cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Should we be talking about guidelines with patients? A qualitative analysis in metastatic breast cancer.

Little data exist on perceptions of guideline-based care in oncology. This qualitative analysis describes patients’ and oncologists’ views on the value of guideline-based care as well as discussing guidelines when making metastatic breast cancer (MBC) treatment decisions. In-person interviews completed with MBC patients and community oncologists and focus groups with academic oncologists were audio-recorded and transcribed. Two coders utilized a content analysis approach to analyze transcripts independently using NVivo. Major themes and exemplary quotes were extracted. Participants included 20 MBC patients, 6 community oncologists, and 5 academic oncologists. Most patients were unfamiliar with the term “guidelines.” All patients desired to know if they were receiving guideline-discordant treatment but were often willing to accept this treatment. Five themes emerged explaining this including trusting the oncologist, relying on the oncologist’s experiences, being informed of rationale for deviation, personalized treatment, and openness to novel therapies. Physician discussions regarding the importance of guidelines revealed three themes: consistency with scientific evidence, insurance coverage, and limiting unusual practices. Oncologists identified three major limitations in using guidelines: lack of consensus, inability to “think outside the box” to personalize treatment, and lack of guideline timeliness. Although some oncologists discussed guidelines, it was often not considered a priority. Patients expressed a desire to know whether they were receiving guideline-based care but were amenable to guideline-discordant treatment if the rationale was made clear. Providers’ preference to limit discussions of guidelines is discordant with patients’ desire for this information and may limit shared decision-making.
Broadband scattering from mesopelagic jellyfish

By linking surface waters to the deep ocean, the mesopelagic zone (200–1000 m) plays crucial ecological roles in biogeochemical cycling, feeding apex predators, and sustaining a massive daily migration of organisms. The importance of this expansive ecosystem cannot be fully understood without accurately estimating its biomass. Several recent studies have estimated the biomass of mesopelagic fishes, yet the biomass of zooplankton is far less understood. The towed vehicle “Deep-See” was designed to obtain in situ acoustical (1–410 kHz), optical, and environmental measurements of mesopelagic fish and invertebrates. Dense patches of jellyfish were observed in images collected by Deep-See in the New England slope sea during Summer 2019, revealing the presence of gelatinous biomass potentially masked by more strongly scattering organisms (e.g., fish, krill) in narrowband shipboard acoustic surveys. To quantify this “hidden” biomass acoustically will require understanding the physics of sound scattered by these organisms. Using a full 3-D scan of an individual, and simpler approximate shapes, the Distorted Wave Born Approximation (DWBA) was used to model the target strength of the common mesopelagic jellyfish Solmissus. Images were used to predict the volume scattering spectrum of an observed Solmissus patch and compared with acoustical measurements.
Dynamic Congestion Pricing for Ridesourcing Traffic: A Simulation Optimization Approach

Despite the documented benefits of ride-sourcing services, recent studies show that they can slow down traffic in the densest cities significantly. To implement congestion pricing policies upon those vehicles, regulators need to estimate how much their congestion effects are. This paper studies simulation-based approaches to address the two technical challenges arising from the representation of system dynamics and the optimization for congestion price mechanisms. To estimate the traffic conditions, we use a meta-model representation for traffic flow and a numerical method for data interpolation. To reduce the burden of replicating evaluation in stochastic optimization, we use a simulation optimization approach to compute the optimal congestion price. This data-driven approach can potentially be extended to solve large-scale congestion pricing problems with unobservable states.
Chronic Pelvic Pain in Women: ACOG Updates Recommendations.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has new recommendations for managing chronic pelvic pain.
Keep calm and conceal carry: opinions about campus carry on a nontraditional university campus in Texas

Campus carry, which permits concealed firearms on college campuses, is an intense topic of discussion. While research has found that a majority of students and faculty oppose such a law, much of th...
Near-infrared cavity ring-down spectroscopy measurements of nitrous oxide in the (4200)←(0000) and (5000)←(0000) bands

Abstract Using frequency-agile rapid scanning cavity ring-down spectroscopy, we measured line intensities and line shape parameters of 14N216O in air in the (4200)←(0000) and (5000)←(0000) bands near 1.6 μm. The absorption spectra were modeled with multi-spectrum fits of Voigt and speed-dependent Voigt profiles. The measured line intensities and air-broadening parameters exhibit deviations of several percent relative to values provided in HITRAN 2016. Our measured intensities for these two bands have relative combined standard uncertainties of ~1% which is approximately five times smaller than literature values. Comparison of the present air-broadening and speed-dependent broadening parameters to experimental literature values for other rotation-vibration bands of N2O indicates significant differences in magnitude and J-dependence. For applications requiring high spectral fidelity, these results suggest that the assumption of band-independent line shape parameters is not appropriate.
Effect of dietary protein and iron on the fractional turnover rate of rat liver xanthine oxidase

