cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Aplastic anemia secondary to propylthiouracil: A rare and life-threatening adverse effect:

BackgroundPropylthiouracil has been in use for more than half a century for the treatment of hyperthyroidism. While it is largely known to cause agranulocytosis, its association with aplastic anemia is rarely heard of. Our case will be the third in literature to suggest aplastic anemia as a manifestation of propylthiouracil, which unfortunately culminated in the death of the patient.CaseA 67-year-old female, with recently diagnosed metastatic adenocarcinoma of the lung, developed hyperthyroidism after being started on Nivolumab and Iplimumab. After she developed atrial fibrillation, she was started on propylthiouracil to control the thyroid activity. Soon after that, she was admitted with severe neutropenia, which progressed to pancytopenia confirmed as aplastic anemia on a bone marrow biopsy. Despite discontinuation of propylthiouracil and aggressive treatment, she developed septic shock and multi-organ failure, leading to her death.ConclusionAplastic anemia has been sparingly reported as an extremely ra...
Factors impacting arthroscopic rotator cuff repair operational throughput time at an ambulatory care center

Identifying patient factors influencing operational throughput time is becoming more imperative due to an increasing focus on value and cost savings in healthcare. The primary objective of this study was to determine patient factors influencing throughput time for primary rotator cuff repairs. Demographic information, medical history and operative reports of 318 patients from one ambulatory care center were retrospectively reviewed. Operating room set up, incision to closure and recovery room time were collected from anesthesia records. Univariate analysis was performed for both continuous and categorical variables. A stepwise, multivariable regression analysis was performed to determine factors associated with operating room time (incision to closure) and recovery room time. Of the 318 patients, the mean age was 54.4±10.0 and 197 (61%) were male. Male patients had a significantly longer OR time than females (115.5 vs. 100.8 minutes; P<0.001) Furthermore, patients set up in the beach chair position had a significantly longer OR time than patients positioned lateral decubitus (115.8 vs. 89.6 mins, P<0.0001). Number of tendons involved, and inclusion of distal clavicle excision, biceps tenodesis and labral debridement also added significant OR time. Type and number of support staff present also significantly affected OR time. Recovery room time was significantly longer patients who had surgery in the beach chair position (+9.61 minutes) and for those who had a cardiac-related medical comorbidity (+11.7 minutes). Our study found that patients positioned in a beach chair spent significantly more time in the operating and recovery rooms. While ease of set up has been a stated advantage of beach chair position, we found the perceived ease of set up does not result in more efficient OR throughput.
Partitioned pseudo-retrodirective arrays for capacity expansion of backscatter communication channels

This paper presents the effects of partitioning scattering arrays with specific attention to retrodirective structures. By segmenting large arrays, total data transmission can be drastically increased while severely reducing design concerns associated with retrodirective feed networks. The behavior of partitioned retrodirective arrays is observed and quantified from link budget, information theory, and time-varying beam-forming perspectives. A retrodirective device is measured and it's characteristics used to simulate time-varying beam-forming behavior when used as a module in a partitioned pseudo-retrodirective array. The significant increase in range and channel capacity due to these structures will enable RFID systems that operate in microwave and millimeter wave regimes.
Chronic Pain Rehabilitation Programs, Interdisciplinary

Most chronic pain results primarily from nervous system sensitization and therefore resists efforts to find and correct responsible peripheral pathology. Medications for acute pain often help minimally or transiently. Pain rehabilitation programs have arisen to treat this condition. Goals emphasize normalization of function and quality of life more than pain reduction. Programs utilize physical and psychological reconditioning and behavior modification to replace ‘sick role behavior’ with ‘wellness behaviors.’ Medication management emphasizes drugs that reduce nervous system sensitization. Published literature compellingly shows that pain rehabilitation programs produce long-term improvements in pain, mood, function, and health care utilization.
65 – Energy Requirements of Men and Women

This chapter describes the current methods for assessing usual energy needs of an individual, and summarizes national recommendations on energy intake using extracts from the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) publication on energy and macronutrients. Energy requirement of an individual is defined in the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) publication of the Food and Nutrition Board as “the dietary energy intake that is predicted to maintain energy balance in a healthy adult of a defined age, gender, weight, height, and level of physical activity consistent with good health.” Thus, energy requirements are equal to total energy expenditure (TEE) in weight-maintaining individuals. TEE is the sum of energy expended for different metabolic processes and activity, with three main components being typically defined: basal metabolic rate (BMR), energy expenditure for physical activity and arousal (EEPA), and thermic effect of feeding (TEF). The alternative approach to estimating energy requirements of summarizing measurements of TEE determined using the doubly labeled water method for groups of individuals of normal body weight. Equations developed from statistical modeling of measurements of TEE in healthy individuals now exist for predicting the energy requirements of groups and individuals from age, weight, height, and estimated level of physical activity. Other factors such as genetic inheritance, racial origin, and climate also exert some influence on energy requirements, for weight-maintenance of energy needs.
Reality Television and the Doing of Hyperauthentic Masculinities

