cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Continuous renal replacement therapy in children up to 10 kg.

Abstract Background: There is growing use of continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) for pediatric patients, but no large studies reporting CRRT use and outcome in young children. We describe a cohort of patients weighing 10 kg or less who underwent CRRT at five US children's hospitals between 1993 and 2001. Methods: We reviewed records of 85 patients weighing 10 kg or less who underwent at least 24 hours of CRRT. We evaluated weight, diagnosis, pressor number, CRRT characteristics, days on CRRT, and outcome (survival to leave intensive care unit versus death). Results: Patients weighed 1.5 to 10 kg (mean, 5.3 ± 2.8 kg; 16 patients ≤ 3 kg). Sixty-nine percent of patients were being administered pressors at the time of CRRT initiation, 88% of patients were administered heparin, and the others were administered citrate or no anticoagulation. Mean blood flow was 48 ± 24 mL/min (range, 15 to 106 mL/min) or 9.5 ± 4.2 mL/min/kg. Six hundred fifty-five patient-days of therapy were studied (mean, 7.6 ± 8.6 d/patient; range, 1 to 46 d/patient). Thirty-two patients (38%) survived; 4 of 16 patients (25%) weighing 3 kg or less survived. The smallest survivor weighed 2.3 kg. Overall, survivors and nonsurvivors showed no significant difference in weight, days on CRRT, or pressor number. However, for patients weighing more than 3 kg, 28 of 69 patients (41%) survived, and mean pressor number was lower for survivors versus nonsurvivors (0.96 ± 1.1 versus 1.6 ± 1.0 pressors; P Conclusion: CRRT is feasible and useful in children weighing 10 kg or less. Hemodynamic instability requiring pressor support neither precludes successful CRRT nor adversely affects survival. After CRRT, the survival rate in children who weigh 3 to 10 kg is similar to that in older children and adolescents.
Reemergent Scientism, Postmodernism, and Dialogue Across Differences

The reemergence of a narrowly defined “scientifically based research” that marginalizes qualitative approaches represents a major threat to qualitative research. A postmodern perspective not only c...
Do agents need understanding

There are several important ideas and questions that arise within AI work on agents. I address one of these questions by asking how much "human-like" understanding is necessary for a useful agent. One of the lessons of the new wave of AI research in the late 1980s and early 1990s was a greater appreciation for the artifacts introduced by a-priori assumptions about the description of problems. Systems of surprising effectiveness, flexibility and simplicity could solve apparently complicated problems by dropping the assumptions about identity, reference and generality imported from their common-sense linguistic formulation. By using encodings or representations which are simultaneously more specialized in some ways (by being task-specific) and more general in other ways (by their systemic regard for embeddedness as a design constraint), these systems introduced a different way of thinking about representation and intelligence. The intellectual contribution of the idea of an intelligent agent lies in a similar attitude toward the tasks of helping us deal with the mass of information and responsibilities around us.
MANAGEMENT OF SECONDARY URETEROPELVIC JUNCTION OBSTRUCTION AFTER FAILED PRIMARY LAPAROSCOPIC PYELOPLASTY

Purpose: Laparoscopic pyeloplasty has been established as a minimally invasive alternative to open pyeloplasty. However, little is known about the treatment of patients in whom this technique fails. We present our experience with treating ureteropelvic junction obstruction after failed primary laparoscopic pyeloplasty. Materials and Methods: From August 1993 to September of 2003, 227 patients underwent laparoscopic pyeloplasty for primary ureteropelvic junction obstruction. Of these patients 10 (4.4%), including 6 females and 4 males 24 to 62 years old (mean age 42.1), underwent secondary treatment after laparoscopic pyeloplasty failed. The type of secondary intervention varied by anatomical factors, and patient and surgeon preference. Success was defined as symptomatic relief and improved radiographic imaging at latest followup. Results: Secondary interventions were repeat laparoscopic pyeloplasty in 1 patient, retrograde endoscopic balloon dilation in 2 and endopyelotomy in 7 (laser, cold knife and cutting balloon endopyelotomy in 3, 2, and 2, respectively). No postoperative complications were seen. Patients were followed for a mean of 25.5 months (range 3 to 96) after the second procedure. Seven of 10 secondary interventions (70%) were successful with no obstruction on followup imaging. Three of 10 interventions (30%) failed, namely 1 laparoscopic pyeloplasty, 1 endoscopic balloon dilation and 1 laser endopyelotomy. Failure of the second procedure occurred at a mean of 9.3 months. Conclusions: When given the choice, most patients select endoscopic management after failed primary laparoscopic pyeloplasty due to its minimally invasive nature and low complication rate. Success rates are 70% with repeat intervention. Some patients require a third intervention.
Improving Decision Effectiveness of Artificial Neural Networks: A Modified Genetic Algorithm Approach