Rat liver xanthine oxidase activity is regulated in response to dietary protein and iron. To investigate whether the change in activity was mediated by a change in the rate of protein degradation, we measured the fractional turnover rate using the double-isotope technique with (/sup 3/H)- and (/sup 14/C)leucine and calculated the apparent half-life of xanthine oxidase in rats fed diets containing either 20 or 5% casein with either 35 or 5 mg iron/kg diet. Under control conditions, xanthine oxidase had an apparent half-life of 4.8 d and approximately 65% of the enzyme subunits were active. Rats fed diets with low dietary protein had lower xanthine oxidase activity, but the enzyme had a slower fractional turnover rate, resulting in an apparent half-life of 6.4 d, and only 15-20% of the enzyme was active. The apparent half-life of xanthine oxidase increased to 7.5 d in rats fed diets with low dietary iron, but dietary iron did not affect the specific activity of the enzyme or the percentage of active subunits. These results suggest that the loss of enzyme activity is not due to loss of enzyme protein by increased degradation, but rather to inactivation of the enzyme.
Performance of active automotive suspensions with hydraulic actuators: theory and experiment

This paper makes an objective analysis of the performance obtained when using a hydraulic actuator as a variable force element in the active suspension system of an automobile. A nonlinear control method is used in an attempt to provide classical "sky-hook" damping. Experimental and simulation results obtained with the use of a standard hydraulic actuator are presented. The use of the actuator results in significant overall improvement in ride quality with an acceleration reduction of as much as 50% compared to an ordinary passive shock absorber at the sprung mass natural frequency. The suspension deflection performance is also improved but the tire deflection performance is somewhat worse than the passive at frequencies close to the unsprung mass natural frequency. This is because the active controller fails to track the "sky-hook" damping force accurately at high frequencies. The cause of this failure is investigated. A theoretical analysis of the actuator dynamics are made and changes in actuator parameters for this specific application are suggested.
Glycogenesis from glucose and ureagenesis in isolated perfused rat livers. Influence of ammonium ion, norvaline, and ethoxyzolamide.

Abstract The probable involvement of hepatic carbamyl-P in the reciprocal relationship between hepatic ureagenesis and glycogenesis from glucose was explored. Isolated perfused liver preparations from 48-h fasted rats were employed. Moderate (9.2 mM) and relatively high levels of glucose (34 mM) were perfused. Hepatic glycogenesis, glucose-6-P, carbamyl-P, and citrulline levels, hepatic urea formation, and ureagenesis based upon perfusate urea levels were measured. Experimental probes selected to modify hepatic ureagenesis and carbamyl-P production and utilization included: (a) NH4Cl, maintained at 5 mM by continuous infusion (NH4+ is a substrate for carbamyl-P synthase I and glutamate dehydrogenase); (b) norvaline, an inhibitor of ornithine transcarbamylase which catalyzes the first committed step in the urea cycle; and (c) ethoxyzolamide, an inhibitor of carbonic anhydrase which produces HCO3-, an essential substrate for carbamyl-P synthase I. NH4+ increased ureagenesis and decreased glycogenesis. The inclusion of norvaline with NH4+ decreased ureagenesis and increased glycogenesis. Ethoxyzolamide with or without NH4+ inhibited both ureagenesis and glycogenesis, and decreased the hepatic glucose-6-P level. Glycogenesis was greater at 34 mM than 9.2 mM glucose, increased in norvaline-containing preparations correlative with increased availability of carbamyl-P, and decreased when carbamyl-P formation was inhibited by ethoxyzolamide. Kinetic analysis indicated a Km, Glc of 31 mM for glucose phosphorylation preliminary to glycogenesis. Glycogen formation via the "indirect pathway" (i.e. involving extrahepatic glycolysis, transport of lactate to the liver, and glyconeogenesis therefrom) was quantitatively insufficient to account for the observed glycogenesis. Glucokinase is contraindicated by the inverse relationship between hepatic glycogenesis and ATP availability in the ethoxyzolamide-treated preparations. In contrast, carbamyl-P:glucose phosphotransferase activity of the glucose-6-phosphatase system has the characteristics to bridge hepatic ureagenesis and glycogenesis.
Soluble Metals in the Atmosphere and Their Biological Implications

Multivariate statistical analysis has been applied to time series measurements of aerosol elemental composition from PIXE analysis of filter samples, and principal components have been resolved that represent distinct particle types in an external mixture in the atmosphere. In this study, it is argued that a combination of chemical and statistical analyses of the data may be more powerful in determining chemical species in atmospheric aerosols than studies that employ mainly direct chemical analysis of chemical species in unresolved mixtures of aerosol particle samples. Sulfur is generally associated with mineral dust elements. It is reasoned that the association may represent sulfuric add coatings on particles that can lead to mineral dissolution and solubilization of significant amounts of aluminum, iron, and other metals.
Intestinal IgE secretion in food allergy: Potential role for CD23 isoforms on intestinal epithelial cells