This study examines American masculinity as constructed in 136 reality television programs airing between 1948 and 2016 with an all-male or predominately male cast. We argue that televised reality ...
Experimental study of long wave dynamics in the presence of two offshore islands

Following the 2010 Mentawai tsunami, observations in Sumatra by Hill et al. (J Geophys Res Solid Earth, 2012. https://doi.org/10.1029/2012jb009159 ) noted enhanced tsunami runup in coastal areas behind island chains. Many local communities in the region, however, falsely believed that islands provide shelter against tsunami waves. The present study aims to capture when and how island chains are amplifiers of wave energy in the coastal areas they shadow, which is often where coastal communities thrive. Physical modeling was carried out in the Directional Wave Basin at the Oregon State University O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory. The experiment included four island configurations and three different waveforms a: solitary wave, error function wave and a leading depression N-wave. Results suggest that island chains can act as wave amplifiers, indicating potential amplification in both shoreline runup and current velocity. The amplification is, however, not consistent with every waveform. Also, in some cases, the impact of the offshore islands led to a reduction in coastal impacts. This result suggests that the offshore waveform plays an important role in the wave dynamics between the islands and on the wave uprush directly behind the islands.
Self-Adaptive Methods to Characterize Bio-Acoustic Scattering and Propagation

Abstract : We intend to develop physics-based models of acoustic wave propagation and scattering in complex media that could help to predict backscattering and forward scattering by marine animals by applying dat-based signal processing techniques for understanding and characterizing biological-acoustical coupling in acoustic propagation and scattering. The objective of our research to develop data-based sensitivity kernel analysis methods to determine the location and potentially scattering properties of individual scatterers embedded in a complex propagation environment. The approach is to collect data in an laboratory setting and then develop and apply a data-based sensitivity analysis to locate the scatterers and potentially determine their cross sections.
Effects of Angiotensin III on c-Jun N Terminal Kinase in Wistar and Hypertensive Rat Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

Proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and inflammation are well known actions associated with hypertension. Angiotensin (Ang) II mediates these physiological actions through the c-Jun N terminal Kinase (JNK), mitogen-activated proteins kinase (MAPK) pathway. Ang III effects on this pathway in VSMCs are unknown. The aim of this study was to determine whether Ang III activates JNK MAPK in Wistar VSMCs and determined whether the response was different in spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) VSMCs. We also ascertained whether this effect leads to VSMC proliferation. Western blots were used to determine the time and concentration effects of Ang II on JNK MAPK phosphorylation in Wistar VSMCs. Similar studies were conducted for Ang III in Wistar and SHR VSMCs. Both peptides induced JNK phosphorylation in a concentration- and time-dependent manner in Wistar VSMCs. Ang III also increased JNK phosphorylation in a concentration- and time-dependent fashion in SHR VSMCs as well. However, the ability of Ang III to induce JNK MAPK was different in SHR VSMCs as the phosphorylation levels of JNK were significantly higher in Wistar VSMCs as compared to SHR VSMCs at several time points and concentrations. Further, Ang III-mediated DNA synthesis, a measure of VSMC proliferation, occurred through activation of JNK MAPK. This study is the first to show Ang III effects on the JNK MAPK pathway in VSMCs and the role of JNK in Ang III-mediated cellular proliferation. These findings impart key information for the understanding of Ang III functions, especially in VSMCs and possible cardiovascular diseases.
Variations in delineation of the obex by contrast radiography during percutaneous trigeminal tractotomy.

Twenty patients have undergone percutaneous trigeminal tractotomy (PTT) for relief of intractable facial pain. The floor of the fourth ventricle, the obex, and the dorsum of the medulla oblongata were outlined successfully on the lateral X-ray film by the use of 1 cc of Pantopaque emulsified with 1 cc of cerebrospinal fluid injected through a midline cisterna magna puncture. Injection is made under mild pressure with the patient prone. Although the obex is successfully delineated, there are significant variations in the pattern.
Full-dimensional quantum dynamics of CO in collision with H2

