medium, and we gradually reduce the F-D order to two at the stress-free surface, where we implement our free-surface boundary conditions. The seismic F-D algorithm is applied to a marine seismic experiment, with and without viscoelasticity, to emphasize the importance of including physical attenuation and dispersion in seismic modeling. Their inclusion, even for marine surveys, is clearly important for lossy ocean bottoms. Our procedure for more accurate modeling of physical dispersion and attenuation may increase future motivation to include viscoelasticity in seismic inversion.
Advances in Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology for the Diagnosis of Pulmonary Carcinoma

New developments in the field of thoracic oncology have challenged the way pathologists approach the diagnosis of pulmonary carcinoma. Nonsmall cell carcinoma is no longer an adequate diagnostic category. Pathologists are required to further classify tumors into adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma since specific therapies are now recommended depending on the histological tumor type. This change occurred following the discovery of specific molecular alterations that predict response to certain drugs and now molecular testing of tumor cells is often requested to direct therapy. The vast majority of lung cancer is diagnosed in advanced clinical stages, where cytologic or small biopsy material is the only form of tissue diagnosis, thus placing cytology, especially fine needle aspiration biopsy in the front line for management of patients with lung cancer. In this paper we will review the current concepts in the suitability and accuracy of fine needle aspiration biopsy, including diagnosis, classification, prognostic markers, and use of ancillary techniques.
FEEDING RECORDS OF COSTA RICAN LEAF BEETLES (COLEOPTERA : CHRYSOMELIDAE)

Host plant associations are given for 137 species representing 7 subfamilies and 92 genera of Costa Rican Chrysomelidae. A numeric score is introduced to objectively describe confidence that a field observation of an interaction between a chrysomelid and a plant represents true herbivory. Literature host plant records, if they exist, are given for included chrysomelid taxa.
HgCl2 sorption on lignite activated carbon: Analysis of fixed-bed results

Abstract Factors that influence kinetic reactivity and equilibrium between elemental mercury, carbon, and flue gas components have been the focus of numerous studies. This study pertains to recent bench-scale fixed-bed tests in which activated carbon was exposed to HgCl 2 in a flue gas composition typical of an unscrubbed eastern bituminous coal. Results are discussed in light of a refined binding site model based on the zigzag carbene structures recently proposed for electronic states at the edges of the carbon graphene layers.
Simulation of Grain Growth During Directional Annealing

A Monte Carlo simulation procedure is applied to simulate non-uniform grain growth during directional annealing. The assumed temperature profile consists of a small, finite size hot zone which blends smoothly into cold zones ahead and behind the hot zone. The hot zone is assumed to move with a constant velocity. The influence of the ratio of hot zone to cold zone temperatures and the velocity of the temperature field are investigated. The grain size is analyzed as a function of these variables. We find that very high aspect ratio grains (long axis parallel to the thermal field velocity vector) are possible within a restricted velocity window. These results are analyzed in terms of an analytic model based upon conventional grain growth laws.
Design of a special dielectric lens for concentrating a subnanosecond electromagnetic pulse on a biological target

Analytical design procedures, numerical simulations and preliminary experimental results of a dielectric lens concentrating the field on a target are discussed. A quarter spherical electromagnetic lens with subsequent layers is used to obtain better focusing, smaller spot size and elimination of the reflection at the second focal point of a prolatespheroidal impulse radiating antenna for skin cancer treatment.
Process variation aware cache leakage management

In a few technology generations, limitations of fabrication processes will make accurate design time power estimates a daunting challenge. Static leakage current which comprises a significant fraction of total power due to large on-chip caches, is exponentially dependent on widely varying physical parameters such as gate length, gate oxide thickness, and dopant ion concentration. In large structures like on-chip caches, this may mean that one portion of a cache may consume an order of magnitude larger static power than equivalently sized regions. Under this climate, egalitarian management of physical resources is clearly untenable. In this paper, we analyze the effects of within-die and die-to-die leakage variation for on-chip caches. We then propose way prioritization, a manufacturing variation aware scheme that minimizes cache leakage energy. Our results show that significant average power reductions are possible without undue hardware complexity or performance compromise.
Cell death of motoneurons in the chick embryo spinal cord. XI. Acetylcholine receptors and synaptogenesis in skeletal muscle following the reduction of motoneuron death by neuromuscular blockade.

Treatment of chick embryos with neuromuscular blocking agents such as curare during periods of naturally occurring motoneuron death results in a striking reduction of this normal cell loss. Inactivity-induced changes in motoneuron survival were found to be associated with increased levels of AChRs and AChR-clusters in skeletal muscle and with increased focal sites of AChE that are innervated (‘synaptic sites’). Treatment of embryos with curare after the normal cell death period (E12-E15) resulted in no change in motoneuron survival. Although AChR-clusters and focal sites of AChE were increased in these embryos on E16, many of these sites were uninnervated. Treatment of embryos with nicotine or decamethonium (E6-E10) also reduced neuromuscular activity but did not alter motoneuron survival nor did such treatment alter AChRs. The different effects of curare vs nicotine and decamethoniam on motoneuron survival and AChRs may be related to the fact that the former is a competitive blocker whereas the latter two drugs are depolarizing blockers. Finally, treatment of embryos (E6-9) with doses of curare (1 mg daily) that allow for the almost complete recovery of neuromuscular activity a few days following treatment (by E16) resulted in the gradual loss of the excess motoneurons that were present on E10, and by E16 the number of remaining AChR clusters and focal sites of AChE were also decreased to levels comparable to control values. Inactivity-induced changes in AChRs or AChR-clusters may be an important factor in the reduced motoneuron death that accompanies neuromuscular blockade during critical stages of development. These receptor changes very likely reflect increased synaptogenesis in the muscles of paralyzed embryos which in turn may act to reduce motoneuron death by providing increased access to muscle-derived neurotrophic molecules.