Abstract Rationale Anaphylactic reactions can occur extremely rapidly after ingestion of food allergens. A CD23/IgE-dependent antigen uptake mechanism is required for rapid hypersensitivity reactions in rodent models of food allergy. The mechanism leading to lumenal IgE remains unknown. Methods Naive and sensitized (OVA and casein) C3H/HeJ mice were used. Specific IgE was measured in intestinal lavage from mice, and in stool samples from food allergic patients. Intestinal secretion of IgE and IgG were compared by injection of mice with 125 I-IgE or -IgG and measurement of 125 I in intestinal lavage and stool. CD23 expression was determined by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR. IgE uptake by intestinal epithelial cells (IEC) was determined by confocal microscopy. Results Allergen-specific IgE was detected in stool samples from food-allergic patients, and in intestinal lavage fluid from sensitized mice. Sensitized mice secreted greater levels of 125 I-IgE, and to a lesser extent 125 I-IgG, into the intestinal lumen compared to naive mice. Sensitization was associated with upregulated CD23 expression on mouse IEC. RT-PCR analysis of CD23 isoform expression in IEC obtained from patients with food allergic disorders or normal controls demonstrated that the CD23a isoform was constitutively expressed, while the CD23b isoform was present only in IEC from food allergic patients. Polarized caco-2 cells transfected with the CD23a isoform rapidly internalized FITC-IgE from the apical, but not the basolateral domain. Conclusions Allergen-specific IgE is secreted into the intestinal lumen in sensitized individuals, and may facilitate uptake of antigen by interaction with CD23a. Upregulation of the CD23b isoform may be responsible for the secretion of IgE into the intestinal lumen.
Classroom-based Language Assessment: The Case of TAFL

There was a 92% increase in the number of Arabic as Foreign Language (AFL) programs in the US between 1998 and 2002 (Wells, 2004), and in the past 10 years this trend has continued. However, this surge has not yet been met by an equally rapid activity in the field of Teaching Arabic as Foreign Language (TAFL). One particularly under-researched area is classroom-based language assessment, especially in light of the diglossic nature of Arabic. The present discussion aims to problematize the issue of classroom-based assessment in an AFL context. One major issue confronting theorists as well as practitioners is finding a clear definition of Arabic language ability in light of diglossia. A second issue has to do with training teachers to use assessment to promote learning rather than only measure students’ achievement.
Radio wave propagation in the presence of a coastline

[1] In this paper the effect of a coastline on radio wave propagation is analyzed. The coastline consists of a shoreline or land/sea transition in the presence of a cliff or bluff. The problem of diffraction from the transition, when excited by a small dipole, is first addressed. By application of a perturbation technique the effects of a gradual, as opposed to an abrupt transition on the radio wave are discussed. For the case of both source and observation near the surface it is shown that the received fields are independent of the gradient of the transition and that the effects of the land/sea transition on the total fields are dominant, even distant from the transition. This is a very important and counter-intuitive result which has not been reported previously. A UTD solution for an impedance wedge and plane wave excitation is then applied, in order to analyze the combined effect of the land/sea transition and a cliff or bluff on the total received fields. Results are shown for the case of an observation platform (such as an aerial vehicle) flying low over the sea and then up and over the bluff.
Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing in Emergency Medicine

Value in emergency medicine is determined by both patient-important outcomes and the costs associated with achieving them. However, measuring true costs is challenging. Without an understanding of costs, emergency department (ED) leaders will be unable to determine which interventions might improve value for their patients. Although ongoing research may determine which outcomes are meaningful, an accurate costing system is also needed. This article reviews current costing mechanisms in the ED and their pitfalls. It then describes how time-driven activity-based costing may be superior to these current costing systems. Time-driven activity-based costing, in addition to being a more accurate costing system, can be used for process improvements in the ED.
Accumulation of mutations and somatic selection in aging neural stem/progenitor cells.

Summary Genomic instability within somatic stem cells may lead to the accumulation of mutations and contribute to cancer or other age-related phenotypes. However, determining the frequency of mutations that differ among individual stem cells is difficult from whole tissue samples because each event is diluted in the total population of both stem cells and differentiated tissue. Here the ability to expand neural stem/progenitor cells clonally permitted measurement of genomic alterations derived from a single initial cell. C57Bl/6 × DBA/2 hybrid mice were used and PCR analysis with strain-specific primers was performed to detect loss of heterozygosity on nine different chromosomes for each neurosphere. The frequency with which changes occurred in neurospheres derived from 2-month- and 2-year-old mice was compared. In 15 neurospheres derived from young animals both parental chromosomes were present for all nine chromosome pairs. In contrast, 16/17 neurospheres from old animals demonstrated loss of heterozygosity (LOH) on one or more chromosomes and seven exhibited a complete deletion of at least one chromosomal region. For chromosomes 9 and 19 there is a significant bias in the allele that is lost where in each case the C57Bl/6 allele is retained in 6/6 neurospheres exhibiting LOH. These data suggest that aging leads to a substantial mutational load within the neural stem cell compartment which can be expected to affect the normal function of these cells. Furthermore, the retention of specific alleles for chromosomes 9 and 19 suggests that a subset of mutational events lead to an allele-specific survival advantage within the neural stem cell compartment.
A Comparison of Numerical Indexes for Measuring Attitude Ambivalence