Inelastic scattering computations are presented for collisions of vibrationally and rotationally excited CO with H2 in full dimension. The computations utilize a newly developed six-dimensional potential energy surface (PES) and the previously reported four-dimensional V12 PES [P. Jankowski et al., J. Chem. Phys. 138, 084307 (2013)] and incorporate full angular-momentum coupling. At low collision energies, pure rotational excitation cross sections of CO by para-, ortho-, and normal-H2 are calculated and convolved to compare with recent measurements. Good agreement with the measured data is shown except for j1 = 0 → 1 excitation of CO for very low-energy para-H2 collisions. Rovibrational quenching results are presented for initially excited CO(v1j1) levels with v1 = 1, j1 = 1-5 and v1 = 2, j1 = 0 for collisions with para-H2 (v2 = 0, j2 = 0) and ortho-H2 (v2 = 0, j2 = 1) over the kinetic energy range 0.1-1000 cm(-1). The total quenching cross sections are found to have similar magnitudes, but increase (decrease) with j1 for collision energies above ∼300 cm(-1) (below ∼10 cm(-1)). Only minor differences are found between para- and ortho-H2 colliders for rovibrational and pure rotational transitions, except at very low collision energies. Likewise, pure rotational deexcitation of CO yields similar cross sections for the v1 = 0 and v1 = 1 vibrational levels, while rovibrational quenching from v1 = 2, j1 = 0 is a factor of ∼5 larger than that from v1 = 1, j1 = 0. Details on the PES, computed at the CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pV5Z level, and fitted with an invariant polynomial method, are also presented.
Aggregate Advertising Expenditure in the U.S. Economy: What's Up? Is It Real?

The two components of the advertising industry – the creative sector that develops and produces messages, and the communications sector that transmits messages via various media – have each been greatly affected by advances in creative design and communications technologies. As the media composition of advertising has changed in the last century for both local and national advertising – from newspapers, outdoor and radio advertising to network and cable television, and most recently to internet and digital media – so too has been transformed the very concept of advertising, its functionality and its measurement.We compare four sources of annual nominal U.S. aggregate advertising expenditure data – from the public sector Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Census Bureau Survey of Service Industries, and the private sector McCann Erickson and Magna Global advertising agencies– that are available over various time periods. In nominal terms, we estimate the elasticity of advertising expenditures with respect to Gross Domestic Product, and find that this elasticity appears to have increased substantially beginning in the late 1990s – from about 1.4 to 1.9. The timing of this structural break coincides roughly with the decline of print, radio and network and cable television, and the dramatic increase in digital and internet-based advertising. To understand the forces underlying this structural break in nominal advertising expenditures, data on media-specific advertising prices are needed, thereby converting nominal to real advertising. However, currently annual U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index data on digital and many other advertising media prices are only available beginning in 2010. The availability of media-specific quality-constant price indexes would not only enable researchers to trace more completely the recent impact of digital and internet advertising, but would also facilitate contemporary and longstanding issues to be addressed surrounding the measurement of advertising effects, including how variations in the durability of response to advertising across media are related to inter-media price differentials, and why heterogeneity among firms and industries may arise with respect to the procyclicality of advertising policies. Institutional subscribers to the NBER working paper series, and residents of developing countries may download this paper without additional charge at www.nber.org.
Demonstration of Non-Lamination Encapsulation Techniques for Thin Film Solar Modules

A new encapsulation architecture for thin film photovoltaics is under development. The motivation for this project is to lower manufacturing costs and improve module reliability. During this project prototype manufacturing processes and equipment have been developed and demonstrated. During the past year, the processing hardware has been commissioned, tested and samples of the new module architecture fabricated. The technology and architecture show great opportunity with each process being demonstrated under 30 seconds and sample modules passing initial accelerated testing.
A pharmacist-driven Food and Drug Administration incident surveillance and response program for compounded drugs.

PURPOSE: To provide an overview of compounding under sections 503A and 503B of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and to describe the pharmacist's role within the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) Compounding Incidents Program, whose efforts are aimed at protecting the public against poor-quality compounded drugs through surveillance, review and response to adverse events and complaints. SUMMARY: Compounded drugs may serve an important medical need for patients who cannot be treated with medications approved by FDA; however, compounded drugs are not approved by FDA and are not subject to premarket review for safety, efficacy, or manufacturing quality; thus, they may pose safety risks to patients. Prompt reporting of adverse events or complaints related to compounding is important in identifying these risks and implementing safeguards to protect the public. FDA's Compounding Incidents Program consists of a team of pharmacists dedicated to the surveillance and review of adverse events and complaints and follow-up actions related to safety risks associated with compounded drugs. Pharmacists are a vital component of FDA's Compounding Incidents Program, utilizing their clinical skill set and regulatory knowledge to review and act on safety issues that affect public health. CONCLUSION: As FDA continues to expand the Compounding Incidents Program and its efforts to protect the public against poor-quality compounded drugs, we encourage the continued submission of adverse event reports by healthcare professionals and consumers to FDA's MedWatch reporting system in addition to adverse event reporting compliance by outsourcing facilities.
Solar and wind grid system value in the United States: The effect of transmission congestion, generation profiles, and curtailment