This study proposes the use of a modified genetic algorithm (MGA), a global search technique, as a training method to improve generalizability and to identify relevant inputs in a neural network (NN) model. Generalizability refers to the NN model's ability to perform well on exemplars (observations) that were not used during training (out-of-sample); improved generalizability enhances NN's acceptability as a valid decision-support tool. The MGA improves generalizability by setting unnecessary weights (or connections) to zero and by eliminating these weights. Because the eliminated weights have no further impact on the training (in-sample or out-of-sample data), the relevant variables can be identified from the model. By eliminating unnecessary weights, the MGA is able to search and find a parsimonious model that generalizes well. Unlike the traditional NN, the MGA identifies the model variables that contribute to an outcome, helping decision makers to rationalize output and accept results with greater confidence. The study uses real-life data to demonstrate the use of MGA.
Piperylene Sulfone: A Recyclable Dimethyl Sulfoxide Substitute for Copper-Catalyzed Aerobic Alcohol Oxidation

Piperylene sulfone was investigated as a recyclable dimethyl sulfide (DMSO) substitute for copper-catalyzed room temperature aerobic alcohol oxidation. Under the optimal conditions, various primary alcohols could be selectively converted into aldehydes in excellent yields with exceptionally high turnover frequency (over 31 h-1). The catalytic system also shows good compatibility with heteroatom-containing (S and N) substrates. Most importantly, the new developed catalytic system could also be recycled and reused for three runs with only slight loss of catalytic activity.
Balancing perfectly periodic service schedules: An application from recycling and waste management

A national recycling and waste management company provides periodic services to its customers from over 160 service centers. The services are performed periodically in units of weeks over a planning horizon. The number of truck-hours allocated to this effort is determined by the maximum weekly workload during the planning horizon. Therefore, minimizing the maximum weekly workload results in minimum operating expenses. The perfectly periodic service scheduling (PPSS) problem is defined based on the practices of the company. It is shown that the PPSS problem is strongly NP-hard. Attempts to solve large instances by using an integer programming formulation are unsuccessful. Therefore, greedy BestFit heuristics with three different sorting schemes are designed and tested for six real-world PPSS instances and 80 randomly generated data files. The heuristics provide effective solutions that are within 2% of optimality on average. When the best found BestFit schedules are compared with the existing schedules, it is shown that operational costs are reduced by 18% on average. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 59: 160–171, 2012
Why does reengineering fail? A practical guide for successful implementation

Process redesign is not always successful and is almost always accompanied by pain or at least unpleasant side effects. Many companies have undertaken reengineering efforts only to abandon them with little or no positive results. As important as it is to understand how to reengineer, it is crucial to understand how to avoid the traps. A disciplined, step‐by‐step approach to implementing process redesign is critical to the effort. This article offers a framework for the successful design and construction of the reengineering solution.
Governmental Politics and the Dynamics of Multiparty Competition

The politics of coalition government is a phase in a never-ending dynamic process of multiparty political competition. Most models of coalition government are static and focus on the making or the breaking of governments, ignoring or at least holding constant all other aspects of party competition. Here, the author considers some issues that are raised by locating the politics of coalition government in a more dynamic setting.
Approaches to glucagon receptor antagonists

Pharmacological observations that potent peptidic glucagon antagonists and antiglucagon antibodies are capable of lowering glucose levels in plasma, suggest that small molecule glucagon antagonists are strong candidates for the treatment of diabetes. Several classes of compounds have been identified that possess potent affinity for the human glucagon receptor. To date, one such molecule has advanced into clinical trial. This review will focus on published patent applications describing non-peptidic glucagon antagonists.
A computational hydrodynamics method for horizontal axis turbine – Panel method modeling migration from propulsion to turbine energy

A computational hydrodynamics method was formulated and implemented for horizontal axis tidal turbines. This paper presents a comparative analysis between screw propellers and horizontal axis turbines, in terms of geometry and motion parameters, inflow velocity analysis and the implementation methodologies. Comparison and analysis are given for a marine propeller model and a horizontal axis turbine model that have experimental measurements available in literature. Analysis and comparison are presented in terms of thrust coefficients, shaft torque/power coefficients, blade surface pressure distributions, and downstream velocity profiles. The effect of number of blades from 2 to 5, of a tidal turbine on hydrodynamic efficiency is also obtained and presented. The key implementation techniques and methodologies are provided in detail for the propeller based panel method tool to migrate as a prediction tool for tidal turbine. While the method has been proven to be accurate and robust for many propellers tested in the past, this numerical tool could be validated further for turbines. To further refine and validate the panel method for various turbines, it requires substantial additional experimental measurements. These measurements include downstream velocity profile by using LDV and/or SPIV, which are essential for numerical wake vortices descritization.
Separation conditions and approximation of discrete-time and discrete-space systems

We first consider causal time-invariant nonlinear input-output maps that take a set of bounded functions into a set of real-valued functions, and we give criteria under which these maps can be uniformly approximated arbitrarily well using a certain structure consisting of a not necessarily linear dynamic part followed by a nonlinear memoryless section that may contain sigmoids or radial basis functions, etc. In our results certain separation conditions of the kind associated with the Stone-Weierstrass theorem play a prominent role. Here they emerge as criteria for approximation, and not just as sufficient conditions under which an approximation exists. As an application of the results, we show that system maps of the type addressed can be uniformly approximated arbitrarily well by doubly finite Volterra-series approximantsif and only if these maps have approximately finite memory and satisfy certain continuity conditions. Corresponding results are then given for (not necessary causal) multivariable input-output maps. Such multivariable maps are of interest in connection with image processing.
Mechanical responsiveness of the endothelial cell of Schlemm's canal: scope, variability and its potential role in controlling aqueous humour outflow.