Ambivalence is expressed when a person endorses both positive and negative attitudinal positions. Ambivalence is commonly measured by having respondents provide separate ratings of the positive and negative components of their attitudes. A number of different equations have been proposed for combining the two ratings into a numerical index of ambivalence. However, similarities and differences among the equations are not well understood. This article introduces a graphical method to help identify the important properties of an ambivalence index. Five ambivalence indexes were compared and contrasted by using this method, and only two were found to possess satisfactory properties. The same indexes were also computed from respondents' ratings of 26 attitude topics, and it was found that empirical differences among the indexes were relatively small.
Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome: A Potentially Fatal Complication of Early Pregnancy

We present the case of a patient who presented to the Emergency Department (ED) 48 h after successful in vitro fertilization with abdominal pain, hypotension, and free fluid on an ED-focused abdominal sonogram for trauma study. This presentation is typical of Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS), a diagnosis that may be unfamiliar to many Emergency Physicians. With the increasing frequency of in vitro fertilization procedures, this disease process is becoming more common. Numerous complications can occur with OHSS, including third-space fluid accumulation, hemoconcentration, renal failure, and thromboembolic phenomena. Vigilance is required as these patients are at increased risk of ovarian torsion, ovarian rupture with internal hemorrhage, ectopic pregnancy, and infection. This case report provides an overview of clinical features and emergent management of OHSS.
Airway responsiveness depends on the diffusion rate of methacholine across the airway wall

During methacholine challenge tests of airway responsiveness, it is invariably assumed that the administered dose of agonist is accurately reflected in the dose that eventually reaches the airway smooth muscle (ASM). However, agonist must traverse a variety of tissue obstacles to reach the ASM, during which the agonist is subjected to both enzymatic breakdown and removal by the bronchial and pulmonary circulations. This raises the possibility that a significant fraction of the deposited agonist may never actually make it to the ASM. To understand the nature of this effect, we measured the time course of changes in airway resistance elicited by various durations of methacholine aerosol in mice. We fit to these data a computational model of a dynamically contracting airway responding to agonist that diffuses through an airway compartment, thereby obtaining rate constants that reflect the diffusive barrier to methacholine. We found that these barriers can contribute significantly to the time course of airway narrowing, raising the important possibility that alterations in the diffusive barrier presented by the airway wall may play a role in pathologically altered airway responsiveness.
Subtotal hysterectomy and ovarian function in gilts.

This investigation deals with ovarian function in gilts following subtotal hysterectomy during the luteal phase of the cycle. In 7 groups of 5 gilts per group the following parts of the uteri remained in the animals: Group 1, posterior half of cervix; Group 2, body and cervix; Group 3, anterior one-fourth of right horn and posterior half of cervix; Group 4, anterior half of right horn and posterior half of cervix; Group 5, posterior half of right horn including body and cervix; Group 6, anterior halves of right and left horns and posterior half of cervix; and Group 7, sham operations. Nine of 10 gilts in Groups 1 and 2 did not show estrus during a 120-day period following the estrus prior to experimental treatment. Three of 5 gilts in Group 3 did not return to heat during a 70 day period following the estrus prior to surgery. All gilts in Groups 4, 5 and 6 had average estrous cycle intervals of 25 days as compared to 21 days for the same animals prior to hysterectomy. The sham-operated gilts in Group 7 ha...
The fitness costs of senescence: The evolutionary importance of events in early adult life

The increased mortality caused by ageing represents a fitness cost to organisms. This paper develops techniques for determining the proportions of that cost that accrue at each age. A variety of analyses using several different sources of data on human ageing—palaeodemographic life tables and life tables from more recent societies with high mortality rates—all suggest that the ‘fitness cost’ of ageing was high during most of our evolutionary history, and was largely due to physiological changes occurring early in adult life. These results imply that predictions about the nature of senescence based on evolutionary theory should be tested using data from middle-aged individuals. They also have implications about the relative importances for human evolution of the ‘pleiotropy’ and ‘mutation-accumulation’ theories of the evolution of senescence, and for the validity of ‘Gompertz’ Law' for the shape of the relationship between mortality and age. An analysis of a life table of the African buffalo suggests that the costs of ageing early in adult life are relatively high in at least one non-human species in its natural environment.
SCAFFOLD - self configuring overlays using metadata hypercubes

Computer Networks have come a long way since the primitive Internet designed to enable a few computers at CERN to communicate with each other. Overlay Networks have emerged as one of the more imaginative ways to harness the underlying network for efficient content distribution and data sharing, faster searches and reliable communications, etc. Scaffold is a technique to build an overlay network for faster data discovery by studying the metadata present in the network, which is a-priori captured in a hypercube, called the Info-Cube. Scaffold triggers the network to build specific overlays in the form of Spanning Trees, making use of the Info-Cubes present in the nodes. Scaffold is designed to enable the network to form multiple overlays dynamically without centralized control. This makes the system self-configuring and enables the network to manage the overlay formation in a distributed fashion.
The biosynthesis of rhodopsin in vitro