Summary The value of electricity generated from wind and solar sources declines as supply increases. This decline in value has varied over time and across regions, indicating that strategies to mitigate value decline will need to be carefully targeted. To help guide development of these strategies, we empirically determine wind and solar value at ∼2,100 plants within United States wholesale markets by using local prices and plant-specific generation profiles. We determine how each plant loses (or gains) value because of its output profile, transmission congestion, and curtailment. In regions where wind or solar account for roughly 20% of electricity generation, its value is 30% to 40% below the regional average value of a flat output profile at all plants. Solar value reductions are most sensitive to output profile and wind value reductions are sensitive to both profile and congestion, region dependent. Curtailment was not a major source of value reduction.
Structures of Nuclei Far From Stability

Studies of nuclei which are very far from the valley of beta stability are revealing an unexpected richness and diversity of nuclear shapes, structures, and decay modes which are transforming and challenging our understanding of the nucleus. Bergstrom (Be 66, Be 66b) drew major attention to the unique opportunities in this new field by organizing the first international conference on why and how to study nuclides far off the stability line (Fo 66). As one moves out of the valley of beta stability the energies for beta decay go from less than one MeV to over 10 MeV and the corresponding half-lives decrease down to milliseconds. Such studies required the development of major specialized techniques which employed the continuous production, separation by mass number, and isolation of specific nuclei for study. The experimental techniques are reviewed elsewhere (Ha 82, Ra 88).
Managing New Salespeople's Ethical Behaviors during Repetitive Failures: When Trying to Help Actually Hurts

Despite acknowledgment that performance failure among new salespeople is a prevalent issue for organizations, researchers do not fully understand the consequences of repetitive periods of failure on new salespeople’s unethical selling behaviors. Further, little is known about how a sales force’s reward structure and managerial attempts to intervene following failure affect new salespeople’s behavior. Combining an experiment with longitudinal growth models, we show that repetitive periods of failure increase unethical behaviors, and interventions intended to remind the salesperson to behave in the customer’s best interests attenuate this effect under a non-contingent reward structure. However, counter to managerial assumptions, under a contingent reward structure these customer-oriented interventions actually backfire by amplifying the original relationship between repetitive failure and unethical behaviors. The results have potentially important managerial implications for those who manage new salespeople learning how to sell or during other failure-prone periods.
Dynamics of diversity in spatially evolving populations

Many cancers arise as a result of the accumulation of mutations and their subsequent clonal expansions through epithelial tissue. This process leads to a spatially heterogeneous, evolving premalignant tissue that forms fertile ground for the growth of neoplasms. In fact, several clinical studies have correlated genetic diversity within premalignant tissue with a higher chance of progression to cancer. Thus we aim to develop a quantitative understanding of the temporal dynamics of diversity in a spatially structured population. In this talk I will discuss a stochastic spatial model of the emergence and spread of new types in a population. I will discuss and characterize several measures of diversity (both spatial and non spatial) within a spatially evolving population. In particular, how do the temporal dynamics of diversity depend on the parameters of the tissue and selective advantage of mutants? If time permits, I will also discuss the application of this model to designing sampling procedures in suspected premalignant tissue.
The use of marine manganese tailings in industrial coatings applications

The disposal of tailings from a future manganese nodule or crust mining operation will be an environmental challenge. However, these manganese tailings can be used for a variety of beneficial uses. One of the major applications which shows great promise is in industrial coatings. Four areas of experimentation were undertaken. All experimental coatings were made by adding measured amounts of tailings to selected chemical carriers. The resulting mixtures were applied to wood, metal and concrete. Four kinds of coatings were tried: those for rust-resistance, termite resistance, antibiofouling and undercoating (including high temperature automotive undercoats). The coatings were applied by brush, roller and in one case sprayed. The coatings went on well and imparted a series of very useful qualities, including hardness, rust resistance and an even matte finish. The useful coatings properties can be traced back to the chemical composition of the tailings. These beneficial properties are derived from the highly oxidized state of the manganese, the chemical nature of manganese (which preferentially scavenges and tightly binds other elements), the small angular grain size of the particles, the metallic nature of the resulting coatings and the fact that manganese has a repelling effect on organisms.
Sum-Defined Chromatic Indices

In this chapter, proper edge colorings of graphs are considered in which the colors are either positive integers or elements of \(\mathbb{Z}_{k}\) for some positive integer k. In the first instance, these edge colorings give rise to either irregular vertex colorings or proper vertex colorings; while in the second instance, the edge colorings give rise to proper vertex colorings. In both instances, however, the color of a vertex is the sum of the colors of its incident edges. We begin with edge colorings in which the colors are positive integers.
Isothermal Fatigue, Damage Accumulation, and Life Prediction of a Woven PMC