Primary open-angle glaucoma is associated with elevated intraocular pressure, which in turn is believed to result from impaired outflow of aqueous humour. Aqueous humour outflow passes mainly through the trabecular meshwork (TM) and then through pores formed in the endothelium of Schlemm's canal (SC), which experiences a basal-to-apical pressure gradient. This gradient dramatically deforms the SC endothelial cell and potentially contributes to the formation of those pores. However, mechanical properties of the SC cell are poorly defined. Using optical magnetic twisting cytometry and traction force microscopy, here we characterize the mechanical properties of primary cultures of the human SC cell, and for the first time, the scope of their changes in response to pharmacological agents that are known to modulate outflow resistance. Lysophosphatidic acid, sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) and thrombin caused an increase in cell stiffness by up to 200 per cent, whereas in most cell strains, exposure to latrunculin A, isoproterenol, dibutryl cyclic-AMP or Y-27632 caused a decrease in cell stiffness by up to 80 per cent, highlighting that SC cells possess a remarkably wide contractile scope. Drug responses were variable across donors. S1P, for example, caused 200 per cent stiffening in one donor strain but only 20 per cent stiffening in another. Isoproterenol caused dose-dependent softening in three donor strains but little or no response in two others, a finding mirrored by changes in traction forces and consistent with the level of expression of β2-adrenergic receptors. Despite donor variability, those drugs that typically increase outflow resistance systematically caused cell stiffness to increase, while in most cases, those drugs that typically decrease outflow resistance caused cell stiffness to decrease. These findings establish the endothelial cell of SC as a reactive but variable mechanical component of the aqueous humour outflow pathway. Although the mechanism and locus of increased outflow resistance remain unclear, these data suggest the SC endothelial cell to be a modulator of outflow resistance.
Multibit sigma-delta modulator with reduced sensitivity to DAC nonlinearity

A new architecture is presented for a multibit oversampled Sigma-Delta A/D convertor. A novel feedback arrangement is employed to reduce the sensitivity of the overall resolution to the nonlinearity of the multibit DAC. Simulations confirm the improved performance achieved by the proposed structure.
Raman Studies of the Soft Phonon Modes in BaxSr1−x.TiO3 thin Films

The vibrational properties of barium strontium titanate thin films were studied by Raman spectroscopy in the temperature range from 5 to 300 K. The films were grown by pulsed laser deposition on SrTiO3 and LaAlO3 substrates with SrRuO3 buffer layers. Soft phonons are observed in Raman spectra of BaxSr1−xTiO3 films with Ba contents x = 0.05, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.5. The temperature dependence of the soft phonon frequencies and the splitting of the triply degenerated soft mode into two components of A and E symmetries indicate the ferroelectric phase transition. The E soft mode line is overdamped over a broad range of temperatures near the ferroelectric phase transition, while it is clearly seen in the spectra at temperatures away from the phase transition. The relative Raman intensity of the A soft mode and hard modes decreases gradually over a broad range of temperatures. This indicates a broad ferroelectric phase transition in the thin films. Comparison of Raman spectra for films grown on SrTiO3 and LaAlO3 substrates shows the influence of strain on the temperature of the ferroelectric phase transition.
The Changing Color of Welfare? How Whites’ Attitudes toward Latinos Influence Support for Welfare1

This article uses the National Election Study to consider how stereotypes about Latinos influence white support for welfare. It shows that whites' stereotypes about Latino work ethic grow more positive as the size of the Latino population increases, suggesting positive effects of contact. Moreover, the effect of whites’ stereotypes about Latino—but not black—work ethic on support for welfare is contingent on ethnic context. In areas with few Latinos, the lazier whites think Latinos are, the less whites want to spend on welfare. However, in areas that are disproportionately Latino the more hardworking whites think Latinos are (controlling for whites' stereotypes about blacks), the less whites want to spend on welfare as well. This last result, this article argues, is the product of a social comparison between black and Latino work ethic.
Zur Auswertung von Messungen des An- und Abklingens der Photoleitfähigkeit