Abstract Radioactive glucosamine and leucine are incorporated into the outer segments of the rod cells of bovine retinas incubated in vitro. One component of the outer segment labeled in this process is rhodopsin which can be extracted with detergent and purified by sequential chromatography on calcium phosphate-Celite and agarose. Both glucosamine and leucine appear in the rhodopsin of the outer segments after pronounced lags, longer for leucine, shorter for glucosamine. The difference corresponds to the additional time required for newly-synthesized polypeptide to be accumulated at some point in the photoreceptor cell where glycosylation presumably occurs. The lag in glucosamine labeling corresponds to the time required for the fully glycosylated polypeptide to complete the process of assembly of light-sensitive outer segment disc membranes. The overall process agrees with in vivo studies of outer segment renewal. Two other proteins are labeled along with rhodopsin. They can be isolated by the same chromatographic procedures from outer segment extracts. One is labeled and appears in the outer segments prior to rhodopsin and may be the diffusely distributed labeled protein seen in autoradiographic studies. The other is like opsin in that it can bind a chromophore to produce a visual pigment and may be designated as a pre-rhodopsin.
Pin-count-aware online testing of digital microfluidic biochips

On-line testing offers a promising method for detecting defects, fluidic abnormalities, and bioassay malfunctions in microfluidic biochips. To reduce product cost for disposable biochips, testing steps and functional fluidic operations must be implemented on pin-constrained designs. However, previous testing methods for pin-constrained designs do not optimize test schedules to reduce the number of control pins and test/assay completion time. We propose a pin-count-aware online testing method for pin-constrained designs to support the execution of both fault testing and the target bioassay protocol. The proposed method interleaves fault testing with the target bioassay protocol for online testing. It is aimed at significantly reducing the completion time for testing and for the bioassay, while keeping the number of control pins small. Two practical applications, namely a multiplexed bioassay and an interpolation-based mixing protocol, are used to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Hippocampal neurogenesis and PSA-NCAM expression following exposure to 56Fe particles mimics that seen during aging in rats.

Exposure to particles of high energy and charge can disrupt the neuronal systems as well as the motor and cognitive behaviors mediated by these systems in a similar fashion to that seen during the aging process. In the hippocampus, adult neurogenesis is affected both by aging and irradiation with ionizing particles. Likewise, the maturation of newly formed cells in this region as measured by PSA-NCAM expression is also altered by the aging process. The present study was designed to investigate the effects of 2.5 Gy of 1 GeV/n 56Fe particles on neurogenesis using the nuclear proliferation marker 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU and PSA-NCAM expression in the dentate gyrus of rats exposed to whole-body irradiation or simply placed in the chamber without being irradiated. All subjects (n=10) were sacrificed 28 days after the last BrdU injection (50 mg/kg X 3 days) and their brains were processed for immunohistochemistry. Results illustrate a decrease in the number of BrdU-positive cells as well as different distribution of these cells in the dentate gyrus of irradiated animals. Additionally, irradiated subjects show decreased levels of PSA-NCAM expression. These changes are consistent with those found in aged subjects indicating that heavy-particle irradiation is an adequate model for the study of aging.
A network-based approach to coauthorship credit allocation

We introduce and evaluate a novel network-based approach for determining individual credit of coauthors in multi-authored papers. In the proposed model, coauthorship is conceptualized as a directed, weighted network, where authors transfer coauthorship credits among one another. We validate the model by fitting it to empirical data about authorship credits from economics, marketing, psychology, chemistry, and biomedicine. Also, we show that our model outperforms prior alternatives such as fractional, geometric, arithmetic, and harmonic counting in generating coauthorship credit allocations that approximate the empirical data. The results from the empirical evaluation as well as the model's capability to be adapted to domains with different norms for how to order authors per paper make the proposed model a robust and flexible framework for studying substantive questions about coauthorship across domains.
Valvular reflux after deep vein thrombosis: Incidence and time of occurrence