This dissertation focuses on the characterization of the fully reversed fatigue behavior exhibited by a carbon fiber/polyimide resin, woven laminate at room and elevated temperatures. Nondestructive video edge view microscopy and destructive sectioning techniques were used to study the microscopic damage mechanisms that evolved. The residual elastic stiffness was monitored and recorded throughout the fatigue life of the coupon. In addition, residual compressive strength tests were conducted on fatigue coupons with various degrees of damage as quantified by stiffness reduction. Experimental results indicated that the monotonic tensile properties were only minimally influenced by temperature, while the monotonic compressive and fully reversed fatigue properties displayed noticeable reductions due to the elevated temperature. The stiffness degradation, as a function of cycles, consisted of three stages; a short-lived high degradation period, a constant degradation rate segment composing the majority of the life, and a final stage demonstrating an increasing rate of degradation up to failure. Concerning the residual compressive strength tests at room and elevated temperatures, the elevated temperature coupons appeared much more sensitive to damage. At elevated temperatures, coupons experienced a much larger loss in compressive strength when compared to room temperature coupons with equivalent damage. The fatigue damage accumulation law proposed for the model incorporates a scalar representation for damage, but admits a multiaxial, anisotropic evolutionary law. The model predicts the current damage (as quantified by residual stiffness) and remnant life of a composite that has undergone a known load at temperature. The damage/life model is dependent on the applied multiaxial stress state as well as temperature. Comparisons between the model and data showed good predictive capabilities concerning stiffness degradation and cycles to failure.
Intraoperative Varicocele Anatomy: A Macroscopic and Microscopic Study

Varicoceles are found in approximately 15% of all men in the general population and up to 41% of all infertile men. However, the exact location and relationship of internal and external spermatic arteries, veins and lymphatics within the inguinal portion of the spermatic cord have not been previously well described in infertile men. The results of detailed intraoperative macroscopic and microscopic surgical dissections of the spermatic cord and gubernaculum of 83 infertile men with 115 palpable varicoceles are described. Enlarged veins exiting the testis and traversing the gubernaculum were present in 48% of the dissections. Enlarged external spermatic veins were detected in 74% of all spermatic cords. Typically, small internal spermatic veins drained into a large vein more proximally in the spermatic cord. An average of 3.6 lymphatics per spermatic cord was identified and preserved during the dissections. A solitary testicular artery was observed in 69% of the dissections. The testicular artery was adherent to the posterior surface of a large internal spermatic vein in 50% of the dissections and was surrounded by a dense complex of closely adherent veins in 30%. To decrease the incidence of postoperative varicocele recurrences we suggest a surgical approach that addresses all identifiable dilated and connecting veins. These findings suggest that surgical approaches that include intraoperative access to and ligation of low inguinal (external spermatic) and gubernacular veins may cause fewer recurrences, unligated small internal spermatic veins may be a cause of varicocele recurrence, and large internal spermatic veins should be individually identified, dissected and ligated since the testicular artery and lymphatics are often adherent to these veins. Optical magnification is important to facilitate identification of lymphatics, testicular arteries and small internal spermatic veins.
On-line information system for environmental product regulations and standards

An on-line environmental product regulations information database has been developed to track the increasing number and complexity of environmental product regulations and standards. Design parameters included the use of an existing and supported database within the company and easy accessibility by users to current and proposed regulatory and standards requirements in a form for decision making by Hewlett-Packard Company (HP) business units. This paper describes the development, structure, maintenance and use of the system within Hewlett-Packard Company.
Reconstruction-free inference on compressive measurements

Spatial-multiplexing cameras have emerged as a promising alternative to classical imaging devices, often enabling acquisition of ‘more for less’. One popular architecture for spatial multiplexing is the single-pixel camera (SPC), which acquires coded measurements of the scene with pseudo-random spatial masks. Significant theoretical developments over the past few years provide a means for reconstruction of the original imagery from coded measurements at sub-Nyquist sampling rates. Yet, accurate reconstruction generally requires high measurement rates and high signal-to-noise ratios. In this paper, we enquire if one can perform high-level visual inference problems (e.g. face recognition or action recognition) from compressive cameras without the need for image reconstruction. This is an interesting question since in many practical scenarios, our goals extend beyond image reconstruction. However, most inference tasks often require non-linear features and it is not clear how to extract such features directly from compressed measurements. In this paper, we show that one can extract nontrivial correlational features directly without reconstruction of the imagery. As a specific example, we consider the problem of face recognition beyond the visible spectrum e.g in the short-wave infra-red region (SWIR) - where pixels are expensive. We base our framework on smashed filters which suggests that inner-products between high-dimensional signals can be computed in the compressive domain to a high degree of accuracy. We collect a new face image dataset of 30 subjects, obtained using an SPC. Using face recognition as an example, we show that one can indeed perform reconstruction-free inference with a very small loss of accuracy at very high compression ratios of 100 and more.
The multiobjective multistage impact analysis method: Theoretical basis