Es wird angegeben, wie man aus dem Verlauf des An- und Abklingens des Photostroms feststellen kann, ob zur Beschreibung der Rekombination eine Bilanzgleichung, insbesondere eine solche von der Form dn/dt = a −α n −β n2 ausreichend ist. Anwendung der Methode auf die Messungen von Fassbender und Seraphin zeigt, das die behauptete Bestatigung der obigen Bilanzgleichung nicht zutrifft, soweit eine Nachprufung moglich ist. Der Abklingvorgang ist zu langsam im Verhaltnis zum Anklingen und man mus neben der Elektronenkonzentration im Leitungsband mindestens eine zweite Variable und damit eine zweite Bilanzgleichung einfuhren. Die nur auf eine Variable bezogene Bezeichnung „gemischter mono- und bimolekularer Mechanismus” verliert damit ihre Bedeutung. Als zweite Variable kommt in erster Linie die Elektronenkonzentration in den Haftstellen in Betracht. — Neue Messungen an anderen Kristallen sind naherungsweise mit der oben genannten Bilanzgleichung vereinbar; ob auch die Abhangigkeit von der Lichtintensitat richtig wiedergegeben wird, wurde bisher nicht untersucht.
Research on Information Security Risk Assessment Based on Discrete Dynamic Bayesian Network

Being important in the field of information security, it is essential to study the major process and the mathematical models of information security risk assessment.This paper proposed amodel based on the discrete dynamic Bayesian network and further studied the major process of the assessment.The experiment which works on the implementing platform shows the results are reasonable and feasible. The model proves that it iseffective to calculate the probability of the risk.
An Estimate of the Sun’s ROSAT-PSPC X-Ray Luminosities Using SNOE-SXP Measurements

Using solar soft X-ray irradiance measurements from the SXP instrument on the SNOE satellite, we relate the solar surface flux densities and their variability to those of stars as measured with the PSPC instrument on ROSAT. We translate SNOE-SXP measurements into equivalent ROSAT-PSPC counts using model spectra calculated from the CHIANTI package. Using the SNOE-SXP measurements has significant advantages over earlier studies: the absolute calibration is known to ±25%, SNOE measures the Sun as if it were an unresolved star, it has operated over a significant fraction of the solar cycle, and its three wavelength channels overlap substantially with that of the ROSAT-PSPC instrument. The predicted solar X-ray luminosities and surface flux densities are compared with measurements from the ROSAT database. We find that we can estimate the luminosity of the Sun as seen in the 0.1-2.4 keV ("RASS") passband of ROSAT-PSPC to within ±50%, not counting sources of systematic uncertainty mentioned in an appendix: the result lies between 1027.1 and 1027.75 ergs s-1 (measured in the existing data set, only partially covering a full solar cycle) and between 1026.8 and 1027.9 ergs s-1 (extrapolated to the full activity range of a typical solar cycle). The solar luminosities lie close to the median behavior found for a volume-limited (d 81 days) are estimated to be 0.7-0.8 in LRASS, a ratio of 5 or 6. These variations are much smaller than both recent estimates of solar X-ray variability and the range of X-ray luminosities seen within Schmitt's sample. It is suggested that the reported absence of "solar-like" cyclic emission in stellar X-rays might partly arise because the Sun is less variable than assumed in some earlier work. Repeated ROSAT observations of α Cen A during 1995-1998 show X-ray behavior reminiscent of the Sun during activity minimum conditions.
Exploring the Boundary Conditions of Disruption: Large Firms and New Product Introduction With a Potentially Disruptive Technology in the Industrial Robotics Industry

We explore the boundary conditions of Christensen's theory of disruption. Using technological changes that were potentially disruptive to the manufacturers of industrial robots as the context, we find that, unlike Christensen's suggestions, large hydraulic robot manufacturers introduced new products with the disruptive technology fairly early during the changes. We extend Christensen's theory by suggesting that the boundary conditions of the theory are more nuanced than what the extant literature suggests.
Using Multilevel Factor Analysis With Clustered Data Investigating the Factor Structure of the Positive Values Scale

Advances in multilevel modeling techniques now make it possible to investigate the psychometric properties of instruments using clustered data. Factor models that overlook the clustering effect can...
Structure-biodegradability relationships in pyrethroid insecticides.

The metabolism of 20 pyrethroids has been examined to evaluate the contribution of detoxification in their selective action between insects and mammals. The studies utilized living houseflies, mice, or rats, or esterase and oxidase systems derived from these organisms. Pyrethroid-hydrolyzing esterases cleave the primary alcoholtrans- substituted-cyclopropanecarboxylates much faster than the correspondingcis-isomers but are ineffective in hydrolyzing secondary alcohol esters. Microsomal enzymes oxidize the (+)-trans-chrysanthemate moiety at thetrans-methyl group of the isobutenyl substituent and at one of the gem-dimethyl groups whereas the (+)-cis-isomer is attacked at either of the isobutenyl methyl groups. Products isomerized at C3 of the cyclopropane are also detected but only after ester cleavage and oxidation of an isobutenyl methyl group. Each alcohol moiety has its own unique sites for oxidation involving pentadienyl, allyl, benzylic methylene, and aromatic substituents. An enhancement of insecticidal activity is expected on replacement of the biodegradable groupings with substituents relatively resistant to metabolism but this may also increase the mammalian toxicity.
A quad 500 MHz waveform digitizer with differential trigger for use in the muon /g-2 experiment