Abstract From December 1986 to December 1990, 268 patients with acute deep vein thrombosis were studied in our laboratory. From this group 107 patients (123 legs with deep vein thrombosis) were placed in our long-term follow-up program. The documentation of valvular reflux and its site was demonstrated by duplex scanning. The duplex studies were done at intervals of 1 and 7 days, 1 month, every 3 months for the first year, and then yearly thereafter. The mean follow-up time for these patients was 341 days. In addition, reflux was evaluated in 502 patients with negative duplex study results and no previous history of deep vein thrombosis or chronic venous insufficiency. In the patients with acute deep vein thrombosis, valvular incompetence was noted in 17 limbs (14%) at the time of the initial study. Reflux was absent in 106 limbs (86%). In this last group reflux developed in 17% of the limbs by day 7. By the end of the first month, 37% demonstrated reflux. By the end of the first year, more than two thirds of the involved limbs had developed valvular incompetence. The distribution of reflux at the end of the first year of follow-up was the following: (1) popliteal vein, 58%; (2) superficial femoral vein, 37%; (3) greater saphenous vein, 25%; and (4) posterior tibial vein, 18%. Reflux seems to be more frequent in the segments previously affected with deep vein thrombosis. Among cases where segments were initially affected with thrombi, after 1 year the incidence of reflux was 53%, 44%, 59%, and 33% for the common femoral vein, superficial femoral, popliteal vein, and posterior tibial vein, respectively. In contrast, among limbs without initial deep vein thrombosis in these segments none of the proximal limbs and 8% of the posterior tibial veins showed reflux after 1 year. In the patients without deep vein thrombosis, reflux in either the deep or superficial system was present in 60 of 1003 legs (6%). Greater saphenous vein reflux was present in 16 legs (2%); it was limited to this vein in five limbs. (J Vasc Surg 1992;15:377–84.)
Popular evaluations of election quality in Africa: Evidence from Nigeria

Despite the important consequences of citizens' election quality perceptions on political behavior and political attitudes, very little is known about how citizens formulate their perceptions of election quality. In this paper, I assess the correlates of citizens' perceptions of election quality. I suggest that the performance of election-related institutions is an important correlate of citizens' election quality perceptions. However, citizens' experience with electoral irregularities, and partisan affiliation also matter. I test these hypotheses in the context of the 2007 Nigerian general elections using survey data from Afrobarometer and International Foundation for Electoral Systems. The findings provide robust support for the hypotheses. Most importantly, the results indicate that the performance of electoral management bodies is associated with citizens' assessment of election quality in Africa and that citizens demand electoral management bodies with impartiality and professionalism.
Diabetes status and racial differences in post–myocardial infarction mortality

Background Prior studies regarding the effect of racial status on post–myocardial infarction (MI) in subjects with diabetes have yielded conflicting results. We evaluated the effect of diabetes status on racial differences in post-MI mortality and morbidity for a 7-year period, from 1990 through 1997. Methods All patients discharged with the primary diagnosis of acute MI from any Veterans Affairs Medical Center in the country between October 1990 and September 1997 were identified. Demographic, comorbid conditions, inpatient, outpatient, mortality, and readmission data were extracted. Mortality, revascularization, readmissions, and length of hospital stay for MI were compared for the group with diabetes and that without diabetes. Comparison was made between black and white patients. Independent predictors of survival using a Cox regression model were examined. Results We identified 67 889 patients with MI of whom 17 756 (26%) had diabetes. Race status was known for 66 506 subjects of whom 55 731 (84%) were white and 8437 (13%) were black. Regardless of the race, the diabetic patients tended to have higher mortality than nondiabetic patients. The post-MI mortality during the entire follow-up period tended to be similar between blacks and whites for the nondiabetic patients, whereas the mortality tended to be lower in blacks than in whites in diabetic patients. Conclusions Mortality from post-MI is significantly lower in blacks with diabetes than in whites with diabetes. In contrast, no racial difference in long-term mortality was seen among subjects without diabetes. Thus, it appears that diabetes status determines racial variation in post-MI mortality. The reasons for better survival post-MI of blacks in general and among subjects with diabetes in particular need to be further investigated.
Multiple molecular forms of enzymes in barley leaves infected with Erysiphe graminis f.sp. hordei

Abstract Multiple molecular forms of 14 enzymes (isoenzymes) from near-isogenic barley lines inoculated with powdery mildew were studied by polyacrylamide disk electrophoresis. Following inoculation of the susceptible line (ml-g) the number of isozyme bands of acetylesterase, acid phosphatase, malate dehydrogenase (NADP), succinate dehydrogenase and peroxidase increased. These new bands were not detected in extracts of healthy tissue or mycelium and conidia from infected leaves; their intensity was not reduced by removing mycelium and conidia before preparing extracts. Only the new peroxidase band appeared within one day after inoculation. Eleven enzymes from inoculated susceptible lines showed an increase in intensity of one or more bands within 7 days; four enzymes showed a decrease. A hypersensitive line (Ml-k) showed changes after inoculation that were similar to those of the susceptible line. With a resistant line (Ml-g) there was an intensity increase in one or more bands of seven enzymes within 7 days after inoculation. Such changes in the multiple molecular forms and activity of enzymes are biochemical symptoms of disease, may be a basis for the increased metabolism associated with infection and suggest profound interactions between parasite and host.
Evolution of convolution kernels for feature extraction