Multiobjective multistage decision-making problems are addressed in the light of multiobjective multistage optimization problems for finite-dimensional deterministic systems. Because of the structure of these problems, the concept of a stage tradeoff (a dynamic multiobjective tradeoff) is introduced. The stage tradeoff concept generalizes the usual tradeoff concept used in static multiobjective optimization problems and leads to the notion of impact analysis. The theoretical basis for a newly developed method, the multiobjective multistage impact analysis method, (MMIAM), is presented.
Hemodynamics and metabolic effects of fructose 1–6 diphosphate in ischemia and shock — experimental and clinical observations

Numerous interventions have been used to protect organ systems and cellular viability from the lethal injury accompanying hypoperfusion and ischemia. Some measures have been directed toward improving perfusion, while others have attempted to enhance the metabolic processes. Our work has focused for the most part on augmenting the anaerobic carbohydrate utilization in ischemic and hypoperfused tissues with fructose-1,6-diphosphate (FDP). Such an approach is based on the premise that exogenous FDP will restore the activity of glycolysis, which has been inhibited by acidosis, by intervening in the Embden-Meyerhoff pathway both as a metabolic regulator and as a high-energy substrate. We have tested this hypothesis in more than 1,000 animals subjected to shock or regional ischemia, and the results appear to confirm our presumption. In myocardial infarction, FDP improves hemodynamic parameters, attenuates ECG proven ischemic injury and dysrhythmias, prevents ATP and creatine phosphate depletion from ischemic myocardium, reduces infarct size, and increases survival. In hemorrhagic, traumatic, and endotoxin shock, FDP improves hemodynamics, attenuates organ injury, and increases survival. Recently we demonstrated that FDP attenuates the reperfusion ischemic tissue injury by inhibiting the generation of oxygen free radicals by neutrophils. In normal volunteers, this agent increases carbohydrate utilization, while administration of a like amount of glucose produces no effect. In patients with myocardial infarction, FDP appears to have the same effect as that observed in the animal model. When this agent is administered to patients in traumatic, hemorrhagic, or septic shock, hemodynamic and pulmonary function are significantly improved. In patients with adult respiratory distress syndrome, similar beneficial effects have been observed with FDP administration. Experimental and clinical data indicate that FDP can be useful in the treatment of shock and regional ischemia, and support the contention that this agent augments anaerobic carbohydrate utilization and prevents tissue injury by toxic oxygen radicals generated by the neutrophils.
Treatment of Secondary Orgasmic Dysfunction: An Outcome Study

This study investigated the differential effectiveness of various treatment formats for 55 couples in which the woman reported secondary orgasmic dysfunction (defined as the inability of the woman to reach orgasm during intercourse, with or without clitoral stimulation, more than 50% of the time for the last 5 months). Couples received two 2-hr sessions of sexual reeducation and were then assigned into one of four treatment conditions (a communication skills format, a sexual skills format, one of two combination formats) or into one of two control conditions (an attention-comparison control condition which consisted of didactic presentations, or a waiting-list control condition). Treatment was conducted by one of two female clinical psychologists in groups of between four to six couples. No significant differences were found between the different treatment conditions at the posttest or at the 6-month follow-up. Statistical comparisons conducted between the combined treatment and combined control conditions showed that the couples who received treatment reported significantly less overall sexual dissatisfaction and significantly greater sexual harmony at the posttest; however, these differences became nonsignificant at the follow-up. In comparison with the women in the control conditions, a significantly greater number of women who received treatment reached or exceeded the project's 50% criterion for coital orgasmic functioning at the posttest; however, these differences became nonsignificant at the follow-up. Couples who reported less relationship adjustment prior to treatment showed greater overall gains in coital orgasmic frequency than couples who reported better relationship adjustment.
Prediction of the wake size of a single gas bubble in liquid and/or liquid-solid media—the pendulum model

Le modele mecaniste mis en place ici considere une bulle ascendante et son sillage primaire comme un corps simple rigide en mouvement. On cherche a relier la frequence de detachement tourbillonnaire a la taille du sillage de la bulle. On considere des systemes bi et tridimensionnels. Ce probleme est frequemment rencontre en fluidisation gaz-liquide-solide
An architecture for pup services on a distributed operating system

At the University of Rochester the computer science department has had six years of experience in the design and implementation of a multiple-machine, multiple network distributed system called RIG. Rochester's Intelligent Gateway (RIG) [1,2,3] is a dual processor gateway which connects three computer networks to provide convenient access to a wide range of computer facilities. RIG was built to serve as an intermediary between the human user (working through a display terminal or personal computer) and a variety of computer systems. The bulk of the user's computational requirements is met by these systems, which are either partially integrated into the RIG system through a fast local network or loosely coupled to it through the ARPANET. RIG also provides a number of basic services such as printing, plotting, local file storage, and support for a number of display terminals.
Wound-induced assembly and closure of an actomyosin purse string in Xenopus oocytes