Abstract We have developed and tested a 4 channel, 500 MHz, 512 k sample, 8 bit waveform digitizer in a FASTCAMAC module. A novel feature is the implementation of a sparse scan during readout with a programmable differential trigger to reduce the data to a manageable level. The differential trigger allows reliable detection of pulses with low threshold in the presence of a variable baseline.
The Force of Nursing Theory-Guided Practice:

This column is the first of two that features summaries of the papers presented by nursing theory-guided practice experts at the American Academy of Nursing meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona, in November 2005. Their presentations inform us about the diversity of nursing processes that facilitate human health and define the discipline. In this column, the focus is on the Roy adaptation model, King's transaction process and concept of goal attainment, and the concept of trust as a pattern manifestation of Rogers' human-environment process.
Structure of Sir2Tm bound to a propionylated peptide

Lysine propionylation is a recently identified post-translational modification that has been observed in proteins such as p53 and histones and is thought to play a role similar to acetylation in modulating protein activity. Members of the sirtuin family of deacetylases have been shown to have depropionylation activity, although the way in which the sirtuin catalytic site accommodates the bulkier propionyl group is not clear. We have determined the 1.8 A structure of a Thermotoga maritima sirtuin, Sir2Tm, bound to a propionylated peptide derived from p53. A comparison with the structure of Sir2Tm bound to an acetylated peptide shows that hydrophobic residues in the active site shift to accommodate the bulkier propionyl group. Isothermal titration calorimetry data show that Sir2Tm binds propionylated substrates more tightly than acetylated substrates, but kinetic assays reveal that the catalytic rate of Sir2Tm deacylation of propionyl-lysine is slightly reduced to acetyl-lysine. These results serve to broaden our understanding of the newly identified propionyl-lysine modification and the ability of sirtuins to depropionylate, as well as deacetylate, substrates.
Development and Psychometric Properties of a Theory-Guided Prescription Stimulant Misuse Questionnaire for College Students

A theory-guided instrument for examining prescription stimulant misuse in the college population was developed and its psychometric properties were evaluated from 2011 to 2012 at one Pacific Northwest (United States) university. Study methods included instrument development, assessment by five health and measurement professionals, group interviews with six college students, a test-retest pilot study, and a paper-based, in-classroom, campus study using one-stage cluster sampling (N = 520 students, 20 classrooms, eligible student response rate = 96.30%). The instrument demonstrated reliability (i.e., internal consistency and stability) and validity (i.e., face, content, and predictive). Limitations and implications are discussed.
Ultrasensitive Measurements of Microbial Rhodopsin Photocycles Using Photochromic FRET

Microbial rhodopsins are an important class of light-activated transmembrane proteins whose function is typically studied on bulk samples. Here we apply photochromic fluorescence resonance energy transfer (pcFRET) to investigate the dynamics of these proteins with sensitivity approaching the single-molecule limit. The brightness of a covalently linked organic fluorophore is modulated by changes in the absorption spectrum of the endogenous retinal chromophore that occur as the molecule undergoes a light-activated photocycle. We studied the photocycles of blue-absorbing proteorhodopsin (BPR) and sensory rhodopsin II (SRII). Clusters of 2–3 molecules of SRII clearly showed a light-induced photocycle. Single molecules of SRII showed a photocycle upon signal averaging over several illumination cycles.
Showy partridge pea [Chamaecrista fasciculata (Michx.) Greene] with potential for cultivation as a multi-functional species in the United States

Showy partridge pea, Chamaecrista fasciculata is used in the USA for cover cropping, ornate flowers in native gardens, honey crop, as an annual reseeding legume for restoration and conservation plantings, and wildlife food. However, its greatest potential may be as a bio-control plant for the control of mole crickets, cactus moth, and additional pest species. The United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Plant Genetic Resources Conservation Unit (USDA, ARS, PGRCU) conserves 36 accessions originating from the USA.
Thermal Equilibrium, Metastable and Irreversible Defects in a-Si:H

Measurements are reported of metastable defect states in undoped a-Si: H, with the aim of understanding the relation between the different types of metastability. The temperature dependence of the thermal equilibrium defect density agrees well with a proposed thermodynamic model and their relaxation time varies with deposition conditions. The rate of light induced defect creation and annealing in samples deposited at low temperature and with a large initial defect density, decreases progressively as the irreversible defects are removed by annealing.
A thousand years of pulmonary medicine: good news and bad