A fundamental difficulty in image processing is the determination of a suitable set of features which can be used to segment images or can be combined by an appropriate method for the identification and classification of targets. Many features have been and are being used which are `reasonable' to the target recognition researcher, but there is no assurance that other features which can extract more information from an image don't exist. This paper investigates the use of genetic algorithms (GA) to evolve convolution kernels which produce features that can be used for image segmentation. Any linear transform can be implemented as a convolution kernel. Using supervised learning and a fitness function which maximizes the interclass distance and minimizes intraclass variance, a genetic algorithm is used to evolve a sub-image convolution kernel. The genome which represents the convolution kernel is converted from a 2-D form into a 1-D form using an approach similar to a space-filling curve. The fitness of the genome for each kernel is measured by its classification performance compared to ground truth data, and then biased by the size of the kernel so that a smallest kernel solution can be found.
The redox cleavage of the sulfur-sulfur bond and carbon-sulfur bond in organic disulfides by a model coenzyme

Le N-Benzyl-1,4-dihydronicotinamide reduit, par un mecanisme redox de transfert d'un electron, laliaison disulfide de plusieurs disulfides organiques tels que le diphenyl disulfide, l'α-lipoamide et le tetramethylthiuram disulfide. Les reactions chimiques sont comparees a l'oxydation enzymique de la nicotinamide-adenine nucleotide.
Transglutaminase may mediate certain physiological effects of endogenous amines and of amine-containing therapeutic agents

Abstract Transglutaminase mediation of the effects of certain primary amines and alcohols may be important in receptor coupling to physiological responses. Many of the therapeutic and toxic side effects of drugs also may be related to their covalent linkage to glutamine residues of key regulatory proteins through the catalytic action of transglutaminase. This paper suggests that important therapeutic agents such as digoxin, tetracycline, adriamycin, and actinomycin D may have some effects related to transglutaminase action.
Peroxidase-mediated mammalian cell cytotoxicity.

Lactoperoxidase, in the presence of hydrogen peroxide and iodide is cytotoxic for human and mouse lymphoid cells, and human erythrocytes. Myeloperoxidase, in amounts equivalent to 1.5 x 106 neutrophils, readily replaces lactoperoxidase, and allows the substitution of the iodide ion by chloride. The myeloperoxidase-mediated reaction is rapid, and highly efficient, leading to 85–90% cell death in 90 min, as measured by 51chromium release and dye exclusion. The mixture of granulocytes. monocytes, and lymphocytes present in an inflammatory exudate, and the intimate cell-to-cell association characteristic of cytotoxic phenomena may provide the in vivo requirements for such a system.
Mitigating effects of plastic surgery: Fusing face and ocular biometrics

The task of successfully matching face images obtained before and after plastic surgery is a challenging problem. The degree to which a face is altered depends on the type and number of plastic surgeries performed, and it is difficult to model such variations. Existing approaches use learning based methods that are either computationally expensive or rely on a set of training images. In this work, a fusion approach is proposed that combines information from the face and ocular regions to enhance recognition performance in the identification mode. The proposed approach provides the highest reported recognition performance on a publicly accessible plastic surgery database, with a rank-one accuracy of 87.4%. Compared to existing approaches, the proposed approach is not learning based and reduces computational requirements. Furthermore, a systematic study of the matching accuracies corresponding to various types of surgeries is presented.
Liquid nitrogen fueled, closed Brayton cycle cryogenic heat engine

Abstract The use of liquid nitrogen as a combustion free and non-polluting vehicle ‘fuel’ has recently been demonstrated with the CooLN2Car, a liquid nitrogen powered vehicle. The CooLN2Car’s primary limitation is its driving range, which is roughly proportional to the specific energy (energy per unit mass of liquid nitrogen) provided by the open cycle power system employed in the vehicle. In the work reported, a closed Brayton cycle, liquid nitrogen power system is found to be a promising alternative. A thermodynamic analysis indicates that a regenerative closed Brayton cycle system can reach a specific energy that is ten times larger than that for the CooLN2Car open cycle system and four times larger than that for the GM EV1 battery power system. In addition, a zero emission vehicle powered by a liquid nitrogen fueled, closed Brayton cycle cryogenic heat engine is projected to have a fuel cost and capital cost commensurate with limited operating parameters (e.g., driving range).
Measurements of NO Emissions From a Stratified Charge Engine: Comparison of Theory and Experiment

Abstract Measurements of NO exhaust emissions have been made on a single-cylinder engine with and without stratification. The results were compared with predictions based on an existing computer model of Blumberg (1973). Combustion duration, a critical parameter of the model, was inferred from experimental pressure-time records for each condition studied. In premixed operation at low NO levels the post-flame Zeldovich kinetics, as used by Lavoie et al, (1970), could not account for the observed concentrations. The discrepancy was ascribed to flame-formed NO, and a correction to the chemical kinetics was made based on the measurements of Fenimore (1970). With this correction good qualitative agreement between theory and experiment was obtained for the premixed case. On the basis of these results the modified kinetics were also employed in the stratified charge calculations. For stratified operation, calculations were made with a number of assumed stratification functions and the results compared with exper...
English and Spanish Acquisition by Hispanic Second Graders in Developmental Bilingual Programs A 3-Year Longitudinal Randomized Study