Abstract Background: Both single cells and multicellular systems rapidly heal physical insults but are thought to do so by distinctly different mechanisms. Wounds in single cells heal by calcium-dependent membrane fusion, whereas multicellular wounds heal by a variety of different mechanisms, including circumferential contraction of an actomyosin ‘purse string' that assembles around wound borders and is dependent upon the small GTPase Rho. Results: We investigated healing of puncture wounds made in Xenopus oocytes, a single-cell system. Oocyte wounds rapidly assumed a circular morphology and constricted circumferentially, coincident with the recruitment of filamentous actin (F-actin) and myosin-II to the wound borders. Surprisingly, recruitment of myosin-II to wound borders occurred before that of F-actin. Further, experimental disruption of F-actin prevented healing but did not prevent myosin-II recruitment. Actomyosin purse-string assembly and closure was dependent on Rho GTPases and extracellular calcium. Wounding resulted in reorganization of microtubules into an array similar to that which forms during cytokinesis in Xenopus embryos. Experimental perturbation of oocyte microtubules before wounding inhibited actomyosin recruitment and wound closure, whereas depolymerization of microtubules after wounding accelerated wound closure. Conclusions: We conclude the following: actomyosin purse strings can close single-cell wounds; myosin-II is recruited to wound borders independently of F-actin; purse-string assembly is dependent on a Rho GTPase; and purse-string assembly and closure are controlled by microtubules. More generally, the results indicate that actomyosin purse strings have been co-opted through evolution to dispatch a broad variety of single-cell and multicellular processes, including wound healing, cytokinesis and morphogenesis.
Classification and material identification in an urban environment using HYDICE hyperspectral data

Urban areas provide a complex material environment, both in the number of materials present, and in the spatial scale of material variation. Classification in urban environments using multispectral sensors has typically been limited to discrimination of major terrain classes due to both the limited spatial resolution of currently available sensors and to the inability to consistently discriminate between similar materials. High spectral and spatial resolution imagery, such as collected with the HYDICE sensor, provides the opportunity to develop detailed material maps for urban areas, and to perform precise material discrimination for cultural objects. Referencing a comprehensive set of material spectra, this paper describes a procedure for land cover classification which can be automated and performed with little or no a-priori knowledge of objects in the scene.
Mutual gains? labor and management evaluate their employee involvement programs

This study examines the impact of employee involvement programs on social, psychological, production, and economic issues. The findings are based on a diverse group of 236 EI programs in Pennsylvania, where data were gathered from both management and labor in the same workplace. The majority of the programs are based on a quality circle model; few contain innovative pay systems; and less than one third could be classified as intensive. Management indicates that these programs have a positive impact on a variety of factors, especially social and psychological effects. Unions are less enthusiastic about EI but are generally positive or neutral, with few indicating any negative effects. Despite these generally positive reports by both labor and management, direct comparison yields little agreement between labor and management on the effects of EI. Our results question the assumption of “mutual gains,” i.e., that the effects of EI programs are clear, public, and shared equally by both labor and management. Alternative explanations are discussed.
Preparation of a branched DNA self-assembled monolayer toward sensitive DNA biosensors

To realize an efficient hybridization of oligonucleotides, a DNA self-assembled monolayer (SAM) composed of branched probe DNA containing single- and double-stranded portions was prepared on a gold substrate. Hybridization using the SAM was monitored in situ by surface plasmon resonance (SPR). By controlling the surface coverage of the probe DNA, hybridization efficiency was optimized. SPR results strongly indicate that all probe sites are accessible for hybridization under optimized conditions regardless of the position.
Synthesis and polymerization of imines and azadienes: New polymerizable monomers

We have begun an exploratory program on the synthesis of imines and azadienes (α, β-unsaturated imines) to find the best structures for monomers which will form high polymers. Imines display a very wide range of stability from existing only in the gas phase or at liquid nitrogen temperatures to complete stability depending on the substituents on the nitrogen and carbon. Among the simple imines, benzylidene cyanamide gave oligomers of DP-8 with either free radical or anionic initiators. Tricyanomethanimine, C4N4, could only be obtained in solution and spontaneously homopolymerized and copolymerized with paramethoxystyrene. Among the l-azabutadienes, 1-phenyl-l-aza-1,3-butadiene polymerized to reasonably high molecular weight polymers using anionic initiators. Cationic initiation was less successful and free radical initiators gave no polymers. Similarly, N-carboethoxy-3-methyl-l-aza-l,3-butadiene gave moderate yields of polymers with modest molecular weights. Our conclusions at this stage of our investigations are that simple imines are a quite restricted class of monomers. On the other hand, owing to ease of synthesis and ability to polymerize the l-azadienes represent a new class of reactive monomers.
Pathogenicity of T helper 2 T‐cell clones from T‐cell receptor transgenic non‐obese diabetic mice is determined by tumour necrosis factor‐α