I should like to start by thanking Professor Gibson and all members of the Programme Committee for asking me to give this Millennial Lecture. I am, of course, greatly honoured at having been chosen for this, a once every one-thousand years event. One of the things Professor Gibson refrained from saying in his overly flattering introduction is that I actually started my medical career back in the first half of the last century, a long time ago. So I have been witness to over50 years of medical progress – and what a half century it has been! But that is not what I am going to talk about. What I propose to do this morning is, first of all, to discuss briefly some of the remarkable achievements in pulmonary medicine and the men and women who made them during the recently departed millennium. Consequently, I will start my review in the year 1000. Then, I will reflect on the evolution and present deplorable status of two of mankind's deadliest scourges, both of them chiefly pulmonary disorders, one practically as old as human beings themselves, and the other practically brand new. And finally, I will make some suggestions as to how the members of the societies that are sponsoring this World Congress on Lung Health can help solve a few of the existing problems. May I remind you that as the title of my talk indicates, I bring you both good news and bad news. The year 1000 marked the end in Europe of the formless Dark Ages and the beginning of the slightly more progressive Medieval Period; culture and enlightenment were considerably more advanced in Asia at the time. There isn't much information available about ordinary life in Europe in the year 1000, but it has been characterized as “unimaginably …
The expanded very large array low band upgrade

The EVLA upgrade will enable full frequency coverage between 1 and 50 GHz. The legacy 74 and 330 MHz low frequency receivers have been largely decommissioned by compatibility issues with the new EVLA digital electronics. We describe an EVLA Low Band initiative to replace the existing narrow band receivers with a new low-noise, broadband system covering 66 to 470 MHz. The bandwidth at 74 MHz will increase by more than an order of magnitude while the 330 MHz bandwidth increases by a factor of 6. The initial deployment of the system will use the current, limited bandwidth feeds.
A scrape‐sampling device for the microbiological examination of poultry carcasses

1. A device was developed to permit standardisation of the scrape‐sampling method and facilitate sampling of different parts of the poultry‐carcass. 2. Scrape‐sampling of turkey carcasses from five different stages in processing yielded only slightly lower counts of micro‐organisms than maceration of excised skin samples in the Colworth Stomacher, thus indicating that the scrape method removed a large proportion of the organisms present on the skin. Only at two stages of processing were the differences in count significant (P<0.05).
The VGL-Chanome: A Protein Superfamily Specialized for Electrical Signaling and Ionic Homeostasis

Complex multicellular organisms require rapid and accurate transmission of information among cells and tissues and tight coordination of distant functions. Electrical signals and resulting intracellular calcium transients, in vertebrates, control contraction of muscle, secretion of hormones, sensation of the environment, processing of information in the brain, and output from the brain to peripheral tissues. In nonexcitable cells, calcium transients signal many key cellular events, including secretion, gene expression, and cell division. In epithelial cells, huge ion fluxes are conducted across tissue boundaries. All of these physiological processes are mediated in part by members of the voltage-gated ion channel protein superfamily. This protein superfamily of 143 members is one of the largest groups of signal transduction proteins, ranking third after the G protein–coupled receptors and the protein kinases in number. Each member of this superfamily contains a similar pore structure, usually covalently attached to regulatory domains that respond to changes in membrane voltage, intracellular signaling molecules, or both. Eight families are included in this protein superfamily—voltage-gated sodium, calcium, and potassium channels; calcium-activated potassium channels; cyclic nucleotide–modulated ion channels; transient receptor potential (TRP) channels; inwardly rectifying potassium channels; and two-pore potassium channels. This article identifies all of the members of this protein superfamily in the human genome, reviews the molecular and evolutionary relations among these ion channels, and describes their functional roles in cell physiology.
Subepicardial vasodilator reserve in the presence of critical coronary stenosis in dogs.

Abstract Critical coronary stenosis is the term used to describe obstruction that eliminates reactive hyperemia presumably because downstream arterioles have dilated maximally to compensate for a proximal stenosis. However, evidence of distal vasomotor capacity exists despite the presence of severe constriction. Coronary blood flow in the left circumflex artery and blood pressure in the aorta and distal circumflex artery were studied in six open chest, anesthetized dogs. The circumflex artery was obstructed sufficiently to eliminate 95 to 98 percent of reactive hyperemia, but resting coronary blood flow was not reduced. The regional distribution of myocardial blood flow was studied with tracer microspheres (diameter 15 μm) before and after intracoronary injection of adenosine (5 μmoles) and after the release of a 15 to 20 second occlusion. The subendocardial to subepicardial ratio of flow in the obstructed bed was not changed by the stenosis (ratio 1.23 ± 0.10 [mean ± standard error of the mean] versus 1.28 ± 0.07, difference not significant). Administration of adenosine decreased subendocardial flow from 0.95 ± 0.07 to 0.73 ± 0.08 ml/min per g (p
The Role of Immigration for Violent Deaths

This article examines the role of community-level factors, including percentage immigrant, for Latino- and Black-specific homicides and suicides in Miami, Florida. Using medical examiner data for 1985-1995 violent deaths and 1990 Census data, this article examines the contexts under which ethnic-specific lethal violence occurs at the census tract level. The results indicate that immigrants are not disrupting communities or undermining social integration. Overall, the article illustrates the importance of considering immigration for understanding race- and ethnic-specific lethal violence as well as the utility of examining the community contexts in which both homicide and suicide tend to occur.
Boost converter — Inverter system using PWAM for HEV/EV motor drive