The authors studied a longitudinal English intervention in a 70/30 (Spanish/ English) developmental bilingual education (DBE) program (n = 302) and compared this model with a typical-practice, 80/20, late-exit transitional bilingual education program (n = 187) in terms of students' language and literacy acquisition from kindergarten to second grade in an urban school district in southeastern Texas. The findings revealed significant differences (p values < .05) in favor of DBE students on (a) English measures of oral language, preliteracy skills, and reading fluency and comprehension (effect sizes of .12 to .71) and (b) Spanish measures of letter name and sound, preliteracy skills, and reading comprehension (effect sizes of .19 to .38). It was concluded that quality English instruction that incorporates direct and focused instruction, context-embedded vocabulary learning, and ongoing professional training in DBE programs is much needed to promote bilingualism and biliteracy.
Peripheral Visual Acuity

Since the classical work of Wertheim1there have been many studies of peripheral visual acuity. Those published prior to 1951 were thoroughly reviewed by Low.2Data from representative investigations are shown in Fig 1. Only two studies provide any information as to the variability of normal acuity at each eccentric location. Low's paper3on the acuity of 100 normal subjects gives data only for the far periphery, 30°, 60°, and 90° from fixation. Weymouth4published values of the mean threshold visual angle and its standard deviation for six locations between fixation and 20°. These are based on records of 20 students in a laboratory course. The mean acuities are, at all tested locations, far below any reported in other studies; for example at the fovea, about 20/40; at 5 degrees in the periphery, 20/200. These low acuities are perhaps to be attributed to the use of
Texas coastal ocean observation network: data access and archive software

The Conrad Blucher Institute for Surveying and Science (CBI) at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi operates the Texas Coastal Ocean Observation Network (TCOON.) The network collects near real-time physical oceanographic data at 31 coastal stations along the Texas coast. The data includes water level, wind speed & direction, barometric pressure, water temperature, and air temperature from stations placed in bays and estuaries along the Texas coast. TCOON provides this critical data to many users, including those in the commercial shipping industry, marine construction, legal water-land boundaries, recreational boaters, and those responsible for marine safety and emergency evacuation in the event of a hurricane. Data sets are available in near real time via the Internet and some sets are accessible via voice over the telephone. All data collected since 1991 is available online along with data search tools. TCOON sponsors and developers believe that the more users and uses the system supports, the more valuable the data becomes. The highest scientific standards are used in collection the data as the data often ends up in litigation in the courts. Database software and the online tools used for data downloads are also open source.
High-speed VMEbus-based analog neurocomputing architecture for image classification

To fully exploit the real-time computational capabilities of neural networks (NN) -- as applied to image processing applications -- a high performance VMEbus based analog neurocomputing architecture (VMENA) is developed. The inherent parallelism of an analog VLSI NN embodiment enables a fully parallel and hence high speed and high-throughput hardware implementation of NN architectures. The VMEbus interface is specifically chosen to overcome the limited bandwidth of the PC host computer industrial standard architecture (ISA) bus. The NN board is built around cascadable VLSI NN chips (32 X 32 synapse chips and 32 X 32 neuron/synapse composite chips) for a total of 64 neurons and over 8 K synapses. Under software control, the system architecture could be flexibly reconfigured from feedback to feedforward and vice versa, and once selected, the NN topology (i.e. the number of neurons per input, hidden, and output layer and the number of layers) could be carved out from the set of neuron and synapse resources. An efficient hardware-in-the-loop cascade backpropagation (CBP) learning algorithm is implemented on the hardware. This supervised learning algorithm allows the network architecture to dynamically evolve by adding hidden neurons while modulating their synaptic weights using standard gradient-descent backpropagation. As a demonstration, the NN hardware system is applied to a computationally intensive map-data classification problem. Training sets ranging in size from 50 to 2500 pixels are utilized to train the network, and the best result for the hardware-in-the-loop learning is found to be comparable to the best result of the software NN simulation. Once trained, the VMENA subsystem is capable of processing at approximately 75,000 feedforward passes/second, resulting in over twofold computational throughput improvement relative to the ISAbus based neural network architecture. © (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Classification accuracy of brief parent report measures of language development in Spanish-speaking toddlers.

Purpose The purpose of the current study was to examine the concurrent validity and classification accuracy of 3 parent report measures of language development in Spanish-speaking toddlers. Method Forty-five Spanish-speaking parents and their 2-year-old children participated. Twenty-three children had expressive language delays (ELDs) as determined through multiple sources of information, and 22 had typical language development (TD). Parents completed the Spanish version of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (Spanish ASQ; Squires, Potter, & Bricker, 1999) and the short-form of the Inventarios del Desarrollo de Habilidades Comunicativas Palabras y Enunciados (INV–II; Jackson-Maldonado, Bates, & Thal, 1992; Jackson-Maldonado et al., 2003), which is the Spanish version of the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories Words and Sentences form, and reported children’s 3 longest utterances (M3L–W). Children were administered the Preschool Language Scale, Fourth Edition, Spanish Edition (SPLS–4; Zimme...