Autoimmune diabetes is predominated by a T helper 1 (Th1) response at the expense of an impaired Th2 response. Although T cells producing Th2 cytokines are generally thought to counter a Th1 response, there have been reports of Th2 T-cell clones with pathogenic activity, including one previously reported by us in which the Th2 T-cell clone was derived from a T-cell receptor transgenic (TCR-Tg) mouse bearing pathogenic TCR. In this study, our goal was to determine whether Th2 T-cell clones derived from a TCR-Tg in which the autoantigen was absent would be pathogenic and if so, to investigate possible mechanisms by which the Th2 T-cell clone could promote disease. We found that a Th2 T-cell clone derived from the 6.9 TCR-Tg/non-obese diabetic (NOD).C6 mouse in which 6.9 T cells do not encounter autoantigen, produced Th2 cytokines but not interferon-gamma. This Th2 T-cell clone, like the previous one we had isolated from the 2.5 TCR-Tg/NOD mouse, also turned out to be pathogenic. Intracellular staining revealed that these Th2 T-cell clones produce low levels of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in vitro, and after adoptive transfer, they migrate to the pancreas where they produce TNF-alpha as well as Th2 cytokines (interleukin (IL)-4, IL-10). Induction of disease was prevented by administration of soluble TNF-alpha receptor to recipient mice, suggesting that the diabetogenicity of these Th2 T-cell clones is caused by their low level production of TNF-alpha.
Multiple health disparities among minority adults with mobility limitations: san application of the ICF framework and codes.

Purpose. To examine the interface between mobility limitations and minority status and its effect on multiple health and health-related domains among adults, using the framework of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF).Methods. We combined 8 years of data from the 1997 – 2004 US National Health Interview Survey to investigate health disparities among minorities with mobility limitations as defined by the ICF. A total of 79,739 adults surveyed met these criteria.Results. Adults with both mobility limitations and minority status experienced the greatest disparities (p < 0.001) in worsening health (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 8.5), depressive symptoms (AOR = 17.2), diabetes (AOR = 5.5), hypertension (AOR = 3.4), stroke (AOR = 7.2), visual impairment (AOR = 4.6), difficulty with activities of daily living (AOR = 42.7) and instrumental activities of daily living (AOR = 27.7), use of special equipment (AOR = 28.1), obesity (AOR = 3.3), physical inactivity (AOR = 2.7), and ...
International organizations documentation: Serving research needs of the legal community

Abstract This paper discusses the huge international organizations collections of the Library of Congress and stresses that many international documents, as opposed to international publications, are not sent to libraries. To confirm an impression about an increase in the number of inquiries from the legal community, the author surveyed and classified requests received over an 18-month period. Almost 20% of the inquiries related to legal matters, and the most frequent questions concerned the law of the sea, human rights matters, the International Court of Justice, outer space, transnational corporations, and environmental matters. Detailed examples of how some of these legal inquiries have been handled are provided. Because international publications only, rather than documents, are distributed to libraries by a number of the organizations, stress is placed on the importance of contacts with information personnel in the agencies as well as with government officials who work with the international organizations.
Modeling human arterial wall motion with in vivo validation using high frequency ultrasound

Arterial stiffness has been shown to be a predictor of cardiovascular events and pulse wave velocity, a measure of arterial stiffness, has been shown to be correlated with clinical outcomes. The ability to measure changes in the mechanical properties of an arterial vessel wall may therefore enable detection of early manifestations of cardiovascular disease. In this study, high frequency (30MHz) ultrasound was used to scan human common carotid arteries, in order to determine arterial wall motion as a measure of arterial stiffness. A 2D RF speckle tracking algorithm was used to calculate wall motion and a mathematical model, based on a viscoelastic tube was developed to model radial direction motion. No significant difference in radial motion was observed between the intima and adventitia of the imaged vessel wall. Simulations using the model accurately predicted arterial radial motion as determined by speckle tracking - exhibiting less than a 5% mean error over 2 cardiac cycles.
Vehicle Dynamic Simulation for Reconstruction of Rollover Crashes

Vehicle rollover crashes are the most severe in terms of occupant's fatalities and injuries. On average rollover crashes are responsible for more then 10,000 fatalities annually. Vehicle rollover is a very complex phenomenon. Simple static analysis and evidence analysis may not be sufficient to provide insight on the vehicle dynamic behavior during the pre-roll phase i.e. from the point of initiation of the crash to the beginning of the first airborne phase. 3D computer simulation provides one of the most comprehensive tools in accident analysis and reconstruction. The main objective of this research was to obtain accurate vehicle pre roll dynamics data in real life rollover crashes using commercially available vehicle dynamics and simulation programs.Copyright © 2006 by ASME