This paper introduces a novel control strategy “PWAM” method for HEV/EV motor drive system. This modulation method is quite different from other PWM methods that have been well researched or commonly used for the inverter in HEV/EV system. By using this method, only one phase leg of the inverter is doing switching action for every PWM-carrier period. Therefore, the inverter total switching time is reduced to one third comparing with conventional SPWM method and the switching loss can be reduced by at least 50% or even more depending on the load power factor value. In addition, the inverter dc-link requires much smaller capacitor when PWAM method is applied, which makes the system smaller size and lighter weight. Theoretical analysis, simulation and experimental results are provided to verify the inverter efficiency improvement.
Comparison of 3 Methods of Detecting Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: Clinical Screening, Chart Review, and Diagnostic Coding

• BACKGROUND Although the incidence of acute respiratory distress syndrome has been studied, few researchers have prospectively assessed the search tool used to identify cases. • METHODS For 5 months, all patients admitted to a medical intensive care unit in a teaching hospital were evaluated daily to determine whether criteria for acute respiratory distress syndrome were met, and physicians’ progress notes and discharge summaries for these prospectively identified patients were reviewed for mention of the syndrome. Discharge forms were reviewed for the codes (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision) specific to acute respiratory distress syndrome (518.82 or 518.85). • RESULTS Of 314 patients admitted, 65 prospectively met the criteria for acute respiratory distress syndrome. Of these 65 patients, 31 had acute respiratory distress syndrome mentioned in their progress notes, and 4 of the 31 were subsequently assigned a code of 518.82 or 518.85. Patients with a physician’s notation for acute respiratory distress syndrome in their charts had a higher mortality (22/31 [71%]) than did the patients with no such notation (10/34 [29%]). This difference could not be accounted for by differences in length of stay, mean age, score on Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation III, or number of days in the unit before meeting the criteria. • CONCLUSIONS The incidence of acute respiratory distress syndrome is underestimated when based on either diagnostic coding or physicians’ notes without testing of the accuracy of coding. Both physicians and medical record coding specialists may require training in use of terms related to acute respiratory distress syndrome. (American Journal of Critical Care. 2004;13:59-64)
I just don't know why it's gone: maintaining informal information use in inpatient care

We conducted a field-based study examining informal nursing information. We examined the use of this information before and after the adoption of a CPOE (Computerized Provider Order Entry) system in an inpatient unit of a large teaching hospital. Before CPOE adoption, nurses used paper working documents to detail psycho-social information about patients; after the CPOE adoption, they did not use paper or digital notes as was planned. The paper describes this process and analyses how several interlocked reasons contributed to the loss of this information in written form. We found that a change in physical location, sufficient convenience, visibility of the information, and permanency of information account for some, but not all, of the outcome. As well, we found that computerization of the nursing data led to a shift in the politics of the information itself - the nurses no longer had a cohesive agreement about the kinds of data to enter into the system. The findings address the requirements of healthcare computerization to support both formal and informal work practices, respecting the nature of nursing work and the politics of information inherent in complex medical work.
Enabling cooperation among disconnected mobile users

Mobile computing and workgroup computing are emerging technologies which have so far been treated independently. Current approaches to support cooperative work neglect the special characteristics of mobile environments like limited bandwidth or temporary disconnection. On the other hand, approaches to support disconnected operation in mobile environments rely on the assumption that the degree of data sharing is low, which is obviously not appropriate for cooperative work. In this paper, we utilize the COACT (COoperative ACTivity) transaction model to provide support for parallel, disconnected activities. The model incorporates the notion of resolvable, simultaneous work. We show how the COACT 'merge' algorithm reduces conflicts by exploiting operational semantics and offering consistent sequences of operations. We believe that our new approach is a viable solution to the growing demand for cooperation in mobile environments.
Activation of ERK/MAP Kinase in the Amygdala Is Required for Memory Consolidation of Pavlovian Fear Conditioning

Although much has been learned about the neurobiological mechanisms underlying Pavlovian fear conditioning at the systems and cellular levels, relatively little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying fear memory consolidation. The present experiments evaluated the role of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase/mitogen-activated protein kinase (ERK/MAPK) signaling cascade in the amygdala during Pavlovian fear conditioning. We first show that ERK/MAPK is transiently activated–phosphorylated in the amygdala, specifically the lateral nucleus (LA), at 60 min, but not 15, 30, or 180 min, after conditioning, and that this activation is attributable to paired presentations of tone and shock rather than to nonassociative auditory stimulation, foot shock sensitization, or unpaired tone–shock presentations. We next show that infusions of U0126, an inhibitor of ERK/MAPK activation, aimed at the LA, dose-dependently impair long-term memory of Pavlovian fear conditioning but leaves short-term memory intact. Finally, we show that bath application of U0126 impairs long-term potentiation in the LA in vitro. Collectively, these results demonstrate that ERK/MAPK activation is necessary for both memory consolidation of Pavlovian fear conditioning and synaptic plasticity in the amygdala.
Characterization of the Sinorhizobium meliloti sinR/sinI Locus and the Production of Novel N-Acyl Homoserine Lactones

Sinorhizobium meliloti is a soil bacterium which can establish a nitrogen-fixing symbiosis with the legume Medicago sativa. Recent work has identified a pair of genes, sinR and sinI, which represent a potential quorum-sensing system and are responsible for the production of N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs) in two S. meliloti strains, Rm1021 and Rm41. In this work, we characterize the sinRI locus and show that these genes are responsible for the synthesis of several long-chain AHLs ranging from 12 to 18 carbons in length. Four of these, 3-oxotetradecanoyl HL, 3-oxohexadecenoyl HL, hexadecenoyl HL, and octadecanoyl HL, have novel structures. This is the first report of AHLs having acyl chains longer than 14 carbons. We show that a disruption in sinI eliminates these AHLs and that a sinR disruption results in only basal levels of the AHLs. Moreover, the same sinI and sinR mutations also lead to a decrease in the number of pink nodules during nodulation assays, as well as a slight delay in the appearance of pink nodules, indicating a role for quorum sensing in symbiosis. We also show that sinI and sinR mutants are still capable of producing several short-chain AHLs, one of which was identified as octanoyl HL. We believe that these short-chain AHLs are evidence of a second quorum-sensing system in Rm1021, which we refer to here as the mel system, for “S. meliloti.”
The Early Evolutionary History and Adaptive Radiation of the Pterosauria

: Phylogenetic analyses of early pterosaur species are relatively new and contradictory. However, they imply a similar evolutionary history for early pterosaurs: a large divergence of all major early groups of pterosaurs before the first named pterosaur species appeared in the fossil record. This large, unsampled divergence may be a record of the initial adaptive radiation of the pterosaurs, but a recent comprehensive phylogenetic analysis reconstructs named Triassic pterosaur species grouped together in a monophyletic clade with all other major groups diverging later. Ten patterns that characterize adaptive radiations put forward by Gavrilets and Losos (2009) are assessed for congruence with the comprehensive phylogeny and two previous phylogenies to determine which are consistent with our notions of an adaptive radiation. Of the eight patterns that can be applied to pterosaurs, only six vary between pterosaur phylogenies. Of these six patterns, all apply to the three phylogenies with varying amounts of support For many patterns, however, the comprehensive phylogeny has a greater magnitude, shorter time span, or is the only topology within which they can be assessed. Pterosaurs are characterized by an adaptive radiation no matter which phylogeny is considered, but congruence with the fossil record increases the support and information content of a phylogeny by reducing the time and area within which to reconstruct evolutionary history.
Hearing and cognition in the elderly. New findings and a review of the literature.

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between hearing status and cognitive status initially and at 5-year follow-up in a cohort of healthy elderly men and women and to relate the results to published reports on this topic. Volunteers older than 60 years with no major illnesses and taking no long-term prescription medications were examined. Baseline testing of hearing and cognition was performed in 224 subjects; 112 subjects underwent cognitive testing at 5-year follow-up. Hearing was measured by the Speech Perception in Noise test; cognition was measured by two parts of the Wechsler Memory Scale and by the Jacobs Cognitive Screening Test, an oral screening instrument. At baseline there were small correlations between hearing acuity and memory scores, but these disappeared after adjustment for age and gender. Analysis of follow-up memory and cognitive screening test scores in relation to baseline hearing ability showed no correlation between hearing at entry and cognitive function at 5 years. In addition, baseline hearing level did not predict change in memory or cognitive screening test scores during the follow-up period. The power of the study was 90% to detect a correlation of.30 between measures of hearing and cognition. There was no evidence for a major effect of hearing acuity on cognitive function over time in this group of healthy elderly. Review of published studies suggests that hearing ability is related to cognitive status in demented subjects, but there is little to suggest that in the normal elderly, hearing impairment leads to cognitive decline. (Arch Intern Med. 1991;151:2259-2264)
Electrophysiological neuroimaging: Cortical correlates of alpha rhythm modulation

Eyes-open and eyes-closed are two widely accepted resting conditions in neuroimaging study. When alternating between the two conditions, electroencephalogram (EEG) studies have reported the modulation of alpha band (8–12 Hz) oscillation. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have found modulation of blood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) response. The neuronal correlates of the two modulations are not well understood. In the present study, we conducted an eyes-open-eyes-closed human experiment with simultaneous EEG and fMRI recordings. We investigated the spatial and temporal correlations between the alpha modulation and BOLD response. Besides the neural network generating the eyes-open-eyes-closed-task-induced modulation, we further examined other neural networks involved in the task. Their spatial and temporal relationship with the alpha modulation was investigated.